questforscratch

How funny was that!?!?!?!

This is what I am trying to do. I started playing relatively late (after college) and loved the game. I thought I could get to scratch without taking lessons for the longest time. I got to the mid eighties but that was it. I finally broke down and took 6 months of lessons (once a week) and it made a difference. I can now shoot in the 70's for the first time ever. Although of course I will have my bad days and it also depends on how often I can play now. There are just some things that you need an expert to teach you.

That's hilarious!!! Serves them right. Now I know what to do next time that happens. That's too funny...I'm still laughing!!!

I was always curious to know how many people actually get hit by a ball or hit a house or car or any other crazy stories from bad golf shots. I took my brother to play one time when he just started out...he hit his driver into the houses on the left side...I thought nothing of it so I told him to just take another one and he did the same thing. I told him to just forget it and drop where I drove the ball. We went out to the fairway and saw this guy come out in his backyard with his wifebeater shirt on and a baseball bat! He hit two balls with the bat back our way trying to hit us. I couldn't believe it. The best part is that when my brother went to pick them up they were BOTH his. He actually hit the same house twice.

Wow...what great information you guys provided. So the main thing is to keep it fun, don't push and always keep them wanting more. I think that's what Tiger's dad actually did. He would pause for a few seconds when Tiger asked if they could go to the range. This made Tiger sweat for a bit thinking that his dad might say no. He always ended up saying yes. He gives some good tips also about how to make golf fun for kids in his book.

I have 3 kids. 7, 4, 2. They all love coming with me to the range and the 7 year old has a pretty good swing. I took her to play 9 holes a few weeks ago and she loved it. Carried her own bag and everything. I know I can't teach her a proper swing but is it worth getting her some lessons already? What is too early or too late? Will she start bad habits and will it be too hard to fix them later?

Yes, it does make a big difference when you practice more than you play. I practice over the winter here in AZ because the rates are so expensive to actually play but then come summertime that practice pays off. That's when I go play for $10-$20 max on good courses and get to see the results of my practice sessions.

I was wondering how many times a week people get to practice. Are the handicaps directly correlated to the number of times a week you practice? In other words do the people that practice the most have the lowest handicaps? I get to hit balls about 3-4 times a month at the range and play maybe twice a month on the course and I'm about a 10.

I bought these a while ago. They look awesome. It took me a few days to get used to them though. Switched from Callaway X-18's. I got them custom ordered and fitted for me. I think that's important to do when you buy them or any clubs for that matter.

Now I'm really temped to go do it!!! Thanks again for the info. I will let you know how it goes.

That's great feedback. I have heard good things about them also. Of course the only thing holding me back is the cost. I guess it is worth it if you love the game and will be playing it for a long time. This way you can't keep making excuses about having the wrong equipment. At least you'll know it's you and not the clubs!

I'm sure it wasn't an accident. I wish I saved his ID but it was a long time ago. Since then I have only bought my clubs from a local store.

Yes, I also received my money back so not much lost. I think they send a refund so you don't leave a negative feedback so they can just keep on scamming. I wonder if their legal department caught the guy.

I've been debating whether or not to try Hotstix. Has anyone tried them out? It is a company that custom fits your clubs. VERY high tech with lasers and launch angles and every other high tech gizmo you can think of. They are a bit expensive but I was thinking of getting my driver and woods fitted to start with. The reason is that I can't hit my driver very far. It looks great when it leaves my club, straight, and good trajectory and all but when I get there it's only 230 yards! What a dissapointment. I'm hoping they can fit the right shaft and ball for me.

I like this Erica Blasberg chic better than both of those two!!! Great pic.

I bought some brand new clubs on Ebay a while ago. They were the Callaway X-16's irons with a driver and 2 woods. They also came with a bag and umbrella. Looking back on it I guess I should have know better since they don't sell all this stuff together anywhere with the real clubs. They actually looked great when I got them. The way I found out that they were fake was because the very next day I got a Callaway Golf Magazine in the mail. I opened up the front page and the headline read "How to tell if your clubs are fake" or something to that affect. The article said to check if the 8 iron had a serial number on it. If it doesn't, the irons could be fake. Of course my set didn't have it. Then it said to check if a magnet sticks to the driver. Magnets don't stick to titanium. So I checked and the magnet didn't stick so I had some hope. I called Callaway and asked them about it. He said magnets don't stick to aluminum either! He knew right away after I described the "set" that I received that the whole thing was fake. He's seen it a dozen times before. So I emailed the guy that sold me the clubs right away and let him know that I knew they were fake. He emailed me back with an apology and said that his wife bought them from China and thought she was getting a great deal and really didn't know they were fake blah blah blah. Luckily he sent the payment back to me within 5 minutes. I sent the set back to him the next day. I'm sure they were back on Ebay after he got them back! Lesson learned the hard way. Looking back on it I see that I was so naive! I just wanted to post this in case someone else was thinking about buying clubs online. Buyer beware!

Good decision to take lessons. I put them off for a long time thinking I could get to scratch golf myself. Very difficult. After my lessons I dropped 5 points. My natural swing faded the ball and after the lessons I started drawing it. Much better to have a slight draw than a fade! Just keep in mind that you will get worse before you get better but it will pay off in the end.

What are the rules for using these during tournaments? I heard you can't use certain ones. I was also thinking of buying one for when I'm on the range cos u know those markers they put up are never accurate! How hard can it be to adjust those signs on the range anyways?!?!?

I was going through the same debate recently that you are going through. Golftec or a teaching pro. I took lessons once a week for 6 months. I am so glad I decided on outdoor lessons with a teaching pro. He is also a player. He played in the PGA tour a couple of times and is still trying to get back in it. Like someone said in an earlier post, it is much better to see your ball flight for real vs. seeing it in a net. My instructor was also able to take video of my swing and break it down frame by frame. I think video is a must also. I know a friend of mine that took Golftec lessons and it was all great inside during the lessons but I don't think he could transfer it to the course. Inside it's all mats and I hate hitting off those things! The playing lessons on the course were a huge help also. Just knowing how these guys think their way around the course makes a big difference.

For some reason I can't hit my 3 wood but I hit the 5 wood very well. Same manufacturer for both clubs. Taylormade. Just can't hit the 3 wood. Thinking of taking it out of the bag and putting in a 60 degree lob wedge.