play4him

He needs to work on smoothing that stroke out on short putts. I think if he can overcome that, he'll see more victories.

I don't think he gave up on his driver on #18, because he had just blistered one on #17 with the driver. I think he knew he needed a par, and the best shot was the 3 wood.

I wouldn't say Phil choked completely. He birdie two of the last three holes when he needed to. That's not choking, that's showing heart which the better players do.

Did they have tryouts ? My son is going to try out for his High School golf team. Their tryouts are coming up shortly. They only keep 12 for an A & B team. So, depending on how many try out it could be a little tough. I hope he makes it just so he has the opportunity to play each night. It makes a big difference having that chance.

I have a 1 iron in the For Sale section, if you're interested.

I read where his new coach is hard on him, and that it worked well for him at Oklahoma State under Mike Holder. I hope he can get over the hump, and get to the next level.

Golf Predictor Guru, While I'm at it, the least memorable has to be Zach Johnson's success.[/QUOTE] Why do you think that ? Just wondering.

My favorite was the 1995 Masters. It was Ben Crenshaw's second Masters win, but what made it special was the circumstances. He came in playing terrible, and his mentor Harvey Penick had just died. Playing on pure emotion and a tip from his long time caddie, he defied the odds and won his second Masters. I can still picture him after he sank the last putt.

PEZGolf, Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. I thought you might like it, because I knew you cared so much for Payne. He was such a golfing gentleman.

Payne was one of my favorite golfers, and I've shared on another thread that he hit one of the greatest shots I have ever seen. Anyway, back in the early 90's, I decided to start doing sketches of some of my favorite golfers. I hadn't drawn since high school before that, but for some reason I was (drawn) to it. I thought that maybe it would be something I could leave behind for my children someday. My goal was to try and get as many as I could autographed. Below is my sketch of Payne autographed by him at Southern Hills. I am not an artist, so please take it easy on me. I just wanted to share it with others who had a love for Payne.

You can go to rockbottomgolf.com and pick up a MacGregor MT Driver for $79.99, or look on Ebay.

I know back when I first started shooting in the 70's, it wasn't because I started hitting 14-16 greens in regulation. I learned to chip and putt better. And on those days now when I'm not hitting the ball quite as well as normal, I can still shoot in the 70's because of a good short game.

Here's some pics of my Titleist bag. I really like the look of it, as well as the functionality. It's also nice to have a putter well.

How about a Frogger Towel for around $20.00. It's like two towels in one.

It's hard to believe that it's been that long. I really miss him and his passion for the game. He was a true professional all the way. Here is my favorite memory that I shared in another post. Speaking of Payne Stewart, he is one of my most treasured drawings that I got autographed. He also hit one of the most amazing shots I ever saw. On No.8 at Augusta National, he had hit his drive way right during a Tuesday practice round. He walked up to the ball with his driver still in hand. He turned around looking for his caddy, who was way back toward the tee box with another caddy. I guess he got tired of waiting, so he proceeded to hit one of the most amazing shots I've ever seen. In those days, they didn't grow the rough like it is now, so the rough was lower than alot of normal golf course fairways. He looks at his predicament which includes nothing but trees between him and the green. The fairway is at least twenty yards to the left, and he has a big headed driver he's going to try to hit back toward the fairway and "slice" around the trees. As I said, the lie is in the rough but when he sits the driver behind the ball, the ball is well below the top of his driver. I'm thinking there's no way he's going to hit this very high, and on top of that cut it around the trees. He gets up there and takes his ultra smooth swing that he's remembered for, and hit a nice high "slice" around the trees and up the fairway. Off of that lie and the angle that he had to hit it, I was amazed how he pulled it off. But that was Payne.

It's different for each player, but everyone needs to know their limitations. I see high handicappers trying shots that a lot of low handicappers wouldn't bother attempting. In a lot of cases, that's where some high handicappers waste too many strokes. They try to pull off a shot that percentage wise is not in their best interest. I've seen many players who would score a lot lower with better course management.

The most I played was back in high school. A buddy and me played 63 holes in one day walking. We use to average at least 45 holes because our parents would drop us off early in the morning, and pick us up at 7:00 at night. It was a fun time that I'll always remember.

For me, there's a lot more to life than golf. When I was younger, I played high school & college golf, and experience a lot of success. After I got married and started having children, golf became a lot less important to me. It's definitely not as high as priority as it use to be. I remember thinking that I would really miss not getting to play as much as I thought I should play. But as time has passed, I've realized what I would have missed if I would have demanded to have my own way. Now I'm not a perfect husband or father, but I realize that I've been blessed. And I know I only have this time with my wife & children. I remember my dad use to play once or twice a week, and was always playing on the weekend. He was a scratch golfer, so in a lot of people's eyes, he was justified. But in reality, he never had a very good relationship with my mom or his children. I believe when he died, he regretted making some of the choices that he made. I know I don't want to make that same mistake. I'm not trying to preach, but just sharing my own experience.

I e-mailed Sergio like you suggested and he said " Gracious " ! :)

Congratulations on your first eagle ! It's a great feeling. I've had quite a few eagles through the years, but my first one definitely stands out. I was playing with my father and my best friend. I was 16 and had hit a par 5 in two, with about a 4 foot putt for the eagle. All the way up to the green, my best friend was saying " Don't blow it", "Don't blow it". I was a little nervous over the putt, but somehow got it to drop.

I'm a Kansas native, but I've wanted to play Karsten Creek for some time now. But the price has got out of hand, even if you're with a member. Hey joseywales, I love your title ! That's one of my top movies.

What he means by that is that a golfer with a more upright swing has a better chance of catching more ball out of the rough compared to a player like Garcia who comes into the ball on a flatter plane. By coming in on a flatter plane, more grass will come in between the club and ball.

What I do off the tee is put either the name of the ball or number at the back, just a little on the inside. This is a reminder to me that I want to hit the back of the ball from just a little inside. I've used this for years, and it's mainly because I want to make solid contact each time. I may not hit it exactly where I want to, but I'm going to hit it solid. I've taught my children to do this, just to try and help them to make solid contact on each shot. The one danger in this is that some people get to thinking of just hitting at the ball. What I try to do and teach others to do is to finish the swing. It's amazing how many people will have a nice practice swing, but once they get over the ball, their swing changes. And most of the time it's because they are hitting at the ball instead of just making their swing. What I tell my kids is that the ball just gets in the way. It's hard for them at first to truly get this. I tell them to think of a high finish in balance.

It has been interesting to read what others do. I have always been real specific at focusing on a certain spot on the back of the ball. I've always wanted to make sure I made solid contact. It's worked for me for over thirty years, as I have shot in the 60's & 70's throughout that span.

I was thinking about this the other day. It seems like you don't see as many unique swings as you use to. I'm talking about the likes of Lee Trevino, Ray Floyd, Hubert Green, Miller Barber, Chi Chi Rodriguez, etc. Nowadays, it seems overwhelmingly that most swings are close to text book. The one exception is Jim Furyk. I think the main reason is because back then there were a lot more players who learned the game without a teacher. They developed their own style and made it work. So what other current players or past players come to mind when you think of a unique swing ?