SwinginCaveman

I play Nike One Platinums. They get good spin, albeit not as good as the V1, but still above average. Feel is excellent. I love the new Power Transfer layer they put in it. What I like most is that it's one of the more durable premium balls out there. Takes wedge shots well and I find myself replacing them about every 6 holes or so. Retail is $43, but look on ebay. You can find some great deals there. I just got 4 dozen brand new 2008 Platinum Ones in the mail for $117 shipped. For those of you who do not enjoy math, that's less than $30/box. Saved $55. If Nike isn't your cup of tea, I've heard really good things about the B330. They get overlooked but they can hang in there with the best of em.

Hands add another 2.5". They are quite large.

Which would/do you play? Deeply discounted meaning they are now under $200.

My knuckle to floor measurement is 33"

Yeah I see what you're saying but there's a pretty big difference between adding 1/2" and 1". I have no idea what I should do.

My instructor told me that my clubs were too short. He measured the distance from my knuckles to the ground then measured my 5 iron and said I needed about an inch more length. I'm 6'2 and a lot of that is my legs, so I stand higher above the ball at address than most people my height. I was not fitted when I bought these. I actually got them from globalgolf. I was just getting back into the sport after a 3 year hiatus and never really polished my game so never ponied up the money to get fitted and buy a brand new set. Now that I'm getting serious about it I have to look into it. The $120 does seem steep. He said about $15/club after the removal of the grips and the installation of the new ones. You figure there's 8 irons in my bag...yeah, bummer.

So, after playing golf for 2 years I finally swallowed my pride and took a lesson. One of the main things I learned is that my irons are an inch too short. I can get them lengthened, which isn't a problem, but now I'm starting to weigh out all my options. 1. I can keep the clubs and pay $120 to lengthen a set of irons that I bought used and aren't in tip top shape to begin with. 2. the hybrid sets look enticing. 3. Try to find a barely used, mint condition set somewhere from a reputable dealer. (The problem with this is that I still need to get rid of my old irons which has proven to be tough) Not sure what to do here, looking for a little guidance from the guys who have been here before. -Thanks. EDIT: One of my main concerns is that I don't want to dump hundreds of dollars either way. Doesn't have to be 2008 clubs.

I have a really good idea of how far I hit each of my clubs. 6 iron is 170-180 and it's +/- 10 yards from there. I can hit it nice and far but the accuracy is spotty. Sometimes I'll stick it to 15 feet from 160 out, other times I won't even be able to find the ball. If I can get exact yardages it would make life a lot easier. For instance, my 60* is a 100 yard club, but 110 yards is a perfect GW. So knowing yardages will help out a lot with course management. I'm taking the suggestion of the guy a few posts up and going through the 2 courses that I frequent and figuring out yardages through Google Maps. I'll end up typing some notes up in Word in a booklet form to make life much easier on the course.

Yeah I think I jumped the gun a bit. I cleared my schedule all day today because Tiger doens't make as many tournament appearances as other players so when he's on I really like to catch him. Just watching some of the shots he makes baffles me. Something no other player would dare to do. The way he gets out of trouble is just something you can't teach. I mean, at the WGC Accenture Match Play, he hit a ball onto a huge hill in the desert, almost out of bounds, and while straddling a rock, hits it 170 and gets up and down. His opponent, who kept it in the fairway the entire hole managed the same score. What that must do to your confidence. Anyways, I guess I was just bummed about not seeing him play today as I made absolutely sure that I was kicked up in front of my tv with a few beers and a pizza.

So, obviously, Tiger picks and chooses which tournaments he plays. When he does play, the TV ratings skyrocket. When he doesn't play, they aren't so good. So tell me, why is it that at the Arnold Palmer Invitational they started the television coverage AFTER he finished his round? It seems completely foolish to me that they don't even show any coverage of their moneymaker. The people who turn it on to watch Tiger are going to lose interest immediately and turn it off. Vijay Singh, historically good at Bay Hill, has fallen off and hasn't really competed all season, so that basically leaves it up to Phil to provide all the excitement. Who else thinks this is a terrible idea?

So over the course of the winter I have decided to re-dedicate myself to golf. Due to the consistent snow we get, I don't really have the opportunity to hit a lot of balls. Therefore, I have become a student of the game. Learned a lot of the mental aspects that go along with it. Course management has been a big part of that. Now, after 3 or 4 months of solid Golf Channel, I have learned pretty well how to manage a golf course. Here's my issue: Not all of the courses around here have yardage guides. Every hazard and distance is a guess. I have no idea how long it is to fairway bunkers, the front and back of greens, pin position (which is a big part of the tee shot), etc. I usually end up guessing then decide if I'm going to gamble or play it safe. For example: If I assume a fairway bunker is 245-250 yards out, I'd play a 3 wood to be safe. If it turns out that the bunker is only 220, which is a fair mistake, I would have been able to hit a driver and carry the bunker. Pin position also plays a big part in what side of the fairway I try to keep it on. It all makes course management pretty difficult. How do you guys in the same boat combat this issue?

I always make a full swing, it's just a delayed release, like you said. I was a baseball player for a long time and always used to holding my wrists through impact and gripping fairly tightly. It's just a transition that I'm going to have to make. Well, I guess it's on to the range! Oh....wait....there's 2 feet of snow on the ground.

Your best bet here is the driving range. It will allow you to practice all types of shots. When I hit a draw or a fade, I simply change my stance and clubhead position. I'm a lefty, so a fade for me goes from right to left. To do this, I set up with a slightly open stance and open my clubface just a bit. You want to set you feet where you want the ball to start. Opening the clubface will impart sidespin on the ball and move it to the left. A draw is the opposite. Close your stance a bit, and close your clubface. I will start off pushing it to the left, but the closed clubface will impart a left to right spin on it, moving it in that direction. Spinning a ball is pretty easy with a wedge, a little more difficult as the clubs get longer. Wedges tend to have deep grooves that really grab the ball. The key to spinning a ball around to greens is to accelerate through the ball. If you think you're going to fly the green, take one less club. At first it will feel like you're hitting the ball a bit too hard, but you have to remember that the ball is going to bite usually on the 2nd bounce and spin backwards. You cannot be afraid of hitting it too long in this case; you will end up thinning it or chunking it and be in a worse place than you originally were. The range is a great place to practice these things. It's going to take time, you just have to be patient. Start off with a little baby draw/fade and slowly work your way up. You're not going to boomerang it your first try.

The conditions on that day were pretty good. A little overcast, but no strong winds. As for fitness, it's vitally important on tour. Both mental fitness and physical fitness. You figure the average golf course is 7,000 yards on a direct line through the hole from the tee box to the center of the green. These tour players are walking AT LEAST 4 miles/day. They are doing that 2-4 times/week. A guy like Tiger who doesn't miss many cuts usually walks 16 miles minimum in a 4 day span. He is then given 3 days off and has to go do it all over again. Match play can be even more brutal as the semis in the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship consisted of 36 hole days. Do that for 33 weeks straight and let me know how you feel. That's the physical fitness. Mental comes from planning and pressure. Planning on the plane trip to the course, planning in your practice rounds, planning at night in your bed, planning each and every shot during the tournament. It wears on you, especially if you have a bad round. Pressure is self explanatory. I'm going to end this post with a quote from Tiger Woods. He was asked what happens when baby Sam cries at home. He said: "Well I go into her room, pick her up, take her into the exercise room, get on the leg press and 600 reps later she's fast asleep." He didn't laugh.

One of the problems I know I have is that I grip the club too tightly. I'm always afraid I'm gonna let go of it and send it 20 yards down the fairway. I guess I just have to trust myself to hold onto the club; one of those many things that are easier said than done. As for my grip, it shouldn't be the problem. To practice, I put a tee in between the thumb and index finger on both hands and grip the club. The tees should be in a vertical line. If they're diagonal then there's something wrong with my grip. I've found this to be a good benchmark on my grip and it's worked pretty well. I know that during the swing I focus on releasing the club which is probably a cause of it too. That's always the last thought in my head before impact and that's when I get the low liner off to the right. So really, I should just loosen the grip and loosen up in general and just let it flow, right? It makes sense. The more you're thinking about the greater chances of a mishit. Anyone else have any suggestions?

So the Golf Channel has a skins match on right now from about 97-98. It was Arnold Palmer and Tiger vs Charles Howell and Tom Lehman. Tiger looked pretty young so it's definitely older, just not sure what year. Either way, they were playing a 210 yard Par 3 and no one hit anything shorter than a 4 iron. At the PODS Championship this past weekend, people were hitting 4 and 5 irons (certainly not 3s) onto the green and I'm sure Tiger could do it with a 6 with a good rip. It's obvious people are hitting the ball much further than before, but I never really took notice. So is it the equipment and technology getting better or are the people playing just improving, much like other sports? Could be a combination of both, as well.

This seems to be a common problem and I suffer from it as well. I make a good swing up until impact. I tend to keep the top of my left hand facing the ground (left handed) which produces a push to the left. When I try to compensate, I end up releasing too early and pull a low-liner to the right. Anyone have a good drill or tip on how to release my wrists at impact? I read that you should feel like you're slapping the ball with your left hand, but I haven't had a chance to try that yet. Thanks in advance!

One thing I've noticed among less experienced players is that they assume you take a divot way before you hit the ball, which is why I see a lot of people chunk it and hit it 30 yards with a 6 iron. I believe you are supposed to make contact with the ball first and take your divot about half a ball past your lie, definitely not a ball before it, though. A good tip I read for people who have trouble taking divots is instead of looking at the ball, look about 6 inches past it, and make your swing. It will force you to bottom out your swing later and will help you take a good divot.

I'm a big fan of the Nike One Platinums. They give me a better feel than any of the other balls out there. I've played Pro V1s and they spun just a bit too much for my liking. The Nike's seem to spin just right for my playing style. I also like their durability. I can usually get a sleeve to last an entire round assuming I don't punish them with wedges. Haven't gotten a chance to play the Callaway tour ball offerings yet, though. I have 5 more boxes of Platinums to go through before I try something else.

Taylor Made R7 460 - $120 Cheap maxfli 5 wood - $50 Nike CPR 3 hybrid - $80 Nike CCi irons - $325 Cleveland 588 wedge - $80 Taylor Made CGB Daytona 1 putter - $35 Total: $690 Not bad considering I put together an entire bag. Only two of those clubs were bought new, though. Used FTW!

As a lot of other people have said, it's a consistency thing. Inside 100 yards, I might stick it to 5 feet on one shot, but put it in a greenside bunker the next. It's one of those "When it's on, it's on" kinda clubs.

I played an R7 460 for most of the year last year. Bought it used, though, so a new one may be on order this spring.

I own a sealcoating and linestriping company. Basically, I cover parking lots in black stuff and re-paint the yellow lines. Very strange occupation, but it pays the bills. Only part that kinda stinks is that the busiest time of year is in the summer, right in the middle of golf season. Still manage to get out once a week though.