Fairway_CY

I never got one when I was in high school. My family just didn't have the money. I had letters in 3 sports... but nowhere to put 'em. It never bothered me. I met my wife when she was a senior in high school. Shortly after we began dating, she received her class ring (also something I never got). When she told me the cost of it, I about died. Her parents spent almost $5000 for her class ring. It sits in a drawer of her jewelry box which is on top of one of our dressers in a closet in our bedroom. I've seen her with it on twice in 18+ years. Our son is a high school junior now. I can't fathom spending that kind of money for something he'll never wear. The 'once in awhile trip down memory lane' is something I get simply by talking to old schoolmates. That said... I didn't grow up with money. My wife and I are not 'rich' or anything close to it, but we're definitely comfortable. If our son or daughters ask for something within reason, they have good grades, they've completed chores and they've proven they're capable of taking care of other things... we do what we can to provide what they ask for. If our son asks for a jacket or a ring... well, it's his desire. He deserves it and the posts here seem to indicate there's a lot of nostalgia tied up in those types of things. Memories are priceless. I 100% agree with others who said that she'll always think of you whenever she sees it and, to me... that's worth all the money in the world. CY

Unfortunately, I've played with people like this. Even worse, it has happened in tournament rounds... so there was no escape. When it's happened... I've taken the opportunity to walk around and enjoy the sights & sounds of the course... breathing slowly and doing my best to block out anything else. It's calming to me which helps to balance out the idiocy going on around me some. If it was a casual round... I'd have backed out with some excuse and then tried to explain to the proshop what was going on so that I could get back out and actually enjoy my round. Sorry you had to deal with that. CY

Thanks all. Looks like I may have to take my buddy out to the course with me one late afternoon and we can take turns hitting shots and measuring them. Not too many days when the course is saturated that they allow us on it, so... plugging shots won't work. I like the idea of hitting at/towards a fairway bunker. That one could work nicely too. I appreciate the feedback! CY

How does everybody figure out their carry distances? I know that my average drive is about 230 yards... but I have no idea what my carry distance is. Same with my 3 wood. Irons (especially 6 iron and under) are a little easier because, for the most part, I can see where they land on the greens... and then I can pace it off from what I measured it at with my rangefinder. Just wondering if you have access to devices (TrackMan, etc) that allow you to gauge your carry distances properly or not. I'm not thrilled about going into a place like Golf Galaxy and using their simulators because I'm not sure how accurate they are. Any suggestions? CY

I went back and read my post and I can't find where I said or implied that. Now I'm confused. If my post was interpreted that way, it's not what I meant to convey. CY

I've been there. The worst for me is when they happen in back-to-back rounds just a day apart. I know that, because I don't have the time to put the necessary practice into my game, I'm going to struggle with being consistent. Unfortunately, there are times I'll go a week or so without even getting to touch a club. That makes things difficult... especially if I have a round like I had yesterday where I'm hitting the ball really well and leaving myself in pretty decent positions. If I don't touch a club after a round like that for a week... all the feelings I had from that previous round are gone and I can't seem to get it back. It's frustrating. I just know that when I DO finally have the time to practice as needed and I get some lessons, I'll need to make sure that I'm dedicated to it. I have weeks where I can get out 4-5 times to hit balls and/or play... but then I have weeks where I can't even think about golf because of other factors. Hang in there man. Struggling to an 87 is not all that bad in my eyes! CY

I play frequently with a buddy who is struggling with the same type of thing. He feels that he NEEDS to hit his driver on almost every hole that isn't a par 3. I hit my average drive about 230 yards. If I smash one, it'll go 250-270, but more often than not... I'm at about 230 yards. On MOST courses I play, that's going to leave me 150 or less into the greens on a majority of the par 4's. I've come to learn that, while getting the ball as close to the green as possible is valuable to my score... so is staying out of trouble. If there is trouble (say a set of fairway bunkers) at the 230 - 250 range and I can hit something short of that and still be left with a shorter club (7 iron or less) into a green, I'll go with the smarter play. Now... it doesn't always work out because I can still hit a 4 iron off line and end up in the rough or something, but... I'd rather be in the rough than in a fairway bunker. My strategy is my strategy. I have read LSW. I believe in what it says... but I also believe that there isn't a 'one stop shop' type of book or site that is going to be perfect for EVERYBODY. Making individual tweaks to things can help greatly, in my opinion. Since I've purchased and read LSW and I've begun to practice with a purpose and I've focused my attention on the course to where I'm less likely to get into trouble... my scores have dramatically improved. It used to be a special round for me when I'd shoot 90 or better. I'm averaging 89.50 per round so far in 2017 and I am annoyed if I don't get to at least that target score of 90. Take what you're gonna take from the book. Adapt it to your game and implement small things about it at a time. I still suck at golf, but I suck less than I did before. That's something to me. CY

Back at it today. I've been consistently at 90 or better for the last month. I haven't posted an 18 hole score over 90 since February 4th while posting 9 scores since that date. Today was aggravating for me, though. I struck the ball very well throughout the round but I could NOT get a putt to drop. I went off the deep end putting with a total of 41 strokes on the greens including 5 three-putts and a four-putt on the 2nd hole. 44 - 44 = 88 I did manage to squeak out 2 birdies throughout the round, but... it was really annoying being on the greens and being afraid to putt the ball. At least I know what I need to get back to work on. CY

I'm not horribly far from there. Probably about 75 minutes or so. If you're up for a bit of a drive, about an hour north is a course called Edgewater in Lancaster, SC. It's a Fuzzy Zoeller design that's always in pretty good shape (except for the driving range) and is pretty affordable. I've heard really good things about Cobblestone from some friends, but I haven't played it myself. CY

Wow... I had no idea Mexico City was up that high. It should be an interesting week! Looking forward to it now more that I've read this. CY

I know I'm a 14+ handicap and I'm probably just looking for an excuse as to why I putt so poorly, but... I joined a club in September that has the absolute grainiest greens in the history of the game. You can place a level on the green to find a flat putt and the grain (which grows towards the water and away from hills more often than not) will absolutely influence the putt by a ball, sometimes two or more. I watch it every single time I'm out on that course. It gets me... it gets players worse than me... it gets players better than me. It's a real thing. I'd say just my opinion... but, it's not an opinion. It's a real thing. CY

In late September, I played the final tournament of the Charlotte area Golfweek Am Tour season. In the final round of a 2 day tournament, I posted an 81. Not only is it tied for my best score ever... it was also a great day from around the greens. I had 3 birdies that day... 2 of which came from off the greens and I also managed a number of par saves throughout the day. By far... that was my best round of the 2016 season. CY

I kinda disappeared for the last week due to work. I ended up way busier in Nashville than I thought I'd be... but mostly because of the after-hours events. I got home on Wednesday night and the slept off a 4 day hangover on Thursday. I did manage to get out to the range Thursday afternoon to hit some balls... but that was more just swinging the club and trying not to hurt myself than anything. I played at the club on Friday where I shot a 42 - 47 = 89 that day. Most of the day, ball striking was okay. I had a poor stretch from 9 through 11 that included a ball lost to the creek on #10 again... but my big issue was putting. It was awful. After a drink in the 19th hole, I went out and play an 'emergency nine' with a few guys. I shouldn't have. I shot a 49 where nothing was right. I was hammering drives, but then I couldn't hit approach shots... and putting was still ugly. On Saturday, I played a tournament round for the Golfweek Amateur Tour. With a shotgun start and me beginning on a 211 yard par 3 hole, things got ugly fast. I opened triple - bogey - par - triple. I settled down though and posted 42 - 45 = 87 for a 2nd place finish. On my opening holes, putting was a big factor in how poorly I played. I four-putted #15... I missed a 6 footer for par on #16... I pushed a 5 footer for birdie on #17... and then I three-putted #18. The practice green was so slow but the greens on the course were ridiculously quick. I'm going to try and play tomorrow after some practice and then I've got a club match on Wednesday afternoon. Following that, I may put the clubs away for a week or so to rest a bit before getting back into a practice routine. I'm hoping that March doesn't see me going anywhere until vacation on the 24th, so... it should be a solid month for practice and playing. CY

2/12/2017 - I spent much of the day on an airplane or at an airport. Because of that, I did a lot of re-reading of LSW. I got to the hotel and did about 10 minutes worth of the wall drill. CY

2/11/17 - Today was back to the wall drill to increase flexibility. I may be using that for the next few days while I'm holed up in a hotel. CY

I posted a pretty ugly 46 - 44 = 90 yesterday afternoon. I made par on 7 holes but I also threw a pair of triples in there and a few doubles as well. My biggest struggle seemed to be my wedges. They were on line but they'd come up just short and end up rolling back off the false fronts of the greens. Now I'm on a forced break until at least Thursday. Ugh. CY

I hit about 20 balls on the range this morning with my 58 degree wedge using a 3/4 swing trying to get a lower ball flight that I can reliably use from 50 yards or so. On the course, I faced that shot about 4-5 times and continually came up just short. It was frustrating, but... the good thing is that each of those shots was directly on line. They just landed into false fronts and came back down the hills on me. Shot 46 - 44 = 90 today. Not really the best round for me. I found myself pulling a lot of shots. Unfortunately, other than possibly tomorrow, I won't get my hands on a club until at least next Thursday since I'll be at a conference for work from Sunday through Wednesday. I'll have to find other ways to get some golf work in. CY

Yeah... I may not have worded it clearly enough but... essentially, I'm in agreement with what @saevel25 is saying. Cabrera is one of those good players who just happened to have a pair of really good weeks at the right time. He definitely isn't one of those great players. Someone said 40+ wins and 5+ majors. I think, in an individual game, that may be setting the bar really high, but... that's kinda what defines greatness... exceeding extremely lofty expectations. There are very few 'greats' to have played the game. A ton of 'really good' players... even more 'good' players... and then there is essentially everybody else. CY

There's good... there's really good... and there's great. I'd have to say that to be in that great level, you'd have to have a combination of a number of regular tour wins and a handful of majors. It's an individual sport where success is measured in victories. The largest victories will be against the most difficult fields. The majors provide exactly that. A major winner is a major winner. A multiple major winner is at another level. A multiple major winner with a proven track record of winning is at the level of greatness. For all of Tiger's success in majors... what makes it stand out even more is the fact that for years, he entered ONLY some of the toughest events and he's STILL got a 24% win percentage. In effect... he's won nearly 1 out of every 4 tournaments he's entered. That's greatness. Short answer... in my opinion, yes, majors are that important in defining a career. CY

2/9/2017 - I jumped out of the car onto the first tee today to try and get some video (unsuccessfully) and play some shots in the wind. I focused on really trying to keep the ball down today, so I played a lot of extra club on most shots. My pitching and chipping was excellent today. On my course, a lot of greens are raised which means uphill lies chipping back up. On those shots, I focused on getting my shoulders in line with the slope and the results were much better than I've had in the past. Side note... it was a sloppy 46 (+10) for 9 holes that included 4 pars, 2 bogeys, 1 double and 2 triples. CY

I'm an optimist, so... my game is almost always 'on the cusp'. Truthfully, though... I'm playing as well as I ever have. I've made some minor changes over the last 18 months or so that have led to more consistency. I'd like to believe that with some professional assistance and some dedication, I can get myself much closer to where I want to be. CY

So... I went out today to try my game in some wind. Below are a pair of swings from the day, both with 7 irons. One from a tee and one from the fairway. I believe the angle from behind is off a bit, so... I'll try to get another shot next time I'm out alone like that. The tee shot was a good shot. The shot from the fairway was flared right and got caught up in a 25 MPH wind so it finished well short, also. As always, tips and suggested drills are welcome and appreciated. CY

I went out today, more than anything, to test my game some in the wind. It was about 50 degrees and blowing 20-25 MPH with gusts in the 30-35 MPH range. Save for a few holes, I played pretty well. 1 - Big slice with my driver near the second hole. Punched a 4 iron into the fairway short of the green. Pitch shot from about 40 yards hit the stick. 2 feet for par. 2 - 7 iron from the tee drew in nicely but went just a little long. Chip from just off the back of the green left me 7 feet. I made that for par. 3 - Another big slice put me in trouble. I flubbed my punch out and put me in more trouble. Another poor punch out left me about 175 to the flag. I hit a solid 4 iron but it didn't draw in for me and the wind held it up. Left me with a long (35 yards) bunker shot. I hit that fat. Chipped to 2 feet and recorded a triple. 4 - Great 4 iron from the tee left me 122 to the flag but on a downhill lie. I came in way too steep and hit it 2 inches behind the ball. 77 yards from a fairway bunker... fat. Good pitch from about 45 yards hit the green and went forever... off the back. I hit an okay chip from there but took 2 putts from only 4 feet for another triple. 5 - Weak, ugly drive that found the fairway. 147 to the flag, but easily a club and a half wind. My 7 iron was flared right. My pitch had to go over a bunker and was short-sided. No shot. I carried it too deep, it hit a downslope and ran off the other side. Chip to 5 feet and made that for bogey. 6 - I thought it was with the wind, but I guess not. I hit a decent 6 iron that went all of 135 yards. My pitch from well short of the flag (which was on the back tier) left me 15 feet. I made the curler for par. 7 - I finally hit a solid drive that left me in the center of the fairway. No shot to get there, so I was trying to leave myself about 70 yards. My 4 iron was pushed and left me in no position. I hit a clean sand wedge from well right but it nipped a branch and went in the trap. Another long bunker shot (35 yards) was fat. My chip from in front of the green ran out a bit too much. I couldn't make the 13 footer and took a double. 8 - My drive was way off the toe and faded... but the wind turned it into a big slice again. I was over by the 9th fairway and had 182 into a strong wind. My hybrid was pure but started right. Ended a little long. My only shot was to punch the ball into the mound in front of me and hope it killed it enough to keep it on the green. I executed it perfectly and when I got up to the green, it was just 2 feet away. I yipped the putt and took a bogey. 9 - Solid drive didn't draw enough and put me in the right rough. A punch with an 8 iron didn't work as I had hoped and left me short and right. My pitch from about 30 yards lipped out. I made the 3 footer for par to finish up. Overall... a 46. The wind was a big factor. I wasn't happy with the score or how I struck the ball... but I was very happy with my short game (other than the long bunker shots). Only 12 putts and I made a handful of up & downs. Back on the course for a money game tomorrow, so... hopefully I can get to the range beforehand to get my swing down. CY

I agree with others. Your life is your life. Your sole responsibility in it is to LIVE it. Golf brings me joy (mostly). Vacationing brings me joy. Hanging out with friends brings me joy. I do these things because it's part of my life. I'm doing my part by living my life. As for any 'debt' to society I may have... I'm a good person. I'm not out there selling drugs, beating women or children, robbing banks or anything else negative. I help out when and how I can... I pay my taxes and keep my property clean... and above all else, I'm raising 3 kids to be upstanding members of our society as well. You don't owe a debt to society and there's CERTAINLY no reason you should feel down on yourself for being able to tell your story when someone asks if you've got a hole in one. Congrats on the shot! Enjoy it! CY

2/8/2017 - I read the blog post and drill @iacas posted about the wall drill and flexibility in 2015. That got me thinking about my own lack of flexibility, so I spent some time doing that drill. I won't get to the course tomorrow due to the wind they are forecasting, in all likelihood... but I'm gonna give that drill more time over the coming weeks to try and get a better turn. CY