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Sorry for the length. My experience at Southern Hills is complete. It wasn’t a round of golf but rather an unforgettable experience. As soon as you get to the main gate you are greeted by an attendant in a suit. You pull up to the bag drop and your car is unloaded for you, your bags are put on a reserved cart. You are directed to the men’s locker room and assigned a locker for the day. This was a locker room like no other! Once you are ready to roll and get back outside you are given a caddy. We did about a five minute range warm up and another five on the putting green. A little bit about the course conditions to start. The temperature was 94 degrees and it was windy. You had to wait between gusts to hit. The rough, fairway and greens were still at the tour conditions. In fact most of the tents were still up and a few were in the process of being taken down. Talk about fast greens! Glad we hit the practice green. The rough was about 4 inches deep but it was a soft airy type of turf. The ball would just disappear and you had to be right over it to see it. But if you found it you did not lose that much distance hitting back out as long as you came down on the back of the ball. Trying to sweep though was not an option. The fairways were fast as get out. I now can see why the Pro’s get so much roll. I’m a decent driver of the ball off the tee for my age but the distance increase was welcomed. You easily got another 25 to 35 yards. As an example on hole #13 a par five of 495yards I only had 200 yards left. The course layout was amazing. My only complaint was the sand in the bunkers. It wasn’t sand it was like very small stones. It’s hard to describe but here is a picture. I’m good out of the sand but if you got one of those pebbles between the ball and the club you didn’t know where it was going. And it was all hard packed. The caddy was young but was helpful finding any balls that missed the fairway. Unfortunately some of his suggestions on what yardage to hit on lay ups was a bit off and his reading of the putts for some of the guys was just ok. After several holes I turned him off in my head and just trusted my own judgement. Then I was playing much better. The pars started coming and then a birdie thrown in here and there. This was a challenging layout to say the least. You had to know where to hit and how far to hit and take into consideration the roll you were going to get. On the first hole I learned what not to do. I hit a great drive but it kept on rolling, crossed the fairway and rolled in the fairway bunker. I learned the sand was not real sand and the bunkers are deep. You have to take your medicine and just get out. Now out and going for the green I only had 60 yards to green center. I hit a perfect lob wedge. High and right at the pin. It landed about 3 feet from the pin and the caddy said that was perfect. The ball was just barely crawling toward the cup then the wind picked up and now my ball was 20 yards off the green. Chip back up and two putt for a double. The second hole was the number 1 handicap hole and I made par which impressed the caddy. Not to mention I was pleased with myself after a rough opening hole. I got onto another par three and was the first to tee it up. I hit a great shot into the green and the ball sat about 15 feet from the pin. The other three guy hit but did not get on the green. Then another wind gust came and then my ball was gone. I get around the back side of the green and it was now 40 feet off the back. With the re-design of the golf course they rounded off all the greens to add challenge. Not fun for mere mortals. Another thing that was interesting. I never got to hit a 3 wood or a 5 wood all day. The par fives greens were so well guarded that going for them in two would be a life altering experience. The others in my group tried and failed miserably. I played smart, layed up and made pars. I don’t think I ever played a course with that many bunkers. As we got toward the end of the round I was looking forward to hole 18 after watching it on TV. I hit a great drive on 18 leaving 192 yards to the uphill green surrounded by bunkers. Last hole no guts no glory. I pulled my 7 wood and crushed it up onto the green 15 feet below the pin. My member friend said “in the 16 years I have been playing here with other friends and members, it was the first time he ever seen anybody on the green in two.” After finishing up I couldn’t have been happier with the day and the experience on the course. Let me say that the dining areas in the club house were nice and the food we had for dinner was amazing. I had a filet and it was probably one of the best I ever had (and I have been to a lot of good places). Let me say that this course was no joke. Placement of the ball was critical. The worst round shot in the PGA Championship was an 80. So my goal was to break 80. Did I do it? No. But I was so freaking close with an 81. There were a few doubles, some bogies a bunch of pars and two birdies. The front nine was rougher on the score card due to figuring things out and learning that the caddy was not always right. I shot a 42 on the front. The back 9 I did on my own and pulled out a 39. The yardage was 6306 with a rating of 72.2 with a slope of 134. I think if I got to play it again I could pull off breaking 80 there. My playing partners scores were 109, 101, and 93. The 93 came from another single digit handicapper.

Got a good hour long range session in today. Had a good sent coach too. Snapchat-76789908.mp4

Today was MGA day and the format was a Ryder Cup style game. 2 man teams, 6 best ball, 6 scramble, and 6 alternate shot. I was very pleased with my personal play today. Couple of oops, but good play all around. Played the 6 best ball holes at 2 over gross (1 under net). My partner and I came in at 4 under (net) for the round which gave us 4th place in our flight (flighted by tees played) which paid $0.00. After the round, we had a nice shrimp boil dinner for the MGA that was really good!

... OH Boy. I just received this email: Dear Mr Chisag, My name is Bradly Dickens III and I am counsel for Mr Colin Morikawa. While practice putting with Mr Scheffler and Mr Fleetwood it came to Mr Morikawa's attention that the possibility exists you might choose him in the upcoming British Open My Golf Spy contest. Further, Mr Morikawa was informed that Mr Scheffler missed the cut at the PGA when you chose him and Mr Fleetwood suffered the same fate at the US Open after you selected his name when many, many others were available to you. I am informing you we will bring the full legal weight of our office against you in a multitude of law suits if you insist on your reckless actions in choosing Mr Morikawa in the MGS British Open contest. Perhaps you should choose Mr Mickelson as no law suits would then apply. Your truly, Bradly Dickens III

These babies showed up a few minutes ago!

One of those days one would rather forget today. Front side I had 3 penalty strokes (1 OB and 2 unplayable lies) to come in with a 43. On the back, things got worse. First it was hot and muggy and the greens were slow. I couldn't seem to focus on my shot, either from the heat or some outside force (including a playing partner that constantly asked questions about his ball, game, etc)...In any case, I struggled all day, shooting bogey golf. Carded an 88. Better days tomorrow, one hopes!

Before the skies opened and I learned how hard rain could be again... I was even through 4 with a 25 footer for bird on 5 and killing in my match, being 5 shots and 4 holes up with strokes. Had chances, took one. Got the raincheck, the most important win off the round. Just have to keep the momentum going from time to time.

... And excuses. LOTS of them*. *examples: Working on a new swing Back/knee/shoulder injury New clubs Different shaft Need new grips Just started lessons and the old standby ... Drank too much!

Tied for 359th. Just where I wanted to be...

Tell ya what, a @Rickp win would be pretty popular... and that's coming from someone currently t-6

86 in a tournament yesterday. Not the worst, but finished towards the bottom. I hit 11 greens, had no lost balls, but had 40 putts. I just couldn't get the ball close to the cup on any putts or chips, and it felt like I was putting down hill all day. It seemed like every cup was in a little bowl or had a ledge right behind it. If I got the ball to hole and missed, it rolled out another 5-6 feet. If I eased it, felt like I only got it half way there. Had some squirrely drives as normal but hit great recoveries. Got froze out on two tees, including #1, by a cart girl not paying attention. I know I didn't play my best, but I have to say that while this would still be a top level public course, for a club it was a little dumpy. It used to be a resort that turned into a private club a few years ago. They have 36 holes, the course we played was designed by Bruce Devlin & Robert von Hagge in the 80s. The other course is Tom Weiskopf & Jay Morrish opened in the late 90s. There was a lot of bare spots in the rough, burnt out fringe around the greens, and crowned tee boxes.

Look at @Rickp... T-3. Because he's laid up, he probably had SWMBO make his picks.

Owen and I played the front nine at River Heights yesterday. It was encouraging in that it felt like we played badly but actually played pretty much to our normal recent scores. He was +8 and I was +12. We were allowed to play through a couple groups and I at least felt the pressure and was pretty wayward. My putting was atrocious. He birdied and I got my only par on nine, so we left on a positive note.

I splurged on Saturday tickets for the PGA. Gonna use the included food and bev for all its worth.

I purchased tickets for the 2023 PGA Championship, just attending on Saturday. It includes food and non alcoholic beverages. It says unlimited. Which begs the the question, Is it possible to consume the value of the ticket price in food and bev?

I gotta say, kind of hoping those new Edel irons do become a test, and that I’m settled in and can participate. Very intrigued.

Today's moving day for Team Fix! ... or at least I hope so .

NO because once he's on it's a bastard trying to get him off. Wrong. It's the fact I've got a head like a 5c watermelon!

There was a very cool barber shop not too far from my house, but when lockdowns started .. I'm in NY .. even though barbers got an "essential service" exemption it killed their biz... So I got a basic $20 trimmer which worked well for two years then burned out (rechargeable battery) .. then upgraded to a $30 plug-in model (Wahl) .. quick and easy and works great (or so I think - the wife says I should go see a real barber!).

I presently stand at 366th. Liking my chances.

There’s nothing quite like opening that Augusta green app on my IPad once every year. The soothing sounds of Jim Nantz flowing through my veins. The official start of Spring in New England.

Pfft. Only takes me 5. I don't know if I should be happy or sad about that...

I actually found a barber that fits this description around 5-6 years ago. Everything went really well with him until early 2020 when the hair on top of my head was thinning to the point that he was forced into a “comb-over” in order to keep hair up there. He told me that if he were to cut it any shorter, I might as well just start shaving it. We had a great talk that day, I left him a very generous tip, thanked him for the honesty and great talks, and I started shaving my head about two weeks later.

Personally I really Like the Titleist Aussie hats and have worn them for a number of years with good results. The white ones do get a little dirty, but I just spray a little shout on them and put them in the top of the dishwasher and as they say, "shout it away". Place them on a towel and let them dry. Have them in grey, khaki, white/blue, white/aqua, white/black. Picked up two of the new Charleston Aussie hats from this years line which are much lighter white/black and white/grey. They also fit those who have a larger head better than the regular Aussie hats. Here in Charleston, SC the heat index is already hitting over 110 these are a must. Makes my dermatologist very happy and me too. Here are the new ones I recently picked up.

20 years ago I would have answered an easy yes.

For sure. His game and being competitive is far from over but let's face it, there haven't been too many 50+ year old players making top 10's all season long. Also, as he stated in his interview, he's trying to shake a gambling disorder. While most don't look at this vice as being equivalent to many others, I think his recent decisions are heavily driven by this. I had hopes of watching him battle Stricker, Goosen, Langer, and others on the Champions Tour but that's a 50/50 proposition at this point. On another note, I really like seeing Brian Harman competing well. Don't have the stats but I think this may be his best season ever? I just like and root for the guy, what can I say.

@Berg RymanI will see you then my friend Joke is on them @MattWillGolf we can eat

Spent a good amount on tickets the last two days. Thursday it was PGA Championship Tickets for Wednesday in 2023, see you there @bens197, today it was tickets to go see Garth Brooks in Buffalo in July

Need to get my tournament attire for the summer in line (play a lot of veteran tournaments) so here we are:

Maybe this is what you needed

You bring another hat home cabron and there'll be trouble.

It sounds like you had a great experience at Southern Hills and that's a great score, Tom. To be able to get that low with those conditions is a testament of how good your game is. I'm glad you had a good time and I hope you have a safe trip home.

When you feel that it's 100% necessary to explain to everyone why I choose to use a Maxfli Tour X over a Chrome Soft..

What……. I thought I already won. I’ve been checking for deliveries every day.

Legitimate question why isn’t this in the spychat section that is for the hall of fame and I feel like this thread deserves the hall of fame marker!!!

Let me check for you, all I need is a copy of your driver's licence, passport, birth certificate, where you went to school and your first pet's name....

Some dickbag got my card info earlier in the week and I had to cancel my debit card. Got my new one in just waiting for them to refund my 400 bucks they got from me. I wish I could find the guy who did it so I could make him never want to do it again. $400 is nothing I’ve had it worse in the past when I had nearly 2 grand taken by a WOW player. If they let the red necks at em they wouldn’t do it again it would be like casino only the redneck way

I just need a 55 gallon drum hat for my humongous head. I hate trying to put on baseball caps cause they never fit unless it is fitted for my head and not one with straps.

It’s not just about a haircut but the environment, experience. I miss my old barbershop where is was as much a hangout and socialize place as it was a barbershop. I’ll pay for that atmosphere anyday

I wanted to address the "never get picked again" for one I don't really like that it is said. HQ doesn't decide who the testers are. We do as mods. At least it my eyes it is a bit off hand and doesn't give us enough credit to keep memberships honest feelings apart from the test selection process. I put a lot of hours into selecting testers and try to find a balance between new and older members. That being said something that is likely to change a bit is if you are a tester and have tested 5 straight seasons it is a good chance that this year won't be the year. We have such an influx of new members and new members who are contributing we need to give them a chance at testing and show what they can do. This isn't to say anyone who has tested 5 + times this year won't be selected, however we are making an effort to get more new testers involved. Add on top of this limited testing as well it makes getting newer members involved even harder. Again as we have been told we are to expect 20 tests this season. WIth 6 announced already that leaves us with plenty more to come. Although I have no insight as to what will come items I would expect (as they are site sponsors to my knowledge still) - Arccos - Puttout - Birdie Ball - Evnroll - Fujikura - Rapsodo - Honma - Precision Pro - Tommy Armour/Maxfli - Motocaddy Hopefully we see a few others like Ping come on. I am also hopeful that we could see the new Edel Irons come to testing, maybe the Sub70 659 series of irons and potentially other clubs. This was something we requested that we saw more club reviews and for a few less kit/golf balls. Whether this happens or not I don't know. The final note is if you have concers or questions that you may not feel should be posted on the threads, send me or one of the mods a PM. We are part of this community and want to help it grow. Maybe you have an idea that can help us or suggestion as how we can help improve the forum.

Well mijo, you don't take me anywhere but the golf course!

The secret is out!!!!

Sounds fun except the walking part ( for me) And I will debate you here old buddy you are more than a decent driver of the ball you crush it. You also crush your fairway woods. I will also say you had a great round for a first time on that course. I would also bet 2 to 1 that if you played that course a couple more times you could easily break 80 with your game. Even with a local caddie and a local player one has to get used to the lies you get in the rough and the texture of the traps for sure.

My ticket window for the 2023 PGA Championship opened up today. Checking with my buddy on when we want to attend.

You can add Maryland to that list...the laws here are just . Like a criminal is going to obey these laws...lol that's why they're called criminals... As for cutting my own hair...I tried to go stubble short once with the hair without telling my wife. She was not too pleased when I came home, LOL. I heard about it for a few weeks until I grew my hair out a bit (good thing my hair grows back quickly in the summer). Who would of thought that would be an issue, LOL MDGolfHacker

WINNER ANNOUNCED! 4 years later we finally have been able to select a winner for the 2018 Odyssey O Works Putter! Please say a huge congrats to

Judge. I order probably $90,000 to $100,00 in equipment a year for our pro shop. I realize that’s a small amount. But it keeps me in touch weekly with every OEM. So I have a pretty good grasp on which ones have inventory issues. In addition I talk to several of them regularly for MGS duties. In which case I’m often talking to people in position to expedite product for forum testings—for all the forums. I can confidently tell you supply chain issues are not the reason forum testing is lacking this year.

Read ‘em and weep….. My patience (because of my error) has been rewarded. Thanks Cody Varga and Jason Hiland!!!!