Slim 11

The only reason I can see this being of any use is to explain to someone who may not know your game well (or for them to explain to you) that you had a good, average or bad day. And at that, only if you give them this information before a round and say, "if I shoot good I'll score x, average y, bad z." Personally, I don't need the explanation. If I know you I know how your playing relative to usual and if I don't know you...whatever. You say you're shooting well...good for you. You say you're having a bad day...fair enough.

I would suggest not being overly aggressive. Since it is match play, I think you can take more chances than if it were stroke play, but if you have the opportunity to see your competitor's play first, I would kind of play to ensure the half (when in doubt).

The girl...for sure. and many years later, when re-telling the story, I would be sure not to use the word "stylist" Lol. JK

I'll start by saying that I think 14 is pretty good and especially good if you've just started. Congratulations. Now I have to sound a little like an ass: You must play fairly regular, you've taken lessons at Haney and you are on a golf forum. I find it hard to believe that you don't realize that 14 is a great handicap for a beginner. So...your comment seems a bit show offy. It's also a little offensive. I don't get to play a ton, but regular. I don't really have time for practice but I've taken a few lessons. I work harder than the "average" golfer but not as hard as probably most the people on this forum at my game. Still, I think my game is decent. To go on about how your "a hack" and "you suck" is a bit condescending to the rest of us mid to high cappers. Anyway...keep up the good work. Sounds like you have a natural game and you should be into the singles digits soon.

I would agree with you. I was just clarifying my understanding of the rules. I am happy to concede gimmies when playing in a casual round (which I do most often, I really don't play in tournaments and such very often). And I will take the occasional gimmie from a few inches if my partner happens to knock the ball back at me or something. It doesn't bother me when they do this, but I will putt it out if I get to the ball first. I still consider it a legitimate score.

Well said. I think most of us have gone from the weekend duffer stage of beer drinking and joking around being of primary importance during the game, to realizing that the game is great in and of itself and wanting to improve at it. Then you get to really wanting to know your abilities and potential and being more strict with yourself about rules and such. I still like a few beers and the joking around.

...you can barely drag yourself out of bed for work or other reasons, but are awake, showered and re-cleaning your clubs at 5:30 am for your 8:00 tee time. ...you find that instead of folding your arms. putting your hands in your pockets or otherwise occupying your hands during conversations, you absentmindedly form your golf grip. ...you can't even walk through a Wal-mart (where you would never purchase any golf equipment) without going to the sporting goods section just to see what golf stuff they have.

Did it help you?

Agreed. At least offer to pay. Thank him for being so generous and tell him you would like to pick up the tab this time. If he says it's his treat, fine. Thank him again. I have a colleague that invits me out to his club a few times each year. It's sort of "work related" (I spend a lot of money with him each year) and I know the invite is in appreciation of the business (and we are casual friends) but I always offer to pay. I haven't yet (even for snacks, drinks, etc. but I make the effort each time to at least let him know that I appreciate the fact that he is spending his money on me.

There are a lot of factors in fitting, but it also depends on your swing and your ability. They can't spend all day with you trying to see the one or two perfect strokes you put on the ball. Mostly they check your impact on a black board that will show how the club is contacting the ground. It will show if you are coming inside or outside, open or closed face, too steep or too shallow, etc. That is a big reason I don;t think you should get fitted until you are a semi-decent player. You don't need to be a single handicap but you should be able to make consistent, good contact and have a fairly repeatable swing. I would say if you are under a 20 handicap, it is worth it. Again, this is about the same point that I would say it is worth spending the money on a premium set of clubs.

I am going to preface this comment with the statement that (again) I don't really care how other people play, it bugs me only if we are in a competition or they are bragging about their score when not following rules. I do not believe that "gimmies" are covered anywhere in stroke play, only in match play when a hole (or stroke) can be conceded at any time. In stroke play (strictly speaking) a player is disqualified for not holing out. A guy who picks up in absolutely breaking the rules. Personally, in a friendly match, I don't have an issue with gimmies but only if conceded by the playing partners. I putt them out anyway and explain that I do so because I am not above missing a shorty and can use all the practice I can get.

I am sure a lot of people end up pretty close or the same as a standard set. I am surprised that fitting would hurt you (I can understand not seeing a difference). Possibly your fitter just wanted to make changes to seem like he knew what he was doing or to charge you a little more (my fitting was included in the price of my clubs). I have friends who have gone to my guy and he told them they didn't need an adjustment, the standard was right for them. I think a lot depends on your pro.

I would agree that you should reach a certain level of playing before getting fitted but the same would be said about about a decent set of clubs. I've seen a lot of people comment that they are standard height, etc. so they don't need to be fitted. Here's the thing, just because you are a standard height doesn't mean you have a standard swing. If you go to a good pro he will not necessarily try to change your swing but fit you so that your clubs are right for your swing (provided you don't have a total train wreck of a swing). I am 5'11 and most clubs are designed off the shelf for guys 5'10 to 5'11, however I found that I had a problem staying down on the ball and would top or duff shots fairly often. When I got fitted the pro told me that I "stood tall" during my swing. Not a bad swing, just what was comfortable for me. He fit my irons and told me that the length is something he might usually see in someone who is 6'1 or 6'2. I immediately saw the benefits. A comfortable swing makes good contact now and I rarely top the ball. Also, adjusts to the lie angle, etc. helped eliminate my tendency to push right. I was amazed when he would hand me different clubs and say "this is going left" or "this one should be right" or "this one is going to go pretty straight" and be right every time. A good pro and fitting can make a world of difference. If the pro just takes your measurements and doesn't have you swing various clubs and check you on a black board, etc. you need a different pro.

I am all for people just having fun, but like it has been said, don't pretend to better than you are when you don't play by the rules. I don't care if you shoot 80 or 120, but if you are not counting OB's, taking "gimmes" and generally disregarding the rules, don't tell me how you beat me or shot as good as me or whatever at the end of the round. Just smile and say nice playing with you.

I'm with PiKapp23. There are some people I just don't play well with. For a good year or two all of my worst rounds were with my brother-in-law. I usually played better than him, but not much (still true on many occasions). I know he was thinking I was full of BS when I would tell him about my good rounds. Eventually, I shot a few good rounds with him and I think he has a little more faith in my ability these days. I don't know if I try to hard with him or if I just slack off and lose focus. Sometimes I will get out of my game and play just to beat him which means if he makes a bad shot I start thinking "I don't need to do anything special here" and that spells trouble. :) His game is steadily improving though, which means it elevates my game when playing with him.

That's a smart play if there is no OB. However, I tend to try and play the courses the way they are designed and figure out the best way to play that hole. Of course, with my slice, I probably would be playing it your way most of the time anyway. :)

I don't mind playing with these people, but it is annoying if they try to talk like they are as good or better than you are while they are blatantly ignoring rules. I don't run into that too much. One thing that will bother me is if they start saying things like, "just hit another one" or "don't count that" trying to get me to play the game the way they do. I always just say that I like to count them all so I can be accurate about my game and they usually shut up. I'll also tell them to keep their own score if they play that way because I am not writing a bogey on the card for them when they don't count the two duffs, the mulligan and the lip out. At the end of the round I don't want them asking me what they shot.

There is a balance needed between family and "me" time. My wife will sometimes get on me about golf, but usually not. I play 1-2 times per week (on average). If she goes out of town with the kids, and I don't go for some reason, it's a free for all! HA! I try to do a little work around the house but I am polishing the clubs before she is gone. I have to say, again, that I don't get much gruff from her about it, but if I did, that would just cause bigger problems. I don't know the semantics of your household but I am the main wage earner, do most of the work around the house (all the yardwork, at least half the cleaning and laundry, all the misc. repairs etc.) so I feel entitled to some free time. Of course, she is encouraged to her own time, as well, and we try to do family things once or twice a week with the kids (my kids are a bit older too, which makes things easier).

I would say it all depends on the difficulty of the putt. I always try to give myself a chance to make them but speed is my main concern on long putts. I don't think the experts are saying don't shoot for it, they're just saying not to be overly aggressive and end up not having something fairly easy for your second putt.

According to the stat tracker I use. you are looking pretty good. I use the Golf Channel one and it gives you your stats compared against average stats of the same handicap. You can also adjust it to see what a better handicapper average is (or worse). Anyway, according to the Golf Channel you should be like this: Fairway % = 47% GIR = 29% Putts = 33.6 So you are way better on fairways and average on putts. Your GIR's could be better and that's the key stat in my opinion anyway. I don't care if I get home in regulation from the rough or the fairway. Just let me get the putter in my hands. You probably suffer in this category for the same reason I do. I am not a long hitter. Our average driving distance and longest drives are very similar. Therefore, I am often hitting longer irons into the green and coming up short, or left, or right, etc. and having to scramble. GIR's are the key to us mid-handicappers getting down farther.

I am totally missing something in this post. I think it's great that Bob walks the course, plays at that age and travels all over. But the partner? Is it a dog or something? Not sure if there is a pic or something that I am not seeing....

yep...I'd be going to Augusta.

That is fantastic! I wonder how it would hold up in Michigan weather.

I could have typed this verbatim. Although I don't usually go more than 10-14 days between rounds. When I miss a week, I am usually to get out the next week.

I like the car analogy... I think that explains a difficult theory well. I will try to chime in... Because the weight is distributed around the "game improvement" club you are not getting as much weight at the sweet spot. Working the ball is accomplished by imparting spin to ball and with a cavity back club there is not as much force going into creating that spin because there is not as much weight at teh point of contact. Think of it like putting english on a cue ball. The harder you hit that spot on teh ball, the more spin you get.