Leaderboard

... Last 3 rounds 69, 74 and another 69 today as I am really swinging well again. Driver has been very reliable and it can be my Achilles' heel. Still some run but not like winter when fairways are hard and fast. Just nuked my drive on 18 and pard said "easily 300 or more" but after laser measuring it was 284. I have been playing my LTDx Black driver last 3 rounds and it has produced several very long drives and hit every fairway but one in the bunker and to be fair two hit the side hills and rolled back into the fairway. But it has been my iron play with my MIM's that is setting up my birdies and had 3 iron shots inside 2 feet along with a 45 footer for eagle that left me a tap in birdie after a nice 4 iron from 205. Lipped out 3 birdie putts as well so could woulda shoulda ... ... After struggling the month of July with nothing close to par, I am gonna ride this hot streak as long as it lasts.

Didn’t get to play today… kidney cyst sclaratherapy

Sooo close.... Started last night with a bogey - not terribly disappointing because I was out of position off the tee and had to avoid trees with my second. Next hole is a par 5. Pushed tee shot which rattled in some trees and kicked out to the fairway. Long way left to go, but it was a good break. I was trying to hit second to the bottom of a valley that is about 100 yards from green to get a flat stance, but I cold-topped a hybrid, leaving me ~200 for my 3rd. Another hybrid that I pulled about 30 yards left, but was pin high with a clear shot. I was actually sitting on the edge of the ladies tees for the next hole. The grass was really thick and I could feel it grabbing the club hard on practice swings so thought I needed to give it a little extra. On the real thing, the grass didn't grab at all so I landed the ball in the middle of the green when I intended to land just on. I was left with about a 50 footer for par on the most severe green at this course with a very steep back-to-front slope. Putt 1: aim about 15 feet up the hill and hope I have the line and pace right. I played too much break and hit it too soft. Somehow it stops, leaving a similar sidehill putt. Putt 2: play less break, hope I hit it hard enough. Nope, it somehow stops 6 feet above the hole. Lip out putt 3 for a 4-putt! For reference, during the dry part of summer, it is not unusual to see guys putt it off the front of the green if they miss the hole with too much speed. Many guys commented after the round that they were shocked things were stopping on that hole. OK, so the 4-putt triple is out of the way. I proceed to bogey the next hole and am +5 after 3 holes. I then proceed to par the next 5 holes, including the two hardest par 4's and bogey the last thanks to another tee shot out of position. All told, ended up with a +6, but walked away very encouraged about my game. I had been hitting my irons like garbage most of the summer, but I sent @DiscipleofPenick a video from the range Friday night. He made an observation that I tried to implement when we played Sunday (with some success) and they were really pretty good last night as there was really only 1 somewhat sketchy iron, but managed to get that one up-and-down. All the rest were right at my target and solid.

41/45 86 but I felt I played better than the score. Only 33% fairways both front and back but what that doesn't tell is that only 4 were well off the fairway with one of those being OB. The rest were just off the fairway, inches to 2 feet, so my driving continues to improve. I was burning edges all day with the 005, so my putting continues to be my strength.

Wednesdays have been good to me. Last Wednesday I shot 76 and took first in our points dogfight. My points went up however I shot 74 today and won again. Them old boys at my course said they are going to take away my Cleveland clubs because since I've been gaming em their pockets are getting lighter.

I went to Flagstone today to play nine holes and see how my stamina would hold up after dealing with Covid this week. I can't say I played to bad considering I'm still not up to my usual amount of energy and the fact I was rushing a bit considering the heat index was brutal. I shot 56 with 16 putts, that's with one 3 putt and a 4 putt from 14 feet on 5. I made up for that a little bit on 6 by sinking an 18 footer from the fringe. Overall, it wasn't a bad day. My driving was mediocre, iron play was pretty good, my chipping was horrendous (way too many two chips), and my putting was its normal self except for the 4 putt. I lost two balls on errant drives that led to a couple of 8's on par 4's and I feel like if I could have cleaned that up, I could have shot better. I just got gassed and was trying to hurry up and finish. What I'm proud of is the fact that I was sticking to a better pre shot routine and was hitting the ball better from the fairway. It wasn't perfect, but it was progress and I'm happy with that. I did manage to make par on the par 5 6th hole from a really bad spot. My drive was a pull hook that landed between tee boxes on 5. I hit decent 5 wood to the left edge of the fairway, I then hit a great 3 wood 30 yards short. My next shot was a chippy wedge that landed a hair long and left of the pin just off the fringe. I hit the 18 footer into the heart of the hole for the par. I feel like I've still got a long ways to go to get my game where I want, but am happy with being able to pull out some good shots today. I'm fairly tired after the round, but it was a blast getting out and playing.

I have played everyday this week since Sunday. Been working on some equipment changes on the bottom side of the bag Now I have not played vintage this week but have been concentrating on equipment changes on the bottom end of the bag. A friend of mine who is a Titleist staffer gave me a brand new in the plastic a SM-5 L grind 58* wedge. I fell in love with it. Got to looking through the stash and found a SM-4 50* in good shape, Suspect it was from either my late friend Little Bear or my other late friend Wild Willie. Anyhow played it Monday and made adjustments Monday afternoon. Bumped it up a notch to 51* mainly for some extra bounce. Worked out good and both wedges have outstanding feel. The main change was in both the putter and my technique. I had been studying Faxon Pavin and Crenshaw. Had went back 2 weeks ago to a Bulls Eye that I love everything about. Fellow MGSer Motoboss and I had discussed round putter grips on the putter thread. Got into the stash and found 2 NOS Lamkin round leather wrap grips. Put one on the Bullseye. Putted lights out with the Bullseye last Saturday. I also adopted my own style with the thing. Line up on the ball relax my hands and open the left side some. I do not worry on the mechanics any do not know if sometimes I wrist stroke or pop stroke it all I knows it has a good chance of going in. Played 18 early this AM and it was rough. Course wet from dew plus they have started mowing in earnest. Kinda like raking hay in the fairway. No roll at all and the roughs are plush and ankle deep now. I played 1 ball and played the ball down. Did ok shot +3 (75) with no birdies but several lip outs which at least I am hitting the hole. Had some up and down par saves. Really without any roll it was tough into some of the par 4s. But had to get creative some when I caught the edge of the rough. On hole it was deep and if I was in the fairway it would have been a float cut 9 wood or a stout 6 iron. I had to hit a low cut 4 iron flyer that got hot over the green. Where I ended up I was lucky to get it down in 3. But I went back to my game plan and plotted myself around the course. I have been getting caught up lately too much in the Scramble mode. This week I am going to put on my binders and go back to playing my game. One of my partners will not like it but to heck with him. He had something smart to say last week about the Bullseye. I snapped my Stu growl back at him and told him not to worry about what was in my bag worry about what was in his. I do not think he has ever seen a Bullseye in the flesh. He is right before me kicking him to the curb. Supposed to play tomorrow Good Lord willing. Since I have been on my little golf marathons I have dropped weight again and have loosened my back up feeling pretty well

Had a lovely nine holes and a new record for me. 9 holes zero lost balls! It included a par on a long par 3 over water. I hit into a bunker just short of the green. Out of the bunker in one to 4 feet and made the putt for par to record a sand save.

I tried the Maxfli Tour and liked them VERY much so I ordered 2 more dozen of the yellow as the local store did not have them. Bad thing the 2 for 60 deal was off but I had to have em...

Never are all 4 facets … mental, tee, iron and short game … of golf are on the same page. Rarely all 3 and we’re lucky to have 2 on the same page. And yet we keep striving for it and to get better. True story, a good buddy of mine brought his dad for golf with us one morning. His name is Woodrow and likes to put blue golf balls into play … he’s also a pastor at a local church. On a Par 3, he hit a high tee shot that we lost sight of on the horizon with the sky, was likely short of the green and his dad was having a bad round overall. Without even thinking and looking to lighten up the mood and joke a bit, I said “Ahh man, maybe morning golf and blue balls just aren’t your thing, Woody.” My buddy Brad and his dad stopped mid step after my comment, looked at me, looked at each other and both burst into laughter. I realized what I said afterwards and I honestly never laughed so hard in my life.

I've approached the last three rounds focused on my long-term swing changes. Thankfully they aren't too big of changes at this point, and I'm seeing good results. Some of my old habits still came back throughout my last couple rounds, especially when I try to reach back for "something extra" on the ball from time-to-time. Two hooked tee balls leading to two penalties over the last two days being the result! Still scores were good: 39 38/36 -> 74 Besides the double caused by the tee ball this morning, I cancelled out three bogies with three quality birdies and had some good looks at a few more birdies that didn't fall. Hit some really, really solid shots and it feels good to see my driver start to cooperate with me which means the changes in what I'm doing are right. Hit some monsters today despite it being very wet and shaggy in most spots. According to ShotScope my best today were 281, 287, 293, 299 (uphill beauty, maybe the best drive of my life), 309 and 318 (downhill).

... Well the Maxfli is a durable ball as I found out playing one Maxfli Tour for 36 holes. I always start every round with a new ball but decided to try and play a 2nd 18 with the same ball. I could not get over the feeling I was playing a range ball because it looked pretty ratty after 18 but admittedly it continued to perform. I will still start every round with a new Maxfli Tour but good to know they hold up well. Fwiw I re-applied the magic marker red/black after 18. Picture below is after washing it off:

Owen and I played the back nine at River Heights today. Owen had a couple sleeves of Vice Pros in the ice blue color. He wasn't a fan, so he gave me a sleeve to try today. After playing the yellow balls yesterday this was...not a step in the right direction, lol. Overcast morning meant that this ball was lost almost every time I hit it. Color notwithstanding, I actually really liked this ball. First hole was a disaster for the both of us. We each put the tee shot in the water and wound up with triples. On eleven we both hooked our tee shots but mine hit a tree and bounced to just in front of the green. Double for him, bogey for me. Hole twelve is a short par four. He had an eagle chip that just missed for a tap in birdie while I had a birdie look and carded bogey . On thirteen I clobbered my drive 265 and hit a short iron pure, but since I was aiming for my recent pull I wound up on the green but a ways away. I put it close for an easy par. On fourteen I had a poor drive but a good recovery and had a decent look at a par putt. This is the only hole at River Heights that I haven't gotten par yet, and I choked it; bogey. Then I fell apart...triple double double with three putts on each. Hit a drive 275 that rode the treeline and ran forever. On all three I had to punch out at some point with my 7 iron and I came to the realization that 90% of my 7 iron use is for punch outs and bump and runs and other non-full-swing shots. Nothing to add to that, it just seems odd. On eighteen after a decent drive I decided to actually swing my 7, which I pulled left into the trap. Chipped it into the green and had a decent par look but the putt broke at the end for a tap in bogey. Owen wound up +6 and I had a +14 50. Seems like day to day I'm good at one aspect and terrible at another and I never know which will show up!

Pulled pork got pulled and wrapped got a nice bark on it. Time to let it hit temp then pull it

... Probably getting a kick back because yellow Maxfli's do not get the 2 for $60 deal available for the white balls.

I saw the price... it's a nice set of irons, we'll say that much.

My Skillest coach has me working w an alignment stick to prevent me from pulling the club too inside on my intitial take away. The drill was to hold a stick while I’m holding the club and keep it touching my body until it’s at P2 and then clock the wrists so it’s pointing at my target line. I went ahead and drilled a hole into the butt of the grip just large enough so I could fit the stick in there. You basically make a three quarter swing and follow thru. Can’t chicken wing it or you’ll wack yourself w the stick. So far so good. Been working on this drill for the past week. Unfortunately I’ve been neglecting my short game practice and that bit me today. Golf…

I’m a BIG Detroit sports fan, so “Another One Bites the Dust” is a favorite song of mine (Detroit Lions victory song when I was a kid), and is representative of my relationship with drivers, so today that song played again as I made a switch from the Stealth to a Ping G425 LST 9* with a Speeder 661 TR shaft. I’m not going to be effusive about numbers BECAUSE of my history, but I did see what I was looking for, so I hope it translates on-course. Here’s a link to info on the Speeder TR https://fujikuragolf.com/woods/speeder-tr

I'm starting to feel better after a couple of days dealing with Covid. My fever is gone, not as congested, and I'm finally able to breathe out of both nostrils. Right now the only bad things are, I can't taste anything and I think I'm dealing with Nyquil hangover cause I'm a little off balance when I stand up sometimes. The bad thing is, the whole house is dealing with it and they're a day behind on symptoms from where I'm at. My wife is pretty beat right now and is trying to get some rest. I'm about to go stir crazy and considering getting in some time with nature and a little white ball tomorrow. Sorry, @Yellow Ball DSG doesn't sell the four packs of MaxFli Tour in your color.

Not a horrible part of a round. Not great either. Got a bit too dark to see well by the time I got to 16, so I cut out a little early. Unfortunately that means I skipped the island green at that particular course. For just a little executive course it had its challenges. Lots of small greens and elevation changes. Weird to see a 75 yard par 3 and a 223 yard par 3 on the same course. Honestly the course wasn't in great condition, but it was near the hotel and I got most of a round in after work, so better than nothing. Looking at the positives, the swing changes have definitely been helping, but I need to commit to them more. Felt like I had a couple that I stayed back on and left short, then a few I hit well and flew the green by a large margin. I can tell I need to spend some additional practice time on the short game. Most of my little chip or pitch shots left me farther away than I wanted. Clean up that area and get more comfortable with driver, will be my next goals.

Yep it has not only the back deal but rebuilding my whole swing not to hurt myself. With reduced distance I had to revamp my mental approach too and learn how to plot my way around the course. Since I have started playing a lot my short game has returned. I also had to revamp on the equipment end by taking out the 2 and 3 irons and putting in the 7 and 9 woods in permantally. I had to teach myself some new tricks with those too. But yeah I think I have rounded the corner

Like you, I rode today. I figured with the heat it might not be the best idea to walk. I'm still recovering after being home for two hours. I was planning on getting out on the riding mower this afternoon, but I don't think I'm going to do that.

Did you walk or ride? The first couple times I played after COVID I was EXHAUSTED by the time I finished 9, even though I rode because of how hot it was.

Had already mentioned a few posts back … rcvd Shot Scope’s H4 in the mail ystrdy evening and my initial impressions are that I’m really going to enjoy this purchase. Was hesitant on the H4 for I didn’t think I’d be all that jazzed about the belt clip, along with its available hook … but I had no idea it attached to the belt clip via a nice strong magnet. And the tags are, IMO, way more aesthetically clean than Arccos and less obtrusive. Look fwd to posting my non-wind and non-cart path aided 335+ yard !

Some range work today alternating a little with slow feel swings,5, and then full speed, 5, with my 5i. did that 4 sets. Had to adjust my club alignment more towards the heel as i was getting toey. I can feel the lesson work slowly coming in. I still have some EE faults but they don't seem as extreme on video. While i am kind of disappointed with the 5 months of work i have put in, I know that it can take years to retrain the proper movements, so I am trying to keep things into perspective. then did some driver work and shaft testing with face contact and radar. Then did some short game work playing around with lofts from 58 down to my 7 iron at 32*. Wanting to give myself more options to try and get the ball closer to the hole. the past few weeks have had too many skulls with my higher lofted wedges so will only use those if the shot calls for a soft landing, carry over something or in the sand/pitch shot. Finally some putter work. was only working on distance control. Played a little game where from 20ft would see how many two putts i get. I was close to 90% and probably closer to 95% but didnt keep exact count. All i know is i maybe had 1 or 2 three putts. Then finished with some 6 ft putts around a cup and did this 2x. 90% success rate there. Making me doubt if i need the aids I just bought

That 2 up a side you were going to give me if we ever hooked up is creeping now to 3.

I am starting to re-think my desire to be there. Such aggression toward a little yellow ball! I'm thinking you guys bullied the smaller kids in school too.

All about the approach play. Tee game is important but GIRs are king

@yellowball will be happy to hear!!

Went on a golf outing last weekend and found two other players were gaming the Maxfli Tour balls. I just ordered two more dozen of the yellow. I wish they sold them in the 4 pack but they were not available.

im a degenerate

An order has been placed for a new bag. I got tired of fighting with getting clubs in and out of the 14-way top. (My buddy kept thinking I was mad but it was clubs getting stuck going in out. ) Forbthe first time a Ping Japan exclusive ticked all of the boxes. I walk with a pushcart most of the time and ride occasionally.

Really mixed bag yesterday out at Southern Oaks. Started out with an easy par thinking I was pretty much the only person on the course, but then on 2 I find myself waiting on a foursome. "Not a big deal. They'll finish up and let me play through on the next hole or maybe #4." It was a nice thought... Without getting into all the details of what took place, these guys were part of a larger group of 11 and must have been playing for money - at least I hope they were for as long as they were taking. I wouldn't work my way through all of them until the 14th hole and would go from hot to cold and back numerous times on the front to shoot 49 gross/48 net. "It's going to take one heck of a back nine to shoot in the 80's" I thought. Not impossible, but not likely based on the front. Well as it turns out, I would go bogey, EAGLE!!!, par, birdie, bogey, birdie, bogey, bogey, triple bogey for a 3-over 39! What a freaking ride! LOL Highlights of the round definitely came on the back nine par 5's: #11 is 553 dead straight and mildly uphill the whole way. I was 55 yards right of the green in two with a baked out lie and LW in my hand. The ball landed on the downslope just a few yards on and rolled, and rolled, and rolled... I honestly started thinking that it needed to stop before it ran all the way through the green, but then it turned towards the hole before catching the right edge! The other par 5 is #15 which sits at 523 yards on the scorecard and bends subtly to the left. Hit a great drive right down the middle but was 260+ out. I hit probably the best 3-wood I've ever hit from the turf; a towering fade that found the right side giving me a glimpse of hope for another eagle. I studied the break for a bit then stroked the 20' putt. I watched it track toward the hole before diving just a touch too far left. It lipped out and gave me a tap-in bird.

... I am a fan of hoakie, especially when it involves some charity. I would play a ball for more than 18 back in Chicago because everything is so lush and soft and a ball could still look new after 18 holes. But these sandy desert fairways just eat the cover off the ball. But a small price to pay for another 25 yds of roll in winter!

It's a shame they don't have the 2 for $60 deal on the yellow ones and it's even sadder they don't sell the 4 packs of them. I would have snagged them up if they did. I can't say I've ever played a yellow ball, but it's been pretty tempting lately. The MaxFli Tour is one of the best balls I've played in a long time. Love the feel off every club in the bag and most importantly I love the way they perform into the green. Hot one today from about 70 yards out and it stopped an inch from the ball mark.

Glad you are playing well, but even more glad that you are healthy enough to play everyday. I know it's been a long road for you after your accident.

KING Froged TEC are stunning looking clubs, I'd pick them over the X because I'm already a low spin player and like the slight more traditional lofts. I'd be testing to see how the latest generation of the hollow body players distance iron has improved over the last couple of years, and specifically compared to my D7's which are going on 3 generations old. Christopher / Spokane Wilson D7 Forged 5.1 Absolutely

Sounds like the ventus is better overall as long as the ventus isn’t ballooning or knuckling. Would be easier to see what’s going on with numbers but carry is always king because it can be relied on I agree. I would focus on the swing and course management

Stop messing with the driver. While not a lot of data to analyze, your problems lie elsewhere.

Ugh, Srixon is killing me. They emailed to say they ran out of my grips, putting the last ones they had on my other irons. I've played the same grip my entire life and anything else feels foreign. Whatever, I'll take something different and deal with it. (Tour Velvet Full Cord are impossible to find right now). My other clubs could all use new grips so I went ahead and ordered more Z Grip Cords to match the new irons. After that I get an email saying they found more of my grip so they are putting them on! Good news, I'll cancel my order for the new grips. Then comes another email that they forgot to add the special instructions (logo down, two extra wraps under the bottom hand) to the work order so they were installed standard. The logo down isn't a big deal but grips feel tiny when tapered and I need those two extra wraps. So now they're removing the grips I want, hopefully without damage, and putting them on correctly. A higher up is now involved and is holding their hand throughout the process so I'm hoping they show up correct. The person I order through says Srixon is usually their best when it comes to order accuracy, guess they hired some new people and are working out the kinks. Hopefully the performance is so good I forget about the troubles I had getting them, haha.

Some initial impressions: Aesthetically, it's a lovely putter. The sound is dense, solid, and muted. I had no significantly trouble adjusting to the longer grip and armlock setup. My standard grip is slightly left-hand low. So I took my normal grip and the protruding end of the Midlock grip set on my arm as intended. I do find, however, that the longer putter brings back a bad habit I have at setup, which is to get my weight a bit toward the ball, almost using the putter as a crutch. This leads to all manner of issues with the start of my backswing. Curiously, the more I think about the armlock and the mechanical stroke, the worse this gets. The more I get comfortable with it and just putt normally, allowing the putter to do it's part in keeping my stroke stable, the better the results. I did some testing with my Hackmotion sensor last night. For those who don't know, it's a device that measures change in wrist angles during the stroke. For a putter, the "ideal" is to keep quiet wrists, so a "perfect" score would be to keep both flexion/extension and ulnar/radial deviation to 0. Here is a chart with about a dozen putts last night with the Midlock vs my previous session, which was with my Edel: As you can see, the numbers with the Midlock are noticeably better. I've taken it to the course for nine holes so far, with limited practice. My first putt with it was from off the green, and I holed about a 25 footer. Otherwise, the results were kinda meh. I had two three putts from 25–30', where I left the first considerably short. This is not an uncommon story for those switching to armlock putters.

I closed my ebay account when they started this crap. I use Craigslist and local Facebook yard sale groups, preferring local pick-up only when buying or selling. You obviously are not going to get as many potential eyes on your listings & it's going to take longer to sell, but you can be more aggressive with your pricing since you are not coughing up 13% of your sale.

Yeah sure does. I watched Michelle wie hit 300 up hill when she was like 16 out in AZ. She was easily 50 yards in front of anyone else I saw that day. I think the armature golfer can learn way more from watching these ladies as their swings are closer to what we swing rather than 95% of the male pro golfers. Rookie Henderson is like 5’6” and avgs 270-280 off the tee.

Must be the camera angle... you looked at least 6'2". As we all know physical size in golf matters not when it comes to hitting distance. Want a real whack in the testosterone willy... attend an LPGA event. Hell, for that matter, attend a Junior USGA event. It's enough to make a 6'2" 185 man cry.

Thanks Bryan! I really hope the taste comes back soon, my wife is a really good cook and I just hate the thought of everything being bland.

I was demoing some Ben Hogans and sent them back with the included return shipping label just before the news hit. Was a shame, because I was close to pulling the trigger on a blended PTxPro/Icon set. Even with my high handicap, I hit them incredibly well. Low and behold, the FedEx guy brought the package back to me today - returned, undeliverable. So I guess I bought a UiHi 4 Iron, an Edge Ex 7 iron, a PTx Pro 7 iron, and a 56 degree wedge for the $25 trial fee?

Played yesterday afternoon with @MaxEntropy at a course a little out of the way. The weather was great, but I had hoped that on a Sunday afternoon would be less crowded, but it was an almost 5 hour round anyway. I shot an 81 as I f'd up the last hole but played pretty solid the rest of the day. Just a 3 or 4 squirrely shots. I told myself if I could shoot my handicap or better (which would have been <78) I would register for the last section tournament this year. I kept that score out of my mind as I didn't realize that until I got home that if I would have birdied the last hole, I would have 78 on the number. I am sticking to the process and continuing to get confidence back. There's still a few more months of golf left so gonna keep it going.

Thanks! I tried my best not to get too frustrated with myself for the penalty and kept my cool better than I have recently. Resigning myself to committing to changes and scores being what they may be during that period is helpful. Otherwise I tend to get too wrapped up into the score and not the progress. (That being said, I probably hit another seven or eight shots this morning that were a bad mix of old/new swing, I just lucked out and missed in places that didn't hurt me too bad.) You'll like the H4, I think. I keep a rubber band looped around the clip and the device so it doesn't inadvertently fall out. You can still tag the club okay and read distances even with the band running across the middle of the screen. I like mine for the most part! (I will also go post my drive in the thread...)

Give me some of your millions you seem to endlessly use on your kiddo and golf

My son and daughter are expecting their second. Found out she has Spina Binfida, and had to go for surgery. They actually do a C-section, cut into the uterus and operate on the baby. They were able to clos the opening on the spine and get mom and baby put all back together. That was back in the beginning of June. The cerebellum has almost returned to the proper shape of a bowtie, and she has gained almost 2 lbs. Incredible what doctors can do today. They will have to go back to the Cleveland Clinic at 32weeks and she will have to stay there till they take our grandaughter by C-Section ( a second time). There may be some issues that my need further surgeries but everyone is optimistic. This is kinda got problem and kinda not post.