That's too bad. I'm getting angrier just thinking about being in your spot.

Why not just say, "Hey, there's a group in front of us and the starter said we should play together"? They may very well have been jerks anyway, judging by the way they picked up and rushed off and yet still kept you and the other couple waiting for the rest of the round, but why not just speak up if the situation is at all unclear?

Reid...that's hilarious.

How about this? You're a twosome and you're on the 5th hole, and pretty much waiting on groups ahead of you for last couple holes and the course is full. A single is coming up behind you and is walking off 4th green as you're getting ready to hit 5th tee. Are there any circumstances where you would NOT ask this person to join you?

I had this happen a couple weeks ago, and they didn't even acknowledge me or say hello or anything. I watched them tee off. I ended up getting caught by a 3some on same hole(par 5 ) and just ended up playing last 4 holes with them.

I would say that it's the single's responsibility to ask the group if he can join them.
Most people I know don't want a single to join their group.

i've been thinking about my chipping problems and basically what i have is the chipping "yips", again. i'm also entertaining the idea of chipping left handed. when i had the putting yips i tried to putt lefthanded a few times and although my accuracy was off i didn't spasm like i would righthanded. oh well, we'll see.

i can't believe i'm 36 years old, average 41 in my league and have to deal with this crap. ugh.

I will completely admit that I did not say anything along the lines of "let's group up" and that my assumption was my own undoing, but holy **** I was in such disbelief that I had to just sit back and laugh.

It really did work out for the better because I met a really nice couple that I may bump into again if I decide to pay a membership at the course.

I most certainly will get a new driver and 3W.

Was at the range with my brother and he was hitting the driver and the stem fractured so I told him to hit my 3W and a few minutes later that stem fractured. wtf? Is this normal? This is the first set of clubs I've owned and they were given to me so I don't know how old they are but the heads are OK. Is it easy/possible to just replace the stem instead of buying brand new clubs? My only driver remaining is a 4W and I hit about 4 shots tonight at the range and they all sucked.

Anyway tonight at the range I hit really well. For me at least. I started with the 2i then hit up through each iron and through my P-Wedge, A-wedge (??) and lob wedge. I would hit 4-5 shots and as long as I hit at least like 3 good shots I would move up to the next iron.

Only iron I'm not hitting well is the 2i. I'm hitting the thing wayy too low. Like 5-10 feet off the ground. It's straight and gets tons of roll but obviously I want to work on that club more.

I'm also starting to get better at the lob wedge which is a club I'd never used before. Only real problem is when I'm specifically aiming for the 50 yard marker it seems like half my shots go about 35 yards and the other half like 65 yards. Only a handful stopped right around 50. But they're straight and have good loft.

I'm not sure what to make of the A-wedge. I hit my P-wedge well but then I'm hitting the A lower and harder which doesn't seem right as I'm assuming it should travel a shorter distance than the P due to the angle of the head. I'd like to get this club down in lieu of relying on my P-wedge with less swing.

My putting is getting better, too. This is probably the area of my game where I can see the most improvement as my last round I averaged 2.58 putts per hole. (I'm not good at golf).

I'm really looking forward to my next round though. I shot a 126 first time out and hoping to shoot a 118 or better this time. I think that's doable.

Also bought my first pair of golf shoes. Cheap ones they were $60 Adidas and they look more like a tennis shoe so they were comfortable for me. Also got a pair of FJ dry socks or whatever the hell they're called. Got to pop the cherry on my shoes and socks tonight at the range and was very comfortable.

^^^^^^
did something actually break or did the heads just come off? If you leave your clubs in your car in the summer the epoxy can/will weaken and the heads can pop off....especially cheaper clubs. I can't imagine him actually breaking two clubs.

The shafts split about 1/4" from the club heads. If he hit a few more balls the head probably would have flown off.

I've been storing these clubs in a conditioned environment at all times since I've had them.

are you really shooting a 126 and working on your 2 iron? this seems bizarre to me. others may have better advice but i'd suggest scrapping the 2 iron and picking up some kind of hybrid.

The only advice I would have is scrapping the 2, 3, 4 and 5 irons and getting hybrids. I played with a +1 this weekend in a tourney and he had a 5 hybrid...that is extreme, but they sure are easy to hit. Heck, I am a +4 and have a 3 hybrid then 4 iron.

Yeah this. But I also understand that not all players get enough golf in to warrant making a club change. I would just advise phb to either avoid that club, or only use it off the tee. It sounds as though his 3 iron flies farther anyway.

I have currently play a 3-PW set, and have tried fruitlessly to replace my 3 iron with a hybrid. My problem has been that I hot the 3-iron with more control off the tee, and I don't find myself in enough situations where I can use a 3I/H out of the fairway to make it worth sacrificing control off the tee...

Does that even make sense? I'm a 6.2, and am not good enough to carry a 3 hybrid. I love my 19degree though.

It can make sense...I don't see why you can't hit a hybrid as straight as a 3 iron though. It took me a bit to find a hybrid I liked last year also...and that is with access to all the combinations possible. But now that I have one I swear it feels like I am hitting a wedge from 235. If I find myself into the wind on a hole I want to tee off with it all I have to do is move it back in my stance and try to sweep it a little more.

I'm pretty sure that my lone hybrid is a 19* and it's stamped as a 3h.

But you're not alone. I have much more control with long irons than I do with the hybrid - and for that reason I hit the 1i/3i far more often than the 19*. Despite the conventional wisdom there are players for whom long irons are better than hybrids. Just not many.

Is the 2i a tough club to hit generally?

I wouldn't say I'm shooting 126. That was only my first round in about 6 years since deciding to work on my game. It was 91 through 13 holes on a day with heat index of 107, with some friends. And the course was pretty bad with burnt out grass so I lost a few balls in grass that were camouflaged. I'd drop one and add a penalty stroke though just to be legit. Instead of searching for 5 minutes in that heat.

I mean I still suck but I wouldn't say my handicap is 56 just yet.

I guess I could pick up hybrids but I think I need to play some more rounds and show more commitment before I start dishing out any serious cash.

Also, I hit my 3i, 4i, and 5i well. For whatever reason the 2i I just haven't been able to strike well yet. If I was out playing 18 I would just use the 3i until I get the 2i down (or buy a hybrid).

I will definitely consider the advice though. Also from seadood and shipthis.

I shoot 110-120.

I bought a hybrid recently after having absolutely no success with 3,4, and 5 irons. It was an instant upgrade and I can now hit a golf ball close to 200 yards from the fairway.

The vicious slice I haven't been able to fix cuts that distance down and makes me angry but if I get lucky and strike my long irons it slices worse than the hybrid.

All things considered I love swinging the hybrid off the tee, from the fairway and even from the rough.

PHB....the 2 iron is VERY hard to hit. i haven't bothered to try in about 20 years. typically if i see someone who even has a 2 iron in their bag i think right away "this guy is good."

hmmm I guess that makes sense then. I was trying to figure out if I was doing anything wrong or if it's just a tough club to master. Sounds like a bit of both.

What's strange is the difference between my 3i and 2i shots are such a large disparity.

I'll work on it a bit more and if I don't see improved results I will either just shelf it and rely on the 3i or consider picking up a hybrid. Thanks again.

Definitely pick up a hybrid. I got a 19* 3H at the start of this season and it's been a godsend. I can hit my long irons all right but the effortless distance and trajectory from the hybrid is nice in a lot of situations (long approach shots and par 3s, plays out of the rough a lot better than a long iron). I don't think it'd be worth it to replace all your long irons with hybrids (especially 5 iron) but one, maybe two, certainly couldn't hurt. I'd say almost essential for us high handicappers who don't have ball striking down to a T.

My adams Idea Pro Gold hybrid has a '3' on headcover and is 20deg.

anyone else looking forward to fall golf? cheaper rates, fast rounds, cool weather, etc.

I can definitely do without sweating my balls off just standing outside. Fall? Yes, please.

Hell yes. My favourite local course is like $35 low season. Only thing that sucks is every now and again Vancouver likes to throw a couple months of straight rain at you.

well i played 18 holes today and decided to stick with the one handed chipping.

keep in mind the course was SUPER EASY (9 hole course, par 35).

shot 43-35. the chipping was "ok." i learned that anything over 40 yards is just too far to hit one handed. i also had a nightmare 8 on a short par 5 after being 15 yards short in 2.

all in all it went well. i got up and down more times than i normally would. i'll definitely try it again.