TalkBirdie2Me

Much like everyone else on here, I'm not quite sure what rule this is referencing or how relief is to be taken. However what I can say is that at my local course there can be a bit of the "perfect storm" going on with any given lie which is why they have the unwritten 6" bump rule in the fairway (established by the men's club). The course's mowers break down a lot. They've been renting mowers from where ever they can get them and that means that the 2-3 times a week mow job is half-a$$ed enough to get ppl playing and keeping the complaining to a minimum. On top of that, since Covid, the course has removed sand from the carts (if they ever had it I don't know b/c I walk). Additionally the area is quite rocky and not well watered. All that adds up to some pretty bad lies in the fairway as well as in the "light rough". I do agree with some of the other golfers on here that "play it as it lies" should be the order of the day but some discretion is required as well. I don't get paid to play and no on is trying to sponsor me so hitting out of a lie full of rocks doesn't make economic sense. Nor do I believe in being punished for a good drive in the fairway b/c some yahoo decided filling in their divot was too much effort. In the end my go-to argument is that golf is hard and how hard you let it be should be up to your handicap. If you're a 20 handicap, hitting out of the thick rough isn't teaching you anything. You're not gaining anything. You're struggling enough as it is to hit off perfect lies. Put your ball in the fairway (closest point to you) and hit from there. Keep it moving and keep it fun enough to come back and keep playing. If you're a 5 handicap... don't hit the ball in the rough . Suck it up and play.

1. Self taught tip - for all wedges, irons and hybrids have the same swing - With my swing that I've developed I know the distances of each of my wedges/irons/hybrids and I can hit that distance 90% of the time. Basically it's more club, less swing - never swing 100% (except for DR and 3W). It's surprisingly accurate. I've made it to a 2hdcp with this swing. 2. Aim for the middle of the green - Jon Sherman wrote an incredible book that every golfer should read called "The Four Foundations of Golf". In the book Sherman evaluates data collected from various platforms covering millions of shots and he notes that MOST amateurs come up short on their approach shots by a large amount. If Ams could get it in their heads to aim for the middle of the green they're going to be putting sooner and keeping big numbers off the card. Keeping big numbers off the card = lower handicaps. 3. Sherman notes that "3 wood for safety" is a myth. You are only 1-5% more accurate with your 3W over your driver but you're losing 20-30 yards with your 3W. That loss in distance isn't (in general) worth it. This combined with the approach of Scott Fawcett (founder of Decade Golf), get comfortable with your driver and it's Driver off every tee unless proven otherwise. If driver is going to get you in trouble with full distance, fine pick up the 3W - otherwise the person closer to the hole and in play is going to shoot lower scores (typically). 4. Breath work - Keep your heart rate consistent through your breathing. Controlling your breathing will help you keep your head on straight when your staring down a 6 foot birdie putt to win (90-scoring golfer 6 foot make rate is 40%). Check out 5. If the pros only make 40% of their 10 foot putts, adjust your expectations accordingly. Don't get mad if you miss a 15 footer, the odds are you were going to miss it anyway. When you get to the practice green try making putts from 8 feet and in and then take one ball and lag putt for distances ≥ 10 feet. I'm not saying give up on the 15 footers but if you can improve your lag putting and be 2 putting everywhere outside of 10 feet, you're going to get better. Why outside of 10 feet? Well Sherman explains that from 100 yards tour pros are on average 15-18 feet from the cup... again adjust your expectations accordingly. We're not pros so practicing those longer distances would yield greater results in the long run. (Side note - Putting should only be about 20% of your practice time at most)

Broke even - pretty good day on the course. I like doing 9 holes + a range session. I recently started adding in my approach distances to the middle of the green to get my stats on Shot Scope more accurate. It also helps me calm down a bit when I compare my results to those of the pros. Knowing that the pros are on average 18ft from the hole from 100yrds out keeps my results in perspective for me.

What’s going on MGS clan? My name is Adam. I’ve been a member of this group for some time but never took the time to do intros and such – hence I am here now. Little bit about me – I live in Nor Cal – I’m 40 years old – Married father of 2 offspring boy and girl (8/4) – I haven’t played competitive golf since high school – if I’m lucky I get to make it to the range and/or course 1-2x/week (1 range session and 1 9-hole round) so I make up for the missed days by hitting into a net in the front yard – I’ve been playing golf for 26 years and love everything about it, the good the bad and the ugly, it’s the challenge of the game that makes it fun to me – my greatest strength in my golf game would be any distance from 130 and in (especially around the green) – biggest area of improvement would be same as most AMs at that 180-220 distance – my favorite golf shot would be a perfectly executed bump and run with my 60* wedge, I’ve practiced that shot so much I know if I hit it toed down 25-30% of the distance to the hole, it should roll out the rest and stop near the hole or in it – Current quest is more speed with the driver to get farther down the fairway and more short clubs into the green – I would classify my golfing style as Am-intense (lol). I don’t drink or goof off when I play. I’m there to execute on what I’ve practiced and hopefully beat the course at the same time. :::WITB::: Driver: TSi3 9.0* Tensi 6.5 Flex-S 3 Wood: TM Stealth 15* Ventus FW 6-S Hybrid: Ben Hogan VKTR 18* Recoil ES 85F4 (want to change to the newer Sub 70 hybrid) Sub 70 939X 24* Recoil 680 F4 Irons: 5-Pw Titleist 712 MB KBS Tour (standard lofts/lies) Wedges: 52/56/60 Callaway Forged (2012 - all bent down 1*) Putter: Evnroll ER2v (34" and 3 dot weight) Ball: Titleist Pro V1 & Pro V1X Left Dash

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I've been playing golf for 26 years. I started really taking it seriously and trying to establish and lower my handicap for the last 10 years. What do you love about golf? The challenge. I think the challenge of golf is fun. It's also not a team sport. It's all you. Unless you have natural abilities, you get out of golf whatever you put in. If it goes right, it's because of you. If it goes wrong, it's because of you. Assuming your equipment has no defects, good and bad golf all comes down to you. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? Independent testing. I wanted to hear about equipment from someone that wasn't beholden to a manufacturer. I know no spies but I have talked about this place A LOT to anyone I get paired with. Where are you from? What is your home course? Nor Cal. I spend most of my time at Black Oak Golf Course in Auburn, CA. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? Best thing about golf in my region is options. You can play championship courses or a simple par 3 course. The worst thing about golf in my region is when the rain/snow come. There are no indoor facilities near me. What do you do for a living? Real Estate realm How’d you pick your user name? Thought it was funny.

IMO the only thing to add to your bag is equipment that's proven to be a benefit. Don't add it just because it sounds good. Put it through it's paces and make it prove it's worth. Something to consider is what need is the club completing in your bag. That being said, as a 20 handicap you might not even need to focus on a 5W. I would suggest for you that at your lvl right now, of your practice time 60% of your time should be focused on shots @ or less than 150 yrds with various clubs. One summer I spent DAYS just figuring out how far every club goes with a 3/4 swing. I tried to make a swing that I could easily repeat under pressure and see what happens - 30% is the driver, you have to get off the tee box. Don't be afraid of it just figure it out - 10% is lag putting, understand feel for green speeds and begin making 2 putts more common than 3 putts. It could be just the courses I play or the tees I choose, but rarely do I have to hit DR, 3W or DR, 3H on par 4s. On Par 5s I'm looking for a distance for my 3rd so maybe 3W is the 2nd shot or maybe 5i is the best. Whatever you choose, good luck to you mate.

Having just gone through a fitting myself (not extensive but I thought I needed it) I'd advise you NOT to get a fitting. Everything the fitter told me I could surmise for myself. I had been putting with different putters for hours and knew that I needed a change and could see/hear which putters were better for me. The SAM putting lab machine didn’t tell me anything that I wasn’t already figuring out. Reason #1 - It doesn't sound like you need it. If you're beginning to question your putting, it should only be questioned at 10ft and in. If pros are averaging 40% drops at 10ft and they get to practice 40+ hours/week.. we need to be a bit less harsh with our expectations of performance from that same distance. If you’re seeing your putts come up short a lot, perhaps some led tape on the back of your putter will help with better distance control. I once heard that the slower the greens are, the more head weight you’d want on your putter. Perhaps head weight is all that’s missing to get those 10ft putts dropping more often. Reason #2 – Unless you’re going to spend $150-200 on an 1hr putter fitting/lesson at a location where they have every putter type (and head-weight) you could want, there isn’t anything you can’t figure out for yourself. (Keep in mind, that's $$$ on top of what may be an expensive putter order - or not.) I mean, it's not like Nicklaus, Sneed, Hogan, Seve, Player etc had their putting strokes analyzed by the SAM putt lab and look what they accomplished. If you’re going to change putters on your own: · Decide on a length that allows your arms to hang without tension and eyes to be properly aligned (just inside the ball) · Pick a head shape that’s pleasing to look at (if there are multiple shapes you like put more weight on the putters that have higher MOI – higher MOI = less pressure for accuracy) · Find a weight you like and feels good in your hands (you might want to bring some of your own small magnets to add weight if needed) · Start putting at different distances (eg 4ft, 8ft, 12ft) and see where the putter misses – don’t go much further than that b/c you won’t be learning much o Missing left – potentially not enough toe-hang (assuming starting on the correct line with correct pace) o Missing right – potentially too much toe-hang (assuming starting on the correct line with correct pace) o If missing short/long – potentially means too light/heavy ((((Keep in mind that one of these putters is going to be consistently doing the same things and that’s the one you may want to pay the most attention to. Ie the putter is slightly long and right… okay well than perhaps that putter is perfect and your starting line is off))) · Now you will have to hear the ball when you hit it… does it sound like it’s skidding or skipping? Could be too much loft for your delivery (you can cross reference what it should sound like with a SIK putter) Less skidding = rolling sooner = potentially more accurate. This will let you know that whatever putter you’ve picked up needs to be delofted when you order it. OR perhaps your playing the ball in the wrong spot… maybe. = = Advise = = 1. Don’t fit your swing to a putter just because you like the putter… leave your stroke alone if it works well enough for you. The putter should fit to you, not you to it. 2. Do your research before you go. I looked at MGS for months before I made a decision and even then I did more research on my own. Have a clear picture of what you like before you go. It'll save you time from distractions. 3. Sometimes, what is best for your game isn’t what inspires the most confidence… go with confidence, it’ll hold up longer under pressure. 4. Check your stats – at a 13-15 handicap is putting really the thing that needs to change or does your approach game need to change? Should you work on getting closer to the hole on average before changing something that doesn’t sound like it’s causing you any REAL issue like the putter? Perhaps a better purchase would be wedges with new grooves to get you closer to the hole. Just some thoughts. Best of luck to you.