GoingfortheGreen

Avatar - gross of 10, net 9 -- minus 1 for not assigning a score for the post above!

Three for me - it's happened twice or thrice - last occurrence was summer 2011 when I shot my lowest score of 82. I average one or two birdies (total) over 4-5 rounds/month.

Duck hooking shots with 7, 8, 9, PW, and Gap W!! Can't explain it - last 2-3 rounds I've been driving the ball great (in the fairway a lot), short iron in is WAY LEFT of the green. Frustrating...

I live in Central Pennsylvania, right outside of Harrisburg (the capital for those that failed US geography ). In a nutshell, the golf scene is pretty decent, not great (more below). I moved here from Northern California (Foster City) and before that Southern California (San Diego - didn't golf then). The season here is April-October, but there is good chance you could start in March and play through November. I've played a number of times on Black Friday. Of course, those months are pretty chilly at that time. The variety of courses is fairly decent. The biggest attraction for me is the pricing. After living in the Bay Area, and routinely paying $100-$150 to ride on the weekends during the dot-com heyday (2000-2002), the $50 average fee is much more palatable. The most expensive public course here (Resort course, owned by Hershey now) is Hershey Links which is $90 for residents. On average I pay about $50-55 for a round which includes cart. Conditioning of the courses is directly proportionate to the green fees. There are some real dog tracks out here - e.g. Silver Springs Golf Course Cow Pasture is typically $25 to play. I played there once, and they hadn't even removed the plugs from the fairway after aerating . When it rains hard, the course becomes a swamp. I last played there two years and vowed never to go back. The quantity and quality of the sand in the bunkers is also typically tied to how much the green fees are. A lot of the average courses can be played for , plus there are a lot of coupons in the paper. The course I play the most is Dauphin Highlands (decent track), and they charge $55 to ride on the weekends. Surprisingly, the course is owned by the County. Slow play is an issue for the most part - again the more you pay, the higher the chances of having one or more rangers trying to keep things moving along. Finally, most people are pretty nice although after living here for 9+ years, I usually end up playing with regulars and rarely just show up. It's a pretty relaxed dress code (compared to other metro areas), with jeans acceptable at almost 95% of the courses. That said, I've seen folks in the dead of summer with wife beaters after they're a good distance away from the club house!! I try to play on some nice courses when I'm on vacation for a change of scenery (Harbour Town, Tierra Del Sol, Aviara, Bayside, etc.). There are some nice course in a 100 mile radius which I am dying to play someday (Bulle Rock, etc.) Plus, I'm still holding out hope to someday play the two PA crown jewels: Oakmont & Merion

I voted for "time". I know my swing sucks, but with a 6 and 3 year old + work, honestly my once a week round is my "lesson". Even if I went for 1 lesson a week, I'm told you need to practice what you've been taught - no time for that either. I've playing golf for 11 years - for the past five or so I've ranged between a 16-20 handicap. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Maybe when I retire?

I admit, for the first time ever, I stooped to the same level about a month ago. Playing a cheapish, public course here in Central PA, late morning tee time on Saturday. We're a twosome followed by another twosome - they've already hit "close" to us before - too close for comfort. Ahead is a 90-yr old couple plodding away - we can't play through, so we're stuck. On hole # 8, dog-leg right through some trees. My friend and I are sitting in the fairway waiting for the couple to clear out; you can't necessarily see the fairway from the tee box. A ball ends up right of us - we look back and we can see the guy that just hit it. He knows were sitting ducks, and still lets the second player tee off. Our fault, we didn't say anything. Hole # 15, shortish par 4, dogleg left - you can't see the green from the tee - the second player drives the green (ball rolls off) while we're putting. I pick up and throw his ball down the fairway while they're riding up. We get into it - this guy looked like a MMA fighter, and I know I'll die if this gets physical. He tells me to keep my f'ing hands of his ball, calls me an *sshole, etc. He said he didn't know he could hit it that far - I call BS, because I saw him bombing it on the range before the round. Finally, I just ignore him and walk off the green. The near fight has my heart pounding, adrenaline is flowing, and I need to execute a downhill 175 yard shot over water. Hit it flush, heads straight for the pin, and overshoots the green by a bit. Chip on and two putt.

I am sorry but Stevie was an *sshole in the televised interview. I agreed with what Nantz said about 13 majors and this is was "best week ever"? Maybe Stevie's been watching too much vh1 in his spare time. Yes, Stevie, we know you're pissed... Somebody better tell Pretty Boy Scott that not only is his caddy more famous than he is, but has probably made more "prize money" looping for Tiger than Adam made in his 8 wins.

Another monthly update: Handicap is now 17.7 (from 19.1). I also bettered by lowest score (82 from a 86) - granted it was on a Par 71, but I'll take it. A good summer so far!!

Thanks to everyone for your advice; I am happy to report that the clubs are now "broken in". The 1/2 swings at the range really helped, and with a couple of rounds under my belt, I am happy with the results. In fact, I tied my lowest round score three weeks ago (86) on a course I consider to be a challenge. FYI - I recently got fitted for the 910 D2, and in my first round I was spanking the sh*t out of the ball. I hit 8 fairways - it would have been 10, but I "ran out" of fairway! Loving it...

Must the Nike-sponsored athletes banding together -- looks like he's been taking tips from Michelle Wie on how to "injure" yourself when you're playing poorly

Mark5: The pro at GG did use a lie board - that was the last thing he did before we 'finalized' the order. In all fairness to fitters everywhere, it must have been a b*tch to fit me, as I'm pretty certain I don't have the same swing twice Thanks everyone for the advice - I plan on spending a couple of hours at the range, and I'll start with the 1/2 swings. In the past, my swing has been described as "Furyk meeting Daly".

Sand Trappers: I need your help – for the past three years I have been playing off the shelf TaylorMade rac OS2's. Everything was standard. I was recently fitted for Ping G15's with a lie angle of 4 degrees upright and +1/2” shafts (Golf Galaxy). I have played two rounds with this set, and I seem to be topping almost 90% of my shots (including some of the tee!). I know I need to go to the range to work this out, but “what should I work on?” I do not have an instructor, so any advice will be appreciated: stand more upright, bend down more, move closer to the ball, away from the ball, give up the game, etc. Thank you in advance!!

As one of Indian descent, it was good to see Arjun win. To be honest, I really thought Jeev Milkha Singh would be the first from India to win on the PGA. Today Arjun was Vijay (victory or victorious in Hindi) - keep off the drag racing in Islesworth...

The fees with cart for a 2some are $340 ($170 each, includes tax). I am willing to sell the certificate for $200 - essentially $100/each. Otherwise, I will use it the next time I am there.

Postscript - I did write to the manager complaining - I just got a certificate in the mail for a free round of golf (2-some) including cart at TPC Tampa. So, the manager made it right. The funny thing is, had the guy in the pro shop been a little more apologetic after the round, it would have never have come to the letter.