Kalnoky

Starting the downswing with my lower body.

FWIW I wound up going w/ Oakley Prizm - no regrets whatsoever. I feel like it makes the course easier to see. I even wear them when it's overcast. The Oakley Flak 2.0 is so comfortable I forget I have them on most of the time. Buy once, cry once.

I usually go out as a single during twilight, and I never play through either. There's never anyone behind me and I'm in no hurry to go anywhere. Once I hole out I will just stretch or practice putting. Our league plays on Tuesdays. I don't ever go out on weekends anymore. It's so painfully slow out there I can't stay in rhythm at all. The last couple of times I went out on Saturday morning there was lot of aggressive playing through with nowhere to go and I could tell some people were on edge. Not worth it.

I voted water. With the wet weather around here, even short courses have plenty of water. Our creeks, rivers, and ponds just never dry out. We are used to the challenge of carrying the water and it does add a fun element of strategy. For example, teeing off w/ less than driver. The worst for me is sand, for the same reason as above - we don't see a lot of sand up here so I'm terrible in the sand trap. I got a lot of "practice" down in Palm Springs last fall with the sand. No thank you.

Shot a 40 yesterday, 5 GIR, 1 birdie, 4 pars. Best 9-hole score of my short career thus far.

This is exactly how I do it too, and it works really well for me - I holed out again for birdie yesterday with a 54*. I just look at the green like I'm reading a putt. I briefly experimented by putting the ball back in my stance like the OP says but it was much too inconsistent. At least it was for me.

I will putt from the fringe only. I find the speed change tricky from the fairway to green, and especially in the Pacific Northwest where I play, it's damp half the year & drainage can be unpredictable. So, I don't practice this type of shot at all.

Faster is better than slower any day. The ball rolls smooth and slow, which is easier for the cup to capture. Plus shorter stroke.

I also agree with Trevino. A good example is when you hit a good shoot and get a bad lie.

Those questions were so easy it was laughable. The average value of an NFL franchise is $2.5 billion. The NFL alone earned over $13 billion in 2016. That's just the NFL... not including college and major high school. Football is not an insignificant part of life in the United States. Those people are ign'ant

The most sports those people do is go on a hike or ride a bicycle. Maybe some of them climb an indoor rock wall sometimes.

I've been told the correct tees = 28 x your average drive. For club events/league, I don't have a choice. They tell us what tees to play from.

My father told me a story about an older gentleman who naively him asked why golfers are "always looking for their ball". Of course, as a non-golfer my father thinks this is very funny. My instructor told me a story about a body builder who showed up and couldn't hit his driver 150 yards. Hearing that gave me great satisfaction.

@Quietus You sound like me 3 years ago. I used to hit my driver 175, and that was a really good drive. I'm just guessing here, but hope this helps: Pin your upper arms to your torso, and try swinging the club by rotating your torso only (you might have to stand closer to the ball). It's going to feel like a very short backswing. As you get comfortable doing this you can use your hips to get more turn, but keep your head steady and do not lift your arms. This drill will give you the sensation of using your core and not your arms. As beginners we all have the urge to speed up the club with our arms and hands. This actually slows the club head down through the impact zone. Which equals very short shots.

The peace of mind from getting fitted is worth it alone.

That's what I would do also - state the "rules" before you go out. Maybe add a side bet on putts? If people think they're speeding the game up by taking gimmes, it's not helping much. A 3 foot putt should only take a few seconds. I think some people find putting boring, unimportant, or else they're trying to demonstrate how nonchalant and easygoing they are. I never take gimmes when they're offered unless I'm inside a few inches and we are being pushed.

So, ostensibly, I could look up one day and see a "driverless" RV next to me on the highway? That is both terrifying and fascinating. Do these RV's have technology that keeps them from drifting across lanes (like a lot of new cars do)?

No wedding ring during golf, golf practice, or at the gym. I also shoot competitively and I take off my ring for matches. Everywhere else, I wear my ring. If I take it off I always put it in the same place in the car so it never gets lost.

AP1 712 = 6 years old. I've recently been counseled to keep them until I can break 80, and then switch to something that has more control. They could end up being pretty old before I retire them.. hopefully not!

Yes. Lots of pretenders out there who should be playing forward one or two tees.

Some people have an innate ability to effortlessly discourage others.

Did you mean 50' from the pin, and 15' from the front of the green? If the green is elevated I will use a wedge, if the green is flat I will use a 9-iron. From the rough definitely using a wedge because the ball will release... From the fairway you can be more aggressive w/ the 9-iron as the ball will spin. If by lob you mean pitch, I pitch at 40, 50, 60 yards. Anything close I chip. The flop I only use to get over bunkers and only with a nice fluffy lie.

Ping G2i Anser putter, mfg. 2003.

Very useful thread, I enjoyed reading. Just did 20 practice swings in the conference room, thanks

Looks fun. I've always wanted to try ax and knife throwing.