umpiremark

Maybe it's the plethora of drugs I took in the '60's, but this makes no sense to me at all. Maybe someone can help me out of my flawed thinking on this. For simplicity, let's use the face of a clock, where the target line is 6:00 to 12:00. Your slice is caused by your swing plane moving from 5:00 to 11:00. The ball travels from the center of the clock, over 12:00 and slices to 1:00 somewhere out there (for simple math). Correct? If you back up your rear foot, your stance is now pointed as if the target line was 7:00 to 1:00, right? Your "new" swing plane is 6:00 to 12:00 but the path of the club and over the top swing remains the same. Now the ball will start from the center of the clock and move over 1:00 and slice to 2:00 because all you've accomplished is turn your taget line 1 hour to the right. Right? If you've changed nothing in swing mechanics, grip, plane, etc., etc., all you've managed to do in this example is shift everything to the right, where your error is going anyways. Again, I fail to understand the logic here. Again, I took a lot of the blue ones and a few of the green ones in 1969, but if my methodology of understanding this "advice" is incorrect, please someone help me out. Thanks!

Yes, players in our league should always - and are encouraged to hit a provisional ball - if/when it MAY appear your first ball could be unplayable ... i.e. a hazard, crap that separates two fairways, whatever. We DO play by the rules, with the local club exception of hitting a second ball from the spot the first ball was lost without having to go back to the original spot (lateral penalty) to slow down league play after looking for five minutes. In this particular case, my opponent elected (for whatever reasons) to go looking for his first ball even though on the tee I said, "Looks like that's in the crap, hit another?" In my mind, this is how the hole WAS played by my opponent ... one off the tee, God knows where. Can't find the ball, dropped another, two, hitting three. Hit three. Players coming up nine find his first ball, he hits it, two shot penalty for hitting the wrong ball, lying 5. On, two putt, 8. He wrote down five. It's no big deal; I know he was wrong for hitting the first ball after placing down another ball. I think my opponent knew he was wrong, too. Outside of losing the hole, I was more frustrated that in a "fun" league with work collegues where there's no playing for blood or strong competition between most of us, what was the sense of not being honest on the first hole?

Just to be clear, the league I am in has a "speed up rule" that if a ball not in a hazard is lost, you can drop from the spot where the ball was "lost" to save time going back to the original spot and slowing down the league. And no, he did not declare a provisional, as I understand today, he just dropped, having given up looking for the first ball.

You know, that's what I thought. As limited as my understanding of ALL the idiocincricies of the rules of golf, I thought I understood that as soon as you place another ball in play, that ball is in play . The first one be dammed, it's a "declared" lost ball. But the odd thing was, if he DID hit a second ball, why didn't he go pick it up (where ever it was, 'cause I didn't actually see him hit again)? Maybe he knew he f%^*&^cked up and didn't want to admit it??? I hope not, Al and I are co-workers and friends (sort of) and this is a friendly league. Thanks for the response.

Last night in league, my opponent duck hooks his first tee shot left, across our fairway over to #9 of an adjacent nine. Between the two holes are trees, tall grass, just plain crap and jail. He's looking for his ball forever (my partner and I were on the right side of the fairway looking for HIS ball). After quite a few minutes, "Al" comes strolling down #9 and said to my partner (I thought) that he gave up and hit another ball. At that same time, a foursome coming up 9 yells to us and lo and behold, there's Al's ball on the opposite side of the adjacent fairway. So he hit it. Now he never went anywhere and picked up that second ball (that I could see) and proceeded to make par on the first hole, a par 5. I kept my mouth shut, as I wasn't sure he hit a second ball or not. Though, after the round, I asked my partner and he said Al told him he had, but never went and picked it up. My question then, is if he HAD played a second ball from nine fairway, isn't that ball now in play? No matter where or when or how his first ball is eventually found, he's declared that ball lost and put a second ball in play, correct? I was so befuddled that a golfer with his experience didn't know the rules. But then again, I never said anything to him on the course, so probably my fault too. What was Al's real score on that hole? Should I have asked him if he played a second ball and forced him to go back and play that one? He's 6-3, 250# and I'm not! Opinions?

From my slice experiences ... if I take the club inside, my next move down is over the top. If I get quick, and I get inside, my over the top move comes out to say hello and push-slice is my reward. I just know that from what I do incorrectly, when I do it. If I get too quick on the downswing, the club gets there faster than my hands and the face is open (push). "now i just push, and push it hard out right" Obviously the face is open at impact. Fix that first.

My two cents without seeing your swing ... 1) Make sure both feet are on the ground though the backswing to start of the downswing; 2) Make sure the takeway, your club head is outside (in front of) your hands 3) Rotate with your shoulders to the top, don't "swing" the club behind you (over the top move is next). 4) Slow down your backswing (sounds like you might be rushing) 5) Smooth swing through the ball rotating your hips and shoulders to the "PGA finish" position. You can hit the ball farther by slowing down, but you cannot hit the ball straighter by swinging faster. Some coach told me that once. I liked it. Good luck.

This isn't a review of the book; I just got it yesterday. I "paged through" a few sections last night, but the book looks good - informative, helpful. I think Tom Watson is a classy guy, with that "fatherly" attitude and his book reflects that same manner. I did see in some of the chapters, Tom talks to his swing, his methods and then to US . the book has parts that says (in essesence), for you amateurs, you should ... ... ... I cannot wait to delve into the book this weekend (high temps in the 40's, no golf in WI) and also come back on here and see what others are saying as well. Enjoy!!

http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Tempo-Secret-Finally-Revealed/dp/0385509278 buy it ... use it ... you'll never regret it ...

"Not sure if it's still there, but Myrtle Beach used to have one called the World Tour of Golf or something like that where they had (I think) 27 holes which were just a compilation of the best holes in golf." Yup, World Tour ... played all 27. Some replica holes are just cut into the ground that was there. 11, 12, 13 of Amen Corner is okay, but (like Hertz) not exactly ... 17 at Sawgrass was just some island cut into a hill, surrounded on 3 sides by water ....

Set down the drinks, stay loose with your partners and slow down ... slow way down. If it were me ... I'd guess you get a bit anxious, "I'll show you dudes who can whack the ball the farthest ..." and your tempo is waaaaaay too fast. The worse you hit it, the faster your tempo and the worse your game then the faster your tempo and so on. Kinda like McIlroy's 7 on # 10 yesterday ... it just snowballs until it kills ya ... Whatever your tempo is on the range or by yourself ... memorize some jingle in your head ... one and two and three and .... etc. or watch me hit this ball ... in ionic rythym ... remember that pace of tempo and repeat that on the course with your buds .... My advice ... slow down.

What do you think Stevie thinks when Tiger misses .... from short range. Tiger: "Frickin' frack, frazzle ...." Stevie; " DOH !!! Mercedes; cross it off ... Tiger: "Oiy, freegin', frizzle, frop ..." Stevie: " DOH !!! Bently, cross it off .... Tiger: "ooofff ... Yimminee crickets." Stevie: DOH !!! Flying lessons, cross it off the list ..." I'm no expert, but was at Augusta on Friday (before it got really hot for the weekend) ... and sitting at 15 for a while, watching those pros navigate that green (and 16 we could see from our seats). It's like putting on a hardwood floor. With breaks and bends and bumps.

Indescribable beauty. What a course!! No flat screen, 2D (even in HD) TV picture will ever do justice to the flowers, the pines, the grass, the greens, the sand NOR the elevation changes on that phenominal course. Cross one off the bucket list, I was at Augusta!!! What a place. The Mecca of Golf in America ... Mark

I'll report back on Monday, when I return!! The sad thing about our trip east and back, is I'll miss the televised finals on Sunday for the first time in well over 30 years ... Thanks for all the input, this truly is a trip of a lifetime.

Thanks Double ... good stuff; thanks everyone for the tips. I'm hoping to log several miles next Friday taking in as much of the course as I can. Hopefully by the time the afternoon rounds begin, I'm planted somewhere and let the pros come to us. I can hardly wait ... ... ... If you're watching on TV on Friday and you see some guy running across 11 fairway, rolling onto the grass and ducking for cover in the azealias ... being chased by 10 cops ... ... ... ... ... ... that's probably me!!!

I have been fortunate to be invited to the Masters this year. My wife and I are going on Friday (cut-down day). Has anyone on here ever been to Augusta National? Where are some reccomended places to view the golf, which holes? Can you walk and stand on any hole or are you relegated to the grandstands? Anyone with hints, suggestions, etc., for the best viewing of all the golf, please let me know ... I am truly looking forward to this experience. P.S. I cannot believe that I have been invited to the Mecca of golf in America and cannot take one picture - cameras are taboo ... can't someone invent a camera that doesn't go, "click, click" so we can take pictures of this gorgeous place? Lastly, do you think anyone will notice if I hide behind #11 and just peer out of the azelias? I cannot wait to see Amen Corner in person. Thanks for your help, MARK

"wow 24.99 for the app? Does this really work, is it worth the money?" I felt it worked wonders for gaining a repeatable tempo on the range AND on the course. I don't know anything about the app, but (in my mind) if you don't read the book, you won't understand the concept. But that's just me.

I apologize for my harsh post above ... comprehension 101 should have taught me to read your post thoroughly ... "I bought a set of USED CLUBS ..." In any event, if you were taking them in for loft/lie adjustments, have them swingweighted on a scale in the store, as well. Remember that cutting 1/2" off the butt end affects swingweight more than 1/2" off the tip end and raises issues with bend point and flex of the club. Again, the moral is the same ... have the clubs fitted for you, your swing. Before you cut off anything from the butt end. Again, I apologize for my poor choice of tone in my earlier post.

If you were fitted for these clubs, i.e. swingweight, etc., the swingweight on each club will now change (feel). It's not an across the board "equal" change, because 1/2" off the butt end coupled with headweight, etc. will vary the swingweight (feel) on each club. If you take off the grips and change grips (different weights, size, etc.) the swingweight will change, also. Ask the person who fitted you for these clubs for advice. But if you were fitted properly, then the clubs wouldn't be 1/2" too long, would they? If you bought them "off the rack," even though the swingweight will change, you weren't fitted properly for these clubs anyways. The clubs are 1/2" longer than standard, how do you know you "need" them 1/2" shorter? Just because some guy at a club shop said they were off? Did you measure them yourself? For accurate feel club-to-club (which is what swingweighting is), maybe 3/8" is best, or 1/4"? Moral: Get fitted by a professional before you cut anything off those clubs. Everyone who owns clubs should learn how to re-grip their own clubs. It's not rocket science and there's a ton of "how to's" on line you can download. Golf Galaxy (Golfworks) sells grips, Golfsmith is the best, for selection on line. Any pro shop will sell you grips.

1) Better consistency off the tee; 2) Break 80 more than once this season; 3) Make more putts; 4) Get my handicap to single digits.

More important than speed is tempo. Best 20 bucks I've ever spent. Buy it, read it, use it. http://www.amazon.com/Tour-Tempo-Secret-Finally-Revealed/dp/0385509278

1) the pull-hook 4-iron left of the par 3 green that rolled all the way down the side hill; followed by a short 'pop-fly' sand wedge, followed by the bladed PW to the back of the green followed by a 3 putt 6, after walking off with birdie the hole before on the #1 handicaped par 5 ... 2) The smoked straight drive down the middle of a par 5, followed by another high, arching 3-wood to your "money" distance only to fat that 'perfect' club 1-foot, sail the next one over, then on and three putt. 450+ yards in two strokes, the reamining 90 yards in 5 more .... 3) the risky cut the corner on the dogleg hole, only to hear that faint "twick" at the very last minute forcing your ball - not on the fairway - but deep in jail somewhere, followed by your "always lucky" partner who takes a worse line than you, through the thicker part of the tree than you but plops it ever so softly on the other side, dead center in the fairway ... 4) that one bad day, you keep burning edges with putts that should drop but don't and also had the unfortunate luck to paired with the dude that ALWAYS says, "good effort; you gave it a good try," while his formless, thought-less horrible putting stroke is sinking everything from the four corners of the earth, right in front of you ... 5) that drive, on your nemisis par five, that travels further than it has ever in your life, giving you that once in a blue moon chance to "go for it" in two ... only to stop rolling in a deep divot no one cared to fix, but some goose decided to sheot in .... and the goose part was like 8 minutes ago and your ball is in a deep divot covered in gooey goose pudding ... ... Thanks for the laughs guys ... good thread!!!

I break the round into each nine holes and then into "three's." Because I'm a bogey golfer (for the most part) I break the course down into three's of par = 15. If I can shoot 3-fifteens, I shoot bogey golf, "45." Under "par" is better than bogey golf and so on .... After one round of three's, I try to move on to the next, just forget about the 16 or 17 I just shot and try to shoot par again (15). As you are a better golfer, perhaps play in 3's of 13 or 12? I try to think each shot as to where I am in my quest for a 5 and in my total quest for a 15 for each "three's." Forces my focus back to the next shot, this hole and "par" for the three's. In other words, narrow my focus into smaller subsets rather than scores for 9 or 18.

I live in more of the southern part of Wisconsin (Madison - the Capital) but grew up in the Fox Cities. Played Royal St. Patricks for the first time ever (that's where we held the "Green Jacket" family reunion golf) and shot 43-41. Very tough but fun course. Across hwy 41 is Mid-Valee. 3- nines for a fun 27 holes if you ever get the urge. Not too tough for your handicap, some fun little holes, but a fair course. There's Thornberry in Green Bay and you have to play Brown County. Chaska outside Appleton is fun as is Reid Municipal in Appleton (Reid has very tight fairways, though). For your swing control and all ... read the book, "The Keys to the Effortless Golf Swing," by Michael McTeigue. Read it, practice it and concentrate on keeping your lower body quiet during your "lighthouse turn" (read the book, you'll understand). Thanks for the reply ... try some of those golf courses I mentioned!!