DaveCenker

I always play best (all aspects of my game) when I don't *care*. Well, you always care how you play ... I just find that when I'm not focused on caring about my round, the good results seem to follow. I'd say to learn from that experience and try to stay as detached from your score as possible the next time out. Using the proverbial advice "Take one shot at a time" and "Play each shot like it was your last" helps keep this mindset.

I guess that I'm about average. I'm not slow and I'm not fast. However, if I have to place myself on side of the fulcrum or the other, I would say I am faster. I know what I want to do by the time I get up to a shot. In fact, I take the time riding/walking up to the ball to analyze all the factors affecting a shot (lie, wind, obstacles, etc) and have a plan of attack in place by the time it's my shot.

They have some of those smaller cut holes at a few courses I play at also. You are right ... you go back to a regulation size cup and it feels like you are putting into a bucket! Personally, one of the best aspects of this drill for me is dealing with pressure. Granted, it is self-inflicted pressure, but I guess that is really the only kind of pressure there is Standing over your last ball at 12 feet knowing that you need to make it in order to "move on" tends to raise my adrenaline a bit even though I'm on the putting green. The more times I can have that feeling during practice, the more prepared (hopefully) I will be for it on the course.

What is it that they say about golf ... it's 90% mental and 10% physical. You can have the most advanced equipment in the world sitting in front of you before you swing a club. However, if you are standing over a shot with inadequate confidence, your probability of success is slim to none. It's sounds so ridiculous, but I pick up an iron or wood at a pro shop/driving range and if it doesn't *look* right to me at address, I don't even want to try it. That may be a little extreme, but the point is the same. You need to be comfortable with your equipment in order to be successful. You are obviously very confident in your ball selection ... why change if you feel good about it and the results follow?

Welcome to golf ... the four letter word Isn't it a great game? Honestly, I think we have all had these types of rounds. There are so many variables that go into how you play on any given day. Some aspects you have control over and others you don't (Mother Nature). Although I should have figured this out sooner, it finally hit me that when playing a round in the morning it is (a) a good idea to eat a good breakfast beforehand and (b) it's not a good idea to have 2 cups of coffee instead Keep at it ... that index is bound to come down over time!

I think when you play the best depends upon your personality and the way your mind works (and potentially the day of the week!). Some days I am just NOT in a social mood. On those days, I like to get away in the early evening and play 9 holes by myself as a way to clear my mind. Often, when I am in these moods, I play really well because my mind is not concentrating on golf. My instincts take over and you don't focus on the fact that you have a 5 foot putt for birdie ... you just react and it seems the likelihood of it going in rises. At other times, I play better when I am playing with a group of buddies or singles that I meet on the first tee. One thing I always try to do, however, is not watch other golfers' swings. I watch where the ball goes to help them spot it, but I don't watch their mechanics. For some reason, my mind sees someone else's swing (good, bad, or indifferent) and subconsciously tells my body to do the same thing ... funny, eh? In any event, I think the bottom line is that you need to focus on your mechanics, pre-shot routines, strategy, etc when you are practicing. In my mind, there is a fine line between focusing too little and too much while on the course. I tend to try to focus less on the course and let my swing go into autopilot mode from all the time spent on the range/putting green. It is in these times (either with or without playing partners) that I find I play my best.

I find myself hanging out at the putting green at lunch for a couple reasons. First, I like to get away from the office for a short period of time. Second, I'm always looking for ways to improve my golf game. I have come up with a little drill that I use to help my putting. Some my like it, some may not ... it gives me a way to "compete" against myself Take 3 balls to the putting green and pick one hole to putt to. Drop the balls 3 feet from the hole (modify the distance if you want to start somewhere different) and putt all 3 from the same location. Your goal obviously is to make all 3. However, if you make 2 out of the 3, you get to move back to 6 feet with the 3 balls and make your next attempt from there. If you make 1 out of the 3 putts, you stay at your current distance and rotate around the cup 90 degrees and make your next attempts from that location. If you don't make any of the putts, game over. The obvious objective of the *game* is to see how far away from the hole you can get. So far, I have been able to find my way back to 21 feet. This is a really good way to practice all lengths of putts from different angles while making sure that you always take time to practice the 2-4 footers that are typically left after a lag putt. I have some other variations that I have thrown in also, but I don't want to overwhelm at this point If anyone is interested, let me know and I can post more info. Dave

In light of recent events, I think a lot of people's opinions may or may not have changed. Personally, I didn't get the opportunity to watch Jack in his prime as much as Tiger. Comparing the two is sort of like comparing baseball/football teams from different eras. If you match the two of them up in their prime, who would reign supreme? No one will ever know for sure and provides a great forum for debate. I may not be able to comment on who the better golfer is, but I can comment on who I'd like my son to emulate as a role model in his life ... Jack Nicklaus.

I must say that it's been awhile since I have been on an official tee box. I have tended to spend a great deal of time on the practice range and putting green over the last several months. With the "cold" weather in Florida finally beginning to clear out, I have to find a way to at least get 9 holes in. It sure helps that my 7 yr old son is beginning to take an interest in the game

Software engineer in the semiconductor industry.