New Member from Southern California

[yorbalinda1]

I was a small college tennis player in my youth and took up the game after travelling in the same bus as a the college golf team. Became reasonably avid in my 30's but as the career took off and the kid arrived my time was too short and I went back to tennis. I stop playing golf about the time the first BIG Bertha came out. I was between a 16 and a 12 but I never took a lesson nor hit more than a small bucket for practice. Basically I just smashed the driver as hard as I could...went and found it at the local muni and was a better than average putter. Fast forward 30 years and I  am cancer survivor and retired. Time is plentiful when health allows and money for equipment, greens fees lessons are not problems. I bought a Calloway Stratus set for $250.00 and when it arrived there were half the clubs that I had never seen or heard of before. The driver with the huge head, three wood and five wood that were different and this strange 4h and 5h clubs and the irons starting at 6. I took 4 lessons and learned how to hit the driver and most of the other clubs pretty quickly. Cant hit the woods off the deck.Chipping and pitching are problems but I broke 100 the first time I played and missed a 4footer to break 90 day before yesterday. I have been playing from the second to the most forward tee. The lessons cured my slice but at 67 and no left radius bone the best I can hit this driver is about 220 including role.

Pro I went to was old school. Nothing fancy. No video no launch monitors. My question is what will help my game more...$2000.00 worth of clubs...lessons this time from a technically advanced pro.....my own personal set of electronics. Or just play or practice every day. I'll skip weekend mornings for you younger guys.

[ddryan]

First, welcome to the Forum!  Great to hear that you survived your bout with Cancer- and that you like the game-  To your question, I would offer that if you find a pro that works for you (like the old school guy) work with him for a little while.  Work on the short game- the old adage "drive for show, putt for dough" really is true- I have lost more coin to older, wiser guys who hit the ball no more than 175, but they are dead straight down the middle EVERY time, and are lights out chipping and putting (Wahoo, you can chime in any time here)...and finally, play or practice (and playing is a form of practice) as much as possible - remember, Hogan said

"Every day that you don't practice is one day longer before you achieve greatness."

[yorbalinda1]

Thanks...but my old school girl pro wasn't much short game help when It came to pitching and chipping. Great putting drills and got my distance control down pretty well. Her pitching lessons were all about "dropping"  the club on the ball. YouTube is confusing with half teaching "hinge and Hold" and half teaching "Maintaining the VEE". My course has a great pitching practice area so maybe I'll take one from him on pitching chipping. I don't really care about being able to get up and down although that's nice. I just want to be somewhere in the middle of the green from 40 yds and not dump it in the front bunker !

[Kenny B]

Welcome from the Pacific Northwest!!  Glad you joined us.  Yes, take lessons.  Old pros without technology are usually pretty good; stick with him if you like him, but don't be afraid to check out other teachers.  Some pros may be decent golfers, but horrible teachers.  At some point the pro may recommend different clubs.  Practicing the short game doesn't take much effort, just a commitment and it will lead to better scores.  I agree with @ddryan.  

[poprocksncoke]

Welcome to the forum!!!

[yorbalinda1]

you're right. The practice area is one exit east of me. I can see it from the freeway when I drive up. But who can resist an empty first tee and and an acquaintance begging to play.Yesterday we didnt see a soul until 8 tee and no wait until 12. So practice has gone out the window...(. 

 

The course is calling to me again today. I MUST resist...I need a haircut....wife wants some stuff from home depot.....First tee is yelling now...is that the starter I hear???

 

LOL

[ddryan]

For what it is worth, and I hope I did not offend, but my use of the term "guy" is anatomically agnostic (I don't care whether the individual is a man, woman, or undecided, as long as they can teach me and make me better). 

 

I play on an adult beer league hockey team- co-ed, and everyone is a "guy" to me - we are all interested in the hockey and don't get caught up in the other BS... 

 

I recall one particular moment during my unit's return from deployment to Iraq in 2003-2004.  I commanded a unit that had both men and women - we were not a combat unit, rather a combat support unit, but the nature of the conflict caused us all to be equally exposed to enemy activity - roadside bombs (IEDs) and random mortar rounds, etc.   As we came off the plane, we were greeted by families and the media. 

 

As  the commander, much of the attention was focused on me - we were one of the first Guard units to return from a year in Iraq- so the question many of the reporters wanted to know was (and I am paraphrasing) " what was it like to lead women in combat?  and how many women do you have in your unit?"  Questions such as that took me by surprise- because I did not look at my Soldiers as men, or women- I looked at them as Soldiers- they were not black or white or brown, they were all green, and they all bled RED.  My response was just that- I could look at my roster and count the number of women, but that would have been a first- I only looked at my Soldiers as Soldiers- and they were there because they were trained, ready and able to do their mission- and they performed their mission in an outstanding fashion, and for that I was (and continue to be) exceedingly grateful. 

 

Sorry for the long rant, but it is important.

[ole gray]

Welcome aboard and plenty of good wisdom to be found here!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Golfspy_CG2]

Welcome to MGS.

 

I would start with lessons and then after you get the basics down. Maybe treat yourself to something new and shiny if you need it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[yorbalinda1]

But how do you know if you need it. When I played tournament tennis I was till using wood ( Jack Kramer Wilson Pro Staff) . Metal rackets had just come out but most of them were crap. I started being first round fodder every weekend so I stopped playing tennis and went to golf for a decade. I was over 40 when I went back to tennis and everything was graphite and composites. I could hit the ball harder and with more spin at 45 than I could at 25. Unfortunately so could everyone else but I settled in as a fair to middling club tennis player. Cancer and torn rotator ended any thoughts of playing tennis into my dotage.

 

I am actually shocked that I have gotten back into golf. But the changes in equipment are mind boggling. I have a perfectly good pair of Dexter Golf shoes that the course won't let me wear. Instead of two or three proline golf clubs and the department store set, there must be 20. and whats with all these wedges ??? We had pitching and sand ??!!?. What the hell is a GAP wedge ?..and yesterday my playing partner looked like he was making a phone call when he yells 133 to the middle" which I already knew from pacing it from the 150 stone.  Radars and high speed cameras,....hittning UP on your driver. Hybrids flying high and far from indifferent strikes ( I do love that part). Just  like starting a new sport, Love it.

 

and DD...Thank You for your service. I virtually spent my entire career developing weaponry for the US armed forces and attended the Defense Systems Management college. I know first hand some of the sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces make even in peace time. May all our men and women in uniform stay safe and only go in harms way when our national security is at  stake. When they do I know that they are the best in the world.

[Golfspy_CG2]

Well I often substitute the word want for need. Ha

 

But if after a lesson or two your pro tells you, you could definitely pick up some yardage or accuracy with some newerctechogy.

 

I had to laugh (not so much at you. But at your pharasing of all the new technology) it sounded like you had just come out of a 30 year nap. Ha

 

It Definitly has changed a lot.

 

 

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[Miboy62]

Welcome to the site

[DawgDaddy]

Welcome aboard! You have several good answers already so I say find a good pro that you trust to help you.

[BigtazzGolf]

Welcome aboard.

I'd go with a nice used $500 set and some on lessons. Rest goes towards green fees and balls lol

 

 

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[yorbalinda1]

As far as  golf goes I have been on a 30 year nap ! The last time I played regularly I got an onvite from my wife's aunt a retired Colonel. We played at the local navy course in Orange County. The course was all abuzz with some little kid that was breaking 40 on the front nine. The dad was a bit obnoxious they said but the kid was hitting the hell out of the ball. The kids nickname was panther, or was it jaguar...well some big cat !

 

 

....God I am old !

[JohnSmalls]

Welcome to the forum!  Glad to have you join us.  I think you've already had a taste of finding good answers from the others here.  I have to jump in and say the best money I have spent in the past year was on lessons with a trusted pro.