Gilles

Was playing by myself yesterday morning (8:20 AM). Wanted to try some shots on the course, mostly regarding approach shots between 70m - 100m (80-110y), one of my weaknesses. 4 minutes after I tee'ed of, an other single player starts his round (I just came onto the green), and he's a bit faster than me. so by hole 3 I suggest to let him through (full hole in front of me and couple behind him wasn't exactly playing bogey golf...) He suggests to pair up. Does etiquette say that I have to accept this invitation to pair up? Since you never know how the pace of play will evolve, you might be the one creating slow play and I've always been told that solo players never have priority... (To complete the story : I kindly decline, telling him I'm trying out some shots, sometimes dropping a second ball at a certain distance from the hole and that if we notice that we're creating slow play, we would pair up... We both finished our 9 holes in 90 minutes, not holding up anybody) Gilles

It totally depends on the ratio "distance from ball to green / distance from border of green to pin". As a rule of thumb (without slope or roll correction) I use : PW for 50/50, SW(56°) for 75/25 and 9i for 25/75. And then a multitude of variations depending on slope and roll or how low the ball has to stay to avoid branches. I think I regularly use any club between SW and 7i, and sometimes go up to 6i or even 5i. I prefer adapting my club to adapting the length of my back- and downswing. I find it easier to always repeat the same swing with different clubs than different swings with the same clubs. Gilles

... which is because that's not what I'm looking for. Yep, did the Masters site, tried all the "hole overviews" and "aerial flyover", looked further on the internet, but didn't find what i was looking for, which is something like this : allowing me to know at what distance from the tee a bunker is set, etc. just taking lazy back to where it used to be... Gilles

I've been reading an article on changes that were made in the design of certain holes of Augusta for the 2010 Masters, and their impact on how certain holes can be or have to be played. It opened up a hole new perspective and may add an interesting dimension to watching the TV coverage, comparing how different players approach a green differently. is there a course map (with yardage?) of the Augusta Golf Course in its 2010 condition available online? Gilles

Think I kinda got the message... Is there a possibility to move a thread to an other forum? Thanks, Gilles

Hmmm, apparently, one can't talk of venues-where-they-sell-material-to-play-the-sport-to-which-this-forum-is-dedicated. :) Gilles

Hi, I'm flying to NY City this Friday and staying there for a week, but without any intentions to play golf there. However, since golf material is cheaper in the US than in Europe (and thanks to favorable exchange rates, though I don't really like the Greeks right now...) , I intend to buy some stuff over there and fly it back with me. I'm thinking of buying a putter, wedge, maybe a wood and a stand bag. Option 1 : I also buy a travel bag, put it all in there and pay the additional $ 50 that AA charges for a golf bag. But I don't feel like spending an additional $ 100.00 or more for something I will probably have little or no further use of. And for what I've read, a travel bag (except for a hard case, but then I blow my budget) does not guarantee that your clubs won't be damaged. Option 2 : I make it all fit in a container of which the total outside dimensions (length + width + height) is no more than 62 inches (or 157 cm). Is option 2 feasible? Could anyone help me on the dimensions of : (A) the container in which a stand bag is packed (B) the container in which a golf club (wood) can be packed? Using the width and height of (A) and the length of (B), I will be able to calculate whether option 2 can be done or not. thanks, Gilles PS : additional question : once in NYC, what •••••••••s should I pay a visit to?

In my newbie golfer days (sounds like they're far gone. All but...) I locked my wrists from take-away until follow-through. Stiff as a ... Result : slice after slice after slice. I started compensating by adopting a more closed grip, trying to close the clubface. Then I kept my hands way before the ball, also in an attempt to close the clubface, but it only took the loft out of the club. Then I started messing everything up, resulting in what my pro called a "reverse pivot" (weight on the left leg on the backswing). I was totally lost. Then he said to me "you have to release your wrists". I unlocked my wrists, first exaggerating the movement by slapping the ball (resulting in uncontrolled draws) and then finding the right balance between unlocking my wrists and keeping them tense. Based on my own experience and the pro's and cons from the above posters, I think a lot of players tend to translate "release" in "slap the ball" rather than in "unlock your wrists". Once, on the course, I hit a terrible slice, grunted, said to myself "release your wrists, Gilles, release your wrists". My fellow players looked at me like I spoke Chinese. I explained the concept to them. They told me that to them, unlocking their wrists came naturally (and they were no newbies). So, my point of view on the "releasing" issue is : it's meaning is often misunderstood and the movement is therefore often exagerated. some players have it naturally, others don't and need to practice it to adopt it in their swing. following the above, for some it's crappy advice because they don't need it, for others it's a bliss. My $ 0.02 ... G.

Golf is one of the only sports you practice in a different setting (driving range and practice areas) than the one you play it in (course). You have to consider playing alone as the opportunity to practice on the course in "real" circumstances. Real bad lies, real bunkers, real greens, real tee-offs, real rough, ... So when I play alone I : 1. put on some music, just loud enough to still hear the "FORE"'s (Pink Floyd usually does it for me) Activate the desired brainwaves... 2. put different balls into play, one I tee off and putt with, and then others I just drop at some interesting points along the hole (say every time at a 100 yards from center green to practice my approach with SW, a deep greenside bunker, a difficult to read putt, ...) to test myself and practice, and then pick the ball up again. I'll also drop a second ball if I didn't hit my first ball like I visualized it. 3. pay attention not to slow play and make the flight behind me wait. Then I'll just speed up for a hole, create a little gap, and off I am again. 4. take deep breaths to enjoy not being in the office 5. have a delicious beer afterwards Gilles

Concerning the follow-through, I planned on experimenting with "pointing your clubhead at the intended target" at the end of the follow-through, so the further your intended target, the longer your follow-through. Anyone has any experience with that? G.

Stand behind your ball, draw a mental line between your target and your ball, then find some odd mark (a leaf, a dark spot, a broken tee, ...) in the grass some 2-3 feet in front of your ball and on that same line. Use that and not your "feel" to align correctly. G.

I've made chipping my specialty shot. 8 out of 10, when I get to chip, it's up-and-down. Problem is that I get to chip only on 1 or 2 greens in 18, since I try to put my approaches on the green. Chipping is more of a "plan B". Tips I could give : First align your club face square to where you want your ball to land, than align your feet (I align ca. 30° left of target, being a righty, but that's my technique, find out what's best for you) Put your weight on you left foot (to practice this, take your stance and then put the toes of your right next to the heel of your left foot and lift the heel of your right foot) Put the ball back in your stance (inside of right foot) Make sure you don't deloft your club Chip with your upper body, not with your arms or wrists. Chip parallel to your feet. Do a couple of practice chips until it feels good And in my opinion the two most important ones : ACCELERATE through your ball ! Keep your head down until the ball hits the green And practice this a lot with different clubs (SW to i7) so that you get a feel for the % of flight and the % of roll. Sooner it starts rolling on the green, the less likely you'll have an ugly bounce when touching the green. For that, try to keep the flight as low as possible. When I have to chip, I look at the distance between the ball and the green and the distance between the border of the green and the flag. That will determine which club I'll chip with. i7 is really for a chip and run (10% flight -90% roll). PW is 50-50, i9 is about 25-75. Gilles

Play it. Since it's hasn't any monetary value anymore (compared to e.g. a new Titleist Pro V1), you won't be thinking "careful, I can't afford to loose that ball" and you'll be more relaxed about your shot. I used to play new balls only when playing a tournament and lamented more about losing the ball than missing my shot when I hit one in the water. Stressed me out before each swing. Since I realized that, I only play balls I find accidently in the rough, sometimes a Titleist, sometimes cr*p, and as long as it doesn't affect the quality of my game, I'll stick to that. Saves a couple of bucks too. G.

Going off topic, but I certainly would do it. I did it for my home course and i made me feel a lot more comfortable, knowing that it's 60y to the green if in front of some bunker but 80y if behind... Don't just make one plan per hole. Make an alternative plan. For example : scenario A : I hit my driver 250y, scenario B : totally top it and hit it 120 yards or so... If you plan a second shot for both scenario's, your first shot is less likely to miss the plan... If you know you have a plan B, you're less likely to be disturbed if you don't hit the shot that matches plan A... It also made me realize that I'm sometimes better off teeing off with one club less but being more comfortable with that one, because in the end it the few extra yards won't save me a stroke to get on the green. G.

I think you should give us some more infor, Wernerd46. Is your question concerning the distance of your irons : "Why can't I hit my irons beyond 150 yards?" or "Why do I hit all my irons more or less the same distance (roughly 150 yards)". Try to give us an indication of the regular carry of each of your clubs (from LW to driver). Regarding your slicing your irons, there can be multiple reasons : swing arc, release, grip, hip and shoulder rotation, ball position in your stance, you name it. Hard to tell why you slice without more info. I'ld say : check all the above : is your grip too weak? is your swing arc too horizontal? do you have enough release? where in your stance do you position your ball? Try to break it down and find the root cause by experimenting with all of these factors : try different grips, focus on "over-releasing", try different ball positions, and see what the outcome is. Alternative : have a pro look at it or post a video of your swing. G.

If I read correctly in some old Golf Digest, the "old-school" X-factor is the angle between your hips and your shoulders on the top of your backswing. An X-factor of 50 means your shoulders are rotated 50° further back than your hips. Or, according to the "new school" X-factor, it's the angle between your hips and shoulders when you hit the ball. Then an X-factor of 50° means your shoulders are in an angle of 50° to your hips, or, your right hip (if you're a righty) is in front of your right shoulder by some 50°. Has to do with the coil in your body and the power you can unleash. (google "golf" and "x-factor" if you want to read more) G.

A golf swing is so personal that I believe it's hard to compare two swings. Differences in size, weight, fysical proportions, grip, dynamics, stance, ... can all be very small individually but are a huge factor on the outcome of your swing when you combine them all. No two swings are identical... I can only agree with the other posters here. If you know your distances for each club and can hit them consistently, that's all that matters. If you need a wood where he needs a 3i, well then that's just the case. A guy I play regularly with delofts his clubs a lot. He can hit 10% more distance than me, but my ball flight is controlled ... and sweet ... while his are just rockets that bounce forward on the fairway without to much control. I'ld say, let him have it. G.

If it might inspire : I have a little notebook in which I write down the three best shots (if I get to three) of my round, even when I play a lousy round, and trust me, at my level, those are frequent. Read in one of Bob Rotella's books that you have to remember your good shots and forget the bad ones. So I write down the hole, the club I used, the swing I used, the distance I covered and/or the distance left to the cup, everything that will allow me to visualize afterwards ... Then sometimes I flip through its pages and smile back while sipping my Duvel... Aaah, good times... G.

Re-reading your post, combined with MiniMoe's (who's handicap might make him a teeny-bit more experienced and knowledgeable than me) , it might indeed also be that your grip is too weak. Saying "just make your grip weaker" (as "the guy" did) without adjusting the other biomechanics seems a bit incomplete to me. How about your clubhead release for example? That one adapted too? I think combining the tee-under-the-pinkie thing with either taping and reviewing in slow motion your entire swing or just swinging in slow motion might give you the answer. Freeze at different moments in your swing and check your hands/grip and the alignment of your clubhead. As soon as they're not right, you've isolated the problem. And from there on, well, I guess it depends on the nature of the problem... G.

Working (or rather, going to work tomorrow) on having a "soft left knee" in my downswing when teeing of. Instead of bringing my weight down on it and pushing down on my left foot on the downswing, for some reason I tend to stretch it a little, thus raising my upper body a bit and topping the ball. Don't seem to have that problem when the ball isn't tee-ed up though... G.

Put a tee between your grip and pinkie/ring finger of your left hand. If at any point in your swing you loosen your grip, the tee should fall out. To notice at which point it falls out, you might have to tape it... G.

If, based on the size and shape of your iron divots (there might be other explanations, but notice the 3 in front of my handicap...) , you are hitting with the heel, have you experimented with the distance between you and the ball? Try coming a bit closer to the ball. I know that I used to be too far back from the ball, having to "reach" for the ball on the downswing, bringing the toe of my club up and coming at the ball from the wrong angle ... I still have to remind myself sometimes to shimmy an inch or two closer to the ball when taking my stance. You have to swing "below" you, not in front of you. G.

Had some sore left elbow problems too (inside of the arm in between triceps and the articulation). Went to see my pro. My left arm was all tense and extended to the max even before beginning the takeaway. Told me to relax my left elbow and turning it inwards a bit (just the elbow), take the tension out of my left arm, so it has enough flex to absorb the shock of hitting the ground. No more elbow pains since...

Don't know the Pelz Method, but since controllling pitching distance by controlling your backswing and release seems to be a universal golf rule, I guess it's quite similar to the instructions I use, which can be found on this site (please let me know if this is against forum rules on advertising) . By training on this consciously, I've been able to discover the backswing and release I need for every 10-yard increment (e.g. 20 yards = 8 to 4, etc) up to the distance I cover with a full SW swing. And as all things in Golf, I guess the conscious drills will suddenly transform in unconscious feel... My 2 cents. G.

Faced with the problem that my clubhead went sideways to soon in the takeaway (compare it to swinging a baseball bat, but then less extreme), my pro told me to focus on first bringing the clubhead backwards, on the same line that goes through your target and the ball. Only when you have brought the clubhead as far back as possible without turning your shoulders (as squaddie says, your left arm will be in 9 o'clock position), you should start making your shoulder turn (and thus bringing your left shoulder backwards). (Edit : you'll have to cock your wrists somewhere along, but I'm not a good enough player (yet) to give advice/suggestions/ideas on this) First times, it feels a bit unnatural, cause the natural reflex is to bring the clubhead up and behind your head as quickly as possible. Practice a 9-to-3 or even 9-to-12 swing, you'll probably be amazed by the straight trajectory and distance you already get without bringing your clubhead up any further. Feel the clubhead, and bring it back, then up. It has also helped me creating a slower tempo on my takeaway and backswing, because the two are now very distinct phases (my mantra is "back.... up... let go...").