SirMilton

I recently got back into golf after a long layoff (health problems). At $25 to $40 a dozen in the discount stores trying out different golf balls is getting expensive fast, especially when you know you don't like a ball when you hit the first one out of the pack. Ages ago nearly all golf balls all came with compression ratings 80, 90, 100, 110, etc. and there were solid and wound balls and all kinds of different dimple patterns and dimple numbers and cover materials (remember cut balls?), so you could pretty much tell what you could expect. Oh, and didn't Top Flite make a ball with a bigger diameter called the Magna? Now, I see almost nothing that helps. Thus, far since I have been back I have tried Titleist DTs (OK, but not very long for me), Pinnacle Gold (better), Pinnacle Gold Distance (better and longer- may favorite thus far) and Calloway HOT Orange (awful). All of my "older" balls perform about like the titleist DTs. The Calloway ball feels too light and must be about a 110 compression (it feels like a lump of solid hardened plastic). I have noticed that lots of balls seem to have adopted a somewhat modified hex dimple (Uniroyal had the first hex dimple ball back in the '70s and it didn't sell well back then). TV ads haven't helped much either. Any suggestions? Especially, for a ball that's less than $25 a dozen. Right now I can get the Pinnacle Gold Distance ball in a 15 pack for about $15 (Pinnacles were elite balls a generation ago and available only in pro shops at about $10 a sleeve).

Veteran tournament golf spectators like to be entertained. I once followed Chi Chi Rodriegez and Lee Trevino playing together and had a ball; both had more props for jokes in their bag than clubs, balls and tees. If Chi Chi pulled out a rubber snake at the tee and started swinging it like a club, the Lee would pull out a bigger rubber snake and before you knew it they would be fencing with rubber snakes. Then they would nonchalantly pull out a driver and hit a perfect drive with their followers still laughing and taking photos. These guys weren't primadonnas and didn't want or need absolute silence and stillness to hit a shot. JD is much the same; he's a party guy, and entertainer. He's there to have fun and if he plays well, so much the better. He has two majors and doesn't have to pull it out to show he is a golf MAN. Anyone who doesn't love him is strange. He'll play on the tour as long as he wishes to entertain and sposor money will pay his way; he needs no winnings.

Polo, yachting (esp. 30 meter international racing), airplane racing (jets, inline engine prop and rotary engine prop) and trophy hunting for endangered big game species with a spear. Not Really! However, my rich son-in-law actually does 3 of the above (he hunts around the world with guns and bows). Duck hunting, deer hunting, bass fishing, classic motorcycles (have a Triumph Bonneville -hobby/sport?) and Corvettes (racing is a sport?). When I was younger I played a lot of organized men's softball (shortstop/infielder), some basketball, tennis, handball and racquetball. Football ended in high school, where it should for everyone. Soccer didn't exist. When I was much stupider, I chased women and caught far too many. I grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of kids my age (and directly across the street from the school grounds with fields and courts for all major sports) and all boys played outside everyday until dark and what we played was whatever sport was "In season". Even the worst and youngest players then were better skilled than the average player of the same age on organized teams today, because you played some of every position. When we played football, we all passed, caught, kicked, blocked, tackled and ran with the ball. Every ten year old I knew could punt a football at least 35 yards. The same with othe sports. Today, many kids never play some of the major sports at all.

Duh? Playing in a noisy situation is part of the game. Now mounting a 747 engine on the sideline and pointing it at the quarterback would be over the line. Thats one of my pet peeves about pro golfers. They cannot concebtrate well enough to withstand any distraction, and if someone should move or make a slight noise when they are about to play they throw a temper trantrum. I wish spectators were all given air horns and flash cameras for unrestricted use. In less than a year they would all toughen up and play as well or better.

The longer "flop" shot. I am so envious when I see Michelson do it with so much confidence.

Thanks for the help! I played well Saturday (see my "In the 'Zone'") posting and had 11 consective holes at 3 under (and could have done better), and then 10 over on the other 7 holes (collapsing to a 7 on the final par 4) for a 79. I hit my Zings so well that I was underclubbing by one and still flying the pins. Probably as well as I have ever hit them, but they still weren't what I want. I have decided to try the R7s and a few others. I am finding that its very hard to find name any brand blades with graphite shafts straight from the factory. I guess my decision to try is based on getting in the "Zone" on Saturday; if I can get the same feel and confidence with irons that I have now with the R7 woods, That's what I will buy.

I went out Saturday afternoon at about 1:40 PM after a long Saturday morning meeting, then lunch at the club. We started on #4 as there had been a group starting on #1 at 1:30 and I don't like to get held up or pushed (there were only 5 groups total on all 18). I warmed up briefly with my new Power Hitter driver and managed a fair drive to start, but then found myself struggling with a very frustrating good shot/poor shot routine. After six holes I was 7 over, but I was hitting some woods well, some irons well and some putts well, but also hitting some poor shots with each also. On #10 I closed my eyes, relaxed a bit and felt the sun on my face and felt my muscles loosen a bit while I waited my turn to tee off. I made me feel good - perfectly warmed and loosened up was the only way I could describe it. I then proceeded to play the next 11 holes at 3 under with birdies at two par 3s (187 and 168) and one long par 4 (445). Every shot was in the sweet spot, every ball went straight where I aimed it and every contact was that beautiful light click you get with a perfectly hit ball. If I had taken a bit more time with my distances, I think I could have added 3 or 4 more birdies. At least that many approach shots went right over the flag on onto the fringe. I was in the "Zone" and felt like I was ready for the tour (a tap in birdie on a 187 yard par 3 will do that). Hell, I couldn't even see the ball on the green at 187 yards, but I knew it had to be close. And after putting for birdie on half a dozen consective holes, you just start expecting it to happen on very hole. Coming back around to #3, our last hole, my energy suddenly ran out completely and I took a 7 on this short (348 with water in front of the green) par 4 to put me right back to 7 over for the round. I haven't broken 70 since college; and with cold weather coming (hard freeze here tonight) I probably won't do it this year. All I know was that it felt really good to get in the "Zone" for those 11 holes Saturday.

Duh???? You are in high school and shoot over 100. That means you're probably not on the golf team or moving towards a golf scholarship in college; just playing for fun. Keep what you got. Play more. Get better. After college and when you have a good job, then get a nice set of fitted clubs if you're still interested in golf (I doubt it). If you don't get significantly better, you'll move on to some other hobby. People will do 1) what they are really good at or 2) what all their friends do. Teens don't play golf. Spend the money on dating as many high school girls as possible; you will never get to date girls that age again unless you become a billionaire. Imagine you are 55; do you want to date someone like your grandmother or one of the girls in your classes? Now's your only chance, don't blow it. I was a 8 handicapper in high school with a used set of cheap McGregors and played them in college and got down to scratch, playing only municipals (not well-maintained). I got my first set of "custom fitted" clubs when I was 44 years old.

Greetings from up the road in Newport. I have a good friend on the Sherwood City Council (Shelia). I lived in Tucson and Phoenix in the 1990's. The best winter golf for the price I have ever found is in a couple of retirement communities between Tucson and Mexico called Tubac and Green Valley. There are several georgous courses with 18 hole green fees of abut $75 in Green Valley (about a third or less of what you might have to pay in Tucson). I recall one called Rio Rico as I still have a hat from the pro shop there. These are priced for retired folks on fixed incomes. Tubac has a huge resort complex. The internet should tell you everything about golf in this area. As I recall, the courses in Green Valley are more traditional courses (fairways from tee to green) than the typical "target" golf courses in most desert areas where there is a small green spot for landing a drive and then a small green spot around a green. The Green Valley courses always looked like they were ready for a PGA event. You might even save enough in Green Valley to try out Star Pass TPC in Tucson or say one of the Ventana Canyon courses (take the mountain course if possible). If you want real cheap, Tucson has numerous municipal courses and some fairways even have a a little grass. What else is there? Lot of of Indian Casinos where you actually have a fair chance at winning, or at least not losing much. Lot's of visitors love to go to Tombstone and play cowboy for a day. And there's a city of about 4 million an hour North of Tucson called Phoenix. Don't go if you don't care for Mexican food, not much else to choose from outside of fast food joints.

I have Ping's new half head long putter on order (to be released on 11/1/07, just seven days). I bought a new Ping A-1 putter in the early 1970's and have used it now for 35+ years (still love the sound), its just time for a change. I watch every pro that uses a long putter and see several different right hand grips - some with just the tip of the right hand thumb and index finger, some more like a pencil is gripped, some against a sideways palm and then some against the heel of the palm with the fingertips down. The only one I have heard explained is the use of the heel of the palm to remove the hand/wrist motion and use only the arm/shoulder motion (smoother and more consistent). Anyone using a long putter figured this one out? I would like to start out using what I will stay with long term as it is so hard to "unlearn" something.

On my home course there is a par 5 that doglegs to the right at about 220 yards around a grown up cypress swamp area. Shaping a slice is very easy as that what I will naturally do if I try to crush the ball and I dearly love to watch a ball disappear around that corner; unfortunately, sometimes a major slice also keeps spinning and running right - and right into the cypress swamp. Otherwise losing a ball is a rare fluke. However, on my last round I hit what I thought was a perfect 5 wood straight as an arrow about 190 yards to a green and both me and my playing partner lost it in a low sun, but were sure it was on the green. We never found that ball. My wife though needs a dozen per round as she always panics near water.

OK, I'm age 59, 5'11", 180 lbs. pretty good timing, swing speed 115, 7 handicap (adjusted 8.7) and improving rapidly. Absolutely love my new TM R7 460 Driver and 3, 5 and 7 Titanium Fairway woods in regular flex graphite shafts. I now use them exclusively for all shots from 150 yards plus. My old irons are Ping Zings with Ping stiff featherlite steel shafts and the original hard Ping vertical white line grips. They feel like I am hitting 10 lb. steel balls instead of golf balls - in short, the opposite of "butter". Further, I never have gotten any distance with the Zings. Right now I am hitting all my woods in the sweet spot very consistenty and about 5 of 6 with the irons (mainly a mental problem in rushing shots). My poor shots would be poor with any club. However, I seem to have finally conquered my 20 year tendency to hit either woods or irons extremely well, but never in the same round. I want soft and long like I now have with my R7 metal woods, I think the answere is forged blades with graphite shafts, price really doesn't matter, and I probably don't want any more than 3-9, maybe only 5-9. What blades should I consider?

In the last 60 days I have bought the following off of eBay: - a new TaylorMade R7 460 Superquad driver - $270, - a new TaylorMade Tour weight kit - $70, - a new Taylormade R7 460 Draw Driver - $160, - a new Taylormade R7 Titanium #3 Fairway wood - $170, - a new Taylormade R7 Titanium #5 Fairway wood - $150, - a new Taylormade R7 Titanium #7 Fairway wood - $130, and - a used, like new, Ping Zing Loft (L) wedge for $70. Say, a grand or so. They all arrived in 2 to 5 business days and all were exactly as represented and authentic. There was no "L" wedge made by the factory when I bought my Zings (too early I guess) and my local golf shop adjusted the club to match my set (black dot to white dot). I had recently ordered a new replacement "W" wedge that I had left next to some green and was able to match the serial number on my original set, but counldn't get the old white line Ping grips and it cost $130 from the factory (the same as the per club cost new 15 years ago). In any event, lots of money saved. Plus, no sales tax paid and in my area that's 10%. However, the main reason is that the only place that had all of the new Taylormade clubs is a local golf shop that asks full list price. $499 for the Superquad and $399 for all the others. I did see that the Sports Authority on Monday had the R7 460 Draw on sale for $299, but it didn't have any of the other TM clubs and was still offering the older R7 425 Superquad Driver. I live in a rural area where the nearest golf shop is 50 miles and an hour drive away. It wants full list price and sales tax of 10%. The $1,000 I spent on eBay in thelast 2 months would have cost me $2,500 at that shop. For that reason I use the internet for just about everything except vehicles and I shop hard before buying. I spend $500-$1,000 on the internet every month on something and my average savings is about 50%. In six years I have had a couple of buying problems on eBay; one was having eBay bump my winning bid up by $20 after the auction was over (still a good price) and two was having a seller back out of a sale after the auction was over claiming he sold it locally before he could cancel the eBay listing. Overall, if you are careful, you can save a lot of money on the internet. I always check the shipping point, the seller's rating, read actual reviews, if the seller lists a quantity, carefully look at new vs. used and look at accessories included. On golf clubs some will omit the head cover and sell it separately for example. And sometimes I take a chance. Last year I bought some Russian jewelry at fantasic prices and all the pieces ordered arrived in 3 business days and they were much better quality than I hoped. The rules of retailing are in order 1) CONVENIENCE, 2) SELECTION, 3) SERVICE and finally, 4) PRICE. The internet hasn't got much of #3 but its great at #1, #2 and #4.

I deer hunt, usually the short slug season on family land and once or twice a year with rifle at family deer camp; no bow hunting, ever. Now too old and feeble to start, except maybe with a crossbow. I also duck hunt, sometimes almost every day of the 60 day Arkansas season; just depends on whether we have ducks at the company club. Sometime duck hunt with wife's family (her brother and two nephews are world class professional guides in the Cache River area). Nothing else much worth hunting in my area except dove, and its just too hot in my area to hunt during dove season. Never got the Turkey hunting bug. I also love to bass fish and have been fishing semi-pro since 1971. My problem is that I have too many hobbies and not enought time. I am also a Corvette enthusiast and a Triumph motorcycle enthusiast. Golf brings in the excercise factor more than the rest so I am trying to play more now than ever.

And I was sure this was about Peyton and the Colts. However, Tom Brady's accomplishment of getting two supermodels pregnant at the same time has got to qualify him for some "greatest" award. The pregame show Monday night probably said it best, the Patriots haven't had a very tough schedule as yet this season. 42 points in one half against the Dolphins; so what, the Dolphins may be the worst football team in history instead.

I recently bought a new cart (a Yamaha) after shopping 4 other brands in 4different cities. I learned a lot about the new modern carts in the process that I never knew before. Some golf cart association decrees that stock carts may not exceed 19 mph, and most new carts are sold to go 14-15 mph. Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) are golfcarts with lights, mirrows and turn signals to be street legal on 35 mph speed limit or less suburban streets are usuall sold stock to go 25 mph. However, all electric and gas carts can be modified to go much faster. My Yamaha has a "speed" chip that takes it to 19 mph, but I get passed as if I am sitting still by 90% of the carts at my country club, even old, 36 volt EZGOs. There is one gas cart at our club that has a lift kit and oversized wheels/tires that some say will almost hit 60 mph. We have no Starter and no Marshalls. Unfortunately, there are only 2 courses with 40 miles of my house, both are private clubs and I belong to the much better one. The other club doesn't even have a clubhouse, much less a Starter or Marshall.

After about a 5 year layoff due to a few heart attacks and a very bad SUV rollover (my left should is still painful, numb and cramps easily and my back isn't just right either), I recently got back into golf. Before that I had played since high school and was a scratch golfer in college. I am now age 59 and play almost exclusively at a small town CC which is relatively short, with little water, but tiny greens (about a 500-600# average, or say a circle with about a 25-30' diameter). Par is 72. On my last ten rounds my handicap is 9. The last full set of clubs I bought was in 1992 and I had Ping Zings custom fit and carried 1-9, a PW and a SW, a Ping A-1 putter and TaylorMade Burner Bubble driver and a TaylorMade mid-sized burner 3 wood. I recently bought a TaylorMade R7 460 Draw (a fantastic club) and Taylor Made R7 Titanium 3,5 and 7 fairway (not rescue) "woods" (equally fantastic) and pulled the 1-5 irons out of the bag and added a Ping Zing Loft Wedge. I also carry a TaylorMade R7 460 Superquad that I am trying to fine tune. I have not missed any of the 1-5 irons at all; not once. However, the new R7s are all regular flex graphite shafts and feel very soft. In contrast, my Ping Zings with Ping (True Temper?) featherlite steel shafts in stiff (and with the extra hard Ping grips) now feel like I am hitting rocks with a baseball bat; in short, very harsh. I have had all types of irons over the years and was happiest (and played the best) with forged blades. It seems the more "forgiving" an iron is designed to be the less distance I get and the harder it is form me to hit consistently well. The Zings are OK, but very short even when hit perfectly. I wonder if graphite shafts (similar to the regular flex I got on the R7s) and softer grips on the Zings would be the best course or should I go with new blades? I am reasonably certain that if I do get totally new irons it will only be 5-9 and I'll go with a separate set of new wedges. If I thought I could find irons that are as advanced as the TaylorMade R7 "woods" I would buy them in a NY second. Of course, the pro shop sales people always want to sell their most expensive clubs, usually Mizuno. Advice?

Due to a few heart attacks and a SUV rollover I was out of golf for a few years, but now I am back. The biggest change I now see at my club is the predominance of "speed" golf. Now I'm not talking "ready" golf, I'm talking four guys in four carts souped up like NEVs to 30+ mph trying to see who can get their ball in the hole first and with total disregard to anything the other 3 players are doing. They run over everyone. Last Saturday me and a buddy played together by ourselves and had to let groups of 4 playing "speed" golf play through on 11 of 18 holes. We didn't play slow, never lost a ball and were playing near par golf, but we were constantly being pushed and it just wasn't fun. Why is everyone doing this and what is the appeal? Its almost as frustrating as the opposite occurring trying to play poker now that everyone sees it on TV and thinks each person needs to stop and think for several minutes before deciding how they should play. I live in a very religious small town and no one plays golf in town on Sunday mornings and while I am an ordained elder in my church, I am tempted each week to play when there is no one else out there so I can play at a normal 3 &1/2 to 4 hour round of 18 holes speed.

When I was on the high school golf team, we were taught stand behind the teeing area and watch each other player's tee shot. The person hitting the ball was taught to keep his head completely still until his shoulder turn forced the head to move, then he could look for the ball. However, in full sun, especially when facing the sun it is almost impossible to pick up a high drive, even with teenage eyes. I was told at that time that it was common etiquette to help with drives and blind shots, EXCEPT when playing with a caddie or in tournament stroke or match play. I always watch every shot my cart mate hits and I expect him (or her to do the same for me). A really essential time is like from a fairway bunker, which is often a blind shot and often gets the player a face full of sand. Many people today rarely get to play with a caddie. A good caddie will ask on the first tee if you want him to go down course to spot your drive and will ask you where you plan to hit the ball. I always take that option as in my area the bermuda rough can be so thick a foot off the fairway that a ball cannot be found. Until you have used a caddie in this manner you cannot imagine how much time is saved.

I have new TaylorMade R7 Titanium 3, 5 and 7 fairway "woods" (not rescues) and I absolutely love all of them.

Mulligans, mulligans, mulligans! They have to be the worst abuse of golf rules. I can forgive improving one's lie for most people on most golf courses as on smaller privte clubs and most municipal courses you can be in the middle of the fairway and have a terrible lie - bald, deep grass, muddy, unrepaired divots, etc. Moving a ball a foot or so to get the lie you should have is overlooked by just about everyone in casual golf. Now if you're not in the fairway or first cut, everyone expects you to play it as it lies. My small town country club doesn't have a Starter, doesn't have any Marshalls and free drop areas are not marked daily (or ever!); you have to make adjustments. Most understand what liberties are OK, but if you are with someone who is accustomed to first class manitenance (and probably readily available caddies), then you need to reach an understanding of local "rules" before playing. My biggest problem with newbies is their lack of knowledge of golf etiquette. I played with a newbie a couple of weeks ago and repeatedly had to ask him to pay attention when I was driving to help me see where the ball landed. I finally gave up asking, as he just didn't seem to get it.

At the 18th at Star Pass TPC in Tucson, Arizona (a blind, downhill, 430 yard par 4) in about 1992 my drive hit the cartpath and my ball ended up 30" from the hole while the group in front of me was putting. Fortunately one of them was looking back and saw my drive hit the cartpath on the first second and third bounces before popping up and landing on the green. That group stayed to watch me putt in the eagle. I have a new TM R7 460 Draw that I am hitting about as well as any driver I have ever hit; I'm 59 and in poor shape but getting 270 and straight consistently. I also have an TM R7 460 Superquad that I trying to tune; thusfar, its has been much harder to hit well than the R7 Draw, which seems to have been custom made for me.

Chief Financial Officer of a conglomerate of about 100 corporations; overall a medium sized business. Ex-Price Waterhouse CPA (audit). Now spend most of my time in business planning, complex income tax matters, information system changes and resolving major business problems. Live on a 7 acre estate in a rural area (having a 7 acre yard is a major pain) in Arkansas. Dedicated bass fisherman since 1971, deer hunter, duck hunter, Corvette enthusiast, Triumph motorcycle enthusiast and a lover of Science Fiction. One son, an English professor at a major University. No grandchildren of my own, but present second wife has one daughter (a wealthy real estate tycoon at age 32) and two grandchildren. Just got back into golf about 6 weeks ago after a 5 year layoff due to 3 heart attacks and a SUV rollover. Suprisingly to me at least my game has come back very quickly and at age 59 am playing more like I was in my late 20s than I have since that time. Was an easy scratch golfer in college at a school with no golf team (didn't even know schools gave golf scholarships when I attended). Have a few tournament trophies and plaques from the 70's and 80's, but never really played any tournaments intentionally; mostly business/charity events. I have played 14 complete rounds in six weeks and using my last 10, I am at a 9 handicap right now. My home course is short and reasonably easy, but the greens are tiny at about a 500 sq. foot average. My short game has been the slowest to come back. I am just starting to update my equipment and have been flabbergasted by the effect they have on the game. I thought I was going to have to move to the senior tees with my 15 year old TaylorMade Burner Bubble Driver, but then bought a new R7 460 Draw driver and my driving distance immediately increased nearly 50% and very straight. Needless to say I immediately went out and bought the TM Ti 3, 5 and 7 fairway "woods" and have been even more blown away from their performance. For the first time since I was in college I have confidence in being able to stick a green with a fairway wood. In fact, with these I pulled my 1-4 irons out of my bag and added a loft wedge. I also went ahead and got an R7 460 Superquad and tour weight kit, but its going to take some fine tuning. The R7 460 Draw was near perfect just as is. Still putting with a Ping A-1, anold friend, but have a new Ping long putter on order; its the new half head that is supposed to be released on 11/1/07. I just bought my wife a new "two ball" putter (Olympic?) that is so easy to line up it should be illegal. New irons are next to replace my 15 year old Ping Zings. That's the main reason I am joining the forum. I need lots of good advice on new irons and I hope to find it here.