ryebread442

I can relate to the fear of scalding the ball, especially in the sand. Try focusing on hitting down on the ball. You won't really have to worry about shooting it across the green on a scald since focusing on hitting down reduces the risk of lifting up. The only problem is that you are more prone to chunk it, exchanging one problem for another. If you are playing chip and run, the putting stroke advise VolunteerGolfer gave you is perfect, especially when you have a good amount of green to work with and no sand traps or obsticles in your way.

If I'm by myself playing, I'll just try to forget about it, simple as that. If I just finished with some friends or teammates, I'll try and joke about it to lessen the stress. The worst thing I can do is go into the next round thinking: "Ok, I have to put up a great score here because my last one was so bad".

If there is any course I've played that I would feel the need to be armed on, it would be Clifton Park Golf Course located in Baltimore City. About 4-5 holes border a busy roadway and another two border a city high school where you always wonder if the locals will try anything. I would never carry a weapon onto the course (a. it's illegal and b. there's the increased possibility of something going wrong), but I do understand and sympathize with those concerned about getting robbed.

Making long putts. I just love the feeling of watching it go, walking in it's trail, and watching it sink. Even a long putt for bogey is fun to experience.

Ah the "What if..." game. I remember last August I ended up with an 80, my lowest round ever and all I could think about was the 16th hole. I topped my hybrid and then hit my next shot into the woods for a triple (left me thinking "What the hell? I was playing great!"). After the round I was thinking: "Just one less stroke on 16." even though I had back to back chip-in birdies on 13 and 14 (one of which I shouldn't even of had since I tried to do something different).

Golfer: Rocco Mediate or Tom Watson (minus the age). Both very classy guys and two of my favorite players. It would be nice to have everyone cheering you on as you walk down the 18th. Non-Golfer: Miroslav Klose (German National Soccer Team Striker) My favorite soccer player tied 4th all-time for the most World Cup goals. I'm going with a German just because my whole mother's side was born in Germany so I identify with them, and yes I know Klose was born in Poland, but he's still on the German team.

If you just keep playing and work at it, you'll see a drop in your handicap. Honestly, it is possible to play on a college team even with a slight improvement in your game. Currently, I play on my college's DIII team, have played in a few matches a year, and I've never even shot in the 70's before. It seems like you are on pace to be on a DIII team. There are plenty of good golfers, except the range is much greater (I typically see -1 to +1 win with the last place finisher somewhere around 100) and they don't give out schollarships. It all depends on what kind of school you go to. Usually, it's rare to see a DI or DII school without a golf program but division three schools sometimes don't have certain sports. When you are at the point where you are looking at colleges, make sure you put academics first. However, if you see a college with a good biology program, isn't too expensive, and you get in, go ahead and attempt to walk on for the team. Good luck with the rest of your high school career. I hope you can accomplish your goal.

When I was in high school I remember I played with a guy who always overestimated his ability. We played our matches on a small par 3 course where the longest hole we played was a 250yard par 4. The kid claims he shot a one under the week prior to the match and ends up beating me in match play by about 3 holes. Decent player for a high school team, but not as good as he claims. A few weeks later we get paired up in the county championships at a regulation course. He's an annoyance as usual, boasting about his grips that are supposed to be the best and telling stories that none of the other members of the group care about. Our hero here shoots about 95. Since the cut was 100, we get paired up again in the districts and with three holes to go, with the possibility of facing another 95, he chucks a club against a tree and gets disqualified for his behavior. Most satisfying last three holes of my high school career.

I came up short on a Par-3 over the water and ended up in the sand. I got out but still had about 15-18 feet left to save par. I lined it up, hit it, and the ball just snuck in on the side for a sand save. Shot 89 today and really needed that par.

My avatar is the logo to my favorite Queensryche album, Operation: Mindcrime.

The biggest thing I'm working on is trying to straighten out my swing plane. I've had problems with my swing being inside-out which has been obliterating my greens in regulation. Since I'm altering my swing plane, I've been hitting the ball thin so I also have to work on staying down on the ball while I swing. As for the short game, I'm trying to keep my eyes behind the ball when I putt and make sure I don't lift my head up on short putts.

1. Play at least once per week not including practice sessions. 2. Add a couple yards (7-12) to my tee shot so I can use a lower club for my second shot. 3. Average double the amount of pars versus double bogeys. 4. Average 85 or less for the summer. 5. Have at least one round in the 70's These will hopefully lead me to my long term goal: 6. Obtain the fifth or sixth spot on my college team's ladder.

I think it's great that you are getting into coaching golf. I played all four years in high school and had an amazing coach so I'll try and give you a student's view. In regards to the game, don't try and change a player's swing too dramatically. Give them easy fixes such as keeping their head down or using a line to aim their puts. My coach called them "band-aid fixes", things that are easy to do and will have a profound effect on a rookie player. Next, you want to go over rules. No need to teach them the entire rulebook, just everything they will have to deal with in a typical round of golf. This goes hand in hand with integrity/sportsmanship. Make sure you are encouraging honesty and respect toward other players. Lastly, and most importantly, point out how difficult the game is and make the kids understand that they will hit bad shots, have bad rounds, and may be expecting too much of themselves. Let them know they are still young and experience plays a huge part in golf. It's ok to make mistakes. From a coaching standpoint, take an interest in the kids and think of them as your own. For example, instead of holding a meeting, my coach would drop by my house and drop off the required paperwork and chat for a bit. I'd get invited out to a couple rounds with him and my tennis coach...ect. Make practice a reasonable length and encorperate different competitive drills. To get the players to aim at a target when on a range instead of just pounding balls, hold a "closest to the pin". On the greens, start with a short game lesson of the day, have the players practice it, and hold a quick short game match play tournament where the winner gets a gatorade or soda from the clubhouse. Finally, there's one overlooked inevitability of being a coach. Bureaucracy. You'll have to make sure the students all have their paperwork in (I know in Maryland we needed a parent permission form and a physical), keep track of their grades so they can be elligable, and deal with other coaches and your athletic director. You might have to keep a tight budget because all the money always seems to go into football and never the niche sports, so just be aware of that. Sorry about the wall of text, but if you go in there with the best intentions (and by your first post it certainly seems like you are) you will be a great coach and maybe even an inspiration for your students. Good luck!