Greg 504

As did my older sister. Sadly, I was never smart enough to catch on to what she was doing at the time.

This is my concern of buying one and not being able to hit it consistently like you with the 3H. I did see during research some hybrids that are adjustable loft just like many new drivers on the market, albeit a bit more expensive it seems. Might be a great alternative.

This reminds me of a high school friend who did just that! After getting married, he realized quickly his hunting time in the fall was being shortened by tasks around the house. He intentionally would leave missed lines all through the lawn while mowing. His wife would get pissed because it looked terrible and told him she would just do it. In short order, he was back in the tree stand! One of the smartest guys I know......still married too

I started playing last June-ish and have averaged a lesson about every 3-4 weeks. I approached the idea with wanting to leave plenty of time to practice the things the instructor worked with me on during my lesson. I have significantly increased my practice time during winter. Accordingly, I have increased my lessons to once every 2 weeks now. I have been alternating between iron lesson, putting, pitching/chipping, driver each session. I like this idea of doing a group lesson occasionally or maybe a 2:1 or 3:1 to keep the cost down if cost is keeping you from instruction.

Thanks for that comparison. Exactly the information I'm looking for.

I've used plastic poker chips behind the ball for fat shots and in front of the ball as an aiming point for my eyes starting out. The chip no more than an inch behind the ball provides the feedback you may be looking for to see if you are in fact hitting them fat. I really did not understand the importance and huge influence the ball position at address has on my personal ball striking depending on the club in your hand. The poker chips really helped me gain this understanding with moving the ball incrementally forward or back in my stance to improve ball striking. Good luck!

Great info here as I've been considering adding one or two hybrids to my bag lately. Just started the research process and look forward to hearing your results from the 3H to 4H. I've often wondered if you can tell a great deal of distance between the two in the hands of a HH. My iron set goes to 3i, but I have no confidence beyond a 5i. Thought at least try a 3H to fill that void.

Congrats on retirement and welcome to this addicting sport! Semper Fi devil dog!

In no particular order, here are the golf courses I've looked into playing based on my above criteria. Should I absolutely avoid any of them? 1. OCN - Tooth 2. Winter Pines Golf Club 3. Remington Golf Club 4. Orange Lake Cranes Bend 5. Royal St. Cloud Golf Links 6. Winter Park Golf Course I've also been looking at the Golf Made Simple (GMS) 3 day school hosted at Falcon's Fire Golf Club. Anyone have any feedback on this school? I've researched the club and it seems very nice. Thanks

I agree with the idea of not getting hung up on one name brand. Before I bought my current set of clubs, I spent some time researching cavity back irons vs. blade style. I also tried to learn about the primary differences of graphite vs. steel shafts and the associated flex designations. I didn't want to blindly go buy a used set somewhere because it was a good deal and later learn it was a ladies or stiff flex when I probably needed a regular or senior or otherwise. I approached my search hoping I would find a nice set I could game for 2-3 years. After that amount of time, I hope to have upped my game and be ready for a more personalized set. Or by then I will more clearly understand I completely suck and will maintain my current set and simply add a few hybrids, new putter, etc.

Good morning. We are taking a family trip to the Orlando/Lake Buena Vista area over spring break and I'm hoping for some local input. First, I am looking at doing a three day golf school while there. I would like to keep the cost between $1000-1500 if anyone has good outcome with any schools in the area. I have researched a few but would like to hear first hand experiences. I need help with all aspects of my game as a newbie and HH. Is a school the route to go or would it be best to invest the money in one on one lessons while there and some on course lessons with a pro? I will have about 5-6 lessons with a pro prior to the trip in March if that helps with suggestions. Second, I would enjoy playing at least 9 each morning I'm there. The wife and daughter enjoy sleeping in and me, not so much. I could minimally have 9 in, perhaps 18, and back before they're done with breakfast. I'm not looking at high end courses to play with my HH, just to get some playing time in. I would like to keep the cost between $20-$50 a round of 9/18 and I understand the price fluctuates with the season. My best round before the season ended up here was 104 for purposes of course suggestions. Thanks in advance for any input.

@Benit0, I just bought my 12 year old daughter a set of Top Flite clubs from Dick's Sporting Goods. They're of descent quality and will last her a great while. Probably a bit more than you want to spend until you see if he wants to stick with it. Not sure if you are on Facebook, but surfing the Marketplace section, there are always several kids sets for sale there. The age/height range keeps them in pretty good circulation there it seems. You can likely find a nice second hand set for a reasonable price. Good luck!

JeffB, welcome to the game of golf! I've been playing now about the same amount of time as you have. I'm fortunate to have retired in March and get to practice a great amount, nearly every day. You have received great advice already and I implemented much of what I researched here on the site. Trust the members here, they have your interest in mind and are here because they love the sport. A few things I found that have really helped me in practice and continue to get better. TEMPO! I cannot stress this enough. As a new golfer and a former competitive softball player, I thought I had to kill and try to hit the ball "out of the yard" every swing. Once my stubborn brain understood you do not have to swing out of your shoes and simply maintain good tempo, the club will do what it is designed to do! Slowing down my swing tempo considerably has helped my control and ball striking immensely. Approach each practice session with specific goals in mind. Don't just go to the range and whack a bucket of balls. I have recently changed from hitting a large bucket 75-80 balls to a small bucket 36-40 balls. I take MORE practice swings than I hit balls now. Deliberate, visualized, game play practice swings beside a ball. This way I can see if my iron is barely ticking the grass just beyond the ball and adjust my stance accordingly. Then address the ball and make that exact same swing with an end target in play. NOT just whacking it any place on the range. Visualize as if you are on the course. Set boundaries where the fairway would be by using the existing items on the range and pick a specific target to hit to. I'll echo others and suggest professional lessons. I have purchased a 10 pack of lessons. I was trying to go it alone for a bit and was fighting a hook/snap hook. The pro was able to fix my swing flaw quickly and get me on track and much to my delight, continue on the path I want my game to go. I think one of the hardest things to keep in mind is stay patient. Learning this game will be a lifelong journey, a marathon if you will, not a sprint. Trust me, I want immediate results and like all of us starting out want to let the Big Dog eat. I suck at hitting driver and I know that. So I have minimized hitting it for now until I get better with my mid to long irons. Someone suggested continue to hit whatever club/clubs you like until you get better. I have put a lot of time into short irons and within the past 2-3 weeks started hitting them much better. I hit a 3 hybrid yesterday and actually got some air and distance out of it! I attribute this to many swings with the other clubs I like and simply working on my tempo, getting the club into the "slot" and overall comfortability of swinging. Stick with it man and be patient, it will come with focused practice!

I've started doing some research on area courses as I'll be coming down the end of March through first week of April and staying in Lake Buena Vista. I'd like to play some rounds when I come down, likely in the mornings. As a high handicapper, @David in FL, what would you suggest? I'll likely play several rounds of 9 holes and maybe a few 18 depending on how I'm feeling. At times, the heat and humidity limits my outdoor time with my health condition. I appreciate your input in advance.

2020 Golf goals Break 100 and then stay in the 90's (hopefully break 90)consistently and minimize blow up holes. By breaking the first barrier, I feel it will boost my confidence immensely. With regular practice lately, I have made considerable progress with iron ball striking and am confident that progress would correlate well to a much lower score already on the course. I may be able to be under 100 already as my best card was 104 last year and I am striking the ball much more consistently now then I did then. Play at least 2 rounds of golf per week from April to November (our typical season here). This will help with my course management and MY realistic on course expectations, not that of what a pro would be able to play/do with any particular shot I am facing. At least 2 disciplined, well thought out range sessions per week. I currently practice a significant amount on short to mid irons and wedges in an attempt to find my "swing groove" and improve overall ball striking. I also practice quite a bit of 30-120 yard shots and putting. I will incorporate sand time when the local range opens that part of the facility again. Implement more practice time with driver. Continue to putt at least 15 minutes a day inside during our "off season" to targets in the house from 20' and in. Average one professional lesson per month. Not just for the sake of it, but to work on overall game and whatever I may be having issues with that particular moment/month. This could certainly increase if problems really hinder progress and if I can monetarily swing it. Begin to use driver with confidence. As stated above, I need to practice with the long stick more and certainly have an instructor work with me a lot with this club. At the moment, I lack confidence in my ability to hit this club. To be fair, I have not practiced much with driver and so am quite inconsistent with it. This is a big mental piece to my current game play that I think if I can start to get off the box consistently with even a 150-175 yard poke, it will really boost my mental game and have me on my way in the 90's consistently. Be healthy and continue to enjoy the game and camaraderie it provides with friends.

This is superb! Sadly, you may end up pregnant just by laying down on the mattress were I a betting man......

CarlSpackler, that could be a pretty good time! I still get nervous about my pace of play in large groups though. I don’t know why, seems everyone has been where I am now except for the very few naturally talented people. I’ve quickly realized the progress is is somewhat slow with this game.

Thanks mcanadiens. I’ve only been playing a few small executive courses so far. I was invited a couple weeks ago to play north star but couldn’t make it. I’m hoping to play Blackhawk a few times this season as this is their final year! I am very fortunate to have several courses near me. Most of them are still quite intimidating. I hope as I get more consistent in ball striking, that feeling goes away.

I am recently retired, March, 2019, as a police sergeant. During my career I worked patrol, narcotics and lost my mind when I took a couple promotions. Just recently started playing golf again after a long hiatus and hope to be able to devote quite a bit of time to become much better.

Greetings from Central Ohio! I'm about a month back into golfing after not playing for about 17 years. I only played occasionally then, scrambles with guys from work, and terribly I might add! Hope this time around is much better!