NJpatbee

I play golf to have fun and one or two poor rounds are normal at my level. I did have an 8 week period about 10 years ago where it was like I had never touched a club before and that was no fun and I wound up giving up the game for almost a year. I do not have to shoot low scores (since an 86 is about as good as I get!) but I just want to play at or near my ability on most occasions.

I was most impressed by the fluid and seemingly effortless swing of Fred Couples.

I will say slightly underrated since it can be a life changer for the relatively unknown professional golfer (even if fleeting) and can certainly help define a regular winner's legacy. Many of the best golfers plan their schedules around the majors and the pressure to win is greatest during these 4 tournaments. I have been to 2 PGA Championships and 1 Masters and most golfers I watched looked like they had the weight of the world on their shoulders, especially if they were in contention. The atmosphere and intensity is more like the Stanley Cup Finals, Super Bowl, or game 7 of the World Series. The most underrated tournament of all is the PGA Championship which has the strongest field of the four majors but not the same prestige. Winning any PGA Tour event is a great accomplishment, but winning a major is part of golf history.

Underrated. My most recent home course had a short downhill par 5 (450 yards from the middle tees) to a green that was protected by bunkers, water, and some judiciously placed tall trees to block your second shot. I was never a big hitter but if I could get a lot of roll off my drive and be in the right position I have made it onto the green about 10 times in 2 over 4 years. I never made the eagle putt but did manage to birdie most of them. Now I was in my mid-sixties and was thrilled. For those of you that can reach a level 500+ yard par 5 in 2 what a great advantage you have!

I haven't heard of most of them but someone clever had a good time making the list.

As a 67 year old 16 handicapper I like the Softfli for courses with longer par 4's and 5's because of the additional roll out I get. For longer holes I am typically rolling the ball to the green with a hybrid and do not want the ball to stop on a dime on approach shots. When the course is running fast I have been using the DT TruSoft because it is a bit better on the faster greens. If you want a high visibility Softfli it comes in a matte green which is actually distracting to me it appears so bright but it does stand out in the fairway. And of course, I always try out a couple of different balls each season.

Thanks everyone!

Good luck to you and if you come back play whatever clubs you like. For myself, I started at age 40 with hand me down persimmons and blades and 210 yards (carry and roll) was a great drive for me. I did advance to GI irons and the Big Bertha, Taylor Made 320, and Ping 460cc drivers which I still play. At one time I could drive 230-240 but now I am back to 210 being a great drive. The only wood I carry is the driver followed by 5 hybrids (2-6) and a few irons. Technology has been great to casual golfers like myself and I score better now than my first few years of playing golf. You sound as if you have a much better swing than I ever had and if you can hit the tiny sweet spot on you persimmon driver on a regular basis. Whatever you decide, best of luck to you.

I have never been able to draw the ball off the tee reliably so I probably thinks its cool because I struggle with it. My fade is fairly reliable for my driver, hybrids, and irons though.

I gave it up for a year when i could no longer make any kind of contact with the ball. I delved into my other passion, fly fishing for trout, and enjoyed myself. The golf bug did bite me again and I have continued to be an avid golfer at age 66. Try taking a break doing something else you enjoy.

I am not a long hitter by any means but my driver is probably my most consistent club. In fact it is the only wood that I carry. I just remind myself to not try to kill the ball and most of my drives stay in play about 190 - 210 yards out.

I am with the majority in covering my head and ducking away from the sound of the "fore". Occasionally if I hit an errant shot and it is heading right towards a green or tee I will yell "Fore on the green" or "Fore on the tee". No time to figure out exactly which green or tee but people tend to protect themselves on any green or tee within shouting range.

I am 66 also and I have come to accept that 210 is a long drive for me. I played today for the first time in a month and most of my drives were playable but less than 200. Thank goodness for hybrids as I was able to get within 20 yards of the green on holes over 400 and scored fairly well for me, but I do need my short game to be on. It's a different game as we age but we can still score.

Right now I am on the DL due to straining my bad back during a move to a different house - on my way to the chiropractor in 10 minutes. I haven't played in almost a month due to the move and now I know it will be a couple of weeks before I can swing again and the season in Jersey will be winding down soon. The bright spot is that I moved from the very cold NW part of the State to near the more moderate Jersey Shore in the SE which may give me an extra week or two of golf weather.

I have 2 (sporting) passions - golf and fly fishing. I have been fly fishing since I was 21 and did not take golf seriously until age 40. I split my time and was heavy into golf during the warm months but never was better than a middle teens handicap. I am a much more accomplished fly fisherman than golfer and when I hit the point about 8 years ago that I was an embarrassment on the course I gave it up for a full year and enjoyed my other passion. I got bit by the bug playing a NJ course that has a trout stream along side it stopping to watch a few golfers play. I went back to the range not expecting much but I hit the ball better than I had in a few years and reversed the amount of effort put into my two passions. I play more golf now than fly fishing for trout and of my seven official rounds this season five of them were in he mid-high 80's - OK for this 66 year old. Lessons learned? I needed a break from the self inflicted pressure of playing decent golf and it is always good to have multiple passions in your life.