Ask the Pro Archive - 2010
|
|
Here are all the golf questions and answers that appeared on the "Ask the Pro" page in 2010, from most recent to least recent, top to bottom. Links in the left menu column give a "keyword" indication of the topic and will take you directly to that entry on this page. Also see the Ask the Pro Archive Index for longer descriptions in categorized and somewhat alphabetized form.
|
Golf Questions and Answers (2010)   |
  |
Question:
June 20, 2010
What type of golfer would need a driver with a 2 degree hook face?
Terry Donovan
McHenry, IL
Answer:
Hi Terry,
Well, "need" is debatable. But very generally the type of player that would be recommended to a driver with a 2 degree hook face (a club deliberately made with a closed face, as opposed to square or open) would be somebody who had a slicing problem to one degree or another. It is also possible that a golfer might have a personal preference for the look, feel or performance of a driver with a closed face, which might not be related to a performance problem at all.
I would always recommend approaching a technique issue by working on your technique, rather than trying to correct it with equipment. By developing your understanding, skill and feel proper equipment becomes refinement rather than being remedial.
Technique is covered in detail in my books "The Full Swing" and "Hitting it Longer." Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Equipment > To use, or not to use, a "chipper" club
Question:
June 15, 2010
I use a chipper club and it takes a lot of strokes off my game. My daughter is taking lessons and the golf pro doesn't want her using a chipper. You don't see pros on TV using a chipper, how come when they are such an easy club to hit? Should I allow my daughter to use a chipper or not?
William Berry
Gaylord, MI
Answer:
Hi William,
Though you may have gotten used to the club over time and, therefore, have developed a feel for it, it's not a very versatile club because you can't really play any other shots with it. An iron, on the other hand, can also perform many other shots in addition to playing chip shots effectively.
Those chippers are basically just like 7 irons with very shallow faces and putter grips, for the most part (and, in fact, some of them are not allowed within the rules -- see this previous post on chippers). So I would recommend using an iron (6 or 7 iron is a common choice for the low running chip shots) instead of a chipper. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Rules, Etiquette and Procedures > Should golfers invite themselves to play with others golfers
Question:
May 30, 2010
Should golfers invite themselves to play with others golfers when they are ready to tee off? There are times my family would like to play alone. What if you are discussing business or personal private matters while playing golf? I think it is rude to invite you[r]self to join others golfers. Maybe you just do not like the golfer that is inviting the[m]self. What is the best way to handle this?
S. Olson
Rocky Face, GA
Answer:
It's pretty common practice for golfers to ask to join groups of less than four. But if you prefer to play alone simply let the person asking know and, if you feel so inclined, you could also offer to let them go ahead of you if there are more of you than there are of them. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Equipment > Shaft butt diameters, grip core diameters, .580, .600
Question:
May 10, 2010
Why do golf club manufacturers fit grips .580 on .600 butt shafts?
Brin Leah
London, U.K.
Answer:
Hi Brin,
Maybe it's just convenience, or economics, or maybe they figure the average person's hands are getting slightly larger. Club fitting and repair is not really "my thing," but let's clarify some of the basics here. The numbers .580 or .600, etc., are diameters, in inches, either of the butt end of shafts or the inside of grips. These sizes can vary between different types of shafts and grips.
In the olden daysa .580 grip on a .580 shaft was a "standard" sized grip. Apparently now it is becoming very common for .600 shafts to be fitted with .580 grips, making the overall diameter slightly larger. If you are concerned with having your grip sizes be consistent throughout your set it's a good idea to have a club fitter or club repair person measure them and adjust, if necessary, by replacing the grip with one of a different size, or building up the shaft diameter (typically with tape) before putting the grip back on, etc.
I'm a proponent of putting your time and energy into understanding, technique, feel and experience rather than looking to equipment for improvement (I'm almost positive that my grip sizes do not match completely throughout my set). But having equipment that you like, and that fits you properly, is a good idea. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Long Game > General > Problem being laid off at the top
|
|
Question:
April 20, 2010
I have a friend [who] is a good golfer, 1 or 2 handicap. He is in a huge slump. I noticed at the top of his swing the club is pointed way left of the target. [I'm] not sure what this is called but he can't seem to fix it. The practice swing looks fine. I have played with him for years so I know this is new to his swing. Any tips to cure this? With this move his shots go right and left. Please help. Thanks.
George Sakadales
Port Charlotte, Florida
Answer:
Hi George,
If he is right-handed what you are describing is called "laid off" (see laid off in my Golf Glossary). From that position the chances increase of active use of the hands with associated (and possibly wide) variation in club face position at impact. The general solution is to achieve a better position at the top of the backswing so the club can be allowed to release more freely. But there might be endless details involved in what he is doing.
Technique is covered in detail in my books "The Full Swing" and "Hitting it Longer." Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Miscellaneous > Professional Golf-related > A "Working Man's Four"
Question:
April 14, 2010
What's meant by "working man's four?" What does a working man have to do with it?
Yasu Komuta
Kurose-Gakuendai, Hiroshima, Japan
Answer:
Hi Yasu,
A "working man's four" implies a hard-earned four, suggesting some kind of trouble along the way (almost always including a sizeable par putt). Other similar expressions might be a "grinding four", "making four the hard way", etc.
A working man's anything (a cliché and therefore a generalization) typically implies something associated with someone from the working class (a laborer rather than a scholar or executive), relative roughness rather than elegance or sophistication, etc. Webster's definition of working class is "the class of people who work for wages usually at manual labor."
By way of comparison, on the other side of the coin you might hear the phrase a "text book four", or a "routine four", which would suggest a tee shot into the fairway, an approach shot onto the green, and two putts to hole out to make a par 4. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Rules, Etiquette and Procedures > Handicap strokes playing from different tees
Question:
March 25, 2010
When two players are playing from different tee[s] what is the handicap rule?
Robert Pike
Holly Springs, NC
Answer:
Hi Robert,
Sounds like you each need to know your index and course handicap from the specific tees you are playing from. Aside from that it is a negotiation between you. See handicaps. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Rules, Etiquette and Procedures > Practicing on the course, same day, before a tournament
Question:
March 20, 2010I play in a weekly women's tournament. We have a shotgun start. I proceeded to my hole and while waiting for the others to arrive, I went to the putting green next to my tee box and was practicing putting. The tournament had not yet started as no one had teed off and we were still waiting for people to arrive. One lady passed me by and said I could be disqualified from the tournament for practicing putting on the green. Is this correct?
Amy Correale
Sacramento, CA
Answer:
Hi Amy,
Yes, that is correct. It is not allowed within the rules to practice on the course before playing in a stroke play competition. Also see the Golf Rules FAQ. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
Long Game > General > Making the hips turn faster
|
|
Question:
February 22, 2010
Is there a drill to make my hips turn faster through my swing?
Joel Powell
Augusta, GA
Answer:
It's dangerous to take isolated parts of the swing out and emphasize them like this without input from a qualified instructor, or unless you are sure it's the appropriate thing to do. But if I were looking for that myself I might try holding a club/shaft across the front of my hips, at the belt line or so, so I could see and feel the turning of my hips. Then, using this enhanced awareness of my hip area, my ability to turn faster might develop more easily.
There are so many other related pieces that, again, taking one out of context like this can cause trouble.
Technique is covered in detail in my books "The Full Swing", "The Short Game", "Beyond the Basics" and "Hitting it Longer".
You will also probably need to work with a reputable professional in person for analysis and correction. If you ever visit the San Francisco bay area of Northern California contact me for a Private Golf School or an individual golf lesson.
Thanks for visiting and best of luck with your game. MB
Rules, Etiquette and Procedures > Different par but same score for men and women
Question:
February 12, 2010
In a match play game on a hole that is par 5 for ladies and par 4 for gents. I (gentleman) have 6 strokes and my opponent (lady) has 6 strokes. Is this hole halved?
Gerald Beard
Port of Spain, Trinidad
Answer:
Hi Gerald,
Yes, the hole is halved. It's the score (number of strokes taken) that matters, not the par. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com. MB
Rules, Etiquette and Procedures > Dog (or outside agency) steals golf ball
Question:
January 11, 2010
A dog steals a golf ball while we are playing. Happened more than once. What are the PGA [sic] rules? Do I have to take a penalty stroke or can I shoot the dog? Thanks.
Erich Serrano
Sacramento, CA
Answer:
Hi Erich,
Here's the answer but (for you and all others interested enough to ask rules-related questions) please look at this FAQ on golf rules questions before sending in questions of this type. There is only one of me, but thousands of golfers with questions.
First, it is the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews (R&A) that jointly write, interpret and maintain the rules of golf; not the PGA. If a ball is moved by an outside agency (e.g., a dog, a spectator, a dinosaur) it is to be replaced, no penalty. If you don't know exactly where the ball was
***** quote from the Decisions *****
"...drop the ball in an area which was neither the most, nor the least, favorable of the various areas where it was equally possible that the ball originally lay."
***** end quote from the Decisions *****
That's pretty vague, I suppose, but it just means be reasonable or fair (also vague, but there it is - see Rule 1-4 and the Dictionary definition of "equity" for more). Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best wishes for success with your game. MB
Miscellaneous > Other > Index, handicap, how many strokes to give/get in match play
Question:
January 7, 2010
If my index is 13.2 and my playing partner is 7.8, should he be giving me 5 or 6 stokes in a match play event? I think it should be 6, he believes it should be 5.
William Ross
Palm Springs, CA
Answer:
Hi William,
Always refer to the tournament committee for administration of competitions. But I suspect that in most cases the course handicap is used, which is a whole number, and which will vary from one course to another. So that means how many strokes you get will vary from course to course too.
In informal cases, like betting situations, you'll have to decide matters like this through negotiation between yourselves (e.g., though you each have concrete indexes one of you may be more "on his game" lately than the other, or one of you may be hungover or recovering from food poisioning, a hangnail, etc. -- not to give you any creative ideas for attempting to sway the negotiation via "modified reality"). Looking at it from a simple math perspective seems sensible. If you round off the indexes then yours would be 13 and his would be 8 (5 strokes difference). And if you round off the difference between your indexes (13.2 - 7.8 = 5.4) it's still 5. So from the math perspective your playing partner is correct. (Unless you make a huge stretch to assume that any fraction of a stroke (.1 or more) means you should get a whole stroke. That seems ridiculous to me -- like the phone company charging you for a full minute when you only used 4 seconds.)
Again, always refer to your tournament committee for specific details. And your local golf association -- in your case the Southern California Golf Association (SCPGA) -- can help you with matters of this type also. Thanks for visiting PGAProfessional.com and best of luck with your game. MB
