tyko

I can't imagine what could possibly justify hitting into a group. I couldn't disagree more about "letting it go". The next group they do it to may not be so lucky. I think Jon did the right thing by politely confronting them. Even though they didn't give the response he wanted, I bet they will think twice about doing it again to someone else. If you've ever been drilled in the back by the group behind you, you tend to have a bit lower tolerance for this kind of behavior. There's really no excuse for it.

In Seattle: PW: 100 9: 115 8: 130 7: 140 6: 150 5: 165 4: 175 3: 185 In California: PW: 120 9: 135 8: 150 7: 160 6: 175 5: 185 4: 195 3: Haven't hit one yet Yeah, I'm liking California so far. Not to mention, my driver probably goes 30 yards longer here due to the roll. If you can hit it 300 in Seattle (I can't) you are superlong. As others have said, it is funny everyone with a higher handicap hits it farther.

Congrats to the OP and everyone else! I love reading about things like this because, to me, that is the best part about golf. I haven't had a breakthough in so long it's sad. As a kid, I could really see improvement (scoring breakthroughs; significant handicap drops; etc.). For the last 10 years or so, improvments are so much more subtle (and I've actually gotten a bit worse ) My one and only swing breakthrough came when I was about 13 or so. Some dude on the driving range told me to hit down on the golf ball on every shot except drives. My game was different overnight. The great paradox of golf is that when you are a 20 handicap, you want to be a 10, when you are a 10, you want to be a scratch. The fun, though, is not in being a scratch, it's in the process. It's so much cooler to hear about someone breaking 90 or 80 for the first time than it is to hear about a +1 shooting 65 because the +1 usually acts as though it's expected. The dude who just shot 79 for the first time is way more excited. A former college teammate of mine gives lessons now. He was so inspired by people reaching milestones that he decided to switch over to lefty so he could experience it again. I guess I'm just saying to treat these breakthroughs as the big deals that they are because the lower your handicap gets, the less you'll notice them.

I played in a college event in Central Washington where the wind was a bit of a factor. Not sure on the mph, but I hit a 3 wood from 123 yds. into the wind, and came up short, and a 9 iron from 206 downwind (that ended up about 20 yards long). On crosswinds, we sometimes could not start the ball left or right enough to avoid trees on one side of the fairway and stay in bounds on the other side of the fairway. Everyone just ended up bunting it like 150 with their driver to keep it in play on crosswind holes. Natural shot shapes had no bearing, trajectory control had no bearing, it was wild. It was a one round exhibition and I think something like 79 or 81 won it. There were some pretty quality D1 programs there too.

I am on the fence about this one. I've seen blades hurt many more people than I've seen them help. Some people say that it helps them work the ball, but I've never had problems working the ball without them. Some people say that it helps them control trajectory, but I think 98% of the time, higher is better than lower, and 98% of golfers who think they hit it high don't hit it as high as they think they do. Some people say that it helps to groove their swing. This, I can see, but it really doesn't help me personally. I don't hit good shots when I miss the sweetspot with any club, let alone a muscle back. Not to mention that the majority of the PGA, Nationwide, Hooters, NCAA, etc. do not play true muscle backs all the way through the set. Turf interaction is my only pet peeve about my current irons. They don't really dig it out of a bad lie like a blade would. However, you can get blade-like turf interaction in a non-blade club, I just don't currently have it. So, with all the negatives, why am I on the fence? Blades are the sexiest thing in golf (including the best the LPGA has to offer). You'd look about 12-33 points cooler walking down the fairway... Unfortunately, I am not really good enough to benefit from playing them; but if you are, I say buy some!

Don't know about the Nikes being Mizunos and such. I know a lot of people think his Nikes are somethng besides Nikes though. As far as the Callaways being made by Cleveland Golf, no. If by Cleveland, you mean Roger Cleveland (who left Cleveland Golf, and got on with the big C a few years back), then, yes, he probably has a hand in the design of Callaway's forged irons. I know he designed the wedges....

Jackie T., I really like the looks of your swing, and after looking at the older ones, it looks like you've made a TON of progress with the lower body. I don't think it needs to be toned down any further, actually. The backswing is flatter than the downswing, but you aren't casting or coming over the top. A lot of great players from yesteryear used to do the same thing. The only real position to pay attention to in terms of swing plane is the halfway down position from down the line view. The shaft should still be loaded, and the butt-end should be pointing at, or slightly outside the ball. Look at all the tour pros swings in this position and they almost all look identical. You are right there as well. I don't think it matters how it gets there. I think it's almost impossisble to screw up horribly if you get in it that position. A lot of players take it too flat, and come over it; you do not. About the lie angle, I'm sure you know this already but just in case: When a shaft deflects into the ball, it not only releases forward, but down as well. This can make the club about 2* more upright due to the bow in the shaft. The other 2* probably comes from the fact that we can never make impact the exact same as address. Most good players (including yourself) make an athletic move at the ball which makes them "stand up" out of the shot ever so slightly when their hips clear. This also makes the plane a bit more upright at impact versus address. (check out Adam Scott at impact. His hips are cleared and he has a pronounced bend in his back to stay down on the shot.) Looks great man; keep it up!

I'm still hoping for a Kim, Christina, Lori 36-hole, two-day, finale. I'd love to see how Lori holds up on the final nine holes after walking those hilly courses in the Hawaiian heat. I've seen Christina's name on some fairly recent tournament results from the Cactus Tour. I don't know if they were played before taping the show or after though.

I love the reverse sandbaggers/vanity handicappers. I have never seen so many as I did while working at a golf course in Montana. Mostly, the guys who were 0-2 were legit. It was the guys in like the 4-7 range who thought they were "really close to being really good" who would carry 1-pw blades so they could "work their approach shots" and shoot 85-86-84 in almost every tournament they played. Magically, their handicaps never went up due to the 70s they shot in the practice round. One guy, in particular, had about a 3 or 4. I played probably 25 rounds with him on his home course and never saw him break 80; not once! He is probably responsible for my increased tolerance to beer due to the amount of free ones I had after our rounds. LOL. I'm more impressed with a legit 15 handicapper than a 10 whose card says 3.8. They're a lot more fun to play with too.

You're not crazy, but they are not the exactly the same. IIRC, the '10' identifies the type of substance, in this case, carbon steel. The '20', '25', '35' indicates the percentage of carbon in the steel/100. So, 1020 has .20% carbon, whereas 1025 has .25% carbon. The more carbon, the more hard/brittle the steel is.

Ok, let's say they are real. They still look ridiculous, and she still makes me want to scream at her childhood teachers when she opens her mouth.

OK, bad fake boobs then. I could be wrong, but I've never seen ones like that on a rail thin girl unless she had a little "help".

Amen. She said, "I could have really used Kevin's help." Is Kevin is going to tell you not to chunk it and leave it 70 yards short? Would the outcome really have been any different? No. Either you can make solid contact, or you can't. No caddie is going to change that. I am kinda glad Courtney is gone. She's nice enough, but it would suck if someone like her won this thing because I don't think she'd do much damage on any tour. As for her looks, I think the huge, fake boobs thing is about a decade late; but whatever floats your boat.... I'd like to see Kim, Lori, and Christina battle it out in a 36 hole, two day, stroke play competition on the Royal course one day, and the Kai course the next for all the marbles. That's the only way I see to help ensure that the best player wins.

I hit the blade and regular cavity indoors the other day because I'm thinking about these clubs as well. I hit my clubs and these clubs, and these feel much better. It's probably because my clubs suck so bad, but still. The guy working was very knowledgable, and he said this was the only forging he'd put up against Mizuno. The blade and regular cavity look almost identical at address, and all three clubs are tuned to create the ultimate combo set if desired. If I get to hit them outdoors and like them, I'll probably go PC in 3&4; cavity in 5,6,7; and blade in 8,9,PW. These are, by far, the best looking new club from address I've seen. I also hit the AP2, and it felt not so great by comparison.

Um...I don't want you to take this wrong, but do you really think anyone on this forum can reach the level (attain the same swing) of ANY tour pro? I hope you all prove me wrong and make millions on tour, but this whole thread is dreamland for all of us; that's the point. My pick: Charles Howell III (but I'd seriously take Craig Parry's in a heartbeat if it meant I could play like him)