Clay5477

Thanks for the birthday wishes! Clay

My Emmitt on the left, and my father-in-law's Winston on the right. Sweetest dogs ever, and best wrasslin' buddies! Second pic is Emmitt.

Agreed. It doesn't get any more anti-competitive and monopolistic than having one king of a global for-profit enterprise, with no possible competitors. This is gonna get interesting. As far as the current LIV players, Monahan's letter said (slightly paraphrased) they may "...apply for reinstatement, their applications will be subject to objective criteria, which will be based on current PGA Tour rules..." So, until they're back in, they're out. I'm guessing a combination of fines/penalties, plus possible waiting periods before reinstatement. I just also read the possibility of being locked out of the PIP for a period of time.

Wow again. This is getting more and more interesting with every new reveal. Jay Monahan is running global mens' professional golf, and the current LIV players are homeless at the end of the 2023 season. Wow.

I have a Shot Scope V3, and I like it. Well, I hate the fact that I can't lie to myself about how far I'm hitting my irons, but other than that... A mandatory subscription to use a device I already paid for is a deal-breaker for me, so I will not use Arccos.

You are 100% correct on the relationship between PIF and LIV. I was sorta using them interchangeably, but that leads to confusion. I'll go back and edit my original post. I don't think you're correct on who "runs" global golf going into the future. My assumption, and that's all I have at this point, is that the PGA Tour has at least a 51% stake in the "Global Golf Tour." I can't see them going into this partnership on any other footing. PIF, as the "Premier Investor", has first right of refusal on any future infusions of capital. Yeah, Jay is gonna be the Elon Musk of golf. On the other hand, I don't think that PGA Tour players have been sold out. I think, after the shock has worn off, they'll be better off than before. Bigger purses, more no-cut tournaments, maybe even...shorts!!

Very interesting analysis... https://www.si.com/golf/news/with-stunning-merger-pga-commissioner-jay-monahan-has-some-explaining-to-do?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morning-read-newsletter-&date=2023-06-07

Wow. I'm stunned. I did NOT see this coming. Here's my take on the current details... 1. The PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the Saudi royal family Public Investment Fund, (PIF, who owns the LIV Tour), continue as they are now. Distinct organizations. 2. They are in a new, evolving "partnership" in a for-profit organization to run all professional men's golf, world-wide. Expect some monopoly questions in the near future. 3. PIF was willing to do this because the LIV tour had no legitimate sponsors, no legitimate TV coverage, and they weren't going to continue to fund this in the future. And, it ends all current litigation. 4. The PGA Tour and the DP World Tour invested "themselves" as their investment, but the LIV Tour had no value, so PIF is also putting a major cash investment into the new partnership. Billions of dollars, obviously. They are designated as the "Premier investor", whatever that means. 5. The PGA Tour, and Jay Monahan, are essentially running global golf, with PIF holding the purse strings. That's the "partnership." 6. Norman is out. The shocker, and this is based on what I've read, and may not be correct: All existing members in good standing on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour are in the new organization. However, all others, which would include current LIV members, "may apply for reinstatement", based on "objective" criteria, which is based on "current PGA Tour policies and procedures." Which means that current LIV members are NOT automatically in the new structure. Holy cow!! We all assumed they were in the new structure, kept their signing bonuses, and that all existing PGA/DP Tour members would be kicking themselves for not taking the money. May not necessarily be accurate. There may still be some LIV members who end up on the outside, which raises the question of whether or not they keep their money given that if their reinstatements are not accepted, they're no longer professional tour players, anywhere. Yikes. The moral, ethical, human rights issues: The US and all its global allies cheerfully buy all the Saudi oil they can get, refine it into gasoline and other products, and sell it for profit. This makes US oil corporations and Saudi Arabia happy. The US and its global allies regularly sell weapons to Saudi Arabia, which makes our military corporations enormous profits, and makes them and Saudi Arabia happy. When Saudi Arabia is happy with the US and its allies, it supports our geopolitical strategies in the Middle East. The Saudi royal family, through their ARAMCO oil business, is the primary sponsor of the Ladies European Tour. The Saudi royal family owns one of the biggest soccer teams in the UK Premier League. The Saudi royal family is becoming a major player in Formula One motor sports. All human rights concerns are trumped by enough money. Always. Sorry for the long-winded post. I'm going to be really, really interested in how the "reinstatement process" is going to play out for existing LIV members.

Had several pair of both styles. Here's something else to think about: Cost. If you're buying $50 golf shoes, cost doesn't matter. They're throw-aways when they get worn. On the other hand, if you normally buy $150-$200 or up golf shoes, it matters If the spikes wear out on a pair of $200 shoes, you buy a new set of spikes for $15 and you're good to go. If an expensive pair of spikeless shoes wear out, you're buying a new pair of shoes. As far as comfort goes, once you find a brand of shoe where their last fits your foot great, (happens to be Adidas for me), then both spiked and spikeless should both be equally comfortable walking on the course. Sidewalks and parking lots may be different. And as most have mentioned...hilly and/or wet course, spikeless adds a risk of slipping. Spiked for me!

Can't believe I missed this thread when it started. I'm like most, I found some no BS reviews, and really liked that. Liked the tone of the writing as well. Then, I started to notice the difference in members here compared to some other golf web sites. Typical emotional age of too many posters on other sites seemed to be about 14. Love the respect and civility here. I don't post on any other golf web sites anymore.

I tried it on the range for a while. It is interesting, but I didn't hit the ball any better.

So the upgraded shaft doesn't cost $350, it costs $350 MORE than the stock shaft?

Agreed. There are plenty of golfers out there that just want to always have the latest-greatest. Enough to keep the OEMs happy even with rising prices? Don't know. I can tell you there are enough dedicated Harley-Davidson owners who buy the latest $45,000 CVO model every year to keep Harley manufacturing them.

I actually read every comment, so apologies if I missed anyone who already said this, but here's my dos centavos. For the record, currently gaming a Cobra F9 something something that I bought the year after the next one came out. I'm a solid "two years behind" guy. When contemplating a new $600+ driver, the one thought that keeps banging in my head is this: How many lessons can I get for $600, and which choice, driver or lessons, will lower my handicap the most? Done. (To be clear, if I were still playing a 10-year-old driver, the choice would be different, but most of us aren't.)

I forgot where I just read this, but a manufacturer recently said: "Bryson is looking for that magic bullet." The club that will hit it long and straight every time, at his clubhead and ball speeds. Well, as long as a human being is swinging it, and not a machine, good luck. Given his public bad-mouthing of Cobra while they were paying him, I'm not expecting any OEM to jump to the front of the line to sign him up. He may very well go forward without a club sponsor. Maybe TaylorMade thinks they can handle it. Dunno. Off-topic, but I have met Bryson personally. I spent about two years (NOT full-time!!) working with Bryson's long-time coach Mike Schy. Mike, Bryson, and I all went to the same high school. Not at the same time! I've been on the lesson tee watching Bryson work. Damn. Dude can send it. And that was before he gained the bulk. Bryson is most definitely...uuhhh...half a bubble off personality-wise. He can be just as difficult in person as he has been from time to time with the media. Even with that, I wish he had stayed with the PGA Tour. He was, without question, one of the most exciting, different, and unique guys on tour. Fun to watch, that's for sure.

Watched the first five episodes last night. I thought it was absolutely great!! Local note: I live in the small town area that Joel Dahmen and his caddie Geno Bonalli are from. I know Geno personally. Just to let you know what an absolute stick he is, he has the course record at the local club I used to belong to: 61. Sixty-one!!! And Joel has the course record where I now belong: 61!! Guess which episode is my favorite so far! Watching the rest today, before Tiger tees off.

Ok, it's just my personal quirk, but I absolutely refuse to purchase any product that uses the word "extreme" in its advertising. Much less "xtreme."

Thanks, Kenny! Unfortunately we have family coming over for cake during the middle of the day. Tomorrow!

"Quite costly"... How much?

Here's my decision factor: 1. When you have a pair of soft spike shoes, and the spikes wear out, you buy a new set of spikes for $15. 2. When you have spikeless shoes and nubs wear off the soles, you buy a new pair of shoes. Nope. I take care of my shoes so they last for several years, so it's spikes for me.

I replace mine when the padding around the top opening wears down to the metal.

As we know, there is no shortage of wingnuts posting on YouTube, etc. Some of the golf videos I've seen are just laughable examples of people trying to monetize their social media presence. I don't have a problem with making money. I wish them luck. But, you clearly have to be at a certain knowledge level yourself before you can decide who to listen to and who to ignore. I love the AMG guys. They don't peddle opinions, or old myths, they've got some actual facts.

Do you have a link to this MGS quote? I can't find the original post. Thanks!

Absolutely true. Air compressor and lots of swearing. Not as bad as SuperStroke putter grips, though.

Happy with my JPX921 Hot Metal Pro so far. The new line looks great, but I really don't see a major reason to upgrade.