bong_crosby

Also, the Marriott Valley course is fun. Avoid the Palms since they just redid it and the greens are still establishing themselves.

As a matter of fact, I just played it yesterday (1/1/12) and as I sit here and type this I can look out the condo window and see the 11th green. The course is nice and for the money a good bang-for-the-buck. We played the green tees (71.8/130 6600 yards) and it was pretty fun. It's a good mix of length (two 460 yard par 4s and a 215 yard par 3) and accuracy. It was a good setup and I think I used almost all the clubs in my bag. It's not ridiculously difficult but poor shots will be punished and good ones rewarded. Nice use of water and bunkers to visually intimidate, but proper course management and club selection can take them out of play. If you're waiting to hit your second shot, drive up take a peek at the green and you'll see how the architect uses visual intimidation. The greens are mediocre but playable - a lot unrepaired pitch marks and a lot of grain. Pay attention to the grain! Fairways are fine. Pace of play was good. We got around in about 4 hours on a totally full tee sheet. For a 10 hdcp and higher, the gold tees would probably be more enjoyable and still respectable at 6200 yards. Yeah, I'd recommend the course. Also, not sure if you're just visiting for the day or an extended trip but they have a great deal on practice - all day range and short game for $20. Their practice facility is excellent. Enjoy

really, Eric, closing the 'sex with the beer cart girl' thread? I'm not defending the guy, but closing the thread without explanation just because you don't agree with the content? It's akin to the little kid taking his football and going home because his team is losing.

Instead of spending that kind of cash on a putter most golfers would be better off being 'fitted through instruction'. Over 80% of golfers haven't been fitted for a putter, so most players adjust their setup to a putter that is not right for them. Once a player compromises their set-up, they are forced into making compensations which leads to an inconsistent stroke. But I know I'm wastin' my breath. A lot of golfers are much more likely to brag about their new purchase than they are about getting a lesson.

I'd see if I could sell on craigslist for 190 one-dollar-bills and then spend all afternoon at a strip club.

I've used Sun Mountain products for 20+ years and have always been happy with their stuff. I always knew of them as a smallish type company out of Missoula, MT but someone told me Callaway bought them out. Is this true? To me that would explain the screw up with the rain gear at the Ryder Cup - any time a smaller business is swallowed up by a conglomeration, the product suffers, as does the customer service - which would explain the response to my last call to SM customer service a while back.

For a business class I'm currently enrolled in, a group of us is setting up a fictitious business. Our group decided on a indoor golf course, putting area, and bar & grill. The ball striking portion is easy enough, hit into a simulator. It's the putting that I'm wondering about. Have any of you used a simulator that can measure a putting stroke? If there are no putting simulators, I was thinking about an artificial putting green in the center of the restaurant where you'd take your ball and putt out from a distance the sim indicated you were from the cup. Your competitors would keep you honest. What do you think about that? Some more questions: Maybe there are already businesses out there similar to this. Have any of you seen them? Name and website? Anyone have any idea what a simulator costs? Cost for an artificial putting green 50' x 40'? If there was something like this out there would you use it? Our business plan is to set these up in northern tier states and parts of Canada, since the season there isn't as long as it is in the southern climes. We were thinking we could also do swing analysis lessons, leagues, and other stuff like that. Any other ideas? Any other feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks, BC

I just wrapped up my first week of school at the Golf Academy of America in San Diego. So far it's everything I'd hoped it would be. My classes range from: golf history, mechanics of the short game, Monday tournament play, rules of golf, computer apps, motivation and positive thinking, and business of golf. The facilities are pretty nice, with large indoor putting/chipping green, four hitting bays with video and K1 analysis software with vest, TOMI putting analysis, and Trackman. I'll post some pics later and give an update as we get to tour some of the local golf manufacturers in the area and any other good stuff. Hit 'em straight!

...is worth two in the bush.

...the golf gods are probably really goddesses. Only a female could be so fickle; giving such joy and happiness one minute, and the next, breaking your heart

This is a topic I never thought I'd respond to but.... When I was in AZ this past winter, I laughed when I read a sign in the pro shop that mentioned 'no weapons on the course'. Evidently Arizona has law that any non-felon can open carry a weapon. I got paired up with a guy and we were well into the round when we got on the topic of guns, to which he opens his bag and shows off his pistol. Finally, I don't have a problem with people carrying firearms or owning all types of heavy weaponry, however, I think it's ridiculous. When I was in the military, we had a gun safety briefing and one of the speakers was a retired policeman. If I remember correctly, he served for almost thirty years and fired his weapon on two occasions, totaling something like twenty rounds. Of those twenty, he missed the target with everyone. His point was that he was trained and proficient in the use of a weapon and still wasn't successful, how would a civilian fare? If you want a weapon for safety, he suggested using a shotgun.

That's some funny shit. I laughed so hard my wife wanted to see what was so funny. She didn't appreciate the humor...women!

I was from '95 to '01. Course isn't too bad - not the best but not the worst. It's pretty straightforward golf with length and wind being it's major defenses.

I was getting so many of those male enhancement ads that it was flooding my inbox and denying incoming e-mails. I hired a company to look up where they were coming from so I could request a cease and desist. It turned out they were coming from my wife.

Last Thursday I did it for the first time in my golfing career. I shot a 68 on a par 70 course and it was a total blast. Around the 13th I knew I had a chance so I closed up the scorecard and played each shot individually...ya know, all that talk ya hear about, "staying in the moment"? I'd only open the card to jot down the score and stats and then I close it again. I was playing well and it was fun to see if my body and all the repetitive motion training I'd done would see me through. I went to the 18th thinking I had to par for a 69. I hit a good drive but missed the green with my approach and had a difficult chip. I ended up 12 feet from the hole and a must make putt; the situation for which we all play this game...needing a putt to save a round, win a hole, win a tourney, whatever... Hit the putt well and it went in. I was stoked since breaking par was one of my goals for this season. Only after looking at the card did I realize I'd shot a 68.