The essential/official golf thread!

TroyD

Control? For a guy who is probably not breaking 100? Play with whatever helps you make solid contact. Worry about the minutae later.

BDT

AndyGwis

I agree. Club materials / equipment don't make a big difference unless you're hitting the ball squarely.

So, work on hitting the ball squarely, then worry about cavity backs, type of balls, square drivers, etc. I couldn't hit a driver consistently past 260 last year, even if I had a $600 R7 with 12 screws. After I broke my driver Friday, I borrowed a buddy's 10 year old driver with a crappy shaft and was still able to hit a few 280 - 320 yard drives.

daboyz

The point is,why play with clubs that are ill suited to you? A beginner should spend some time on the range and getting some lessons to learn how to make solid contact most of the time before hitting a course.
Graphite is a more flexible material better suited to length more than accuracy. How many pros do you see hitting graphite irons? None? One?There's a reason. I say he's better off starting out with clubs that fit and will make him better.
The minutae in golf and where you score better is 100 yards and in. Wasting strokes there is the biggest problem for most amateurs. I agree the first thought is to learn to hit the ball cleanly but if the shafts are going to hinder that process then it is not a good thing. I'm not saying to go out and spend a gazillion dollars,just that steel shafts are better suited for irons.
I'm happy he picked up the game and is trying,that's awesome!! It's a great game. Just don't make it more difficult by having the wrong sticks.

AndyGwis

True. But, I hear a lot of coworkers that suck at golf say they need to go out and buy a new "insert expensive club here" to improve their game.

I simply explain, "No you don't, you dumb f^*&, you need to get a lesson and then practice out on the range."

But, if you're just picking up golf, you should get swing fit by a pro as a good baseline to make sure you're not setting yourself up for failure by playing clubs that are too long/short, stiff/flexible, etc.

daboyz

It's the "quick fix" mentality instead of the get your a$$ out there and practice a little. Those guys who do that or buy the "wedge that you'll put by the hole every time" clubs deserve to be parted from their cash.
Next week they'll be buying the next sure thing......and the next.....

AndyGwis

There is something to say about feeling confident in your equipment (still talking about golf here). I got some new cleveland black pearl CG10 wedges off ebay on the cheap and feel like I'm going to hit a great shot everytime with them.

daboyz

Those are sweet. I had a chance to get the 52,56,and 60 for $75 and passed.
DUMBA$$!!! I have the Cleveland TSC 56 and 60 now and love 'em.

AndyGwis

Yeah, they are great wedges. I have kind of horded them as of late. If I find a good deal on a CG10 black pearl, I grab it.

I now have 48, 52, 54, 58, and 60 degree. The 52, 58, and 60 are all special "tour issued" so I may just keep those and sell the rest. It's nice to know you can hop on ebay and get barely used $140 wedges for like $25 a piece + shipping.

daboyz

You are a wedge ****;)

Shizelbs

daboyz wrote: »

Those are sweet. I had a chance to get the 52,56,and 60 for $75 and passed.
DUMBA$$!!! I have the Cleveland TSC 56 and 60 now and love 'em.

Wow. You are a fool. That was a great deal you missed.

daboyz

Shizelbs wrote: »

Wow. You are a fool. Thats was a great deal you missed.

Thank you:(

AndyGwis

daboyz wrote: »

You are a wedge ****;)

I know. I think I have too many, so I'm going to take them all to the range, pick the one I can hit 100 - 110 consistently, and keep the 58 which is my current favorite.

Or, I could keep the 52, have the 58 bent to 56, and keep the 60 to have a standard wedge set.

daboyz

I'd go with the latter....

Nisqually Dave

I love you guys who say you bomb it out to 300 yards, I was with bubba Watson this week and watched him hit over 350 yards but even he says his average is about 315, and he is the best on the PGA, The average for local players is usually around 225 yards to 250 yards.

But of course just about everyone I see when I am marshalling believe they hit it 300 yards.

Sorry if you really do hit it that far good for you, but when everyone claims these distances the new golfer feels he is doing something wrong when he doesn't.

Most golfers who can hit it 200 to 250 yards and place it in the optumim spot should be more than happy and proud of their accomplishment.

AndyGwis

I probably hit most drives 260-280, but I do knock at least one 300+ yard drive every time I play. Some of that is roll, but I did carry a 275 yard creek with only a slight wind at my back Sunday, and that was with a driver I'd never hit before.

But, distance isn't everything, and I don't always put it in play or score well. A lot of times it's easier to hit a 140 yard shot from the fairway than a 90 yard shot from the rough, so the added distance doesn't always help.

shack

Nisqually Dave wrote: »

I love you guys who say you bomb it out to 300 yards, I was with bubba Watson this week and watched him hit over 350 yards but even he says his average is about 315, and he is the best on the PGA, The average for local players is usually around 225 yards to 250 yards.

But of course just about everyone I see when I am marshalling believe they hit it 300 yards.

Sorry if you really do hit it that far good for you, but when everyone claims these distances the new golfer feels he is doing something wrong when he doesn't.

Most golfers who can hit it 200 to 250 yards and place it in the optumim spot should be more than happy and proud of their accomplishment.

The average single digit handicapper will average between 240 - 275 yards with the driver. Legit single digit handicaps make up less than 10% of all golfers that maintain a handicap and in reality it is a much smaller percentage of golfers since most players not maintaining a handicap are in the upper ranges. Someone averaging 300 yards would rank 23 on the PGA tour in driving distance.

wallstreet

You've zeroed in on why golf is so popular. Regular joes, with average athletic ability, can hit a ball as well as most pros. Not many sports like that. Lots of amatuers can out drive many pros. That doesn't make them a better player by any means. It's just one aspect to the game.

wodom1

daboyz wrote: »

I'm not a big fan of graphite shafts for irons. You'll get more control out of steel. The main thing is you're having fun.

I've really enjoyed the clubs so far. Has anyone ever played with the same clubs before? I bought the iron set used for $400 (3-W)? I don't hit them very far yet, but manage to improve a little every time out. I paid enough for them that I plan on keeping them for a looooooooooong time. I'm not sure how far I can drive but if I try to kill the ball, I end up with a wicked slice. If I take my time and focus on swinging steadily, I can usually send it right down the middle of the fairway. My drive gets a little better every time around too.

My friend and I will be playing 18 at Indian Peaks outside of Boulder, CO on Thursday. Any of you guys ever played this course before? We're really looking forward to it.

daboyz

Enjoy it!! A good tempo is much better than trying to "kill" it. Once you get better you can try to swing faster but your body must stay with the club. Stay within yourself and you'll find the fairway is much nicer than the trees.

shack

wallstreet wrote:

Regular joes, with average athletic ability, can hit a ball as well as most pros. Not many sports like that. Lots of amatuers can out drive many pros.

NO...lots of amateurs THINK they can outdrive the pros. We have a Nationwide tourney here every year (the oldest running Hogan/Nike/etc tour stop in one town). They play on a course I'm very familiar with. They move the tees back beyond the tips and these 2nd tier pros are blasting the ball well past where most of the amateurs end up...even the very good ones. If all the people who say they hit the ball 300 + yards actually do, given the length of most courses, a full set of clubs would be driver, wedge, putter. :rolleyes:

avelanchefan

shack wrote: »

NO...lots of amateurs THINK they can outdrive the pros. We have a Nationwide tourney here every year (the oldest running Hogan/Nike/etc tour stop in one town). They play on a course I'm very familiar with. They move the tees back beyond the tips and these 2nd tier pros are blasting the ball well past where most of the amateurs end up...even the very good ones. If all the people who say they hit the ball 300 + yards actually do, given the length of most courses, a full set of clubs would be driver, wedge, putter. :rolleyes:

Totally agree shack. I have only played with one person that could actually do that. And the man was nearly 60 years old. He was driving the ball anywhere from 290 to 310 every par 4 and 5. All par fours he was using pw/sw on the second shots on par 4's. 7-9 iron on par 5's. He shot a 76. asked if he was ever a pro and he said no, but he did try to get into the US open multiple times but never made it.

This is my analogy on my golf outings, and I try to profess this to my father who has an ego about disatance. If I am all over the place on my drives, I shot in the low 90's. If I can keep my drives in the fairways I shoot in the mid to high 80's. This summer I played 10 rounds and played only one round in the 90's. BUT I do not over swing on my drives. I will take a 225 yard drive down the middle of the fairway any day over a 250 yard drive that is out in the rough. Distance means nothing to me....well almost nothing. I just take a medium pressured grip, and a nice even swing, and it plays well for me every time.

I play Cleveland launcher irons, Nike Sasquatch 13 degree driver, Adams Ovation 3 and 7 Wood, Odyssey 2 ball putter.

TroyD

daboyz wrote: »

The point is,why play with clubs that are ill suited to you? A beginner should spend some time on the range and getting some lessons to learn how to make solid contact most of the time before hitting a course.
Graphite is a more flexible material better suited to length more than accuracy.

Again, most guys have enough problems just hitting the ball. All the 'control' in the world ain't helping you if you skull it or lay the sod over it. Your average golfer would do better with a more flexible shaft anyway. I'll bet that not many of us hit, what, 4 greens in regulation per round? That being the case, dialing in that last bit of control that steel affords over graphite probably ain't going to net you another 8-9 GIR.

All you guys out there nailing it 300....good on ya. My next question is, what are you hitting into greens? If you are doing much more than chipping or the occaisional LW....me thinks the math don't work. The avg. par 4 from the mens tees in most courses I've seen run 350-400....so, if you are nailing it 300-320....see how the math ads up?

Now, when I'm playing a lot, I can get my handicap down to 12-13....IF I'm playing twice a week or so. If I'm not, I'm happy to break 100. That said, of all the guys I play with, I'm pretty long. Our course has a par 4 that plays ~280 to the front egde. In ten years, I've made about 10 eagles on that hole (playing, say 75-100 rounds a year)....so to say that I consistently bomb it 280 is a myth....I'm usually 20-30 yards short....chip up and par it, I'd say 70 percent of the time. I'm not criticizing...but look at what you are hitting into greens and what you are scoring THEN reflect about what you THINK you are hitting the ball.

BDT

daboyz

But, if it gets you 4-5 extra GIR then it should save most ams. 7-10 strokes per round because they wont be leaving it in the bunker three times or skulling a pitch across the green into the next county.

shack

daboyz wrote: »

But, if it gets you 4-5 GIR then it should save most ams. 7-10 strokes per round because they wont be leaving it in the bunker three times or skulling a pitch across the green into the next county.

???????????????????????

AndyGwis

All you guys out there nailing it 300....good on ya. My next question is, what are you hitting into greens? If you are doing much more than chipping or the occaisional LW....me thinks the math don't work. The avg. par 4 from the mens tees in most courses I've seen run 350-400....so, if you are nailing it 300-320....see how the math ads up?

I tend to score poorly, even when I am hitting long drives (85-93 golfer), but my math is always right. Take the distance from tee to pin, then subtract what you have left on your approach shot = length of drive.

On a 520 yard par 5, I had a 185 6 iron left to the pin. That's 335. I don't know how it got there, but it got there. On a 350 yard par 4, I had a 40-50 yard pitch shot left, maybe less.

So, while I don't "consistently" hit 300 yard drives, I know I do hit them from time to time. But, that's maybe 2-3 a round, and I lose balls from driving OB every once in a while and play from the rough quite a bit so I'm not a great driver by any means. . . just a fairly long one.

Oh, and in a scramble I played, our ringer was a Texas A&M golfer, and he was hitting it 300+ consistently. He was incredible. He would've easily shot 68 on his own that day.

jdhdiggs

Remember, most people only remember their "crushed" drives and state that as their average. Also, most pros are trying to keep their ball in play and shape the next shot and not trying to hit it as hard as possible. If every pro was out there trying to bomb it every drive, they would be in the 320+ range no doubt about it.

My average this year is only about 260 where last year it was in the 290 range ( I could reach a local 630 yard hole in two) but I get in a lot less trouble reducing my swing speed from 125+ to 115 or so. Fairways hit = GIR = Low scores

AndyGwis

Yeah, but when you play in scrambles all the time and not necessarily for personal score (or money per score as pros do), it's bombs away! If I am playing by myself (not in a scramble) and trying to score well, I slow it down a bit and aim more.

daboyz

Edited earlier post

swerve

Well no one has posted in this for awhile.
But last night my girlfriend bought me an xmas gift! she bought me a set of these wedges that i've wanted for quite a long time:
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=9683

i'm completely stoked for warm weather. it's going to be a long long long winter.

AndyGwis

Nice, Swerve!

I'm knee deep in Cleveland gear over here. Decided to get some CG1 black pearl irons to replace the CG2s I got last summer. Loved the CG2s, but wanted to try something a little more challenging so the CG1 black pearl blades were just what the doctor ordered.

I am happy/willing to sell my CG2s (3-PW), and I have a bunch of CG10 Black Pearl Wedges I'm not using as well (48, 52, 54, 60) in good condition, AND two drivers I'm not using (460 Launcher with Aldila stiff shaft, Hibore with Proforce V2 Stiff Shaft).

If anyone needs some new golf gear for XMas, just pm me and we can work something out.


http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=58923