giantbear

I got tagged last year from real close range just below the elbow on the inside of my left arm. I was 20 yds in front and 20 yds to the back of a guy teeing off on a par three with his driver. As a walker, i wil lsometimes walk up the backside of a player, after all, how do you get hit when you are to the back of a players swing. Well, i'll tell you. Although a short hitter with a slow swing speed, in this instance my friend turned on the ball from overswinging, made great contact and hooked a pull all the way left which curved right into me. Dropped me like a stone. Luckily for me it was a scramble, so i grabbed his cart, drove to the kitchen and got a bag of ice and made it back to take my trurn putting. Played out the round icing between shots and then was out for a several days until the swelling went down. Getting hit at close range is not fun. Almost as little fun as getting run over by a golf cart, but that's a whole nother story.

This one covers my driver. Otto the Syracuse mascot

I'm all for an occasional practical joke during a fun round, but if there is money on the table or its part of a tourny, or if the joke might cause me to hurt myself, such as touching me during my swing or throwing something at me, or might damage my clubs, well, you better prepare yourself for an ass kicking as my response. Many years ago someone pulled the club between my leg while swinging routine on me and i jared my back badly as a result, was out of commission from life for 3 weeks. I have also seen people's bags fall off the cart, on grass, and had major damage to the clubs. Remember, if you are going to pull a joke, you better be prepared for the consequences, such as a club up your ass.

6 More weeks of tax season before i can even think of getting to the range.

Glad to hear you and the wife are ok, things can be replaced, people can't. Now, if your clubs are ok, can we bust up mine and throw em in the trunk??? I would love to pick up some new x-20's ;)

You sure this was about golf??

I warm up before each round if possible, maybe 20 balls. After my Saturday round i will usually hit the range for about 45 minute to work on something, usually iron play or wedge play on the pitching range. During the week, if time allows, i get in another 45 minute session at the range before playing in the afternoon. I try and always hit the driver a few times each session just cause its fun to boom em sometimes.

I watch the right side of the ball with my left eye until i see the green underneath.

These are the best i have heard as well, the first is a big problem for me. Another tidbit i picked up from watching Tiger is something he does when reading his line, cupping his hands around his eyes to shield the sun. Helps me to read the greens.

I hate the obviouse advice 'avoid the water' 'don't hit it short' 'keep your head down'. They drive me crazy.

Interesting considering the average score has been 100 for many many years. http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/05/24/news/golf25.php

I would guess that, for most amatuers, the pros are right. But remember, if you have a 15 or better index, you are better than most amatuers and like any general advice, it may not be applicable to you. I know a lot of the players i play with who are over a 15 tend to consider how far a perfectly hit shot will go for each club instead of how far it usually goes. If they hit an 8 150 on a perfectly hit shot but usually hit it 140, they grab the 8 instead of the 7. I try and play the swing i brought. Sometimes i am hitting it well and other times, i am off in my power and 10 yds short, so on those days, i grab some extra club.

I just bought a new driver in August, I wanted to increase the head size as i thought i was losing too much yardage to equipment. My first criteria was feel. I always felt the large headed drivers felt too big when i swung them, so i was looking for a big head with a small head feel. I hit em all before buying. My second criteria was consistency of play. I took them out on the range for several days to see how consistently i hit them. I have a habit of hitting a new club really well and then setteling in with it. I narrowed it down on the range and then took the two finalists out on the course, see how they felt in game situations. To me, a club that is the longest but doesn't feel right to me is not going to allow me to take advantage of the clubs length. I may not have wound up with the 'longest club' out there, but it is the right club for me.

I hate gimiky holes. You know the type of hole, where the only reason its tough is crazy aspect to the hole. A course in Fl, par 5 where the only way from the 15 marker to the green is over a grove of tall trees, a hole on LI, par 5 with too many angles to the landing areas, par 4 where the right side of the green is blocked out by a tree from the middle of the fairway.

I love me my 60* lob wedge. Many a time it has saved a round. If i miss the green, more likely than not i am hitting my lob wedge next

You are the one who said this " to suggest anything else is plain stupid!" and I'm patronising??? I would be willing to bet, for a high handicapper, lets say over 24, that its an iron, not a wood. The lower the handicap, the more consistant you are with the bigger sticks, the higher your average will be with them. Now as a 16, its my driver, but when i was a 24, it was probably my 6 iron, hit it consistantly and about 155. I coul dhit my driver back then 200, but no way i averaged 200 when you figure in the slice, pop ups and toppings. So, is this where you call me stupid again sunshine???

If you think its an easy question to answer, you are not understanding the question. It is asking which club has the highest AVERAGE. Not potential. So if you hit your driver ob, that is a zero figuring into your average since it nets zero yards. Duff your driver 50 yards on a hole, that figures into the average too. The reason higher handicappers will have an iron as their longest average club is due to the lower duffed shots figuring into the average. Yes, most will have the potential to hit their driver longest, but if you average out length per shot, is it still your driver??

I have a client who used to be a regular on the long drive tour. He would out hit 99% of the drives during a competition. Only problem was, he could never keep it in play. I am like you, my short game handicap is much lower than my overall handicap. If I can get within a lob wedge in regulation, I have a decent chance at an up and down. Of course, I have gotten pretty good at a low 6 iron draw punch shot out of the trees too. Having said that, i still want those 10-15 yds back. I'm not giving up yardage for accuracy, I'm just not hitting it as long. If I'm going to be in the rough, i would rather be 15 yds closer. My loss of yards is all about physical shape. mine needs to be less round.

Great trick, never thought of using it that way. It confirms my worst fears however. I am driving it an average of 230-240, which is not bad until you consider that, two seasons ago, i was averaging 10-15 yards longer off the tee. I guess i have found my incentive to get back in shape and reclaim my lost yards. Its funny, last season was the season of inconsitency. I had a period where i could boom it with a lovely draw off the tee, but couldn't hit a mid iron to save my life, another period i was hitting my irons with deadly accuracy, but couldn't get off the tee to save my life. Luckily all summer my wedges were my best friend. Guess which combination produced better scores.

I always thought it was opposite, V1 = HX tour 56- higher spin ball; V1X = HX Tour, lower spin ball, more distance.

Interesting read. Any idea if the USGA still allows the local rule of stroke-only option?? I would be curious to read the USGA's reasoning for changing the rule back in 1964.

Hit a hard low punch shot under some trees. The ball hit a low hanging branch maybe 10 yards in front of me and came flying back at my head. I dropped to the ground as it grazed my hair, laughing hysterically.

This might work, except of course for the many courses i have played with which contain out of bounds markings within the confines of the course itself. As for the rules leaving you "no choice but to" the rules can allow you to do whatever the rules give you the option of doing. As for a point of reference, much like a lateral hazard, the point of reference to be used is the point the ball crossed the ob line. I'm sorry, but your rational for why the rule is as it is seems more like opinion than fact. Your argument seems to be predicated on the fact that the ob line demarks the confines of the course. But it does not always do so.

glad to give food for thought. I can usually help with swing problems since i have experienced most issues at one time or another

I shank occasionally, but its always cause my body is so far ahead of the swing that the the club winds up way open