pandp

One of mine would be this past weekend in a tournament. Sunday morning I was 2 over going to #8. I wasn't hitting the ball that bad, but my driver got me in some serious trouble on a couple of the early holes. Anyway, birdied 8, 9, and 10, going to 11 with some serious adrenaline and positive thoughts...then the thunderstorms roll in. During the 1 hour and 40 minute rain delay I sat in the clubhouse drinking beer and sitting on my ass talking. When I got up to head back out to 11, I stood up and realized I was buzzing pretty bad. Shot a 79. The end.

4 bogies, 4 birdies, and 1 double is 2 over (68). Par 66? Is this a course you made in your backyard or what?

+1 73 today at a new course. A few birdies, a few bogies...really a blah round. Everything was mediocre. Missed probably 5 very makable birdies. Bad taste in my mouth right now...

I made two eagles on the front nine last Saturday. Made a 40 yard pitch on the par 4 5th. Nine is a par 5 dogleg right. I hit a good drive and then cut a 3 wood from 262 around the tree line. I knew I hit it well but couldn't see the green. It was about 8 feet. Fun stuff.

OMG, so it did finally land!!? After I read your first post I immediately went out and bought a 3 degree driver with a 60" shaft. I didn't pull it out on the front nine, I mainly used my 9 and 9.5 degree, used my 10 degree on one hole I think, but anyway, I was saving it for the right time. I get up to number 10 and there are about 600 people standing around the tee box. I knew it was time. I pull it out of the bag. One of the guys I was playing with said, "OMFG you have to be pro to hit that". I said shut up b!tch and enjoy the ride. I hit it almost pure and it went and went. I picked up my tee and then said, "if I hit a satellite I hope I get a good kick" and then flipped my broken tee in some guys face. Another guy I was playing with said something about how I must be the longest hitter on earth. I took a big drink of beer and spit it in his face. Everyone picked me up and passed me around on their shoulders. It landed about 600 yards. It was a 185 yard par 3 but no one cared.

Yeah, I wonder if they teach golf lessons too. They seem very well-informed.

I was on my way to work this morning listening to "Fairways of Life" with Matt Adams on XM, and he gets a call from this Jerry guy. Jerry launches into a rant, sounding redneck as you could possibly imagine, about how Stewart Appleby's 59 was weak. Jerry said he shoots 59 all the time and he's probably shot -11 on the front nine alone and forgotten about it. Then he said something about how he made his own club out of "3 foot of fishing pole and an ole' dead cat skull". I almost spit my coffee out. He explained that golf is simple and like marksmanship??? He said he "proved" himself to the world and put a video on the "youtubes" - something about tactical headquarters. I just got home and had to see what he was talking about, so I searched youtube and um, found him? SURELY this guy isn't for real. Anyone else hear this? edit: here is his video

I was thinking the same thing. He'll never win a tournament now. This final round today will always be in his mind. He will have to give up golf and move to China for a few years and work in a chopstick factory, climbing mountains in his spare time and experimenting with opiates. A good 3 to 4 years of that and he might be able to pick up golf again and put together something under 85 on Sunday. And I can't f*ing stand Johnny Miller. He is so incredibly negative and pompous. I really like how he tried to take away from Mcdowell's round by saying he should be thankful that "some of the best players in the world are giving him help". He was about the only one that didn't shit in his pants today and outplayed everyone in the field. The end.

Haahahahaha! I would get rid of about six or seven of those woods, or whatever the hell you have hiding behind those head covers. Seriously, nothing screams hack like having a bag full of head covers. If I saw that bag on a first tee, I would bet $100 the guy tops his first drive.

What is it, exactly, that makes him an "amazing man"? The simple fact that he is a talented golfer? Maybe it's his ability to clearly distinguish between right and wrong; like considering his children and staying faithful to his wife and not sleeping with handfuls of women for years without using protection. Even if he did slip-up and cheat on his wife, i'm sure that, being the amazing man he is, he would realize how wrong he was and how it could destroy his family and never let it happen again. Oh wait....

You can tell how bad a player is by counting the head covers in their bag. If they have 5 woods and they're teeing off in front of me, i'm heading to the putting green or back to the house.

This is exactly why I will go back to lurking here; pathetic people like the posters quoted above. Why in the hell would I lie about a score on a golf forum? What could I possibly gain from that? The fact that you find an incredibly mediocre 76 unbelievable, simply because I haven't played consistently, speaks volumes about your game and ability. Obviously you're somewhere between mediocre and awful when it comes to golf. You're the guy that reads every tip, every magazine, draws on his glove, ensures his V is pointing here and lays clubs on the ground pointing all directions and I really need to keep my right elbow from....blah blah. You're the completely unnatural swing-thought guy that will never be better than an 8 handicap. I'm naturally a good ball striker; a lot of people are. Believe it or not, there are people who are capable of taking time off and shooting a decent score I'm sorry if that angers you. It doesn't matter how much time I take off, within 1 small bucket of balls I can be hitting the ball well again. And guess what swing thoughts I have? None. That's right. My father got me into golf my junior year in high school. I quit baseball to pursue golf and by golf season my senior year I was the #2 man. I went to state as an individual in 1997. Isn't that crazy? Can you imagine having a natural athletic ability? I am not claiming that the golf swing is natural and I am not claiming the first time I picked up a 9 iron I started stroking 165 yard lasers, but an athletic ability certainly helped. Now I'm sure you will take it to the extreme and say things like "why aren't you pro if it's so easy" and some other foreseeable idiocy. I'm not claiming I can go out and shoot under par relying strictly on athletic ability and not practicing. I had to work on my short game or my scores were mediocre (like a 76), just like everyone else that plays the game. I didn't have to work as hard as most on woods or irons. When I had more time to focus on chipping and putting, sure I shot under par quite frequently. I could have been in the red a few weeks ago when I shot that 76 if my short game would have been there at all. But I agree, having two eagle putts and 4-5 birdie putts and still shooting +5 on a course I have played more than 100 times is pretty unbelievable… I'm sure this comes off as arrogant, but I really don’t care. It’s the truth and you can believe it or not. It’s the internet and I couldn’t care less. It doesn't affect me one way or the other. I'm going to log off here knowing that I can beat walk18 and Hoosier 10 times out of 10 on any course -without touching a club for a year. Get over it and enjoy your time on this forum. You should have jobs here working to verify scores and judging player ability and integrity.

There was an older man that was legendary at my old home course because of his swing. He would fall backwards every time he swung the club - his front foot would end up behind him. Anyway, #1 on that course had an elevated tee box and there was a pond directly under it. He teed off and did his usual back-step thing and stepped on the tee block, fell down, rolled down the tee box and stopped about a foot short of the water. ALMOST fell in the water.

That's awesome man. Congratulations. You're definitely heading in the right direction now. When I first started playing, like most new players, I was more concerned with how far I hit everything. Once I pulled my head out of my ass I became a decent golfer. I was always chipping in the yard and putting in the house when I had free time. One summer I spent all my time chipping into an old shoe I threw out into the yard. I got to where I could make it in the shoe pretty often. It was certainly reflected in my scores. Keep it up!

Your Sasquatch bag ripped? That sucks. It seems like a well-made, very durable bag. I hope I don't have problems with it because I really like it so far. I really like the 14 individual club dividers too ;) I got the 3 wood brand new - still in the wrapper for 90 bucks. I got the bag brand new at the golf show in Louisville for $129! They had $159 on it, which is definitely fair, but I ended up talking them down to $129. Bought the 909 D3 there as well, and the price for that bad boy -$100. I think I cleaned house on some nice equipment. It reinforces the point that one gentleman made about buying 1-2 year old equipment and saving a ton.

You make a valid point and I agree that they probably do have a place in golf, but I think it encourages people to focus more on club technology rather than what they SHOULD focus on, and that is a sound consistent swing. The popularity of golf seems to have exploded recently and companies are trying to appeal to these people, almost like it is their primary concern. They're appealing to people that don't have/take the time to work on their swing. What can I say- I firmly believe you can go further in golf by working on your swing than you can by purchasing clubs that counterbalance your swing flaws.

I'm not comparing today's technology to that of the 1970's. Of course there has been progress in technology since then, that is undeniable. But surely you don't think every year they come out with something new it's automatically better and considered "progress". And don't accuse me of being stuck in the past please. The last driver I owned was a TM R5, which i believe was 450cc, but for whatever reason it didn't seem ridiculously large like most of the drivers I hit recently. Whether it's the 10cc difference or the shape, they seem significantly larger and look particularly odd at address. It's an observation. Now, since I am stuck in the past and there has been SO much progress since I quit playing, does that mean I will be much more accurate and much longer with a new driver? If I hit a ball with my old R5 (a friend gave me that driver) 320 yards in the middle of the fairway, how do I improve on that? Maybe 323? 325? Even MORE in the center of the fairway? With all these revolutionary advancements in the last 5 years or so, why aren't pros averaging 400 yards? Because the majority of it is BS, that's why. They have to come up with something new to keep making money. If you don't realize that and believe every new club is better, you're naive. It seems people are more reliant on clubs improving their game than their swing itself. As for the handicap comments, that is an estimate at this point as I have only played one round this year and shot a 76. I consistently shot even or slightly better when I quit playing, so I don't think that is a stretch. Want me to change that for you? I'll change it to a 20 if it will make you happy. I just REALLY want people to think i'm a decent player on an internet forum so i lied about my handicap...

How accurate are launch monitors? Do they measure total distance (factor in roll)? I ask because I went to the golf show in Louisville last week and had my first experience with a launch monitor. It seemed like total garbage to me. There was some long drive champion putting on a demonstration when I first got there, doing the old "hey watch I can hit the ball through plywood". Anyway, he had a launch monitor set up showing the supposed distance. First was 371, then it said 385, then 388...you get the point. Impressive. Then I saw the hourly long drive contest in a different area and decided to give it a whirl. First ball I hit felt pretty damn good - 274. Next ball I hit off the toe and it felt awful - 286. What? Hit one really sweet - 268. Um, ok? Ended up swinging harder than normal and hit one 289. This is confusing not only because a couple of the mishits went much farther than those that were sweet, but because I used to routinely drive the ball well over 300. I left and roamed around for about an hour. When I walked back by the long drive area, I saw the long drive champ hitting balls. His longest drive there was 303 and he said that was with one of his Pinnacles. His others were in the 290 range. I now disregard any launch monitor results.

Let me preface this by saying that I have only played golf about 3 times in the last 7 years. I joined the military when I was 23 and simply haven't had time. I am just now getting ready to start playing again, when the weather permits. I have purchased all new equipment, with the exception of a putter. I never thought I would be a fan of Nike clubs, but after hitting various Titleist and Mizuno blades, I found myself falling in love with the victory reds. I even ended up buying a Sasquatch-2 3 wood and the Sasquatch tour stand bag. Drivers - whoa. Almost everything I hit looked like a friggin' clown shoe. Giant odd-shaped weirdness. The first time I looked down at one I thought I may have left the head cover on. In addition to the sheer size of these embarrassingly large clubs, I noticed the options that are now available. Draw, neutral, etc. Are you serious? How about this...if you want to hit a draw, learn HOW to hit a draw. I guess manufacturers are trying to make EVERYONE a decent golfer without having to groove a decent swing. It's pathetic I think. "Oh man, I love this driver! I have always sliced the ball, but now I hit it straight and 275 yards - even off the toe! I knew it was because something was wrong with the clubs and not due to my terrible swing!" In my opinion they were also lacking a rewarding feel. Kind of a dull thud on the sweet spot. And square? Don't get me started on those. I suppose when you are slowly introduced to bigger and bigger drivers you don't notice it as much. They have to do something to keep us buying clubs, so now that they have gone as big as they can possibly go, are they going to start playing with the shape? I'm waiting for the "revolutionary" stop sign-shaped driver. I'm thinking the next trend will be to start going back down in size (hopefully). Yeah, I ended up going with a 909 D3. /end rant

Excellent advice. I do something similar and also putt at dimes from 5-8 feet. You can definitely see a difference when you get back on the course.

I keep mine clean by hitting the ball exactly where I want every time. I also take all my clubs into the shower with me, golf bag and all. It helps if you sing to them while you're in the shower too. Mine like boys II men.

When I do purchase a new driver I do exactly that. Relatively speaking, I have never needed a driver so badly I had to buy it right then. Why? Because I have a driver already and obviously I bought that driver because I hit well, so chances are whatever "new technology" is out there isn't going to be an extreme game changer. I think it's absurd to pay the prices they put on new equipment. Wait six months and save yourself the money. With that said, I have a hard time resisting new woods. I played the same irons for 8 years before I "upgraded". Putters - forget it. Found a couple that I love and don't see myself changing until they fall apart, like poor Kenny Perry.