SubPar

I think ben and I can. See PMs. SubPar

Yes. Also, if you have an MP3 player you can take to the course, take practice swings with the tempo playing you ear before you play. If not, make an audio CD of the track you choose and play it in your car CD player on the way to the course. I don't know about most people, but once I get it in my head I can "replay" it from memory all day. A few minutes with it in the morning helps set your tempo clock in your head. A good one for most people is the 27/9. SubPar

It is hard to find a driver that fits you well without spending a lot on money on fitting and/or clubs. Obviously there is much more to it than loft. Many long driving pros are using 6.5° - 9° drivers, but Sergio uses an 11° driver because he delofts it so much at impact. There is an interaction between your swing speed, angle of descent, your head position, the stiffness and kick-point of the shaft, and so on. If you have access to a driving range where you can demo different drivers, try different models and lofts to see what gives you the best net distance. I used to play a 7.5° Cobra because I hit the 7.5°, 9° and 10.5° repeatedly on a range where the fence was 250 so I could see what worked best for my swing at the time. I carried all of them pretty much the same distance but the 7.5° produced a lower ball flight and less spin so the ball released more than the others. I generally have had a low ball flight with the driver. In the last few weeks I have been able to produce a higher ball flight by simply teeing it up a half ball higher and making sure my head hangs back at impact. You could try the reverse. An easy adjustment you can make is to play the ball an inch or two back in your stance, or a half ball lower, and make a little more forward shift with your head. That might give you a more penetrating flight with more release and won't cost anything. SubPar

My understanding is you never want a reverse pivot except in one case... when trying to hit a lofted wedge chip shot where you want the ball flight high and soft. The guy I take lessons from advised me to use a little backward move with my head when popping a chip shot up for a high soft shot. It works great in that case. SubPar

I'm pretty sure I made the cut last weekend so I'll be playing the final round Sat. Could do Sunday. If not that, then the following weekend. SubPar

Scholl is a fun distraction when you want to have a good time with some friends. A bunch of us sometimes play a skins game over there now and then. There are some funky holes on the back for sure, but it is a nice change-up. The good thing about the course is it makes you think about a "smart play" or "percentage play" on almost every hole. People who play well there think through their options and can manufacture shots that put them in a postion to score. Not a grip it and rip it course. SubPar

Rich data! SubPar

Interesting look at some critical stats of the game. Rings true... - As golf researcher Mark Broadie has explained, professional golfers make only 15 percent of putts from more than 20 feet.... This week, the New York Times featured the work of two Wharton professors who analyzed 1.6 million putts and found that pros missed more when going for birdie than for par on putts of identical length. They chalked this up to "risk intolerance" (i.e., fear of making a bogey) and calculated that it cost the top 20 golfers significant prize money each year. from: Moneygolf What can stat geeks tell us about what it takes to win on the links?

The basic premise of this concept is not so much regarding the over all "speed" of the swing, but focuses on the ratio between the take away to the top and the downswing to impact. There are a number of MP3 click tracks that produce a 3:1 ratio. SubPar

I use the Tour Tempo audio in my MP3 player now and then to reset my temo. His theory is a sound one based on looking at the ratio between the take away time to the top and the time to impact (3:1) in dozens of pro's swings. I used to work with the 27:9 but recently went to the 30:10. It helps a lot to have an objective measure. Nothing is set in stone or right for everyone but Tour Tempo is a good place to start. If your tempo is a little different every time you swing, what are the odds everything (hips, hands, head...) will be timed consistently? SubPar

They are a little pricey, but not out of line with other costly golf wear. In a couple of years you'll be able to pick them up for $8.00 at thrift stores all over the country. SubPar

But you have the game to back them up. It's kind-of like wearing PlusFours... if you are going to make that stament you need the game to go with 'em. If I get some Loudmouth pants, I'll be forced to play my best! SubPar

He had some kind of surgery and is on a strict diet. It is interesting that the two most talked about events in golf recently are the return of TW and the return of John Daly. Daly makes great theater. A red neck kid, who was told he could never make it with the swing he had, goes to the top of the game then takes a long ugly tumble to the bottom. Now he attempts to rise up from ashes. SubPar

I kind of like this look. Decades ago the look in golf was a little more flashy, but now solid colors rule. I hope JD brings some spice back into the game with this new look and his play. JD's Pants Gallery. They also make shorts!! SubPar

Sometimes tension in your muscles can block out a move the produces a specific result. Once you have more range of motion some new unexpected results might show up. Previously you probably compensated somehow for the discomfort and now you are freed up from that, your angles and timing have changed. But in the long term that is a net plus. What a chiropractor does is much the same as a massage therapist, but using very different technique. The primary result is relaxation of tension. After and adjustment the stress in your muscles around your spine is reduced and balanced. You are probably now able to move more freely which changes your swing plane and/or timing. If you have more range of motion, that is a good thing. Now you have to learn to use that to make better shots and lower your handicap. You are a 25 handicap! Don't blame the Chiropractor. Don't blame it on the moon. Don't blame it on Bush. Don't blame it on your parents. Go forth, take lessons and fix your swing! SubPar (My opinions are based on more then 50 years experience with Chiropractors and they have done major good for me through many sports injuries. There are good ones and bad ones, but if you feel good and relaxed after the guy (or gal) works on you they've done their job. Don't go too often. Unless you are suffering some chronic pain, once every 2-3 weeks is sufficient to keep you out of trouble)

It was good to get together and play a round. I wore myself down (with 27 holes on Saturday and playing earlier in the day) and got weak after about 6 holes, but it was a great day to be on the course. Looking forward to doing it again. maybe we can get 3 or 4 of us over to Rustic Canyon in a couple of weeks. SubPar

I play with a guy who hits a PW 140+, 3-wood 260+ and he is about 5' 7" and has less than a half a backswing. Having spent some time watching him, and others with short take-aways, I think it works well because it helps make good contact with the ball and he cannot possibly release his hands too early. He gets the full effect from the kick of the shaft. I have tried to mimic this guys swing and it works fine on the range, but when I am playing I have a hard time taking such a short backswing. Pros can take a full take away and generate even more club head speed because they can still hold off the release of the hands while generating a lot of centrifugal force with the longer swing path. Most of us, myself included, will start releasing our hands halfway through the down move which unloads the shaft flex too early ( or never loads it up to begin with). John Daly in his prime, had the longest swing path and could hold off the release so well, he could sometimes hit a SW over 150 yards. Most mortals cannot resist reseasing the hands too early with a swing that long. Unless you can time it all just right, the shorter swing for the rest of us can result in better shots, while it may look and feel weird. SubPar

There is a section in the USGA book on Etiquette . Among the guidelines: "Players should not stand close to or directly behind the ball, or directly behind the hole, when a player is about to play. On the Putting Green On the putting green, players should not stand on another player's line of putt or, when he is making a stroke, cast a shadow over his line of putt." There is no penatly for disregarding these guidelines, however... "If a player consistently disregards these guidelines during a round or over a period of time to the detriment of others, it is recommended that the Committee consider taking appropriate disciplinary action against the offending player. Such action may, for example, include prohibiting play for a limited time on the course or in a certain number of competitions. This is considered to be justifiable in terms of protecting the interests of the majority of golfers who wish to play in accordance with these guidelines. In the case of a serious breach of etiquette, the Committee may disqualify a player under Rule 33-7." In less formal settings YOU would be your own committiee and you are free to not play with someone who disregards the etiquette of the game. SubPar

I am intersted. If anyone else is, let us know. Take this to Private Messages. SubPar

When I take the time to read a putt from front and back I'd say 50% of the time I get a better result. This is more true with long putts on greens I am less familiar with. Walking around the low side and around back of the hole sometimes allows you to see up-grade or down-grade changes you won't see from behind the ball. Many's the time I've hit a good putt based on my initial read from the ball, only to have the ball hit and up-slope or side slope I could not see until I went around the hole. This leads to unnecessary 3-putts. SubPar

When deciding, be sure to check the loft. I bought two TM Rescues (a 4 and 5). I could not figure out why the 4 had about the same launch angle and carry as the 5. I had them checked and the loft on the 4 was 3 degrees higher than what was stamped on the club. SubPar

If anyone is distracting you, you just have to ask the to mark their ball, and/or move out of your line of sight. I've had people start walking into my line of sight as I am putting the ball. After a few well chosen words with them it does not happen again. When you play for money people get more serious about being considerate. I play with a pretty good bunch of guys. We don't drop the flag behind the hole or move around when someone is taking a shot or stand in front of, or behind, the line of play. Mistakes happen, but it should never become a regular thing. SubPar

Same here. I have an LA reservation card. let me know when you want to do it. I play nine hole skins game every Saturday at sunrise and then play 18 after that. I can probably get us a time. I have not played there in a while. It is pretty demanding. Like Tierra Rejada. Very fast greens, lots of elevation changes and places to lose balls. Pretty course. Has GPS on carts. I'm not a big fan of Olivas Links. When I played there the fairways were hard and uneven. Also the place smelled like a filthy port-a-potty due to the mushroom farm next door. Rancho is probably the slowest course in CA. I played there one time and it took 2.5 hours to play five holes. Harding and Wilson are good courses (Griffth Park) but the pace of play can be an issue. SubPar

around the valley and surrounding area Often: Encino, Balboa, Woodley, Hansen Dam, Eaton Canyon, Roosevelt, Van Nuys, Shoal Canyon. Not as often: Dad Miller, Wilson, Harding, Westlake Village, Knollwood, Cascades, Simi Hills, Rustic Canyon, Camarillo Springs, Tierra Rejada. Anyone up for a SandTrap foursome, let me know. I play every weekend and some week days. I am at Weddington in Studio City almost every morning before work (9-hole par-3). SubPar

What I was saying is that sometimes there is a body of water or a ditch that one might think of as a 'non-lateral hazard', but may not be marked for the reasons stated. If it is not marked then it is not a hazard under the rules. This should pretty clear. Perhaps you should be less quick to take an insulting, contrarian position without actually reading and comprehending what is being written. You act like I am wrong and then repeat what I said in the first place. I was replying to someone who asked how you would identify the margin if it is not marked. I said the same thing you did, while telling me I'm missing the point. Speak for yourself. You don't know what a dry drainage ditch is or a depression with tall grass in it, which one might describe as a ditch? You have never seen, or cannot imagine such a thing? I am guessing I am not the only person who plays a course now and then that has a body of water which is not a marked hazard, and/or has dry ditches, trenches, depressions across a fairway that are not marked, but could be marked, as hazards. Some of them will get something from this discussion, though you may not. SubPar