Anyone here play Golf?

[ForresterModern]

I've been eyeing this set on amazon.com for a while.

http://www.amazon.com/Inferno-Comple...=1GFONAJCUVIE9

$79.99 USD

Looks like a steal at that price for basically a full standard set--woods, hybrid rescue club, and irons with pitching wedge and putter, with a decent looking stand bag with the two shoulder backpack style carry straps----great for walking your round. Perfect starter set, as long as you are not extremely short or tall, or a frieking gorilla. All you need is some balls, tees, glove (optional for beginners), and a tee time and you are off and running. Good athletic shoes can sub for real golf shoes until you find your feet slipping underneath you when you start to swing harder or in wet conditions. Don't forget the sunscreen and a hat, as 4-5 hours in the sun can really put a hurting on your skin and scalp. Hat also helps shield your eyes from glare of the sun when your head turns up at the end of a swing, helping you to follow the ball in flight easier. Lastly, as stated above, some courses have restrictions on what they consider proper attire, and require a collared shirt in order to play there, so maybe a golf or polo shirt or two to add to the wardrobe. now get out there and have some fun.

[ForresterModern]

Someone spoke of their first par as a fond memory which reminded me of a funny story about my elder son. I tried for years to get him started playing golf but he didnt want to play until I bought starter kids clubs and both he and his little sister decided they wanted to go with me to the range. after three or four range sessions and he was making decent and frequent contact with teh ball we slid next door to the par three course--lit at night so you could play well into the night if you wanted to. Although our round started in daylight by the time we got around to the ninth it was pitch dark and the sparse lights were on. He made good contact but the ball shot off to the right rough and hit a tree ricocheting back toward the green. We found his ball in the deep dark rough, and he swatted a 5 iron from about 35 yards from the pin----hit the ball cleanly with a textbook swing sending it flying right into the pin which it hit, and dropped about 8 feet away from the cup on the green. One sweet putt and my 13 year old son had his first par of his life on the last hole of the first round he ever played. his only comment? "Guess all that putt-putt (miniature golf right next to the range and par three) last summer was good for something afterall." I shall never forget that moment as long as I live.

may your golfing memories be as pleasant and powerful.

[Jerry]

I get a fair amount of pars and an occasional birdie, but I'm still looking for an eagle and that ever elusive hole in one. I've had the ball hit the flag and and stop on the edge of the hole twice now in 50 years, but I can't seem to have one fall in the hole. I guess my major fault has always been my long game. I don't play long irons or fairway woods very well. and my average driving distance is right at 200 yards. I am, however better than average with my short irons and my putter.

[davedove]

Looks like a steal at that price for basically a full standard set--woods, hybrid rescue club, and irons with pitching wedge and putter, with a decent looking stand bag with the two shoulder backpack style carry straps----great for walking your round. Perfect starter set, as long as you are not extremely short or tall, or a frieking gorilla. All you need is some balls, tees, glove (optional for beginners), and a tee time and you are off and running. Good athletic shoes can sub for real golf shoes until you find your feet slipping underneath you when you start to swing harder or in wet conditions. Don't forget the sunscreen and a hat, as 4-5 hours in the sun can really put a hurting on your skin and scalp. Hat also helps shield your eyes from glare of the sun when your head turns up at the end of a swing, helping you to follow the ball in flight easier. Lastly, as stated above, some courses have restrictions on what they consider proper attire, and require a collared shirt in order to play there, so maybe a golf or polo shirt or two to add to the wardrobe. now get out there and have some fun.

Also, don't forget some sort of insect repellant. I've been on a couple of courses where the gnats just won't leave you alone.

[ForresterModern]

I get a fair amount of pars and an occasional birdie, but I'm still looking for an eagle and that ever elusive hole in one. I've had the ball hit the flag and and stop on the edge of the hole twice now in 50 years, but I can't seem to have one fall in the hole. I guess my major fault has always been my long game. I don't play long irons or fairway woods very well. and my average driving distance is right at 200 yards. I am, however better than average with my short irons and my putter.

I can occasionally string together enough consecutive shots to card a birdie or three, but my game is very streaky and inconsistent, even after playing for 45 years or so. I am a favorite pick for scrambles because I usually hit pretty long and sometimes straight drives, and on par fives have an uncanny ability to hit the driver off the fairway (driver off the deck) usually reaching par five greens in two or being right around the green with an easy chip and putt for birdie. I can sometimes have phenomenal days putting, and other days three putt from ten feet. On the bad days my partners usually tell me, as I line up my third or fourth put, to "aim for the center of the green".

I have had several eagles thanks to well placed second shots off the fairway on par fives or the occasional lucky approach shot that flies or rolls into the cup. I have one hole in one, unfortunately unwitnessed, as I was playing alone, in the rain, on Thanksgiving day about ten years ago, on an executive course near where I then lived, on the shortest hole on the course (par 3 110 yards), farthest hole from the clubhouse, and I was one of only two players on the course all that day. I flew a sandwedge in the mist that to my eye went right over the pin and disappeared over the back of the green. I could not find it, assumed it had bonced through the fence of course into the weeds, and dropped a second ball to chip onto the green. When I went to pull the flag for my finishing putt there was my first ball, in the bottom of the cup. I looked up in amazement, turned 360 degrees to find that the only other humans visible were a farmer on a tractor turning under his dried corn stalks about a quarter mile away, and several cars passing by on the highway at 65 miles an hour----NO WITNESSES!!! AAAAGGGHHH!!! By the time I got back to the clubhouse and told the kid working the desk that day I was pretty soaking wet from the rain, and I asked him if he happened to have seen me make the shot, he said no. NO WITNESSES!!! Just like here at xmarks, no witnesses/pictures, it didn't happen.

Sorry for the temporary thr4ead hijack. WE now return to your regular programming.

j