gfd66

Depends on where the pin sets, the "wedge" you are looking for could be a 6 iron........ If I'm looking to pitch and roll, it depends on how much carry I am looking for. If the pin is close to where my ball lies, I may pull out a 52*, 56* or 60* depending on if I am on an uphill to a flat lie just to flop it close. For my wedges I am using the Cleveland CG15's and have been very happy. Now if I can just get this putting thing down.......

@ Gresh: Tell THAT to his PARENTS...... Apparently they have not taught the 13yo to respect adults or for that matter authority figures. I see far too much of this in my line of work Gresh. Discipline starts in the home. If there isn't discipline in the home, there won't be any anywhere else, including the golf course.

For me, about 20+ years ago, it was just an excuse to get out drinking with my buddies and away from my parents house. I would steal my Dad's old 1950's clubs and we would all head out to a course that had beer carts and a really good 19th. Somehow it turned into an obsession.......... without the drinking....... Now my 8yo daughter has taken an interest due to the Golf channel always being on (she thinks Paula Creamer is the greatest ever because she always wears pink) and my constant chipping practice in the yard. I bought her her own set of clubs and we goto the range at least once a week. She loves it and she's a sponge for knowledge, signed her up last year for the First Tee program and she had a ball. Hopefully she won't take on any of my bad habits. :)

Interesting, I (not being that much into the science of it) had always thought that stiff was stiff, regular was regular, etc. So I researched the shafts and here is where I was... BB 460, 10.5*: Adila NVS 5.5 Stiff, 4.4 Torque, Mid Flex, 57g BB Diablo 9*: Adila DVS Stiff, 3.3 Torque, Mid Flex, 63g Now running with, Cleveland HiBore XLS, 10.5*: Fujikura Gold Regular, 3.8 Torque,Mid/Low Flex, Active tip, 55g Bought the Callaways prior to having my back fused and used to hit them well. Since then, both of the BB clubs have been either a banana slice or duck hook off the tee. Very seldom would I get something that actually looked like a drive. I have become very good at rescue shots with my Idea Black hybrid because of this. BUT, now my hybrid is running a Graffaloy stiff shaft and that I don't have any issues with. I am beginning to think that I just need to take my bag to the shop and get a good fitting.......

Where should the ball be in the swing, upswing? bottom? 90% of my putts I get the "tink" sound off the putter and then I get a ball hop. I am NOT rolling the ball. It's almost like a mini chip shot. I was using an Oddessy 2 ball putter, I have for the last 2 weeks switched back to my old Carbite putter since I have noticed that I don't tend to try to steer the ball as much with it.

OK, per a buddies thoughts, I went out and picked up a used driver (Cleveland HiBore XLS) with a regular shaft and now remarkably I am able to keep the ball in my own field of play. Might be in the rough, but not OB, in the water or the next fairway over AND I am getting better distance than I was with my Callaway Diablo with a stock stiff shaft. Here's my dilemma. My irons are the '06 big bertha's with the stock stiff shafts and I hit them great. Now i wonder why? Should I switch everything to reg flex? What do you guys think?

Looking at a set of Callaway X20 irons with the True Temper S300 shafts. Was wondering if I could get some opinions about these shafts. They seem heavy in comparison to what I had been using, but the guru says I need stiff shafts. Can't afford to have what I currently own reshafted but I came across a really good deal on the X20's. They are used in good condition, just need to be regripped.

Ask at your local golf course pro-shop. Where I am at there is Golf Galaxy, Golfsmith, and GolfTec. I believe that they also have a fitting station at most Dick's Sporting Goods as well. Pretty much anywhere you would be able to buy higher end clubs should have something. Some of the more "quality" driving ranges also will have a setup as they generate more business with selling grips and shafts.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-PRACTICE-TEE-GOLF-DRIVING-RANGE-MATS-/280714616353?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash;=item415be51e21

Well, went to the guru this morning. What he told me and showed me via video was that with my woods I am basically throwing the club at the ball. I am coming over the top hard and over correcting while I am swinging. So we spent the entire time working just with the driver. Got it to the point where I was making good contact with the ball, and back on plane. Now it's off to the range to practice what we went over. The hardest part so far for me is the pushing foward (towards the target) of my hips, dropping the shoulder and finishing with a full follow thru without falling over. Kinda difficult after spinal fusion but we found out it can be done with a bit of setup manipulation. The biggest issue for me was the difference in shaft length from my woods to my irons. My irons he wants to leave alone but wants me to try out a +1" on the woods. Let's all hope this is just a physical limitation to beat and not a brain thing....... easier to practice a physical thing than it is to get past the human mind. The brain gets in the way way too easy!!

Well, just got back from a quick 9 with one of my neighbors (after hitting the 19th for a bit). He told me what he saw was me wringing the grip like I was trying to choke it to death and that I looked like I was trying to hit the ball so hard it would travel 500yds every time I got to a par4/5 hole. AND it was ONLY on the teebox. It didn't matter what club I had in my hand. Told me to try and pick a target "just down the fairway a bit" and stop trying to hit it over the fence.To act like it's nothing more than "just another shot". BTW, Shot 44 (par 35), lost 5 balls. 3 OB )missed one house by j u s t that much) and 2 to the creeks. He did wait till after the round at the bar to give me his words of wisdom. @Shorty, I've tried my 3iron and my hybrid off the tee, it's just something about that teebox that gets me all screwed up. I admitted in my last post that I may have overstated just a bit, I don't have laser like precision. If I did, I wouldn't be fighting fire for a living. BUT I am pretty damn good once I'm off the teebox. I'm going to try my neighbor's advice.

I may have overstated a little bit, I can't fire off shots like a lazer, BUT I am pretty danged accurate once I am off the teebox. I have tried to hit my hybrid and 3 iron off the tee with bad results, Something about being up on that teebox gets my head all screwed up!!!! I could drop instantly 7-10 strokes per round if I could just keep the ball on the hole that I am playing. I'm putting 7-10 balls OB or into ponds, then playing a recovery game. Doesn't even need to be in the fairway. Just in bounds and out of ponds. There is no rhyme or reason for where the ball travels. I'll hook it, push it, slice it, sky it, etc. There isn't anything consistent about my swing off of the teebox that I can rely on, unless it's a par 3 with a wedge. I can't figure it out. I go to my lessons as any good boy should, do well, no harsh criticism, a little tweak here or there. Get to the course and I can't hit the ball down my field of play if my life depended on it. PLUS, having to buy a dozen balls every time I go out to play 18 is getting to be a bit expensive....

Put an Iron in my hand, a 3 all the way through my wedges, I've got amazing accuracy, control, distance, spin, etc. Put anything that looks like a wood in my hands (especially from the teebox) and the swing is absolutely completely different. My friends even told me yesterday that my practice swings were different. Put a wood in my hand and look out. I'm not even sure if you're safe standing on the green I just left!! Slice, maybe...push, maybe......draw, maybe. I've even skyed it off the tee with my driver and had the ball land behind me. I know it has to be mental because i can hit the rest of my clubs well.

I've had an Anser, an Oddessey, etc. the putter that has always felt the best in my hands has been a Carbite blade. Brand names don't really matter much. Long putters, short putters, belly putters, whatever. Go to your local pro shop and putt with everything they have. Everyone has a different putt stroke. Make sure it is the right length for you. Find what feels best for you, not just what looks good in your bag. Big $ don't always = lower scores.

If the course is slow and you are with friends, go ahead and keep playing your ball. As Klutten3 says, you're not going to get any practice or good experience if you pick it up. I would only be inclined to pick up my ball if it was really slowing pace of play and the course was full. If you can play at a pace of around 10min. per hole, you are playing at a fairly decent pace, figuring that 4 1/2 hours is basically a standard for 18 (15min/hole). At that pace, I've been known to hit a second or third ball just for practice from different lies. Also, it never hurts to let a faster group play through. And don't be bashful about asking for help. Your buds may see a hitch in your swing that you don't. AND, if you play the same course regularly, ask the pro shop when the course is usually slow. I know the best days at my home course for practice rounds vs when to bring out my buddies for a round that counts. Lastly, lessons really aren't that bad. I don't know where you live, but Golf Galaxy will give you 3 lessons with video feedback for around $150. That's only 3 rounds of golf at a decent 18 hole course.

OK, so we have the "bias" figured out. So if I may ask, what do you have in your bag and are you happy? I am currently running a Big Bertha 460 "neutral" at 10*. I've been hitting the ball REALLY high and losing distance (roll). Thought it was just my tee height, tried several differing heights and pretty much always ended up with the same result. I was thinking about possibly an 8 1/2* or 9*.

Very happy with my results, dropped my score by alot just after the eval. Signed up for more!! A little pricey, but I feel that so far it's worth it.

As far as back pain, I've had L4-L5 fusion done. A really good Chiropractor and massage therapist keep the pain in check. Yoga also helps. What really sucks is the lack of mobility, and my swing shows it. I've started up at Golftec with a great coach (yes I called him a coach) to work through it. If the chiropractor and massage therapy is out, at the very least keep up with core strength exercises and flexibility (yoga). Posture is everything.

Personally I think it's f'n ridiculous. Sports figures are heroes and role models that our kids try to emulate. He committed a crime, and went to prison. Granted he "paid his debt", but he should not have been let back into the NFL. All that said to our kids was"It's OK, just say your sorry." BS!! What ever happened to our country anyway. How did we become so greed driven and touchy feely at the same time. I don't care how talented you are at something. Privileges come with a price. The only time we should be seeing athletes in the papers or on the news is for their performance on their respective field of play and their contributions to society off the field. These ridiculous salaries are also the reason that most people can't go to a game. Ticket prices are astronomical, food and beverages are crazy, then to top it off $25 to park? If the players want a union,then they should have the same type of setup as everyone else. 3yr apprentice program at a set salary, and a journeyman salary based on position. Prove to us that you're here to win championships and not 10,000sqft mansions. I believe it would go back to love of the game and loyalty to the team that gets these guys to play again rather than the new Bentley that they want. Friggin prima-donnas....... BTW, GO PACKERS!!!!

OK, so one can perform the same trick by adjusting one's grip. Why would someone purposely buy x,y or z? Is it just a form of swing correction without actually correcting the swing? If you fade or slice, buy the draw? Etc.?

I just don't really get it. What is the difference between woods that are "set up" with a draw / neutral, etc. I'm looking to upgrade my old driver and fairway woods and when I bought my last set (many years ago) this didn't exist.

So I'm off to GolfTec in the morning for my evaluation. Anyone have experience with these guys? Happy or unhappy with your results? I'll be going indoors in Highland Park, IL.