billm408

IIRC, there was a core group of 6-8, but at it's peak, there were probably 12-20 people living in the trees. They were getting ground support for supplies, but never really came down until the very end.

A handful of protesters lived in the trees on the Berkeley campus for 738 days protesting the removal of a small grove of trees to build the new football stadium. How long they think they can stay there depends on their dedication to stupidity I guess.

Yup. My newest set of irons (and primary sticks) are early 80's Titleist blades. Also have two sets of mid 70's Ram tour grind blades. Haven't found a good reason to switch yet.

Yes, both hands but just thumb & forefinger. It removes your hands and forearms (small muscles) from the swing completely. Its a great drill and let's you see how the club will do all the work if you stop trying to control it.

One of my favorite drills- both as a warm up & reminder- is to swing the club with just a thumb & forefinger grip. It forces you to use the big muscles in your swing and allows you to feel how the club sets at the top and releases at the bottom. You can hit balls this way (off a tee) and is a good feel drill for how your arms and hands should behave in your swing.

Nice rounds Mulldog! I had a totally scizophrenic round yesterday. Four birdies, four doubles, two brainless 3-putt bogies and 8 pars for a 78. Couldn't get out of my own way and had absolutely zero mental game or course management. Just never got it together like my mind was somewhere else the entire time. I'm playing Spyglass & Poppy Hills in Carmel next weekend so hope to have a different mental approach. We'll see, eh?

Agree with mvmac. Lowest point of the swing is aligned with the left armpit. Everything should be played about a ball back of that point- approx. ball to ball & half inside left heel. I play everything just inside my left heel unless I'm trying to manufacture a lower ball flight or adjusting to uneven lies. Hoping 3 iron is just confusing ball:divot relationship. Divot is always after the ball.

I play my driver just inside the left heel and everything else about a half ball back. The only time I move the ball around in my stance is if I'm trying to manufacture a different ball flight. The bottom of my swing is just inside my left heel. That doesn't change based on the length of the club in my hand.

Kind of ham & egg'd my way around today. Didn't hit a lot of greens but scrambled pretty well on my way to 76. A consistent two club wind came up today on the back 9 so that posed some interesting new challenges.

Played Cinnebar Hills today- 6561/ 72.6/ 136 Shot 77 and again missed a number of makeable putts inside 20'. My misses are always reading more break than is there. Hard habit to break.

Yes. New technology in woods (metals) and balls makes it hard not too. I play old forged blades so I don't notice a significant change in my irons. Other than I believe I'm just better (let me have the fantasy), but its noticeable off the tee.

OK- we're arguing symantics. My point is that the average golfer (18-20 hdcp), playing the pro's tee shot, is still going to flair an 8 iron into the bunker or chunk one halfway to the green, where the pro is going to knock a mid-long iron onto the green and often have a makeable birdie putt. I stand by my theory that distance is not the difference. But everything after the tee shot is a huge difference.

Really? A full 60* wedge from 90 yards is "long game"?

I'd be happy to do this and am willing to put up cash on the outcome. IME, your average 20 hcpr isn't a slouch, but a guy that can knock the ball around OK, that has 4-5 blow up holes where they tend to compound self inflicted wounds by bad decisions and the attempt to hit a career shot where there are better/safer options. I'm not a 4 because I'm a great ball striker (although I hit the ball OK), I'm a 4 because I make better choices and make fewer mistakes around the hole.

Big difference here is what you define as the "long game". Everything outside 100 yards is hardly the long game as I would define it. This a skewed theory based on a simplistic theory. What happens beyond 150 yards? 175 yards? 200+ yards? It's an arbitrary definition designed to support a hypothosis, not an accurate description of how game is played. Where are the stats that show the pros vs. amateurs only off the tees? And only on par 4 & 5 holes? No disrespect, but this is hardly empirical data to base a conclusion.

Can't argue with the data. My opinion- and only that- is based on my one time experience havin done this as an experiment. On the other hand, I'd bet that I could switch tee shots with a 20 hcpr and still beat him 9 of 10 times. Or is that just hubris??

True- my original point was that the difference, IME, was not as great as expected. The thread derailed a bit from there.

OK, but I think of 20 yards as a 2 club difference. And as a single digit hcpr, you should be around the greens on your approach too. I know I am. The difference is that they'll knock the ball in the hole more often. Or leave short tap in putts. Look at what Rory just did in Bermuda.... dead pulled a left handed shot near the water, flubbed a chip near the green and holed out from the fringe for par. Even most good amateurs would not have made 5 and it had nothing to do with the drive. And yes, tmac20, I think most amateurs would have better scores if a pro played their shots from 100 yards and in. I know I would.

I misread his post and haven't read his book. Not sure I'd reconsider my opinion of the experience, but I'm open to being proven wrong. My answer to his question remains the same... Chipping and putting was the difference. The pros are ungodly good at getting up & down where even the good amateur is not as skilled.

Not sure why you would doubt this. But my point is that the real difference between us and the pros is not distance but their ability to get up n down from 75-100 yards... Not distance off the tee. Matt Kuchar is a short knocker with an incredible short game. He competes evenly with Bubba Watson & the other long hitters. Distance off the tee is not the separation point. YMMV [quote name="14ledo81" url="/t/76311/what-would-you-shoot-if-a-pga-tour-pro-drove-the-ball-for-you/90#post_1066307"] I don't doubt the statement in bold above. The real questions is this, "Are you more accurate with an 8 iron than a 6?" Assuming the obvious, the next questions is this, "How come you did not score any better?" [/quote]

No such thing as lucky in golf. There is only bad luck and skill.

Interesting idea... I had the opportunity to do this once. I used to play the occasional round with Casey Martin (during the great golf cart debate era) and played one round using each other's tee shot. I had commented that his near 300 yard drives gave him a distinct advantage. He called bullshit. This was at Poppy Ridge in NorCal- as I recall, the two 9's we played measured near 7000 yards with a 140 slope. Funny but we both shot the same (+/=) that we shot the week before. It amounted to about a 2 club difference on the approach and he was as accurate with a 6 as I was with an 8. The differences were not in the distance but the short game. I agree with caniac6.... my scores would have been lower if he had chipped & putted for me.

Six dividers in the bag Driver/ 3W, putter 2,3,4/ 5,6,7 8,9 PW/ 55, 60

Congrats on a great round. Good luck at Q School.

Thanks for sharing Gary. A good story well told. I liked how the two story lines ran parallel and then intersected to wrap up. The way you were able to weave playing lessons into the storyline was creative and valuable information. I look forward to reading more of your work.