amac

Ball between the elbows to keep relationship of elbows constant through entire swing? Just curious about this becuase my last lesson says otherswise.

Perfect practice makes for perfect play (well, almost). This question wasn't just for me. Sure, I was thinking of my game, but I am interested to learn what the majority of people here do to improve their personal game. I'm in the midst of a series of lesson's. Not swing rebuilding, just lots of fine tuning. My practice sessions are consumed with rehearsing the lessons, drills and then finally some full speed, full swings. I find that my "on the course" swing doesn't consistently produce the same results as my range swing. Hence, the question of more range time or more game time. As for playing partners, I think playing with better players is contagious. Play up or play down to the competition. I view myself as having the swing of a 5 handicap, but the scoring game of a 10. : ( I'm inclined to reach out to some better player groups and mix it up. Variety is good.

Nice answer wise . I realize there is grey area here. I get dejected by some of the shots I don't hit that I've executed 100's of times on the range. I'm sure others feel the same way. The second part - your playing partners - can also impact how you play. I've always heard it said, if you want to be the best, play against the best. My thoughts here are that playing with better golfers may push one's game. If anything, watching good swings all day can be contagious.

Two part question... 1. Practice more or Play more? 2. Play with better golfers or stick with your high handicapper group?

The game is bigger than TW. Granted, his past record and television presence has done a lot for the game. That said, no matter who wins this years Masters, there will be an aesterisk for 2014 - the year Tiger didn't play. The media will focus more on his absence than the eventual winner.

The Master's is my favorite tournament of the year, hands down. Luckily, I will be making my first appearance. A Monday practice round. Forecast is 80% rain, but I'll be there regardless! More than I can say for guys like Tiger, Phil, Day and Mahan. I'm sure some form of these guys will show up, but they will most likely not be 100%. I'm looking to Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson, Adam Scott, Keegan, Harris English and Jordan Spieth to add the excitement this year. Throw in good play by Rickie Fowler, Bubba and Kuchar and we have a tournament. DJ and Spieth are leading the tour in putting right now. They both have the length. Getting it done on Sunday is another thing. It's always exciting and the outcome recently has been unexpected. Picking one is tough. My favorites are Adam Scott and McIlroy. I really enjoy watching them swing the club. My dark horse favorite is Rickie Fowler. I like the changes he's made to his swing. His putting and short game are holding him back, IMO.

I would like to buy a copy. Is there a link somewhere?

Tiger does it a lot - with his driver.

If you don't get frustrated, you aren't trying hard enough! Or, you score an 18 every time - perfect hole-outs on each hole. I've come a long ways in my anger and frustration at the course. I no longer get animated (scream out loud, throw clubs and or openly cuss myself out), but will simply comment on what a bad shot I've hit, then move on. It's very difficult to hold in, but I've decided that my weekend golf isn't life or death. It's just golf. I was coming home in bad moods after bad days on the golf course and taking my frustrations out on the rest of the family. I realized something had to give. What's more, bad temper leads to bad swings, which leads to bad scores, which only exasperates the problem. I've found that letting it go opens up possibilities for salvaging a good day. The true frustration comes from the course condition. My course has horrible sand traps. About 80% of the traps have little to no sand. The typical lie is sitting up on wet-like dirt. The club will not dig and your ball is going to shoot across the green - into another bunker. If that's not bad enough, the bunkers seem to stop the ball up against the lip whenever a ball runs in. Stymie every time! It's very frustrating and I try hard to accept my fate when I've hit a ball into a bunker. Bad lie's can be avoided by hitting better shots. That's my message to self.

LOL. The irons I have are new! I bought these last summer and absolutely love them. No way am I buying new irons. If shafts would make a difference, I would consider spending the money to change. But, I think you're right. In the end, validation that what I have is what I need is what I'm after. Until then, I will continue my lessons and learn to swing faster!

That is correct. It was the latest Ping i series irons. One thing I took away from that is/was the lighter shaft and higher launch. Since then, I've read articles on various "lite" series shafts that would cut my weight down up to 10g! And they are designed for higher launch. As I mentioned, it's just an itch. If lighter and higher equals longer, then I may make the switch. Or, maybe I'm over obsessing with the fit factor. I know what I hit at various distances and it's doubtful my scores will change just because I can hit one less club into the green. Same probably holds true on whether I have my factory, stock driver shaft or if I purchase a $300 model. In the end, I'm the Indian pulling the string. : )

You were given good advice. I hope to receive the same type of feedback. VALIDATION of what I have is performing to the best of "my" abilities will be welcome news. Sometimes the second opinion is all that's needed to rebuild confidence that may be in question or simply lost. I know my confidence is in question after hitting a friends new iron a full 10 yards further than mine. Different clubs, different set ups, but could I tweak my set up to gain yardage?

What is "professionally fit"? I thought the club pro who fit me was professional. In retrospect, he never explained the dynamics of spin, ball flight, launch, shafts weight, etc... Sounds like a bad fitting, but it's on part with every place I've visited locally. I've learned more from reading threads on this forum regarding shaft qualities and how they affect ball flight and swing speed. I hit my clubs well, as I'm sure many on this forum do. But, I hear a voice inside my head saying there is a better one out there and it will let me hit the ball farther. Who doesn't want more distance? My ocd! I talked with a fitter the other day and he asked the magical question, "What do you want your driver to do?" I've never been asked that before. Same question and answer applies to all my clubs. These are the same guys that fitted me for Edels. So, this is an itch I have to scratch and these are the guys I plan to trust. :)

I've spent the last hour and a half reading reviews and comments about iron and driver shafts. I got fit for my current iron shafts. Had a somewhat fitting for my current driver. Swung 4 different 3 woods to get to the one. Then, all it takes is one swing with someone else's club that goes further, straighter and feels a little better (different) than mine and doubt creeps in. As a weekend golfer, do we spend too much time obsessing over the right equipment? Will new, more expensive shafts make me play any different? Anyone else feel the same way?

Congrats. They are great clubs. I picked up my black R1 last year. On sale, but not as low as they are now. Which shaft did you get?

A buddy of mine has the i25 irons. He bought them immediately as they were available. I was able to hit his a couple weeks ago. Don't knock it til you try it! I haven't played Ping irons in years, but these brought back fond memories. I wasn't able to compare them to i20's, but can say these irons hit the ball very pure, have nice trajectory and were long. I play MP64's and was knocking the Pings way past my Mizuno's. As for the looks, I didn't find them unappealing. Just a quality, confidence inspiring look over the ball. I would consider gaming these if I were in the market.

The golf swing is an unnatural feeling motion. I'm no pro, so I'll defer to mvmac for certified info, but I agree with what mvmac said about a good turn and weight shift. If you are releasing early, there is a root cause. You may teach yourself to hold the release longer, but you may not be correcting your swing. At impact, your left shoulder should be raising, your right shoulder will be dropping and you should have a right arm/elbow angle around 145*. If you've transfered your weight and cleared your hips, your hands should be falling into the release zone - fire through and release. I'm an early releaser too and recently had a lesson to address the same thing. My hips were moving into the hitting zone, I wasn't shifting my weight properly and not nearly enough to the left. A little practice had me hitting down and through the ball. "Knuckles down" may work today, but I think you're overlooking the real problem. A lesson from a teaching pro is painless. :)

Agreed. Trusting trackman. However, I'm amazed that a Taylor Made rep would be fitting people and selling clubs with bogus info.

After all the talk about the SLDR, I wanted to compare my R1 to the SLDR. After warming up, I had my turn on the swing monitor and produced what I thought were some good numbers. According to the TaylorMade rep's machine, I was swinging it 101-102mph, had 15.5* of launch and a spin rate of 2100 - WITH MY R1! After seeing those numbers, I didn't even bother to swing the SLDR. Rep said my numbers couldn't get better. Feeling good. That afternoon, I had a lesson. I pulled my R1 out and was hitting bombs for my instructor. He uses Trackman. I do not recall the name of device the TaylorMade rep used. So, I checked my numbers and WOW - swing speed was 94mph, launch was consistent at 15 - 16*, but spin rate jumped to 3500! What/who to trust? I'm leaning towards believing Trackman.

To become a club hopper would make me one of "those" people! LOL. No, I am going to learn to hit what I have to the best of my ability. I have my 3rd lesson lined up with Manzella (our relationship is much better since my first, so is my swing) and will continue to work with him on building my swing. What's more, the wife and two children are expensive! If only I had a Pro's budget for golf equipment.

I'm sure this is important, relevant information, but I have no idea what all this means! LOL. The Mizuno swing "optimizer" suggested PX5.5 and KBS Tour. I hit them both and felt better with the PX. It's near impossible to keep up with technology in golf clubs. That and finding a fitter that would take the time to ask a few questions like, "What do you want to get out of your irons - more distance, shot control, higher ball flight, etc…" I guess I'll focus on my swing technique and get lessons to gain the extra 10 yards instead of buying new clubs.

I've always been a huge fan of D Love III. He and Fred Couples have timeless swings and great tempo. Of the younger crowd, I'd want to have Adam Scott's swing - effortless power. The 2014 version of Rickie Fowler is something to behold. I really like the changes he's made and think he will win 1 or 2 events this year. A great swing, long hitter and pretty cool under pressure. He's headed in the right direction.

I have the ProjX 5.5 in my irons and I think his shafts were lighter. I knew I wasn't buying a distance iron when I purchased my MP64's. The grass will always appear greener when it comes to golf clubs. Just when you think you have your bag just right, an easier to hit, higher launching, lower spin longer version of the same club is released. Same guy had the newer version of Ping hybrid. I have the i15's and he has the i20's. After swinging his, the shafts felt better, the impact felt more solid and the ball flight was straighter!

I hit a friends new set of Ping i25 irons this past weekend. If you haven't hit these clubs, I suggest you check them out. If you are looking to buy new clubs this year, I suggest you check them out. Yes, I am endorsing these clubs. If I hadn't purchased new irons last year, I would certainly consider these to go in my bag. I only hit one iron, that's all it took. I was hitting my Mizuno MP64 9 iron pretty flush down range. I grabbed my buddies i25 9 iron and flew it easily 10 yards past where my pile of range balls were. WOW. I proceeded to hit shot after shot to the same spot - 10 yards past my club. I then grabbed my club and hit it to the same, shorter spot where my previous shots were going. Yes, the Ping irons are longer. The look and feel of the club is what you would expect from Ping. I owned a set of Eye2's back in the day and gamed those clubs for nearly 10 years. The i25's bring back fond memories. The set up is nice - not too offset. The topline is definitely thicker than my Mizuno's, but not like a super GI club. The ball flight was higher. The ball picked up quick and then sailed forever. My Mizuno hits a lower trajectory shot. The feel at impact is sweet. Not grain flow forged sweet, but you know you hit the center by the sweet sensation shooting up the shaft into your hands. The sound at impact was, for me, more clank and clack versus my forged iron, but YMMV. I checked out the rest of the set. The longer irons were progressively larger and thus more forgiving. Personally, that was the main drawback for me. I prefer a more aggressive look. I'm not ready to trade in my Mizuno's just yet, but the performance of the i25's is noteworthy. In all, these clubs looked and felt great. Trying to get at the root of the distance gain, I checked out his personal setup and the loft comparison's of our 9irons. First, the Ping is 1* stronger. Next, he had his irons fitted 1/2 inch longer than standard. He used the Regular flex shaft, but tipped them. Would that plus the 1* equal 10 yards? Finally, there is Ping's technology. They claim to have made the face of these clubs "more lively". I guess they did! If distance is your thing, you should certainly check out these new irons. Enjoy. amac

Update. After reading mulitple reviews on Adidas sizing, I went into Dick's last night and tried on a size 11 and they were too small. I found an 11-1/2 that fit, but compared the fit and comfort to the FJ Contours and changed my order. Damn the mesh lining, The FJ's are too comfortable to pass up. Plus, they are lightweight compared to my Icon's. Get the FOOTJOYS!!!