Addicted2Golf

I think they Hibore's get discounted as not being great clubs next to the Launchers, but I liked the Hibore better. I won't be able to take them to the course for several weeks, but they felt good and the numbers supported what I was trying to achieve. I hope it works out for you as well.

I appreciate all of those of you who replied. Your input was helpful in my decision. As my signature indicates, I decided on the Cleveland Hibore XLS 3 & 5 woods. After spending a fair amount of time in front of the launch monitor at a local golf shop the choice was fairly easy. I hit a bunch of clubs and the Hibore's felt good, and had the numbers to convince me that I was making a pretty safe purchase. It was interesting to see the difference in ball speed and spin rate between all of the clubs. I think any of the clubs suggested could have worked well, but I liked the feel of the Hibore's, and beleive it or not, I like the look. Here's to hoping that they help me with my 2010 goals!

I think you'll be just fine in late February. I played in St. George this last weekend and it was beautiful. The starter at the course apolgized for the "cold" temperatures, but it was nice enough to wear a light long sleeve shirt under a golf shirt, and leave the jacket in the car. Course conditions are great during the winter down there. As far as course selection, I can't comment on the Mesquite courses, but the 2 Utah courses you've chosen are great. There are also some other great St. George courses that I could recommend if you're interested.

For those who play, or have suggested the 4 wood, is that your one fairway wood rather than having the 3 and 5? I would assume that is the case. What is the yardage gap between a 3 and 4 wood generally speaking? How about between 4 and 5?

Hitting my woods off the deck is no longer a major problem. That being said, having that extra distance on long par 5's is probably the secondary reason I would like one. Shorter par 4's where hitting the driver is risky, or par 4's that require a little more accuracy is the primary reason. I wouldn't necessarily call that a backup driver though.

I've always had a huge gap between my driver and the next longest club in my bag. Until this year the longest club in my bag other than the driver was my 4 iron. The reason is, I couldn't hit fairway woods off the deck and didn't practice enough to improve that. Well, that has changed. I added a 5 wood at the beginning of this season to see how it went before making the financial commitment of having a good set in my bag. Well, I'm ready now. I recently lost my 5 wood in a bet with my wife. That is her favorite club in my bag and I thought I was making a pretty safe bet, but turns out I wasn't. That is bad and good at the same time. I want 3 and 5 woods that match, and was having a hard time finding an R7 in decent condition to match my 5 wood, so I guess this gives me the opportunity to start over. So after that long preface comes my question...what fairway woods would you recommend that are good, but affordable? I switch between a Taylormade Burner driver and a Cleveland Hibore XLS depending on how I'm hitting the driver any given day. Has anybody played the Cleveland fairway woods? Is it advantageous to have fairway woods that "match" your driver, or is that a non-issue? Thanks in advance

How high/low did you tee the ball? Where was the ball positioned in your stance? You may want to move it slightly forward and make sure it is teed up high enough.

That's a great idea! I'll give up golf until I can nail down that executive level job. My career isn't where I want so I should just give up everything else until it's there... I get your point, but sometimes golf is medicine. I worked full time while getting my bachelors and masters degrees and came out without debt, yet because of the recession I am still not on the career track I want to be on. If for you golf is a fun sport that you've become addicted to, fine, but consider the throngs of people that work just to make ends meet and need an outlet. People like me aren't playing private clubs. In fact, it costs $7.00 to play 9 holes, but it's the best money I spend every week. It's a lot cheaper than the alternative when you consider circumstances like that of the OP.

Golf has been very similar for me. I haven't gone through all the crazy things you've described, but I do find myself in a job situation that I really dislike and am having a hard time getting out of. When I started business school, the economy was great. The day I walked out of school, I had an MBA, with zero job prospects. Golf is an area in my life where the control is mine. Others' decisions determine whether or not I will be able to land certain jobs, but my decisions and actions affect whether or not the ball goes in the hole. I like the feeling golf gives me when the frustrations of a job I dislike want to take over. On a side note, anybody know of finance jobs for a recent MBA grad?

I just watched all of those video's and it was interesting to see the evolution of your swing in such a short period of time. Any suggestion I would have made after watching the first few video's was taken care of in that last one. I too have fought the OTT move, especially with my driver. Even when I got it worked out with the irons, the driver still gave me trouble. The big thing that I did, and I noticed you are doing is staying connected throughout the swing. Your left elbow is staying connected very nicely, and your turn looks a lot better. I'm definitely no expert though.

I've been playing for about 5 or 6 years, but only been serious (at least multiple times per month) about it for the last year because of school and work. I've been considering getting lessons for quite some time now, but haven't yet done it. My hang up is I'm not exactly sure who to go to. I have many Stack and Tilt elements to my swing, but I wouldn't say I'm a S&T; golfer. I don't want to take lessons from somebody who is going to try and steer me away from those elements, yet I'm not sure I want to focus on all of the idiosyncrasies of the S&T; swing. Any suggestions on what type of teacher I should be looking for? Any suggestions in the Salt Lake City area?

I have a 10x10 net attached to the ceiling of my garage. A few times per week I'll lower it down and work on my swing. It's been a great way to help me develop a feel for good impact with my irons. When I'm at the range I focus too much on where the ball is going, but with a net 8 feet in front of me, I have to focus on the feel of good impact. When I'm done, I raise it back up to the ceiling and I have my garage back.

I was forced into shortening my swing when I separated my shoulder. It was the greatest thing that has happened to my swing. My ball striking has improved significantly, and the slice that I was struggling with due to an over the top move is virtually eliminated. Most importantly, I know how far I am going to hit it every time because I'm hitting the sweet spot much more consistently.

I played 9 of the coldest holes of my life yesterday. It was 29F before the wind which was blowing at 20 mph. The weather report said the feel was around 17F. It was the most miserable fun I have ever had. The iced over lake on a par 3 turned a double bogey into a par when the ball bounced off of the ice onto the green so I could 2 putt for par. I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon.

If global warming is a real issue (let that be up for debate, but I'm a skeptic) then I guess there are some benefits. I'll be golfing on Saturday if we can avoid any more snowfall for the next 2 days. Sure, the high is only expected to be 37, but who can turn down off season rates on one of the nicest courses in the state?

A hand wedge is how some people refer to people picking up and throwing their ball to improve their lie. Good luck making it through the winter. As you get more addicted to the game, winter becomes more of an annoyance.

I was able to get out with a few layers of clothes and shoot 83 on Saturday. The course is a 70/118, so that score not extremely awesome, but I'm getting closer to the goal of breaking into the 70's.

That's just not fair! This Saturday was nice and I was able to get 18 in, but Sunday brought a few inches of snow. It's a 5 hour drive to play anywhere without snow now.

I've been reading the wealth of information contained on this site for a few months and decided I'd finally sign up in hopes of being able to contribute in some small way. This year was the first I got really serious about golf. When the rest of my foursome consistently used their "hand wedge" to get them out of trouble, I played every shot I could even if it was in big trouble. Right now my handicap doesn't reflect the improvement in my game because I spent a good part of the summer fighting a slice off the tee. Thanks to some good reading on this page and a lot of practice I am now playing a decent draw off the tee. I have only been able, however, to get 2 full rounds in since the swing change due to winter's not so subtle arrival. This is a great forum and I look forward to spending the winter reading and learning until the snow clears.

I was playing in a scramble tournament for the business school guys and the group behind us hit into us. They yelled "fore" just before the ball struck my buddy right in the collar bone. He would have been better off had they not said anything because his reaction was what got him clocked.

At the ripe old age of 27, I've been playing for about 6 years. Its only been within the last 2 years that I've made it out more than once per month though. College can be a golf killer.

I had one of my best rounds before the snow came. I was even through 5 which included 2 pars, 2 bogeys and 1 eagle. After the tee shot on the 6th I was lucky to find my ball. Curse the winter!