thefinlex

Okay I'm out,you guys have more stats than mr stat who lives in stat st on the planet stat......do you actually have time to play a shot in between all this statistical statistics? stats can be made to say whatever you want them too imo..paralysis by analysis anyone? I'm off to play golf by getting it in the hole as quickly as I can,I'll hit it,find it and hit it again. been fun but you're too much for me bye........

? it's all good,you US guys have a stat for everything! I grew up in Australia on the sand belt and have been in Scotland for last 17 yrs playing links golf and in both places it's about match play and getting the ball in the hole the quickest,how you do it is up to you,the only stat that matters is either being up/ down in a match,driving distance ,FIR,GIR...whatever! Hole out and you win end of story.Ive seen plenty of really good golfers and the top ones,on TV or not are razor sharp around the greens which means they score well which means they win more often than not,driver gets you in play ,putter finishes the game,The pros I mention ,to me at least ,illustrate why driving is trumped by finishing ability around the greens and as such I'm on course way more than range putting myself in situations that demand I get it close regardless of how far I hit my drive....play well

Wow,now we are getting deep :-)! Im happy to stay on the dark side,I can and do still shift it out there with my driver and enjoy it very much however I think you might actually find that a gigantically massive drive and a 6inch putt are completely and utterly equal...1 shot each on your card...thats the maths...right? Holing putts wins matches and turns the tide.a massive drive into the bushes can only be saved by scrambling and then holing your putt and still getting to write 4 on your card instead of 6......or do you hole all your drives? I get the whole thing but its absolutely essential to have a tidy short game to finish off your full swing fascination otherwise why bother standing on the tee? Okay im giving up,maybe its cultural..who knows..im off to practice my scrambling putting and holing out guys...enjoy the range im out

No longer considered an opinion?? Bit harsh don't you think? It is my opinion and im sticking with it Tiger in his pomp,sprayed it everywhere but it was his outrageous short game which destroyed his rivals time and again..during same period E Els couldn't miss a fairway.......Luke Donald world no1 when regularly 30,40 yds behind"better" players off every tee..what a game he had from 100yds in,he couldn't count all the money...DJ US open champ....is it a coincidence he spent some solid time tightening up his wedges during his "layoff" prior to his fantastic form last year?? J Days scrambling stats on run to be currently world no1? Enjoying the chat but keeping my opinions about short game and course management

Hi iacas,very happy to engage! However we'll have to agree to disagree on a few points :-)......for me decision making on the course counts big time for scoring as does being a lot tidier around the green.If we asked everybody over 18 hcp how many 3 putts and add in the odd duffed chip around the greens they had and how many shots that added over say...5 rounds then asked everybody playing off less than 10 the same do you think the figures would be the same if they all hit lovely gull shot drives off every tee? Ps.ive never ever said any instructors have one swing for anybody!? Pps . Im a fan of playing golf not standing hitting a ball Play well

Its all good ,I should of been more clear,I was mostly referring to the massive mix of shapes, sizes and physical abilities of us all,many of which make learning/replicating a "textbook" swing irrelevant/unachievable,thereby using"what you've got" to get the club on the back of the ball solidly and score well playing the great game regardless.For the record im a big fan of playing lessons!! Good luck

Errrr....Just voicing my opinion! Hit a nerve perhaps?..You may want to re read my post where I say its (one size fits all)impractical?????? You're welcome

Teach people how to score with what they've got....perfect swings mean nothing if you don't get the ball in the hole quick as possible which is what we are all trying to do...yes? It can and is done in a million ways every day across the globe so a one size fits all swing method is impractical imho..Playing lesson invaluable to see what's going on then focus on needs from green backwards

a great drill to check hip turn is to put an alignment stick/shaft thru loops in trousers for your belt either side of and across the belt buckle..does that make sense? when you take a practice swing it gives a great visual indication of how far you are/arent actually turning..It also gives a hint to whether you are tilting/dipping in the swing as well,certainly helped me a few years back,when my hips turn well everything is better! good luck

Hey there No doubt your pro is the man who can actually see what you are doing and take his lead.That said you can always practice the fundamental issues we all have while at home/work/studying.things like grip and getting back into habits like a good posture can be done in the kitchen while the kettle boils/while revising!?.....Putting is another,ive got a putting mat in my kitchen ( its kept under a table in the corner!) so if you are struggling with swing it's nice to hole a few putts at least!! Good luck

I use a line,my course has very fast greens so I like a good idea on my line rather than worrying about speed so much.I use 30in mallet putter so im always right over the ball,one look at target and away she goes...slow play is usually all the mucking about actually getting to the green and then leaving clubs/trolley on wrong side of green for next hole so another wander about...ZzZzzzz I'm happy for someone to study a putt,just get on with the rest of your game!

Forever and a day only,only,only your opponent can concede,never assume so for me SP is well within her rights,not pretty to watch and wont gain too many friends but still,the stakes are high and they all want to win. CH is walking off obviously thinking it will be given but they are a team and either one or both must give the nod to pick up,they did not regardless of CH actions .Countless examples in Ryder cup action over they years with many of the guys guilty of what gets referred to almost jokingly by the old boys club on air as "gamesmanship" and its almost always laughed off because of the fierce competition and atmosphere stirring a will to win at all costs environment the guys play in week in week out and the behemoth the RC has become.Looks to me like the girls are up for it as well which is great. As an ad for the game and its ethos and values its no sponsors dream that's for sure but it joins a long list of incidents and its hardly surprising is it?.I mean who hasn't let an opponent/buddy/brother!? have a few longish ones early on then ask them to putt out a testy 2ft downhiller on the 15th as things tighten up and you want to get into their heads!!?? classic matchplay tactics and they should all get over it. Only your opponent concedes....................its that simple

a bazillion reasons for slow play and agree with most above however I also think that the course staff should make sure the rough is shorter.We all spray it now and then and need to take your medicine but plenty of courses, however good are never going to hold major tournys for the elite tour player for any reason,rely on walk ups for revenue and try to provide a "test" of golf fit for one but unnecessary for the other......their are plenty of tests already without forcing joe average and his pals all with 15+ h'caps to wander around in knee deep rough and then take a few hacks just to advance the ball,not always back on the short stuff...all frustrating and very time consuming for everybody!! Not just the penal rough but the extra time considering your shot due to penalty for not being straight........ keep course trim,everybody can find their ball and play at some type of pace with more chance of a score to keep them smiling and coming back and when/if the USGA come calling to host a tour event grow the rough and make the fairways 15ft wide so the big boys get a challenge. For me,i try and play through the week in the evenings or very early/late on weekends due to family,work,blah blah blah 4.5 hrs is waay to long for me,im a 3.5 hr guy no probs

advice ? trust in your swing,its yours and your to old to change and thats ok (I am only 44 but i haven't got the time or inclination to go the whole rebuild thing!!) Clubs ? Driver...driver....and driver! its my number one reason for dropping shots and finding trouble setting ? In the "studio" with the video so we can nerd up on the carnage before our eyes while using feel drills to achieve something using the visuals right then and there.I would say while I enjoy technical chat about swing mechanics etc, to work on my own I like to observe and practice a feel rather than 53 thoughts in the 1/2 sec waggle before each swing. Cost? Here in the UK at my club it costs £20 for half hr/40 minites ish...seems a pretty good deal for members I think Comfort? Personality,we need to get on and have a laugh and not get to technical

I con myself that I can still "get it out there" with driver.......then you tee it up against some rubber limbed youngster in the Saturday medal who lazily smashes his driver 40 yds past me...and then it lands and runs out!!! hopefully he's a rubbish putter eh? I can con myself quite a bit!

check lie,wind and gps Choose club address ball gripfidget and regrip once or twice 2 waggles forward press Rip it

Lay it up all day long,there's surely heaps of other holes to go for it on and with steep slope the actual carry to the dancefloor must be 250 and more than a few guys will get a reality check about how far they can carry a drive if they go for it.....No doubt theres a student with a snorkel living nearby will await on the next tee selling nearly new, slightly damp pro V1's cheap? If you go for it you witgh your average 235 blow End up wet or on steep slope with no guarantee of your 4 or you really catch one and blow it past the hole , you cant stop it from going thru green aaannndd....end up pitching back to the pin with the water waiting behind...feeling lucky? 6 iron or similar, then wedge,chance at bird,no worse than 4 all being well

Early sat morn,Qtr final of pairs comp,4UP on 13th hole, my partner and I are dovetailing well and looking to break their hearts,Ive pulled my drive big style onto adjacent (12th) fairway but actually got plenty on it and left myself a great line into the green.Blind shot into front flag on a green that slopes severely back to front with 4 bunkers protecting it.Quite windy thev'e all come up short from the "right" fairway,Ive got 126yds to front pin,gripped down and punched a 7iron low into the wind,looked and felt great off the club straight at the only thing I could see,the very top of flagstick,walk over the bluff and there I am sitting 5 ft from pin,rolled in the putt and walked to 14th tee dormie 5.....SF here we come! just a great feeling when they come off like that!

"great" golfers are the ones on TV."good" golfers are the guys at your club off less than 5.The rest of us are varying degrees of average to poor with a wonderful mixture of styles and methods.Consider a common scenario....Medal play on a Saturday,guy in full $$$$kit ,aesthetically beautiful swing on the 1st tee,obviously fancying his chances ( we all do, hey,with that swing he must be good... right?) then the gangly guy standing next to him in the bad shirt swinging like Trevino with cramp (euughh look at that swing,that must hurt..he must be a hacker...right?)goes on to whip him with complete control of his game and capabilities.....happens every week everywhere me thinks! aah the beautiful game.Until we draw pictures not numbers on the card the guy who can score with what hes got is the man to beat.

wilson fluid feel blades in my bag,circa mid 80's,they are things of beauty in great cond ,i re grip them every year,regroove every other and will shed many tears when they fall apart altho i feel i might first!! everything else is pretty new but my irons are forever

enjoying this thread,for me its the ability to "score" well ,combining all of the above attributes with what the better player knows he's capable/not capable of in any given round...my buddy plays off 4 and he just doesnt miss fairways,wind,rain links,parkland.....its unbelievable! yet he cant putt for toffee,if he could he'd be scratch or +'s in a heartbeat while im off 12,spray it wildly off the tee at least 3 times a round costing who knows how many shots and rely on my putting to keep me in the match...if i could drive the ball id be single figures just like I was...........20 years ago! i feel old all of a sudden

as above get some advice on the my swing section, but hey....if everybody was actually honest about how far they hit it then i think youd find you are in very good company!! I mean,who doesnt rip it 280 off the tee with alarming regularity?? lots of guys apparently who then also fall 25 yds short of the green with their approach shot 9iron from 120......"cant believe the wind got up just as I swung it" yeeaah riightt tiger!! I think you would be well advised to carry on regardless with your repeatable and accurate swing!! As a caveat I am drinking while I write this so excuse the slanderous chat above!!

Self employed painter and decorator since Noah was a boy....my own boss,my own time,cant do it any other way.......on here as and when but never while working as websurfing and paperhanging do not mix well!!

Fair comment,I wasn't meaning to be as blunt as it may of come across,just feel that the general consensus that blades are only for elite players is harsh and that genuine game improvement can be hindered for some by clubs designed to hide your faults and "help" you...that said I agree that any great shot hit with any club is a complete buzz and keeps us all coming back next week in search of the perfect round.I like the pringles reference too! they usually get called butter knives! I have been acused of being into S&M; when it comes to golf and do like it being a hard challenge all the same.