Gerardv

Kills me too. I don't remember the last time I hit a putt longer than 10 feet. Lucikly, I've brought down my 3 putt percentage but still need a GIR to get a par. Forget a birdie, I've had countless birdie chances in the last six months without making any of them. If it's not within 4 feet I will miss. That's a long way for me to say - I feel your pain!

I will gladly let my opponents pull out a 7 iron from 155 while I pull my 6 iron. Yes, I know I don't hit the ball far, but due to medical problems I never will. It was quite liberating, actually, to not get caught up in the distance battle. Once I started taking the club that will get the there, not the one I have to hit perfect, my score dropped - A LOT. I was watching some golf show last year and Arnold Palmer said you should take the club that will get you to the hole if you swing smoothly, not hard and before you know it, you will be flying that club over the green and that will tell you when to change clubs.

Great deal on the Nike and Vokey. Enjoy. I'm curious to hear how the Nike works out. They are on sale at my local Dick's for $69. My hope is the Cleveland works out and I can pick up a 60 degree in the near future. Growing up, Cleveland wedges were the pinnacle and I never could afford one and made due with bargain barrel wedges. Nice sob story, right? Anyway, I fell into this one at a great price so I will finally have one in my bag. I like to carry the same brand wedges, if possible, so I will either like the Cleveland and get one to replace my 58 degree Callaway, or trade the Cleveland on a 52 or 54 degree Callaway. Either way, it should be fun.

First, I'm jealous you're going on such a trip. Second, I like the Chevy Malibu or Honda Accord as others mentioned. They are great on gas, have enough room in the trunk and are good all-around cars. Unless you're going where bad weather is an issue. Then I might find a small SUV that is good on gas so putting it in 4WD is an option. I have a Jeep Liberty and LOVE it, but it's horrible on gas, just horrible.

I had a break through like that last year. After years of not being able to play because of medical problems I started up again. well, because of the nature of the problems I had to relearn a lot of the swing. Prior to stopping, my game went from the low 80s to the low 90s for no good reason. As it turns out, it was the medical problem effecting the grip of my right hand. Anyway, after relearning to play, I went out one day and the ball starting going exactly where I wanted it during a 4 person scramble. I would tee up my ball, pick out a target and hit the ball right at it. The next time out, the same thing happened and then I went out to play and shot one of my best all-time rounds - 82. There is a post about it on the forum. How all this happened is beyond me.Although I chalk it up to not being caught up in how far I hit the ball since my distance is forever hampered by my medical problems. Now, I can hit it a club shorter without feeling inadequate compared to my buddies. Whatever caused the break though, I'll take it - and you should too. Don't get caught up in it and instead just keep doing what you did to shoot such a great score. ...........and congrats on the great round!!!

If you go to Ebay right now, there are a couple selling for around $30, although the auction has a couple of hours left. I'm tempted to try and pick up the 60degree version that is listed right now. I don't know whether to take a chance or wait until the one I ordered gets here. The auction doesn't end for a couple of hours so I have time to think about it. This is the first great deal I've gotten on Ebay since my callaway x-18s a couple of years ago. Usually, someone outbids me right at the end of the auction. Still, I was happy to win this one. My home course has hard fast greens so spin is a premium to score well there. Plus, I found the 58 degree sand wedge isn't the best for bunker shots near the green. There is just too much loft. So the 54 seems like a good compromise.

An uncle of mine bought me a set right when they first came out. He stumbled on them at a great price and liked them so much, he bought them for me. They were so good, he almost gave me his Ping Eye 2 and kept the 845s. Being of modest financial means, the 845s were a dream set for me. Then as I played them, I liked them more than just being a kids with something he really couldn't afford. So, as the years went on, I kept them. Even when I could afford a new set, I stayed with my 845s and it wasn't until just two (or three) years ago I replaced them with a set of Callaway X-18s. The 845s are still in my basement and I still carry the lob wedge that came with the set. At least I will carry it until the Cleveland wedge I just bought on Ebay arrives. You can't go wrong with the 845s, or any of Tommy Armour's clubs in the 845 series. Including the Evo 845s they came out with in the late 90s.

I just picked one up on a whim through ebay for $30.00. Supposedly, only used in three rounds. It will work nicely with my 58 degree Callaway X forged wedge and my Callaway X-18 PW. I wanted a 52 degree but this one will work just fine. Hopefully, the zip grooves are as advertised since my home course has greens that seem to be bikini waxed. Stopping even the softest ball is all but impossible. The wedge is already paid for, so it's a little late to get advice on whether to buy it. I just needed to crow a little about my new purchase. To be honest, I have dreamed of Cleveland wedges since I was a kid and couldn't afford them. Having one in the bag will be nice. Next, I plan on picking up a 60 degree wedge to replace my 58 degree Callaway. New golf gear is fun stuff.

About two weeks ago I shot 82 which was my best round since coming back from serious medical problems and not playing for a few years. Hell, prior to all the surgeries my best ever was 80. To be honest, my game has gotten better since I can only hit it 240-250 on average and lost a full club in distance. It takes my ego out of the game and forces me to play within my means. When I have to, I can take a huge whack at one and get it 270. So, there is an extra gear I can call on. However, if I swung that hard all the time, and I'm only talking about 85%, my reconstructed neck would come apart. So, I stay with 75% most of the time. It's made me more accurate, more able to work the ball and more able to score since I play my game. The guys with me might hit it farther than I do, but I still beat them. Distance is addictive, as someone already mentioned. But, what is more addictive is a really low score or getting in your competitor's head because he has to hit the green in regulation to have a chance. There is something fun about having your competitor or partner drop you off at your ball, right in the middle of the fairway, while they drive all over looking for their ball. That or saying" let's go find your ball since we know right where mine is" as you pull away from the tee. Nobody should believe they don't need distance to play good golf since a certain amount of pop is needed. But, it is far from everything.

See now, that's just funny right there. All though the guys where I used to work made just about every brain tumor joke imaginable. So, you'll have to do a little better!!! I just hope we get the elbow problem fixed because it messes up everything in a golf game and it's frustrating if a doctor can't diagnose it.

Be careful of letting anyone on a board such as this change your mind about YOUR clubs. I love it here and get great advice, so I'm not taking a shot at the people here. But, I teach shooting and find that people trying to pick a self-defense handgun let their brother, uncle, the gun counter guy, their buddy Fred or people who "know" more than they do, pick a gun for them. Golf clubs can't be picked that way anymore than a self-defense gun can. You have to decide what clubs work for you, and only you can do that. So, hit them and if you like them better than everything else, buy them. As time goes on and you play more and more you might make a change along the way. But, the best advice you can get is what someone already said - go to demo days, and places that let you hit a bunch of different clubs, then pick what works best even if it's not the most popular choice of others. Before I had medical problems and quit playing for six years, I had played the original Tommy Armour 845s for almost 16 years. People tried to get me to change and I hit new clubs but didn't hit anything better than those old 845s. Now, I need something that absorbs shock and have no chioce but to play X-18s. If I went with something less forgiving my gimpy neck couldn't handle it. BUt, if that wasnt the case, the 845s would be in my bag. As long as you stay with reputable brands, find what words for you, and go for it.

No piece of the tumor, but a nasty note.

I watched both discs and like what I see. The best part of it is that I finally have a system instead of a collection of random shots. Once I get this down pat, I will be much more consistent.

The only reason I tell it is to make people take chronic pain seriously. Too many of us blow it off and it can lead to serious problems. I fully understand my case is exteme.

I had severe right elbow pain since I was 14 years old. At the time, the doctors told me I basically "threw my arm out" by pitching too much. In a week, the velocity on my fastball dropped by 25%. After being blown off by doctors for about two months, I stopped complaining about it and never went back. The final straw was when my family doctor told my mother, "sometimes children will exaggerate pain to get attention, and there is nothing wrong with your son's arm." So, for the next 15 years, including time in the Army, I never complained again. Then, when I was 29, I was playing a lot of golf and the pain became unbearable. The day after playing 18 holes I was sitting in a meeting at work and the pain got so bad I left the office and went straight to the local Urgent Care. Luckily, I got a doc who listened and was determined to find out why my arm hurt for 15 years. One MRI led to another and he was just about to diagnose me with severe tendinitis when I got a strange tremor in my right arm/hand. That led him to MRI my neck where a huge non-cancerous tumor was found. It was growing directly on my spinal cord and had damaged the nerve roots feeding my right arm/shoulder and hand. That discovery led to a spinal cord surgery and fixation from C-6 through T-1 plus finding another tumor on the brachial plexus which is a bundle of nerves that connects the spinal cord with the right arm/hand and shoulder. So, I had another major surgery with the risk of paralysis two years after the spinal cord surgery. My explanation is a long-winded way for me to say if you question what the docs are telling you, get another opinion. I won’t even get into the myriad of problems I had after the correct diagnosis. If what they say doesn’t seem right, keep asking questions until you’re satisfied, even if they get up and start walking for the door, make them stay. The part of my story after being diagnosed was a perfect example of how doctors shouldn’t act as I was given the run around, passed false information, over medicated and basically left to rot medically because my condition is rare and resistant to normal medical processes. They have an obligation to make sure you fully understand the diagnosis, next steps and prognosis. Don’t let the docs slide on that point. Most likely, your situation won’t end up like mine. But, there is always the chance something so small like elbow pain will lead to the discovery of something much bigger. Such an outcome is unlikely. But in my case, 100% of the time elbow pain led to a life altering medical problem. 

Thanks for all the advice. As for bunker play, I hit two really good bunker shots today on other holes, and the one complete no-hoper I already mentioned. Because I am happy just to be playing golf after all the medical problems, I usually don't rant about my golf game. Hell, I used to be one of the guys that almost never hit driver and played very conservative. Not knowing if you will have the use of your right arm when you wake up from surgery makes hitting a tee shot in the trees seem a lot less important. Although the point is well taken, instead of being upset I played so poorly on a few shots, I should be thrilled I shot one of my personal best scores. I can even look at it this way - since I had all the surgeries, I had to completely rebuild by swing and game. So, in a way, this is my personal best score ever. All the other low 80s rounds came pre-gimp, as I like to call it. (might as well laugh about the medical problems a little) All of the suggestions so far are well taken, and I appreciate them.

I shot one of my all-time best rounds today, an 82 at Turnberry Golf Course in Pickerington, Ohio. It was only an OK round,however, since I keep making bogeys, and double bogeys from the middle of the fairway between 80-120 yards out. The 10th and 11th holes are perfect examples of how my short iron game sucks. The 10th is 348 yards and I had roughly 100 yards left after my drive in the absolute center of the fairway. From there, I made double by dropping my wedge in the bunker and then blowing up from there. The 11th is 354 yards and again I had roughly 100 yards in. In this case I missed a little long and just missed getting up and down by burning the right edge on my par putt. From 130 yards +, I usually hit the green, but anything closer is my throw up zone. I know I can choose to lay up a little on similar length holes to leave me a distance I'm more comfortable with, but I would rather learn to hit my short irons better. There were four holes where I had 80-120 yards left from the middle of the fairway and didn't make par. Had I made par on even two of them, I would have shot 80, which is my personal best score, ever. Here is a little background info. About 8 years ago I was diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder which led to several major surgeries that left me with serious problems with my right arm/hand. It took a long time, but I am now playing golf again. I've been through times where I thought I was going to be paralyzed, or worse. So, in the grand scheme of things, golf problems are not really problems at all. I refuse to take it too seriously. Still, coming so close to shooting my personal best, only to be derailed by short irons is frustrating. Thanks, everyone, for letting me vent. I need to rant about it a little and my wife didn't want to listen to me go on and on about my golf game.

I would likely end up getting arrested over something like that. Oh, my, my, my. I played in a scramble with a guy who didn't fix his ball marks and I chewed him out right in front of everyone. I still feel bad that I lost my temper, but I couldn't stop it this time.

The course I grew up on was a Chicago Park District Course, Columbus Golf Course. It was in a rotten part of the City not far from my hometown of Cicero. We often needed our clubs as weapons in order to walk safely to the course. At the farthest point from the clubhouse, if you can call a hut a clubhouse, there was a par 3 with a pond betwen the tee and the green. Fairly often, if all the players in a group hit their tee shots on the green, kids would run out of the bushes, steal the balls and then two holes later would try to sell them back to the owners. No joke. Because of the pond, they could easily get the balls and get off the green. We had to have one person hit, then go stand over on the other side of the pond, with a three iron in hand as a weapon, to keep the rest of the shots safe. I haven't played there in 20 yeas so I have no idea what condidtion the course is in today. Then it was very short and the fairways looked like my front lawn. The greens were very soft, and VERY slow. Long iron shots often plugged and spinning a short iron off the green was easy. As bad as it was, I have a fond feeling for the place since it's the first place I ever played and as a kids from a lower middle class background, I could afford the green fees once a week.

Unfixed divots and ball marks are what drives me crazy. I can live with slow play, to a point. Don't misunderstand, I hate it, but it is third or fourth on my list of pet peeves. The guy that stands 255 yards out on a par 5 and is hitting six, yet waits for the green to clear makes me batty. I play very fast, as in when it's my turn I get up and hit. My choice of club is made while I'm walking up to the ball and rarely is the club not in my hand when it's my turn. On the tee, I'm teeing up and hitting while the other players are still jabbering about the previous tee shot. It's to the point where I just hit through their chatter because most of them don't catch on about how fast I move, even after seeing it for a few holes. Some put it together and realize I'm going to go up and hit, pretty quickly whether they are chattering or not. The way I see it, if I'm moving that fast, the other players get a pass on talking when I'm hitting. Yes, I understand they should adapt and be courteous, but if I wait each time for them to shut up, I will end up throwing off my routine. So, I hit while they are talking. Once in awhile, I get a real jerk who knows what I'm doing and will try and distract me for some crazy reason. I just tune that person out which often is more aggravating to that type of jerk. I don't know if that makes me a spoiled brat, or not. If so, I will gladly accept my title.

I just won an ebay auction for $14 for a copy of this DVD. My decision was based on the good reviews here. I will make a full report when I had a chance to watch it.

That's not true, they break 90 all the time, just not today. See, today they are playing worse than "I've ever played before." They also "have no idea what's wrong today." Some of us are hackers and play bad all the time. Then there are the driving range professionals who are always having a bad day.

C'mon, you have to tell us what you came up with. I have it easy, I play the gimp card which usually gets them to go away very fast. I'm curious how others will handle it. You teased us just enough to get me interested.

I am also new to the site and from Ohio, although I live in the Columbus area. If you're looking for a great course in the Cincinatti area, try Blue Ash Golf Course. It is rated by Golf Digest as one of the top 75 muni courses in the country. Last thursday, I played in an outing there and it's top notch for a truly public course. The greens were wonderful, they putted smooth and fast, but would allow a good shot to check up. That combo is tough to find at a lot of public courses. It was also pretty tight with a lot of good lay-outs. There were holes that required a draw, fade and the ability to stop a short iron on a dime. Overall, it's the best course I played in quite sometime. Take that with a grain of salt though, I couldn't play for close to six years and prior to that while in the military only had enough money to play courses on base. Back in Chicago, while growing up I had access to some high end courses that were not as well kept as Blue Ash. Being from the Cincinatti area, it might be worth it for you to check it out.

I was in the same boat, I needed a driver and wanted to finally get somewhat close to new technology. Callaway pre-owned outlet had one of their X460s with a regular flex graphite shaft really cheap, so I bought it without ever hitting one. Usually, I over analyze my clubs but in this case I figured I could trade it for what I paid, so I pulled the trigger on the deal. Turned out to be the best driver I've ever owned and at a great price. I hit the Diablo a little better but the difference in price wasn't worth the very small gain in performance. My old driver was a Callaway Warbird, to tell you how long it's been since I put a different driver in my bag. As it worked out, using the Warbird for all those years helped my swing since I had to hit that relatively small sweet spot. Now, with the X460 I can swing for the fences and hit it on average between 235-250. Not huge by many standards, but for someone coming off four major surgeries, including two brain surgeries and a spinal cord surgery, in the last few years, it's a miracle. Which is really a long way to say that with today's technology, it's hard to go wrong. Plus, if you miss on your first purchase, you can usually still trade it for fair value on something else.