GolfSpy MPR

Just got in today. Brought the ExPutt (and three excited children) up to my office at the church this afternoon. After a bit of work to do the setup, we got it up and running, and I'm really looking forward to using it for this test.

Just got my remote fitting reply: L.A.B. recommends a stock 69° lie angle for me, which doesn't totally shock me. Size-wise, I'm more or less the stock American male (likely lighter than average, but that's not a major factor in putter fitting).

Spent a chunk of the morning reviewing the forum reviews of the ExPutt. Quite interested to see how the software has changed in the four years since that test was done.

For course vlog content, the Bryan Bros are my guys. But here's the problem: if I'm in a course vlog video, that seems to entail that I'm playing golf while people are filming it for public consumption. And that doesn't seem like a good idea for me or for the viewing public. So I'm going for a video lesson with Mark Crossfield. I'll learn something, he'll edit it so that his audience learns things, and that's going to be a bigger win.

It appears that L.A.B. recently had a bit of a technology hiccup with their remote fitting system, not just for us testers. Several of us received emails asking for us to re-submit our fitting videos. No sweat: computers happen. In better news: Today is the day I'm receiving my ExPutt. Looking forward to setting it up, playing and learning about it, and deciding how best to use it to compare the L.A.B. to my Edel and Evnroll.

Interesting timing for us testers on this MGS blog article: https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/first-look/should-you-switch-to-a-counterbalanced-putter/ I know that, unless the fitter at L.A.B. actively disuades me, my intention right now is to go counterbalanced. The Edel I'm using is, I suspect, at the extreme of weighting. I do not have (unfortunately) have a swing weight scale, but just compare these numbers of two of my putters, both 34": Edel EAS 4.0, Garsen Quad Tour grip: about 585g, balance point at least a foot up from the putter head Stock Odyssey 2-Ball Ten, Stroke Lab, Odyssey oversized grip: about 540g, balance point about 7" from the putter head The Edel, compared to a lot of off-the-rack putters, feels like a sledgehammer. I don't know exactly the spec, but it has a large weight in the butt end of the shaft. For my part, I like it a lot. I have spent time using an Enroll Midlock ER11v, which I also have liked a great deal. But my hope is that, if I end up with a counterbalanced L.A.B. (at 37"), it will combine the best of both my Edel and the Evnroll Midlock.

Maybe? But possibly in a way that (at least now) I hope could be helpful. One of the things I've worked at the past couple of years is my brain state playing golf, especially when putting. Among my many golf gadgets is a device called a FocusBand; it is a strap you wrap around your head, and it's measuring brainwave frequency. Current research suggests that for a lot of athletic tasks, better performance typically coincides with low frequency brainwaves. For most of us, that means shutting down the noisy brain activity about technique, etc., when standing over a shot, especially a putt. What FocusBand recommends is (in part), looking up at the hole while holding in your mind a picture of your ball and putter at address, then looking down at your putter while holding the image of the hole location in your mind. This image-focus tends to get the brain into the right wavelengths. So all that to say: for my part, I've actually found it easier to hold the image of a putter in my mind when the putter is memorable. For example, the iconic 2-Ball is very easy to hold in mind. I'm actually hoping the DF3 works to my advantage in this regard.

Ooh. I'll definitely be interested in this. I'd go for either two or three lines on the leading edge to align the putt and one tiny line on the back flange to trigger my takeaway.

Got my intro up: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/64035-testers-announced-lab-df3-putters/?do=findComment&comment=1051655 I may or may not be hitting refresh on my Gmail account a dozen dozen times per day right now, waiting (im)patiently for my online fitting reply from L.A.B.

My dream putter, at least today: L.A.B.'s torque balancing MLA's alignment aid Evnroll's face grooves Toulon's (Small Batch) aesthetics One of the über-stable shafts (not sure if they do anything, but if we're dreaming, let's throw it in) Garsen Quad grip

The short answer: no one is likely to overtake him until he falls back to the pack. The level he's playing at right now is about a once-every-20-years-or-so peak; the odds of another guy on any tour raising his game to the level that Scottie is at at the same time Scottie is there are ridiculously tiny. Consider the gap between Scottie and everyone else in just about every ranking system. Data Golf: TUGR: OWGR: The first two systems are more interesting to me, and both include golfers from multiple tours. In both of the SG measurements, Scottie is approaching a stroke-per-round advantage over the second-ranked golfer (in both measurements, currently Xander). He is more than a stroke per round better than Rory, in third place. Scottie is on a heater, for sure. And he's on a heater while still having a glaring liability in his game, with his substandard putting: All heaters come to an end, and in golf, they seem to be able to come more suddenly and without warning than other sports. But for now: no one is catching Scottie until he cools off.

Well, I certainly do now. And forevermore. Thank you, I think?

This is very subject to change after my I hear back from L.A.B., but right now, my plan is to go counterbalanced at 37", with the heavy headweight. I currently use (and enjoy) the Garsen Quad grip on my Edel, so I'm planning use the 17" Garsen Quad Tour option on the DF3. My clubs and bag setup tends to be black and red, so I'm going with the red head and black shaft; leaning towards the TPT version. My Edel was fitted with the two alignment lines on the base of the putter (clean top line); L.A.B. doesn't offer anything exactly parallel to that. I'm likely either to go with two on the top line (as pictured here), or the version with three lines through the first two sections and a single line on the very back.

Right now, I'm inclined to go with the same alignment you have on this DF3 for the MGS test. Can I ask: 1) what was your reason for choosing this pattern and 2) what are your early impressions of it?

Intro will be up shortly, but I'm looking forward to having an interesting angle on this. My current putter was also an MGS review: the Edel EAS. Should be fascinating to compare two giants of the torque-balanced putting world.

Introduction: I’m Michael. I like putters. My love of putters is almost certainly higher than my actual skill of putting. Putters are like quarterbacks: if your team has two, it probably doesn't have one. And if a golfer doesn’t have one putter, he’s likely not a great putter. And that’s true in my case: I have a rack of putters, a few of which typically see the course each season. This will be my second putter review for the MyGolfSpy Forum. A couple of years ago, when I was still an active moderator, I participated in the Edel EAS review. My EAS 4.0 is, as I write this preview/introduction, still my main putter. Summary of My Putting: I’m not a bad putter, but I’m not an especially good putter either. My Arccos handicap is currently 9.8 (yes, that 0.2 matters a lot to me). If I tweak the comparison benchmark until it gets to 0.0 SG:Putting, I putt at the level of 13 handicap. So I’m just slightly worse than average for my current level. But given that my goal as a golfer is to get to a solid single-figure index, I must improve my putting. What has been a lingering weakness for at least 5 years of stat tracking is my performance with “makeable” putts: those within 8’ (the 50/50 breakpoint for Tour players). Me as a Golfer: I’ll be 45 this summer; I am the pastor of a small church at the west end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where I’ve lived for the past 12 years. My wife and I have six children, ranging in ages from 13 to a few months. Those who’ve followed me on this Forum know that my oldest son is an avid and skilled junior golfer; I play most of my golf with him and am delighted both at the time we get to spend together and the privilege of having a front-row seat to watch him play. My other son always plays on occasion, and my six-year-old daughter also enjoys playing. All three of them will participate in Drive, Chip, and Putt this year. I play almost all my rounds every year at the one course that we have locally. They offer a clergy discount, so for $320 I can play as much golf as I wish during our six(ish) months without snow on the ground. Kirke plays for free. I never have to book a tee time; I just show up and start my round. I don’t take this privilege lightly. The one factor of our course that will affect my testing: our greens are tiny. Pebble Beach is famous for (a lot of reasons, but relevant here) having the smallest greens on the PGA Tour. The average green at Pebble is around 3,500 sq. ft. The average green at Gogebic Country Club is 3,200 sq. ft. This has a couple effects on this test: I almost never have a putt of 50’ or more. I miss a lot of greens relative to my handicap, despite having a relatively decent approach skill. The disparity is captured in this Arccos graphic, which shows that my total proximity is slightly better than a 10 handicap, while I hit 2 fewer greens per round than an average 10 handicap: Thus, I’m normally hitting my first putt from much closer than an average player of my skill level. My short game (as per Arccos) is the strongest part of my game, but this is why it’s so crucial to me that I improve in the makeable putts range. Compared to a scratch golfer, here is my current performance: Testing procedure: I love data and gadgets. These will play a significant role in my testing and reporting here. In the time spent waiting for the fitting and arrival of my L.A.B. DF3, I’ll be establishing some baseline numbers with two putters from my collection: the Edel EAS 4.0 mentioned above and my Evnroll Midlock ER11v. “What numbers?” you ask. I’ll be using the Putting Stability feature of the HackMotion wrist sensor to measure lead wrist stability through the stroke. I’ll likely use the Blast Motion sensor to track face opening/closing, loft/lie angle changes, tempo, stroke time, etc. I’ll also be using the ExPutt (arriving this week, according to FedEx!) to track all the club and ball data that it measures. My intention with the ExPutt is not only to track this club and ball data, but also to pit these putters against each other in matches using the practice features in the software. Now, on to the course! First, I’ll be using Stack Putting to compare the performance of these putters in putting comps. If the weather and time permit, I’d love to do at least three Stack Putting sessions with each putter, and then be able to compare the Strokes Gained putting numbers I’m getting with each of them. Once the L.A.B. arrives, I intend for that to be my exclusive gamer for the entire testing period. I’ll be collecting stats with Arccos, and I have my baseline here from Arccos with my last 20+ rounds with the Edel. Fitting Expectations: I will be using L.A.B.’s online remote fitting option. Until my Edel test, I had never been fitted for a putter. My Edel fitting was reassuring, because my fitter (the current owner of Edel!) more or less confirmed the things I had discovered about my putting using the “fitting by eBay” method. I have settled on a 34” length for standard putters. I aim roughly 2° to the right on most putts and pull them. My stroke is ugly; having early on read Dave Pelz, I tried to ingrain a straight back/straight through stroke that ended up being “take it back outside the line and reroute to something useful.” I don’t know what lie angle L.A.B. will recommend, but I suspect it will end up being fairly upright. I’m currently eyeing getting my DF3 in a counterbalanced setup, at 37”. My Edel is quite heavy, and I find a level of comfort in that. The fact that L.A.B. offers a Garsen Quad on the counterbalanced putter is awesome, because that’s currently what I’m using on my Edel. Many of the clubs in my bag (and my whole bag and pushcart setup) have a red and black color scheme, so that’s where I’m intending to go with my DF3.

Smoked pulled pork on toasted ciabatta, shredded pepper jack, red onion, cilantro, BBQ sauce and horseradish.

We'll be watching a bit later this afternoon. But for the morning, Kirke's donning his green jacket:

One photo update: from yesterday, we made a copycat recipe for Chick-Fil-A chicken, with buttermilk biscuits. We added strips of bacon, and then maple syrup mixed with chipotle hot sauce. They were incredible!

Opening day here is likely within the next couple of weeks. Was able to stop at a course a little less than an hour away yesterday and hit balls outside for the first time this year. Took some video of Kirke but not of myself. This is from my garage last night. In general, I'm pleased with where my swing is right now as the season approaches. Would like to tweak it a touch so it's a little less laid off at the top. Two reasons: it would allow a touch more speed (bigger arc of the clubhead) and it gives a touch more time/room for shallowing in transition. PXL_20240413_011551162~2.mp4

There are several I could name, but I think topping the list will be Tales From Q School by John Feinstein. I've enjoyed everything by Feinstein that I've read, but TfQS tells what are, in my opinion, the best stories of the most dramatic pivot point in golf. So many of the guys profiled in the book are at the point of their careers in which they either make the Tour or start pursuing a different course of life. A great read.

At 8, my advice is: allow her to enjoy the game more or less the way that she wants to enjoy the game. It is, fundamentally, a game. It is entertainment. If she seems to enjoy hitting balls on the range, if that's fun for her, that's great. As a parent of a few children who enjoy the game at various levels, there may come a point, closer to high school, in which I would press a child of mine who might be able to open some doors with golf to make responsible use of his talents, but until then: enjoy the time with your child, and make things fun.

For golf nuts, the Masters is like a holiday, but one that stretches over (now) a little more than a week. I think we can say that, at the very least, Masters week now begins with the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur and it extends through the final round of the Masters. So the question: how would you rank all the days of Masters week+? Saturday¹: @anwagolf Final Sunday¹: @DriveChipPutt Final Monday: people arrive? Tuesday: Practice, Champions Dinner Wednesday: Par 3 contest Thursday: Ceremonial tee shots, Rims 1 Friday: Round 2 Saturday²: Round 3 Sunday²: Final round, Green jacket ceremony My ranking: 1. Sunday²: the best, for sure. Appointment viewing, enduring memories. 2. Thursday: getting up Thursday morning is like Christmas for golf. 3. Saturday¹: the first time each year we get to the see the course. 4. Sunday¹: I'm biased, because my kids participate, but I love the DCP final round 5. Wednesday: the Par 3 contest, especially with all the kids, is just a lovely thing. 6. Saturday²: moving day at the greatest golf tournament. 7. Friday: I'm watching, for sure, but not quite the same punch as the other days. 8. Tuesday: Masters on the range is fine, interviews are sometimes interesting, I like the Champions Dinner picture. 9. Monday: I'm glad people have come. So what's your ranking?

Sounds tasty, but unless you're doing some serious cooking this upcoming Sunday, this isn't quite the question of the thread. I think we've got threads about what your champions dinner would be. This is, what are you actually eating as you watch the Masters this Sunday?

Got any food plans for the upcoming weekend? For the past few years, our family has made a tradition of making things from the Masters menu for our final round viewing. Mostly, our main course has been either fried chicken sandwiches or pulled pork sandwiches. This year, our current plan is to make chicken biscuits on Saturday morning (church on Sunday makes breakfast prep less an option). So we'll start watching moving day at Augusta with our best attempt at a Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuit, likely with bacon and a maple/hot sauce drizzle. To be consumed with a good mug of home-roasted, fresh ground coffee. On Sunday, we'll do pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, probably with red onion and cilantro. Side of potato chips, washed down with Georgia's own Coca-Cola. For desert, we're going to make peach ice cream sandwiches and caramel pecan popcorn. So that's our plan? What's yours? Nothing special? Ordering pizza? Buying the Taste of the Masters package?