wannabe

If you watch the Golf Channel even a little bit, I'm sure you've seen the ads for tonight's show "Uneven Fairways", a documentary about the history of African Americans in the game of golf in America. The teaser ads have me intrigued. I'll be watching it. Of course it's being aired now because February is Black History Month in the US. What do you think about this show? Will you watch/not watch? Why? Do you have any first hand experience of race issues as it pertains to the game of golf that you'd be willing to share? Being a Gen-X'er, I have no direct experience and I must admit it seemed odd to me at first when I heard that African-Americans weren't allowed into the PGA, and it was even in their rules. Guess that's how much mindsets have changed in such a short time.

I have a theory about why the name "Charlie" was picked. Charlie Sifford was the first African-American on the PGA tour - the "Jackie Robinson" of golf, so to speak. Tiger's big into the history and traditions of the game of golf, and is very aware of upon whose shoulders he stands to help get him to where he is now.

I've got about a million shag balls for the regular deposits I make into water, hazards, etc.; a ball marker and divot tool from a trip to England; sunscreen, bug spray; towel; brush; tees; couple of gloves; and clubs. From this thread, I like the ideas of bandaids and Aleve, as well as the flask of MM.

coolness!

I'm actually planning on increasing my golf this year. As other said, I'm hoping for more golf deals out there.

word, SDig.

Oops, except for one thing. If they're going to provide vouchers for rounds of golf, I'm all in!

Having been a high-handicapper for well over a decade, I can say that enjoyment on the course with your buddies comes best when you can at least keep up with them, and that's most impacted by your ability to get decently off the teebox. So yes, my vote is that the tee shot is most important to us (and yes, we're in the majority) high-handicappers. And for me, that translates to (1) decent contact, (2) airborne, (3) over whatever hazards lie in front of you. Maybe you get 180, maybe you get 240, but at least you're 'playing'. Let's face facts. When your out with your partner or foursome, you wanna have some fun and play a 'good' round, esp. as a duffer. When your golf score is the same as your amateur bowling score, you're happy if you get a bogey, and feel like you've won the Masters when you get a par or less. The best times I've had on the course are definitely when I've been getting off the tee well. Scores? Not changed much for sure. But my rounds and the fun, which includes respect of my peers, comes from a decent tee shot and "keeping up". Once you're off the teebox, you can usually duff around the rest of the hole and still hang with the better players in your group. I specifically recall periods in my golf life where I purposefully didn't play rounds with folks because I knew my tee shots sucked, and I'd just be a drag on everyone else's fun. Pathetic maybe, but real. I also think it's important that the tee shot be with the driver. Those instructors who tell us novices to leave our drivers in the bag to me do us a terrible disservice. It's like we're being neutered or something. I completely agree that learning swing technique is much better done at the range with an 8-iron, and that lower scoring comes with short game/putting accuracy, but for having a fun round on the course starts with getting off the tee respectably. Tee shot - yep.

way cool.

hope the entire bill is copied & pasted into that link. it's all a waste.

I'm planning on booking a series of 4 lessons with a local PGA Pro Apprentice, beginning on the 15th. Yess!! Reading through this thread has brought up a question for you teachers. What would you like your students to have done by way of preparation before the first lesson? Questions to ask ourselves and be prepared to answer? Warmup, pre-lesson practicing? Preparing of equipment prior to lessons? To answer the OP, I must have some theory mixed in with the 'just do it this way'. I have a lot of head knowledge of the game and swing theory, and need to link theory with a mental picture and then translate to the physical. Video and/or mirrors helps me a ton - let's me see how what I think I'm doing is/is not what I'm doing. Looking at someone else do something, and then trying to replicate it in my own body, or as my gaming son would say, "from FPS perspective", can get very lost in the translation without some theory and "seeing myself" feedback. I'm also very trusting of the instructor and can pick-up & change quickly. My biggest issue is putting in the time & $ to really get my game going. '09's gonna be the year, I hope!

I'll have to reserve judgement on Piercy - not familiar with him yet. Gary Woodland impressed me a couple of weeks ago as another one to put on the watchlist.

Are you wanting sympathy or advice? If it's sympathy, you've got all mine & then some. Great putting is one tricky beast. It's the part of golf that I've begun to become more amazed at, especially watching better players. It really is a different game than the rest of it. And btw, here's one fellow golfer who's completely jealous of where you are in your game right now. Me? I'm horrible at everything! :) If you want advice, congratulations! You've narrowed down what you need to work on, which is well over half the battle, right? Also, this is a fixable thing for sure. Everyone, everyone, can putt. Not everyone can bomb it off the tee, but everyone can putt. Yes, you can too!! goblue mentioned it in his post, and to restate a little differently, your attitude can also help you improve. Instead of going in with the attitude "I'm a terrible putter", try something more positive. "I'm improving as a putter", "I know I'm a great putter, just gotta let it come out". Seems like you need a big dose of positivity in this area. Remember the little engine that could. It's also commonly known that we spend most of our golf practice time on the full swing and less on short game & putting, when the reverse should be our focus. I also wonder if changing the type of putter - belly, short, long - might be something to consider.

left-handed, golf righty, but swing a baseball bat left-handed. I remember someone saying that Phil Mickelson is right-handed but golfs lefty. I don't remember why Phil did so. And I'm not sure this is even true.

Thanks for the advice, PK. I've learned the lesson about "too many tips" the hard way. I've learned to ignore my regular golfing buddies and most of what I see on tv. Regarding fitting, I'm glad you reinforced my thinking on that. I've never been fit for clubs before, and I've read lots of places that it's important. Fortunately, I love practicing just as much if not sometimes more as I do playing. My Golf Channel watching is more typically the tourneys and feature shows, less the tips shows. Given me a great appreciation. Really love this sport.

I remember occasions where on greens with a lot of break and everyone dancing, it's crazy trying to avoid stepping on lines to the point of becoming comical. Of course I do try, but it's funny trying to 'read' a fellow player's breaking putt and avoid their line. Sometimes requires a wide berth.

wannabe here. as in (of course) "I want to be a golfer!" Happy to be here. Hoping to get a new set of clubs this year, increase my skills & playing time. Already watching way too much golf channel & dreaming of progressing toward my fellow family members & friends who shoot in the 80's. Been dreaming for about a decade now. Hopefully this year the dreams will start heading toward reality.

I was really shocked at Phil's performance this past weekend. I was also shocked by his waistband. Winter weight, I guess? I'm no one to talk, and not very good of a second guesser, but I sometimes wonder if Phil just doesn't want it as much as we want him to want it. At his level of play, if you're not wanting it, forget it.

this guy.

^^what alpine said :)