Love Golf?

[passedpawn]

A lot of people don't like Spieth, but I was rooting for him to stage a late run. I'm surprised he mentally recovered from that bonehead amateur move he made trying to weave the ball through the pines on the first day (I think), ending up with a triple bogie. He still ended up tied at 3rd place.

 

[beersk]

A lot of people don't like Spieth, but I was rooting for him to stage a late run. I'm surprised he mentally recovered from that bonehead amateur move he made trying to weave the ball through the pines on the first day (I think), ending up with a triple bogie. He still ended up tied at 3rd place.

What's not to like about Spieth? He doesn't really have any glaring character flaws, he's so calm.

 

[passedpawn]

What's not to like about Spieth? He doesn't really have any glaring character flaws, he's so calm.

I dunno, but I'm telling you that some people don't like him. Perhaps it says more about them than Spieth.

 

[Kee]

I'm glad that Spieth is playing well again after all the speculation that he may never find his way out of a slump. He just kept plugging away, and I give him credit for that.

 

[Broothru]

I'm glad that Spieth is playing well again after all the speculation that he may never find his way out of a slump. He just kept plugging away, and I give him credit for that.

Yeah, some guys never fully recover from an embarrassing setback (Lookin' at YOU, David Duval, having to use a steam shovel to get out of a pot bunker in the British Open).

 

[Kee]

Yeah, some guys never fully recover from an embarrassing setback (Lookin' at YOU, David Duval . . .

Duval, at his best, was amazing. But there is such a fine line between the number one player in the world and the number 1000. A tiny little hitch in the swing, or a missed putt here and there can make all the difference. At some level, I'm sure most of us can relate.

 

[Broothru]

Duval, at his best, was amazing. But there is such a fine line between the number one player in the world and the number 1000. A tiny little hitch in the swing, or a missed putt here and there can make all the difference. At some level, I'm sure most of us can relate.

With Duval it went much deeper. Despite his talent, apparently his heart AND his head were not always in the game. IIRC his father was a club pro who didn't so much force David into the game, but it was clear to him that this was the way to win his Dad's approval. The success that came so easily for David was his father's dream, not his.

I saw an interview with him a couple of years after his meltdown at the Open. He'd taken time off, was establishing a family, and seemed amazingly content. He was building something of a comeback but didn't feel like he had anything to prove to the world of golf.

He played on the tour for a while, missing more cuts than making them, and not seeming to be upset either way. Not mad, no chip on his shoulder, but no fire in the belly either. A state of Zen? He seemed at peace, maybe for the first time in a long time.

 

[beersk]

I was a huge David Duval fan back in his hayday, early 2000's. Him and Tiger. Then he got crazy in to fitness, messed up his back and that was the beginning of the end. I was such a fan that my swing even resembled his. I did the early head turn towards the target as I was hitting the ball and everything.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Hit the PGA Tour Superstore during my lunch hour today hoping to try out that Mizuno Shaft Optimizer deal... Unfortunately all of their iPads were in use due to lessons/etc, so no dice. Guy helping me says "Hey, I can fit you as well as that thing" so I figured I'm already there, let's see what he's got.

First he measured my wrist-to-floor distance and saw that I'm basically in the +1" range for shafts. Which is hard, because they barely get any shafts in that range. He tries me in a TT Dynamic Gold S300 +1" 105gm shaft, but it feels too light for me, which I expected. He then tries me in a Nippon Pro Modus 120 S in +0.5", which is a lot closer weight-wise, but too short.

He's looking at my ball speeds on the monitor and says I might be in the X flex range... But of course he has none to test, and certainly none that are over-length.

And for some reason literally EVERYTHING I hit is left. Starts left, curves farther left. I mean, left is my miss, but I don't miss 95% of shots--it's more like 25%. So that wasn't working either.

I guess at the end of the day, I got what I paid for ($0)... But I wish I could have actually used the shaft optimizer.

 

[beersk]

Played Saddleback in Solon yesterday with my new irons and shot 81 (I did take one mulligan though, haha, so technically an 82 I guess); but I really don't care. That was my lowest score in years. Still no birdies, although I had several opportunities. Hitting them really well, especially the short irons (8 and down). But above that I still have slight issues, mainly just not hitting them very high. Started hitting my driver well again also. My back wasn't a fan of it, been a bit sore since, but hoping that'll get better as the season goes on and I get more into golfing shape. All that twisting and torque, no bueno for the back.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Played Saddleback in Solon yesterday with my new irons and shot 81 (I did take one mulligan though, haha, so technically an 82 I guess); but I really don't care. That was my lowest score in years. Still no birdies, although I had several opportunities. Hitting them really well, especially the short irons (8 and down). But above that I still have slight issues, mainly just not hitting them very high. Started hitting my driver well again also. My back wasn't a fan of it, been a bit sore since, but hoping that'll get better as the season goes on and I get more into golfing shape. All that twisting and torque, no bueno for the back.

Congrats!

I played yesterday and shot 83... But it was a par-60 course lol... 81 on a par-72 course is better than I've ever shot anywhere.

Over the previous 4 days, I hit the range, played 9, hit the range, and then played 18. Now I feel like my golfer's elbow is tweaked. So I need to take a few days rest.

I've got a call in to Sub 70 Golf about some demo clubs... Hoping they have something that's in the +1" range with X shaft. If they don't, I might still order demos with standard length to try it out, but I feel like my clubs aren't suited for me and if I'm going to be working on improving, I might as well start with a better fit.

 

[beersk]

Congrats!

I played yesterday and shot 83... But it was a par-60 course lol... 81 on a par-72 course is better than I've ever shot anywhere.

Over the previous 4 days, I hit the range, played 9, hit the range, and then played 18. Now I feel like my golfer's elbow is tweaked. So I need to take a few days rest.

I've got a call in to Sub 70 Golf about some demo clubs... Hoping they have something that's in the +1" range with X shaft. If they don't, I might still order demos with standard length to try it out, but I feel like my clubs aren't suited for me and if I'm going to be working on improving, I might as well start with a better fit.

Thanks! Yeah, I wonder if a lot of my better ball striking yesterday was precisely because the clubs were fit to me. Couldn't have hurt... Last year I was upper 80's low 90's, so maybe yesterday was just a fluke.
And good for you for getting out so much. Wish I was able to more. Weather has been so crappy here lately. Yesterday was the only nice day we've really had in weeks. And this week is crappy now. April in Iowa...

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Yesterday was one of the worst weather days of the golf season so far. Sunny and a high of 88.

Good thing our tee time was 8:30 AM before it got hot lol...

 

[mullet6577]

Went to a simulator place on Sunday. Screen torn about 50% on the bottom, club speed reading 110+mph or not at all, hit center screen "ball" goes straight left. While it was good getting to swing different clubs this thing was nowhere near accurate. I REALLY need to find a real course I can play this year.

Backyard net, simulator, and TopGolf are really doing nothing for my actual game. They're all good for my wife wanting to learn how to swing a club but I need tees, fairways, and greens. Of course that also means trees, and rough, and sand......

 

[Kee]

Backyard net, simulator, and TopGolf are really doing nothing for my actual game.

I've got to get out more. Sunday I hit range balls and realized that's the first trip to the golf course in at least two weeks. Hopefully I will get a round in tomorrow or Thursday. Nothing is a substitute for being on the course.

Having said that, my backyard net is a life (or at least a swing) saver. I can isolate that one thing I need to work on without distractions. That doesn't mean everything I do in the backyard will translate into consistently great ball striking or scoring. But I'll have a better idea about why my bad swings are bad and my good swings are good.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Went to a simulator place on Sunday. Screen torn about 50% on the bottom, club speed reading 110+mph or not at all, hit center screen "ball" goes straight left. While it was good getting to swing different clubs this thing was nowhere near accurate. I REALLY need to find a real course I can play this year.

Backyard net, simulator, and TopGolf are really doing nothing for my actual game. They're all good for my wife wanting to learn how to swing a club but I need tees, fairways, and greens. Of course that also means trees, and rough, and sand......

That sucks... Sounds like a terrible place.

Hope you get out for a real round soon.

 

[passedpawn]

Played today right after a storm. Almost empty course. Nobody wants to play when it's "cart path only".

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Ordered some demo clubs from Sub70. Unfortunately not in +1" length, but at the very least it'll help me figure out whether I like the shafts and heads.

 

[beersk]

Ordered some demo clubs from Sub70. Unfortunately not in +1" length, but at the very least it'll help me figure out whether I like the shafts and heads.

That doesn't mean you actually have to buy them does it? You can order them just to try them out? Hope they're what you're looking for. I'd really like to get Sim2 Driver and fairway woods, but $$$ Maybe with tax refund next year. They'll be cheaper then.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

That doesn't mean you actually have to buy them does it? You can order them just to try them out? Hope they're what you're looking for. I'd really like to get Sim2 Driver and fairway woods, but $$$ Maybe with tax refund next year. They'll be cheaper then.

No, because they're a DTC company and not sold in stores, they have a demo program. For $20 they'll send you a 6i and 9i. I ended up spending another $20 for a utility iron that I want to try out as potentially a driving iron off the tee.

Of course, it's not really "$20" up front, to protect them from people just keeping the clubs. The irons were $120 and the utility was $99.99, but they send the clubs with a prepaid shipping label and when they receive them back, they'll credit me back the excess.

They're going to be releasing a new driver in a couple months... The driver cost is $299, much more reasonable than most these days. And they have a similar demo program (more expensive up front at $220, but then when you send it back they credit you back $200 so the net cost is still the same $20 for a demo).

 

[beersk]

No, because they're a DTC company and not sold in stores, they have a demo program. For $20 they'll send you a 6i and 9i. I ended up spending another $20 for a utility iron that I want to try out as potentially a driving iron off the tee.

Of course, it's not really "$20" up front, to protect them from people just keeping the clubs. The irons were $120 and the utility was $99.99, but they send the clubs with a prepaid shipping label and when they receive them back, they'll credit me back the excess.

They're going to be releasing a new driver in a couple months... The driver cost is $299, much more reasonable than most these days. And they have a similar demo program (more expensive up front at $220, but then when you send it back they credit you back $200 so the net cost is still the same $20 for a demo).

Interesting. You gotta really want those clubs to go through all that. Is there a reason clubs already in-store aren't your bag?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Interesting. You gotta really want those clubs to go through all that. Is there a reason clubs already in-store aren't your bag?

One reason?

I should be able to get a 4-AW set, plus a utility [driving] iron, plus a 55 and 60 degree wedge, built exactly to my specs (shaft, grip, etc) for a little over $1K all-in. If I looked at Golf Galaxy for, say, TaylorMade P790, just the 4-AW would cost me over $1500... With wedges and a driving iron, I'd be around $2K. So, cost... I'm hoping to have clubs for a decade or more, so obviously I can justify more expensive clubs amortized over that time period... But why pay more if I don't have to?

Second reason?

I've heard great thing about this company, their products, their support, etc. And I get a "try before I buy" period for a pretty low cost to make sure I like the product, for 10 days, can take them to the range and the course as much as I want (and they're very liberal about extending that 10-day demo period). So it's pretty low risk to try them, and potentially much more benefit than spending 30 minutes hitting balls in a hitting bay at a big-box golf store while I'm under the watchful eye of Trevor, who is wondering how he's going to spend his commission check...

Here's a review of the product BTW...

 

[beersk]

Fair enough. Also, any reason you prefer muscle backs over cavity backs?

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Fair enough. Also, any reason you prefer muscle backs over cavity backs?

Actually the 699 Pro is a hollow head "filled with goo" type of iron. It has a muscle back look, but it's not actually MB.

My current irons are cavity back, because that was the "forgiving" design of 20 years ago lol... So I'm trying what I perceive should actually be a more forgiving iron than I currently play.

 

[beersk]

Actually the 699 Pro is a hollow head "filled with goo" type of iron. It has a muscle back look, but it's not actually MB.

My current irons are cavity back, because that was the "forgiving" design of 20 years ago lol... So I'm trying what I perceive should actually be a more forgiving iron than I currently play.

Nice. Hopefully they'll be what you need!

 

[Kee]

Played today. I was ok with my ball striking, minus one blocked drive, a sideways iron shot and several thin wedges. The current state of my short game cost me too many shots to count, but I managed to break 90 (barely) from the old mens' tees. 2 birdies, 2 triple bogeys, that kind of day.

The greens at Woodland Hills are not easy, but my putting stroke will have to get a lot better before I can blame the greens.

 

[passedpawn]

Perhaps this is too personal, but what color are your balls, golfers?

I greatly prefer yellow or orange as I think they are much easier to see in flight and in the rough. If I buy balls, always yellow. Sadly, most of my balls are white because I live off "found balls", and they are predominantly white. I almost always walk when golfing, and I find a ton.

 

[mullet6577]

White balls here. Colored balls seem to distract me and lead to one more thing going through my head at address, which is NOT what I need. I also play a lot of "lost and found" balls, and have for most of my life, so that could very well have something to do with it. About the only time I would prefer a color is overcast skies that seem to mask the white. Even then I hit it and hope my estimate of landing spot is at least somewhat accurate.

My Dad has started playing orange or yellow balls as he gets older and his eyesight is getting to where he can't see white balls very well.

 

[beersk]

White balls here. When Bubba Watson started making yellow balls popular again I chuckled. I always thought, "Those are what used to be shag Top Flites!" Now they're making ProV1's in freakin yellow and orange. Funny how perceptions change...

 

[Kee]

It makes sense to use a yellow or orange ball, but I can't, at least not yet.