DBeane

The fast play/slow play thing...the reality is that kid has accomplished more in the world of golf in 14 years than that porky "rules official" will ever accomplish in his life...let him have his moment. I don’t care if it is a kid or not...pace of play is subjective...and no pace of play penalty has ever been received well by players, media or fans. I have always used pace of play as a tool. If you are one of those people that constantly wines about slow play...I will grind you to a halt or start pulling you, if you are a slow player...I'll drag you around this course. Every round of golf is different, the people you play with are different, and you have to be able to adjust. If you can't adjust your play to the conditions, then saying something about it gives your opponent a card to use against you. The pace of play argument is old, these are the best players on the planet, if they take 4,5, or 6 hours...then that’s how long it takes to play that day.

The only carry bag used to be the Ping Hoofer...however, I see great reviews on many of them now. My only advice is to stay away from the staff bags, or the tour look-a-like bags. When I see that its usually pretty apparent that some sales guy sold that to your wife and she gave it to you for fathers day...or that your a dork. I would go with whatever bag fits you and your budget best.

You do a lot of things very well, that are hard to learn. Rhythem, move into the ball, etc... I would try and get a little more "duck footed" at address, toes out, and maybe a little narrower at address. Greg Norman used to drag his right foot after impact...so the wide stance isnt necessarily a bad thing...unless its causing a problem. Getting a little more duck footed just seems to take a little strain out of the turning. Lateral movement can be a terrible thing...the head still tips are gold, if you look at most great swings, the little button on the top of their hat doesnt even move. Like I said before, you do a lot of things very well. With a 3.5, I would say work on control points, 3/4 swings, knock down shots, short game, course management...scoring stuff.

My grandfather told me once "these are 2 cents a piece"...I dont know how accurate that was but I always pick mine up. However, a used tee, even if its only been hit once, may as well be a dirty needle...I wont touch them...for all I know the guy dug out a wedgie, picked his nose, then grabbed that tee out of his pocket soaked God knows what, used it to clean out his ear...I'm probably deranged, but thats just how I think.

Its a personal thing...I cant hit anything that doesnt say Titleist on it. From the wound DT's to the Balata to the Professional to the ProV1. You could give whatever the latest "top of the line" ball is and it would look like a tomato to me sitting on the tee. I would say play a bunch and go with the one that feels right...

I used to fight a hook, If there is more than 1 "can" in the bathroom, I wont use the one on the left, I wont use the left sink, I wont pay at the left cash register, I wont practice or warm up on the left side of the range, I wont drive in the left lane on the way to the course.....left is bad...very, very, bad.

Phil...Tom Watson...Tommy Armour III...any one of them that seems to have gotten past the money and the attitude and realized they make millions of dollars playing golf...and seems to truly love playing the game. While true, they are "at work", I still find it very difficult to justify that kind of money for what they do.

If its a place you play from time to time, introduce yourself to the pro...that will relieve the awkward feeling. There is a course up the street from my house that I wont set foot on, however any of the Fort Worth public courses have always been super friendly if I just wanted to putt for a while and talk golf, however I do play there. There is a driving range I frequent that will charge you to use their short game area, if you don't buy balls. Its a very nice facility, and privately owned. To me its a common sense thing, if your going to use the facilities...spend some money, nothing is "free". People occasionally come in my office wanting to use the fax machine, bathroom, phone...their attitude, reason, and my mood will decide whether or not I tell them to hit the bricks.

I have never really had any problems with anyone on a golf course. A buddy of mine once told me I looked "psycho"....who knows, I always thought I was fairly approachable. The "person" I see fairly often that I feel sorry for is the wife of John Wayne Deepdivot at the driving range sitting behind her soon to be ex-husband/boyfriend as he and his set of golf clubs he aquired at a timeshare sales meeting, describes to her his expertise of the game in the blazing 400 degree Texas heat. I always want to apologize to her and give her my umbrella...

I dont know if I would call it a "moment in golf", but... I have managed to find myself in "life", and often times I will go months without playing. When things smooth out and I'm able to get back into it, its realizing how far I've regressed during the layoff. Having some simple swing flaw creep back in, and allowing that to damage the few times I get to play. Almost makes me want to stay away until I can get back into the game with some regularity. Golf for me is like that old highschool girlfriend that you think you still might have a shot at 20 years later...I love seeing her, but I hate seeing her.

-lots of golf left to play -stick to my routine -Keep your &%$##*@ head still!!!

True, without seeing a swing its hard to diagnose...but here are a few things I notice will cause a snap hook. *Loosing your posture or standing up during the down swing, that can throw you steep causing a snap hook or a pull *Allignment. Creeping closed throughout a round can shut down your lower body "" *Trying to guide shots or "putting the steering wheel on a shot", tends to shut down the lower body "" *Lateral movement, swing off the ball can create an over the top or hooky shot (one will tend to "hang on there right side "") *Swinging to hard. This may seem simple, but I see good players do it at times trying hit the ball to far...never good *Bad grip pressure (re-read Hogans chapter on the grip out of the 5 lessons) *Taking the club back shut These are all things I have noticed will cause me to hook or pull the ball. Best of luck in your quest for a solution to the H word. -Beane

Fast play, slow play...this chat has been around for ever. I think everyone thinks that everyone else plays slow. I try and play at a rhythmic pace inside of the group I'm in. The course/other players will dictate how long the round takes. A lot of the greats were notorious slow players (Jack, Ben), however some like Watson and Trevino play very fast. A lot of the time its gamesmanship. If your a fast play nazi, I'll slow play you to pull you out of your timing....or I've been known to pull a slow player. It all depends on whats on the table.

I think anyone who would say "He choked" is looking to get smoted by the golf gods. I'm pretty much an atheist and even I know that the golf gods (however you may define them), are individuals with whom one does not screw -Selah -Beane

OK, my 2cents... First there is nothing wrong with white socks and black shoes in shorts. The second video is the only one I sat through. The shot looked pulled a bit. I would watch your posture, you appear to be standing up a bit as your swing progresses. This would cause you to lose some of the space(between hands and body), that is important for staying on plane, and throw you steep at the last moment. -Beane

Age: 30 Height: 5'10ish, 11ish Where are you from: Fort Worth, TX How Long have you been Playing: 15 years Best Score: 64 - in a qualifying tournament, 71-tournament round Favorite club in the bag: None Golf Books / DVD's that have helped you: Too many to list, everything from "The Complete Golfer" to You Tube Where do you play: All over the DFW area Best courses you've played so far: Define "Best" Things you enjoy most about golf: Getting away from the life killing soul sucking job I am rotting away in, and getting some sun, competing, improving, learning, winning, losing, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens....to name a few. Goals for 2K10: Take some new points I have been working on to the tournament world and see how they hold up.

Back to basics. When big misses creep in its usually something simple like moving your head laterally, pivot problems, set up too open or closed. Break out the video camera and have a look, its probably something obvious. Plateaus (thats probably spelled wrong), can be difficult to get over, just be patient. -Beane

I'll say he's a 2.0, that POS looks pretty ingrained. As far as tips for improvement, I would say take up hiking, or learn to play in the dark so there is no chance I will ever see that in person. ....and if he is a friend of yours and swings the club that way because of an injury he sustained in "nam" serving his country, I dont care...its still ugly. -Beane

At the risk of sounding like a high school kid....iron covers are gay. Just lettin' ya know.

He has won close to 10 million on tour, he turned pro in 81 and his last win was in 03, not to mention he is the grandson of the Silver Scott, they had a fairly successfull club company for a while in the 80's and 90's. You must be thinking of someone else.

The Colonial...for all the reasons that have been previously mentioned. However, if you can somehow network your way into Tommy Armour III's party the week of the Nelson...then go to that, I have heard they are epic.

If you spend 30K on tuition...then you will only have to work in the golf biz for 9 years to make your money back. The golf buisness has great curb appeal, however...when I found out the turnover rate for head pro's was way less than 1% (and those are the only guys that make a decent pay check), I went running for the hills. If you interested in being a player, you would be better off looking into a career path that doesnt require a lot of hours so you have time to practice/play etc.

Having a job and limited time to prepair, I try and at least play the day before. However, if I have time, I try and play...then practice to work on problem areas, then repeat. I try to not just hit balls the day before, especially if I havent played in a while...I'll catch myself tinkering on the range....then go to number one with my head clogged with BS and its hole 6 or 7 before I get my head out of my ass and start playing.

Tim Herron, Mark Brooks, Tommy Armour III, Nick Price to name a few. It has really slowed here recently. The used to all smoke Hogan, Jack, Palmer, etc...

Try a shorter back stroke, it will force you to excellerate into the ball....get the ball rolling a little better...just a tip. -Beane