stogiesnbogies

My , that was a very short period of dominance now wasnt it?! : ) Even Montie was on Golf Channel after the US Open saying he's not looking forward to this years Ryder Cup... methinks that rumors of US Golf's death were vastly overstated. LOL Let's remember that at the last Ryder Cup -when so many pundits were drafting the obituary for American dominance of the game ..the Euro team barely won ...and it took 18th hole heroics and a Mahan muffed chip to eek out a "victory"...

Love the US Open! My favorite major (actually love BOTH Opens) because for at least one weekend we duffers get to see the worlds best players struggle with bogeys, doubles etc.... t'is truly the toughest test in golf... one other thought for everyone: If the Olympic club is this difficult what mere mortal golfer would want to be a member?! LOL

Ideally, I suppose you'd use your "gamer" balls for both chipping and putting ...but like many others I tend to use range balls to chip and my balls for putting...

Without a doubt it's me putter.....my money club has been the prime reason that I regularly defeat partners who can out drive me by 40 plus yards..... as Bobby Jones said : The putter is the great equalizer."

Traditionalism in golf as so often in life is generally a silly adherance to the outdated and outmoded.... Hybrids are the single greatest tech advance in golf since the dimpled golfball. They are particularly indispensable for recreational players since they are easier to hit and have greater distance than the old fashion irons... I play the Nike SQ Sumo2 Hybrid iron set which is 4 through 7 hybrids and I've included a Cleveland hibore 3 hybrid as well...there is no question that these clubs have drastically improved my game in short fashion...I went from a high to a mid 'capper and there is literally volumes of similar testimony available on-line for hybrid club sets....while , sadly, Nike no longer makes this model they are indeed hard to find anywhere and rarely go up on ebay but demand and get top dollar as used clubs -all for a reason...they make the game fun!!! Today Adams golf is the leader in hybrid iron sets and if I was in fact looking to swap out my beloved sticks I'd definitely check out the Adams A12OS hybrid Iron set -which sells like hotcakes...because , again , they make the game FUN!! I dont see how you can call yourself a traditionalist since you are playing a newer model of Pings ...and I dont suppose you had customer service swap out your shafts for hickory, eh? BTW: maybe you can tell us all where we can get a good deal on balata balls...LOL If the pros are carrying one or more hybrids there can be little doubt of their effectiveness...and those of us with slower swingspeeds than the Tour pros should duly take note... "Foolish consistencies are the hobgoblins of small minds." Emerson

the record speaks for itself...Phil....by a large margin....

The golf course is one of the last best public places for cigars. Sincerely, StogiesnBogies (Of Course!)

Methinks its one of the nicer unwritten traditions of the game

I never wear a watch for two reasons: 1. it would interfere with my swing..it would feel awkward 2. I go to the golf course to get away from the clock...let the game itself determine how long I'm on the course....if I do need to know the time I rely on my cell phone ...which I generally shut down for the duration of the round to minimize interuptions.

Thanks, JWAT.

Best aspect of the show is the striking Holly Sonders ...and apparently she is on to bigger and better things-getting to do broadcasts of Nationwide Tour events and co-hosting the School of Golf (which desperately needed eye candy) ...what's more she can actually golf -having been on the Michigan State University golf team for 4 years in college.... other than that the Morning Drive program is a dud.

Absolutely normal... I play with a partner once a week but also play alone at least one additional day...there are so many wonderful things about the glorious game to be discovered in the silence of solitude ....there is a difference between being alone and being lonely...being alone is being satisfied with the company of ones self....while being lonely is longing for the company of others. On the pragmatic side , when golfing alone and not being pushed by groups behind you ...there is opportunity to drop an additional ball or two and try that shot again -maybe even with a different club, etc. On the more transcendent side , there is the wondor and splendor of being out in nature without the distraction of human chatter...this allows the mind to cultivate and ruminate about all manner of things ...paying attention to this process is getting better acquanted with your entirety.... so there is not only nothing wrong with playing alone -there is very much right about it ...savor the moments , learn what you can, enjoy the round...

While I too am a Phil fan ...there's no need to knock Luke Donald's excellent game...indeed, .it is Luke's game that I strive for ...lacking distance off the tee yet hitting every fairway I rely entirely on my shortgame to beat guys who can hit it literally 270-300 yards...ah...but I can hit my putter smack dab into the hole before they can and thus I win more often than not ...while they go home with a whole bunch of GPS induced fantasies about how great they hit the ball today LOL as Bobby Jones said: Golf is about turning 4 shots into 3. and a scorecard doesnt give a hoot about how you do it....IMO recreational golfers like most of us would be better served by attempting to play more like Luke Donald....or those on the LPGA Tour who , like us rely heavily on hybrids and short game...

Whether all those who oppose a gay marraige ammendment are homophobes or not( and many indeed are) distracts from the fact that they are indeed against other people's civil rights-you know that whole" equal treatment before the law" thing that became so much the fad during the great civil rights struggles of the 1960's?.... but I digress from the fact that you make a very poor comparison between a golf forum where I am free to ignore anyone whose opinions I dislike and being forced to waste my precious golf time and money hearing some racist, sexist or other idiotic clap trap for 18 holes... thank God that my course allows singles to play by themselves during non-busy times of day and season...to state the obvious, singles are faster players than any other grouping..and in IMO one of the very worst ideas prevelant in golf is the foursome...it's generally a human rain delay of guffawing clowns who slow down play like no other can....that's why you never see it on the pro tours...if the PGA thinks it slows play with professional golfers just imagine what it does with a bunch of half drunken sods flirting with the cart girl?

Na was subjected to cruel comments and brutal heckling from a PGA Tour gallery....they behaved in a disgraceful fashion toward a guy who is struggling with a serious mental issue bordering on OCD... and apparently the PGA Tour and course security did nothing about it... throughout his hellish final round and throughout the entire week Na handled himself in a professional manner ....I had always heard that Na was something of a jerk but after seeing him at the presser speaking candidly about his condition and the outrageous way he was treated by some in the galleries I am now a newly minted Kevin Na fan...

It's a shame that many courses do not allow walking.....it's an entirely different experience on foot...

Shot 81 : four times......the quest to break 80 continues !

Luck is indeed the x factor in the game....it comes and goes in both good and bad forms....i.e. Angel Cabrera in the Masters playoff when his bad shot hit a tree and bounced into the fairway....viola green jacket! Think Phil at this years masters -hits "safe shot" but clangs off grandstand railing into shrubs-goodbye green jacket....if the ball misses that narrow rail and lands in grandstand he gets a free drop ..and is in the mix down the stretch on sunday at Augusta! Luck is indeed a fickle mistress....

Undoubtedly the first reason is usually price....they tend to be expensive and the second is that many of these resorts like to brag about having "Championship" level course design -which translates into frustratingly long and difficult for the average amateur golfer...expensive and frustrating makes for a long day indeed...and not how one usually wants to spend their recreational time...

One time a playing partner hit a shot right into our cart and smashed the control board...we had to call in for a replacement as the cart was disabled....luckily for him the club did not charge him for the damages...

I've posted this in other threads but I believe its the very best guide regarding the correct course length for a golfers actual driving distance... TEE IT FORWARD Guidelines for Selecting Tees Driver Distance Recommended 18 Hole Yardages PGA Tour Pro 7,600 - 7,900 300 7,150 - 7,400 275 6,700 - 6,900 250 6,200 - 6,400 225 5,800 - 6,000 200 5,200 - 5,400 175 4,400 - 4,600 150 3,500 - 3,700 125 2,800 - 3,000 100 2,100 - 2,300 I enjoy the game far more because some time ago I applied this chart and now realize that I need a course of 5,200-5800 yards ( my home course teebox is 5261 -and fyi I'm a senior duffer) in order to have any reasonable chance of hitting a GIR on a par 4....it's not only helpful at my home course but a wonderful rule of thumb when playing new courses as well...I strongly recommend that those resisting this put aside the testoterone and give it a try...you might discover its a lot more fun ....and plenty enough challenge!

I agree xman....I too would go to Butch Harmon.....and also Pelz for shortgame ....

My favorite common sense golf book.....rock solid advice for amateurs in simple straightforward language-jargon free . as subtitle says: How to score your best when not playing your best...priceless stuff on those days when you seem to be scrambling from the first hole to the 19th... I often revisit the book and always take away something I needed to remember -again! i.e. "chipping is putting with loft"

It looks like one of the few gadgets out there that might work and help your swing....but like all of these improve your game gizmos...methinks its way overpriced..... :)

Bubba golf will lead to higher scores -especially for amateurs who do not have anything resembling a repeatable swing....hell Bubba Golf doesnt often even work for Bubba as he has only a handful of wins on tour and has lost some heartbreakers -to more controlled and steady playing styles such as the brilliant shortgame of world number one -Luke Donald....what Luke lacks in flash he more than makes up in cash... the first number one on BOTH US and Euro money list!!! Now THAT"S a golf game you can literally take to the bank! The key -especially for we amateurs- is to play the game within ourselves...and not attempt to copy any PGA Tour Pros game/ style ...only parts of their games that we might learn something from....i.e. Donalds shortgame is a wonderful place to start...I wouldnt recommend Bubba's or Phil's "take no prisoner" approach to any mere mortal golfer...it's a recipe for disaster...but like a slo-mo train wreck , you just cant take your eyes off of it....and Phil is a houdini like no other -but he too often runs out of escapes ..when the last rabbit has been pulled out of his hat....when watching this kind of "bomb and gouge" style the screen should have a disclaimer saying "professional golfer -do NOT attempt!" LOL