Jared

Why the hate for Wie? I understand that she has made some poor decisions in the past, which is surprising, given that she was 14 and all. From what I understand, she went to LPGA Qualifying School and earned her card. If anything, that makes me want to root for her.

Harvey once said, (and I'm paraphrasing): If you play poorly once, forget it. If you play poorly the next time out, review your fundamentals of stance, grip and swing path. If you play poorly a third time, go seek the help of a professional. I think this can probably be applied to practice sessions too. By the way, if you figure out what caused it, let me know. I miss my 1-3 yard fade (and my 8 handicap).

I don't think there is a guy on tour I would rather play with than Rocco. He's from the Pittsburgh area, I guess you never know.

I think this goes to show the relative weakness of the field today. I would venture to guess more players could have hit this shot in Jack's day than can now. There are very few shotmakers anymore. For the record, I think Tiger is one of the best shotmakers of all time. I think he has benefited from technology, but not nearly as much as many, many other pros today. Tiger will most likely go down as the best of all time if he is able to remain healthy, but he's not there yet.

The Old Course.

I'm pretty sure clubs are allowed to "discriminate" based on race and creed. In Pittsburgh, there is a Jewish only club. They have only Jewish membership, and it's a universally known fact. I'm not Jewish, I can't join that club. And that's OK. It's a private club, and as such can choose who they would like to accept as members. Clubs like Shoal Creek that were white only did not change their policies because they were illegal. They changed because the USGA informed the club that no US Open Championship would ever be played there while that policy was on the books. Personally, I was in the process of joining a club in Pittsburgh when I discovered that they had a policy of not admitting any black members. I chose not to join until years later when the club changed ownership, and those policies were changed. However, that club had the right to those policies, as distasteful as they are to me personally. I had the right not to join or play there, which I happily exercised. The same rules apply to Augusta IMHO. Just my $.02.

I think my opinion on this pretty much agrees with the consensus. It's a private club, and as such, has the right to invite whomever they choose. Just as an aside, I seem to recall a country club being in the news some years back who lost a discrimination suit. A judge ruled that since their dining facilities and banquet hall were open to the public, that they could not discriminate in terms of golf membership. I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I could swear I remember this happening.

If you are looking to make a wholesale change, the chipping method in The Art of the Short Game might interest you. The author's method is one where the ball is played further foward, and not a lot of spin is imparted to the ball. I am reading this book currently, though it is too early to tell if my short game will improve. You might find it interesting.

Hi John, welcome. What part of Pittsburgh are you from? New Kensington here. I look forward to my wife taking up the game again, too. She played some before we kids and will most likely take up the game again when life slows down a bit. We always enjoyed playing together, and sometimes she would just walk with me while I played. Those were the good old days when they allowed non playing walkers on most courses.

As long as I still get to be mad about it.

This is where the main disagreement comes from IMO. You are saying that you don't much enjoy slow play either, but you can't do anything about it so just sit back, relax and let it happen? Fact is, you CAN do something about it. You can call the proshop, look for a ranger, make it very obvious to the group ahead that they are holding you up. (By being out of the cart, teed up and ready to hit when they are on the green, plumb bobbing that 2 footer.) I have done all of these, and all have worked. To the poster who said he put one over their heads, IMO that is far worse than slow play. The comparison to the guy in the left lane when he is not passing anyone is apt. In some states, you get pulled over for that, NJ for instance. I'm pretty sure the people who drive slowly in the left lane have a special circle waiting for them.... in hell.

I don't take a whole lot of time over putts (or any other shots for that matter). I usually make one or two practice strokes while looking at the hole. The only thing that I make sure of every time is, my final look at the hole lasts about 5 or 10 seconds or so, and when I go back to the ball I hit it right away. That way the last thing in my head is the target.

I understand what you are saying Todd, but I think there is a difference between competitive rounds on the collegiate level and the average player getting in 18 on their local course. I played some competitive golf (just in high school), and those rounds were expectedly much slower. The frustrating thing is when you see the group ahead falling behind the pace of play, and not having the awareness to either speed up play or let faster groups through. When I am playing 18 on a Sunday morning, that is time away from my wife and children, and time away from other things I need to get done. I love to play, there is nothing I would rather do than play, but I will take 4 or 4 1/2 hours over 5 or 6 any day. The point is, slow play is a scourge and IS avoidable.

I couldn't agree with this more. Hitting into the group ahead is something you talk about wanting to do, not something you actually do.

I'll tell you what I told my wife. I can't exercise. Maybe you recall a player who was #1 in the world. He decided to get into shape, and now he can't make cuts. I call it the Duval Effect.

To me, the difference is golf 15 years ago compared to now. Years back, etiquitte and manners were more strictly adhered to on the golf course. The game was more friendly, and ,not coincidentally, less popular. Now, especially with the Tiger effect (not blaming Tiger, just pointing out that he has caused numbers of new fans of golf, and golfers), combined with society as a whole being less concerned with the etiquitte and manners, has caused issues like this. Nowadays, there are many people who don't: fix ballmarks, replace divots, have seemingly no knowledge that there are others on the course (loud conversations on the green or tee when there are other people in close proximity), are not concerned with slow play and not willing or aware that they should let faster players play through. I miss the golf of my youth, when it wasn't "cool", and you could get quick round in late on a Sunday. I don't mean to characterize all new players this way, but in terms of who tends to be guilty of the above, it seems to be disproportionally slanted toward newer players.

I think the distance on top is a typo.

The Golf Galaxy in Robinson does carry Nickent, but the only set they had was the DX set. They were 4-W with a hybrid 3. The irons were steel shafted and Uniflex. The hybrid was graphite and to be honest I forget to check the shaft flex on it.

My son has been playing on and off for years, and is now asking me for advice on grip, setup, etc. This is miraculous, since a 14 year old listening to anything their parents say is pretty rare. The point is, I think he's going to start playing somewhat seriously. He has an old graphite shafted set, half of which were cut down, that just won't work anymore. He is 6' tall and 225, and judging by the practice swings in the backyard yesterday, is generating some pretty healthy clubhead speed. He's a lefty, which makes things more complicated, and we have an ancient set of persimmons and blades that he wants to play this year. My question is, should I let him have at it with those clubs, since its 50/50 whether or not the kid sticks with it, or should we buy him clubs now? If so, what would you recommend?

DLR, if the Golf Galaxy store you are referring to is the one near the airport in Pittsburgh, I work across the street. I would be happy to check and see if they carry Nickent (or anything else for that matter). Just respond and let me know.

I have seen that rule enforced. OMG

Target, target, target. Take dead aim. Not sometimes. All the time. On every shot. Take dead aim.

Slow play makes me furious. I have a friend (no offense to the high handicappers), who would be around a 30 if he kept track. This guy can get it around in 3.5 hours if he's not held up. Not a good player, but fun to play with and never holds anyone up. It can be done, but I think its a combination of people feeling entitled and people being ignorant of how you may play more quickly. In other countries (Sweden maybe?), new players must complete a proficiency and etiquette course before they are turned loose on a real golf course. Its a great idea, and unfortunately would probably result in lawsuits here in the States.

Greatest joke....ever.

1. Improve my short game (oh, the horror) 2. Consistently shoot in the 70's 3. Improve my mental focus. (I have a really bad tendency to just step up and fire)