packerfan1

Our munis around here put them in a bin well behind the counter and out of site, then when you are looking for the lost club in question, you tell the guy at the counter what type of club it was, and you can go look in the bin with him. This way, nobody grabs a club that isn't theirs, it might be tough to guess that a vokey spin milled x degree club is in that bin at that time, if you are being dishonest. At the end of the year, what is left is donated to the youth program. WIN WIN situation.

Welcome from South Bend, IN. My in-laws live not too far from Findlay in Fremont...I play around there quite a bit when we go visit. Enjoy the site.

Pelz's multiwedge idea is good in theory, but he has taken it to the extreme. Most average golfers don't hit the 60 degree wedge with any consistency, let alone a 64*. The idea of carrying a PW, GW and SW works well for most golfers...evenly spaced yardages, and I don't care how many wedges you carry, you will still have to manufacture quite a few half shots. Just open the SW club up a bit and presto...you have a 64*. Courses generally get longer and longer, so an extra long club sometimes helps, too. I carry a driver, 4W 16* and a 19* and 22* hybrid, works well for me, as well as carrying a PW, GW, and SW (56). Funny how I played golf well with my short game for 20 years with just a PW and SW.

Use Google Earth...zoom in on the course in question and then go under their 'tools', they have a distance measurement tool, you can measure in yards, miles, meters, inches, whatever you want. On my home course using Google Earth, I can see the concrete 12" round 100, 150, 200 and 250 yard markers in the center of the fairway...and when I use the tool measuring from these markers to the center of the green, they are amazingly accurate, within a few hundreths of a yard! You can copy the pics from Google Earth into Word or another program and custom mark yardages, in effect making your own yardage book. Great for a course you always play, even better for a new unfamiliar course.

This type of attitude is exactly what is often responsible for the perception by non-golfers of golf as a stuffy, out of tune with the common man game. I assume that this attitude is at least in a small way partly responsible for the reported stagnation or shrinking of participation in the game of golf. Who wants to deal with judgement on the course after you have paid your hard earned money to play, most of our games are embarrassing enough without the criticism of our bags. Who cares if someone plays golf with clones? What if they are simply trying out the game of golf, and don't want to expend several hundred or thousand dollars on a sport that they are not sure they will pursue? Exactly this snobbish attitude about non-name brand equipment (clone or legitimately designed component equipment) is what ruins many a golfer's day on the course. I am not the biggest fan of clone clubs (never used a clone club) and their blatant ripoff of another company's technology, but if a golfer wants to use clone equipment, well, who am I to judge them on the course? So what if a golfer uses a pull cart? It doesn't matter that most golfers of almost every age and type in England Scotland and Ireland use pull carts (without scorn, I might add)...and this is the HOME of the game of golf. If it makes the game easier, well, all the better. Iron covers, well, if someone wants to use them, fine by me. Not my cup of tea, but not a problem, either. You can keep your attitude to yourself on these types of golfing matters...and let the rest of the golfing world enjoy themselves.

Par-3's are great for everyone, new and experienced golfers alike. New golfers will feel less intimidated byt he courses, due to their shorter length (and often times less intimidating golf games of other golfers on the courses). Experienced golfers will enjoy the challenges and practice for their short games. Another plus is that they are great for a quick 9 after work or if you have kids to take them to learn the game.

Most of my play is done with a red Titleist Sunday Bag 70. I also have a 14 divider Datrek stand/ cart bag for the few times I use a cart.

Quick question...how does a person in a large city who has no car get to the course? Do you take the subway, bus and/or train with your clubs in tow? Not that there is a problem with that, just curious, that is all.

I played a set of Acuity (Dick's Sporting Goods' generic brand) irons for years...I have a set of Snake Eyes component irons now. Too much is made of the 'name brand' clubs, especially when it comes to irons, for the average golfer. Enjoy the game, play the clubs you have until you can or want to change to a name brand set.

Ya, and if half of the people playing golf quit, half of your golf courses will close due to not enough business, the other half will have greens fees that double or triple. $50 a round for a nice 18 at a good course is expensive enoughfor me, I don't wish to spend triple that, even if I can shave a round down to 3 hours. The solution to a sport's success NEVER is in limiting particiapation, it is learning how to grow the sport in numbers and popularity. Without growth the sport's business end will always suffer, certainly to the economic detriment of the remaining participants in the sport. There are many ways to quicken rounds with the existing number of golfers, and even with significant growth in the sport. When was the last time you saw a course ranger speed up play or reprimand truly slow play? You remember (if you are old enough) those rangers you feared as a kid, the ones that patrolled a course and actually kept things moving and kept wayward golfers' behavior in line? They no longer exist. Get rid of the damn golf carts, except for those in physical need of using a cart (the old, the physically disabled or the sick). Walking is quicker on most courses, I routinely walk 18 holes at 6500 yards in 3 hours give or take a few minutes. Quit taking 27 practice strokes before taking your swing. Don't spend 15 minutes lining up your putt from 4 different angles. I can go on and on. I love this sport, I want to see everyone enjoy golf as much as all of us on this board do. Growth is necessary and vital for golf to survive and remain a leisure activity that all of us can afford.

The one advantage to most chipper clubs, at least in my mind, is the shaft length and lie angle. Trying to chip with a hybrid is awkward, due to the longer shaft and lie angle and having to choke down so far on the club (really below the grip in my case to be effective), and chipping with a 7 iron is also difficult due to the lie angle and the propensity to chunk a shot on more than one occasion. I carry a $10 chipper on and off, it works surprisingly well within maybe 20-30 yards on bump and runs, and also for chipping off the fringe. I say if you want to use a chipper and it helps, go right ahead. Maybe not worth a $100+ to me, since a $10 edition does the job for me, but it is your money, spend it like you want.

Lamkin crosslines on all my wedges, irons and hybrids, Winn grips on my driver and woods, as well as putter

Think bout this one for a second...think about most golf holes that you play (especially par 3's, but really most holes)...where are most of the bunkers? In front and on the sides of the green, right? Where are the water hazards? Usually short or to the side of the hole, right? How often do you see bunkers or water in back of the hole? If you overshoot the pin by 10 yards (one more club), generally the worst you would do is roll off the back of the green and/or be in the rough on most holes on most courses. If you are lucky, you might even hit someone on the tee box on the next hole :) Fall short by one club (10 yards) on most holes, and you are usually in the bunker or trouble a higher percentage of the time.

Titleist 983K 11.5* loft. The loft has really helped the distance and acuracy of my drives, especially compared to my TM 580XD which was 9.5 loft.

You will enjoy Juday Creek...a bit of water but a nice course, challenging, too. We have lots of great courses at very reasonable prices around here...even Warren and Blackthorn are very reasonable compared to like courses around the US.

Hello from the same city...we will have to play some time....I play Erskine GC most times, it is 5 minutes from my house. Warren is nice, but a bit expensive for me except for once or twice a year.

I walk on solo all of the time. Most times if you are paired up, the other player is not even paying attention to your game, they are worried about THEIR game. Same as you should be. I have had some great rounds walking onto a course in the evening and pairing up with someone else. Usually if it isn't busy you can play alone, otherwise if their are others around you will be paired up. Met some real characters, some great people, and only had one experience that I would call 'bad' and even that is a stretch. Guy thought he was God's gift to golf teaching and constantly gave me swing advice every hole (which I ignored)...but he still was an Ok guy to play a round with on the course.

I think that most of the headcovers on woods and hybrids are used to protect the finish on the graphite shafts of the woods / hybrids. Iron heads (irons are generally much shorter than woods and hybrids) banging the shafts of woods at best mars the finish, at worst potentially could damage the graphite shaft. Mostly it is cosmetic damage to the shafts. Plus headcovers are a part of golf tradition. If, like me, you have throwback pom headcovers, they are traditional. I can think of a lot of other ways to speed up the game...choosing clubs more quickly, etc.

I still carry one, but I hardly use it. Take your average long par 5 hole ... 500 + yards. For me it is driver 220-240, then 3 wood 200-210...that still leaves me at 420-450 yards...50 or more yards short, I'll never hit a long par 5 in 2 shots, even in my best 2 shots in my wildest dreams. Even on a hole that is par 4 or short par 5 I will still be short. Better for me to take driver and maybe 5 iron twice or some similar strategy. I hit my 5 wood almost as long as my 3 wood, anyhow, and much more accurately. I don't use the 3 wood off the tee...the driver is more forgiving for me. I still carry the 3 wood, but it isn't used much.

You will have lots of golfers say, "why use a chipper when you already have that club in your bag, it is called a 7-iron". Or they will say, "chippers are for old men". Or, "just practice chipping with different clubs and learn how to chip with what you have in your bag". Or, "I can't remove X club out of my bag to make room for a chipper". I have seen and heard them all. If the chipper works for you, go ahead and use it, simple as that. I have carried one off and on for years in my bag, more on than off...to be honest I have holed or lipped more chips off the fringe or the open front of a green with a chipper than I have all of the other clubs in my bag combined ( I usually use my GW, PW or 7 iron to pitch if I don't use the chipper). Too many golfers eschew something due to machismo. I have seen guys deadly with their chippers, using a putting stroke with a putter like club when chipping seems to have its merits. All you will need is one tour pro to use the new Odyssey chipper and then it will be a hot club. Not sure I'd buy a $100+ chipper, when a $15 chipper does the job, but then again...

Persimmon: Nice looking, almost artistic when shiny and newly finished. No better feeling than when you hit one "on the screws" (a rarity for a golfer like me)...no better sound in golf than persimmon, either. If you have never hit a persimmon driver just right, you are missing out on one of the major pleasures of golf, in my opinion. No worse feeling than not hitting it 'on the screws'...you were guaranteed a 70 yard worm burning drive that sliced like you wouldn't believe. And this happened A LOT for most of us. Metal: Big an ugly, period. At least the finish on the top of the head is shiny. Very forgiving, even mishits travel far and much straighter than mishit persimmon ever did. Makes golf a pleasure to play from the tee, at least in comparison; less frustration, anger and tears. Persimmon was great when you hit it right, but I would never go back, metal is much more forgiving and a joy from a playing standpoint.

South bend here...lots of great courses around here for all budgets. Juday Creek, ND's course, Blackthorn are all nice courses with $40 or more greens fees walking / riding depending on the time. The muni's around here are really nice, Erskine, Elbel, and all under $20 walking at peak times.

The 580XD is a classic club...many consider it one of the best drivers TM ever made. It is still my 'gamer' (alternates with a Titleist 983K, another classic), and the 580XD is plenty forgiving. I have the stock shaft, is fine for my game. You can't beat the price, lots of people stillplay this driver, it was a huge seller and still is sold quite a bit, I'll bet.

I have three boys now ages 18, 14 and 10...the younger two love golf and the oldest hates golf. I have never forced the game on any of them, they have all gone out with me at about the age of 7 or 8 to the driving range a few times at first, then we would we go to the local 9 hole which has 7 par 3's and 2 par 4's. I just let them have fun, never ever keep score for the first year that they play, let them learn the basics of the swing from me like stance and grip and just learn to enjoy (or in the case of my oldest, not enjoy) the game. Our local parks department has an excellent summer golf program of group leessons and then 9 holes of golf, split into age appropriate divisions, a wonderful program that teaches swing mechanics and golf etiquette, all done in a fun way with a little FRIENDLY competition thereafter. The younger two of my boys have attended this program for a couple years each and it really helps, plus the get to play golf every week even if I don't get them out to the course. My biggest tip that I tell everyone about getting kids into golf is twofold...don't force the game on them (they either like or hate golf and their love or disinterest in the game is no reflection of their love for you), and keep the game fun at first, don't overburden the kids with swing mechanics and a lot of teaching and badgering each swing. Let the kids play golf...the sport will take care of hooking them on its own. Most of us have never had a golf lesson when we were young, we went to the course or range with a friend and were self taught, at least for a while, from there. It is easy to live vicariously through your kids in any sport...especially in golf...don't let that happen. If your kid is the next Tiger Woods or Annika Sorenstam, he or she will be found soon enough by the golf establishment.