JFK

I would be interested to know if anyone has made the trip out to SW Oregon to play the 3 Bandon courses... I have read/heard so much about them over the past few years I am thinking of making the trip - all the write-ups make it seem like nirvana... But it is such a long trip from the east coast (not to mention a rather expensive endevour) - has anyone played all three? If so, can you share some of your thoughts.... thanks

My Top Ten that I have been lucky enough to play just once: 1) Fishers Island (CT) 2) Black Diamond Ranch - Quarry Course (FL) 3) Wainamossiet (RI) 4) Royal Troon (Scotland) 5) Caledonia Golf & Fish Club (SC) 6) Taconic (MA) 7) Prestiwick (Scotland) 8) Century (NY) 9) Cog Hill (IL) 10) Stanwich (CT)

I would say for the better golfer (sub-10 handicap) the swing tips found in major publications should be pretty much ignored - not becasue they give bad advice - but becasue they don't take into consideration every golfer has a swing that is unique unto him/herself. Everyone has their own natural swing that is outside of the textbook swing the guru's would have you think is the answer -- they take the club back a bit too inside, have a steep of an angle, they may lay it off a bit at the top, maybe they have a very strong grip, etc.... BUT THAT IS OK... the foundation is a natural swing that can be grooved to make a repeating swing (which, in my humble opinion, is the most important component of a swing - one that enables someone to play consistently good golf). Of course, everyone has to have the fundamentals down (alignment, position at impact, etc.. - and for these things, the magazine tips aren;t half bad) - but beyond that, it really makes sense to fins an instructor who can work with what you have and make small, sensible iterations to it to procuce a repeatable swing.... There are a lot of very, very, very good golfers out there who have honed swings that are outside of the box -- Daley (way past parallel), Price (very quick tempo) Nicklaus (look at that right elbow), Leonard (flat on top), Sergio (lays it off on top), Furyk (no comment necessary), Trevino (look at that setup), .. the list goes on and on.... I guess what I am trying to say is stick to your core swing and work with someone who understands that not all golfers fit into a profile....

I have always thought that an excellent swing thought to produce a draw is thinking of "swinging towards first base' - if you are not used to hitting a draw it is a tough feeling to get used to as your mind/body assumes that kind of motion will produce a shot that goes straight right -- give it a shot, it may help. Also, to produce a draw, you need to have your body aligned (along with your shoulders and hips) slightly to the right of the target - combine that with the "swing towards first base" thought, and a few hours on the range and you should get the hang of it... Spin on the ball is another story altogether -- it is very touch for most players to produce consistently -- the key is sharp contact with the ball, a higher swing speed and a steep angle of attack.... what adds to the difficulty is that many public courses just don't keep their fairways tight enough to produce much spin (even if you do all of the above) -- it is much easier to produce spon on high end courses with really tight fairways...

Like some others have posted, I prefer to hover my driver but ground all irons - personally, I feel like hovering my driver promotes a slight upswing at impact (which is what you want for distance & carr) while grounding the irons tends to promote a steeper angle at impact producing a good divot and crisp contact... I am a firm believer that there are two different swing - one for drivers (especially the 460cc's & deep faced ones) and one for irons although all the traditional fundamentals apply