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SSandlin

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Everything posted by SSandlin

  1. I'm in a similar boat as the rest. I switched to a 13 degree to use off the tee on certain holes. With that said, hitting it off the deck is the same as my old 15 degree 3-wood. On an ideal hit for me, the launch is a little lower (as would be expected), so I have to keep an eye on what is in front of the green or make sure I can put enough spin on it to stop before it rolls off the back of the green. It's all just a strategy change really. My swing, because of my height, is descending and I usually hit the ball on a high trajectory. So the decreased loft has not been an issue for me, but I would imagine it might for some who have a flatter swing or launch trajectory.
  2. I asked our league guy about this and he gave me a couple of situations. He said they originally had the option of adjusting your tees based on your handicap: 0-3 = Black 4-8 = Gold 9-12 = Blue 12-16 = White 16+ = Red Using that logic, there would be no strokes given on any holes and the difference in tees would make up for the skill level. However, it became pretty obvious, in our league at least, that this was not sufficient because of the great divide between our best player and our worst, by the numbers. Let's say a 7 handicapper is the B player on his team and he plays the B player on the other team who is a 25 handicap. Well, a 50 yard advantage isn't necessarily going to mean both players will shoot par for that hole. So, a better solution was put everyone at a middle set of tees and develop a course handicap to allow for strokes to be given to the weaker player. At least this way there is a baseline to measure both players. The ladies always play from the reds and the men play from the blues. It seems to work really well and a match that has 5 strokes difference usually ends up within one or two strokes of that difference on average.
  3. I played in an employee scramble at Disney's Lake Buena Vista yesterday with my dad, my fiance and my boss. My boss and I are pretty decent golfers, and my fiance is a newbie but improving by leaps and bounds. My dad, on the other hand, is somewhat limited by a bad back and is improving, but doesn't have much distance off the tee and has some difficulty hitting the greens on approach shots. He was concerned he would not be able to offer anything other than a ball in the fairway as a safe option. He had been hitting the ball pretty decent all day, but obviously he could not catch her tee balls when she's getting 70 yards of an advantage and adding 175 yards to a drive on top of that! Well, we reach a par 5 after missing a makeable birdie putt the hole before. I hit a drive that was around 290 (wind assisted), which left us about 220 to the center of the green. He hit a ball to the 150 marker which left my boss and I to have a go at the green. My boss left it short and I hit a 4-iron to the back of the green, again wind assisted. Well, we had about a 45 foot putt for eagle, maybe a little longer. My fiance went first and I tended the flag. She hit a great putt and left it about 2 feet from the hole...guaranteed birdie. I told my dad to not leave it short and don't worry because we've got birdie in our pocket. Well, he hit a soft putt that I didn't think would make it. Once it hit the slope downward I could see it tracking and new it would be good. I pulled the flag out and knew it was going in. It hit right in the dead center of the cup for eagle! I know that's something he's going to take with him for a long time and it was great to be there with him while he was down on vacation. We ended up shooting 66 and finished 5th place overall. Not bad and I'm sure we'll still be talking about that putt 10 years from now.
  4. I can't say that I personally have had a bad experience, however I do agree that there is a level of courtesy that should be expected from playing partners. I developed a habit of blocking out every sight and noise except my target when I pitched and played basketball years ago. It's not 100% effective, as is anything in life, but it does come in handy around abrupt noisemakers. I do make sure that the folks in my group always extend the level of courtesy to each golfer that they would expect. As far as golfers on adjacent or different holes, I don't have an issue with their sound as long as it's not deliberately aimed at a particular golfer. Of course that goes with an understanding that by sound I mean the normal chatter of a golf round (score, club, yardages, celebrations, etc.). I for one will certainly not hold back any excitement when I or a playing partner hits a great shot or converts for an under par score, no matter if someone just happens to be within earshot. It does provide some entertainment to see someone so focused on not hearing anything that when a mosquito buzzes by it completely throws them off. We always laugh and explain that the focus should be on the ball/shot, not what's flying around their head. I did see a refreshing moment a week or so ago when a father had his young son and daughter walking a course and he was explaining why you should try and maintain a quiet whenever someone is about to take a swing. Among other valuable starting blocks, that was one that stuck out.
  5. Good point. If none of my woods are going straight off the tee, I'll tee of with my 3 iron or 4 iron just to get something in the fairway. It may still leave me 160+ back, but at least I'm not having to drop or hit from underneath a tree. I'm still having good luck and success with my 3 and 4 irons, but I have started looking at what hybrid options are available for when the time comes that I just don't feel confident in either.
  6. Austin High School Black Bears Decatur, AL Class of '97
  7. Geez man, don't be so defensive. The guy asked for opinions and I gave mine. I'm not as well versed in the vast amounts of golf courses as most people, so I can only go from what I've seen and heard. It's not all inclusive, nor did I explain it to be. I gave logical and valid reasons for my opinion that was based on my experiences at the two clubs I've played at, as well as those I've visited but not played. I did fail to mention that I took input from others, so that's a mistake on my part. I also used reasonable comparisons. Putting Augusta National in one corner will make it hard for anyone to argue against the quality of a private course. However, how many on this forum are members at Augusta or even have the chance at becoming a member? I would guess very few. Plus, it's all purely speculative anyway. One person's Augusta is another person's pitch-and-putt. To me, at this point in my life, I have no desire to join a private club for the sake of playing the same course. I don't see the advantage of any better playing conditions except maybe tee times. Maybe if my salary doubles or triples in the next few years I can even think about affording that kind of luxury, but for most people I know they're all very content with public courses. I responded to the intial post asking of opinions and I gave mine. I don't see any reason to dissect my post and try to prove me wrong.
  8. Man, those clubs look nice! I went from full cavity clubs to the 735s from Titleist once I hit a certain score and really decided that I wanted to improve. At first I was worried because they looked really small compared to the irons I was using, but after a few sessions on the practice range my comfort level settled in. Having played them for a little less than a year now, I can say that my ball striking has greatly improved party due to, as you pointed out, the feedback from the mishits. For me, as an improving player, the benefits have been evident. I still have a little forgiveness for my 3-7 irons because of the slight cavity. But, if I'm brave enough I can still try and work the ball either way. And, having the blade-like shorter irons has forced me to improve my contact and that alone has dispersed itself throughout the rest of the set. I had never thought about making up my own set as has been mentioned earlier, so I'm glad that these companies are now starting to incorporate this methodology into their rack sets.
  9. I've been lucky to have been invited to play a couple of private clubs, one here and one back home in Alabama. I've also gotten to walk through a couple of others, but not play. With the exception of The Ledges in Huntsville, they're no different from many of the public courses I play...as far as the course goes. The courses don't seem any more difficult or any easier or really maintained or manicured any differently. The main difference I see is the clientele that populates each course. I did notice there was an air of arrogance on the private circuits, maybe unintentionally and maybe not. I know some people take great pride in being able to be a member of certain clubs, whether that's financially able or by proxy. Taking nothing away from that, a decent quality public course is just as good as any private course. I've also noticed that whenever the folks that play their private course ever play in a tournament on a public course, their score seems to rise "unexpectedly" and they start making excuses about this and that. I know of one in particular who always talks about shooting a 73 or 75 at his home course (private club), but whenever he plays a round with the rest of us, he's struggling to get near 80. My thought is there is a bit of an isolation syndrome for some club players. If you play the same course every single day, then yes I would expect your handicap to continually drop because you know every single bump on that course. Then, whenever they step away from their "bubble", the scores aren't the same and some can't cope with the fact that maybe they're just not quite as good as they believed they were. Private clubs are nice and they have their place in society and those who choose to be members, and are chosen, have earned the right to claim their status. At this stage in my life (and golf game), I don't see the payoff other than being able to add that social tag to your name. Give me my public courses that are sometimes brown and hard as rocks with greens that have a mind of their own. To me, that's the fun part of golf. It's not so serious that I have to play on the most pristine grounds. Heck, if anything, it's just fun trying to be creative enough to hit a shot that has to deal with those anomalies!
  10. I'm out in the Mojave Desert on a business trip and haven't seen the latest episode, only read about it on the Golf Channel website, so I apologize if this is a few days late. I don't see why everyone is so down on Pam. She stated a fact that Bri acts like a spoiled brat on the golf course. It's not Pam's fault she's like that. I met Bri in person at Rio Pinar and she's nice, but you can tell there is that side of her. I think Pam and Tommy have the most natural athletic talent of anyone. She hits it very long and plays pretty decent for someone who doesn't concentrate solely on the game for a living. I agree her spot was probably better deserved for someone who wants to make a living in the game, but she wasn't the worst player on the show by far.
  11. I feel your pain. I was even par after the first 5 holes and then a nice little 8 happened. All that hard work went down the drain. I think the next hole I bogeyed and then a double came out of nowhere. I've gotten to the point to where I know I'm going to have only so many good holes or chances at a good hole in one round before something goes wrong. Slowly those good holes start to increase, but still something like that usually happens where I have an errant shot or two to that leads to a relatively big score and slows down a good round. Although, just going by your handicap, a bad day for you may be a good one for me.
  12. I'll be honest. If (and when) I make a shot that went awry or tried to shape it one way and it went the other or whatever the case is, I sit and stew for a few seconds about it. It usually takes place in the time for me to replace my divot or pick up my tee and walk to the cart. That way, I can get a little frustrated at myself and then think about what I did wrong. Most of the time once I start walking to the next shot or get in the cart the frustration has had time to pass and I can usually laugh about how bad the shot was or start thinking about what's coming up next. Heck, even just watching my playing partners hit their next shot lets me steam a bit until I get it out of my system and then see if I can learn anything from what their ball did. It's not all business though. Sometimes as I'm muttering or fuming for those few seconds, I'll get a song in my head and groove along to that to get over it. Personally, I find that Muddy Waters helps me most because the beats and rhythms are slow enough that I can calm down, yet aggressive enough that I keep my energy up. I've even been known to take a song and replace the lyrics with something that best described my poor shot. If nothing else, it gets me smiling and reminds me not to take it too seriously.
  13. It couldn't have been a better day to golf. Partly cloudy and in the low 80s. We played at Disney's Osprey Ridge golf course, which I also found out will all be bulldozed in the near future. I waited until the 18th green and challenged her to a putting contest. I told her I would buy her a big dinner if she sank a long putt. I had arranged for my mom to meet us and she was hiding behind a tree on the back side of the green. She missed the putt and I asked her to try again, this time with a "special" golf ball. I had ordered some Titleists with "Sarah will you marry me" printed on them. So, I rolled her the ball and told her to make sure she lines the putt up correctly. She moved the ball around to line up the writing and she saw the words and by the time she looked up, I was on my knee with the golf ball jewelry case and the ring and asked her to marry me and she said yes. The folks at Disney gave us so many little gifts and even made a little congratulations type cake for us afterwards. I work at Disney part time, so I used a few connections. I had 6 red and 6 yellow roses waiting for her and the entire staff offered their congratulations when we got back to the clubhouse. She was completely surprised and her parents even more so. I had talked to her dad the night before while she and her mom were on a walk. Now to the scores. She shot a 56 on the front, which is great for only having played 7 or so months! After that, she made some bad shots and picked up on a few holes and became a bit frustrated. I was 5-over at the turn and then the strangest thing happened. I don't know if I started thinking about it or what, but my scores started to slowly escalate. I ended up shooting a 49 on the back for a 90 total, which isn't bad for me at all. Her dad ended up shooting a 98, which is good for him since they haven't been able to play golf in Wisconsin for 5 months or so. All in all, it's been a great day. Thanks to the guys who took the effort to help me out. Everything fell into place today and it could not have gone any better.
  14. I'll never know how another engineer knew that. She apparently didn't sleep through the mandatory literature and poetry classes like I did.
  15. Thanks in large part to a literature nut here at work, I was able to find the following: 1 - No clue 2 - Thomas Campbell, "Freedom and Love" 3 - Ben Jonson, "To Celia" 4 - George Moore 5 - Daniel Heinsius 6 - Savage Garden, "To the Moon and Back" They're cute commercials that served their Valentine's Day purpose. I wonder what the next installment will be.
  16. There actually was another thread started, but it's buried in the Grill Room. Big Break VII Thread I'm in agreement to say that I'm glad to see Gary gone. I thought it was a bit hypocritical of him to complain about "professional courtesy" when Mark was doing his Seve impersonation, yet he started hacking into the sand while the other guy was trying to hit his last shot. I think maybe two or three of the whole bunch have potential to make a decent living at the top tours, but overall it's just like going to a fantasy baseball camp for most of the golfers. I did think it was refreshing to hear that a couple of the participants have no aspirations at all for professional golf and are just there because they were asked to be there. At least some of these people don't take themselves that seriously.
  17. Agreed. I think I have something like 36 or 38g of weight in my 425 instead of the stock 28g because I like a bit of a heavier club to keep my tempo from getting too fast. It also helps because I can generate more force with a good swing speed (F=ma). I tried a lot of different combinations and found a good compromise between swing speed (light weight) and good tempo (heavy weight).
  18. I'm going to try and play No. 50 Furnace Creek on my next business trip to the high desert (Ft. Irwin, CA). I tried to last trip but couldn't get away from the base long enough. I played No. 27 Fightin' Joe at The Shoals. It's long from the back tees, I think over 8000 yards and you're not even at hardly any elevation. The course was lined with minimal rough and very tall grass, so the balls had a tendency to roll into the weeds. I actually have a picture of me trying to hack out of it and another of me standing in the middle of it with it up to my waist (I'm 6'7"). The most intimidating hole was #12, a 716 yard par 5 from the blacks. They even were nice enough to put water right in front of the green for you. The last hole, as pictured in Golf Digest, is a par 3 over a ravine that goes directly into the Tennessee River. It's a beautiful hole to look at and a great one to end on. Here are some pictures that might help. Most of these are of my dad and I. The ones at The Shoals include my uncle. I hope this works. The Fightin' Joe pictures start on Page 3. Golf Pictures
  19. I missed the first episode but caught some of the video clips on The Golf Channel's website. I'm not sure how good the show will be this time around, at least not for the first few shows. I thought it was interesting to hear that a few of the contestants had no real desire to play professionally anymore but that they were there for the show. Even if the desire isn't there anymore, I'm sure there has to be some competitive spirit that will intervene so that you don't lose. Once it cuts down the drama and plotlines and just gets down to golf, it should be a good show.
  20. Does anyone know if there is any truth to a rumor that existed about a year ago that had Nike trying to sign Ernie? I can't remember if it was the beginning of this season or last, but I thought I read somewhere that Nike was interested. I personally wouldn't mind seeing him go back to Taylormade. Whether it was pure coincidence or not, he seemed to win a lot more when he was with them.
  21. I usually play the Disney courses a lot because of the discount ($35/person for me and 3!), http://www.disneyworldgolf.com . But, I play Stoneybrook East mainly because it's just down the street on this side of town. There are a couple of other courses that I rotate around since they're all next to each other. All the fancy courses are on the west side of town, but these are all nice to just go out and play 18 holes and still get a bit of a challenge. Twin Rivers Eastwood Golf Club North Shore Golf Club
  22. As much grief as she gives me for hanging out on the forum and reading the articles, she better not be doing the same. It was a calculated risk since I figured there are more people out there who either know of a product or have certain avenues in golf that I don't. Which is ironic since it was listed right there on eBay, which I still can't figure out how I missed it. Regardless, when her parents come down, I'll sit and have a talk with them when she's gone and ask for her dad's permission. Then, take the three of them to Disney to play a round of golf and whatever happens will happen from there. Again, I sincerely appreciate the time and help you've all put in. It's about a month away from happening so I'll either be really happy or drowning my sorrows on the range for a few hours.
  23. Thanks Juan. That's exactly what I was looking for. Man, I don't know how I missed it but I've searched nearly the entire surface of the internet looking for that. I ordered and received a dozen ProV1x's that have "Will you marry me" stamped on the side. I'm not quite sure how it's going to play out, but I have a feeling that will all take care of itself. I keep logo balls from courses I've played and milestone balls (lowest score, first birdie/eage, longest drive, etc.) in a case so this will surely go front and center. Thanks again. That was very helpful!
  24. Here's the deal. My girlfriend's parents will be in town in a few weeks and I plan on asking her to marry me while they're here. She golfs, I golf, her dad golfs so it only seemed to make sense that I do in on the golf course where we can all be together and yet away from everyone else. The specifics are in concept only now, but I'm sure they'll take care of themselves when the time comes. Here's my question. Does anyone know if someone makes a golf ball keepsake enclosure? An idea that was brought to my attention was to find a jewelry box that is shaped just like a golf ball to place the ring in and have her open, instead of the normal ring box. I don't even know if such a thing exists, but if there are any leads out there I would be very appreciative. Oh, I almost forgot. This is going to be a complete surprise to her, so it would have to be in a way that I could find it discreetly. Thanks
  25. I'll give it a shot. Stenson Ernie Harrington Casey Ernie over Stenson, Harrington over Casey Ernie for the title.
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