jorgesgolf

For those of you that perform clubfittings or have had them done, do you find any advantage in doing it outside so that you can see the flight of the ball? I personally might do a clubfitting inside if the clubfitter came well recommended, but I would prefer doing something outside so that I could see the ball flight instead of an interpretation of the flight from a computer. Thoughts? Jorgesgolf

That sounds like a good deal. I'm a little surprised that one could get a fitting for as little as $30, but I also imagine that in addition to the price, there is also variability in what the fitting entails. Leek, did you also find that different places did their fittings differently and some provided say, multiple iron configurations (different shafts from which to try), whereas others just did a loft and lie test and sent you on your way (Hotstix not counting of course b/c that it really top of the line)? I also did a driver "fitting" at a Golfsmith recently and was not impressed. First, I believe that I cannot effectively replicate my driver swing when I am inside hitting into a net (not their fault). They did analyze my swing on a launch monitor and measured backspin, swing speed and shot dispersion, which is good. However, they had me try a number of off the shelf drivers with stock shafts and only varied the flex of the shaft. When I asked about other shafts, they said that the manufacturer tested these specific shafts for this clubhead (in this case TaylorMade 460) and so changing the shaft may result in the club not performing optimally. So I ended up with a driver I think I need to return b/c the shaft flex is incorrect and my shot dispersion was nothing like what they had calculated on the computer. When I went to talk to them about it, they said I could go through another fitting, but I said "Why would I want to do that? You fit me incorrectly the first time, what's to stop it from happening again?" Jorgesgolf

A quick question: How much did this fitting cost (if you don't mind me asking)? How long did it take? Did you have any expectations about what was going to happen and did you shop around at all? Jorgesgolf

I subscribe to Golf Digest and I enjoy the equipment reviews and instruction (except for David Leadbetter - "Find your swing chi" - Seriously?). I also like the columnists David Owen and the Golf Guru. Jorgesgolf

I've always had Ping bags. I've had my current bag for 7 years. The Ping Hoofer has always looked the best to me. Jorgesgolf

Can someone move this thread to the equipment section? I mistakenly put it here. Jorgesgolf

I was reading the May issue of Golf Digest and in their "Equipment" section towards the back, they are explaining the differences in spin (RPM) between urethane-covered and surlyn-covered balls. Although there appears to be a difference between the two types of balls when struck with an 8-iron from the rough, they also say that Golf Digest testing shows that there is "almost not difference in driver spin." Is this true? Are we talking about side spin, the spin that causes the hooks and slices that plague the average golfer? That strikes me as surprising given that I would think that the performance balls (urethane) would have more side spin which would allow the better player to work the ball with the driver more easily than they would with a surlyn ball. Anyone have any thoughts? Jorgesgolf

Hey guys, I am a 3rd year grad student at Cornell. I use a combination of biochemistry and genetics to study proteins involved in the replication of DNA. Jorgesgolf

The course that Tiger "owned" in years past is not the same course that he was presented with this time around. I saw a replay of the Masters from 2006 and the difference in the greens between 2006 and 2007 was incredible. Shots that were landing and sticking on 13 and 15 in 2006 were not even attempted this year due to the greens acting like concrete with astroturf overtop (at least for Thurs-Sat). I wasn't ready to hand the tournament over to Tiger after he made birdie at 2 because it seemed like he was treading water while there were at least 4 or 5 guys that were playing really well a few holes ahead. You could see with his missed 3woods first left and then right, that everything was not okay. When he dumped into the bunker on 10 it seemed like he was out to lunch mentally for a few minutes. You could see a smirk on his face as he covered his face with his cap and I thought he was thinking "this may not be my day." It wasn't all that surprising that he failed to get up and down and that he knocked his drive into the woods on 11 either. When he made the eagle at 13, however, I think that was a real boost for him and you could see his demeanor change. Jorgesgolf

Sorry Cleveland Gunmetal - I didn't see your post before I made mine. It's pretty much the same idea. Jorgesgolf

I think what happened was that Tiger had the tables turned on him. As they noted in the telecast, Tiger wins majors by taking the lead and having everyone on the course know that he is not going to give any ground to the rest of the field. Therefore, those who are trailing are forced to hit shots in certain situations that may be more of a gamble or that they may not be fully comfortable with in order to catch up. Tiger wasn't playing at his best and the position that he was in on 15 in the right rough, 2 shots behind Zach Johnson (with Johnson playing 18 at that point after having bogeyed 17 - meaning he probably won't give up THAT much ground at this point) forced him to go for the green in two because he was running out of holes. He hadn't played 17 or 18 that well during the week, so 16 with its generous pin position was probably his other best chance at making birdie to cut the lead. As soon as he hit the shot on 15 you could see it was cutting too much, and he didn't pull it off. Jorgesgolf

My experience was pretty similar. You will find that if you practice/play regularly, you will improve a great deal from where you are at right now. However, once you get into the single digit handicap range, your improvement is in much smaller increments. Also, the focus of your practice will also have to evolve as you get to a lower handicap. At a high handicap, making improvements in your full swing will reduce your handicap sharply. As your handicap get lower, practicing your short game and wedge game from 100 yards and in will be the main way to improve further. I had my handicap down to a 4.0 when I was in high school, but lack of playing has brought it up a bit. Jorgesgolf

When I got caught waiting on the tee in high school, we would play "The Tee-box game." Basically, it goes like this - everyone takes the club that they are going to hit off of the tee that you are waiting on. Using that club, you stand next to one tee marker and try to chip to the other tee marker. If you successfully hit that tee marker, you get to chip again and then go try and hit the other tee marker. If not, your turn is over and someone else chips. Once you have hit both tee markers with your ball, you can then "hunt" the other balls and attempt to hit them. Again, you get one shot to hit another player's ball and if you hit it, that player is out and you get another shot at another player. If you miss, your turn is over. The winner is the last player with a ball in play. Jorgesgolf

Yeah, I saw it - I don't think its that big of a deal though. You figure that Tiger's caddie was still raking the bunker and Tiger was away, so I think it's just courtesty. Jorgesgolf

The other thing you gotta keep in mind is if its the weekend and the play is slow, chances are the guys in front of you are not the only ones that are dragging their butt. I've had people role up on me before and ask if they can play through. I say sure - but you're not going to get very far because I'm waiting, the people in front of me are waiting, the people in front of them... Jorgesgolf

I finally found the link (the AT&T; sign on the top right), but it anyone trying to view the Masters online coverage using a Mac? They said that the online feed is optimized for PC and windows media player. I've got WMP, but still not luck. Jorgesgolf

I'm having a little difficulty finding the link for the feed from the practice tee or Amen corner on the masters.org website. I watched it last year, no problem, but I can't seem to find it this year. Little help anyone? On the website, they said the practice tee feed would start at 8AM and Amen Corner at 10:30AM

I posted in another thread about my first experience playing golf in NYC. As I (and others) have said, there are a number of nice, affordable courses in the area that you can get to by subway or car, but we started at 11:00 AM and weren't off the course until almost 5:00PM. Now, I would almost always "rather be golfing" but even I wanted to RUN off the course as we approached 5:00, I was so sick of simply being "there" and not really doing anything. I wouldn't mind being on a golf course for 6 hours and playing 36 holes by myself (which I used to do in high school), but when the play is slow, so much of your time is spent just waiting for SOMETHING to happen - it can get rather boring. There's only so many times you can practice bouncing your ball on the face of your sand wedge... Also, I can't stand watching someone "practice" on the golf course. I've got no problem with taking some extra putts assuming that no one is behind you, but playing multiple balls is definitely going to be holding somebody up. Jorgesgolf

Thursday - lot of work, so try to catch Amen corner online when possible. Friday - Try to leave work by 3:30 so that I can catch USA coverage at 4. Saturday - Cycling with my riding group, so I'll be back late afternoon. Sunday - One word..."glued" Jorgesgolf

Glad to hear you left that last ball alone... InTheTwenties - Do you know what the New York Parks department thinks about pitching/chipping in Central Park? Is there a certain place that you can do this and has anyone tried without getting yelled at? I know how they like to keep the grass relatively pristine, so I can't imagine that they would like to see little divots and worn out grass around. Also - when I was on Randall's Island's website, they mention having a short game practice area. However, my first time there, I was surprised to find that you can't chip/pitch onto their practice putting "green" (aka slab of concrete covered in astroturf). Do they enforce this? I also heard that Chelsea Piers has a nice short game practice area - does anyone go use this without additionally going to the driving range? I've never gone to Chelsea Piers before. Jorgesgolf

I definitely have the roll out putting green and I have been known to swing a club or two in my apartment. I have been to Dyker Beach by subway (with a little walking) and I thought it was a nice course but...my memory isn't great, but I'm pretty sure the round was 6-6.5 hours on a Saturday. This was my first round of golf in the city and talk about trial by fire! I agree that there are a lot of nice courses around the city that are actually pretty reasonable and that was probably the most surprising thing to people that I told about living/golfing in NYC. I've also been to Split Rock and I like that course as well. I am a grad student right now, so my time is limited and that contributes to my inability to practice as much as I would like, but it is a little rough to practice this game in the city because it does require a good bit of land to do that and land is certainly a limited commodity. However, like I said, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of courses (assuming you can get to them without a car). Zipcar is an idea and I am going to have to drag out some of my "less obsessed" friends this summer. Jorgesgolf

I'd have two main problems with getting advice from a teenager: 1) As a teenager, I just doubt that they have the experience or education required to accurately diagnose swing faults. There is a reason why PGA professionals attend school and for that reason - I'll stick with them. 2) As a 10 handicap? I'll buy into the "those that can't do - teach" philosophy, but at least let them be a single digit handicap... Jorgesgolf

I had heard that there is a handicap index requirement to play on the Black. Is this true? If so, what is the requirement? Jorgesgolf

How did we get so far into this thread without a vote for Luke Donald? Guy's got great tempo. Luuuuuuuke! Some of these swing analyzers are great in that you can compare your swing against a pro's. The only caution is that if you are going to try to mimic a professional's swing, you need to make sure that you are both of a similar stature and that your grips are similar. Jorgesgolf

Whoops - a much more reasonable interpretation...