NCSU_MSE

In my experience you also have to be very picky about when you choose to go with the 3 wood off the deck. If the ball is sitting down a little bit, I'll leave the 3W in the bag and go with a 3H.

He hit driver-4h, which is more club than most tour pros hit into par 5's these days. Heck, I'm one of the longer hitters in my league and that would be driver-6 iron on a good day. 400 yards is not a long par 5, but in some ways I think it's more fun for the average golfer because it is so reachable in 2. Nothing stinks worse than launching a career drive only to find yourself less than halfway home on a par 5.

I play in a Monday night league and used my GPS to measure all 7 of my drives. The results were very eye-opening: Hole 1 plays significantly downhill, and I felt like I really tagged the ball - 260 yds. Hole 3 I thinned a 3W low into the right rough - 200 yds. Hole 4 I hit a bit of a slice but was helped by getting a good bounce off of hardpan - 235 yds. Hole 5 232 yds. Hole 6 plays downhill, I hit a pull, the ball hit a bare patch on an embankment and rocketed forward and back into the fairway - 298 yds. Hole 8 227 yds. Hole 9 238 yds. So, taking the 3W and the freak drive on #6 out, I hit it ~ 238 yds. But that's not the eye-opening part. This forum and my basic understanding of math (you can't hit it 300 yards on a 360 yard hole and still have 130 yards to the hole) taught me what my distances are. What is an eye-opener is just how terribly "off" some people are in their driving perceptions. I'll get paired up with a guy who is a "big-hitter," and he's basically within five yards of my drives. In fact, I've only played with 2 guys in the past 2 years who could consistently kock it past me - one guy who was a single-digit and one guy who swung out of his shoes.

I played a set of 845HBs for about 3 years. I thought they were great clubs for a beginner or casual golfer, especially the hybrid 3 & 4. Very easy to hit, and the topline of the irons wasn't quite as bloated as what you see in some newer UGI/SGI irons.

Except for that horrendous 3-putt on the last hole. Both Kent and David had blunders in their elimination matches, but I'd still put money on Kent. David is wild off the tee, and that will eventually catch up with him over 18 holes. Kent's one big mistake was a mis-club, but he finds fairways and greens fairly regularly. Neither of these guys is good enough to go on a big birdie spree, so I think it'll come down to making lots of pars and eking out a birdie or two on the par 5s - advantage Kent.

The simple but unpopular answer is that you'll have to practice these shots. A lot. WUTiger's suggestion is excellent in terms of getting an idea of how far you hit various shots. It's also a good idea to hit a few shots on the course from these distances on a slow day. From 50-70 yards out, you have tons of options. You can fly it with a SW/LW. If the area leading up to the green is closely mown, you could even hit a little all-body half 7 iron and run it up. Also, consider the type of ball you are playing. I can't afford ProV1s (well, can't afford to lose them), but a good ball will make these shots a lot easier, especially with front pin positions. I've been playing a Srixon Trispeed and was getting frustrated at the big hop it always seemed to take (I'd get 3-4 yards of rollout on a full SW). I've been trying out Callaway's HX Bite recently and have found it to stop more quickly (although still nowhere near a ProV1), so make sure you're playing a good ball. Finally, look around and see if you have any executive-type Par3 courses nearby. I recently played 27 holes at Omni Championsgate's Par3 (which was a glorified pitch-and-put) where the longest hole was 90 yards. Virtually every tee shot was a partial wedge to a postage stamp-sized green. The next week in my league I was knocking partial wedges to within realistic birdie distance instead of leaving them way short or way long. So to recap: 1. Tune up your distances. 2. Tune up your swing. 3. Tune up your equipment. 4. Practice, practice, practice!

I traded in my Ping G10 for a Burner Superfast a couple of weeks ago and, for the most part, have been hitting it well. However, I've noticed that I really have to be mindful of not swinging too hard or else I start spraying shots. The other thing I've noticed is that by choking down I'm able to hit much straighter shots (which I understand is due to the ridiculously long shaft in the Superfast). That made me think that maybe I should just trim the stock Ozik shaft. However, when I was trying out the Superfast on a launch monitor, I was getting spin rates of 3.6-3.9k. My swing speed was mid-90s. On the course I'm having to tee the ball pretty low (although I had to do the same with the G10) to keep from popping my drives up. So, I'm just wondering if switching to a heavier, lower spin shaft might bee good for me. Is the ProLaunch Red a good candidate, or will it reduce my spin rate too much? Or, should I just stick with the stock Ozik and get it trimmed?

I beg to differ. ANY golfer, from a 20-capper to a scratch, can map out a course strategy. I understand pressure and all that (as I always put pressure on myself to shoot a personal best), but not weighing the risk & reward of ending up in that left front bunker is the kind of thing I'd expect from a rank amateur or a complete meathead. Now I'll agree that some guys might have been worried about being called out, but it's better to be an immune & "sissy" than macho & eliminated. I also agree with the poster who mentioned Carl's swing. He looks like his left elbow chicken wings quite a bit. It'll be interesting to see how that holds up under pressure.

I facepalmed at that decision. It seems to me that most of the guys had zero concept of course strategy. With a bunker fronting the green and the pin in the front middle like that, why even go for it unless you're 100% sure you can make it? Lay up, stick a partial wedge close, and make your birdie.

I think that depends on how future eliminations are done. Is the bottom money guy always half a point/stroke down? Could he conceivably go into an elimination challenge with a half stroke advantage? If so, buying a half a stroke is that much cheaper. If not, he'll just need to avoid elimination for a few weeks to build his bank back up.

I know I'm late to the party here, so I apologize if this has already been mentioned. He was indeed talking basic physics...emphasis on the word BASIC. If golf were a game of elastic collisions, he'd be right. However, it (golf) isn't, and thus he's woefully incorrect.

After last night's show, I've decided that Brian puts an uglier move on the ball than Lori.

I disagree on Dave having game. The fact that he can hit the ball a mile with his driver doesn't mean he is a good golfer.

Definitely not true. I've been playing on-and-off since the age of 5, and now at 28 I'm playing my best golf. I couldn't legitimately break 100 for the majority of my life, and now I'm flirting with mid to lower 80's scores. To top it all off, I'm managing to do this without regular range time or playing time: I get out for 9 holes once a week during my work's league (my job & my 2-year-old take priority over my golf). How and why am I getting better? The few balls I do hit on the range are with a purpose, I took one lesson this year (which helped and hurt my game until I figured out what was most important), and I putt for at least 15 minutes prior to my league round. The point of all of this isn't to brag, it's to point out that you get better the more focused time & effort you put in. If you hit the range with a purpose, putt with a purpose, and take your lessons seriously, you'll improve until you hit whatever ceiling your physical attributes impose.

At least Andrew has some semblance of game to back up his talk. Brian is just a train wreck. On that note, I wonder how differently this show would be going if the producers had selected REAL golfers for the men's team in place of Dave & Brian.

Things that have helped me this year: #1 On the backswing, try to keep your weight on the inside of your back foot. If your weight gets to the outside, you'll have a devil of a time getting into a good impact position. Corollary to #1: You can't be all hip slide. If your impact position has your front hip pointing at the target, you'll hit blocks or get flippy. Don't be afraid to turn your hips and shoulders through the shot. Like tennis, golf is not a game of sideways. #2 If you struggle with making good contact on putts, try shifting more of your weight to your front foot. I've done this recently and have had 1 3-putt in my last 27 holes. #3 An oldie but a goodie - make sure you are looking down the line when you putt. Don't lift your head up on that last peek at the hole. #4 If you use a forward press to initiate your stroke, be sure it isn't closing your putter face. Mine was.

I enjoy watching this show, but the casting should put to rest once and for all the men vs. women debate. I mean seriously, an assistant pro? A long drive champ? Christalmighty, they might as well have cast some SandTrappers for the men's team. Elena needs to shut her mouth. Anthony would've had every right to remind Sarah about her previous miss or said something like "knock it close," but he didn't. For some reason, that got Elena's panties in a wad? I fully expect the men to be more competitive once the numbers start to dwindle. Anthony, Andrew, and Football are all decent players. Only Lori and Sara (who would've won her BB show had her ball not moved) have proven to be good players for the ladies' team.

If I'm in deep rough or have a fluffy lie, I open up my SW and chip. If I'm on the fringe or have a tight lie and no forced carry and lots of green, I play an 8-iron bump. If I'm on the fringe/tight lie and have a forced carry, I play SW or PW depending on the amount of green.

The one on the left is definitely Villegas. I remember iacas using video & stills from that swing on here. As I recall, Camillo had some crazy move going in his swing that cause him to follow through in a Palmer-esque fashion. As for the topic of this thread, I have adopted some of the S&T; ideas. I'm definitely not a S&T; golfer, but the concepts of keeping my weight more forward (I used to get my centers outside of my right foot), maintaining the flying wedge through impact, and sliding the hips to cleanly hit the ball have helped me tremendously. For me, the best parts of S&T; (or any swing theory) are the simplest and most natural.

I started tracking my stats last year: 2009 FIR: 51% GIR: 27% Putts: 39.6 Avg Score: 94.5 2010 FIR: 46% GIR: 23% Putts: 35.8 Avg Score: 93.8 Obviously I need to keep improving my putting. That's a bit difficult right now as this scorching summer has toasted all the bentgrass greens at my home course.

Age: 29 Height: 6'0 Where are you from: Charlotte, NC by way of Dothan, AL How Long have you been Playing: on-and-off for about 25 years (dad had me out there as a kid). Got serious about golf 2 yrs ago Best Score: 91 Favorite club in the bag: 55° Sand Wedge Golf Books / DVD's that have helped you: never bought any instructional books or DVDs Where do you play: Highland Creek and Rocky River most of the time Best courses you've played so far: Lonnie Poole GC in Raleigh (an amazing test given its length). Things you enjoy most about golf: The peacefulness right before a shot, the feeling you get watching your drive disappear down the fairway, and the sound of the ball rattling around in the bottom of the cup. Goals for 2K10: Break 90, Limit myself to 4 "penalty drives" (lost, unplayable, or OB) per round (check), average 33 putts or less per round.

Those numbers are pretty close for me. I know a good poke for me is ~250 and I probably average around 220-230.

Your actions were about a million times worse than those of the twosome in front of you. I take it you've never hit someone with a golf ball. Well I have, albeit on accident, and let me tell you - it's scary as hell. The sound and aftermath of hitting someone squarely with a golf ball will haunt you. Hitting into (or over) a group just because you are impatient is terrible. You showed absolutely no regard for those people's lives, and why? Because you wanted them to speed up on a day when the course (by your own admission) was backed up? Please.

My good shots are probably minitour good. Unfortunately, I probably average less than 1 good shot per round.

I've played the PD Long and the PD Soft. The best combo of distance & spin that I've ever gotten was from Srixon's Trispeed. I'm still burning through all the golf balls I've found on the course, but once I'm low I'll probably order the Srixons.