radycardia

Ocotillo in Chandler is a great Troon course. It isn't your typical arizona golf. Lots of water, little dessert.

Started a few months ago, I was playing to about a 20+ handicap with a mulligan or two. I learned how to actually hold a golf club, bought a new set of irons that fit me, learned how to hit a few wedges, and practice putting every now and then instead of never. I practiced on the range for about a month, and on my first round of the year I shot 84. Just got off the course and shot a 40 on 9 holes. I still fell like I leave at least 12-14 shots on the course due to plain dumb decision making or shanked shots. I had 18 putts on the last 9 hole round. I hit about 40% of the greens, but never left myself a chance as I was putting from long distance each time I had a birdie putt. I think what has really helped is getting rid of the blow up holes. I haven't been out of bounds in months, and I haven't lost a ball in 4 rounds. I hope to break 80 by the end of the year. My handicap is currently 11.7, but that doesn't really count since I have only played 5 rounds this year.

Thanks!! That software if perfect. (even if it is PC software) It runs great on parallels and you don't need the internet to use it. The google V1 golf software and play around on their site until you see a link to download the basic version for free. Great find.

A few weeks back I saw a link to a sight where one could upload their swing video and analyze it themselves. Can anyone provide me with that site again as I neglected to save it at the time and now I can't find it using the google machine. Thanks

I just bought a set of these from Golf Galaxy. They fit me well, and I am getting them bent 1 degree upright. I have never had a real set of irons, so I think these will be a good start and the price is right. I am worried that I am going to "outgrow" these irons too quickly. Is there any reason to think that these irons would hold me back over the next few years. I anticipate that I will be breaking 80 routinely in a few months. Is this a true concern? Is there any reason to think these clubs would hold me back, even if I was a 5 handicapper? Thanks

At least someone gets my point. I bet if we took a look at all the players on this board, the great majority of those with low handicaps (

Just an observation: Young athletic, coordinated, strong kids don't play golf. It isn't as cool as football, baseball, basketball. It doesn't get you girls. The kids who play golf are generally smaller, weaker, slower. A physical challenge between the high school golf team and the football/baseball/baseketball team would be a complete joke. The "athletes" could run faster, jump higher, and they would even be more coordinated. Bottom line: The best athletes generally don't grow up wanting to be Jack or Arnie. They want to be MJ or Brady or Arod. Many don't play golf until they are much older. Imagine if Michael Jordan grew up wanting to play golf. Imagine if he practiced golf 8 hours a day like he did with basketball. He already is a 1 handicap playing casually. If the top athletes decided to play golf early on instead of other sports, golf would be much more competitive. Tiger would have some more competition. Discuss.

When back to the range for another 2.5 hour practice session today. I am starting to dial in my irons. Learned something else today: I don't have to grip the club so hard. Especially around the greens when chipping. I probably hit 150 chips and for the first time in my life, the great majority were in makable put range. So, two lessons for me in two days. Grip the club properly and don't drip it so hard. Both of these tips are very basic, but that's where my game is right now. I hope to go out for my first round in 8 months soon. (I actually tried today but the course only had 9 open holes and they were freshly aerated and sanded, not worth the $40)

I don't put much faith in simulators. It's what's you do on the course, and so far i have done nothing special.

Many of you will think this is silly, but I learned how to hold a club today. I average about 6 rounds a year over the last 9 years. Terrible I know. And recently I decided I wanted to get better and serious about golf. I was already a bogey golfer, with an estimated handicap of 15-20 (if you can actually have a handicap playing 5 times a year). I am an athletic kid, I hit the ball a long ways, and I always have my fair share of birdies, it's the doubles and triples that kill me. I don't have a repetitive swing or a repetitive setup. So I decided to start with the basics and review how to hold a golf club. Now my hands move as a single unit. I don't have as much wrist action and I no longer hold the club like a baseball bat in my palms. It feels very awkward to hold a club in your fingers, but I think it will be a positive change. I even went to the golf galaxy simulator to test out a new set of irons (I currently have adams GT2 irons with graphite shafts that I bought about 5 years ago for $150). I hit the Nike Slingshot and Taylor Made R7 irons and I was surprised to see how quickly I swing a six iron. I was regularly in the mid 120s mph and several over 130mph. It seemed like the easier and smoother I swung, the quicker the club head speed was. When I would try and muscle it, I would drop down to the 110s. I guess easier doesn't = slower club head speed. I was carrying my six iron well over 200 yards on my stellar shots, (I averaged a little over 175 carry and about 190 with roll) and I was hitting them dead straight. In the end, I didn't feel a dramatic difference compared to my Adams irons and I left the store empty handed (I did have an inflated ego, one my my 6 irons was 243 years, 220 carry and only 1% off center) (I don't know if they amp up that golf simulator to get you to buy new stuff, but it sure makes you feel good) I then headed to the range for a 2 hour practice session. All in all a very positive day at the range. I rolled the ball better than last week, chipped better than last week, and hit my irons/driver much straighter than normal. I still feel really strange holding the club in my fingers instead of my palms, but today I feel like I made a step in the right direction.

I never asked this question. I had no intention on quitting medicine. I simply explained my situation and asked what I needed to do in order to reach the pro ranks. Through the discussion it became apparent that trying to do both wasn't realistic. While I have some time, I simply do not have enough time. I cannot devote the necessary time/resources to this goal. So I changed the goal. I plan on doing exactly what you said in the rest of your post. Work on my game, get better, and then see where I am at in 5 years. Who knows, I could be signing up for Qschool, or chillin on the course happy shooting 80.

Good choice: Yes! Easy, not quite. While I won't be rounding or playing with puss, it is far more difficult than you might imagine. Plus, the $ is no longer what it was 5-10 years ago. Still good, but no longer outstanding. Obamacare is going to kill reimbursements even more. I won't starve, but the days of 8-4 reading 30 studies a day with no call are long gone. It's now a 7-5 thing and you are balls to the wall all day long.

That's how it worked for me. If you think about it, it makes sense. You can't go to a weaker school then transfer to the stronger school for the last year and claim a degree from the stronger school. 3/4ths of your education was at the weaker institution. EX: You can't do three years at StateUniv X, then transfer to Harvard for your final year and claim to be a Harvard graduate. In order to graduate you have to have the majority of your classes completed at that institution.

Strong work and good improvements. The problem with your plan is that you can't transfer more than 2 years of academic credit. So even if you could transfer to play golf, you would have to retake a year of classes.

Thanks to everyone for the helpful advice. After a long nights sleep I have come to the same conclusion as many of the astute posters. It isn't going to be possible for me to practice both medicine and golf at the highest level. I guess I just missed out on my opprotunity to pursue professional golf.....for now. I chose instead to pursue baseball and I had a great time with that sport. I played professionally for a few years but injury cut my career short. I could have transitioned to golf when I recovered from my arm surgery, but instead I chose to enter medicine. I am very happy with my choice of medicine, but I can't stop thinking about the possibility of a career playing golf. I think everyone has at one point in their life wished to be a pro athlete/movie star/astronaut. It's human nature to dream, but one needs to be able to separate dreams from reality. The guys playing on tour right now have put in the time and sacrafice needed to get there. For me to do that, I would have to quit medicine. I am not willing to do that. I can't do that. I have a wife and eventually kids to provide for. For me to quit medicine and focus on golf would be a foolish move. I see people all the time that drop everything, take on huge risks, and some eventually make it big. Many do not. I cannot take those risks at this point in my life. I like the suggestions of many posters, and that is to focus on medicine, get damn good at golf, and then consider playing later in my career. It is going to take 10 years for me to mature and learn enough about the game anyway. New plan: Focus on medicine, become a stellar radiologist, and enjoy my time playing golf. I hope to take a few lessons, focus on the short game and hopefully bring the handicap down to around 10 - 12 by the end of my intern year. After that I will re-asses the situation and figure out the next move. I guess the ultimate goal would be to become a scratch golfer in the next 5.5 years. Then I can come out of residency, get a job, and start playing golf in local tourneys. We will see what happens from there. Thanks to everyone who helped clear my foggy vision.

I completely agree. I never played golf in HS/College, but I do have substantial experience in competition that I gained through my baseball career. I do agree that getting involved with local competition is a good way to start, but I am not even ready for that. I would get destroyed. If I dream of being a skyscraper, I am currently a construction site with raw materials still in the packaging. I think the materials are all there, but I need to figure out how to organize them and start building. I think a tournament would fit in around level 10 if making a pro tour was level 100. Thanks

Just curious. I will probably get flamed for this, but I am just a 26yo guy looking for some advice on how to improve what little game I have. History: I used to play a decent amount of golf as a young kid (10-14yo) but stopped playing due to a change of interest. I played several sports in HS and played Div1 baseball and then played some minor league ball. I blew my arm out and decided to go to medical school. I am now a 1st year resident with 5.5 more years to go until I finish. I have always had a love for golf and I have always felt that I could be good if I just put in the time. I am considering trying to setup a plan to go about improving what little game I think I have. I have played 4-5 rounds a year for the past 10 years. No range time. These rounds are usually all at the same time of year or two different times when I visit my parents (Did I mention I am a poor medical resident with $100K+ of debt?). I haven't been able to afford playing during medical school. Now that I am a resident, I have a little bit more time and a little bit more money and I am considering investing those resources into golf. Don't get me wrong, I love medicine, but being a pro golfer is a pretty sweet deal. (Yes I know it's hard and not all fun and games, but who doesn't dream?) I recently went into a golf galaxy to pick up a set of clubs and during the fitting, I had several people interested in my swing. Including the instructors. They were all amazed that I hit the ball so well with so little experience on the course. My club head speed of the driver was well over 120mph, and when I crank it up it was over 130mph. I probably swing in the 115 range when I am on the tee. Distance wise I am anywhere from 280-350 off the tee depending on the course/wind/roll etc. I have hit the ball over 350 several times. Am I basing my potential on a few comments from a guy in a retail store? No, I am simply including this anecdotal story to show that I am not just having delusions of grandeur. I really think I have a small chance at being a great golfer. Overall I hit my irons well, but no real touch, no distance control, no finesse. I don't move or work the ball, I am still just trying to hit it straight. BUT, when things come together, I surprise myself. My current skills in golf are almost zero. Never had a lesson/coach. Haven't played seriously in years. The only real thing going for me is natural athleticism and ability. I can honestly say I strike the ball fairly well. I hit the ball long, and most of the time it's fairly straight. I generally shoot in the mid 90s, with low rounds in the high 80s. 9 hole record of 39. (Keep in mind this is playing 4-6 times a year - I have a very long journey ahead of me and I recognize this - many many years). I have no touch around the greens, I don't know how to putt. I have never read a book on golf, I never consider the cut of the grass or the grain. I don't know any tricks or secrets. I am a total novice, but I think I have potential. Bottom line: I think I have the genetics/talent to play the game of golf at a high level. I just need to design a plan to make baby steps towards this goal. Right now I have no knowledge, and this lack of golf knowledge really hurts me on the course. I think by playing smart I could knock 5+ strokes off my score. By not three putting 5 times a round would knock another 5+. I think I could be consistently shooting low 80s in a few months time. Then it gets tougher. Improvements will be smaller and take more time. I think by playing more frequently, and spending time on the range, I could see big gains. I just need help getting started. What do I need to read? Who should I talk to? Are swing lessons worthwhile now, or should I get a few months of daily range time or course time under my belt prior to investing in some coaching? Right now, the best word to describe my game would be RAW. It's going to be a long road, and I don't know if I am totally committed, but I hope to find out over the next year or so. I know what it takes to succeed in athletics and academics at a high level. I know it takes hours, weeks, months, years of daily dedication, and right now I am taking my first few baby steps. Thanks for any helpful insight you can provide. Rady

I think this is a great tip. I only play a few times a year and I have no clue how far I hit any of my clubs. Maybe I should just play more.

The length doesn't bother me, it's the whole accuracy thing that gets me in trouble.

Bribe someone and attempt to play Vaquero. You could meet a Jonas Brother.

Radiology Resident - R1 currently doing a TY