ragontona

Here's all I know about 17. It's 3:14 pm EST, and 30 balls have found water today. I've been watching on and off, and some very well struck balls didn't even sniff the green because of a last second wind gust that was impossible for the player to predict. Also, the one shot I've seen hit within three feet of the hole was a lucky bounce off the wall that popped straight up and worked its way down to the hole. It's all been luck today with this hole.

Even though they're down 0-2, watch the Golden St./Utah game this Friday night. The Warriors are playing a fun brand of basketball to watch, and the Oakland crowd will definitely get you pumped up.

Shot a 96 at Cannon Ridge today. Pretty horrible score, but it was more of an "exploratory" round than an actual scoring round. Put my new Ignite irons into play for the first time, plus I'm still figuring out a post-physical therapy swing that's easier on my back. I also figured something else out today... the past two times out I've shot around the 100 mark (last year I was in the mid-80's to low-90's). I think I know why. Over the winter, after 36 years of wearing glasses, I decided to get contact lenses. And although I'm able to walk around and see things fine, apparently my depth perception has changed ever-so-slightly. With glasses (I have a strong Rx), things tended to distort slightly, making objects seem slightly further away than they really were. I've swung a golf club all my life with this perception. Now I have contacts, and my perception's changed -- I need to gradually adjust to this as well. So it looks like 2007 is a "relearning golf" year for me.

"I've always thought that that hole is too gimmicky for the 17th hole of a championship. As far as the 8th hole, I think that would be a fantastic 8th hole, but not as the 71st hole of a tournament or 17th hole of your round." I tend to agree with him. I've always thought 17 at Sawgrass to be contrived and overrated. Others vehemently disagree. Your thoughts?

Top Players = Ratings = More sponsors = More money for everyone

Railroad ties do not a major championship course make.

Caught a great BIN deal on eBay... $289 + $25 for priority shipping. They retail for $399 usually.

Nike SV Wedges - 54 and 58 degree

Taylor Made r7 460 9.5 degree - configured to a draw bias

And I like 'em a lot. Enough for me to go on eBay and pick up a set, anyway. I'm coming off of back injury rehab, and my trusty Titleist 704 CBs (DG S300's) were getting harder and harder to hit for me. Last time out, I lost my 8-iron somewhere on the course, so I used that as an excuse to go shopping for a new set. Price was a key consideration for me (money's been tight lately), but I also needed something to help me get the ball up and be a little more forgiving when my swing was shaky. The forged 704 CB's, though plenty forgiving, definitely did my back no favors when I didn't make good contact. The Ignite irons aren't really being marketed much by Nike, aside from Rory putting them in play. But the price point is really low (relatively speaking) and they're pretty easy on the eyes at address for a super game improvement club. The topline's not terribly thick, and the offset is only really glaring in the 3-hybrid. They feel pretty solid at impact, and it's hard to hit 'em anything but straight. Not really a bad thing for me these days, but for those that like to work the ball, it could be an issue. They also hit the ball pretty high, and the stock uniflex steel shaft seems to assist in that regard. I may end up swapping those out, but we'll see how it goes with my new, slower swing speed. Distance is good, though that's not really the point with irons for me. It'll take me a while to dial in my club selection, but such is the case with new irons anyway. I'll post results when I've played a few rounds with 'em. My Titleists will remain in my garage as backups should I decide the Ignites aren't for me.

Driver: Average about 260-270. I've popped some 290's when I catch it just right, but I usually play a high fade that doesn't get much roll, so I rarely get it running. 3 Wood: 240-250 5 Wood: 220-230 Hybrid: around 210-215 on average 4-iron: 200 5-iron: 190 6-iron: 180 7-iron: 170 8-iron: 160 9-iron: 150 PW: 110-140 (my most versatile club, distance-wise) SW: 100-110 LW: 80-90 (I rarely full-swing my lob wedge, though) Putter: anywhere from 2ft shorter to 3ft longer than I want it to go.

I use a black fine tip Sharpie and write "ALX" above the logo.

The HX Tours are a tour-level ball with a higher compression than the HX Hots -- so you'll need a higher swing speed to get the most out of your ball. Plus, the HX Tour sports a very thin urethane cover (versus a much firmer cover for the HX Hot), so though it will produce more spin off of short iron shots, it will tend to shred and won't last anywhere near as long.

I liked my Niners draft a lot, and the acquisition of D-Jax from Seattle was icing on the cake.

Slow Play is why I don't even bother going out on weekends anymore, and that's sad. It took one 7.5 hour round at a municipal course(Greendale) in Alexandria, VA in 2001 to scare me off of weekend golf forever. Same reason my golf outings to Myrtle Beach have decreased as well. Went out two years ago and played one 5 hour round and one 6 hour round. Ugh.

Just a heads up -- I picked up four dozen U-Tri Tours at my local Target for $19.99/dz. These were a good ball at $30/dz, and they're a GREAT ball at less than $20. Relatively long off the tee, urethane cover, pretty decent durability. Definitely a premium level ball. I played these a couple of years ago before they were discontinued, but I guess Target uncovered a hidden stash. FYI for anyone low on funds (like me).

Cal Berkeley stand bag that my SO got me a few years ago. I'm not that big on super duper golf bags with tons of pockets. Not that big a deal for me.

I don't know how long this thread's been going on, but I'm considering making a switch to some ultra-game improvement irons. After years of playing with forged Titleist cavity backs of some sort, I'm thinking about making a switch to some Nike Ignite irons. Why? Because I just don't get out much anymore. If I'm lucky, I'll play 8-10 rounds this year. I'm thinking I wanna make the game as easy on me as I can for these sporadic rounds, because frankly, I'm not gonna have the time to devote to the game. I understand that this'll lead to a sloppier swing, etc. But heck, I'm paying to play golf -- I might as well enjoy it with some forgiving equipment.

This happened last time I went out. It was a short par four, with a lake on the left side of the tee box that isn't in play, as it only extends down the hole about ten yards (it's more of a hazard for the previous hole). I pulled out driver, just wanting to crank this thing out there. I gripped the driver hard, and with all my rage and fury proceeded to heel it so bad with an out-to-in swing that it literally shanked sideways towards me, screamed between my legs, and into the water hazard that was literally behind me in my stance. Ugh.

Just curious. Companies like Bite and FootJoy still produce and sell these things, but it seems that most of the golf courses I frequent specifically say "NO GOLF SANDALS." Wondering why these companies still make 'em if nobody's allowed to use 'em?

Welcome to the fray. It can get pretty messy in here at times... people are passionate about things. But that's golf, huh?

There won't be a "Tiger Choked" thread for this tournament because Tiger didn't choke. Failing to birdie 17 & 18 at Augusta trying to catch the leader in the clubhouse is not choking. Had Tiger had a two-stroke lead, then proceeded to bogey 17 & 18 to put himself into a playoff, then lost the playoff, that'd be a choke. Tiger came up short. That's all. It happens.

Just wondering how ya like 'em.

The 58 counts as a lob, and though easier to hit than a 60, it's still pretty tricky. You've really got to be judicious where on the course you pull it out... off of a tight lie, it's very possible to skull or shank LWs. I use my 54 pretty much everywhere, and my 58 I reserve for deep rough, fluffy lies, and short bunker shots that require a high trajectory.

Good idea :) Well, I can say right now I'm still in Physical Therapy... so it's a lot of stretches and a little resistance training in terms of overall fitness. The golf technique stuff I'm going to have to figure out as I go along. I know that I'm going to have to make some changes, as I don't know if I'll ever get my pre-injury range of motion back. Sadly, if I truly can't get back to where I was physically, equipment changes may be in my future as well...