dave s

Not courses, per se, but there are particular holes on courses that simply OWN me. dave

My take on anyone's game is this: As long as you're not trying to take money out of my pocket, I couldn't care less what you write on the card, say you shot, penalties assessed, whatever. It just doesn't matter. The back tees: Honestly I don't score any worse playing from longer-range tees compared to playing a course at a distance better suited to my game. Sure, I have more par and birdie opportunities playing it forward, but like you, I don't seem to capitalize on those opportunities as much as I should. dave

Actually, showing up for a round of golf with just ONE ball represents an interesting strategy. Sure puts an emphasis on keeping the ball in play! I played in a 3-day weekend outing with 15 other guys a couple of weekends ago. On Saturday, I played 27 holes with the same Taylormade ball. Granted, the last 9 was a scramble, but even though, that's gotta be some kind of personal record for me. dave

Thanks you. So many people on this site misread, or completely miss the true point of a response. Shooting29 is another perfect example. I've been in a couple of 5-hour rounds the past few seasons. I don't go to those courses anymore. My normal rounds on weekends with my guys all happen at 4 hours or a bit shorter. My point was exactly as you read. No sense in trying to get ahead of the group in front only to wait on the next group and have the group of you passed waiting on you. Sometimes there is simply no way to escape slow play other than exiting the course. dave

Here's the deal: You want to play through the group in front of you due to slow play. Almost ALWAYS, slow play isn't the cause of the group directly in front of you. They can't go anywhere, either. So, you press the issue and let's say the group allows you to play through. Now, THAT group is waiting on YOUR group on every tee box and approach shot because there is no where for YOUR group to go. My solution: Make sure you play with people who are interesting and fun to be around. This way, when you find yourself in the midst of a 5-hour round, (heaven forbid for you speed golfers) the time waiting passes pleasantly. Slow down. Enjoy the day and your company and you'll worry a lot less about pace of play. dave

Three stories: 1. Playing golf in HI with sis and BIL. We're on one of the Kapalua courses. Hole 1 is a par 5. BIL drives ball left and into a back yard. Upon approach, we discover a dog, chained to an in-ground pole. We assess the situation, dog is lying there doing nothing. Ball is definitely OB, in yard and within reach of dog. BIL approaches property, dog feigns disinterest. As soon as BIL sets ONE foot on the property, the dog goes ballistic, snarling and growling running toward us until it hits the end of the chain. Golf ball is inside reach of dog. Back to #1 tee he goes. 2. Playing in an outing with a bunch of once-or-twice-a-year players. #10 was a par three. As we're leaving #10, a guy in our group says to the group next up to beware of the drunk boneheads behind them hitting into them on a par-3. #11 tee box is just behind the par 3 green. A guy in our group shanks a driver straight right that strikes the tee marker. Of course nobody saw the ricochet or direction after it struck the tee maker. Seconds later we hear the group behind us putting on the par 3 screaming at the guys on #10 for hitting into them. Ball that stuck the tee marker went up, left and over our tee box and landed in the middle of #10 green! Needless to say, the hacks in the outing did more drinking than golfing. 3. Fall golf. My buddy and I (2-some) were getting pressure from the group behind us. They'd hit some close to us on a couple of holes but nothing that required any interaction or reprimand from us. We're sitting on a par-3 tee box waiting AGAIN on the slow-pokes in front of us when BANG something hits our cart hard. My hothead buddy jumps out and starts yelling, "don't you @##%$%Ws know the word FORE?!!!" Two more loud BANGS on the golf cart's roof. Turns out we were being pelted by walnut-sized acorns dropping from the large oak tree we were parked underneath. Don't be too quick to judge and react, I guess. dave

Seems to me that sweat shortens the life of a golf glove more than anything. Just back two weeks ago from a Gulf Coast golf trip. It was steamy. Started with a brand new Titleist Players' Glove. It was pretty much soaked after each round. By the third round of filling it full of sweat and letting it dry out naturally, it was pretty much brittle and smooth. Lost all suppleness and gripping ability. If it's not wet after the round I agree with OP that taking it off carefully, reforming it and putting it back in the original packaging envelope is probably the best way to keep a glove clean, dry and in good working order. Down south? I guess those guys keep the golf glove guys in business because the weather lays waste to gloves. dave

I didn't miss the point at all. Do you honestly think I ONLY practice short putts and miss 20 footers by 3-5 feet EVERY time? I can tell you I most certainly DON'T. Also, I can't tell you the last time I had 36 or more putts in an 18-hole round. It's been years. That's because I chip them close, (note: to within FIVE FEET most of the time) and MAKE the putt. 20-30 footers are left inside that range as well. And I MAKE the next putt because I PRACTICE 2-5' range putts. What I can't understand is some of you guys disagreeing with PRACTICE on a specific area of the game. Players miss those putts because they don't practice them regularly or they simply take them for granted. For goodness sake, I just saw Rory two-putt from three feet Saturday. I also saw Brandt Snedeker practice 2, 3, 5 and 10' putts for 30 minutes at Firestone two months ago. Maybe show up to Brandt's gig and tell him he needs to get better at 30 footers so he can eliminate short putting practice. Nobody will ever convince me that short game practice, and short-range putting practice is a bad idea. When those 2-5' putts show up during my round, they go in. It's not because I'm a crappy lag putter, it's because they're going to show up during a round. Sheesh. dave

Uphill putts, I definitely try to hit through the break and hit back of hole. Downhill breakers my thought process is always the same - I'm either going to make this or 3-putt from 4 feet! Acting surprised when you miss a 30 footer? LOL!!! I need to try that! dave Yes, for many players that range does cause 3-putts. That's why I practice that range ... so I rarely miss when the 2-5' range putts show up during a round. Gotta be consistent on the greens. Played 6 rounds at MS gulf coast two weeks ago. All extremely nice course including the 2 RTJ courses in Mobile, AL. The greens there fooled me on many occasions. Trying to get first putts (huge greens, easy to hit but tough to get close) were a struggle to get to even 5 feet. Sometimes, guys like me are just over matched and 'decent' putting doesn't cut it. dave

Practice a TON of 2 - 5' putts. Missing those is what causes 3-putt greens. I've hit so many of the shorties, (and I call them makeable putts) that when they show up on greens during a round, they almost always go in. I usually miss 1 per round because it's a downhill breaker, or side-hill and I hit through the break or whatever. If I miss TWO of the shorties in a round, I'm mad. Miss THREE and it's a horrible putting day. I've been charting my putting lately. I can't remember the last time I've had even 36 putts in an 18-hole round. I'm able to get up and down from green side about 30% of the time and usually knock in 3-4 putts in the 6-15' range during a round. Certainly don't consider myself a good-to-above average putter, but do practice the short-game, (chipping AND putting) regularly. My putting drill before heading to 1st tee is take 2 balls and hit 2, 3 and 5' putts from 4 sides of a hole. I usually don't miss a single 2 or 3' putt and maybe 1 or 2 5-footers. This gives me the visual of seeing the ball go in the hole with regularity. Again, when the putts present themselves during the round, they go in for par or bogey saves. Also hit 15, 20 and 30' putts to help gauge the green speed that day. Practice green and course greens can vary and usually do so beware on the longer putts. One more thought: I start reading the green as I approach. Uphill, downhill? Big altitude swing one way or the other? Look at undulation between my ball and hole. Read from the other side of hole then from behind my mark. Sounds like a lot to read and consider, but it takes only seconds and being observant of the lay of the land, so to speak. I take a really good look as I'm placing my ball and aligning the line on the ball to the line I want to hit. Then, it's all about speed. I'm not going to miss the line by a whole bunch so speed is the more determining factor in how the putt ends up. dave

Hear you loud and clear. Golf is an easy game when it's driver and 8 - W on second shot. The only way to get there is increasing driver length off tee in MOST cases. Same boat. Driver 5-hybrid isn't getting it done! Pretty much shored up the par-3 scoring and getting a lot better on par-5 scoring. The par 4 holes longer than 350 are an adventure for me given only being able to hit driver 210 or so. I know where my power 'leak' is. It's just FIXING the issue that eludes. dave

Jeremy / mcanadiens: You guys make me laugh! And yeah, I know a lot of guys who are really good with a 3-wood off a crew-cut lie. Sadly, I'm not among that group. Much more confident with those 'hateful' irons! I have a 5- and 7-wood. The 7-wood is "Gold, Jerry, that's GOLD!" Working on the 5-wood. The 7-wood eats up 170-180. I'm hoping the 5-wood tops out at around 190 and I can get more consistent with it. For now, and from 210, I'll keep splitting the distance into manageable shots. If I have a slight uphill fairway lie, I'll pull the 5-wood every time. Ironically, it's the only time I'm confident of hitting that club well. Also, I'm not really keen on that 30-40 yard pitch range. It doesn't see much practice time so keeping it back to 70 - 100 yards is much more of a comfort zone. Wedges are pretty much dialed in in terms of yardages. The younger guy I was playing with was just inexperienced. Long yardage always equals '3-wood' to him. Fairway or rough, out it came. Results weren't good from anywhere. That's why I shared the tip with him. dave

Lifetime exemption sounds like it'll get him into any tournament any time, no questions asked. What I wanted to know. Thanks. dave

Passed along a tip I found useful to a player this weekend. We're on hole #18. From the black tees (trust me, there were two sets of tees playing LONGER than our black tee box choice) 18 was a 422 yard par 4. Up hill 2nd half of hole. I didn't hit a great drive. Checked laser yardage tool ... still had 210 to green. The younger guy playing with me was already pulling out his 3-wood from similar distance. I knew he was going to roll it, shank it or otherwise duff the shot. Guys carding around 100 have better choices than 3-wood from a very tight fairway lie. Assessing the 210 to green, uphill last 100 or so yards, trees right, bunkers left I decided to split the distance into two shots I know I can hit with 90+% certainty. Hit 8-iron to 80 yards, then my 54* wedge 8' left of hole pin high leaving me a putt for par ... that I (of course) missed! Playing partner skulls the 3-wood 45 degrees right into a line of pines. I help him find his ball that came to rest in the right rough of hole #1. No shot due to trees lining fairway 75% of the way to the hole. He tries hitting through the trees. You know how that one ended up. Finally chips back out and wedges onto the green. He now has a putt from 30' for double then three-putts it for 8. He saw me hit the 8-iron so I relayed the playing tip read in golf digest about 'halving the distance' on those long shots where one swing probably isn't going to get the job done. I explained that from 210, the 8-iron would go 130 and I'm almost certain of making good contact and putting it in a safe place then relying on a wedge shot to set up a par opportunity or at worst a bogey. He was certainly keen on the idea and said he'd definitely keep the 3-wood in the bag in such situations. Honestly, if there's a harder club to hit from a tight lie than a 3-wood, it would only be a 2- or 1-iron. I smoked the 8-iron into perfect position and staked a wedge to 8 feet leaving me a par oppty. I could have 'tin-cupped' 3-woods til past dark and probably never put one on the green to 8 feet from 210 out. Good tip on splitting up the yardage into TWO high-percentage, manageable shots. I use this strategy on ridiculously long par-4s and even on par-5s if I've completely hacked my second shot. Hope this story helps anyone who can hack it along like me! dave

I realize the guy IS Tiger Woods, but how does he get into a tournament with a 711th world ranking? Sponsor exemption? Other? Just curious on the above question. That said, I sincerely hope he's physically well enough off to compete. Golf is always more worth watching when Tiger plays an event. All the best to him. dave

Interesting comments on your game. I've been looking at my game in a similar fashion but maybe different areas of focus. Driving: I don't care what anybody says about 'drive for show, putt for dough.' Putting your drive in play off the tee dictates how the hole plays out. You MUST have a 'go-to' drive that you can put in play 80% of the time or better. GIR: I avg 5-6 GIR a round. Usually on the par 3s which I've worked on relentlessly over the past 2 seasons. Knowing that I don't hit a lot of greens, I also work on my short game getting up and down in 3 or fewer strokes every time. Putting: Knowing that I don't hit a lot of GIR, see above on short-game practice. This also includes a lot of putting. During my 18 hole rounds, I chart GIR and putts. I never log 36 or more putts during an 18-hole round. The 3 areas above are where I've focused most of my practice over recent seasons. They are 1) driving the ball in the fairway or just off every time I tee it up; 2) Hitting par-3 greens. I practiced tons on shots 120 - 170 yards. On a side note to that practice, it's really helped me understand how far I hit everything from wedges through 5-hybrid and my 7-wood. Get yardage, pull correct club, hit green most of the time. My par-3 scoring average is WAY down because of the focused practice on those clubs; 3) Around the green play: First chipping thought every time is 'get the ball to the hole!' Makes for several 1-putt greens and par and bogey saves. Next up for me, (and this is getting better) is eating up yards on par-5 and long par-4 holes with my 7- and 5-woods. My 7-wood goes 175-ish, high and straight with just about every swing now. Haven't been able to duplicate the success quite as much with the 5-wood. That's for next year. My scoring average on par-5s has gone down as well. Driver, 7-wood usually leaves me with a short iron (8-iron or shorter) to most par 5 holes. I can hit greens with those clubs, take my 2 putt par and move on. Getting more consistent with a 7- and 5-wood should allow me to finally shore up the long par 4 debacle holes where I can still take double and triple-bogey on occasion. Getting AROUND the green in 2 is my goal for next year. Getting more consistent contact and results with the 7- and 5-wood will be the area of focus. My round yesterday was an 82 and I finished double, triple on 17 and 18. More than anything, I think I just ran out of gas. It was hot and I did a lot of extra walking looking for errant shots hit by my playing partners. Doesn't hurt that I made a bunch of 4-6 footers, holed a 15 footer AND a 30 footer for birdies and had one kick-in par on a great wedge shot on a 400+ yard par 4. Lot of good things need to happen (and they did for the most part) for me to card an 82! Keep looking at the parts of your game where strokes can be gained and develop practice that helps get back some of those strokes lost. It works and its working for me. I think I'm getting better! Could be nothing more than a fluke or smoke and mirrors, but maybe not! dave

All I can say is that 'good golf' is certainly a relative situation that varies from player to player and from round to round. I'm a 16.5 hdcp and a pretty consistent player to around that number. That's not to say I can't shoot 82, which I did yesterday or 95 when I have 2-3 'disaster holes' over an 18-hole round. But MOST of the time, I'm between 84-88 which is right in line with my hdcp. When I manage to play 'good golf,' it would be the 82. So relative to my 16.5 hdcp, an 82 is definitely good golf. Just to give you an idea of how GOOD the 82 was, I finished double-triple on 17 and 18. Just kind of ran out of gas, I guess. dave

The only 'hole' in your bag appears to be at the 175-210 yard range. Here's the question: Do you see a number of par-3 holes in that range? Can you even hit a green from that range and have a NEED for clubs that fit that yardage? If so, it sounds like your club choices would be 3- or 4-hybrid clubs or 5- and/or 7-woods. dave

Cleveland to Mobile, AL and back. No issues, no damage. Just took about 5 minutes to reattach the heads on the driver and fairways prior to playing RTJ courses at Magnolia just outside Mobile. dave

First things first: Can't do anything about the shot that just happened. Second thing-and this is much more difficult to do: let it go. We all hit bad shots--some of which get us into real trouble. Here's a really good tip I read in golf digest: When you're faced with a carry over water, waste area or other hazard and you're chances of negotiating a shot onto the green from your current position is low, assess the yardage, cut it in HALF and hit TWO shots of approximate equal distance with a high-percentage club. Here's an example from this week. My second shot on a par-5 went off the toe of my 7-wood right and into trees leaving me a shot that I couldn't advance. Chipped out with a 7-iron but still had nearly 180 to a green fronted by a pond. Without a club in the bag, (or the skill level) to reach to the green, I hit PW 110 and a 70 yard shot onto green with my 58* wedge. Hit it close, missed the putt and finished with a double. If you play smart and within your means, blowup holes will all but disappear from your card. IMO, the only reason for carding a 9 or 10 on ANY hole is you're just not thinking and making reasonable decisions out there. No excuse for going 'tin cup' out there. dave

Yep, course is in Streetsboro, OH and can be seen from OH Turnpike. Price is high, but it is one of the nicer tracks anywhere in NE Ohio. Very much 'target-golf' track. I did not see the disclaimer on the website. The only time my golf mates and I will play there is when they drop the rates to around $50 later on a Saturday or Sunday. No special rates to be had and the price increases as the week moves toward weekend. My guess is they have a good number of regulars who snag up the early tee times regularly on Sat and Sun mornings. The disclaimer comes off a bit 'elitist' to me. There are a couple of other courses like Windmill Lakes in Ravenna and Seven HIlls in Hartville where it's difficult to even get an early weekend tee time due to 'regulars' who are afforded regular standing early tee times. We tend to shy away from the courses with such policies. dave

Nice drum kit. Experience tells me that simply by looking at your gear and its setup, you are likely a very good drummer. When I get to Tampa area, we can find a bass and keys player and make wondrous noise. dave

Yes. The fairway woods came right off, but the driver had me a bit worried. Had to 'jiggle it around' a bit to get the driver head off. All are off and probably safe. They can beat the irons around as much as they want. Can't hurt them. Oops, famous last words! dave

My league partner has a soft travel case. Me too. He gets to FL and the head of his Ping G-30 is broken off. Obviously, someone loading gave it enough of a toss to break the club. So I thought about this on and off for a few days and a solution arrived. I simply took the heads off my Ping G-30 driver and fairway woods, stowed the heads in golf bag compartments, and put the shafts back in their respective spots in the bag, grip side up. When I get to Mobile Sunday morning, all my golf clubs will have arrived in perfect order. I'll re-attach the heads and get after it on the RTJ courses at Magnolia. End of PSA. dave

Played Hogan Radials eons ago. I think they might have been Hogan's first foray into GI irons. Had a wider, sort of rounded sole. They hit pretty good as I recall. dave