ronbo25

The Golfsmith near me sells balls by the sleeve. Go talk to a manager and see if they will give you a discount if you buy 4 sleeves, as if you were buying a dozen of the same ball. I have done this before and have received something off each sleeve. Or, buy a dozen from them and see if they will allow you to return a sleeve in exchange for a sleeve of a different ball. That may be easier for their record keeping. Good luck.

as with any question, you will get answers all over the place. So hear goes. Mind you that I have not hit these. I friend of mine is looking for GI irons and was looking at the Slingshots, Mizuno MX 100, and the Cobra S2. A local golf shop professional told him that he felt the Nike's did not compare to the other 2 and for his money the S2's were the best of the bunch. Again, i have not hit any of these, just passing on information my buddy received. I would hit the Slingshots and any other club in your price range. You decide what you like better.

+1 for Mick's hinge and hold. My short game has never been so good. be patient thought, it is not an overnight fix.

I have found that the smaller private club fitters are willing to do a bit more for you than the large chains, i.e. Golfsmith. For example, I was just fitted for a new driver at a small private fitter. After spending an hour on the launch monitor with several drivers / shaft combinations, had it down to 2 drivers. The pro there would not sell me either driver until I took them out and played them both on a course. I don't believe that Golfsmith would give you clubs to take out for a round or two (I could be wrong). I paid $75 for my fitting, of which $25 was applied to the price of the driver. His prices were exactly the same as the large chain prices. Fitting was worth every penny. I got a great driver with a shaft fit for my swing. (BTW, i got the Ping G15, 10.5*, Serrano shaft). Also got a matching 4W (17*).

i used to use the writing on the ball to line up putts, until recently. The PGA pro that I work with did an experiment for me a few months ago. He set me up for a left to right putt of about 15', and asked me where I thought I should start the ball. I told him about 8" to the left, to which he agreed. He placed a tee in the green at 8" left of the cup and told me to line up at the tee and give it a go. He video taped me from about 6 feet behind the ball, in line with the putt. When he showed me the video, I was shocked to see that at setup I was lined up about 10" left of the tee in the ground. I missed the putt by a good amount. He explained that very few people have the ability to actually be able to successfully line up a putt like this and hit it straight toward the target point. He then told me to figure out, based on the break, where the putt HAD to enter the hole from. He said to picture the hole as a clock, where 6 o'clock was point on the hole closest to me, and 12 o'clock was the point at the back of the cup. I told him putt had to enter at about 8 o'clock, based on the amount of break I saw in this left to right putt. He put a tee in the ground right at 8 o'clock about 1/4" from the cup. He then had me step up the same putt and ground my putter, then while looking at the tee, adjust my alignment to get the ball to the tee, never taking my eye of the tee. He even had me strike the ball while looking at the hole. It was very strange - putting without looking at the ball. Within 3 or 4 putts, I actually hit the tee, stopping the ball from going in the hole. Bottom line, he teaches feel, not alignment on putts. The part about not looking at the ball when striking it was just to get his point across about feel, and not used on the course. He told me "never again will you line up a putt with words or lines, or anything. I intentionally make sure I see nothing but white on the ball when putting. I have used this technique, along with a very repeatable routine, that has improved my putting game.

I think the OP meant marking the ball with a sharpie, not marking it on the green with a ball marker. But since you brought this up - I was taught very early on to use mark, pick up the ball, and replace the ball before every putt. You just never know when your ball is sitting in even the slightest depression on the green or has dirt on the bottom that you can't see. I make a habit to use a ball mark for all putts, other than the tap ins.

Excellent point about the strategy. I hadn't thought of that. I am a huge strategist in other sports and realized with your post why I continue to enjoy match play. It certainly adds another facet to your game - hole to hole strategy based on what your opponent is doing.

Picked up a couple of Nike short sleeve golf shirts for $25 at BJ's Wholesale Club. Retail price $45.

Go take a look at the new drivers out there and pick out a few that suit your eye. Then take your current driver, along with a few of the new drivers, and get on a launch monitor. See what the data looks like. You may find that your current driver gives you the best results. Don't forget, the shaft has a huge influence on the trajectory and spin put on a ball. Some would say the shaft is a more important decision than the club head itself. Your swing is your swing and what a club does for you will be different than what it would do for me. I have learned that I will NEVER buy another driver for me, or my family, without getting fitted.

1. continue my 18 month goal of dropping handicap from 10 to 5 (7 months into it, and down to 8) 2. improve short game - all scratch golfers I play with have great short games 3. spend as much time with my kids on the course and range to allow them to be the best they can be at this great sport 4. play 18 with my wife who is recovering from shoulder surgery

Use Chrome, Firefox, IE - in that order. My kids turned me on to Chrome, and while it is fast, some sites do have issues with this browser.

Exactly my thoughts. Did you see Lauren Thompson on the Hawaii travel golf special??? wow, she was in a bikini more than a golf outfit.

I have had both square driver and 3W (Callaway FT-IQ and FT-I). I bought these because they are very forgiving and very straight clubs. Even on mis-hits, they like to go straight due to the additional weight at toe and heel that you don't get on a "traditional" shaped driver. The square shape didn't bother me, but I can see where it would bother some. I actually am switching to a non square driver as my game has improved to a point where I want to begin to work the ball of the tee a bit more than the square clubs will allow me to. I am parting ways with both of these Callaways if anyone is interested - both in excellent condition.

We play year round here in North Carolina, other than when my course is closed if we happen to get an inch of snow that hasn't melted yet. Looks like we are headed into the 50's in a few days. Should only get warmer from here on in.

I don't trust the yardage markers either, so I bring my range finder. I also don't trust the typical range balls either as most posters have said. If you usually use the same range, next time you are there, throw a couple of the range balls in your bag. When you are on the course on a quiet day, hit a couple of your normal balls, then a couple of range balls. You should be able to see how much different the distance is. Keep that in mind the next time you are at the range and make the yardage adjustment in your head. You may want to do this for a couple of clubs. Oh, and don't forget to return those range balls that you "borrowed" to the range.

Yes, I love match play. It really brings out my competitive drive. Occasionally, our weekend group will change up the standard stroke play games with a match play event. We usually do this when the PGA has a match play event (i.e. Ryder cup time). I find I play my best golf in match play.

I have been following this forum for a few months and have become addicted. It is the first site I visit in the morning and the last one I visit before calling it quits at night. The information on this site is priceless. I look forward to conversing with other golfaholics and hope that I can contribute to the value that this forum brings to the golf community. Looks like the weather is finally turning warmer here in Raleigh and I can get away from hitting balls in 30 degree temps.

as far as brands, i would look at the Adams hybrids. They always get very good reviews. I have a the A7 3i hybrid (19*), but at your handicap, you may prefer the Adams Idea Pro Black (16* or 18*).

well, the thought did cross my mind, buy the 3W (15.5*) and the 5W(18.5*). but then i wasn't sure how the 5W would compare to my 3 hybrid.

I just spent 2 weeks of hitting driver after driver, with assorted shafts on the LM. Now that I have picked the drive, I want to get either a 3W or 4W, but can't decide. Here's the info playing into my decision: I just bought a G15 driver, 10.5*, with Serrano Stiff shaft (sweet club). I am looking at either the G15 15.5* 3W or the G15 17* 4W. - I generally carry the driver 245 yards, with another 15 - 30 yards of roll, depending on varying fairway conditions. - I believe my numbers on the 3W and 4W are as follows: -----3W, 235 carry, up to 20 yards roll -----4W, 220 carry, up to 15 yards roll - I hit my 3i Adams A7 hybrid about 210 yards total - the course I play most often will not really dictate either a 3W or 4W from the deck as the 2 par 5's are not reachable in 2, with either of these fairway woods. - i will be hitting the FW wood off the tee about 3 or 4 times a round (at my course) My gap I am trying to fill is between 210 and 265, the 4W fits in nicely (230-235 yards). I am leaning toward the 4W, but just can't pull the trigger. Thoughts?

I have an FT-IQ and think it is an excellent club. The square head puts more weight at heel and toe than a pear shaped head, and as such will help off center hit to go straight. As a matter of fact, I have hit a few shots off center that feel not so great, but the ball goes straight and my playing partners say "nice drive". But I know i didn't catch it flush. I am looking at a new driver as I want to be able to work the ball left or right off the tee, and due to this club wanting to go straight, doesn't give me the workability I would like. It is a 9* stiff with the great Fubuki shaft. I got it over the summer and is in fantastic condition. Let me know if you are interested in it. I take VERY good care of my clubs.

I am in 3W search mode myself and hit the 909F2, 909F3, R9, and G15 today, all on a launch monitor. I really thought I wanted one of the Titleists, but hated the way the F3 setup (too short and stubby looking), and just didn't get wowed by the F2. It really came down to the G15 and R9, both of which I really thought the ball jumped off the club faces. I am pretty sure I am going with a G15, and probably getting a 17* (4W) since I hit the 15* within 20 yards of my driver and want a bit more separation in yardage and hopefully a bit more consistency from the higher lofted club.

Just curious, why would you recommend to match your 3W to your driver? Unless you have some obligation to a certain manufacturer, why not get the driver you hit the best, and then a 3W that you hit the best, even if they are from different companies???

I purchased a Sonocaddie and thought it did exactly what it said it would do. However, even with this GPS, I continually asked my playing partner for distances to the pin. Needless to say, I returned the Sonocaddie and purchased a Bushnell 1600 laser range finder. I much prefer to have the Bushnell than a GPS. I have actually downloaded a GPS app to my iphone, as others have suggested, but don't use it much. I feel lost without my Bushnell. All personal preference, but certainly worth consideration. Hey, go buy both a GPS and a range finder and return the one you don't like as much.

I have noticed that many pros barely touch the tee on drives, at least it appears that way, as the tees are exactly in place following their swings. I find that if I am not breaking a tee on every drive, that I have whacked it out of the ground, and I need to search the tee box for it. Just wondering if it really matters. And yes, I realize what the ball does is more important than what the tee does.