Official Golf Thread

i vastly improved my game this summer by agreeing to ridiculously large wagers, that i should never make when unemployed...but i havent lost, and its paid for my green fees. That and i think my new irons might have helped a bit.(ping becu isi's), just cant beat those square grooves.

heartwell park in long beach is a nice little 3 par course but my friend also took me to a really nice long range golf course up in montebello/whittier/pico rivera.. im not quite sure which city it is in lol

I love and hate golf.  My score is completely unreliable.  I could play the same course 2 days in a row and watch my score go from 84 to 98.  

probably true.  I only play about 2-3 times a year, so when I shoot 84, I'm stoked.

Originally posted by CheckOnTrips Curious what people here think about hybrid clubs.  A friend of mine swears by his but hes a lefty so i havent been able to try his out.

they're WAY easier to hit than long irons, WAY more forgiving, and everyone should have one unless you're some amazing golfer than plays windy courses all the time and needs something to keep the ball down (aka using a long iron instead of a hybrid). But for me, I just never liked the look of hybrids and couldn't get used to hitting them like an iron when they clearly weren't so I just keep a 5 wood in the bag instead. You should definitely go to a local shop and ask them to demo one, most people LOVE their hybrids

I much rather hit a 4 iron than a hybrid any day of the week. Become a goo ball striker and long irons are no issue.

maybe because i'm an amateur, but i def appreciate my hybrid a lot more than my 3/4I.

The reason you see tour pro with hybrids isn't about the forgiveness it's about the trajectory. It allows them to hit higher trajectory shots on what would be long iron shots which gives them a better chance of holding greens.

Scorer,

I think you're only half right. Pros use hybrids both because of trajectory and because they are better out of the long grass than irons--an advantage that is partially because it is easier to get the ball into the air with a hybrid. Becoming a good ball striker can only do so much in the rough--there are just a bunch of X and Y factors that undermine even a fairly clean swing. That's why the first pro hybrids were "rescue clubs"--known for getting out trouble, not for holding greens.

I definitely agree that it's a little harder to shape shots with a hybrid. Actually, I have a really easy time fading and drawing my hybrids from the fairway or 1st cut rough. My problem is that I cannot control how MUCH fade or draw! And many hybrids do end up being hook-o-matics.

Btw, it's a always questionable for amateurs to model themselves on what pros do!

Originally posted by ksmountain Scorer, I think you're only half right. Pros use hybrids both because of trajectory and because they are better out of the long grass than irons--an advantage that is partially because it is easier to get the ball into the air with a hybrid. Becoming a good ball striker can only do so much in the rough--there are just a bunch of X and Y factors that undermine even a fairly clean swing. That's why the first pro hybrids were "rescue clubs"--known for getting out trouble, not for holding greens. I definitely agree that it's a little harder to shape shots with a hybrid. Actually, I have a really easy time fading and drawing my hybrids from the fairway or 1st cut rough. My problem is that I cannot control how MUCH fade or draw! And many hybrids do end up being hook-o-matics. Btw, it's a always questionable for amateurs to model themselves on what pros do!

I was making the assumption that most people knew this already, but with that said grass between the ball and the club face and depth of grass is going to make even hybrids hard to hit out. Also, "rescue" and "hybrid" clubs are slightly different in shape and form if you really take a look at them.

Lastly, i'm not saying anyone should model themselves after a pro, it was just a point brought up. I'll stand by my thought that I would much rather hit a 3 or 4 iron, heck even a 2 iron that i've had in and out of my bag for years, than hit a hybrid. And i've had 4 or 5 different hybrids in my bag over the last few years. They just don't set up well for me and i just do care for them.

Thanks for all the input about hybrids, im gonna go check some out this week and see how they feel.  Anything that might help me avoid using my 3 or 4 iron is cool with me. 

Quite possibly the sweetest deal in the midwest as far as courses are concerned is at the Geneva National Golf Club. You get 10 rounds of golf on Championship courses designed by Palmer, Player, and Trevino for 475.

Beginner set i had were Rams, about 15 years ago.

i have cobra irons, old titleist putter (still acushnet haha), vokey wedges, 19 degree titleist 909h hybrid, 15 degree titleist 909 F2, 9 degree cleveland launcher 440cc

been golfing since i was 7 and i'm down to an 11 handicap, my goal is to be sub ten handicap by the end of this season.

I was a caddy as a boy. And all I can say, is be nice to caddies!

I have gained a lot more respect for golf over the past decade. As refs. and umps. ruin sports with to much human error and betting it makes you appreciate golf. There are no umps to say you didn't hit that ball that far, or a ref saying that ball didn't go into the hole. Golf is the player against other players no interference, I don't play or watch but I have the up most respect for sport.

I picked up golf in the past couple years but I am still pretty awful at it.  There for a while this summer I was playing once a week.  That fell off and I haven't played in a couple weeks.  I plan on getting out there and getting a round in this week though.  I played a round with Scorer099 and he killed it out there.

Originally posted by VTBear god I still am supremely happy when I hit a round under 100... lol I need to play alot more

I've never even hit under 100. The closest i've gotten is exactly 100. My dad beats the crap out of me though. He's been gettin like 85 now. he golfs like every other day though

Glendoveer East...cheap rounds and you can golf 18, then get up to Hood by Noon or 1.

I'm the opposite.  For the longest time, I couldn't hit my driver, so I'd just hit 3 iron off the tee.  I have no problem with my long irons and prefer them over any hybrid.

I used to go to Franklin Canyons, a local course near by parents place. It's not bad for a local muni, they recently did work on the grounds, I haven't been there since then.

my fav swing...

I have 1 hybrid, a Callaway FT 2H.

Here's my reasoning for hybrids:

There are sets now with 3-6h to replace those irons. This is for old farts or people who aren't hitting their irons correctly. Hit down to get the ball in the air, most people don't have an aggressive enough downswing to accomplish this. They "swing" at it like a baseball instead of hitting down on the ball and taking a divot, so they try to sweep their long irons off the ground and can't hit them right.

Why I have a 2h, I need something inbetween 15 degree fairway wood (3 wood) and 3 iron distance, but I couldn't find a 18-21 degree wood (5 wood) that didn't hit balloon shots and wanted something I could use both for punch shots out from under fir/pine trees (oregon golf is fun) out of the rough, etc. THe only thing that fit the bill plus was consistent off the tee as a "tight fairway" club that I could still hit 250 was the 2h.

Originally posted by Backside10 Think Louis 'Woost-Hazen' will get that gap fixed with that nice 7 figure paycheck he just got? Or maybe he'll just be best buds with michael strahan now...