golfnut_rlv

Take it from a guy who has had lots of injuries. Stretch well. Also, you might try the natural joint supplement Glucosamin/Chondroitin. Great stuff for golfers if you stick with it. As for the shoulder, if its not painful, or restricitng you are probably fine. Otherwise, get it checked out just in case. Rotator cuff is a popular injury with golfers, and it can be painful and limiting.

Fairway's and Greens. Keep it on play, go for it only when I am without doubt. Enjoy.

I have beent to Oahu and Kauai, and I can tell you you have made the right island choice. Kauai is a great island to go to. Not as good as Maui for golf, but still decent. Here is a link about Kauai golf courses. I don't have any experience with the one you mentioned, but these are the highlights on this site. Some are pricey, but hopefully this will help out. http://www.summitpacificinc.com/kauai-golf.html Have fun over there. Don't drink too many Mai-Tai's

Hey, If you're up for it more power to you. Let me tell you a little something a friend and fellow golf professional told me a few years ago. "If you are going to try the playing life, you have to be a superior ball striker. More than that, you have to be the absolute best putter that anyone has ever seen." Your friends have to think of you when they think of putting. Then, when you arrive on tour, you are average. They are that good. Tiger plays to an estimated handicap of +10 or so. That means that he is 10 better than scratch. So, good luck to you if this is your calling. Spend the majority of the time on your short game and putting.

There are a couple ways to look at distance. From an equipment perspective, and from a physical perspective. Equipment: There are 3 main Variables that affect distance when it comes to equipment. Clubhead Speed Angle of Attack Centeredness of Contact Clubhead speed is obvious. Angle of attack has to do with launch angle and and backspin. Too steep, and you hit the ball high, with lots of spin. Too shallow, and you hit the ball low, with roll, but no carry. There needs to be a balance between the two. This would tie directly to swing mechanics. Third, face it, on the sweetspot, more ball go far. As for the physical, there can be many answers, but here are 5 big ones: Strength Flexibility Leverage Swing Technique Muscular coordination Of these 5 flexibility and leverage are the big ones. The cardinal sin with golf and fitness is to gain strength, and lose flexibility. You want to gain strength, but not without losing flexibility. A lot of golfers need to gain flexibility to increase distance. Flexibility exercises are vital to distance, and good technique. Moves such as seated trunk rotations, light dumbell side bends, back exercises, etc. I cannot possibly list all the possible exercises, but they are a great way to go in finding more distance. Here is a simple one that has helped me a lot. For this exercise you will need: Broom handle, driver, or other straight rigid object; a bench seat, or at least a flat, solid location. where your feet can be flat on the ground. Hold the broom handle etc across your chest just below your collarbone. Cross your arms and hold onto the handle. Put you feet flat on the ground, and keep your lower body steady. Rotate your trunk both ways as far as you can, to the point of resistance. Hold it for 10 seconds, then turn back to center. Wait a few seconds, and turn the same way, see if you can turn farther. Do this exercise twice a day, with at least 5 reps each direction. Hopefully, you should gain a little more turn in 2-4 weeks of consistent use. You can also search the internet for exercise description, look at fitness, or personal trainign books, etc. Hope this helps you!

Try the cobra M speed series. They have light, low kickpoint shafts, good lofts, and they are very forgiving. Check out http://www.cobragolf.com

As for the bridgestone B330 series, the original B330 is the lower spin model. The B330 S has softer feel, and more spin overall. Both are great golf balls, and don't get the hype or the credit that they deserve. I could switch to the B330 in a second, but the Pro v1x just fits me better than anythig else I have tried.

The basic question is do you spin the ball enough? If you don't, then go with the regular pro v1. If you spin the ball a lot, ie phil mickelson, then go with the lower spin Pro v1x. One thing though, be careful with the trajectory on your driver. The pro v1 could spin too much, leading to a baloon effect on your drives, and the x could have too little spin, ie too low of a trajectory. Basically, there is no perfect solution. You have to pick the one that will enhance your scoring the most, and live with the parts of that ball that do not work as good for you.

Very true. Another student/teacher story for you. I have a student, who will be the first to admit that he is not patient when it comes to golf swign changes. I did a couple of lessons with him, and I decides that for him to improve, his swing plane needed to be more upright. I did not tell him this, so as not to get his mind spinning, but i instead told him that next session we would put his swing on video, and compare it to a swing that I thought was where he needed to be. To make matters worse, I told him that the change that was upcoming in his swing was "big" and that it was a "Secret". Well, this made him so mad (We are pretty good friends, thus I can get away with this). When I finally put his swing on video, and then he saw what I was going to have him learn, his light bulb clicked on. It was like an epiphany. so... the point of this tale is that you are correct, video is a tool to assist the student and the teacher, not a fix-me-up-like-that-tiger-guy-so-i-can-make-gobs-of-money-and-marry-a-swedish-model! Alright, off my soapbox now.

An overused golf expression will apply to this post. "Its not how, its how many". Which is why as a player, a professional, and a teacher I HAVE TO teach based on scoring. Sure that includes some technical information, but hopefully, as little as absolutely necessary. As for the video portion of teaching, video is not a a solution to either bad teaching, or struggling players. Video is a tool to be used in the correct situation to aid the player and the teacher. For example, I have a student, a lady, who I worked with for 18 months before I even considered using video. I only used video when it was the inly option to explain the motions that I wanted her to learn and repeat. Many teachers use video and model, "cookie cutter" swing techniques too much, and don't rely on convential swing analysis, and do not realize that every golf swings has its own idiosyncracies, charms, and differences.

Hey another question for you Bandon veterans. How hard are the courses to either walk and carry, or walk and use a pull cart? Still trying to justify whether to use the caddie or not. Thanks

They are both good shafts, but I tend to think that if you find a shaft you like, that likes you, stick with it. I have found a driver shaft ***FINALLY*** that fits my game. I will probably order it in all my drivers for a while, unless my swing specs change.

For me putting fast greens is all about learnign the speed. Practicing before a round is essential for me. Then I can trust my instincts, and I putt much better. As for the break issue, it is very personal. I tend to putt for lag on long putts, and bang the ball in under about 6 feet. Spend time on fast greens, that is the best way to learn.

There are many motivations to form a private club. The private club I work at was originally founded to be a social and golf center in Spokane in 1898. In that day, golf was a rich man's game. Much different than today. Today, beyond the usual country club rational, the main reason that people join our club is for course access and quality. Our club has a small membership by design. You can come to the Spokane Countr Club at 2:00 on a summer saturda afternoon, and play 18 holes in 3 hours if you don't fool around. You will find very few rounds at our club over 4 hours in fact. As opposed to many of the courses in this area which are nice, but packed almost all the time. Just food for thought.

One thing that I have always found helpful was to visit shaft manufacturer's web sites and look up the shaft specs. Usually you can google the company and find it in short order. One important thing to look at as well, generally, the heavier the graphite shaft, the stiffer it is. Look into shaft weight as well. Example, the Aldila NV series mentioned in a earlier post is available in 55, 65, 75, and 85 gram versions I believe. Some specific suggestions: Graffaloy Pro Launch Red Fujikura speeder series Fujikura Tour Platform 26.3 or 27.3 Aldila VS Proto This is not a complete solution, but hopefully it can get you started.

I will keep this thread updated. I will post some pictures when I get back as well. Thanks to all of you for your suggestion! Much appreciated.

What did the caddie end up costing you? My rep at Bandon said $55 per round plus tip. Thanks,

I agree that it is tough to pick a solution without a visual, but try this drill. My theory is that your hips and shoulders are out of sync, for example, one moving too soon/late etc, Feet Together Drill: Take a short iron, and address the ball with your feet very close, as in touching each other. Take some 3/4 swings either hitting balls, or not. This drill forces your hips and shoulders to work together, in sync. If one goes out of sync, you will have a very hard time keeping your balance. Hope this helps!

Ultimately, the club that you can hit the best the most often is what you should go with. Being that you have height issues, I would maybe look at lightweight graphite shafts with low kickpoints. A kickpoint is where the shaft does most of its bending durign the swing, essentially. The lower the kickpoint, the higher it can help you hit the ball. As for lie angle, height, swing, and arm length all have something to do with it. Mostly, though, it is swing. Lie angle can change over time is your swing changes, but if you were fit to a specific lie angle, I would trust it. As a fitter myself, I have noticed the varied lie angles you can get with players. I always check my lie angles a couple times per year. If they are off by lot, i have the clubs bent. But, for the most part, they are pretty consistent. As for the iron head, the MP-57 is in my bag, and I love them. You have to balance look, feel, and performance. Ping's are a great choice as well. Another brand to try is cobra. They have some irons that look great, but play really easy. Don't hesitate to try lots of clubs, and get fit for them before you buy. Hope this helps!

Spokane Country Club, site of the fist US Women's Open! Spokane Country Club Homepage

It's all in my signature!

One of the big differences between fairway woods, and hybrids is shaft length. Hybrids are designed to be more like irons, than woods. Of course, you could order the hybrid extra long, but that can be problematic. It really depends on your game. Which is going to be better for you in the long run? If you want a club to hit par 5's in two, go with the 3 wood. If you need more control on long shots, tee shots on short holes, etc go with the hybrid. Good Luck!

Hey, thanks everyone for the tips. Looking forward to the trip like crazy.

Mizuno has a great new iron just out in spetember. MP-57. Forged, really forgiving, with a great look. Check it out: http://www.mizunousa.com These are in my bag, and they are the best irons I have ever had! Good Luck!

Try the Mizuno Breath Thermo mocks, and Widlite sweater. Two of the warmest gear items I have. If its really cold, try this. Underarmour mock, breath thermo mock, or other long sleeve item, sweater. For your legs, wear rain pants over your slacks. It will cut the wind, and keep a little heat in. Fleece hat is a must. You lose tons of heat through your head, and the baseball cap just does not cut it. Good Luck from frosty, soon to be snowy Spokane, WA