gjwhite

Hi everyone, I'm moving from the tri-state area to West LA at the start of 2008 and was looking for some good (relatively inexpensive) golf courses in the LA area. Public or private, as long as they let a lone 8 handicap onto their greenery.

We had some of those strips around the house so I added them in pieces... It feels better, but not wild about the way it looks, which is half the battle.

I cut my Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5 down an inch and am adding lead tape to make up for the difference in swing weight. Would it be possible to put it on the flat of the putter (that is, the piece behind and perpendicular to the face) or must it be on the back of the face? I'd rather not cover up the nice little dots--but if I must, then I shall.

The whole holes I take it.

I've heard a lot of the longer drives being on 550 yard par fives (Appleby hit a 400 yard dinger on the 18th at Firestone), but believe it or not, Wetterich flew the green by ten yards on the 427 yard par 4. Yikes.

I was reading some stats from the 2007 PGA season and was astonished to see that the longest drive of the year was 437 yards by Brad Wetterich at the Mercedes in Hawaii (he also had the second longest drive). What's crazy is that Davis Love III had one that measured 473 a year or two ago. Now, obviously these are downhill holes, but seriously, how in God's name is this possible? That boggles the mind.

Arg! Played an absolutely awful round today, losing the first seven holes on the front nine. Could not get anything going; great drive, terrible approach. Gave away many holes, but the one that hurt the most was on our seventh when, after hitting a gorgeous 270 yard drive, I proceeded to shank, wait for it, a nine iron from 140. My opponent's bogey ended up winning the hole. After giving away the first seven holes, we played the rest of the 18 dead even. Unfortunately by that time it was far too late to repair the damage. I just don't play well in tournaments at all. This is not the last event at our club though; at the end of September we have a two day Ryder Cup that follows pretty closely the matches of the actual RC. I need a few more points (gained from placing at various Men's Club tourneys and events) to make the cut (I believe there are 8 players on each side), so I'm hoping to do well in the next few events. Arg. On that note, anyone have advice for playing tourneys that they find might come in handy?

My lowest round was a 76 at my Old Tappan Golf Club. It really should have been a 75 or a 74 as I made two careless putts that cost me. However my most satisfying round was a Caledonia in Pawleys Island, SC this summer when I shot a 79. I was playing with a set of blades a friend let me borrow, and had no clue as to green speed before I started the round. All things considered I was very pleased with it, especially after years of playing down there in my early golf years.

Congratulations, the big check is in the mail. I think I'll end up just taking off one half inch as to avoid any change. I think having a thicker grip will help too as I'll be able to choke down a touch and not touch the shaft. I'll let you know how it goes post-op.

I think what I'll do is just have my guy at the pro shop cut off just a hair over 1/2" and get myself a thick, tacky Winn grip. The putter's only a few months old, so to go through the process of sending it back to the custom shop etc. seems unnecessary at this point. I wouldn't mind so much if the putter head feels 5grams lighter really, so I might even go for the full 34. We shall see.

Received this message from the folks at the SC custom shop...

I wouldn't say it would be thrown "way" off. I've compared the 33" Newport in the pro shop (why didn't I just buy that in the first place you ask? beats me) with mine and the only difference is that it just feels a little lighter. Nothing some time on the putting green couldn't fix.

Just wondering if anyone has any experience with the SC shop--it seems a touch expensive, no? The grips on the site run on average to the tune of $30. TheGolfWorks.com sells comparable grips for $4 apiece. Still, I do need two-ish inches taken off, and don't know if it would make a difference sending it to their shop, or having my pro shop guy do it.

My question is on spin. Specifically, how to put effective backspin on the ball. How much of the equation is the ball, how much of it is the contact, and how much depends on the greens themselves? I consider myself a fairly strong irons player, but the most I've been able to come up with is a nicely clipped divot with a soft landing ball (even when playing Pro-V1xs).

Also, on the note of flexibility, it's a common misconception that the bigger your muscles, the less flexibile you become. In actuality weak muscles lead to inflexibility. Being stiff is a result of ineffective, improper or lack of proper and thorough stretching routines.

Bulk won't help in any sport where flexibility is required--I think the main thing weight lifting can do for the golf swing is provide much more stability over the golf ball which translates into not necessarily increased yardage (although it can), but more consistent ball striking. Specifically, the stronger your legs, lower back and core, the better the base for your swing.

This seems the most appropriate board for this topic. How many of you out there a) go to the gym for weight/cardio training, and b) have a golf specific routine? I've been lifting weights for about 6 years to build and maintain strength, while I've been running for about 3 and I must say when I train harder at either, my game seems to become a touch more solid. Lately I've been doing exercises geared towards the muscles used in the golf swing, namely back, core, forearms, shoulders and legs (throw in chest and you've got a full body work out). Anyone try experimenting with their routines?

While we're on the topic, when I get my putter cut down, would it be worth it in your collective opinion to ship my Scotty Cameron back to the Cameron studio for retooling, or is it good enough to have the club guy at my course do it for me instead? Right now I'm leaning towards having my club guy do it out of convenience (and price--the minimum modification order for the SC studio is $40, in addition to shipping). Thoughts?

I'm about 5'10" and have a 35" Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5. I tried a friend's 33" and felt much better with it. As soon as golf season's over I'm going to go ahead and get it cut down two inches or so.

Qualified as the #1 seed in the B flight last week with a 76. Beat the number 16 seed yesterday in a great (if sloppy) match that came down to, shot for shot, the very last hole, and more to the point, the very last putt. We both hit decent drives on the par 5 18th; I hit my second shot 90 yards out from the pin while my playing partner hit his behind a very tall oak tree. He managed to a high shot over said arboreal opponent and I responded by leaving a sand wedge short of the green (!). He then proceeded to chip within 4 feet. At this point I thought I might have been done for, but I ran a pitching wedge within 3 feet, just a few inches in front of his ball. He missed his putt by a fraction of an inch, I made mine, and the match was over. Far too close for comfort--I handed over at least 3 holes during the course of the match with careless putting. The fellow I'm playing in the second round beat his opponent (a fellow I lost to earlier in the year due to similarly sloppy play) with a 76 today. We are set to play round 2 on Memorial Day afternoon.