Rickins

Who doesn't? Rick P.S. Add my congratulations, too, flam. Well done!

I'm happy with the result but I never would have guessed it. Just goes to show you... Rick

Good points here, particularly in this context. The fundamentals still have to be there to execute a "creative" shot, no doubt about it. The downside to the situation, for my wife, is that I refuse to give "lessons" on the course. If we're not being pushed, I'll take a little more time, but not much. I know she finds that frustrating but, that's where a pro comes in. Time for some real lessons... Rick

I think Tiger will try to "bring the heat" early. If he can go -2 through the first seven holes, he could very well get the leaders "chasing" him, which would be very good for him and very bad for them. Davis' game will probably hold up but I don't think Phil's will (sadly). Not going very far out on a limb with this one but I believe that the winner will already be in the clubhouse when Davis and Phil finish on the 18th. Rick

Thanks, Erik. I was fortunate, early on, to play with a wonderful gentleman who advised me how to play different clubs different ways and not get "locked" into thinking that there's one, and only one, way to play a given shot. Pretty "liberating" for a young golfer who wanted desperately to enjoy the game. Rick

This is tied, somewhat loosely, to another post, The high-percentage shot . Earlier this week, my wife and I got out for a round in the morning after the course had had a heavy watering. The bunkers were like "hard pan" relative to what you might expect, or at least hope to find. My ball found two of them early in the front nine and I managed to get out with my sand wedge with mixed results, i.e. neither particularly good. Shortly after, my wife found a greenside bunker and asked for my advice - pretty gutsy having seen my recent efforts. There was no lip on the edge of the bunker and not much more than 3-4 feet between the bunker and the green. My advice was to use a choked-down five iron and, basically, "putt" the ball out. Her result was a definite improvement over my earlier efforts. This, understandably, led to the question of why I would tell her to do one thing if I played similar shots a different way completely. The underlying tone of her question, however, was that I wasn't "teaching" her correct technique but, rather, playing down to her inexperience. My question now is how much "creativeness" is appropriate to show a new golfer without undermining solid, basic technique? Is it an important factor in showing someone how to play the game or, should it simply come with each individual's own experiences? Rick

It's a bit ugly here (Macomb, Michigan). I've read that we've got - had - more courses in the ten-mile radius around us than any other similar area in Michigan. Housing development is causing a sell-off. More money in houses and condos than the courses can bring in. A favorite of my wife's and mine closed at the end of last season. Folks who had bought new homes around the course had paid a $30,000 premium to live adjacent to it. Think they got it stuffed "where the sun don't shine?" Rick

Thanks for the input. There's a great deal of sense in what Erik suggests about hitting the green from 150 yards being a bigger confidence booster than potentially pulling off the low-percentage shot. The former is what even a beginner might expect of himself/herself after getting some rounds in. The latter will invariably be seen as simply luck rather than a repeatable play. Like Cody, I confess to playing the low-percentage shot here and there, probably more often than I have any right to. And, I agree that it adds to the fun for me. Years back, my quest for low scores became such an obsession that it nearly destroyed my love for the game. I still take the game quite seriously but I no longer take myself so seriously. muda, come to think of it, the game's been a lot more fun recently. Maybe we've got the same problem going... Rick

My wife took the game up a couple of years back and I've been offering advice ever since. Actually, that ain't all bad because it makes me think about my own game, too. One of the things that I've been stressing to her is making the smart shot or, what Jack Nicklaus has called, the "high-percentage" shot. Sound advice for tournament play, certainly, but I wonder now if it's always the way to go. In other words, might a beginner gain some confidence by tackling a low-percentage shot now and then to try to add something to his/her bag for the times when an opportunity might present itself? Rick

Pretty sure it was Peter Thomson, five-time British Open winner. Rick

About three hours ago I ran a low 3-iron to the right of one tree and to left, and below the branches, of another, up a rise to an elevated green to 10 inches from about 110 yards out. Tapped in for a birdie. My wife, God love her, was hopping up and down and hollering like I just won a tournament. Helps to bring your own cheering section! Rick

Though I've had this one "favorably" interpreted, I've always gotten a bit of a kick out of Rule 35-8 which defines casual water as an abnormal ground condition consisting of temporary water on the course that is "visible before or after you take your stance." Should we assume that the brand new pond lying in the fairway after a heavy rain isn't casual water if it's over a knoll where it couldn't possibly be seen without walking up 180 yards beforehand? Also, for we "casual" players, what constitutes "clear and convincing" evidence that a ball struck toward a water hazard - and not found - actually went into the hazard as opposed to being lost outside the hazard? (Rather speaks to the "stroke and distance" issue again from where I sit.) I'm still undecided on range finders but the remainder of the list seems pretty complete. Rick

Not a silly question at all. The immediate result of opening the clubface is to increase the effective loft of the club. The expectation is to see the ball pop up in the air and land softly with little movement once it hits the green. A "flop shot", if you will. The other "mechanics" at play become a little dicier. Standing square to the target line, you should also expect to see the ball travel to the right of your target (presuming that you're right-handed). Generally, you'll want to open your stance taking a more face-forward stance toward your intended target to counteract this effect. You can also think of it as aligning your body to the left of your intended target. Now, all of this presupposes that the lie you have will allow you to get under the ball cleanly. If not, the usual result will be to "blade" the ball (hit it with the bottom edge of the clubface) and send it scooting on a low trajectory well past your target. Because of the design of the typical sand wedge, the chances of blading your shot are increased quite a bit because the back of the club will raise the bottom edge of the clubface even more. Rick