Harp

the ruler function on google earth is incredibly accurate and perfect for creating your own yardage book. i know the basic yardages and ins-and-outs of my home course, but with google earth i was able to create a yardage book that includes distance to carry hazards, distance to certain layups, exact distances on par 3s, and most importantly the depth of the green. i had a clear enough image where i could see the markers on the fairway and i tested all those to be spot on....very reassuring.

I've been using my cleveland classic 3 putter for the majority of this season and today i finally got to put it to the test against the scotty laguna 1.5. if you don't know, these putters are pretty much identical, minus the $230 difference in price. stats are fairly similar: Scotty...milled 303 stainless Cleveland...cast/milled 17-4 stainless only on mishits can i feel a very very slight difference in feel, as the scotty is a bit softer. however, when properly struck both feel as soft as one would want a milled putter. Scotty...360g Cleveland...340g the laguna comes in 340g, 350g, 360g which can not be said about the cleveland. i tested the 360g version and did prefer the heavier weight over the cleveland. both putters feature a single sight line in the body of the putter. when it comes to looks, i prefer the cleveland. although both have very smooth, classic lines the scotty is crowded with bold graphics and engravings. scotty...$300 Cleveland...$70 overall, i would be extremely happy to game either putter and if i was made of money i would probably buy the scotty. however, the only reason i would buy the scotty is for the name and fancy headcover. in my opinion the cleveland is as good, if not better and honestly could be priced at double the asking price. if you're in the market for a new putter, check out the cleveland line. best 70 bucks you can spend.

what i was trying to say is just because a club can go 185 yards with a full swing doesn't mean its the only club to hit from 185 yards. i feel its far more important to feel comfortable from all attainable yardages with one club then it is to have set distances dialed in. this really opens up your options on the course. what i'm suggesting is that you don't have a 180-yard club. instead use a club that will go 180-yards based on the conditions at that time. if you watch the pros, sure they'll have their "go to" yardages, but they're hitting irons in a 30-40 yard window. i remember a couple weeks back hefty lefty hit a 205 yard 8 iron into a par 4 and on the same day used that 8 iron on a 155 yard par 3.

As i usually do, i played some golf after work today. however, today was much different. i was putting my shoes on and getting the clubs out of the bag, and realized i had my sunday bag in the car with some clubs i was hitting at the range yesterday. i'm not sure what it was, but something told me to go play 18 holes with just the 5 clubs i had in my bag. these clubs included: driver, 3 hybrid, 7 iron, sand wedge, and putter. i'm not exactly sure what made me do it, but i'm glad i did. the stats were as follows: Strokes: 80 (+8) Putts: 33 (2 Three Putts) Fairways: 10/14 GIR: 9 They had just aerated the greens so considering nothing was falling in the hole...i played pretty well. i felt like i putt nice and smooth, but the ball was bouncing all over the place. I've been averaging 28 putts/round and only around 4-5 GIR. i say with nice greens i had a great chance of putting up a low number. LESSON LEARNED: What does all this mean? from now on do i only play with 5 clubs? Maybe...but what i really learned today is that ball striking is king. i was hitting my 7 iron from 100 yards out, but i was taking such a nice smooth swing, hitting it square and in the center of the clubface everytime that it was finding the target. it doesn't matter if i can hit my 9 iron 160 yards every other shot. from now on its all about making a nice swing and letting the club do the work. for instance, the 17th hole is a 504 yard par 5 with woods on the left and water running down the right side. i poked a drive with the wind at my back and had 185 yards to the pin. normally i would take my 6 iron take a rip at it and hope for the best. today i choked down on my 3h, took a nice easy swing and found myself 12 feet for eagle. all in all i noticed my great shots weren't as great, i had just as many if not more good shots, and only 2 shots that were really bad (both off the tee trying to kill it). tomorrow morning the experiment will continue.

Short Game!! Short Game!! Short Game!!!! Take a look at your round....19 putts (ouch!) and you were on the fringe or just off the green on 8 holes. during my rounds i take note when i'm just off the green because i expect to put it close and one-putt. you had 27 strokes from just off the green or on the green. that is astronomically high. work on your chipping and putting and try and get that number down to 18 or so. that means either a chip and one-putt or two-putt a GIR on every hole. that will save you 9 strokes right there and makes a 55 a 46...a much more respectable number.

another vote for the cleveland classic series of putters. i'm recently switched to the classic 3 and i'm absolutely loving it. i love the feel of a milled stainless face and for 70 bucks you can't go wrong.

myself and some guys at the course were having this argument the other day...here's what we accomplished: Carrying Pros: Cost effective, can walk over green, and takes up less space in car Cons: Bad for your back, limited "stuff" you can carry, more energy used Push Cart Pros: Less energy needed, can carry lots of extras, everything at your fingertips Cons: Must go around green, initial cost, takes up room in car

if you hit your current driver really well then forget it. that being said, i play the tour burner and absolutely love it. the ball really jumps off the face and mishits still travel well. what i like about it most is it gives excellent feedback on the mishits...i can tell exactly where i hit it on the club face. i picked mine up used last year for about 80 bucks, so if money is tight better deals can be had.

I'm 24 years old and have been golfing since I was 8. I've always walked and carried my own bag without a problem playing once or twice a week. I'm now in a position where I routinely play 27 holes a day 5-6 times a week plus time on the range and practice green. I always walk and carry and by the end of the week I'm definitely tired. My lower back hurts and my shoulders are far too tight. It doesn't prohibit me from swinging a club by any means, but it's noticeable pain. I have no reason to carry a bag. I don't need the added stress nor do I need the added exercise. My game should improve by using a push cart. I guess my pride is the only thing holding me back. I'm young and in good shape, but why make an impossible game even harder? I recently ordered a new Clicgear 2.0 shipped for $170 and I'm ready to take some verbal abuse at the club. Hopefully my game can backup the decision. Just the fact that I'll be able to drink my tea in the morning, take my glove off, grab my putter, remove the headcover, etc. without putting things down, picking things up, and holding things in my mouth will be a bonus.

my story is very similar to enis750. played the pro combos for the last 4 seasons until i picked up some CCi forged irons this year. loved the pro combos, but love the CCi irons more. both sets had TT DGS300 shafts. nike forged irons perform awesome and IMO are the best looking clubs made. the looks alone sold me on the clubs. i believe a good looking club inspires confidence and is more important than just about anything else.

I'm an assistant golf pro at a public/private course in southern Mass. i'm working through my pga apprenticeship and will hopefully be a club pro in the next year to year and half. i'm at the course about 80 hours (but that includes playing 5 days) a week over 6 days. i have saturdays off so i can play in the local tourneys. lots of work, but it will all be worth it in the end.

i always gravitate towards nike or titleist for irons. while i know i'm in the minority, i'm not a huge fan of mizuno clubs. they've just never done it for me...always feel a bit "dead" and unresponsive. not a fan of nike drivers, usually test taylormade and cleveland.

not quite the golf store, but i ordered 100 AAAA Nike One Platinums from lostgolfballs.com and they were delivered today. Best part was...41 bucks shipped and only 14 of 100 looked like they've been hit. 86 of them could pass for new. after falling in love with my 60* spin milled vokey, i recently picked up a matching 56*

i do the same putt style with my 7 or 8 iron but i keep a open stance and play the ball off my back heel. when i need to get the ball in the air, i pretty much use the same stroke but with a wedge obviously. i keep most of my weight on my left leg, play the ball back, and really try and hit down on the ball. lots of touch is involved as with anything around the green, but playing the ball back helps me hit ball first and eliminate the possibility of duffing it. EDIT: i always choke way down on the club too.