chris0228

Here's is another problem I have though: some of you say to loose the pressure and play more types of "shots" to have more fun. I have a ton of fun everytime I pick up a club, but I am also very competitive and very hard on myself when I have a mental lapse or hit an off shot, because I KNOW I have it in me to hit the shot I wanted to hit. So I'm basically answering my own question here, all mental right. So how does someone who is as competitive as myself play without pressure? I play with my brother and good friends all the time. It also gets into my head when someone hits a great shot, or when my bro, who has a ton of natural talent and never taken a lesson in his life, steps up and nails an 8 iron to 4 feet. I think I just need to view it as a 'who cares' type of scoring game. Problem is, everyone I play with is pretty hard core about keeping score, scoring well, etc. etc. Play my own game, yeah I know!! Thanks for the help guys!!

Yeah, keeping the ball on the tee was a chore. Also what was fun, was waiting for your ball to stop moving around on the green so you could putt it, HA!! Then in the middle of a backswing, the wind gusts, blows you around, blows the ball around..........needless to say, score meant nothing that day!!

How very helpful of you......... I agree with the 3 Hybrid, ditching the 3 iron, and adding another wedge. Good luck!!

Well, let me tell a few stories of my outing this past weekend. Had a 12:20 tee time with the boys on Saturday. We are all excited as the weather here in Dallas has SUCKED this winter and it's now finally getting nice. We wake up Sat morning to acceptable 10-15 mph winds. As we started to drive out to the course (Robson Ranch in Denton) we started noticing more wind and more wind. Got to the range and let the fun begin. Took me about 10 minutes to find out what I could get 92 yards. Typically its my 54º, not today! 9 Iron baby! How about 165......5 Iron, HA! Front nine was ok to say the least. Hit almost 4 clubs more than would normally use, but we were having fun. My brother, about a 10 hc, on the longest par 5 on the course, dead into the wind, hit driver-driver-3 wood-9iron-PW-1 putt for a bogie! We had some laughs that day for sure. It sucks that we can't play more during the week or we would have cancelled the outing. Oh yeah, and what made the day, one of our good friends had a free foursome coupon.

Great stuff. Yeah, had a pretty good idea that it was a mental thing. That fits my personality to a T (no pun intended). On the range when I don't have any pressure, I am so much more consistent. On the course, I overthink all too much. Thanks for the words of wisdom, I appreciate it!!

I am getting to the point where the game / my swing is getting the best of me. I have shot in the 70's twice and mostly score in the 82-86 range, but could easily be in the 70's every time with a slight increase in consistency. I need some help/thoughts on what others have done when they get to this point: I have every shot I need to be a single digit handicapper. My problem is, my misses are huge. I'll go from 290 right down the middle, PW to 10 feet, Birdie......to pull hook 6 Iron for a double bogie on the next hole. Was playing with the guys Saturday and went par, birdie, birdie, double, and was inconsistent throughout the rest of the match. When I am playing by myself and hit a bad shot, Ill drop another ball down and 99% of the time will hit the shot I wanted to hit. I know that it's not an easy question, and if this could easily be answered we'd all be on the tour. I just know that I am capable of hitting the shots I want to hit. Now how do I translate that to more consistent play. The obvious answers are more practice/range time, a more consistent swing thought, etc.. Just curious to see what those of you have done to help get over this hump. Thanks!!!

Hey guys! Really need to up my game this season. I have taken a few lessons from those 'video your swing and compare you to Tiger Woods' type places and think I am in need of a good swing coach to take me to the next level. I am a very good leaner and improve very quickly, I am pretty close to scoring alot better but feel I am in need of a good set of eyes to point me in the right direction. Anyone know of anyone in the North Dallas area that they could refer? I am a member at the Golf Club at McKinney and can travel wherever. Thanks for everyone's help!!

Not an expert at all but I read alot and take lots of lessons so here ya go...................Great left arm extension. The only thing here that you could work on is trying to flatten out your swing a little. You most likely hit a little cut right? If you were to look at this picture from behind you, your club shaft would be across the line that your left arm is making at the top, making it pretty darn difficult to come from the inside on your downswing. If playing a cut is your ideal swing and ball flight, then don't change a thing. I am working on this myself in that my club is across the line at the top, then I try and compensate on the way down by lopping a litle to bring the club in from the inside. The only thing else would be to try and lessen the angle of your shaft in comparison to your lft arm to promote more lag on the way down. There migh be more nit picky things, but if you like your swing and your ball flight and trajectory are ideal, then play your swing. Good luck man!!

I think it's funny when guys use the word cheating or cite specific club rules on playing more than one ball. It's a game fellas, no one to my knowledge on this site plays for a living (and if you do, this post is not meant for you). I agree, if you are planing on turning in your card at the end of the round or if you are playing a small wager game with some friends, then yes, play as close to the true rule book a you can. But I'm sorry, If I go out to my course at 4:30 to play 9 holes and the course isn't busy at all, then hell yes I'm playing more than one ball. I play with my club pro from time to time late in the afternoon on days the course is wide open, and he plays more than one ball too. I play with friends who shoot anywhere from the high 90's to low 70's, and it doesn't phase me one bit if either end of that handicap range pulls another ball and plays it too. Life's too short.....

I am one of the ones who shoots in the 80's that does have a staff bag. I think my bag is a great looking bag. It doesn't fall over on the range like my old cart bag used to, I can put an extra pair of shoes in the front locker compartment, it holds everything I need it to hold, fits on the cart nicely, and just looks nice. I'm not one to judge on the golf course, but just like Aceboympk said: I couldn't agree more!! To each is own, but if you want a staff bag because you like the way it looks or want to spend the money, then do it, who cares what other people think or what you score, there isn't a place at the checkout line that makes you input your handicap to determine if you can buy certain gear!

2 ways of thinking: first, when playing with some friends on the weekend or going out for a nice round somewhere during the week, maybe play 2 off the first tee, other than that, don't try to be a better golfer than you really are. What I mean is this, if you loose a ball, take a stroke...if you put one in the water, don't re-tee, instead go up to the drop zone and take a stroke and try to save bogie. No one is going to fault you for being too honest on the golf course, it's a gentelman's game and a game that should be played with respect and honesty. On the other hand, if you are out with your bro or wife, etc., sure why not play 2 or 3 balls. Get the practicing in when you can. No rules out there that say you can't play multiple balls as long as you are not holding anyone up or hitting into anyone.

Couldn't agree more. While you can get refurbished balls from Walmart/Target, lostgolfballs.com is THE place to get great deals on the best balls you can buy. And from my experience, if you buy the best rated balls, they are in great condition. Good luck!

This is exactly what I am talking about. A single digit handicap won't get you on the tour, won't pay your bills, won't make you quit your day job (hopefully not), and more importantly does not give you the excuse to be a dick! (not saying your a dick tm22721) What makes a single digit handicaper, who either has alot of natural ability and luck or has worked very very hard to get the game they have, any better than a 20 handicapper who has time to play once a month and maybe goes to the range every other week? NOTHING!!! I do understand that to play consistent and competitive golf one must have great concentration and a good mental game, but at the end of the day, turning in a 70 or a 90, we all pay our green fees, bring our clubs we paid for, and should be respectful of everyone we are paired up with and with the game.

Hey guys! Tried searching for this and couldn't find anything. I am looking into buying a GPS unit and my main concern for going with a GPS rather than a laser device is that it does not give me yardages on the range. Then just the other day, a buddy of mine told me that his SkyCaddie had all the range info on each of the courses. I am looking into the SkyCaddie SGX when it comes out and it will be a deal breaker if it does not have driving range distances. Do they? Do they account for the different hitting areas when others are growing the grass back? Anyone know? Thanks!!

Actually, it makes more since that when you pull a 6 iron for example, it knows where you are when you pull the club and I think that it will know when the club is swung. From there, it will start measuring the distance to when you hit the next shot and record that distance for your 6 iron. It will do that until you are on the green. I imagine that they want to make it that easy and accurate for it to even make since to spend the R&D; money on. IF this is how it works, it could be really great. After a few rounds of taking every shot and recording the distance and club selection, the device could then very accurately give you the correct club for the average distance to your layup or spot on the green. I can't wait till this device comes out. With a proven name in the industry, this will be THE GPS device of the year, and probably a while longer..

Alright guys and gals, help me out...... I have yet to figure out why so many weekend golfers and those that have time to play 3-4 times during the week have such a "I should really be on the PGA Tour" attitude when they turn in an 80? You get teamed up with these folks on course events and member scrambles, etc. and they just think they swing like Tiger and have Phil's short game, then pull one out of bounce or miss a par 3 by 40 yards. Then its the ole "I haven't swung in a few days," or "what a bad lie that was" etc. I know that golf is a game for the ego just as much as it is for enjoyment, but come on dude!! Just because you played junior golf when you were 16 and shot a 77 twice does not mean you should literally chew someone out for accidentally getting their shadow in your putting line on #18. Just pisses me off when I'm playing with guys like that. Don't get me wrong, I play by the rules and expect those I play with to do the same, but lighten up will ya, we're not playing for a million bucks here. If you mis-hit your 7 iron and miss the green, you still get to play tomorrow if you want. What do you guys think?

I too hit this club a few days ago, and even knowing the comments on the longer shaft, did not even notice it. And I am a consistent player who hits alot of new clubs as they come out to see how they feel, and I truly couldn't tell the difference. I agree with those who have posted and said that if you hit it well and better than what you currently have, then put it in your bag. If not, then move on to the next one, there are plenty of options. Good luck!!

Gotta be the New R9's IMO!!

andef gives great advice. Practice, practice, practice. The key to your short game is having the confidence to hit good and consistent less than full "touch" shots. I typically find myself at the end of the range in the thick rough practicing shots from different lies. Besides for the obvious time spent on chipping and wedge shots on the range, go find some different levels of grass, place 20 balls all on different lies an train yourself on how to hit from those lies. Muscle memory is huge for your short game too. If you know that with this crtain grass length and type, all you need to do is ................. from practicing that over and over again, when you get onto the course it will be natural for you to hit the shot. Hope this helps!!

At the local golf stores here in Dallas, the computerized hitting bays actually do a pretty darn good job of estimating ball flight and spin. The balls have several marks on them and the cameras can then take multiple pics of the balls and then compute spin rate. That based off swing path and whether the club face was open or closed will estimate the ball flight and distance. And yes, I have taken many a club into the store to compare. That's the best way to see how much better or worse another club would be when compared to yours. The store should have no problem with that at all. They will mark your club as yours and send you on your way. Good luck!!