Hays33d

2006 Shell Houston Open, 12th hole, final round. He gives his ball the middle finger after missing his bogie putt. Hole was in the back of the green. 50 people in the stands saw it. My brother and I had a good laugh. Guy next to us says, "well kids, that's a great role model."

Yep.

14 years! Maybe I'm not a traditionalist, but give me the new cavity back, high MOI technology!

Par 5. More chance to make up for an error. Bad drive doesn't necessarily mean no birdie opportunity.

Thanks, golf_junkie27. I knew there had to be some place that did this kind of thing. I personally don't trust the range. I hit everything better on the range. I want to try it out on the course where the feeling is a bit different and have confidence that I'm making the right decision. I am keeping a look out for demos days. But like I said, I really want to take them on the course first. Thanks for your input, guys.

Thanks for the suggestion, Ben. I'll see what they say, but I'm not hopeful. But it does sound like you are restricted to trying Callaway only. I would just like an outlet that provides more choices. Just seeing if anyone knew of such a thing. Thanks.

How do you do it? I seem to be missing some inside information because it seems like there is no real good outlet to get clubs to demo on the course. My semi-private club has decent Callaway rental clubs. But that is the only brand choice. They won't even let me take a new putter out on the course. What do you guys do? Buy them and then return them, paying the return fee (e.g. Golfsmith)? Member at a club that has many demos brands to try? I'm trying to find a good way to spend a couple weeks with some club candidates on the course without too much hassle or money. Thanks.

I understand where everyone is coming from. I would have preferred being told then even if I got a penalty. At least I would have some evidence I did something wrong. Later didn't do anything for me but wonder about it and his motives. I didn't mean for this to go off topic as much, but that is what happens in a discussion. No big deal. Thanks for everyone's reply. I'm much clearer on the rule and have just decided to avoid it in the future by teeing behind any markers.

I love my SkyCaddie SG4. I feel lonely without it.

Did anyone say they wanted to see him more? I do. He plays relatively few tournaments and still is at the top and by a large margin. Makes what we are seeing now truly history. Doesn't everyone wish they could have seen Nelson and Hogan play in the day? I guess I'm still in awe of his talent and can't wait to see more of it.

So the USGA rule book is about as fun to read as Conrad on acid, but I do have a question regarding the Teeing Ground in relation to the Tee Markers that it doesn't seem to make very clear. I was in a match where a competitor late in the round said, "you know I noticed you teed up in front of the teeing ground several times. I'm not going to call you on it but someone in the future might...." I'll bypass commenting on his passive-aggressive way of telling me this, but what bothered me about it was I was sure I was teeing up in the middle of the tee markers at the course. Basically they were rectangular blocks of granite and I was in a line either in the middle of them or maybe a shade towards the front of them. But never thought I was in front of the front edge of the marker. What is the official "very front" of the teeing ground? Since markers come in all shapes and sizes and many are really in wacky shapes (prancing horses, for example), what constitutes the front?

In regards to his putting advice (straight back - straight through) he does say in the book that it is his opinion that it is the "most consistent" method to keep putts online. The reasoning being that what throws the putt offline is the angle of the putter at impact. If it is straight back and through, then the angle doesn't change. If you are using the "screen door" method then there is more of a chance to get that angle off of square. He also has very high praise for great putters like Crenshaw that use the "screen door" method. He just thinks that the rest of us should use a method that he thinks is more consistent. And being a numbers guy, that is where he's coming from. Even if you don't like that aspect of his teaching, he does have a lot of very good ideas on rhythm and routine. And in regards to him hawking his wares on the Golf Channel, show me a "renowned" teacher that is not doing that. Off the top of my head I've seen infomercials with Ledbetter, Harmon (multiple brothers), Haney and Rick Smith...

I've read the same book and this is what I did. I went to a level sports field or near one that wouldn't bother anyone and walked off yardages and put towels at 40, 50, 60, 70 & 80. Use all your wedges at 7:30, 9 and 10:30 and make your best estimation at their averages (or if you are really anal, right them all down; or get your kid to do it...what else are they doing that's productive?) Note where they land, not where they roll out. Discard mishits and any shot that just didn't feel right. Definitely make that label he suggests at the base of the club with the 3 yardages for each position. Very handy on the course. The "rolling out" part will have to be determine more from experience. Obviously a PW is going to roll out more than a LW. So experiment on your home course and note how those shots roll out. You want to pick the landing spot on the green and estimate the roll out based on the club you picked. PW will need a landing spot farther from the hole than a LW. One last thing, as you get better at making the shot (you are practicing it right on the range right?), you'll probably notice your distances change. For me, my rhythm changed and made my shots go farther. I recommend after 6 months "recalibrating" with another "towel session". I think that part of his book was the most useful for me and definitely improved my scores. Good luck!

As long as pace of play doesn't suffer, I'll play with anyone. They just have to know when it is time to pick up the ball or stop looking for the lost one. If they are with an adult, I expect the adult to push that. If the adult doesn't, it's not the junior's fault. If the junior is playing on their own, they most likely all ready know.

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