dag2000

95, 49/46 I got hot on the back for a stretch, playing 11 through 16 even (par, bogie, par, par, birdie), but then finished double, double, double.

98, 51/47 Squandered some opportunities and had very poor concentration on the front. On three holes I was ideally positioned for a short pitch or a close-in shot and I ended up skulling it (into the drink), chunking it (into a bunker), and skulling it (over the green, lost ball) again. I estimate that it added 5 - 7 shots to my front 9 score. On the other hand, I'm still putting well since reading Dr. Bob Rotella. Three weeks ago I shoot 103 easy the way I was tee to green today.

Drove the ball through the right rough into the leaves and crap at the beginning of the woods. I was even with the 150 marker. I was at the bottom of a gulley or depression that ran across the fairway. After a rise, the fairway dipped again and gradually rose up to the green. Because I was on the edge of the trees, I had branches and leaves to contend with. I somehow had to punch the ball out low enough to not hit the trees, but high enough to clear the rise in the fairway. I had to fade/slice it about 30 yards. And it was a blind shot to boot. So I took a five iron, opened the face, aimed into the woods on the left side of the fairway and let 'er rip. I took the club on an inside line and finished really high. The ball shot through the wedge of air above the rising fairway and below the overhanging trees, curled beautifully up the fairway and out of sight. No, it wasn't pin high or even on the green. But it was on the edge of the front skirt that guards the green and I was freaking psyched!

Distance kills me more often than not because I can get a little wild. I only pull out the driver 6 or 7 times a round. If I was smarter, it would be 3 or 4. I'd much rather be 190 from the green on the fairway on a short par 4 after my drive than I would trying to hit a 140 yard running hooked punch out of the woods.

A buh-rootal 101. Front 9 started off okay - bogie, par, bogie - then I quintuple bogied the par 4 fourth hole. Green guarded by water, dunked my second, then dunked the next so I was hitting 6, then three putted. Shaken, I doubled five. The I had a mini-rally - bogie, par, par, then tripled number 9. On the back I was just miserable. It was brutal heat and humidity and I was just on empty. Back to the course on Sunday!

Thanks for the tips, all.

Here are some grip photos: From Leadbetter's book: Here's Ernie Els' grip in three steps: There are many idiosyncratic swings, but not a lot of variation when it comes to grips (except for overlap versus interlock for your pinkies). Here's the source for the grip photos . Lots of good here, but treat it like a buffet: find something that's good for you, that you like and use it. Don't try to take in everything.

In my opinion, the most important rules to observe are: 1. Don't improve your lie 2. Take stroke and distance for OB and lost balls 3. Know where to drop your ball when you dunk it in the water 4. Don't ground your club in a bunker 5. Putt the ball out 6. Know what to do with an unplayable lie 7. Only 14 clubs 8. No "do overs" :) The rest of the rules are important, mind you, but in my opinion, if you are scrupulous about the above, then you're playing honest golf.

Congressional Blue Course

I've you're supposed to hit the ball with a hybrid the same as you would an iron, i.e., same ball position and hitting down swing. But what about when you're in the rough? When I hit an iron out of the rough, I open the club face so the face squares when the grass grabs the hosel. I also try to use a steeper swing. Does the same apply to a hybrid like the TaylorMade Rescues? Thanks!

What's interesting is that the golf shoe market, which was once like the dress shoe market, is becoming more like the athletic shoe market. In other words, buy them, use them, throw them away. FWIW, I had my first pair of FootJoy Classics for over 10 years. I'd still have them, but I developed a nerve inflammation problem in my left foot that requires me to wear an E width instead of a D width. At $80 per year or so, I'd have spent at least $600 on golf shoes.

I don't have a problem with the name dropping. So many of the names he drops are people you've never heard of. No problems whatsoever. Mind you, you're buying through Amazon from an independent bookseller. I don't know how well Amazon vets its partners, but, like I said, I've had no problems. Well, I understand your point, but that wasn't my experience. I was able to apply some of his advice right away. **** Overall, I loved Game Is Not a Game of Perfect . Putting Out of Your Mind , however, didn't do anything for me. It was just kind of redundant.

Yes, yes, yes. I used to dread putts in the 4 - 5 foot range and, of course, usually missed them. I just finished Bob Rotella's Golf Is Not a Game of Perfect and I now expect to make those putts. I take almost no time over the ball now. I read the break, take a couple of practice strokes, take my stance, address the ball, and stroke it. No pause anymore. I visualize it going in and then pull the trigger. This has only happened in the last week. So I may find that this technique won't continue to work for me. But so far, it's been really good. I also try to hole every putt and chip.

A couple things caught my eye here. First, a proper golf grip doesn't feel natural to a beginning golfer. Most beginners I've seen tend to take the right hand and turn it so that the thumb is on the right side of the the grip (as you look down at the club), so it feels like you have some decent power and control over the club exerted through the thumb. Without seeing a picture of your grip, I can't tell one way or the other, but when I took my first lessons and was given a correct grip, it felt very uncomfortable. The fact that you're young and athletic can actually work against you in some respects. You can get away with improper technique by virtue of good hand-eye coordination. With respect to feeling like you're being locked out of hand action at impact, if you mean by that that you cannot consciously manipulate the clubface at impact with your hands , I don't know if that's a bad thing. If your hands, arms, and shoulders are reasonably relaxed, by the time the club reaches the ball, you shouldn't need any hand action. If you can, post a picture of your grip. But the most important thing is to relax and learn patience. It's a lifelong game and it is indeed difficult. And the mental game is so important. Patience is rewarded in golf, over and over and over.

Thanks for the responses. I'd like to bump this a couple times if the mods don't mind. For those voted "Maybe," I'd love to hear your thoughts on what might influence your buying decision.

Hello, with the closing of the Foot-Joy Brockton factory and discontinuing of the Classics lines, I wonder if there are any golf shoes still made that feature Goodyear welt construction (in other words, can be resoled and last for 10+ years). So, would you be willing to pay $400 for a pair of golf shoes that are super high-quality (i.e., same as makers like Allen Edmonds or Alden or the old Footjoy Classics)?

For what it's worth, I've also taken his approach to practice. I went and hit a small bucket today. Probably 3/4 of my shots were with my pitching and sand wedges to different targets, just bouncing around and using feel to get it close (or not) instead of a knowledge of exact distance. I wonder if, for the average hacker like me, there is a greater return to driving range time when that time is spent 3/4 hitting feel/touch wedges and 1/4 hitting full swing shots rather than the other way around.

My great uncle was given a set of golf clubs when he retired from Washington National Bank sometime in the mid-1970s. They were Hogan woods (I can't remember the model) and Apex irons. The irons were works of art. When I hit one on the sweet spot it was just unbelievable. I was 14 when I got them and though I quit playing for the next 12 years, I kept them and used them when I started up again on the Forest Preserve courses of Chicago. Eventually I took a lesson and the pro informed that I was playing with senior flex shafts. :) Fond memories of a glorious set of clubs.

Yes. Especially for putting, which I liken to how I used to shoot free throws (when I was shooting them well). I would imagine the sensations, both sight and sound, of a perfect swish. I always shot better from the line when I did that. But it's tough to keep doing. But the visualization was more my application of what he was preaching, which is a) pick an exact target to aim at even with a driver, because your sub-conscious mind automatically guides you in that direction; and b) try to hole every putt and pick exact place inside the cup to hit when aiming (the logic being that the narrower, more specific the target, the closer you get to it).

Awesome. Very happy for you.

Despair has befallen my game more at least three times (see this thread for the latest ). If you can, definitely see someone who has a good eye for the golf swing, ideally someone who is familiar with your game. You almost certainly are doing some small thing wrong and it's playing havoc with your game.

I played 36 today, shot 99 in the morning and 102 in the afternoon. With respect to the Rotella book, here are some first reactions: * Putting - Despite the lousy score, I putted better this morning than I have in five years. I zeroed in on the hole and really focused on trying to make every single putt. And I was lights out. In the afternoon round, I got a little sloppy as I more fatigued and was less disciplined in my thinking and visualization. But I was burning some edges which was positive feedback. * Not focusing on mechanics - Man, this was tough. Because I was awful off the tee, especially in the morning, it was a challenge to dispel any conscious swing thoughts. But I stuck it out, morning and afternoon, and now I have to go to the range. * Enjoyment - Unbelievably, my performance seemed decoupled from my enjoyment. I berated myself I think twice in 36 holes. And it was over it a second. No gloomy stomping around the links. I hit a lot of poor shots, but I really enjoyed the rounds. It's pretty difficult to keep stray thoughts from entering your mind when you're hovering over the ball, about to bring the club back. I think it's a practice thing. I think that you need to make a conscious effort at your thinking, staying focused, executing your complete pre-shot routine for every single shot the same way. Mostly positive thinking and using visualization. To the extent that mental toughness is addressed, it's not the teeth-gritting, stare down the competition kind, but rather the discipline to force yourself to be confident in your stroke and swing.

Played 36 today. :) Morning Sandy Burr - 99, 47/52 Afternoon Stow Acres South - 102, 50/52 Finally found my driver on the back 9 of the afternoon round. As poorly as I struck the ball, I actually felt like I made some progress.

Kenny Perry likes it.

Hmm... tell me more of this "fun" you speak of. :) I'm playing a fairly easy track tomorrow morning 7am. With a little regression to the mean, I should be able to hit enough good shots to get some positive thinking back. Thanks to all for the advice. As much as I rambled on in my original post, it's not even a 1/10 of the story (my affair with golf started 35 years ago as a 13-year-old caddy at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, MD). Maybe with age I've acquired some wisdom that I can use on the course. I'm enjoying the Rotella book. Mike