thechrisgibbs

I really appreciate all the kind words here! It's been a blast and I'm not going anywhere. Just gonna be a pleb like @MattF mentioned!

The past few year, I've been able to drive my handicap down from 15+ to 5.6. I find that having a home sim setup allows me to keep warm in the winter which has been really nice. I really do want to get down to a scratch level of golf. I've never broken par on an 18-hole round. The issue I've been finding to be holding me back the most is ball striking consistency. Here's the situation: My mental game has been excellent and allowed me to keep scores under 80 by maximizing scoring opportunities and playing smart golf. The worst part of my game is actually approaching the green. I was fit for irons and am thrilled with my current setup. The real issue is ball striking. Day-to-day, I find I strike the ball from the toe one day, the heel the next, thin another day and occasionally fat. What's the best drill you've used to get more consistent? I've tried a few things, but I won't list them here in case someone else stumbles upon this thread looking for even the most basic drills.

Well I'm on my way! Hit 5.8 handicap as of yesterday! The best part is my top rounds have all been my most recent rounds so I'm making huge gains towards the sub 5 handicap stretch goal I set for myself at the beginning of this Strokes Gained journey. A few things to note, this was my best 'Around the Green' round I've had, period. The thing to note here is my drive was a little off this round, and I shot 1 over at a municipal course. My approach game was iffy, BUT I put a lot of shots right next to the pin on my chipping game which is often when I struggle. I've put a lot of effort into my approach and around the green game as those are areas I struggle with the most. It's definitely paying off. Credit where credit is due, I'm using the below Mod 1 wedges from More Golf. When I first watched a few reviews on them, I thought they looked gimmicky as they look different than any wedge I've ever had in the bag. The truth of the matter is that they are not gimmicky at all. They spin aggressively, are extremely repeatable, and are phenomenal out of the rough. Going to have to do a full review of the Mod 1 wedges for the forum soon.

I actually just bought this guy with these specs! Hoping to get it this year with lead times and such haha. I hit my 4 Iron 230 on the fly, so this fills the 250 slot between my 3 wood and 4 iron. I hit it best at the PGA SS with the weights forward at 17* of loft. Went with old reliable for me, the Project X Catalyst 80 X-Stiff shaft. This is going to replace my 2 iron (P790) and 2 hybrid (Callaway Apex Pro 19) that are currently in the bag. I typically only play a sand wedge (no lob), but I'm toying with the idea of changing up the wedge game a bit and sitting my 2 iron on the bench.

What's up, Vandyland! I use my simulator every day. My wife takes a bath at night and I go to the sim in the garage and get in at least 50 swings. My handicap has dropped from 11.4 to 6.2 this year, but I've been doing a lot outside of just the sim sessions in the garage. The skytrak is exactly what I felt on the clubhead 9 out of 10 strikes. The occasional no spin shot that goes 10-20 yards long is fine. I just delete the shot which is easy and understandable as I don't mark my balls. I love the the sim setup though. My wife thought it was absurd spending $4K on my setup, but it gets my friends over to our house more, gives me something to get my golf itch out, and really is fun for her to try out too!

Ebay gives me anxiety now. I am so paranoid I'll accidentally buy counterfeit equipment. I'm even stressed about counterfeit golf balls hitting the market in the future too with the shortage in urethane right now.

As some people have seen in the news recently, 10,000 counterfeit golf clubs were seized in a raid in China. This isn't even close to the first encounter we've had with counterfeit clubs. In fact, Rick Shiels did a REVIEW of a 'Taylormade M6' driver he order off a well known site called Wish. What were his findings? The club looked close, but the numbers on his GC Quad were pitiful. He was getting distances and sound you'd expect from a $50 driver you can buy at Walmart, not the dead-inside power you get from a real Taylormade M6. So what does this mean for the golf industry? It's hard to say. Fake clubs are getting better and better, and with shipping delays and prices continuing to climb, they may become more and more prevalent. My questions for the forum: Have you had an experience with counterfeit clubs in person? Would you ever buy a fake brand-name club? What are the implications for the used golf club market? Golf Week article: https://golfweek.usatoday.com/2021/08/16/busted-nearly-10000-counterfeit-golf-clubs-seized-china/

At this point in the review process, I am extremely proficient at inputting the data. I either walk with my push cart or ride. The only time I could see it being a hassle to have your phone with you is if it was cart path only. One thing to note, the data in 18Birdies from your previous round will all be aggregated to give you pretty interesting details. Your past rounds won't affect the strokes gained rating is a more detailed record of your actual shots. The best part about the strokes gained function is that you can look at your game holistically against people your same skill level or other players of any skill level. I really like looking at my skill vs. scratch players.

Does the leading edge of your club ever get stuck in the turn though? I find I hit balls fat if my shaft is leaning too far forward.

For my first two years of playing golf, I basically only did flop shots. It actually really hurt my ability to read green speeds on bump and runs because I only knew of flop shot turf interaction.

So I think the best example of the high-end shaft vs. a stock shaft in a driver is the Aldila Rogue line. Context: Aldila Rogue is the current most winning shaft on tour. The shaft in most of the bags? The Limited Addition Aldila Rogue. A year after they dominated on tour, they introduced the Aldila Rogue Black (mid-launch, low spin) and the Sliver (low-launch, low spin). Both the AD Black and Silver come in different weight and tipping specs. These driver shafts can all be spec'd at no additional cost for most of the biggest OEM drivers (SIM, Epic, TSI, Ping, etc.). If you want to play the exact same driver as the pros though, the Limited Addition Alidila Rogue is gonna set you back an ADDITIONAL $800. To start, most amateurs don't have 115 MPH+ driver swing speeds. As well, most people actually look at increasing forgiveness which notoriously goes away wen you have a low spin driver shaft. So is the $800 worth it for you? No, probably not, and here's why. The Aldila Rogue Silver gives extremely similar launch and spin characteristics as the Limited Edition. The reason players use the Limited Edition on tour is likely because they're not paying for it. The Silver 125 MSI during testing gives ever so slightly less consistency. Are you gonna tell that your club gave you 2500 RPM vs. 2100 RPM off the driver club face? Hard to tell, but it's not likely. Long story short, it's hard to believe that you can't find a shaft that gives you a very acceptable window when you are getting fit for a driver. If you are buying a shaft second hand or by itself to test out, I'd go with the Silver in the above scenario!

You're spot on there; if anything, I think he might shoot better in Utah here since the elevation would add another 30 yards to his drive.