nogoodhacker

The rough does belong and it was at least two inches shorter than Wingfoot was last year. Trees do belong everywhere on a golf course. I hate cow pasture golf courses with only one line of trees and a cartpath separarting the fairways. Augusta has always been infamous for its tough greens. They could have watered them down more to better adjust to the crazy weather. They did not; maybe they will next year if needed. I enjoyed this years Masters.

I thought it was fun to watch with all those players still in contention walking up to 16. Only way it would have been better, is if Zach had finished earlier so they would all know what they needed to do. Call me a hard ass or whatever you like; but the only way a major should reward a 275 yard slice or hook is if you get a long lucky bounce off a tree. And the rough in Augusta was not anywhere near as deep and tangled as Wingfoot was last year. You could not see the tops of the player’s shoes at Wingfoot much less the ball like you could at Augusta. On Sunday there were 8 eagles. Reason was simple; the weather almost resembled a Spring day in Georgia. I know this because I lived there for over thirty years. The winning score would have been under par if the weather would have co-operated. 20 mile an hour wind and under 50 degree temperatures is no fun to play in. You cannot control mother nature; so the players had to be more conservative and control their ball flight. That is just a bad break as far as the scoring goes. I do not understand your attitude with this part of your post. I added more to my post here because I can. As far as commenting on the article. That is what I am doing. You are bashing this years Masters and I am supporting it.

I agree. Its not that I like seeing them struggle. Its more like I enjoy seeing them challenged and having to think about their shots; instead of just banging away with their longest clubs. Maybe that is the samething you are saying just different verbage. If someone can post 0-10 under during four rounds that is a challenge. It could be the winner went 2 under for each of the four rounds or just blew away the field for a round. Does not matter how it plays out; but 15 or more under for all four rounds should be left for the nationwide and mini tours; not the PGA majors that is for sure.

I do not care for the bomb and gauge golf of today. Everyone talks about having a couple of ways to attack Augusta on each hole. I am fine with that as long as both places to attack are from the fairway. I personally cannot stand to see a player get away with losing half his tee shots in the rough and still be able to shoot a sub 70 round on a regular basis. What is the point of having obstacles if they do not impede the players attack? Below is my post as JD to this article. If you ask me, this years Masters was mission accomplished. A not so big hitter won this event for the 1st time in a long time. Zach, playing brilliant, confident golf, laid up everytime on the par 5's and beat everyone, including Tiger, shooting them at 11 under. Is 7500 yards long by today's standards? Sure, but for the Pro's it is not extreme. Rewarding bad tee shots is extreme and also makes watching TV golf extremely boring. It gets so bad some weekends, it is like watching these guys playing a par 3 course. No great skill required (keyword is great, as in PGA grade great) . The bombers just hit it as hard as they can, and they still have a 50% chance to reach the green from the woods or 1st cut at 235 yards out. Where is the fun in that? If the par 5's are going to play like that; just replace the par 5's with some long par 3's and lets speed up the play. As far as I am concerned, the Masters wanted to bring the accuracy game back to Augusta without taking away the bombers chances. Zach and Rose made a decent showing along with the bombers. We had at least 5 or 6 players that were in contention right up until they played the 16th, in some cases the 17th, hole. How much closer can it get? When was the last time we had a US Open with that many in contention with only three holes to play? This was a lot of fun to watch; Mission accomplished! One other note; if the weather this week would have been more like a typical Spring in Georgia, the winning score would have been at least 4 to 6 shots better.

Hey, I am almost willing to try any new gadget or lesson tool once. I have spent hundreds on books, cd's, swing trainers, and lessons. After three years my handicap is still a 36. I took three lessons my first year (three years ago) and the only good I got out of that was grip and setup. Finally broke down this year and spent 175.00 on 5 lessons (winter special) from All-Golf. We took three different videos and they were great. Not just seeing my swing but also getting the feedback from a good instructor. The lessons helped me break down the good and bad of my total swing. I also own the plane truth book and I now have a much better understanding of the different types of swings. I had been trying to use a one plane swing for about a year; but it seems my natural ability lends itself to a two plane. It is just easier for me to have a straighter going back type take-away and then a shift to a more inside path down swing. I have said since I took up this game that golf is a game of opposites. What I think will fix something; if i just do the opposite it will probably work. I am really pumped about the upcoming season and my new swing! The free deal you are being offered is a no brainer. If I had not just finished up with my lessons; I would be all over it.

You know he is not happy about a bad tee shot or a missed putt but he smiles anyway. Big deal, I guess for some people (losers) that is real a headliner. I read a golf book or story, where a player would say to themselves "that was interesting"; instead of beating their clubs into the ground or cussing at themselves after every bad shot. That is how I see Phil. He does not throw a "sissy hissy" like other guys when things start going south I admire that a lot. The thing that also gets to me, is people trying to claim the hugs his daughters and wife are giving him (and he back) are fake. That is ridiculous. Just as ridiculous would be to imply Tiger having his Dad out on tour with him all those years was fake. Some people just want to see the worse in people; and that is what makes the Phil bashers so pitifull. They are looking so hard for something bad in Phil; all they really need to do is look in the mirror and they'll be totally satisfied everyday!

1. List a couple contenders to win a green jacket. The usual suspects .... Tiger, Phil, Ernie 2. List a couple pretenders. Luke, Harrington, VJ 3. Finally, list a couple surprise picks. Stenson, Howell III, Chad Campbell These may not be suprise picks, but they are my darkhorses running behind the usual suspects..

I agree totally. I think my problem is more mental. My left arm/hand is my weak side and it is also the less co-ordinated side. Seems when my thought is on the left arm, I try and guide the club to the ball which lends itself to a open club face and a weak swing. When I focus on firing the right forearm/hand; my left forearm/hand just does what it is suppose to without thought of manipulation. I am going to try you drill for warming up and stretching next time I play. Thanks for the input.

Loren does have a nice swing. But if I could pick only one swing to copy it would be Retief Goosen's. He is not large in stature when compared to the likes of Tiger, Phil, VJ, or Ernie; but in 2003 his average drive was 299.4!

I just got an iGolf GPS to help keep up with my yardage this year. It was on sale for $170.00 including shipping. The iGolf will do the mark function and if you choose to get a one year subscription; you do not lose your 50 downloaded courses or your own personally mapped courses after your subscription expires either.

The 1st book I ever read on golf was Hogan's Five Fundamentals. He preached a left arm/hand lead. Hogan was a lefty hitting righty and fought a hook until finally perfecting his swing. I am a righty hitting righty and I have struggled with a dead push/bannana ball for three years now. What I have found (from lessons) is that if my thought is left hand/arm dominate; I tend to block my right forearm/hand from a complete fire and release. I just finished up a great set of lessons and my last one concentrated on firing the right arm and hand. Someone (Snead maybe? Cannot remember who) describes this as like you are using a bullwhip. When I do this properly, I can actually hit a nice little draw. My handicap is over 30, I honestly think I can get that down to the low twenties this year. The golf course is the true test; so I am off and playing this weekend as well. Good luck with your idea!

Yes it is. So let's just keep it at trash. I do not know where you are from; but where I live, someone spits on you or something of yours, they are demeaning you in a big way. He spit in a cup and if I am playing behind him, I have to reach in that cup. He might as well spit on my car door handle. Until this incident, I liked Sergio. He had me fooled. He is nothing more than immature trash. There is no other way to explain that action.

No way. Give me John Daly's lifestyle before he tied the knot! Big John makes Tiger or Phil look like a re-run of My Three Son's or Happy Days.

I agree here 100%. I play Mizuno MX19's 1st and foremost because they are the most forgiving irons I have ever hit. 2nd I heard that Mizuno's quality control cannot be beat. 3rd They are a great looking set of beginners clubs. Just a awesome club for the price. You will not see me with a set of blades period. I just do not enjoy pain that much. With the 40 degree weather I sometimes play in you better be a great ball striker if you are playing any type of muscle back or small faced, thin top line cavity back. I do not understand players who are 15 handicap and think they should be playing MP 32's or even 60's for that matter. Just makes the game so much harder and less enjoyable. Anyway this is getting off topic I think, so I will end it here.

So true. They only care about who they pay to play their balls. That one commercial, with Vijay in it, has 5 or more of the top 15 players in it. That was not cheap!

You could pretty much insert Tiger here with his fake tears at the British Open or his fake smile when he anounced their upcoming child. To try and imply someone's emotions are fake is nothing short of claiming to be a mind reader. We have no idea what someone is really feeling or thinking at any given moment in time. Let alone a competitor with the metal of Tiger or Phil. Unless of course you think they always let their opponent know exactly what they are thinking and feeling...

They went under here in Cincinnati end of last summer. I thought they had a great idea and trade value was always a little better than at any of the other retailers. The manager had played on tour before and he always treated me well. I am still just learning the game and the fact he did not talk down to me made shopping there a great experience.

Try Tifosi Optics. They were originally used for competitive bicycling. Adjustable fitting system and you can get prescription lenses as well. Now they make a GT (Golf Tennis) model that comes with 3 inter-changeable lenses. I have two pair. The Slips and Pave are both great. At 59.00, you cannot beat the value. I think Tifosi got a pretty good review here as well.

I agree and think this as well, I just do not see any pro laying up off the tee for bogey; par yes but not bogey. That thought process has probably not been a consideration for either Phil or Tiger since High School.

Goals: Shoot 90 or better at least once. Lower putting stat to below 2. 50% FW 33% GIR Lower Par 3 avg score to at least 4. Long par 3's killed me last year. Workout 5 days a week. Tired sore legs make for a bad shot! Play 18 holes at least twice a week. Practice putting at least twice a week. Hit the range once a week. I am soon to be 49 and this is just the start of my 4th year playing. Now that I finally broke down and had lessons, I think 90 is decent goal. Not too high but not out of reach either. My goal last year was simple. Shoot 100 or better at least once. I shot 102 three times on three different regulation courses. If I would have played a regulation home course, I think this goal would have been met easily. Here's to golf and goals!