NBGC

Pretty much what everyone said, as you become a better and more consistant ball striker, you'll gain distance. My swing speed has increased from 95 (when I bought my driver) to 107 (when I went to replace my reg flex shaft). During that period of lessons and practice my PW went from 125yds to 140yds. All my distances went up 1 club length, all attributed to better hip action, coil, and most importantly hitting the ball more consistantly on the sweet spot. All that inspires confidence over the ball, allowing you to swing a lil faster (not harder). I'm stepping up to Mizuno's this week (UPS can't get here fast enough ) and hopefully there won't be too much of a transition..although getting used to new clubs might be the perfect excuse to get out to the range/course more often

I say Freddy. He is the King of Swing and has the most effortless looking smoothest tempo swing out there. Everytime I feel like I'm rushing or pushing to hard, I try to relax and think Freddy and hit my next few shots with his swing/tempo. Believe it or not, it really does help. Lots of beginners, incl myself, lose thier tempo's quite often and although telling yourself to slow down is a good start, I think having a mental image of a smooth tempo swing that you can see someone doing is better than just saying "slow down".

Thanks everyone for the insight and advice! So as I'm understanding it: in a nutshell, stiffer for more accuracy and more flex for distance (I'm not searching for more distance, I'm completely satisfied with 285-300...for now ) but like I said, as I've gained more distance I've seen more of my drives really going High and starting to fade more and more. I think I'll try your advice Hytrew, gonna go with mid/mid, probably the Fuji Vista Pro you recomended. I'll hit the Golfsmith either later tonight or tomorrow and get on the monitor and get the driver re-shafted. Thanks

My swing speed has def gone up in the last few weeks with my new swing and now my balls tend to ballon and fade. I have a reg shaft in my XLS and I'm going to the shop to get my swing speed and launch angle measured. I was at the cusp at 95 mph when I bought the driver and opted for the reg flex as to not make myself swing harder with a stiffy. Can anyone recommend a shaft that's going to lower my traj and keep the ball from fading? Im pretty sure it's not a swing issue, I was hitting them pretty straight and long 275-295. I have the stock Fit on gold reg flex shaft on a 10.5 Cleveland XLS. Would like to know if replacing the R flex with a Stiff will fix it or if I should also get a 9 or 9.5 driver. Thanks

Another thought, instead of changing your swing, what type of ball are you using? I drove a 284 yd par 4 last week and my Pro V1 absolutely stuck. In fact it popped/rolled back about 1 yard from the nasty ball mark. May not work if your trajectory is really low, but on a normal traj, a good tour ball should still have enough backspin to only roll a few yards after hitting the green. Just an idea.

Do you normally hit a draw? If not, then you're halfway there! If it's a true push then you're comming with an inside-out swing plane with the club face square with the plane. Close up the face more at impact for the draw. If you're intending to hit it straight and it's pushing then listen to Avidgolfer and others said, check your alignment and swing mechanincs, esp shoulder and hip tilts.

Perfect answer. Without seeing your swing, you may be doing the same thing that I, and many amatuers/beginners did, which is casting. You subconciously break your wrists early instead of holding off, thus hit an inch or 2 behind your intended target. this causes you to have weak, inaccurate hits and hitting it "fat" Once I realized what I was doing, I moved my aim point to 1 inch in front of the ball and began hitting the ball more consistantly and crisply. Now when I swing, I pick an intermediate target, like a divot etc 1-2 feet in front of my ball as my aim point. Take the club back in line with my aim point for the first foot or so before bringing it up and around, make sure to take a shallow divot 1 inch in front of my ball and "feel" like my club stays online with my intermediate target for a few inchaes past impact. Not sure if that's the right way, but it had increased my accuracy a ton, less shots 10-15yds to the left/right of target.

uhg, okay. Thanks, it's just that when on the practice green I know the direction of the grain on the long stright flat ones (30ft+) and I really do have to hit it harder, same with going with the grain, seems I have to hit it 1/2 as hard for the same distance comming back the opposite direction.

Ah yes, timtheputterman rules. Bought my hybrids from him, he listed them as "Hit once"...sure sure. When I got them they still had all the plastic and stickers all over them, still in thier shipping wrapper, never been hit, even as demo. New clubs at 1/2 price can't beat that. As far as 3balls, I've bought from them as well, very reputable, same deal, better condition than advertised on all my purchases. Callaway preowned also has an Ebay shop and sells for 10-30% less than thier outlet. On Ebay, I'll trust any company thats got over 10k/99% feedback. It's the individuals and smaller stores that can rip you off with incorrect ratings and counterfeits.

Rusting is easy, wish there were an easy way to get my oil can finish back I've seen the coke method in action, it'll strip a head clean.

You are correct. The fit-on gold shaft is considered regular, swing speed up to and around 95-100mph, the red is considered stiff swing speed 100mph + Each of the gold and red also have kick point's of senior, regular, and stiff. Gold (A), Gold (R), Gold (S) etc As far as to which is better, im not qualified to answer that. Try hitting both the gold and red's and which gives you the best launch angle. I went with Gold because at the time I was on the cusp, 95-100mph, but I didnt want to feel like I had to swing hard and fast everytime. Went with the Gold-(R) and although I get some balls that ballon, i'm very happy. I also made the switch from a 4w (210-230) to a 3w (230-250) and couldn't be happier. With the change in loft and design, my 3w's really fly now.

Gawd, more spin??? I have visions of ping pong ball spin now lol. Thing about the SM's, they def make me hit the ball past the hole on full wedge shots cuz pin high means 20ft putts if you're using a soft ball.

How do you guys read the grain on putts? Water, wind, sun all affect the grain but short of getting down on the green and looking at the grass, what are your preferred methods? And which overrides which? Grain follows water, including saltwater and that takes precedent, right? How far away does the body of water have to be before the sun dictates? Then wind, etc? I get sick when I read a 20ft putt break right and leave it 2 ft short or 5 ft past because of the grain. Thanks all

What iacas said What's great is that the Zfactor can be, and is encouraged in the dvd, adjusted for YOUR putting stroke. Play around with it to get the plane that feels the most natural and comfortable. Inside-square-inside and square-to-square planes allow you to adjust putter heighth at impact, backswing, followthru. You can change your angles for I-S-I. I was aprehensive about going to a completly different swing when I got my Z, but what it really allows you to do is use your swing, but correct the path, with instant feedback on putter head position and lets you groove muscle memory. I'm working on distance control now, marking how far I take my backswing for 20-50ft putts. After getting my marks, by using my back foot, I can hit my distances now w/o the Z within 1-2 feet. Now I just gotta read grain and breaks

Like everyone said, make sure you accelerate thru the ball. You've lost confidence and it sounds like you're decelerating. Also, make sure to keep your head down and don't watch for the ball, smooth accelerating downward impact thru, not at, the ball. Make sure to follow thru whether its a 5ft of 30ft chip.

I got the older 5 plane model as well, mine came with 2 DVD's for the model. If you can't get the DVD from Dean, we'll see if he'll allow me to post a link for it. Mine came with the optional laser and sticky tape for it, no extra cost. Got the $199 version from his Ebay store. has square to square as well as the above posted arcs, 1", 3/4", 1/2", 1/4", square planes.

Not sure if this is what you're looking for, but this is how I learned to line up for putts when I started. I started with 3-5ft straight putts to learn how to hit the ball straight, get comfortable with alignment, stroke, etc. It's hard enough to do all the "proper" putting routines but when you're not even aimed at the hole it makes you change the wrong things. I used a chalk line, can get it at home depot, but make sure your practice green allows you to use it, if not, use white thread and 2 tee's. Make a straight line with the chalk or thread from your starting area thru the center of the cup. Also make sure that the putt is flat, with no break so all you need to worry about is a consistant stroke and you can gauge how far to bring your putter back for diff distances with the same tempo. Obviously, after you get a feel for the line and range, move your start point back and play around. After you have a good feeling for the line, try another hole w/o the guidelines to ensure you have a feeling for the line and stroke, etc. After you get a feel for straight putts to the center of the hole, try hitting left/right edges at those distances. I've also used this to work on breaks, make your straight line to hole on a break, then aim left or right of hole to get a feeling for how much slope breaks and distance/speed control. There are hundreds of methods out there, I'm sure mine isn't unique or even that I came up up with it, just something I thought up when I decided I wanted to make myself a consistant putter. This method really helped me with putter and stance alignment since I can already see the line and line my putter square at address. IMHO, if you can putt the ball straight 10-15ft consistantly, it doesn't matter if your stance/stroke is unconventional. Another HUGE tip that I learned is always keep your head down. I had to fight the urge to watch the ball after I hit it to see if I hit it online. Once I got to the point to trust my alignment and line, I kept my head down and watched the impact area til I heard the ball hit the cup. Just my 2cents.

Aw crap, now i'm all confused and right in the middle of a driver slump. A few month's ago I also "discovered" flipping my wrists, or clubhead throwaway, and it also eliminated my slices and seriously gained me 30 yards off the tee. I was hitting 210-230 avg before and prior to my last 2 rounds was getting 250-275 avg ( i know, everyone thinks they hit it 275-300, but i use my gps to measure my drives to mark improvements in clubhead speed etc) as well as more accuracy- Straight, draws, power fades. What lead me to the discovery was some article in GD that said the release was like "closing the gate" or "closing the car door". The last 2 rounds I've been fighting a pull, obviously a steep downswing. I've tried shallowing it out and ensuring I draw the ball but I'm just pushing the ball more than I draw it and I've lost distance, accuracy, and confidence. My Pro told me I wasn't clearing my hips, that they were moving towards the target instead of opening up, blocking my release. I used to "roll" my wrists but since this change to flipping I thought I made a huge step to making a more consistant, faster clubhead speed, accurate driver swing. This talk of clubhead throwaway has me confused now and I really would prefer to not have to start hitting hundreds of balls at the range again to get my "old" swing back losing distance and accuracy. I know the old saying about it doesn't matter how you swing as long as the club meets the ball square and on plane, but is this flipping gonna hamper my end game as the OP asked? Don't answer that, I already know the answer =/

I'm not sure if i'm correct, but my perception of rescue vs hybrid is that a rescue IS a hybrid, but very low loft, say 15-20 degrees, same as a 1-3 iron. As far as your long range gap, I would recommend getting hybrids. At least 1 hybrid, say a 3 or 4 hybrid with 22-25 degree loft. that will fill in your gap from your 5 wood (17-19 degree's i'm assuming). I replaced my 3 and 4 irons with a 20* for 200-220yds, and a 26* for 160-175yds, it's my par 3 killer, nice high traj and lands soft. Easy to hit and shape. Still thinking of getting a 23-24* 4 hybrid for those rare 180-200yders, but no room in my bag. I just choke down on my 3h and swing it like a 9 iron. Believe the hype, hybrids ARE easier to hit, just don't try and kill the ball because the head is shaped like a wood. Swing it with a 6-7 iron speed/tempo.

4. 46* pw 125yds, med bump n runs 50* gap 110-125yds 54* sand 70-110yds, greenside chips, 40-70 yd pitches 60* close greenside chips, flops The SM Vokeys, as well as any other brand of quality wedges will allow you to spin it back on full wedge shots, under the right conditions- soft greens, high spin ball, descending blow/pinch. The wedges will def help with ball checks on even hard distance balls- hop and check, release. If you're used to hitting the ball short of the pin and letting the ball release, then new wedges will really help. If you plan to use a high spin ball, start hitting the ball past the pin on full wedge shots. It's amazing to watch a ball stick the green and spin back....past the hole and 15' back =/ so if you hit them short, you're chipping from the fringe.

For what it's worth... I've purchased 6 dozen AAAA Pro V1's from lostgolfballs.com and have been extremely happy with them. Out of the 72 balls, apprx 10-15 were discolored, slightly off-white. A few had ball marks, barely noticeable. But at $1.25 per ball, it's a steal. I used the discolored balls, which were fine for play as my chip/putt balls. Nothing like being able to practice your short game with balls that check so you can get a feeling for how it will play on the greens. These balls are fine for playing. If this is your first time with a tour quality ball, just be aware that they will spin alot more off your tee shots. So if you have a fade or draw compensate for it.

Wow, you scored Sun tix? drool

Wow, for $199 I'm really tempted now...anyone know what the difference is? i.e. whats the 6th swing plane that the $300 model has and are there any other differences? On a side note, anyone think we could get a discount for a group buy? I'm sure if TheSandTrap could get 100 buyers, they may give a substantial discount.

I'll be following Tiger and Phil along with 40k other fanatics on Friday! Score! Golfing Saturday, and maybe Sun. We have Tee's for both days in San Diego, but may end up watching the final round on HiDef. Btw, if you haven't watched golf on H.D. you're seriously missing out, it's truly amazing..can see the subtle rolls on the greens, blades of grass, etc. How do you plan on spending the Open?

Ya, I understand ya. But my justification for splurging on a putter was: I'll use a putter 18-40 times a round, compared to 14 times for a driver, or 3-4 times for a 3 wood. The putter is THE scoring club. Less the eagles and occasinal chip in's, it's the club that puts the ball in the hole. I want a putter that installs confidence within myself when i stand over it, even if it is only mental. Will the SC make me hole more putts than another putter? Dunno, but I really like the feel and sound over my old putter.