localhawaii

One more vote for Hawaii. Move to Honolulu, play year round golf. Meet some friends on the bases to play more golf. Meet some friends with nice country club memberships, play more golf. Island hop, play more golf. The weather is beautiful, the women are beautiful, and depending where you play, the greens are beautiful. Half the holes on every course could be made into a postcard!

Yah awkward is right! Ya figure Kelly would pick up on his body language to lay off, but she kept pressing and he didnt seem too happy about it....

Aloha, I actually travel to and from Hawaii to the mainland quite often and on the majority of my trips I make sure to bring my golf clubs. As others have pointed out, make sure that the vehicle you'll be traveling in will be able to support a hard case. If not, you'll definitely be in a bind. If you will be taking a taxi, theres no doubt in my mind they'll ding you a few extra bucks for the hard case or even a golf bag being an "excessive" size. In regards to the airlines, I've always prepaid the second luggage fee up front for a second piece of check in luggage. The first one is my suitcase. Double check with the airlines to determine if a hard case shell for the golf clubs isnt considered an "oversize" piece of luggage by definition of the airline. I have never been charged and oversize luggage fee, but again, its contingent on the airline. Usually if its not considered oversize, it still cant exceed the 50 pound limit. Now when it comes to cases, I am sure everyone has their opinion. I have gone through two, the cheap standard hard case that you can pick up for around $40 and the SKB single golf bag shell. By far, the SKB shell has been the best for me and would highly recommend it! One of the big bonuses for the SKB is that not only does it have 3 field replaceable latches, the latches are TSA approved! Now here are a couple hassles I've had. I was traveling once, went through security checks and was 20 minutes from boarding when I heard my name being called over the loud speaker asking me to return to the TSA counter on the other side of the security gate. I went back, found the TSA station and they told me I had to provide them with the key for my golf bag. I almost lost it and told them it WAS a TSA approved lock. They simply said oh, but the sticker isnt on there. And I said the sticker wore off after traveling so much. They again said, oh, okay thanks. Put in their TSA key and it opened right up. The idiot didnt even try to open it. Now notice I didnt say that all TSA's are idiots, I said that idiot. Not trying to offend anyone working for the TSA. So I then had to go back through the security checks and run to board my plane. Second instance was when I was flying back to Hawaii, was going to be picked up at the airport and go straight to the golf course. Yah I know, my life is rough! :P It turns out they sent my golf clubs somewhere else. They didnt say they lost them but insured me that they would call me when they came in so I can pick them up. I told them they should call me when they find them and better deliver them to my house. So I ran home, slapped together a set with a hybrid, a wood, 5 wedges, a putter and and whatever loose irons i could find and off to the course I went and shot one of my WORST rounds of my life. Here are my take aways... 1. Contact the airlines to make sure there are no surprises about "over size" luggage costs. 2. If you are gonna take a taxi at your arrival destination, be ready to pay a few extra bucks for "excessive" size fees. 3. Make sure to get a TSA approved hard case and if the sticker wears off, make sure you tell the airline agent or the TSA the locks ARE TSA approved! If you have the extra time, follow your case to the TSA inspection area just in case. 4. If the airline sends your golf clubs or your luggage for that matter somewhere else, insist that they call you when its found and insist that they deliver it to your doorstep. They will comply! 5. Oh and if it is considered oversize, keep in mind that some airlines will bring up the clubs separately and place them on the side or adjacent area to baggage claim. So dont freak out if you dont see it coming up the conveyer belt, it may already have been brought up separately! Anyhow, sorry for the long post, hope this helps...

Well how many of us can actually say they played golf with obama? I can! LOL, well we werent really playing together but he was about two holes behind me and my group. Here is a pic of my buddy with Obama in the background. At first we werent 100% sure but the many men with high caliber rifles were all over the place. I was very tempted to hit into his fairway and see if I could get a handshake! This was on 12/28/2008 at Olomana Golf Links in Waimanalo. I also got video of him too carrying his own bag up toward the clubhouse!

Think its missing the "l" at the end of the url http://www.newhorizonsgolf.com/square-face.html

Aloha, Couldn't commit to playing a full round of golf today, so I did the next best thing and went to the range. Actually I stopped off at the golf store and picked up a new set of clubs on the way! :) I've sat through a couple fittings in the past couple weeks and the recommendations I got were kbs 90's, or project x 5.5 or 6. Ironically enough during my fittings, the stock steel stiff shafts on the burner 2.0's actually felt the best to me. I picked those up today and hit the range and it was a real eye opener. Going from graphite to steel my tempo was way off. My distance with the steel shafts were a few yards shy of my graphite regular shafts ( when going loft vs loft). Miss hits felt like jolts of electricity running up my hand into my arms and body. And callous' started to develop on my hands where they didnt normally with my graphite irons. Are these normal growing pains going from graphite to steel? Or are they more associated with going from a regular shaft to a stiff shaft? I know its the first time hitting the clubs outside of golf shop, but I am still on the fence if I made the right decision to move from graphite to steel. Thanks everyone for any advice!

Thanks guys for the tips! I'll hopefully be hitting the greens this weekend to test out the tips if this rain goes away! Thanks again!

Aloha, Are you open for trades or cash only deal? Thanks!

Aloha, Since I started playing again, I have found it very difficult lining up with the flag and hitting the green, especially on shots longer than 140 yards and out. My ball flight is straight with only a very small draw if any at all, however, I find myself time and time again hitting a good ten yards or so to the right of the green. I use the train tracks method to line myself up with the flag, but when i lay a club to down and step back or have a playing partner watch my alignment, its always drastically off to the right. Any tips conventional or non-conventional to help me get back on track (haha, yes pun intended) Thanks!

Aloha Golfers! Its been 18 months or so since I took a break from playing golf and once again the bug is working its way back into my system. After ultimately dropping down to a 14, after my break I find myself stuck as a low 20's handicapper. Ironically enough, after getting a recent fitting, my swing speed has actually increased dramatically (108 mph with a driver, and about 80 with irons), yet my game is nowhere it used to be. Looking forward to getting back into the game and the helpful insight this forum has provided me in the past! Thanks!

I feel your pain. my last couple rounds look like this: 16 over on the front, 1 over on the back, 4 over on the front, 15 over on the back, and 3 over on the front and 12 over on the back. Cant seem to put it all together in a single round....

Let me first thank everyone for their thoughts. I didnt imagine I was going to be alluded to male or female genitals but then again I did solicit your thoughts. :P I am still on the fence as to where I stand. What makes it tough is the fact that EVERYONE in the group has a GPS device, so why the heck do they keep asking what the yardage is? I can imagine if one of them did not have a device, but again, we all have something to tell us the distance. It seems the group is split on this, but I do take away the notion that I should win based on my skills and not what a device tells me. Thanks everyone for your input!

Hi all, Haven't posted in a long while as I havent been able to play as much this year so far.... I just had a three day run playing four rounds with my normal golf buddies and we decided to do the whole skins/greenies thing. I have a laser range finder and everyone else has GPS units (i too have gps software on my phone, but dont really use it). When we arent betting, I have no issues answering the question, "Hey can you pin this for me?" or "Hey, how far out is the flag?", when we get to the par 3's. But when we started betting, I felt it was not in my best interest to provide these distances. Am I just being a jerk? or does everyone else make it a practice not to provide distances when the occasional dollar is on the line? I guess my justification is that everyone else has devices to gauge distance, so I try not to feel bad. Thoughts? TIA.

So me (player 1) and my buddy (player 2) is playing against our other two buddies, let’s call them player 3 and player 4. Player 3 hits his ball over the green (and a bunker) down a steep hill, and rolls down and ends up in 8 to 12 inches of long grass preventing it from going into the water (all though we did not see it at the time). Player 3 can’t seem to find his ball and thinking it may have gone in the water (and still within the 5 minutes) decides his ball his lost. He states his ball is lost and he is going to take a drop. Right after he hits, I find a ball and say “hey, is this your ball” and he identifies it as his. I say he has to play this ball because he identified it as his, even though he just took a drop. Knowing its in a bad spot (having to hit blind uphill and over a bunker) he hesitantly plays this ball and ends up hitting a plus 9 on the hole. I’ve tried dissecting rule 27 attempting to interpret how it applies but I can’t seem to find a definitive answer. Based off this situation, I think the appropriate questions are: What happens if you take a drop and then immediately “find” your ball? Which ball is in play? Does it make a difference that me as player1 found the ball versus other players on his “side”? Am I missing any details that would help better answer these questions? Thanks for the expertise!

I think you can get "good" playing once a week. I have been playing now for about 22 months (had two months off for tearing rib cartilage) and have carded about 75 rounds. Some of the weeks I played either once or twice a week and on one crazy weekend we played four rounds (two on sat and two on sun). Fortunately here in Hawaii, there isn't really any winter so playing during the winter months is almost the same as playing during the rest of the year. Interestingly enough as I have found that as my game got better and worked out the kinks of my swing, i have gone to the range less. I actually have forgone going to the range and focused on doing mirror work and carpet putting at home. Dont get me wrong, when I find that I am getting the jitters or a particular club just doesnt want to cooperate, I make sure to get to the range to get things right in my mind and build the appropriate muscle memory to fix any problems. I wanted to get down to to a single handicap by the end of 24 months, but the clock is ticking!

Why not try marshaling at one of the local courses near you? A friend told me that at one course they could serve a 6 hour shift and get free play monday to thursday and all the range balls you can hit. This would allow you to save money since you wouldnt have to pay for greens fees or range balls. I am sure your YMMV but its worth a shot.

I was playing a course in the bay area last week and was having an okay round until I hit the par 5 10th. I drove over the 200 yard fairway bunkers (instead of going left of the bunkers) right into a gaggle of geese. I didnt hit any of them and they initially scattered but all came back together. By the time I got to where I thought my ball landed I had no clue where to find it. The geese werent very helpful as they didnt really want to move out of the way. Ended up declaring a lost ball and hitting another drive. At the end of the day, I still ended up shooting an 84. Has anyone else lost their ball in a gaggle of geese?

Cody, I had the FT-I and loved it, including the big bang that comes with it (although a lot of people seemed to hate it). But I got such a good deal on the IQ when it came out, I couldnt pass it up. Well, with the new FT-IZ coming out, there is no doubt in my mind that you'll probably find a great deal on the IQ. If you make the leap, I would suggest to go with the tour version cause the non-tour seems super closed at address. Also the tour version allegedly has a real Fubuki shaft versus a Fubuki by Callaway shaft.

I think I am going to switch over to a center shafted putter. I have a square stroke but have been using a putter with a crank neck. Statistically I cant seem to drop below 1.9 putts per round on average.

I have been using Stingers for my drives and have some pretty good results! On a windy day, its tough to keep the ball on the tee though! :)

I use four wedges too and actually have two different sets. I have a set of CG-14s that go with 4 degrees of separation starting at 48,52,56,60. And my second set of 09 Spin Milled Vokeys with 6 degrees starting at 46 (48 bent down), 52, 58, and 64. For the past 8 months I have been playing the vokeys but last week I had the urge to switch back to the CG-14's. I have been toying around with the idea of dropping down to 3 wedges, but with 4 wedges, you take the guess work out assuming you know your numbers. FWIW, I would say get the 52 just so your wedges are evenly spaced out. Just my two cents though...

Thanks Cody! Looks like its half FT-9 and half FT-IQ. I've been a big fan of the FT-I and then onto the FT-IQ, but I am not too sure about this IZ. I guess I got to wait for the regular joes to chime in instead of listening to tour pros on Ytube.

Does anyone know if the Callaway FT-IZ replace the FT-IQ? It seems its listed on the Callaway Australia site but not yet under the US site. Would this still be classified as a "Square Head" driver? TIA

This is an interesting thread. I am 5'5" and about 138lbs and I average about 260 on my drives. Not once have I ever thought about getting my driver shortened. I even remember watching some tournament with Tadd Fujikawa (I think he is like 5'2") and the announcer saying it was easier for shorter players to hit drivers because we are naturally swinging the club around our body flatter than being more at an angle. Not sure if I totally buy into it, but I did find it interesting...