aleski

Recently, I get the feeling I'm cocking my wrists too early, particularly with long irons and woods, but have yet to investigate whether that's really the case. Overall, I have to go with what most of the lads have been saying: I doubt there's a particular moment in swing when you should cock your wrists. That's not to say, however, that the club does not have any bearing on the issue. I bet to many it comes down to aesthetics, some like the spacious look of a late wrist cock, while others don't.

Getting accustomed with my new set of irons, and am beginning to get the hang of it. The driver is another area that needs attention: have yet to hit a decent drive this year.

Spitfire Wainwright Nest Beers by Kiuchi brewery Kirin Classic

High scores and bad swings, which necessiate a pint after nine holes. Consequencies include higher scores and worse swings; but I love it.

Hi all, That time of the year again, and I'll go straight to the point: have tried neither and doubt that I'll get the chance to do so. I currently play the some 15 year old Titleist 990Bs, which I like but do not love; I guess I'm after improved feel. I did demo 710MBs and -CBs, The Nike blades (whatever they're nowadays), Wilson FG62s, Taylor Made TP MBs, Mizuno MP-68s. Also, have tried the MP-67s. The bottom line is, I felt I hit the 710s and Taylor Mades the best, was able to shape shots with both, and had no problems with the longer irons. Wilson FGs launched (with S300s) launched a bit too high, to my liking, Mizuno MP-67s were a slight disappointment, although I hit them a while back: felt I lost some distance. The 68s, however, performed alright, no particular concerns but also not the absolute favourites either. The Nikes, similarly, were alright. So, which one do you think would better suit me? Are the short irons of ZBs at all comparable to 710 MBs? How will the MP-37s compare to 67s and 68s? Obliged, aleski

Only got into golf when Woods began to dominate and thus will only incorporate players I have been able to follow over the past 10 or so years (the last 14 being pretty much in arbitrary order) - apologies for the slight off-topic. 1. Tiger Woods 2. Padraig Harrington 3. Tom Watson 4. Ernie Els 5. Phil Mickelson 6. Sergio Garcia 7. Miguel Angel Jimenez 8. Darren Clarke 9. Lee Westwood 10. Luke Donald 11. Jim Furyk 12. Jose Maria Olazabal 13. Vijay Singh 14. Ogilvy Geoff 15. K.J. Choi ...EDIT: Just realised, Monty should'd been on this list. Some who might make the list in the future (tempted to leave a sic here just in case). Rickie Fowler Rory McIlrroy Ryo Ishikawa Mateo Manassero Dustin Johnson Jason Day

I recently hit the FG62s at a local range. Loved the feel of the clubs, but on short irons shots did occasionally balloon. Seeing how these are more affordable than the Titleist 710s, which were slightly more to my liking, I may find myself playing Wilson irons some time soon. Hit the FG62-set with DG300S-shafts, so I believe 5.5 or 6.0 could help me control the trajectory on short irons. Aesthetically, the FG59s are also to my liking. Anyone here know how the FG59s compare to the 62s, especially in regards to the short iron trajectory? Overall, very nice irons indeed.

Driver: 240-270 metres, not terribly consistent with this one. 17* 4-wood: 220-240 m 3-iron: 190-205 m 4-iron 175-190 m 5-iron 165-175 m 6-iron 160-165 m 7-iron 155-160 m 8-iron 150-155 m 9-iron 140-150 m PW: 130-140 m 52* wedge 105-115 m 56* wedge 90-110 m

Nike VR Tour -driver EUR199 Titleist 904F 17* -fairway wood EUR70 Titleist DCI 990B -irons JPY14 500 Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 52* -wedge EUR120 Fourteen the Wedge 56* -low bounce wedge JPY4 000 Ping Redwood ZB -putter EUR170. Prices shown are prices paid, the putter and titleist wedge being the only clubs purchased new. Total value around EUR700.

Been scoring between 81 ad 83 (or +9-+11) consistently now for weeks. Last round 83 with a double par at a long par four where I had a very tight line to the green with my second, ball hit two trees before going out of bounds. A bad chip and a pulled putt to seal the deal. Recovered with a double bogey at the easiest par3 on the course :). Managed a birdie the next hole though. Some stats, hit 12 out of 14 fairways, 14 GIR and 37 putts. Still, I feel I'm getting closer to breaking 80 and staying there.

Budvar dark lager (tap) Budvar lager (tap) VB (bottle) Asahi Super Dry (bottle) Kirin Classic (bottle) Hitachino Nest Beer XH (bottle) Hitachino Nest Beer White Ale (bottle)

Short game. While there's definitely plenty of room for improvement with my putting, recently I've struggled with pitch and chip shots, particularly distance control. So, what I plan to do is to play a couple of rounds of golf alone, and whenever I'm near the greens, play as many shots to the green as is required to get a feel of the distance.

Since I've yet to develop a routine since my return to the game after a prolonged break (and having previously had a consistent, relatively functional one), I am curious, is pre-shot the pre-shot routine something fellow golfers consciously develop, or is it something that is allowed develop over time?

I would definitely recommend the Wilson Fybrid 3-wood. Tried it along with a number of fairway woods (Titleist, Cobra, Mizuno, Nike, Ping...) last season and it came out a winner. Traditional design, high(ish) ball launch, extremely easy to hit. No need to break the bank for this one either.

A no brainer: Redwood ZB. Overall, the Redwood -series is lovely.

Wow, it's been a while since my previous post, but what the heck. I've been struggling with my swing, and especially consistency, of late. Somehow developed a habit where I'm swinging the club slightly across the ball. Depending on my lower body rotation and release, I have been hitting shots left from the target, either straight or with a noticable draw. Have been working on my backswing and am now trying to get the club up in a more upright position in order to avoid a premature shoulder turn at the beginning of the downswing to straighten the club and thus coming across the ball. Also, am thinking I should see what my right elbow is doing when swinging the ball... If anyone has any tips on how to ensure I'm striking the ball on the correct line, please let me know. On the course, I need to make a few more birdies drop, create a fair amount of makeable chances (2-5 per 9 holes). Once my swing is back to where I want it to be, I should start hitting more GIRs. I'm also scrambling terribly at the moment: save par only on occasion when faced with a chip shot. It's never a walk in the park, is it?

...is what we have in Finland between October and early May. Although, the cold weather is good for practising ball-striking. Hit anything but the sweetspot and you want to let go of the club. No one is allowed on the course early mornings. Competitions start around 11am and on a cloudy day by 5pm. it's already too dark to play. I'm seriously considering flying to Portugal or Spain for a few weeks during the darkest months.

These are the two courses I commonly play here in Finland: http://www.archipelagiagolf.fi/engli...hp?af=2&card;=2 and http://www.loimijokigolf.fi/DowebEas...kenttaesittely

Played my first ever round of even par today. Started pretty solidly with two pars (for some reason, these holes have been difficult for me) having missed two makeable birdie-putts from 10ft and 6ft. I was feeling perhaps too good going into one of the easier holes on the course for me (par is acceptable but I'm always going for a birdie) and came out with a bogie. Still, I was determined not to let it bother me. I recovered nicely from a bad tee-shot (some 30 metres shorter than usual) on the 4th hole and two-putted a par. I hit three good shots on five for a birdie and am back on par. Made a good par on the par-3 6th and proceeded to the 7th hole. 8th is not my favourite holes and once again I fail to hit the green in two after a nice tee-shot. Chip and two putts for a bogie. Again, not disheartened I hit a good tee-shot on an easy par-5. Second shot, a 4-iron left from the green. A good chip that allows me to tap in the birdie with the wedge feels good. 9th, I hit my 3-iron just right of the fairway. From 140metres, I hit a perfect 9-iron that heads right at the flag and finally stops some 9ft after the hole. A good birdie attempt, and a tap-in par. On the par-5 10, I hit my third from about 100metres and again 2-putt from 9ft. 11th and 12th I par and head for the most difficult part of the course: two long par 4's, a mid-length par 3 and a par 5 I've never played better than bogie. On 13th I hit a terrible 3-iron that leaves me some 210metres to the flag. This time, the 3-iron works nicer and I'm just right from the green. However, a bad chip and I'm left with 11ft for a par. The result, a bogie. On 14th, my drive hits the right side of the narrow fairway with huge trees blocking my way to the green. I hit a punch 6-iron from 160metres to the rough left from the green. A bad lie and I barely make contact with my wedge. 12ft to par but I manage to hole it. The par 3 goes as planned and I 2-putt from 10ft. On the difficult par 5, I hit an average tee-shot. Second shot is a 3-iron which leaves me some 130 metres to the flag. I hit a solid shot, the ball looks to be right at the flag on the elevated green. To my disappointment, I still have about 15ft for my birdie. Still, I manage to make a nice attempt, just right of the hole, and a tap in par (first ever on the hole). Now, the possibility of a round of even par is on my mind. But the birdie will have to come on 17th. So, instead of the usual 4-iron, I pull out my driver in order to dry and reach the green some 267 from the teeing ground. The ball starts right from the target but the wind pushes it to the left, just as planned. I find my ball on the foregreen, hit one of the better chip-shots of the day and tap in my birdie. 18 is not an easy hole. A long, dogleg par 4. My drive finds the neighbouring fairway leaving some 165 to the flag. I get lucky with my approach as it starts left of the target - straight towards the bunker in front of the green. Instead of finding the bunker, I get a nice bump and the ball rolls just barely avoiding the bunker (in fact, the edge of the bunker pushes the ball towards the flag). I find the ball on the foregreen, pull out my 56-wedge, hit it almost in, and tap in the final par of the day. Stats: GIR 13/18 Chips 4 / Saved 2 Putts 31 Score: 72 Feeling pretty good - especially since I was able to finally score on two of the holes that have been ruining my rounds the whole summer.

An eccentric Finn played all the golf courses in Finland, roughly 2 700 holes, during a 11-week period last summer. His plans were to hop on his bike, but ended up getting a sponsor. So, instead he spent his nights in a camper parked next to the club house, though he was at times invited to take full use of the club facilities.

We have 100, 150 and 200 metre markers here. Although, I wish they would hand out pin locations - I have played only a few courses that do that, and I absolutely love it. Played well also, on both times! Oh, sometimes I'm at a loss with my second shot (laying up) on par 5's. From-the-tee markers would come in handy also.

Faldo, Tiger, Garcia and Els are players I like to look at. When it comes to emulating, I'd go with Tiger or/and Faldo. Oh, forgot to mention Ogilvy.

Mannasero was great at the Open, but so was Ishikawa Ryo, and I have to say I like his chances better. He seems very calm and collected. Plays great around the greens and unlike his predecessor, Imada, he seems to be right up there off-the-tee also.

I have to say I really like Kaymer based on the little I've seen him in action. The lad seems to keep his cool, being German and all... McIlroy has been a subject of much praise, but I feel it is often the case that the players who are allowed to develop without such speculation over their future with numerous major titles will do better. He has the potential, but you never know...

No hybrids, yet. I'm thinking of getting a 5-wood or a hybrid that would give me the same carry. I would like to try a hybrid out as the shorter shaft appeals to me.