Fireblade

Newsflash: Sexual preference seriously changes how attractive you appear to the "opposite, opposite" sex. What happened to liking those things you can never have? I'm out...

It is interesting to read the posts to this thread and how it has wandered off topic - a little like some of my putts :) The OP asked a question about the ruling for placing a ball forward of the original marked position. It is my opinion that whilst you all make good points about "what if the 6" ..." and how the ball may or may not sink, what is most important here is to remember that golf is an honour game, and we each of us promise to adhere to the rules. So it is a mute point as to what happens once the ball is in motion, what is important is that it is was replaced in the wrong location and should incur a two shot penalty for playing from the wrong place. What happens once the ball is in motion is irrelevant.

Ah, in which case I give you...

I'm more of a Kelly Tilghman man, sadly we never see her in a tight little outfit. AND that is where I am leaving this discussion ;)

I'm glad it is not just me. I find the Genie chick looks a little ****ty, IMVHO. I have always believed that advertisers really do not need to dress up their product to sell it to me - when they do it screams "WARNING" as their product probably really NEEDS to be dressed up. WTF am I on about it is the Golf Channel everything is about sex...

I agree we should not feel the need to prop up the TM machine. so I just posted my wife's TM Burner 2.0 clubs on eBay and bought her a nice replacement set of ProMaster off Craigslist. I think they may be a little long for her but I'm sure she will feel good about the decision.

The rules can sometimes seem strangely in favour of better players. Like you said having to play from another players divot on a fairway when you are new to golf, for example. When I attended the NCGA on-course rules program I was somewhat amused by Ryan Gregg the Director of Education when in answer to another attendees question about "what should I do when the rules seem unfair...?" he replied 'PLAY HARDER! It is interesting how many people complain about other players for how they behave on course, course supers for the way the course is maintained (or not) or just complain in general, yet they fail to realise that they too can very easily become a part of the problem. Failing to repair pitch marks, divots on tee boxes fairways and aprons of greens, littering - yes leaving broken tees on the tee is littering, and any other seemingly minor infraction all count toward another player possibly having to navigate the rules, because of YOU. That is the royal you btw... There are campaigns for play it forward and lots of other cute little ideas, but I would like to see more players 'protecting the field' by ensuring that their group acknolwedge honour, cares for the course and makes a real contribution toward the round your partners are playing.

Piers Morgan is a db of the highest order so it is no surprise to hear that he is attracting similar types.

Indeed & I seriously doubt anyone will be throwing their TM clubs in the lake because of his outbursts. But if you don't have anything really interesting or meaningful to say, why not just say nothing? I would prefer to see the largest golf manufacturer in the industry lead by example not aggression & being outspoken. It really doesn't endear you to anyone.

Looking at Mr. King's comment just reminds me of what an odious little man he is. Who has made a few comments which, in my opinion, have been worthless. The Tiger Woods has killed the game remark aside, let's not forget that he urges players to ignore the R&A; / USGA on the subject of anchoring & long putters. He even went as far as to say that within 10 years the USGA would be a non-factor. So I decided to do my own research & a quick search on the tint-a-net sourced some very interesting data. Two pieces which piqued my fancy are: 1. The National Golf Foundation (NGF) produced an 8pp pdf 'Golf Participation in America 2010-2020 http://cgmaterials.com/pdf/GolfPartic.pdf which pretty much lays it out. 2. In his 211pp PhD dissertation "THE CHANGING FACE OF THE GAME AND GOLF’S BUILT ENVIRONMENT" David Huebner fails to mention Tiger Woods, at all. (should you feel up to it http://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/pennell/PDFs-2012/David-Hueber-Dissertation-7-17-12.pdf) However what he does posit is that: 'During the 20th century, there were three “boom” periods of accelerated golf course development that peaked in 1930, 1970 and 2000. The first boom in the 1920s built private golf courses for the upper class. The second boom in the 1960s built public golf courses for the burgeoning middle class. And, the third boom in the 1990s built golf courses in anticipation of the latent demand from the huge “Baby Boomer” generation who were expected to play more often as they aged, entered the prime of their working lives and later retired. While the first two golf course development booms were driven in response to actual socio-cultural and economic phenomena, the third boom was anticipatory in nature and driven more by the real estate speculation on the part of both the real estate developers and buyers.' Got to love academics... So as Nike sign Rory McIlroy to a monster, multi-year contract reportedly worth $50 million to $100 million. With Woods also still on board, and playing well, Team Swoosh now has the game's two biggest global icons. Whilst Mr. King just has his merry band of Tour pros playing TM; which costs him somewhere in the region of $180m per year in endorsements, & a diminishing share of the $218b golf product market, which declined c$300 in 2007 alone. But it's all Tiger's fault don't ya know! I guess a big mouth keeps some skin in the game then?

Wow what a thread, there is eleven minutes of my life I won't be getting back!

Done.

Always worn a glove and always will. That said I sweat through a couple of gloves a round when it's warm, so ai remove my glove after every shot and that way I also don't end up with one sun tanned hand and one white one.

I prefer Monarch, but I'm trying to like Metro more. San Geronimo is a nice little course and it's quite a mean little track too. You should try it.

Im not a big online purchaser but have had some good buys from 2ndswing.com. I just took a look at globalgolf.com and have to say I am impressed, I didnt do a price comp , yet. But their UI is fantastic - great heads up RTS. cheers

Sat at my desk trying to figure out how I can get out in the 80's plus temp without alerting people to my lack of availability. Im thinking a pm round at Metropolitan / Monarch bay or I may even venture up to San Geronimo.

At risk of sounding the same bell here I would add that in game improvement any understanding we can make, be it in swing mechanics, club face and impact or ball flight and trajectory, by limiting any changing elements like clubs used or balls played, we reduce the opportunity for confusing results which hopefully will help us learn quicker to be more consistent. Find a ball you like and play it and practice it so you become comfortable with the sound the club and ball make in certain situations. One thing I have learned to do is ignore the urge to hunt down lost balls and stuff my bag and then bringing these previously owned balls into play. I have a policy of not removing any ball from a golf course unless it is mine. I play ProV1 and I'm very happy with my ball choice, even my family now understand buying me other brands is not an option.

Some people have a strange take on what is appropriate. They run the range of playing from the wrong place, lifting and cleaning balls in first cut and replacing on a nice plush spot in the fairway, to breakfast balls on the 1st & 10th holes and a mulligan on each nine. Many of them then have the nerve to record these rounds on GHIN. I feel sorry for their wives ;)

In replacing his ball on the putting green in a position other than where he was marked he is deemed to "have played from the wrong place" the score counts and the player incurs a penalty of two strokes (Rule 16-1b or 20-3a and 20-7c) My recommendation to all players is to visit The USGA Publication Store at www.usga.org/PublicationsStore and purchase 'Decisions on the rules of golf 2012-2013. They also have an invaluable book Golf Rules Illustrated 2012-2015 which is a fantastic aid to any rules question. Hope this helps.

There are other people at the driving range, who knew?

Ahhhhh sar-car-sm (whoooosh)

You live out in the Avenues and fogged in? I'm in Dogpatch / Protrero Hill and the sun is out and it has been glorious all day.

I play Cleveland 588 MB's 3-pw because of all the clubs I 'tested' when it was time to replace my Callaways, these were simply (imvho) the best feeling club and gave me the best result. They fit my swing and just felt right from the very outset. The biggest difference was that the 588's have a less aggressive loft angle, by 2* to 3* at the shorter end of the set, which caught me out the first few weeks as I was feeling my way around new distance numbers. But now I have figured out my distances I am dialed in and I have a comfort level which wasn't there with the CB Callaways. Is there a danger in buying blades? No, nobody is going to die! If you are not a low index player do the golf manufacturers want you playing blades? Probably not as they miss the opportunity to sell you SGI to GI to Players clubs to... Will playing blades make me a better player? Not exactly, that is what practice is for - GOOD practice that is. But remember folks an ugly bloke in an Yves San Laurent suit is still an ugly bloke. He just looks like he has some style ;)

I play a Callaway Diablo Octane Black Tour 9.5* driver which is about three years old, and I was very, very happy with it, that was until I picked up a 3W version in the used bin at ********. It had an NV after market shaft which is just sweet, and it made my driver seem less than the club I used to see it as. Speaking with the club fitter at ******** about why this would be he said because the standard stiff shaft in the Callaway driver is pants. He put me on the machine to see my numbers, I took six swings and he said OK I think I know what would benefit you. He pulled out a Fujikura Fit-On Max 65G S Flex shaft and said this is what I think you need. $75 for the shaft and costs to re-grip etc took the bill to $125. This club now sings like a bird. It fits my swing and I regularly smile after I drive. This puppy is staying in my bag, period. Summary: Bargains abound in the used club bins at retail outlets and also online at the likes of 2ndswing.com