rubbery

Well, ideally I'd like to shoot an 18 if I could, but realistically: - Even par. Maybe not terribly realistic, but more so than an 18. - Wouldn't be too concerned with how far, same as always like Sean said. - An on and off drizzle would be nice. It softens the greens and keeps the course from getting backed up. Slightly overcast, too, and a light breeze would be nice. - I would like to hit the shots that I visualize. If I want to play a 5 yard fade, then I'd like to see that. If I want to hit a low 20 yard hook that goes under a tree limb and rolls up to the green, that's the shot I'd like to see come off the club (I'm not sure why I'd have to do that on my ideal day though).

It seems like the girl topic has been covered, but I'd like to tell you the two things someone had made sure I would take seriously in high school. These are still fresh in my mind because I graduated a mere ten and a half months ago. 1) Do your best. It's that simple. I'm a pretty smart guy, but in high school, I thought that would be enough to get me into any college I wanted. I rarely did homework or studied. I coasted through school, and didn't fulfill my potential. I still did alright, but I could have gone pretty much anywhere I wanted if I had just sat down and studied for a few hours every night. 2) Don't blink. These four years will blow by, trust me. Next thing you know you're going to be walking across a stage, diploma in hand. They may not be the best years of your life, but they're damn good. You see your friends everyday which is by far what I miss the most.

The 18* hybrid I have (Nike SQ Sumo) is a great club and it's only 90 bucks now that the VR hybrids are out.

I prefer Arizona green tea, but I've never seen a course that sells it so I have to pick it up on my way. If I don't have time, or I forget, Coke or Gatorade is just fine.

Sounds a lot like the first time I flirted with the 70's. All I needed to do was par a short par 4 to shoot 79. I snap hooked my drive into a water hazard, dropped, came up short, and missed the chip for 79. Since then I have never counted my score until I'm finished; all you do when you do that is putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.

Oh, and just an addendum to this because I can't edit it, that's when I hit it solid. Average was the wrong word to use. It's the average of my drives that I don't butcher so my legitimate average is right around 270.

I've been working a lot on weight shift lately and I'm hitting the ball a lot farther. I'll hit it anywhere from 270 all the way up to a little over 300 (that is my absolute max, and I very, very rarely hit it that far), but 285 is probably my average.

I wear my Titleist hat with my high school's knight logo everywhere. I can't imagine playing a round without it. It's rare to see me without it on.

I start with my 56 to get a good tempo going. Then I go to a 7 iron because that's my favorite club and warming up with it helps me gain confidence. Then I hit my 2 hybrid and driver because those are the two clubs I tee off with the most. I finish with the 56 to take the feeling of swinging a wedge to the first tee.

1) Make my college's golf team It's a lofty goal, and I won't be too disappointed if I don't do it, but I do want to give it my best shot. 2) Spend more time on the practice green than the driving range I've been doing this so far this year, and my short game is getting better everyday. 3) Always remember it's just a game Ever since this has been my only swing thought, the rest has been up to muscle memory, and I've been playing better.

My dad started taking me with him when I was about 13. After the first 5 or 6 times he bought me my own clubs. I still only played casually with him until I was about 15 and started to really get into it. As soon as I turned 16 I drove myself to the course or the range every day. My favorite part of the game? Everything. I love the way my driver feels when I hit the sweet spot. I love the sound I hear when I trap the ball with my 7-iron. I love being outside with a few good friends or by myself. I love having bad rounds and working out the kinks on the range the next day. I love that feeling of invincibility when a shot goes exactly the way you pictured it. I love the freedom for creativity. I love how every course is different. I love waking up early and playing an empty course with the dew still on the ground. I love the highs, the lows, the challenge, the struggle, and man do I love making birdies.

I can totally relate. I used to hate hitting accidental fades too because I used to have such a bad slice. Recently though, my ball flight with my driver has gone from a pretty sizable draw to a fade as well. I've always been able to control fades pretty well, but only when I was intentionally hitting them. I ingrained a draw into my muscle memory through countless hours of practice because I thought I would get better distance. But today, I hit two of the best, longest drives of my life (a par 4 green in one, and an absolute bomb that gave me an 8 iron into a par 5). The way I see it, if I can have back to back eagle putts thanks to a fade, it's about time to just let the cut happen.

The players on my golf team don't have a great understanding of the rules of golf (for example, I was playing with a sophomore on the team, he hit it in the water, dropped and proceeded to ask me what he was lying) so I'm making a little quiz on some basic rules. I need a few ideas. So far I'm doing: hitting another player's ball on the green with your putt, where to drop and the penalty for OB and lateral hazards, relief from man made objects (fences and electrical boxes). Do you guys have any other good rules I could ask my players?

It depends on the school. Right now I'm coaching my high school team that I captained last year. We were pretty stacked last year so cuts were made, but this year we aren't returning any of our top 6 so there are a few beginners on the team. If your stepson goes to a big school with a competitive golf team, and he's just starting out, he'll have to work very hard to make the squad. If he goes to a smaller school like mine was, he'll be able to be on the team, but he may not get into very many matches. As far as the coaching goes, I don't like to tweak my player's swings who are working with pros unless I see some fundamental flaw that I know I can help them with. I just help them with course management and very fundamental things. If your stepson says to his coach, "I'm working with someone else who is teaching me differently" the coach will respect that and help him with different things. You might want to think about getting your son to see a PGA professional this summer if he is starting to get hooked on the game.

I go with the Golf Pride Patriot grips. They're comfortable, durable, good in all weather conditions, but best of all, a portion of each grip sale goes to the Folds of Honor Foundation.