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Our very first grandchild arrived this morning at 3:30 a.m. Even though we have three kids, at our age we thought we'd never see a grandchild. Do you all think it's too early to give him this present or should I wait a bit (sorry for the sideways photo - can't seem to rotate it)

... Well, the Bridgestone B-RX balls that I won in a random drawing for filing out survey's for Golf DataTech finally arrived. They came in two pack promo boxes so I can't trade them for TP5's . But I certainly won't complain about 6 dozen free balls!

Srixon ZX 5 JDM irons on the way, open box. 5 - PW, Nippon 950GH Stiff (basically the same shaft as I play now). Did I pay a premium to get them early? Actually, no, i got them on a BF deal for lower than clearance price ZX 585 sets are going for.

And now with them all built up! Got to hit a bucket with them at the range, and ohhhh boy, now I really can't wait for spring! These puppies are absolute beauties. Apologies for the picture quality, it's a little tricky getting good ones in our apartment after dark lol. PW 7 iron (pic didn't want to rotate for some reason) 4 iron

5000ft above sea level on a rock hard golf course with the distance average only being measured on two holes... Impressive nonetheless but environmental factors played a huge role in it. Sent from my Pixel 2 using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Got out for 14 holes this afternoon before darkness and the coolness sat in. You could not have asked for a better November 20th day of weather, sunny skies and temps in the upper 60's and no winds. Played in short sleeves until the last three holes. Really good stuff with the driver today. I didn't use the Rapsodo as the course was packed and we had people right behind us. But did use the SX500 to capture most drives. Had a long of 226 and a short of 179 and that was a tragically poor swing that result in deadly duck hook that ended up in a fairway bunker. Most were in the 196 to 210 range, which again is a bit longer than than my TS1 and just as importantly as the TS1 is they were all fairway finders. Even a couple over the top low heel shots that didn't fly high but still managed to get out there around 190 to 195. My playing partner who is a died hard PING guy hit it on several holes and really liked the sound of it, and he hit one 246 and he usually lives in the 222 to 235 range. We also tested it out with these

I know I haven’t been around much lately, I’m sorry about that. I know I can depend on you guys for thoughts and prayers. Last night we lost our clubhouse due to a fire, it’s a complete loss. Just another notch in the 2020 belt. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Guess what the FedEx guy delivered today Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Cold when we teed off and never really warmed up all that much. I didn't play well, at all. 44/40. Had 3 doubles on the front (one due to an OB and another due to ball lost in water). Another double on the back. Sigh. Just one of those days. Played with my usual 4some, which has a lot of smack talk prior to and during our round. We switch partners every time we play. I had commented that my partner and I could bring our C games with us and still beat them. Little did I know that both of us did, in fact, bring our C games. We did win, as our opponents also played with their C games. Handicaps in our group are 4,6,7, and 9, so we're pretty competitive whoever we team up with. Lot of trash talk makes for a spirited game

No experience with their wedges, but @Popeye64 built me a TS2 7 iron to try out. I was really enjoying it... and then I was picked to test the Wilson D7 Forged irons. I'd probably have a set of TS2's in my bag if it weren't for the D7's.

I went out this morning to play; absolutely beautiful sunny day with only a slight breeze. Today was our annual Turkey Trot tournament, but it was canceled... no large gatherings allowed. The tournament was for Thanksgiving at the Mission so we brought a frozen turkey and canned goods. I was going to post this in the How'd you play? thread, but it ended up being a practice round instead. The course was packed!! My wife and I were stuck between two foursomes, and the pace was sloooow. I waited on every shot. At the 2 hour mark for the front nine, we still had 2 holes to play. I knew it would be slow since every other Friday is Hanford Friday Off work, and with this weather I think EVERYONE was off. I knew it would be slow, so I used the extra time to hit multiple shots at certain locations I know very well. Driver was fine, but lower flight than I like; irons were OK but temps were in the high 40's so the ball didn't carry as far as I thought it should, so came up short a few times. Chipping and putting were good. I'm playing tomorrow; similar weather but a few more clouds and 6-7 degrees cooler.

I was able to get a small bucket in during some crazy wind gusts so I tried to focus on lowering my ballflight if I could. Narrator voice: He couldn't. I also was able to dial in the Bertha Mini. I left it at the stock 14* and moving it over to the D setting gave me really nice penetrating, pretty straight flight. And best of all? NO GARBAGE SHOTS. Period. Every single thing I hit after the first few shots when I was trying to figure out tee height and ball placement would have either been in the fairway or just off of it. I cannot wait to get out there Wednesday to play 18.

All good points for sure. Almost everyone truly IS still in the playoff hunt. From the strong arm standpoint, just wanna remind everyone that the commisheses notice people who give up. It’s impacted the playoffs for the past 2 years and those owners weren’t invited back. From an owner’s point of view, this has been a really HARD season for fantasy football. We all thought COVID would’ve affected the schedule/players more than it did but no one could’ve predicted how many football injuries would’ve wrecked the leagues. It’s been crazy and super memorable at the same time.

FYI scammers are catching on to Instagram contests and reaching out to users who signed up for contest with a fake profile. Got contacted this morning that I won a head cover from Swag Golf. When I click the link it takes me to a movie site and they say they are partnering with the film site to get my info lol. The poor grammar gave it away immediately but just letting everyone know to be aware. Report them to Instagram for being spam. Apparently the official Swag Golf Co put a notice up on twitter about it as well.

Nice delivery this morning. Now if the weather would cooperate. Sent from my SM-A102U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

im up to some shenanigans that should at least give me honorary status in the upper echelon of CHA.

They are awesome mastiffs(generalization of breed) like said they like to do things. My hunting dogs like to hunt and aren't destructive when I'm not home at work. I'd you can provide the dog with time before and after work you can do okay. It will take time but at a year old positive reinforcement will help finish house breaking.

Primarily practiced putting indoors. Self identified a flaw with my right arm during setup, fixed that and the pulls went away. All of a sudden could putt well with all the putters in the collection.

Oh, for sure. I just wanted to mention I've tried the kicked in knee with full swings (that's what I get for reading the internet) and it was not kind to my right knee.

i didn’t miss it, i was just expounding on why he shouldn’t take it past an easy partial swing, that’s all. definitely a good drill to engrain a feel.

No surprise, it's why you rarely see white hod rods .

Last night started the indoor chipping season. My stairs act as a ball return. Really focusing on my path because I was struggling this year with toeing off the green...really pissed me off... Also not being able to swing is getting old....Its only been a week since I had a minor surgery...chipping just doesnt give you the fix.

Those are very good balls. Our rep gave me a “bag full” of them when we played together a few weeks ago.

Was a nice day And got the lights up (no gloves needed this year!) I love a good Christmas light setup!

Oh what did FedEx Santa leave me under the tree? Wow! First impressions on this club are out of this world. I’ll do a full write up on first impressions tomorrow or Monday, but unbiased opinion this might be the best looking hybrid at address I’ve ever stood over. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Was researching some JDM clubs and randomly came across some "user instructions"

Any difference in the JDM heads from usdm? I wanted to buy the JDM MP-18s when I was in Japan a few years ago because the badging is different, lol. I'm like a golf and car JDM hipster snob it's disgusting

The i95 stiff is the same shaft Brandt Snedeker had used since 2018. As mentioned the steelfibers play stiff to flex and have a boardy feel for most. It’s actually what caused Matt Kuchar to go away from 110s and iirc why Snedeker went to the i95s voce the 110 and x flex. Also this knock is why Aerotech designed the FC version Not to sound negative but the chances of you having a successful testing period with them and if you are worried about cutting them them down used instead of new I would highly consider just selling them new

You're going to like the Exputt. I've learned that the lower stimps are harder for me than the faster speeds. I think that's because on a 7 Stimp I have to hit it harder, which means a longer back/forward swing, which means more room for error. Two nights ago I putted 10' fixed distance. At 7 Stimp I hit 44%, and at 9 Stimp I hit 64%. FYI, on 2019 PGA Tour, pros made 42.9% of 10-footers and 80.2% of 5-footers. That's with weather and reading breaks. We can't compare our indoor perfect condition make percentages to that, but it is somewhat of a benchmark.

Well, NZ doesn't have snakes, so they've got that going for them.

@silver & black cane corsos are serious working dogs. they need to be worked and exercised hard in order to keep them from destructive behavior. they can also be a little temperamental with other dogs. i think if you can do it on a trial basis at first, you’ll find out quickly if it will work or not. they’re gorgeous, incredibly loyal dogs though. hope it works out for you and for the pup.

Bryson is no longer the distance king. Wilco Nienaber averaged 416.5 yards off the tee in round 1 on the European tour. 85 yards longer than the average

Hit a small bucket (60 balls at this place) this afternoon, trying to move my body and arms decently through the swing and make solid contact with different clubs aiming at different targets. The real underlying goal.. was try to rebuild a little confidence after two verrrry disappointing 9 hole rounds during the past week. Semi successful .. wedges thru 8i all reasonably solid; couldn't hit the 7i for whatever reason(s); 5H ok-ish; 4W kinda 50-50 .. still hitting some too high on the face and out towards the toe a little. Gonna play tomorrow so we'll see how the confidence (and the aging joints) hold up!

And you are not even in your 70's yet!! Just wait. When I figure something out on the range, I've forgotten it the next morning. Good luck!!

That's a great way to put it! The more I use the OW the more sensitive I get to how it's trying to help guide me towards a "correct" swing.

Hope the weather holds out for ya! We are planning Friday

That’s the plan, not necessarily bigger,but for sure better. That clubhouse has been here since 1969, definitely needed an upgrade, but didn’t want it this way. Now it’s just a long road to recovery. Glad to see the OGs still here. Hope to be back full time soon! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I didnt have any sort of LM for data today, but judt eyeballing it, height seemed around the 78-82 feet that I’ve seen when i have the rapsodo. With the exception of those poor swings hit off the heel. Carry was tough to tell due to the landing areas on this course. I will say the longest one i hit carried a slope that i never seem to hit. It was a short par 4 of 299 where i usually hit it 190 to 195 and have right around 100 yards. Today was 226 and 64 yards to flag.

That's a bummer. Hopefully fully insured and the new clubhouse will be even better.

Can we start 2021 already. There have been too many tragedies in 2021. Lives lost, homes lost, people unemployed or displaced - it just goes on and on.

Honestly, I think you're going to have a hard time putting that together on the used market. C300 heads aren't super common and finding XP95 shafts that are +1/2" is going to be difficult as well. Have you already found the shafts? Otherwise you're looking at probably $150 to find used shafts + adding the extensions + new grips + cost to assemble the heads after you find them + lie adjustment. In my opinion it wouldn't be worth it. My guess is that you could safely assume that you could sell your shaft pulls on the BST here for $50 maybe $75 but then you will have shipping and PP fees so not a lot of money to be recouped there. If you're looking for a non-oversized or "smaller" head then maybe you should take a look at the sub70 model 699. You can order that new and have them made with the midsize grips to your 2° up & +1/2" and get them with the True Temper Elevate 95 shaft which I believe is pretty similar to the XP95 (lightweight, high launch, high spin). $498 for a 5-PW set with those shafts. Going to be hard to beat that price on heads, shafts, extensions, assembly, and grips plus you'll have new clubs. Someone with more shaft knowledge should chime in on shaft selection as the KBS Tour V 90 may also be similar and that would knock $60 off the price as that is a no charge option. Someone here with club fitting knowledge needs to answer that part or maybe go back and ask your fitter which of the sub70 shaft options would be best. https://www.golfsub70.com/sub-70-699-iron.html Otherwise, 2nd swing has some options with smaller heads with your shaft/flex. You could get one of these and just have someone add extensions. https://www.2ndswing.com/pv-1563338234-taylormade-m1-iron-set-4-pw-gw-true-temper-xp-95-s300-steel-stiff-right-handed-380in.aspx https://www.2ndswing.com/pv-1551716105-titleist-714-ap2-iron-set-5-pw-true-temper-xp-95-s300-steel-stiff-right-handed-380in.aspx https://www.2ndswing.com/pv-1467005212-ping-2015-i-iron-set-6-pw-gw-true-temper-xp-95-s300-steel-stiff-right-handed-blue-dot-3775in.aspx https://www.2ndswing.com/pv-1565029785-titleist-714-ap1-iron-set-4-pw-true-temper-xp-95-s300-steel-stiff-right-handed-3975in.aspx Edit: you can also order a pair of sub70 demo irons to try out for $20, although they won't have the elevate shaft in them but that should give you a good idea of whether the head shape works for you.

filling two bags is a serious chore. i’m just about done setting up my “main” or “home” bag and am starting to realize i need a setup for when i’m down in florida. i’ll likely do that in much the same way you are - hunting around for bargains and putting it together piece meal. that’ll be the bag i experiment with some club choices on as well.

Glad to see you again. Unfortunate that your clubhouse was lost. Hopefully everyone is safe and healthy.

I got what I think is a good a good deal from of all places, the PGASS. I've been looking to get hybrids to go with my 0211's, but I didn't want to spend the $200-275 new ones go for now. Well, the Superstore has the Cobra F9's on sale for $119 each. This is $50 cheaper than anywhere else for some reason. I went in yesterday and hit a used one, and liked it. This morning I planned on ordering the 3&4, but then decided at that price to get the 5 also. This used up almost all my gift card balances, but I'm thinking a 5 hybrid will be fun to mess around with. Not to mention, I'll have the 90 day playability, so why not? When I recently changed my irons, I kept my Rogue X hybrids in the bag. That was never going to be permanent however, as the plan was to keep a second set up on Long Island, and I want them to stay with my Rogue X irons. I also have two MD 4 wedges and Yes! Tracy putter in that 2nd bag already, so I'm getting there LOL.

On the plus side, the XP 95s are pretty common shafts. I would expect you can find pulls for reasonably cheap (not sure about +1/2" pulls though - and you need to consider the bottom bore to ground measurement of the C300s vs. whatever the shafts came out of, unless you don't mind adding some short extensions). Mike's Golf Outlet does buy back used shafts but you may have more luck selling on here, eBay or one of the other golf forums. The TSW wedges have gotten pretty good reviews around here. I have the M-Series+ wedges (the black DBM finish ones), they are good if they meet your specs since they really can't be bent.

Before I dive in, I’d like to thank everyone at MGS for the opportunity to be a tester here on the forums. I’m relatively new here, so having the chance to add to all of the great reviews the site is known for is something I’m really appreciative of. I’d also like to thank BirdieBall for supplying a great product. If they knew the unqualified hands it would eventually end up in, I’m sure they’d have sent one less over to MGS HQ. Too late now, let’s get into the review. My name is Joe, and I’m from Queens, NY. In addition to being new to the forum, I’m also really new to the game of golf. My dad picked the game up about 10 years ago, and I’ve been brushing him off for almost as long as he’s tried to get me out on the course. Finally, in July of this summer, with covid literally shutting down any possible excuse I could have given him, I tagged along to the course with his old set of backup clubs in tow. During the month of July, we played 23 rounds of golf. I’ve been kicking myself since then for not listening to him sooner. Despite being brand new to the game, I picked things up fairly quickly. I’m a life long athlete, so I really enjoy the challenge of learning any new sport. That’s not to say that there aren’t weak areas of my game. Putting is definitely one of those areas, and that’s why I threw my name into the mix for the BirdieBall PuttUp mat. First Impressions: Did I order a mini fridge?! The box that showed up was HUGE! To be fair, I’m not sure what size box I though was appropriate for a 4’ x 10’ mat, but I was definitely caught off guard. Quality of Components (10/10): Here’s everything that came in the box. It seems like a lot, but pretty quickly you realize that everything has a purpose, and the mat goes together really easily. I didn’t time it like @txgolfjunkie, but I doubt it took me any longer than 10 minutes to get everything set up. And that was with trying to convince my dog that the bumpers weren’t tug of war toys. It’s an oversimplification to say that the mat is really well made. Everything that came with the PuttUp was well designed and of high quality, even the mat brush was made of nice wood. The mat really looks and acts like a putting green, right down to the nap on the foam and the temporary depressions from footprints. Ease of use (10/10): Some of the other testers went in to detail about getting the mat to lay flat, so I’ll save you all reading that again. I rolled a few putts as soon as I set it up, and the mat was good to go right away. I decided to let it “settle” overnight and not get my first practice session in until the following day. That was probably unnecessary; I think this is basically ready to go right out of the box. Right away you can see what the mat is meant to do. The five holes set at different depths on the ramp are meant to simulate putts at various lengths. Now I’m no scientist, so I can’t say that the 14ft hole plays exactly like a 14ft putt, but I can definitely say that the longer targets required more pace than the shorter targets. Also, with the ramp removed, the holes all played shorter. So I think in that regard, BirdieBall lived up to their claim of allowing you to practice putts of varying lengths. Basic Characteristics (16/20): Let’s start with the good here, because there’s a lot of good. The PuttUp is a really well constructed putting mat. With the option of either leaving the ramp in or taking it out, the limits on the ways you can practice putting are really up to your imagination. I played around with short putts, long putts, breaking putts, gate drills, putting from corner to corner, basically anything I could think of. I settled pretty quickly into a practice routine. First I’d roll 10-20 short putts using my sand wedge, focusing on striking the middle of the ball, then another 10-20 from the same distance with my putter. From there, I’d scatter balls around the mat and hit five at a time to each hole. Once I made five in a row at one hole, I’d move to the next. For all the good aspects of the PuttUp, there are a few areas I took issue with. First of all, I think there are too many target holes. Five targets spread across four feet is pretty busy. Imagine looking down the line of a birdie putt, but three of your buddies are standing around the hole. A second issue that comes with too many holes is that the 16ft target is all but useless for righties, since you’re either standing off the mat, or half on and half off, depending on your setup. I ended up only putting to the 16ft hole from across the mat. I think three targets would’ve been a lot better. I could’ve done without the “challenge cup” which I barely used at all, and then BirdieBall could have targets at 12, 15, and 18 feet. In my opinion, you’d get the same desired effect with much less clutter at the target end of the mat. Like I stated before, I had the mat set up in my basement, on medium pile carpet. The other testers and I were discussing flooring in a group thread, and the consensus was that the mat works best on hard flooring. @WaffleHouseTour even built a base for his mat because it was going to be set on carpeting. For the sake of testing the mat under conditions that other people might find themselves in, I decided not to lay down a base under my mat. I can say pretty confidently that the soft carpet didn’t affect the roll of my putts at all. Everything rolled straight and true (unless I added break) and I had no issues with the mat bunching up. What I did experience, however, was that the mat tended to “walk” over the course of a practice round. From me walking around on it, retrieving balls and setting up different putts, I’d find that the mat would end up several feet from where it started over the course of my practice session. This wasn’t a huge deal for me, I’ve got enough space where the mat is set up, but for someone with more limited space setting this up on a carpet, constantly moving the mat back into position could be a little annoying. My final, and smallest, issue with the mat has to do with the little plastic flags that go in each cup. On one hand, they’re great because you don’t have to bend down and pick your balls out of the cup. But on the other hand, I had this happen to me enough to make note of it here: On Course Performance (25/30): The five point deduction is mainly because this still largely remains to be seen. I’m writing this review a few days before I likely play my last round of golf until the spring. From what I have seen on the course, though, my putting is much improved. As a high handicapper, touch on the greens was a big struggle for me this season. I had a lot of three putts where I left the first putt way short then blew the second putt five feet past the hole. In the rounds since practicing with the PuttUp, I’m three-putting way less, and my lag putting has improved tremendously. Also, my comfort level with the putter in my hands has gone way up. I can attribute that to the hundreds, if not thousands of reps I’ve logged over the last six weeks or so. Without the PuttUp, that would’ve been a few dozen lazy putts on the area rug in my dining room. Miscellaneous (10/10): BirdieBall did an awesome job of getting these mats to us FAST. I think I had it within a week of being selected for testing. They also paid a lot of attention to little details as well. Included in the box was crazy glue to make sure the flags stayed secured to the cups, instructions for maintaining the mat, and a very nice brush for keeping it clean and rolling true. I can also say that the PuttUp has made me a better, more thoughtful husband. Since I have the mat set up right in front of the laundry room, i've been offering to help change out loads and fold clothes a lot more. A golf-related purchase the wife will love? Can't beat that. Keep it or trade it? (18/20): I’m definitely keeping the mat. The only reason I’m taking two points off is that now I have to build a base for it. The mat has a permanent home in my basement. Other than that, it fits perfectly where I’ve decided to set it up and it allows me to spend a lot of time working on my putting at home. Conclusion: The PuttUp definitely lives up to the claims from BirdieBall. It’s a well built, quality putting surface that allows you to practice a wide array of different putts at home. If you’re limited on space, this might not be the mat for you, as it’s pretty big. But if you’ve got the room to spare, then you can’t go wrong here. Final Score: 89/100 Thanks for reading along! I'll update this thread as I continue to practice all winter, and definitely come the spring when i've got more on-course feedback. Feel free to shoot me any questions!

i’d be careful here promoting an internally rotated hip position and attempting to apply any force to a valgus knee. as an aid to achieve a certain feel it’s probably fine but i wouldn’t apply any significant force as it’s a very weak position for both the hip and knee joint. edit: i’m aware this position occurs naturally in the swing (back leg in the downswing, close to impact and sometimes front leg in the backswing), but it’s a position your body passes through on its way to a more structurally solid position. my caution is against setting the hip and knee that way and loading against it.

Correct. Normally this is something I'd DIY but I'm being really lazy (and, no table saw to cut plywood). Plus the new "pro" version can be setup to accommodate flared feet, which is what I do. Crude sketch of how I feel my pressure: Here's an older face-on still illustrating the downswing fault I'm hoping to fix: I have a quite soft front side and you can see how much I'm already pivoted onto the left heel. I never really "post up" on the left leg and you can see how I need my hands to save the shot.

Let’s face it though. The majority of sports watchers are going to pick football over golf most of the time. I bet If Tiger Woods was about to win jacket 6... those numbers would look a little different.

... This is a mantra perpetuated on WRX from high index players looking for an excuse to play MB's. If you are shooting 3 pointers and missing the rim, moving further back to make it more difficult is not going to help your accuracy. If you are missing pitches or fouling them off, moving to a wood bat is not gonna make you a better contact hitter. Of course if you are already pretty good at these things, fine tuning by making it more difficult is a viable option. I taught a wide range of golfers full time for 5 years. I learned teaching golfers of all index's, ages and athletic abilities that it is really very simple. Make it as easy as you possible can. For the vast majority of golfers, making bad swings, making poor contact and hitting bad shots will not improve by moving to a more demanding club AND hitting shots even worse can really do a physiological number on your head. Success courts success and failure courts failure. ... That said, we are all individuals and all of us are different so there are always exceptions.