lostmyballs

Keegan Bradley -12 Phil Mickelson -11 Tiger Woods -11

I got a lot of opinions from this thread: http://thesandtrap.com/t/58586/bridgestone-e6-or-srixon-q-star. I'd like to turn it into a poll, to guide my buy later today. My foremost consideration is reduction of sidespin with the driver. Which would you buy?

At the 18th hole on my second ever round of golf I I come to a par 3 that demands a shot over water. My friend (equally new) and I are tied playing match play, so the hole is very important. He hits his tee shot *plunk* into the pond. I follow his shot with a wild pull into a big oak tree. I couldn't tell if it was lost or not, so I walked over to it to look. Thinking the 5-minute search rule applied, I spent the whole 5 minutes looking, knowing how important the hole was to our match. After 5 minutes and no luck, I decide to join my friend at the drop area rather than walk back to the tee (though I realize now I should have hit a provisional). Anyway, my friend drops his ball and pitches it nicely over the water and onto the green. I take a drop and prepare to swing, and at this perfect moment the starter comes over toward the green (this was the 18th hole by the clubhouse, remember) and yells at me "hey, hurry up!". Which is pretty much the last thing you want to hear as a new golfer on the 18th hole as you prepare to pitch from the rough over water. You probably guessed that I shanked it into the pond, and you were right. At this point I'm flustered and embarrassed, so I pick up my ball and concede the hole. Thanks a lot, deusche. See if I ever play at that golf course again.

I have played maybe 20-30 18 hole rounds, practice more often than I play, and still have never shot as low as you! So yeah, job well done amigo.

Thanks for the tips, mvmac. I have hit a few draws trying your advice. But I can't really control how much they draw, and I must admit I'm afraid that I'll hit one that won't draw back, and will land where my slice would have landed anyway.

I can't help but feel like everyone responding with disdain to this poster is wallowing in their self-regret that it isn't them with those high hopes and dreams anymore; like the guy who swears off women because he kept getting rejected, telling strangers not to bother approaching the woman across the room because "you'll never make it, believe you me".

Hot shots in golf carts playing speed golf breathing down your neck the whole round.

Anyone with personal experience care to weigh in regarding what aspects of the game it helps, and which it hurts?

Its a little funny to hear some of the responses on this thread, especially those that call it illegal (only in some states) and that it makes you hallucinate (only in extreme quantities, if ever). I used to smoke, but haven't in some time, except for rare occasions. I have friends who do smoke when they golf, and it always amazes me; as someone else had said, golf is already hard enough! I can imagine it has benefits for concentration, but drawbacks regarding paranoia (did they just hit into me on purpose?)

I've had success the past two times I went to the driving range. I concentrated more on releasing the club/ turning my arms over at impact. It takes a lot of timing, but it works. If I could only give one tip, it would be to concentrate on turning your right hand over your left at the moment of impact. If this doesn't work after five minutes of trying, let me know.

Dude shoots 3 over after 5 years and that's bad? How high are your standards? I'll break 100 this year I hope (in my second year). EDIT: But I am inclined to agree with "stay in school". Not because I doubt the guy (there are enough people to do that without me), but because education is priceless (and you can golf in college).

Practice, practice, practice. If you aren't spending your days from sun-up to sun-down out there practicing, you won't stand a chance, because there are a lot of kids right now who are, and you'll be beating them or losing to them years from now depending on whether you outwork them right now, or are outworked by them. And don't just go through the motions when you practice. You have to be analytical of every swing. If you fall into "beating balls" mode, go focus on putting for a while. If you aren't focused on improving, and eradicating your weaknesses, then you are wasting your time. Good luck, and don't let yourself down.

I use range balls to chip, and my own balls to putt with (I mark my balls light-side up so they roll true [see Pelz - Putt Like The Pros ]). During chipping practice I don't care if the balls give inconsistent spin, my only goal is to have them land in a hula-hoop sized area that I'm focusing on.

I'm not a huge stickler for unnecessary rules but don't give yourself free relief from a hazard if we are playing for a few bucks, or even a drink.

I like the idea that, like myself on any course I've set cleat on, getting par on a hole is a wonderous accomplishment.

I like to write on my scorecards what my biggest problem was on the hole (for example, pushed a 6 iron OB; or, 3-putted from 15 feet). Then when I have a few hours to go practice, I know exactly what to focus on.

I have been using Maxfli Revolution wedges (52, 56, 60), as they were the cheapest option at Dick's Sporting Goods a couple years ago. I have spent a lot of time practicing my pitch shots, and can reliably get them in the air (have drastically reduced my fat and thin shots). I am much better at picking a spot in my mind for the ball to land, and actually getting it to land reasonably close to there. I don't have much practice hitting full wedge shots, though (I'd usually prefer to hit a pitch with a longer club). My question is, if I upgrade my wedges to something more expensive, what benefits will I see to my wedge game? Sometimes I don't know if I am missing my target landing area due to technique inconsistencies or whether I should blame it on my $39.99 wedge.

That must have been one awesome day at the course!

McIlroy -6

Mads, that is a really good link. I especially like drill 2. One drill that helped me get a really good feel for putting tempo, which I previously had completely ignored, is to try to make straight 3' putts with your eyes closed. It's a pretty simple task, but only if you can rely on a smooth putting stroke.

I don't get angry at much in this world, but if I or a loved one or friend ever got hit by someone who's only excuse for not warning us was that they were just too shy, I would flip out. It's as if their tiniest inconvenience is too much of a hassle to prevent what could be a life-altering consequences. Talk about absolutely selfish on their part. It makes me disgusted. Don't get me wrong. I hit many wayward drives. But if there is even the slighest chance that those balls are heading towards other golfers I will yell fore so loud you'll hear me from the bathroom in the clubhouse. Imagine knowing you are the reason someone has to go to the hospital because you were too inconsiderate to shout?

If this is the drill I'm thinking of, it is likely the same as below, perhaps substituting the tape with simply sticking the tees into the ground: This drill examines the importance of striking the ball consistently out of the sweet spot on the face of your putter. Take two tee-pegs and use sticky tape to attach them vertically to the face of the putter, so that each is 3/4 inch either side of the sweet spot. Hit some putts no more than 2 yards, trying to strike the ball without making contact with the tees. If you can do that, you have successfully hit the sweet spot. However, if one of the two tees becomes trapped between the ball and the putter face, the ball will shoot off at a strange angle. Such indications mean that you have hit the putt out of the toe or heel end of the putter-head. Taken from "The Complete Golf Manual" by Newell (2010).

This is a horrible excuse for not warning someone if a ball is hit at them. So you might look dumb yelling when the ball lands far away from the guy. So what? You hit someone in the back of the head and they could be blind for life, all because you are "not programmed" to warn someone of an impending threat that you created?

What practice drills have you used in order to improve your putting over the years? Were there any that stick out to you as having been particularly effective? My usual short putt practice is to putt balls in a circle around the hole one putter length away and hit as many consecutive putts as possible. For middle putts practice I try to hit putts past the hole by a foot or so. For long putts I do the same, but from 30, 40, 50 feet away. These drills have gotten stale, do you have any suggestions?

I dislike getting advice from people at the range. They always think they know "the fix", and it just distracts me from what I was working on to begin with.