A
Golf pros have
superhuman
powers of con-
centration. But yeah, they
hear it. Playing in front of
people is part of the learn-
ing curve of being a tour
pro. Generally, fans yell
only in big galleries, and
for the most part, players
with big galleries are stars
who can commit to every
shot despite the hoopla.
Many players love the
Open Championship
because there’s less fan
idiocy. British fans tend
to remain dignifi ed
until the end, and then
a streaker appears.
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My 3-wood is the
hardest club for me
to hit off the fairway.
Should I replace
it with a 2-hybrid?
Welcome to the club. Hit-
ting 3-wood off the turf is
hard for a lot of us, but a
2-hybrid likely isn’t the
solution. It doesn’t launch
very high and has a small-
er head and shorter shaft
than a fairway wood –
limiting its distance for all
but the strongest players.
A Golf Digest survey
from a few years ago
revealed that amateurs
hit a fairway wood with
17 degrees of loft (about a
4-wood) longer than a
3-wood off the deck,
thanks to its higher launch
and better contact. If
you’re still struggling,
try a 5-wood.
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My group has a
season-long “leader
board” competition
(best score on each hole).
We’ve tried using
handicaps and
percentages of
handicaps, but it always
favours the low-handicap.
Any advice?Sometimes called a “ringer
card,” this is one of our fa-
vourite events because it
keeps players engaged allseason. You could try two
handicap fl ights, with a
year-end playoff. We know
another group that makes
players decide if a score
will go on their ringer
card on the day they make
it. This adds an element of
strategic decision-making
that gets more fun as
the season progresses.
▶ ▶ ▶
I recently helped a high
school coach with try-
outs. A player hit his tee
shot directly into a tree,
and his ball came to rest
next to a tee marker. I
gave him a free drop.
Was that right?Almost. The player should
have moved the tee
marker, not the ball.
Decision 11-2/1 of the
Rules states that after the
fi rst stroke is made, tee
markers are movable
obstructions. Also, maybe
consider wearing a
helmet when helping
with tryouts.ASK GOLF DIGEST
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The Golf LifeAs a viewer, it drives me nuts when
someone in the gallery yells “Get in
the hole!” as the putter hits the ball.
Do players notice this?Q