kfowler

Any of these posts that start out with "My spouse also golfs...", I skip right over. I'm just too jealous to even read. I would say it's a constant struggle to get more golf time. I'd play every week if I could. I have a 17 month old so it's not easy. This season I was able to play once a week for two weeks and then take a week off. That's better than last year. I try to play early in the morning when it best fits my wife's time. I also try to set aside time for her to get out and do her own thing. It's certainly not easy when you have young children.

Assuming we're talking about a driver here. I realize the a Regular vs. Stiff shaft flex can affect different components of a swing weather that being face position at impact, launch angle, etc. My question relates to club head speed alone. Let's say a golfer has a 95 mph swing. That's right on the verge of stiff vs regular for many shaft companies. Assuming all other variables are equal, what would be the difference in club head speed between a stiff and regular shaft? I would think the regular shaft has a faster club head because of the head whipping more through the impact zone. But how much? 1-2mph? 5mph? 10mph? Thanks,

Can't say I've ever seem one turn physical. Definitely more prominent at munis since they're more crowded than privates. Excessive drinking certainly plays a role. One of the funnier ones I've heard came from my dad. He worked as a ranger a course he's played at for years. Dad's in his late 60's but at 6'2" is still a big guy. Anyway, an older gentleman and his wife were playing and they kept driving their cart on the shoulder of the green. My dad asked him not to do that. They did it again and my dad asked if he didn't hear him the first time. The guy got pissed and started waving his club at my dad. My dad responded with "Are you threatening me?". I think his wife got a hold of him and calmed him down. Turns out after the round the guy came up and apologized for his behavior.

I think it's been 10 years since I've worn spikes but I remember them well. I especially remember how if you slid your foot on a green how it left the trenches. Kind of like you're skidding. One thing I really like about soft spikes is walking is a lot easier. Especially if you're on a cart path.

The biggest problem with SnT is the lack of knowledgeable instructors. Period. There's not an entire person in the state of Michigan that teaches the SnT concept. There's also not a whole lot of Daves and Erics out there teaching it. One is left to trying their own interpretation of SnT based on what they've read or seen on videos. This goes back to what you think you're doing and what you're actually doing are two different things. A golfer may try what he believes to be SnT and fail miserably. Then he believes that SnT is some fad that doesn't really work when they weren't even remotely close to executing SnT principles. Two biggest benefits I've found from SnT is keeping the stationary and deep hands. Those two have made the biggest improvement in my game. What I struggle with is the hip slide. I tend to not focus on this because I feel I really need a knowledgeable instructor to work with. So I've implemented some of their concepts and would like to add more. However, I first need a better hands-on understanding before I move forward. The other obstacle SnT has to overcome is that pro tour player who use a "traditional" swing, are absolutely amazing athletes. They could pretty much swing however they like and compete regularly. Well that's not really a good indication of what swing I should use since I don't remotely have their talent. What's the easiest and simplest way for me to consistently get the ball down the course. That's where I think SnT can benefit most weekend hacks. One last thing, where you follow SnT principles or not, the SnT video is worth watching. Especially the section on golf "fundamentals". There's of food for thought regardless if you use it or not.

A score that will lower my handicap definitely makes me happy. Funny thing is when this happens. I start thinking about all the missed opportunities that could have made it even lower. Like that double bogies hole or that missed three foot putt. I quickly forget all that great shots that made the score low in the first place. Like draining a 30 foot putt or getting up and down out of the trap. On the flip side, if I've consistently hit fat shots or a couple of shanks, I can leave really frustrated.

The most you'll ever hear out of me is a "hurumph". I certainly can get frustrated but I'm pretty even keeled. I've never thrown a club in my life.

Ran into an interesting one during a work scramble on Friday. We've had a lot of rain here and there was a lot of casual water around. Bunkers were flooded and such. The last hole has a natural pond running along the right side. One of the teams hit their ball into the fringe of the water. Now the lake had flooded higher than normal. Where the ball landed, even though it was fully submerged you could see the grass underneath. So during normal conditions, the ball would have been fully playable and not in the water. The team ended up declaring "casual water" and too relief without a penalty. I was curious so I asked the starter what he thought the ruling was. He said they normally have stakes out to designate the hazard but had removed them because of the flooding. He said he could see it either way. I say it's the same as hitting it into a water hazard. Since you cannot tell where the hazard officially starts, you have to assume that if the ball is in any part of the water, it's in the hazard. It was a friendly golf outing so I let it slide but was curious what the ruling would be.

HA!!!! Welcome to the club. I pulled mine at the start of the season and added a 2H instead. Best decision I've made. I've been using my 56* exclusively as well. My chipping has been much improved. The 2H has worked out also.

If your new, it's no way worth it. You don't even know what putting style suits you best. You may end up changing your technique several times before you settle on what works for you. I wouldn't worry about it at this point.

Two nudges are better than one wink to a blind bat!

Sounds like a spin issue. I think too much spin causes the ball to balloon up. In your case, it may be too little. Spin causes lift so if it's dying out of the air, it may have too little spin.

I don't believe that's true. We're still talking about steel here. Forged may be softer than cast but we're sill talking about a pretty darn hard metal. I seriously doubt a car trunk would get hot enough to remotely affect the loft/lie angle.

Putting is something I'm certainly working at. I think one of the issues is people generally don't "think" about putting. It tends to be an after thought of the full swing. I think they tell themselves that there's not much to it so why practice. For those of us who are really trying to get better, we know this is not true. First, I'd recommend reading Dave Pelz Putting Bible. It's 400+ pages of putting. It can feel like a giant advertisement for his products at some points but I think it does a good job of making you think about putting in a logical manner. Even if you decide not to use any of his techniques, I think it's worth the read. Second, I'd recommend creating a written practice plan and always have a purpose when you practice. Just like the full swing, it'll keep you from mindlessly hitting putt after putt.

If I had not already finished my basement, I'd be all over that. It doesn't make much sense for me to put one outside since you'd only get to use it for six months out of the year. I need something indoor here in Michigan.

Hitting off a mat will certainly make them change quicker but it also depends on the type of course you play. If you regularly play a hard pan course, chances are it will affect your loft and lie quicker. Lots of variables. I'd make it a practice to have them checked once a year before the season starts. That's what I'm doing with mine.

If you're tracking an official handicap, you shouldn't use it. I ran into this last year at a course locally who let their rating certification expire. The course was kind of a dump and they didn't want to pay the $10,000 required to renew the rating. Any scores would not count towards my official handicap.

50* with sun and a light breeze is pleasant. 50*, sopping wet and 40 mph winds I can promise you is plenty cold. ;D

I played Sat morning here in Detroit with a 7:00 am tee time. It was roughly 50* with 40 mph gusts and off and on rain. Worst conditions I've ever played in. It looked like the scene from Caddyshack. We only made it through 9. So yes cold sucks. Cold, rain and wind really sucks!

Well I'm a new addition to the family since I just got mine about 2 weeks ago. I've actually yet to play with it since the weather has SUCKED here. That being said, I tend to look at it way more from a functional standpoint. I like their putters and the way they feel. Our hope our "relationship" becomes one that lasts ages. We'll see. As Slide13 said, I don't quite get the whole headcover thing. I actually use a Ping Karsten HC for mine as not to attract attention. But to each his own.

I bought the new Mizuno Mp-58's earlier this year. My pro shop told me to have them checked at least once per year. It really depends though. If you hit off mats regularly or plan hard pan courses, they'll bend quicker. Especially the loft. I'd make it a habit of having everything checked before the season starts every year.

I use a trolley. I carried for year up until the end of last season when I bought a push cart. I noticed a big difference in fatigue and shoulder soreness. I wouldn't go back if I didn't have to.

Cast irons are certainly still an option as they can be adjusted. Granted as mentioned, not to extremes. One thing I would ask if the shop will adjust a specific brand of cast iron club. For example, many places won't touch a Ping because they are very difficult to bend. The prefer to send them back to the factory. Just something to think about.

Mine is based off of the one listed here: How to build your own Stimpmeter I modified mine to not use the 1/8" notch. I drew a line at 30 inches and then created a stand that would put the height at 10.26". I figured this out by taking 30" * sine(20*). This gave me the correct 20* angle to set the incline at. I cut the end to make it flush with the carpet. I'll try and post a pic.

Give it time. Your mind will adjust. I'd try to focus on being outside and just enjoying the time outside. Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Good luck.