RichL85

Hit the range for a bit after work today. Needed to get outside after being stuck in the lab all day. Seeing a pretty consistent issue of being too steep in my swing so trying to work on that a little bit at a time.

It's funny you mentioned that because that was the exact advice I got from one of my old managers that I played with a few times. He noticed I was hitting my short irons better than my wedges one particular day, told me to give up distance on some shots and leave myself a 9 or PW into the green instead of a partial wedge. Beat my previous low by 6 strokes that day.

Thinking it may be time for a new bag. Went to grab my clubs this morning and found the legs had splayed and it was all on the ground. It didn't give me much confidence in continuing to use my current bag. Now to figure out what to get next.

Since a straight block right is my typical miss, the side to side tracking was fairly important to me. It's not perfect, but given a fairly small budget I found a deal on the Rapsodo MLM so I'll give that a shot.

I don't have the right setup to put a net indoors, so the best I can do is put something up in the back yard. It's convenient enough that I can get some swings in a few times a week to keep my swing somewhat intact. My main worry is as others have said, I can't really see what is happening past the first few feet. The feedback of hitting a target I lined up to is good, but it doesn't tell me everything I would prefer to know. I live in an area where frozen winters are not a problem, but I can't say golfing in 115 degree heat is high on my list of enjoyable activities. I was hoping that something like a launch monitor would help with nailing down my distances but also potentially help make hitting into a net a little more interesting for a long term application. I don't believe a full simulator setup is in my near future, but something to break the monotony of endlessly bashing a golf ball 7 feet. It sounds like it would be a reasonable purchase for my situation as long as I am willing to accept the limitations. Thanks to everyone that has contributed.

I'm working as a chemical engineer in technical research and development for a manufacturer of citrus processing equipment. The hilarious part of this job is that I was found through a recruiter for the job in California while I was living in Florida. The company's headquarters are not only in Florida, they were 3 miles from our old house. I had no idea that the company was so close when I was going through the initial process as I knew the job would require a relocation. It's strange to be the only person in my department that isn't in the main office, but at the same time it gives me a little more freedom with my schedule. My department did lose 3 people in the past month (one lay off and two promoted to another department), so who knows what could happen in the future.

My mother in law is in Arizona with her ill parents. Both have different stages of dementia with one having days where he thinks it is 1954 and other days totally normal. Her mother seems to be getting nearer to the end. I've only heard third and fourth hand accounts, but it sounds like most of the conversations have been, "If you want to see her, make it soon."

Comparing to others in my group. When I first started, I had co-workers and friends that had all played for much longer than me and were substantially better than me as a result. It's tough for me to accept being the worst in a group and I start getting in my own head, comparing distance, club selection etc. I have to constantly remind myself that golf is not like tennis or baseball. It's not me against them, it's the course I have to deal with. I have zero control over what scores they put up, but I can control mine. At the same time, I have to avoid overthinking. A few times I played with a co-worker that had the longest pre-shot routine I've ever seen. It was physically painful to watch while he lined up, took a couple practice swings, got in position, another two practice swings, come off the ball, go back behind and align a second time, another practice swing, all before finally hitting his shot. While all this is going on I've got what feels like 20 minutes to overthink my next shot. My best round was the exact opposite. Went with my manager who didn't even know what a practice swing was, line it up, step up and swing.

6'3" with a 33" putter. Never thought of using anything other than 35" until I went to get fit for this one, now I can't imagine going back.

So, I'm going to admit, I'm pretty much lost at the moment when it comes to current golf ball offerings. I have spent a number of years away and obviously technology has come a long way. I'm at a point now where I'm not even sure where to start so I'm looking for a few recommendations. To start, I'm not good enough to nitpick the minute differences between many of the balls out there, but I do prefer a softer feel. As an example of past premium balls I have liked, the old Srixon Z-URS is probably my favorite of all time. Having said that, I could play the Srixon AD-333 or a Callaway Chrome Soft and the only huge difference I noticed between the three was spin around the greens. Would anyone be able to recommend a couple balls to try out? I don't mind paying for Pro V1s, but I'd rather find something a little less for now because I still lose a few here and there and I honestly don't notice a lot of the performance benefits. My game is still in a place that my consistency and swing are far bigger factors than the ball to my scores. Thanks in advance.

Legitimate question from someone getting back into the game after a number of years away. When I started, I had access to coaches and a launch monitor through work, but now I'm slowly working my swing back into shape. Since the weather isn't great in my area at the moment, I'm hoping to get my swing to a repeatable, respectable point before I head to the course and embarrass myself. In the mean time, I figured I should learn my typical distances. For one, I'm not 20 anymore, and I don't live in Colorado anymore, so my distances from memory are practically useless. A relatively simple way to figure some of these numbers out sounds like a personal launch monitor. After having racked my brain comparing different models and the limitations of certain ones (I do have a budget so trade offs are inevitable), I'm left wondering if I can justify the purchase as a long term thing. In my mind, I see the benefits of a launch monitor, and I'm a chemical engineer by profession, so data and statistical analysis are my things, but I could also legitimately seeing it becoming just another thing that rarely gets used once the initial data collection is done to iron out some issues. I will say that with my work schedule and kids schedules, I have more chance to hit balls into a net at home than I do visit the course, so maybe it would be helpful to get more information than just, "that felt good and 7 feet from me it appeared to be on target". So realistically, is it worth having a launch monitor for personal use or is it something that quickly reaches a diminishing ROI?

I remember I had a manager at an old job that had a metal plate in his wrist from a skiing accident. He accepted that as a result, he was always going to hit a fade. He still managed to shoot 1 over for his one round that month when I tagged along. It was pretty enlightening to see as I was definitely a beginner at the time.

Two. A pair of Adidas BOA spikes and a pair of New Balance spikeless. Mostly I keep the spikeless in my vehicle or office/lab in case I hit the range before work or during my lunch break.

Yes! Marilyn 33" with I believe 8 grams of lead tape added to the head. Currently has a Super Stroke 1.0 Claw grip on it.

Almost the entire bottom of the putter is actually a layer of lead tape. I come from customizing tennis racquets for some pros around that time so combine that with a little bit of OCD and I made sure that everything was lined up. With tennis racquets I would go out of my way to hide every bit of lead that I could. Some pros are super finicky, so anything I could do to hide or minimize the appearance was a bonus to them. Yes added weight originally but it wasn't up to my level of OCD so I pulled it off, weighed it, and matched the weight with it done "correctly".

These ancient clubs do exist. I had them kind of spread around the house last night and didn't want to organize last night, so here they are. Marilyn is definitely the putter. Back when Yes! existed I was able to get fitted for it at their HQ in Colorado after I walked in saying, "I don't want a mallet, I don't want a mallet." I walked out fitted to a small mallet.

No judgment please. I haven't played more than a handful of times since college and that was 13 years ago. So this is what I'm currently carrying. Driver: Cleveland HiBore XL w/ Graphite Design YS-6+ 3 Wood: Snake Eyes Viper Tour Black w/ Aldila NV 2 and 4 hybrids: Snake Eyes Viper Tour Black w/ Aldila NV 5-PW: Srixon I-701 w/ Rifle Flighted 50, 54, 58 degree wedges: Callaway X-Forged w/ Rifle Flighted Putter: Yes! Marilyn. I'm honestly in no hurry to replace any of these, but eventually there may come a time after my swing gets sorted out.

How long have you been playing golf? In total, maybe 2-3 years but it has been very sporadic since college. I can probably count the times I have been out in the past 10 years on one hand. Careers and having kids and moving multiple times have all gotten in the way. What do you love about golf? With years of competitive sports and activities, it was enjoyable to pick up more of a social hobby in college. I worked at a golf store after classes, so my coworkers and I would usually manage to schedule a round each week and I definitely didn't feel any pressure from them. I was able to go out with some really good players and they didn't make me feel like I was a burden to them so that was a bonus. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Mostly it came from internet browsing to find out how far behind I am with knowledge of things today. As a bit of a nerd, some of the ball lab information caught my interest. Do you already know any other Spies? Too new for any of that. Where are you from? While I am originally from Texas, I relocated to Central California two years ago. What is your home course? I've never had a home course, preferring to be more of a nomad to experience different challenges. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? I enjoy that I am located within a relatively short drive of many different areas of California, but the valley sure does get hot during the summer. What do you do for a living? I work as a chemical engineer for a processing equipment manufacturer. A large part of my job is auditing client plants and making process improvement recommendations while also doing a little bit of technical research and project management. How’d you pick your user name? Just a shortened version of my name. Nothing special.