SQ Bimmer

Ehh, I'm not a fan of suggesting drivers over the internet honestly. I think the OP needs to get to a big golf shop and spend a good half hour trying out different drivers on a launch monitor, then leave without buying anything. Rinse and repeat until you find something that works for you. I dunno if I would bother getting fitted, you're not going to be able to produce consistent enough swings for a fitter to really analyze. Plus you probably swing differently one day versus the next.

I doubt the dent affects playability. Do you really just not like everything about the driver, or do you not like the results you get with the driver? If the latter, I suggest you stop blaming the driver. If the former, well, you need to like the club you're using in order to feel confident with it, but it's easy to cross the line between not liking the aspects of the club, and not liking the results you are getting with it.

LOL hilarious! I think I will watch the full episode. Love Hulu.

I played Hemet GC recently. Not a bad course. Welcome to the board.

6 months previous driver, 1 year for my current driver, and will likely be changing it out this summer. For me, it's because of my swing changing/getting more consistent as my handicap has come down. I'm ready to get fit for a driver now, will probably keep that for at least 2 years.

Oh man, I just realized I never thanked my parents for letting me play hockey when I was a kid. 1-2 weekly practices plus weekly games that they drove me to and back and hung around during... All that equipment! Damn, looking back and comparing to life now with work, commuting, being tired from all of that, etc, that was a huge thing that they did for me. I just thanked them. My Step Dad said you're welcome and then my mom started ranting about "the damn hockey pants" that were really expensive (although cheaper than my skates...). HAHA Oh man I love the holidays. Going to spend the day with my Step Dad and help him build a wall. So yea, to the OP, ALWAYS make sure your parents know you are thankful. I wish I had that information when I was a kid, maybe I would have been even more privileged! They helped me out a lot with college too. I graduated a while ago, but seeing how it took me 12 years to thank them for hockey, I figure I have a few more years to go before I'll thank them properly for college. Maybe next year during Thanksgiving. HAHAHA

Ahh, thread ruined because of the second question asked of the OP. OP should have just asked the first question. That said, I know a 15 handicap that plays SGI irons. Looks like every one of his clubs is a hybrid without the cavity filled in. HUGE soles, dunno what brand they are exactly, hence the horrible description on my part. I personally play GI irons. I just can't stand the look of SGI irons at address and that does me no good when I go to make a swing. So like people said, use whatever irons inspires the most confidence in you. If you wana spend some cash, go get fitted.

Unless the putt is close enough to where you're going to walk up and tap it in quickly, you should mark it and let the person farthest out take their turn. If you are going to spend any time lining up, practice swings, etc, you should mark.

Pretty fun!

Yea, I decide before a round whether or not I am going to record it. Luckily I have not had any stellar rounds while doing this!

I know there are no set standards for what to call the wedge, but in general.. -49 - pitching 50 - 53 - gap 54 - gap/sand 55 - 57 - sand 58 - sand/lob 59+ - lob In between ranges I would call gray area one way or the other. Add a lot of bounce to any wedge between 54* and 58* and I would call it my "sand wedge" if it were in my bag.

Do you take out a club depending on course conditions?

I have cast clubs, so not too worried about bag chatter. I only use them when walking because I don't like walking with a chattering bag near someone taking a shot. It's easier to just keep walking than have to stop while the person takes their shot, or to try to hold the clubs still. I always make sure that my clubs are dry before storing them, whether I use the head covers or not.

I doubt anyone is offended. I'm certainly not. I think I see where you are going with this now. I would possibly look into a wine tasting class or gathering of some sort at a local tasting room. Or if you have a friend that is very experienced with tasting and can actually describe things to you, pair foods, etc, that could work out. This is sort of similar to seeing a PGA Pro for golf lessons btw, the person needs to have some skill and experience! Classes are offered almost everywhere, at least out here. You will likely be tasting a lot of wines from CA and South America, some Europe and "down under." I sort of learned things by utilizing a LOT of experimentation, various "wine of the month clubs," etc. With a lot of trial and error, a lot of money spent on wine that I didn't like, and my girlfriend and I going to tasting rooms here and there, I have my palate figured out for the most part, and can appreciate wines that don't fit my palate exactly. Being from California, it's very easy for us to find a tasting room at a winery that actually grows their own grapes on site. Other places buy grapes and processes them at their location, those are good too. You may find places such as the latter locally, but they may be expensive since grapes don't travel well, and they need to be crushed fairly quickly after picking. More than likely you will have tasting rooms offering non-local wines bottled well beyond your states borders; however, I don't know much about growing grapes in SC, I could be totally wrong! Regarding your issue with a wine tasting sour or having a bad aftertaste, maybe that could be resolved with a proper food pairing. Maybe take your wife to a fine restaurant that is known to have an extensive wine selection, and ask the server, host, etc, for suggestions on pairing a wine with your meal, cheese, fruit, chocolate, etc. You will be surprised how well a certain food will make a wine taste. Don't be shy to tell them that you don't know a thing about pairing food/wine and you would like to learn so long as they have the time to explain some things. Tasting wine is not always a conscious thing, which is what you seem to be trying to make it out to be. That can complicate things, just like with a golf swing. Sometimes you just need to have the right pairing and take a SWI n G !

I definitely enjoy both, and they both serve a different purpose. It depends what I am eating, the weather, what activity I may be involved in, what my partners are drinking, etc. Given all that, beer may be a better fit as well. I generally default to red wine though, as I can really appreciate it. Good scotch can't be beat though. I loves me some Laphroaig or Johnny Blue. As far as forcing yourself to like wine, that's not the right attitude! Drink what you enjoy, but don't bring it down for those around you if someone decides to open a bottle of wine and give you a pour. Just take it slow and enjoy yourself and don't mention how you don't like it, think it's just rotted fruit, etc, you will just ruin the mood. Sip it slowly and if someone offers you a second pour, politely refuse and continue enjoying what's in your glass. Maybe bring up conversation about how you love yourself a good scotch, maybe the host will have some and you can work your way to a scotch for your second drink! Some very good tips above on how to enjoy it though. I too agree on the "all about the fruitiness and palatability" thing. I have no idea what that means. Maybe I'm not cultured enough with wine? Ehh, I have been drinking wine for a very long time and I have fairly specific requirements for a wine before I may purchase it if I am out tasting somewhere. Palatability is a foundation, for sure. Beyond that, it gets more complex, and only you can decide how complex that is: dry, sweet, flavors of this, that, mouthfeel, aftertaste, etc.

Before I start, I will come clean with you guys right now... I am pretty embarrassed, but I will admit it: I have NEVER practiced half swings before. I have taken a couple half swings here and there as part of a quick drill or something, but for the most part, on the driving range, I am trying to tweak my swing for distance. I feel so ashamed for having made this realization tonight, but I am glad I recognized it and can make a correction. I twisted my right elbow pretty good last Friday. A week later, it is still pretty sore. If it was my left elbow, aka forward elbow which takes more abuse, I probably would not be making this post right now. Anyways, tonight I went to the driving range with my girlfriend intending to just practice chipping and putting. I took some slow half swings in the parking lot with no club, just out of curiosity, and realized that it didn't induce the pain anymore than driving does, really not much. So I decided I would practice some half swings at the range as well. I brought my 3H, 7i, SW, and putter. I was going to practice chipping with the 3 longer sticks, but decided to try some half swings. 3H half swings didn't really work too well, so I gave that up pretty quick and stuck with the shorter clubs, mostly SW. Hitting fat and thin shots vibrated the elbow a bit and caused some pain, so I stopped hitting it fat and thin REAL quick. I had to. I was taking 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock swings, varying my finish between 3, 2, 1, and 12. After a while, I was getting somewhat consistent SW shots at 80, 70, and 60 yards, distances that I have very little confidence with on the course. I then moved on to open and choked down shots, short pitches, flops, chips, etc, at 50-20 yards, and was getting pretty consistent with those. Once down to the last ball, I asked my GF which distance she wanted me to hit the ball. She said 40 yards. I decided on my club face angle, stance, and choke on the grip, took a couple practice swings, lined up, sent it 40 yards right next to the 40 yard marker. It is very confidence inspiring knowing that I have tools in my bag now for 20-80 yard partial shots with my 56*. I wish I would have listened to the more experienced posters on this forum who have posted over and over again to practice half and 3/4 swings before full swings, etc. I feel like my swing plane has improved so much now, and I am much more confident that I am not going to toe or shank the ball. And the elbow thing has really helped with my depth and keeping my head still. I have also decided not to add a lob wedge to my bag for now, something you more experienced players will probably support. Sorry for the long post. If you've read this far and you are a higher handicapper or you were at one point (I guess that covers everybody now, doesn't it? ) and you can relate, please share your "AH HA!" moments with us, I'd very much like to hear them and maybe I can learn something from them as well.

In LA, we have mostly mat driving ranges. Very few public ranges allow hitting off the grass, and those that do, are usually really beat up. We just have too many golfers in such a dense area... Anyway, those mats above are the mats my normal range has as well. I like them because you can hit off of both surfaces. Hitting off the stance surface is good tight lie practice. Tonight I went to a different range that had a mat that I have never seen before. It was new (although I'm sure the design has been around for a while) and at least 1" thick, probably a tad more than 1". The whole mat was the same material, no separate hitting and stance surfaces. It felt a little "squishy" to walk on, sort of like a fairway, and your feet felt planted on it sort of how they feel on the fairway. When you struck it with your club, it gave in, so you could feel like you were taking a divot. It was not as forgiving with fat shots compared to "normal" mats or even the mat pictured above. With a fat shot, it REALLY slowed the club down a lot, didn't allow the club to just slide into the ball like a normal mat, which would still produce a decent shot. On this mat, a fat shot went nowhere, just like on grass. Honestly, it is the best mat I have ever hit off of. I plan to find out what kind of mat it is and I will report back.

I read the thread in at least 5 sittings over a long period of time here and there, maybe didn't read the whole thread, so I apologize if it's been posted: A man was at the country club for his weekly round of golf. He began his round with an eagle on the first hole and a birdie on the second. On the third hole he had just scored his first ever hole-in-one when his cell phone rang.. It was a doctor notifying him that his wife had just been in a terrible accident and was in critical condition and in the ICU. The man told the doctor to inform his wife where he was and that he'd be there as soon as possible. As he hung up he realized he was leaving what was shaping up to be his best ever round of golf. He decided to get in a couple of more holes before heading to the hospital. He ended up playing all eighteen, finishing his round shooting a personal best 61, shattering the club record by five strokes and beating his previous best game by more than 10. He was jubilant.... Then he remembered his wife. Feeling guilty he dashed to the hospital. He saw the doctor in the corridor and asked about his wife's condition. The doctor glared at him and shouted, "You went ahead and finished your round of golf didn't you!" "I hope you're proud of yourself!" "While you were out for the past four hours enjoying yourself at the country club your wife has been languishing in the ICU!" "It's just as well you went ahead and finished that round because it will be more than likely your last! For the rest of her life she will require round the clock care and you will be her care giver! She will need IV's; you will have to change her colostomy bag every 3 hours; she will have to be spoon fed 3 times a day and don't forget the hygiene care." The man was feeling so guilty he broke down and sobbed.. The doctor snickered and said, "I'm just messing with you. She's dead. What'd you shoot?"

I have a LOT of goals for 2010, itching to hit the teens. Play a full 18 at least once a month, even during ski season. Get handicap down to 15 or below (currently 21.7). 1.8 putts (currently 2.0). Break 90 consistently. Break 85 at least once on a course with slope >130. If I mess up two consecutive drives badly, switch to easier club for next two driving holes. Walk more than I ride, excluding mountain and neighborhood courses. At least 4 hours worth of lessons, focus on short game. Reduce pre-shot routine on the tee. Do not buy any equipment without being fitted. Planning to post all of my 2010 rounds to MY SCORECARDS below.

These flash guys move fast. Remember the guy who threw his shoes at G. Dubb? Yea, there was a game for that right away too.

HAHAHAHAHA Great.

I bought my CG Gold irons from Golfsmith used. They were $100 cheaper than a new set at the time ($400, reduced from $500) and were practically brand new. They looked like they had been played through 1, maybe 2 rounds. The 6 iron was the store demo for the set, so it had a little bit more wear, but nothing drastic. There really was no reason for me to buy a new set of these irons given the condition the used set was in. The manager of the store personally measured the L/L/L of every club right in front of me to confirm that the L/L/L was the same as a new set. The grips were in similar, basically brand new condition. I could see how a more worn down set of irons, only being 20% cheaper than new would be ridiculous. I suppose I got lucky with a basically new set. I was looking at a Vokey wedge the other day at the same Golfsmith, and it was $90. The sweet spot was really worn down, and the grip needed to be changed. Hardly worth the price considering for just a few bucks more you can get a new wedge. Was pretty disappointed. I ended up getting a CG14 on rockbottomgolf for $80 (first 100 sales got $10 off).

I learned to play with a set of Ping i3 blades. I suppose they are considered "player's irons" or something like that I don't know. I traded them in for my current irons. I wish I kept them so I could hit them side by side, I think I might pick up a set on ebay just to mess around with on the range. I am sure that I score better now with my current irons, and my handicap drop right after dumping the blades is indicative of that assumption, but as mentioned, I wonder if marketing has something to do with it, and if I can score just as well with either club. Ehh, this is probably stretching it.

This thing is totally off for me as I am sure it is off for most people given different equipment, swings, etc. Maybe if they presented the idea of charting 10 yard increment shots from a full PW and down, and gave suggestions on how to do it and gave us a blank chart to fill in the club/swing and not even suggest what the distances are, it would have more credibility. I hit my PW 120 yards and my SW 90 yards. Maybe I am over-swinging my 56*, but I suppose it works out well because 90-100 yard shots with my 56* are my most comfortable shots in my bag. Now that I have a gap wedge though, I will see about making my own chart down to 20.

This is how I try to hit woods (the clubs, not the forest...). I would much rather have a slightly thin miss that goes out 100-125 yards than a fat miss that goes 10 yards and takes a gigantic divot, or bounces above the ball. If I did that all the time, I would just play a long par 5 with my 7 iron and get a lower score.