Kalnoky

Some guys are big proponents of starting out w/ standard length & lie. Another option is, Ping has a color coded fitting chart that will give you a pretty rough idea of length and lie. You can find the appropriate Ping color coded irons (called dots) on eBay. Or can buy a standard set of clubs and find someone who can do a static fitting (no swings, just measurements) and they will cut and bend the irons for you. Shouldn't be more than $75. Later, as you start to develop a swing, you can do a dynamic fitting. I think it huge peace of mind if you can trust your equipment when you're learning.

Headwinds are worse than rain. It does not take much for your clothes to feel uncomfortable. if the flag is bent from the wind, you start to second guess yourself at address. Then, bad things happen. There is a lot of wind in the afternoons where I live.

Most of the guys I play with are retired or in their 60's and most of them shoot 84-85 on a bad day. So, I have wondered the same thing as you, i.e., am I holding these guys up, are they embarassed for me, etc... However, they seem to enjoy playing with me, and I think it's sincere. I bet people enjoy playing with you too. My short answer is, I would really enjoy it if we were paired up. I don't give people's age a second thought. There is only one thing I really don't like from a playing partner, and that is free swing advice. It doesn't happen much anymore, but when I was averaging mid-90's, boy, everyone wanted to fix my swing. And all they did was make it worse. Much worse.

W/ re: to golf, a good friend once counseled me: "it comes and it goes". Since he is an accomplished player, I think about his simple words of advice often. I believe my very first post on this 'site was about "losing your swing" (or something to this effect). I think you can lose your swing from one day to the next if you don't trust your swing or know your swing. Something I learned recently from my instruction was to flush bad shots and just trust my swing. The first day back after a long lay off is going to be a bit rough, but you should (and I should too) keep those doubts at arm's length. The swing comes back as long as you don't start tinkering.

It is one of my stated goals for this season to do a couple of tournaments.. I don't expect to win, I just want the practice of playing under pressure. I've been tempted to do tournaments before, however, 1. I did not think I was good enough, and 2. the cost $$ deterred me. Unless it's a scramble (or some other format) I would like to see my home club do flighted tournaments, and also lower the cost. My club has a very laissez faire attitude these things, probably because many of the core members are retired and just having fun. I have to say along the way I've had the pleasure of playing golf with some really cool and nice people, but man, I always get stuck with guys who are way better than me... I feel like I'm just trying to keep up the whole time. If I'm going to shell out for a tournament I want the chance to actually beat someone, and I have to be able to justify the cost (and the cause) to the bosslady.

I vote no on the 60*. Too easy to thin or slide under it, too unreliable. It's a specialty club. I am selling my 58*. My new philosophy is to have an uncluttered bag. I play AW 48* and SW 54.10*.I learned to hit my PW 60-65 yards using a 1/2 swing, so I have no need for an LW. And I can pitch or hit flops by opening up the 54.10*.

Establish a USGA GHIN, by paying the fee and recording my scores in the computer on league night/men's club Hit 51% FIR, by strengthening my legs and core through a weight program for added flexibility and stability Hit 33% GIR, continue to practice lagging my irons and eliminating out-to-in swingpath Devote more practice time to pitching and 1/2 wedge shots To break 90 from the 6400 tees Compete in my first tournament

Was at the PGA Superstore and found the green/white UA shirt I wanted, in my size and on sale. Sold out immediately. Can no longer make fun of Under Armour.

^^^I suspect this is true.. but I'm not quite there yet. I voted two swing thoughts. I'd love to get to on one (1) swing thought. I've painstakingly ingrained a big part of the golf swing, but important parts of it are still a conscious exercise.

@cutchemist42 Exactly what @billchao said, the upright setting promotes more of a fade (left to right). This was not addressed when I was fitted. However, since I play my irons 2* up, I have on my own adjusted my hybrids and drivers to the upright position (I believe the upright position is 1* up for TaylorMade). If you push/lose shots to the right, it's worth experimenting with the upright setting. I haven't gained any distance from doing this by the way.

My understanding is this: If you square the clubface after taking your grip, you are changing the trajectory (loft). If you take your grip and do not square the clubface (open or closed face at address) that is not changing the loft - that is only changing the shot shape. So as others have said here, you have to square the club face when you take your grip to change the loft. FWIW I don't mess w/ the lofts because I like to ground the club normally. I just want to eliminate as many variables to screwing up as I can. I do play it in the upright setting however, which does not change the loft, only the lie. BTW I also have an M2. Excellent choice.

I recently played in Palm Springs with a few experienced players and we kept a very good pace - faster than I normally play, that's for sure. Anyway, there was a couple of guys in a cart pushing us the whole way.. They wouldn't pass us, they just parked back a ways, arms folded, staring like they were irritated. When we got done, the guy that wipes down your clubs told us those two jaggofs regularly play 18 holes in 2 hours. My thinking was, "why"? Why live in a beautiful place like that and be in such a hurry to get off the course?

I played new TruSoft and DT Solo for the last part of the summer. It was the best golf I've ever played. They are soft but not too soft - feels like you can really crush them. They definitely don't "click" like harder balls do. Anyway, I guess it depends on your swing speed, but I really like them, and esp. the price <$20. I can afford to stay in new balls for that price. They do release on the green more than 3 piece balls, so you have to plan on walking them up a little bit. They don't stick like velco, like more expensive balls do. They release a couple 2-4 feet even when you are chipping/pitching. Not a big deal to me, because as of right now I only hit 4-5 greens a round. I love the feel off the putter. It feels like it has good "weight".

Elkhorn Valley Golf Course in Lyons, Oregon. It is an hour away from civilization in the Opal Creek Wilderness Area, the largest old growth stand in the Western Cascades (trees avg 500-1000 years old). If you miss the (very narrow) fairways you will not find your ball. If by luck you find your ball in the forest, it will take two strokes to punch out because of all the trees. Often times the only play was to punch out backwards. And, there is water everywhere. The clubhouse sells t-shirts that say "I lost my balls at Elkhorn". I attempted 131/73.2 - 6300 and was severely humbled. I basically had no business being out there two years ago. Several guys from my home club warned me! I am curious to try it again this year, as I expect to improve again. Hopefully they are still in business, golf courses are taking a hit around here.

I don't mind if people occasionally let loose with a flurry of colorful language, but I don't like playing with hotheads. I mean those people who turn red when they cuss.

I choose bogie free, because I will statistically birdie 2 of those holes and finish under par - an incredible thought for me.

Distance is a prerequisite to play any respectable golf. If you can't get off the tee you can basically forget about playing. Accuracy is how you go from 90 to 80. Putting is how you beat competitors who are on your same skill level.

I've been happy with all my clubs for some time now. A big part of that was putting 100% of the responsibility for playing better on me and not my equipment. My irons are 5 years old now, but I still like them. I've been told the newer irons are even better than mine, but I am dubious. The best decision I ever made was to get fitted for a driver. I'll be good for a while now.

A short (bad) drive + water around the green = layup.

Recently played with a couple guys who thought the Range Finders slowed the game down. They had a little "three stooges" routine, impersonating a clown with a rangefinder wasting time. One of these guys had a GPS watch and he would read the distances off to the rest of us. It was very efficient. When I'm playing alone I like taking readings all over the golf course with my rangefinder. Not just the pin, but the bunker, the front of the green, the stakes, etc. It does help a lot. For a while mid-summer I was without one and it hurt my scores, mostly because I would trust my eyes instead of the yardage markers. FWIW the Bushnells with the "pin seeker" technology are much quicker than some of the others. I have a Nikon now it definitely takes longer. It feels like I have a palsy when I look through that thing lol.

There are rational men who understand reason and then there are those arrogant men who only understand force. You cannot reason with the latter. Seems to me like Duff is ordinarily a pretty chill guy. I'm sure he responded in the only way that he could get that jerk's attention.

6-8 iron are a touch longer, 3H a bit shorter Otherwise, 99.5% accurate

That chart is scary accurate for my clubs. I voted "wrong tees". I carry 200, but my club has no 5600 tees, so I play from the 5900-6000. Just based on observation, at least 1/3 of the guys hitting big banana slices from the 6400 should be playing the 5900-6000. I think this is part machismo and part fear of ridicule. Somebody told me when I started that golf course don't really get harder, they get longer. I'm finding this to be true. The most important club in the bag is the driver. If you can't hit the driver you can't play golf. Makes me wonder why every instructor starts with a short iron or wedge..

^^Two thumbs way up

That's about what I've been experiencing too - the driver is losing 15-20 yards. I was 210-230 all summer, and sometimes 250+, now I'm roughly 185-210. It is in the 40's here right now and I can still play. The cold does not bother me as much as the rain & mud.