The Recreational Golfer

I read a golf magazine that had 217 tips to get more distance. I did all of them and drove the front nine.

But it appears they are not.

You know, I always mark and tell my playing partners to wait until I do. I'll ask someone to mark if their ball is in or near my line of fire. That's just how golf is played. If I have to chip or putt toward an "unprotected" hole, they should too, and vice versa. As for what the pros, do or don't do, I could care less. Maybe the problem could go away if Rule 11.1a read: If your ball in motion hits another ball at rest on the putting green and both balls were your ball was on the putting green or within 30 feet of the putting green before your stroke, you get the general penalty (two penalty strokes).

Thanks, guys. It looks like I have some homework to do.

Question about the rules citation here. Rule 22-1 is in the old rule book. Rule 22 in the new rule book, according the the USGA web site, is about Foursomes competition. (Unless I'm missing something.) Is the 2019 rule book a complete re-write? If so, where is the Rule 22-1 equivalent? I'm really stumped.

This whole thing is what you get when Mark Steinberg is your agent advising you. Never admit error, never be contrite, attack, attack, attack.

One thing that helps me not grip too tightly is having clean grips. They get washed with warm, soapy water before every round, restoring the tacky feeling that makes me confident my hands won't slip if I hold lightly.

I can't say. There are to many course variables. I might even bump-and-run with a 7-iron if the conditions are right.

Sometimes you have to do it. One of my friends just started playing golf and his ball was in a bunker. He kept hitting at the ball, stopping the club in the sand. After three failures, I said, "You have to follow through," and on the next swing he followed through and got the ball out. But I remember very clearly a time when I was playing in a group of three men and I was about 13. One of them took me under his wing and made me feel comfortable. The other two guys would give me their advice, which I ignored because they weren't much better than I was. So on the eighth hole, I remember the exact spot, he said, "Bob, I need to tell you something. Never give unsolicited advice." I have never forgotten him or his advice, while unsolicited itself, that was a great life lesson.

No one is teaching my swing, either.

It took one summer, after I played with a guy who was much better than I was, and said to myself, "I should be doing that." I told my pro I was stuck and I needed a series of lessons to get to the next step. He gave me the lessons to do that, I practiced often, and I got the improvement I wanted.

I know what you mean about greens like that. You might want to avoid the flop shot. They require precision and can get disastrous in a hurry. Since you're in a learning stage, I would recommend opening the face of the 56 a bit if you need more height and hitting a straight chip instead. I would also recommend getting very good with the 56 in solving as many problems around the green that you can. My 60 is primarily a pitching club. I seldom use it around the green.

I always shake hands and I never remove my hat.

I use a 19* hybrid. The ball stays under 3 feet off the ground and rolls forever.

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