Drunk Driver

Yes you are completely right, I did add an extra 20°F onto the average temperature to allow for the car being warmer inside, but perhaps that wasn't enough judging by dkm976's excerpt. Though in my defence the greenhouse effect happens in the passenger area of the car which has windows, it might not necessarily apply to the trunk, which may be self contained without any glass and therefore cooler. Either way I don't think it's possible for temperatures to reach the kind of levels that would melt epoxy. I have a hybrid which snapped a few moths ago and I have been wanting to remove the clubhead and reshaft it. Unfortunately the club head is painted so I'm a bit dubious about using the heat gun on it. I have tried putting it in the oven and it didn't have any effect. If only it were as simple as leaving it in the car on a hot day.

From what I've seen club heads tend to be metal and have quite a large flat surface area. I find it unlikely that the epoxy will get particularly hot since this is basically the specification for heat sync. If they have steel shafts too then it's quite a large heat sync. The hottest ambient temperature ever recorded in Michigan (according to the internetz) was 112°F (that was 80 years ago). The average yearly high seems to be about 83°F (Which is still below body temperature). Assuming your clubs are kept out of direct sunlight It seems improbable they will ever reach temperatures over 100°F which is barley hot enough to melt chocolate, let alone epoxy. If you are still concerned about this you could always try sealing them in a vacuum, or submerging them in water... that would keep them cool, but seems rather extreme.

This would actually be pretty low on my list of things to do if I had a lot of money. Though a little practice area at home is something I would like even now. I live in an apartment so I don't have a garden or any place to practice at home. But a little patch of grass is really all I ask. I wouldn't want anything more, even if I could afford it. I agree with the person who said they would just use the money to play at top courses all over the world. I would be more likely to do something like that... Though if I really had a lot of money I might quit golf altogether and take up a new hobby such as: collecting sports cars or sleeping with models all day. Man I can't wait! *clasps lottery ticket*

Maybe he was just really bad at putting?

My favourite shot is always when I get to hit my driver. I do really enjoy my driver and I often do okay with it, at least good enough to keep me coming back. My most consistent shot though is full swing with the short irons, especially the 9 and the pitching wedge. They almost never go wrong and I've been getting pretty actuate with them. I would say that is the shot I'm most comfortable with, so that is what I voted for.

I agree I think I would also have thrown your ball into the river, and I would have had a good mind to throw you in along with it. I think it would be very obvious who was the most ridiculous if you had ended up hitting someone. A golf ball could very easily kill someone, you should never hit into people. Slow play can be annoying, but I don't think it's punishable by death, that seems a little harsh. And I don't think anyone out trying to enjoy a game of golf should needlessly be placed in mortal danger.You could have simply asked if they would mind you playing through, and if they refused you could even have spoken to a marshal about them. Failing that you could just learn to be patient, we all know that there is a good chance you'll get stuck behind someone playing slow, especially when you just want a quick 9 holes. You have to make allowances. I find an amusing way to pass the time when you're stuck behind someone slow is to try and make bets with your playing partners over who will be next to shank/slice/lose the ball. It's not terribly mature but it makes watching them much more enjoyable and provides an outlet for your frustration. Most importantly no one gets hurt (unless they are big and hear you)

I know a lot of people who do grip training also like to balance it out by training the opposing muscles that open the hand. You can get rubber bands and stuff to work against, and there are other exercises to build up strength in that area. Restoring equilibrium to your muscles is understandably important in making sure their posture remains healthy. I understand exercising in this way can help curtail the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome.

It depends on the shot... If I'm playing a chip I always aim to land the ball on the nearest edge of the green and let it roll to the cup. Then however far the pin is from the edge will dictate what club I use. If the ball has to roll a very long way I might use a 5, if it only needs to roll a couple of yards I would use the 9 or the SW. I try to avoid using the lob wedge unless I really need to hit over something.

I'm generally a very calm person, but reading your post actually did stir a little bit of anger in me. I think it's a terrible shame that a nice day out with your wife has to be tainted by some idiot pontificating. There is nothing that annoys me quite as much on the golf course, as people who act like they own the course and you are some kind of unwelcome freeloader there on probation. I think it's despicable that your wife should be made to feel like she is doing something wrong when she is just there trying to have a nice time and enjoy golf. I would hazard a guess that the reason he felt so compelled to say something is because it's the only opportunity he gets in his pathetic life to sound important. Unimportant people love nothing more than to bask in the glory of correcting other people on their mistakes. I wouldn't bother trying to think up ways to get him back. Don't even give it another thought, he's not worth your attention. I think the important thing is to let your wife see that you are not phased by him, and that she shouldn't be either. I think I would make a point of telling her she can royally ignore him (dipshit) and tee off from wherever the hell she likes (what are they going to do? throw you off the course? When he is smoking a pipe out too! don't make me laugh). I hope at very least, she was not too put off by the experience.

Earlier in the year I went out to play 9 holes. It was a wet day but I don't mind that because the course is less busy. But as I got to putting on the first hole it started to hale. I found hale to be very distracting while trying to putt. But it wasn't so bad because at least I was dressed for it. The most unpleasant round I've had for weather was one day when it was nice and sunny, I got caught half way round the course by a sudden shower, and I was only wearing a t-shirt. I did thankfully have an umbrella, but the wind picked up quite a bit and was blowing the rain sideways, and turning the umbrella inside out. Needless to say I felt very cold and wet and unhappy

Aren't balls difficult enough to find without having the sun in your eyes? ... I chose late morning.

It could be lots of things... Having a vertical swing plane can make slicing more likely (when your back swing starts high over your head) because you tend to transfer a lot of spin onto the ball that way. If you try a more horizontal swing you might find you are able to hit the ball straight and even hook it. Standing too far forward can also be a problem, because it allows you to hit down on the ball and put even more spin on it. Too far forward + over the top = WOW banana slice! Make sure you have a nice wide stance and the ball is somewhere in line with your left foot... it's much harder to put spin on the ball from there so you are more likely to hit a push or a draw. You also need to make sure your arms (and wrists) don't bend as you swing. Even though you might not think you are doing it, it takes a lot of strength to hold the right wrist position when you swing a heavy club like the driver at speed. And you can end up hitting the ball like a hockey or cricket shot with the face wide open, and that causes a slice too.

Ahhh apologies, I actually read this topic yesterday but I didn't really have anything useful to add at the time since my faults involve things like banana slicing into woods and topping the ball onto the ladies tee... I have yet to figure out how to turn these amazing skills to my advantage. However I did come across a video of some guy called Jack Nicklaus (who might know a little more about golf than me) talking about just this kind of thing. The video also includes some quite good graphical explanations, of why hitting a fade might be the best shot even on a straight hole. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iM3HTujsSsY I hope that is somewhat relevant and helpful As for the modest number of replies... I wouldn't take it too personally. From what I know of forums... the best way to get 6 pages of replies instantly is to post something stupid, which everyone disagrees with. People love nothing more than to tell you when you are wrong. So if no one said anything chances are you're probably okay...

Yeah I think it depends on what your goals are. If your goal is to practice intensively and become a scratch player then I don't see any problem starting out with blades... In the long term it's probably the best way to go about it once you get past the initially steep learning curve. My own personal goal is to get round the course without embarrassing myself. To that end blades are probably not for me... unless I just stand next to them and try to look cool. I'm happy to stick with my cavity backs for now. One thing I am curious about though... Are blades really that difficult to use? I mean I can understand if you are talking about long irons... because long irons are difficult to use regardless, even the cavity backs. But I find the majority of my Iron shots are with the 9i and the 7i which are fairly short and forgiving, would these clubs really be so different if they were blades?

I notice there is quite a bit of give in his left knee too on the backswing... @ Razorhog... Letting your left leg give more will allow you a geater turn of your hips as you draw back, and that allows you to keep your left arm straighter for longer. which might be helpful if you are not very flexable. I think keeping your left arm straght is one of the most important parts of the swing (probably more important than keeping your knee straight) because it allows you to guide the club head back to where it came from. Trying to find the sweet spot with bent arms is like trying to hit a fly with a dart. I'm not certain where to draw the line with the left leg. I have in the past nearly lifted my whole left foot off the floor, which has produced perhaps some of my most powerful drives ever, due to the extra torque. Though I doubt this is something I should recommend, perhaps one of the more experienced players could explain how much movement of the left leg is too much.

A couple of weeks ago I ended up hitting out of one bunker (after many tries) over the green and into another bunker… then right back into the first. I'm usually quite comfortable with bunker shots, but for some reason these bunkers were not in such great condition and didn't seem to have any soft sand making it hard to get under the ball. Eventually I decided to attempt a flop shot, which I actually read about on this forum (thank you sand trap) I opened the face and swung out to in as instructed… and I guess I had beginners luck because it worked beautifully and stopped dead very near the hole, but I was already +7 I ended up scoring 13 on a par 5… which is bad even for me.

I'm sure I remember someone posting the gaping hole in the logic of the distance over accuracy story but I can't seem to find the post in order to credit them. The basic idea though is that even with high swing speeds 350+ yard drives aren't possible unless you are hitting relatively straight, because even a slightly off center contact will dramatically reduce your distance. So someone claiming to average 350 yard drives, but have a high handicap because they lack accuracy more than likely BS, unless their straight drives are going 500, which is unrealistic. I think what bugs me most though is how so many people would rather admit that they 5-6 putt than admit that they exaggerate their long drives. It's like drive distance is some sort of measure of manliness and putting isn't… "I always struggle with my putting because my big penis gets in the way" I think it's quite pathetic really. If you really have such a great long game and have neglected your short game that much then you are a drooling imbecile in my opinion and I'm not even slightly impressed by your 350+ BS. The real credit goes to the people out there who know what they are talking about and aren't afraid to claim 240 yard drives, because they've pitched and putted their way to a respectable handicap.

I would find it difficult to strike the ball properly if I played all my clubs from the same position, because they are different lengths. Plus I don't think the faces on some of my longer clubs are designed to be played from the middle, I'd have to line them up with an open face. 9 iron is the only club I play from the middle of my stance. I play my driver from left heel, and the other woods and irons somewhere in between according to length and what feels comfortable. I play my wedges a little behind the middle, and closer to my feet.

Technically speaking if the other player was hitting second wouldn't he have already won the hole before taking his shot and hitting the wrong ball? EDIT: What Shindig said. In any case that doesn't sound like very good sportsmanship. Surly him claiming that your ball was in fact his ball constitutes some form of cheating, Is the emphasis really on you to have to constantly check your opponent is telling the truth? Doesn't sound very practical or polite.

I pretty much always hit my driver dead straight. I don't ever remember slicing with it on the course (though I do recall a slight hook last week) I would say I find the fairway more than 80% of the time... providing the ball rolls far enough to make it past the ladies tees. My most frequent bad contact is catching the top of the ball. The ball still tends to go more or less straight but the distance is pathetic. On the flip side when I do get under the ball it tends to go straight as well which I'm very thankful for.

18* Hybrid 5 Iron 9 Iron Sand Wedge Putter Or if I was feeling adventurous I might swap out the putter for a 7 iron, and see what putting with the hybrid is like.

My favourite club is(was) my 18* hybrid. It's probably the club I've practiced with most at the range and I feel very comfortable with the length and weight. It's my go to club for anything long on the fairway, and I sometimes use it off the tee if I'm not feeling confident with my driver. Sometime I also use it half swing to put me on the green, it will go about the same distance as a 6-7 iron half swing. Unfortunately last Monday my dad asked if he could borrow it for a shot as he was thinking of buying one. He then proceeded to whiff the ball in comedy fashion and snap the club against a tree directly behind him. Needless to say he is definitely buying one now...

I'm not certain what my "average" drive is. It's probably a lot lower than I'd like to think. If I get a very good contact I would expect to hit the ball about 230 yards. If it was just an acceptable contact then it might only go 200. So I'd like to say my average drive carry is about 215 yards, and 215 yards is certainly the distance I expect to hit when I stand over the ball. Of course if I were to factor in the very poor contacts where the ball just rolls 50 yards of the tee, then that drops my average down to about 140. which is disappointing but probably fair. I voted less than 200.

Sometimes there is a moment of stillness, where the club just feels right in my hands, as though it is part of them. I look down at the ball, and it all just suddenly seems so easy. I know the next shot will be a great one. Sometimes the next shot is great and sails effortlessly straight towards the flag, and I think... " I knew that was going to happen" other times I feel exactly the same way but manage to topside the ball and spoon it about 10 yards... I tend to forget about those. I think obviously there is a lot be said for having a positive and relaxed attitude. I always try to remain calm for every shot and not put too much pressure on myself and I find that helps a lot. If the shot goes bad I try and look on the bright side "oh good a chance to practice with my sand wedge" It certainly doesn't help to get worked up. The other day my playing partner had a couple of bad shots and then managed to convince himself that this was the worst round of his life, and then he proceeded to make it come true. I felt very sorry for him he looked like he just wanted to thrown down his clubs and go home. Every shot he was snatching at the ball like it owed him money and eventually ended up missing it completely, which only added to his frustration. I remember listening to Bruce Lee talking about fighting once. I managed to dig up the quote on google... "The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or defeat. Let nature take it's course, and your tools will strike at the right moment." This has always stuck in my head, and I think it rings true for pretty much everything you do in life. If you are always focusing on what the outcome of your actions will be... then how can you be truly focused on performing the actions themselves (thus giving yourself the best chance of success)?