Kalnoky

Out of curiosity, how much distance (if any) are you losing off the tee in those temps? Haven't read the entire thread, apologies if this has already been discussed..

Golf is interesting. When I first started watching golf and Golf Channel on TV, I immediately noticed the voluptuous women in those little skirts. I was like, wowza. As a football fan I thought we had very pretty faces on the sidelines (bundled up in coats and scarves) but nothing can hold a candle to golf. They make tennis commentators look like librarians. I will stop just short of saying the business of golf objectifies women, because I haven't been around long enough. But it is a curious departure from other sports, almost a kind of throwback.

^^ that describes me perfectly. I get greedy and start trying to use my hands to force it to go further, which has the opposite effect

Pointless comment/irrelevant You're not sure of a lot of things, you just pretend to be.

Paying for my own education with my own money taught me a great deal. Not everything in life is a competition sport. One day someone will have you over a barrel and you'll need help, and then you'll change your tune. @NM Golf Why are you even here, on this 'site, haggling with people who shoot in the 90's? Most people here don't work in golf. They play for fun and they are entitled to their own opinion(s).

+1 The old Nike (20XI/VRS) beanies are fleece lined, and sleek (unlike bulky mountaineering caps). Anyway, there used to be a lot of new old stock on eBay for relatively inexpensive. I highly recommend them. Also I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but I have to go one (1) size smaller in the winter gloves. At least the the FJ ones expand when they get damp.

Nah. I took plenty of sh* when I'm started out and I'm still playing golf. There is a healthy number of jerks out there, I hear it when I play with them. We've all heard it. Anyone who says they haven't is a liar. I don't blame a beginner for wanting to play alone with her spouse. If my spouse was a 5 handicap I'd have done the exact same thing. My brother's wife asked me about playing golf the other day. My first thought was I'm going to take them myself so they don't have to go out alone.

Before I joined the Men's Club and nobody knew me, the starter would look at me sideways if I showed up alone. I always ask if there is a group going from the Green tees (6000) I would prefer to wait and join with them. This usually elicits a patronizing chuckle from the starter. Or they can't understand why I want to wait for another group. After I joined the Men's Club and some of the more popular members took me under wing then everyone else fell in line, including the starters. I guess my point is, accomplished players are very often highly insensitive and forgetful about the long hard road to good golf. When you are starting out you can't help other players look for their ball; you can't carry on in casual conversation with the guys, because every ounce of you is trying to focus and remember your posture, your grip, etc. People will give you swing advice you don't understand and then you feel like you're letting them down. At least I know I was not a good playing partner as a beginner. I was very quiet and just doing everything I could to keep up, and not hold up the group. It was really hard, I am surprised I stuck it out.

I've heard other golfers grousing about being paired with beginners, especially women. So it does happen. Let the starter know you prefer to play just the two of you, sometimes they assume you want company, even on slow days, and they will find people to pair you up with. They'll even call down to the range to see if someone's done warming up, so you can have a playing partner. Some of these guys are very social, extroverted people, and it doesn't occur to them why you might want to play as a twosome when you could be a foursome. A second option is to ask if you can go off the back. As long as nobody's on the 8th green they'll usually let it slide. A third option is Twilight Golf. Plus cheaper rates during Twilight. good luck

@Patch Fantastic story, love it. The course record at my home club is owned by a PGA Pro who showed up one day completely by surprise. I never heard of the guy and don't remember his name, and I'm not even sure what decade this happened. But even the blowhards speak about in reverent tones.

2 x 3-putts today, the first one started with a long lag putt that missed badly. The second one was a heart-stopping gimme length putt that I inexplicably pushed left of the cup. I really needed that par too; I did not play well today.

@arturo28mx Well I tried baseball grip for about a week but I did not like it. I feel like I'm "holding on" to the club instead of releasing. All my clubs lost distance. And I was starting to hook pretty bad too. I'm back to the Vardon, which works well for me. But I'm glad I tried something new - you never know. That's why I come to this website, to learn new things.

44 on 9 holes. 3 pars and two double bogies. 6 FIR, 1 GIR. 14 putts including two 15 footers. Ball striking was hot garbage. First round in golf pants and beanie since March. Windy, wet, and cold, leaves strewn everywhere. Borderline unplayable. Probably going to shut it down here soon and go into training mode until next Spring.

Completely valid (and very common) reason for buying products of any kind. Lots of golf sales this time of year, including some very good deals on clubs, balls, and other equipment. Some products I won't buy, because I don't like the way they're marketed. Nothing at all wrong with Wilson for my .02, if someone gave me new Wilson irons I would be thrilled.

For practice I will hit every ball in a small bucket (approx 30). I also want to leave on a good note, but the idea behind hitting every last ball is to simulate pressure. If I am warming up before a round I will hit every club once, and maybe the driver 2-3 times (half a small bucket). If I hit one bad I do not re-hit, because the idea is to trust my swing.

I shot 59 on a par 32 course.. That was three years ago. Last week I shot 34 on the same course.

I've a question about these awards (i.e., break 100/90/80). Can you combine scores from two consecutive days to form an 18-hole score? Say for example I play the Front 9 today and the Back 9 tomorrow.. can I add those together to form a true 18-hole score? I apologize if this has already been discussed

For the most part I don't see any harm in indulging a few "second shooter" or Area 51 conversations. As long as people don't wind up like Tim McVeigh. People are way too uptight. You have to have a little bit of imagination in this life. Almost all children have wonderful imaginations, and adults unfortunately lose it somewhere along the way. I have the original hollow earth book from the 1960s (the one that launched the hollow earth cult). I found it in a used bookstore for a couple bucks. It was so poorly written I couldn't finish it. But I'm happy to display it on my bookshelf as an oddity and conversation piece.

Probably a compliment @klineka When I started playing golf even people who could break 100 were accomplished golfers to me. So I know how the OP feels. I still remember!

I agree with this. A "quiet end" of the driving range would be great for me. When I was in college I never could understand those people who could watch TV and do homework, or listen to music while they study.. I always needed to be in the quiet part of the library to get anything done.

@TallSouthern the driving range collects all sorts of people. A lot of these don't even play golf, they just hit balls for fun. As other have pointed out, that's not a sin per se. However, if you're working on something very specific, it's annoying when people around you are screwing around re-enacting Happy Gilmore. Or, someone gets impatient with their mail-order bride because she is hopeless with a golf club. Or burnouts getting drunk while they hit balls (I've seen it all). My suggestion is to find a more exclusive course to hit balls at. I've actually found the price of a bucket to be a few quarters less than at the hoi polloi ranges, because it's not their core business. People are a little bit more genteel too... Even the snobs will leave you alone. Most will hit 5-10 balls and then head for the first tee. It's a very nice quiet environment, good for learning. Anyway, funny you mention people being competitive at the range.. I've noticed the same thing. Part of this (I think) is it's more embarassing to not be able to hit a pitching wedge than a driver. So, better to look like a fool with a driver in your hand :)

haha.. I think that first summer I did a few 120's. 208 is a lot. One (1) piece of advice I never followed, which I should have followed, is not to keep score in the beginning. If you reach 10 strokes just pick up and move to the next hole. This game is not for everyone. Just like playing music, or owning firearms.. or riding a motorcycle. I think some personalities do much better with golf than others. My father and my wife for example, cannot play golf. They are too temperamental, too impatient.. and they will be the first ones to say it.

Do you have an outdoor range where you can demo clubs? I think when you see a good ball flight you'll know it right away.

Something I considered for my first set was resale value. I wasn't sure if I was going to survive that first summer.. So I bought used, name brand clubs. At the end of the summer, I sold them for close to what I paid, and was able to roll that money into a fitting and another used (albeit much newer) set. I had an instructor who told me the "weight" on an expensive club was much better than on a cheaper club (as he was swinging a 4-iron around w/ one arm). But then he went on to say Phil Mickleson could "beat everyone here with clubs from the Goodwill".

Ha! Love it. Golf fixes initially feel good, like going off medication. But then you start hearing voices again. @arturo28mx I'm going to try a 10 finger grip at the range today. I'm very curious if you've lost any length, and also whether your accuracy has improved. In the beginning I was strongly warned by friends (very good golfers) not to use the baseball grip. I was told the baseball grip has a limited ceiling for getting better. So I have always used a Vardon grip. But I have noticed this year when I did league play that a good number of the guys use the baseball grip and play pretty damn well. I have a chronic problem with laying off (usually at the top) causing very sketchy accuracy with my irons and this is why I am stuck playing for bogies. I've tried many different things to fix it, like using a neutral grip and standing closer to the ball. Anyway, the season is just about over here, I see no harm in trying out something new.