Garnet Haze

Scored an 81 yesterday (39 front 42 back). Got a birdie on a par 5 after my drive rolled through the rough to the edge of the water. There was about a 5 foot alligator on the edge 30 feet behind us. Made a quick look for my ball, took the drop, hit the shot on the green from 200 yards out and nailed the putt for birdie. On another par 5 that played 617 yards from the tees we played (yes, 617 yards), I scored par. We actually played 2 balls, one from our tees and another from the back tees (just for fun - it was the end of the day and no one else was behind us) which were playing 656 yards (yes, 656 yards). From the back tees, I hit driver, 4 iron outta the rough, 3 wood, chip and putt for par. From our tees, I hit driver, 4 iron, 7 iron, putt from off the green then tap-in for par. I love this game.

Yeah, OCN was a freakin' golf mecca. Great courses, great service, overall great golf experience. Without a doubt, OCN had the most attractive and friendly staff in the restaurant of any club I've ever been to. It was June, so it was a hot weekend, but they had guys drive around the course just to check on everyone and hand out more bottles of water. Champions Gate was great as well. They had a guy that offered those ice cold wet towels that was mentioned before. However, I was most impressed with Celebration. I don't know exactly why, but the whole golf experience there was just fantastic. Maybe it was the incredible homes that lined the course or just the overall scenery. Not a very long course, but it was definitely a "target course". It seemed like every green was surrounded by trouble. I've thought about getting the Disney Golf Pass before. I've played every course there. Some more than once. Disney (Celebration also), OCN and Champions Gate certainly know how to take care of there golfers. My buddy and I kept joking that we aren't going to be able to go back to the local course we have our Monday league at, which now seems like a cow pasture compared to these other courses.

Although it's only about an hour from my house, me and my golfing buddy recently went to Orange County National to stay for 2 nights (site of the 2007 PGA Q-School). We played 3 rounds there and also played Celebration Golf Club (near Disney) and Champions Gate. Five rounds of golf in 3 days.

Shot a 79 yesterday (7 over). Scored a 38 on the front, which ties my lowest 9 hole score, but I bogied the last two holes on the front (with a 3 putt on the ninth - ouch). My buddy tells me on the 18th that I need to birdie to break 80 (I hate it when he does that). I've only broke 80 twice before. Sliced my drive trying to cut more of the corner on a dogleg then I needed and ended up in the rough behind a tree, but only had about 120 yards out. Lifted a wedge up over the tree and onto the green about 20 feet from the hole. My buddy again reminds me that I need to make this putt to break 80 (again I hate it when he does this). Stood over the putt and nailed it. Gave him a look, said nothing, just confidently raised my fist in the air. He laughed and just shook his head. I love this game.

I think you have to practice as if you were playing on the course. If there is no consequence of missing a putt, it's not going to be a beneficial practice. Find a drill and create some kind of penalty if you miss. For example, as mentioned already, you have to start over if you miss, or you can't finish until you make a certain number of putts. This will add the pressure that you'll feel on the course. When I practice the 3 foot drill, I try to imagine that the putt is for something like a $10 skin with my buddies watching me. Then when I'm on the course, I try to imagine the ease of putting on the practice green with no one around. Putting, like the rest of golf, is mostly mental. Learning to deal with that pressure is key.

Thanks for all the words of advice. BTW, the first thing I did after I got home was to kick back with a glass of scotch and tried to forget about it. I've had bad rounds before obviously. It's just that this round will probably be my last round until after tax season. I'll be stuck in my office 'till April 15 thinking about all the bad shots I hit. I've definitely learned something. My weakness right now is my short game. A difficult course with undulating fast greens just reveals that weakness. Now I just need to find a way to get out of the office and work on that weakness over the next couple of months.

I had a terrible round yesterday which is still stuck in my head. My handicap is just below 14, but I shot a 97 yesterday. Now I haven't played in a couple weeks, but I have been practicing some during that time so it wasn't like I hadn't picked up a club in 2 weeks. Also, it was on a fairly difficult course that I've never played before. Just very frustrated with the round. Not even sure what to take from it. I was curious as to how everyone else deals with a bad round?

I'm playing tomorrow at a highly rated course not far from my house. I've never played there before and I'm pumped. It may be my last outing as I'm getting pretty busy at the office with tax season. The weather should be awesome. I'll probably have a hard time sleeping tonite.

My father-in-law kept suggesting I take lessons. He's an avid golfer and at the time I had little interest in the game. A few years ago I took his advice and took some lessons with a local pro. At the time, I was a miserable golfer. My scores were too high to keep track of and I was very frustrated. After the lessons I worked on the drills and slowly got better. Each year I took a few more lessons and set goals for myself. First break 100, then 90, then 80. Now I'm trying to lower my handicap to single digits. I enjoy the game so much more now and I usually beat my FIL . I wouldn't have been able to improve like this without lessons.

Been playing TW08 for the Wii since it came out last year. The Wii remote definately makes the game a little more involved. The graphics are not as good as the PS3 or the Xbox360, but that's the difference in the systems. Those systems are designed for more demanding gamers, and the Wii is designed for families (non-gamers). Probably why the Wii has dominated the other two in popularity. Just got Guitar Hero III for the Wii last night, mainly for my son . I really didn't have much interest in the game. Kinda seems like an updated version of the game Simon from back in the '80's, but I was curious. I ended up playing it for about 2 hours after my son went to bed. Very addictive.

I'm a CPA and a CFP, so I mark my Titleist with a dollar sign $ using a green Sharpie above the Titleist logo. Pretty freakin' clever, huh.

Anyone else watch this show. Thought last night's episode was great, but as always, it brought up more questions and confusion. This show is like a drug. Once you start, it's hard to quit. It messes with your mind and probably kills brain cells.

Unless we are playing for money or competing in some other way (bragging rights, etc.), I usually don't care what someone else records as their score. If someone is exaggerating their performance by taking mulligans, gimmes, etc., they will be exposed sooner or later.

I've never actually watched my swing through video analysis or anything, I probably should, but I would like to have Luke Donald's swing.

I live in Florida so I don't really have a winter season (don't mean to brag). But I'm a CPA and I do have tax season. This tax season I plan to focus mostly on practicing my short game. I go to the course near my office each weekday at lunchtime and practice for about a half hour each time. I'll practice putting one day and then chipping the next. For putting, I do the ladder drill, lag putting drill and a drill where I place three balls around a hole at about 3' to 4' and practice the short "gimme" type putts. On the chipping days, I practice at different spots to work on my stroke. Then I'll toss several balls out in different distance and different lies and try those shots. Each evening at home, I'll work with a weighted club. I may go to the range on the weekends if time permits. But even then I'll probably spend most of my time on the chipping green and putting green. Well, that's my plan anyway.

I got my driver, irons and putter from Ebay. I was able to go to a demo day at a local driving range and try out the new stuff. Once I made my decision, I went the the stores in my area, looked it up at the online retailers, and then Ebay. Ebay was about half the cost. As mentioned before, you've got to be careful in selecting the seller. Look into their rating and the reviews from previous buyers. I've been very pleased with my experience at Ebay.

I'm looking to add a few more courses to my 2008 list of courses in my area that I want to play this year. I live just east of Tampa and I'm looking for public courses that are about an hour's drive. I started my list with the courses suggested in the "Orlando Golf trip" thread by cemeb4dk. So far I have the following on my list: Palisades Orange County National Champions Gate Southern Dunes Falcon Fire Considering: Mangrove Bay TPC Tampa Bay Innisbrook Black Bear Reserve Already played: World Woods (Pine Barrens and Rolling Oaks) All Disney Courses Diamond Back Any other suggestions or reviews would be much appreciated.

Klaymon: I've been able to play all the courses at Disney. All the courses are very well maintained and the service is as you would expect from Disney. LBV is the oldest course of the 5 (not including the par 3 walking course). It is usually the least expensive and also the easiest to get a tee time. I think it is kinda cool that LBV winds around the resorts and the waterways. Both of which come into play with errant shots. Palm and Magnolia are very nice and are located near the Polynesian at the Magic Kingdom. Both are best known as the courses for the PGA tournament each year. Eagle Pines and Osprey Ridge are the newest courses and are located way out in the undeveloped areas of Disney. These are the neatest courses in my opinion. One is a Tom Fazio and the other is a Pete Dye. Any of these courses are a good escape from the theme parks when you need a break from the rides.

How often do you regrip your clubs? Do you use the same grip for all clubs when regripping (except putter)? Which grips do you prefer? I have had the same clubs for about a year, and I think they need to be regripped.

I have Verizon FiOS and don't get the Golf/VS HD channel yet. My neighbor has DirectTV and has that channel. From what he says and showed me on the guide, the golf coverage is mostly just the tournaments (not Big Break, Lessons with the Pros, Golf Central, etc.). And alot of the tournament broadcast is not in HD (camera shots from the field). I have to say I am disappointed overall with the lack of HD broadcasts. Sure there are over a hundred HD channels available, but most of the broadcasts are not filmed in HD.

Does anyone have any good chipping drills? Currently, when I practice at the chipping green, I just practice from different distances with different shots. The only real practice drill I try is a ladder drill when I will try to hit each chip within the last shot.

Golf is by far the most challenging sport I've ever played. I think we've all had times where we just wanted to give up. I agree that some time with an instructor would help. Also, taking time off from golf helps sometimes as well.

Thanks for all the advice. I've only been a member of this forum for a short time, and I am surprised at all the help to a somewhat standard question for all golfers.

I've been playing golf for only a few years. I've had several lessons. I've upgraded my clubs. I've read books on the mental game (Zen Golf & Zen Putting). I practice my short game about 3 times a week, and I play at least once a week. I started last year with a goal of breaking 90, which I did early on. Then I thought if I could only consistently shoot in the 80's, I would be content...and I've also been able to do that. I've broken 80 a couple of times and have significantly lower my handicap from the beginning of last year. Now that I've had a small taste of success - I want more. My goal is to be a single digit handicap this year. In order to do this, should I upgrade my clubs again? I don't think I'm good enough to play blades. Should I look into getting a GPS device to help with more precise distances? Any advice would be very much appreciated as I have become somewhat obsessed with improving my game (as most of us are).

Cool...I live in Bloomingdale and play there all the time. One of my favorite layouts for a golf course. Greens have been a little beat up lately, however. I was at the level you are at now just a few years ago. The best advice I ever got was to take lessons with a pro. I've had several lessons with Priscilla Nelson over at Summerfield Crossings. She's helped my game alot. Also, playing at Bloomingdale will help to improve your game. If you can play well there, you can play almost anywhere.