sbgolfin_06

the title of this thread is funny. i cant say that i "hate" the guy, as that's a strong word, but i dont generally like him or root for him. to me, it seemed like he was playing some really uninspired golf. like whatever it was that has been driving him to play thus far has been lost. it really seemed to me like he was just trying to get through his rounds, with a lot of effort.

To answer your question, they are Independent Contractors. I forgot where I read that, but it was in an article regarding the FedEx Cup disbursements last year. I know of a few teaching pros at the course I go to that are considered Independent Contractors as well. Which is how they can work 12 hour days giving lessons and clinics legally, it's because they are considered outside labor and not directly employed by the golf course. I am not quite sure how this affects taxes though. I work in Accounting, so I guess I should know this.. and to answer the thread, no. i do not think he is an "ignorant little pig." He's an arrogant man who also happens to whine like a little boy at times. but he's got talent. i think that his first major will come when he fully matures as a person.

wow, what a good question. for me, i put the "best" into 2 categories. the first being the song that has had the largest impact on my generation. being that i am in my mid-twenties, i do know most of the songs previous posters have noted, but i wasnt around to really see those song's affect on the times. that's why for me it would have to be Michael Jackson's, "Thriller." That is one tape that i broke from rewinding so many times1 not to mention the fact that that video paved the way for this revolution in mainstream music videos. and many current popular musicians credit MJ with inspiring them to even consider music as their profession. note: im talking strictly music with Michael Jackson, great musician, questionable character. the second category for "best" would be the one song that i could listen to if i was only given the option to listen to one song in my car for the rest of my life. that decision is going to require a little more thought.

thanks for the response Big M.. i definitely agree that it is crazy and not a great move, but here's the real deal. i made a mistake on the last post, i accidentally put the course rating as 75.7, it was actually 74.7. also, that one score dropped my handicap a full point, as it gave me an 8.XX differential which levelled my handicap into the 10s. i just havent updated it on here. my last two rounds i have scored even par on the back 9's. i have trouble on the front b/c im fighting daylight here! most of the time, im sneakin off from work and dont get to the course til 2. for some reason, everyone only plays 9 holes out here so i always get caught in a bottle neck and bounce from hole to hole, scootin past people on the par 3s and such.. hahah. its no excuse, i know, but i know that i could shoot in the 70s all day long. the 81 was the first time that i didnt have a blow up hole, i just was losing so much distance in the cold. im not use to 40* weather so i guess everything's a learning experience. im going to get out this weekend and test it. at any rate, stay tuned cuz its about to get exciting, if i crash and burn, at least you've got a front row seat and ill enjoy the ride. oh, and putting, the bane of my existence. man oh man, you dont get to break 80 when you miss 4 birdie putts. but im not worried, im like right there on the brink.

man, nobody has posted here in so long.... as for me, im about to make the move. im like this close to pulling the trigger, quittin my job and giving it a real try. ive noticed that my scores do not change with the course rating, which they should. for instance, when i shot the 81, it was on a course rated 75.7(from the whites) and was over 6100 yds. i shoot the same whether its an easy course from the reds or a tough course from the whites. its totally a mental block. if i could get over this(along with the rest of the golfing community) i would be dangerous on the course. which is why i think i need to dedicate as much time to it as possible. i know my potential, when i was playing 2x a week, my best drive in that time was 294 yds. my GIRs were great, but my putting was letting my down. so anyone, let me know what you think about my plan. i quit my steady job and take 3-5 months, working at a course, for privileges and practicing 40hrs a week and entering mini tour events. if i can get to low 70s consistently, then i stick with it and see where i end up after summer. otherwise, if in that time frame i still dont get any better, then i go back to being a once in a while golfer and go back to my desk job.

I applaud your pro-active approach to the situation. it's refreshing, to say the least. edit: can i just say that YOU do not have to be personally offended by a comment for it to be considered insulting. the word itself, "lynch" is not racist because by definition of the word racism applies to people, not things. when she put that word into the context of a group of people that would want to lynch Tiger Woods, there were definitely racial overtones present. after divulging into a quarter long discussion into the history of racism in college, ill tell you that it's difficult to look at comments that others "write-off" because they do not know the history behind them. im not going so far as to say that she is racist, however, as a journalist and someone in the position she is in as a sports commentator, ignorance is never an excuse for a poorly conceived thought.

but i think that's the point, have you ever heard that word directed at someone who was not black? im not to saying that it has never happened, but it's hard to say that this incident was completely harmless. i think i remember when this comment was made. it made me do a double take at the tv screen and i thought the same as the OP, "hmmm.. wonder if anyone else caught that comment..." it was definitely a poor choice of words given the dark history centered around lynching in this country. i understand that she was trying to make a joke, but there is nothing funny about lynchings, hence, it was a poor attempt at humor. its like making a Princess Diana(nicknamed Princess "Di") whenever the subject of death comes up. im sure that would offend the royal family, and even if we all find it humorous, does that make it okay?

wow, i would love to pay $20/lesson! i think it definitely depends on the area and the standing of the instructor. for instance, my coach is still in his pga apprentice status, however, he has tournament experience, loves to teach and help people, and he is doing his apprenticeship under a pga pro that won teacher of the year for so cal. this pro also is coaching a nationwide tour player that placed top ten in a couple of tournaments in 2007. for a lesson with the pga pro, his lessons go for $100/hr and you can only do hour lessons because he doesnt think that 30 mins is enough. my coach, the apprentice, can get between $40-$50 for a half hour lesson. then again, everything where i live is expensive. and, im comfortable with my coach and he's a great teacher. i definitely think that there are great teachers out there for half the price that i pay, just not in my city. so make sure you talk with your prospective teacher about your goals and his teaching methods to make sure you are on the same page. my coach's methods have changed quite a bit since i went from just wanting a consistent swing to wanting to compete.

actually, yes they do. i just bought the new x86 a couple weeks ago from a course i use to work at. i was just talking to one of the guys who said he is a sun mountain fan and now wants a titleist bag since they are made by sun mountain.

hmm.. well from your response, it sounds like callaway is the right brand to be looking at, as they do make some great clubs that are easy to hit. it seems most of us that have posted are in agreement that the best route is to invest in lessons first. for example, i started out on a hand-me-down set of standard length, lie, loft callaway x-14s. i had to learn to choke down almost all the way on the grips to get the right lie angle, but they worked at the time. when i started playing more and hitting it more consistently, the oversized clubhead really started to bother me. it looked really bulky at address and i just stopped being comfortable with them. the large offset was also a pain after a while. point is, as you improve more, your tastes will change. there is always time to upgrade so dont feel rushed to do it right away. also as suggested before, you can always do a fitting lesson. i did 2 before i settled on my cobras. my coach brought out the entire titleist and cobra line (all the irons, fairway woods and drivers) and we went through every set until i narrowed it down to a handful of favorites. they usually charge $50 for fittings, but since i was already paying for the lesson, it was free. so, make sure you try the clubs before you buy.

your golf swing will change everyday as you progress. so if you get fitted now, your measurements will more than likely not be best suited for you in a few months. save the money that your family members gave to you and wait until you have a lesson or two with a PGA pro at you local course. if you're a consistent ball striker, then go ahead and get a new set. howevever, i think your $40 clubs will serve you well as you learn the basics. as you get better and start to see the limitations of these clubs, you'll know when its time to move on to some better sticks. i think you should hold off on buying for just a little longer, which will also give you time to decide on what you're looking for. is golf a new hobby that you can see yourself doing more than once a week? or do you just want a set that are relatively easy to hit and that you can feel confident in playing once a month? or are you trying to get to a certain score/handicap? this will all play a role in what clubs would be best for you.

i have begun to get this serious about golf. if you look at some of my earlier posts, you will see. recently though, i decided that it is definitely my mental approach that needs the most attention. i was on a schedule with my coach where we would meet once a week, even if i didnt need it. until he put it very bluntly, that i knew enough about the swing to do it on my own and that i had to start thinking about the errors that i was making and not keep letting him tell me what i was doing wrong. well, he was right. now, when i miss a shot, i can feel exactly what it is which helped a lot with my confidence during 18 holes. i still have my blowups, but i recover much better from them. as for fitness, i have been an athlete all my life and dont see much need for working out to play golf. but i did get a medicine ball to train with, which has helped A LOT with my distance. im sure dumbells will work, but the medicine ball is nice because it forces you to use both arms together. in the swing, the most important thing for me to think about is to keep the shoulders and hips moving together so there ya go. and i picked up a balance board. my reasoning is, what good is all the strength in the world if you cant put it into the ball? i like to think of it in terms of engine horsepwer vs. the rear wheel horsepower for a given vehicle. anyway, hope this helps as it has helped me quite a bit.

me too! exact same problem, but im working on picking out a 50 deg wedge for the 100-105 yd shot that i always seem to need. and i always seem to get a little too much out of the pw when im trying to hit it soft. fav shot: any high approach shot from pw-8i (105-140yds). im always going for the pin. whether i should or shouldnt be doing so, but i love seeing divot marks close to the pin.

+1 on the cobra bafflers. my dad loved his so much, he got a 2nd one. and im looking to get my first within the next week. just gotta make sure to swing it like an iron, like take a divot and all that. very high trajectory and comes down softly.

This is also something that I think about quite frequently. (LOOK AT THE BOTTOM OF MY SIG). Granted, I was very lucky to find a very good instructor. However, it wasn't until I took the approach to golf as it being a game, that I have really started to dramatically improve. I have been an athlete all my life and never considered golf a true sport until recently. I started thinking about, well, how did I learn to swing a baseball bat? How did I learn to score goals? Yes, it is important to have an understanding of what your body should look like through your backswing and through impact, but it is not the most important thing. It used to make me so frustrated when I would ask my instructor specific questions about how my swing looked at certain positions and he would give me vague answers. But in the end, looks like he knew what he was doing. He has gotten me to a point where I know what I did wrong every time I mishit the ball, much like in baseball when you start to learn why you hit a weak grounder straight to the shortstop. Cuz you tried to pull the outside pitch instead of taking it to right field!