Golfgar Need Help Please

Bird · May 31, 2002

Do not buy one from your local K-Mart or Wal-Mart store

Hmmm . . ., and I like my $25 K-Mart putter better than any putter I've ever tried, including those that cost 5 times that much.

Golfgar4 · Jun 1, 2002

Bird,

I probably should've qualified those remarks a little better. My problem with the clubs at these various discount stores is that there seems to be a lack of consistency. You pick up one club and waggle it and it feels fine. You pick another of the exact same club, waggle it, and it feels off balanced. I've even seen instances where the club head is mounted slightly off center on one club and twisted on another.

That is not say that a person can't find a club that feels good and performs well. You're a good example of that. It's just harder to do.

I'm not a proponent of having to have the best of everything to play the game. My lob wedge is a Cleveland knock off that I spent $43.00 on, and it performs beautifully! My irons you can't even buy anymore, and when you could, they were considered inferior products. But they do the job for me, and that's all that matters.

But in giving advice to Nathaniel, I didn't want him to stumble into one of those "inferior" clubs that could cause him more problems than help him. After he's got some experience, and has learned more about HIS game, then he can start deciding for himself where to get his clubs and what to do with them.

But you're right, there are good clubs out there if you know what to look for.! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Golfgar4 · Jun 1, 2002

"Always wanted to shorten the driver's shaft cause I felt that I was going to fall over backwards when trying to swing the club with any force."

Dave,

Sounds to me like you were standing too close to the ball.

You mention that you thought that golf was supposed to be a fun, relaxing sport, not the stressful exercise it was turning into. Well, you learned the one lesson that many players never learn. It is a game that is supposed to be fun. I can tell you, it took my being away from the game for about 15 years for me to understand that when I finally got back to it. And since I've got my head screwed on staright, I've had more fun, and my game has improved. Basically because I'm more relaxed and I don't let the bad shots get to me.

Back in '94, my son was a freshman in high school. He'd started playing golf when he was 11, and he seemed to be a natural. Well, he went out for the H.S. golf team, and carded the lowest round for a freshman in the qualifiers in school history. He was on varsity from that point on. At spring break, I decided to see if a little professional instruction would help any, so we enrolled at the <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.slresort.com/noframes/academy.html>U.S. Golf Academy</A>. It's a 4 day program that is tailored to the golfers skill level. In fact, it's located in Plymouth, Indiana. That shouldn't be too far from where you are.

Anyway, it was a fun experience for both of us. I learned some things that really helped improve my game, and the pro that we were assigned to made some good adjustments in my son's swing. He did caution us, however, that it takes a little practice to get better with the new adjustments. He told us that we would get worse before we got better.

Well, he was right. We got back from the trip, and two days later my son had a conference meet where he shot a 101 /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif. He'd been shooting in the upper 70's! His coach came up to me and asked me what the he_ _ had happened to his game. I explained where we had gone during spring break, and the coach went ballistic! /w3tcompact/icons/mad.gif And I must say, rightfully so. It took about two weeks for my son's game to come around, and then he started shooting better scores than before we went to the Academy. Ultimately, even the coach said that it was worth it, but he did make me promise to never give my son lessons during golf season again!

My point is, Dave. If you really want to get better, take some lessons from a qualified teaching pro. Or maybe sign up for one of these 3 or 4 day schools. They're a lot of fun, and you really learn a lot. Trust me, you don't know what humility is until you've seen your own golf swing on video tape! /w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif Some of my golfing buddies and I are planning on all going down sometime together as a kind of golf get away!

The main point is, just have fun. Do what feels right for you, don't let it get to you, and keep it down the middle! /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

NathanielJeep1 · Jun 1, 2002

Golfgar,
My grandfather lent me a two-way blade and two-way mallet putter to try out. The clubs I got are ZCX's I paid $60 for them and a bag at Play It Again Sports(a used sporting equipment store). Could you please tell me if these are good clubs or not? My parents said these are for me to use untill I find out wether or not I like golf or not, if I do they said they will upgrade my clubs if I like golf and get serious about the game. About the camp I am taking, it consits of instruction and practice from 8:45 am to 12:00 pm and then 18 holes of golf on the course at USF. This includes lunch and it is run by USF men's and women's coachs and PGA and LPGA professionals, and is open to only 35 students, to help insure more personal attention. All help has been and will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Nathaniel

Golfgar4 · Jun 3, 2002

"The clubs I got are ZCX's I paid $60 for them..."

Nathaniel,

I'm sorry, but I've never used ZCX's, so I really can't say anything about them. But as was mentioned earlier, it doesn't really matter what the club is or what it cost. If you're comfortable with it, and it performs well for you, then it's a good club. Talk with the pros at your camp about your clubs. They can tell you if the clubs are the right length and have right shafts (stiffness) for you.

I would agree with your parents. Use these clubs for awhile and see how you like the game. The camp you're going to sounds like it's set up well. The teaching pros will concentrate on a different part of the game each day so that by the end of the camp, they'll have covered all aspects of the game. Remember one thing, as the pros work with you, they will be changing how you've been playing the game. This means that you will be trying to do things with your swing that you've never tried before, and it takes time to get used to it. You will get worse before you get better! Don't let this get you down! It happens to everyone when they make changes. The fastest way to get through it is to go out and practice, practice, practice. When my son was in high school, he was the number one ranked on his team. I took him to a golf camp similar to the one you're going to. After we got done and came back home, he had a tournament 2 days later. He shot a 101!/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif The coach was not happy. But after about two weeks, his game came around, and with all the new things he had learned, he was hitting the ball farther and shooting lower scores. So just be patient!

Good luck, and have fun.

NathanielJeep1 · Jun 3, 2002

Hey,
Today was the first day and it was great but boy am I sore! In the morning we do putting drills, chipping drills, go to the driving range, watch videos, then they video tape are swing to watch later and have the instructors what we can do to improve our game, my instructor told me I have perfect stance and perfect grip

. Then we have lunch and after lunch we go play on the course. Today my group played the back nine (we can't play 18 holes becuase we are walking the course and only have 3 hours) today my group played three man scramble with two teams. Tomorrow we will do the drills and then we are going to play the front nine as threesomes. I will give an update tomorrow as well.
Nathaniel

NathanielJeep1 · Jun 8, 2002

Hey All,
Just giving an update on the camp. I am finished, it was great fun and I started shooting pretty well at the end. I made a 194yd drive from the tee to three feet from the pin Thursday and my group, we played two man scramble, managed to shoot one over par as compared to our score Wendesday wich was nine over par. Also does anybody know of some courses around the Ashville, North Carolina reigon? All help is appreciated.
Thanks,
Nathaniel

Golfgar4 · Jun 8, 2002

Nathaniel,

Glad to hear you had a good time at your camp. It sounds like it was worthwhile if your scores are getting better! /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

The easiest way to find courses is to do a search on the internet. When I do one for a state that I'm not familiar with, I first type in the state, and then just type in something like public golf courses. Here's a link <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.northcarolinagolfcourses.com/>North Carolina Golf Courses </A> that can get you started. There are a lot more links on the internet.

Have fun, and keep it down the middle!