sopel10

I've seen some good advice given here, here are a couple from me: 1. Stop trying to hit that flop shot. Learn the easiest way to chip. 2. Record the right score, no mulligans. Good luck to everyone, if you get serious about it, you will get there very soon!

My $100 investment into getting the clicgear has saved me a lot of money over the past few years. Probably 250 rounds played, walked maybe 150 of them, so 150 X $15 (on average) = $2,250. That's a good piece of coin, at least for me. I don't even see how carrying vs pushing could be an argument. Both are 10 times better than riding. Besides that, it's all about preference. I would never consider carrying, bc of my back issues (I am 29 years old, tall, always had lower back issues). I mostly see a lot of people that played since very early age carrying, since you are pretty much forced to carry in high school (from what I've heard/seen).

I always mess up when mid-swing, a fly or another bug decides to sit somewhere on my body and I either see it or feel it. Besides that, sudden noise when hitting the ball is probably the only other thing.

+1 I can see 3 scenarios. 1. You have a horrible, horrible short game. 2. You can't putt, at all. 3. More realistic probably, you hit that driver on every hole, and get yourself in bad situations, OB, hazards etc. Maybe hit an iron/hybrid off of some of the tees, have 8/9 iron into the green.

Hilarious.

Walk any chance I get. Walked 36 holes on Tuesday for the first time, that was a bit rough. ;)

With no wind, at this elevation, all carry, 19 hybrid, which carries 205-210 on a good hit. Might actually do a 3 wood, since carry is about 230-235 on good strike, grip down on it. BUT there is no way I could consistently hit that green at this length, at my level. Full 3 wood could actually carry all the trouble everywhere out there. Call me crazy, but I might try to aim for that water in the middle between the fairway and the green. If I pull it, over the green in the bunker (hopefully), if I fade/slice, on the fairway. If I hit it perfectly straight, it should be on the little strip of land. Tough hole.

Congrats on this great achievement! My first 80's was an 84, followed by and 82. Took me another 100 rounds or so, to consistently hit 80's. I hope it doesn't take you as long. Either way, it's about the journey. :)

I think a GPS app or something like that is very beneficial to everyone out there. Quick, gives you general yardage, no need to look for sprinklers. Laser, only if you take your game seriously and practice. What good is it knowing the exact yardage to the flag, when you can actually hit that yardage only 1 out of 10 times, or less?

As most said it before, staying out of trouble is the best way to get into 80's. When I'm on par 5, and I'm forced to layup, I don't think what the most comfortable distance is for my third shot, I think, what is the safest layup shot to a somewhat comfortable 3rd. If I have water on the left of the fairway, 130 yard from the green, I will layup to the right of the water, but not past 130 yards. What if I pull/hook by layup? I will run my percentages of risk/reward and decide what the easier course of action is. And yes, I don't remember last time I tried a real hero shot. Well, for me a hero shot was a 3 wood from the rough (ball sitting up), on a relatively easy par 5, with a branch 8 feet in the air about 4 feet in front of me. That was my hero shot last time I played. Risk/reward was worth it. 3 wood starts low so very very low chance of hitting that branch. Now, being in the woods and try to advance the ball forward with every single tree in the way....not smart. Try to eliminate shots like that, play the percentages.

I recently joined a 3 some. One of them was playing for the 3rd time in his life. Big guy, strong. I played tips, so he was teeing off about 20 yards ahead of me. On a good hit (which was 1 out of 10), he would end up few yards behind me. So he hit it about 240 or so (mostly carry, wet conditions). So this happens, just not too often, and not consistently enough to be called an average. BUT, if you have a group ahead of you about 240 out, this guy should not go ahead and hit, b/c 1 out of 10, he will get it there.

I agree that there should be some skill level before you start using a laser. On the other hand, laser does help with learning your yardages. I use it all the time, together with a golfshot on my phone. I usually have my number before anybody else even located a sprinkler head. Also, I have never ever found any differences between laser finders. If me and another guy have a laser, we are usually within 1 yard. 7 yards sounds fishy...maybe you are trying to make your point here, but lets not exaggerate. Now I played whistling straits few weeks ago, and enjoyed using the pin sheet and yardages on the golf course. I tested them out on the first few holes, and calculating yardages with the pin sheet was as accurate as using the laser. I agree with what others are saying, it's the users and not the equipment that slows down the play.

At my level, something that flies the hazards and gets me the closest to the whole usually works out the best. I could lay up very very short and have an iron into the green, but my GIR percentage is not the greatest. I would hit the driver, hope for the best, worst case scenario, flying the hazards and dealing with the rough/bunkers (which could have also happened if I layed up). Nice course. :)

Hard cases are good to protect the clubs. But don't be surprised if the bag gets very banged up and you might end up needing another one very soon. My case has 2 out of 4 locks completely busted, and it seems that the airlines started to be more careful with it - they don't want to deal with the mess probably. Have fun on your trip!

Got a 9 on a par 5 on Sunday after hitting it OB. Ended up with an 87. 3 putted 5 times that morning. That's what really caused me to shoot a higher number, not the one bad hole. This is how I deal with a bad hole. I tell myself: "This was bad, but how about you par the next 2-3 holes, and you will be ok." I try not to look backwards, since there is nothing I can do to change what just happened. I look at the rest of the round and see opportunities. Good luck. :)

This guy is obviously messing with everyone. Never thought about creating an account just to mess with other guys here? It gets pretty funny sometimes. ;) They quicker you ignore him, the better.

If the green is flat, and somewhat receptive - I'll hit half swing/pitch shot with a gap wedge. If the green is flat but hard, I'll hit half swing/pitch shot with a 55. I wish I had that low/spinner shot, but I've always been a high ball flier.

1. Slow players not letting fast players play through, when they are behind or nobody in front. (just happened yesterday, single behind a 2 some, finally after putting balls in the water on par 3 they let me play through...) 2. Packing up next to the 18th green. I am in the fairway, waiting to hit, and you take extra 2 minutes to clean up your cart. Horrible.

I've enjoyed some. Most of the time, i'll stay away from them unless they are like a top attraction, at which point i'll play it once just to see what the fuss is about. Most of the time, it's too much. I like simplistic designs and he is far from it.

Congrats on breaking 90. Be prepared though that it might take a while to bring you average score down. Just continue doing all the work and don't get discouraged. Once I broke a 90 two years ago (with an 82), it took me another 100 rounds or so to become consistent enough to hit 80's most of the time.

Doesn't this actually relate more to your short game as opposed to the number of putts? Can't expect to get up and down if you are not getting yourself to within a few feet.

I've been on this road for the past year or so. I will list the factors starting at the tee: 1. Play the right tees. For me, that means I have options, I can hit a hybrid or a wood on many holes. If you are using the driver 14 times, you should probably move up. (Alternatively, if ego won't allow it, take lessons and unlock the distance) 2. Dependable tee shot. By that I mean something that goes about the same distance almost every time. By that I mean if your normal shot is 220, you shouldn't have tops that go 50 yards, or sky balls that go 140. Also, no two way miss. 3. You can live with a penalty shot, but try to make them water hazards....out of bounds being penalty and distance will destroy you. 4. My approaches tend to short irons. 6 iron at worst. Missing left or right is bad, but what is more important is having a consistent length. If you miss-hit, flag in the back, that means you are right on the front. 5. Again with approaches, it would be best to have a one way miss. 6. Short game: no duffs and no blades. Ever. 7. Putting: pretty obvious, limit 3 putts. This is what has worked for me. There are many ways to play this game, though.

Good disclaimer about not trying the "Hero" shots. But.... I disagree with this approach, I don't think a 18 handicap will gain much by learning how to hit punch shots etc. If you want to be in low 80's, how many times can you really afford to be in a situation like that? Once maybe twice a round? Especially when the rest of your game is not exceptional? If you hit it in the trees, punch back to the fairway, still 160 out, chance he is going to miss that green. 4th back on the green, and lets hope for a two putt. That's a double bogey, miracle bogey sometimes. I agree that it's good to practice recovery shots, but in this case, I just don't see this saving him 5-6 strokes a round.

Always found the hybrid easier to hit. Also, can't really hit a wood off of a bad lie. My setup in the sig.

I'm pretty much the same way. Walking up to your ball in a straight line, without thinking about when and how you are going to get there on the cart really gives you a lot more time to think about your next shot. It also gives you time to reflect on what you could have don't differently if you are not in a perfect spot. Walked a course for the first time since the fall yesterday, and my legs are killing me! I guess 5-6 months of sitting on my ass wasn't all that good. ;)