If you don't like the weather, just wait awhile. I know you have heard that before, but I got a cold reminder of that line Tuesday. Went to the golf cousre at noon and it was 57 degrees with a light wind from the west. By the time I finished playing 18 holes on the par 3 course, the wind was up to 40-50 MPH and it changed directions at least three times. My normal 9 iron distance is 150, hit an 8 iron (165 carry)into the wind on a 144 yard hole and came up 20 yards short. The temperture was dropping faster than my score was raising. By the time I got home at 3:00 it was 34 degrees with a stiff wind out of the north. Can't remember the last time my hands were so cold. Even well stroke hits made my hands sting. Being 57 when I left home, I only had a light jacket with me, could have used a down filled ski parka before I was finished. Now I know why those of you that live in Minnesota don't play golf in the winter. Not much fun when you can't keep your hands warm between shots. Supposed to be back up to 50 on Sunday, might have to try again if the sun is out nice and bright. Can you believe that they actually close all the golf course here for Christmas? The nerve of some people. If you get any good toys this year, let us know what you get and how you like it when you get a chance to play with it. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Don & Lynn in Colorado.

I miss the snow, but Florida's not a bad place to be this time of year if you like being able to play golf. We just had a cold front come through that pushed it down into the 40s at night, but now that the weather is normal again we're looking at temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

Of course, we burn up at least 10 months of the year when the weather is nice elsewhere, so it sort of evens out.

OK you guys- ready for this. In St. Paul, MN this morning, the wind chill was -15* F. I'll take a Florida cold snap any day! I got a kick out of it when I vacationed there years ago. 65 degrees out and people were wearing wool sweaters, and I'm in shorts and a T-shirt! I bought myself a little Christmas gift. I got a Sun Mountain Speed cart. Pretty nice. I always used a pull cart. I've seen a lot of people with these at the local courses. Pretty nice. They though of everything with these puppies. Even and umbrella holder to hold your open umbrella if its raining! Hope everone makes out like bandits on golf gear for x-mas!

Did they think to put a pedometer in the Sun Mountain? That would be a great way to find out how far you hit the ball off the tee, just by walking to the ball. I bet no one ever thought of that idea. I might have to call Sun Mountain and tell them about my idea, makes sense to me. Later guys.

Here in Paris, TN we have had freezing rain, sleet, and snow all day. We have nearly 1 inch of the stuff with it to continue through tomorrow. Temperature wise we are not suppose to get above 32 degrees again until Sunday.

The weather in Cabo was rough today also. The temp dropped from 82 down to about 75 with a stiff 3 mph wind. A family of humpback whales cruised the beach this A.M. and they were wearing wind breakers also.
Felice Navidad,
Bill

Charlotte was high 50s yesterday. Left work early and got 9 in. 50s and rainy this morning, but should stop by this afternoon. Might get another 9 in this afternoon.

Santa's bringing me a Bag Boy Express GX push cart. Looking forward to getting back to walking with it.

OK, now everybody face Cabo and give Bill the Bronx Cheer.

JW

Nice weather Bill..here in CT is in the 50's but with wind and rain no good for the course. Played my last round of the year the day after Thanksgiving at 43 deg and had to use winter gloves. Oh well..spring's coming. Happy Holidays to all and to all a low round!
Fred

The sun is out, but the temperture is only 2 degrees, so I don't want to hear anyone complaining it's only in the 40's or 50's where they are. Plus there's snow on the ground here also. Winter gloves for golf? My wife has some, but I don't. I do have a right glove, just in case it gets real cold, but I've never used it so far. Might have to put it in the bag if the temperture doesn't cooperate soon. And don't get too mad at Bill in Cabo, when I was there he was working too hard to get any time off to play much golf. With Christmas here, he will be up to his eyeballs in work and be wishing he had time to play golf. The price you have to pay when you are a success in business, no time to play. Bill: Thanks again for the great time we had in Cabo. We enjoyed everything. Hated to leave.

mr. divots it could be worse you could live in southeast minneosta. Where it was -15 this morning and we got 8 inches of snow the other day in a total of 4 hours. Boy am I waiting for april

Winter gloves are from wilson and they actually work quite well except I remove them for putts. By the waym they make excellent driving gloves for the car. Back into the 30's here in CT but the driving range is screened with plastic on 3 sides and heated..feels like hitting in a greenhouse...can't lose the "swing" over the winter.
Fred

A driving range that's screened in on three sides and heated? Boy are you guys spoiled back east. My range is on a hill facing west, which is where the wind usually comes from. Colder than I like sometimes. Might have to try the winter gloves if it stays cold for too long. I know my wife likes hers. We do have a heated enclosed range near where my wife works. We go there some times over her lunch hour, it's much nicer than being out in the open when it's cold. Also nice when it's real hot and the sun is shining down on you, cooler in the shade. Merry Christmas and type at you all later.

Reiny,
I know, it was terrible for a few days there. I'm north of you so its generally colder as you go north, but we didn't have the snow. April seems so far away. The golf dome is my only hideout til then. Have you hit that new driver of yours indoors at all? I've got an old bed spread hanging up in my basement to hit into and practice chipping. No heated stalls like some of these lucky b*stards! My putting game gets better each year, cause I end up practicing every night for at least 30 minutes! I bought Tiger Woods 2005 for my PC to get me by, too. Fun game. Very realistic. I need to move south!

It was 59 here yesterday and it will be 55 today. Have a 12:00 tee time with someone I just met on Sunday. He was interested in my putter, and after I let him stroke a few balls with it, I gave him my business card and said to call me if he needed a playing partner some time. He called last night with a tee time all set for today. Couldn't pass up the chance to get in 18 holes on a course I have never played. Will be nice to have someone show me the way around the course and get to play with a new friend and one of his playing partners. MR. Divot, you might want to think about moving to Colorado, we play golf all year long. When the sun is shining and the temp is over 40 or so, it's really quite nice to walk the course for 18 holes. And we average 300 plus days of sun a year, so that means it nice all year long. A long sleeve golf shirt should be enough today with the weather forecast of 55* and partly cloudly with a light breeze. Are you still interested in the putter I am building? If you are, send me your email address and I will be glad to send you a photo of my current model. The retail price is $175.00 with a 10% discount for members of this site. Type at you guys after the round. Don

You lucky dog Don! Colorado sounds wonderful. I love to downhill ski too, so it would be heaven! I sent you my e-mail so you can send a pic of your putter. I am interested to see what it looks like.

Ya mr divots in la crosse which is about 45 minutes from me there is an outdoor heated range and I got a chance to hit it there a few days ago. I loved the feel of it and I really loved the trajectory of it. Cant wait to use it one the course

Reiny,
Was there any wind at the range the day you were there? Does it hit you in the stalls? There is an outdoor heated range about 30 minutes from me that I might check out, but was wondering if the wind still blows on ya! The golf dome is OK, but its only about 45 yards long and you can only get a general impression of your ball flight...
What is your swing speed with driver? What do you think of the NV shaft? Did you find the Launcher 460 to have a high launch angle for a 9.5 degree? My R580XD is a 9.5, but my clubfitter said it measures 9*, go figure!

Expected to be in the 50's here in CT on Sat, upper 40's Thurs & Fri..I will try to squeeze in a round on Sat if all the snow has melted and its not too wet - course is OPEN. Forgot if wet greens are fast or slow, not that it matters in Jan. in CT.

Hi Mr. D. I sent you the photo of my putter. Let me know what you think of it. Your answer to the question about the right thumb was real good. I wish the Ask a Pro section was available to more than just the two site pros, as I think that some of the better players on this site can offer a lot of good tips and some of them are more open to different ways of doing things, not just one way. I've met Bill H. and he was a golf instructor at one time and he has a lot of knowledge to share with the rest of us if he only had access to that section. He looked at my game when I was in Cabo and he helped out a lot in only one day. The Ask a Pro section has just about died out since the access to it has been limited, that's too bad. With good advice from the better player like yourself and some others, this site is a real value to the rest of the members, and the price can't be beat. If you are ever in the Denver area, let me know and we can hit a few balls down range if you like. Got up to 60 yesterday and the golf was great, better than my game I must add. Working on shortening my back swing and it's still a work in progress, so there was some lack of consistancy in my game that didn't help. Only the first round of golf with the shorter backswing and only two days of practice on the range. I can see some improvement in the way I am hitting my woods but it will take some time to get it down solid. I just hope it doesn't take me as long as it did Tiger to get his game back in order after his swing changes.

Don-

We could just unofficially "take over" one of the other sections with help questions. It wouldn't be asking the pros, just asking the "hacks". If I had something I really needed help with I'd probably post it both in the pros area and maybe in the club area (or somewhere else people like going).

BTW, my swing kind of fell apart recently, but on Sunday I went out and had probably my best round ever. I tend to swing very fast, which can keep me from having enough time to allow my hands to drop inside. Without that, I have no choice but to go over the top. I also like keeping my hands open at impact, but it's going to take some time to develop the habit of rotating my forearms (and hands) through the impact area. Still, I did an okay job of it last Sunday, and while I still didn't hit a ton of greens (just 5 on the day), I was able to get close enough to scramble for a par on a bunch of holes (I think I had 9-10 pars on the day on my way to the low 80s).

Michael,
You wrote that you tend to swing fast. By any chance is your swing short, in that you don't get to a full turn? That asked, do you use regular or stiff shafted clubs? It's common when a person swings quick, for the clubface to come into the ball open. The player works hard at getting the face square, but it has a lot to do with the flex of the shaft. If the shaft is not stiff enough for a quick swing, the shaft loads up but never releases until after impact (open clubface). Maybe you need a slightly stiffer shaft so the club will release sooner.
Michael, this is only a possible solution. If it fits, cool, if not, on to the next tee.
Bill H.

Don, thanks for the kind words.

BTW, Don says I helped him. Keep in mind, he started playing better when he got away from me.
Bill H.

Bill, how true, how true, how true. I did start getting better after I left, but that's only because it takes time to make changes and improve after having someone point out what I was doing wrong. Now that I'm trying to remember to keep my chin up and out of the way of my shoulder turn, and after I shortened my back swing, I am starting to make much better contact with my woods and my tee shots are getting much better. All I need now is for the weather to improve and the temperture to get above 5 or 6 degrees outside so I can get back to work on my game. Hard to improve my swing when it's below freezing outside all day. Back to the 50's by Sunday at least. What I really need is a golf partner so that we can video each other and really see what we are doing. Being a good instructor, it was easy for you to look at my swing and see what I was doing wrong. It would help me if I could look at my own swing and see what I am doing, be it right or wrong. I really have to get the video out and tape my swing so I can figure out what I am doing, and not what I think I am doing. You are most welcome for the kind words, you deserve them all, plus a lot more. Thanks again for all your help and for a great time in Cabo. I hope we can go it again.

Bill H.-

Though I'm not 100% sure what you mean by a "full turn", I don't turn my back to the target. I've tried doing that before, but I get disconnected from the ball when I do that and it's hard to reestablish contact (I sort of lose eye contact when I try and make the complete turn).

So, I tend to make what feels like a short backswing to me, although anyone who I've asked said that I go back all the way (I can take it back a little further and I feel the difference, but I guess it's not that apparent to others).

As for my clubs, all but my 3 and 5-woods (older clubs) have stiff shafts. They were recommended based on my clubhead speed, and they feel much better than my old clubs, but in the back of my mind I think I might even need more stiff clubs (if my swing doesn't change much).

Still, when I slow the backswing down just slightly it gives me time to get my hands on plane, which alleviates some of the "open hands" problem. Not all of the problem, though, so I still have to work on the rest.

BTW, what exactly do you mean by "release"? I've heard the term since I began playing golf, and I sort of know what it is, but I'm not really sure.

Anyway, thanks for your reply and I think the shaft flex may be an area where I can turn if I just can't get my hands going "up the middle" rather than "opposite field".