RH31

5 birdies and 1 eagle, shot 70. I played the par 5's(3 of them) in 9 holes in -5 once. 2 birdies and a double eagle. My playing partner birdied 3 of the other 6 holes for a best ball of -8 for nine holes. I had 4 birdies in a round earlier this year. I don't hit as many greens as I used to.

Will we ever be perfect? No. Will there ever be no racism? No. Does a black man sitting during the National anthem help to end racism? No. I'd guess it only makes some dislike him and other blacks even more. Much like blocking traffic on a freeway, it only seems to bring anger even more into the racism discussion. Disrespecting the flag of our country does not in any way evoke any sympathy for the cause.

The private club that I belong to is struggling a bit. They allow public play on Sunday afternoons along with the occasional scheduled outing. The public courses around here don't get anywhere near the play they used to. One of them even pushes that foot golf agenda. I wouldn't know how the upper end clubs are faring.

Did it again yesterday. Shot 76 with 2 doubles. I've broken 80 a handful of times since this thread started and have a least one double bogey each round. I knew it was hard, I never thought it was that hard!!!

I don't really think much about longer distance speed until the greens get superfast in the fall. On the slower, sticky summer greens, I mostly practice putting from 6-8 feet and closer. I focus on making a solid aggressive stroke on slower greens. Not really bouncing them off the back of the cup, but certainly not trying to die them in either.

It never gets any less frustrating either, at least for me it hasn't. I've been playing golf on and off for 30+ years and there are times every year when I wonder why I put myself through all the aggravation. I always tell newcomers to the game that it's the hardest most frustrating game you'll ever try to play, and if you can't enjoy doing something poorly, don't get into golf. If I could still run, I wouldn't be trying to play anymore. I play a sport and get some exercise instead of golf. I may put a pool in and take up swimming and just hack away a few times a year.

When I start pulling irons it's usually because I let me hands get back too far in my stance and this closes the clubface a little at address. check your ball position relative to stance check your clubface position relative to target line(square or slightly right of line) check your hand position relative to the ball or stance whichever gets them set correctly for you

I always mark my ball when I'm not finishing out. I don't particularly like it when I have to tell someone to mark their ball either. It just seems like a common courtesy to me to mark my ball.

I've bought practice nets before and they work fine. The only problem I had with them was eventually wearing a hole in the net. Not a big deal to cinch up..... This winter I'm going to make my own out of PVC and buy my own net online somewhere. I just hit off of an old piece of carpet.

Our course is in good shape. The greens are slow, soft and very damp from all the rain. Aeration at the end of August. Very little brown out or rot around here.

Would I quit if I could only drive it 200 yards? Maybe. It's a challenge for me to keep at it considering how poorly I drive it now(220-230) compared to my younger(250+) days. I'd probably go through the whole gamut of distance addition things first though. Harder ball, lessons, hitting a big hook, etc., I'd also have to have something better to do with my time than scraping it around before I gave it up.

We often end up playing with a 5 somes in our gaggle due to odd number of players. 2 some could play our course in under 3 hours. 3 some is right around 3 hours(max). I haven't played in a 5 some that finished in under 3.5 hours.

Common shot? For me it's the simple bump and run shot with a less lofted club. The green side shot that most players would use a 9 ,8 iron or less and just carry it on and roll like a putt. I cannot judge the run out with any consistency. I find that my practice time, and on course method is better to just carry the ball halfway or closer to the hole.

Not really thinking swing like a pro, more like visualize and rehearse this shot like a pro. It's almost always out of necessity. A tree limb that I need to work the ball around, or a lie that dictates a certain ball flight or landing area will make me really focus better. I've tried it with some success on straight away holes too. It works for awhile, then I'll make an awful swing and go back to some swing mechanics thoughts....

I changed to the Ping Gmax irons this year. Easiest irons to hit that I have ever played. If you decide to change, get fitted by somebody who knows what they're doing. Get fitted when you are swinging well, not when your struggling. If you're not sure about the fitting, collect the data and go back later and see if you hit the same spec club well a second time. Good luck !

13-14 on very very rare occasions. Even my under par rounds had a couple of bogeys. I can't remember the last time I had 9 pars on the front or back nine.

Right now, I'm playing twice a week and practicing 3 or 4 days. If I was striking it better, that would be reversed.

What happened? You made your perfect swing. It happens to me every so often, especially with irons. It's almost always when I'm making a smooth 3/4 swing. Perfect everything(for me) and the ball may carry 15 yards farther than a normal shot. Happened to me yesterday with my gap wedge(110) carried 120 or so.....led to a double bogey.

I'd play it the same way I play a pitch shot from the fairway, except there will be no spin on the ball so I'd land it short and allow for run out. Ball in middle of stance, up right shaft angle, slide the 56* along the ground, commit to the shot.

Grip down 1.5 - 2 inches and take the same swing. The ball will fly 10ish less yards and flight will be a little lower. I almost always go with more club if I'm in between.

It's very rare for me not to have at least one double. Almost always from a wild tee shot. I shot 76 the other day and had 1 double. I can't remember a round with 9-10 bogeys and no doubles and no birdies. Usually, if I'm playing that poorly, I'll turn a bogey or three into doubles.

Since Tiger's career includes debilitating back injuries requiring surgery, I went with Phil. The minor back issues that I have suck. Major back issues are life altering and must really suck.

Cobra, Do yourself a favor. Find an instructor that uses videos and take some lessons. You aren't going to get significantly better with advice from guys like me who aren't teaching pros. The video aspect is very helpful. A competent instructor can break down what you are doing and compare where you are to where you need to be with your swing.

Some of these are hilarious. Mad at the wind??? hhahaaha It's always fun to watch tantrums in person. I've seen of few epic ones myself. I once saw a very good player miss a short putt, take an angry swat at the ball, miss it and connect solidly with his own shin. Man, what a thud that was ! We were walking too, so he had to limp around the last 6 holes. Priceless.

A few things to add; Video's of your swing are priceless. I think it would especially be useful to have video of when you are really hitting it well, so that you could compare your swing, setup, etc, when/if it goes awry. Keeping a log of what you're working can be helpful. I try to break up my practice session with some short game work in between buckets.