wkdspd

well put, zeg. not sure if anyone noticed, but I normally only carry 13 clubs, its what my particular game calls for. This normally allows me to slide my cut down 7i (chipper) in the bag when I want it, which is fairly often. Ive drained more fringe chips for bird than I care to keep up with with that club, and have saved myself from tight brush situations with a lofted punch with it as well. there are times in every round that we have to br creative, and when I need to be, that club comes in handy. there is no stigma tied to it, Ive had much better players than me ask to see it after I hole out a 2nd or 3rd time in a round with it. If anyone chastising the use of a 'chipper' never finds themselves in either of the above situations, then kudos to your game, Im looking forward to seeing you on tour. if you DO in fact find yourself in those situations and choose not to use a chipper, good for you, Im glad you found a way to handle those shots with the clubs you carry. I would hope the sentiment would come back around when looking at my bag, because I gaurantee Ill only ever use what works, not what somebody is telling me is or is not acceptably chic on the course. as for the op, I dont use one of the standard retail issue chippers, but I do use a modified club for a chipper. if you have the opportunity to throw one in your bag for a couple of rounds Id recommend it, as only you can decide what works with your style and feel and is best for your game. good luck!

the chipping putters seem to have come on more in the retail market in the past couple of years, and they are definitely interesting for making that particular bump shot easier for those that have trouble making it with other clubs not so suited. sure you could choke up on a 7, but then you have the extra shaft in your way to contend with and an iron sole which has the tendancy to dig if you're not careful on these slower swining shots, where the chipper has the specific shorter shaft and fatter sole to help finesse that shot. I personally have a "chipper" I built about 10 years ago that finds its way in and out of my bag on occasion - I took an old 7 iron and sharpened the grooves, cut down the shaft, and voila...it allows me to chip/bump when that part of my game isnt working right with a wedge, as well as gives me another option when hitting out of heavy trees/brush where longer shafts get in touble and I need to keep it lower than a wedge would allow. just my $.02

Im in - team name wkdspd. I usually dont do well in fantasy leagues, but it keeps me interested in whichever sport Im fielding a team in. I should be easy pickins for you ballsout folks! ;)

at least at my local Golfsmith in Plano TX, buying used clubs is always my first choice with them. yes, the asking price usually seems high, but as someone mentioned its JUST an asking price - a 'starting' price if you will. keep in mind, GS is a retail chain that isnt in the primary business of selling used clubs, they get to stay opeen based on new club sales. I ALWAYS check there first when I want to try something different, and pick up two or 3 of the same club off the rack to ask about. I take them to the counter and ask if theyll check to see how much wiggle room they have on each, with the understanding that each club's negotiable price is based solely on what they gave for the club in the first place, and then buy the one they can come down the most on. Ive gotten new TM wedges for $15 before, because they just happened to have picked them up in a fairly cheap trade-in...

so my funniest is also at my own expense... I was playing the #1 course at Sherrill Park, and had spent 5 minutes in the fairway of a long par 5 chatting up the cute cartgirl to buy a snickers while waiting for the group ahead to finish up on the green. they clear the green, she drives off about 15 yrds to watch my shot, I throw the snickers in the cart and walk over to my ball with an iron. I hit a nice clean 4 that rolled up to the fringe and was feeling pretty froggy about it, walked over to throw my club in my bag and realized my cellphone was in the floorboard... AND MY SNICKERS WAS GONE... I walk around the far side of the cart and see a bushy tail, walk to the front and there's a squirrel holding my snickers and just chittering away at me... so what do I do with my 3 playing partners and the cute cartgirl watching? of course, I throw my club at the squirrel and miss - he picks up the candy bar in his teeth and takes off running... now Im running after him, throwing golf balls out of my pocket at him, yelling!!! he runs up a tree, and I realize I look like a freaking lunatic, and my buddies and the cartgirl are ROLLING... She did give me a free replacement snickers though...

quick and easy putting trainer: - take 2 beat up golf balls and clean them up as best you can - find a nice level working surface where the two balls can rest against each other and not roll away or move - mix up a dime size batch of epoxy, and wait until it starts to thicken up, about 5 mins - put a fat drop of epoxy on one ball, then press the two balls together at the epoxy point, set on newspaper where they remain touching, and allow to dry... when they are finished drying, use them to put around your living room, den, putting green, wherever, lining them up with a straight line to whatever the target is. they will instantly tell you how your putter is swinging at impact - if they push right, you're not closing the face quick enough. if they pull left, you're closing the face too quickly. work on keeping your hands as still as possible through your stroke until you can roll the balls straight every time. if you still cant keep your hands quiet, take a nice wide stance and swing with your shoulders, this should help eliminate the hands. good luck, hope that helps!

1. 5 iron from the fairway - I prefer control to distance 2. 10 rounds at a muni - the munis here in dallas are ridiculously good 3. 30 footer - if Im chipping for par, then I didnt follow #1 4. Firm putter, soft ball - there's the control thing again 5. Wood - I can't control the hybrid yet, it's new 6. Pro - if I have it my way, that still may happen 7. 8. Ride - helps with 9. Heat - although Ive played some great rounds in 38* weather wearing shorts good topic!

I lose the watch, keys, wallet, phone, etc - all go into my bag... my wedding ring is the ONLY thing I keep on. but I also keep it on for everything, working on the cars, exercising, etc...

thanks for the kudos guys, and for the great stories! you're right, these stories are why we play, and why we keep coming back. and I agree, the goal now is to get another one... and another one... and anoth.... the damnedest thing is, I thought I was going to do it again on sunday... pw from 125, tagged the pin and stopped about 8in out... and the practice continues... keep the stories coming!!!

yeah, I love that par 3 as well, its beautiful! actually the 14th is a mild dogleg right, woods to the right and hills/houses left, bunkers back left and the green slopes away to the right. its right after the split-fairway 13th, where you can lay up close to the left or stretch it out right. my 7 iron pushed left into the wind and faded back to center, and bounced into a center-high right cut pin. I didnt actually see it drop because of the minor elevation change, and walked up to find it in the hole... lemme know if you ever need a partner on the weekends, Im really liking that course, and they make great deals if you ask.

ok, so Ive knocked down my share of par 5 eagles, but today I shot my first eagle on a par 4... Played Ridgeview Ranch in Plano TX, with EXTREMELY high winds, figured Id get some wind game practice. Teed up from the tips on the 398yd 14th, into the wind, caught it low and drove it 260 just past the 150 marker. Then, from 140 out to a middle pin, I pured a 7 iron into the wind that dropped 10 ft short, bounced twice, and rolled into the cup... made up for a pair of early bogeys leading to a 77 final score. just thought Id share, Im just glad to have my swing back!

tommy - agreed, heavier shaft needed, specifically in dealing with clubhead torque. Im with you on Grafalloy shafts, have been researching and grafalloy are in the top 2 along with UST. Ireally like the Epic shaft my buddy has in his driver, but I also really like the V2 I hit this past week at Golfsmith in a Tour Burner. which brings me to... Pet - not as keen on the speeder757, but I agree on the v2... just ordered a 67g 2.8/282/7.8/32... was fitted this past week and this is the shaft that was recommended. it seems it may be a tad stiff for me now, but the pro said it was specifically to help control the head torque. He said my swing was still improving and that I was already on the edge of needing this shaft, and that I would grow into it pretty quick. Ill let you guys know how it works, I appreciate all the comments! thank you! btw - hit 14/14 fairways today with no 3 putts... knocked down a 77... getting closer!

so have followed up the analysis with two rounds, and have hit 24/28 fairways, for 80/79 scores. Im catching the ball well off the tee, but averaging 260ish in distance. need to look into shafts now, as recommended. hit my buddy's tour burner with the 72g Epic shaft, added another 10 yrds to the average at just over 275... any ideas on shafts?

FOUND IT / FIXED IT!!! HOT D@MN!!! ks8829 and RC had the answer, I just didnt see it. was at Golfsmith today hitting different drivers trying shafts (following the other advice in this thread, more on that in a minute) and one of the GolfTec instructors saw my frustration and offered to bring me in on the monitor and show me something - I figured why not, knowing it would be a sell for lessons, but if he saw something it couldnt hurt. first of all, anybody who has access to a GolfTec lesson studio, do yourself a favor and get in there, if nothing else just to see the tech, very cool. he showed me my swing from several different angles, showed my swingplane, compared it to professional golfers using videos of them at the same positions, etc. turns out I swing just like Stadler, big shoulders/chest and all, and I swing nothing like Tiger, lol... he showed me where my swing plane was solid, where my lower body was appropriately quiet, where my tempo was spot-on for big power, where my clubface was squaring up on time... then he showed me the ugly... he showed me where Im taking my club past horizontal at the apex of my swing, which is making me pull the clubhead up and over to bring it back around (making me force the club back on plane in the downswing) causing it not to close until the very last second. he also showed me where my grip was WAY to strong in my right hand, which combined with the swing is causing me to SNAP through the ball - HOOK CITY... so I weakened my right hand grip till it almost hurt, forced myself to stop my backswing early, and hit five dead straight balls in a row... now the best part is that I cleaned up my ball path, but just as cool is that I now know my swing speed has increased to 108mph, and the monitor says I killed 3 drives in a row to 280yds... last but not least, he told me that I needed to upgrade my driver shaft, so Im on the hunt and listening to all suggestions. he recommended an extra stiff, with a stiff tip and mid kick, and low torque to help control the snap when I bear down on it. Overall Im satisfied. Ill know more this weekend whether or not it works permanently. thanks guys for your help, and I would love to hear comments on what I found out today, including shaft recommendations! WHEW that was long, sorry!!!

now that's an interesting thought - I try not to blame my equipment for issues in my shotmaking (seems like a copout, heheh) but tip stiffness makes sense in this situation. Ill bring it up when I talk with the pro. thanks -

I appreciate the help, still not getting it though. only hit 6 fairways today, a stat that forced an 84... an unintentional draw is also working its way into my irons. NOT a good thing. Im going in for some coaching with a local pro, hopefully he can figure it out, he seems confident he can or he wont charge me. wish me luck...

thanks guys, I think you both may have points on my problem - KS - you mention right hand taking over - I think this may be one of my main issues. when I try to bear down Im power swinging with my right arm (which also leads to bigoak's explanation). this would explain the snap and why it fixes itself when I re-groove myself and slow down. headed out this morning to get a round in, and if this wicked hook comes back, Im headed to the range with a camera to try and find it... thanks!

the last 3 rounds, I have found when I really go after a tee shot from my normal address I will hook the ball HARD, and cant figure out why. In the past over-exerting on my drive always pushed or even sliced the ball, but just recently I cant seem to force a push with sheer power. when I even-out my tempo, and get back into rhythm, Im dead straight again at 275-280, and workable left and right at about 260. Im playing an 08 TM Burner with a factory stiff shaft, only mod being to pull the shaft and spine it (I spined it when I first bought it at the first of the seaason, so I dont think thats the issue). any ideas guys? Im scared to lay into a carry shot for fear of needing a chainsaw to get my ball back! :D

first thing you need to figure out is which end of your clubs you hit better - long irons or short irons? Im a tad squirrely with my long irons, but like to play darts with my short irons, so I agree with the comments so far about a combo set. Im playing TM Rac OS 3-6 irons, and TM TP MB 7-p. this gives me the forgiveness I need when cruising a longer shot and am trying to swing more fully, but allows the finesse I need to drop shots close with a tighter swing. the combinations that have been mentioned so far are all good options, go swing several and find a set that you like, then look for the combo version of it. buying used also helps you create that matched set you're looking for. hope that helps.

I was in the same boat as you early this year, was playing a set (52,56,60)of old gifted vokeys that didnt bite at all. every wedge, every swing, would release without much control. I borrowed a a buddy's set of fairly new CG10's, and felt like I was playing the exact same clubs, no bite, no control. I rented a set of clubs while visiting a buddy in Florida, and happened to get a 54 and 58 in cg14's - like was mentioned earlier, the insert makes them feel very muted, felt like I was losing touch on the ball, but had better bite. I ended up buying a random cg12 52 with a Project X 5.5 shaft from the used bin at Golfsmith, and loved it from the very first round - able to control it very well with great bite. The spin wasnt torturous, but I was able to stop the ball within 12-18" of every shot from 1/2 swing to full swing, closed face to layed wide open. This ended up being exactly what I was looking for, and I built a 56 and 60 to match the used 52, with ProjectX 5.5's in each. I love these clubs, and will probably build another set just like them when these wear out. hope that helps...

Sunday afternoon - The good: 280 yd drive left me a 220 yd 2nd shot over bunkers into the green. 3 wood tagged the lip of the far bunker, checked up, and rolled right up and in to a front pin... The bad: I was playing alone, and no one saw it... I might as well be making this one up, lol...

all the examples so far have been dead-on, but here's another approach to that shot you may not have considered: that 5-20 yd chip shot will usually include at least half of that distance being green. why not use a 6i or 7i and bump it up, landing just past the fringe or further and rolling to the hole? the steeper face angle takes a lot of the snag out of the lie, allowing a nice smooth up and down with a clean lie. I personally ditched a never-used fairway wood (5w) to make room for a cut-down 6i that I use just for this shot, and find myself holing 2-3 of these shots a round either for a great birdie or a much-needed par-save. just a thought

Im with you, Ive always had a solid head game and money always makes it better, makes me concentrate harder. Im playing twice tomorrow, morning and afternoon, early 18 with a swing coach and afternoon 18 with a couple of +1's... good day to gauge where I stand... what you're describing is why Im looking at the Adams tour to test myself, challenges from both competition and courses that will help me figure out just how close I am. thanks for the input!

I probably used the wrong term, sorry if I did, thats just the way it felt to me before I fixed it. I was literally 'pulling' my shoulders away from the ball a hair when I would swing, causing the face of the ball to slide back and I would cathc it off the toe. I wasnt lifting up or picking up my head, so the club sole was still brushing the grass, which made it harder to figure out what I was doing wrong. forcing myself to lean into it all the way through the shot helped me square up, and now I catch my hybrids flush every time. hope that helps!

Thanks, I appreciate it! thats a great idea, and Ive been looking at some of the mini tours, more often the Adams tour, and was thinking I may enter some tournaments as an amateur specifically to check my head game in competition. Im thinking Ill attack Q school as a singular attempt at professional play however, and either make it or not. like I said, I have a great career in place that will continue to advance if I dont make it, so this Q-school effort is kind of a one-shot, never-know-unless-you-try kinda deal, ya know? Ive wanted to do it since I was a kid, and if I can bring my game to check in time Im gonna go for it :) btw, shot a 76 today...