SirMilton

Mud on the ball. If visible to another player, you should be able to mark, clean and drop directly on the mark.

I seriously doubt that 1/3 of the full golf members in my primary country club have USGA handicaps; my best guess would be about 10% at most. This is because I know that less than 1/3 of the "full golf" members have a handicap at my primary club and all you have to do to earn and keep a club handicap is turn in a card for 4 complete rounds, or simply record your own 18 hole score and date in the club's score book. After that your handicap changes only if you turn in a new score. I have put together numerous Corporate, four-person scramble tournaments and they all generally have some A, B, C, D ranking of players based upon claimed handicaps. There are always a few sandbaggers (low-handicappers who are liars and cheats) but most people tend to underestimate their true handicaps and still, its tough to get one A or B player on each team. A 15 handicapper, after you take away their friendly game mulligans, lie improvements and "do-overs", is usually closer to a 25 handicapper. Those who rarely play on munis wouldn't understand the need to allow those sort of things, but I have played munis where in the center of the fairway the ground can be totally bare, grass taller than U.S, Open rough, gravel, sand or worse; I would take the "rough" the pros encounter over most muni faiways.

I'm not a metallurgist, but I managed a large metal working corporation that produced cast and forged items, including CNC milled items, and I know the machinery and problems in making complex shapes simply by forging. I remain extremely skeptical that what some brands call "forged" is really what forged is supposed to mean. However, the bottom line for me is I always choose what feels best and works best for me; I really don't care what works or feels best for anyone else, except as a starting point for my personal testing. If plastic clubs made in China worked best, I would use them. I played forged blades and stiff steel shafts for almost 20 years and was a scratch golfer for most of that period. After recently concluding several months of testing numerous cast and forged clubs, I now have maximum-forgiveness cast, component irons with graphite shafts and hit them better than I ever hit blades with steel shafts. However, there's probably some old codger out there that still swears by persimmon headed woods with hickory shafts and leather balls stuffed with chicken feathers. By the way, I hit some old wound balls recently and they were sweet!

I have the R7 Titanium 3 wood, and I bought it after I fell in love with the R7 Titanium 5 wood. I find it very easy to hit and I never use my 3 wood on the tee (I can hit my driver where I want), so mine has never seen a ball on a tee. The steel version is supposed to be equally good and much less expensive. From a reliable seller on eBay expect to pay (with a winning bid) about $220-250 for a new Titanium 3 wood (cheaper ones are probably chinese fakes), and less than $100 for a stainless steel version. I doubt you would notice the difference in performance. PING's G10 driver tested better than all competitors in last month's Golf Digest so I would give the G10 3 wood a shot. I have been a TaylorMade wood and PING iron guy now for over 20 years, so I won't suggest any other brand.

After trying on the course virtually every new iron offered I finally picked the PING Rapture. Second were the new PING G10s and they were excellent, but the PING Raptures are G10s on steriods (same basic clubhead). I am 59 & 1/2, have had 3 heart attacks, have type 2 diabetes and 3 years ago I rolled a SUV 7 times and was thrown out on the last roll and broke and screwed up my back and both shoulders; my left shoulder is still numb, cramps and is in constant pain. In short, I am no longer anywhere near "athletic". However, I hit the G10s better than I hit blades when I was a scratch golfer in my 20's, and I hit the Raptures better than than. In short, $1,500 for a set of irons (graphite shafts) that perform this well is well worth the money. I bought the 4-9, PW, UW and SW. I never use a 60 degree LW as they always make the head too heavy and the club never feels like its part of the same set. I have the TM R7 Titanium 3, 5 and 7 fairway woods, so I don't need a 1,2 or 3 iron (which are at least ten times harder for me to hit than my fairway woods). I guess I need to change my signature.

I believe TayorMade TP drivers have flat faces, as opposed to the convex face of regular drivers. I play a regular TM 460 Superquad, but also have an R7 460 Draw. The R7 Draw is easier to hit, but the Superquad is longer. It took me about 72 holes to get where I could hit the Superquad consistently well, but now I can hit it consistently long and straight (the R7 Draw was easy to hit from the first shot). If I were in the market for a new driver, I would look at the PING G10. In Golf Digest's most recent test of drivers it was straighter and longer than any other driver tested, but then GD said the Titlest Tour model was the best in the test even though the PING outperformed it in every test; go figure? At $500 a pop for a new model driver, it gets expensive to change, especially if you want your fairway woods to match. Be cautious of used clubs as there are lots of Superquad fakes out there. I have seen Chinese fakes of both TaylorMades and PINGs. If it doesn't perform, its likely a fake.

I found the answer. Test club is a PING green dot (3 steps more upright than standard) and and my last set of fitted PINGs were red dots or 1 step less upright than standard. The ball was going exactly where it should with a too upright club.

I have been iron shopping now for 3 months and have tried about 20 different test clubs from most of the major manufacturers and just about every type from tour forged blades to total forgiveness clubs. Until now, none performed any better than my custom-fitted, 1992 PING Zings with stiff steel shafts or my Mizuno MX-20s with regular graphite shafts and most have performed much poorer for me. My main performance criteria are 1) consistent ball flight & distance, 2) soft feel, and 3) long distance. My ZINGs are excellent at consistent ball flight and distance, but the stiff steel shaft is too harsh for my old bones (and I have been advised that their heads are too heavy for grahite shafts) and I have lost some distance since I bought these clubs 16 years ago about 20 yards per club). The MX-20 irons in graphite are much softer, but less consistent and still not very long. The first time I hit a new PING G10 (a green dot 7 iron) I used my now standard distance for the ZING or MX-20, and I hit it way over the green. Then I went to a par 3 with distance that I could hit a 7 iron with a forged blade in my 20's and hit the first two balls hole high in the left sandtrap. I then realized the test club was about 4 or steps more upright than my ZINGs so I aimed my next few shots at the right edge of the green and proceeded to hit 3 shots within ten feet of the pin and two more on the fringe. I played out the G10 and fell in love with it; being 60 and hitting the ball like you are 25 again is truly priceless. The Taylormade R7s did it for woods and now it looks like the G10 may do it for irons. I have read that the Ping Rapture is about the same, but a bit longer. So my next step is to do a G10 vs. Rapture on the course test and hopefully in a less upright club and hopefully in a 4,5 or 6.

I can't remember the rule on the lie of irons does a too upright lie angle make shots go left or right (for a right hander)? I'm testing clubs and found an iron I really like but I hit the ball on a straight path left with the test club such that aiming at the right edge of a green with a 7 iron puts the ball on a straight path about 10 yards to the left. No hook or slice involved.

Forged was once defined as one piece of metal that was manually shaped (bending and beating with hammers) into final form and later forged was included to include machine assisted shaping (just assisted bending and shaping). The classic way to tell if something is cast or forged is by bending the item and cast items will usually break before they will double over. Forged items were more expensive because of the additional labor, but they offer the advantage of 1) ususally holding a edge better (as in damascus steel), and 2) less prone to breakage understress. Forged golf clubs had to be simply shaped because they would otherwise have to cost thousands of dollars each because of all the extra labor it would take to make say a cavity back "forged" iron. My personal opinion is that forged irons were favored by golfers originally simply because they didn't break easily like a cast club can do. The preference had nothing to do with "feel". If they truly were of the same exact design and with the same shaft and grip probably 99% of golfers, including tour pros, couldn't tell the difference. Most of today's "forged" irons are not true forged steel; Mizuono calls their "forged" irons something like "cast forged" or "forged castings" (they are cast). The point is that today's casting technology (like high strength water casting) produces steel that is virtually indistinguishable from forged steel in density and toughness. I have head the lie changed on several PING cast Stainless Steel club heads; 40 years ago a cast club would have broken if you tried to change its lie. In fact, some might say today's castings are superior to forged in that they tend to return to their original shape more than true forged steel when bent. I am sure some forged clubs started with forged steel and then a CNC mill was used to shape the head, remove a cavity and even cut the grooves and drill the shaft hole. In fact, all better clubs could be made this way if forged steel was "better". It looks like clubs are starting to go the way of the PING rapture with an assembly of multiple parts made form a variety of materials (SS body, titanium face, tungsten weights and plastic vibration deadeners on the Rapture I believe). As far as cheap clubs go (especially chinese copies), they could be made of anything, including pot metal or painted plastic. If you ever hit a Chinese fraud, you'll know it immediately from its dismal performance (I remember when we said that about Japanese clubs).

Gapwedge- Joe Brooks at Brooks Golf in Jonesboro, AR just fitted me for a new PING Half Craz EL. The difference between out of the box and fitted to me is night and day. PING has the specs on most vintage putters on their website; they also have specs on everything they have in stock, including vintage putters. I think most putter buyers "self fit", as they are trying out different putters when they buy at a retail store. Buying what someone else likes is a mistake; buy what feels right and works for you. However, I noticed a lot of pros (Furyk, Harrington and Creamer for 3) use the Odyssey two ball white hot putter. I tried it, loved it and my wife loved it enough to buy it too and has cut her putts per round by about 1/3 with it. Its ridiculously easy to line up.

Shortgame85 - The last time I played with a caddie was at the Chickasaw Country Club in Memphis and all of their caddies were full-time, career caddies.

Lots of golf shops take trade ins on sales of clubs and have used clubs for sale. They usually will let you try them out for free. Except for certain models of certain brands, used clubs are usually very inexpensive. You can also frequently find complete sets for sale at garage sales (not flea markets). I suggest you sit down with the newspapaer and call every garage sale listed with a telephone number and ask if they have a set of golf clubs for sale. I would bet you could get a complete set for $20-40 this way. Further, go to a place like Sports Authority that has lots of lower priced sets and a hitting area. Try them out before you buy. Ebay is the best place to find good used clubs, but keep in mind shipping alone will be around $20-25 minimum.

My wife's the same; she's driving a loaded 2007 Caddy and there's also a new Corvette in "her" garage and she has a big, tall chest for her jewelry that a burgular would never think was a jewelry chest. Golf is a very cheap hobby in my opinion unless you have a full time pilot to fly you in your private jet around the world playing in exotic places. When I lived in Arizona I was spending about $7,000 annually on equipment and greens fees, but I was playing great, private courses frequently. I guess I have spent about $12,000 this year, but $6,100 of that was for a new cart. Fishing can be really big $. My son-in-law drops about $350,000.00+ annually on fishing. He bought a new 48' Cabo convertible with the tall pipe fitter Tuna tower that will do 50 mph last year for $1.6 million; diesel fuel for a weekend is about $6,000.00 and then there's a full-time captain and full-time mate, not to mention what a marina slip is for a 48' yacht annually. Calcutta bets on weekend billfish tournments start at $10,000.00 and there's a tournament every week. He flys down to the Gulf in his private jet to fish (yes, he has a 3,000# penthouse condo on the beach too) and he says he is considered small potatoes by the guys with real "F*** You" money. Even bass fishing can run into big bucks (been there, done that). Those boats the pros fish from on TV run about $65,000.00 and its hard to go anywhere and fish for less than $500.00 a day, excluding the boat depreciation. I play golf for $1 a hole bet and drinks at my club.

After losing 3 balls in the fairway on my last round (lots of leaves and no winter mowing as yet) I bought some high definition yellow balls in Pinnacle Gold (very soft). Now I have soft and high visibility.

My bet is that there are lots of players who have never played with a caddy, and very few that do so on a regular basis. I have and can tell you that a good caddy can save you half your handicap at a minimum if you listen. The reason for the inquiry is that I believe professional golf is no longer anything like what 99% of golfers actually play. No one else uses caddies. If I can't use my own golf cart or rent one, I don't play. I have no ball spotters downhole to show me exactly where my ball lies. No one cleans my clubs. No one repairs my divots. No one tell me yardages. No one checks the wind and elevation change and advises me which club to use. No one holds an umbrella for me. No one advises me on my putts. I haven't played with a caddy in 25 years and in those 25 years I have played numerous TPC courses and high-dollar resorts with greens fees of several hundred dollars that simply had no caddies. And the seniors tour is disgusting, carts and caddies. There is no sport in walking 18 holes; no one ever won a tournament by being the best walker. I say take away the caddies and give them a cart, and let them compete using their own skills. If not, give the caddie half the prize money and an identical 1st place trophy for the "team win" and equal TV time. Oh, and 2 green jackets for the Masters.

i-Guy 3 years ago (almost exactly) I rolled a SUV 9 times (no seat belt) and was thrown out on the last roll and landed on my neck and shoulders. I broke both shoulders and screwed up my back. My left shoulder now is almost totally numb and is in a semi-cramp almost constantly (nerve damage at the spine). I also have limited movement in my left arm and less than 30% of my former strength. My lower back is also screwed up and I hit the percodan, the heating pad and the recliner when I do very much physically. I recently resumed playing golf and dumped all my old stiff shafted clubs graphite or steel for regular flex graphite after my hard swinging of the stiff shafted clubs actually tore muscles in my right arm (twice). My driver and fairway woods in regular graphite shafts are much longer, straighter and more accurate than I could hit my old stiff shafts, and I have now switched to regular graphite shafts on my irons. My last 4 complete 18 hole rounds were (4, 6, 8, and 9 over par). I no longer swing hard, but smooth (like swinging the breakaway swing trainers) and my driver is 240-270, my 3 wood 190-215, 5 wood 165-185, and 7 wood 145-160. All are straight, consistent and accurate; I can knock down pins with the 5 and 7. My irons are straight and accurate but very short - I am looking for new irons. My game is steadily improving as my stamina increases; in each of the above four rounds I doubled bogeyed the last hole - mainly because I had become too tired to play well. If I can find some irons with a little more distance I think I can be a scratch golfer again I have found after years of swinging fast and hard and rarely breaking 80 that now after suffering some physical limitations I can swing slower and score much better. But you have to change the shafts to do this, a slower swing with stiff shafts means a severe loss in yardage and a severe increase in harshness. After playing, I will become stiff quickly and experience some minor back pain, but very little. In short, I have traded distance, for accuracy, consistency, scoring and no pain from playing. I can play several days in a row when i have time with no problem.

My Ping Zings were custom fitted to me by a former PGA player and professional fitter and I am currently working with a professional fitter to find new irons.

Consult a pro. However, I have seen many a beginner/occassional player who wants to swing a club like a baseball bat - very flat with the ball much too far away. Clubs just are not made to hit the ball with that type of swing and the chances of consistent good strikes are virtually zero. That's one good reason to stay away from your baseball batting side.

Fitness has nothing to do with scoring at golf. Heavy drinking, heavy eating and smoking are golf traditions. Remember the Scots invented golf and whisky and they are meant to be enjoyed together. However, I believe flexibility and timing have a lot to do with the swing, club speed and striking the ball consistently. Most of golf is athletic ability, practice and intelligence. Lots of "fit" guys have no athletic ability whatsoever and lots of total slobs are scratch players. Buy the Momentus weighted driver (the 275 is best) and swing it two or three times before you hit your driver during every round you play and watch your yardage increase.

I live in NE Arkansas and we rarely get any snow in Winter anymore (Global Warming). However, we do occassionally get ice storms (great for roll on). Most courses cover their greens over most of the winter, but now use roll-on/roll-off covers instead of straw so that on pretty, warm days - say any clear days with highs over 50, the covers can be rolled off. Just about everyone at my CC who plays golf has their own cart and 90% have enclosures for cold weather (some have heaters and a few have AC too). I expect to be able to play 2-3 rounds a month straight through winter. Plus my house has a 6.3 acre mowed lawn, so I can practice most of my shots in my own yard without the 4 mile drive to the club (have to remember to bring the clubs home though). Half the time I go to play I find my shed and cart keys have been left in another vehicle, and a few times I have made the return trip twice to fetch my golf shoes.

I am struggling with my distance with my irons, so I am in the market for new ones, but don't want to commit $1,200 or so for custom mades until I am 100% certain I will see additional distance. Last Saturday I took the following out for testing: 1) Ping Zing #6 iron, lite steel Stiff shafts (my old clubs), 2) Mizuno MX-20 #6 iron, graphite Reg. shaft (also mine), 3) Taylormade R7 Draw #6 iron, graphite Reg. shaft (test club), 4) Taylormade R7 #6 iron, graphite Reg. shaft (test club), 5) Taylormade R7 Rescue 22 degree, graphite Reg. shaft, (test club), 6) Cobra FP, #6 iron, graphite Reg. shaft (test club) I also had my Talormade R7 Titanium 7 wood as a reference for a 150 yard shot. I hit about 140 balls (about 20 with each club - all the balls were comparable) after playing 3 holes to warm up. It was 65 and Sunny at my CC's course and it was totally deserted all morning (I guess - Xmas shopping, deer hunting, duck hunting, a Ducks Unlimited luncheon, fishing and important college football games). The green covers are rolled up behind the greens. I hit from the tees at two different par 3s at what I judged to be right at 150 yards to the front edge of the green; then also hit from a par 5 fairway at the 150 yard out marker (much bigger green). At each hole I started with a few hits with the Ping Zing #6 to make sure my swing was OK and I was on line. On each of these my line was Ok for a shot within plus or minus 10 feet left or right of the pin (if the lenght was right) - excellent for me. However, the Ping Zing #6 came down 2-5 yards short of the green on every shot. What really surprised me was that there wasn't much difference in any of the 6 irons in terms of distance or accuracy. The Mizuno and the Cobra might have been one yard longer on average. The Cobra and Zing were most consistently easy to hit well. The Mizuno had the softest feel and was the only club I felt had more potential for me. Not a single 6 iron ever made it onto a green at 150 yards - none. The Taylormade Rescue was somewhat difficult for me to hit consistently well; I eased it onto the green on 2 of about a dozen shots. At each of three 150 yard stops I hit my Taylor made Titanium 7 wood 3 times and the result was 8 balls on the greens and one on the fringe (and all withing 12 feet of the pin). Still Looking!

What are the respective shaft weights? Graphite, even the heaviest, is almost always lighter than even the lightest steel. You will get more feel for the ball at the expense of more feel (can you say tingles?) and occassional harsh shots. The kick in the shafts is almost certainly different and you may lose some height on shots. I expect you may be going back in the not too distant future. How many big buck drivers are offered off the shelf in steel? I might try Boron shafts or some other fibre alternative, but I'll never go back to steel again.

The orange is easier to see at just about all times and you won't get deceived by range balls or old, lost balls. They're just not "cool"; probably because Top-Flite sold millions of orange and chartruese balls in 15 ball packs for about $7.00 a pack. Ladies balls come in just baout every pastel shade possible now - yellow, blue, pink, green, etc.

I would also like to see some definition of "shortgame". I would say that if you drew a circle with a center in the exact middle of the green so that it included all greenside bunkers/traps and then there was at least 5 yards outside of the farest trap edge from the green, then you are definitely in shortgame territory. But for me its anywhere outside the greenside traps and bunkers where I cannot hit a full swing with any club (flops excluded) without being too long. Maybe "shortgame" is simply anywhere near the green where you cannot take a full swing with any club, plus flops?