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Break down your game into the various segments,,ie driving results, long second shots, mid-range second shots, short range shots, (70-135), chipping/pitching, recovery shots and last putting. Decide which area/s need the most improvement (those that are costing you the most shots) and concentrate on those areas with diligent focused practice. Personally, I would limit the number of areas to focus on to three to start, and for sure one area would be chipping and pitching. With good chips and pitches, even the pros wont hit every GIR, and the ability to get up and down can save 3-5 strokes per round.

In our late teens, my brother and I were out playing at our local course, and one of our balls off the tee was a high fade into a very treed natural area. Upon entering, we immediately began to find balls scattered thru out. By the time we had hunted out the area, all four pockets of my shorts were full of balls, and my brother had not only filled his pockets as well but also had stuffed 4-5 more into his underwear. By the time we finished the round, both of us were approaching pure misery, my brother more so than me,,as we had realized that the reason so many balls were just laying around wasn't due to not being able to find them,,,it was the poison ivy that was all over that kept the smarter players from going to look. Needless to say, for several days,,both of us were in total agony, especially my brother, and to this day, I don't ever go into the woods, If I cant reach a ball with my 5 iron,,,someone else can have it.

Just avoid scratch tournaments and you will be ok. I think you will find that most tournaments and competitions are either flighted or handicapped in some way,,so just go out and have fun.

Try asking him what he didnt like about golf. You might get an interesting answer. It could be something as easy to fix just by giving him a shorter course to play,,ie a par 3 course. Another idea might be to let him bring a friend next time. That might solve two problems, by him seeing that his friend doesnt hit it all that far either, and just having a friend along might make it more fun along the way. My grandkids that are that age, get as much fun driving the cart ,,not always possible on most courses. Hunting for balls is also something they enjoy. They also tend to get frustrated when they mishit or whiff, especially off the fairway,,so let them use a tee in the fairway. And make sure to compliment at every opportunity. Also bring a snack, and plenty of juice,,they tend to get hungry and thirsty. With my kids, I found that getting them truly interested in golf didnt happen until around age 10. By then their motor skills had improved along with general strength to the point they could actually get some distance. I found enrolling them in golf clinics was also helpful, being around other kids their age, tended to bring out their competitive spirit, plus hanging around with their friends seemed to help as well.

Chances are that he will just move his primary residence to a no state income tax state, which saves him quite a bit. He can then continue to use his current residence as a secondary home if he so chooses. I think he's actually making decisions just like a lot of other people are that are feeling burdened by their overall tax rate.

I custom ordered my G-20's online, and they were shipped directly from Ping, thru their authorized dealer. I think a better question is to find out if your retailer is an authorized dealer. Once you get your clubs, you then can register the serial numbers with Ping. If in the process of registration you find out they are fakes, you can take action. You may find that the clubs are real. Know this,,Ping controls dealer pricing very seriously, so if you price is significantly below what other Ping retailers are selling sets for, there's a good chance authenticity is questionable.

I voted breaking 80, but would have preferred a 75 option. I just dont have the length at my age to get down below 70, but my short game and putting has improve dramatically the last few years. I have shot 75 twice this year, and seemingly should be able to get below 75, but so far just havent been able to keep 5-6 bogeys off the card and dont make enough birdies to offset the bogeys.

I play on a course where it's common for 5 somes, and due to the course allowing private carts its not unusual that I will be walking, and the other 4 will be in separate carts. I find that teeing off first and being able to get a 30 yard head start down one side of the fairway nearly always eliminates me lagging behind. Its especially true when I outdrive at least one other player, and when I am outdriving all 4, I never lag behind. So really there isnt an reason I can think of where a walker would cause much of a slowdown, except when the walk from green to the next tee is a bit long. And even then, I am usually at the next tee by the time 2-3 have teed off. The main issue is that as long as ready golf is being played, it never becomes an issue. Add to that equation, a group in front, and then its no issue at all,,just due to all of us are usually waiting for the group to clear either the fairway or the green to hit anyway.

I know a couple of 80 year olds that use high lofted woods. It's strange to see someone hitting a wood from 120,,but it seems to work for them. The biggest problem I see is that they tend to get very little spin on the ball, so the ball tends to roll too far once it lands.

Just walk on a course that your father in law doesnt play. Another idea, drive yourself to the course, pay for 18, and just play the last nine holes as a single, if he only wants to play nine. Be conviently unavailable when he wants to play,,and then go either earlier or later than he does. Bottom line, you need to keep good relations with your in laws,,and wife,,so you need to use subtle methods to get the type of golf your would really like.

I think you need to decide which is more important,,shooting lower scores, or playing with your group of current friends. But for sure, you cant win all the time and expect your friends to be happy. If you do actually outdrive them by 20 or more yards,,what's wrong with playing from the blue tees to mitigate your driving yardage. Sure it likely will increase your score, but at least it gives the rest of your group a feeling of being fair.

If two pga professionals cant play 18 holes in 3 1/2 hours, the pace is too slow.

Once you join, all things being equal, its quite likely your frequency of play will actually increase. Mostly due to holiday, and squeezing in a 9 hole round after work. Additionally, you may find your wife and step son wishing and actually playing more as well. So with the cost being a "wash", I'd say go for the membership. Additionally, dont discount the added benefit and enjoyment of tournaments. Being a member also makes it much easier to have a regular group to play with.

When you say sand wedge,,what loft are you using,,there are sand wedges that could range from 52 to 64 degrees? but assuming your sand wedge is 56 degrees,,50 yards seems a bit short even for someone new to golf. It's possible you are opening the face at impact, therefore increasing loft and decreasing distance, but it sounds to me as if you could use a lesson or two from a pro to get an accurate assessment.

You dont say what quality of course you will be playing, so first, dress well. Wear a nice polo shirt, and tuck it in. You should check to see if shorts are appropriate, and its very possible only pants are allowed, so make sure in advance that you are within the dress code. Wear a belt and make sure your shirt is tucked in at all times...If you are attired properly, you will feel better on the first tee, and the impression you make will be a good one as well. Expect that you might be playing for some money stakes, but perhaps it will be just for fun. Be honest about your handicap, and if anything, err on the low side somewhat. The one thing you dont want is to go out and shoot 80 after telling them you are a 20. Watch your etiquette. Let the others take the lead, but dont break etiquette even if they do. For this round, I'd suggest you not imbibe at all, or very little. Treat this outing as an extension of your job, rather than a round with your buddies. In future rounds you might loosen up some, but remember your boss is paying attention to your behavior. Remember to enjoy your round, but also remember this is also a chance to make a "character" impression on your boss and fellow workers.

He who has the gold rules,,and if you are paying for his golf, his clubs, his balls, and etc,,if he wants to continue to play, he will have to play by your rules. (which btw shouldnt be different from common golf etiquette) If he wont play by your rules, then dont pay for him to play. My experience with my two sons was this method was effective to improve behavior and not just on the golf course. You might be surprised at how much having a car and the keys to it will influence behavior of any teenager. All you need to do as a parent is just be willing to actually follow thru with your rules, and the penalty for violating the rules. It only took one day of riding the bus to school to extract the behavior that I was looking for. It's also a situation, where conflict is bound to arise, when you have a young bull challenging the authority of the old bull, and it's important to find the weak spot of the younger bull,,and for most teenagers it's not having access to money. The threat they make to just make their own, is really an empty threat, for two reasons,,one,,they wont make enough to pay all their extra expenses,,car payments, car ins, gas, and a long list of other needs,,,and two,,if they are working, they wont have the time to actually spend what they make.

I play several different courses and all have different types of grass and therefore different speeds. I find that slower greens tend to not roll as true as fast greens. I find that fast greens tend to amplify a mistake in speed and line far more than slower greens. So overall, slow greens are easier than faster greens, but I like the challenge that comes with fast greens.

First I never said the amateur contributed -25,,I understand the complexities of best ball. Harrington for the entire tournament made 21 birdies,, Harrington made 7 bogeys and 2 doubles,, I seriously doubt that the amateur covered every one of those bogeys and doubles. So lets say it was half,,that leaves the amateur at something like -18 net maybe even lower,,and considering the weather, Pebble Beach itself, and the crowds and magnitude of the event,,I stand by my original opinion,,17 handicap wasnt legit.

35 under was the winning score,,and interestingly,,their pro partners were around -10 or so,,so instead of being called winners,,best sandbaggers is a better label..

Forget the motor, get him a nice 3 wheel push cart, and make sure it has a fold down seat. Just having the seat will do more to save his energy than any other feature. All the trolley carts push or pull real easy, so having the expense of the motor, and the bother of charging the battery and the other tech doesnt really justify the actual increase in price. In addition, its heavier to load in and out of the car.

15-20 doable 20-25 barely 30-35 just too windy to have much fun 35+ better go back home and check to make sure everything is ok

Any time. Taking her to the range is a bit different than going to actually hit balls. You will know when shes ready to hit balls, when she decides its more fun than just playing in the dirt, or looking at bugs, or flowers.

The first step in the process is to actually determine exactly what the financial situation is of the club. If your club just needs a few members to retain financial stability its different than when the club is in serious financial trouble. Obviously if the club needs only a few members, offering a reduced initiation fee, or one that is partially deferred can be all that's needed to attract the members needed. Usually just announcing the offer to existing members and encouraging them to spread the word will work. Unfortunately, most clubs wont do this and find that some members resist any sort of promotion to just recruit a few members, that dont pay the current fees and initiation. And instead they go with the status quo, and hope to wait out any deficits with emergency funds, refinance debt and etc, and hope that somjetime in the future the membership will increase. The other scenario, and perhaps your club's situation is a bit different. When a club is in real financial difficulty, it's important for the members to realize that the past is gone, and if they want the club to survive and thrive, some big changes need to be made. Some of the well off members will resist, saying that fewer is better, since their friends will still be members, tee times more available and any increase in dues is something that they may even support. The problem is that without being at the desired membership levels plus natural attrition this doesnt work. The most successful membership drive I have seen was: 1. Each existing voting member was given one new and free membership to sell. The member could either sell it at full price, a discounted price or just give it away. The only qualification for the new member was a quick review of the application and the sponsoring member's referral. 2. Each new member wasnt given full-voting rights until they had paid 24 months dues and paid their bills on time. 3. Once 24 months passed, each new member was given full voting rights and could even sell their membership for market price. 4. Once the desired membership level was reached, the drive was ended, so some free memberships were never used and expired. At the end of the drive, we had the membership at the desired level, with monthly cash flow to not only cover expenses but also enough for a surplus that was used to replenish the emergency fund, and over time the surplus created opportunities to make significant course improvements as well. When a club is in financial trouble, the main goal shouldnt be to retain the initiation fee, and to lament the potential decline in value of transfering a membership,,,its increasing the membership so that monthly cash flow is enough for the club to remain healthy. When membership increases, all the other elements of the club improve as well,,ie,,the bar, dining, and the pro shop.

Agree with this. In addition, why do you find it necessary to "shape" your shots when your GIR is 30%. Shaping is generally to hit it closer to the pin. I'd think at 30% you would be happy anywhere on the green.