Harmonious

I think it might be the 49er fan in you. Bad calls? Sure. A conspiracy against San Francisco? Not likely. Take it from someone who still wonders WHY all the bad calls in Super Bowl 40 (The NFL wanted to reward Bettis' career?), there isn't much to be gained from imagined conspiracy theories. It'll drive you crazy.

I've been using the Amazing Grace Asskicker for the past year. My lag putting is improved; distance control is much better.

You are correct that the places where the PGA tour plays are very high end courses, set up with consistent greenside bunkers. And the tour players spend some time before the tournament hitting out of them to get familiar. With some experience, anyone should be able to recognize the type of sand (or clay, or mud) they are playing from. And with practice, they should be able to develop a method for each type. When my course was built, they brought in different types of sand. And the maintenance is not best. Some bunkers are soft and fluffy, some are clayey, some never dry out and are hard-packed. Each requires a different setup, a little bit different clubface positioning, maybe even a different club to use. But I wouldn't say any type is more or less difficult than another, once you become familiar with them. The only difficulty could come when/if there is a narrow layer of soft sand over a clay base which could cause you to bounce off the clay and smack the ball over the green. That can happen, but thankfully not too often. The guys who I play with that complain about poor sand in the bunkers after they leave it in or shoot it over the green never set foot in a practice bunker to learn how to play out of them.

Thus, my question to Mike. Why doesn't it work for most golfers? If you can roll into that flat-left-wrist position early in the downswing (not last minute, as you state) why wouldn't you? People used to say that the sound of Hogan's irons were like no other. Was this the reason why? I'm going to try it out at the range today. I'll report back why or why not (at least for me).

Thanks for remembering my post. Actually, what I meant to say is that you should include bunker shots with short game up-and-down percentages. I think that's how the PGA tour figures up-and-down percentage: anything inside 30 yards to the pin counts, including sand. They have a separate listing for sand only. In any event, you need to give yourself a legitimate chance at sand saves every time you are in a bunker. Just getting it out is a good starting point, but to get to scratch it's not nearly good enough. And really, with good technique (see the many sand thread comments from scratch or better players) getting it inside 6-8 feet shouldn't be that difficult. Just takes practice and recognizing the different types of sand.

Mike - What are your thoughts on the above video labelled "The Goods"? I'm not sure I could get my hands into that position on the downswing, but it sounds intriguing. And Hogan definitely did in his swing.

I thought it was a great game, but being a Hawks fan, what would you expect? The game showed that defense, when played with true passion, can still control any offense. And the Hawks play with passion unmatched. Good for them. As far as being ashamed, it looks like the AFC better find some answers, because SF or New Orleans could have beaten Denver tonight.

My guess is since the OP hasn't posted for almost a year, he found the right ball.

Another thread from a guy who just came back from a lesson, complaining about it. I don't understand. Why did you seek out Manzella? You must have seen plenty of his videos online so you knew his approach. If you don't like what he told you, go to someone else.

Once you subtract 2ab from both sides, then both sides become zero. 2 times zero equals 1 times zero. Good problem.

Here's a link with far more technical info than I can comprehend, but maybe some folks will appreciate it: http://grantland.com/features/the-official-super-bowl-preview/

I'm not sure it's a secret that good golf instruction, followed by correct practice, will produce improvement. But it's good that you are following that path. Good luck!

I think he meant on 350 yard holes or less, he hits 3 wood off the tee. On longer holes, he reaches for the driver. That's how I read it, anyway.

Well, thank you. I have been in negotiations with the Golf Channel about replacing Sir Nick. Still waiting for the phone call.

After you've hit snap hooks (and Woods has hit plenty of them in the past several years) you don't ever want to hit another. Thus, his reliance on fades these days.

I think it may be more about demographics. Who are the one's that have the most disposable income, and enough time to spend it? The boomers. That generation is now moving through the "growth" phase. The following generations are not nearly as large, and do not yet have the income necessary (or the desire) to spend loads of money and time on golf. Thus, courses are not being built, real estate developing has slowed and fewer people are taking up the game. The Tiger effect was negligible, even though it made good copy for the golf publications.

There's a 7 minute Youtube video from 1960 of Austin in a skeleton outfit, explaining his swing. The funny thing is that he incorporates much of the same ideas as the accepted wisdom on this forum. Things like extending the right leg during the backswing, getting the left shoulder under the chin, sliding the hips forward on the downswing, etc. Frankly, I heard nothing controversial, although it was hard not to stare at his Halloween costume. Too bad his original ideas have been smothered under his followers' misinterpretations, which have led to ridicule by many here, instead of thoughtful discussion. It might be advantageous to go to the source, then have a discussion about its merits.

Paragraphs can be your friend, if you want to be clearly understood.

Same brand and model. For example, if you star with a Titleist Pro V1, all the balls you put in play must be Pro V1's. No NXT's or Pro V1x's. No Nikes, Callaways, etc. Unless you are playing in higer level tournaments, you would probably never have to worry about it.

Quote: You do know that Haney was a well-known golf instructor long before he worked with Woods, right? Apparently, Woods thought he was an "expert" on the golf swing for a number of years. I would hardly call him a parasite. While I don't agree with some of his ideas, I sure wouldn't turn down a lesson from him. From the OP link, he was being interviewed on Sirius. If you were famous enough to be asked to be interviewed, wouldn't you do it? And I have to ask whether you in fact read his book. I though it was pretty good; not the Tiger-bashing like so many people tried to portray it to be.

I would agree with what Brakkus said. Check out Jeff Ritter's videos online and see if that is what you might be looking for. He is definitely a Jim Hardy guy.

I think Stubhub is OK, as they guarantee their tickets. My son won 3 tickets to last year's Wednesday practice round in the lottery. We used 2 and he sold 1 on Stubhub. No problem. I could be wrong, but I believe you can buy Masters tickets in Augusta, but you must be at least 500 feet or so from any entrance. At least that's what I read somewhere.

Friday he said he was "a yard off all day". Maybe he was two yards off today.

Joke posted on Seahawk Facebook page: Tom Brady, Colin Kaepernick and Michael Crabtree walk into a bar. Bartender says "You must be here to watch the Super Bowl". I though it was funny, anyway.

You say you hit the ball a ton....that's great. You say you are familiar with Krank gear...why then can't you figure out how to enter a long driver competition. I agree there is no need for ignorance, but this thread is bordering it. ScouseJohnny gave you the link in his post. So go enter. No need for advice here.