vo-man

Not on the 4th but I am on the 5th. Got a couple VIIP packages to a local high-falootin golf resort.

Water!

I bought new gear this year after hitting my friend's Titlelist clubs. My old set was purchased back in 1986 so I was due for an upgrade! Even bought a new Nike cart bag and am very happy with it.

I used to go through bouts of leaving my driver at home and using my 3 wood off the tee. But not so much anymore.

Originally Posted by Motley01 I know first hand how fake clubs perform. They will break, they are made with poor workmanship, and materials. That's why they are so cheap to buy. I bought a fake 910 driver on ebay, didn't know it was fake, until the face cracked all over, after 3 rounds. Not defending counterfeit clubs in the least, but that can happen to the genuine article. I've seen it many times. Years ago when it was the newest, greatest driver, I demo'd a Yonex graphite-titanium-kryptonite-dynomite-or-whatever-the-heck-it-was driver from the pro shop at our club. On the 12th hole, which had recently completed a redesign including a 20 foot deep water hole right in front of the tee box (we'd watched them dig the hole one day...approx 30 feet wide x 20 feet across and at least 20 feet deep) I hit the Yonex driver off the tee and the head came off the shaft and proceeded to go straight into the water hole in front of the tee box. So, when I finished my round I returned the shaft to the pro shop and told the guy "next time the diver comes out to fish balls tell him the head to this driver is in the tee box water hole on number 12. By the way, I think I'll pass on buying it."

My old Ping Eye 2 set is 1-LW. For a long time the 1 & 2 iron and the lob wedge stayed at home. But eventually I found the 1 iron to be a valuable club for my game and I somehow hit it better than the 2 iron so I started bagging it for long, low fairway shots where I might have to get under a tree 40-50 yards out and still put some distance on the ball, or for an occasional 200 yard shot to the green. Even after I switched to a newer set of irons I sometimes still use the old Ping 1 iron. And usually, when I leave it at home, I end up wishing I'd brought it. Several players I've golfed with have never even seen a 1 iron...until they see my old Ping.

Today's forecast is for 107 with 65% humidity and an air pollution alert. Even the cows are sweating.

I have a favorite old club...a 24 degree Cleek...andcarried it in my bag for a long time until I got a similarly lofted hybrid. That old cleek is a Taylormade Metalwood from the 80's. Recently one of my golfing buddies gave me a 15 degree Cleek...same brand, same design, that he'd bought it at a garage sale for $3 dollars. So I put a new grip on the $3 dollar cleek and hit some balls with it. What a sweet hitting club. Kinda like the old TM Metalwood Fairway 3 but with the turf ridges on the bottom and not quite as big a clubhead. Since I don't carry a 2 iron, I am tempted to put it in my bag for a few rounds and maybe leave my 3 wood at home. Cleek...I just love that word! Almost as much as Mashie. Modern golf seems to have gotten away from some of the traditions that made it such a glorious game to begin with.

Beer

Not sure I can top that. But I did score a 10 on a par 5 this year. Water everywhere between the tee box and green.

It's TOO DANG HOT! What the heck is going on with the weather? I may have to wait until October before I an summon up the willpower to hit the course again. 7am driving range...here I come!

waiting for a co player to get off his damned cell phone and chip up to the green where everyone is waiting. First of all. NO ONE is that important. Second of all NO ONE is that important. There should be a 'no cell phones in use on the course' rule.

Had to be yesterday. 102 with 70% humidity. felt like a sauna outside. brutal.

I had two great shots yesterday. 1- the longest drive I've had in years...and it was in the fairway. Easy swing with a gap wedge to the green. 2- the gap wedge shot that followed that long drive. It's a beautiful thing when it's done right. the other 17 holes? I'm trying to forget those!

Based on your budget I'd recommend these, which I've played many times; Tennison (central dallas) Firewheel (N/E end of Dallas Co in Garland) Keaton park (Central Dallas) Stevens park (central Dallas) Bear Creek (at DFW airport, in case you're flying in) Mesquite Golf Course (on the east end of Dallas Co.) all are munies and nice courses.

Yesterday we teed off at 9am. Thinking we'd beat the heat, I had been looking forward to our Sunday round all week. But what started as a beautiful day here in N Tx quickly turned into a sweltering sweat-fest. My drive off the first tee was tremendous, fading around the dog leg right to about 80 yards from the green. My approach was flawless, and my rusty Vokey 52 put the ball about 8 feet from the pin. I two putted for par. It would be another 5 or 6 holes before I managed to repeat what I'd done on the first hole. The humidity hunkered in like an invisible fog. The air temperature quickly climbed into the 90's. Hole #3, the first par 5, chewed me up and spit me out. 15 yards left of the green on my 3rd shot put me in deep rough where I hacked my way up to the green and in for a double. I was already sweating so badly I had to dodge the steady stream of perspiration falling from the brim of my cap just to concentrate on my putts. By noon I was drenched to my knees. My goal was to two putt every green. And although I accomplished that goal and my drives were almost all good, my fairway shots and chip shots suffered from the toll that the almost exhaustible heat and humidity was taking on me. We came to the #1 handicap hole on the course, hole #13. This long par 5 has a river running almost the entire length of the fairway on the right, a large pond 150 yards from the tee box on the left, and another large pond, requiring a 175 carry, separating the fairway from the green, for the 3rd shot to the pin. My drive caught turf just before I made contact with the ball, something I never do, and went wild to the left and into the pond. Despite my constant intake of water, my muscles were fading from the heat. I dropped at the pond and hit up the fairway just past the 150 yard marker. Laying 3 now, I pulled out my #2 hybrid and went for the green, hitting the ball right on the sweet spot, sending it over the 2nd pond, landing on the near edge of the green, and managed to two putt for a respectable bogey. Next hole was a 115 yd par 3. The air was so thick with humidity you could see it, like a thin layer smoke from a distant fire. I pulled the 9 iron and put it 12 feet from the pin. Another two putt for par. The next couple of holes weren't so forgiving and my endurance was fading with each shot, resulting in another turf-first drive, bad chips, another ball in the water, and finally here came the beer cart. Hoping a cold one would take the edge off what was turning into a messed up back nine I tackled the last 3 holes with renewed mental fortitude and tried to overcome my exhaustion. When we hit #16, I really had nothing left and knew it. My muscles were now spent and the heat was taking it's toll on all of us. It wasn't pretty. But with two holes to go I rallied. Hole #17 gave me my longest drive in two years. 280 yards with an easy pitch to the green and another par. #18, a narrow par 5 with sand all over the approach to the green and water just shy of the sand to the right, requires precision like threading a needle. I usually have no trouble with #18. I landed my 3rd shot 5 or 6 yards shy of the green to the right, just past the bunker, but in deep rough. Then I totally botched my chip from the rough and squeezed the ball two feet closer to the green. If I didn't love that wedge so much I might have sent it spiraling into the pond. I should have parred the hole but ended up with a double. The double bogey. Ugh. I saw several of those Sunday despite my good drives and consistent putting. Water claimed a few balls and even though I was chipping like a pro on the practice green before the round, by the time I hit the back nine my chips were just downright sorry, but for a select few. I salvaged a 91 for the day and was darn happy to leave the course with that. Looking back I could have cut 5 strokes from my score if I'd only been able to maintain muscle control on the short approach shots. All in all...despite the heat and humidity it was still a great day on the course!

here's what Nike has to say about addressing the ball with an adjusted club head: "set the club head on the ground in your stance and it will be adjusted to the new setting...grip it as you normally would" The alignment aids are at the hosel; red arrow, white arrow, and hash mark on the shaft.

Ok...so let's say you've changed the setting of the club head to 2 degrees left to help reduce fade... then do you grip the club using a reference marker on the shaft (or the grip) to orient the shaft the same way with the new setting as you previously had played it in the neutral setting? The reason I'm asking these questions is because I purchased a Nike VR-Str8t Fit driver (10.5) a little over a month ago and, although I like it and am hitting straighter and a bit farther with it, (which could totally be all in my mind...new club-better results) when I tried different head settings it seemed like I could have accomplished the same by just rotating the club in my grip. Should I be referencing a marker on the shaft or grip to maintain the neutral shaft/flex positioning after changing the club head, if, indeed, the shaft rotational positioning has anything to do with shaft design/flex performance? The Nike manual says nothing about shaft referencing or orientation after adjusting the head. Or at least I can't find anything on that. I realize this should be simple science but the overload of information in the Nike settings chart boggles my brain and seems to be just a diagram of nice art work and settings-mumbo-jumbo to justify the adjustable head system and make it look scientifically advanced. I keep coming back to the simplicity of it and yet can't quite get my mind around the correct way to actually use the head adjustment system so that it's effective. So for now I keep it set at neutral which totally defeats the purpose of buying an adjustable club to begin with. Maybe I'm over thinking it. Where's my old persimmon driver!!!?? It's in the garage somewhere!!

Regarding the new Nike VR-Str8t Fit Driver; How is changing the club head setting any different from rotating the shaft within your grip? Seems like those two options accomplish exactly the same thing. In reverse application, couldn't you change the head setting and simply compensate for that change in your grip by rotating the shaft & club head back to a neutral position?

First of all, after spending the front nine with an annoying person I'd tell him to play on while I visit the grill for a while. Secondly, I would avoid playing future rounds with him and if he were to confront me on it I'd be right up front with it and tell him he's annoying and I don't care to share my round with him. That should put an end to it.

Most difficult course I've played is Tour 18 in DFW area. My brother in law used to work at the Pinehurst CC and I've been fortunate to play there a few times with him and it was a challenge. But Tour 18 is a beast for me. There is s and everywhere, and where there isn't sand there's water, and where there isn't sand or water there's a bridge or a tree. Evil... I tell you...it's evil doing ! :)

I'd rather listen to the birds and the wind. My job has me working on headphones almost 100% of the time so by the time the weekend arrives and I head for the course I'm ready for anything but music.

I'd vote for "overbooking and sending out five-somes" if that were on the list. I'm not going to pretend to be the golf fashion and etiquette police and pass judgement on anyone who doesn't dress or act the way I do or the way I would prefer them to. That just builds frustration and I sure don't need any more of that in my golf game. :) As far as 'biggest problems on the golf course today' the only problems I consider when I'm out there are within the realm of my own game against the course and how I can make it better.

I ricocheted my 3rd stroke off of a power line last year and the ball landed 2 feet from the pin resulting in a birdie on a par 5. couldn't do that again if I tried a million times.

Although I choose to wear slacks, and have a couple of pair that are of very light weight and breathable fabric, I'm okay with a nice pair of shorts on the course during summer heat. Collared shirts, yes.