RussUK

Morning All, I have returned to hitting golf balls after 3 months off after being diagnosed with Beurgers disease and recovering from the tests and biopsies that they love to put you through . I'm good to return to golf however have been left struggling with my irons. Currently use steel shaft, reg flex and my distance has gone and my body screams after a dozen shots. Hitting with my woods and hybrids (graphite) i'm fine, long(ish) and i feel i could hit them all day. I'm considering going to graphite irons and having a chat with a local golf retailer but wondered if anyone here has switched at a fairly young age (i'm 39) and what your experiences were. I love the game but i'm not so proud that i'd rule out a switch if it helped my carry on playing for as long as possible. Thanks as always.

Is that kind of like making them sit on the naughty step? "you've been very naughty so you must follow Sergio till you learn your lesson"

^^ Spot on. I think its often overlooked that its not just the player that is affected but all the people who have paid a fair bit of money to enjoy watching golf and its even worse when there are kids in the crowd. What kind of example are these muppets setting for kids? The players want the crowd to cheer, clap and, when appropriate, have a laugh. But it's not one when the hecklers do it out of spite or dislike for a golfer. It's tough to enforce but needs to be done even if that means the players take the lead.

Once did an experiment atthe range. "Does shouting POW/BOOM with a regular drive equate to more distance?" Result was...No, but there was an increase in funny looks!

I'll give her the benefit of doubt. Things like this are easily done especially if said person is rushing/late or just plain stressed. But, i agree the driver shouldnt have waited so the other players wouldn't have been affected to much. I just can't see anyone intentionally causing 30 or so players to miss a practice round, nut hey, maybe im just too nice a person

2 sets of irons, 3 drivers, 4 putters, 6 hybrids (various lofts) a driving iron, 2 #3 woods a 5 wood and for some strange reason a chipper that i used 3 times. Always window shopping for new clubs though

I've seen a matress just off a fairway at a course near Loughborough and two kids riding a quadbike through a bunker at a course in Leeds. Needless to say they weren't the classiest of courses!

I stopped using my LW as i was too inconsistent with it. I started using my SW for all mid distance wedge shots (50yds or so in) and standard pitches using the method Jack Nicklaus uses in his "golf my way" video. Having one wedge (PW really a 10 iron in my mind) might make my short game a little one dimensional but at my level it just makes it so much simpler.

Either way i could do with @Pretzelon my works pub quiz team!. We've got sport and 70's rock music sorted but we are short on ancient chariot racing. You never know when a question on the 105AD Rome chariot grand prix might come up (may have been the one that was red flagged on lap 3 when the tigers got loose? )

Maybe guys like Koepka and Co realise there is more to life than money.... or they make more than enough in other sponsorship deals to keep them in the lifestyle they are accustomed to?. Sue they could rake in a load more cash if they go to TM or Callaway etc. but it seems like a trend is starting where players and choosing what they want to play rather than some dude sat behind a desk. We often tell people here to play what ever brand they like so cant see why the pro's should be any different.

Bought a pair of Callaway chevron shoes 2 years or so ago, they have supports for the arc in each foot. They are more comfy than my everyday trainers. Not great in summer mind you so spent £18 on a pair of Woodworm golf Surge spikeless. Woodworm are relatively new to golf as they specialise in cricket but the shoes aren't bad at all.

If i go with the sole purpose of dedicated practice (rare now as i go with my 5yr old son) i zone out everyone around me. The thing is i dont like doing that as it's harder to relax. Make your practice fun, enjoy the atmosphere at the range, soak it all up and make sure you can have a chuckle at your own dodgy shots . I love the range, i enjoy taking a break mid session and just people watching. I get so much inspiration watching the old gentleman hitting his driver 150yds but grinning from ear to ear every shot, or from watching my son hit his driver and declare proudly "smashed that one Dad!". Let your hair down a bit, have fun and the self-consciousness will fade away. So ends my Jerry Springer thought for the day

I've been playing some incredibly consistent golf of late, just a shame its consistently crap I'm not able to get out that much at the moment so as soon as it clicks i end up not playing for a while and losing it. Take last weekend. I hadn't been out for 3 weeks so took my son to the range. No word of a lie i was thinning 9 iron up to my favourite 4 hybrid. I know what i was doing wrong and have sorted it (fingers crossed) but i was so annoyed. On the plus side i was able to hit consistent draw's with the driver for the first time ever and my putting, chipping and pitching is s*it hot at the moment. Have to say thanks to the flared feet topic on here (thanks @mvmac) and good old Jack's "Golf My Way" for sorting me (and my dodgy knees) out.

We are not tight with our money....... just careful.

Yeah, saw on the entertainment news last night. I do think starting a petition to get the last episode redone is a little OTT. At the end of the day the only person(s) who has a say in how a show ends is the writer(s). At least GOT fans can look forward to the prequel series. I'll stick to watching Chernobyl on Sky Atlantic.

Last episode aired here last night. Despite never being a big fan i thought they ended it ok, certainly in a way to keep most happy by keeping the popular characters alive and all rulers/leaders in some way or another.

I know two guys who have got aces. Neither bought the clubhouse a drink and not one person complained or told them they must buy everyone a drink, just a lot of slaps on the back and "Well done's". Yes it may be a "tradition" but it isn't mandatory. If you are disgusted that people choose to not buy a drink for an entire clubhouse then thats fine, you are entiltled to your opinion no matter how outdated it may be to many people.

James Ridyard has been around for ages. He was part of Today's Golfer magazines instructional staff. A lot of the stuff he had done has been pretty decent imo. I have a taster dvd from said magazine of the short game series and it's not bad. Not quite my cup of tea but certainly will be for many people.

My uncle is 71 and has carried or pushed (when playing summer comps) all his life. He has no problems and is as fit as ever. The only time he has used a cart was when he was recovering from prostate cancer. I think it depends on the individual as to the impact on their joints/bones. imo, walking is so much better than using a cart as long as you are able to. There have been a few times in summer when I wished i'd dug out my old trolley but on the whole walking is the way to go (and cheaper too).

Bit of a psycho stare in that pic though

Honma (cos there aint no way i could afford to buy them!) Bridgestone Footjoy Magic Rock Brewery (best beer around and brewed in Huddersfield) Mercedes (provided they give me a free SLS)

yep, thats normally the case in most sports. Nothing makes you play better than getting your arse kicked week in week out. I say normally the case as my football team have had their butts kicked all season and didn't improve

I think that unless golf is your job and your livelihood depends on you playing well then you shouldn't take it too seriously. After all, golf was created to be a way to unwind and have fun. I used to play golf witha a lad about 4 years ago and we would play most weekends. He was too serious in his golf, he didn't just want to win, he wanted to as he put it "destroy his opponents". Dont' get me wrong, he was good but he was such a bad loser. I beat him once in 4 years and that was the last time we played.

@looseleftie i'm going the same route somewhat with my swing. Started this winter with the aim of being more consistent. I started toying with a very very short backswing but with a full finish, using my core to to power the whole thing. I was surprised at how far i could hit with such a short swing. From there i moved to where i had a full shoulder turn and stop the arms there. My arms are about parallel to the ground and my wrists are firm but mot stiff. I'm hitting it better than ever and while i have lost a little distance (on the shorter clubs) I'm sure once i get confident and get more aggresive with the rotation through the ball i'll be longer. I looked for Pro's with short swings and mine looks similar to TA3's swing, however i am no-where near as stylish! My main swing thought is left shoulder down to start the backswing.

Agree, i think Molinari is going to go from strength to strength. I was also pleased how well Poulter did, plus in the interview post round with the BBC he seemed pretty humble at the prospects of being in contention simply stating that while he and Tiger are the same age Tiger is way better so he was just happy to be there and playing well. Always liked Poults but he's gone up a bit more in my estimation after this weekend. Plus some great golf from Finau, Koepka and that Xander Souffle fella