PhilsRHman

I started out the episode yelling at the TV -- how are we supposed to watch this show if these guys can't hit a short iron into a fairway? The opening challenge was awful. But it turned into one of the better ones in my mind. It seemed to get away from the silly, petty, nonsense and really was about golf. You can't tell me Andrew didn't push all the right buttons with Erdman. Even after blowing the first iron shot, they put a 3 wood in his hands, get a few points and Andrew simply brought it home with one of the first real clutch performances of the season (3 for 3 point scoring shots). For all the crap he takes about being overly supportive, you can't convince me that Erdman didn't respond well. As for JR, it's a mixed bag. If you're going to play on Tour, you have to reach that green in 2. Sure he let Mike off the hook, but Mike's ball is essentially teed up in the rough, and you have to want destiny in your own hands. Cant' take eagle out of the equation. But this is what the show should be about, not knocking a ball through a pane of glass. I know that gets some people excited but I guess it's old to me.

I might have misread your post. Not sure exactly what I was disagreeing with HAHA I was basically saying that Tiger brings it upon himself sometimes. When he's great, he's so locked in that they could be doing the wave and blasting car horns and he wouldn't notice. But once he lets the crowd or the course or the conditions get into his head, he can't stop noticing it. Same sort of thing at the Barclays when he couldn't make it more obvious how much he hated the place. I believe if he would have gotten over the fact the greens were too gimmicky and convinced himself it's OK because everyone was putting on them, he'd have won that event by 8 strokes. There is absolutely no way a putter as good as he is could have been that much worse than everyone else in the field. When I saw he was 4-over through 8 holes Sunday, it screamed out that he let his guard down. Obviously he's so talented he was able to run off a bunch of birdies, and he was even at the point that he could have finished birdie-eagle and put far more pressure on Phil on 18. But the earlier lapse doomed him.

I completely disagree. Obviously Tiger always has the biggest gallery, the most attention, the most cameras. But it's his playing companions that have it the worst as people shuffle after Tiger's shots, they bolt from the greens while others are playing, etc. I think Tiger barks more about it than anyone, and he lets it get into his head. The body language difference between him and Phil was incredible. Tiger looked like he wanted no part of being there Sunday. On the other hand, Phil was hamming it up so much the commentators made a comment that he should pay more attention to golf and less to fist bumps with the fans. There has to be a correlation between your mood and your golf (although I'd agree your mood can definitely be affected by your play).

Do you guys think that it would be more interesting, or less interesting to toss a few schlubs into the contest? Have these guys, who are all tour-level talent. But add in 2-3 "reverse ringers" who are 5-7 handicappers. Or maybe just 1. It would automatically build in the Cinderella story line. I'm just grasping at straws for what would make the show itself more interesting. Right now, you almost have to wait a few years to see where these guys go. But wouldn't it add some interest to see if a guy with a less-than-perfect swing, but nerves of steel could knock off some of these aspiring pros with knocking knees?

Wow, what a crazy last day. Starts with Tiger +4 on the front 9. Then within 5 minutes: Phil sweeping completely under a flop shot on 16, failing to advance the ball. Ernie after a marvelous round to get into the lead by 1, hits it into the water 50 yards short of the 18th green. Tiger duffing it into the trap right after Phil's blunder. Phil holing a 30 footer for a crucial par on 16. Can't wait to see how it finishes up. Still to come: Can Ernie drain his long par putt to hold the lead? Can Phil birdie the par-3 17th or par-5 18th to win? Can Tiger finish birdie-eagle to tie? Man, if this was on a Sunday afternoon on CBS, even if it weren't a major it would go down as one of the most dramatic final rounds this year.

Personally I couldn't stop thinking about how big an idiot he looks like out there. I guess that skater/pothead look appeals to some people, but if you ask me, he looks like a real dope.

Three thoughts: 1. I agree that it would be more likely to see a problem with drugs that improve concentration and level moods. Others could weigh in on adderall, but I know it's a big thing for college kids who need to concentrate and study. As have been mentioned, there are plenty of others that could keep you calm. Are these on the list? 2. Compare the conditioning of today's golfers vs. 15 years ago and I think there is a far greater chance that someone will be tempted to use steroids or hgh to get into that shape. I saw an interview that said Villlegas was a scrawny kid in college and now he's ripped. Tiger looks like an NFL safety. And on the whole, these guys have such ripped cores, which PEDs would help with. Look at A-Rod, he never had the jacked body like McGwire or Sosa. You can use PEDs to train in any way you want, not simply to get massive. 3. The money is so big that if you're an aspiring Tour player, you could easily justify it as an informed gamble. The top 88 guys on the money list have made $1M this year. All the way to top 140 made $500K. It proves to me that hte most important thing is simply getting to the Tour because you only have to be OK within that class of golfer to rake in 10-20 times what you would as club pro. By contrast, only the top money earner on the Nationwide cracked $500K. That's where I'd expect the abuse to come in, the guys trying to make that leap who think they just need to get into better shape, or need meds that will give them that mental edge.

This is turning into the sort of showdown we've wanted to see for years. Too bad it's happening while 90 pct of American golf fans are asleep. Nice treat for me, though, since I work late and normally watch golf reruns at this hour. It's cool to have live golf on.

I know it's such an impossible argument, but I wonder how much better I'd put with a $250 putter, vs. my $100 putter bought for $35 on ebay? Yes, when putting in the store it feels at least 2.5 times better. But will it actually translate? It is the putter (me), not the putter (club), right? Regardless, I just cannot get over the idea that it makes sense to spend $350 on driver I'll use 5-8 times a round as opposed to a putter I'll use 30 times. That math seems obvious. However, 8 poor drives will easily cost you more than the 2-3 putts you can save with a better putter, right? I might be rationalizing spending big on a driver and not putter. Someone back me up (or tell me I'm an idiot, I can take it haha).

I understand why Guiliani pisses people off, but why this level of disdain? I read it more as he's a bit of a dork who is trying to fit in and just doesn't quite pull it off. I think every example of people getting pissed is that he's simply talking. He hasn't used it as a needle, and he hasn't put anyone down. To say "keep your head up," how is that a problem? Since no one else has brought it up, I think there's at least a large number of people who hate him because his dad is a very polarizing dude. Either love him or hate him. The funny part of that is that Andrew hates his dad and has basically cut him out of his life. I'm sure there are plenty of people who dislike him and could care less about his dad's politics, but it's got to be a strike against him in many people's eyes. Maybe it's that people just hate kids of privilege? I didn't see anyone giving Susan Luicci's son a hard time, but maybe it would have happened if he lasted a few shows. But it's not like Perez would be there if it weren't for his brother. Or the husband of a past Big Breaker. They all have a story and the one theme is nearly all of them have a name built by others.

I work in the media and we're always fighting to find the right balance between making the extra money and turning off the consumer. Everyone's got a different threshold and I'm never bothered when a show like Top Chef zooms in on the brand of the stove, or when Big Breakers carry Adams bags and there's signage on the course. Where it simply crosses the line in my mind is when they stop showing golf to do a 15 second infomercial for how great WM is for the environment. It's never easy to define the tipping point, you just sort of know it. And this week it finally struck me that it was a real turnoff.

Also, I feel like a real idiot for getting so wrapped up in this show. Obviously the producers are trying to tell a story. It's just that so far the payoff hasn't really been there. And does anyone really care if these guys make it on Tour? I guess that's the point of the show, but it seems like holding a tryout to get a spring training invite to Yankees camp with a bunch of college players. Is there any chance in hell they make it? Nope. I sort of like the idea better of really good ams who could get onto the Canadian Tour, etc., which I think is why some of the earlier shows were more interesting to me. Or even do a riff on the Paper Tiger book concept and film 4-5 guys over the course of a year trying to go from 2-3 handicaps to qualifying for a tour. It would have a ton more interest as a reality show in my mind. I suppose it might be more of a documentary, but done well and it could be really interesting.

Aside from his last name, Andrew's claim to fame is being the last man on the Duke golf team, and winning the Met Open. Now, the Met Open is quite a prestigious regional tournament, but he's playing primarily club pros and good amateurs. There is nothing to indicate that would translate to anything close to the Tour. But honestly, does anyone seem more composed on the show? Maybe Vincent? It's actually tough to tell since the entire show has focused on Andrew pissing everyone off. Given what we know about the difference between Nationwide players and PGA Tour players (it's all between the ears), do you really think a guy like Blake, who can't even deal with a mildly annoying competitor, could ever hold up under the grind of the Tour? It's also worth noting that they must film hours a day, and so far there's been about 15 seconds of real snapping. But when all they show on every promo in/out of every commercial is this big "blowup" then of course it seems a lot worse.

I also putt lefty, but there was a demo righty black series at golf galaxy last time i was there. Stroked a few putts and the thing was sweet. The weighting of it was nice, and had a really nice swing to it. Hitting several putts with that, then the Odyssey model i use, mine felt so light. I've definitely got a black series in my sights down the road.

Watched last night's show and a few observations: 1. I know Disney must have shelled out a ton of dough to get them their. But instead of turning their baseball field into a driving range and then making them hit flop shots off a carpet so it's near Magic Kingdom, they shoudl have spent a few bucks on the condition of the course. Greens have huge brown patches, mud all over the place, etc. Given all the holes on their property, you couldn't find a greener patch? I'll be in Orlando in a couple weeks and I know I won't be paying to play Disney given the conditions on TV. 2. I know this must be the Golf Channel's big money maker, but enough is enough. As a viewer I can live with some intergrated ads, sponsorships, etc., but I feel like I'm being bludgeoned with ads. Waste Management, Adams, Disney, over and over. I think the WM stuff is the worst cause Celini has to mention it 10 times in his script, then the players always have to mention the "$5000 from WM" etc. 3. The pace of the show is excruciating this season. The HR derby was the worst, but the flop shot rivaled it. 4. They need some new gimmicks, because breaking the glass and the flop wall are no longer novel. 5. I'm willing to believe this is the most talented group, but the contests are doing nothing to highlight that. I think my favorite contest so far was the risk/reward challenge where they got to decide to lay up, etc. It brought in many elements of golf. Even the 250 yard closest to the pin is interesting. But watching them hit to a line to measure distance control is really hard to see that being either exciting or a true test. 6. Andrew is entertaining if nothing else. Kind of the guy you love to hate. I can't imagine how boring the show would be without him. And I'm shocked no one has mentioned the fact that Perez is the protypical douchebag (best evidence is the clip of him running onto the green after his brother's win). And when they've shown him, Blake and Kevin in the confessional, all I could think of was this:

Take a deep breath on the first green, cause you're in for an amazing experience. Honestly, I'd take it back another tee box. Some of the most spectacular views are from one tee further back. I played here in the spring and it was incredible. To this day I don't know if it was the best course I've ever played or the worst, but it's absolutely the most unique. I spent at least the first 9 holes just gawking over the views and forgetting I was there to play golf. I'm not normally bothered by heights, but there were a few tee boxes that are so small and steep that I did feel a tinge of a panic attack coming on, so if that's something that might bother you, consider not going to the highest tees, even for just a view. I also found that it was disorienting at points due to the huge elevation changes. More than anything, enjoy the experience. I get quite a bit of tunnel vision on the course and lock inon targets, but I'm glad this was one I didn't worry too much about my score and took it all in. I'm never one for taking pictures on the course, but I didn't hesitate that day. As for advice -- what look like giant rock walls that will spit your ball out, are actually some sort of sand and if you hit in there, you're done. But more than anything, just enjoy it. Not sure how often you'll get to play a place like that, so don't get angry if it takes an hour to play the first 3 holes, don't question why there's a blind par 3 straight up a hill, and don't get too wrapped up in your score. I'm betting the first 5 things you'll remember a year later won't include how many over par you were. At least they don't for me.

That's awesome, hope you get good use of them. One of the hardest things about working in golf for years and then leaving the business is seeing just how expensive equipment is. Almost every pro has connections with the reps who will extend "professional use" prices to serious guys on staff even if they might not be assistant pros. Not only is that the "wholesale" price, it's often 50 pct below wholesale, depending on the company. I believe I paid $200 for my irons, which were probably a $750 set at the time retail, plus they threw in a gap wedge and a Sunday bag with my name on it. Same with golf shoes. If I remember correctly, Footjoy would cut the price of the highest end Dryjoys from $250 to under $100 if you bought two pairs at once. Golf balls were an even bigger discount, but Titleist would print the pro's name/initials not only as a nice touch, but to make sure they didn't turn around and resell them. That's not even to mention all the free golf at great courses you'll play just by having your boss make a call on your behalf. I'm sure some of the guys currently in the business can discuss if this is still the case. It's just one more reason that I'd urge any young guys out there looking for part time work to get into their local golf course -- cleaning carts, lugging bags, picking the range, etc. It blows away working at a Dominos (I know, I did both) and the connections are great.

I appreciate all the feedback. I'm going to talk to the range with a Track Man and see if they'll get me through driver and irons for $100, even if it spills over by a bit. It's in a pretty affluent area, so I might be stuck. If not, I think I'll see what they've got in terms of demo drivers so that I can get a sense by feel and ball flight without the technology. I can then head back to Golf Galaxy and get on their free demo simulator to see if there are any glaring issues. The problem would be that the driving range has a far greater selection of heads and stronger shafts, so it's unlikely I'll find the same head/shaft combo. It might turn out that the Adams with the Voodoo shaft really is the winner, in which case I'll have to find a way to lessen the spin rate, which I guess could be achieved by dropping from a 9.5 to 8.5 degree? Or would that only change launch angle? Luckily, I'm in no rush to get this done, and I plan to have this driver for few years so it's not going to be on a whim. If it turns out I do spend the $100 on Track Man, I could hunt on eBay and likely save the $100 that way.

Sounds familiar -- for the first several years of playing I was hopeless with driver and not much better with 3 wood. I found a 2 iron that I hit incredibly well. When I got a new set of irons, decided to get a 1 iron with it. It was impossible to hit, so I stuck with the old set's 2 iron. I've still got the 1 iron and it's in great shape, for obvious reasons. I actually like to use it now as a training aid. I'll bring it to the range and hit a few dozen balls with it. You might be able to sit and hit pretty 7 irons all day, but the 1 iron takes your practice to a whole new level. The slightest breakdown in your swing will create the ugliest shots of your life -- plus the sting in your hands on a mishit is a good reinforcement. There's no doubt that hybrids and more hittable woods have brought our scores down, but there's something romantic and comforting about trying to hit that 1 iron, and I swear, there's no sweeter view in golf than a crisply hit long iron, flying on a low/boring trajectory, with a little draw at the end.

Sweet, I found a place about 10 miles away with a Track Man. Of course now I'm sort of questioning whether I really play to the level that would legitimize a $100/hour fitting, which is what they charge. What experience do you guys have with it? I understand that a pro would benefit from the super specific numbers this sort of fitting provides, but would I as a high-single digit player? The pro said it usually takes an hour to do a driver and an hour to do irons. If I could get them all done in an hour I could justify it more. But the idea of tacking $100 onto the price of a club that's already going to cost me over $300-400, I'm not so sure. Would love some feedback from anyone who has done it and can speak to the results.

The Adams I was swinging closer to 108, with a ball speed of 155-165. But that raises the question as to why, and best I can tell is that I was simply making much better contact with that club. The others (including my current driver) had a carry of about 250-270. At this point I'm a bit more interested in learning about the process you guys have used, rather than figuring exactly which club I want. There are so many variables -- lofts, shafts, etc. -- so how do you find a place with a wide selection of these? Where I went, the pro joked that he's got 100 options on drivers/shafts that will fix the slice I don't have, but when it comes to drivers to match my SS and ball flight, he's probably got one shaft for each manufacturer. Where can I find more to try? I'm stumped there.

So true. I've given up on asking for golf balls because no matter how clear I am, somehow "Titleist Pro V-1" turns into "Top Flite Mega Super Jumbo Distance". However, my mom really came up big last year. I told her I just wanted to some golf shirts since I didn't have many microfiber. So I was shocked when I opened up and found a SkyCaddie. It was something I'd never spend my own money on, but was a fantastic gift. She said when she was shopping, the golf shirts were boring and figured the SkyCaddie would be more fun. Luckily she called my uncle who I play with a lot and he steering her in the right direction!

As someone who plays most of my golf as a single, I'm always overly explicit when calling around. If I'm in the mood to be paired up, that's fine, but on a rainy day or a day I expect to zip around, I'll ask how crowded it is if I want to come as a single. If they say, "we'll get you out" or "it's not bad, we'll get you out whenever you get here" I always follow with, "OK, but just to be sure, am I going to run into a bunch of 4somes, because nothing's worse than being a single surrounded by 4s" and then they often realize I'm not just concerned with the first tee, but the entire course. At that point they'll either offer to pair me up, or be honest and say it's crowded. I've had several times where what they consider "not busy" might mean 4 groups in an hour, instead of the normal 8. To them it's quiet, but as a single, that's still going to be a miserably slow round. But that's not to let them off the hook, especially if they have done it twice. Sounds like it's convenient enough that you can leave if it's bad, but I would not hesitate to bitch and tell the pro that you had the foresight to call, and would appreciate an honest answer in return.

So this season I made a bit upgrade on my wedges to Vokeys, and while I'd love to say that was key to my index dropping from 13.5 to 7.2 (coming at the next revision), I honestly think it was more about my putting and course management, although just in the past couple weeks, I feel like I'm dialing in these wedges and I'll improve greatly from 110 and in next season. Anyway, as part of my gradual equipment upgrade, I'm ready for a new driver. I currently hit a TaylorMade 320, 9* with a stiff stock TM shaft. My driver miss is definitely a big hook, so I can't get anything with a closed face. My home course has a lot of doglegs, so I need something I can work either way. Today I did my first round of homework, stopping at Golf Galaxy and hitting balls on their simulator for about an hour. I brought my driver as a control club, and it was startling how far the technology has come. The four drivers I hit were: 1. My TaylorMade (avg swing speed around 102, ball speed only about 130, which the pro said ideally your ball speed would be 1.5 your SS, so right away I could see that I'm not getting even close to my best from this driver. It also reflected my on-course misses, with most of my misses well left. Most shots I carried about 250 yards, and although the pro said not to worry too much about that, it was hard to ignore) 2. Titleist 909D3 9.5* with a Diamana Blue Stiff (looked good, felt good, launch angle around 10*, which the pro said would be better around 13*. I want to hit this one again since I didn't really have a good sense of what numbers I was looking for, etc.) 3. Adams Speedline 9032LS 9.5* with Voo Doo Stiff (I never considered Adams a players driver, but this thing was sweet. I carried most of them 295-305 yards, my SS was consistently around 108 and my ball speed was at that 1.5x the SS. I was getting a slight baby draw, and the launch angle was around 12-13*, but the spin rate was apparently a bit high, in the 3200 range. More important than all the numbers was that I was hitting every single ball off the middle of the clubface, as evidenced by the marks on the tape). 4. Ping I15 8* with mamiya axiv core stiff (didn't like the shape of this driver at all, and could never get comfortable with its bulbous shape. Couldn't get a good swipe at the ball, with most flying just 250 with a low launch) My plan is to use the next month or two while I'm in the groove to find what I want, even if I don't buy until spring since I don't want to be testing clubs after a couple months with few swings. I was really surprised by that Adams, and I'd like to hit some more with the 909D3. Anything jump out from those numbers above? How detrimental is it to have too high a spin rate off the driver? How easily is that adjusted through shaft/loft changes? It seems like a never-ending puzzle, with different shafts, heads, lofts combos, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on how best to tackle this. I was glad to see that my swing speed won't require me moving up to an X shaft, but there is definitely a lack of players' shafts at the big golf stores, so I'm wondering where you guys have gone to try 3-4 variations of good shafts on different heads, etc. I understand that 90 pct of golfers who walk into a place like Golf Galaxy need something to fix a slice and swing 85 MPH (the pro's estimate, not mine) but where do better players go to find the right equipment. Sorry for the rambling msg, but I'm obviously trying to cover all my bases and get a feel for what you guys have done. I loved the review Erik had of the 909D3, so I guess I'm just curious how to get myself fitted, and what everyone thinks of these Doppler launch monitors and how well they translate to the course.

I've lived in Jersey City/Hoboken for about 6 years and I can honestly say that without a car, you're going to struggle. In my two summers without a car I played the least golf of my life. There are very few decent courses within an hour, although once you get an hour away, the golf is abundant and the options are quite good. After struggling the past two years to find a regular place to play, I've recently joined Glenwood CC in Old Bridge. It's a 40 minute drive from JC, I can always get on the course, and it's a really friendly place (no pretentious as many CCs are). It's quite possible that you could store your clubs there and take the bus, which is what several members do. Pretty sure there's a bus that runs straight from Exchange Place down the Parkway to Route 9 and the stop is right on the corner of the club entrance. If you want me details send me a PM, cause they've even got a great deal going right now for guys under 35 (not sure how old you are). If you're looking for some more casual golf where you can play a couple times a year, I can give a few of the better options I've found. Give me an idea for what you're looking for in terms of difficulty, price, distance, etc.