burnabao

Don't try and hit the ball. Swing and let the ball get in the way. Easier said than done!

So, 21 handicapper (currently), usually shoot somewhere around the mid 90s. Last weekend I had the single worst round of golf I have ever experienced. I couldn't contact the ball for love nor money, I mean it was Shanksville. Resorted to trying to chip my way round the course just to get it over and done with, but even that was beyond me. Gave myself two hands full of blisters, shot 126 and was thoroughly fed up. Blisters equalled no practice for me all week, and then this afternoon I go out and shoot a personal best of 90 round my home course, with some of the purest ball striking I've ever produced. No physical differences this week from last, but it was all just "working" today. And that, for me, is what this game is all about. Days like today where golf seems like the easiest thing in the world - what a great feeling. Stupid game... ;-)

Take a couple of lessons - your swing clearly doesn't need reinventing, but a pro should be able to highlight the one/two principal reasons why you've started to hit bad shots and will be able to give some direction/focus to your practice to help you get over it. Also, I find that knowing the cause of the problem makes it a lot easier to solve than just knowing the problem itself (i.e. if "problem" = slice, "cause" could be any of swing path, clubface, weight transfer etc., all of which will require different solutions). This is where a pro's advice is invaluable. Nothing worse than trying aimlessly to solve a problem that you don't fully understand. IMHO.

The massive gulf in opinions in this thread is precisely why, I think, asking to hit other people's clubs is a bad idea - if you have different views on the topic, then any damage (cosmetic or otherwise) will surely cause a disagreement. For what it's worth, I would (and do) let my friends use/try my clubs, but only because I a) trust them not to be complete duffers with them and b) know that I could insist they compensate me for any damage without causing a ruckus. As for allowing a stranger to have a try - no chance. I mean, no chance in hell!

I was also looking at the Powakaddy Freeway II, as well as the Motocaddy S1 (I wanted to stick to an established manufacturer for spares/servicing availbility in the future). I wrote off the S1 pretty quickly as it didn't provide as much information as the others (yardages etc.); the FWII looked good/tested well, but In the end I plumped for the S3 since it gave me more distance preset options, I liked the look of the white frame, and it has a USB charging port integrated into the chassis - since I use Golfshot on my iphone as an on-course GPS, this is a real plus. Alos, it was cheaper than the FWII, which really sealed the deal. As for performance in competition, we don't allow distance-measuring devices in comps, so I used the S3 in "Competition Mode" (no distance readouts and no ability to send the trolley off 10/20/30y etc. ahead). Not having the latter was a bit of a shame, but I felt significantly fresher, more energised and less groggy on the final 3 holes than I normally would when carrying/pushing. And as Chris G alludes to, not having to worry about the weight of extra clothing, waterproofs, drinks and the like is another real plus. Again, from a pure "enjoyment of my day" perspective, I am very pleased with the electric trolley. Less fatigue, more concentration on my shots, which will hopefully lead to lower scores (one day!).

So, having charged the Motocaddy battery for the recommended 8hrs overnight, I played 18 holes today with the new electric trolley and my initial thoughts are: a) my back/legs are significantly less tired/aching than they normally would be after 18 holes; b) the convenience on-course of being able to carry waterproofs/food/drinks without worrying about weight is great; c) being able to send the trolley off down the fairway/to the next tee did, I think, help keep my own pace of play up versus that of my playing partner who was carrying. Overall, the round was very relaxing/enjoyable, and I think it's only fair to say that the trolley made a contribution to that. The reduced fatigue from pushing/pulling a manual trolley up and down a hilly course noticeably helped my concentrate on more shots right until the last green, and I actually shot a PB round my home course (could be pure coincidence, but who knows?!). Obviously it's very early days, but so far, I'm pleased with the initial experience. I'm entered into a competition on Saturday, so we'll see how it stacks up in the competition environment.

Well, it's with a little shame that I pushed the button on a Motocaddy S3 last night after much research and deliberation. I'm only 29, fit/strong and more than able to carry a full bag for 18 holes, but since buying a push trolley a couple of years ago, I found myself just "enjoying" the game more. I couldn't find much in the way of feedback from people in a similar situation (aside from the usual carry vs push/ride banter) so will definitely post my experiences back here. I have no medical/physical factors to consider - I will evaluate the experience purely on "enjoyment". Now, where are my pipe and slippers...?

Playing with a friend of mine earlier this year, he topped his drive and pulled the ball into the tee marker for the ladies/juniors tee ahead. It was one of those spherical markers, and the ball must have hit it square on - the ball flew directly up and back over our heads, must have been at least 100 feet in the air, bounced off of the road, back almost as far again into the air and finally came to rest on the driving range a good 100+ yards behind us. I have NEVER laughed so hard on the course in my life!

I scored +12 against my handicap, largely due to two balls in the drink at different holes and way too many double bogeys. I didn't feel like I played "badly", but I certainly didn't play smart.

So I've been playing golf with varying levels of committment for about 5 or 6 years I guess. This year I finally joined a club and this last weekend I entered my first competition. I by no means embarrassed myself (although I did come dead last in the end), but I just can't describe how much fun it was! There wasn't a huge amount to win/lose on the line but playing for "something" other than just fun was a completely different experience - but I guess most of you guys already know that. Anyway, I'm hoping I can get my head in the right place over the coming months and start to bring my "A" game to the competitions rather than the unspectacular show I put on on Sunday! Did you guys notice a big change in approach/mindset when you started playing competetively, at whatever level?

Top of the list for me would be to add (not replace) a wedge, maybe a 56 with a different bounce to your SW/LW give you some more options around the green. Personally I struggle to hit any iron longer than a 5i with great accuracy or consistency, so I'd switch the 4i to a 4h. Actually, those two things would pretty much give you my bag's set-up!

I've just finished listening to the "Not a Game of Perfect" audiobook and can't wait to try and put it into action. The idea of really visualing the shot you want to play, seeing it fly/roll to your target is something I've never done but it makes perfect sense. I've always been one of those "Don't hit it in the lake" kind of guys, but I'm going to really try to change my perspective and see if Dr Bob's theory works in practice! From the comments here, I think "The 15th Club" might be next on my hitlist...

On the few occasions that I've managed to convince the wife to play/walk a round with me, she has always had far more interest in turning up lost balls than anything else. Maybe it's a hunter/gatherer instinct!

Fortunately it doesn't take a huge amount of direct "sun"light to get most solar cells active, so I think during the summer, even in the UK on a cloudy day, you might still be ok. I was at a club in Portugal a few months back and all of their marshals' cart were solar powered. Maybe they just don't produce enough juice to keep running all day, round after round? They've got to be the future though, one way or the other.

That's exactly what does it for me. I have a hard time convincing myself when it happens on the course, though, that what I need is more moving parts in my swing!

Unless you need to go over something (hazard, thick grass etc.) then more often that not the percentage shot to play is to grip down a short/middle iron and just "putt". The loft will launch the ball and get it rolling, and then you can simply play the same shot with different clubs depending on how much air time vs. roll you need. Not pretty, but gets the job done more often than chip/pitch/flop with a 60*/56* wedge (for people like me, anyway!).

I searched high and low to try and find a non-R1 copy and finally found a guy on eBay selling the Dutch R2 version. I have no idea why the only European release seems to be Dutch. I was skeptical, but the DVDs themselves are in full English (with optional Dutch subtitles) and work perfectly on my non multi-region PS3. All looks absolutely legit to me (and I'm a bit of a fake-DVD snob, so I wouldn't settle for anything less!).

I'm 28 and switched to a trolley last year - I have never looked back, not once. The only times I would carry now are if I'm only carrying a few clubs for a par-3 round. Otherwise, trolley, cart bag, food, drinks, the works. Life's too short to carry a bag. Now going electric - that is another story...

It very much depends on the danger, in my book. If the group behind hits up near you, which makes you think "wow, that was pretty close, if we hadn't have just moved, that might have hit us" then I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt, but if the ball is right, right up to or through your position then there is absolutely no scope for any good-nature. If they meant it, they're a-holes; if it was a mistake, they have poor judgement and shouldn't be allowed to continue unchecked. If the ball hits you in the head, knowing that someone bladed it further than they thought they would isn't going to bring you back. If that were me, ball -> trees/pocket and probably some wild gesturing/shouting back down the fairway to make sure they realise what they've done if it was a mistake...

Do it, do it, do it! For all the lawyers out there who wish they were good enough golfers to even consider such a bold move (e.g. me!). Very best of luck to you mate, sincerely!

I know for a fact that a range I used to use had the distance markers at about 80% of their marked distance (i.e. the 100 yards sign was only 80 yards away) to try to neutralise the effect of the range balls, so it is bloody difficult to know what's happening. Also if I'm hitting at, say, a 150yd marker I can't honestly tell if I pitch at the sign, 10 yards before or ten yards after it. If you dial in your yardages on the course you're a) hitting off grass, which isn't always possible at a range, and b) doing it in a "real world" situation with your own balls, both of which have an effect on distance (IMHO).

I've been fitted for irons and woods and I have to say the whole process was brilliant. I'm 5' 7'' so a lot of the American-branded clubs don't fit me off the shelf, whereas my Mizuno fit is pretty much bang-on standard (for the "smaller Japanese man", as I was told!). Best thing about fitting though is to be able to feel different shaft combinations with particular clubheads. Also, to all those who are saying that it's a waste of money, from my own research and experience pretty much all the major manufacturers will fit you for free (or apply a discount equal to the "cost" of the fitting off of the purchase price).

True - up until Christmas I only ever had one putter for about 8-10 years. It came with a half set of irons from a cheap catalogue store but I'd gotten so used to it that all of my playing partners used to curse me. I regripped it 3 times but never thought to change it.

I think that the point is: coming "out-to-in"/"over the top" (or whatever you want to call it) on the downswing is often the consequence of taking the club away too far on the inside in the backswing. Try to do the whole thing in reverse: on your backswing try to take the club back on that exact same line that the club takes on your current downswing (i.e. the one which is on or outside of the target line) and you'll be surprised at how your downswing magically comes back from the inside on more of an in-to-out path.