Jim12golf

Start by visiting Joe & Leighs in Bridgewater for clubs and fitting. They have a great fitting facility and have some of the best pros that can put you together with the right clubs. I've been going there for years and have never found more knowledgeable people. You won't regret it. Golf - head to the Cape for some great places to play (and I'd also include just above the canal in Plymouth as well). Captains, Cranberry Valley, Bayberry, Olde Barnstable, Pine Hills are just a few worth checking out. And you could also try Granite Links in Quincy (best views of the Boston skyline). That should get you started. With 30 days to play you could visit all the good courses around the area (I'm envious). Have fun.

I just downloaded Golfshot for my Windows Phone and find it to be terrific. It's really easy to use and input shots, fairways hit, etc. in one easy place. I used Golflogix in the past but they no longer support Windows Phone. So far I like it a lot although the GPS system tends to move yardages around a little (not that stable), but it's been fine so far and again the interface is the best so far.

If you're swinging over 100 mph with a driver you should switch to a tour level ball if you want to see much better performance with distance and spin around the greens. Maybe the Bridgestone B330 RX, or even the 330 if you're swinging above 105 mph. You could also use the next tier down ball like the Taylormade Project A or Callaway Hex Chrome series. Believe it or not you will really see a difference especially as it gets warmer now. Try the Bridgestone on line ball fitting for starters too.

The reverse K setup is great and really helps to keep from sliding too far in your swing. I have a tendency to sway and the pro advised me to utilize the reverse K and after much practice it really helps. The only problem I've found is that sometimes by kicking in your right knee (for the K) you put too much weight onto your right side and you end up defeating the whole concept. But if you keep your weight centered it works pretty well.

Just played my first round since the first of the year yesterday. Granted it was only 9 holes (with 3 balls on each shot though) and the course was anything but in good shape and it was blowing hard too. Don't care it was great!! Unfortunately they are predicting a northeaster this week that could bring a lot of snow - hoping they are wrong though. Looking forward to next weekend (if it doesn't snow) when a few more courses might be open. This winter has to end sometime.

The 5 wood and 3 hybrid are not really the same. The 3 hybrid is comparable to a 7 wood (see Ping's website for example). The hybrid is more forgiving due to the shorter shaft and therefore easier to hit as a result. In the end it all comes down to how far you hit each club and if you are getting similar distances go with the 3 hybrid as it will likely be more consistent. Good luck - I can relate as I carry both and am trying to find a hybrid to allow me to drop the 5 wood if possible or at least swap them depending on the course.

Winter in New England continues with cold temperatures and now rain to add some fun. Thought we'd have a nice(r) weekend coming up but then saw that it's going to rain again. Beginning to wonder if we'll ever get out to the course again. Hopefully I can at least get to the range and maybe even play some golf assuming any of the courses are open (they're not yet though, but I'm hopeful).

Jimmie Walker -8 Harris English -8 Matt Kutcher -8

It's a tie for worst weather. I played in a tournament a few years ago where the weather was pretty close to the torrential rain storm from Caddyshack. 40 mph winds or more and raining sideways, and collosal flooding all around the course too. Horrible conditions but still we had a great time and the charity benefited too. Several other times I've played in 20's temperature and snowing, kinda fun until the spikes load up with snow and you can't putt any more. From reading this blog there's a lot of golf crazed people out there including myself. Can't wait for the snow to melt around here.

Adding 3-4 layers of build up tape and then using the grip tape will approximate a midsize grip in diameter. But it's a little different feel than standard midsized grips, depending on the manufacturer. For example Lamkins tend to be less tapered than GP's in my opinion. Definitely can add the extra wraps but I'd suggest trying it first before going ahead and installing all of them right away.

Great photo!! I've played golf several times and caught in a snow storm. The last was around the New Year here in MA - the last drive was almost impossible to see even though I was using a yellow golf ball. Great fun and worth a few photos at least. The golf isn't too good as the ball won't roll (acts like a snowball eventually) but still a lot of fun.

Granite Links is a great first choice. As stated above, the views are unbelievable looking back towards Boston. I would probably say Pinehills (Jones course) is your best second choice. Basically just drive past GL and keep going until you're almost on the Cape and you're there. Red Tail is also a good choice, but a little harder to find (it's on a former army base). Can't go wrong with either one or any of the other courses mentioned. Again good luck.

I'd agree, both Granite Links and Pinehills (Jones course) are worth playing and are within an hour from the city. Shaker Hills has always been a favorite, although it might be over an hour from Boston. Red Tail is next to SH as well and a good course too. Don't count on getting into The Country Club or even TPC (although that's easier). A few other courses to consider include Cyprian Keys and Blackstone National, but they're both over an hour from the city as well. Good luck and enjoy your trip.

Butternut Farms (Stow), Blissful Meadows (Uxbridge), River Bend (Bridgewater), Old Scotland Links (Bridgewater), Poquoy Brook (Lakeville) and Wentworth Hills are all good course that aren't too expensive if you play them at the right times. You might also try South Shore CC (Hingham) as it's pretty challenging too, especially for a town owned course. Stay away from Maplegate though - although it was built as a championship course it's not kept in the best shape, they still haven't built a clubhouse after at least 15 years and it's way over priced.

Not sure what you are thinking saying that Bridgestone balls are bad. Their 330 series balls are some of the best balls available out there and compete with the ProV's, including the RX and the RXS for slower swingers to the E series that target higher handicap golfers. In fact the most golfers would benefit from the E series balls - just read any of a thousand articles and ball comparisons that rave about the balls, including Digest, etc. The E6 is also a great ball for use in colder weather too as it's one of softest balls out there and it flies dead straight with minimal side spin, while the E7 is targeted towards better golfers who want more distrance (it really takes off!). If you're lucky to break 100 then the E6 would be a great choice because of its low compression and reduced side spin, you might even put it in the fairway.

I have also looked at the Ping Hoofer II (2014 model) and found it to be very nice. However I noticed that the dividers only extend down about 3/4 of the way to the bottom of the bag. This will allow club tangling which is what I'm trying to avoid. Really disappointing seeing the bag in person after researching it and seeing that Ping labels the bag as having full length dividers. I was all set to go with the new Hoofer until seeing the lack of dividers too.

You can continue to play in New England all thru the winter typically, but you need to locate the courses that stay open all year, and continue to use the normal greens too. As long as it's above 30 degrees out it's not too bad when you're walking and swinging, and if you dress correctly. If the ground really freezes up it get tougher, but nothing an icepick won't solve to put your tee in the ground. Use a lower compression ball (Bridgestone E6 or others), swing more smoothly and don't expect to shoot terrific scores. Between the ground being hard and getting odd bounces it's hard to shoot very good scores, but it's still a great time with almost no one on the course and it's really quiet too. Highly recommend it.

I'd suggest staying on top of your doctor. I had a similar injury and at first they recommended physical therapy as there only appeared to be a partial tear of my rotator cuff. After several months I still couldn't lift my arm much at all and the next step was arthroscopic surgery. They found that the rotator cuff wasn't torn but I had a large bone spur, much larger than any MRI/ xray had shown, and that had to be removed. After surgery, and rehab, it was much better as the bone spur was impinging on the tendons. It's much easier to have a bone spur removed rather than having rotator cuff surgery and less recovery too so stay on top of it before it gets much worse. The doctor even admitted that they can only see so much on MRI's etc. and that if it still hurts you have to get it scoped. Good luck.