lamebums

There's two possibilities--you're leaving the clubface really open, or I think you're shanking the chip. Shanking is caused when the ball hits the hosel of the club, causing it to shoot out to the right. It's the opposite of hitting the ball off the toe. Every now and then I get the shanks--I cure this by making a swing with the iron perpendicular to a 2x4. That way, I don't want to hit the 2x4, so I keep the club away from the 2x4. You can use anything that's long and straight--cardboard boxes work just as well. Something like this:

I've hit about 30 or 40 percent of the fairways so far this year (No, I'm not doing good this year, although I was never high in accuracy because of distance.) 90% of my misses have been to the right. Last year, 90% of my misses were to the left. Go figure. More often than not if I've made a big number on a round it's because of bad shots off the tee.

I get mine about a month early--they usually find their way to the top of the toilet along with the other reading material. Occasionally I'll find something good out of it and try it on the course. I'll probably renew--it's up for renewal soon.

Rule 5-3: Ball Unfit for Play If a ball breaks into pieces as a result of a stroke, the stroke is canceled and the player must play a ball, without penalty, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was played. http://www.usga.org/playing/rules/bo...es/rule05.html Hope that helps.

105 or so with a normal swing. May be a bit higher since I changed the way I swing at it (and the ball is going considerably further on iron shots.) 110 if I'm going to rip it, and worry about finding it later. Then again, I'm that way all the time off the tee...so, meh. My lag is pretty inconsistent so for the first part of '08 I'm working on making a longer arc. I'm 6'4'' and I've always swung like I was in a telephone booth with my irons.

I have plenty of distance, and average about 280 if it's dry out. My problem is either racking up a big number off the tee or averaging about 40 putts per round.

Steve Flesch. Local guy (Union, Kentucky) and a member of Triple Crown. He was tied for third or fourth at the end of Friday.

Absolutely not. The tradition and the history of the tournament alone is enough to hold it in high regard--not to mention how memorable it is (the holes and the great shots and positioning we are all familiar with) and the prestige any player can get from winning a green jacket. It's no US Open, but to say the Masters is overrated is to say Tiger's a 16 handicap or I'm Elvis Presley.

For a long time I chipped balls with various wedges into one of those really big lounge chairs. One day I skulled that sucker like a bullet clean over the couch...through the front window of the house and out into the yard. I learned the hard way never to do that again because I spent the next three days looking like the town idiot with a bunch of duck tape filling the hole in the window. Now I either chip into the couches facing the wall or use those little softie balls.

I don't get what people have against Sabbatini. He's one of the only guys who's made a point about slow play that we can remember today (Ben Crane, anybody?). I don't like Johnny Miller. I also root against Tiger. I don't have anything out for him, but I'm rooting against him in the same way somebody roots against the Yankees.

Possibly. I've heard both sides of playing fast. Some people say to take their time, relax and concentrate. Others say to go ahead and hit it. If you've got nothing to worry about you're not going to worry about it. If you're standing there over a three foot putt for a minute, all you're doing is thinking about how you're going to miss it and being afraid of the consequences should you miss. I'm of the latter--and as an extension of that, I hate slow play, which is why I jump on anyone and everyone at any opportunity I get (including the PGA Tour, which is just as slow). Nothing ruins my game quite like sitting on a tee for 20 minutes while waiting for the group ahead to clear off. But back on topic--whether or not I watch the LPGA--I watch if Natalie, Paula, or any of the other cuties are playing.

I've heard that Tiger Woods is a hell of a guy off the course--it's just when he's on the course and playing for money that he looks and acts like a machine.

That is something that bugs me. The LPGA plays painfully slow. Some of them won't putt out a twelve inch tap-in, preferring to mark their ball instead. I've seen Annika do this many times, and Paula more often than I care to remember. Please...put it in. Play's slow enough, and the commentary does twice as much talking just to fill up the time.

All the time. Two reasons: 1. Golf is like beer. It doesn't matter what it is when it's free. Beer is beer...well, golf is golf. 2. Natalie and Paula.

I just play the same three courses regardless of how I'm playing--the front nine of Pioneer is easier than the others though. The problem with older courses that are rated for a far lower slope and rating is that they're usually tighter - I blast more balls out of play, and I shoot the same or higher anyway.

I wouldn't mind. Double points if she's 18-24, single, and attractive. One thing though. Cannot out drive me. Period. Otherwise I'll likely walk off, go to a corner, and cry in shame.

I'd like to re-word the question--is there anyone out there who hasn't cheated at some point in their lifetime? When I was younger I cheated all the time, especially with friends (It became a matter of who cheated less ). Today it's different although I'm not going to follow the rules to a T if it's not a serious or tournament round. Lost ball? Drop another where you think it was and hit it, take your stroke and move on. It helps with slow play, anyway.

You're bringing up a good point - in the words of a good friend of mine, "with better clubs I'll still hack. I'll just hit it further into the woods." There's a point where you can buy a better game (if you're still playing 1960's antique blades, for instance) but generally the money is better spent on a lesson. I bet Tiger could go out there with my old Acushnet Bullseye and putt all of our lights out, even when we're armed with $300 Scotty Cameron's.

I don't see what's so hard about reading the poster's name. I mean, avatars are cool and all, some of us who post more will probably change every so often. Either that or they pick a memorable one and stick with it. But still, the name's just as important, you know...

2000 Toyota Echo. 89k miles, if I remember correctly. I squeeze out on the high side of 50 miles to the gallon when trying to hypermile it (drive like a normal human and get 40). Big enough trunk for three, possibly four golf bags. @Basherbaker69: Gas is not cheap. (Yes, I think the equivalent of 1 pound 70 per gallon is expensive...)

Those who can't play, coach. I'm sure there are those of us whose knowledge of the game and its mechanics are far superior to our playing ability - meaning we know what's wrong with our games, we just can't put it into action.

I had five in one round and shot 85...

Of all my buddies, I'm the one who completely knocks the dimples off the ball - none of us are really that consistent. Thing is, I'm the one who always seems to lose when it comes to money, even though everyone else is a complete hack - I'll rack up a huge number on a hole and be down for the rest of the day. Or I'll lose a whole load of skins. I've learned the hard way not to bet much when playing.

Best: Any long walk with a putter. Or better yet, have your buddy just pick up your ball because either a) "it's good" and you're playing gimmies or b) it's in the hole. The walk back to the clubhouse after holing a nice putt on 18 with 20-odd beer drinkers watching. Worst: 3 off the tee. Standing too close to the ball - after you've hit it. Any search in the woods.

There's two sides to this argument, I think - first, the people who routinely exaggerate their distance off the tee, and really think they hit it that far. Then with the one in a hundred tee shots they hit that does go that far, they're vindicated for the next six months, satisfied that they really do hit the ball that far. Thing is, well, they don't. Even a 250 yard drive looks like a real bomb, let alone a 300 yarder. Then there's the second group which is so sick and tired of hearing these stories that they refuse to believe anybody, no matter who they are or what their handicap is, can really hit a ball that far. Hell, I can hit a ball 300 yards. More often than not though, it's going to go into the woods and it's going to do me no good. Golf is a game of how many, not necessarily how far. And trust me (a guy who has plenty of blowup holes), it's better to be 200 yards in the fairway than 300 and OB, hitting 3.