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?

There are specific parameters that a good club fitter will try to get you to. Don't quote me on this cause I'm going from memory but I think you're looking for around 3000rpms and a launch angle between 12 and 17 degrees.

I just picked up a new hybrid because I'm sick of trying to muscle balls out of the rough with my 3 iron. Usually the only time I hit the 3i is when I yank a drive into the rough which is probably about the worst time to try and hit a 3i. After watching numerous pro's hit hybrids at the Open this weekend I figured I might want to put one in the bag. I hit a few different models (Cobra, Cleveland, Nicket) and the Adams was just a rocket compared to the others. I'm guessing the ProLaunch shaft might have something to do with it. What amazes me the most though is just how forgiving this thing is. I'm not sure how you miss-hit the thing. I can't wait to get out on the course and give it a try, now if I could just get these stupid thunderstorms to leave!

Unfortunately it's not as simple as "what loft". There are way too many variables to just pick a number. The design of the driver, the shaft type, the kick/flex point, tip stiffness, your impact angle into the ball, your launch angle, how much spin you impart on the ball at launch etc..etc..etc... My best advice is to take your current driver to a golf shop or clubfitter with a launch monitor. If you like your current driver you can change your ball flight with a simple shaft change. Much cheaper than buying a new driver! :)

Gratz on the new driver, I'm glad you found your fault and were able to fix it. Just one small piece of advice if I may, I realize you were working on your driver but hitting a "bucket" of balls with your driver is a really really bad idea. Frankly it's about the worst thing you can do for your swing. It destroys your tempo and usually does more harm than good to your swing. If you really need to work on just your driver I'd recommend hitting a couple of drives then hitting 3-4 sand wedges. I think you'll find that you hit your driver even better!

Afternoon all, I wanted to throw this out to the masses to get some opinion on an issue that's been driving me bonkers as of late. I've always been able to hit the ball far enough, I've never considered myself to be distance challenged, I can bang it 275 (300+ if I pure it) off the tee and hit my 7 iron about 155. I was measured this spring at 108mph with the driver so I know I can move the clubhead. What's driving me crazy however is my wedge game. In particular, my SW from the fairway. Despite numerous swing changes, ball placements and alignment tweaks I simply can't hit my 56 degree SW 75 yards consistently. More importantly, it seems to be getting worse. I'm currently playing a Cleveland 588, 5 degree bounce in the aforementioned 56 degrees. There's nothing more frustrating that striping the ball off the tee right down the middle and not being able to stick it on the flag from 80 yards out. I've started to wonder about the flex of the shaft in my wedge. When I bought it a few years ago the pro suggested a stiff shaft for better feel. I know for a fact that I'm not swinging my wedge in the 100mph range, not even close. I'm guessing it's more in the 70's or 80's so my question is this. If my swing speed is 20 or 30mph less with my sand wedge why in the hell am I using a stiff shaft? Anyone else struggled with this?

I've never bought clubs from them nor do I know anyone that has. That's not to say they aren't completely legit. One reason they may be significantly cheaper than Dick's though is the fact that they don't need to carry a margin anywhere near what Dick's does. Dick's has to pay for millions of square feet of retail space whereas on online retailer can work out of his or her garage or basement.

When I saw the title of your thread the very first ball that popped into my head was the Maxfli Revolution. I still think that's the best ball I've ever played. It felt amazing off the driver, crisp off the irons and putted like butta! Honorable mention goes out to the Precept EV Extra Spin.

I'm not really surprised to see Eugene go. He seems like a really nice guy but his swing is almost spastic. Watching him twitch around during his pre shot routine on that lob shot reminded me of Barkely. I've never seen another golfer go through the kind of movements he goes through when he hits a shot. The pressure of the tour would force him into siezures.

Sorry I meant Derek. Not sure where "Alex" came from :)

Reading this thread I can't help but wonder if many of the responses are from people list their all time longest shot, are lying their asses off or just don't have a freaking clue how far they hit their clubs. Seriously, the vast majority of touring pros don't drive as far as the responders to this post and since when does half the free world hit 210 yard 5 irons? Anyway, here's my numbers:. Driver: 280 3 Wood: 232 5W (Tight Lies) 205 5 Iron: 170 6 Iron: 160 7 Iron: 150 8 Iron: 140 9 Iron: 130 PW: 120 52: 100 56: 75