elementz

Some of you guys are ridiculous...I have never quit, or left, during a round...but if I wanted to leave at any point of my round for any reason...I will. Don't really see a big deal here. Does this "rule" only apply to a golf course? I went to a movie theatre once to catch a flick, paid for it, sat down...the film was terrible and didn't feel like spending the next hour doing something that I did not want to do...so I left. Went to a restaurant once for some breakfast, ironically before a round of golf. Walked in and sat down and noticed it was pretty steady that morning. Time was limited (but still plenty of time to order and eat breakfast)....didn't even need to look at a menu as I knew what I wanted..informed the server and ler her knew time was of the essence....45 minutes later, still no breakfast....got up, put on my coat and left. I'm sure there are dozens of more analogies....so why is this only looked down upon on the golf course?

I absolutely love this game and I suck....can't break 100 but I have a feeling this will be my breakthrough year if I can get out and play more...like they say, it's those certain shots that always keep you coming back.

I like it.... I think it's cool that he will be on a "webcam" and answering questions from the real fans...Majority of the sports media are real tools and ask ridiculous questions that aren't relevant.

I am a bit overweight so my goal is to walk the course as much as I can this year.....my only exception usually is how hot it is out...I am very fair skinned and on a real hot and sunny day, I probably would be burnt to a crisp halfway thru the front 9....although, I do have SPF70 sunscreen.....I just find the cart (with a roof) allows me some protection and a nice breeze as I cruise along. Even when I do take a cart with somebody, for the most part we will always try and drop the person off to their ball and drive to theres...and then just meet up...

^^This. Played my 1st round of the season last week with two buddies....our scores were 110,117,120 and we still managed to turn in a 4h 10m round which I think is reasonable. We aren't the greatest but we aren't the slowest either.

I don't mind being paired up with somebody as long as they aren't a douche...although, I am somewhat hesitant at times given the fact that I can't break 100....

First round yesterday....shot a 58-59 on a hot/windy day. Felt good to get out and swing the sticks so early this year compared to years past.

First round of the season under my belt. Was a very average/bad round for me. Shot a 58-59 for 117. My putting was terrible today with 44 putts. Not agressive at all and wasn't happy with my stroke...something to focus on. Driving the ball poorly compared to what I have been doing at the range...still managed to hit 5/14 fwys and all of my misses were still mostly playable. 3 penaltys didn't help either....was a great day though :)

The weather... Edit: Guess I didn't read the subject title.

Well, I think I narrowed down my 2012 golf goals. It seems I haven't really progressed over the last 3 years (read: break 100 consistently) but I am looking to attempt to practice just as much as I play. Not sure how often I will get out but I am hoping at least 20 times. 1. Consistently shoot in the 90's - Last July I bought an Iphone and checked out some golf apps. Downloaded Golfshot (lite) which is an awesome app for scorecard/stat tracking. Was only able to log 5 rounds so my stats are terrible and skewed. My scoring avg over those 5 rounds shows as 105 (111,108,102,100,109 - The 100 I shot 5 weeks later on the same course as the 111 - nice eh). Like most of us Sand Trappers....after each round, I think back on how many shots I lost out on whether they were penalty strokes, easy missed putt, top the ball, fat shots, etc..The last round I had for example was a 109 and I fired my first 4 tee shots into the woods. 2. Average 36 putts per round - My putting is hit or miss and is something that I have worked on quite a bit in my basement this past winter. I have a much better grip now with less wrist action and am looking forward to hitting some practice greens and trying some drills. I had no problem draining 20 footers last year to save a double bogey :) Small sample size again, but for my 5 rounds last year, my putts show as 39/round. Since this will be the first year of fully tracking stats, 36 seems like a nice round number... 3. Fairways hit at 35% - For my FH and GIR, I had no idea what to put for an achievable goal so I kind of pulled the numbers out of my rear and will see how I do. They aren't very high but I am trying to be realistic. If I find out halfway thru the season that I am smashing these particular goals then I will readjust...I should be able to hit at least 5 fairways per round....especially the way I have been cranking the driver at the range...hope it translates to the course. 4. Greens in Regulation at 20% - Again, wasn't sure which % to aim for but this seems about right for me. I am not very long off the tee and I can't hit my irons very well consistently so I have a hard time hitting GIR....but I think I can try and manage 3-4 per round. I would like to be able to start learning my distances with each club too.... 5. Reduce Penalties - I really believe this is what kills my score most days....always nailing balls into the woods or in to the drink...My goal is ultimately zero but will start keeping track to see how they affect my score at the end of the day 6. Reduce Fat/Thin shots - Would like to eliminate these all together...I am always good for a few bad ones every round so it will be nice to try and fully eliminate those types of shots...nothing worse than teeing off on a 500+ par 5 only to top the ball and have it roll 20 yards. Makes for a much longer hole ;) 7. Walk vs Ride - I like to walk more than ride as I am out of shape and this helps, but on those super hot and humid days, I would rather cart just for the shade and the small breeze I get...I don't do well in the sun at all. I usually have to slap on 70 SPF multiple times in the day. After each round, I will note on whether I walked or used a cart....will be interesting to see how each affects my score if at all over the season. 8. Finish top 4 on my "Guys Golf Trip" - Every June me and 7 other guys head to PEI for the weekend and play a couple of rounds. Awesome times but for the 3 years that I have been going, I never finished better than 7th. It's not competitive but there are some bragging rights. 2 of the 8 are pretty decent but the other 5 guys are right around where I am in skill level....A small personal goal of mine to have a good showing on what is always a great trip. 9 - Establish Handicap - No idea what my handicap is but I am sure it's in the 20-30 range. This will be the year that I finally figure it out and stick with it. That will help with a goal for 2013 to lower it whatever it may be at the end of this year. There you have it..those are my quantifiable goals for 2012.

Nothing going right for Tiger

I am still farily new to golf but why in the heck would a compass be illegal....I can't think of any reasons off the top of my head. Why does it matter if the hole is pointing towards the north, or east, etc? How does that help a golfer play his shot?

Loving this game..on the road right now so unable to join the country club. Started as an amateur and won 2 tourneys pretty easily....played the Masters and had a solid 1st round and shot a 70 (-2) and was T-3....2nd round....shot a 78..Yikers.....Guess I missed the cut. On the Nationwide tour now...looking forward to dominating :)

Your last line is a good point....although I am a high handicapper and have only started exploring the world of S&T;, my understanding is that each individual varies and even if you can only find one piece that works for you and betters your game, that's a benefit. I would advise to anyone taking on this method that if you can't get each principle down pat, go with what your comfortable with. I really like the design of working piece by piece.

Always root for Tiger when he is in the field....don't care for Phil...enjoy watching some other players such as Rory, DJ, Yang, etc...

So he is lying about his index and is really a 22-23 according to you? Okay....

Have only made it through a small portion of the book so far...finished reading at the end of chapter 2. I went to the range for the first time since last October hoping to try out some of the basic principles but at the same time, I didn't want to strain myself too much since it's been a few months so this resulted in only getting a medium sized bucket (~50 balls). I didn't perform the the 6 fundamental steps with 10 balls each but rather just focused on hitting a few different clubs and regaining my feel. I did keep my front foot's weight forward with each shot but never really focused on the other steps. My irons were decent, was hitting my 7-9 really well, still struggled with 5-6. Wedges were fine....I wasn't getting any draw on either club but they were going dead straight for the most part....however, when I had about 10 balls left in the bucket, I pulled out the driver which I usually hit with a massive slice...1st shot..slice....2nd shot, cranked it out to about 250 with a very slight fade (~ 5 yards maybe)...and proceeded to hit my final 10 shots almost identical. Ball was projected pretty high and was just launched off of my club. I really tried to focus on "tucking my butt" and it seemed like that gave me a good sense of power to hit the ball....I was floored and so was my buddy. Usually the driver is never even put into the bag when I hit the course but I was hitting it very well. That was last Saturday and since then I have been away so haven't had a chance to hit the range. Hoping to go back out this weekend and see if I can fully apply the 6 steps, 10 shot drill with a mid iron and see what I can do. Now I just wish the courses would hurry up and open. :)

Correct...I went back and read it and double counteed.....carry on

Don't think I have ever tried to stuff 17 clubs in my bag..

If the Flyers want to have a chance of getting out of the 1st round, they should let the Devils leapfrog them in the standings....if playoffs started today the Flyers would be playing the Pens and there is no way the Flyers will beat them in a 7 game series. If the Pens move into first...that would mean the Flyers would get into it with the Rangers...whom I think they would also lose against. Downside for Philly is that it's not looking like they will have any home ice advantage...

Shorty was wrong....you can post your score as a single as long as you adhere to the rules and do not consider it a practice round.

Well, only about half way reading through this and decided to order the book. Looking forward to reading through and applying some of the principles. I have lurked around TST for awhile now...I finally logged back in and noticed my last contribution to the boards was 3 years ago. Hoping to get out much more this year and looking to have a breakthrough year (still cant break 100 consistently). Once I begin reading the book and finish this mammoth thread, I will most likely be posting in here a lot :)

Don't do anything...not your problem....just don't play him for money

Looked real good last night.

Not even looking for a response on this but just need to vent. We have all been there when we take a day off from work to hit the course only to have a torrential downpour ruin your day. I can live with that, however, we have a boys/golf weekend coming up this weekend in PEI (about a 4 hour drive) and have 3 rounds scheduled at 3 different courses. Of course, looking at the weather its calling for 30-35 mm of rain all weekend which will probably be enough where the course would be unplayable. I have been looking forward to this trip for months since it will be a nice weekend getaway from work, homelife, etc. PEI has some outstanding courses compared to my area and we got a sweet package deal. Hopefully we can squeeze all 3 rounds in, heck, I would be happy with 2 of the 3 but if we only get to play 1 or none, then I will be extremely dissapointed. Cmon Mother Nature, work with me here. It's been beautiful all week, calling for rain all weekend, and when we leave to come back home on Monday, it is calling for nothing but sunshine all week.