Bear

You probably won't need an established handicap to join a league. Typically if you're joining for for the first time they will use your actual scores from your first three rounds to determine your handicap.

Your friend doesn't sound like all that great of a "friend". It sounds to me like he's trying to pick up some cash at your expense. If you're going to buy some new clubs you owe it to yourself to buy something decent. Brand doesn't matter a lot as long as you're getting some quality components. Taylor Made, Callaway, Cleveland, Ping etc all may solid equipment. The good news is that the economy sucks and there are all kinds of deals out there. Please take the time to go to a golf shop and get a basic fitting done. Swing speed, length and lie angle should take care of the basics. You'll want a set with a lot of forgiveness. High MOI and lots of perimeter weighting will help you develop your swing and hit straighter shots. Until you've played enough so that you can produce a repeatable swing don't worry about the uber expensive stuff out there. Here's an example I pulled from Golf Galaxy that would get you off to a great start: http://www.golfgalaxy.com/galaxy/pro...ffset=1&s;_id=0

Both of those balls should spin adequately enough to stop. I think you may be trying to hit the same shot two different ways. Hitting a shot that lands 3 feet past the pin then spins backwards is a LOT harder than hitting a shot that hits and releases three feet towards the hole. Harder in the sense that it's difficult to determine just how much it's going to spin back. That said, a lot depends on the firmness of the greens you're playing. Some greens are very receptive and the ball will stop dead others just won't. Knowing that characteristic is the first step in determining what shot you're going to hit. To generate a high amount of spin I concentrate on two things, acceleration and a high finish. If you're not accelerating through the ball you're not going to generate optimal spin. A high finish insures that I'm generating as much spin as possible. The second shot I use is basically a hop and stop. It's more of a high compression half swing. It helps to think of it as a pitch and run on steroids! :) The ball doesn't fly as high but when it hits it takes a hop and then just stops. In either case, practice practice and more practice is your friend!

The swastika symbol is commonly associated with the most virulent racism and genocide in modern history. Maybe that's why it's the symbol of choice for white supremists? I'm sure that the vast majority of people don't associate a swastika type symbol with native americans. The fact that the OP referred to it as "Baltic" negated any reference to native americans. There's nothing "interesting" about symbols of abject hatred.

Certainly there must be some putters with KKK logos them that you could admire. Jesus dude........

A "cadet" glove has shorter fingers.

Just a quick update: I did a bit more research on this driver. I discovered two things. First, one of the shaft options would have been a Proto VS shaft which is the same shaft I have in my 3w. I wish I'd know that. :( More importantly, I found out that the stock shaft measures 45.75". I went to the range earlier today, moved it back a half a ball in my stance and basically used an Anthony Kim grip. The results were MUCH better. Sometimes it's the indian...

I can't imagine what will happen to my swing if I start thinking about where my hands are when I make contact with the ball. To me it's a lot like thinking about where my left foot is when I'm walking.

I think you have to narrow down the parameters a bit. When I walk on a relatively flat course with a moderate temperature I play MUCH better. It slows me down, gives me more time to think about my next shot (or beat myself up over my last one) and really focus in on my game. When I ride I feel like I'm rushing from shot to shot. Now, a really hilly course in 90+ degree temperatures and my score is definitely going to be affected adversely.

When I crush it my swing feels perfect. Then again, when I smack it 40 yards off line I'm still hitting it really solid. I'm sure that consistency with getting the face square would certainly help. Hell, if I could hit a fairway I'd probably be a 2! I looked back at some of my stat tracking and when I hit the fairways I'm at about 70% when it comes to GiR's. I'm not a super iron player but I don't tend to hit them offline all that often. My driver however is absolutely killing my rounds.

To make a long story short, this spring I was fitted for a new driver. After a bunch of balls on the launch monitor I went with a Ping Rapture with a stiff stock shaft and 9 degree loft. I've played about a dozen rounds with it this year and I'm afraid I went too low on the loft. I can absolutely crush it when I hit it perfectly but it seems I'm all over the place. Hooks, slices, fades, draws...there's just no consistency. I'm wondering if I should have gone with a bit more loft for a little more forgiveness. I'm wondering what the masses think. Would a shaft change make a difference? If not, anyone know of a good trade/swap site for golf clubs?

I just got back from the range and I used this lesson exclusively. I didn't realize just how much I was hitting "at" the ball. I kept using the imagery of kicking a field goal and my driving was MUCH more accurate.

I picked up an A3 from Dick's last week for around $60. After hitting it on the range three times and play testing it on Tuesday I'm not sure how I ever lived without it. It's got a fantastic shaft and it's so easy to hit it's stupid. It's also 15 yards longer than my 3i ever dreamed of being.

If every instructor was as good as Shawn the whole world would have lower handicaps. He takes the mechanical out of a golf swing and gives you common real life things to help you swing better. I think I've learned more from his youtube videos than I've learned from the lessons I've taken.

I've been having a bit of trouble lately with focus and concentration and I'm hoping some of the more competitive golfers here can help me. I haven't played a lot of competitive golf recently and most of my rounds have been either work related tournaments or rounds with friends. While I think I always try to play my best I've noticed that my "enjoyment" rounds aren't anywhere near as low scoring as my league rounds. This is the first year I've ever played in a league and I've notice on nights when I really work hard at focusing I play much better. The problem is I seem to have a lot of trouble turning it on and bearing down. What do the other competitive golfers out there do to make sure they're putting maximum effort into each shot?