mdvaldosta

I think Tiger's average score is around a 69. You see the leaderboards with guys -15 or -20 sometimes after 4 rounds on an easy course... but those are the LEADERBOARDS. Shooting a -5 is a GREAT day for anyone in a PGA field... with more like shooting at or around par for the average professional having an average day. So, give them a few strokes for an easier setup, and I think shooting 3 or 4 strokes under the course rating is pretty fair. That would... afterall... put them at a +4 handicap give or take.

Even if it's the same loft, a hybrid isn't gonna have as long of a shaft and thus it will be 1. more accurate and 2. not as long

Gotcha, I notice that. Thanks.

I've got a Bushnell with the PinSeeker, and all I do is aim and hold the button down for a few seconds over the flag. Sometimes it starts out with a really high distance, obvious I'm hitting a bunker past the pin or something so by holding it for a couple seconds even if you've got unstable hands you'll get the right measurement very quickly and easily. I love it and prefer a laser over GPS for many reasons, but mostly ease of use and being sure I've got accurate distances. GPS seems to sometimes be off by 5 yards either direction (meaning even 10 yards on occassion - that's nearly a club).

I order my practice balls online, the used "mint" balls. Comes out much cheaper that way, so it only costs $1.50 or so per ball. At any rate, how can I spot the difference between a 2009, 2007 or older ball?

Game Improvement irons have much more offset, helping to keep the hands in front of the ball and closing the clubface (making it harder to hit a slice). Also, they have much more weight at the bottom of club club, which makes it easier to get the ball airborn (which makes it harder to hit low). GI irons have more perimeter weighting, making the sweetspot much larger but not as "hot". Blades will hit the ball where you tell them to, whether you like it or not. You'll get more control (high/low/left/right), whether you like it or not. When you hit the sweetspot, you'll get a more piercing ballflight and more distance - but when you miss (which would be alot if you're an average ballstriker) you'll lose alot of distance and hit the ball offline. The best analogy I've heard for this subject (from someone here) is that hitting a GI iron is like driving a nail into wood with a frying pan. It's easy, everyone can do it, but there's a tradeoff in efficiency. Using a ball-peen hammer, on the otherhand, can drive that nail in in one swing but if you're not skilled enough you will crush your finger.

Even blades (most all that I know of) have alittle bit of offset.

I have them all the time... two steps foward 1.5 steps back.

I only take a half swing prior to striking a ball with a full swing, so that I can get loose or get a feel for something I'm trying to work. Chipping and putting is different though, I usually take two practic swings to visualize/feel what I'm trying to do or the speed.

A 54 with 10* of bounce. You can hit it out of the sand, can hit mild flops with it and would be great around the greens. With that being said I play a 52* and 56*... and use the 56 for anything inside 90 yards. But... if I had to choose... I'd play the 52 since the gap between my PW and 56 is just too large.

Sharpen mine as well, with one of those $8 groove sharpeners from eBay. I'd say it's noticable from the first swing if your grooves are pretty worn, especially on wedges.

If you're gonna be firing at greens, probably a hybrid would be best. They're designed to be as controllable as an iron (same length shaft) but will hit it higher so it will land softer. Most folks can't hit a 3 iron high enough as is, but if you can then maybe hit both and see how you feel. I'm not a big 5 wood fan, but that's just me. I play a 3 iron and 2 hybrid usually, but sometimes I put a 3 hybrid in the bag. Just depends on how I'm striking the ball.

Many Florida courses get pretty cheap in the dead heat of summer, and get expensive in the fall/spring.

I think you'll find most good golfers will swing as hard as they can and still maintain control and balance. For me, that's about 90%.

I'd venture to say they're not after the folks who get tricked into marketing gimmicks, you know. I don't think the "good and aspiring golfer" is gonna play a brand name just because some PGA touring player does (well maybe sometimes), I think those types of players are gonna play what's best for their game.

A bit off-topic, but this reminds me of one of my favorite all time jokes... and it happens to be about chili : Chili Tester at FunnyandJokes.com

Dibs on Tiger. Yea, I went there.

The Masters, because it's exclusive and probably the most prestigious event.

Not sure how it's measured, but you're probably right on that. Standard length seems to be 35"

I think it takes three things, and most everybody's got a different mixture of both in them (somewhere): Practice Time Natural Ability Proper Technique If you can get proper instruction, have some natural athletic ability and the time to practice - you can do it. In my opinion. But it takes all three.

If you're spinning the ProV1 too much, give the ProV1x a try. From the sounds of it, you'll still be able to stop the ball around the greens but it won't be spinning back off the green.

I think you'd find better consistancy by keeping your hands in the middle (like they were originally) and shifting your hips foward a bit to get more weight on your left side and your hands in front of the ball that way.

Yea, but it's a bit more complicated than that. The slope and rating of the course/tees you're playing from are factored in also. A 15 handicap might translate into just 10 strokes, for example, from the blue tees of an easy course. Or you might get 20 strokes from the championship tees on a difficult course.

Well maintained greens and decent fairways. Those are my biggest concerns.

Yea he was a great guy, got shot while cheating on his wife at his girlfriends house...