play4him

I took a day off from work today to play with my youngest son. I played pretty well and ended up with a 69 (-3) for the day. But what may the day special was witnessing my son's first eagle. He chipped in on a par 5 and couldn't stop grinning for awhile. I'm glad I was there to see it.

I remember my first set was a Northwestern Chi Chi Rodriquez set from KMart. It included a Driver, 3Wood, 5Wood, 3,5,7,9, and putter. My dad gave me a Sand Wedge to round it out. So that made 9 clubs. I got to where I could shoot in the 70's with those clubs, so I know it can be done. What it did for me was make me a better striker of the ball, as well as taught me to be creative on shots in between clubs.

Ever hear of Mac O'Grady. He played the tour for awhile and could break par from either side. He was quite the character, as well. My college golf coach told me that I had a better swing left-handed than right, but I never pursued it.

My daughter was practicing for a tournament recently, and left her 9 iron by a practice green. She was one of the last people off the practice area that day. We noticed it the next afternoon and checked with the course, but no club. It still hasn't been turned in. I guess someone needed more than she did.

I had played just three rounds this year until I played two rounds in Myrtle Beach with my kids recently. First time I've played either course. I shot a 69 at King's North, and a 70 at "The Witch". I was pretty happy walking away with two under par rounds at courses I had never played. That makes five rounds this year. Woo Hoo !

The best I've done is 8 in one round, but the best round I had was 6 birdies and 2 eagles.

I played in high school from 1973-1976. The last two years I was #1 on the team. My youngest son plays on a high school team now, and I could still play on the team today. Back when I played I was using persimmon woods and the old blade irons. The advantage to that was you had to learn to hit the ball pure. With all the oversize heads and heel toe weighted irons now, there's not as much focus on hitting the ball pure because you don't have to. It would be interesting to go back to that time, but with the equipment of today. The scores would have been lower no doubt.

My 16 yr. old son had a break through today in a tournament. He had been shooting in the 70's in practice, but in tournaments, he couldn't seem to break 80. Finally, today he had his best tournament round of 73 (1 over). He took 4th place and received his first individual medal. It was a big break through for him. I'm very proud of how far he has come in only his 2nd year of competitive golf. He's kind of behind a lot of the other players he plays against, because they've been playing a long time with plenty of tournament experience. This was good for his golf confidence to know that he can play with them.

I have a set of Women's Tommy Armours listed in the For Sale section. It comes with Driver, 3 Wood, 5-PW, and putter for $125.00 shipped. You might consider them as a cheap way to get her started and make sure she's going to stick with it.

It looks like you've answered your own question as to getting into the 70's. Work on your chipping, pitching, and putting. If you hit your irons that consistent ( within 5 yards ) , then you should be shooting in the 70's. I've played with a lot of amatuers throughout the years, who shoot from the 80's-90's, and the thing I notice the most is their inconsistent ball-striking. They can hit good shots, but not consistently. I told my youngest son to work on his short game, if he wants to see his scores go down consistently. I told him that he won't all of a sudden start hitting 12 - 14 greens in regulation, but if he can hit each shot pretty solid, he'll be around the green somewhere. And that's where the short game comes in.

Age: 51 Height: 6'0 Where are you from: KS How long have you been playing: 39 years Best Score: 62 Favorite club in the bag: Don't have a favorite Golf Books/ DVD's that have helped you: None Where do you play: Area golf courses when I do play Best Courses you've played so far: Prairie Dunes, TPC Sawgrass, Oak Tree and others Things you enjoy the most about golf: In college it was the competition, but now I enjoy helping others improve their games. The beauty and peace on the golf course. The satisfaction of hitting a shot just like I planned. Watching my children play this great game. Goals for 2K10: No personal goals as I don't play that much anymore. Want to see my youngest son & daughter continue to improve.

I played with my son yesterday. He was bombing his driver almost all day, but we were playing a little tougher course than he practices on. He ended up shooting a 82. It's still just a matter of consistency with him. He has the game to be shooting in the 70's consistently, but still has a few mental hiccups in the round.

I played for the first time since last October. It felt good to get out and play. I spend most of my time now helping my two youngest children with their games. I shot a 74,(two over) while missing 4 putts under 6 feet for birdies. Just a little rusty, but I was pretty happy for not playing in quite awhile.

To me, I think the biggest difference between low handicappers and higher is consistent distant control. If I hit a 8 iron normally 165 yards, I'm going to consistently hit it between 155 -165 yards. Where a higher handicap player can hit the same club maybe 125- 165 yards depending on how solid he hits it. It comes down to hitting the ball solid consistently. The low handicap player does that most of the time.

My son shot a 78 in practice yesterday in 47 degrees weather, so he knows he can do it. It's a matter of concentration throughout the whole round for him. He has the physical part of the game down well enough to shoot in the 70's, but the mental part is where his test will be.

My youngest son just turned 16, but last summer he was shooting high 70's - low 80's. For only being his second year of competitive golf, that's not too bad. The problem is he's playing against kids who've been playing since they were little, and are shooting around par or better. But he has a lot of potential, it will just depend on how committed he wants to get. I always try to encourage him by telling him he's better than I was at that age. He knows I played in college, so hopefully he'll keep wanting to improve.

Need to read the article in Golf World where Kenny talks about the shot.

I'm 50 years old now, and still walk. I always enjoy the round a lot more when I walk. I love the time in between shots, enjoying the scenery, the smell, the chance to slow down and just enjoy life. The only time I ride a cart is when it's included in the green fee, and then I usually walk part of the time.

My suggestion is to start with your short game. If you can get more consistent on your chipping, and work on your putting, I know you'll see your scores come down. You're not all of a sudden going to start hitting 10-14 greens in regulation, but if you can at least get around the green and improve your chipping, you're going to see more pars and bogies instead of "others".

I've been in the zone a number of times, but it's been awhile. I don't play enough golf anymore to sustain it. But there have been times when shooting a 30 for nine holes, or 62 for eighteen holes, that I've been there. When I'm in the zone, the thing I notice most is that there are no swing thoughts. I just look where I want the ball to go, and hit the shot. I see the line on putts a lot clearer, and seem to have perfect touch. It's like I get out of my own way and trust my swing.

I talked earlier in the thread that my youngest son was going out for his high school team. There were 30 kids trying out and they were only keeping 12. He ended up making the team, and is presently sitting about 6th. So he'll be right on the edge of making varsity or the top of B-varsity. I'm just glad he made the team and will get the opportunity to play daily. He'll start seeing the results as he starts getting into a rhythm. As a freshman, I want him to play some B-varsity tournaments, so he'll have the chance to medal. This can really help with confidence for down the road.

I don't agree with that assumption either. Basically, they're saying that anyone could be on that level if they had access to hitting balls and the right instruction. I played College golf, and I can guarantee you that there are a lot of good players out there. But there are different levels. You might be a stud in high school and win a lot of tournaments. Then you go to the next level, and all of a sudden you're just another good player. You can make it to a certain level on hard work & effort, but you can't replace natural talent. Some people have more than others.

I never been fitted myself. I've been playing for over 35 years, and have always played with off the rack clubs. It never has seemed to be a problem for me to play with these type of clubs. I still shoot around par or under, so I don't see the need to be fitted. I'm amazed at how many people get into their swing speed, launch angle, shaft torque, and all the other details. I couldn't tell you any of that info about me. I guess I just go out and play the game. Maybe if it was my job, I would be more inclined to that type of detail. But that's the beauty of God's creation. We're all different and unique. :)

I've had numerous eagles throughout the years, but never on a par 3. The majority of mine are on par 5's, taking advantage of my length. As far as a total, I would say in the vicinity of 50. But I'm still waiting on that hole-in-one ! I've been within an inch twice.

I played 8-10 rounds last year. It drives my buddies crazy, because when I do play I still keep it around par. Golf just isn't the most important thing in my life, so my play has decreased over the last 8 years. I actually enjoy helping my kids on their games more than playing myself.