When Golfers No Longer Need Drivers

[LuteHawk]

The amateur golfer who hits the links on the weekends
during the Summer may no longer need a driver. Too
many hackers shank their shots off the tee with a #!
Driver..

It is possible to be more accurate with a #2 Iron. At
Emeis Golf Course in Davenport, I shot an eagle on
a par 4 hole using my #2 Iron off the tee and in the
fairway. It was a 440 yard hole. My drive was 230 yds
and my second shot was 210 yards.

 

[KitingHigh]

I stopped using my driver a few years ago. I tee off with a three iron. I had a two iron at one point but not anymore. My three is more consistent and My average tee shot is right along everyone else in distance anyway.

 

[jscott78]

The amateur golfer who hits the links on the weekends
during the Summer may no longer need a driver. Too
many hackers shank their shots off the tee with a #!
Driver..

It is possible to be more accurate with a #2 Iron. At
Emeis Golf Course in Davenport, I shot an eagle on
a par 4 hole using my #2 Iron off the tee and in the
fairway. It was a 440 yard hole. My drive was 230 yds
and my second shot was 210 yards.

That's fine and dandy until you get old and it's cold and you are playing into the wind and can't hit the ball out of your shadow. Stick with it and learn to hit a driver. It's much easier than it was back in the day.

 

[fivecardstud14]

Cleveland has an LDI for people who can't hit their driver, and it's usually only hit off the tee. I knew a couple people who had it and liked it;
http://www.golfreview.com/cat/irons/cleveland/ldi/prd_329964_2940crx.aspx

 

[Lone Clone]

Cleveland has an LDI for people who can't hit their driver, and it's usually only hit off the tee. I knew a couple people who had it and liked it;
http://www.golfreview.com/cat/irons/cleveland/ldi/prd_329964_2940crx.aspx

This will work. Or you can learn how to hit your driver. It's a matter of personal choice. I couldn't hit a three-iron if my life depended upon it. And we all know the old, old, OLD Lee Trevino line about holding a one-iron up in the air during a thunderstorm.

A lot of guys hit three-wood off the tee because they can control it better than their driver. I can control my driver better than my three-wood.

Having said that, I think virtually all amateur golfers get caught up in tradition and, in some cases, ego. One of the better golfers in my Men's Association only carries 4 clubs and a putter. He might add or change a club when he goes to another course. One of the best rounds I ever shot in my life was in a one-club tournament, where I used only a 5-iron and a putter. I hit the 5-iron straight about 150 yards virtually every time. It's easy to chip with it. (It was an executive course, but the principle still applies).

 

[linkshero]

If I'm playing in a tournament, and the first hole is a par 4 under 400, or a Par 5 that is not reachable in two shots, I almost always start with a 4 iron. If I make a proper swing with it, I can be out anywhere from 230-240. I have found doing that forces me to focus on a good swing, and not just go up there and slap away with a Driver. I will often do the same with my 3 wood if I feel like the 4 iron is too safe. I play in a few each year where I may only use Driver 2-3 times per round. Depends on the course. I have been hitting my Driver great for about 9 months, so I have been using it a lot lately. But I'm slowly getting back into bad habits with it.

 

[SoonerBeAHawk]

I've never heard of shanking a driver.

 

[JWolf74]

I just wish for better consistency. Some days I hit the driver well, other days the 3W off the tee is much better (usually the same days I can't hit it off the deck worth a damn), other days I may just as well hit the 22 hybrid out to 200+ or the 5iron to 180-190 and hit it twice. Frustrating game.

 

[Lone Clone]

I've never heard of shanking a driver.

I've shanked every club in the bag. Including the putter. Once putted out of bounds.

 

[linkshero]

I've never heard of shanking a driver.

I have never shanked one either, but I have pulled my head, left shoulder so bad that I came across the target line, nearly missed the ball, and hit it straight right. The result is much like a shank, taking away your confidence, and leading to a string of lefts.

 

[Big_Palooka]

That's fine and dandy until you get old and it's cold and you are playing into the wind and can't hit the ball out of your shadow. Stick with it and learn to hit a driver. It's much easier than it was back in the day.

--------
I have a 1 iron that I love. It is my go-to club when driving into a stiff wind. It keeps the ball low out of the wind and as long as I don't try to put anything extra on it. I am pretty consistent with it.

 

[SoonerBeAHawk]

I've shanked every club in the bag. Including the putter. Once putted out of bounds.

lol

You see, this is the kind of stuff that should make LC liked - or at the very least tolerated - by everyone. He can laugh at himself. Always like his posts.

What failure of physics is required to putt out of bounds?

 

[beanerhawk]

I've shanked every club in the bag. Including the putter. Once putted out of bounds.

Wait what? I'd love to hear that story.

 

[jscott78]

--------
I have a 1 iron that I love. It is my go-to club when driving into a stiff wind. It keeps the ball low out of the wind and as long as I don't try to put anything extra on it. I am pretty consistent with it.

I did the same 30 years ago. Can't anymore.

 

[SoonerBeAHawk]

I have never shanked one either, but I have pulled my head, left shoulder so bad that I came across the target line, nearly missed the ball, and hit it straight right. The result is much like a shank, taking away your confidence, and leading to a string of lefts.

Worst drive I ever witnessed:

Five guys from work decided to golf, myself included. My best buddy in the group really didn't like two of them and I knew that so he made some excuse and the two of us arrived late so as to miss the group. In addition, my friend had only been playing a year and wasn't real confident golfing in front of his co-workers. And I hate five-somes ... so off we go.

Invariably, our paths cross on the course and they stop to say "Hi" as we are teeing off on an adjacent hole. The guy with biggest mouth and most detested by my buddy says, "Alright, let's see what ya got, Hudson."

Now the pressure is squarely on my pal. All eyes on him, exactly what he was trying so hard to avoid. Tight driving hole to boot. So he took a cut with his driver and hit a tiny pop-up probably 20 yards, straight backwards.

Worst drive at the worst possible time for him. Still don't know how he did it.

 

[coffhawk]

I use a 12 degree driver, which is closer to a three wood, and is easier to control.

 

[linkshero]

I was playing with a guy that had hit like 4 drives out of bounds so far in the round. On the 12th hole, while he is teeing up, he says, "Well, at least I can't hit one OB here." He smashes his drive right into the ball washer next to the tee box, and it ricochets about 30 feet straight behind us, out of bounds. The best part, he wanted a ruling because it was clearly out, between two white stakes, but there was no white line drawn there, and he claimed it was still in play.

My best story though, is a drive that only 8 people witnessed (short par 4, backed up, so two groups) yet I swear over 20 people claim to have been there that day. Picture a tee box buried back in the trees, with weeds, and a side hill left of the box scattered with trees, and sitting above the hill, a swimming Pool straight left, and up from the tee box. One guy in my group is a leftie, and was prone to the occasional pre (and post) swing seizure. Just as he is getting ready to hit his drive, another buddy yells and stops him, and bets him $100.00 that he is going to hit his drive straight left, into the weeds. He stops, looks at him, and says, "Deal, I'll take that bet because I never slice" (straight out of Caddyshack). He lines back up for a mighty whack, and plops one straight up in the air, straight left, over the weeds, up the hill, and into the swimming pool. 7 guys immediately fall on the ground, laughing.

A second later a little kid comes to the pool fence, up the hill overlooking the tee box, and yells, "Hey mister, I got your ball!" and throws it back down to us. There was a short, amusing discussion about his point of relief, since it technically wasn't staked OB.

As we re-grouped off the box, the guy that made the bet tells the guy that hit the beauty, "You owe me $100 bucks". The guy that drove the pool, emphatically yelled back at him, "No, you owe me!", "I didn't hit it into the weeds, it went in the swimming pool!.", pointing in the direction of the pool, as if we didn't believe him, or see where it went.

 

[millhawk]

Wait what? I'd love to hear that story.

Me too...c'mon LC we're waiting.

 

[Lone Clone]

Me too...c'mon LC we're waiting.

Actually, it wasn't that big a deal. Doesn't belong in the pantheon of horrid shots. (And for the record, I also have seen drives end up behind the hitter).

My putt was on #6 at Airport National south of Cedar Rapids. If you are familiar with the course, that's really all you need to know to imagine what happened. It's a par 3 to an elevated green, usually plays around 110 yards. The green is at the corner of the course, with the OB fence behind and to the right. Looking from the tee, the green slopes to the right, then the ground slopes steeply from the green about 25 feet to the fence.

I was playing late in the season. Ground was hard and grass was short or dead. The pin was on the right side of the green, about as close to the edge as is legal. I was above the hole. The green was fast. My putt went past the hole, off the green, down the hill and under the fence.

There are several holes at AN where it isn't uncommon to putt off the green. It used to be much worse because when the course opened in the mid '90s, the greens were kept very fast. The idea was that since it's a short (executive) course, the challenge would be around and on the greens. The greens are pretty large and undulating (by the standards of courses around this area, at least). However, people kept four-putting, got pissed off, and pace of play was terrible, so they slowed them down. They're still fast sometimes, but nothing like they used to be. I once saw all four guys putt off the green at #11 during a scramble.

 

[beanerhawk]

Actually, it wasn't that big a deal. Doesn't belong in the pantheon of horrid shots. (And for the record, I also have seen drives end up behind the hitter).

My putt was on #6 at Airport National south of Cedar Rapids. If you are familiar with the course, that's really all you need to know to imagine what happened. It's a par 3 to an elevated green, usually plays around 110 yards. The green is at the corner of the course, with the OB fence behind and to the right. Looking from the tee, the green slopes to the right, then the ground slopes steeply from the green about 25 feet to the fence.

I was playing late in the season. Ground was hard and grass was short or dead. The pin was on the right side of the green, about as close to the edge as is legal. I was above the hole. The green was fast. My putt went past the hole, off the green, down the hill and under the fence.

There are several holes at AN where it isn't uncommon to putt off the green. It used to be much worse because when the course opened in the mid '90s, the greens were kept very fast. The idea was that since it's a short (executive) course, the challenge would be around and on the greens. The greens are pretty large and undulating (by the standards of courses around this area, at least). However, people kept four-putting, got pissed off, and pace of play was terrible, so they slowed them down. They're still fast sometimes, but nothing like they used to be. I once saw all four guys putt off the green at #11 during a scramble.

That's funny I was going to play in the 5 o'clock shot gun there yesterday but we bailed out because of the terrible weather. I could see that happening.

 

[longliveCS40]

Airport is one of the worst courses I've ever played. It's incredible to me that people pay to play there.

As for hitting driver, it isn't necessary on some of the shorter courses but you get on some of the courses that have long 550+ yard par 5s or uphill 500 yarders and it saves strokes.

I think it's crazy that guys go out and spend 500 bucks on a new driver every year but won't drop 200 bucks to get a lesson on how to hit it. Couple lessons is all you need...driver is about repetition even more so than other clubs.

That said, I agree that many times on that 380 yard par 4, you're better off teeing iron or smaller wood and iron approach if the fairway is narrow.

 

[Lone Clone]

That's funny I was going to play in the 5 o'clock shot gun there yesterday but we bailed out because of the terrible weather. I could see that happening.

Yeah, yesterday was free burger night. I didn't play, went to a movie instead. There's a 4-person, 9-hole best-shot every Wednesday, starting at 4:30. Costs $5, which includes a skins game. Of course, you have to pay greens fees.

 

[Lone Clone]

Airport is one of the worst courses I've ever played. It's incredible to me that people pay to play there.

Yeah, I hear that from a lot of guys who think they should have scored better than they did

It is what it is....an executive course. The original 18 has 9 par 4s and 9 par 3s. The new 9 has a par 5 and four each par 3 and 4. Moreover, the par 4 holes are short, ranging from 240 to 400 yards. It's a great place to work on your short game. It's almost always in excellent condition. There's also a very large driving range and two putting greens. With 27 holes, you can usually get on without much of a wait. If it isn't busy, you can walk 18 in under 3 hours, or ride it in 2. As mentioned earlier, the greens are challenging. Several of the par three holes are as difficult as any you'll find in the area.

But if you want to play a traditional par-72 championship course, obviously it isn't where you should go. Long hitters will seldom use their driver. There is water, but no sand and very few trees. It's jammed together -- newbies frequently get confused as to what hole they're playing. And depending upon the day and time, you can find it crowded with beginners, or with outings by groups that comprise people who don't play golf very often. It is almost always windy, whether the wind is blowing anywhere else or not. If you don't know the course, this can really screw you up. For instance, on #14, a downhill 200-yard par 3, this year alone I've hit anywhere from a 9 iron to a driver.

While my first sentence here was in jest, as indicated by the smiley face, there's a lot of truth to it. Good golfers expect to score extremely well, and when they don't -- which is frequently the case -- they get frustrated. I'm secretary of the men's association, and a few years ago I did some research and found that the members actually average better scores (relative to par) at the area's traditional layouts. When the Greater Cedar Rapids Open pro-am was moved there because of flooding at Hunter's Ridge in '08, the professionals only averaged par or better on 1 of the par threes.

 

[iCRUNCH]

 

[longliveCS40]

Yeah, I hear that from a lot of guys who think they should have scored better than they did

It is what it is....an executive course. The original 18 has 9 par 4s and 9 par 3s. The new 9 has a par 5 and four each par 3 and 4. Moreover, the par 4 holes are short, ranging from 240 to 400 yards. It's a great place to work on your short game. It's almost always in excellent condition. There's also a very large driving range and two putting greens. With 27 holes, you can usually get on without much of a wait. If it isn't busy, you can walk 18 in under 3 hours, or ride it in 2. As mentioned earlier, the greens are challenging. Several of the par three holes are as difficult as any you'll find in the area.

But if you want to play a traditional par-72 championship course, obviously it isn't where you should go. Long hitters will seldom use their driver. There is water, but no sand and very few trees. It's jammed together -- newbies frequently get confused as to what hole they're playing. And depending upon the day and time, you can find it crowded with beginners, or with outings by groups that comprise people who don't play golf very often. It is almost always windy, whether the wind is blowing anywhere else or not. If you don't know the course, this can really screw you up. For instance, on #14, a downhill 200-yard par 3, this year alone I've hit anywhere from a 9 iron to a driver.

While my first sentence here was in jest, as indicated by the smiley face, there's a lot of truth to it. Good golfers expect to score extremely well, and when they don't -- which is frequently the case -- they get frustrated. I'm secretary of the men's association, and a few years ago I did some research and found that the members actually average better scores (relative to par) at the area's traditional layouts. When the Greater Cedar Rapids Open pro-am was moved there because of flooding at Hunter's Ridge in '08, the professionals only averaged par or better on 1 of the par threes.

I only played the course once and the condition of the course was not good. It was like concrete and didn't appear that they watered any of the fairways at all.

The layout was the worst part as it is downright dangerous with so many holes crammed into such a small space. I'd venture to guess that there are a lot more close calls and people hit with golf balls there than other courses. It struck me as a course to go to when you don't know how to play golf yet. I didn't understand why they just didn't reduce it to 18 holes instead of 27 and make the layout not so dangerous and much better for gameplay.

Golf is all about personal preference so others may like the course but I found it horrible and it had nothing to do with score. I would much rather go to Ellis, pay $11 more and be on a well laid out golf course that's in good enough shape to actually play the game.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

I used to use a driver until my shaft snapped in half playing in a best ball tournament last fall. Tried swinging for the fences on a long drive hole and it snapped over my back on my follow through. Also hurt my back doing that as well.

Now I am just using my 3-wood 14degree so it acts like a driver. But most of the time I just use an iron.

I actually use my 5-iron (hit it about 200) most of the time. That is the only club I can consistently hit straight. I go to a 6 or a 4 iron and I am all over the place, but for whatever reason my 5 iron is always straight down the middle.

Shot a 72 at Glynns Creek last year using my 5-iron off of the Tee. Also made some putts I probably shouldn't have, but I hit every fairway on that course.

 

[Lone Clone]

I only played the course once and the condition of the course was not good. It was like concrete and didn't appear that they watered any of the fairways at all.

The layout was the worst part as it is downright dangerous with so many holes crammed into such a small space. I'd venture to guess that there are a lot more close calls and people hit with golf balls there than other courses. It struck me as a course to go to when you don't know how to play golf yet. I didn't understand why they just didn't reduce it to 18 holes instead of 27 and make the layout not so dangerous and much better for gameplay.

Golf is all about personal preference so others may like the course but I found it horrible and it had nothing to do with score. I would much rather go to Ellis, pay $11 more and be on a well laid out golf course that's in good enough shape to actually play the game.

I am very surprised you found the course "like concrete." I have played their since I took up the game 18 years ago, several times a week, and have never seen it like that. Ever. I have often wished it were, because I could have used the roll. They water the hell out of it. I honestly can never remember seeing a single patch of dead grass in a fairway, let along around the greens. I have played Ellis a lot -- used to play in a league there -- and I have never seen it, on its best day, in as good a shape as Airport National on its worst day. You could say the same for all the city courses.

I understand the danger comment. That's what strikes most people -- no pun intended -- when they first see the course. In fact, I would bet there are fewer hits there than at a normal course, It's ironic that you mention Ellis, which was -- until it was reconfigured a few years ago -- the most dangerous course I've ever played.

Airport National has fewer problems that one might expect, I think, for three reasons.
1. Because of the way the course is laid out, people are more conscious of the danger, and are more careful when hitting and more alert to others hitting.
2. There are virtually no blind shots. This is where Ellis was a killer on the old back nine.
3. Parallel fairways. The fairways at AN are close together, but they go the same direction. You don't have somebody up ahead to your right or left who is hitting the ball in your direction.

Again, AN is what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else. If you don't like it, you shouldn't play it. If I have company who wants to play golf, and we have time, I'll usually take them to Hunter's Ridge or Pleasant Valley or Saddleback if we want to play serious golf.

For the record, AN opened in '95 with 9 holes, added the second 9 the next year, and didn't add the third until about 5-6 years ago. Which holes did you play? And just for the hell of it, what did you shoot?

 

[jscott78]

I am very surprised you found the course "like concrete." I have played their since I took up the game 18 years ago, several times a week, and have never seen it like that. Ever. I have often wished it were, because I could have used the roll. They water the hell out of it. I honestly can never remember seeing a single patch of dead grass in a fairway, let along around the greens. I have played Ellis a lot -- used to play in a league there -- and I have never seen it, on its best day, in as good a shape as Airport National on its worst day. You could say the same for all the city courses.

I understand the danger comment. That's what strikes most people -- no pun intended -- when they first see the course. In fact, I would bet there are fewer hits there than at a normal course, It's ironic that you mention Ellis, which was -- until it was reconfigured a few years ago -- the most dangerous course I've ever played.

Airport National has fewer problems that one might expect, I think, for three reasons.
1. Because of the way the course is laid out, people are more conscious of the danger, and are more careful when hitting and more alert to others hitting.
2. There are virtually no blind shots. This is where Ellis was a killer on the old back nine.
3. Parallel fairways. The fairways at AN are close together, but they go the same direction. You don't have somebody up ahead to your right or left who is hitting the ball in your direction.

Again, AN is what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything else. If you don't like it, you shouldn't play it. If I have company who wants to play golf, and we have time, I'll usually take them to Hunter's Ridge or Pleasant Valley or Saddleback if we want to play serious golf.

For the record, AN opened in '95 with 9 holes, added the second 9 the next year, and didn't add the third until about 5-6 years ago. Which holes did you play? And just for the hell of it, what did you shoot?

What did you find dangerous about Ellis? The back 9? We used to load up our bags with 12 packs and have a great time there.

 

[linkshero]

Never played Airport National, but I looked at their course map, along with Google earth, and made it into a Par 70 18 hole course in about 30 minutes. It would require 4 new tee boxes, and 3 new greens. Obviously, I have no idea about elevations, but I pretty much used existing greens and tee boxes. The only reason I would need 3 new greens is I flipped 17 around for flow, shortened 20 into a par four, so need a new green for that one, and made a par three that would need a green about where the current dog leg is on 20. Two par 5's still, one on each side, and 4 par 3's. I found room to make all par 4's 280-390, possibly having 2 at 400+ (would require one more new green). The only par 4 under 280 would be my 10, which would sit where 19 and 27 are now, and would be around 250-260.

Who do I send this to?

 

[ANYCHawk]

Did someone say golf and driver

 

[Lone Clone]

Never played Airport National, but I looked at their course map, along with Google earth, and made it into a Par 70 18 hole course in about 30 minutes. It would require 4 new tee boxes, and 3 new greens. Obviously, I have no idea about elevations, but I pretty much used existing greens and tee boxes. The only reason I would need 3 new greens is I flipped 17 around for flow, shortened 20 into a par four, so need a new green for that one, and made a par three that would need a green about where the current dog leg is on 20. Two par 5's still, one on each side, and 4 par 3's. I found room to make all par 4's 280-390, possibly having 2 at 400+ (would require one more new green). The only par 4 under 280 would be my 10, which would sit where 19 and 27 are now, and would be around 250-260.

Who do I send this to?

We (the regulars) do that every year, late in the season when public participation drops to almost zero. We have a "cross country" course that includes, I think, a 700-yard par-6. It's fun if you don't mind playing when it's cold.

I would be interested in looking at it because that kind of thing interests me, but trust me, the owners have absolutely no interest in changing things. They have a niche all to themselves in this area. No way in hell it makes business sense to throw that away so they can compete against a dozen other conventional layouts.

But I really would like to see it. They probably would be interested, too.

 

[Greenway4Prez]

A few things:

1. There's no such thing as a "legal" or "illegal" pin position. There are no guidelines anywhere from any of golf's governing bodies as to where the hole can and cannot be, other than on the putting green.It's a completely subjective process, and the golfer simply has to trust the judgement of whoever is picking hole locations that day.

2. The CAD-ish map of AN that hangs on the south wall of the clubhouse, by the tables in the TV area was done by yours truly as part of a GPS class I took at Kirkwood.

3. Airport is indeed tough to score on because it's so damn quirky. You can't play it like a traditional layout.

 

[Lone Clone]

A few things:

1. There's no such thing as a "legal" or "illegal" pin position. There are no guidelines anywhere from any of golf's governing bodies as to where the hole can and cannot be, other than on the putting green.It's a completely subjective process, and the golfer simply has to trust the judgement of whoever is picking hole locations that day.

2. The CAD-ish map of AN that hangs on the south wall of the clubhouse, by the tables in the TV area was done by yours truly as part of a GPS class I took at Kirkwood.

3. Airport is indeed tough to score on because it's so damn quirky. You can't play it like a traditional layout.

1. My bad. I used the term "legal" when I should have said "recommended," or some other term. I would be surprised if there weren't guidelines somewhere. There is a reason you don't see pins a yard away from the edge of the green. I've always heard that they aren't supposed to be closer to the edge than the length of the pin, but that might be an old wives' tale.

2. Cool. I don't recall ever looking at it. Will do so tomorrow. The only thing on the South wall of that area that sticks in my mind are the events calendar and the picture of Moses with the 10 Commandments -- which is another story altogether.

3. Exactly. That's the point of an executive course. The name comes -- I think -- from the idea that it's a course a busy person can play in a relatively short amount of time. So it's short and while there are ample opportunities to go OB, there aren't really many occasions where you spend a lot of time looking for a ball. And yes, quirky isn't a bad word. It isn't unfair. It's just tricky. Especially the greens. I'm a horrible golfer, and I've birdied every hole on the original 18....but the best round I've ever had was 9 over par.

4. I'm not trying to defend the course except to the extent that it isn't like a standard par-72 layout because it isn't supposed to be. As I said, if a good golfer asks me where he should play in Cedar Rapids, I won't recommend Airport.

 

[linkshero]

But I really would like to see it. They probably would be interested, too.

It's a rough sketch right now. If I have time tomorrow I will post it.

 

[Greenway4Prez]

Actually Lone, I was mistaken. Well, kind of. The USGA added some guidelines in 2012 because of the massive number of requests, probably disgruntled golfers ticked off at the superintendent. However, I don't think it's actually part of the rule book, but the FAQ's instead. I'm on mobile, so I don't know if the link will work.

http://www.usga.org/RulesFAQ/rules_answer.asp?FAQidx=143&Rule=16

 

[Greenway4Prez]

I found this article, too. Towards the end a rules official named Robby Ware is quoted. He was who I worked with at Congressional in 2005 when I cut cups for their PGA Tour event. #subtlebrag

http://golftips.golfsmith.com/pga-rules-pin-placement-20540.html

 

[Lone Clone]

I found this article, too. Towards the end a rules official named Robby Ware is quoted. He was who I worked with at Congressional in 2005 when I cut cups for their PGA Tour event. #subtlebrag

http://golftips.golfsmith.com/pga-rules-pin-placement-20540.html

Thanks. Based on that recommendation, a number of the holes at AN would never pass muster, as there's no way you could assure that a missed putt didn't roll a significant distance (depending upon which direction you were putting, of course). The worst sin you can commit on the course is being above the hole.

One of the problems I have when I play one of the Cedar Rapids city courses is realizing that hardly any of the greens have any significant breaks. I keep seeing breaks that don't exist. Another problem is that I am reminded I'm not as good at reading greens as I think I am; I putt well at AN because I've played there so much that I know the greens, rather than read them.

 

[YellowSnow51]

I love my Driver...off the deck too.

 

[TennesseeWaltz1]

I've shanked every club in the bag. Including the putter. Once putted out of bounds.

 

[WisestIowan]

Play the correct tees and you need a driver OR you have to be excellent with long irons off the dirt. Up to you.