Anand

87 -- first time at Old Ford Manor which was one of the courses for Regional Qualifying for this year's Open Championship. Greens were great -- much faster than my home course. Still managed 32 putts, but was very poor from tee to green today.

Scorecard would be very kind. The other side has an angel of some variety, holding a torch aloft. I'll be glad to mail it tomorrow - PM your address. It's 12:25am here and I need to be on the first tee in less than 7 hours. G'nite!

What do I get if I mail this to you from the UK (This ain't from Google, etc., BTW. I just pulled it from my world coins box and scanned it.)

I was in the zone for most of my round on Saturday. I was 1 over for 15 holes, but also had a two doubles and a triple.

Over 15 years ago I was playing with my father and his best friend. My Dad had been playing for 25 years and was the man who taught me all about this beautiful game. Par 3, 172 yards on the Old Course of the Royal Hong Kong Golf Club. My dad's 6-iron took off like an excocet, right at the flag. Three hops, roll and dropped for an ace. Big bear hugs all around. His first and only hole-in-one before he died way too young. Pure magic - I remember it like yesterday.

I'm pretty consistant off the tee - whether it's driver or irons. Excellent with my 19-degree hybrid - I never miss with that. My short game is improving all the time, but still the weakest part of my game and that's where it counts!

I guess it depends on whom I'm playing with. When I'm on my own, I have started to play from the tips recently (7150) because on my home course I want the hardest challenge possible -- longer irons into the Par 3s and Par 4s. Our Par 5s are long (530+) so that usually negates the opportunity to reach them in two (for me). But it allows me to practice my wedges regularly. If I'm playing with my buddies for a couple ££, it's usually from the whites. When no money is involved, I'll play from the back, even if my friends want to play from white. //Anand

All depends on the situation. During casual rounds with friends tee-to green between shots we take the opportunity to catch up, shhot the s**t, etc. As soon as a club is pulled from the bag, I stop talking and walking (unless I'm 30+ yards away, in which case I may continue walking a little bit, and stop when my partner is into thier pre-shot. For me a pre-shot routine is just as important as the shot itself. I need to concentrate fully from the moment I've chosen my club. So I certainly stop talking at this point, and appreciate others doing the same. When we appraoch the green to chip, putt, etc. It's almost always all business until we've all holed out. Of course, good shots are always acknowleged. //Anand

9-over 45 for a quick 9 before work this morning. Bleah. Was 9-over for 18 on Saturday. What a crazy game ...

I hit many good shots yesterday. Perhaps the best was with the Cleveland HiBore 2i hybrid. I had pushed my tee shot into the first cut. Wind from the left and pin at the very top tier of a 3 tier green. From 208 I aimed at the left edge and flushed it ... the wind gently brought it back to the flag and it 'dropped and stopped' to 6 feet below the hole. Missed the birdie putt, though!

While I've only read selected chapters so far, I've learned a great deal from this book. I have gained tremendous confidence and feel using his pitch shot technique. Not just distance control with the clock, 3x4, etc. but simply the fundementals. I've followed his tuition on setup, ball placement, rotation, backswing, throughswing, the 'world-class finish', etc., etc and can honestly say, my pitching is immesureably better. Of course I've spent hours practicing and developing the stroke, but it has all stemmed from Pelz's book. Sure, it's written by a scientist and is very technical and dull in parts -- but it's worked well for me. //Anand

I shot 9-over, 81 from our pro tees (SSS - 75, 7028 yds.). 2 doubles and a triple, so 2 over for the other 15 holes. I was very pleased with that -- kind of a 'breakthrough' round for me. I've been working hard on all aspects of my game, especially pitching & chipping. I made par or better on 5 holes when missing the green in reg. So some great up and downs. Let's hope it continues !!!

Of course it all depends on the variables, lie, obstructions, etc. However, I am learning Pelz's 3x4 system .. if you're familiar with that, you'll know what I'm talking about - great for anyting inside 120. For chips from the fringe and slightly beyond, 5-7 iron, depending on how much green there is between ball and hole.

I played 9 holes at 6:15 am. Beautiful conditions - crisp, clear morning with a variable breeze. Shot 4 over for 9. 4 pars, 1 double, 3 bogeys, 1 birdie. Could have been one better I feel, with 2 3-putts. I'm starting to believe in my dream of getting to 9 or better before the season is over ...

I received mint quality Pro V1xs from these guys. They were the cleanest balls I've ever bought on ebay. They were graded AAA+ and they were VERY clean. A few with logos but barely a scratch. http://myworld.ebay.co.uk/lostgolfballsretail A couple months ago I bought 72 for $90 + shipping. Have not checked if they ship outside the US (I live in the UK, but had them shipped to a family member who then brought them accross the pond).

I decided a year ago to try the ProV1 based on the usual marketing hype, media ads, etc. I had stopped playing golf for a couple of years, so I had nothing to compare it to. I bought 5 dozen mint condition balls off eBay and having played maybe 35 rounds, I still have a dozen left. Recently I experimented with the V1x and for me, they are worlds apart. The V1 is much more suited to my game and swing speed of about 95-100 mph. The V1x was too hard for me. I love the V1 and my game is improving every week - so I'm not changing my ball. Gonna keep that part of my game consistant, while I continue to work on everything else You can get Mint/Pearl V1s on eBay for around $1.30 / ball. Total bargain in my opinion. //Anand

I went out on Saturday afternoon as there was not a lot else going on at home. I shot 3 over for 11 holes before it got too dark to continue. Doubled the first and bogeyed the third when tee shots found water. 9 pars for the remaining 9. Was kind of a dream round for me, considering I'm shooting to 14. I have been practicing with wedges and I was up and down on 4 holes - something I would never have achieved a month ago. THANK YOU, DAVE PELZ!

I spend a lot of time on the range and, increasingly, more and more time with my wedges, grooving my 'finess swing' and working on distance control from 100 in. My technique, consistency, feel and confidence has improved and I'm really starting to groove a good pitching stroke - with all 4 wedges. However -- until now all my wedge practice has been off the mats. Today I went to the local pitch and putt when it was deserted. I hit 10 balls each from 100, 75, 45 around a loop of 3 holes. I did that twice. The difference off the grass was remarkable. A night and day change from the range mats. I hit some fat, some thin and some very well. And I got instant feedback with each shot - big divots, small ones, ones that pointed at the target, others that didn't ... and so on. I fluffed a couple as well. The point I'm making is that off the mats, I must hit 80% of them 'perfect'; off the real stuff, maybe 40-50%. What a difference and an eye-opener showing how much practice I really need. Never off the mats again with wedges! Unfortunately my range doesn't have grass bays, so the long game doesn't get the same privilege. //Anand

I think my handicap on the range must be about 1.1 and on the course about 13 more strokes - I'm at the range 2-4 times a week and am often told I have a great swing, etc. I will always hit mid irons and driver to ensure the tempo is good. However, I now spend a lot more time practicing my pitching using Pelz's 3x4 system. Always working on distance control. The main drawback is it's off the mats, which is OK, but obviously not ideal. The range near my home (7 minutes away) does not have a practice putting green nor a short-game area, so I only get to putt and chip before a round, which is once a week. I know I need to spend more time around the green, which will happen as the days get longer and I can get to the course (20 minutes away) either before or after work on weekdays. If I could only translate my practice range game to the course ... (sigh ... )

In winds of over 25 mph I shot 85 at the Shire London (SSS 73). Of course 6 3-putts meant it could have been better, but I'm pleased with hitting 8/12 fairways and 12/18 greens in reg.

Well it's been the Srixon AD-403, 10.5, stiff for 2+ years. But now that we're in 2008 and it's no longer conforming, I've an excuse to get to the club fitters and pick up a new driver I really like the Cleveland Hi-Bore hybrid, so I'm going to start my testing with the XL-Tour and take it from there.

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