Hello from the Highlands

After living up here in the highlands of 'bonny' Scotland for four years I've finally decided to start playing golf after a seven/eight year break . Unfortunately I live on the west (place called Applecross (nearest course Lochcarron)) not the east coast . Lots of championship courses in the east; however, I'm getting to grips with courses where the ball doesn't bounce (at all) going in the rough means a lost ball and the greens are small and hairy ! Add fantastic weather (I mean extra-ordinary and fantastic as in 'unbelievable' not good) and you are getting some idea of the golf up here. Och (as they say) it's not all bad. At least if you hit 230 yds with no bounce you know the where it's going to end up LOL!
Just wanted to say hi, looks like a great site; I'm looking forward to getting lots out of it .

Cheers

Angus (by the way, I moved here from South London)

welcome to gto.
i'm from east lothian so i know what you mean by the weather but it makes the course seem diffrent every time you play it, take it it's also very windy there too, is the fairways spongy and thats why you get no bounce, i love the links course round here and they play so diffrent to inland couses.
there are lots of guy and girls on here with great tips and help so 'm sure someone here can help you with ant problems you have.
best of luck
bill

Hi Bill,
Thanks for the welcome

Spongy...hmm, let me see that's one word for fairways that must be 70% moss. Seeing as the course is built on peat (I'm tempted to say bog ) the drainage only affects about three or four feet either side. The rest is...ermmm, well, boggy

However, yes we get the wind too. Fantastic when it's at your back...I've hit a nine iron one hundred and forty something yards. Get it up there and it whistles along with a nice force eight or nine behind you. You'll have the devil's own job finding it...plugged with about a five millimetre diameter of white showing (if your in luck ). I have clubbed up by four clubs to get it into the wind...that's not so much fun

Still, I have friends over near Elgin way, so every once in a while I get to play some decent courses too.

Working on getting a handicap at the moment. Oh and trying to put a decent swing together.

Do you address the ball with your hands lower than a line from shoulder to clubhead or so a straight line runs (more or less) from shoulders, through hands to clubhead?
Would be interested to know what you think

Cheers

Angus

hi angus
i tend to have a forward press and my hands are forward so i take a little loft off the club. i do tend to hit the ball very high anyway so i use a 1 iron a lot when its windy and being near the north sea its windy most of time. my biggest tip is to only hit at 80/90% and not 100% it seems to give you so much more control and you also tend to relax more and overall play better as a result.
best of luck
bill