AdamsGolfer

there was a reference to Hogan earlier IMO the greatest ball striker ever, and in both of his books he does suggest playing the ball just inside the left foot, and just further out for the longer clubs, but that was because he didnt really use a hip rotation it was a slide so his weight would be forward so his swing would bottom out forward. The advice to find your swings bottom, and work off that is very good. If you do use a rotational movement having a ball too forward can hurt, by either causing a pull or a slice depending on the relation of the clubface to the line of the target. I rotate and move laterally, so I put the ball more left middle, than left when I want to hit straight ,and further forward when I want a cut, and further back when i need a fade. But also for in between or 80% shots I play left middle stance and cut rotation out. so know your swing and work out the one stance and swing that will hit all the clubs. If you think Im nuts watch tour players hit full straight shots, they stand the same every time the forearm and club shaft angle is constant or very very close. and if you still think im full of it take all your clubs from your bag and lay them up against a wall at the point the sole of the club is flush and unless there is something wrong the shafts will be parallel to each other. Only after you have the one swing you can count on to do what you want 70% of the time can you work out all the other stuff. When I practice at the range I get 100 balls and hit a D 3w 3h 4h 5h 6i 7i 8i 9i Pw 10 balls each and want at least half of the shots with each club to do the same thing and until you can set up the same for every club and swing the same youll never be consistent As for hitting too hard its very easy to tell yourself you need a real good 9 iron to get over a hazard or to reach a green, and then you speed up your tempo and try to kill it dont! ive wasted so much time, strokes, and energy trying to squeeze distance out of a club when I could pull the shot off 80% of the time clubbing down and hitting normally , have 1 swing and the only difference is shaft length therefore how far the ball is, thats what Hogan has 100% right for everyone, I struggled with my driver for a long time because I set up differently and instead of taking a stance and having your arms hang and then grip I would reach for the ball and have controll and contact issues, Now I take one stance and can hit any club because the angle of my hands in relation to the shaft doesnt change the longer shafts require the ball to be further away, and I make the same swing every time I hit 100%. after that then you can learn to cut and fade, but if you set up differently for different clubs your learning 5 swings not one and you will never be consistent. Trust your one swing and it will payoff almost every bad shot i make is because I want a little extra out of my club, I drive 240 maybe 260 so Im pretty short and that gets to you but when i just do my thing I may be 20-40 yds shorter but am 20-40yds STRAIGHTER and that saves strokes After you have that one swing that the only change is ball position then you can add to it but If you want to hit straight a fade and a cut with 13 clubs using 5 swings you need to set up 15 different ways to hit 3 shots instead of 3 small changes to one swing. the games hard enough youll never be perfect but you can make things much easier on yourself. dont get me wrong im nowhere near a great golfer I used to be pretty darn good but a decade of not playing hurts your game and all this is stuff I knew or did by feel, now im older I have either lost my edge or my brain has to know how and why before it does, and Ben Hogans "5 Lessons" and "Power Golf" are great books and give a great base to tweak for you and then build on

Swearing at the course doesnt bother me I do it lots of people do, but I sure as hell make sure im not yelling F*** when there are kids around, Thats what I have a problem with, So tour players should know to watch there mouths, there are always people watching and kids listening and if the events live you hear it all on tv, and if they arent within earshot you see what they are saying, Its not like there is a camera buried in a rock or in a bush and we caught them doing it at there local club. And the hissy fit club throwing and kicking is much the same way, how can you teach a kid that golf is about manners and control when they see tiger F bombing and kicking his clubs when he ends up in the rough? Dont get me wrong there will always be the occasional word slipping out I remember as a kid hearing it or seeing them mouth the words, but now, some of these guys are so bad they could put the ball 5 feet from the pin from 300yds out, and still they would be swearing about something, watch closely next time you see a closeup of tiger if he is moving his mouth he is saying F*** at some point. Thats what I meant when I said the swearing and overt displays of frustration are worse for the PGA and golf than slow play, When there Are 144 guys going through a course in a day, yeah its going to take a while, especially since they are walking and waiting for crowds to quiet down, Dont get me wrong I think the guys that take a minute to tee off or a good minute just to put a glove on (that they just took off 30 seconds ago!) and grab a club, then go through a 30 sec routine to hit need to hurry up. There is nothing wrong with a waggle or a routine its the lackadaisical attitude before they hit it that takes time. The best example is Kevin Na playing with Kuchar At Sawgrass Even with his yips he was keeping pace because he already had a club out and just went for his ball as long as it wasnt in Kuchars line of fire. As long as your not in front of someones shoulder line going towards the flag you cannot be a visual distraction. Unless some of these tour guys have eyes on the side of there heads like a rabbit they cant see anything past 180* from the direction they are facing.

I guess I didn't get my point accross, in a casual game swearing isn't an issue throwing clubs and kicking them is, slow play is also a problem, but its also subjective I've played with guys who get pissed off if they have to wait at all at any time on the course they are also the guys that don't think about anything they just hit it they don't read outta either they just hit em. I am a fast player so I know I will wait more then someone who is an average player but just because I'm waiting dosnt mean the people ahead are slow. They are slow if they don't keep up with the group ahead of them as long as its the same size. I don't dislike tiger he can be a hell of a golfer he can have a great attitude when he's winning, but he has a terrible attitude when he doesn't get his way, I don't like playing with anyone like that. I was trying to say that throwing clubs and constant swearing is worse for the PGA tour than slow play with 18 groups of 4 on the course at the same time. Growing up I remember watching golf with my dad and you wouldn't hear swearing because there weren't nearly as many mics out, but you could still see the occasional mouthing of certain words, almost every time the Mic is near tiger you hear him swearing continually, and when the cameras on him you can see him mouth every curse word I know. There are kids out there listening to that and he is supposed to be a role model , just like all the other sports stars that behave badly a small fine isn't enough I singled out tiger because he is the best known and most watched

Tiger Woods really has no room to talk on etiquette, Id rather have a guy playing a bit slow than someone swearing and kicking clubs and generally being a jerk to fans.

I forgot to Say Yeah Kevin Na Caused a hold up, but with the issues he was having it could have been alot worse, and he was aware of it, and the last round he played with Kuchar, he was literally Running to the ball just to make up time and or not slow Kuchar down. Then there is the whole big stink about Morgan Pressel being penalized a stroke for slow play, yeah I get the LPGA tour isnt the same organization as the PGA but if they Will put someone on the clock and then penalize them a stroke in match play In the middle of the event the PGA should have the guts to do the same thing, And I dont think she should have got the penalty or been told the way she was, Golf is a 80% mental game and that is a big blow to your focus and the attitude you have toward the match. It cost her the second half of that match. which shows how much of an impact a 1 stroke penalty makes. Rules are rules but she wasnt slowing anyone down and the wind was whipping all over when she changed clubs. Yeah 50 sec is along time to take to shoot, but It was Munoz that got them on the clock to begin with she even said "I was slow thats why we were timed but once we were on the clock she was the slow one" So because Pressel took a little extra time on one shot she got screwed when the avg time was faster than the person that casued the warning. Now looking at the rules in the PGA if you are still slow after the warning on the clock , so a warning, being put on the clock, another warning for violating the clock, and then a fine of 5k ,then 15k, then 25k, and 20k for 10 violations in a year in addition to the fines you incurred that year. now lets say you were fined 20k in 15 tourneys for 2 slow play violations and then 20k for being over ten thats 320k for Money list leaders thats a good amount of money but I still dont think guys winning that amount every time they play would be deterred, the guys at the bottom of the money list making 30k a year will not allow themselves to be fined 20k thats 2/3 of what they make (hell 5k is a deterent to someone making 30k), If you did Penalize them 1 stroke for violating the clock after youve been put on it ( so a warning your on the clock then a 1 stroke penalty) then every time after that 2 strokes then 3 then 4 ect you would get the attention of the players, Regardless of what they make, the guys who win millions wouldnt lose a tourney because of a stroke penalty their ego wouldnt allow it, and the guys actually needing every penny to pay the bills, wont even think about getting on the clock. Instead of the guys with millions paying up and continuing to be slow they would actually make an effort to improve, just like the guy that cant afford a 5k fine Also the whole putting a group on the clock is insane, If you have a guy who gets up and belts it and then someone who takes there sweet ass time they compensate for each other, and the one time the guy who does play fast wants to wait for the huge gust that just kicked up to calm down, he gets nailed, all for being paired with someone who is slow. Put individuals that are slow on the clock, dont punish the player with a fast avg pace because he had a tricky lie or an odd distance and took a little extra time to figure out. And dont let the slow guys suck up the time the faster guys dont use. Pace where I play isnt really an issue because they are on top of it, Its a municipal course but they have marshals riding around enforcing pace or if its a slow day making sure faster groups are allowed to play through, Not only does it make it possible for me to squeeze in 18 more often I can play 27 on days where ive got time its about 31/2 hours give or take 15 min for 18 normally and on a good day its right at 3 hours , so its more money for the club more enjoyment for the players all around its better, At other courses I will wait for a group for 2 holes and if I wait for them to tee off twice in a row I will tell them Im playing through, obviously if they are waiting on a group as well I wont, but if there is a gap hell yeah Im playing on, more people need to do that and you would be surprised how much faster the people you play through on play, they will keep pace because you gave them a reality check, If you think thats rude try waiting for someone to offer that you play through, it will almost never happen or they will let you on the last hole.

Slow Play On the tour or anywhere is caused by a few things, 1 The big one Is the Huge concern with etiquette, Guys not going through the shot routine while the other guy is doing his, when two players have a similar range id say a 15yd gap (depending on angles to the pin and other variables of course) even on opposite sides of the fairway, both should be doing the ranging and figuring at the same time. There is way to much concern with not being a distraction to your opponent, Im not suggesting that being loud or dancing around in someones view is alright, But perfect peripheral vision is a 180 degree field of view so being anywhere outside of that line CANT be a visual distraction, and your not going to stand downrange, and you will hit first if his ball is up-range from you. And if players cant shut outside distraction they wouldnt be able to play in front of a gallery, because I can guarantee the crowd isnt perfectly still or quiet you can hear caddies yell at people for making noise, and taking pictures, or a cough whatever, Yes people should put there cameras on silent mode, but birds and cars and planes all make noise and its never distracted me, Also the crowd noise at other holes dont seem to be an issue for the players, Tiger Woods' caddy is always bitchin at people for making noise, I think Tiger is just playing like crap and Is blaming everyone but himself for his problems, Once you start nitpicking at noise it does become a distraction. there is a road by the course I play at and people honk just to be dumb and Im never affected by it mid swing or not. You can line up your own putt as long as your not in peripheral view of someone so anywhere behind them you could do jumping jacks and as long as it was silently they would never know. 2 On the greens the guys that dont finish the 3 foot putts is dumb yes if you will stand on a line to do mark and finish later but id say 75% of the time they should finish. 3 Caddies cause alot of hold ups yes they are a second set of eyes and a help, but the guy should have his little book out at the tee so walking down he can say where the pin is exactly what the green is like and where a good aiming point is, The times when I hear them saying no, hit a 6 a slight fade will bring you in real close, Or you can go with a 5 and lay off a bit and drop it right in blah blah blah, the caddy should range and club and say something if the player is about to bonehead a shot, but telling the player what kind of what kind of shot to hit seems a little crazy and having 3 different solutions to the same shot is just over analyzing. 4 the field size on thursday and friday do make traffic an issue, but on Saturday and Sunday when the field is halved why does it take the same amount of time? Everyone causes slow play not just a few people, How can "Slow" players be the problem when they are on the on the teebox of every hole while the next group is in the fairway or putting?

The Grip on any club wont shift if installed correctly, ESPECIALLY on the putter. even if you did swing the putter full speed, a grip put on right wont move. Yes you can put a round grip on the putter they do make them, you can also put regular club grips on a putter provided they are the smaller .580 inside diameter grips, the tape on the inside isn't masking tape its sticky on one side mildly tacky on the other then using the liquid tape activator that also helps to slide the grip on when your done the activator turns the slightly tacky dry adhesive into liquid then it sets and the grip is set in place. The tape activator not only activates the adhesive on the tape and sets the grip, it helps you slide the grip on so its a very quick and easy process, and if you mess up the alignment all you have to do is turn it a bit and correct it, without the tape the grip isnt secure and it will twist stretch and be ruined if you use the tape and no activator you most likely wont even get one grip on, and if you do it will be twisted and bunched and ruined, so spend the extra $10 for the right tape and activator and do it right If you dont use the right tape or use something else the grip will twist and move, and not only will it hurt your swing the grip will stretch and loosen and fall apart alot faster and possibly just come off. I learned how to putt with an old ben hogan brass blade with a spiral wrapped grip and once I got a new putter with the flat grip it took some getting used to but I love it now the flat sides allow you to have more open palms therefore a lighter grip and a straighter back and forth stroke. If you pay for a Regrip and the grips are twisted or the putter grip isnt lined up properly make them do it again, All the lines or patterns on the grip should look like they did with the grip off, you will easily notice if the grip is twisted even a small amount. And with the flat putter grip its even easier to see. If your Missing putts to one direction practice you have one dominant eye and you will tend to optically favor that side check your swing path over a ruler or a line on a piece of paper and of your not going straight back and through work untill you get it right, Also try getting into your stance stake your putter just off the ground and relax, most will find the putter wants to come in toward the body put from that position I had to trim my putter down to 31" because the 34" would occasionally catch on my shirt.

I think the huge thing people are overlooking when asking or trying to answer the question "what club is better". Is the ability of the Golfer To the person asking the question, you need to include what issues your having with the club your considering replacing, And to us trying to answer saying something works or doesnt work for you, isnt an answer i just did the same thing, The guys landing long irons in fairways 60-70% of the time and hitting them 200yds or more, Dont need or want to change anything I wouldnt either, but to the rest of us that cant bomb a 3iron 220 therefore bomb a driver near 300. Need the extra distance and forgiving nature of hybrids, Because they are easier to hit and longer than regular long irons, and actually useable in the rough unlike 5 and 7 woods, Now I started playing agian about 2 months ago after a decade of not playing using a set I got for free because my set of Ben Hogans were stolen, I won the hybrid 3 Adams online, and got the rest of the set including 2 more hybrids, because I hit the Redlines so much better than the Cobra knockoffs (King Snake's) I was using Well I couldnt hit the King snake's straight becasue none of the clubs had a face that was even remotely flat, there are dips and rises all over the place, plus the shafts said stiff but I could rotate the head and bend them pretty easily. I mentioned this because its very important to go to a demo day and hit hybrids and long irons of different brands until you find what works, Also if you dont want to buy new clubs take your current set to your local pro shop and have the loft and lie checked to make sure that the loft is gaped consistently and the lie angle fits your wrist to ground measurement. Shots that are offline are not always the culprit of misalignment in your aim or a swing fault if the lie angle is off you will push left or right, have you ever noticed that you always hit one club really well, thats because that one club has the right lie angle for your build. I had my new clubs tweaked 1 degree flat and had the loft tweaked for even gaping the loft was already pretty spot on to what it should be but 2 of the clubs needed 3 degrees of flat to bring it online with the others, 2 clubs needed 2 degrees and the Pw just needed 1 degree, If you dont have the right lie angle you will start to fix your swing to correct for the equipment and then you will be in a world of hurt

I Have Adams Redline 3h 4h 5h and the regular redline 6-pw compared to my Irons my hybrids are a good 10yds longer and a decent amount higher so you can bomb a hybrid on to a green and it will stay, If you try that with a 3 iron if you even hit the green your not going to stay on it, unless its a very big green or you got lucky, Also If you do have a wayward shot its alot more forgiving than a regular 3 4 or 5 iron, especially on courses where the rough is either long or has that matted swirly texture, that nice trajectory that comes in alot steeper and softer, that tends to give you a better lie for your next shot, Also shaping around a dogleg is very easy both directions, with a long iron i will hit straight or a 5-10 yd slice, and with no real control. with a hybrid I can not only hit the shot i want 70-80% of the time but also the mishits end up alot better off, The one complaint I have with the hybrids Is the fact that you do end up with a gap in distance, between my 6i thats a 150-160yd club and the 180-190 5h there always seems to be that little gap that puts you out on par 3's I think I will end up getting the redline 5 iron and have that as well as the 5h, Ive tried backing off the swing to close the gap but ill come up shorter than id hit a 6i not make good contact and end up much worse off. All in all the hybrids are fantastic the shot making potential is very high, also they are very forgiving, and for shots out of wet or deep rough they work great, I even use them for odd shots around the green, like low punches in a strong wind or going under a low branch, you can put the ball forward and put your hands way forward and give it a punch and youll get a low line drive that slowly lofts and comes down soft with little roll out.