Big_M

I wear visors because I just get too damned hot in a ball cap and I want something to protect my eyes from the sun. Also. I don't like sunglasses, so I wear my perscription eyeglasses. I think I look fine in one... plus I'm a big dude so people aren't going to give me any sh!t. If it is cooler out I wear a ball cap, and if it's cloudy sometimes I wear nothing (on my head). Once in a great while I will wear my straw hat, but only when walking and not windy as it will blow off and gets knocked off getting in and out of the cart.

Looks like Scottish weather in the pics. That's great that the weather worked out, it's always nice when that happens. I had a similar day trip planned over the summer and we golfed in the only non-raining (minus a few sprinkles) part of the day. We drove almost 2hrs so we really lucked out and had the course almost to ourselves. Anyway... thanks for posting the pics, and good luck with a return visit... maybe play all the Bandon courses.

The ends of the fingers on your left hand should LIGHTLY touch your palm, not dig, and not gap... if not, adjust accordingly.

I agree with these guys. When I lived in Toledo I played a links course just off Lake Erie... when the wind was up it was a bear. I remember a windy day... two back to back holes, one was the longest par 4 and the other a short 4... I hit driver wedge on the long one (drive was around 330), hit driver 5-iron on the short one (drive was under 200). That day we had steady 30mph with some crazy strong gusts (many people lost power from downed tree limbs, etc.). I would aim into deep heather 40 yds left of the green on a par3 and miss right... it was great. The course allowed you to play a lot of different shots which made it a fun windy course. Sometimes it can be frustraiting, but it will make you better in the end... just try to have fun with it.

yeah... if you're in that type pain you should be in the Dr's office, not asking us. I can go ahead and say, sure it'll be fine in two days take some aspirin... but reality is I have no idea.

3W v. Driver... as has been said you can't really say one is more forgiving than the other... Driver is MUCH more forgiving on off center hits. 3W is more forgiving of misdirection. I would venture to guess that most high handicaps struggle with finding the sweet spot... thus if they are playing a tight hole, they should probably just go buy a 13* driver and split the difference (best of both worlds).

I completely agree with this... if you don't practice in between lessons they will be a complete waste. Most likely the instructor WILL change your swing. When he does, you will need to beat balls to ingrain those changes otherwise you'll just end up going over the same stuff next lesson when the instructor see's you haven't made any progress. I know in MI I would hit up the heated outdoor ranges, they'd charge $7-10 for a large bucket... usually you'd have to hit off matts, but at least the outdoor heated ranges allow you to SEE ball flight, unlike a golf dome. Honestly I would spread the lessons out through an entire year if possible (10 is a lot) and that way much of the stuff we'd be going over would be implimented during the season when I can actually practice off of grass and simulate playing conditions, etc. yeah... I'm a big believer in seeing ball flight when I practice. I avoid golf domes and hitting nets like the plague... maybe OK once in a while, but not to go beat balls week in week out.

Wonder what Nick and Michael are voting?

Well, not sure if they are surlyn? Website says ionomer. I know I have played other ionomer balls that last longer. The zip grooves can dig a bit, but they aren't new wedges and they don't dig like Cally wedges or even new Vokeys (from everything I have read)... and I would say most golfers play one of those 3 wedges, so that's really not the issue. I have heard MANY a golfer say how much they love gamers minus the fact that they rip apart, and that was certainly my experience with them. I switched balls at the turn when I used them. I do agree that they play about like an NXT Tour, actually I liked them a bit better, which is saying something because the NXT Tour is one of the best all around balls I have played that is not $40 a dozen. Just a note... at first I was liking the D2 feel, felt great. However, it seemed short SOMETIMES. I would make excellent conact and be shorter than I thought. At first I thought it was winter since I am always a club or 2 short in the cold, but last time out I hit them side by side with some older balls I used to play, and the D2 is a short ball for me. Just thought I would mention this since others have said something similar.

no offense, but I completely disagree with durability... the old gamers scraped about as easy as anything I've played in the last 5 yrs... other than that they were great balls. They would one, maybe two hop and stop, and they would spin back a bit from 100, and most importantly still had some check around the green. Hoping this version is MUCH more durable.

yeah... I'm wondering why the prison term is in there... usually just penalties paid on taxes and you would think he could pay the penalties. Anywho... he seems like a good guy, hopefully he gets his house in order and all is well.

This was caused by balls spinning too much off the driver. Older balls spun a lot, and they didn't do as good of a job of minimizing said spin off a driver... so what was happening is the ball was spinning and the drag would cause the ball to balloon into the air. While it may look really cool and powerful, it will rob you of valuable yards off the tee. Today's balls and drivers do it less, and being properly fitted will also make a difference. Now people know the best launch angle / spin combination for maximum yards and it is increasingly easy to find equipment to deliver such. long story short... you don't want equipment that does this.

I'm going to have to agree that a 20-30 yd pitch is NOT going to spin back unless you are hitting into a severely sloped green (e.g. rolling back at you). Maybe from 50-60 yds where you can make an agressive enough swing. Anyway... I'll be waiting for some video as well.

well... while I like both balls in some respects, neither meets my full-time ball expectations. That being said, I will continue to use the D2 feel all winter until I run out of them. Only complaint about the D2 is it seems to give me less distance off the tee than some balls. The Gamer is awesome, but cuts too easy. If it had a more durable cover I would play it in a second. I agree with this... but I think the D2 is fine for slower swingers, it just compresses too much with high swing speeds (just guessing).

back to topic... the D2 Feels and Gamer's aren't hard balls by any means, and IMO both are better than noodles or nikes. Just my expereince, what topflites were you using out of curiosity?

I honestly don't see what you guys dislike so much. As far as looks go... it's not too bad. Looks fairly traditional and doesn't have a ton of graphics or anything. anyway... interesting post.

wish we could try proportional representation or something similar in the House that would make the smaller parties a little more meaningful. I have issues with both parties, but lean toward Republican as well... would love to see some "other" parties actually have seats.

18 tee shots gives your pal a headache. If one of my friends told me my driver was too loud for them I would probably hit a provisional on every tee just to screw with them. I have always thought sound works itself out if a driver is a good match... kind of like Pavlov's dog, see good shots, start to enjoy sound (salivate).

yeah, that and cold air is more dense... the whole molocules being paked tighter thing.

in a word... worthless.

yeah... I saw you missed... sounds like you still got something out of it, which is great. Welcome back and go kick some Pepsi tour ass. We'll be pulling for you throughout the year and next trip.

I absolutely love my winn grips... Xi7's are the best thing going in my opinion. I am curious what the new Winnlites feel like though. I understand Winn is not for everyone, but I would never go back to a tour velvet or cord grip.

very cool

1) by two wedges I am assuming you mean 2 + a PW. 2) I think the easiest way to choose loft is to figure out what you want your highest lofted wedge to be (for me it was 58*), then just split the difference between the LW and PW for the GW (again, for me it was 52* since my PW is 46*). You don't have to do it this way, but it is what worked for me. 3) Bounce is really a preference thing... I open up my wedges a fair bit so I went with the Clevelands with the DSG... they are both 10* bounce. I hit down more than sweep, so the somewhat high bounce works for me, and both play pretty well from a variety of lies and types of sand.

Is that what the guy on comission at Golf Galaxy told you. Again... anyone who actually believes there is ONE rule to suit EVERYONE, should give me thier phone number because I have all sorts of other BS I could sell them.