washmo

You're playing an all-steel Scotty and you want to switch to an Odyssey urethane insert for a firmer feel? Not gonna happen. Steel is harder than plastic, end of story.

As a teenager I tried to rip the cover off the ball with every swing. A local pro happened to be at the range while I chunked and skulled away. "Swing a little harder, you might hit it next time." Having come back to the game after a decade away, forcing myself to slow down is still the single most important thing I can do to play better golf.

I work at a steakhouse. Sometimes serving, sometimes bartending, sometimes managing, always dealing with ignorance. Don't get me wrong, most people are fundamentally good and easy to please, but some folks just don't get it. In golf, as in life, simple consideration goes a LONG way. If you're in a hurry to order, knowing what you want is the best way to speed up the process. Don't order something that's not on the menu - that means we don't have it. If you want to sit and talk for four hours and not order ANYTHING, there's a place for that and it's called a bar. If you've had the bill for fifteen minutes and haven't paid it yet, you're not allowed to suddenly decide it's time to go and get mad at me for not being there right then to get you change. Sorry, needed to vent and no courses are open at 2am.

There are two possibilities I've heard of. Once upon a time there was a thing called a "fore caddy," a person who basically walks up ahead of you and watches where your ball goes (these have long since gone out of fashion). Naturally, if you hit your shot toward your fore caddy, you will warn them - by yelling "fore." Another less likely origin is military. When a commander wanted their forward line to get down so a rear line could fire they would yell something like "forward" or "fore." Just like today, it keeps you from getting killed by a ball (be it smooth lead or dimpled plastic) to the head. Reminds me of a joke: A guy is about to tee off when a man walks up to him and holds up a sign that reads, "I'm a deaf mute, may I please play through?" The guy says, "No way. Just because you're a deaf mute doesn't mean you get to play through. You can play like everyone else, so you should wait your turn like everyone else." He tees off and goes about his round. As he's about to make his second shot, a ball hits him in the head and knocks him unconscious. When he wakes up the deaf mute is standing over him holding up four fingers.

A word of warning: hitting off mats too much can affect your clubs. I worked at a driving range for four years, and one older gentleman (a decidedly skilled golfer) always hit exclusively off our grass tees instead of the mats. He said he used to hit off mats a few times a week and after a year it actually opened all his clubs up 1 to 2 degrees. Mats don't give the way real earth does, and as a result your clubs will give instead. Go for the grass!