mrdb

71 yesterday. Was even par coming into 17 a missed 5 footer for birdie. Hit a good drive down 18 and nearly topped a 7 iron. Couldn't save par and finished 1 over.

Oh, and I shot a poor 75. Way too many bogies and lost ball from nowhere.

Big bowl of porridge. Light stretches, mainly glutes and hammies. Get 30 balls. 1/2 wedges to an 80m target -about 10 Pw, 7, 5, 2iron or 3w - working the ball a little with each, concentrating on rhythm. 3-4 drivers or I just stop if I see one dead flush. 5 mins of lag putts. A few 5 footers, a few 3 footers. First tee.

This girl does have some game. She has also won on the ladies euro tour at 14 playing against Laura Davies and other top women. I think she was the youngest ever winner on the euro LPGA. It was played at oatlands gc in nsw, which is a tricky (certainly not brutal) par 70 layout. either way she is wiping the floor with pros around the world and doing it relatively unassumingly. We may be seeing the female tiger in the making.

Last 2 rounds. Shot a 70 on Saturday. Was coming down the last one under (I haven't broken par for ages despite some great form), hit a decent drive which dribbled into the rough by about a foot. Had 160 into the wind, accounting for a bit of adrenaline decided to cut an 8 iron. Really badly just wanted to hit the green and two putt for 69! Put a great swing on it, caught a flier and it sailed straight over the pin, flying about 190 yards! Pretty much dead from there. Ended up sinking a 20 footer for a good bogey. A very poor 77 on Sunday. Hit 14 greens (as opposed to 11 the day before when i shot 70) but had 3 doubles and 2 three putts (apart from the doubles). Couldn't make the birdie putts or the up and downs. Put the putter behind a short putt on 11 and the ball moved which sent me to 7 over and couldn't muster a fight back.

A not so good 75 (+5). Went out in two over with 2 silly bogies. Double bogied 11 and 12 (poor luck as much as anything). Rallied hard coming home with some nice ball striking, made 2 birdies, one bogie, missed a bunch of 10-15 ft birdie chances.

Shot 71 today (and the last two comp rounds previously). Two doubles, 3 bogies, an eagle and 4 birdies to finish 1 over. Three putted the last - frustrating.

I'd never heard of this term. I thought you were referring to people warming there balls so they go further (something I've heard of people doing in very cold climates) or it was a porn reference. I play in Australia and I gather things are very different to the U.S. If you are a member of a golf course, public or private, we play most of our serious golf in a competition format. That is the only way you can get a legitimate handicap here. You play by the rules of golf and/or any local rules in place on the day. If someone was caught preferring their lies (and it wasn't a local rule for the day) they'd likely get reported and have to face the match committee, where special conditions might be placed on their playing rights or possible suspension for a determined period of time. So if your ball lands on a root or a rock, you either play it or take a penalty drop. If your ball moves when you address it, you are expected to call the penalty etc. The rub of the green is a part of golf and while it sucks sometimes, if your drive catches the cart path and bounds on another 150 yards you can run around telling people you bombed one 400!

I recently went through some good form and then became obsessed with breaking par every round. Started getting cranky with myself, dug a deeper hole by making bad decisions, lost confidence in my ability - form slump. Played a club comp today with three guys whose combined age was over 220 years. Great guys, just happy to be still playing golf and enjoying each others company. Really gave me some perspective and I enjoyed it immensely. Shot 71 without even thinking about it. My advice is to take the pressure off, listen to the birds, stop and smell the flowers - just do it all at brisk walking pace. ;)

Great story! Sounds like you've got the bug alright. Also nice to see someone who practices and gets an understanding of the game rather than just heading out to the course and hacking it around constantly. Good luck with your goal of breaking a 100. I'm sure it won't end there.

Thought I'd chip in. Some great routines on here. My standard one, generally twice a week, with some isolation training one or two days in between. 60 push ups 25 squats - 60 kgs (132lbs) 25 deadlifts - 60kgs 25 floorwipers - 20kg KB (44lbs) 20 seated side trunk twists legs raised L+R 20kg KB 30 KB swings 20kgs 15 one armed swings 20kgs L+R 15 KB windmills L+R 20kgs 20 KB figure 8's 20kgs 10 KB presses L+R 20kgs 15 KB one arm rows L+R 20kgs 15 one arm side laterals 6kg (13lbs) 15 KB snatches L+R 20kgs 15 KB skull crushers (I've heard them called this) basically a tricep excercise, like shooting a basketball from a lying position with KB, obviously not letting go of it. Tend to get it done in about 25 minutes. Need to do more stretching, hate it but my hips get very tight after hitting a lot of balls.

I'd take good balls personally, especially if it's a sandy/bare lie. I think that would give you great feedback in terms of striking and the good balls will give you a true idea of the flight. I've often thought I'd like to practice on a beach the way Seve used to. The confidence that would give in terms of ball striking has to be of benefit, plus if you ever got into a sand filled divot or fairway bunker you'd be totally prepared.

I have never hit anyone but have been hit myself. I remember being at the club house after a good round having a few drinks and the guys are talking about people having being hit. "I've never been hit in 20 years of golf" I said and as soon as I did I remember thinking I shouldn't tempt fate. The next day i was playing with 20 marker in competition who, out of a thick grass managed to hit a ball about 85 degrees left, must have nearly gone through his legs, and clocked me fair on the point of my ankle. Funnily, the same guy nearly killed me a couple of month later, with a flushed three wood that wizzed past my ear, still on the way up. Again at a pretty unimaginable angle to where he was aiming, especially considering how well he got it. I try to avoid him on the time sheets, nice guy though he is. At my home course we recently had a visitor smash a ball into a tree and it bounced back and hit him in the chest, bringing on a heart attack. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance. Not sure how it turned out.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm in Sydney and the golf is pretty amazing. We're lucky in Australia as golf is quite accessible compared to other parts of the world. I grew up playing a course in Orange about 3 hours west of Sydney that is a beautifully conditioned park lands course with bent grass greens and couch fairways, par 70. I think as a junior we payed $30 a year for membership and got unlimited free social golf. In fact Orange has population of 50 000 and has 3 18 hole golf courses - nearly 1 golf hole for every 1000 residents. I play at one of the Grade 1 champ courses in Sydney and play some rep golf with them so have been lucky enough to play most of the best golf courses around the area off the pegs and in tournament condition. These include Royal Sydney, The Lakes, NSW GC, Concord, Avondale, Oatlands, St Michaels, Bonnie Doon, The Australian, Elanora. The weather is amazing and we play golf year round. My home course, Moore Park is a (public) par 70 grade 1 course smack in the middle of the city. It's pretty amazing that we have that kind of land available for golf in an area where a 2 bedroom apartment costs upwards of $700 000. So yeah, Australia is a pretty good place for a golfer to live. If you're ever in Sydney let me know and I'll have you out for round!

I'd take titliest or mizuno for their products, but I'd probably take the best offer as I imagine most pros do. I am sure I could get by with tour van fitted sets, unlimited balls, new wedges every 3 months and free clothes in any brand if it really came to the crunch.