beisenhauer

I extend the side stamp to make a decent putting line, while still leaving the side stamp visible. I also put a ligature of my initials, "BE" with the "B" turned backwards, to the right of the number on both sides of the ball. All done in blue sharpie.

Here's a drill I like to do before a round that I think has helped me with my pace. I take three balls and drop them at 3, 5 and 7 paces from a hole (or any target will do). Starting at the closest one, I putt each just for pace. A good putt is one that winds up 6-18 inches behind the hole. I then repeat it at 6, 9 and 12 paces, then at 5, 10 and 15 paces. If I'm not happy with a putt (which is to say, if I'm not extremely confident that I could hole the second putt) I'll repeat the set of three, but never more than once. I'll do the whole routine to two different holes/targets, one going uphill, one going down. I've cut down a my three-putts significantly with this. As always, YMMV.

+1 for The Greatest Game Ever Played. Bagger Vance is a close second.

Golf Pride DD2 Lamkin Crossline Putter

I think you're misreading that decision. The entire second section doesn't apply to you since you said your tournament does allow rangefinders.

Leave it in the bag.

Marched with the Purdue Alumni Band in the 500 Festival Parade in Indianapolis on Saturday. Then, because I'm insane and didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, I went out and played 18 at Eagle Creek. Shot 81 with an 8 on the 18th. I was thinking about breaking 80 rather than playing the hole.

55 front/39 back. Anybody beat 16 strokes difference?

I agree w/ Shindig at least in this respect: I hit my long irons better when I don't think I need to do anything different from my other irons. (With the exception of the minor setup changes Shindig mentioned.) When I start thinking that I need to do something different with my swing is when I have problems. Particularly, if I start trying to swing harder. "Harder" usually translates to "faster" which is where the problems start. When I hit them well, I have the same turn-back, turn-through tempo as all my other clubs, and I let the club do the work.

Our league uses a modified Stableford format where your score is compared against a quota based on your handicap. I like the system since it 1) gives everybody a chance to do well and 2) by effectively setting a maximum score for each hole, it speeds play somewhat. Twice a year they'll have a four-man scramble, with pairings based on handicap.

I fight a push/slice on occasion, usually with the longer clubs, and I think the cause is usually that I'm sliding my hips too much and not staying behind the ball. If I focus on "turn back/turn through," it usually straightens itself out. YMMV.

Driver - $105 Hybrids - $80 Irons - $700 Wedges - $105 Putter - $15 Total - $1015

Bridge on the River Kwai Amadeus The Good, the Bad and the Ugly The Shawshank Redemption The Godfather

I have an iGolf Caddie II, and I really like the unit. It's easy to use and has the features I want (shot distance, AA batteries). What I don't like is iGolf (the company). The first course I downloaded and played had holes mapped in the wrong order. I sent their customer service a message to this effect, including the exact corrections they needed to make, and received no answer. Another course had the center of the green for one hole at the 150-yard marker. And recently they removed the "File Maker" application from their website, which means you can no longer map a course yourself, and the "custom points" feature is pretty much useless, since you can't name the points. "Hey, look: it's 203 yards to something. Now was that to carry the water, or lay up short of the bunker?"

The next addition to my golf bag will be... a new golf bag.

If you need a playing partner, I'd be happy to join you.

I'm 6'4" in shoes, wrist-to-floor about 40". My irons are +1.5" and 1° upright. My hybrids and 3-wood are 1/2" over standard, and my driver is 44.5", standard or just a little under.

Hit the shot you know you can hit, not the one you think you ought to be able to hit.

I used TopFlite D2 Feels for most of last season, but tried out a dozen Gamers for comparison. The only difference I could notice was that the Gamers' cover shredded much more easily than the Feel.

Beware. From what I can tell, the PS2 game is significantly different from the Xbox/PS3 versions. (No Haney; no club tuning, etc.) I was extremely disappointed with the gameplay and found the '09 version inferior to the '07 and '08 versions for PS2.

I'm a fiddler. I just can't leave well-enough alone. I regrip my clubs because I want to try something different long before the grips wear out. Result: I change my ball every dozen or two. Since about the middle of last season (2007), here's the list: Prostaff something-or-other (Had few in good shape laying around when I decided I needed to consistently play the same ball.) Callaway Warbird Callaway Big Bertha Top Flite D2 Feel Callaway Tour ix (two sleeves of freebies) Top Flite Gamer Next up: a dozen NXT Extreme and a sleeve of Pro V1s. Contemplating: NXT Tour or e6+. I can't tell much difference between most balls. The Warbird is a rock. The only difference between the Gamer and the D2 Feel is that the Gamer shreds more easily. The Tour ix is a nice ball, but it doesn't seem to go anywhere off the putter. If you told me today that I had to choose just one ball to play for the next year, and that I had to pay for them myself, it'd be the D2 Feel.

The tools have to suit the user. I answered "equal". Especially so with mid-to-high handicappers. Good players can adjust to anything; they may not be as precise, but they could score well with hickory, persimmon and balata. Us hackers need help from our equipment. BTW, I agree it should be "Bow", not arrow.

If we have a dearth of leadership in this country, or anywhere else for that matter, it stems largely from one thing: hostility to independence. A leader must first be independent. I don't mean that they have to swim against the current all the time, but whichever direction they choose, the choice must be based on their own judgment, not the opinions of others. Our current culture is actively hostile to independence. We want so-called "leaders" who will "build consensus" and "consider all points of view." A consensus builder sticks his finger in the air and discerns the direction of the popular wind, persuading dissenters not to rock the boat to much; he is the ultimate follower. A leader says, "Here is what we ought to do and why; those who agree may come along." As for the financial crisis, I'm not a banking expert, but in my view the problem stems not from insufficient government regulation but from too much. Government policy, regardless of the administration in the White House, has long been to encourage consumption and debt while discouraging savings, investment and productive activity. Progressive income taxes, capital gains taxes, deductible mortgage interest and above all, artificially low interest rates created by the Federal Reserve and its fiat currency all contribute to this. This is not surprising when you consider that the government itself is the largest debtor. Add to this banking regulations that require, or at the very least strongly encourage, banks to make high-risk loans with the promise that the risk will be taken on by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (see the CRA), and the promise of bailouts should your institution fail, and you hardly have a recipe for sound financial management. In an "economically normal" situation, you will always have a few bankers that make too many bd loans and go out of business. But why so many? Why now? Only because the government created the environment and the incentives that made those loans appear profitable.

I've got those grips on my wedges, and tried it out on a couple of my drivers (I'm on my third this year, but that's another story.) I wouldn't disagree with anything obsessedgolfer said, but they're a little firm for my taste. I feel like a get a better grip with something just a little softer. I'm thinking about regripping my whole set with DD2s next Spring.

The Rams will finish 10-6 after starting 0-4, win the NFC West and then the Super Bowl in a rematch over the Tennessee Titans. A guy can dream, can't he?