cksurfdude

That makes sense to me, too - as much as we'd like to try, we're not always going to be at our comfortable layup / approach distance(s)... Seems to me that being able to develop wedge distance control is a critical part of the game. Good luck with your training!

Played 18 at a new course today - some good, some .. uhhh .. not so good - but putting was on point! 2-putted everything .. even those looooong ones .. a few 1 putts and a bunch of "almost" first putts .. and .. no 3 putts! Yyyyeeaahhh baaaybeeee!

OK! Official Final Review is posted on the first page of this thread, at... https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/39526-2020-official-member-review-exputt-putting-simulator/?do=findComment&comment=655087

Got rained out so decided to freshen up an old 60* wedge to put into play - changed the grip, sharpened the grooves and smoothed out some nicks on the face and leading edge. So this thing better be nice to me now...

OK but.... Before that, how did you like using the PRGR? Do you feel the numbers are accurate? Have you tried it both indoors and outdoors? Any problems with either location? Inquiring minds wanna know..! (Been looking at this for taking to the range.)

I truly *hated* seeing myself on video, and had actually avoided it before GolfTec, buuuut ..... from the first little swing clip I immediately recognized the value of that form of feedback. Being able to actually see yourself swing .. with your coach describing / explaining things .. and compare it to what you thought you felt can be really eye-opening and a gateway to making good changes! I always had trouble with good weight transfer and with swing plane / path issues and with... ...well basically every part of the golf swing... ...and the lessons have been a good progression. Sure I still make plenty of mistakes and miss-hits on the course but overall I can see that I'm definitely playing better this season!

Oh yeah - swing changes do take time to sink in! More practice time, vs playing time, can be beneficial (but unfortunately my range time has been very limited this season.....). I'd prefer an outdoor lesson regardless of COVID-19 and asked about scheduling one but was told the course / range my center uses has not allowed them back yet..... Good luck with your progress

Last Round (9 holes) Update: Seeing overall improvement! Had 2 x 1-putts .. each from about 8-9 ft; 6 other first putts that almost-cudda-wudda dropped and all stopped within a foot or so; and 1 x 3-putt .. from the fringe, so I know technically a 2 putt .. that I mis-read the downhill speed and rolled it waaay past, and second putt was another graze the edge one that also left it very close.

My golf game is slooooowly improving but my mental game is s***. Wife and I played a short 9 and as soon as our playing partner commented, "Man these guys in front of us are slow! - this is taking a long time!" .. I seemed to totally lose my "golfing mind" and ability to focus on a shot. Could not reset and did not have as much fun out there as I really should have. We're playing two more times this week so I'd better get into...... "Be the ball"

Yeah same things get to me, too ... I like to walk and really there's only soooo much standing around that a person can do before starting to lose your rhythm and focus..... But otoh it's a "good" complaint to have .. especially these crazy daze........

CBX2 wedge (54*) - had been curious about these when they first came out; last summer was in a Dick's for other non-golf stuff (Truth! I swear! ) and took a few swipes with a demo of the first version. Wasn't immediately blown away so held off. Well, even though my short game has been improving this season, I'm still left wondering if I .. average recreational hacker .. might be better off using one of these.... So as part of tweaking my wedge setup I went with the loft I end up using pretty frequently when inside 75 yds. Have only gamed it once so far, and only for 9 holes, but preliminary results are encouraging -- even tho .. no: feel is not the same as a traditional forged wedge, but .. yes: the wider, V sole helps smooth out the ground interaction and make good contact.

Wasn't feeling 100% this morning but wife wanted to hit some golf balls so we went to a fun Par 3 .. for many of the players on here most holes would be a Par 2 .. but I find it a good challenge. So we arrive to find a LINE waiting to tee off! Shudda known, warm summer day and not many summer camps going on. I chip a little bit and putt a few balls and maybe a half hour (or more?) later we finally get out turn. Started out decently enough .. 2 pars and 4 easy bogeys over the first six holes .. but then just kinda faded and got sloppy and last three holes were +7 over...... GOLF <<>> FLOG

Summer update: Swing .. while still very much a work-in-progress .. is definitely progressing. Starting to swing more freely off the tee and generally getting those shots out there and generally in or near to the fairway (generally!!). Short game is usually solid (on a relative basis for a recreational hacker) but where I seem to mess up the most often are second shots / approaches. So... Going back in (after 5 month hiatus) for another lesson a week from now. ==== * Important Note on GolfTec lesson packs: All package plans you purchase from GolfTec have an expiration date!! ... between the COVID shutdown and waiting to schedule an outdoor lesson, I kinda lost track of my end date ... when I went to book yesterday I found their system had zeroed out my two remaining lesson credits...... Sent an email to my coach and he called me directly the next day ... said he would give me add'l flexibility and let me book the remaining lessons with him, and worked with me on the phone to find the time when their center would be the least busy .... nice!! ====

ExPutt - forum member review. ================ PLAY MODE REVIEW ================ I posted some comments earlier but wanted to collect all my thoughts in one place. Overview… The last testing stage after Challenge Mode, Play Mode provides a way for up to 4 players (in a room together, not virtually) to putt against each other; here low score .. like in actual golf .. wins vs in Challenge mode which awarded more points for fewer putts (Stableford like). Also different from Challenge, where you had 3 chances at each putt to hole it or get it within 3 feet for a Concede, in Play if you miss your first putt - and if it's still outside of 2 feet away this time - then your second putt is from where the ball stops ... for an added level of realism / immersion. Each player starts with a GIR and at a different starting position from each other on each of 9 greens. Like Challenge you can select a course difficulty - we stuck with Spring - and a green speed - we again used 10; of course all players are on the same course with the same green speed, but each player can set their individual Dexterity (RH/LH). Note that Player 1 continues putting until they hole out or get inside of 2 feet for a Concede; then Player 2 putts and so on - all players don't do just their first putts, then all do their second putts, etc. as you might on an actual golf course. The screen looks like the Challenge screen setup and the same break-reading tools are here - the water droplet grid overlaying the green and the heat/contour map of the slope of the green at the upper-right of the screen. The same "Hints" are also available, but in our testing contest we agreed to ignore them and pick our own start line. So ... it's a benefit to spend time in Challenge mode first to get used to "reading" the on-screen tools and figuring out how much break the system is looking for on different kinds of putts. Some things I liked... The added pressure of holing out, or getting within 2 feet (vs 3 in Challenge), adds to the overall benefit of ExPutt as a putting practice / training aid. Most of your first putts are 20+ and 30+ footers, which kinda corresponds to my actual on-course experience (remember: typical recreational golfer .. not a PGA Tour Pro with a high ranking in the Proximity stats!). And although most breaks - even on the virtual Spring course - may be more severe than most of the courses you play on, having a different break on every hole provides good practice on figuring out your varying starting lines and speeds on every putt. Some things that might be nice to have... 2nd Putt Distance - this is actually a comment relevant to Practice and Challenge modes, but in Play mode you're putting 2-, 3- and 4-footers. In Practice the shortest available putt is 5 feet .. in Challenge it's 3' 1" .. so Practice mode, at least, should have the option to putt these shorter distances. Hole Fly-Over - before starting each hole there is a too quick fly-over showing you the general layout of the green; there are little numbered markers for each player's starting position. It might be helpful to slow this down a bit, or maybe give the user pause/rewind buttons. Hole Diameter - allow a player to select the larger cup option (currently in Main Program Settings) for themselves; eg. a child playing against a parent. Hole Capture - all the testers agreed it seemed more strict vs Challenge and also Practice modes ... for example, some short, firm putts that seemed to drop in the earlier modes might continue straight over the hole here. Might be better if this were more consistent across all modes, or least a user-selectable option. Scorecard - only shows you the total number of strokes per hole, which includes both your GIR strokes and your putts, and then the total score for 9 holes. Shows you the green speed selected but does not show you the course name. I feel it would be helpful info to also display each player's total Number of Putts and Average Putts per Hole; and maybe even an "Avg Distance From Hole on 1st Putt" stat. Edit: and/or add a stat for "Total Feet of Putts Made"

Thx for that. Had ordered a cream to try after seeing the MGS review; so also checked out that^^ site and ended up ordering one of the sticks to try out, too. Fingers crossed for some relief .. have had a nagging spasm in the upper-right back that's been defying other pain relieving creams, TENS treatment, back rollers, heck even an acupressure mat ... but what's really annoying is it's messing with my golf game AND keeping me out of the water (at least no good waves recently anyway)...

Totally agree on this ... And this same point is going to be among the comments in my review, too.

OK, fyi for people following (and participating in) this topic, I'm coming down firmly on the side of... Yes, ExPutt practice *does* help improve your actual on-course putting. Played an Executive 9 yesterday .. it's short, more Par 3s than Par 4s .. but the greens there really make up the bulk of the challenge as they are fast - and seemed extra fast yesterday with all the sun and heat we've been having - plus they're all very sloped and contoured and most have ridges running through them; almost no flat areas anywhere. I did 3-putt twice, but I'll flip that around and say I only! 3-putted twice .. and both were on me - one I hit too firmly, misjudging how much speed the ball would gain going over one of those ridges running across the green between the me and the hole; the other was a total miss-hit where the ball was above my feet .. I was going across and up and over another of said ridges .. and brushed the bottom of the putter against the ground before the ball so hit it way too softly that time and the ball only got halfway there... Both of those second putts were hit well and juuuust missed the edge both times. And I had two 1-putts .. one from only about 5 and one from about 10-12 feet .. for what for me (on that course, too) is a very acceptable total 18 putts / avg 2 putts per hole.

^^^ Nice!!! "purr.. FECT!" (inside joke for ExPutt users )

Hmmm interesting theory!

Alllmoossst.... had a clean round on the "Summer" course - save for that ooops on #7... Getting into this!

Play mode... Well after an opening hole FOUR putt, I managed to sink or get a Concede on a few first putts for a low total so far of 18 putts .. and what the game calls even par

Yeah those short ones are "touchy"..!

The hole capture speed in Play mode does seem more strict vs Practice, or also Challenge, but my bigger criticism is here the system has short putts between 2 to 5 feet ... corresponding to your distance from the hole after a previous putt ... but in Practice mode 5ft is the hard minimum you can putt. So, fwiw, in Play for those short ones I've been imagining the hole is in front of the mat at the given distance.

Agreed! Based on all the long putt practice, when playing I'm starting to step off .. or at least make a good estimate of .. the first putt distance - which helps me to associate the stroke length / effort needed to get it closer (well.. most times anyway... ).