GangGreen

Had an OK round (for me) yesterday with a 97 at the local course. Shot a 46 on the front (2 strokes better then I had ever scored on the front 9 before at this course). Back 9 wasn't as kind to me, started off with 4 straight bogey's (which is great for me!) but then went double, triple, double, double, double to finish with a 51. For the day, 1 par, 9 bogeys, 6 doubles, 2 triples. 3 of 14 fairways hit, 2 GIR's, 36 putts on the day. Consistency off the tee was my downfall for sure, it's a fairly short but tight course so while I rarely needed to pull out the driver, any miss off the tee usually meant a punch shot to get it back in play. Those extra strokes certainly add up in hurry for me.

This past summer I was typically able to get out to the range 2-3 times a week with one round of 18 each weekend. Have to say, though, my left should has really taken a beating this year so I'm probably going to need to scale back the full swing sessions at the range for a while and replace it with more work on my putting and chipping at home until I'm more comfortable with the shoulder.

I'd be interested in hearing what folks have to say about this as well. I have an 8 year old daughter and a 10 year old son who seem to enjoy hitting balls at the range with me. I'd like to find a way to foster their enthusiasm in the game and for them to learn properly without being one of "those" parents (you know the ones, you see them at the driving range and/or sidelines at their kids events yelling at them everytime they make a mistake). Personally, I think at these younger ages the most important thing is for them to have fun (regardless of the sport/activity). I try to make a day out of it with my kids, we start with a round of minature golf (because the love it) and then we'll hit the driving range. I always keep my comments positive and rarely give them instructions outside of maybe how they're lined up. We always finish up with some ice cream, etc. at the range (guaranteed way to make them want to keep coming back...haha). I've never taken them to a real course, but we did hit the local pitch and putt and that was a lot of fun.

45 now and was introduced to the game by a good friend during my junior year in college (so I must have been 20 or so). A bunch of us used to to head over to a local driving range right off campus regularly just for fun. Their was a course not too far from the range (Cobbs Creek for those familiar with the Philadelphia area) and soon the driving range outings became regular rounds at that course. My buddy had played regular before and was pretty good so he taught us the fundamentals, rules, etiquette, etc. as we went. We all lived relatively close to each other so we always found an excuse to get together and play during summer breaks and, for a time, after we graduated. I also remember playing a lot at this terrible (but cheap) little course that was within walking distance of my parents house in Bucks county. I spent the first year after school living at home and I used to head there at least 3 times a week after work to play for something like $10. After about 2 or 3 years of playing fairly regularly, life kind of took over at some point and the number of times I get out dropped off to maybe a handful of work related outings a year until I was around 30 when I stopped playing all together. Fast forward 15 years to now and I've re-caught the golf bug. I still don't live too far from Cobbs Creek and keep telling myself I need to get back out there one of these days.

I throw it in the "poor taste" category at best. I lost a very close friend that day who worked in the WTC. Funny, he was the person who turned me on to golf in the first place way back when. Great guy, the kind of person who just went out of his way to make everyone feel welcomed...miss him big time, prayers to his family on this day!

Been there for sure, seems like whenever I start feeling like my game is coming around I inevitably throw in some flat out clunkers and come crashing back to reality in a hurry. I think its just part of the process for a high handicaper like myself but it's still no less frustrating when you know your capable of playing better and, for whatever reason, the wheels just come off. Honestly, I think it just comes with the territory, though, I don't think I've ever met a golfer who (regardless of their level of play) didn't go through a bad stretch. What's that old saying..."you're never as good as your last win and your never as bad as your last loss"...seems to apply to golf just as well.

I'm 45 and picked up the clubs again this summer and I've noticed a 5-10 yard drop-off in my overall distance compared to when I used to play in my late 20's. Clearly, part of the drop off is the pure rust factor having not played for so many years but I also believe that's been partly offset by the benifits of better equipment these days. My lack of fitness is also a definite contributing factor, particularly later in rounds. Never been in great shape, but I hit the wall a lot faster these days and the swing starts getting pretty sloppy...one more reason I need to get in shape.

I typically go out as a single so almost always get put together with people I don't know. I find that no matter how my round is going that folks always give you a sincere "nice ball" when you do hit a nice shot. I was out yesterday with 3 other singles, I was not having a particularly good round and was clearly the weakest player in our foursome. We got to the 6th, 355 yard par 4 and I hit a nice one of the tee (finally!), dead center of the fairway with about 90 yards to the green. We all ended up on the green in 2, 2 of us walked off with pars (my only one for the day), the other 2 with birdies with a lot of high 5's on the way over to the next tee. Good stuff for sure.

Exactly, for me half the battle was understanding where my personal game limitations were. I don't look at it as "avoiding" risk as much as "managing" it based on my current skil level. As my skill level improves and the margin for error in my game decreases, then I can take on more risk.

OK, my 2 cents...to state the obvious, the reality is that high handicappers (like myself) need to work on BOTH our course management AND our ball striking skills if we truly want to improve our game/scores. As for which one is more important, I think that largely depends on the individual and where their particular game is at that time. I will have to say, though, that its only been until recently that I realized how better course management really does factor into the equation. Simply put, it makes absolute sense to me that you have to be able to hit the ball well (consistently) if you ever want to lower your score but it wasn't until I started playing the same course more frequently that I realized how being more familiar with the course itself (ie. knowing where the trouble was) was leading me to make better decisions (ie. go with 3W vs. driver, etc.) which, surprise, surprise, also led to better scoring at that course. Flip side to the argument, doesn't necessarily matter if I know I have to avoid the trouble on the right side if I can't control that wicked slice of mine anyway...GOD I LOVE THIS GAME!!!

I'm a high handicaper and certainly the last person to be giving advice, but the same thing worked for me recently as well. I was struggling with a low hook for a stretch and standing closer to the ball seemed to correct that (at least for now). I find, though, that it only seems to help with my short-to-mid irons, my long irons are still a bit of a mess.

I would consider myself an average weekend golfer (with 3 young kids it's tough to be anything but). I used to get out a little more regularly when I had a lot less grey hair (also before the kids arrived) and a good day for me back then would be getting into the mid 90's. Got back into the game recently and played my first round earlier this summer after 15 years of not touching a club. Shot a 114 at a course I was fairly familiar with from my younger days (6,300 yds, 69.8/126). Caught the golf bug again and, since then, have tried to get out once a weekend with 2 trips to the range during the week. Have slowly worked my scores down to the high 90's to low 100's range (depending on which short game I show up with that day) with my best score being a 93 at my local, albeit very short, home course (5,800 yds. 67.1/124). I don't deliberately cheat but I also have no doubt either that I've missed counting a penalty stroke or two on occassion due to my lack of knowledge...I know, I know...get a rules book!!! Last point, in my opinion, there's absolutely nothing wrong with being an average weekend golfer either (not that folks are implying that, hopefully)...sure I would love to be able to spend more time on my game but I can't for now and that probably means the highlight of my golfing career will be to be able to one day consistently score in the low 90's with maybe an occassional peak at the high 80's...but that's cool too since the way I look at it at least I'm back out there again playing the greatest game ever and loving every minute of it!!!

As for the original question, it doesn't affect me at all what the person I'm playing with has in his bag (expensive or cheap). As long as their game doesn't interfere with mine they could pull out a gold plated putter if that's their thing. As an aside, I am probably one of those players whose equipment is way better then their game. My reason is simple, I'm picking up the game again after not playing for a very long time and needed new clubs so why not treat myself to a set I really like and ones that may actually help me hit the ball a little better (not that price/brand equates to a better swing necessarily, but I certainly feel that the clubs I purchased are far far more forgiving and have indeed helped my game tremendously compared to the set I could afford many moons ago when I first started). Really, though, at the end of the day, the only person who should care about how much I spend on my clubs (besides me) is my wife and believe me...SHE DOES...hahaha!!! Oh, I did, however, make the switch away from the ProV's after my first round back...the golf gods will just have to make due with my 2 or 3 DT So/Lo sacrices per round until I get better.

Great, thanks. Look forward to trying some of those courses out!

Yep, I used to play somewhat off-and-on years ago then it got tougher and tougher to find the time to get out when my kids were younger. Now that they're a little older, it's a little easier for me to find the time to play/practice. I even got my 8 and 10 year old their own set of clubs and they love to come out to the range with me (although the ice cream afterwards probably has something to do with that too...haha). Honestly, my second go-around at the game seems a lot more enjoyable. For whatever reason (maybe it comes with age) I feel like I understand my swing a little better and have a lot more patience working out the bugs.

Thanks Al B. I miss those B-Dawk days, he was such a class act and what a player. The team was never the same after he left and it still freaks me out to see pictures of him wearing a Broncos jersey. I'm just getting back into golf again so I'm interested in what courses folks in the area like to play. I live just outside of the city in Cheltenham and the most convenient course for me is Melrose CC (nice course, its short but very well maintained and never too crowded). The other one I'll play is Five Ponds over in Warminster. I little more challenging course compared to Melrose for me, but it usually gets a ton of play and last time I was there it wasn't in the greatest shape with all the rain we got earlier this summer. Any suggestions you'd have on places to play in the area would be much appreciated. Thanks,

Thanks!

Great, thank you both!

New to the forum and just getting back into the game after a being away from it for a fairly lenghty time. I would really like to focus more of my time working on improving my overall short-game but, like many I suppose, I do not have regular access to a great practice facility. I live close to a driving range and usually get out there at least twice a week but the hitting surface isn't real grass and there is no chipping and/or putting area to practice on. I do work on my putting at home and practice chip shots in my backyard but, honestly, it seems as though the best chances I ever really get to work on my short game is when I'm playing alone (and no one's behind me, of course) and I get to hit an extra ball or two on or around the green before I move on to the next tee. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I live just a little north of Philadelphia and, for the most part, weekend fees range anywhere between $45-$65 for a round. There are also a few higher-end semi-private courses that run in the $80-$100 range. I'm just getting back into playing again after a 15 year layoff so I haven't had a chance to get out to as many courses as I would like so far but my general sense is that in our area you really do get what you pay for in terms of course quality and condition. There are also a number of exceptional private clubs in our area that I've been fortunate to play through work functions, but have never inquired about membership dues, etc. The course I frequent the most is a fairly decent semi-private course within walking distance of my house. I'm not a member (I believe membership runs $2,700/yr.) but they open it up for public play after noon and charge $60 for a weekend round and $45 after 2:00p. The other course I usually play is about 20-30 minutes north of me and I believe its a municipal course (at least it was when it first opened many moons ago) and charges $65 a round and $45 for a twilight round. Seems like a lot for a muni, but its always packed.

Got back into the game this past summer after being away from it for 15 years. So glad to be playing again and I find myself more addicted now then ever before. Its also nice to know after all that time off I can still hit the ball as badly as I did when I was playing more regularly...haha!!! Looking forward to getting better and being part of the forum.