chingali

Very well said, I couldn't agree more. As far as I'm concerned I think you should play the game by the rules or go and find something else to do. I don't give a toss for arguments such as "I paid my green fees so I'll do what I like" or "it's my time I am spending so I'll do what I like to make it enjoyable". If the game's too hard for you playing by the rules go find something else. As for the people who "only move the ball if hitting it will damage a club" get over it - they are lumps of metal you use to bash things with. If they get dings or scratches on them who cares they will still work. If you are playing the game with the sole intent of owning the nicest most pristine set of clubs in the world then you are playing this great game for the wrong reason.

There are quite a few variables to be considered when answering this question so I'll go through each of them one at a time. Material and manufacturing process If your clubs are forged stainless steel then the answer is simple, get them checked/adjusted when you first purchase them and don't worry about it again unless something appears to be very wrong as in most cases cast stainless won't shift specs over their lifetime. If your clubs are forged mild steel then you'll need them checked when you purchase them, then if you play and practice a LOT get them checked after three months and then six. If they don't move during this time then again unless something appears really out of order once a year should be more than sufficient. How often do you play and practice? Pretty simple really, the more often you play the more often you should check. Problem club Quite often one or two clubs will move in either loft or lie more than others, again it's sometimes dependant on how often you use that club. To give you an example, when I practice more often than not I'll hit a lot of 7 irons and 9 irons and they move around more than clubs I usually don't practice with however my 6 iron has moved a degree or so stronger every time it's been checked despite never being a club I practice with. Sometimes a particular club just gives you problems. Have the clubs ever been adjusted for loft and/or lie? People are probably going to argue this one but over the years I have found that if I adjust forged carbon steel irons for either loft or lie, they are much more likely to go out of whack over a shorter period of time than clubs that I have never made adjustments to. Is the club known to have problems? Check with your clubfitter if the clubs you have purchased are known to go out of whack quickly - if they have been on the market for a while he'll have dealt with them before. To give you an example, years ago I played Ram Tour Grinds and they were a very soft forging prone to bending out of spec every few months. I went through 3 or 4 sets of them and had the same issues with every single set. On the other hand I have used various Cobra mild steel forgings and never once have any of them had problems. If they are a set that is known to give problems your clubfitter will probably advise you have them checked more often. So in conclusion, get them checked when you first get them and have them adjusted if they aren't spot on. If you play and practice a fair bit then get them checked after three months then after 6 months. If they move around a bit within this period then you are going to have to check them often, otherwise you won't.

No not really. When it comes to irons I always have them made up to my specs (been the same for 10 years or more) so I can change over with no problems at all. Same thing goes for wedges. When I change driver (not too often) I'll usually get it made up using the same shaft as the current model, after a while I might change shaft. During the life of a driver I'll sometimes change shaft 2 or 3 times, more tinkering or wanting to try something different than for any real valid reason. Sometimes I'll go back to an older one for a while before coming back to the new one. With putters, it's been so long since I changed (well over 15 years and getting on for 20) that I couldn't really comment!

Basically it'll depend on a couple of different things, how thick the chroming on them is (it varies from manfacturer to manufacturer and also model to model from the same manufacturer) and how much you practice. To give you an idea, back in the late 80's I was using Ram Tour Grinds and I wore out 3 sets of them in about 4 years (generally 7-8-9-PW were buggered and the others weren't so bad), but I was playing a lot and practicing for at least a few hours every day. I then went to a set of Wilson Staff's and played and practiced just as much and they lasted me for 3 years. My current set of irons are forged and after 3 years of playing and practicing (not as much as in the old days) they are just starting to show some serious wear spots in the middle of the faces of the short irons and will need replacing qithin the next year. It's no problem though, I have an identical set in the garage that I bought as backups.

I've played golf wearing glasses since I was in my early twenties and it's not a big issue. When you first try to hit a ball with your glasses on it'll be really weird because the ball will either look to be closer to you or further away, the same thing happens whenever your prescription changes. Go to the range and hit some balls, it only takes an hour or so for everything to go back to normal. As for playing in the rain, down here in Australia there is a problem available called "Rain-X", it's meant to be wiped on car windscreens and what it does is cause water to bead and run off and generally makes it easier to see when driving in the wet, it works great on glasses too. You'll undoubtedly have something similar available, then there is also anti-fog stuff to spray on the inside. Use Rain-X and some anti-fog stuff and playing in the rain is no big deal at all. One other thing to remember, parking the car can become a bit of an issue for the first few days because again things seem closer or further than they really are!

I agree. To add to your comments I doubt that there'd be more than 5 to 10 people on this message board who'd hit it past me all day long and I don't average anywhere near 300 yards.

Usually about 5 or 6. If I ever need more than that for a round of golf I'm giving up.

My best advice is to not so much look at how easy it is to carry a bag but to look at how easy it is to pick up and get on your back in the carrying position. Something that annoys me a lot about some stand/carry bags is how cumbersome they are to get in to position and ready to begin walking. If it's annoying to pick and get ready to carry in the shop, imagine going out on the course and having to do it 50+ times! That's how come I like the Ping Moon-Lite bags with the single straps, I can have it across my back in a split second and not have to even think about how to do it. Keep in mind though that ease of carrying or ergonomics are of no issue to me as I carry a few gloves, some tees, 5 or 6 balls, 2 x rulebooks, water bottle and a towel when I play so I am travelling a lot lighter than most people.

Yep, once with a ball and once with a club. The time with a ball I was playing a par three and the group on the green called us up. The hole is about 160 yards downhill and the pin was cut right at the back of the green probably about 10 or 12 feet from the back edge. I hit a solid shot right at the stick, probably with a 7 or 8 iron and I knew it was going to be a touch long within a second of hitting it and everyone in my group yelled fore at the same time. Three of the people standing behind the green ducked for cover but the guy my ball was heading for just stood there. We yelled fore again, very very loudly and the guy instead of moving looked up just as my ball came down and sconned him on the melon with a loud splat kind of sound. He was wearing a white visor and as we watched the visor began turning red just before he fell over backwards. When we got down to him he'd recovered and apart from a cut on the forehead and being a bit wobbly he was ok. I apologised a million times but he was fine with it, just one of those things and he said he should have been paying attention. The upside to it all was my ball bounced straight back and on to the green, it finished a couple of feet from the hole. And yes, I made the putt. The time I hit someone with a club I was well in to my pre shot routine on the tee of a par three (15th hole) and having a practice swing when my playing partner in a 4BBB (he is a good friend of mine - still) for whatever reason decided to walk behind me. I wasn't paying attention because it was my turn to play and I was in my routine and he very obviously wasn't paying attention either. I hit him right on the chin and he needed about half a dozen stitches to close it up. The most impressive thing was he managed to finish out the last four holes and he got on the card with a couple of good birdies too with blood pissing everywhere from the wound, all over his shirt and pants! This must have been about 15 years ago, occasionally when we play as partners in some sort of event these days and he is playing poorly he'll ask me if I'm getting angry with him because he hopes I won't belt him in the head again. I think he's joking...

I have lead tape on all of my wedges, I like my wedges to be D4 not not D3. I probably can't tell the difference to be honest, but I own a swingweight scale and I have plenty of lead tape so I set them up the way I like. If I change grips I'll check the swingweight, if I do a bit of sole grinding I'll check the swingweight, if I wear the lettering off the sole of my wedges through practice I'll check the swingweight because all that worn off metal weighed something to begin with (not much!) Basically it gives me something to do from time to time. I also do the same with irons. In terms of changing ball flight etc, lead tape won't do it not unless you hang a whole roll of it off the back of you club somehow!

I play off a low handicap and personally I don't mind who I play with so long as they are nice people. I'd rather play with a nice friendly bloke in his sixties who doesn't mind having a chat and a joke and watch him have 105 than play with a 2 marker who's a surly wanker any day.

I think you are on the right track. Go with the group lessons to begin with (so long as the group isn't more than say half a dozen people for an hour) and once you can get your hands on the club correctly every time and set up to the ball in a good position and understand a few of the basic fundamentals move on to private lessons. I'm sure that if you like whoever is handling the group lessons that they would be able to take you on as a pupil when you are ready for private lessons, otherwise I am positive they could hand you off in the right direction. And here is the thing to keep in mind and DO NOT forget it, you will get worse before you get better. Learning to play is a two steps forward one step back kind of process!

Lay a cut down golf club on the ground in front of him and let him pick it up and see which hand is on the bottom. Whichever way he picks it up will be natural for him. Of course sometimes you'll see a kid who'll pick it up one way one time and differently the other. However over time he'll sort it out for himself. When I was a kid up until the age of 7 or 8 I used to write left handed and play any sport involving a bat right handed, that's quite common. After 7 or 8 I started writing right handed and continued playing sport right handed. Don't ask me to explain the switch, I've always played sports where getting hit in the head is pretty common so maybe that had something to do with it

At some point you have to stop tinkering and applying quick fixes gleaned from the occasional lesson and reading books and the internet. I think the best way forward for most people if they honestly and genuinely want to improve is to find an instructor they are comfortable with and feel they can trust and then do just that, trust them. Let the instructor know that you want to improve, that you are willing to do it over time and that you are going to practice hard and talk to him/her and work out a way forward. Also be sure to let them know that you are willing to take weekly lessons at first and then monthly/bi-monthly as you progress. It may take a number of years before you get anywhere near your initial goal but when you do, you can reassess. What you need are sound fundamentals and hard work, if you can get the sound fundamentals via competent instruction and doing the hard work then you will improve. Failing this you are just kidding yourself and you had may as well resign yourself to hacking it about for the rest of your golfing life.

Mine are all personal ones but they tend to rub off and get taken up by people I play with regularly. They are pretty much based around speeding up play and/or good etiquette. If the next tee is clear and you have the honour don't mark the card until after you have played your shot When walking up to the green try if possible to leave your bag in line with the direction you will walk to the next tee - saves having to go back 20 yards to get it and then retracing your steps If someone plays a greenside bunker shot and they are still away the person closest to the hole hence last to putt rakes the bunker for them Always repair your own pitch marks on the green and if you have a few moments to spare try to repair at least 3 others If you've played your last full shot on a hole and you still have sand left in your bucket repair as many unfilled divots as you can if it doesn't hold anyone up Always pick up any extra clubs someone may have brought up to the green with them if you have the time - saves them forgetting to pick them up and having to go back or even worse losing them

I always have a couple of copies in my bag, one for me and one to give to anyone I play with who doesn't have one. We get them for free from our club so I always have half a dozen or so spare at home to replace the ones I hand out. I've never played with anyone who doesn't want to play by the rules to the letter, however I often find I play with people who just don't have a solid grasp of the rules beyond the very very basics. Not once has anyone ever complained about being given a copy of the rules, in most instances they are most appreciative and simply didn't know that they were freely available.

Having played in a LOT of club strokeplay events I'd have to say that there are a hell of a lot of "Gavins" out there. On average there'd have to be at least one player "Doing a Gav" every three or four groups. very very rarely do I see a group lose two holes, sometimes a group will lose one hole to the group in front but they'll catch it up somewhere along the line. My point is, with a "Gavin" every three or four holes how do the unfortunate groups containing "the Gav" manage to keep up so well? My guess is that the other players in the group manage to drag his sorry arse along pretty well. One last thing, rather than going on ahead and playing your shot in the hope that it'll speed up play wouldn't finding Gav's ball be a more effective way of keeping things moving?

Here you go, this is what Urban Dictionary has to say about it and it is pretty close to it's general "downunder" usage. Due to the large number of dickheads we have in this part of the world (as I expect you also have in yours) it is a phrase that gets used a LOT Spit the Dummy Australian Term: To indulge in a sudden display of anger or frustration; to lose one’s temper. The phrase is usually used of an adult, and the implication is that the outburst is childish, like a baby spitting out its dummy in a tantrum and refusing to be pacified. (Dummy is a pacifier)

I always thought that looking at the money list gave you a pretty decent idea of how well someone's season has gone for them. The Fedex cup just sort of loses me, if I have to look something up to figure out what it means (and I'm not entirely lacking in mental capacity although the missus may well disagree) then it's too difficult as far as I'm concerned.

Get yourself a new putter but don't throw your current one in to a lake trade it in or sell it. At some point in the future when your new blade goes bad you are going to want to give the old one another go and once you get rid of it then it's gone.

It doesn't matter whether it's the first time you have to spend time looking for a ball or it's the third time or it's the hundredth, you go and help your group find it. It's basic etiquette and there is also a bit of the kharma thing involved. You never know when you are going to need your ball found, if you help everyone else sooner or later it'll work in your favour. As for losing two holes that is completely unacceptable. It's up to the group to keep up and help out if someone is struggling. And as for Gavin spitting the dummy and having a whinge, whilst he may have had a point he should have kept the comments to himself and said nothing. Complaining about things when you are having a difficult time is a show of bad sportsmanship/sour grapes. Even if you are thinking something about a player in your group keep it to yourself otherwise you will always come off sounding like a tosser.

No, you are never wrong for trying out anything at all in fact you are usually better off for the experience. If you try something and it works you are in front, if you try something and it doesn't work then you are better off because you have got that idea out of your head and you can move your focus towards something else without wondering "what if" Playing off a handicap of three you obviously have an excellent idea of what you are doing and can be objective enough to quantify results so give it a go. The type of people I mentioned as not being worth listening to when they say "I want fat grips" are the ones who have a rudimentary grasp of the golf swing and who lack necessary fundamentals. Trying out different grip thicknesses to modify/influence ball flight for these guys is something like putting a bandaid over a severed artery!

Yes, exactly what I was thinking. Think about it, you lend your new car to a friend of yours and he runs it in to a tree and puts a dent in the front end, are you going to take it back to the dealer and have a go at getting a warranty claim? Nah, I didn't think so.

This is how we were taught to measure for grip size. http://golfgrips-direct.com/acatalog/Grip_Sizing.html Something else to keep in mind is the preference of the player, providing that the player is at an ability level where they are worth listening to! If someone is a pretty average to poor ballstriker, I would tend to ignore what they had to say to me without letting them know I was doing so. You know the level of ability I am talking about, someone who has never broken 90 in their life and doesn't look likely to. If they came in and said "I want fat grips" then yes if they insisted then that's what they would get, otherwise I am going to measure them up and give them what they really need. On the other hand, if a good player started asking me about how grip size may affect ball flight and they were always fighting a hook, I'd be likely to suggest going a bit thicker to try and work against that tendency or vice versa. Another valid reason for going to thicker grips would be the case of an older golfer who has arthritis, the thicker grip would generally be easier for them to hold and control. It may not be the best option for maximising their swing potential, however if it lets them comfortably enjoy golf whereas otherwise they couldn't then it is totally valid. I think that a good clubfitter should listen to whatever a customer has to say and then use his or her own common sense when making a recommendation. After all, you have gone to a clubfitter for their advice so they should be confident enough to make a decision and back it up with experience and knowledge, and a customer needs to be willing to accept the advice otherwise the whole relationship is doomed to failure anyway.

I'm very quick at summing up yardages and required shot type and choosing a club and I always go with my first decision, I do my best to never second guess and fart around because it causes doubt and it slows everyone up. In most cases I'll have already made up my mind what I am going to do and have a club out and ready well before my playing partners have even taken a club from their bag let alone finished their shots. My routine is the same for woods, irons and wedges and it never varies. Stand behind ball and take one loose practice swing while trying to replicate the feeling I want to have during my shot to produce the ball flight I am intending - it's usually based around hand position through impact Mentally draw a line through the ball to my aiming point and pick something a few feet in front of the ball on the target line as an alignment reference Move in to the ball and with my right hand align clubface squarely to the aiming reference point Left hand goes on to club and feet are placed together with ball inbetween heels Left foot is moved forward in to position depending upon club Right foot is moved back in to position Look at target for a second Waggle twice taking club back along intended takeaway line and with a little bounce by flexing the knees Club settles in behind the ball Right knee kicks in an inch towards the target as a trigger point and I'm away All up it takes me just over 20 seconds to complete the routine (I've timed it quite a few times while watching video of me playing and practicing) and it never varies for any full shot. From the point of beginning the routine through to beginning my takeaway I am constantly moving slightly but with a slow rhythm, I worked out 20 years ago that I have problems if I stand still over the ball for more than a second or so. I pretty much never back off once I start, you could drop a bomb and I'd still keep going. The routine is slightly different for chipping and bunker shots, I look at the hole then the spot I want to land the ball then the hole again and instead of kicking my knee in as a trigger I use a slight forward press with my hands. Putting is slightly different again, I have three loose practice strokes while looking at the hole without ever really getting in to an address position, it's sort of a loose thing to get a feel for the speed and again I use a little forwrd press to get me moving. I reckon that what you do in your preshot routine is pretty unimportant, but repeating it every single time no matter what is. You also need to do it while hitting practice balls, it must always be the same. From the point where you have decided what you are going to do, how you are going to do it and what you are using to achieve it then the preshot routine is just you on autopilot. No point in working on your swing, all of that stuff should have been done on the practice fairway and you are just trusting all of the work you have put in already. If you have no trust in what you are doing, time to have some lessons and practice some more!