RussUK

Sounds about right. Even on practice swings if the club is flat on the floor and i swing I struggle to hit the turf and if i do it's often more like skimming it. It's amazing how much of this game is in your head.

@nevets88, what are you making next week? Tracey Island out of toilet roll tubes and sticky back plastic?. Blue Peter badge on its way

This summer I got fitted for new irons and the session showed I needed irons 3 degrees upright. I vaguely remember the fitter saying I showed address the ball normally and the toe of the club would sit a little higher of the ground than before but this would correct during the downswing and deliver the sole correctly to the turf (my swing permitting of course) due to the flexing/bending of the shaft and to fight the urge to set the sole flat. For the first few times i was hitting really good, solid shots however recently i have been hitting some very thin shots and shots off the toe. I think i may be addressing the ball with the sole flat on the turf. My question therefore is, if an upright lie angle is set flat at address what effect would this have at impact and what bad shots could this cause (thin toey shots perhaps?). When I swing with the club at address as it was designed/altered (i.e toe up) i can hit the ground in a consistent place each time. As you can tell when it comes to equipment i'm not what you would call "educated" . Many thanks, as always, for your advice.

I take it you'll be trying skateboarding next instead? Wishing you a speedy recovery. Hopefully American daytime TV isn't as bad as ours in the UK (Loose women, it's not how it sounds ), cos' i'm sure you'll end up an expert on it.

I've experienced the mystery of the vanishing golf ball. The shot is struck sweet and then, like a phantom in the night, they disappear into thin air (or trees, long grass, water, car parks, peoples gardens). Either way it must be paranormal so let's get Zak Bagan on the case.

This is a great comment. As a High hcp player myself it's often unerving to play alongside a decent player because you just dont want to embarrass yourself. It's worse if you dont know the person you are playing with. However, all it takes is for the low capper to say something like "Dont worry about a bad shot, lets just have fun". On the plus side playing with a good golfer often rubs off on you and can actually help you to play better. Also good to see good players cock it up too (really puts you at ease ), hence the reason i watch Mark Crossfield!

voted yes, but the technology would have to be viable, reliable and cost effective. I't doesn't matter how many people are killed through drink driving it will always be too many simply because drink driving is easily avoidable. If you want to drink dont use your car, get a taxi, a bus or walk home, it's not rocket science. Maybe punishments should be harsher and the blood alcohol limits stricter. I know guys who can drink for England and not get affected and others who have one drink, be legally under the limit, and cant walk straight. Personally, i'm all for zero tolerance on drink driving. If you go to the pub for a beer and want to drive then drink alcohol free beer. Most pubs sell it and its actually not bad these days. I'll step down of my soap box now guys

Sure does Erik, but i find blaming the kids for lack of playing opportunities works wonders

Yep, unless he's going all Roid Rage . When i read the topic title i thought by "bulking up" he meant "eating pies". In 6 weeks he could really bulk up on the pies diet.

I use a Cleveland Smart Square blade putter and it's the best putter i've used. Feels nice, good weight and looks like the sort of putter Darth Vader would use. Not strictly Cleveland but as they own the brand Srixon irons are fab. I got fit for Z155 irons with miyazaki jinsoku graphite shafts, love them.

Indeed, whilst browsing sports direct the other day I almost choked on my earl grey when i saw that Callaway CXR power had increased from £9.99 to £10.99. Extortion I tell you. I'm the mind to send them a very firmly worded email for them to ingore. Seriously though, companies like Titleist can charge more for their balls (within reasonable limits) because they know people will still buy them. There are so many deals to be had if you are willing to do the leg work. Also, I actually like the CXR power in Yellow as i can see it and it doesn't actually feel like a rock .

Agree. I think we look at this from a western point of view. Over here if someone flipped you the middle finger not much (if anything) would be done. In many eastern cultures they are very high up on respect, politeness and general good manners and there is nothing wrong with any of those (some over here could do with learning the above). In some Eastern cultures even showing the soles of your feet is a criminal offense. So while it seems like a harsh punishment to us he probably feels he got off pretty lightly, especialy after seeing him on hi knees begging after the tournament. I'm asuming the ban only applies to the Korean Tour?. If so he still has options for the next 3 years.

Thankfully not, otherwise i'd be broke . Had someone watch me take a few swings and on each one i thinned, shanked, pulled, swore at, sobbed uncontrolably at, it seems i was coming out of posture and swinging very flat. Using a mirror helped with that. And man was i tense, trying to keep everything as a unit just made my upper body rigid. The ones i was hitting well i was indeed using my left side with the shoulder as a trigger but rotating it down at the start and the whole thing felt nice and loose. I'm my own worst enemy at times. When i'm hitting well all it takes is for someone to say "maybe this is how you should do it" and i'm like "hmm i wonder......"

Up until this weekend i have been hitting my irons really well till someone stated i start the swing moving the clubhead first before the hands, arms etc. and according to them i should be moving the club with my shoulders as a "unit" I, being the moron i am, decided to try this and i have hit pretty much all the bad shots you can think of. I noticed that if i start the swing with the shoulders turning down my arms go stiff and at when coming into impact my body raises up, however when i swing like I normally do which feels free flowing i seem to stay in posture. So, my question is, can tension in the arms/shoulders/hands potentially cause topped/thinned shots and the dreaded hosel rockets?.

You can get pretry much whatever you want on a pizza over here. You can even get it deep fried followed by a deep fried Snickers for desert

With Deliveroo and Uber Eats you can get your fave food pretty much wherever you want, heck i might have to order something myself mid round. Might be a bit hard to eat a 12" meat feast pizza while carrying my bag though

Usually 9 holes. I love to play 18 but often dont have enough spare time. 9 holes is good for helping the golf addiction cravings

Come on now, do we really need comments like this?. It may have been "ok" at a working mens club variety show in the 70's but no place for it here.

^^ This. I see too many new players or high hcp players using Pro v1s or other similar tour balls because they often told they are the best available. Start off with something cheap(ish) like a 2 piece ball, things like Srixon Distance, Callaway Warbird/CXR Power or the like. When you get better and more confident then look at moving up to either a higher grade 2 piece (AD333, Q start etc.) or a mid level 3 piece. Recycled balls (pearl/mint grade) are a good option till you get good but there are often great deals on new balls if you are willing to hunt them down. On the other hand, if you want to play Pro V's then go for it. At then end of the day we cant tell anyone how to spend their money (not wisely anyway )

Gotta be honest, i didn't know members were actually banned, just thought they went elsewhere. Good to know and a nice touch in making it clear re banned profiles.

We must all be loners over here . I often go out to play by myself and it's rare that anyone asks each other if they want to play together. It's happened to me once and it was good fun. I'm ok with playing solo as i play early mornings and quite a bit in the winter so i'm often alone on most of the course anyway. I do find that i have conversations with myself when i play so may just be losing the plot a little.

First off, i'm surprised this topic is still ticking along. Been a while since i posted it. The lad i used to play golf with did take on the Jim Venetos swing (or at least his take on it) and it did help him to hit the ball better. Not having to shift his weight or use the lower body much helped him loads. I left the company we worked at in 2017 so no idea if he still using it (or still golfing for that matter). Back when we played together and he showed me the swing i tried to get into the preset and it didn't take long for my left hip to start aching and the whole "stillness" thing just seemed impossible (for me anyway). Like we always say, if it works for someone and gets/keeps them playing then thats a good thing. Depsite @Jim Venetosnot (at present) answering Erik's questions i'll still give him a thumbs up for helping people play the game as i think that is much more important than the actual swing they teach. For me, focusing on a particular area of my swing (getting the weight forward), rather than a whole swing "method" was key in getting my swing firing on all cylinders.

I can see it working with a Ryder/Solheim cup style format which would be fun to watch but not as an individual format.

Great tournament at a great course. I think despite the odd bit of dodgy putting both teams should be proud of how they played in some tricky conditions. I think if you're going to win then a last gasp effort is probably the most satisfying way to do it and the flip side is that if you lose on the last hole then im sure thats easier to accept than losing by a country mile Well done Europe and well played USA. I really think womens golf deserves much more coverage than it does at present. Maybe time for a change?

Just do what i did. Got rid of all the grass and replaced with the top grade synthetic grass. Cost us £3000(ish) to do the back garden but we can use it all year round, dries quick, no muddy footprints in the kitchen, the kids love it plus its great for golf practice (i use a mat so i dont damage the grass). No lawn mower, no watering and looks good all year. Got it done last year and best thing we did. Just need to sell the Flymo now