PrayingForPar

The PuttOut AirBreak arrived this week, so I thought I'd share some unboxing photos and first impressions.  I first heard of the AirBreak right here on the forum.  They were taking orders and promising a fall delivery.  I thought it probably wouldn't arrive until late fall, but it came in September.   I'm a very regular user of the BirdieBall PuttUp (keep it in my home away from home - work hotel - for use in the winter.  So I thought this might be a fun alternative for when the snow flies.  
I am an AimPoint user for the last few years, so I thought this would be particularly useful.  I'm pretty happy with my putting at distance, but the 8 foot and in could use some work.  "Perfect", I thought.  Then came the disappointment in reading it was not meant to stand on.  Well.... you know I'm going to...
The Unboxing
It comes in two boxes - the AirBreak base, and the rolled up putting surface (carpet? grass?)  Included in the base box are the lego like pieces for the stand - you can raise it up a couple of levels for when you inflate the back end of the putting base to practice downhills. 
 
The Base is like the firm extruded foam - probably for weight.  You can see that all the parts and hinges are built right in.  A place for everything and everything in its place.  You fold out the base.  Then you can roll the carpet out on top of it.  There are little eyelets at the top and at the bottom to attach it to hold it snuggly in place.  
       
AirBreaks selling point is that you can create tilts and breaks to practice those nasty right to lefters... uphills and downhills.  It has 8 built in air pumps and air bladders that you can inflate and deflate to simulate all kinds of breaks you'd find on the green. You can see below just how high up you can inflate it. And honestly, that’s more than enough.  
   
While the AirBreak is 8 feet long it is not 8 feet of putting length - more like two wedges - so more like 6 feet of putting length.  

During my unboxing - and then putting it away in the garage - my first observation is that it would be nice if there were some strap or handle to hold the base together in a folded up position, and to carry it with.  And while they provide the bag to keep the "turf" rolled up tight, such a thing would be nice for the base.  Again, I plan to set this up and use it, then put it away, and repeat.  No way it's sitting out 24/7.  It'd be nice to keep it together.  I think that would help with the durability.  Just an observation. 
 

As I wrote earlier, PuttOut says you are not supposed to stand on the base.  You know that is the first thing I did...  More on that in a future post.  

 
 
 
 
 
 

Played a short track in the Seattle area this weekend in a mix of sun, rain and win. It is just 5000 yards from the back tees but a nice walk and good chance to work on the worst part of my game. Hit it pretty decently (for me) off the tee. But on and around the green was absolutely lost. Worst hole of the day was driving it to 50 yards from the green and following it up with a fully botched wedge shot straight right into a little flower bed area. Took two more shots to get up to the green and followed it up with a 4 put to make an 8 on a par 4 from perfect positioning. That describes my game pretty much right now. Focusing on my short game and putting is a must.
But a day playing bad golf is better than a day not playing golf at all.
 

I was able to get the day off work, so I had to go play a round with my new Hybrid 5 bag and test the Opus wedges for the forum testing. Played Shawnee golf course which is a public tract here in Louisville. It's right along the Ohio River, has a nice layout and one of the best maintained courses in the city! 
Overall I'm really happy firing off a +3 round of 73. First hole sucked, then on #10(par5) I was on in 2 with a 15 footer for eagle. Told myself to not leave it short...blew that sucker by almost 4 feet, then missed it! Friggin 3 putt hurt, but that's golf. Grand scheme of things, my Ping Kushin was on fire today, so was my driver and the Opus wedges! I had some really good up and downs, great bunker shots, etc. These wedges keep impressing me. 

Here is a basic approach for reading greens.  The app goes a lot deeper, but the video is a good place to start.
 
 
 

My blowups are always short game faults.   40 yds and in. Also putting missed.   I’m trying different chipping techniques but can’t find a pro that gives this type lesson.
im not frustrated but looking to continue to improve!!   Love the game.

Welcome to the forum!
If you look at your typical round, what are your normal blowups?  
how many doubles per round?
Are they coming from short game errors or off the tee issues?
 

Welcome to the Forum! I would suggest you break down your rounds to identify best opportunity to target the improvement you are looking for. Do the majority your missed shots lie in the short game, approach, or tee box?

Welcome to MGS!
Unfortunately,  this is Golf!  If it was always perfect, I doubt it would be another four letter word

I’ve been playing for 40+ years. I’m 66
this past year I’ve played 65 rounds of golf working very hard to improve my game.  I start the year at a GHIN 16 hdcp.  I’m now a 11.5 hdcp.  Scores currently averaging 79-90.
i am frustrated with my inconsistency of scoring! I can go from routine birdies to blowups during the round.
im looking for advice as I want to continue to improve!  I love the game.

@WaffleHouseTour Skillest is very intriguing, especially for full swing coaching. There are so many coaches on there, how did you decide who to go with?
@Louis_Posture Your point of being a PGA player makes sense if I am wanting to get on tour and play professional golf. I am sure they understand what it means to be under pressure and the intricacies of PGA, but just because they can shoot 5 under doesn't mean they can teach me to play like that. If you look at the top 50 teachers in America, it's pretty clear how few of them actually played on tour and they seem to be able to charge hundreds of dollars an hour....
@Old New Golfer Thank you for the suggestion! I am going to look him up.
 

Again not necessarily true.  Also those PGA Tour card guys  have coaches that have not been on the PGA Tour.   
I'll agree that not all instructors are good for every player and some are not actually good instructors.   Also, having skills does not mean you know how to communicate those skills or know how to deal with players that have physical limitations.  While a PGA player could be a good instructor, there is not guarantee they would be a good instructor for the student. 

Communication is key.  Can/Do you and you and your prospective coach communicate in a way that 1) you understand, 2) is relatable, 3) and sticks with you. 
 
some coaches are all about the numbers. Some all about the feel.  I don’t think either is right or wrong, but which are you?
some of it is also about what are your goals?  What are you working on?  Fundamentals?  A particular problem?  Or is it strategy?
I work w a Skillest coach and have for the last couple years. We’ve made some break throughs.  And there have been a few stumbling blocks - like sh can’t always see my grip when I’m shooting down the line video and it wasn’t until it shot face in that she said, hey I noticed something….
Sometime you just need someone to talk with, particularly about what you were thinking about or what kind of shot you were trying to hit and why.  For that my Skillest coach has been great. We’ve done some zooms where all we do is talk - no hitting a ball.  
 
it’s also been handy as I send video or voice messages or notes at all hours.  Swing at night, send a video. Swing at dawn, send a video. It’s all on my time. Then what about 24 for a response but it alway comes. 
 
in that regard you don’t want someone that is too busy.  That’s also why I pay a monthly unlimited package rather than just a by  lesson rate. 

If he’s still teaching. 
Go set up lessons with Tom Sargent at Yorba Linda CC. Just listen and do what he says. 
Lessons 40 minutes long concentrated. Other 20 minutes is wasted time. 
30 years ago it calculated to $100 an hour. Worth every penny. 
You must wear dress pants. No jeans allowed.
You will thank me. 

What makes you think that a PGA player won't give harmful nonsense information?  I'll just reference Stan Utley and his teach of putting.   He did not understand how he putted and tried to teach his method; then someone told him how he actually putted so he changed what he taught.    We can also discuss PGA tour players that are announcers and provide differing information on how to play the game.  

I bought a Switch (Two Way)  Putter a few years ago and putted right-to-left putts right handed and left-to-right putts left handed.  That way, all putts seemed like "hook" putts.
The system worked pretty well.  I made my first birdie putt (8') from the leftie side in my first round. I still keep an old Bullseye Heavy Blade putter around in case I want to try it again.  There is a Bell putter on eBay (regular length) that can be used this way too.
I'm using a 45" LAB Mezz putter now.  
If the amount of money spent on putters translated to how well I putted, I would one-putt every green.  🫤
 
 
 

You are allowed 14 clubs; you need to figure out which combination you need to shoot the lowest score.  You have decided that 2 putters is what helps you accomplish that.   Adam Scott carried two putters at the PGA Championship in 2018 so it isn't unheard of.    

Many people putt left hand low for long putts and right hand low for longer putts (I am one of them).
If you take time to putt one handed with each hand, it will show you which hand is causing your line issues and can influence the grip, for some it's the left and others the right. This would make sense for the left handed putting, as it would have the opposite hand being dominate. That is also why you see some guys go to claw to remove the influence of a specific hand.
Just a theory.

I am dead serious, I really want to buy that bag! Thanks for testing it out, I look forward to your review!

Having taken lessons at a GolfTec, plus lessons from several different PGA instructors, the first thing reiterate what @cnosil said about definitely exactly what you're looking to accomplish. 
At GolfTec you may or may not get a well experienced "coach", as they call them, but either way they will attempt to rebuild your swing to fit into their swing model. Depends what you're looking for and what you need.
It did help me but then I got to the point where I felt I would benefit from a more individual approach.
Indoors is convenient for scheduling purposes, although you may not see a lot of rainy weather where you are, and seeing swing video and LM numbers during the lesson may be helpful to you.
Length of lesson? I'd suggest first lesson longer to get a complete eval and time to ask questions. Take notes and work on the drills given - and wait for the next lesson until you've really had time to with on them and feel like you're starting to "get it".
Outdoor lessons are great but should not focus on swing mechanics but instead various aspects of playing the game of golf - eg short game situations around the green.
Hope this helps a bit... Good luck!!

My opinions on your questions.
Is on course or sim/monitor better?   depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how well you swing indoors.  I have done both and found them to be equal.  Some really want to see ball flight.  Instructors leveraging data from launch monitors and video is good;  they shouldn't just have you chasing specific numbers. What about online lessons? Same Value?  My definition of online is that you are working 1:1 with a coach and have interactions.   I have done online and they can work.   The difficulty is you have to wait  for a response and sometimes it is difficult to ensure you are doing what the instructor is asking or there are terminology gaps.     Is specified the definition of online lessons since some interpret it as watching a series of pre recorded videos from an instructor.  Those can work also;  I have gained a great deal of short game knowledge and ability watching youtube videos from Short Game Chef, James Ridyard, and Dan Grieve.   How long of a lesson is necessary? Packages from some of these instructors range from 30 min to 90 minutes. Not sure if more is better?   Depends on what is being worked on.  I have had lessons were we made a change in 10 minutes and worked on that for a little bit and others that have lasted 2 hours.   I'd say 30-45 minutes is  probably a good base.   How often should I be planning on seeing an instructor?  How much are you going to practice?   You want to have time to work on the changes before you do another lesson.  If could be a week or it could be a month or more.  Can 1 coach tackle every part of my game or should I be looking at instructors for specific areas such as short game & driving?   Sure.  Some can do it all and some specialize.    
Best bet is to chat with the potential instructor;  it is like a job interview.  Try to see if their approach aligns with your; you could maybe even do a quick assessment to see what they want you to do.   Also know what you want;  are you looking for a tune up or a complete overhaul.  

Sounds like someone doesn't like Maxfli or think they are cheap. I ordered one and will be testing it out hard over the next few months. 

I am currently looking around for some lessons. There are quite a few here in SoCal, ranging from club pro's to GolfTech to GolfGalaxy. Would love some insight on the following points from those of you who have taken lessons or are instructors.
Is on course or sim/monitor better? What about online lessons? Same Value? How long of a lesson is necessary? Packages from some of these instructors range from 30 min to 90 minutes. Not sure if more is better? How often should I be planning on seeing an instructor? Can 1 coach tackle every part of my game or should I be looking at instructors for specific areas such as short game & driving? Also, If you are near the Inland Empire and have some specific suggestions on coaches please, let me know!

What I can do and may make the most sense is add a marker to the community map (when I get that back up and running) so you can pin their location and write a little review or blurb about your experience with them. 

Then we would have course reviews - member locations and instructor locations and reviews all in one place. 

Many people putt left hand low for long putts and right hand low for longer putts (I am one of them).
If you take time to putt one handed with each hand, it will show you which hand is causing your line issues and can influence the grip, for some it's the left and others the right. This would make sense for the left handed putting, as it would have the opposite hand being dominate. That is also why you see some guys go to claw to remove the influence of a specific hand.
Just a theory.

I have never considered having 2 putters in the bag. I have putted right handed for a year or so and did well with it.  
Did you have the extra spot in the bag or have to get rid of something?
I agree with @PrayingForPar that putting one handed can help figure out what the issue may be.