jrm1493

Get some "used" Pro V1's if you want to practice. That would be the closest to new ones if you want to play them when it counts. I've been very happy with lostgolfballs.com - get the AA or AAA they are pretty cheap.

Best 9 - 40 Best 18 - 81 Both occurred about 3 hours ago!

About a month ago I shot an 83 which at that time was by best by 2 strokes. Today I shot an 81 on a slightly harder course in 100 degree heat (105 heat index). I almost think the heat helped by wearing me out and forcing me to not over swing (I was also walking). Index dropped from 17.7 to 16.4 with just the round today which was nice. I last played 2 weeks ago but have been a range rat; working on a swing change to finally stop coming over the top - I think I had gotten as good as I was going to get hitting pull-slices so I've been spending a lot of time at the range and obviously it is starting to pay off. I did not lose a ball and hit every drive in play. Still need to work on consistency because 2 rounds ago I shot a 107 (it was a 73.5/140 but still). Getting close to breaking 80 - had a couple 3-putts as well as a double so its out there for sure.

I have noticed pretty much the same thing. I have a mid 90's driver swing speed, hit my 7-iron 140ish but can only hit my 56 about 70 yards. I can hit the 49 maybe 100 yards and my 45 PW about 110. When I try to swing hard with the 56 it just goes up higher, not any farther. All in all, I've pretty much just accepted how far I hit it and play accordingly; I do have a bit of a gap between the 56 and 49 but with a 7 deg loft difference I guess that is expected. I basically don't take full swings with the 56 because then the ball just skies upward (exception would be if I'm trying to clear a tree or something), I'll take something off the 49 which seems to be much easier to control distance wise and it spins plenty to stop where it lands.

A couple friends of mine got paired up with a senior that carried 5 clubs (Driver, 3 hybrid-type clubs and a putter). He shot 76 - this is an easy course but still a par 72, maybe 6000-6100 yards. Pretty impressive. They said one of the hybrids was relatively high loft and he chipped with it and even used it out of the sand with good effect. It wouldn't work on every course but it got it done on this one.

Really sad to hear. I'm glad he got to play last year. My wife is a cancer survivor and it helps you realize how fragile life is (thank God she has been cancer free for over a year)

Adams OS series. I used to have one of the OS hybrids and I hated it because it was completely unworkable, which is what a beginner would want. The A2 set I have is just about right for me, pretty forgiving but you can still hit a low hook or slice out of the trees if you need to. I've noticed their prices have been going up as they've gotten more "famous" so I'd get an older used set or one on clearance (A2OS maybe)

90% of the time where I play I'll take a low line drive with a lot of roll, unless it just rained. Sort of a Texas Wedge for the tee box (and I hit a lot of those too). That said, I actually hit my 8.5 deg driver higher than my old 10 deg driver... I guess its the shaft.

I like your thinking.... wedge is sounding better. Actually if I had unlimited funds I'd probably drop the 3h and get a 5w (since I hit the 4h about as far as the 3h and more consistent) and add 2 wedges (54/59 like suggested above). I find it easier to hit my 3w well than my 3h, even off the deck, so I'm sure I'd do better with a 5w than a 3h. The hybrid is nice from deep rough and to chip with, however, but my 4h is just as good for that as my 3h. Now yall have convinced me I need 3 new clubs!!!!!! I need a bonus at work.

my PW is 45°, which is why I bought the 49° wedge. The 3 hybrid is also 20° so that is really something between a 2 and 3 in "traditional" lofts. A couple people have commented on me dumping the 8.5 deg driver. I also have a 10 deg driver and I hit the 8.5 straighter and higher... I think the shaft fits me better. The driver was such a good deal (used) and I couldn't pass it up and it turns out I hit it a lot better than the old 10 deg. Its a strange thing I know but when I tried out the 8.5 I hit it so well I just had to buy it (and the price was right). I would have probably gotten it in 9.5 or 10 if I could have found it but I pretty much buy used clubs so I take what I can get at golfsmith (don't trust e-bay). Thanks for all the comments!

I saw another guy with a post like this so I'd like some advice myself. The first option would be a 53 deg wedge, and eventually in the future replacing or bending my 56 to a 57/58 which would give me nice angle gaps. I don't really want to go with a 60 because I have a hard enough time judging distance with my 56 and I'm confident doing just about all the short shots with my 56 except for flops off of tight lies (because of the bounce). Flops are such low percentage shots anyway that I think I'm better off just taking a safer standard chip/pitch and leaving a longer putt. The other option would be a 5 wood, which I think I would hit higher than my 3 hybrid and possibly a bit longer (my hybrids are much more iron type than fairway wood type). I don't really hit my 3 hybrid any higher than my 3 wood unless I'm into the wind and a high 190-200 yard shot is something I find myself needing fairly often. Right now I'm stuck trying to run a 3-hybrid up there or try to crush a 4-hybrid (which I can hit reasonably high). I'm leaning towards the 5-wood because I think at my skill level (17.5 index) having a 3rd wedge would leave me with too many options around the green which could lead to some confusion. I'm not a real long hitter and find myself needing a higher trajectory ~190-200 yard shot somewhat often (long 3's and 4's and short 5's). What do yall think?

As other have said, get the Gamers. Basically the same ball for $10 less.

I'm wondering how to figure a score for ESC. Today I played terrible, shot a 107. Now my index before today's round was 17.1 which gave me a course handicap of 19 on this course, which gives me a maximum of 7 on a hole and adjusts my 107 to a 103. After entering this score a good score dropped off and my index jumped to 17.5 which pushed my course handicap to 20, which means that my 107 only adjusts to 106 with ESC. Question is - what score do I use to calculate my index? My thought is I use the 103 because if I had been using my handicap I would have played the 19, not 20 (because 17.1 was my index before the round began). Not that it changes my index because obviously it is one of the 10 that will not be used but I think its something I'd want to know in case this happens with a round that would actually count. Thanks BTW - if you can't tell I don't have an official index, I have an Excel spreadsheet. Not going to play in any tournaments but I like to know what my handicap really is.

Unlike the Sergio promotion, I think Phil actually has a pretty good shot at winning. The only people who I think have a better shot are Tiger and Cabrera, and maybe Kenny Perry and Zach Johnson (nobody talks about him but I think he has major game). Of course anyone can win but if you're going to bet Phil is a good one to bet on. His wife's cancer could be extra motivation or something that holds him back, but there is no way to know. I know I'll be picking up a form next time I'm at golfsmith.

I only know of one range around here out of about 10 that even has mats. I guess that's an advantage of living in a tropical climate (most people assume Texas is a desert but the upper gulf coast is basically Humid Tropical but with not as much of a wet/dry season as a true tropical like S. Florida).

They're very good balls, haven't had a problem finding them at golfsmith but my local Wal*Mart seems unwilling to stock them, despite having the full line of other Top Flites. And its not because they don't stock "players" balls because they have Nike Ones and Bridgestone 330's... I've just never seen gamers there. Now that I've discovered lostgolfballs.com, however, I pretty much play 2008 AAAA Pro-V1's which are also $20 a dozen, so the Gamers aren't "half the price of a Pro BLEEP"

I wouldn't bother with shorts. If its over 80 they'll think they're going to die but being from Dallas you should be just fine. I grew up in Houston and London and I don't think I was ever hot in the UK, and I was there for the el-nino heat waves in the mid 90s. There's no a/c but you don't need it. Scotland will likely be even cooler than London but most of the island has a pretty similar climate. Of course I am really warm blooded and keep my house at 82 in the summer and have no problem walking 18 in the July Houston heat. Bring rain gear for sure. Congrats on the trip! When I lived there I was too young to play the famous courses but I walked some of them with my dad while he played, and I played some of the lesser known courses. It is an awesome experience and Scotland is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, like something out of a fairy tale.

I'll put in my vote as another who plays by the rules. The only rule I ever break (like others have said) is if I hit one OB and didn't hit a provisional, I'll treat it like a lateral hazard for pace of play. A lot of courses say to do that anyway if you read the local rules, and at the Houston open this year all of what really should have been OB was marked with red stakes, so even at the highest level they play that way. I can only remember having to do it one time in the last year or more, usually its pretty clear when a provisional is needed. I used to move the ball if I thought it would damage my clubs but now I started taking my lumps and just chipping out of the bad situation or taking an unplayable, because usually if you are up against a tree or rock you hit a bad shot to get there. I don't think I really became a golfer until I started playing by the rules; the scoring is so much more rewarding when you know you really did it. The first time I broke 100 I shot a 99, but I had taken a mulligan on the first tee after hitting a snap hook OB, and it felt hollow. After that I decided to really play by the rules; a couple weeks later the golf gods rewarded me with an honest 92, and it felt so much better.

This was at a beat up old range in Friendswood, SE of Houston.

A guy on the range this afternoon told me I should hang back more on my right side... isn't that generally considered wrong advice that would lead to a lot of chunks? I have been hitting almost punch type shots with my irons recently because I find them to be a lot more controllable and I like to play a low ball with all the wind we have in Texas. I was hitting my 5-iron on the range and he asked me what I was hitting and I told him, and he said I should finish on my right side and I'd get more distance. I was hitting the range balls around 150 carry, 165-170 with roll, not that far but I don't like to go all out with my irons and I like to hit a fade which I can control pretty consistently... shot an 86 using this method on Thursday on a tough course which I think is pretty good for someone of my skill level. I'm sure I could nuke a 5-iron about 180 if I tried and didn't play for the low cut but I could only do it about half the time. I have to admit this guy was practicing what he preached and hit it a long way with a finish that looked like he was going to fall over backwards - a bit like Tiger when he only had 1 knee... he must have some real fast hands because I can't swing like that and not chunk it half the time. What is it with people giving unsolicited advice?

I also use my 56 sand wedge almost exclusively within 80 yards; the only exception would be my putter which I have no problem using from up to several yards off the green if the grass isn't too fluffy. I just find it easier to learn the feel of one club. I try to hit a number of shots with it, everything from a low punch to a flop to chips with and without spin. About the only thing I can't do with it is a flop from a tight lie (because of the high bounce) but that is a very low percentage shot and one that I only end up needing maybe once every other round. I've found that a lot of times in those situations I like to open the face a bit with the ball well back and make a very short backstroke and really smash down on the ball. This tends to generate a low trajectory shot that stops almost immediately when it hits the green and can be used in the place of a flop from a tight lie. I think using the higher lofted club for me is easier because it allows me to make a more aggressive swing, which prevents chunks, shanks and fluffs. I tried chipping with a 7i this week just to see what happened and i ran it 25 ft past the hole (from about 15 ft away!). Of course I never practice that method but I was lucky to make bogey from what should have been an easy par!

Sounds like a good plan, but you need to actually make sure you hit the higher lofted one higher. I went from a 10 to an 8.5 and due to an improving swing or the shaft I hit the 8.5 quite a bit higher (I am also able to fade it which I wasn't able to do with the 10 which had a regular shaft - I think a fade is generally a higher type ball flight)

I always keep one extra ball in my right pocket, along with a ball marker and 1 or 2 tees. The left pocket is reserved for my glove.

FYI, I got a golfsmith launch monitor to give me a 186mph swing speed (390 yard carry on that one). Typically I'm around 92-97 and barely top 100 when I swing too hard. You have to throw the outliers out, its simply bad data... the machine isn't perfect.

I think that is a good idea because a stiffer shaft should give more control at the expense of a slight loss of distance. I think the too-soft/pull too-stiff/slice is a myth. When i had a regular shafted driver I was all over the place, duck hooks to huge slices. Now with a stiff the misses still happen but the degree of miss is much less pronounced, although on perfectly struck shots I have maybe lost 5 yards or so. It may be somewhat mental but the stiff shaft just gives me a lot more confidence that I can swing away without worrying about hitting a snap hook.