chigolf07

This really does suck that your car was damaged in that way. Everything time I drive down a specific road on the way to my local golf course, I wonder how often do cars get hit by errant balls. Frequent slicers hit off on the first tee that could easily hit oncoming traffic, but today was a little different. I went to the range this morning, and as I am approaching the parking lot (about 300 feet away), bounces on the right side of my car, flies across the windshield and hood, and bounces over to the other side. I was scared out of my mind that my windshield would be gone once it had been coming at me. Had I been in the truck or going 1MPH faster it would've been gone. I seriously could see the brand Callaway on the ball. The horrible thing is, this ball wasn't coming from the range, someone overshot #9 by 100+ yards to get in the road! And this is why I chose the farthest parking spot today.

Same story here, was playing my home course today, being a tad slow on the front 9 but fast on the back and these two kids/teens (couldn't be more than 16 yrs) hit into us about 2 times and 2 times coming very close to myself. One of them that really pissed me off and could've knocked my leg cold dead (and something worse in between ). I was getting ready to tee off on the 14th, which runs parallel with the 13th with about 80 yards of water in between. This kid is about 150-170 from the hole (estimate) and he slices it onto our tee box and goes right through my two legs at big speed. A miracle that it didn't hit me.

My #1 money pit would be flying (private pilot here), costs even more than golfing. Paid $7.10 per gallon of 100LL fuel to gas up my Cessna 182 today. Storage in the Chicago-area airports is expensive too (at Chicago Executive). At least I don't have to pay baggage fees everytime I take a trip! Don't mind it much because it is a ton of fun just to go up for a ride once in awhile, especially on a crisp Sunday morning.

Off the tee, a 4 iron. At times, I'll use a 3 hybrid if I'm hitting it well beforehand.

I am at an average 2.27 putts per hole (as measured by Oobgolf) so I am in the 40+ category. I am really trying to get it down to 2.0 even within the next 2 months as I am hitting the practice green every week and working for an hour on distance and accuracy.

I agree with the previous poster - that the range is less stressful and is just practice. I try and practice on the grass tees when possible and work on accuracy, not worrying about distance.

For my weekend rounds, where I play 18 with another person or as a foursome, I like to arrive about 1 hour early, as I hit the range on weekends (small bucket usually) and chipping area. During the week, where I go about 2-4 times playing 18 after work, I arrive about 15 minutes prior just to check the greens, practice putting, stretch, etc. No need to get there that early just to play a quick 18 or 9 on some days.

Usually I plop my woods in the back dividers, long irons (3,4,5,6) in the 2nd row left divider, short irons (7,8,9) in the right 2nd row, and wedges and putter in the front.

The 2nd day I was using my new Big Bertha irons this year, someone approached me (total stranger) and asked to try, specifically, my 7-iron out. I was like WTF? and then just decided to let him try it. He hit it twice, and happily thanked me. The other time I let someone borrow my old Cobra driver he broke the shaft from the head and had to replace the shaft for me. It was probably his first or second time golfing and I had no idea why I did it. We're still friends now and everything is fine - laugh about it to this day.

Thanks for all the replies so far! I really have been eating better than last year and really hope to continue to do so. Things are always tempting, but you just have to have the strength to not go to them.

Playing as a single is a great way to practice, try new things, and really work on your game. I just joined a local golf club, where it is $1,875 for the entire season and you can go out anytime, including weekends. A normal round costs around $45 I think, so to break-even on it I have to go about 1.5 times a week. I just joined mid-season and am planning on going 2-3 a week to work on it and practice, mostly being solo I think.

I originally put in 151-200 last year when I started, as I was working with a stock set Wilson beginner clubs and did about 190. This year, I've been working a lot at it, got some new clubs, took a few lessons, and drive a little over 210 now. Miss-hits lose only about 10 yards, thanks to the r7! On really center hits, it can, at times, be 230. There's one hole on my home course where I get a great roll down when I get right center on the fairway and it takes it about 250-260 with an easy PW/9i to the hole.

Thanks for the tips so far. I agree with dieting as well. I have been on a reduced-calorie and fat diet since the beginning of the year and have shaved off about 10 or so pounds, which isn't that bad for what I've been doing moderately. I would like to incorporate golf, and like someone said some weight training, to get near or under 200 by the end of the year. Thanks!

I justed joined a club in my area (see sig) and as a beginner I want to incorporate 2 things into my practice, weight loss and, of course, game improvement. As a 25+ handicap, I plan to really work on my game by going nearly every day (as my work and condition allows) and walking the course (18 holes). Other than basic stretching techniques, what else does everyone recommend to lose weight (incorporated with golf) and for game improvement. Obviously be losing some weight (I'm 6'2" and about 235~), I can improve my game. Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the replies so far. Something I am also thinking of working a lot on is distance, as my accuracy with drives and iron shots are great.

Hello all, I played my first "official" round this afternoon (2-3 practice rounds before, multiple balls, no score keeping) and didn't do as bad as I expected . I started playing last year in August, got some new clubs just this past April, and have worked at the driving range over the winter. Alas, I still would like some opinion as to how you think I can improve my game with. I made a resolution to really work at the game, keep up my work with consistency, and definitely try to play a lot more. Last year, my beginning year, I took a lot of mulligans, gimmes, and no taking penalties for water-shots or OB. I shot a 53 on 9 today, playing as regulated. Compared to that back in Aug-Nov 2007, I shot between high 40s and high 50s WITH taking mulligans, gimmes, and the like. So, obviously I think I had some improvement over the winter. In the bag, I have a Taylormade R7 460 (10.5*, reg flex), Wilson stock-set 3-wood and 5-wood, Callaway 08 Big Berthas (4-PW), Taylormade 3 Rescue Hybrid, Cleveland 60* wedge, and a Ping Anser putter. Generally, my shots can be found to be within a 10-yard range of these: Driver: 215 3-wood: 195 5-wood: 175 3 hybrid: 170 4 iron: 170 5 iron: 165 6 iron: 150 7 iron: 145 8 iron: 130 9 iron: 120 PW: 105 60* W: 45 Three of my biggest problems (of course there are more): Short game (too many 2-putts that could have easily been in 1 and 3-putts), not taking my time (always feeling rushed, and I'm thinking that being a trader might have something to do with it), and, one of the all-time newbie mistakes, not keeping my eye on the ball! My plan is to: 1) really practice my short game (find a practice range that has this), 2) buy a 52* wedge (or other??) to fill gap between PW and 60*, and 3) try to work on my mental game management to improve time management and ball contact. Any other recommendations? Thanks for your help!

I run my own business, intra-day trading of stocks, options, and futures (commodities/stock indexes). It is very interesting work and is great during this time of the year because I can trade from 8:00 in the morning to 3:15 in the afternoon and then go play 9 or 18 from 4 to 7/8. I've been doing it full-time for about 1 year now, and part-time for the past 4.

Thanks to everyone's help here! I did order the Callaway Big Berthas in the end of March and they have been working GREAT so far this season!

Excellent. So I think my specs should be right. I am ordering them tonight (can't wait!) with True Temper Dynamic Gold steel shafts per the recommendation of someone at the local pro shop. Thanks for all your help!

Ok, thanks for your help. It looks like Callaway only does it up to 3* up, so I'll just do 2 through the manufacturer and then if I need to adjust them, take them over to my local shop to have them do it.

Thanks for the fast reply. I'm still actively improving my game, been going to the driving range in 20 degree weather. And, if you know Chicago weather along with the wind, that can be bad. My driver distance does seem low, but it seems that the roll adds about 20 yards each time, as I can get it to be a low trajectory. I started last year in September with about a 30 handicap working it at the local 9-hole, and last time in November think I did about 16 above and it should be much better after all this practice I've been getting in. (and possibly from the new clubs!) I've seen great improvement, but am looking for more iron forgiveness than the box-set Wilsons I am using. That is why I'm springing for some new Callaways.

I am about to spend some cash on new irons for this year. I took up golf last year and it has become a great obsession for me now. Upgraded my driver and hybrid (3) last year, which set me back about $400 (Taylormade R7 460 and Rescue Mid 3 hybrid). I've spent the past few weeks deciding between Nike Slingshot 4D or Callaway Big Bertha (new 08 version), and decided on the Big Bertha, because I like the new i-brid design. About myself: 6 foot-2 inches tall, about 230 pounds, 38.75 inches from wrist to ground, and 7.75 inch hand size. My average driver carry is about 210-220 yards with an average swing speed. I ran my dimensions through some online golf fitting things and SmartFit (Golfsmith's online utility) said the following: Club Length + 3/4 inch Lie Angle + 4* Upright (this was my question) Had someone at the local driving range look me over and try some irons (don't carry Callaway) and they said just a length adjustment would be fine. What should I do about the lie angle? Callaway can shift it up to 3 degrees upright. Hopefully some of you golf pros and/or enthusiasts can help me out. Sorry for the long message!

Shot a 92 during 18 yesterday, got 45 on the front 9 and 47 on the back 9. If I avoided my 4 times that I had a 3 putt and just got a 2 putt, I could've got a 88, but I'll just keep practicing my putting. I'm going Wednesday so I hope I'll improve. I started golfing about 3 months ago, in the middle of August, using some starter clubs. I played at the local muni 9 hole (par 34) about 6 times and at a nicer, longer 18 hole nearby 4 times now. This and a lot of driving range practice has got me here. I just got a new r7 during the week, so I think that helped me with getting a lower score. I've read a lot of great stuff on here, so thanks for everyone's insight and tips here.

Right now, I have 15, but that's because I have two drivers in my bag, mainly just trying to decide upon one and it's been hard. I have a TM r7 and HiBore driver, TM 3 and 4 hybrids, 5-PW, 62 degree SW, 60 degree LW, putter, and 3W/5W. Probably will stick with the r7 as my driver, and keep the HiBore as "backup" at home.

Just don't get too worried and upset about the short-term movements, because it will drive your life crazy. Chicago's nice. We had a lot of cold weather (in the 30s) last week, but it was nice today (great day for golf) with it being in the 60s and low 70s. Downtown is great, lot of things to do there for both out-of-towners and locals. Winters are a really sucker, especially if you have to drive in the city. Still a nice place though. -Chris