ItsAllRelative

thanks a lot to the op. i've never really given consideration to the idea that i may have a poor grip. tried moving my left thumb today on my driver, and it has almost completely cured my release timing. i've always had a problem fighting a fade. my drives are anywhere from straight to fade to slice, depending on my release. today i was either straight, small draw, or small fade. much more consistent.

i just learned this shot at the range this week. i take my 3iron, play the ball off my back heel, and keep my hands in front of the ball. swing hard and take a divot. i can carry it 110 yards while only getting 5 feet off the ground, it's actually a really fun shot to play with.

taylormade tp black. doesn't spin off the driver, great feel, spins and checks around the green. durable too.

That's definitely one of the hardest parts, playing by every rule. It makes low scores much more rewarding though, knowing I made that birdie by the same rules as everybody else. The mental game is my only problem now. When I get relaxed and stay calm, I can play great golf. The problem is once I start thinking too hard...

What's been helping me with those putts is to take a little bit longer to line them up and set up for them. Take an extra moment to double-check your read, then take a practice swing and watch the imaginary ball roll right into the cup. Then, step up and make a CONFIDENT putt. I've made more than one putt outside of my usual range just by simply convincing myself that I am going to drop the putt.

This is my first season of being serious about the game of golf, practicing a couple times a week and playing at least once. My goal for the summer is to break 90 at least once, just to know that I am improving. I shot 90 today. I was very excited to shoot a new low score, but somewhat frustrated that I only missed my goal by a stroke. The game is definitely harder when taken seriously, but also much more rewarding. I'll try again for my 89 on Saturday. Any motivational thoughts or tips?

definitely the mental game. it takes me 3 or 4 holes to get relaxed enough to play good golf sometimes. yesterday i had a horrible front nine, couldn't get going at all. turned and shot +5 on the back. go figure.

Yeah, the water is VERY dirty. When I was younger, a couple buddies and I spent about an hour in a pond on the home course here. Came away with a 5 gallon bucket each. Took about a week of washing my hands to get my fingernail coloring back to normal though... Edit: Those golf balls smelled AWFUL too.

Agreed. If I go to a range just to hit balls, I end up subconciously making a swing change for the worse, or trying to see how far I can fly my driver. Both cases put me in a worse spot than before. I like to play a round, and make mental notes of what shots gave me the most trouble or cost me the most strokes, and then work on those parts of the game throughout the week before I go play again. Lately, I've been going to the home course and chipping a lot, as it's been costing me the most strokes on the course. Before that, I spent 3 nights at the range sorting out issues with my driver.

Haha no, not at all. One bucket one night, then I went back and hit another bucket the next night. I'd hit a wedge shot or two every 15 swings with the driver, just to change it up and keep my sanity. My driver is the only club in my bag im not 100% confident with at the moment, and I finally figured out why I've been yanking it left lately.

Took me 2 large buckets of balls to realize I've been standing too close to the ball on my drives lately.

I like to make the earliest tee times possible, most of the slower players won't get up that early to play golf at my local courses.

I LOVE my Nike Sumo driver. As stated earlier, the good shots with this driver are ridiculously long.

Exactly. Are you happy with your putter? I find that there is nothing more comforting than confidence with your putter. There's nothing better than knowing that once you're on the green, the hole is taken care of. I'd place them in order of importance: putter > wedge > driver

I drive an old Volkswagen Jetta. It was free, and I am finishing college and still very poor. Can't wait to start a career and finance something nice.