retexan599

I would enjoy lengthy putting practice, but my lower back gets sore very quickly. Maybe something wrong with my posture? Must.take.photo....

Currently playing these Nike PD Soft. I think they are a good compromise of distance, feel, and price. I have played the PD High, and they go too high for me; and the PD Long are more prone to slicing for me. If I ever get to score under 80 consistently, I might think about something more premium, but these work fine for me.

I try to play the same ball for a few months at a time. Earlier this year I played some Nike NDX balls that I got for Christmas last year and they were ok. Now I am playing the Nike PD Soft (green box). I like these better around the greens and they also stay in the fairway for me. Last year I played the Nike PD Longs, but they were harder to keep in the fairway.

Well, at a minimum it is my form of recreation and exercise. Been playing off and on for about 20 years and quite often in last 10 years since retirement. I enjoy playing and it is a game I can play for as long in life as my health allows. Also enjoy the challenge(s) and watching myself progress over the years. I also had the pleasure of introducing some of my grandchildren to the game and we play as often as we can manage which is a special treat for me and them. And, being an engineer, I like keeping my statistics!

My favorite course in that general area is Southwyck in Pearland, not too far from Clear Lake. A lot of it has a links-like feel. When I play with my grandsons who live in League City, we go to Beacon Lakes in Dickinson; an average course, but not bad; Beacon Lakes is also unique for being a lighted 18 hole course so you can play after dark.

Brief update: have played two 9 hole rounds with this 'extended arm' swing and it is working well for me on the course. I am hitting the sweet spot of the driver more consistently and getting more distance as well. I have also been applying the same swing dynamic to my fairway woods (3,5,7,9,11) with also good results. Not sure whether it will work with my irons, but plan to give them a try. I have to avoid the urge to swing faster with this setup because that results in mis-hits. Thanks for the tips above.

I tried this tip at the range last night, along with standing about 1-2" further from the ball and was able to strike at the sweet spot consistently for a change. Looks like a winner and will see if it migrates to the course. My 'theory' of this is that by extending the arms at address, they can't go much further out during the swing, having been already extended...make sense?

I always play with a golf cart and I use the Golfshot app on my iPad. There is really no delay to speak of for using the iPad; I like the big screen much better than having the app on my smart phone. I also have a gallon zip-lock bag in my golf bag to protect the iPad in case of rain. I don't have it on a mount, just on the seat beside me.

Actually I use both the paper scorecard and the GolfShot app on my iPad. I alway use a golf cart, so the tools are right at hand and do not delay the progress of the shot. I make additional notes on the scorecard such as whether the putt missed L, R, S, LG & if the fairway shot was pure, fat, or thin, etc. But the app gives me the distance of the drive, the stats, emailing me the app scorecard, etc. I try to get the best of both worlds. All that helps me review the round accurately when I get home. Guess that is the engineer in me also.

When I was introducing my grandchildren to the game, I started with putting, then chipping, then a more full swing with a middle iron on a tee. Using a tee was important to give them a feeling of getting the ball airborne. Putting first emphasizes the objective of the game, to get the ball in the hole. I thought it also important for each one to have their own clubs (and glove, balls and tees, etc.) 'to have and to hold' so to speak. Also to emphasize stuff like the right grip, how far away from the ball to stand, etc. Then go to advice of previous poster. Just my take.

With my driver, the ball is at the very toe of the club; I tend to hit drives near the hosel. With my fairway woods, it is in the middle. With my irons, the ball is 'nestled' near the hosel, as I tend to hit the irons near the toe. When chipping with an iron, the ball is very near the toe. Not sure this all is optimal, but seems to work for me.

Lots of ways to do it, but two things to add: use 'Longshot' impact stickers on club face to get feedback about where I am making contact between club face and ball. I can remove the stickers and restick them to a piece of paper for history at home. take a pen and paper and make notes on what worked and what did not. Keep notes in a computer file and take with me to the course next time for pre-round review. My points to remember are all on one sheet of paper, which I update as I learn.

I guess it is a matter of personal choice, but I have settled on having the two parallel lines that you can see in my avatar picture. I bought a plastic template that has the parallel grooves to use with a Sharpie marker. My eye(s) 'see' the desired track better with the two lines than with a single line. It does require that I mark my ball, orient the ball, then take away the marker. This takes a little more time, but makes me focus on the track instead of rushing to putt the ball. My putter has a line on the top of the head which I address with that line bisecting the two parallel lines on the ball. This has gotten pretty automatic for me and seems to be a big help to me.

+1 on Golfshot for the iPad. Good way to keep track of a lot of your statistics, and cool that it emails me a copy of the round scorecard. Battery life is really good, even though the GPS is constantly updating; GPS is quite accurate compared to the distance markers on the course. I use a golf cart exclusively and the iPad sits next to me. Use the 'track shot' feature to keep me honest about just how far my various shots really do travel. Also have a weather radar app on the iPad in case I need to see whether thunderstorms are creeping up on me.

I have had that problem of hitting on the toe, especially with irons, and how close I stand is important. Another variable I found to affect the result is where the ball is relative to the width of the club face at address. I get better results if I position the club so that the ball is nearer to the hosel. I used impact stickers to indicate just where on the club width that the ball was struck. I must add, however, that just the opposite effect occurs with my driver; I find that I need to position the driver face (at address) nearer to the toe, or else it hits too near the hosel. There are a bunch of variables involved to get a good golf shot, and I by no means get it right all the time. But give some attention to where the ball is relatively to the club face width and it might help, and get some impacts stickers for feedback.

I have had good results buying drivers online from Pinemeadow Golf. I have one Command BK and one ZR1 Mark II. You get to choose the options like type of shaft, length, grip, etc.

Thankful that I get to play golf with my grandchildren from time to time. I have introduced five of them to the game and given them each their own set of clubs. It is a blessing to be able to spend quality time with them in this way and see them progress. And we have fun in the process!

I also have arthritis in my hands. I have been using Winn Excel RF Oversize +1/8” Weather Black grips for a couple of years now and they help a lot. Also have all graphite shafts to reduce the shock up the shaft. And I wear a glove on both hands to dampen the vibration to the right hand.

I wear gloves on both hands because I have arthritis in my fingers and the glove minimizes the impact stress. I do take them both off for chipping and putting. A minor 'benefit' is that I don't have one hand more tanned than the other. I have done this for several years now and gotten used to having two gloves.

I once had to hide in a porta-potty during a surprise vicious thunderstorm; that thing was rocking back and forth like a ship on high seas. But it was better than nothing at that point...nowadays I am glad I have an iPad with weather radar to warn me!

I still play the Nike PD Longs. I used to play the PD Soft, but migrated to the PD High and then the PD Long. Guess I am used to the Longs now. But...your post has me thinking about trying the PD Soft again as I do often find the Longs do not hold on the hard Houston greens very well.

Houston heat is not for me, just wilts me. So...this summer I am confining my tee-off time to about 5:30 p.m. and play as many holes as possible until dark. If there is a good breeze this is doable for me.

I have arthritis in the fingers of both hands. I wear a glove on my right hand as well as the left for this reason. I also have oversized tourwrap grips as well as graphite shafts throughout the bag. All of that helps a lot, so I can play 18 holes with minimal discomfort. I usually take one acetophenamin and one ibuprofen about hole #7 or so.

I use Golfshot on my iPad 2. I had a different (and poorer featured but higher priced) GPS application on my Verizon LG phone, but really prefer what I now use. The iPad 2 screen is so much bigger and I can see the course aerial quite well. I use strictly a golf cart, so the iPad is on the seat to my right. Now starting to use the scoring features of Golfshot and like being able to email the resulting scorecard to myself. Btw, I have a gallon ziplock bag in my golf bag in case it ever rains again in Houston (virtually no rain this year to date, everything is drought-dry). I have the 1GB (minimum) cellular iPad data plan from Verizon; the iPad is also my automobile GPS and all the other good stuff you can do with the iPad. I probably use about 40% of the battery during a round, so no problem there.

Somehow I don't think that religion is a fruitful line of discussion in a golf forum.....