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Robert Rock -12

Entered. If I win, one of you guys on here can have it. Paying it forward in the golf world. Lol.

This trivia question is giving me a headache.....

Thanks! As a follow up to my on course trial today. Now, I normally wear some variation of a spiked shoe, but I have worn True spikeless shoes in the past. I used to think my Adidas golf shoes were the most comfortable I have ever worn.....the title has been taken over by these Puma Ignite shoes. There was ZERO break in period with these shoes. Almost felt like I wasn’t wearing anything. The laces stayed tied, and my feet breathed very nicely in the shoes. My only gripe with the shoes....and there was no problem with the course because it was dry. The range was a little slippery with water....don’t ask me why the course was dry and the range wasn’t....and these shoes caused me to lose traction a little on the muddy wet range. So I probably won’t wear these if rain is a possibility. It is a spikeless shoe, and I am not sure it is fair to compare them to a spiked shoe. I give these shoes two big thumbs up!

Bucky CC. I walked on gravel in these shoes....and not one pebble. Your mileage may vary. Lol.

Ok boys. Package waiting for me on the porch in the dark. Feel like a kid at Christmas. Big thank you to Cobra/Puma for the opportunity to try out these shoes. As a podiatrist I make shoe recommendations every day so I will give you my professional assessment....and tomorrow I will give you my on course assessment. First, the shoes do run a little on the large size so make sure you try them out first as they are a little big, but I just put a pair of my bigger orthotics in the shoes, and they fit fine now. Second, the shoes do have torsional stability when you try to twist them side to side. Third, the forefoot only breaks....or bends at the appropriate spot where your foot would bend. Some shoes will bend at the midfoot level which is not going to be a comfortable shoe. Fourth, there is a rigid heel counter although it is a little on the small side so stability will be compromised a little bit. The fit is like a sock....and surprisingly....there is plenty of room in the forefoot area to accommodate my tailors bunions. Shoe seems to be very well cushioned. This shoe probably won’t work well for people with really flat feet....or who need a lot of stability in a shoe....if you are one of these people.....you know it! The insole is removable....really cheap shoes have the insole glued into place. The only exception to this rule is a well made dress shoe. The lasting appears as though it is quality. This is a good looking shoe.

OK. I think I have some real world results....apart from just increased distance....to report. After crunching numbers on my strokes gained app.....it looks as though I am playing the par 5s under par for the year....and I have at least one birdie in 13 straight rounds....which I have never done in the past. Now that I am talking about this streak....it will probably end. Lol. On a lot of the par fives I have birdied they have been easy tap in birdies because I was so close to the green in two shots. To be fair....my putting has also gotten better...,and my putting handicap is +2 for the year. With that said....distance is a BIG advantage especially on par 5 holes.

Thank you for your thoughtful answer. I am going to stop worrying about my shoulders being open and just go with the stroke as it is putting it on line. Square shoulders were always very important for me with traditional putting that I always worked with a putting mirror to make sure I was square.

OK. 18 more holes today. Shot an even par 72. Putting handicap was 3 today. I had six birdie looks 15 feet and in....,which is what I consider realistic. I converted one out of six. I made a fifty foot bomb for birdie....left a 44 foot birdie right on the lip. I did three putt one green when I left myself with a circus putt....so I am not sure that one really counts....lol. Overall I am pleased with the putter and I suspect it will get more solid as I use it more.

GB, Thanks for your input regarding the shoulders. It does feel more natural to let them be open. And yes....powering may not be the right word....it is just a smooth motion. And I may not have worded it correctly...I put the armlock into play because I imploded with my regular putting method with tournament pressure. I look forward to @downlowkey thoughts on this subject.

GB, Here are my thoughts after getting the Bettinardi out for 18 holes today. I used it for multiple sessions on my indoor putting green before taking it out to the course. First....this method feels awkward as anything. It just doesn’t feel right. With that said....this putter starts the ball on line each and every time. I missed the second round cut of a tournament just recently because my putting stroke broke down when the heat got turned on because I knew I needed to shoot a number. I got handsy with the heat, so I decided to give this armlock thing a try. I am glad I did. You cannot get handsy with this putter. My strokes gained for the round was a +1 putting handicap. I had no three putts. Surprisingly...my distance control was spot on with this putter despite it feeling so awkward! Did I mention yet it felt awkward? Here are my questions for you guys...,and I know feel isn’t real. But, how do you feel like you are powering the putter? It seems to work best when I feel my lead shoulder rock down and then rock up. Also....do you guys let your shoulders stay open like they want to do or do you close them down to square? This putter may be a game changer with the ability to start this thing on the intended line every time. I made two birdies and I missed several birdie putts just leaving the putt at the edge of the hole.

That is a magical place! I love the horse crap all over the roads....I believe you can see it clearly in your one picture!

I have a similar story where I failed to say anything....but for a different reason. It was Thanksgiving weekend of 1998. My buddy in Pennsylvania and I were going to play at Penn National which has two different courses. My buddy called to get a tee time and was told that the one course was closed. When we got there....they let us out onto the course that was supposed to be closed. As we were playing with no one in sight....we noticed about six to seven black Suburbans parked in the distance and thought nothing about it other than it was odd. There is a part of the course where you have to go through a tunnel to get to several holes and then cross back through the tunnel to finish the rest of the course. If we hadn’t been playing fast...then we would have missed our sighting. As we approached the tunnel....I stopped because there was a long line of golf carts starting to enter the tunnel from the other side. The first few carts were loaded with guys in suits. The fourth cart had President Clinton in it. All I could do was manage a wave at the President.....mainly because the sight of about twenty guys who seemed bothered by our presence was unsettling to say the least. My buddy didn’t fare any better. The President did wave and say hello to us. After he passed....we watched him slice on off the next tee with his over the top move...and we moved onto the next hole. As it turns out, the President liked to play Penn National when he was at Camp David.

Great story!

I have a confession. I really wanted to test this putter.....and after reading all the comments I pulled the trigger on one. I figure....worst case scenario....if it doesn’t work out.....I can sell it for relatively close to what I bought it for....... Lets see if it can kick my gamer out!

Those were entertaining intros guys!

Awesome to hear about your numbers not dropping off. Glad your back is feeling better!

Alex Noren -5

Professional speech writers are hard to come by at this time of night. Lol.

Yes! What Wedgie said! My feet thank you all!

Thanks boys! I will! I hope it’s ok that I didn’t prepare an acceptance speech! Lol.

Sorry to hear this. I agree that your golf swing muscles are always tired. I bought these sticks when my golf instructor had me swing them before a lesson. I didn’t think much about the sticks after swinging them....I thought they were a gimmick. The next day it felt like someone had beaten me....and I work out all the time. It was then that I ordered them. My muscles are still sore on and off. As for your tempo.....yeah that would be a killer for me as well. Maybe the old adage is true....not everything works for everybody.

No. But I will. Thanks for the tip!