BostonBrew

If it were me playing alone and waiting behind a two-some, I would have walked up and asked if they would mind me playing with them. If they did, I would then ask if they would mind if I played through. Or if I'm not planning on posting the score, I'd sit back and practice some more and let them get a gap between us. As for the two-some behind a three-some, if they waved me through, awesome. If not, let's enjoy our round a little more and take the extra time we have to focus on our game or enjoy the weather.

Oh I believe you. I just thought it was interesting. Makes you wonder if certain manufacturers do this on purpose to stroke their customers' egos. Say their current PW is a 48* and they hit it 120. They then go to a demo, pick up ::insert manufacturer::'s PW, which unbeknownst to the golfer is lofted at 44* and hit it 135 and as a result think the club is so much better than their current set. Honestly, how many recreational golfers would think to ask what the loft of the club is?

Definitely this. I'm just as competitive as the next guy and I take my golf game seriously, but I don't let pace of play ruin anything for me. At the end of it all, we're playing a game and a fantastic game at that. If you lose sight of that, you're probably the type that ruins the round for the rest of us when you're in our group. If you're in a time crunch, maybe consider playing only 9 or just practicing on the practice facilities. In my opinion, the only person who should really be upset about pace of play is the Course Marshall and Course Management. Slower play means fewer rounds per day, and that's bad for business. But let them deal with it. You can't let it frustrate you and put you in a bad mindset.

Just watched the three most recent videos you've posted. The one thing that stood out to me (this may seem strange) was your chin position. I just read a piece, can't remember if it was Golf Digest or not, about Tiger describing why you need to keep your chin up. Promotes better posture and allows your shoulders to make a full turn was the synopsis I got from it. The second video, you can clearly see your chin is up as opposed to the other two. The fuller shoulder turn, as a result of your posture from the chin, might help you rotate better. Or I could be way off mark with this... haha.

I'll be honest. That looks like fun. But I'd rather walk. I also see the usual issues of golf carts and alcohol being compounded with golf skates: "HEY, hold my beer and watch me jump this bunker like that guy on the X-games."

I nearly choked on my lunch hahaha.

I stand behind the ball, take a few deep breaths and really focus on what I'm trying to do. Pick my spot to line up to, step in, get settled over the ball, swing. If I'm waiting on others, I'll make a few routine practice swings while they are playing. Because I don't have a range finder, finding a sprinkler head is often the part that seemingly takes the longest. And I'm not someone to walk off my yardage, I don't claim to be nearly that precise with my shots. I just need a relative figure.

First I've heard of.

Glad I wasn't the only one thinking this. A 44* PW? My 9 iron is 43*. No wonder I'm always taking one more club hahaha

Well, since you're set on replacing the clubs, I can only recommend going somewhere that allows you to hit their demos. In my opinion, that's the only way to make a proper decision about purchasing a club. A lot of manufacturers make good drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids and it's just a matter of finding the one you feel comfortable with.

If it's only the length of the shafts that bother you about those clubs, instead of buying new clubs, why not just get shorter shafts fitted? Would more than likely save you a little money.

That Star Wars story is pretty funny. I probably would have been shaking my head walking up to the first tee thinking it was going to be a long round. As for my own experience, I had the honor of taking the new Assistant Pro out for his first round on the course. Young, well dressed, athletic looking guy. He told me he played college golf for a major university. Few holes in, I began to realize he was consistently striking the ball poorly. So I started up small chat between shots trying to figure out where he was from, how he got started with the PGA, etc. The more we talked, the more I learned about his game. Turns out, he started the PGA apprenticeship program through a clause that allows those who fail the PAT a certain number of times within a certain number of strokes to start other programs. His college golf? Yeah, no. By that he meant he played on a club golf team for a branch of a major university, not THE university. He shot 90. I went home scratching my head. My own personal goal is also to enter the PGA program, but I will only do it if I can pass the PAT.

You are right on the money. When I first started, I was in-fact only taking it back to parallel. But the more I did the drill, the more my back swing crept back to it's full position. The golf-pro who got me doing it did it for that reason. He felt my backswing was too long and wanted to shorten it so he got me doing the drill. I used to take it to parallel or further, even with wedges and short irons. Now, my arms get to the 10 o'clock spot and my swing is much more compact and controlled. For me, it got me hitting the ball crisper and more consistently.

More than likely it's your timing and rhythm. I used to do a drill where I would only take my backswing to the point where my left arm got parallel to the ground. Would then swing through and hit the ball and stop once my right arm got to parallel with the ground on the follow through. Called it the "thumbs-up" drill. You'd be surprised at how far you hit the ball only taking it back that far.

Yes, absolutely. Here is a great drill from Michael Breed on how to maintain forward leaning shaft at impact. He uses it for chipping, but I believe the same drill applies to the full swing. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeJY05E5rCY Here is another one from Breed about where the arms and wrists should be after impact. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvvMMZCNjdc

You're stance looks much better, i.e. wider. Still looks like you're flipping at the ball though. I couldn't quite get the video to stop at impact so I'm only saying this based on your wrist action before and after.

Yeah, I have to concur. It seems innocent enough. You're just making the best use of your time. I play 2 balls all the time, especially if the course is empty and I'm playing alone. But I don't post the score.

I have certainly been making steady progress, even if my handicap doesn't always show it. I turn 25 at the end of the month which gives me 25 more years to prepare for the Champions Tour hahaha.

I know this feeling. My dad was a huge hunter. We never had to buy meat when we went to the grocery store. Downstairs chest freezer was always stuffed with duck, geese, venison, wild turkey, and fresh fish. He passed away a few years ago though, and now I've been considering getting back into hunting to get my hands on the good stuff again.

Could be Ben Hogan's Five Fundamentals

Yeah, I suppose you're right. I guess I just like Rocco a lot as well and when I saw the clip from Feherty I was a little irritated.

I'll preface this by saying I'm a Tiger fan. Grew up watching him dominate and I never fail to get excited when he's playing well. I'd always thought that he acted the way he did on Tour because that was his way of dealing with the media or he was staying focused. I just love watching the guy play golf and never gave much attention to his off-course life, even with "the scandal." But this story dropped the guy a few notches in my book. "Maybe Sergio was right. Maybe Tiger Woods really “isn’t one of the nicest guys on Tour.”? The latest evidence comes from well-established Tour nice-guy Rocco Mediate, who, during a recent appearance on Golf Channel’s “Feherty,” recalled a Tiger memory from the 2009 Players Championship. At the time, Mediate was roughly a year removed from his playoff loss to Woods at the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, so he thought he’d ask Tiger for a memento. According to Mediate, he left in Woods’ locker a photo of the two of them from the playoff, along with a pin sheet from their fifth-round match. He also left a note, requesting an autograph and an inscription. “Look, sign these for me, write something on there, and personalize it and then sign the pin sheet,” Mediate told David Feherty, summing up his note to Tiger. “Because I’m going to put them on my wall somewhere.” Well, Mediate got the autograph, but that was it. As Rocco tells it, Woods returned the materials later that day, having signed the photo but without writing an inscription. The pin sheet came back to Rocco untouched. Mediate says he threw everything in the trash. “That tells the story,” Mediate said. “Why wouldn’t he ... just mess with me, and the sign my pin sheet, so I could put the damn thing on my wall and say, ‘I almost got the guy that day.’” Mediate emphasized that he’s still a Tiger fan. “I’ve been a big fan of Tiger since I met him,” he said. “I love the way he does his job. I don’t care what anybody thinks or anybody says; we ain’t gonna see this kid come about again.” You get the feeling that Sergio Garcia -- among many others -- would be just fine with that." - Josh Sens - golf.com http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2013/05/rocco-mediate-says-he-dumped-tiger-woods-autograph-in-garbage.html?sct=hp3 I had a similar effect when an elder co-worker told me a story about meeting Jack Nicklaus in the 60s. He apparently was very ill-mannered towards my co-worker and his friends. (co-worker was in his 70s with two knee replacements and still shot in the 70s, maintained a 69 avg while playing on scholarship for LSU way back, said he didn't go pro because, at the time, there was no money in it; one of those people who could tell a story while pulling on his pipe and captivate everyone)

Driver. I had it consistent once for about a month. It comes and goes and consistently baffles me. I'm finally breaking down and replacing it this summer.

Avid hiker and backpacker. Also love to travel. Just drove 1600+ miles from Colorado to Virginia and never saw any reason to complain (although Kansas is always incredibly boring to drive through). And of course, after living in craft beer central (Colorado's Front Range) I have become a bit of a beer drinker. I enjoy working out, but primarily do it for health reasons, so I don't consider it a hobby. Golf does consume most of my time though. In a given month, I golf 3 out of 4 weekends and who knows how many weekdays. The other stuff needs a lot of other variables synced to happen. (Except for the beer of course)

Went with Keegan Bradley, Pat Perez, Gary Woodland, and Robert Garrigus. Not a deep field and there are a lot of guys who could win in my opinion.