Golf

[1cajun]

http://www.freegolfinfo.com/forums/

You can find all golf answers on this board.  Great people.
Get ready to drop some cash and leave some empty space
in the basement for the extra clubs when you start buying
newer and better ones.  

[RedTop]

Hmmmm....Now this is a subject I can speak to with some knowledge. Manily because I have been playing 20+ years , I have a 1.0 handicap right now and I spend 4 -6 days a week either hitting balls or playing golf or both.

So you want to take up Golf. Ahh what a great game. Best game IMHO for people who are not Football , basketball or baseball inclined at later ages. And even younger ages can enjoy it....

1st thing is this.....You don't take tips from your buddies that are shooting 90's. Chances are if they knew what the hell they were doing they wouldn't be shooting 90+.

You learn to HIT the ball on the range. You learn to play the game on the course. By that I mean this.....Take some lessons but don't take 1 a week unless you can devote 6 to 8 hours of SOLID practice time to that ONE lesson in that 1 week. And , I might add don't go get that 2nd one just because you have to. If the first one isn't working then spend more time to work on it. THEN go get that next lesson. Or , go back and talk to the pro and make sure you understood what he or she meant.

Reading is fine. As was said do NOT think because Tiger Woods or Retief Goosan does it that it will work for you.  Golf Digest , Golf World , yadda yadda have interesting articles. They have some decent tips and will keep you up on the latest greatest club or ball thats out. But , NOTHING replaces practice.

Did I say practice? If you don't ever care about what you shoot or ever getting better , then by all means just tee it up and let it fly. Trees , sand , water , rough no worries. Just hit and and who cares. But if you would like to play a pretty decent game , maybe play in some tournaments with your buddies , then I encourage you to practice.

Clubs. Now here is where I have some issues. If you want some decent equipment then by almeans find a TRUSTWORTHY place and get fitted. BUT, don't go getting fitted and buying a 500.00 driver and 300.00 in wedges and 1000.00 in irons just to figure out in 6 months you don't thin golf is for you. MOST clubs can be bent some. Forged irons ca be bent alot more than cast clubs. If PINGS are what your looking at see if you can find some that are used but the right lie. Clubs can be lengthend and shortend no problem. Local gof shop can do that. Point is start out small and work your way up to GOLFIN TOYS for GOLFIN BOYS later.

READ the rules of golf and by all means pay attention to etiquette. Nothing irks me more than to watch people walk on the green where the just hit a full wedge into and not even bother fixing a ball mark. Learn the eitquitte and rules of the game and you'll enjoy it more in the long run.

DO NOT PLAY GIMMES. Now if you and your buddies give 6 inch putts thats one thing....but a solid 2 to 2 1/2 footer can be missed by the best players n the world. Not likeley...buty then again you and I aren't in that. If your ever in a tournament (stroke play) they dont give em. So don't practice not making em.

Work on the short game. Putting , chipping are going to save you so many strokes you can't even imagine. Short game is the KEY to low scoring. When you can chip and putt well youll go from shooting 78 to 73 in a heartbeat. 70 to 67.

Set small goals. Goals that are reachable. Say breaking 100. After that 90. Then 80. Don't be frstrated bcause you don't get there right away. It's a hard damn game to play. And especially when your just learning.

I could go on and on but this is enough.

I thin Stang , from this BBS and GAme plays the best game of anyone on this BBS. HE plays the minitours and from what I understand is the best player probably in AH. Course there maybe someone better but I don't think so in this community.

I play here http://www.starranchgolf.com You can check my handi cap at  http://www.ghin.com/lookups/index.html  the number is 2546366.

IF you need any tips or advice about clubs , or stuff , then by all means PM me....I'd be happy to help.

One last lil tip....Did I mention practice? well here's a saying to remember....

All the amatures are looking for the secret , and the pros are looking for a place to practice.

Hit em Good....  

 

[mtndog]

As a 3.2 when i was carrying a ghin number, all i can say is Redtop is spot on . On practice, scoring , goals, and listening to someone who cant break 90. If your somewhat athletic you can knock alot a stokes off at the begining , but the strokes will come in smaller increments the better you get, this is where pratice for the consistency you need comes in .
  Stay away from big numbers,dont be afraid to take a bogey.  Trying to hit "the shot" only works for tiger.

mtndog

[RedTop]

^ he is right....

Golf is a great game....With my schedule of working nights , and my wife working days , we basically only see one another on the weekends or very late at nigt when I get home.

So I get to play and practice all I want during the day before work. ANd my wife , is my number 1 fan. SHe gets after me sometimes to GO practice. She loves the fact that I love this game so much and is very encouraging when it comes t my golf. I can't stress enough the value of practice. I think to a certain extent you just have to love hitting balls. But , plying the game , learning the tendancies of what you do normally and learning to play within that scope is very hard to do. It takes alot of time a frustration.

The best players in the world have the best equipment at the disposal. They play and practice on some of the best course and ficilities in the world. They have swing coaches , fitness gurus , club repair guys and physco Docs to help them with thier "Brain".

But , before they got to that point , they worked HARD , practiced and played a TON and now are reaping the rewards.

Tigress mentioned Ben Hogans book. The 5 fundamentals of Golf. Great book. It's worth the read. Harvey Penicks Lil Red book is great....Worth the read. A good walk Spoiled. Worth the read.

Golf Movies I think are decent in teaching a couple of things....

Greatest Game ever played
Stroke of genious
Bagger Vance

They teach you to not give up.....believe in yourself...and above all...be humble and appreciate the game for what it is. Its a wonderful game. Full of highs and lows. Smiles and frowns. Good shots and bad.

Your going to fall in love with it...and the more you get into it....the more it grabs you and hangs on. I wrote a lil blurb onetime...just goofing....I'll post it for you...It may mean something to you...maybe not.

[RedTop]

It's Golf , relax


Golf is such a great game and there are times when things just seem right on the course. It took me many years to really realize this about golf. The early spring mornings when its just warm enough for golf shorts. The dew still covering the fairways where there no tire tracks from the golf carts that will soon be all over the place carrying the golfers to that next swing and cuss word or sweet shot and pose. The sun peeking above the tree line.


 The sound of the greens mower off in the distance making those nice stripes in the grass. The smell of that fresh cut grass on the practice green. Birds singing in the tress all around. A couple of squirrels playing near the first tee that will soon be running for cover. Everything looks so green and beautiful. There’s a feeling of peacefulness and quiet and even with other players milling around you feel that everything is just right in the world at this moment.


It’s one of my favorite times on the Golf course. That feeling of knowing that right now, at this very instance , it’s just you and the course with Mother Nature as your caddie. Oh there were plenty of times when I would think about it over the years gone by , but it never really sank into this thick head until a few months ago.


After basically taking 3 years off from the game of golf , I have just begun to truly understand what a wonderful game this is. That is to say that I really enjoy golf now like I did when I first started to play. That feeling of anticipation of what the round holds in store. The feeling you get on the first tee. When you make that first swing and the sound of that driver and the ball being hit solidly and sailing off into the fairway. Or the feeling of that well struck 7 iron that just holds its line into that easy morning breeze and lands softly on that freshly mown green.


The feel of the grip when your hands are put on it exactly right. How it feels light in your hands and can be wheeled with precision all day. The feeling as that putt rolls smoothly and goes in for that first par or birdie of the day. Even the feeling that comes when that putt just misses and you know even though it didn’t go in , you did good.


How many times have you been on the golf course when a storm is off in the distance? Have you ever really paid attention to how nice it is to watch a solidly struck 3 wood sailing into that background? Have you really looked at those dark clouds that will eventually make their way to you yet have perfectly framed that white golf ball flying towards your target? Do you enjoy walking near a waters edge to see the turtles flopping into the water ,or possibly that nice bass swimming around totally oblivious to things. How about the feel of the golf ball freshly washed out of the ball washer or better yet right out of the sleeve? The feel of a new glove as you slip it on?


Shooting 65 or 85 can be rewarding if you just enjoy the fact that we have such a wonderful game to play. A game that for years has brought people together. It’s bound friendships that are everlasting. It’s been played by Kings and Presidents , the rich and poor , as well as famous and normal everyday people just like me. It’s a game that can never be perfected yet be immensely rewarding. After many broken shafts , thrown clubs in anger , I realize it.


 Though I play better than I did when I began this journey in golf many years ago , it is only now that it has finally sunk in. Golf is certainly not the most important thing in life. It can teach you some of the greatest lessons in life though.

[Deth7]

Caddy Shack inspired me          

[Mark Luper]

Originally posted by RedTop
It's Golf , relax


Blah, Blah, Blah.

I don't mean to disparage what you wrote RedTop, but I couldn't read it. It needs to be broken up into paragraphs. I don't see all that well sometimes and it all just kind of ran together. Eye strain.

Mark

[RedTop]

Originally posted by Mark Luper
I don't mean to disparage what you wrote RedTop, but I couldn't read it. It needs to be broken up into paragraphs. I don't see all that well sometimes and it all just kind of ran together. Eye strain.

Mark

No problem Mark...done.

[Mark Luper]

Nice scene you wrote there RedTop. I like the outdoors images you protrayed. I don't think I'll ever take up golf but it's nice to see it through the eyes of someone who enjoys it.

Mark

[RedTop]

Originally posted by Mark Luper
Nice scene you wrote there RedTop. I like the outdoors images you protrayed. I don't think I'll ever take up golf but it's nice to see it through the eyes of someone who enjoys it.

Mark

Thanks...I do love Golf.

[Lord ReDhAwK]

RedTop.  Perfect!

It is so funny that this post pops up now.  Just so happens that 6 of us from the game are getting together at the end of October to finally ,after years of flying together, play a round of Golf together.  We have been putting it together for months and the 29th is soon arriving.  I cant wait!

The morning of the 29th, dew on the grass, sound of the mowers, no cart tracks...All of it for the 6 of us.

Hiball
Shop
ReDhAwK
BMathis
Horrido1
Snoopy1

We are coming in from all over the country to NC to spend the weekend together culminating in Golf on that Monday morning.  Your writing just reminded me how important that weekend will be to me.  Thanks for taking the time to post it.

ReDhAwK

[red26]

keep it moving in guys the guy im taking lessons from shoots a low 50 game he has played all of his life but he is good from what Ive seen. I love all of this info guys and girls keep it coming. Maybe some of us from the DFW area can meet up and run the course one of these days RED26:aok

[Tigeress]

Originally posted by Mark Luper
Nice scene you wrote there RedTop. I like the outdoors images you protrayed. I don't think I'll ever take up golf but it's nice to see it through the eyes of someone who enjoys it.

Mark

Ohhhhh Mark,

Golf, and all that it entails, is simply awesome...

Funny thing is, a lot of people spend a lot of money on a lot of things in the name of golf. I don't know who makes more money... the golf equipment industry or the pron industry. lol Both are focused primarily on men.

A  new golfer can achieve pretty much the same score with a used set of clubs for short money as they would with a $2000 dollar set, all things being equal.

The new golfer can not buy a good score no matter what equipment he/she buys or how much they spend. It doesn't work that way.

IMO, This isn't like, say... car racing where a better set of tires makes for a faster time by simply spending money. There is way too much mental state and personal skill, or lack there of, involved.

But, the game is a mental state one... oh my god is it mental. Just ask Tiger Woods about that.

I have seen people let one bad shot destroy their positive mental state and they let it ruin their confidence thus their swing and there goes their score for that round.

I think of it initially as competing with the golf course itself... a perfect score on an 18-hole golf course would be 18. No one shoots 18... ever. The golf course always wins that battle.

Therefore, I simply switch to thinking of golf as competing with myself instead. Gaining and keeping a good mental state.

The social and outdoor aspects of golf are wonderful. These golf courses are so beautiful... and a lot of nice people with something in common... they discovered golf and love it dearly.

I use a Titlest brand golf ball over all the others and shoot better with a Titlest ball.

Only reason for that is that for a golfer with my score average its about mental state much more so than the equipment.

I feel more confident hitting a Titlest. Same thing with my woods, irons, and putter. The ones I have in my bag are the ones that give me more confidence thus a better mental state.

It may just be that golf lead me to enjoy Aces High... some of the same elements are here as are in golf. I see a lot of parallels.

Ever have a bad day in Aces High? Or, a day where everything you do just seems to click? ...the euphoria or frustration from that happens in golf.

I quit watching other people swing their clubs unless they really know what they are doing. The mind is a tricky thing... and absorbs a lot we don't realize... either good or bad.

Golf is such a mental game... there are days I could just scream! ...from either fustration or joy!

Golf is another world. But then, so is Aces High.

Try explaining to someone who has never been involved with Flight Sim Combat why you enjoy Aces High.

It's pretty much an effort in futility to try... just have to be here and get into the swing of it to appreciate what it has to offer.

TIGERESS

[Tigeress]

Originally posted by RedTop


So you want to take up Golf. Ahh what a great game.

1st thing is this.....You don't take tips from your buddies that are shooting 90's. Chances are if they knew what the hell they were doing they wouldn't be shooting 90+.  

LOL Truer words were probably never spoken. This is a man who knows what he is talking about. I read your whole post... spot on, imho.

I would have to play 5-6 times a week, every week, to break 80. And even then it's questionable whether I would break 80 or not. I like to think I would.

Some people are just born golfers but even Tiger Woods practices constantly to keep the edge he has acquired going.

Ben Hogen, in my opinion, was the best golfer ever born... for  lot of reasons and there are, and have been, a lot of extremely good golfers on the pro circuit. And, Ben was known to practice till his hands bled and still kept going. Over coming his car accident was no small feat. Ben is more than just a golfer to me... he is also a true hero. Ben was known as The Hawk. I idolize him.

Golf isn't quite as important to me as it is to others... thus, I don't put in the time to be really good at it, but I enjoy it very much, nonetheless.

Thus, for me, mid to low 80s is like Tiger shooting in the mid to low 60s.
He is looking for that score of 59... I am looking for 79... the thrill is the same. The same exact thrill as when I broke 100, then 90.

TIGERESS

EDIT: The gender barrier has been pretty much broken down in golf... Aces High is getting there thanks to all you guys. In the end, it's about having fun; not trying to prove something or having an underlying agenda. On the golf course, I am just a golfer, I don't use pink balls; here, just a pilot... no pink airplanes.

[AWMac]

And on the 8th Day
GOD created Golf.



Mac