MichiganLefty

Rousey has indicated that she would retire if she loses the rematch to Holm in July 2016. Holm's manager wanted her to fight Miesha Tate during Rousey's layoff. Dana White quickly shot that down. Dana White wasn't going to risk her getting beat by Tate and ruining the massive payoff they'll get from the rematch at UFC 200. He's going to keep milking his cash cow as long as he can.

I cleaned my sticks and put them away after Veterans Day last month. But I have tomorrow off and it is supposed to be 53 degrees here. So I am going to go out and play nine with my only old Hogan Apex Forged irons, an extra Pro Select SW, and putter. Much better than the past two years thus far. It'll be nice being able to hit some shots after all of the reading I've done the past month. BTW, some of those 99 cent books on rock bottom golf are great add-ons to an order. I've already read "The Old Man and the Tee" and "The Fine Green Line" in the past few weeks.

1. Now that my ballstriking is consistent and I've worked out my alignment issues that caused my outside-to-in swings, I plan to devote a considerable amount of my practice time to shape shots (draw, fade, low, high). 2. I recently had my Odyssey putter fitted as it was a too long and upright (made a ton of difference). I plan on spending a lot of time practicing on distance control to eliminate those occasional three-putts. 3. Would like to shoot a round of par at the 9-hole course I'm a new member at. I've played there several years and had two rounds of 38 (+2) last year. 4. While no specific objective, I would like to perform solid in the club championship late next summer as it will be my first. I'm VERY excited about the 2016 golf season!

Of all that I have read, a few simple principles inhabit my paradigm on the topic of starting my backswing: ---Proper grip, stance, and alignment at address puts us in the correct position to start a backswing. My big revelation here was that I naturally setup open even though my feet are square. It requires a slight shift of my back hip/buttocks to be square. ---Want my clubface to be "looking" at the ball the whole way back. ---Want to maintain a consistent tempo throughout the backswing and through. ---Primarily, proper grip and stance and alignment. Nail down the fundamentals!

I started seven years ago in my early 30's. I was a good athlete my whole life, but had no idea how to even hold a golf club near proper. I've thoroughly enjoyed reading, watching, trying. It has been much like a treasure hunt. Always have enjoyed self-learning different things. Granted, I'm sure I could have become a better golfer quicker by paying for lessons, etc. But there has been a true joy from attempting to "dig it out of the dirt." That being said, I agree with 5SK and the help iacas provides to so many. Quite honestly, it would be a great opportunity to gain insight from him regarding your golf swing! As RFKFREAK said, please give us a Trip Report about your experience. Great use of time before spring! Best of Luck!

Agreed, Moppy. I feel the very same way about my golf league partner. Great guy. He may get pissed off at his performance. He may not be amenable to much advice. But he is a friend and he is my partner.

Good enough to get me through the long, cold winter and to be optimistic about next spring.

Rock Bottom Golf has had some great promos over the last week. I purchased first gen Footjoy DNA's for $108. Also bought about five golf random golf books for $1 each to get me through some of the winter months. Right now the 2014 Big Bertha is $121 new on their site: http://search.rockbottomgolf.com/search.php?query=bigberthadriver#_ga=1.178149221.1576113789.1448076500 I usually get most of my golf clothing from TGW and great deals on open box and used clubs on Global Golf. Random accessories and headwear at a good price on Budget Golf. And BTW, I just got the XR 3H and love it! I got an eagle on a Par 5 the second time I used it. I have been amazed with how accurate it's been...and added about 5-7 yards over my i20 (it is a degree stronger). Happy Shopping!

Great topic. We've got good representation from many perspectives on this. I, too, am the "working hard to continuously improve" type. Often I think that in my pursuit, when I have breakthroughs, I want to share that joy with a playing partner that may be struggling. I've learned that unwarranted help is not the route to go. Even when someone asks for advice, I try to turn the faucet on to fill up that cup, but then turn it off as to not overflow. I had a partner that went through a very rough spell of bad contact, slicing, etc. My instinct was to try to help since I could see what he was doing wrong. This just seemed to make matters worse until one day he stated that he couldn't process any advice, didn't want to know my score or what I was working on. Initially, I was rather taken aback by this. I got an eagle during this time and he didn't even acknowledge it (eagles aren't like a frequent thing). I thought, "what a dick!." But over time I realized that not only was it better for him to not have the additional noise, but it freed me up to mentally focus more on my game. A win-win to be truthful. We choose our partners, good and bad. If we decide to play with people that may get angry or not want advice --- it is what it is. I've taken this as another of the many life lessons golf imparts on me.

Great point. I found this to be the case with my club fitting experience this time. I was more involved, which resulted in a better fitting session than my previous experience of just waiting to be told what to do next. I even sought feedback about my ball flight that led to a few important observations I hadn't noticed in my swing. Those observations led me to work on a few address issues I had (alignment and distance to ball). Both easy fixes that I never noticed myself.

Upgraded to these from the Ping i20's last month. Getting to a Mizuno player's iron was a huge milestone for me. Although my wife doesn't understand, I've been working up to them since I started seven years ago. And I love them! Quite honestly, I am hitting them better than my i20's (definitely a better shaft fitting this time). Higher ball flight and small increase in distance. They are actually more forgiving than I anticipated and the feeling is fantastic. I have really noticed the feel on things like punch shots or partial shots. I am very confident with them in my hands. I actually purchased an old beat-up set of Hogan Forged Apex irons from 1989ish earlier this summer to work on ball-striking. And I'll add while playing the Hogan's has been a joy, the MP-25's are quite a bit more forgiving. I'm surprised there hasn't been more discussion on them on boards and in the media. I am very much looking forward to next summer!

I only post on this thread because it is near and dear to my heart. I have always loved Ben Hogan's Five Fundamentals while I've embarked on the search for my swing. It is a technical manifest on the principles of the golf swing. The details are true. I have often discovered them through the exercise of practice through feel (oh, that's what he meant!). With that being said, I unexpectedly found Bryon Nelson's "Shape Your Swing the Modern Way" to be my respite in the discovery of my swing. It wasn't anticipated; but then it occurred. His instruction and explanations were so succinct. Whether it was the front-side dominate explanation of the takeaway or the downswing in unison concept; it all worked for me. Please understand, I was a Ben Hogan disciple. But the concepts that fired the neurons in my brain in regards to the golf swing were predominately those of Iron Bryon. The reality for me was that Bryon's descriptions tied the four parts of the golf swing (takeaway, backswing, downswing, follow-through) into one fluid motion. My last hurdle now seems to be the apprehension that I have to make a full, solid golf swing. But I'm sure that won't be as much of an obstacle as it used to be. To close, here's my quote..."Becoming better at golf mentally and physically has quite an unforeseen impact on your ability to improve at life in general. A golfer is not the master of their souls until they can control their thoughts, emotions, and abilities. Own Your Game Within Yourself" Jim

I own a Callaway uPro, previous generation. And I love it. It doesn't cost anything to add courses, only if you want the "flyovers (Pro Mode)." Additionally, it's only $20 (one-time fee) to purchase score tracking, which includes club yardage tracking, etc. While it may not be exactly what you were looking for based on your post, I'd strongly suggest researching it before purchase. They also have great customer service. I always know what I'm facing and my playing partners come to me for yardage and much more. They had some initial "growing pains" when entering the GPS market, but have grown and adapted well. I consider them a leader in the field. IMHO

I enjoyed the last round today, despite only having two real contenders. Both Zach Johnson and Dufner appear to be quality guys. Dufner definitely appeared to be mentally fatigued, but his demeanor certainly doesn't give it away. IF only Sergio could gain Dufner's resolve and indifference. Nonetheless, it's also hard not to root for Zach. His scrappiness relates to many of us that are not prototypes of the 330 yard bomb, who rely on finesse and the wherewithal to make sound judgments. While the Colonial may have been missing many of the top stars, especially from the European circuit, it was worth watching. On another note, probably another thread, it was cool to watch Luke Donald repeat across the pond for their PGA Championship. But, it also lefty me wondering about the state of Rory's game heading into the U.S Open. Good storylines, nonetheless.

I can relate on the "loving golf, but not very good" and the "six months." Actually, I'm very close to Ontario, by a few minutes, literally. I've came to The Sand Trap for quite some time for advice on my golf development. Every time I "google" a topic, The Sand Trap pops up and the members always provide a lot of advice. As you have, I finally decided that it was time that I get in and mingle a bit. Welcome, Bob!

I work in Human Resources for a municipality. It is a decent profession and I am humbled and honored to work for my fellow tax-payers. I don't take it for granted. Nonetheless, I look forward to being a "weekend warrior," so to speak, and put much effort in to golf, bowling, and softball (among others). The bowling and softball part have been easy, golf has been the most challenging and rewarding of all of the endeavors. I definitely got the "bug" for golf. It dominates my free time; whether reading, watching. thinking, practicing, or playing. It's my favorite by leaps and bounds!

Hello, everyone! I am a "newbie" member, but have been reading threads on The Sand Trap for a few years now. Recently, I made a breakthrough for myself and wanted to solicit feedback on my thoughts. Bear with me as my knowledge is "self taught" from pouring through A LOT of various materials and trial and error; A LOT of error! I've read "Five Lessons" from Hogan, and reviewed at various stages of my development. The other day, I was thinking of the ideal of hands and arms starting slightly prior to the shoulders (I frequently employed a swing thought of shoulders to start the backswing, ala one-piece takeaway). However, my position at impact was weak and didn't generate the appropriate ball striking that I was seeking, i.e. Norman's "The Secret" wrist hinge. This lead me to start my backswing with the hinging of my back wrist. To my amazement, my swing plane, albiet a bit more shallow, created a crisp, solid ball strike. My shoulder rotation came much easier and the ball impact has been much more consistent in my backyard net, at the range, and hopefully in my practice round tomorrow (started my first league a few weeks ago). To be honest, it seems as though I've picked up a little yardage as a result. Guessing possibly from de-lofting my clubs. I'm not even quite to the point where I'm focusing on my core coil and lag (one thought at a time). So, I'd be very grateful to hear any feedback that you could provide regarding this topic. Am I on a right path? It sure feels like it. This breakthrough has the promise of being more beneficial than anything else I've done in the past few years. One little wrinkle that I noticed at the range; if I move my arms prematurely in the downswing, it produces a hook, which is not a familiar result for me (typically have a fade with mid-irons). It has lead me to try to maintain a steady tempo to keep the ball straight. But, this could be the result of my ball placement (middle of stance) as much as anything else. Thank you in advance for your input!