RX Phoenix

I'm leaning towards Callaway because of their drivers (FT-5) and new x-forged wedges, I may switch over to their irons one day.

Very good advice, this will work if you can get yourself to do it. It's especially difficult to do on the 6' putts, a lot easier on the longer ones because on the 6' there is very little time before it goes in the hole, so the tendency is to want to look up quicker to see if it is going to go in the hole. There is one thing golfers don't want to miss, and that is the sight of the ball disappearing in the hole, so up comes the head faster on the shorter putts and that leads to the push.

Very tight driving hole, clipped a tree on the left, the ball deflects right, rolls across the fairway and into a lake. After a drop I hit a perfect 7 and then drain a 25' breaker for par to finish off a great front 9.

What you are doing by having just the short irons as blades is a workable option. Trying to hit the long irons blades requires a very good swing. As other posters have said, the cavity backs are so good now that it's hard to make a case that blades will improve your game. They are tougher to hit which means you will be thinking more about this issue and less about course management, distance, etc.

Absolutely agree with that, but the 905 requires that you put a LOT into the shot, if you don't the shot quality goes way down. Other drivers are more forgiving as far as giving fairly good results with not a lot of effort. If you're young and strong or just strong :) and can really put a lot into a shot, then this is a great driver, it has a great sound and feel and the ball will both carry and roll out with a real good shot shape.

I agree with that Craig Mac, I just want to be sure the poster doesn't overlook course management and put all their efforts into bunker play practice. Why . . . because if you play at a lot of different courses the bunkers will differ greatly, and even on one course the bunkers will differ one from another. You will get plugged lies, lies under lips, wet sand, hard packed sand . . . there are so many variables. If when you went into bunkers there would always be the same conditions, then practice would result in much better results, unfortunately that's rarely the case. So often the best one can do isn't very good. I hate going into bunkers because so often the conditions there are not as good as should be expected, like an inch of wet sand on dirt. If the pin is near a bunker I'll play away from the pin, or the pin is in front behind the bunker I'll intentionally play to the back of the green.

After finishing 18, then playing a few more holes, then I'll hit a number of drives to work on something but no mulligans during the round to be posted, can't do it. Sometimes when playing with a group of non-posting players who are just out for fun and insist that everyone 'hit another' when the drive goes OB, etc. then I'll hit another drive but in scoring take a penalty stoke, that way the guys think they're being generous which is what they are after, but my score is still accurate.

He's got a good chance to win, people overlook him but he is very tough minded and when playing well can win the Open (obviously), in fact he should be one of the favorites with Tiger being an unknown at this time. The pairings are unbelievable, made for TV ratings, it's going to create a huge buzz the first two days no doubt.

Being just a so-so bunker player, after practicing a lot I found that I still was so-so and probably will never be real good at it, however by focusing on staying out of bunkers my game has improved to the point where I rarely go in them. No matter how good a bunker player one is (excluding some a few great bunker players), hitting out of a bunker is never a good thing for scoring well and if you go into a lot of them in a round it is going to bite you big time. It's fine to practice and improve in sand shots, but more important to look at your entire game and course management. For example, in my last 3 rounds: Round 1: 1 bunker (fairway) made par Round 2: 1 bunker (1st hole) double Round 3: 0 bunkers If you can do that then the entire issue of bunker play is pretty much a non- issue and whatever practice you do will only make things even easier when you do find one.

With the new x-forged 56* and the TP ball I'm able to throw it at the flag and have it stop. I've had tremendous success going this route recently instead of bump and run.

Since you are a 12.5 HC the first question should be, how often are you in bunkers? What tees do you play from? Maybe you are playing back one set too much leaving long approach shots on most par 4's and then coming up a bit short. A 12.5 should rarely get in bunkers, maybe once a round, so focus on how to stay out of the bunkers, ask yourself why you are going into them. Is it a slice with the irons? Most bunkers are there to distract the golfer, try to focus on yardage and don't even think about the bunkers.

You're lucky because you should be motivated to do everything you can to stay out of bunkers which means: 1: Get exact yardage to front, middle, and back of green. ((I use a Sky Caddie to do this) 2: Be very aware of how far each of your irons go and be sure to take enough club to clear the front bunkers. Use a hi-spin ball to help hold the green so you don't go into the rear bunkers. 3: If you're problem is fairway bunkers, find out the distance to them and hit a club that will leave you short. Don't try to fly bunkers, that's very risky. 4: If you do get in a bunker be sure to take the club back inside and coil the body as if hitting a full shot and swing hard. I'd guess that you are not swinging hard enough and using your arms and wrists too much, make sure the coil of your hips and torso are used to give power to the swing. Some skilled players seem to finesse the ball out but that is real difficult for most people. Even if you fly the ball a bit too far, at least you will be out of the trap and putting.

That's a very good question because I cannot come up with 5 players. A few of my favorites have slipped a little like V.J. Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Couples, Davis Love; they just don't have the mojo anymore. Geoff Ogilvy I like to watch Bubba Watson is fun

I've tried many varities of tees, but nothing really seems to be so problem free as 2 3/4 wooden tees. With the expensive new plastic ones from Callaway, I'm worried about trying to find them. The brush tees have problems with getting the ball to sit right, plastic tees also are touchy in getting the ball to sit, and they offer more resistance. So hit the ball, and don't worry about where the tee is, that's the best.

Played on a course today which had a big sign stating that the course carries no insurance to protect the golfer for any damage they may inflict. It is the golfers responsibility, home owners do have insurance because they may not be home and the window breaks and the golfer doesn't inform them. I nearly busted one today, steep side hill lie ball below my feet, hitting a 2Hy, but somehow hit a towering draw instead of the expected fade, that was headed straight toward a large plateglass window, but the ball hit the roof just above it, nearly tore a few shakes off. I was thinking of this thread when that ball was in flight!

After reading this thread I went out and practiced this shot then tried to use in during a round . . . didn't work out. This has to be the toughest shot in golf. Rarely do you see the pros try it, and even they mess it up.

Just decided today that it's time to get the a top of the line hybrid club, either a 2 or a 3 and I know there are some companies who have gotten raves for their hybrids, but the names escape me. What would you recommend in a hybrid club? Time to go ebaying!

For me it's the PGA West Nicklaus Tournament Course, can't get any mojo working there. La Purisima with the wind is going to eat your lunch coming in. The Ranch Golf Club with a 154 slope has numerous ways to make the wheels come off and coming in they usually do fall off.

I have a quite a few of the better putters, two Scottys, several TwoBalls, Bettinardi, but the Rossa Monza Spider is WAY Better, in a class of its own. I now have several rounds under my belt with it and I'm making birdies and saving pars, that putter is not coming out of my bag, fantastic product. Have total confidence now, leave a chip or a lag short, no problem, whether I make the putt or not, I feel like I'm going to make it which is a large part of making a putt.

I got rid of the 3W, I hit the 5W almost as far, and I'd rather lay up to a wedge yeardage on the par 5's anyway, the 5W is more controllable, hit it about 215 add 250 for the drive and that's 465, leaving a yardage for one of the 4 wedges.

[QUOTE=xamilo;146748] . . . Then there should be a Callaway FT-5 rule, since I only get 260yds with my driver but with an FT-5 which I can't afford due to the $500 tag, maybe I would get 20 more so I should move my ball 20 yards farther. [QUOTE] Who ever said advertising doesn't work? You will NOT get an extra 20yds with the FT-5, in fact you'll probably get exactly what you get now, but you might THINK you are hitting it farther because the club, the sound, the feel, etc; there IS no magic driver, but club manufacturers want you to think otherwise. The magic is if the club makes you think you can hit it further, then this might extract more effort and determination out of your swing.

Nothing to worry about, happens every now and then like catching a cold. A week ago I flat out couldn't hit my driver, now I'm crushing it. I could be stress, attitude, a slight injury or weak area of the body, everyone gets in a funk from time to time. Try these tips: An aggressive swing on a conservative line Try and swing at 85% capacity Let the swing pull your head up, don't lift it up too soon Stay down on the shot When you grip the club, flex your hand and arm muscles real tight and see if that is twisting the club face in some way, then adjust grip. When the basics are solid the swing is going to come around one way or another. Good luck!

EXACTLY!!! It let's you know that you are entering a different world, speeds up the pulse, I always got a rush from that.

Just bought a Titleist 905R GD ys+6 Reg . . . tough club to get used to, first range sesson I couldn't hit it, 2 sesson started to bomb it but required it's own set up and forward ball position. It seems that the club has massive potential but requires a seriously commited swing, probably the most difficult driver I've ever hit, but the feedback from the club really seems to pump me up and want to hit it harder next time, that's one of the secrets of the Titleist drivers. If you are seriously strong and can really load up the shaft and like to crush the ball, this driver could do wonders for you.

How do you like to shape your drives and how many shot shapes do you feel comfortable using on the course with your driver? I voted for 2, straight and fade, these two should cover almost any hole. It just seems like a bit much to have 3 reliable shapes. I struggle hitting a draw and decided that it's not worth trying to have that shot, the power fade takes care of a lot of holes and the straight ball should handle the rest, so no need for the draw. Even the pros have trouble at times hitting 3 different shot shapes.