becksfan2185

Agreed. It probably had a lot to do with his great approach shot on 17, where he hit the perfect spot on the ridge - pin high - to roll the ball within 3 feet. Dialed in after a shot like that, he probably felt he had a legitimate chance to make it from 70 yds out. And he came pretty close....

Took advantage of Poppy Hills appearing on Groupon earlier this month... and now my Dad, brother and I will be braving whatever winter weather Monterrey can throw at us and playing next weekend... It is my first time playing the course (I have walked it during the Pro Am before) - anyone have any tips or interesting experiences playing Poppy? Cheers, Jefe

I agree as well... seems much more logical, easy to follow, and provide a potentially more dramatic finish. Only have two issues I can think of... 1) Under the current system, any of the top 5 going into the final week can win the Fedex Cup with a victory. But - under the new proposal - if someone were to tear through the first playoff events and create a massive stroke lead, you could have a situation where they play conservative at East Lake and remove any drama by the final day. Not saying that player wouldn't deserve it, but it could provide a boring finish 2) What if a player were to win one of the first playoff events, but miss a cut in the next one? He would then be DQ'd from the next event, despite still being in the hunt with his cumulative score. Should he receive no protection from the cut in smaller, more competitive fields?

I'll never tell anyone to go against their dreams, but if it was me there's no chance I would settle for that kind of salary at that point in my life... unless my wife could provide/contribute for the family as well. $25,000 is practically below the poverty line where I live - especially with a family - although hopefully the salary would be much more than that in 13 years. I like your idea of going for your BA in business (finance, accounting, management) and setting your sights on working for a golf course or golf company... no clue exactly what golf-related jobs are out there but it seems like a better outlook than battling 18-year olds for an assistant pro job.

If I were Pavin, my picks would be: Tiger Zach Johnson Nick Watney Cink He's already got guys like Watson, Overton, and Kuchar who are hot right now and played well of late to get in... I'd stick to some vets and consistant top ranked world players to round it out.

Well kudos on only having one three putt with your PW!! I know if it was me, I would have had many more than that... Seems like a fun exercise to do sometime to test your ability to get creative with shots.

Never played in one, but based on my own impressions and hearing your feedback... 1. Putter is a must. 2. Wedge is a must, based on your stated conditions around the greens, bunkers, etc. Maybe you can get away with using a PW or GW to help bridge the distance gap - but you're still taking wedge. 3. The only real debate... which mid-iron to play. Since you seem to have course knowledge/distances figured out, use it! What club will leave you with the fewest awkward, in-between distances? Think about the club that will get you to reach/get close to most of the par 4s - ex: 7i-7i or 5i-5i. If you decide you need a 5i, how many awkward spots will that put you (ex: short par 4 that leaves you with 140 after tee shot). Are there any long carries that you can't reach with a 7i? I have to believe the tourney will be won around the greens, since folks won't be hitting many long drives or reaching GIRs consistantly with only three clubs. Use your course knowledge to pick the best mid-long iron that can put you in a position to scramble!

I know for the Pro-Am, they were pretty liberal with the autographs - before and after rounds in the practice areas. With all of the celebs, they even let some autos slip during the round in-between holes. Cameras were only allowed during the practice rounds. They did not allow backpacks at all - anything bigger than a purse or fanny pack they made you check before entering... so that would likely limit what memorabilia you can bring. I would assume that security/restrictions would be equally or more tight then they were in February. Never been to an open, but it would be interesting to see how much more strict they are vs. the regular-season tourney.

1. I would try them both out. Some golf pros have steep rates for lessons are worth it, but some are able to charge a premium just because thet've been doing it a while. Take a lesson from each, compare notes, and go from there... no harm in shopping around. 2. Doesn't matter a whole lot. Distance balls with low spin are readily available and probably what you're looking for as a beginner. If you stumble across one that you love, then stick with it... otherise I would say they're all going to perform similarly. 3. Hybrid's a good place to start. If you like your burner irons, try a TM hybrid. Go used or an older model... they're so cheap on eBay/online and will be great as you progress in the game. 4. Poster above is dead-on - find your yardage gap and fill the void.

I disagree. From the clips shown, his short game appeared to be his relative strength, esp putting. Of course he can/should still improve his short game (and it appears Hank will be spending lots of time there), but the most dramatic way Ray's going to drop his scores is by limiting those shanks into the woods. IMO, the fasted route to him breaking 80 is by finding more fairways and greens.

If I lay up, I'm just giving myself two chances to screw up... I'd rather hit one decent shot to get me close and scramble for the bird, rather than put the pressure on myself to hit two good/great shots to have a good look. Sure the difficulty is more on the longer approach, but so long as the green isn't covered in danger, I think it's typically worth the risk.

Definitely. Buy the bundle and you save a bit of $$ on the motion + sensor... those damn "accessories" add up!

Have you guys ever checked out World Golf Tour at www.wgt.com? Pretty solid, although you play online and performance is suspect to your internet connection. Best part is it's free to play, although some people spend money on upgrades as they progress. Super realistic game on well-known courses, in HD-quality flash, and a huge community of players, club upgrades, tournaments, etc. Would be worth checking out it you enjoy PC golf.

I would think that the main reason for hovering the putter would be to make sure you don't catch any penalty strokes on a windy day. After the putter is grounded as you begin to putt, if the ball moves you're hit with a stoke. Aside from that, I suppose the other reason for hovering would just be personal preference

Step 1 - get lessons Step 2 - have your pro fit you for new clubs

After watching every show thus far, I'm of the belief that none of these guys will be good enough to play on the PGA Tour. Tony is "stupid long," as they've said many times on the show - but not nearly consistent enough of a ball striker or putter. Most of these holes they've played have very forgiving landing areas with short, easy rough. If he drove the ball like that on the tour, he'd be hacking out of the rough and missing cuts every week. Mike has got the ball striking down - lots of fairways and greens - but even admitted himself on the last show that he's not a good enough putter. And Kevin obviously doesn't have the swing, but he can sure putt. Combine each of their three talents, and you're looking at a PGA-caliber player. It'll be interesting to see which style prevails on the full final. With this modest course length and setup, I think any of them have a chance...

I saw that article, and I think it helps. As much as I like this stat though, I'm not sure that one statistic can tell the entire story - stats can be misleading (as with the example above). For my own stat tracking, I keep both the # of putts as well as the distance made. I figure the more info I have, the better I can guage my performance.

I'm fairly new to the Big Break (this is my first full season I've followed), but is anyone else surprised by the lack of putting in the challenges? I know they had one 10-ft putt challenge, plus they putt in the full-hole challenges, but still. For such a vital part of the game, I would think it would be focused on much more. Anyone else surprised by the lack of putting? Those that have watched multiple seasons, is this typical?

Aren't we all... Being consistant from that type of distance is really tough, especially off the turf. I'm confident with my hybrid from the fairway or rough, but beyond that I get some pretty inconsistant results. Getting fit for the proper club may help, but the bottom line is that what you're asking for is one of the toughest shots to hit consistantly.

I saw that too... great episode! The car with the dimples was pretty wild looking... who knows, maybe the car comanies will take notice and use some dimple technology to improve mileage?! With all the talk of hybrids and new ways to improve gas mileage, I have never thought about changing the body of the car.

I saw that too... great episode! The car with the dimples was pretty wild looking... who knows, maybe the car comanies will take notice and use some dimple technology to improve mileage?! With all the talk of hybrids and new ways to improve gas mileage, I have never thought about changing the body of the car.

I've only been playing golf since the early 90's, but I started out with a set of cheap old blades like many of you. Since I've started taking the game more seriously, I've gotten fit for some cavity-back Callaways, and I have been extremely happy with them. I do have some nostalgia for a set of nice blades... so hopefully one day my game will be consistent enough to warrent the change back to blades. As for right now, I can't argue with the results I'm getting. There's a reason the new iron technology has transformed cavity backs and inundated the market... they produce great results.

Yes, you are better off grabbing some lessons rather than upgrading clubs. I understand the importance of getting fitted, but upgrading irons after 2 years is certainly not needed... especially from one "game improvement" set to another. Unless you realy have a problem with your Callaway's, I don't see the point. You can always have you Callaways fitted if you really would like them customized for your swing. BTW, I like and own both Callaway and Ping clubs, so it's not about whether or not I have a preference to either. I just think you'd be better off investing your money in your game itself.

I agree with the above comments. I do understand a piece of what Mr. Anonymous is saying though... the same 25 guys or so are going to be doing the same sponsors events every single week. Heck, by the end of the season that's going to be boring for the sponsors! "Well, Bubba great talking to you again. Good luck tomorrow, and really looking forward to having the exact same phony conversation with you next week." I'm all for making the pros interact more with their fans and sponsors... life on the PGA tour is pretty cush. But maybe they could rotate the players who spend time at the pro-am vs sponsors events so that individual players are doing both.