SubPar

But doesn't it bother you that you are associating your game with a certain bodily function?

Whatever hill she has gone over, I'd like to join her there.

DAVE STOCKTON'S PUTT TO WIN: Secrets for Mastering the Other Game of Golf by Dave Stockton is a great book full of technical tips and anecdotal stories.

I always feel instinctively that I am aiming left of my intended line when I am over the ball. I have to be sure to stand behind the ball and pick a point a few feet or yards ahead, on line with the target. I align myself using that mark, not where I see or feel the target is when I am set-up to the ball.

I think it was just one too many references to stiff shafts and clean balls. Lots of players go through a number of caddies before the find the right fit. .

Hard to say exactly. I sometimes play 36-54 holes on a weekend, so the practice time percentage varies. I am at the range 3-4 times a week for 1-2 hours each visit.

I wouldn't say most stores sell them. I found one pro shop here in the San Fernando Valley that sold the ProV1 Practice balls. I would think they would be available at discount or chain sporting goods stores more than pro shops. Golfsmith sells logo over runs at decent prices. This site has some x-outs and logo over runs. http://www.golfballs.com .

Tiger is a phenomenal athlete and the dominant player in a sport that is difficult to dominate. The media making a big deal out of his celebrity, and contributing to it, is REALLY good for our sport, so don't knock it.

I played golf briefly back in the mid '70s and gave it up for 20 years. I was stuck in a hotel room on a Sunday in '96 and somehow ended up watching Norman fail to win the Masters. The golf bug bit me that day and I soon heard about this kid Woods who was just turning Pro. Tiger didn't inspire me to take up the game again, but I'm glad I got back in it just as golf's most exciting era began.

More complex and expensive to manufacture?

Tiger is more than 2x better than Phil. He had better course management skills and discipline when he was 16 than Phil has today. Tigers mental edge combined with his superior fitness make him dominant. If you put Phil and Tiger head to head ten times, I have to figure Tiger wins six to eight times.

Hardly a lame excuse. Good putting is all about confidence. Tiger said he won't play Pebble in the spring becasue it takes him weeks afterward to get his confidence back with the putter. I have had the experience of playing a course with slow, bumpy greens and it takes some time to recover from it. It sure messes with your head when you have to hit putts that could go any direction at any time, and then go back to good greens.

Detailed reply about Practice balls and X-outs from Acushnet (Titleist) ---------------------------------- Thank you for your inquiry regarding the differences between Titleist Pro V1 Practice and Pro V1 X-Out golf balls. The Acushnet Company invests significant time and effort to ensure that our products are Best-in-Class in terms of quality, performance and consistency. As such, in the rare event one of our products fails to meet USGA requirements for size, weight, velocity or any other conformance criteria we destroy rather than market such products. As such, only products that are of a minimal defect are available for purchase. These products are available in two offerings: 1. Pro V1 Practice golf balls are conforming products that differ only due to a cosmetic blemish such as paint, ink or registration of stamping. Pro V1 Practice golf balls do not have any construction or performance deficiencies. 2. Pro V1 X-Out golf balls are also conforming products. However, they usually have a cosmetic blemish and/or occasionally have a minor physical defect that should not significantly affect its performance. More often than not, the physical condition causing the ball to be stamped as an X-Out is so minute that it is not recognizable by the player. Both products may be used in the casual round of golf including those with scores posted for handicaps, and most competitions, with the possible exception of high level competitions invoking the Local Rule requiring balls to be on the List of Conforming Golf Balls. Please refer to the USGA Official Rules on the subject listed below for your reference: Q: May I use a ball stamped with "Practice" or "X-Out" to play a round of golf? A: Our present policy provides that if the List of Conforming Golf Balls or the One Ball Condition is in effect, a practice or logo ball may be used provided the other markings on the ball (i.e., pole and seam) correspond exactly to a ball listing on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls. Balls labeled with ''PRACTICE'' or a circled ''P'', are essentially treated as a logo ball (such as a Mickey Mouse emblem). A player's name stamped on the ball is also acceptable. However, the original ball markings (i.e., pole and seam markings) must be readable in order for a Rules Official to determine whether that ball is on the List of Conforming Golf Balls. X-Out balls are not permitted to be used in any competition in which the List of Conforming Golf Balls or the One Ball Condition is in effect. However, if neither of these Conditions are in effect, X-Out balls may be used because all balls are presumed to conform unless they have been tested and found not to conform or are obviously non-conforming (e.g., too small or too heavy). (See Decisions 5-1/4 and US/5-1/101). As a result of the potential for an X-Out to be non-conforming if tested, we do not recommend using this model during tournament play. -----------------------------------------

Detailed reply about Practice balls and X-outs from Acushnet (Titleist) ---------------------------------- Thank you for your inquiry regarding the differences between Titleist Pro V1 Practice and Pro V1 X-Out golf balls. The Acushnet Company invests significant time and effort to ensure that our products are Best-in-Class in terms of quality, performance and consistency. As such, in the rare event one of our products fails to meet USGA requirements for size, weight, velocity or any other conformance criteria we destroy rather than market such products. As such, only products that are of a minimal defect are available for purchase. These products are available in two offerings: 1. Pro V1 Practice golf balls are conforming products that differ only due to a cosmetic blemish such as paint, ink or registration of stamping. Pro V1 Practice golf balls do not have any construction or performance deficiencies. 2. Pro V1 X-Out golf balls are also conforming products. However, they usually have a cosmetic blemish and/or occasionally have a minor physical defect that should not significantly affect its performance. More often than not, the physical condition causing the ball to be stamped as an X-Out is so minute that it is not recognizable by the player. Both products may be used in the casual round of golf including those with scores posted for handicaps, and most competitions, with the possible exception of high level competitions invoking the Local Rule requiring balls to be on the List of Conforming Golf Balls. Please refer to the USGA Official Rules on the subject listed below for your reference : Q: May I use a ball stamped with "Practice" or "X-Out" to play a round of golf? A: Our present policy provides that if the List of Conforming Golf Balls or the One Ball Condition is in effect, a practice or logo ball may be used provided the other markings on the ball (i.e., pole and seam) correspond exactly to a ball listing on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls. Balls labeled with ''PRACTICE'' or a circled ''P'', are essentially treated as a logo ball (such as a Mickey Mouse emblem). A player's name stamped on the ball is also acceptable. However, the original ball markings (i.e., pole and seam markings) must be readable in order for a Rules Official to determine whether that ball is on the List of Conforming Golf Balls. X-Out balls are not permitted to be used in any competition in which the List of Conforming Golf Balls or the One Ball Condition is in effect. However, if neither of these Conditions are in effect, X-Out balls may be used because all balls are presumed to conform unless they have been tested and found not to conform or are obviously non-conforming (e.g., too small or too heavy). (See Decisions 5-1/4 and US/5-1/101). As a result of the potential for an X-Out to be non-conforming if tested, we do not recommend using this model during tournament play. -----------------------------------------

I use a plastic template that puts a line for directional line-up and has two perpendicular lines to help square the club face. I use it on the tee as well as when putting. It is not a given that you will square the putter face perpendicular to the directional line, if you have no guide. This thing has made a big difference for me over the years. I got it from some site on the web, but I don't remember where. This one is similar... http://www.personalizedgolfballs.com/linemup.html

If I were playing in a USGA event , I would probably spring for nice new balls. But I have read and heard the opposite about the ProV1 PRACTICE balls. I'm not sure how to find out, but I have heard that those balls have strictly cosmetic blemishes and conform in every way to USGA specs. I don't believe Titleist would put a ProV1 of inferior construction on the shelf.

I try to leave the ball in the hole or 10"-12" past it. If you roll it that slow the ball has a chance to drop in if you don't hit the hole dead center, and you have a no-problem tap in if you miss. If you get into the "3-4 foot range" mode you pretty much have to hit the middle of the hole to make it, and you will have some tough come-backs. Obvioulsy, a 3 foot circle is good if you have 30-40 foot putt, but from inside 20 feet I hope to leave it closer than that.

When I played the ProV1s I bought the "practice" balls. They are only suffering slight cosmetic imperfections, most of which you will never see. They conform to performance specs and all that, and I got them for around $28-$30 a dozen.

He's off to a nice start... During his win at the Buick Open, Woods carded four consecutive rounds of 66 that each featured 10 pars, seven birdies and one bogey. Don't kid yourself. Unless he gets hurt, he'll break every record there is and still be huge factor when he's 40+.

I play with people who are constantly chipping with a sand wedge or PW around the greens and coming up short. The right club depends on the lie and how much green you have to work with, but I almost never chip with anything more lofted than a gap wedge. Most of the time it is a choice between the 8, 9 or PW, as long as I have some green to work with. Chipping with less loft allows you to carry the ball a more predictable distance and roll it to the hole. The pros often say they use the lowest loft that will carry onto the green. i.e., Jack's most famous chip-in at Augusta was with a 6 iron. I use two low bounce wedges, but I use a standard bounce on the sand wedge. I have a low bounce sand wedge, but it digs into the sand too much under normal conditions. In soft sand or light rough the added bounce helps the club get up once it is under the ball. If I am playing a course with really tight lies around the greens and/or hard packed sand conditions, I'll carry the low bounce SW. The longer sand shots are the most difficult. It depends on the sand conditions, the speed of your swing and the amount of sand you are taking with the club before you hit the ball. I generally know how far I can hit a "blast" out of a greenside bunker. If I need more carry I use a GW or PW, or take less sand. If you have a place to practice, you can get comfortable with clubs other than the SW in a bunker. Pelz also recommends that you consider picking the ball off the sand with a club that will pitch the ball onto the green, if conditions allow for it.

The HX Tour is a great ball. It strikes the pefect balance between distance off the tee and control around the greens. Michael Campbell and Phil play it, so it can perform at that level as well. One of the first things I noticed when I switched to it from the ProV1 is that a cross wind does not push the HX Tour around. Even in a stiff cross breeze, I had to learn to play it right at the target. But if I shape the shot off the clubface, it spins enough to bend it. I tend to play balls longer than I should, and the HX Tour continues to look good after it begins to decline in performance. But even when they get scuffed up a bit they are still playable. I played nine holes with one yesterday that is well ready for retirement and finished -1.

I squint, waggle twice, shake the saft up and down, flush the urinal, wash my hands and then go to the 1st tee and knock the crap out of the ball. As Mr. Sneed once said "it'll come down somewhere".

Wednesdays are usually a Pro-Am and they are very accessable. There may not be a Pro-Am before a Major.

You have to experiment to find a ball that suits your game. I switched to the Callaway HX Tour and picked up some yardage off the tee and it spins enough to feel good close to the green. I can hit the HX Hot longer but it offers less control. The ProV1 offers lots of spin and control around the greens, but is not long enough for my swing. Too much spin is a bad thing unless you hit the ball very squarely every time. You have to find a balance between raw distance and spin. Invest in a few sleeves of decent mid to high compression, two or three piece balls and play them to see what works for you.

I suggest saving your money. If you are a 32 handicap, forget the driver for a while. Tee off with a 3 or 5 wood. I played for two years at an 11-12 index without a driver in the bag. I am a 6.4 now and probably only "need" the driver four or five holes a round. Hone your swing with shorter more lofted clubs that you can hit better. Once you get some "game" then spend the money and time to add a driver to your bag. A driver at your level will frustrate you and hurt your wallet. If you get where you can hit 60-70% of fairways with a 3-wood at 200+ yds. then start to demo drivers to find one that suits you... and take your time about it... demo lots of them. When you do get a driver, spend some money and get a good one. Cheap drivers, even if you can hit them well, will not give you the desired performance.