Andrew123vl

Good advice!

I don't want to upset anyone. Peoples perception of what mechanical means will differ, as we are all different and our minds process things differently. A robot could be created that hits a golf ball perfectly, a human can also develop this ability, through practice. My interpretation of mechanical is someone who has learnt ability, over natural ability. Of course, it is on a scale. 100 percent natural will always be very unlikely, as will 100 percent mechanical.

Pure feel. Gifted. Naturally talented. I could put it this way - a feel player, without ever hitting a golf ball, could grab a club and hit a decent golf shot, a mechanical player (less natural ability) could not. After much practice however, a repeatable learnt swing, and acquiring a selection of repeatable shots, can equal or surpass the natural player. It's not fair, but some people have to work hard to achieve the same results as someone who does little to no practice. This applies to any sport which requires hand eye coordination.

God given talent, natural ability, a feel player.

Not really. The millions of sexy French girls more than makes up for it!

And very expensive. From the UKs 2000 plus courses, I will have 1 from 500 to choose from, with many being part of the golfing holiday circuit.

Ha ha. I would consider it if I could enjoy a beer driniking round. Sounds fun! Not sure if I wil be able to do that in France or the UK though.

Part of the reason I play golf is to enjoy nature. I would never use a cart.

Hi everyone, In the words of the great Lee Trevino, there are feel players and mechanical players, with most people falling somewhere inbetween. A 100 percent feel and 100 percent mechanical can achieve the same results. Criteria - Feel Natural ability. The swing could be either ugly, strange or fairly orthodox looking, but works all the same. Would play a multitude of shots from 150 yards with various clubs. Doesn't benefit much from tuition. Doesn't need to practice much. Mechanical Learnt ability. The swing is learnt and probably looks fairly orthodox. Would have only one or two options from 150 yards. Benefits greatly from tuition. Devotes a lot of time to practice. I would class myself as 70/30 feel/mechanical player - mostly natural but need to tweak technique a little, benefits from basic advice, would practice once a week for 2 hours and play 2 rounds of golf a week to continue to improve. What are you? Andrew.

I'm sure you will learn a lot on here. Golf has become a computerised technilogical game of graphite, stiff, x stiff, regular flex, hybrids and mallet putters. Embrace the technology, internet information, forums, practice hard, and I'm sure you will reach your golfing goals. Andrew.

Thanks for the advice. Or the trial and error option - buying different clubs/shafts on eBay and selling them if not suitable. Like renting a DVD or something!

Thanks for the welcome David. You Americans are great at the short instructional videos on Youtube!

The Ping G15 driver I have with stock stiff shaft is too flex - apparently it's not very stiff, for a stiff shaft. Are the specialist shaft companies shafts much better quality? I'm wondering which choice of shaft to go with with my next driver purchase. I can't afford custom fit. Thanks, Andrew.

Hi there, After playing many other sports, at the age of 31 I choose golf as my sport of choice, which I intend to play regularly and achieve a handicap of 5 or below. I'm a good natural ball striker and possess good hand eye coordination. I have hit a lot of golf balls in the past on the range and enjoyed the odd round of golf, but I never took up the sport properly until now. I will be playing my golf in southern France, as I am moving there from the UK next month. So I should be able to enjoy the game 12 months a year! In theses early stages I have been trying different equipment discovering what suits my swing and game, which I will discuss in another post. Looking forward to joining in the discussion and learning from experienced golfers. Thanks, Andrew.