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phil.smith

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Everything posted by phil.smith

  1. I seem to recall one of the reasons McIlroy isn't at the Players is that as a non PGA Tour member he can't play more than 12 events a year. Given the 4 majors, the 4 WGC events plus a few others, some events have to miss out.
  2. Same as 2010 which weren't achieved due to losing 11 greens and playing on temporaries for 4 months..... 1. Handicap of 8 or less (currently 11) 2. One round in even par (best to date +5) 3. Regular putting practice 4. Regular short game and bunker practice 5. Keep the ball in play - and when its not do the smart thing 6. Commit to each shot 7. Play at least 6 new courses, ideally 10 (8 played in 2010)
  3. Same as 2009 - with some refinements..... 1. Handicap of 8 or less (currently 11) 2. One round in even par (best to date +5) 3. Regular putting practice 4. Regular short game and bunker practice 5. Keep the ball in play - and when its not do the smart thing 6. Commit to each shot 7. Play at least 6 new courses, ideally 10.
  4. Career best 77 - including an unfortunate water ball triple with 3 holes to play. I love golf again.....
  5. Hit them both and went Titleist AP2's - felt better off the clubface. Major post purchase angst - finally worked out I didn't like the PX shafts. Now have DGS300's in them and they are fantastic. Mizuno's are always on the shopping list. One day - maybe.....
  6. Take some time to try different shafts too - I moved from Titleist 690 CB's with DGTTS300 shafts to Titleist AP2's with ProjectX 5.5's and hated them. Just had the ProjectX's pulled and S300's put in and makes amazing difference to distance, dispersion and shape. Always thought about the shafts in driver and 3 wood - never irons. Lesson learnt.
  7. I am a Titleist tragic and have the AP2's and have been frustrated with them since I got them. The previous set was 690CB's which were/are great. Worked out its the shafts which are the difference. 690's have DGS300's and the AP2's have ProjectX 5.5s. Have tried the AP2's with DGS300's and the difference really is noticeable - so they are about to get reshafted. Bought the AP2's from a store that didnt have a driving range - just some nets. So they felt awesome off the face when swinging easy in the nets. But faced with a 6 iron over water to a tight green - and the desire to jump on it a bit - caused a lot of angst and results that I didnt previously get with the 690's. So hit them on course in normal competition if you can!
  8. I have a broad library of over 150 books. A range of instruction books including - Harvey Penick, Hogan's 5 Fundamentals, Jack's "Golf My Way", Norman's version of the same book, Tigers version, Steve Elikington's "Five Fundamentals", Pelz's Putting and Short Game Bible, Faldo's "A Swing for Life", Ernie Els "How to Build a Classic Golf Swing", Stan Utley's "Art of Putting' & "Art of Short Game" and the wisdom of Hank Haney, Butch Harmon and Jim McLean (I draw the line at Leadbetter). I have read them all. But I have to say the ones that provide the greatest insights into golf and golfers are the books written by John Feinstein - such as A Good Walk Spoiled, The Open, The Majors, Caddy for Life, Tales from Q School - and a range of other authors like Dan Jenkins. Stories/factual accounts of the challenge, individual stories and stress of Q-School and tournament life provide an insight into the way these guys prepare, how they review and plan rounds, their equipment. Amazing insights. Add Gary McCord's "Just a Range Ball in a box of Titleists" and Peter Jacobsen's "Embedded Balls" and Bill Murray's "Cinderella Story" for the light hearted side of golf. Just reading instruction mags and instruction books is half the story. The game is a great story in and of itself.
  9. I think I have over 50 different baseball style caps - from all different courses I have played over the world and about a dozen different Titleist caps. I always seem to wear the same white Titleist hat though - fitted with mesh. Stays reasonably clean, looks good, fits well. The rest are hidden in cupboard - pointless perhaps but I keep accumulating them!!
  10. I used to kep my stats on a spare score card for every hole. Fariways, greens, putts, and so on. I got so involved in measuring what I was doing I forgot to do what it was that i was there for in the first place. I was consistently getting ahead of myself and ruining good rounds. So I stopped doing my stats during the round and now wait til I get home (using Scorecard of course!). Its remarkable how calmer I am during the round - not getting uptight about that poor shot and immediately calculating the impact on my score. Have had my best scores focussing only on the hole and the shot that I have. Stats are great for review - when its time to review.
  11. phil.smith

    ProV1 Question

    I steered clear of the ProV1's and stuck with the V1x as the V1's spun way too much. The V1x's dont spin enough so I switched to the TP Red LDP as I get the best of both worlds. If the new V1's arent as zippy then i cant wait til they get to Australia - and carry the $85+ price tag per dozen ......
  12. Are they going to broaden their range of stock shafts? What are the factors that determine the two that they currently use ie Titleist Diamana Blue 75 Fairway and Titleist Aldila VooDoo Fairway.
  13. I go through more 3 woods than drivers - and that's saying something Currently have the Taylormade TP Burner 14.5* with Stiff ReAx shaft - and its staying there for a while. I am an absolute believer that it really is the shaft - had a 904 then a 906 with the ProForce V2 and hated them. Just hit the new 909 F2 with Speeder shaft and it was great - just need to wait for their release now. So the maybe TP may not be there that long after all.......
  14. I get to travel - a lot - and I have been able to play some of the best courses in the world (and a few that don't rate too highly...). My point is that I always turn up alone and join up with people. I believe that the reaction you get can be a reflection of the way you present yourself to the group you are joining. I am a member of private clubs (more than my wife is aware of ) and there are people who are stand-offish in nature. But surely 5 hours in beautiful surroundings should rub off - even when you are playing awful golf! Then again, maybe its an Australian thing. Fit in, keep up and enjoy. And find the good in anyone....
  15. Hasn't he just spent time in Asia expanding his foundation outside of Australia? Maybe he tries too hard to be like his hero Greg Norman... right down to the swing coach and caddie. And if you check the caddies record under pressure and in big tournaments it ain't that flash (especially with the Shark). Might be time to be his own person perhaps
  16. the do loose their grip -- which isnt that bad a thing as I find I can get way too much action on the ball around the green from mid to full wedge out. My course has a number of sloping greens and the spin can see the ball landing at the back and coming back off the front.... Pity I cant do it deliberately
  17. Over-rated or under-achievers? Adam, Sergio, Badds - all under achieving based on where they have come from pre PGA Tour. The worst two are Poulter - over-rated and over-exposed, Donald - over-rated and over-exposed (what's he doing on a FedEx Cup ad?). Is it the disappointment that no-one has really pushed Tiger in majors (aside from Rocco and Bob May) in recent years? Make lots of cash, have a great life, accept the annual $million + for a few top 10's and live it large and easy. Tiger never having won a major from behind shows a fallibility - and not having lost from in front shows "acceptance" from the other 70+ ties going into the weekend. Who really is finding their swing in the dirt looking for the form to get to the top - or is the target now #2? That then makes all of them over-rated - if not complacent.....
  18. Scorecard is a winner!
  19. I have been using 690 CB's for about 4 years and love them - previously had Callaway X-12 Pro Series. I recently got seduced by the AP2's - hitting them in the nets at Roger Dunn's in LA. They felt amazing! Got them on the course and hit the short irons ok, but have never hit as many shanks in my life, and the long irons just didnt seem to get the distance. Gave them 6 rounds (shot 79 at the Classic Club off the tips) and have now sold them and gone back to the 690's. Hated the ProjectX shafts. Give me the TTDG S300's anyday.
  20. I really like Utley's perspectives and have tried to use them on course (as much as you can when there are 27 swing thoughts at any one time ). I also bought and read his other book "The Art of Putting" and have found that his points in regards to set-up, feel and grip to be fantastic. I have a much better feel of the ball off the putter face now and am slowly bring the 36.5 putts per round average down!
  21. Most you've ever paid for a round: $450 – Pebble Beach (+ $690 per night accom x 2 nights to get on the course...) Least you've ever paid for a round (other than "free") : $10 North Adelaide North Course, South Australia Best course you've ever played: (tie) Spyglass Hill, TPC Sawgrass, Classis Club, New South Wales Worst course you've ever played: A 9 hole course in Melbourne near Hawthorn/Richmond.... 7 par 4’s under 250 metres. Cow paddock. Most underrated course: North Adelaide South Course. Most overrated course: Pebble Beach Lowest round: 77, Pymble, Sydney 22/3/08 Highest round: 112, Ryde Parramatta – Club Championships Career holes-in-one: Zero. Easiest golf course you've ever played : Is golf easy? Hardest golf course you've ever played: New South Wales in the wind Most exciting moment on a golf course: Breaking 80, one inch away from my first hole in one at #2, Classic Club, Palm Springs M ost heartbreaking moment on a golf course: any time I miss a tap-in Most harrowing moment on a golf course: Barona Creek in the rough – where I thought the cicadas were loud – and then saw the rattlesnake sign! Most balls lost during a round: not sure – but its over 6..... Most holes played in one day: 36 Fewest number of putts in an 18-hole round: 28 Most number of putts in an 18-hole round: 43 Longest putt ever made: 60+ feet Most putts ever on a single hole: 5 Weirdest thing ever seen on a golf course: A lycra covered female “caddie” putting herself all over her golf playing partner while playing Pebble Beach - the course is hard enough....
  22. I went from the Callaway X12's to Titleist 690 CB's (S300 DG shafts) purely because as a relative beginner I wanted to groove a consistent swing. The X12's were great - a miss hit went nearly the same distance but that was never going to help me develop a consistent, repeatable swing. I have dropped 6 shots since then (from 16 to 10). Game improvement from my perspective is as much between the ears as in the hands. I recently bought the Titleist AP2's - they lasted 6 rounds before going back as I found out I am not a fan of ProjectX shafts no matter how many times I demo'd them. They are getting traded for MP57's. I think its about helping focus on what you're about to do, and having something that delivers on performance, aesthetics and function should do that.
  23. On a really wind day a 2 iron for sure as it stays lower - or on really firm and fast running fairways. I binned the 5 wood for a 19 degree rescue - more playable from the tee/fairway/rough/jungle!
  24. Tried it for 30 minutes before going onto the course today - mainly over 30+ feet lag putts and after some minor adjustments found I was striking the ball better than normal! Allows a free flow of the shoulders through the putt and takes the hands out of the stroke. Then proceeded to putt better than I have for a few months (only one 3 putt for the day...) A great tip and will definitely keep using it.
  25. Pretty simple from me.... in 2007, I hit 40+% of fairways and 40+% greens - 2008 is to increase that to 60+%. An average of 36.2 putts per round needs to get to below 32 - ideally 30. Finally - improve 30 yards and in.
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