RayG

I wait for them to say something. You can tell a lot about someone by their reactions to a miss. "Hot Headed 24 who had no business going for that 200 yard carry over water" guy who says: " DAMMIT!!!... I just missed that... (a top no more than 10 feet into the water)" . I just say - "yup". "Casual fun guy who does the same and holds the pose" says "Really got a hold of that one!", I might say "so did the water". I have more fun with casual guy...

Come in steep. You can't "sweep" through the stuff. The steeper you go at it, the less chance of the the hosel grab leftie...

A couple of times in Myrtle Beach and at World Woods when they would have a two-fer special.

I'll play with the LEAST amount of clothing I can get away with- even with temps in 30's/40/s. Especially on my arms. I might be wearing jeans and long johns, but if the sun is out and it isn't too windy, I will be in short sleeves. I might put on a thin form fitting thermal shirt that isn't too binding if I think the sun may go away. Don't like to play in sweaters or sweatshirts, or even those wind cheater jackets. Only exception is rain gear... if it doesn't rustle or restrict in any way. But if it's that cold and rainy, I'm not gonna tee off. I'll head to the heated range

Play from where you want. A lot of courses have done away with "Ladies" tees. Instead, they will have 4-5 different sets of tees. Fronts might be red, gold, yellow or whatever color they choose. They'll call them "Forward" tees, or I've even seen "Junior" as a way to describe them. (Must be under 14 or something to use them) some just haven't gotten around to the new paradigm, if only because they have thousands of scorecards already printed up with "Ladies" tee yardages.

Using "Scotland" players as an excuse to not play in 12 minutes (or 3 hours or whatever the preferred number is theses days) is ridiculous. They play a LOT more different styles of games than we here in the US play. They play more match play, greensomes or alternate shot formats so essentially a 4 plays as fast as a 2 might do here. Not having to hit half the shots can certainly speed up the game. Since nobody else here seems to play these games at a public or private course, there's no point in playing them because you would always be riding up the group ahead. May as well hit it twice as many times to keep pace with everyone else. Try having a course mandate 'alternate shot' games over here to speed up the game- without lowering prices! They would be out of business in a month. 4.5/ 5 hour muni rounds are a fact of life in an area like around here in NYC. Choices are few and far between for public golf. Full tee sheets drive the business, not necessarily the speed of the round. To the OP, 5's playing together is fine with me- when it's not backing up the whole place. We recently played as a 5 while in the OBX, kept up with the 4 ahead, had a 2 go through, and stayed at least a hole ahead of the 4 that was behind them.

As a beginner, I found I would be in all KINDS of trouble on the course. Rough, hardpan, sand, etc... anywhere where you didn't usually want to be is where any beginner ends up. You learned early on to play those shots. As you improved, you might find yourself in those spots less and less, but still visit them occasionally. Even better players end up in there. But because you've been there before and learned how to recover, it isn't really an issue anymore and there is no panic. Sure, there is is always the downhill, sidehill, cabbage lie to a short sided pin with water on 3 sides that might give some pause... But what I see today a lot of the time is that a beginner is told: "Hey pick that up and move it, you're out here to have fun, not kill yourself". So... they pick it up and move it to mat like lie with no trouble. Or, they take a swipe in a trap and fail to get out and his friend says: "just drop it outside". There is no incentive to learn how to do it properly, and so they need the "magic pill" when they get 'better'. Beginners generally don't practice bunker shots. It's a few warmups with a 7 iron, then blast away with the driver for the next 100 balls in the bucket. Let beginners take their lumps in those spots and learn how to escape properly and specialty clubs will go away... HAHAHAHAHAHA... sorry, couldn't keep a straight face.

I've also seen people use those Mechanic Gloves/Work gloves you can get at Home Depot. And they're super cheap. 10 pr. for $10...

I'm a two glove guy- and in humid, sticky weather, it's FJ rain gloves all the way. I have two pair in my bag and switch after 9 holes. No problem when starting and they're not quite wet enough, just grab a water bottle (or beer can) out of the cooler with both hands. pre-dampened and ready to go.

Well, lots of architects used Sand in odd places to frame the hole or to deceive the player. I can't remember if it was Ross or Tillinghast who would place bunkers well short of a green (30-50 yds) especially if it was a slightly uphill approach where the surface of the green was hidden.It gave a false impression that the green was just behind those bunkers. The eye would play with the head of the player and maybe force a wrong club choice. But- these days, GPS and range finders just about eliminate the "feel" issue on shots and have taken away some of the soul of these kinds of holes, and I miss that. Nobody (well almost nobody) complains about those HUGE swaths of 'waste area' on a Pete Dye course(or whoever) that start 10 yards from the tee box and run for 480 yards along one side or the other. I mean, who hits it 10 yards? (Aside from that guy, and him, and those two over there... and her, and them...)

Try a drill using the Moe Norman method. He would tee the ball up at least 6-8 inches in front of the driver. whereas you seem to be impacting the ball at the lowest point of the arc or before (like an iron swing as noted already), you want to be level or on the upswing. It also could be psychological and you can't seem to bring yourself to hit "up" on the ball thinking you'll thin it like an iron would do, no matter if you tee it up off the heel or toe of your lead foot. You might just be adjusting to hit down on it no matter where it is.

My guess? That tree wasn't that tall when that hole was created, if there at all. As well as the hole possibly being reconfigured in the past, either with slightly shorter tees, slightly different approach angle, or the fairway was originally cut closer to it. If the club has the original blueprints around you could figure it out pretty easy.

It's more like Brunch.. since they want you at the course to check in at least an hour before your time. And you might wait in the line inside for awhile to do that. PLUS the time it takes to walk from your car in the lot... it's a big lot! Stick with a local deli and a Bacon, Egg and Cheese on a roll to go!

Why would it bother anyone? I know when my Dad had to give up the game (for the most part), he would come along as a rider. Then he would drop a ball and use one of the couple of clubs of his that we put into my bag and play in from about 30-50 yards in.

Yup... I had to contact Golf Logix a few years ago when a course in the Poconos revamped 3 holes. He couldn't figure out what I was talking about, so I had to send him a capture of google earth with notations on what was where and where things were. they had it fixed in a few weeks. It would probably depend on when they can send someone out to re-track it. Some of the early ones just used Google Earth for info. The big boys use actual GPS backpacks.

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Maybe... they have SOME slots available for first off/early off.. then you get slotted in where there is an opening. You might need to wait until 11am or later to get on the Black.

I played a lot as a younger man in the late 70's through the late 80's. Never tipped it, but played the whites in around 78-85 over those years. Even then it had it's "reputation" as a difficult course. Overall, IMO- The Black is LESS penal than it was before the USGA upgrades. The did some renovations here and there over the years prior to the USGA spending millions to make it up to snuff. Yes, the fairways were a "bit" wider before the reno's, but the State spent zero dollars maintaining the rough areas outside the second cut. You had fairway, first cut, second cut, then 2-3ft high fescue all the way to the tree lines or whatever hole was nearby meeting up with their second cut. Hit it there and you did not find the ball- that was it. I believe the only spot on the current setup where it is anything close to those conditions is the area between 10 and 11. This was all over the course. Once the Open moved in- they absolutely had to make it easy and safe for spectator movement around the place. You can't subject people to wild areas filled with tall grass, brambles and ticks. So the further wide you went, the easier the next shot became since it was all mowed and tramped down Right off the bat- the first hole. They took the old growth trees out that were on the outside of the dogleg. They came into play in late July and August when the fairways would dry up and balls ran out into them. Now? it is open because they put a hospitality area in that triangle surrounded by 1,17,18. They did it in 2002. However, they replanted some after that and took them out again for 2009 as best I remember. Even on 8, if you were right and on the bank? Gone. Now, there's a chance (a small one) that it will bound down the slope and end up with a simple chip. I noted these things when I last played it about 5 or 6 years ago. There were places I hit the ball wide of the fairways and was pleasantly surprised that, first, I could actually FIND the ball and, second, that I had a relatively simple shot back to the fairway or even to the green from these spots. Prime example was on #6 I pulled my 3 wood pretty badly left between the woods and the bunker at the corner. I trudged my way over figuring I wouldn't have a shot. I got to the top of the hill and looked around and didn't see it. "Oh, well". then I caught a glimpse down at the bottom of the hill in some semi rough and saw my ball. less than 100 yds from green. It must have hit the hard pan(that wasn't there in 1985) and found it's way down there. In 1985? that ball was lost, no doubt about it. And it wasn't lost 100 yards from the green, it would have been eaten up by the grass and junk somewhere near the top of the hill. While it is no pushover, the holes that were tough back then are the tough holes now. Back left pin on 3? Brutal. 5? Take your poison if you favor the left side too much. 15 is probably one of the most difficult holes on any course in any other Tour or USGA event. Yes, they will widen the fairways a notch once the people get it back for regular play and the greens will be tuned down a notch. Speaking of which- the greens aren't all that difficult. MOST of them are relatively flat with subtle movement. One exception is the previously noted #3. And a few have ridges that split the greens but in general, at "normal public" speeds they are (or were) not very tricky if you put your ball in the right spot. Front of 8 with too much backspin is a no-no. I did remark while watching The PGA on TV when Rory wound up well off the mark and was hitting from the gallery area off a fairway- "Jeez, in 1985, they wouldn't have found Rory in that stuff, much less his ball" My 2 cents, anyway...

Went from an 8 to a 15 in the blink of an eye after that fiasco. Every time I tried to go back to my "feel" swing, his "advice" would creep in and just make the issue worse. Went from trying to minimize a 'slight' pull with the shorter irons with 'my' swing, to fighting full on snap ducks after. I've been able to slowly get back some measure of control, but a quacker shows up way too often. Last year I had a video evaluation and was informed I tended to keep too much weight on my heels which probably was the original issue. If Dingus Pro had said that while working WITH my swing instead of trying to change everything to get more money out of me, I'd be a much happier guy.

Yes, they are back to the "normal" method of putting the Iron number (6,7,8) instead of the lofts (30,34,38). The Hi-Iron Utility clubs still have the loft on the sole.

Yes, they are sexy... and they play sexy. while they are classified as "Blades". they have less of a blade feel. Hogan put in the "Progressive Perimeter Weighting" system which is what the first GI and SGI clubs were all in on back in the 80's. It's subtle- but there is forgiveness there. A sweet spot hit is still like butter as a blade should be, but a miss isn't nearly as penal as a blade of the 60's and 70's would be. But that forgiveness is NOT from the size of the clubhead. the heads are smaller than GI and SGI clubs so you don't have quite as large of a margin to miss. If you are fairly consistent in hitting center strikes, then Blacks could work for you. If not- try the other, more forgiving models in their lineup

took my first actual "paid for" lesson. Haven't been the same since. Should have realized it right away when he ignored what I was looking for, and just had me hit 5 irons with a new grip setup. Lost my natural feel and I am still looking for the old me to show up. This was 25 years ago...

Well... experiment over... for now. Prepped the club by cleaning it, prepping with alcohol, drying with a hair dryer. Pristine surface. Applied the pieces of tape. Let it set overnight. Arrive at the range, go through the bag up to the Driver. First ball, 2 of the 3 pieces of tape came off. The other piece barely adhering. It's as if the adhesive is the same as on a post-it note. I shouldn't have to Gorilla Glue or epoxy the weights on.

I have struggled with the new technology since the days of the R7 (my first 'real' "latest and greatest"), so you aren't alone. I tend to lose track of where the clubhead is during the swing. The older clubs were more "dense" feeling, so I could feel it loading up on the transition. I tried to find the smaller versions of the clubs like the 430cc versus the 460cc models. I found a Callaway Tour Octane had the best 'feel' among the recent clubs, I've picked up. My M6 is okay, but still not where I'd like it. I even tried to go with a R flex during the fitting, but the ball was all over the place. I just picked up some of those 3gram tape weights and will do some experimenting this weekend.

Closest I came was when I did the routing for the underground cabling at ANGC back in the mid 80's for CBS. They finally decided to bury the cables after years of laying it out fresh every year. This way they only had to plug in the various equipment at the towers into connectors at each end. I made a copies of the originals to keep, but they were lost over the years through various office moves since then.