Gusset

Perhaps a bit of salesmanship/corporate bias at play, but this video started me on the path that eventually ended in my purchasing an Axis1 Umbra (used) about 6 months after first viewing it. I couldn't justify dropping the coin for their modern designs, but I really like the balance of my Umbra, and I think it's improved my direction control. Also makes a nice nervous energy dissipator, what with the ability to twirl it with the shaft resting on my palm (golf version of a fidget spinner  😁 )
 

Golf Sidekick has one of the best channels on YouTube! I've watched just about every video of his over the past 4 years. His videos denouncing strokes gained and making digs at decade and mygolfspy are some of his best content. I believe Lou Stagner on Hack It Out Golf podcast has taken his unnamed shots at Matt, in a fun way like Matt does in his videos. I'd love to see Matt as a guest on their show, it would make for a very fun debate. The Golf Stat King vs Our Playa and Chief, with Mark Crossfield as the moderator. The guys on No Putts Given threw some shade on golf sidekick a few episodes ago. I feel like they are becoming very elitist as of late, and I don't enjoy their as much anymore.  
Anyways, embracing the Way of the Playa is very hard for me mentally. Even though Matt says to start playing golf, and stop playing golf swing, it's not that easy. lol For every 1 of his videos, there are 5 how to hit bombs video from Martin Borgmeir and friends. Being the biggest hitter in my league and out of all my friends, I feel obligated to put on a show on each tee box. No matter how many balls I lose off the tee, strokes gained says to go for the green! lol 
This year I'm going to do my best to play more conservative, pick my target better, and really focus on the short game. I can't tell you how many times after a good drive, leaving me 80-100 yards out, and it's taken 2-3 shots just to get on the green. It doesn't take Arccos strokes gained analytics to learn that I need to work on my short game. Hopefully I'll get to plant my feather divot tool to grow birdies more often this year! 

This is a good thread.  I like a good story.  Mine is rather simple, but it will remain one of my top golf memories of all time.  My wife and I took a trip to Scotland 6 years ago.  I somehow convinced her for us to stay a night in St. Andrews.  I didn't have a tee time, I really just wanted to see the property.  I knew about the standby line from research, and I was going to give it a shot, but I wasn't keeping my hopes up.  
We got to St. Andrews on a Sunday and walked the property of the Old Course since it's closed on Sundays and is basically just a big park.  It was great seeing all the landmarks, where all the greats stood.  I got a picture on the Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker.  It was a good day.  
My plan was to go to bed early and head out to see if I could get in the standby line around 4:00 AM, but I couldn't sleep that night.  I was still a little jet-lagged, so I decided to get up, get dressed, and take a walk down the standby line around 1:45 AM.  When I arrived, there was already one person waiting, I was a bit surprised that I wasn't the first that early in the morning, but I was still happy that I was only the second in line.
It was a long night, and I spent time reading and trying to sneak in a nap here and there on the uncomfortable bench.  Meanwhile, people would show up from time to time.  The next person after me didn't show up until around 3:30, but it started to pick up after that.  Eventually, the doors opened at a little after 7:00 AM and the line had significantly grown.  I imagined there were about 40-50 people in line hoping to get to play the Old Course.  We were informed that there were currently only 2 guaranteed spots for the day and 2 projected spots.  I was really glad I had shown up early.  
I gave them my name and GHIN card to prove I was worthy to play the course.  At the time, I was a 13 handicap, which was still well within their requirements, but I was still nervous that I could be turned away.  They gave me a 10:30 tee time and I had time to freshen up and grab breakfast with my wife before heading back to the course.  I got there to check in about 45 minutes prior to my tee time hoping to warm up, but I did not realize that the driving range was not close to where I was and was accessed by shuttle.  Not knowing how long it would take to get there and back, and not wanting to risk missing my tee time, I decided to stay around the first tee.  I was able to chip and putt before my group was called to the tee. 
Everyone in my group hired their own caddie, my caddie's name was Christopher and we got along nicely.   I was nervous as could be when Christopher recommending that I hit my 5-wood of the first tee.  I took the club and favored the left side since OB loomed right.  Off we went and I started to get into the groove.  Christopher was an excellent greens reader and I didn't question his reads even when I read it differently.  This payed off early in the round on the second hole where I went with his read rather than my own and sunk an 8 foot birdie putt.  It was a dream start going par-birdie-par-par-birdie through 5 holes.  I had a few bumps on the front 9 but I still managed to hold it together for the most part. 
The front nine was almost all downwind...then we turned into it.  The wind was blowing a constant 15 mph.  The only things we had working for us was there weren't a lot of gusts, it stayed relatively dry, it wasn't too cold, and the sun even peaked out from time to time.  
The back nine was pretty uneventful, except for one par 5 on the back where my caddie handed me a three wood to hit into the green on my second shot and just told me to keep it low.  I struck it pure with a low draw.  It rolled up to the front corner of the green.  My caddie looked at me and said, "now that's a golf shot."  I had a hint of pride on that shot that carried me through the rest of the round.  The road hole was interesting, and I was able to keep the ball in play down the stretch. 
I eventually made it onto the 18th green and had a 12 footer left to save par.  I noticed a small crowd watching around the green, and my wife was there filming my finishing hole as well.  I drained the putt and gave a fist pump.  I finished with a 78, which was my personal best at the time.  As a 13 handicap, I had never broken 80 before that day.
I got to play one of the most iconic golf courses in the world and break 80 for the first time all at once.  It was a dream, and I was floating on air for the rest of the trip.  
Even though it was a simple story, I didn't really realize how much there was to tell until I started writing.  If you managed to make it through, thank you for taking the time to read it.  I hope I was able to share a little joy with you from my favorite golf memory.

... Comparing myself to Tiger (physically not golf ability) every round is a challenge. Seems there is almost always something nagging at me from 2 back surgeries and a stiff back to shoulder tendonitis and then a slight tear of my meniscus in my left knee. If I can find a pace and keep moving I play my best. Stopping and standing can cause me to tighten up. So adjusting my pace to the group in front is paramount to staying as loose as possible with stretching along the way. But unexpected stops that last for over 5 minutes can be a real challenge for me. 

Sadly this is a common thing for me around my area. The pace of play is typically good but you'll find yourself in 5-hour rounds ever so often... The biggest thing that has helped me is realizing my focus is off and getting my focus back on golf and hitting the current shot is the only thing I worry about before teeing off. I take a slightly longer preshot routine where I replay some of the good shots in my mind from the last couple of holes and then really focus on how I am feeling in the moment. After that, I just imagine the swing, ball flight, and result I want and then begin my normal routine of lining up my shot and swinging away. Not sure if this will work for you, but it has helped me a ton.

If there's a delay during the front or back 9, I do one or more of...
Sit on the seat on my push cart and look off to the side of the course and just daydream;  Pretend I'm a 10 year old boy (not very hard really 😝) and just let my attention jump around from thing to thing around me;  Grab an extra ball and a wedge and work on small chips. If there's a lineup / delay at the turn I'll take the glove off and...
go hit the restroom (whether I have to go or not); check out the snack bar (whether I'm hungry or not); check messages or emails on my phone; maybe roll a few putts as the practice green is right there. So in either case it's all about keeping yourself "busy" / engaged with something else .. distracted from / not stressing about the delay!!

Yesterday I was playing 18 at Tri-Mountain in SW Washington. Front nine I was playing alone. Pace was about average for what I experience during the afternoon/early evening on this course, about 2:10 for the front nine. I was playing very well for me: 4 over for the side, no blow-ups. Though I had the occasional pull or slightly fat iron contact, my swing was in a nice groove, especially off the tee (everything long and either in the fairway or first cut).
For whatever reason, there was a delay making the turn; approaching the #10 tee, the group in front of me had obviously been waiting. I teed off 15-20 minutes after finishing hole #9, having been joined by another single from behind me. The entire back nine, my swing seemed nothing like what it had been. I started off double-double-double, played from trouble off the tee on five holes, lots of thin/fat irons, etc. I managed to scramble my way to four pars out of the last six holes, but the groove I'd been in just seemed to have evaporated.
Golf is 18 holes, and perhaps the greatest challenge is maintaining consistency and focus to get through all of them with the fewest blow-ups. But this isn't the first time a brief layover has derailed me when starting up again (maybe weather, maybe stopping for a hot dog, or just a log jam like I describe here).
What have folks found to be helpful for maintaining consistency after a stop-start in play?

If things aren’t going well I tell myself to accept it.  Sometimes you just lose your flow.
Two years ago I started breaking my rounds up into 3 hole segments.  Consciously telling myself I have to just focus on these 3 at a time and that I can leave bad shots behind me.  I cannot tell you how many rounds I’ve played where I start out bogey, par, double and still end up breaking 80.  

I can relate to this and it has happened to me. I was told to stay positive and think positive by saying what a beautiful day it is and how lucky am I to be out golfing on this gorgeous day. Well that didn’t work well for me. If I was delayed between the front 9 and back 9 and if the putting area was close, I would take a few practice putts to stay focused. If the putting area is not close, I will make sure I take some practice swings with different clubs. I will also focus on hitting the ball correctly on my club versus trying to really swing hard. I tend to hit it better when I am not trying to nail it! Everyone is different, keep trying different things. Best of luck!

I got a Garmin R10 late last year. To date, I've only used it hitting into a net in my yard. I use it probably every 3 or 4 practice sessions to check progress on clubhead speed and carry distance. Every so often I'll play a round with one of the free E6 courses, which helps scratch the itch if I can't get out on the course for one reason or another. I have 11 RCT balls that I use sometimes if I want maximum spin accuracy, such as the day before a round to get a current baseline for iron carry distances or when playing E6, but most of the time I'm using regular balls. I started with 12 RCT balls, but hit a wedge over the net into the woodsy/brushy stuff.  😪  Now I limit RCT shots to 8 iron and longer. 🙃
I thought I would care about the potential inaccuracies in side spin directionality, but for various reasons, it turns out that I don't really need that to benefit from the device.

And a new truck to tote all the new golf gear around in! 

Underrated feature of the Walkabout Mini Golf game: every hole has a hidden golf ball somewhere. I've honestly spent more time looking for golf balls than I have hitting putts.
My "find lost golf balls on the course" game this year is going to be absolutely dialed.

I like watching all sorts of golf- PGA, LIV, LPGA...heck, I wouldn't mind if junior events were there for the watching, also. Having said that, LPGA has more draw for me at the moment. More relatable.
 

Until recently I had a decent idea, but isolating carry was a bit of guesswork. I recently picked up a used Garmin R10, and it's helped me dial things in more accurately. Adds a bit of confidence to club selection. 

Until recently I had a decent idea, but isolating carry was a bit of guesswork. I recently picked up a used Garmin R10, and it's helped me dial things in more accurately. Adds a bit of confidence to club selection. 

Until recently I had a decent idea, but isolating carry was a bit of guesswork. I recently picked up a used Garmin R10, and it's helped me dial things in more accurately. Adds a bit of confidence to club selection. 

I only know roughly how far I hit any club; not precise carry distance.  I am not that good to hit any club consistently the same distance.  
What I do know is how far I can’t hit a club.  Using GPS I know F, M, B distances, and when I know the back distance, I know what club will not go off the back; same goes for a layup shot… hit a club that I can’t get to the water even of I flush it.  I will usually shoot for middle of greens, knowing that mishits could still be on the front.  I will use the front number on some greens where there is no trouble short and I would rather chip than have long, downhill breaking putt if I don’t hit the number.  My strategy.

My 7-iron carries 150, +/- 3 yards (or is that +/- 10 yards???).
Old school loft, 37 degrees (Tommy Armour 845Ti).

Update...the leftover tacky grip tape didn't seem to hinder installation. However a few minutes later I tried removing it, and it was more difficult. It seems a reasonable expectation that the degree of increased difficulty will go up with time. So I threw some frog tape over the tacky stuff before re-installing.
As was mentioned earlier by at least one other poster, the air tool makes installing/removing so easy it's almost a joke. 10, perhaps 15 seconds. All you really need to pay attention to is that you keep your pushing hand behind the shaft, as the instructions say, to minimize potential friction. I wish I'd have known about Star Grips before now.
Haven't played them yet, and I'm not a reviewer here, so I'm limiting my thoughts to the installation side of things. But I will say these seem to be about 1/4 - 1/2" shorter than the grips I'm replacing. I could probably get them to stretch to the same length, but I don't really see a point.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my original post.

Update...the leftover tacky grip tape didn't seem to hinder installation. However a few minutes later I tried removing it, and it was more difficult. It seems a reasonable expectation that the degree of increased difficulty will go up with time. So I threw some frog tape over the tacky stuff before re-installing.
As was mentioned earlier by at least one other poster, the air tool makes installing/removing so easy it's almost a joke. 10, perhaps 15 seconds. All you really need to pay attention to is that you keep your pushing hand behind the shaft, as the instructions say, to minimize potential friction. I wish I'd have known about Star Grips before now.
Haven't played them yet, and I'm not a reviewer here, so I'm limiting my thoughts to the installation side of things. But I will say these seem to be about 1/4 - 1/2" shorter than the grips I'm replacing. I could probably get them to stretch to the same length, but I don't really see a point.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my original post.

Update...the leftover tacky grip tape didn't seem to hinder installation. However a few minutes later I tried removing it, and it was more difficult. It seems a reasonable expectation that the degree of increased difficulty will go up with time. So I threw some frog tape over the tacky stuff before re-installing.
As was mentioned earlier by at least one other poster, the air tool makes installing/removing so easy it's almost a joke. 10, perhaps 15 seconds. All you really need to pay attention to is that you keep your pushing hand behind the shaft, as the instructions say, to minimize potential friction. I wish I'd have known about Star Grips before now.
Haven't played them yet, and I'm not a reviewer here, so I'm limiting my thoughts to the installation side of things. But I will say these seem to be about 1/4 - 1/2" shorter than the grips I'm replacing. I could probably get them to stretch to the same length, but I don't really see a point.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my original post.

Update...the leftover tacky grip tape didn't seem to hinder installation. However a few minutes later I tried removing it, and it was more difficult. It seems a reasonable expectation that the degree of increased difficulty will go up with time. So I threw some frog tape over the tacky stuff before re-installing.
As was mentioned earlier by at least one other poster, the air tool makes installing/removing so easy it's almost a joke. 10, perhaps 15 seconds. All you really need to pay attention to is that you keep your pushing hand behind the shaft, as the instructions say, to minimize potential friction. I wish I'd have known about Star Grips before now.
Haven't played them yet, and I'm not a reviewer here, so I'm limiting my thoughts to the installation side of things. But I will say these seem to be about 1/4 - 1/2" shorter than the grips I'm replacing. I could probably get them to stretch to the same length, but I don't really see a point.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my original post.

Update...the leftover tacky grip tape didn't seem to hinder installation. However a few minutes later I tried removing it, and it was more difficult. It seems a reasonable expectation that the degree of increased difficulty will go up with time. So I threw some frog tape over the tacky stuff before re-installing.
As was mentioned earlier by at least one other poster, the air tool makes installing/removing so easy it's almost a joke. 10, perhaps 15 seconds. All you really need to pay attention to is that you keep your pushing hand behind the shaft, as the instructions say, to minimize potential friction. I wish I'd have known about Star Grips before now.
Haven't played them yet, and I'm not a reviewer here, so I'm limiting my thoughts to the installation side of things. But I will say these seem to be about 1/4 - 1/2" shorter than the grips I'm replacing. I could probably get them to stretch to the same length, but I don't really see a point.
Thanks to everyone who replied to my original post.

Grips are on and the process was so easy it was a joke. First grip took a little getting used to but after that it was smooth sailing. I’ll never grip without air again. I don’t know if it was my mind playing tricks on me or reality, but the orange felt tackier than the blue and definitely like the tacky feel. I went with 2 layers of tape on the bottom hand (didn’t even have to tape the driver which was nice) on drive through PW and no tape on the other wedges. Good thing is if I don’t like anything I can fix it faster than you read this comment. I ended up alternating (minus woods) and very pleased with how it turned out. The orange on the Ventus blue is a dream combo. I’ll get better pictures later to do it justice. 

Don’t know about removal on top of old tacky tape, but if you want to easy remove the old tape (and you have one) use a heat gun and the tape peels off easy.