mellojoe

Simply because I can't hit the thing to save my life, I wish I was a good Driver.

This, except, take out the Driver and leave the 3w. That's my beginner advice... or what I do as a beginner. I gave up hitting the Driver off the tee for a while, and I instead use my 3w. Easier to be more consistent for now while I work on the "scoring" aspects of the game (wedges, short irons, etc). Eventually I'll go back. I do have a 23* hybrid that I use for some of those longer fairway shots. I also have a 5w as well. Don't need a Driver, don't need a 3i.

I'd still trade games with him...

Some fun advice I got one time: I guess it could simply be stated as this: "Don't try to do too much!" Get it back into the fairway and play on.

ouch. sucks. so sorry to hear. is there a silver lining? Did you get to try out new drivers, yet? Maybe find a shiny new toy to become your new favorite?

The biggest tip that helped me? As the day goes on, remember: relax and go slow.

Don't think out loud. I do this, and I think it has hurt the 4-some I've played with in the past. Some asks, "What's the distance on this hole?" and someone else says, "Oh, looks like 180." And then I start going... "Ok. 180. But its a bit downhill. Lots of green behind the pin. Don't want to miss it short, cause of the bunkers there. Don't go left because the out of bounds runs along that side." etc. etc. Those are my thoughts for my shot. But, if I say them loud enough, I know it gets into other people's heads. I've seen a guy pull out his 7i and then go back and pull a 6i, only to hit it over the green. I'm sure it had to do with my blabing on about "not wanting to hit it short". I'm training myself to keep my mouth shut. Even if they are good thoughts for MY game, its not fair to confuse others with my drivel.

Its always the opposite for me.... I play bad and bring everyone with me down.

When your first shot doesn't go further than the women's tee box you are supposed to drop your pants . That's our rule. Honest. It keeps people from playing the wrong tee's. I play from the #3's (2nd shortest) just because of my inconsistency and I want to be sure that I clear the #4's (ladies). I've been there when one of the older guys shanked one. Granted, I play in a retirement village, and a lot of those guys really don't have any more shame, but still it was quite shocking when one guy actually did it.

I hit a shot the other day.... it was a little to the left on a dogleg left. It hit the cartpath, which is kind of nice on this hole since you want the extra bounce and roll. But it bounced once, I saw it bounce, and then dissappeared. Not the "it bounced into the woods and I lost it" kind of dissappearance. It just bounced, and then I never saw it from the bounce. I saw it hit the cart path, in an open area, and then gone. *poof* Like it never existed. Never found that one, even though it was headed back into the fairway due to the dogleg and the rough was still far to the left. Gone.

hahaha. That's great, Dave. how long have you been married?

I hit one at the range that sliced so far right it ended up in the ball-collector's basket on the other side of the range. :o

Well, he's a little bit about things like that. When my mother was in labor with her 5th kid, we all knew that it would be several hours. In fact, the 4 previous kids (myself included) were born well over 20 to 25 hours after my mother went into labor. In that case, it would almost make sense to finish off the round, since we knew it would be a while before my baby sister was born. In fact, it was 36 hours before she was born. The doctor sent my mother home and we all went to sleep and carried on with our day. So, in some instances, going into labor does NOT mean rush to the hospital. With this being the guy's 4th kid, he probably had a good idea of how long it would be before the real action started. I'm not defending him... I'm just offering a possible explanation before we all crucify this guy.

This. Plain and simple, without being aggressive, you could have simply said, "My scores aren't matching yours, what did I do wrong?" And this would give him the opportunity to admit he made a mistake on one of the holes or show you where you made a mistake on yours. But, it would also be a nice way to double-check each other. Who knows... maybe he made a legitimate mistake?

This would NEVER happen. Cell phones should be off on the course. Duh.

I found this really old all-metal 5-wood. It gets me out of rough spots all the time because of how heavy the head is. It cuts through the thick grass and an easy swing usually produces a good shot. It has become my go-to club for just about everything 150 yards and longer. Odd club. Good results. And all for free.

Sounds like a fun day.

Well, I don't feel like such a tool, anymore. I'm sticking with it. Crosshand. Left-hand-low. Sounds good. Better than "upside down" grip, huh? Thanks. It works, so I'll keep using it.

I admit it fully. I consistetly play to "Improve My Lie". You're darn right I do. And I admit it to all my playing partners. I'm a beginner. A complete beginner. I could cause everyone to slow down all throughout the course while you wait for me to hit 4 shots out of the sand. Or when I hit it off the tree and it goes backwards. Or when I'm dropping 8 because I can't get over the water. So, I have to use the old "foot wedge" from time to time if I actually want to finish in a decent time. Now, I use it less and less as I get better. But, when I'm shooting 65 in 9 holes (or my famous 72 on the front 9), then I think I'm OK. As my ability to make consistent contact improves, I definately would rather play it as it lies. ((edit)) And I've NEVER hidden it from anybody I play with. I tell them all the time that "I can't hit that shot yet, so I'm going to kick it out. Otherwise we'd be here all day, OK?" Its not something I'm super proud of, but it is definate incentive for me to get better. I've hit some great sandshots lately, so those are getting played as is.

A few weeks ago I putted with my left hand below my right, which is upside down from my normal right-handed grip. So, instead of my right hand being closest to the ground, my left hand... my leading hand was closest to the ground. However, my putts have NEVER been better. I'm on line. I feel like I'm keeping my shoulders square. I have a better "feel" with my stroke, and I can judge how hard / soft I'm hitting the ball. Is this just plain wrong? Will I get laughed at like a "newbie" for putting with an upside down grip? Am I the only one who's doing this?

My first year of golf.... this summer I've managed to play 9 holes once a week, with the occassional 2nd time a week. Not a lot of golf, though, when you only play 9 holes.

Play from the Blues. I'd grab 3-wood and aim slightly down the left side of the fairway. Again, my mistakes push me to the right through either slice or push, but often times the 3-wood goes decently straight. So, I'm only aiming slightly left. I'm hoping to land in that cushy landing zone about 115-meters (126y) from the green. Then, I'll 7-iron, aiming slightly left of the green. If I connect well, I'm on the green without messing with the right-hand side bunker. If I catch it soft, I've left myself an open green, so I can pitch and run. As a beginner, I'd play this as a Par 5. Planning to be on in 3.

I'd also play Blues. I'd tee off with my 3w or my 5w. Probably 5-wood. My error is a slice to the right, or it could error as a push to the right. So, I'm aiming down the left hand side. Hopefully I end up in the fairway, most likely at the very beginning of the fairway, well short of the bunkers. Then, I'd layup with a 9I down the left-hand side instead of trying to go over the water to the green. That would leave me with about 50-meters to the green. Wedge, try to land it short and let it roll since you've got a straight shot onto the green. That would, theoretically, put me on in 3, and let me 4-putt for a double-bogey.

Pitch and run. I'm not accurate, neither with distance or with contact (spin). So the best option for me is to get the ball going in the general direction and let it roll. If I were to try to fly and stop, I might be stopped 10 yards to the left or right, usually in a sand trap of some kind. But, as long as I get it rolling in the right direction, the worst case scenario would be to roll it past the hole into the fringe. That's the goal, anyway.