MGP

I like to walk, prefer it actually but ride most of the time because the two courses I play most often are incredibly hilly and brutal to walk. I'm 48 and in so-so shape but the guy I play a lot with is 19 and in excellent shape -- even he has trouble walking 18 on the two courses we play. There are a couple course I play less often that are flatter and more walkable. I usually walk them with my push cart. Oh, the weather here is usually a factor too. Almost always mid-80's to 90's and very humid and windy in the summer. That makes walking not much fun either.

No, you can put pretty much any kind of marking on your putter you want. You could even mill an alignment groove into it if you like -- Phil Mickelson just did this with his blade putter that normally has no alignment park. You could even draw a smiley face on it if you like... You have to be careful when you start modifying the face though.

Runnnnnnnnnnnn!!!! I thought that name sounded familiar so I hit up Google... http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...am;&btnG;=Search Bad news, these guys are scam artists. Anytime you see "free" you can be pretty sure it's not (or at least there is something hidden in the deal somewhere).

Top Flite D2 Feel. $15/15 pk. at your local sports store or even Wally World. I played this ball all last season, it's an all around excellent ball and dirt cheap too. If you like a little firmer cover ball, the D2 Distance ball is excellent also. Same price, same locations.

The NVS isn't terribly expensive. I get a lot of shafts from these guys and they have the NVS65 at a good price: NVS65 at Golfetail If you are interested in trying something off the beaten path but also a very excellent line of shafts, look at SK Fiber shafts. The Pure Energy or Tour Trac series are some of the most underrated (or unheard of) shafts and a great bargain. I play a Tour Trac 80 Stiff in most of my drivers. It's very similar to the NVS in feel but a tad heavier. It's a huge bargain at about $20. SK Fiber Shafts

I played the D2 Feel almost all of last season. I just put a dozen Gamers into play and my first impressions are that the Gamer is a little longer, the cover is a little softer and the ball spins more off shorts irons and wedges. They both putt about the same to me, which is fine since I liked the way the D2 Feels putted.

Funny you should mention this -- I was just thinking I need some of these as well. I have several towels I'd like to use as golf towels and wanted to add them myself. Try a Google search on "7/16" brass eyelet tool". It appears that Zinc plated eyelets are pretty common too. These are what you are looking for, right? Large Eyelet Kit with Tool Extra Large Brass Antique Brass Eyelets It also appears Wal-Mart may have them, as well as fabric or craft stores.

That is the old "Rock Flites". The new Top Flite balls (D2's, Freak, Gamer) released since Callaway bought them are a whole different kettle of fish. I played the D2 Feel as my gamer last season and it's a great ball. The D2 Distance ball is quite good as well. I have a dozen of the new Gamer ball I am waiting to try on the course, hopefully early next week. I have chipped and putted with them for a few weeks now and they feel great. It got great reviews in the Golf Magazine golf ball test in February. The Freak is a 2 piece ball. The Gamer is a 3 piece ball. I haven't played the Freak but I suspect the cover is pretty durable since it's a Surlyn blend. I would think it is very similar to a DT So-Lo. The Gamer has a softer, thinner cover. Not as durable as a surlyn cover but the reviews on it say it spins quite well due to the softer cover and 3 piece construction but is still reasnably durable. If it's anything like the D2 Feel (and I've heard it's similar but softer cover and longer) then I think I will really like them. I can't wait to try them soon.

I re-grip a lot of clubs. By far the most popular grip is the Tour Velvet. I've found they have a bit of dust on them right out of the box, I think it may be mold release used in manufacturing but I'm not sure. There is also often times "rubber dust" and small bits of rubber on the grips as well. I've also seen other mystery substances on brand new grips, although not as often. After I put on a new grip I always clean the grip with a mild citrus solvent. It leaves the grips soft and tacky and it's pretty amazing how much grunge comes off in the process. I've had quite a few comments from people whose clubs I've re-gripped about how nice the new grips feel.

Here is a recent similar thread: http://thesandtrap.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11805

You won't necessarily lose any distance. In theory, a lighter and (usually) longer graphite shaft will give you more distance. Studies by clubmaker gurus like Tom Wishon show that the distance improvement is actually pretty marginal at best. Your best distance will come with whatever shaft gives you the most consistent sweetspot contact. For me, it seems I swing clubs with a heavier shaft much more consistently and they just "feel better" to me. I switched my hybrid shafts to steel this past year and shortened them 1" from their graphite shaft lengths (to keep swingweight consistent). I actually hit the steel shafted hyrids more consistently and slightly longer because of much better face contact at impact. I just built a 3W with a steel shaft to continue this experiment. We'll see how it works out but I am betting it will be no shorter than my current 3W, especially if I make consistent contact with the ball. I honestly think the swing speed improvements ascribed to graphite shafts vs. steel shafts is exagerrated. This is based on measuring my swing and a few others with my swing speed radar. Almost all the swing speeds I've measured have been within a few percent between graphite and steel given a club that weights about the same and is within a 1/2" or so in length.

I voted 52°/56°/60° but it depends which wedge set I am actually playing as I have two different sets. My P2 iron set PW is 47° and the matching wedges are 51°/7°, 55°/12° and 59°/7°. My alternate set of 2007 Adams Watson wedges (which I am leaning to as "gamers" this year) are 52°/7°, 56°/12° and 60°/7°.

The Tom Watson wedge set is quite good, I have two sets of them. I prefer the 2007 model, which has a very nice satin finish. I was not crazy about the grips, but you may like them OK. I re-gripped them and play them regularly now. Here's a very good deal on them: Tom Watson 2007 Wedge Set As far as hybrids -- your best bet will be with a hybrid that is a model year or two old. You will get the best deal with still current technology. Adams, Nickent, Cobra are a few companies that come to mind that have easy to hit hybrids that are very high quality and can certainly be had for under $100 (some close to half that).

I used Zero Friction tees for most of last year. I liked them overall but found they were very hard to push into hard tee boxes and in windy Kansas the ball would blow off the tee periodically. I also found that I broke the "tines" off the tees sometimes too. A friend suggested Epoch tees and I started using them late last summer. I like them a lot better than Zero Friction tees. The shaft is much sturdier, the top of the tee is wider and the ball sits more securely on it. They also come in a 1-1/2" "shorty" tee as well, which are great on par 3's or teeing off with hybrid or fairway woods (I buy the combo packs with both long and short tees). I think I've broken a total of one since I started using them (about 20 rounds). The Sand Trap Epoch Tee Review Epoch Tees

I replaced the graphite shafts in my TaylorMade Rescue Mid hybrids last year with DG S300s. I also shortened them by 1/2" under TM's standard length for steel shafts. It was a great move -- I make so much better contact now that I lost virtually no distance and I hit them very straight now. I also built a new set of Lynx Black Cat Tour hybrids (see signature) and didn't even mess with graphite, I went straight to steel. I've only hit them a few times but they are longer than the Rescue Mids and have a very nice feel. If you do re-shaft your hybrids with steel you may need to re-swingweight the clubs. My TM Rescue Mids had tip weights in them for the graphite shafts so the headweights were already the right weight for steel shafts. I suspect a lot of other OEMs do the same thing. Besides the DGS300 shafts, the TT XL Lite shaft is not a bad hybrid shaft. It's a little lighter and has a little softer tip. It will tend to launch the ball a bit higher than the DG S300s. Another great steel hybrid shaft is the Nippon Steel NSPro 8950GH. I've never heard anything but rave reviews of them in fairway woods and hybrids. They play a little soft to flex, just as a heads up. I came very close to putting these in my Lynx BC tour hybrids but I already had the TT XL lite shafts in my shop.

If you are just beginning you will probably be thankful that the driver is actuallly 13° loft. It will help you get a decent launch angle off the tee and the higher loft will reduce the tendency to slice a bit. Most mid-handicap and higher golfers should probably use a higher lofted driver. I play an 11.5° driver myself.

Here are some references I've found useful: There are a lot of useful videos here that will walk you through most of the common clubmaking items. They also have a lot of useful articles written by their clubmakers and club designers. Golfsmith Online Turorials and Articles Golfsmith used to have a book called "Basics of Golf Clubmaking" that got me started. Sadly, it looks like they no longer have it. Pretty much the bible on clubmaking and repair. Not cheap but there isn't much it doesn't cover: Golf Club Design, Fitting, Alteration and Repair by Ralph Maltby Anything you can find written by Tom Wishon will be excellent too.

golfshoesonly.com Great prices and great customer service. Make sure to checkout their closeouts, they usually have some great bargains on some very good golf shoes.

I'm pretty sure he was only playing 9 holes. If I recall correctly he does that a lot of the times he plays. (If not, there is no way I'd expect to play 18 in 3 hours -- not that it can't be done but I still wouldn't expect it and plan anything at 3 hours after my start time )

Now that's a really cool device. After looking at their web site I'm seriously thinking about getting one for use with my cart bag.

I have three pairs of prescription sunglasses, two of which I'll wear to play golf. Last year I got a pair of Tifosi prescription glasses that I wear exclusively for cycling and golf. Best sports sunglassses I've ever had -- polarized, wrap around low distortion lenses and the "golf and tennis" shading which is said to enhance the contrast of grass, sky etc. It seems to work as I can now track the ball in flight against a clouded sky without losing it like I did with my previous glasses. Great for reading greens too as they don't seem to "flatten" the greens like other glasses I've used did. I put them on before the round and don't take them off until I'm done. Most of the time I don't even realize I have them on, they are very comfortable.

I'm getting very very close to having an all component club bag with clubs I've built myself. About the only clubs I am going to have to work to get out of the bag are the TM V-Steel or Adams RPM LP fairway woods. They are just a very good clubs that will be hard to better myself. The Adams is probably going to get re-shafted this year, however. It is kind of cool to show up at the course and have people look at your clubs and ask questions about them. There is also a special feeling hitting a great shot with a club you built yourself!

Correct. If you watch the pros when they hit hybrids that's exectly what they do -- take a small divot just as they would with their long irons.

Sorry for not responding earlier. If you are just looking to trim an occasional shaft or two, I'd recommend a "grit" hacksaw blade along with a vise and rubber vise clamp to hold the club. That is how I got started and it works on either steel or graphite shafts. The problem with the shaft cutters is that you have to get just the right pressure as you cut the shaft or you'll dent it instead of cutting it. In my experience, some steel shafts are very difficult to cut with them. They can only be used for steel or aluminum and won't work if you ever want to cut a graphite shaft. I trim a lot of shafts so I have a mini-cutoff saw with an abrasive cutting wheel which makes quick, clean cuts in steel or graphite. If you use a vise and rubber vise clamp you also have most of the tools you need to do your own re-gripping too! Golfsmith Grit Hacksaw Blade Golfsmith Rubber Vise Clamp

Two things I did last year that helped with my hybrids tremendously -- I switched to steel shafts (1/2" shorter than graphite for the same swingweight) and learned to hit them like a 5 iron. Once I did that I started hitting them straight and long. Couldn't be happier now. I think one thing that messes a lot of people up with hybrids is that they are generally longer than the long irons they'll replace and because of the head design and typical graphite shafts they encourage you to hit them with a sweeping swing like a fairway wood. This generally doesn't work too well with most hybrids. Just an observation, YMMV.