Topic: Rules of Golf / marking the line of play

after a number of times doing that routine, you’d hope that you’d naturally start to allign correctly.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / Driver problem

A couple of things that have caused me to slice the driver to consider:

Check posture, slouching can cause a slice.

Check top of swing (in a mirror), make sure the shaft is in plane (and not flat compared to the plain which is a weak hold of the club). Quite easy to do with woods.

Swinging past parallel, or even just overswinging in general can prevent the club from coming back to close.

Check stance, hip and shoulder allignments are not open.

Check how far back in your stance the ball is, too far back—> hit the ball before closing.

Check where on the club you hit the ball—> should be able to see a temporary mark on the driver with the dimple pattern of the ball.

Topic: Golf Talk / Fantasy Golf Club membership

I’d have to go with Kingston Heath. My favourite course.

Topic: Your Favourite Golf Courses / Merimbula Golf Club

Tura Beach is a very good course, I’d highly recommend it while you are there. That one only has a practice green though (as far as I can remember).

Topic: Rules of Golf / MUSHROOMS

It’d make reading the putt interesting

Topic: Rules of Golf / Casual Water/Water Damage etc

We had one bunker that they might as well have just put the yellow stakes around it and called it a water hazard, it was that full of water.

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / area of struggle: fairway buker shot

The shallow fairway bunker shot is one of my favourites. Recently did one from 140m from the pin, and put it about 5m behind the pin with a 7 iron.

Assuming the lie isn’t too fluffy and the ball is sitting reasonably on top of the sand rather than plugged, the most important thing is to hit the ball first then hit the sand. This is actually what you are meant to do on the fairway too to take a good divot. All I do these days is just hit a standard shot. However before I used to hit it with the ball SLIGHTLY more back in my stance in order to ensure that I wouldn’t catch the sand first (ball will come out a bit lower and longer then). One other key thing is that it should go too much into the sand after the ball contact, important if you are used to taking a deep divot.

Summary: Hit the ball with a standard swing ball first, shallow divot and the ball will come out long and straight.

Topic: Golf Talk / Golf Lessons, never had one - what to expect

Lessons are generally better in long term. Initially you’d be thinking too much of the shots and have issues for a few games (depending how much it changes by).

Also you should be able to tell the pro what shots you’d like to work on, or even discuss what (s)he thinks would be best to work on (where you commonly are losing shots).

There are also a number of different swings out there, and it may be of use to find an instructor who teaches a style of swing generally similar to yours so that it’s not as much a complete remake, but rather corrections. I had to do that recently when my instructor moved to a club about 150km away, had to find another right-sided swing instructor.

Topic: Golf Architecture / The Australian Golf Club

From what I saw on TV, I certainly wouldn’t rate it in the top 25 courses of Australia.

Topic: Golf Talk / Leave rake in bunker - or out?

Whichever that you think is more correct, you MUST do what the Club says as the standard procedure. That is, don’t do the opposite and say “I know better”. For the club I’m at for instance that would be as said before where the rake is on the floor of the bunker (not the face) and in the direction of play.

Topic: Golf Talk / Bunker in Middle of fairway

I’m not too much of a fan of them either from the tee. If you hit a drive down the middle of the fairway, it should be in a great position, not a hazard. Similar ones that I’m not too fond of is the one on the 12th of Kingston Heath and just about all the fairways of the Moonah Open course.

I do however like cross bunkering, where it comes from a side into the fairway, like 15 at Woodlands.

Topic: The Lounge / Why America is scary

Racinfarmer,

Wouldn’t that be annoying to have all the shots in the turkey? You’d have to keep spitting them out like fish bones.

Topic: Your Favourite Golf Courses / Woodlands - membership question

I don’t know of any room for negotiation in the price. You are in a cheaper category though, I’m assuming you have seen the fee schedule on the website. You can spread the joining fee over 5 years though.

Topic: Golf Talk / How bad is the rough at your course?

Not my home course, but played it this morning. St Andrew’s Beach’s rough is completely wild. If you go into the rough, then the ball is lost there. It’s not just grass too, it’s weeds as well through the rough.

Topic: Golf Talk / Melbourne Membership Help

No specials, but you can pay the joining fee over 5 years. Spread the damage:P.

Topic: Golf Talk / Melbourne Membership Help

I can certainly recommend Woodlands as a good course to join.

If you are younger than 35 years old, the memberships get cheaper too and also quite easy to become a member, fee schedules are on the website I believe for your interest.

Members are very friendly and the course is challenging and well kept (especially in summer). Short game will improve a lot from playing there (it needs too:P).

Topic: Golf Talk / Australian Players returning for the Summer

Wasn’t there something about Ogilvie not coming down, because there isn’t enough money?

Topic: Rules of Golf / Did I hole the putt or not?

You are allowed to wait 10seconds I believe. If after the 10 seconds the ball had fallen in, I think it must be replaced (confirmation on this would be good). So in that case, since it was 6 or 7 seconds, then it was holed.

Topic: Rules of Golf / Bullying.

I agree that there shouldn’t be slow play. Rounds should take about 4 hours, or 4.5 hours at the absolute longest (and they should be very rare).

BUT

One thing to note is that there are some groups that are incredibly impatient, and they want to get back in an incredibly short time. These guys are an incredibly annoying type, since they can really put you off your game. Quite often you’ll get to the 10th and have to wait for the field to finish teeing off before you can start playing the back nine (if you are the first out that is). It’s golf not Hockey.

Target should be 4 hours. Be considerate to the group behind by not playing slower than this. And be considerate to the group ahead by not expecting them to be quicker than this.

One final thing to note though, if there is a gap in front of you and they are right on your backside, best to let them play through.

Topic: Rules of Golf / Bad etiquette - Moving before last players putt has stopped?

Hmm, reviewing the rules, it is only in the case where a ball could interfere or assist the ball in motion. So I was wrong with that point. Good to keep that bit of knowledge in the repetoire to shup those rules nazis up who may claim otherwise.

My point about the the spiritual and technical breach of a rule is regarding whether the rule was broken as it is in the book (technical), or whether the purpose of the rule was broken (spiritual). Cannot think of a good example at the moment though.

Topic: Golf Talk / Traditionalists need not apply for NSW Open

They were attempting the same thing for the Vic Open.

They stuffed it up!

They didn’t get enough sponsorship for the ambitious plans, and it is now postponed by a year, and hence there is not going to be a Vic Open at all at the start of 2008.

Topic: Rules of Golf / Bad etiquette - Moving before last players putt has stopped?

Grumpy,

Technically that is breaking the rule. However, it is not breaking the spirit of that rule, since there is no danger of the balls colliding as you say. Personally I wouldn’t complain of that event, however, there are people who would (commonly known as rule nazis).

Topic: Rules of Golf / USGA Rule Changes

Is that the same for R&A rules as well? or just USGA rules?

Topic: Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction / Putting from inside 6ft

Advice I’ve gotten once was that a lot of people who miss the short putts is because they try to follow the ball, instead of concentrating on where the ball was at setup. I think following the ball means that you will be more inconstent on where it hits the putter.

Topic: Golf Talk / Club throwing

As soon as you get frustrated with a shot, is as soon as the round goes down the toilet. Because the rest of the round you are not relaxed and are too tense. That’s when all kinds of havoc begins in the game.