andyh

I did not replace it back into the leaf, so I guess that would be another penalty. From reading the ruling I should have placed the ball back inside the rolled up leaf but could have left a small part of the ball visible. plus taken a 1 stroke penalty because I moved the ball when I was searching for it. or could it have been replaced back into the leaf without penalty?

Hi, Hope I can get some help with this. Today I hit my shot straight down the fairway and it landed inside a rolled up leaf in a fairway bunker. The leaf was rolled up like a tube and the ball rolled into it. We could not find the ball and started lifting leaves in the area. I picked this leaf up and the ball rolled out? I replaced the ball and played on. After the game we checked the rules and it seems that I should have been penalized 1 shot. That seems really harsh but is that the correct ruling? thks andy

no he did not know he was in breach of rule 26. he thought he was taking the correct drop. so no DQ?

Another question, A guy plays his ball from the wrong position after hitting in a water hazard. He drops the wrong side of the water but nothing is said after the competition and the scorecards are added up and the result announced and trophies awarded. afterwards, we find out what happened. do we disqualify him or does this rule apply : 34-1. Claims and Penalties b. Stroke Play In stroke play, a penalty must not be rescinded, modified or imposed after the competition has closed. A competition is closed when the result has been officially announced. thks andy

It is a par 64 but still a big difference between a 66 and a 69.

I believe all the scores on the holes were entered correctly. It was not added correctly at the end. It seems everyone is certain that he should NOT be disqualified? That will make my buddy happy. :-) I told him he had not shot 66 especially when he double bogeyed the first hole. I am getting him a calculator for his birthday. Thanks for all the replies.

Harrington and Camilo were disqualified during the tournament (1st and 2nd rounds). the tournament had not been closed. i.e results announced. what would have happened if the result had been announced and harrington had won the tournament. Then the next day they noticed his hand move the ball on tv. would he then be disqualified? in our instance the results had been announced and the prizes awarded. then the next day the committee noticed that the scorecard had not been added correctly.

Hi, I would love some help with a scorecard issue in a recent tournament. Individual Stroke Play 18 hole competition. One player keeping scores for the 4 players in his group. The winner signs the card as a 66 and the card is submitted to the tournament organizers. The tournament organizers do not check the scores and he wins the tournament and is given the first prize. AFTER the tournament the scores are entered into a computer, hole by hole and it is found that he actually scored 69. He still has the winning score but is he disqualified? We have found a couple of rulings on this but not sure which applies : 33-5. Score Card In stroke play, the Committee is responsible for the addition of scores and the application of the handicap recorded on the score card. 33-7. Disqualification Penalty; Committee Discretion A penalty of disqualification may in exceptional individual cases be waived, modified or imposed if the Committee considers such action warranted. Any penalty less than disqualification must not be waived or modified. If a Committee considers that a player is guilty of a serious breach of etiquette, it may impose a penalty of disqualification under this Rule. 34-1. Claims and Penalties b. Stroke Play In stroke play, a penalty must not be rescinded, modified or imposed after the competition has closed. A competition is closed when the result has been officially announced. Does anyone know what rule should apply here? Or is there another rule that we should consider? The competitor has been disqualified but we are not sure if this is the correct action. thks, andy

I can relate to your problem. I have the iron game of a 15 handicapper and a short game of a scratch handicapper. what seems to have made it worse for me is that my old instructor has been trying to get my hands higher at the top of my backswing which really does not suite me. i just cannot get through to the inside on the way down. through trial and error i have found that a flat swing works for me. out of curiosity i went to see the other instructor in my area who works with a camera and computer, showing swing plane etc. his opinion was opposite to the other instructor and this really suits my swing. so i feel much more comfortable working on my swing with him. anyway this last week i have had x2, 1 hour lessons working on positions through the swing and trying to eliminate my quick transition, where i end up "pouncing at the ball" (as the instructor put it) and stuffing the club into the dirt which is my nemesis. feels much better so far but of course taking it to the course is the next step. i will persevere with this guy and hope my consistency comes. have to say i have the same feelings of frustration and annoyance as poster. when u know you can strike pure irons but then stuff the club into the dirt, it really bugs me. i feel like i am better than that now. i have been playing at 4-6 handicap for a year or so now and i know that to drop this i need to improve my iron play. good luck in figuring it out.

I feel like my swing is in good shape. but i do have some inconsistencies with my irons. sometimes feels like although i put a good swing on it my irons are somehow getting stuck or even twisting a bit. could a lie angle with the toe significantly off the ground be a cause? i am going to get this changed and hoping that it is.

I hope it makes a difference. i am off next month for a fitting. lie angle on my clubs is wrong. i can get my little finger under the toe of my club at address. that cant be good for ball striking. never really thought too much about it until recently. also want to match the shaft to my swing speed. not sure if i have that all correct. anyone notice a marked improvement in ball striking by getting the lie angle fixed?

23 putts last friday and did not hit one GIR!!!!!!!! Shot 82. Played the same course and tees on saturday and shot 84 with 26 putts. I wish my long game was better. Could really make some improvement then.

I think it is short game and putting. The thread was improve "quickly". Putting you can learn very fast, as you can chipping. Poor putters who 3 and 4 putt all the time can drop to 1 and 2 putts very quickly with a few months of practice. If all parts of your game suck, then learning to putt and chip will lower your scores the quickest. "ball striking" is a longer process and I don't think your scores will drop as fast or as quick than they do with putting and chipping. Not to say this is not important.

hybrid. very handy club for long par 3s and approcahes to par 5s. 20/21 degree. then ditch the 3 iron and get a 52 degree wedge also.

yes 3 consecutive years since Ii started golf. I practice alot and play a few times a week. I was self taught for the first 18 months. After that needed lessons (about 8 in total spread over the last year) to learn how to get better. last year has been slow progress. just hoping for something to click in my long game to make the next improvement.

year 1 : Beginner - 12ish year 2 : 12 ish - 8 year 3 : 8 - 4 (up to today) easy to see where the biggest jumps regarding handicap are. gets tough to get lower at low single digits.

ok, ignore this question. just checked out youtube and looked at woods/ hogan, scott and more. the right elbow being straight up is obvious in all their swings. now i know why i struggle to get to the inside.

Hi, Thought I would ask for some advice. My teacher got me to have my elbows level at the top of the backswing, creating a triangle. i.e if you put a club along my arms it would be parallel to the ground. Before I was REALLY shallow. I have perfected this but really have incredible problems getting to the inside on the way down. When I become a little bit more shallow, so that my right elbow is in the upright waiters position, I find it so much easier to get to the inside and strike the ball with more power and consistency and a great little draw. I just want to know if this is the way to go. Thks

I am a good putter. 30 putts per round average. I also put that down to good short game. When I miss the green I can get it to tap in range very often. I don't make enough longer putts though. Lag putting is good. Gotta make more 6-15 footers to be a great putter. I wish my long game was the equivalent

I agree. Longest drive competition at our tourny on saturday was one by a guy who hit it 285. And that is a loooong way. Downwind at another course the longest drive is won with about 310 yards. It is hard to believe anyone averaging 300 yards. Apart from the pro at our course who is a beast and plays +4, so technique is perfect and he really gets everything into his drives, there is no-one who averages more than 265-270. That is still a very long way to average. Even the pro probably does not average 300 though. Just as an example here are the stats from our local pro, knowing where he lands the ball : 340 yards - Downhill/Downwind 300 yards - slight crosswind 250 yards - dead into wind 255 yards - dead into wind 310 yards - crosswind helping 270 yards - crosswind slightly against 270 yards - crosswing slightly against 290 yards - downhill wind slightly against 320 yards - downwind 255 yards - dead into wind 250 yards - dead into wind 310 yards - crosswind helping 310 yards - uphill/downwind we play in 15-25 mph winds all the time. by these numbers he is averaging 286 yards. you can see he has x6 300+ yard drives but to average 300 yards. sheesh that is a long way. And as I say this guy is a big man with perfect technique who is hitting the ball bang in the middle of his club "almost" everytime. He hits low drives into the wind or big high soaring drives with draws if needed. You do not have that kind of technique as a higher handicapper.

I agree. Longest drive competition at our tourny on saturday was one by a guy who hit it 285. And that is a loooong way. Downwind at another course the longest drive is won with about 310 yards. It is hard to believe anyone averaging 300 yards. Apart from the pro at our course who is a beast and plays +4, so technique is perfect and he really gets everything into his drives, there is no-one who averages more than 265-270. That is still a very long way to average. Even the pro probably does not average 300 though.

Driver- 250 3 wood- 235 5 wood - 220 3 hybrid- 205 4 iron- 190 5 iron- 180 6 iron- 167 7 iron- 155 8 iron- 143 9 iron- 135 PW- 122 52- 105 58- 85 When i play on a course with greens that hold my iron tee shots, I use the above numbers. I know that my 6 iron will hit the green and stop at around 160-165. I also play a rougher course where the ball lands and bounces forward alot. Nothing will hold on the greens so I have to hit a club and allow for the roll. On this course I use a 7 iron for 170+ yard par 3s. And my 3 hybrid will go 220. I played last weekend with a guy who drove his 2 iron 20 yards past my drive on the first hole. 11 handicapper. I was very impressed. Yet he struggled to break 100. I beat him by 20 strokes. The 25 mph winds killed him. Length is not king. I play with lots of low handicappers and they longest guy I know drives on average about 20 yards further than me.

Just got a copy of Ben Hogans 5 lessons and was interested to read in the foreword how hogan cured his hooking and started to hit it higher. he says "i rolled the face of the club open away from the ball. That cupped my left wrist" he also says he rolled the face open as quick and as fast as he could. that was his first move away from the ball. I have tried this many times on the range, with success, but was never quite sure exactly what i was doing and have not really put it into my game consistently. just wondered what other players thought about this. it seems to set the hands a bit quicker. is this a good move?

Right. It is a combination. Camillo and Tiger do not look like they are only lifting light weights. The light fast reps work well in conjunction with heavier weight lifting programs. Big strong powerful legs provide so much stability in any sport. If you have ever gone through a weight program to strenghten legs you will know the benefits this provides for athletes. And it sure looks like many of the top players have bulked up on their upper bodies also (without jeopordizing flexibilty). so where are we with this thread?

He "may" have lost distance but we don't know do we? All we know is that he has "gained" alot of distance through various techniques. That to me has to be congratulated and if someone can do this then I am happy to learn how he did it. I will make my own mind up if the technique is any good or not. Whether the argument is for muscle mass or not is immaterial to me and beside the point. I would agree with you that muscle mass is not necessarily the main thing that improved his distance but it may be just that training with the heavy club provides something in his swing that works for him. Perhaps it helped him become more flexible. Perhaps it did give him more power. I don't know, but it was part of his training plan and his training plan has worked. As I said "horses for courses".