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Horseshoes Horseshoe Q&A  [1-20]  [21-40]  [61-80]   [101-120]   [121-140]   [141-160]    [161-180] George March 23, 2003 Effingham IL Hi Walter Ray.......Just watch you beat Pete Weber and another guy for another major bowing championship.....way to go......I'm 60 years old and have just been pitching couple of years. I pitched fastpitch softball, bowling, golf, many years which kept me from horseshoes.........anyway I'm in the mid 40's now.......pitching 1-1/4 deadeye EZ grips.......trying to get to the next level........practicing 5-7 days/week for at least one hour or more........I'm thinking about trying shoes that have a design that keeps the shoe on the steak more....e.g. ringer breaker, etc........thinking about trying the M & M's......I have tried several others.......seems out of 100 shoes...shoes with ringer breakers would 'bounce off' less..........I'm wanting to be at 60% in 3 years......I step with left foot.....pitch right handed......this will be my 'tournament year'......to get seasoned!......thanks and see you in Wisconsin....... Hi George, I kind of like the shoe with a ringer breaker also. I use the Deadeye Clydesdale model, but you should use whatever feels right to you. With good practice and good technique you could get to your 60% mark even sooner. Good luck and maybe I'll see you in WI. George February 10, 2003 Kokomo IN Hi Walter Ray: Would like to invite you out to the Palace to throw with the boys. The Palace is a barn of one of our members that we converted into 2 horseshoe courts. It is out in the country. Very quiet and peaceful. Heated, frig with drinks and candy in it and whatever we can get the wives to bake. :) Also have a phone there. Place is also well lit. The guy that lives there is named George Perkins and we call the place Perkins' Pitching Palace. I had a buddy make a sign up to that affect and it hangs in the Palace. You gotta love that!!! LOL You would have a great time I assure you. I know the chances are very slim to none, but I just had to ask. I would pay for your air fare (wife too) and lodging. I wish you continued success on the PBA tour and hope to hear from you. My best to you and yours. Godspeed, George K. Devine Hi George, Thanks for the invite. Right now, I don't see that happening though. I know many good horseshoe pitchers in Indiana. Brian February 8, 2003 Rochester NY Hi Walter Ray; My wife and I just got back from visiting the Villages in Florida [we both fell in love with the community] and took a couple of hours to throw some shoes there. I had a real good fanasy match with you. When we returned home here in Rochester New York I went out in my back yard and built a real nice pit. I understand that your home is in Ocala Florida. Do you have an area in you yard that you can throw? With your busy bowling schedule do you have time to throw shoes? Also does Paige bowl or throw shoes? Good luck for the rest of the bowling season. Would love to see you bowl a perfect game on tv. Hope to hear from you soon. Sincerly Brian Root Hi Brian, I do have a horseshoe court next to my pool inside my screen room. We have links on our website for building a horseshoe court if you haven't checked it out already. I do pitch in tournaments when I am not bowling. Tournaments are held all over the US and Canada. My wife didn't really bowl that much. She did pitch horseshoes which is how we met, at a horseshoe tournament. But she doesn't play any more due to her bad back. I would love to bowl a 300 on TV. Sharlene February 1, 2003 Lincoln Park MI Hey, isn't Esther Williams, your mother, a famous swimmer? Thank you so much for your helpers sending Bryan Clair the Fan Club pack and the extra photos. He rec'd them the day after his birthday and let me tell you, what a joy it was. March 7 and 8 in Taylor, MI is already on the calendar. Let me also tell you that all weekend this computer has been watching your site and has been updated soooooooooooooo consistently. Bryan just went to tell his dad you won Game 8 and are seeded for no. 1 tomorrow, and now he is off to bed at 1 am here. I think you owe your mom a really cool present a day late! I'm going to have to also email Paige. I feel like I really know her. Have you ever played Horseshoes in Lincoln Park, MI at Gregory Park with the Windsor or Wolverine teams? We were told you did, and we only live a few blocks from there. Well good night, as I sit here and look at the Walter Ray face, which I have to put on the other side of the computer, because if I'm at home alone and walk into this room, I think someone is sitting at the computer and it scares me. Good night! Sharlene Clair (Bryan's Mom) p.s. Paige, after he wins on Sunday, go gamble at least $50 for pure entertainment! Hi Sharlene, My mother isn't the famous swimmer even though older people remember the name. I am glad that Bryan was happy with what we sent him. I have pitched horseshoes in MI, but not with any league. I am not sure if I have played at Lincoln Park Jeff January 4, 2003 Cambridge Ontario Canada Greetings to you Mr Walter Ray sir ! I first would like to thank you in 1997 in Kitchener for the autograph you gave for me! I still have it in my memoribila! Um the question I have is concerning the three quarter reverse ! I was curious where you position your hands on the horseshoe? I know Curt Day was a specialist and Alan Francis is a specialist. I am just amazed by it! Any help or guidance would be much appreciated. I checked search engines and what have you first because I realize your a busy guy! Anyways hope you throw a gazillion strikes! And Many ringers next year! Jeff R PS: Did Francis ever play elmer hohl? People compare them all the time up here? Any thoughts Well I took up enough of your time so I will let ya go! Hi Jeff, A 3/4 reverse turn is held in the hand identical to the 1 & 1/4 turn. For a right hander the open end would be to the left if the shoe is held up to your face and your hand is on the bottom of the shoe. The 'regular' turn for a right hander will turn clockwise if you are looking from above. Alan Francis starting playing as a junior when Elmer Hohl was in his last years of competition so I would be surprised if they ever played against each other. Both were/are great players and I have played against both of them. I never did get to play against Curt Day as he retired from competition the year before I joined the men's division. Jim December 16, 2002 Belleville IL Walter Ray, I watched you pitch horseshoes at New Melle MO one year. You had just got beaten by a lefty, so you were walking around the parking lot. I didn't try to talk to you. I think this was the same year you hit the $2 million mark at the regional at St Clair Bowl in O'Fallon, IL. I bowled the regional too. Since you were in the area, you pitched in New Melle. My question is how many perfect games in horseshoes do you have now? The last time I asked you, it was 12. You might have already answered this question on-line. I'll check. Thanks. Hi Jim, I have pitched in New Melle, MO several times in the past. They have been having an invitational tournament for many years and when my bowling schedule doesn't conflict I try to play in it. When I pitch horseshoes poorly, I become quite unhappy and will often go off to be by myself. I appreciate your not talking to me. You wouldn't have had a very good impression of me. I did pitch another perfect game in horseshoes this last year, so that brings me up to 13. Cody December 6, 2002 Rockford IL Hi Walter Ray, my name is cody stone and i am 13 yrs. old and i have been pitching for about 3yrs. or a little longer and i have worked very hard with my dad we belong to the beloit horseshoe club and we pitch all winter indoors about 3 times a week and my average is about 40% and i keep improving but everyone tells me i pitch off the wrong foot should i try to change or stay with my own style that is comfortable to me i am lefthanded and step with my left foot. also is there anyway you could send me a autographed pictur of you thank you cody stone Hi Cody, It is possible to pitch off of your 'wrong' foot and do well, but I would think that it would be better for you if you learned how to pitch off of the 'correct' foot. I would suggest trying that over the winter so that in the spring time it will be natural for you. Good luck and we will see about that picture. Bill November 25, 2002 Jonesville MI Hello Walter Ray, I was wondering if you are aware of the NHPA Membership Survey conducted earlier this year. The summary results are posted on the Publicity Page on the NHPA Website. If you have seen these results, I would like to know how you evaluate NHPA's current status as a viable organization. I noted that you were an active participant in this years delegate meeting at Red Deer. Sincerely, Bill Tedrick NHPA Survey Manager, 2002 NHPA Membership Survey, Volunteer Hi Bill, I did check out the NHPA membership survey a while back when somebody asked me about it. I don't really remember the specifics of the survey, so I am not sure why it would change my opinion of the NHPA as a viable organization. I have been a delegate at many NHPA conventions. I have a lot of opinions and usually let some of them be known at these meetings. Also, for some reason, a lot of the rules and by-laws which are presented need to be worked over. Philip November 18, 2002 Boonton NJ Walter Ray, I removed the clay from my horseshoe pits as it was too hard. I want to fill with another material. Ideas? What & where to purchase? Hi Philip, I would recommend clay. But clay needs care, water and turning it over with a shovel. I guess sand or even some sort of dirt. You should be able to get sand or some other similar material at a building supply place. I am not really sure about what the best sand to use because I would rather use clay. Dave October 4, 2002 Hillsboro OH Hey Walter Ray, congrats on your 2nd place win in your recent tournament. just had a question for you, and hope you have a answer. I ahve not been able to practice very much this summer, but i have pitched very well, i have noticed most of the good pitchers like yourself, alan francis, jim walters, and a couple others have a behind the back arm swing, and always when the shoe is released, its level. i pitched a 1 1/4 and i try to keep my release level, and my backswing, behind my sholder, and flat. is this a good release, or should my arm have a little twist to it on the backward motion. hope you can help me. Hi Dave, I think that the arm swing, be it bowling or horseshoes, would benefit from being very close to the body as the arm is in its upward movement. This is usually easiest accomplished by having the arm a bit behind the back. To get the shoe behind your back a little bit you might want to push it out and to the right (for right handers). You don't need a twist in your backswing. When letting go of the shoe, you definitely want it to be almost level, but a 10 to 20 degree tilt isn't that bad. It is kind of hard to tell from your description about how good your arm swing is, but your ringer percentage might be a better indicator. You don't have to have perfect form as long as you are able to repeat shots. Practice would definitely help. Chuck October 3, 2002 Springfield OH Dear Walter Ray, I am a big fan of yours,I don't bowl but I love to pitch horseshoes, I have always flipped the shoe but can never seem to pitch over 50%, and get frustated alot, that alot of ringers that I pitch bounce off, I was hoping that you could help me with changing to a turn, I have read that you have a spot on your web-site on how to turn a shoe but cannot seem to find it, could you please tell me what link to use or where it is located, and maybe show me a picture of how to grip the shoe, I have tried to turn the shoe before but did not have enough patience to succeed, but am committed this time to stick to it, any tips you could supply would be greatly appreciated, thanks chuck Hi Chuck, It might help to have some hands on instruction. I know that there are many good players in your area. Greenville, OH and Cincinnati have indoor courts which are used during the winter. Maybe you could get one of them to give you some hands on help. I would start you at about 10 feet and have you get a feel for slowly turning the shoe. I would then move you back a bit as you became comfortable with turning the shoe. Learning to turn the shoe proficiently can take several weeks of pitching several hours a week. I don't know exactly where the explicit directions to turning the shoe are on our website. I'll try and find them, in the meantime keep searching. G_B September 27, 2002 Hamilton OH I've been pitching horseshoes for about 2 years and have tried ever grip. I am at 33% with a 1 1/4 turn. My problem is that I broke my right hand pinky finger in two or three places with a head first slide into the 3rd base stake playing ball some years ago. No strength at all in the finger.I can't seem to get real good balance with the shoe at the end of my swing at the release point. If you had no pinky, what grip would you use and what kind of turn or flip? Thanks for your time. Hi, This is a difficult question to answer because it is hard to figure out what I would do given your circumstances. I did break my right pinky the day before the Jr. World championships when I was 13 and had a splint on it and the ring finger so I used my other 2 fingers and my thumb to grip the shoe. It wasn't as stable as my other grip, but I did manage to average 78%, which wasn't nearly as good as I had been practicing. Later I found a better grip, after the tournament, which was down toward the heel of the shoe, the opening, and was able to beat my brother who won the world tournament that year. It sounds like you are doing all right, but maybe you could tape your pinky to your ring finger when you are pitching. Good luck. Gary August 28, 2002 Mt. Pleasant UT I am a fellow horseshoe pitcher and bowler so I really appreciate and admire you and your talent. I am also a big fan. My Question is this: My current NatStat % is 47.67 and I have improved over the last couple years from about 35% to where I am now. I have had high games in the mid 60s and have had a few 70% games in practice. But I am having a hard time getting over the hump and taking my game to the next level. I would really like to get my % up in the 60s and 70s. Do you have any suggestions as to what I might do to get over the hump? I pitch 40' with 1 1/4 turn, right handed and I'm 49 years old. Or am I just a hopeless case? I realize this is a difficult question, you having never seen me pitch but I am open to anything you might suggest or books I can read or whatever. Thanks for your help. Double Ringers... Gar... 8>) Hi Gary, If you have improved over the last couple of years that is a good sign. I would concentrate on your form. Having a really good follow through where your arm is pointed straight to the sky at the finish of your swing would be a good thing. Also, are you solid when taking your step and have good timing? Something else you could do is chart yourself over several days where you keep track of all of your shots, specifically where your misses are. Then see if you have any patterns and concentrate on those areas. It also takes a lot of practice, practice, practice. At least 4 or 5 times a week of at least an hour would be a minimum for improving your game. It is also a good thing to practice with someone better than you or someone to push you. Good luck. Tom August 20, 2002 Rochester NY Hi Walter Ray, Does the hardness of a horseshoe make a difference regarding the percentage of ringers you may lose as opposed to using a "dead-soft" shoe, or is it manufacturer's hype? I would gladly file a few more burrs on the shoes if it would save some ringers by using a "soft" shoe. Do you feel the ringer break might save a percent or two as well? Thank you. Hi Tom, I can't really say for sure how much the dead-soft shoes stay on the stake compared to 'hard' shoes, but a percent or two for top players doesn't sound unreasonable. I feel that the large 'ringer breaks' can also help a percent or two. Of course nice soft clay helps and stakes that aren't too solid will help everybody. Of course some players might feel otherwise, but I do feel that the softer shoes are better even if the shoes need to be filed more often. Good luck. Steve August 13, 2002 Brooklyn NY Congratulations on your third place finish, Mr. Deadeye. Do you ever practice when you are home and how much practice? Hi Steve, Thanks. I was pretty happy with my 3rd place finish since I haven't done very well in the past few years according to my standards. I would still like to get my game back up to the level that is has been in the past. To do that I must practice, which I have been doing. I play in about 15 horseshoe tournaments a year and for a few months before the World tournament I practice about 3 or 4 times a week for about an hour at a time. Gina July 26, 2002 Hibbing MN How long and wide does a horse shoe pit have to be in playing horseshoes? If you will return to www.WalterRay.com and scroll down the bottom...you will see a "How to Build a Court" icon. Click that. There is additional information at www.Horseshoepitching.com ....scroll down the frame on the left side and click on "court material", "backyard courts" or "what pit size?" Among those suggestions you should find all of the information you need to build your court! Good luck and have fun! The short answer to your question is that most average pits are around 3x4 or 3x5. This is the pit itself (not including walkways). Paige Doc   July 23, 2002 WV My question is what do they mean by turning in horseshoes. is it a side turn or an end over end turn. thanks Hi Doc, A flip is usually meant to describe a shoe which 'tumbles' or goes end over end. A turning shoe is one which rotates like a slow Frisbee. I hope your 'turn' works for you. Tim   July 18, 2002 Diamond Springs CA Walter Ray, I met you years ago in Grass Valley,CA. I am currently the President of Forebay Park Horseshoe Club in Pollock Pines, CA. I pitch a 3/4 turn shoe and have been told that my game would improve if I tried 1 1/4 or 1 3/4 turn. I have a problem with getting too many turns. I watch the "A" pitchers and try to copy them with no success. Do you have any suggestions? Don Titcomb told me to stick to the 3/4 turn, but to pace myself a little slower.What do you think? Any input you might have would be a great help. By the way, I only pitch "DEAD EYE" shoes.I think they are the BEST!!!!!!! Thank you, Tim Pryor President Forebay Park Horseshoe Club P.S Any time you get to Northern California feel free to join us on Thursdays between 5:30 & 8:00 pm. or at one of our Tournaments. Hi Tim, Thanks for the invite to pitch horseshoes. I used to live down the mountain from you, but now I live in FL. I do visit CA every now and then, but I normally don't have an excessive amount of time. I would encourage learning the 1 & 1/4 or 1 & 3/4 turn. It is a subtle movement to get the shoe to turn more or less. You could practice from a closer distance to get a feel for a turn and then scoot back when you are comfortable with that. You might want to try this when you have a month or so. It also takes quite a bit of practice. Good luck. Gary    July 16, 2002 Janetville ONTARIO Hi i have two pits im having a tourney for a least 16 people and want to know how to break it down to go quickly thx gary rosa Hi Gary, I guess that a quick way it to use a single or double elimination method. The single elimination is easy, as one loss eliminates a person. The double elimination is tougher, after the first round there are 8 winners and 8 losers with 16 players. The losers play eliminating 4. The winners play sending 4 to the losers brackets. Those 8 losers play eliminating another 4. The losers play again eliminating another 2. The winners play sending 2 to the LB. The losers play again eliminating another 2. 4 players are left now, 2 in the winners and 2 in the losers bracket. The losers play again as do the winners. The 2 losers left play and the winner of the match has to beat the winner of the winner bracket twice! Or you could have 4 groups of 4 players. Have them play a round robin (3 games). But it is very easy to have ties with 4 players. All of the winners of the groups could meet for a championship class with another round robin. There are many ways to do this. Another way is to have the 4 player groups play 20, 30, or 40 shoe games and count all of the points (no cancellation) and total them up for all of the players throughout the day. The players with the highest 4 points would be in the championship class for a round robin which could be with cancellation games. I would prefer this method. There are many ways to do this. More courts wouldn't hurt either. Good luck. Gene   July 14, 2002 Audubon Pk NJ I was wondering the distance between the 2 pegs in regulation horseshoes i wanna clarify a discrepancy ty, geno Hi Gene, The distance of the stakes is normally set at 40' from the closer side of the base of the stake. However the foul line for men is at 37' from the opposite stake while the foul line for juniors 18 & under, women and men 70 and over is 27' from the opposite stake. Juniors 9 and under may play from a 20' foul line. Check out the rules at www.horseshoepitching.com. Ray July 5, 2002 Atlantic City NJ My son is just starting and I was wondering what the top prize would be,if any, in the major tournaments? thank you, raydon Hi Ray, There isn't much money in horseshoe pitching. Right now first place in the World Championships is about $3000. I don't think that the money played for is a reason to participate in a sport. Only the very best at any sport (usually less than .01%) are able to get themselves good enough to make good money. I would think that getting into a sport which you can do your whole life and the whole family can compete in together is a better choice. I hope you both have fun in whatever you do. Horseshoe Q&A  [1-20]  [21-40]  [61-80]   [101-120]   [121-140]   [141-160]    [161-180]