squaddie

I was having wrist problems a few months ago after a few days at the range and wondered if the steel-shafted irons I had were putting too much strain on my wrists. I switched to graphite-shafted irons and the problem seems to have diminished, though I'm not practicing as much as I was. I also have to wonder if the use of hitting mats for my irons was contributing to wrist strain. I'll need to look further around here for a range that has grass instead of mats.

As an update, I had more luck at the range this weekend, when I started my backswing slowly. I felt like I was able to turn back properly, and slowing down the swing allowed me time to remember to start the downswing with my hips. However now I'm not sure if I'm keeping my backswing on the proper plane (or if I had it on the proper plane in the first place). But I was hitting better. When I started to get tired I hit a few worm burners, but then after I remember to slow down the backswing and keep my legs quiet I managed to hit properly again I also found a way to diminish my slice, but will cover that in another post.

I'm right at 40, and I tend to prefer walking but using a push cart, mainly because I'm still new to golf. At this point I would rather be able to focus on getting my swing right for each shot without having to deal with fatigue from carrying the clubs. I've also had minor back problems in the past and don't want to risk agitating old spine issues. Last time I played I raced around in carts with my buddies the game felt a little rushed. I prefer to walk and allow myself to take time to enjoy taking in the course and studying each hole as I prepare for the next shot.

Well, I went to the range yesterday, and tried with the shoulder down, but forgot about the part of starting the swing slowly, focusing on the coil. Fortunately there was an old pro in the stall next to me and he noticed after I hit 50 balls that I was swinging back to quickly and not starting the downswing with my hips. Will try again tomorrow (also saw your post on this subject in another thread). After he left I found I was able to swing better by getting the hips activated first in the downswing. Will try again tomorrow.

Thanks, that sounds like real good advice. I was having a problem at the range yesterday where I was slicing and not getting any distance with all my clubs, and one older pro suggested I was not starting the swing with my hips, or following through properly by extending my arms. I will try your suggestions with lowering my shoulder as well, tomorrow at the range.

The 20's is a little too cold for me, mainly since my toes start to freeze up. Guess I could try to wear extra socks or buy some insulated golf shoes. I was at an unheated driving range one evening a month ago (I was the only one left), and I think the temperature was down in the mid-30's. Suddenly I realized I could not feel my right big toe, so I immediately quit, leaving about 20 range balls behind. The toe was OK, but I probably came close to getting frostbite.

Thanks for those videos. I especially liked the first one on dropping the right shoulder first. I'll give that a try at the range tomorrow.

There are a few driving ranges nearby, one of them heated. When it's not snowing I'll probably go once a week. There is one range at Sports Center in Shelton, Connecticut, that will let you use the range when it's been snowing for a while. They claim to have over 1 million range balls, so they don't collect the balls from the snow until after it melts. I'll have to give them a try if the roads are clear. Sports Center link: Sports Center Driving Range

My pet peeve is excessive noise at the driving range, especially from people who don't control their kids they brought with them. Nothing is more frustrating to be trying to work out the swing problems that lead to a horrible slice, only to have from a few stalls away a kid yelling at his father, "Look a squirrel !!!". Thankfully the range is so much quieter during rainy and cold weather.

The triangle putter (8806) so far is my favorite, and seems to roll the ball very well, at least for me. You will have to take my word on this (since I don't have a video camera), but I just tried three 14-foot putts on my carpet towards a reduced-size training hole (2 and 3/4 in. diameter), and managed to sink 1 putt and have the other two get right on the mouth of the training hole. I don't know how well the 8901 (waffle) compares since the hosel connecting the club-head to the steel shaft is bent. I'm going to have the loft and lie adjusted at a pro-shop this afternoon. I have no idea what the MOI would be for these putters. I'll check at the pro-shop to see if they have a way to measure.

I have been buying a few old putters for fun and came across some unusual Mizuno putters. They don't appear to be made by Bettinardi or T.P. Mills. I was hoping based on some sample images that someone may know something about the history behind these old Mizuno putters. There is no identifying marks on the putters to indicate the year of manufacture. There were no headcovers provided with these used putters, either. Following is a link to my photo album containing pictures of the three putters: Photobucket album of old Mizuno putters Here's a brief description of each putter. 1) Mizuno 8806 (Triangle-shaped): putter is face-balanced, has no other info on the putter besides the brand and model #. 2) Mizuno 8803 (circle-shaped): not sure of characteristics since I am waiting for it to arrive in the mail 3) Mizuno 8901 (mini-mallet, waffle-like). Small mallet putter, smaller in width than the other two. Also face-balanced. They all remind me of branding-irons, due to their dark color and wire-frame-like bodies. Two of the putters (triangle and waffle) have a blue "Mizuno" sticker on them, indicating they were made in the USA. The waffle-mallet 8901 putter has a clear $75.00 price sticker on it, but do not know when the sticker was placed on the shaft. The same two putters appear to have original grips with a big, white Mizuno stamp, golf-pride make. I can assume the 8803 and 8806 were part of one series (8800 ?) of designs, basically a non-solid simple shape (triangle, circle) with a supporting lattice. The 8901 must be part of an 8900 series, some kind of aerodynamic mallet? I've searched the web for info on these putters but turned up no information. Does anyone else have ideas on the history of these putters?

Your worst enemy in golf can be a lack of quality sleep. Once I got into the game I played my first round of golf unexpected, by being invited along to a casual game with coworkers in the afternoon, but only having 4-hours sleep the night before. It was the worst round I have ever played, resulting in me slicing the ball every other hole. I tried to compensate with caffeine (cokes and coffee) but it was no use. Never again will I play a round of golf without adequate sleep.

As you can see from my profile, I'm not an expert. But from the various youtube videos I have seen of top PGA players, all of them seem to make a good divot when they hit the ball with their irons. Here's a swingvision (slow-motion) view of Ernie Els with an iron-swing that makes contact with the ground from the tee. Ernie Els Swingvision 2007 Youtube Even with the ball on a tee Ernie is hitting downward, which brings the iron partially into the ground.

I'm from Houston, but live in Connecticut. I will be traveling to Houston in December. What's a good course to play at that is friendly to new players? I may bring along a buddy to play a round of golf while I am visiting.

The topic of an internally cracked driver came up when I had a lesson with a golf pro a few weeks ago, who knows how to build and repair clubs. He said during one tournament his driver suddenly lost distance and was hooking the ball far to the left. He attributed the problem to the driver being cracked on the inside, though he didn't go into detail what that meant. He also said that's why one should never buy a used driver online, since you don't know if the club may have some internal problem, which would be the main reason why a person was selling it.

I'm a beginner golfer (3 months) and switched from steel shafts to graphite (regular flex) just this past week. I noticed from my 4 hybrid to the 9-iron I was able to hit ten yards further. I was hitting well with the steel shafted irons and hybrids before, but noticed after hitting 100 balls at the range that my wrists would be sore. After trying the graphite-shafted irons yesterday I found I was hitting further and my wrists are fine today. Based on my slow swing speed (around 80mph) I should have tried graphite shafts to begin with. But when I hunted online for my first set of clubs I bought the cheapest starter set that seemed decent (Top Flite), and every club except for the driver had steel shafts. I should have gone to a pro shop and went through a proper fitting, but, live and learn.

It sounds like he means, you should be able to hit or make contact with the penny with your club if you are swinging properly. If you don't hit the penny with the club (along with hitting the ball) then you are not hitting down properly. I have the same problem, not knowing if I am hitting down on the ball. All the driving ranges around here use mats, so I can't make any divots. I wonder if the range officers will have a problem if I put down pennies on the mats? I can't go to a park around here and use practice balls since the city has an ordinance against hitting golf balls in public parks. I have seen divot mats advertised that show you where your club is hitting the ground. Perhaps I can buy one of those and bring it to the range and place it on the range mat.

I would go for Tiger, since it was his efforts that I watched on television and YouTube that finally motivated me to try out golf. Arnold Palmer was also an influence, since I remember watching and reading about him when I was a kid. In the future I plan to study more about Jack Nicklaus to understand better his game strategy.

I guess I have two home courses, since they are within 5 miles of where I live (Stamford, CT). One is the E. Gaynor Brennan Golf Course (Public) , which is a small but challenging course. The other is Sterling Farms Golf Course . I tend to visit Sterling more than Brennan since Sterling has a driving range, practice bunker, chipping area and putting areas. Sterling is the tougher of both courses, though.

I used to live in Houston, and still have family there. A lot warmer in your area than up here in Stamford, Connecticut. I am a corporate software developer with over 10 years experience, but I'm going to be laid off, soon. While studying to find another job I will have lots of time to work on my golf swing.