RayG

No problem- if you go to the KSC, try to book online ahead of your visit if you know which day you want to go. It's very popular, and you may have to wait around for hours to get on a bus tour if you just show up. If not, check with the concierge at the resort, they might have connections.

The PGA hall of Fame is nearby, as well as the two courses on the property- "The King and The Bear" and "The Slammer and The Squire". That area is filled with other things to do for all kinds of people. St. Augustine has it's history. A reasonable drive away is Cape Canaveral and The Kennedy Space Center (which, IMO, is a cant miss if you're that close). You won't be wanting for something to do or somewhere to play. Maybe you will catch on to a group of buddies on their own trip and make some friends that way. Happened to me in Myrtle Beach one year, I met up with some guys and wound up playing with them a couple of times the rest of the week.

Wind will certainly affect scores. Not only will it lengthen holes into the wind- the biggest issue is the player trying to smash the ball into the wind by hitting it harder. So ANY off kilter fade becomes a raging slice or that draw will become a hook and go further off line into worse trouble. It's the recovery shots back into play that balloon the scores. Soft conditions have some trade offs- less roll in the fairways, but more hold on the greens. Even with the longer irons.

I believe TopGolf has developed "TopGolf Suites" (or something like that) for those locations where it isn't realistic to keep the open stalls heated. They are Simulator bays as opposed to full ranges.

We have Bear Trap Dunes, Rum Pointe and Newport Bay on out itinerary in May. Bear Trap Dunes is on the way on the Thursday, so we get to play after a 4 hour drive...

My sister and her husband played in Egypt. There is a course right up close to the Pyramids... and I mean RIGHT up close.

jeez, I will even talk to myself when I play alone... I couldn't go 18 holes without saying something... And if he doesn't want to "talk", then let him go out first... alone.

Never played the city courses in New York, then. On a peak weekend day, 5:45/6:15 is never out of the ordinary. If you just show up without a time as a single it could be a 2 hour wait til an opening, then 6 hours slogging behind and among players who will emulate the slowest PGA/LPGA player in their approach to each and every shot. This entails endless practice swings with those little poses checking position at takeaway, stopping to check the position at the top, etc... then several more practice swings, then finally an attempt at a swing after standing over the ball for days. Then, after chunking it 15 yards, begin the process all over again. Oh, and this is after going back to the cart to change clubs. It is purgatory. Now if you include the 30 minutes or so to get there and back. that is a 9 hour day on what aren't exactly great golf courses for the most part. I can drive out to a Long Island course in 45/60 minutes, essentially go right out as a single, play in 4/4:20, and drive back home in less time and actually enjoy the golf... and still have 2 or 3 hours to spare.

Hogan Blacks Vokey SM6 Wedges Odyssey 2 Ball putter

Raccoon Run in Myrtle Beach. (before it closed) there were 2(!) Par 3's on the back at around 250-260 from tips (220-240 from Whites), with at least one being all carry over water. Even the White tees were 6800+ with the Blues at 7400. At that time in the early 80's through the early 90's, I think it was one of the longest in the Southeast. However, it was a fast and firm course so roll was a big factor. Wind was another- #10 was a 600yd plus Par 5. I remember hitting Driver, Driver off the deck, 3 wood into the wind and still came up 100 yards short.

In the "real" world- players aren't all THAT familiar with the "flyer lie" in the short rough, so that 150 7 iron becomes a 170 missile over the back into trouble. They don't always think about going down a club or two. BUT- the further left or right you go on many courses, you end up in a pristine lie in the fairway. It may not be YOUR fairway, but barring obstructions like trees, it's a relatively easy shot back to the hole you're on. With yardage devices and rangefinders it's a piece of cake to pick the right club and get on in regulation.

Fought this exact scenario last year and worked on it over the winter. It seems my "stacking and tilting" with the driver carried too much into my iron swing. EXCEPT, I wasn't really 'stacking and tilting', I was on my heels and way too open at the shoulders. Forced the path to come in a hair too much from the outside and led to a pull. also may have put in too much shaft lean trying to 'get at it'. I regrouped, set up in a 'neutral' setup and stance with normal lean and... pulls went away. more or less.. It will pop back if I get a bit lazy, but I worked at developing the muscle memory and getting my weight shifting correctly.. Good Luck..

Well, to be fair, they wouldn't teach Jim Furyk's swing to anyone, and he seems to do okay...

How high is the ceiling? overhead racks keep them off the floor and within easy reach. Some PVC and bungee cords should be a cake walk.

How odd... In 40+ years of playing here in the NE and 20+ years of visiting my parents in Florida I have NEVER been refused a time as a single when calling the day before. I make sure to specify I don't mind getting hooked up with another group as a fill in. Now, if the course is fully booked they will tell me, and I'll look elsewhere. Even some of the 'better' courses like World Woods and TPC Tampa allowed me to book as a single.

"as a weekend hacker.." Yes, as a weekend hacker, then hybrids would probably work best. If that's all you plan on doing, then it's all good. but... if you decide to really improve and play better, Irons will make a world of difference. I only play one hybrid- a 19* Adams 3. And as someone else mentioned it's used mostly when it's a bit of a grabby lie that would make it tough to get a solid long iron on it. IMO, hybrids tend to balloon more and be much more affected by the wind. Irons can be worked lower OR higher depending on need. And yes, you could probably work a hybrid a bit if you really try, but as a self described "weekend hacker", it's probably something to avoid without the skill set involved..

I was 11 when I hit my first 7 Iron at the driving range after a bit of tutelage about grip and swing from my Dad. I was off a short tee just to make it easier. Buttered it to about 140 straight and true- Even the pro who was giving a lesson said- "kid's a natural". I think I caught the bug right then. I became a Range Rat all that summer. My Dad would play on Saturday AM and I would beat balls until they were finished and we'd go home. then I would hit those plastic balls in the backyard all day. (On a side note, I made friends with the squirrel in the backyard who eventually would fetch the balls and bring them back to me... kind of. Might get them to within 10-20 feet away and I would toss a peanut or something) No "real" lessons, just the odd tip or two from that Pro. Following summer same thing until just after my 13th B'day (for which I got those immortal Chi-Chi Rodriguez Northwestern Blades), my dad decided I was ready to go out and play on a real course. Started off with a HUGE slice and took an 8 on the opening Par 5. After that, a steady 98. Beat my Dad by 8 and never shot over 100, and my Dad never did beat me over the next 45 years until he finally had to give up the game. I may have mentioned that after he stopped playing and he came out to ride along when we played World Woods, he said he was pretty annoyed but at the same time very proud of that first day. Even now, 45 years later, I wish I had that "natural" swing back- over the years all those stupid swing thoughts really screw you up.

I thought the same thing I was going to post up if I didn't see it in the thread. Oh, and if your budget is 200-250 Euros or pounds (whatever it is with this brexit thing), You can get a pretty decent Starter Box set- The 70 pound mark was a point he was trying to make about having fun at any price.

I believe it just happened at the Mexico tournament a few weeks ago.

It isn't the Cable companies that aren't providing 4K. The content producers and networks need to record in 4k. Professional, Broadcast quality 4K equipment is $$$$$$$. along with the bandwidth required and equipment to get it to the public. I remember when we were testing HD back in the early 80's (yes, nearly 40 years ago) here at CBS, the cost of developing the equipment and testing, re-testing, then developing the ability to actually broadcast the signal ate up a rather large chunk of budget. I suspect you would get, at first, "upconverted" 4K style. Not exactly 4K but better than 1080i. (and on that front, most HD isn't 1080, it's 780 that's been 'massaged'. On TV's up to a certain size there is little difference unless you are sitting 12" away.

It would depend on the putter... BUT- I use a fairly firm grip and since it is downhill anyway, you are striking with more 'gentle' hit. And it might only need to be touched to get it going downhill towards the hole. Using the toe side gets it off the 'sweet spot' so it doesn't jump off and run away. In my case, I have an Odyssey 2 ball that has some weight to it, so a gentle tap for downhill putts has very little effect on twisting. But a lighter blade putter using a light grip would certainly be a different story.

I use a similar technique. The shorter and more breaking putts are struck off the toe. Even a normal downhill-ish put is struck towards the toe with a normal stroke. It takes some of the "pop" off the putt. At least that is the theory and it seems to work well for me. It isn't always a question of 'over' thinking the putt, since it is now my normal technique I'm not thinking any more about that putt than any other.

In my pocket? It's not even in the cart or in my bag. I leave it in the car. I have my Izzo 4000 for yardages. I'm playing to get away from distractions. There is enough of that in my actual golf game in the first place.

On a more serious note. Hybrids are way easier to hit than driving irons. If, as you indicated, are a 37- it's probably better to not kill the hybrid into the wind. An easier swing would impart less backspin. if you can learn to hit up slightly on the ball like a driver swing by teeing it a smidge higher, you might get a better launch, less spin and more rollout. If you are talking off the deck- that takes a more sweeping stroke instead of an iron type of swing hitting down on the ball. And off the deck, a 'driving' iron isn't the best choice no matter what the conditions. If you are a fast learner and can hit(consistently) a low stinging 2 or 3 iron into the wind (or across the wind for that matter), then it would pay to do that.

If the ball balloons and lands behind you, it might be time...