chilly

The 07 Burner is pretty nice from both Tee and off the deck. I've also hit a Diablo Edge Tour that was very nice from both, I'm currently looking for a good used one. I have a TEE CB1 that's pretty solid from both, maybe could be a touch shallower face to make it truly easy to hit off the fairway for high handicappers like myself.

I usually can hit around 100 balls with some concentration, beyond that I'm just going to be whacking them with no real thought and getting too tired to be doing anything useful. I will hit another 50 or so at times at the 50-70yd range as that really isn't too hard on the body.

You live on the moon or something? Almost every older guy (60+) I've played with at my home club hits it around 200yds, along with a lot of smaller guys in my work league, or anyone with a bad swing. First hole on my home course is very slightly uphill with bunker to the right at 200yds and a TON of people end up right at the bunker with driver. If they could hit it further, they would to take the bunker out of play. I've personally never seen a woman at my home club hit it over 170yds in "normal" conditions, and some of them are solid golfers (I've also been to a Futures Tour event and seen girls averaging 250yds so I'm not saying they can't hit it a long way).

You know, thinking about it, I do hit some of the same shots on the same holes. Not talking about the same "high fade" drive, I'm talking the same topped 7 iron on our #2 par 3, or the fact that I have not once this summer hit to the right side of our #13 par 3...every time it's a draw or hook to the left side. Interesting. Thinking more on it, I will go left on our #11 very frequently, even though I rarely go left with driver.

Odyssey Sabertooth, the ugliest putter in the store but it kept winning out for me.

Yes, I've done it on several different kinds.

It's not always quite that easy, but the air compressor method is definitely an easier way to regrip. Many times if they used double sided tape on the old grips, it's tough to get them off without bubbling them, but if you just cut them off it's not a big deal. Very easy to get new grips on, and I just use plain masking tape to build up...cheap and much quicker.

I'm just starting a golf specific workout. I did football specific/powerlifting type training for the last 15yrs and it's definitely not working for the golf swing. I'm 34 now and the heavy lifting is rough on the body, so I'm going for more flexibility and rotational core type exercises. Right now I'm 6'0" 253lbs and have zero flexibility, my "full turn" is probably 30* short of parallel. I feel very tight and inflexible when playing golf and would like to work to get some flexibility back. I'd like to get down to 240lbs which is a pretty healthy weight for me, and should help get the gut out of the way as well. I've been following a routine in a golf workout book for a few days, it's amazing how much easier it is to get to the top of the swing after some stretching and basic "core" exercises. Don't even know how to name them, but basically a lot of laying on the ground and rotating one leg over the other trying to touch the ground with your top knee, or sitting on the ground with your knees to your chest and rotating from side to side touching the ground with a medicine ball. These workouts aren't really "tough", but because I have to work at being flexible enough to even touch the ground they are challenging. Lots of oblique stretching as well. I also have a touchy lower back and find that the golf swing itself will aggravate it, regardless of how much strengthening I've done. I do find that straight leg deadlifts and hyperextensions keep it healthy in everyday situations, plus they stretch the hamstrings which seems to help keep my back loose as well. As far as working out to increase distance, I can only think of lat pull downs and maybe some forearm work specifically. I personally think that flexibility in all parts of the body far outweighs any kind of strength gains as far as hitting the ball a long way.

I struggle with spin and high launch, and have heard a lot of good things about the Rombaz Zs to get flight/spin down. Seeing a ton of them on ebay, price for a good pull is coming down to feasible levels so I may pick one up. I'm not in love with the Fubuki in my Superfast, the Rombax may be a good candidate.

I've been on a pretty good run with irons lately, and attribute it to this exactly, all I think of is "full coil" and then a smooth transition. I think it's a combo of hitting it more squarely, and getting more lag in the swing...distance is definitely better. Now, why I can't do this with any woods, I don't know.

I guess I should provide a definition of "pure crap" =). I don't like bad swings that result in a hook/push, but they're going to happen, even the pros do this regularly (DJ's drive on 18 in the PGA comes to mind). What I can't stand is the easy "mental" errors that can be eliminated without any better swing or consistency...the horrible skulled iron from 80yds that almost kills the guys on the tee behind the green, or the decel 5yd chip that dribbles two feet. They're the worst. I shot an 82, which is my second lowest round, a couple months ago and counted five...five...of these type of shots. It takes a LOT of work to build consistency in your swing, I'd say close to a year to find three strokes out on the course just through swing refinements for most normal guys. But imagine if we could eliminate these "stupid" mistake, quick 3 strokes a round. Even if we got rid of two a round or so, that's huge. Oh well, I think I'll keep working on my pre-shot routine and trying to focus on every shot, one day I'd love to play a clean round with none of these mistakes. Also, thinking about it, there's only one guy I've played with that really never pulled one of these deals, he was a solid 2hcp. Everyone else down to a 6hcp I've seen chunk an easy chip. In some way, it gives me comfort that I'm not alone, but on the other hand it scares me because apparently it's not that easy to overcome if "everyone" does it with some regularity. Just one more cross to bear with this game.

135yds with a PW, nice and smooth and generally pretty solid.

I've been hitting more with a square face as the lies at my home course have been getting very thin and I find it easier to avoid a lot of bounce. Last week I also closed down the face when we played another course and hit a couple 4ft high GW shots into green that hit and stopped, very cool. If the course I'm playing has nice thick grass around the green, I'll definitely open up the club.

I know it's the basic of basic things, but the bad chips/pitches comes down to me peeking and plain lifting my head. Still don't know why this is so hard, but it happens. Sometimes a decel, but not often anymore. I find that when I try to muscle up and hit an iron hard, I'll stop my backswing short and end up coming in steep and chili dipping one, that pisses me off because it's more a mental thing then a swing issue. I don't even count "sprayed" drives, because I have around 10 a round...sadly.

NXT Tour or Trispeed Tour have been working nice for me.

Thinking about this the other day. I shot 85 on a tougher course which is solid for me, but thinking back on the round I had some ridiculous chili dips that were an easy...easy...way to pick up three strokes. I'm not counting a little thinned shot or even a shank here and there, I'm talking the disgusting chip from 10yds where you lay sod over the ball, or the opposite skulled pitch that flies the green and puts you in deep trouble? I personally think I hit a lot more of these shots then I should as a 13hcp. I really don't know my average as I don't track them, but I'm thinking three shots a round are pure BS and score killers. You guys in the same boat? And God help me if I ever figure out how to stop doing it, talk about easy way to help the handicap.

I don't know what's more ridiculous, the fact that pros hit it 290 every time...or the fact that they are very consistently hitting GIR from 230ish. I don't recall the hole, but the par 3 playing 238 at Whistling Straits with NO bailout, and those guys were all over it. It's crazy. I've played a few ~465yd, non dogleg par 4s and it's crazy to hit a really nice drive and still have 200yds to go...and that's a ho hum par 4 for the PGA.

I guess I'll address a few things here. 1) These discussions come up because everyone loves the long ball. Plain and simple, it's big stupid fun to hammer the ball. Also, I'll say it, I'd be envious of anyone that hits a legit 300yd average because the game is definitely easier with that kind of distance (assuming some kind of accuracy). The "envy" is why these turn into pissing matches. If I don't particularly believe a guy that's claiming some distance average, I sort of have to figure out if I really don't believe him, or it's that I don't WANT to believe him because I'm really just jealous of anyone that hits the ball a long way. 2) It's idiotic when anyone says they average some gawdy number over 275yds but then later throw in the caveat that "I rarely find the fairway". In that case, who cares? Anyone can swing like a gorilla and hammer the ball. It's the same old pattern, I did it, new golfer swings out of his shoes and hits it a long way with all clubs but shoots 110. He learns to control the swing, and miraculously his distances decrease but so do his scores. Nobody cares about a 30hcp'er that hits it 280 but finds three fairways a round...no offense intended but that's the way it is. 3) I've never played with anyone that I've seen hit a "legit" 300yd drive. I've seen some wind aided, or downhill 300yd shots. I have played with two guys that banged it out there 290, in the fairway, with regularity and it was an amazing sight...one was a scratch and the other a 6hcp that plays very infrequently and would easily be a 2hcp if he played with any frequency. They definitely weren't the mythical "I hit it 290 but somehow can't hit a wedge" type. This experience is why I, and many others, plain don't believe high handicappers that make such claims. I guess there are exceptions to the rule, but I haven't seen anyone that even vaguely fits that description so far. 4) Distance DOES matter, assuming some semblance of accuracy. I think sometimes guys try to play it off like it doesn't matter, but it's sort of a defense mechanism if they're not particularly long off the tee. Sure, accuracy trumps distance, but distance is definitely a factor. I don't make many birdies but the other week we had a very nice tailwind and I hit one 320yd drive (WIND AIDED) on a 477yd par 5, and had an easy 9iron in, for the easiest birdie of my life. On the back I hit a solid drive through the dogleg on our #2hcp 435yd par 4, and had a PW to green for another birdie. I'll gladly keep working on hitting it long based on this experience. 5) I just realized I own 6 drivers, and one putter, my priorities are screwed up but I can't help myself.

I haven't played any of this big name courses, but played the Dye course at PGA Village in FL, and his river course at Va Tech. Basically, I never figured out what all the hype is about. Courses really didn't bring much imagination, and there wasn't much strategy involved as far as I could see. I was a 16-18hcp at the time, but found his bunkering to be a bit ridiculous around the green. Granted, he's not building "easy" courses, but some of the little pot bunkers were built directly into a steep built up mound so that it was impossible to have a shot at the green.

I can basically watch anything golf related over what's on "normal" TV....but that show is just horrible.

I'm starting to see FT-5s go for $60-70 in the area, so that price shouldn't raise a red flag. I had an FT-5, very solid driver with lower spin and nice mid trajectory.

Too little, too late. Took up the game last year at 33, would kill to go back and start playing when I was younger.

Played with a guy last Friday that hits driver 245ish, smooth swinger. But his irons are freakishly long considering his game off the tee, PW 150, 6i 200yds, etc (laser confirmed, plus playing with two single handicappers that were playing stock yardages to same pins). We talked about it after the round, he's obviously lagging and delofting, but the ball still has plenty of height so it works. Also noticed it almost looks like he is "pinching" the ball, and takes a huge PGA divot. I've been hitting irons pretty well, but I "pick" the ball clean off the turf and basically leave zero divot, probably casting a bit but my camera doesn't have enough resolution for me to know for certain at impact. Yesterday I went to the range primarily to try out my new (to me) R7 TPs and work on the swing a bit. Noticed that I felt some pressure on my right wrist on a few swings and increased lag, which is a good thing. Finally hit one with that descending path and "pinched" it as described above, and the ball was absolutely hammered compared to my other "good" swings. Awesome feeling, and the ball flight was "pro" style starting low and then climbing...usually I hit a big high "rainbow" of sorts. Actually took the time to walk out on the range (light rain so I was out there alone) and that ball was 12yds past my other well struck shots. Worked on it some more and hit one more like that, but trying to do it consciously results in a lot of pull/hooks. Played a quick 9 after a buddy showed up on the range and had a 6i to our long par 4 after a crappy drive. Again, was able to compress the ball and flew it off the green (dead) but I couldn't be happier, ball flight was perfect. So, here's the question, what drills can I work on to replicate this action? I really couldn't repeat it by consciously lagging the club, so it's pretty much happening at random now. Also, what causes the distance increase? I hear folks refer to this is "compressing" the ball, but I can't imagine that's really what's happening, is it just from lelofting the club? Beyond the distance gain, I really liked the ball flight and the fact that the three times I did it the ball went dead straight.

Golf membership is $120/mo, range membership is $200. Figure average of $50/mo playing misc courses, and figure $600 in equipment per year. Not really too bad in the grand scheme of hobby expenses.

Around 30yds, haven't had anything significant yet.