Tom

golfro, [COMMENTARY] what is it with you? i was going to give you a pass, but when i read you i kind of get furious with what you try and say and i just can't issue the pass. you continue to step on your d*ck by issuing such cockamamie blather. first, you essentially tell me i'm a fool by playing "matching gear", later call suspect on my handicap, call me a thug then ask me to post up video of my swing. then you go silent. all of this because i start a thread on this website about a conversation i had with a tour edge rep at a golf store. so what i play matching gear.. what does it matter anad why is it a concern to anyone? i personally believe the face changing technology in taylormade's driver and fairway metal products is the best thing [FOR ME]. taylormade doesn't pay me... and i tried another product (tour edge -the whole reason for this thread) but in the end (if you read it) you'll see i changed the shaft in my taylormade r9 3w, and it was just as long as the tour edge exotics. so i'm back to matching equipment. you can see clearly taylormade have set the industry trend because titleist, adams have just introduced their own face angle changing system that is modeled on taylormade's. why? because it works and players choose it - better players and players needing a little help. if you've never tried it you have no room to speak. and even if you have, you have no room to insinuate that it's not good because equipment choice is a personal thing. if someone said cleveland dst was not the best, you'd probably think they were just a bit too opinionated. furthermore and unfortunately, you attack your own credibililty with what you write. saying simply that "they do it because they're paid to" is just bull. you literally have no idea what you're saying. blanket statements are just silly "everyone that drives a corvette has a small p*nis" . think about it.. you're saying 100% of tour pros that play matching equipment are paid to... statements like that are ridiculous. of the hundreds of tour pros out there that play matching gear, zero would say they were not 100% convinced they are playing with what they think are the best tools. to show how ridiculous blanket statements are, other statements [which you might make] that follow your thought pattern: all football players that wear russell helmets do so because they are paid to. racecar drivers who drive with four matching michellin tires do so because they are paid to. graphic artists who use apple computers do so because they're paid to. what i would do if i were you - consider re-reading your posts before you push the "post" button and think about how you might sound from another's point of view. Lastly, ( take this constructively but you probably will not and that is a shame because it is correct ) just watching/commenting on your swing for the instant that i did, (knowing what a consistently good golf score of 77 requires) you need to read Hogan's fundamentals book. the salient point Mr. Hogan mentioned in his bible-like book and that i am specifically referring to here is that what he thought looked like a good swing quite frequently falls apart in competition. well, when i see your golf swing it is not a swing built of many good/fundamentals. sure, there's a person, the ground, a stick and a ball but... i would bet cold hard $$ and issue a guarantee , that if you [golfro] played in any competitive situation, the pressure would cause your swing to break down and you would have a hard time getting within 23 strokes of a 77. you absolutely MUST have great swing dynamics to stand up to tournament pressure. Hogan proved it, touring pros prove it every weekend over 72 holes, Tiger proves it, pros who had a PGA Tour card that lose it prove it and i have discovered it myself many times over. my low rounds this season were a 66 - no tournament. my high round this season was a 86 - tournament played over 54 holes w/ a $900 entry fee and $10,000 first place check - a little pressue. that day where i shot a 86, my swing dynamics were off by a milimeter - i moved my ball position a hair back and was swaying on my backswing which caused me to move laterally forward on the downswing. AND i replaced my 3i with a NEW 3 hybrid due to thickness of bermuda rough. just those seemingly small things, and a +2 blew up to an 86. look at john daly... his swing is more proficient that yours or mine, he knows what it takes to win, yet this season as well as the last 5, he's been all over the map in terms of scores. yesterday he shot a 66 at the timberlake and when asked what happens when he doesn't go low all he can say is "i don't know - my ball just doesn't go where it should and a bogie turns into a double or triple and the next thing you know i'm out of contention." well my friend, Hogan was 100% correct. what looks like a good swing quite frequently falls apart in competition... [/COMMENTARY]

short answer = yes! with caveats. qualified... putting is "the game within the game." you have to have putted a TON to truly understand this statement. not saying people are incapable of understanding, just that you need to have a TON of putts under your belt in stressful conditions to understand it completely. putting is like surgery, except the really short ones where the line is automatic. you know - when you leave a kick-in and walk up without a single thought and knock it in with the back of the putter? but for putts of any length (4' + ) if there's any twitch, wrist movement, etc., you are likely to have more than one putt because of a flawed stroke (wrist movement, looking up, push, pull, etc). the idea of the large putter grip is simple. imo, it takes the hands and wrists out of it and thusly allows you to feel the pendulum stroke which is held together by the triangle formed at setup (shoulders down to grip). if you feel this stroke, you are more likely to connect with it, and if you connect with it, you are more apt to maintain it thru the stroke. when you do this, your stroke is really good. moreoever, if you maintain right wrist bend and your straight left wrist, the large putter grip is the best training aid i've found. i keep two putters assembled with the largest super stroke grips available (scotty newport 2 and a wh#7). i also have the same style without the large grips. at home and at other times i'll take the large gripped putters out and this let's me groove the putting stroke. i can comfortably switch between small and large because the stroke it promotes is known and superior, imo. btw, did you watch the pga grand slam? david toms switched to a semi-large super stroke grip a few weeks ago. he was putting really well. the white lettering on his grip was already worn, which to me signifies he has been putting with it for quite some time. and last night was spot watching a recording of the asian amateur... noticed a number of japanese golfers with large putting grips. i think the world is onto this large grip thing... in closing, if the "kid" you played kicked your a**, or made clutch putts that made you think "that was a clutch putt" don't pay heed to the stigma "oh that guy can't putt so he's got to use that retarded grip", then go out and buy one.

Dabbac, I have owned just about every Callaway driver made starting from the FT-3 to the current line-up EXCEPT the ft-iz. needless to say, i play the taylormade r9 and love it. the flexibility in the on the go face angle technology just is too hard to beat. and i am quite fond of the sound of the r9 off the tee.

at setup your hands are quite far forward. this may rob you of lag, proper wrist hinge and power as you approach the ball. there's zero backward angle in your torso at the top of your backswing in comparison to your bottom half (watch any scratch golfer or tour professional and you'll witness a rear leaning torso, with that angle maintained thru the shot). here is a video of ben crane showing the drastic difference in a tour pro (crane) and an amateur (e.g. golfro). here's another video (jamie sadlowski) which clearly shows a dramatic difference in the rearward lean of the torso in comparison to the lower half. as result of no rear lean you are loading in a neutral "no power" position, over the middle of your body/ your back is straight ( you should load over your right leg [feel like you are turning your left shoulder behind your rear knee] for maximum power). your ball position is forward which may lead to sporatic cuts (if you stay back) or pulls (if you move too far laterally forward). you move back on takeaway which will do nothing for you but cause erratic curvature/trajectory. the only thing moving back on takeaway actually does is create the mental sensation that your body loads on the rear side (read above about the torso lean). your forward foot is open but your rear foot is not opened nearly as much. when you open your forward foot by as much as you have (30 degrees or more), this opens your forward hip to the target line which will cause you to come quickly through the ball and create the situation where pulls/hooks can more easily show up. to counter balance this either a) open the rear foot by as much or nearly as much, or b) close your forward foot so it is just a smidgen opened. lastly, IMO, to gain consistency with a MUCH straighter ball flight, 1) narrow your stance considerably 2) feel like you are angling your feet inward (like being pigeon toed) 3) lean your torso back from your hips (left hip should be higher than right) by as much as 15 degrees (your torso should lean back by as much as 15 degrees) 4) move the ball back so at setup it is one ball in fron tof your left eye 5) get the hands setup in the middle of your stance - look at rocco . these five things, years of practice and actually playing golf instead of going to the range with a video camera with the sole purpose of trolling around websites asking people for advice about your golf swing may cause you to stay centered, get through the ball with maximum power/stability and straighten your ball flight. why? so you can hope to go up against more accomplished golfers.

alright... did as i said. replaced the motore 70gm with the motore f1 85gm (TP) shaft. compared the R9 3w (13°) to the TE Exotics 3w (13°) and there's no difference in distance. so, i'll be selling the TE exotics. any takers? i'll let it go for $90 via paypal (add $10 for shipping for $100 total). if you're interested please PM me and we'll hook up. it has seen two full rounds of 14 holes and before that was brand spanking new.

golfro, you're the one stalking me, calling me "sucker" "thug" and trying to insinuate that I may be falsely indicating my playing prowess by wrongly "writing +2." i'm 46, don't idolize doogie houzer and have no time for deranged idioms. frankly, i find the entire exchange on "some silly forum" to be a waste of your time. clearly, it can be seen that you are the e-thug my friend. just satisfy your lust, here's video of my swing from about a year ago for your amusement Iron FO - real-time/matt at home http://www.use.com/d2323401609811d5e370 Driver DTL - slo mo/matt at home http://www.use.com/6f730ac4ee2e355bab2b 4i FO - real-time/range http://www.use.com/a0023eade0f3fed62588

If the R9 driver is "too whippy" I would grab the driver, in your opinion, which isn't "too whippy" and take them side by side to the driving range. Why? Conclude with more than circumstantial evidence that the driver is indeed too whippy. Then take the two drivers to your local club maker or retailer. Why? Ask about the swing weight. Perhaps one is C6 and one is D4. Perhaps the tip is soft on one and quite stiff on the other. Perhaps the you have a high kickpoint on one and low on the other... There are myriad of things that could lead to "too whippy" of a club. If you have a quick transition from back to thru swing, and your tip is soft this could lead to what you are describing. Players with very high swing speeds (120+) and lack of consistent control will take a raw shaft and tip trim it by 1/2" to 1" or so until they find a perfect balance and great control. In general this will take an X shaft and make it an XX or an X+. Dustin Johnson, for example, uses this methodology to achieve more control because of the serious leverage he generates in the down swing. IMHO, Taylormade stock shafts are more than capable of handling a 105mph swing without generating a "whippy" feel. I have four shafts for my two R9 drivers and have found that all are more than capable of handling my ss which is 116mpg at low end and when I crank is 123mph. I have the Fubuki 65, Motore, Motore F1 (TP) and the Aldila RIP (TP). All are X-flex and none are tip trimmed - just stock from Taylormade. Good luck!

toddmlazarchick, as i hope you've learned from other golfers on this forum, golfro is 100% incorrect. he says the TP is "very slightly open." in fact, the difference in TP and non-TP in the TM line of R9 golf woods/metals is purely the choice in shaft, and that's it. R9 has face changing technology (FCT) and all TP and non-TP clubs can be 1° closed and up to 2° open, in .5° increments. so the notion of "very slightly open" simply does not apply in any of the contemporary TM driver/fairway wood/metal products.

IMHO - as a beginner, just buy the club that fits your budget and don't even think about equipment once you've made your initial purchase. then, go out and find a teaching pro and commit yourself to 10 lessons at a minimum. then, make sure you do what they tell you without deviation - and above all practice gripping the club 30minutes per day. if after the lessons and the dedication to the practice and getting some grip caluses on your hand you find that you like the sport, and more importantly - you're good at it - then you can consider an upgrade to your equipment.

golfro, did i say couples plays taylormade? clearly any golfer knows he's sponsored by brigestone. i inferred that couples plays the R9. did you watch the '10 masters? i did... i slowed my dvr to 1/5th speed when i didn't believe my eyes and there it was... an R9. his driver is an r9. i've also watched several other tourney's this year and sure as heck, there it is... his driver is the r9. http://blogs.golf.com/equipment/2010...d-couples.html http://www.tees2greens.com/forums/t/6296.aspx and oh yeah, i'm a sucker... a sucker with a +2.2 hndcp. hey, if you ever want to lose some money come down to georgia and let's tee it up. or tell me where you live and perhaps i'll come to your home course and show you how much of a sucker i am...

Alright, here's the day one verdict. It's very long... the face is between 1° and 2° open so you MUST be aware of this or you will miss it right. I was setting up as I normally do (club bottom flat on ground, grip, hit) and I was hitting 15yds right and missed a few fairways. On hole #9 (ya i know what you're thinking - 'why'd it take you so long?') I figured it out (ah hah moment) and started nutting the thing. I'll spare all the details, but was hitting to my normal driver distance(s) with a 3w. I didn't like the traj off the tee, however and I don't feel like changing the shaft out - not worth the time/effort. I did like the traj off the deck, so I'll be bagging this club for a while. On my club's hole #18 (484 par4 - bear's best atlanta) i hit this and had 157yds in. 3w, 9iron - not bad for a longish par 4. note : if tour exotics reads this... i don't like having to manipulate the face angle at address/grip and believe taylormade has the absolute best solution to this problem: face changing technology - FCT. it's such a simple thing - allows players to set the face angle from 1° closed to 2° open and alleviates the inconsistency of the player having to eyeball this KEY KEY KEY to the curvature/traj of a golf shot. hey thanks for the comment/reply. try TMs FCT and MWT you'll see what creates the desire of "better players" to have "matching gear." It's why their drivers are #1 sellers and some of the longest/straightest hitters bag these clubs (dustin johnson, fred couples, etc.,) important note: i just thought how crazy and over-sighted it is of me to dismiss my TM R9 3W without seriously (re)considering the shaft i'm using in it. my 4w (17°) is very long and straight and the shaft is the motore f1 85gm. the shaft in my R9 3w (13°) is the standard motore 70gm. the profiles (tip and kickpoints) of each are different and therefore the shot profile is slightly different. i'm going to try the R9 4w shaft in my R9 3w tomorrow again up against the TE exotics xcg3. sorry, but "more to come..."

I was in my local Edwin Watts and the local Tour Edge rep was there talking up the Tour Edge Exotics Fairway Metal(s) to the store manager. Says he "we have the longest fairway metals on the market and here's why...." he had a model with him (XCG3) and a broken down model so he could talk through the innards. He then said "we don't pay anyone on tour to use our product so therefore you probably haven't heard much about us, whereas every time Callaway sells a club they cut Phil Mickelson a check, and every time Taylor sells a club they cut Sergio a check, as a result that's all you hear about. But Matt Kuchar, Luke Donald and others carry our fairway metals. Why? We're the longest on tour..." There's stiff competition though, because I have what I believe are the longest fairway metals on the market in my bag. But after his pitch I was thinking "Ok, this is a good story, I'll buy a couple and if he's right I've stumbled onto some good G2, and if he's wrong I can sell them on ebay and lose probably only a couple of 20's... nothing ventured nothing gained." Yesterday, I received my strong three wood - a 13° XCG3. When compared directly to my strong 13° R9, the XCG3 is 1" longer. Kind of cheating... If my R9 was an inch longer it'd be longer too. But, he didn't talk about the shaft. Instead, he talked about the fact that Tour Edge spends more on R&D; and materials than the other guys." So, I'm taking both to the course today for an 18 hole one man scramble. I'll hit three woods off the tee all day long. In my opinion, the longest/straightest 3 wood/metal I've ever hit has been my Callaway FT-i 15°. I have it in my garage and if the XCG3 is [much] longer than my R9, I'll take it out against the FT-i. Why don't I bag the FT-i? Well... I wanted to have matching fairway gear because I absolutely LOVE my R9 driver. Overall, I have not been 100% impressed with my R9 13° - it is a temperamental club with a traditionally smaller sweet spot - (read Callaway above). I don't like the fact that Callaway's FT-i a) doesn't have a traditional hosel and b) I absolutely HATE the sound of the FT-i. Initially, I enjoyed the flexibility of Taylor's FCT. If I'm pushing it off the deck right on the range I know I can click a half degree closed and minimize the chance of going right on the course. I'll post a follow-up once I've done my research.

thanks for the question. my club face was shut. they were pulls. fixed now, due to the hinge at the top which squares the face everytime. really... the hogan tip is the best thing i've seen/discovered in quite a while. i feel like he did in that i don't feel i need to practice as much because my curvature is predictable. i'm going to hit my target and know it. also, yesterday at my course warming up, for the first time in a really long time during my practice swings i had a real connection with the club. meaning i sensed what the club face was doing at all points in the swing - haven't had this level of confidence in my swing in a while.

I play 5 times per week and have struggled with my game of late. Mind you I've had low rounds of 67 and 66 within the past month, but I've been horribly inconsistent. I played two tournaments and shot in the 80's - terrible. When you get on a tournament level golf course, any badness in your swing is amplified 10x over (nasty rough, super fast domed greens with shaved collars and terrain designed to penalize if you aren't on the stick). It was my iron game. I couldn't hit anything remotely close to my target, with my misses all left (over draw, pulls and some dreaded hooks). Strangely, the "lefts" don't show up in my wood game (driver, fwys), as a teacher once told me "...you can drive the ball standing on your head." I went as far as to have all my irons flattened to two flat, but it didn't help because when I'd square the face up, I'd miss right. So yesterday I woke up at 3am dedicated to researching until I found the answer, and I believe I have! Yippee!! My club face was shut at the top and I couldn't consistently square it up, so I'd have these misses show up and baffle me. Searching searching searching I came across an article which talked about Ben Hogan and how he struggled with a hook. Then I stumbled on the holy grail! Yup, the holy grail... If you struggle with a hook, prepare to be bedazzled... now click here--> http://www.scotchbladegolf.com/Life_Magazine_Hogan.pdf . In this article he shows his "secret" and I went right out after having spent 10 minutes practicing in front of the mirror to ensure I had implemented his "secret." Oddly, after 10-15 balls, it didn't work like I had expected. Maybe I wasn't doing what he did. However, I was a shade more consistent and my hooks didn't show up quite like they had been. But, I did have a new "feeling" with this new wrist action. I realized "Hmmm... I wasn't hinging enough." So, I backed away from the balls and worked out the hinge, stepped in to my station and voila! I hit 50-60 balls and not one hook. 3iron all thru wedge and no hookie! wow! My balls went very high with a baby draw (my preferred traj and curvature - I use the Jack Nicklaus ball position theory), and at the apex would just fall straight down with an every so slight fade - simply beautiful! I went right out (first on the course) and played. After 14 holes I had missed only two greens and had knocked two stiffies (one landed 6" from the cup from 117yards). I had 5 birdies and 1 bogey. Ecstatic, I emailed a buddy with my discovery, then I finished the last four holes with three bogeys and carded a one under 71. But I haven't had this kind of consistency in my irons in a while and I'm glad to share this info. When to "knowingly" hinge - the discovery/formula Driver - My ss is 123mph, and driving the golf ball is my forté. I do not knowingly perform any hinging of my wrists here. I let the swing happen. Yesterday, with this club when I did perform "forced" hinging the result is not consistently good or as long. Any slight change in this club's swing is not good. Why? I think that because I have this swing grooved so much, and because I'm swinging at this speed, any new "thing" cannot be timed perfectly and will create problems. All other clubs, whether from the tee or from the ground.. When I do not perform the hinging, the traj is not as high and the [bad] curvature is there. When I do perform the hinging, the traj is quite high and the curvature is less rt to left. Ok, so when do I perform the hinging and why does it work? If you grip the club and go into your back swing and roll your hands any to the right and hinge, the club face will shut. However, if in your back swing you simply hinge up FIRST, then turn, you'll notice that the club face will be square as you bring it down to impact. But, hinging first is unnatural so what I do in my actual swing is simple... I turn as I always have and at the top I ensure that my wrists are worked into the hinge, then I come down. Now, I haven't taken a slo mo camera to the swing, and when I think more about it, my wrists may very likely be pronating like Hogan discusses, but to me I'm simply doing a very pronounced wrist hinge at the top of my swing. Now, it isn't complicated or risky. Like Hogan says in his article [paraphrasing] "...the swing is muscle memory so I just focus on one swing thought 'hinge' and it takes care of itself." Bye bye lefts, or as a friend of mine likes to say "I have no more lefts left."

Yes, I think so. If you think about a "better player" and a flip, you could see that a cast/flip might occur because the right hand wants to "hit" and therefore it gets active and gets the club ready to hit. Whereas when you have a passive right hand, it's just along for the ride, so if you are turning aggressively through the shot you should have very little flip. If you haven't yet, give Furyk's grip a try with a mid iron - it'll take 5 to 10 shots but you'll get the sense of what I'm talking about.

What a silly game we play. About six months ago I switched from an interlocking to overlapping grip. The issue at the time was that I might miss my drive right and this overlap change totally fixed me. However, just today I had an "a ha" moment... I used to average 14 GIR, and especially recently I've been hovering around 8 GIR. My problem? My approach misses have been over draws and I've been missing left. Today, I realized "i used to average 14 GIR and sometimes had 17 GIR and I haven't come close to those numbers in a while. what's different??? GRIP!!!" So, I switched back to interlocking and out went my misses left. but, for my driver and woods this grip does not produce goodness. so i used overlap for driver and woods, and my irons I used interlocking... it was great. i was hitting greens like the "old me" - soft draws right on target. summary - I feel overlap promotes an active right hand, and interlock creates a passive right hand. what else did i do to even think of a change? after furyk's recent win and understanding of his double overlap, i tried his grip. i found that it makes the right hand completely passive, and therefore places necessity on the body to turn through the shot. this explains why furyk turns his hips through his swing way more than any other tour player. however, my hands are quite large (i'm 6'2" with size 13 shoes and very large hands) and this grip is crazy uncomfortable for me. but it is undeniable in what it does - takes the right hand out of the swing. leadbetter has written about this... http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m.../ai_114373164/ Anyone care to comment?

Topper, All very fine comments. I would agree with the points made of practice, climate and family commitments. I also would agree mostly with your fifth comment.

zeg, let me clarify. IF, the golfer has played ANY sport at a high level of performance, THAT golfer should be embarassed at a 105. however, if the golfer has NOT played any sport at a high level of performance, the golfer should go out and just enjoy THEIR round (camaraderie, nature, beer, cigars, etal) no matter what the score. if they shoot 105, 100, 95 - who cares - have fun, maintain your GHIN and get out and play to your handicap!

I'll be direct. Have you played a sport in your life? Were you dedicated to the sport? If so, have you ever been good - I mean really good? Did you play at an advanced level? If so, you should expect to play really good golf and you should be embarrassed at shooting 105! If not, and you've been just average or even below average at sports you should not expect to go low (60s, 70s or even 80s). Instead you should just enjoy your round of golf. That's the beauty... if you maintain your handicap and it's legit you can go out and play for money against anyone.

hi there. my parents grew up in champaign, Il. anyway, your swing looks ok, like a 15 hndcp swing though. you look pretty stiff. you need to get into more of an athletic position at setup in stance. think about what a short stop looks like when the batter swings. he's "ready" and so should you be. your left leg drifts or drags on back swing instead of pivoting down and back. this limits you to getting into your right hip as result you don't have much power coming down. when you swing back, your goal is to pivot your left knee down and back, keeping your right knee flexed and to turn your left shoulder so it finishes over your right knee. get your swing weighted into the ball of your right hip, which if you do, you'll be fully turned and loaded. note: if you're not "turning" but performing a swing maneuver, you won't be able to get into your right hip.

#1: this was the practice round. the only day where the players are on spectacle. the only day where fans are allowed to bring in cameras and snap photos before during and after swings. #2: every single player (stricker, choi, overton, villegas, zach, phil, et al) went through the rope line and happily signed autographs and greeted fans. most fans i saw outside that rope line were children with sharpies, not big mean grown ups. somewhere in that line was a kid (or bunches of 'em) whose idol was ernie els. the only thing they saw of ernie was his caddie rush his bag on by. i'll not be a fan of the guy - very dissapointing. Bubba is a prince. He was poking at Els and it came off wonderfully. He earned major kudos for the bravado displayed, and then he turned and hit bomb after bomb - Bubba's the real deal...

I went to multiple rounds at the Tour Championship at East Lake. Most interesting was Wednesday's practice round. Here's one for you... Story one - props for Adam Scott Phil, Adam Scott, Dustin Johnson and others were all standing around chatting and cutting up. Callaway reps bring several left handed FT-iZ drivers over, hoping Phil might want to hit a few. Phil takes one (left handed drivers), inspects it and, realizing he's "on stage" with the boys hands one to the group. The others kind of look at each other and with their stares seem to say "What do you want me to do with that?" Adam Scott takes the left handed driver, tee's up a ball, stands to the ball left handed and takes one practice swing. Ok, I'm kind of impressed - not because he's taking the challenge, but because his practice swing looks like he's a left handed golfer. He addresses the ball and cranks a 300yd rope to the fence. I'm like "wow..." and others are like "holy crap - did you see that." Dustin Johnson does the same thing, only when he takes his practice swing it's not the same. He looks like he's a right handed golfer about to embarrass himself, to which he does by hitting a 60yd banana ball. Story two - Is Ernie Els a dick in real life too? Let's hope not. In the morning as the individual players and their caddies come from the clubhouse to the practice tee, each has come through the designated roped off area to meet the autograph seekers. Several hours after the day began and all players have come through I notice someone carrying Els' onto the range. It's his caddie - there's the lion head on the driver. Where's Els? Not thinking anything about it, because with players as popular as Phil, for example, it could take the player half an hour to reach the range due to the hordes. After a while I realize Els is MIA. Then Bubba takes off his cap and with it, waves to the extreme right hand part of the range and with a funny high pitched voice yells "Mr. Els, sign my hat..." There's Els, standing under a tree out of plain view. He has been cleverly brought to the range, cloaked in secrecy. He looks at Watson and shrugs off the gesture as if he's saying "What a dumbass..." I thought the event spoke legions for who these tour players are... They are athletes yes, but they are entertainers - heroes to children. And when they duck out of the obligatory rope line they damage themselves. I will likely never take interest in Els again because he damaged himself in my eyes. Flip side... On the Sunday round, my wife and two kids (ages 10 and 9) followed Dustin Johnson and Overton for three holes. At each hole, as they exited the green I had my kids stand at the rope line and put their hand out because I told them "Put your hand out and they'll high five you and may even give you a ball or a glove." Every of the three holes, sure enough DJ and Overton did just that. On #17, DJ realized my kids were his fans and gave my son the ball he'd just birdied the hole with, slapped him a high five and said "What's up!" My son - 9 years old - loves Dustin Johnson. His dad, however, thinks Ernie Else is a dick...

For the past year I've always felt that 460cc drivers are too large. don't get me wrong, I feel comfortable over my 460cc driver(s), but feel equally so over my tiny three wood. So, recently I bought a 9° Biggest Big Bertha driver (290cc), bought a smokin' hot Mitsubishi Rayon Bassara flex-x shaft and two days ago put the two together. Today was the first chance I got to hit it. Wow!!! Setup: 290 vs 460 isn't as big a difference as it reads. the 290 head looks great at setup. Distance: wow!!! i'm smoking this driver. if it's any shorter it can't be but a yard or two. traj and shot shaping was incredible!!! Sound: it sounds so good! compared to the gigantic 460 heads, this thing sounds so darn good. Confidence: i've hit 50 balls or so. i'm beaming with confidence because i'm murdering the ball with this club. Daily driver: i have a hyperx, ft-5 tour, ft-3 tour, ping g10, taylor made r7 superquad, ft-9, and ft-iq. for now, i'm really feeling like none of the others is as good as this biggest big bertha. so much so, i'm going to make it my daily driver. Callaway: two days ago i went to the FT-IZ launch at my local superstore. i hit the FT-IZ. decent... i hit the FT Tour. better than the FT-IZ in my opinion. this corroborates my theory.... the FT Tour is a smaller head than what's out today. there are certain people where a smaller head fits their eye... for now, i'm one of them. Summary: all club companies launch new clubs at least once per year. they're fueling sales of people like me, who spend $5k/year on equipment and of people who haven't bought a new driver in 10 years. it's their strategy - entice people to buy by saying "...this is our longest driver yet..." "...phil is hitting this new driver.." it's almost bunk... if you did a study on scores from the 60's or 70's i bet jack was scoring just as low as tiger, phil, padraig, etc., and the equipment they had ---- eeh gads---- or is it... and the equipment they had ---- was good ----. "...it ain't the arrow it's the indian..." if it looks good at setup, you're confident, it's the right equipment...

...i disagree completely. a 64 is an easy club to hit and it's not as you write. it is a weapon. give one a whirl and you'll probably agree. see you..

I think higher lofts are terrific around the green, and that's where all of us need to focus. Everyone is around the green when not on (30 yards, 50 yards whatever). Personally, I have three wedges above PW; a 56, 60 and 64. I am able to do this because I don't carry a gap wedge. I think the 64 is the best club in my bag - truly, it's a weapon - I'm deadly from 90 yds and in. Here's what I did recently (two weeks ago) and it's really accelerated my scoring - my hndcp will be 0 or + soon, I know it.... I should've done this long ago... I went to my home course super early. I talked to the GM and told him I wanted to drive out to a flat hole hours before anyone would be golfing there. My intention was to use 100 yards. He agreed and said "That's a pretty unusual request." So, I was there and I brought a bunch of yardage markers so I could step off whatever I needed (10, 20, 25, 30, 35, etc.). I opened a notebook, had pen in hand then proceeded to spend about two hours working on shots. I documented all my results, later put them in a word doc, printed it on a scorecard sized paper, had it laminated, and now I'm well armed. Honestly, this move has helped my game so much that I can't overemphasize. I'm pulling this thing out of my pocket a ton... think about it. If I hit 12 greens, there's 6 that I've missed. I need to get up and down... generally from 40 yards and in... Truly, I was surprised how much the 64 wedge comes in to play on my cheat sheet. Full shot, choked to metal, 3/4 swing, etc., this thing is weaponry... The most deadly accurate of my shots is ball rear, forward lean, 9 o'clock down and thru. This shot with a 64 is just crazy good. stops on a dime after two bounces - to see the look on the faces of the guys I play with when my ball looks like it's going past the cup at a good speed, then checks stone dead is priceless.