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.

Hello, I thought I'd better post here as recommended. New to the forum, long time lurker. Looks like a great place to chat to like minded folks. I am a low marker from Sydney, Australia - looking forward to joining in the conversation. Nick

Thanks for the welcome, I've been lurking a while and decided I'd join. It's hard to do at first, but there is real satisfaction when you start flushing them! I got a bunch of other benefits too - improved tempo, less aggressive transition and it prevents the reverse C finish. Just try to make sure you don't flip the hands. Good luck!

It's worth noting it could be a hundred other things - but I thought ^ might resonate.

Hey, I had a similar problem where my right shoulder would stop and I'd save everything with my hands, effectively not getting through the ball with my right side and hanging back and flipping as a consequence. I'd hit well most of the time because I practised so much but occasionally come out and hit too shots - low duck hooks or massive block slice. My coach got me to hit hundreds of balls with my right arm and shoulder only (still a full swing with only one arm) trying to not release with the hand but release with the right side of the body instead - you can't flip from this position and make good contact. I am much more consistent now. But I can't see your swing and am not really qualified other than that I have played forever and had the same problem. Hope it works out for you.

It would be interesting to try the Gamer. I don't think we get them in Oz. The only TF balls are rocks.

Hi Lugonza, This might not be much help but the reason I almost religiously use Pro v1 and x is because I feel they play so much better in the wind. To me, it is the major difference in the tour balls. I am sure there will be those that disagree but I have tried Penta, Callaway Hex, Srixon etc. They all spin around the green and feel good off the putter, but I trust the tittie in the wind more than any of them. BTW, I play on the east coast of Australia and 35 mph winds are pretty much standard.

Hi all, New to this forum and hoping you can help. I know there is a lot of these questions flying about and I have read a heap but haven't found anyone with exactly my situation. I recently popped my old 905R head which led me to experiment with other drivers shafts. I loved this set up and had it rebuilt in case I went back but as I've got stronger I find it spins too much. Old set-up was 905R 9.5, Diamana BB 83X, 45 in. Stock ball flight was a high draw, miss a slight push (ie doesn't draw). Very consistent and accurate. Experimental set up is Adams 9015D, prolaunch platinum X, 46in. I swing it at around 110-115mph, mid-fast tempo 'hitter', aggressive transition, feel that I tend to load the shaft early, relatively late release. Spin with 905R and BB is around 3800-4000. Spin with 9015D and PL plat around 3000-3600. The reason I ask for your thoughts - I have gained around 15-20 yards with 9015D and hit it pretty straight. Sometimes the shaft feels like it has 'let go' through impact if you know what I mean, just kind of wusses out on me. Sometimes this feeling results in an absolute bomb, and sometimes a flight that looks like a high bomb, but then just tails right. This is not a flight I very often hit on good swings. I know conventional wisdom says I should hook a shaft that is too weak, but I often hit a slice with very weak shafts I try (I hit them left too). I rarely miss this left. Should I look for something with a stiffer tip, or even a touch heavier? Is this a stability/torque issue? I think the PL is quite a light shaft can anyone confirm? I have a whiteboard 83X in my 3 wood and a tipped 1inch (or so) PX 6.5 90g in my hybrid and like both. My thoughts initially are to look at WB 73X but man are these expensive - any other suggestions as to what shaft profile/characteristics I should be looking at? Are all my assumptions incorrect? Sorry for the long first post but I thought the background info was necessary. Nick