gbk56

I have a pair of Pumas I wear if it is really bright. Depending on the brightness on the green I will take them off to putt. If it is really bright out, i usually forget I even have them on.

From the range and playing I pretty much know how far I hit the ball with each club. I admit some ranges are poorly marked where I hit my 140 yard club 150 yards, but from playing on courses and checking out some of the GPS systems when I play, I know how far I hit the ball. I also agree with the post about indoor ranges. I play something called screen golf which is a virtual indoor golf course which allows you to play a round of golf by hitting a real ball into a screen. It has a bunch of lasers that calculates swing speed, ball speed, ball rotation, launch angle etc., for every shot. The lasers are hooked up to a computer and calculates where on a virtual golf course the ball will land. I get an extra 10 yards with all my clubs on those systems. I think it is because I am hitting perfect balls, with a perfect lie in a perfect indoor environment.

I play about once or twice a month and try to practice once a week. My driver and irons are relatively straight, but my 3 wood and 5 wood are very inconsistant (i used to hit the 5 wood great). My game is very weak within 100yards. I take more than half of my strokes within 100 yards or probably more like within 50 yards. No short game, no putting. I cannot tell much of a difference between balls except between a good ball and a very cheap ball, like a range ball. I can feel the difference between hitting a forged iron and a cast iron iron. Whether, that difference helps my game or not I am not sure, but I can feel the difference. I do not think there is much of a difference between putters. Just need to pick one the you feel good hitting. Usually the more expensive putters feel better weighted, giving the feeling of a smoother stroke. All that said, I have good equipment so that I am reassured that my bad shots could only be the result of my poor play and not an equipment issue. I used to play with a set of Spaldings and can't tell much of a difference between the clubs except with the irons and I actaully hit my Spalding 5 Wood better than my fancy Adams 5 Wood. I think I hit my Spalding driver the same as my TaylorMade, but I switched my clubs because people I played with were convinced my high handicap was caused by inadequate equipment. My handicap in coming down, but I think that is just because I play more. As I get more confidence in my short game, my scores are coming down.

I started out very similar to you and played on a par 3s for practice and a regualr course on weekends. I practiced using the Driver, 5 wood, 5 and 7 iron, and pitching wedge. This is because this was about the lenght of eahc of the holes on the par 3. Driver got me close to about 200 yards (probably more like 180). Plus you should learn to get comfortable with the club and swing it. (4 holes) 5 Wood got me between 150 and 170 yds. (4 holes) 5 Iron got me between 140 and 150 yds. (4 holes) 7 Iron got me between 130 or 140 yds. (4 holes) PW around 90yds. (2 hole) I think these clubs gave me a good varity of distances to work on. When you are on the range I would record or remember your distances for each of the clubs so that when you are on the course you will know which clubs to use. On the course I would use the clubs I practiced on the range unless you I was at a really inbetween distance, then I used another club. You may want to use different clubs depending on the distances on your course. I usually practiced 7 iron and Driver and then used the rest of the time with other clubs. My best club was the 5 wood, though.

Weight shift. You do not have good weight shift so your distances are almost all the same. What works for me is to remember to stay balanced throughout the swing, get a proper shoulder turn and swing through the ball with a proper finish. And as was mentioned in a previous post, there is no proper distance for your clubs. Just get comfortable with your swing, know how far you can hit the ball with each club and get consistant.

I personally keep my eyes on the ball. If I focus on something else I usually end up not hitting the ball cleanly.

I think Cromartie and Chambers have done pretty solid jobs to round out the team. Go Boltz!!

Go Bolts! LT will need a big game and the D will need to pressure Brady. Ball control and keep Brady and Moss on the bench.

I usually have to make some adjustments to get to my regular swing. Sometimes I can feel something in my practice swings and sometimes I can diagnose what I am doing wrong from the ball flight. For example I can usually feel if I am coming outside in on my practice swing. I make an adjustment and the result is, I almost never slice the ball. An example of ball flight is that sometimes I tend to flip my wrists. If I see my ball starting to hook instead of draw I known I have to concentrate more on extending my followthrough down the target line instead of flipping my wrists. Right now I am working on making better ball contact and more accurate shots. I work on this stuff at the range and once I'v figured some things out I will incorporate those things into my regular swing.

A easy paced two hour round every time I play.

I second that! I play much better when I am alone. My concentration is at a much higher level and I can really focus on my game. If I am with others I am watching their game along with mine and tend to loose a little bit of focus. Also when I play with others I am always thinking of etiquette. When I play alone I hit the ball and move on and get into a nice groove not having to worry about anything, but my next shot.

My daughter started when she was three. At first she just wanted to go to the range with me. Then she wanted to hit some balls. She then saw a starter set that she had to have, so at age three I bought her a starter set along with pink golf balls that she absoultely loved (I think I have Paula Creamer to thank for strating the whole pink thing in golf). She loves to go to the range and hit to the targets. She also loves putting. In the winter we practice chip shots in the house with a compressed foam golf ball. She is five now and I am now thinking of taking her to a par 3. I think as parents, all we can do is introduce our children to things, and those things that they take an interest in, we should do our best to support and encourage them. Sometimes my daughter gets frustrated because she cannot always hit the targets she is aiming for and that is when I try to guide her to be patient and help her with her swing.

Thanks for all the input. I guess it is unanimous. I will be getting a putting mat this winter. Hopefully it helps my stroke. gfunk, awesome golf mat. Let us know how it works out!

Draw: I CLOSE my stance by moving my left foot slightly in Toward the target line. I keep my swing and club alignment the same, and I get a nice little draw. Fade: I OPEN my stance by moving my left foot slightly AWAY from the target line. I keep my swing and club alignement the same and I get a nice little fade.

I am thinking of getting one of those putting mats to practice my putting inside during the winter months. My putting is terrible. I think I had 38 putts and scored a 95 the last time I played. Anyone have any recommendations? Do they work or is it a waste of time? If they work, what are the best ways to practice on a putting mat?

With the winter season coming on I am looking to improve my game. I am getting more solid with ball striking, but can see that the short game is really a big hinderence in scoring for me. My driver is pretty consistent for about 200 to 220 meters. I rarely hit anything OB or past the rough. Any suggestions on what I should work on, and any drills or tips? I am working on accuracy within 100 meters right now.

Put your bucket of balls by your bag. This will force you to take your time with each shot. Then work on whatever drill you want. I would suggest picking a target and continue aiming for the tartet until you can get five in a row within 5 yards. Then pick another target and continue.

You are shifting your weight to the outside of your right foot and your are coming a little over the top. It looks like you should be keeping your weight on the inside of your right foot and try to bring your swing plane a little more inside out. I think by shifting your weight to the ourside of your right foot, you are prmoting a little shift of your hips to the right, which is not good and often causes a slice.

Sure what you said is true, but I never really had any interest in watching golf until Tiger came on tour and Michelle came on tour. Never really paid any attention to wathcing Jack or Tom or any of the others on the PGA and really had no interest in the LPGA with Nancy Lopez, Anika, SeRi Park or any of the others. But when Michelle started competing I became interested in the LPGA and now I do follow the likes of Lorena, Paula, Brittany Natalie etc. With the PGA tour their game is just so phenominal I really cannot relate to it and it still sometimes seems a little uninteresting unless Tiger is playing or there is a heated battle between two great golfers. Without Tiger or Michelle, I would have never really started wathcing golf and really would not have had any interest in the LPGA. I thnk Tiger and Michelle have really done a lot to get the interest of the casual fans and to discount their impact is incorrect. Even with all the new talent on the LPGA I would have never started wathcing without Michelle.

You are shifting your weight to the outside of you right foot and straightening you right leg on your back swing. You should keep weight on the inside of your right foot and maintain flex in you right leg so that it does not straighten out.

I think it will be a questionsable late hit from a blind side blitz. So it will likely be a defensive back or linebacker.

Not sure what she ever whinned about. Seems to me it is everyone else on the tour and the fans that do all the whinning about her exemptions and preferrential treatment.

Sounds like a weight shift problem. You are not transferring your weight to your front foot. That is why you feel your body lifting up and wthcing your ball go really high. You might want to try placing more weight on your left side at address (soemthing like a 60:40 ratio).

I agree Tiger is one of the best and you really can't compare his performance in golf to team sports, but I do not agree with the analysis. First, I am not sure you can clasify golf as a sport. Second, I would agree that it may not be reasonable to compare an individualized activity like golf to a team sport. In an individualized activity like golf you only have to worry about yourself. In a team sport like basketball, if you want to be a champion like MJ and the likes you must not only prepare yourself, but also motivate an entire team to play at peak performance. I think being a champion in a team sport is much harder when you are the star and responsible for your performance and everyone else's performance. Look at Kobie. Great individual talent, but he must learn to get along with teamates and win more championships before he can be considered one of the greatest. If he was a tennis player or golfer he would probably be better off. Third, "Would Wilt score 50 points against a Shaq/Alonzo double-team all night?" Tell me would Tiger win as many tournaments if he competed against some of the golf greats like Jack and Arnie in their prime? No one is sizing up Tiger either. I just don't agree with this analysis.

I will have to second that one. The Charger Offense was unstoppable. The biggest problem was no defense.