sschwarz

I'm a marketing/management professor during the school year and pro shop assistant/ranger at a golf course during the summer.

I live in St. Cloud. I bet you don't miss Duluth this time of the year.

Could you, yes. I don't think golf would be as fun without the driver though. My brother and brother-in-law played with more this year than any other year. I attribute this primarily to the fact that both got new drivers and they were finally getting long accurate drives. I think the new driver technology has the occasional weekend golfer playing a lot more. Whether or not it would affect scoring depends on several things. 1. Are you smart with your layups? If you're taking unnecessary risks than leaving the driver at home might help. 2. Can you score from 100 yards in? If not you might be better off laying up. 3. Is your problem a chronic slice/hook? If so you might be better off with a higher lofted club such as a 3 or 5 wood to reduce the effects of that. 4. Is your driver less than 5 years old? If not you have old tehnology in which case a 3 wood might be more accurate.

My favorite is actually two year old Ping G5. You can probably get one pretty cheap. Otherwise my brother has a Mizuno F-60 4 Wood. For whatever reason everyone that has hit that club loves it. I've played with several who are 30+ handicaps and by the end of the round they are using his off the tee and off the deck. It's got about the same distance that my 3 wood does.

I'm new to forum and looking forward to chatting with everyone. From: Minnesota Age: 28 Handicap: 6.4 Profession: Marketing Professor during the school year, work at golf courses part-time during summers. My Golf Bag: Driver: Mizuno MP-001 8.5 Grafalloy Blue (I like a low trajectory) 3 Wood: Callaway Hawkeye (older with the screw in the head) Hybrid: Ping G5 Irons: Taylor Made LCG - (I'm buying new ones I lost my PW this year) Wedges: Mizuno MP 52, 56, 60 Putter: Ping G5 Piper

I'm planning to get new irons in the next month or two. Right now I'm looking at the Mizuno MP-67s and the Ping S58s. I'll be comparing them on the launch monitor after the holidays and purchasing one. I've been hitting old Taylor Made LCGs that are 1/2 inch too short for me for the last 7 years and need to change. I'm a 6-8 handicap right now but have been steadily dropping that each year. I hit my irons oddly far compared to most. My PW is usually 150-160 yards and my 7 iron is usually around 190-200 yards. I'm wondering three things. 1. Does anyone have any other recommendations? I've hit most of the clubs. I liked the Callaway X-20 tours as well but I seem to like these better. 2. Has anyone else done a combination set with irons and did you like it? I am considering going to something more forgiving 3-6. 3. Any other comments on the Mizuno or Ping irons would be helpful as well.

I really don't understand how people can say steroids are or were a good thing. People credit steroids with reviving baseball. What was saved about baseball? Was it going away? It gained popularity big deal. All that means is that a bunch of owners who were turning a blind eye to this and players who were involved in this made more money. Meanwhile the average fans paid a premium to see historic events that are tainted. How many good players that didn't use ended up stuck in the minors? How many players that did use have permanent health issues because of it? All short term gains for long term losses. Who's to say that baseball wouldn't have bounced back without Sosa or McGwire. Maybe one of today's young hitters would have been able to make a run at those records without having us question the legitimacy of it. Maybe it would have been a pitcher that revived the game after having a historic season. Plus if home runs are were the only way to save baseball then maybe they should moved the fences up, allowed different types of bats, lowered the mound, tightened the strike zone, or moved the mound back. Any of those methods would be much better than allowing steroids into the game. I hate the idea of defending steroids because they made baseball more popular. Steroids are illegal for a reason which is that they have tons of health related problems associated with them. This era leaves a permanent mark on baseball.

I really don't understand how people can say steroids are or were a good thing. People credit steroids with reviving baseball. What was saved about baseball? Was it going away? It gained popularity big deal. All that means is that a bunch of owners who were turning a blind eye to this and players who were involved in this made more money. Meanwhile the average fan paid a premium to see what they thought was one of the most historic events only to find out later that it was a lie. The players were cheating and putting their own health at risk. Who's to say that baseball wouldn't have bounced back without Sosa or McGwire. Maybe one of today's young hitters would have been able to make a run at those records without having us question the legitimacy of it. Plus if home runs are were the only way to save baseball then maybe they should move the fences up or allow different types of bats. I think both of those methods would be much better than allowing steroids into the game. I hate the idea of defending steroids because they made baseball more popular. It's a terrible example for young kids & adults. Steroids are illegal for a reason which is that they have tons of health related problems associated with them. I think everyone involved in baseball during that era is to blame.

[QUOTE=SuaSponteMn;88513]5 years ago, I would have said yes; today I'm not so sure. QUOTE] I agree that the drivers today are way more accurate. I'm more confident with my driver off the tee than I am with my 3 wood, hybrid, or 3 iron. It might not make a big difference in scoring but for I'm able to take hazards that are setup 230-260 out of play plus I think it makes a difference in league play. I've won a lot of league matches because I was out driving my opponent causing them to over-swing or take a risk they shouldn't have. I'm not sure my 3 wood or hybrid would've applied the same pressure. I'll add that I lost my PW towards the end of this golf season. I am getting new clubs this offseason so I just continued playing without replacing it. I was striking the ball the best I have all year and putting great but could not score. It made a huge difference. I went from shooting in the 70s about every other round to playing about 15 rounds before I shot a 77 to end the year. I think not having a driver would have a small impact on your scores but not having a PW kills.

1. The greatest hitter and greatest pitcher of the era (maybe all-time) have tainted records. Bonds & Clemens. I think that's sad for all of us who grew up admiring them. Both were 1st ballot hall of famers without this. 2. The league needs to pay extra attention to guys coming off injuries. It seems like that is when most players turned to HGH. 3. I bet a lot of guys got away with it and are relieved that their names didn't come out.