richk9holes

My notes under my score on #18 read "Dr good 235 to 180 3H left tree," the just the word "f*ck" then "good 52° 1 putt.

I jumped on one of my favorite sites to browse pre-owned equipment and spent 15 minutes putting together an imaginary set. No real strict criteria. My thought process was create a set that was playable for an average athletic right handed person to step into and get a feel for the game, giving priority to clubs I have confidence in whether from past experience or the grapevine, but also trying to have the lowest total amount at checkout. I only looked at pre-owned. Here is what is in RockBottomGolf's inventory I would put together.

I had 13 in my set and was comfortable with it, so I'm taking the opportunity to test run a chipper and a 60° I already gave up on. Next will be a 13.5° 3w if I see one that intrigues me.

Consider also on the arch of time eventually you will end up back in those GI irons when playing in retirement hopefully, so might as well get good and used to them.

On that same note, it stood out when Matt Fitz said on Full Swing his advice to amateur players is always practice with even/odd irons depending on even/odd dates. It makes sense to me to develop touch and get away from what I know I have and I see many others out there with: a violent approach to the game. I could carry 10 in that instance which I may start doing at the par 60.

Complete aside, but I'd like to shout out the crazed fan or family member I used to hear at a lot of tournaments who would belt out "We love you Gar-bear!" after his drives. I'd hear the same voice often at different tournaments. Gar-bear is an excellent nickname for anyone named Gary particularly those you wouldn't normally think of as huggers.

I will read this in its entirety for now 2 pages in I'm hooked. I had to chime in, obviously.

I picked up many biases from what my father played, I know that. He always had a notch better equipment and when I was a teen I got super competitive with him. Back then he was working with snake eyes and I had Spalding executives. To this day I like the look of Snake Eyes equipment when I see that logo. Then a decade of G-something everything in dad's bag while I gamed 3-PW Cleveland ta3 with pistol shafts. I'll always view Ping as that echelon of FW I wish for the newest model when I buy tees there's a 50% chance I pick up, waggle and foot a 430 14.5°. Some new biases have come from 3 or 4 cycles of replacing clubs once I started trading in, swapping, etc. as I recognized more quickly what I'm attuned to and what I'm not. I don't look at Wilson, Tommy Armour or XXIO, Srixion, Cobra and Mizuno get almost as little attention. Of the other brands I only play Titleist Callaway. I have Tour Edge, Ping, Snake Eyes, Cleveland and Adam's clubs in assorted sets in the garage. Those are probably the brands I continue to game unless stats really jump off a launch monitor. I am constantly testing and I hope improving, so I'm open to anything..or am I?

For the record I balked at $299.99.

I have sneaker style ones and a yak leather shoe design that fit completely different. The sneaker size I could use a 44, but having 45 in both I just wear thicker socks when I wear the white/green. The grey leather fit perfect. I'm a 10.5 pretty consistently in US size unless pointy dress shoe. Not sure model types by name, may be retro something on the sneakers, I'll include pics.

I can admit their marketing is wicked, though I'm totally biased against their products every one I've played I've had a mental block if I see their logo. 8 years ago I got rid of my last TM club and have been exploring equipment continuously. At this point I should go back and try a Stealth driver when I see a demo around. I'm convinced I hit Callaway Titleist and Ping clubs the best at the top of the bag. How much of that is psychosomatic self-fulfilling negativity? 90% is a good estimate I think.

They were testing the fargiveness.

First I want to say I'm so happy I registered here and explored all the wonderful content. I had been reading articles and seeing reviews from here for years but never really clicked on much, just got my piece of information and jogged on. I credit the curators for having a nice little rabbit hole for me to dive down, long before I realized the forum content is so helpful. Long story made somewhat shorter I haven't worked since Christmas. I'm living off savings and the $ I received last month for birthday gifts, along with some excellent friends with generous wives who like to feed people. The work/fun balance had broken for me and I found the 3-4 hours playing golf when I could was the joy I found in the world. Everything else was kinda sad or taxing. On a whim I gave notice, deciding 50° weather in NJ late December was a sign from the universe. I've gone years with no vacation, so I'm catching up? 3 month staycation later and I want to find something to do for income, but I doubt I'll ever go back to 50-60 hour weeks like in my 20s. So blah blah aside, this is a golf forum. What golfing did I get in? Listed by course in order of approximate proximity: Bel Aire GC par 60 12/27, 1/2, 1/7, 1/9, 1/14, 1/17, 1/21, 2/2, 2/5, 2/10, 2/11, 2/14, 2/16, 2/22, 2/26, 3/3 Scores ranged from +6 to +22. Both scores were outliers, most common score was 69 and 70. A few others low 70s. Many of these rounds weren't full scorecard because I will skip 13 and 14 on a cold or rainy day and drop one in the 15th fairway to finish out. Howell Park GC par 72 3/4 +8 on front 9. I liked this course a lot and want to return soon to play the entirety. Doubled #9 to wreck a decent shot at a clean 9. Shark River GC par 71 1/11, 2/6, 2/13, 2/20, 3/2 Scores ranged from +20 to +25 with 1 DNF due to going out 3pm and losing sunlight. That round was the best I hit the ball INC score or not. 45 on the front with an 8 on #1 2nd shot, smoked 4w clipped a tree and went dead left OB. +5 on the combination of #10-12 + #15 to play back to the parking lot. Cedar Creek GC par 72 1/20 +27, 2/23 +23 Both days the greens were obnoxiously fast. The course was also winter conditions and hard both days. Lots of thin lies, lots of lost balls. First time I played here last year the aerated greens made putting impossible. Made a mental note not to return until time past for them to grow in, just to have them running so fast the next 2 times. One day I will hit this course when all is right in the universe. Spring Meadow GC par 72 2/28 +21 Water day. Only reservation after noon, I had a personal golf outing but the waterlogged conditions made it a non scoring affair. Cruz Farm CC par 70 2/15 +24 This was the worst I played in the whole stretch I think. I have shot 86 here plenty of times. The conditions really aggravated me and my game was never going to click. I felt like I was looking for grass to hit the ball from every shot winter rules in a cabbage patch almost. February in NJ, again, so I should keep quiet and not complain about a nice 59° walk regardless of what I did along the way. Charleston Springs North Course par 72 12/29 +5 on the front 9. Only walked 9 because of slow pace. Early sunset meant I didnt expect to get more than 12 in anyway. I just packed it in after 9 and hit happy hour early. I played great that day playing with people who were noticeably better than me. South Course par 72 2/8 +20 50 out 42 in. What a head case round this was. Living up to my "9holes" handle. Pine Brook GC par 61 3/2 +13 Strangest round I played. Started with 2 people who said they were playing skins, but I could join instead of playing behind in spite of not wanting to join their bet and have them "keep my score" tee hee. After 4 holes the one I had only said 3 words to says he is distracted having someone not in the game but in the group, they will play ahead. I was distracting his opponent if anything, but whatever. The annoyance is they don't offer for me to play ahead so they can focus on their hammer match they say don't worry we play fast. They don't and the foursome ahead of us finds that out 2 holes later when they let them play through. Now 5 of us are spectators to the big money match through the trees. Pace was ruined, but strangely I focused something adrenaline from anger Hulk rage or something similar. Bogeyed all 4 I played with the golf hustlers, +9 on the remaining 14, 39 putts the 1st round with a new putter. This was a good outing in spite of the amateur antics. Cream Ridge GC par 72 1/18 +17* on 17 holes, because hole 17 was closed for repair. I paid a modest green fee for this one, and didn't notice any signage of a missing hole until I reached it. I am going to move on because it still makes me mad talking about it. Gambler Ridge GC par 71 1/30, 2/21, 2/27, 3/1 scores ranged from +17 to +19. I like this course for my game the more I play it I'm picking up on where I want to target tee and approach shots. Clearbrook GC par 35/70 2/19 +11 on 9, 3/3 +8 on 9. Interesting course design. 2 tee boxes on most of the cart paths and two flags in each green give you a chance to go around the same track twice, aiming for tall flags the 1st half and the short flags the 2nd time around. I want to go back with time to play 18 one day. Concordia GC par 71 1/28 +13 Had a triple on #9 or this would be remembered as the shining moment of the whole journey. Drive right and it's all trees the rest of your day it feels like. Really like this course as well. Cranbury GC par 71 2/18 +12 This was said shining moment. I finished with 30 putts by far my best short game day. Rain early made wet conditions, but I noticed this course drains well, and I got used to the water rolling off the ball giving me a sweet view of my putting line as I went along. 40-43 in those conditions I was more than pleased. Mountain View GC par 72 3/6 +17 Great old course, really like the layout. No blowup holes, just some mental errors kept me from scoring well. So that was today and that's where we leave our story for now. I plan on being active on here, so you'll see me chatting all over the sections. Cheers, richk9holes

My 6i shaft is on my mind. When I bought it my set was matching 7-AW and I found individual 6i on Callaway pre-owned site in 4 or 5 options. I thought hard about getting the one with TT Elevate 95 shafts to match the rest of my set. Ultimately I decided the 6i in my set plays like my driving iron used to when I carried a 24° one basically in that yardage slot of my gapping. So I settled on a +1" TT XP 95 after reading reviews on the launch, trajectory and performance. Bonus that iron was cheaper than the one that matched. Fast forward 18 months I am playing my set better each time I use it, but the ferrule broke on the 6i. This requires the equivalent of golf cosmetic surgery, somewhat tedious and only for appearances. I emphasize the club plays fine on its own and in relation to the club above and below it in my setup. But it's broken. Great psychology trial for an erratic golfer. Try not to notice something is broken on your equipment. So this raises the question if I have my club fitter fix a ferrule for $25-30 should I just spend $50 and have my 6i match the rest of my iron set?

Just throwing it out there, guy I played with today was on his 2nd round with Paradym 4i-PW and he loves the distance gain but not the fact he can't count on his normal yardage numbers for 4-7i because he's bombing it at times. Sounds like a good problem to have, but worth paying $1000 for? That I'll leave up to you.

I'm probably close to you I'm 10 minutes south of Lakewood CC.

Shark River has $20 walking $40 to ride twilight I asked about rates when I played early March. It was 2pm at that time, but may change to 3pm at some point.

Hello I joined a little after this and missed this thread when scanning. I'm a decent drive from you, but find myself in some of the same areas you would most likely. I'm in central NJ. I took a trip to Golf Galaxy in Mt. Laurel near the PA border and everyone working there is knowledgeable even the younger guys behind the cash register seemed like a golf gear junkie from chatting for a minute about my purchase. I'd say it's worth a trip, and near a TopGolf location for some quick practice on a rainy day.

I didn't see any reviews on this oddity of a putter I picked up along the way. So I will add my thoughts here. I put a Winn AVS midsized pistol grip on it and have gamed it twice. It gets work on my practice green because I keep it on the wall in my living room. The thing is a work of art, so I thought it was fitting. Also, having a putting mat in your house but all of your putters in your garage or car trunk is the worst. First impression of it is omg the head is huge. Once you pick it up and sight it the 2nd thought is omg but it's so deceiving that it doesn't weigh much. Ping achieved a mini miracle imo giving this putter balance in spite of having a small shovel sized mallet. The lattice pattern combined with lightweight materials was years ahead of its time. The sighting is wonderful. The insert has a firm tick when you hit a good one. The whole setup inspires confidence over long putts. The drawback with such a large mallet, and the reason it hangs on the wall and I don't game this putter, is turf interaction. I'd describe it as a double edged sword rather than a drawback, because the putter grabs the ground at the point I would want to finish a putting stroke that was helpful in keeping me from mashing too many past the hole. The turf interaction on the backswing of my putting stroke is ultimately the deal breaker. Too many putts I had to stutter start and walk away from because I felt the club grab as I started backward. This has to do with my slight arc. Someone who has a more neutral pendulum who hits the insert flush more robotically than I do would probably love this putter.

Date 03/06/2023 Course Name Mountain View GC Gross Score 89 Course Handicap 14 Gross Strokes over/under par 17 Net Score to Par 3 Net Score 75 Net Birdies or better 4 Longest Drive 245 I wrote a full review in "How'd you play" so I'll keep it short. Could've putted better but only 3rd or 4th time with a new putter. Driver was on point. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

I adjusted my 5H 25° to 26° and found I hit it much better to flight and land greens. My 6i is 26.5° but between the difference in club design and the transition from graphite to steel at that point, they actually gap well next to each other in spite of being essentially the same loft. My initial thought was even gapping based on loft numbers, but using trackman I settled on adjusting to accommodate the distance I'm hitting the clubs. The 5H may be the club, but I'd get one with hosel adjustment so you can try it at 3 or 4 different lofts.

Mountain View GC in West Trenton was a pleasure. Perfect day. 2 friendly gentlemen in my group, playing behind 4 was on the slow side of pace until a single caught up around hole 7 and the 4 of us played at a brisk pace the rest of the round. Started at 1:50pm finished in 3 hours 40 minutes everyone walking. The group was casual and appropriately social. I commented it was a pleasure to play with social people sometimes it can feel like I'm in a library with some partners. One of my playing partners who could hit a nice ball himself told me my control of my shot shape was "impressive" which made me feel encouraged. I had 5 pars and a birdie on a 20 ft putt from the fringe after a 165 yd 5H that was the highlight. 5x 3 putts was the not-so-high-light but playing the 3rd or 4th time with a new putter I can give myself a pass. Hit my driver on or within a few yards of the fairway 13/14 times. Over the moon about this, every time I play I turn my slice more into a power fade. I need to remember to finish swings. Also hit my driver on the back fringe of the 205 yd #13. The wind was not heavy but a cross wind on that hole told me I should take the club that would be at the back instead of a hybrid caught in the wind coming up short. I'd never tee my 4w from there, oddly enough because I'd hit it over. My driver is working with full confidence right now. Too many 6s, but I kept anything higher than that off the card. 44-45 for +17 score of 89 I'm happy with for playing a course the 1st time. 19 putts on both sides I know I can improve if I get more accustomed to the new putter. I hit the ball well enough to shoot in the low 80s with better putting and erasing a couple bonehead wedge misses from 30-60 yards out.

Where I am now is: Stretch routine about 2 minutes A few practice swings contacting different lies away from the practice green Chipping if allowed 4 or 5 shots from different depths of grass and putting warmup for 8-10 different lengths 5 to 25 ft away, just trying to lag inside a circle not reading the greens super close. Visualizing the shot behind the tee box and a practice swing or 2 is my normal routine every hole teeing off. A note on diet: I had tons of protein last night as a result of buying stuffed cabbage in a deli. I thought there was rice involved and I thought it would be wrapped with more cabbage, but they were actually stuffed with ground chicken and onion, no rice and I definitely didn't need to cook and devour 2 of them. I had tons of energy through the round and I could've played 9 more easy.

This sounds a lot like my "prep work" on a lot of days. Honestly I'm inconsistent usually so I've just noticed recently since I'm playing more that I don't have much routine pre-round. Not even sure it won't hurt my game, but I'm going to experiment with something simple I can dedicate to consistently check off before I start.

I chose to play Mountain View today strictly based on timing and discount pricing. $23.99 to walk on Golf Now. $10 in gas, that's my happy place for spending on an excursion currently. I liked the course. I live closer to the Ocean so my home courses are mostly flat. I enjoyed playing the hills and undulations.