Mac62

I very rarely play solo just because of some bad experiences like everybody is talking about here. Getting paired with a raving idiot takes all the pleasure out of the game. This one was my worst experience: One of the munis I used to play put out fivesomes whenever possible, so even if you had a foursome of friends you still ran the chance of having a solo paired up with you. We showed up with a foursome one day and sure enough, they sent a solo out with us. He was one of those golfers who thinks he's a lot better than he actually is and takes himself very seriously. Real arrogant and we quickly learned that he had a very bad temper - swearing and throwing clubs every time he didn't hit a perfect shot (which was pretty much every shot), pouting in between shots, etc. We were sick of him after three holes and nearly out of our minds by the time we made the turn. A couple holes later he missed a long putt, yelled an expletive and slammed his putter into the green toe-first, burying it in the green clear up to the shaft. That was the straw that broke the camel's back - all four of us went ballistic on him and he apologized profusely as he attempted to repair the damage he had caused. We told him to go ahead and play through by himself - he apologized and said he'd cool it, but we told him there was no way we were playing even one more hole with him. I've had both good and bad experiences being paired with strangers before and since, but that was by far the worst.

On one hand I think there should be a law against such idiotic stunts and the involved parties should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. On the other hand, I think it should be allowed to continue unabated because it's a perfect example of "natural selection" at work....just think of it as tossing a little chlorine into the gene pool!

My first round was a long time ago, so I don't remember the score - but I'm sure it was over 130 the first time I played a par 72 course. My first 10-15 rounds were on a short par 62 muni and I know I shot well over 100 even there.

In the big picture, it doesn't matter how it looks in the bag or on the course - what matters is how it looks on the scorecard! IMO, if you have a club that's "money", play it and let others say what they want.

I firmly believe that anybody can improve to some degree with tuition and practice - but I do not believe that everybody possesses the same innate level of skill/talent (or lack thereof). Call it whatever you want, but some just don't have the innate athletic ability, eye/hand coordination, mental fortitude or whatever other intangibles to rise to the top. I'm not saying that the pros (or even the amateurs with 'plus' handicaps) are just "naturals" because IMO it would be insulting to their work ethic to imply that it took them no effort to get where they are. I certainly think they've put in the work, but in addition I think they have some level of innate ability/skill/talent (whatever you want to call it) that differentiates them from the many golfers who work their butts off, but struggle just to break into the single-digit handicaps.

Reading through their "Worst pick-up lines" in their profiles is some pretty funny stuff!

I worked in Los Angeles for a year and a half and those taco trucks were everywhere - some of the best tacos I've ever had. But as those in L.A. will probably attest to, nothing beats King Taco for Mexican food! That's easily what I miss the most about L.A.

Julieanne Kost has a bunch of great tutorials here . I also found Scott Kelby's Lightroom book very helpful.

I'm not nearly as well-traveled as many of you here and haven't played a lot of the "big name" courses, but here are my best/favorites (no particular order except the first). Primm Valley GC (Desert and Lakes Courses) - Primm, CA/NV Oak Quarry GC - Riverside, CA Trilogy at Glen Ivy - Corona, CA Redhawk GC - Temecula, CA Refuge CC (Private) - Lake Havasu City, AZ Los Verdes GC - Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Fallbrook GC - Fallbrook, CA The Primm courses would definitely be my favorites on the list. I've played them annually for the past 11 years (yearly invitational tournament with a bunch of friends), and it's a trip I look forward to all year long. Excellent, challenging courses that have been in pristine condition every time we've played there.

As a guy who just spend a big wad on a new set of sticks, I agree with what you said 100%. There's no doubt that my game would have improved MUCH more if I had spent all that money on lessons and practice instead. My justification is simply that I wanted a set of quality clubs that were properly fitted to me (AND more forgiving) rather than continuing to play my old off-the-rack "knockoffs" that I've been hitting for over ten years. I'm still going to take some lessons and get in plenty of practice....now I just can't use the gear as an excuse any more! Do I find the new clubs "easier" to hit? No, not at all. They don't magically attract my clubface to the ball or correct my swing - I still hit them fat, thin and everything in between, but that's not the clubs' fault. Do I find them to be more more forgiving of bad shots? Absolutely....I get significantly better results from off-center hits, but they still won't magically propel my ball 200 yards if I stuff the clubface 3 inches into the ground behind the ball!

I usually wear my golf shoes to the range. They feel different than my tennies and the soles are probably an inch thinner. It may or may not make a difference, but I'm just going for the "practice like you play" thing. I see a lot of guys wearing tennies at the range, so there's obviously no one right answer.

As was said earlier in the thread (a year or so ago, I think!) , I listen to music virtually all day every day, except on the golf course. I think there's a time and place for everything, and IMO the course just isn't the place for it. I'm usually out there with friends and I enjoy our conversation, banter and trash talk too much to shut myself off to it. I also mute my cell phone and toss it in my bag. I don't want the distraction and I think it's rude to everybody else in the foursome to have a phone ringing during a round. I'll check it from time to time when I have a free moment to see if there are any emergency calls, but other than that I'll call them back later...I'm busy!

Adorama and B&H; are both solid, reputable sites that offer fair prices on legitimate equipment. There are a lot of online camera merchants who offer "too good to be true" prices, but will then try to upsell you a kit with a bunch of overpriced junk in it to make up the difference. If you don't want to buy all their junk, they "suddenly" don't have the camera you wanted in stock. Just as with buying anything else, if the price looks too good to be true, it probably is. Yep. Their lenses are generally of very good quality and some are significantly less expensive than OEM lenses.

Go to Adobe's site and download it - you get a 30-day free trial, so there's nothing to lose. For a $100 addition to your kit, I wouldn't pass it up. I can tell you that I definitely wouldn't be without something longer than 55mm in my gear bag - it really limits your opportunities. Play with it and see how it works for you....if it's good enough, you got a good price on a lens. If it's not and you want something more, you can sell it and put the money toward an upgrade. There are certainly better lenses out there, but go online and price a 70-200 f/2.8 and you'll probably be surprised by the price difference. In the Canon line, the 55-250 IS (Image Stabilization) costs about $200; the 70-200 f/2.8 with IS will set you back around $1900. The Nikon version is $2000-$2200. Is it a better lens? Undoubtedly. Will it allow you to shoot in lower light? Yup. Is it worth over 20 times what you'll pay for the 55-200? Only you can answer that question. BTW - I just looked up the Nikkor 400mm f/2.8, just for kicks - price is currently showing a tidy $7,498!

If it's a friend I'm playing with (who's a better golfer than me), it does tend to elevate my game. Nothing miraculous, but definitely noticeable. If it's a stranger, it makes me nervous and self-conscious, and generally doesn't elevate my game.

The leaves change color and fall in southern California - at least if you're in an area that has deciduous trees (and there are many). On a few of the courses we routinely played when I lived down there, you'd have to sweep a path for your putt through all the fallen leaves on the greens. The grass on the courses generally stays green year 'round though. There are mountainous areas that get snow in the winter so it may be different there, but I never lived/golfed in any of those places.

They may, or they may not. The question is whether you want to risk $275 for a set of clubs that may turn out to be total junk. You'd have no recourse whatsoever - he told you they're clones, so you know that up front, and Ping certainly wouldn't offer any type of support for cloned clubs (which they'd spot in a heartbeat if you went to them). If it was my money, there's not a doubt in my mind I'd pony up the extra 75 bucks for a set I knew was legitimate.

Add another recommendation for the UnderArmor beanie beneath whatever hat/cap you wear. I wear one under my motorcycle helmet to keep the sweat under control. It'll soak with sweat, but if you take it off once in a while, wring it out and give it a few shakes it will dry out quickly.

All I need to know about them is that it's copyright/patent infringement and it's wrong. That's reason enough that I wouldn't buy/use them. I've played plenty of "knockoff" clubs, but there's a difference between legally copying a successful design (done in virtually every product field) and ripping people off by "cloning" their product - right down to the brand names and markings. They're representing themselves as something they're not. As Zach said, you'd be taking a huge risk.

I agree also...tucking the shirt in with shorts is both dorky and bad style. Might as well put on a bowtie and pocket protector too!

Rain is almost non-existent out here so I rarely have to worry about it - our main issues are 110+ degree weather (in the summer) and wind. The hot weather doesn't bother me too much, but wind absolutely kills my game. I have a hard time keeping the ball down, so the wind really has its way with my shots.

Should be possible since the rest of the leather looks like it's in pretty good shape. Just replacing the panel shouldn't cost you a fortune, but it might be difficult to make an exact color match.

I fully applaud him for taking his lumps like a man, and don't consider him lazy nor an idiot. I also feel for him because the mistake cost him dearly. With that said, it's still incomprehensible to me that neither he nor his caddy took the time to read the local rules, as I can't imagine it would take more than a few minutes to do so. As ghalfaire said, I'd think that would be part of any pro's preparation routine.

Okay, now let's really screw him up and introduce the micro 4/3 format cameras into the picture! I agree that it's easy to get hung up on the little details....none of which matter to the vast majority of amateur/casual photographers. DSLRs have evolved to the point that there are no real stinkers out there anymore (at least amongst the major brands). Any camera you buy is capable of capturing great images. Much like golf equipment, the results have a lot more to do with the person holding it than the gear itself! I'm partial to Canon because it's what I shoot and what I've invested myself in, but I have no doubt that I could shoot equally good images with a Nikon or whatever other brand, once I set it up to my liking and got familiar with the controls.

Basically I'm working on completely re-tooling my entire swing. I took a few lessons when I started golfing (23 years ago), but have gone it on my own since then and a lot of bad habits have crept in leading to terrible inconsistency in my ball-striking....fat, thin, shanks, slices, you name it. Also spending a lot of time working on my short game, as it's an aspect I've severely neglected in the past.