JaxBomber17

I know the feeling. I have a dead zone between about 60 and 100; my long pitch shot and three quarter sand wedge, which oddly enough I'm pretty comfortable with.

Is there a distance at which you like to set yourself up? For example, if I know I can't reach a par 5, or if it's a shorter par 4, I try to smooth an iron to around 145 so I can hit a full gap wedge in, rather than risk mis-hitting a long iron or wood trying to set up a pitch and ending up with an unfamiliar shot. What do you folks like to do?

Mini royal blue sharpie, my Crown Royal bag of tees (it's outlasted two bags, two putters, one set of clubs, and a swing change), my Wilson golf utility knife, extra glove, a flask of Southern Comfort (summer) or Johnnie Walker Black Label (winter) if it's a family round, and whatever was in my pockets prior to the round (can't golf with anything but a divot tool and poker chip in my front right and a provisional in the bottom left). Also two poker chips, one from the MGM Grand, one from Harmony Golf Preserve near Orlando. I use them as ball markers when I'm away.

Mine too. My sister worked the tournament this year, and said she's giving me her free round for my birthday. Haven't seen it yet... Agreed. One of my favorite quotes is what Bobby Jones is to have said when he first saw the land that was to become Augusta National. I don't remember exactly, but it was along the lines of, "to think, this land has been here all this time, just waiting for someone to lay a golf course on it." A good course uses the land; it doesn't redistribute it (not to say I'm not pumped to play the Stadium course). But to answer the question, I'm a big fan of Arthur Hills (I play Windsor Parke here in Jax as often as I can). He has some great courses that give you the opportunity to be safe, but sorely tempt you to take risks.

I'd love to see the Pirates and Braves duke it out for a spot in the NLDS, as long as the Braves win. I'm not personally a fan of the second wild-card team. If WC1 is four games better than WC2, then their number four goes out, lays an egg, and gives up six runs, they're out. I don't really like that. At least make it a three-game play-in. If the NBA Playoffs can last longer than the season, why can't the MLB's?

Congrats, good luck!

I remember reading something in Golf Digest about amateur events that use six, ten, even 20-inch cups, but that isn't what you're talking about lol. I think It's a combination of luck and skill, but mostly skill. I feel like if you made the cup wider, more golfers would be more aggressive with their putts, and probably still burn edges just as often. I really think the cup is the perfect size for a difficult game...frustratingly tiny. Just my two cents though.

My short game has gotten much better in the last year or so. That being said, I'm all too familiar with the demoralizing feeling of pounding one 320, having a 50-yard shot in, and chunking it, then pitching on and two-putting for bogey. What it did teach me was a valuable lesson in course management. About a year ago I learned that I don't have to hit driver on every par 4. I'm more comfortable hitting a 3 or 4-iron and having a full 8, 9, or wedge in than a half wedge. Basically, power is nice, but if you can't take advantage of it, what's the point?

This. Zeg is right; play a few rounds before you start tracking stats. I like to track my score, FIR, GIR, and putts on the scorecard, then when I get home I transfer everything into a G Stats notebook I found at a local golf store. I want to eventually create an excel spreadsheet, but my roommate gives me enough crap as it is...

I was just fitted for a set of MP-53s and ordered them through Golftec from Mizuno. My opinion is do it that way. I'm 6'7" with an upright swing and a low ball flight, so I needed an extra inch and a half in the shafts as well as 1* upright lies and 2* weak lofts. I'd much rather have Mizuno make the club that way than buy them off Amazon, pay to have extensions put in (that, in my experience, will break off within two years), pay to have them re-gripped, pay to have them bent, and pay to have the lofts adjusted. Not to mention, by the time you buy the right shafts and have them put in, you're probably going to be spending more than you would through Mizuno. Let the fitters know you have a $500 Amazon credit and are considering going that way, and see if they knock it down some. My buddy has Tiger's VR TW blades; he found them online new for $499, went to test-drive them at a golf store, and when he told the guy that's why he was there, he told him he'd match the price. Can't hurt to try. I loved those MP-59s. I hit them a touch farther than the 53s and just as consistently, but I liked how high I hit the 53s. I really don't need to hit a 6-iron 235, so I decided the launch angle was going to be the determining factor.

Ideally, 45 minutes early...five to check in, ten to stretch, 15 on the range, 15 on the green. Unfortunately, I've shot a lot of 45s on the front after getting to the course just in time to roll a few putts before heading to the tee. Last time out I shot an eight-over 44 on the front and a one-over 36 on the back. Imagine if I'd loosened up beforehand...

I generally keep my cool pretty well on the course. I'll drop a club in my backswing after a bad block or really fat shot, and when I leave a put short I'll give myself a David Feherty "Oh, Gladys..." but that's about it. I pitched in high school and college, and one thing I learned was how to move on from a crappy result to the next pitch (shot). The only time I really get irritated is when I make the same mistake on two or three straight shots. Then you may hear an f bomb before I'm able to move on.

I feel like you'd need a forensic report to get them to admit fault there. More power to you there lol, I couldn't stand my old cavity wedges.

I've definitely never had durability issues with them. I'm a pretty long player, so I end up with a great deal of wedges into greens from various lies and I absolutely love my RAC Chromes. I have a little trouble spinning them at times, but that's likely my swing, not the clubs. Sounds like you did get some defective clubs.

Same here. They don't get along with most wedges. My Taylormade RACs are pretty gentle on them though. Where is the cheapest place to get the 5As?

Picked up a box of Pro V1 practice balls and a navy Footjoy Weathersof glove. I played with the Scotty Camerons like always, but I still love my Odyssey too much...

I switched to the Pro V1s a few months back and don't intend to go back. Motown is right, you may like the V1xs, as they're a bit harder. I don't know about your area, but I have a golf store that is perpetually going out of business here, and you can get Practice and X-out Pro V1s and Pro V1xs for around $30 a box. Can't use them in tournaments but they're fine for your weekly round, and they perform the same. You can also buy buckets on Amazon that are refurbished, but to me the refurbished ones just don't spin the same way.

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is RBZ the next generation of the R11s or something Taylormade did separately? I tried the R11 driver (albeit at Dick's, and I was probably swinging scared because I hit the ceiling a few times) and it didn't seem very responsive to me. I didn't like the feel at impact. I don't know if ability is the right word lol...I have power, that's about it, and my short game bails me out of a lot of really crappy approach shots. I'm hoping these MP-53s will help rectify that. Stiffer shafts, more workable, and the correct lie angles. Can't wait to stop seeing angled divots and my irons bailing right.

The only way to get better is to be picky about your game. That's been my strategy lol Clubhead speed isn't an issue for me; I'm in the low 130s with my driver. I tend to drift over my front leg, which is what lowers my shot shape. I'm working on getting rid of that. I prefer my local Golftec for my clubs. Their simulator is fairly accurate and they have heads from eight or ten different brands with all kinds of shafts to plug in; I plan on taking this list you guys are giving me and trying them all out with a few different shafts. Best part about going through them is customization is free. I'm 6'7" with a fairly upright swing and need a lot of tweaks to my sticks. The Pro/Tour head is a useful thought, my most common flaw is a low hook that occurs when I drift too far forward. I'll definitely remember that. Thanks!

I love how when I say I don't like the look of a club, people (who aren't golfers) think I'm just being picky. But if you don't like the look of something, it isn't going to inspire confidence.

That's what I like about my fitting place; they just hand you a bunch of clubs to hit and they analyze the results to find the best match. I definitely plan on test-driving the whole rack.

Just ordered custom-fitted Mizuno MP-53s, 4-PW. The fitter suggested I replace the 3 with a hybrid 2 or 3 due to my low ball flight. Any suggestions on a good hybrid club? I've never played a hybrid before, and currently I don't play a 5 wood. I'm looking for a good filler between my 4 iron and 3 wood, so I'm leaning towards a 2 hybrid as a compromise between 3 iron and 5 wood so that I can leave my 60 degree wedge in the bag (actually I need a new one of those, but that's another thread). Thoughts?

New to the forum, just started playing seriously again after a year of playing once or twice a month. Good to be back on the course regularly, and 'm looking forward to some serious golf talk on the sand trap!