Golfer71

At my home course in the UK they have a local rule which says a single player has no standing - meaning a single has to stand down and let grouped players play through. Last time I played as a single I was required to stand by and let a 2 ball pass through at the 2nd hole. I then got wait for them on every tee and fairway until the 18th... I was slightly gobsmacked that the group seriously wanted to exercise this rule and then have me wait for them on every hole.

Any suggestions on what a good starter Scotty might be? I like the look of the California Coronado, do you see it being a lot harder to use than the Monterey from the same range?

The interview covers many bases and is interesting. I am wondering if the complexity surrounding the use of patents in golf ball design is central to the decision to limit groove design on wedges / irons. Was it just simpler in legal terms to limit groove technology than roll back ball design? I'm not in favour of bifurcation of golf equipment, I want to play equipment that is broadly similar to that played by the pros. Nor do I want to see the great courses of the world close or become arkwardly extended to accmodate ever longer hitters. The issue seems to revolve around limiting the ability of the pros to score ever lower - would it be so bad if the pros scoring averages did drop as equipment improvements continue?

I have a 10.5 degree asian stiff shafted version (similar to US regular) and I think it is great. Nice crisp sound when struck on the sweet spot, forgiving and as long as any other driver i've tried. Possibly plays similarly to the Ping G10 for me. There's a good detailed review on the sandtrap site.

Working with my pro we have identified that I strike a majority of my golf shots with an level or sometimes upwards blow (I've seen it on the camera). I'm aware that the low point in my swing should be after striking the ball and that this will lead to more solid contact and higher shots through more back spin. It's also clear from the TV footage of the pros where clearly the low point in their swings comes after they have hit the ball. I'm having a hell of job making the swing change and seek your feedback if this has ever been an issue for you. I'm often ok on half shots and can feel a crisp contact but cannot carry this through to a full swing. The drills I have been working with include: - placing a barriar 6-10 inches behind the ball which I have to come over before hitting the ball (a tee/golf towel/another golf ball etc) as a means of promoting a steeper / descending blow. - i've working with a stronger grip and getting my hands further forward and lower through impact (again I can do on half swings but not full swings). - swinging a ladies club to get the feeling of stressing the club shaft throughout the swing. Anyone else struggled with this swing change and able to share how they got through it?

I've struggled over the last few months including a point where I picked up the shanks and could almost not play at all. The shanks were corrected with a golf lesson (I was standing to close to the ball/stance too wide). I may now have succeeded in my long quest to stop coming over the top /swinging out to in as my current bad shot is a hook or block. This is leading to inconsistency in both distance and direction but i'm reasonably satisified as it's an issue that i've not had before. I rarely hit a slice these days. My handicap has come down a few points but i'm expecting it to rise again whilst I work through my current swing issues - I cannot play to handicap at present. I'm working on a stronger grip and more upright swing plane and finally I am trying to focus on hitting down on the ball. My putting has been quite good at 34-36 putts a round and my chipping better. Hope to report better progress next quarter!

I think you handled the issue appropriately, most importantly you did say something to alert them to the issue. On reflection and once the adrenalin has settled I would hope that next time they play that hole they do follow your advice. If I was close to the college coach I would mention it to him - I'd think there is a decent chance that he feels their behaviour reflects on him and he may be able correct their behaviour without drawing attention to this incident.

I've met several people still playing and enjoying 20+ year old Ping Eye2 irons, this gives me a great feeling about the brand. These people could all replace their irons with current models but they just like the feel of their old Pings. It gives me a great feeling about the quality and longevity of the Ping brand.

I am a fan of Yes putters and own the Yes Callie and Olivia putters (neither are centre shafted). I find them more forgiving and a little heavier than my friends Scotty Cameron which i've tried a few times. Pricing is very fair and the putter grip is decent but it does get dirty quickly.

Briefly: Waiting to approach the first tee and testing my friends new (and heavy) lob wedge, the momentum of the heavy wedge got ahead of me and I pitched the ball about 50-60 yards to land just 10-15 yards short of the first tee where the forward group were preparing to tee off. Most embarassing call of "four" i've made to date. Not helped by my play partners falling about laughing and my own feeble explanations about not having played a heavy lob wedge before.

I recently played with a guy who used Honma irons. They looked like game improvement irons, with deep cavities and medium/large heads but at the top of the face where the thick top line of a Ping or Callaway iron would be visible at address, a chamfer had been cut across giving the top line a significantly thinner look. I've no idea what impact this has on the forgiveness of the iron but if insignificant, it's a neat solution to improving the visual aspect of the club whilst retaining most of the game improvement meat. - Sorry I didn't pay attention to which particular detailed model of club they were.

There's nothing worse, I had one stranger stand in front of me (parallel to my shoulders and just a few feet away) as I addressed the ball, just like an instructor would, this happened 3-4 times during my round. Then he requests to borrow my new driver for a few hits. This is my number 1 hate and I have committed to politely inform any future offerors of unsolicated advice to mind their own business.

I would like an explanation of the intended product launch cycle for the next few years. I have bought TM products and found them to be great but historically they have all been quickly replaced, should we expect this continue and what is the rationale for this?

I recently bought a 58 degree wedge and have to say it's tough to hit flush with a full swing from the fairway, my typical result is a "red faced - low screamer" from 70 yards. I'm developing a shot which is a mix of a chip and a pitch which i'm using around the greens. I'm hoping to learn to pitch properly with this club.

I considered Cleveland, Titelist, Nike, Fourteen and read all the reviews and feedback on this forum. In the end I simply choose the Ping Tour W wedge, it matches my Ping irons, looks good and comes in a decent range of lofts and bounces. I'm not feeling like i'm missing out on any performance by not having chosen one of the market leaders.

Thanks for posting, very interesting read in terms of your approach to scoring in golf. I can see how a similar focus could help me improve my game.

3 wood is something I struggle with, I believe the lighter weight causes me to swing to fast and come over the top, I get away with this using driver because of the larger face. An average 3 wood shot for me would be about 180-200 yards. I can hit my 3 hybrid 180-200 yards quite consistently so the 3 wood doesn't get a lot of action. But taking a clean strike with driver and 3 wood I would say there is about 20 yards difference compared to the driver. Thanks for your comments

I'm going to treat myself to a new driver and am considering the following: Cleveland Launcher Mizuno MX700 Ping Rapture v1. Cobra S9-1M There is no facility for testing or fitting the above drivers in my location, given this i'll likely choose one of the above in regular flex with 10.5 degrees loft. Cost is not a huge issue but i'd like to select an appropriate product for the coming year. I welcome comment from you guys if you are familiar with the above. I'm currently using a TM R7 draw, regular shaft and 10.5 degrees of loft and am looking to grow into a driver with less game improvement features - i'm working on improving my swing over the coming months with regular lessons and practice. I like a traditional look and no ear splitting sound. I hit my current driver 200-230 yards and have a 7 iron swing speed of 70-75mph. Many thanks in advance.

Progress recap: end of first quarter 2009: H/c reduce from 20 to 12 (currently 18.3) Avg score 88 (currently 92ish) Avg putts 34 (currently 36-38) Add 10% to my drives (currently 200-230 yards) (no change) Strike long irons consistently (yes improved) Take chipping / putting lesson (no chipping lesson taken /putting lesson done - helped a lot) Eliminate slice (no - still there..) Lose 5 kgs (lost 2 kgs) Scores are coming down from good iron play and much better putting, i'd say my h/c is trending towards 17. I'm quite happy with progress year to date but i'm much stronger with irons than with woods. I'm taking a lesson every 4 weeks and trying to make it to the range once or twice a week. Slice is still a problem but my drives are rarely out of play they are just shorter than my play partners. Will be focusing on chipping / putting over the next three months and would really like to improve my play with the woods, although I don't expect improved wood play to drastically influence my scores. See you all in July!

Modern equipment hm.. I've been using a draw biased driver for some time with success and am considering changing it for something without draw bias, perhaps a Cleveland Launcher. I'm hoping the Launcher will improve my swing by punishing those out to in swings and forcing me to learn swing on a better path. Any thoughts?

But don't go too crazy, I set myself up with a program of 3x 6km runs each week which worked great until week 3 when my knees had enough and directly told me so! Thankfully it looks like no permanent damage done and i'll be able to train again soon - 16 pounds to go for me!

86 103 (struck by a case of shanks) 89 92 Very happy with these - handicap is trending downwards

I swing irons at about the same speed as you (70-74mph) but i'm not too worried, at this time, for my handicap I get enough carry from my shots. I'm using my practice time to try and work on improving my ball striking (my faults include breaking wrists at impact and late release leading to an open club face). If I can minimise these faults i'm hoping my stats improve without even thinking about swinging harder / faster. I think the fitness ideas yoga, stretching are also helpful.

Thanks for your response, i'll hazard a guess from your response that my own driver speed will be about 85mph. Cheers,

I see lots of threads about driver swing speed. I've no idea of my driver swing speed but with a 7 iron I average between 70 and 75 mph, is it possible to extrapolate that to estimate a driver swing speed? Cheers,