Mr Puddle

UK all courses are now closed

Of course, and I'm the same. However, if don't have any obstacles to get over, it's always an 8 iron chip and run !

I live in the UK, and it's all gone bonkers. Nature is simply attempting to trim the tree from the top. 8 billion people on planet earth, and we are worried about loosing a few old and sick ones. As far as golf is concerned, YES. I meant to be going to play in Portugal in 4 weeks, and I think there is about a one in a hundred chance of it actually happening. Then the fight to get money back

Watched an Arnold Palmer vid the other day. He said amature golfers are better off chipping and running, than attempting to throw the ball up in the air.

I don't really understand spin, I just want the ball to go straight, and I buy balls that try and do this for me. Yes, I think that was point. A good golfer can use that spin to draw and fade his long irons/driver, but it's advantageous for a lesser player to use a ball that doesn't spin as much. I quite often hear mid/high handicappers say that at their level the ball doesn't matter, but I would argue it matters more at their level than a better golfer.

I am a mid handicapper, and YES, they can make a difference. For example, PRO V1's are designed to spin. Good players who can control spin find this an asset, for people like me, who just want the thing to go straight, it is a disadvantage. There is little difference as far as distance is concerned, but the feel of the ball when chipping and putting is concerned varies a lot. The secret is to find a ball you feel comfortable with. I use Srixon Distance balls. They are as cheap as chips, but I like them, and that's all that counts.

From driver to putter, all my clubs have covers. Takes me a second to put the cover on and take it off. Always been the same since I was a kid, and look after everything I own

I can't understand anyone spending hundreds of dollars/pounds on a set of golf clubs and not putting them in head covers. Just my opinion

There was also someone on here the other day claiming his average drive was 550 yards. To be honest, if your young and fit it's not hard to swing a club over 100mph, but hitting the ball straight is another question 😁 I once topped the ball so badly it didn't reach the screen. The monitor said I hit the ball 250 yards. Your right !

I have to laugh sometimes. I play with guys who get driven mad by anyone talking, but there is a field nearby with a bird scarer that sounds like an atom bomb. Strangely enough they have never mentioned the bird scarer

Thought I would share my recent experiences with you all. For the last four years I have owned an old Taylormade Burner. I bought it from a friend, and in general it worked well for me. For a few weeks I noticed I wasn't hitting the ball as far as usual, and occasionally the contact sound was a little strange. I thought nothing of it, suspecting I was to blame. OUCH, I got a graphite splinter, and after a little inspection I could see that what was a bag rub had turned into something more sinister. Unfortunately replacing the shaft was far more expensive than the value of the club, so I started to look around for a decent used one. I found what looked like a nice hardly used Yonex SD. The reviews were good, and the price excellent, so I ordered it. It was horrible. Despite being described as a high launch, I couldn't get the ball to rise more than about six feet, and the feel was dreadful. I sold it within a fortnight, and only lost a few pounds. Then I found a private seller on the Bay selling a Taylormade M1 for a very reasonable price, with a new grip and good head cover, 10.5* reg flex. Whilst waiting for it's delivery, my friend lent me a few drivers. Firstly a Ping G25. It felt nice, but I couldn't get the ball going straight. Then I tried his old Ping G2. Although the grip was as smooth as a babies bum, I was hitting the ball long and straight. It was if we were old friends. I have since given him a nominal amount of money, and am going to re-grip it, with the intention of keeping it as a spare. The M1 then arrived. As you probably know there are three different adjustments, loft, draw/fade, and high/low. I have a bit of a natural fade, so set it at maximum draw. Well, even after tweaking the weights, I am really struggling with it, but am not ready to give up yet. Unlike the old Ping, we don't appear to be very good pals. I have since been talking to several golfing friends, and a pro friend of mine. I was told by the pro that despite all the YouTube videos promoting certain clubs, that technology pretty much maxed out thirteen years ago, and since then it's all been about marketing. Needless to say, what will suite one person, won't suite another. I am going to persevere with the M1 for a little while longer, but if it doesn't work, the old G2 is going to be my go to driver !

I have posted on a few golf forums for a number of years, and find the opinion on the matter a little different either side of the pond. As well as this I think age has an affect on the opinion. If your young and starting up, a lesson every few weeks is probably advantageous, if your my age they probably won't do much to help. I am in my 60s and am happy to take the occasional tip from a friend. Sometimes these tips help, and sometimes they don't. There comes a point where it is better to make what you do work, rather than try something different. The most important thing is to find a good pro, because in my experience there are far more bad instructors than there are good.

In the UK it just rains, and rains, and rains, and rains, and rains, and rains, and rains, and rains

My handicap is spot on, but everyone else's is to high 😁

I think it's great for women to play golf with other women as long as the housework is done first. As far as playing golf with women, NO THANKS

As yet I haven't had good one, but if I do you will be the first to know

I live on the East Coast of the UK, and we have had 45% of our annual rainfall in the last two weeks. Guess what, the course is closed

Thanks for the advice. It amazes me though how somebody can wright an entire book on putting

Where I live 15mph is a gentle breeze

My club has a pick and place policy from October through to April. We can place the ball 6 inches either side or backwards on fairways only, and this includes competitions. When things are really bad we allow it in the rough as well. Preferred lies during the winter is the norm in the UK

Having started this thread, and receiving some stick, I thought it may interest some of you how things have progressed. If you remember I had developed a technique where I putt from the shoulders (not the arms) and place the ball back in the stance. It's not uncommon for golfers to putt from the shoulders, however it is uncommon to putt with the ball behind centre of stance. This worked for a little while, but like so many golfing techniques it all went wrong, so back to the drawing board. I am not a natural putter, and have always struggled. I spent loads of time on the putting green, and believe I have now found something that works, albeit nothing ground breaking. When hitting normal golf shots I use an overlapping grip, but was advised when I took up the sport to use a baseball grip when putting, so this is something I have always done, albeit unsuccessfully. As well as watching several YouTube videos I changed my putting to grip to the same grip I use for all my other shots, but I place both thumbs down the centre of my Superstroke putter grip. Head over the ball, ball centre of stance, and elbow tucked into ribs, whilst still putting from the shoulders. My putting has now become consistent, although I still find it hard to judge distance. I suspect this may never change.

As it's nearly Halloween ( a festival I particularly dislike) I thought it would be good if we could share some spooky or very coincidental stories. I have two Monday just gone I played with the seniors. who meet up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The seniors handicap is 33% of club handicap. I played off of 11 and scored 31 stableford points. I was 15 out and 16 back. I was only beaten by one person who also had 31 points, but he had 18 on the back 9, thus beating me on count back. I played again today, and coincidentally I scored 31 points, 15 out and 16 back. Guess what, I was beaten by someone else who also scored 31 points and got 18 on the back 9. In it's self that is quite strange, but this is even stranger, both of them are called Dave Stevenson Some years ago a friend of mine went on a golfing trip to Spain. A chap he was playing with on the first day miss hit a ball, and it ended up perched on the top of a 20 foot tree. The next day the same player miss hit another ball which ended up perched on the top of the same tree next to ball he previously put up there the day before I am sure you have your own, so let's hear them.

Apologise if this one has already been told, but I am not going back 18 pages to find out. A man and wife are playing together, when the wife gets hit with a ball. She hits the ground like a sack of potatoes. The man rings for an ambulance, and tells the person on the other end what has happened. receptionist askes, where has she been hit. Man replies, between the first and second hole. Receptionist says, we are never going to be able to get plaster on that, are we ?

There are many golf jokes, but I am going to tell you my present favourite. I also have a very funny one I would like to share, but I suspect being an American site carries a great deal of political corectness, so I won't. Anyway. Paddy moves to a new area and decides to pop into his local golf club in order he can find a new playing partner. Whilst talking to the pro, he was approached by an American who offered to play with him. Paddy told him that he would meet him at 9am the next morning, but he may be 30 minutes late. As agreed paddy was there at 9am. Indeed Paddy was a great player and gave his new partner a good spanking. The American wanted revenge, so he asked Paddy if he would accept the challenge. Paddy told him that he would meet him the next morning, but he may be 30 minutes late. The next day Paddy turned up at 9am, but this time had left handed clubs. Once again he beet the American quite easily. The American asked Paddy how he made the choice to play left or right handed. Paddy replied, when I wake up in the morning if my wife is laying on her right side I use my right handed clubs, and if she is laying on her left side I use my left handed clubs. The American asked what he did if she was lying on her back, and Paddy replied, I MAY BE THIRTY MINUTES LATE

And I suppose total strokes per round aren't either