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skrupa15

 
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About skrupa15

  • Birthday 09/15/1987

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Pittsburgh, PA
  • Interests
    Golf, Hockey - Pittsburgh Penguins, Cooking, My 2 dogs, STEM

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    12

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  1. Thanks ballplayer. I got the sense that it was pretty casual (but still expensive). Was looking for someone to confirm exactly that. We'll play Seven Lakes and Tobacco Road; which we always play while we're down there. This year we added Southern Pines GC to the rotation as well and will add one or two more courses via golf now if we see a good deal.
  2. I'm hoping to get some insight from any spies out there who have played the Cradle at Pinehurst. In May I"ll be traveling with a group of 8 players for a week long trip to the Pinehurst area. This will be our third visit to Pinehurst and while we aren't scheduled to play of the big courses at the resort, I thought I might try and get a tee time for the Cradle for one of the afternoon or early evenings we have free. We'll be staying in a pair of condos within walking distance of the club house and are flexible on what time/which days we can play. Aside from knowing that I need to make a tee time, and can only make tee times for the Cradle 24 hours in advance since we're not staying at the resort, is there anything else I should know? Any tips from spies that have played it? It says that replays are free, but do you need a tee time for subsequent times you play it? Thanks guys.
  3. This thread inspired me to make my own training stick. Just purchased the first of the materials yesterday. I'm going to try and incorporate some of my favorite ideas from this thread and can't wait to show you guys how it turns out.
  4. When Mark signed his deal with Titleist it was contingent that he could continue reviewing any manufacturer he wanted, same with his new Cleveland/Srixon/XXIO deal. To Titleist's displeasure he kept his old Ping G25 hybrid in the bag (aka Rinky Dinks) when he switched over although he ultimately did put two 818 hybrids in his bag. Mark has never said "go buy this club" rather that he simply likes or dislikes certain clubs and puts his launch monitor data up as fruit for thought. If your friend is buying clubs solely based on YouTube reviews, I wouldn't call them stupid, just ill-informed and impulsive. Mark has always said, "go get lesson, go get fit" when it comes to equipment purchases.
  5. Thanks everyone for the great responses. It's been a really good few days since my post. I'm focusing on what I can reasonably do before the wedding: count calories, limit salt, make healthier choices, be more active. I'm already encouraged by your support. @Pug, despite taking such poor care of myself, my blood glucose is fine. But I do have a family history of diabetes so it's something that's always on my mind.
  6. Hey all. It's my first time posting to this thread but hopefully the beginning of of regular contributions. I can't begin to describe how encouraging it is to see everyone share their stories. My goal is to use this thread not only as a source of information and encouragement but also as a medium for accountability. I can only hope that I return as much of those things as I receive. I'm Sean and I'm about 120 pounds over what a 32 year old male who is 5'5" should weigh. I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and my knees ache most days of the week. Something has to give, and I'd rather that something not be my heart, joints, etc. I'm considering switching to a mostly plant-based diet along the lines of what people like Joel Fuhrman and Ray Cronise prescribe. That would represent a massive change in my lifestyle, but my situation requires a dramatic amount of weight loss. My plan is to make this change when I'm fully prepared (gathered information, tried recipes, consulted with my physician) which I estimate to be about 10 weeks from now. Between now and then I have several major life events happening that I know will sabotage me if I commit any earlier (wedding ~4 weeks out, moving ~6 weeks out, start new job ~ 8 weeks out). From now until that point I'm going to make healthier decisions and try and be as active as possible. It's simply all I have to give at the moment. I want to preemptively thank everyone for being what I'm sure will be the kind of community I need not only right now but moving forward as well.
  7. Would love to meet up at the National Harbor TG!
  8. I agree with the general sentiment that if you don't need to do it; don't do it. But a small pipe brush and solvent should do the trick.
  9. Actually, I find the opposite to be true. The TA3 feels closed at address compared to my gamer. What's worse is that the TA3 feeling closed scared me a little; I have a tendency to miss short putts to the left if I get too nervous and squeeze the grip too tight. I'm happy to say that at least in my initial testing, this hasn't been an issue.
  10. July 27/28 could work for me. I'm unfamiliar with golf in that region, what are some courses for us to consider?
  11. I've injured both wrists in a similar fashion while golfing. It's always a fat shot that does it. While I'm not familiar with the wrist widget product, I can vouch that the area it provides support is spot on. I used to apply one strip of 1/2" medical tape above and below the end of the ulna and that's the only thing that allowed me to play pain free. Fortunately I've had no problems for a while but I still tape if I play in cold weather or if I know the conditions are going to be too firm. Wrist injuries are positively maddening; I hope you get some relief soon.
  12. Stage Two – Tommy Armour Tour Impact #3 – Official MGS Forum Review by Sean Krupa Intro On my quest to determine if the TA3 could supplant my current gamer and satisfy my obsession with mallet putters I constructed the following test plan: A casual introduction to the TA3 with 18 holes of no pressure, no consequences golf with some buddies A more informal introduction at the practice green alongside my current game for the beginnings of side-by-side comparison One hour of formal side-by-side comparison on a SAM putt lab More on course testing including two rounds of league play where everything is holed out and money (albeit modest amounts) is on the line I wanted to do my best put the TA3 in every possible scenario I could think of with as much “hard” data to back up my conclusions as possible. After just under two months with the TA3 I feel like I know this putter very well and can’t wait to share my findings with you. Looks (8 out of 10 points) The TA3 has a very pleasing shape that checks many of the boxes I was looking for in a mallet putter. It is not overly gaudy in its footprint, with graphics that I think are tastefully subdued. The black on black just resonates well with me and inspired confidence down by the ball – no distractions, all business. Compared to others in the category, I still maintain that it might not look “as premium” as the big dogs, however it doesn’t stick out like a cheap, sore thumb either. In summary, Tommy Armour has put together a winning combination with the look of TA3 that definitely got the attention of my playing companions when it was out on the course. Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points) The TA3 produced a muted, soft “knock” sound which was a pleasure to hear when striking the ball. Here’s a video I took on the practice green so you can hear for yourself. I think TA deserves some credit for achieving this without the use of an overly soft insert which breaks up the looks or feels artificially soft. Coming from gaming a blade style putter I thought I had a keen awareness of where my misfits were on the face when I hit them. Perhaps it’s the extra mass behind the ball, but when putting with the TA3 I did not seem to have the ability to identify mishits as well. This consistent feel across the face is another strength of the TA3 that I could not ignore. When I had my dad take a few strokes with the TA3 he kept using the words “light” and “smooth” which I tend to agree with. Add it all up and you have a putter which builds on its confidence inspiring looks, with sound and feel that achieve similar results. Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points) After spending an evening at the practice green with the TA3 and my gamer doing an informal side-by-side comparison, I found both alignment and speed control came very natural with TA3. Despite have a drastically different look, the transition was seamless. There were some encouraging moments but I knew nothing definitive would come from the practice green even if I had stayed for hours on end. What I wanted was definitive, objective, science-based information about these two putters and how my putting game was affected by each. Can I just say, that I love living in an era where technology like launch monitors and putting labs exist, but are available to the average golfer as well? A simple search on the internet informed me that there was SAM putt lab less than 10 miles from my house which I could book practice time on. Before I go any further, let me give a big shout out to Steve at the SW Golf Academy in Chantilly, VA. Not only did he take extra time to show me the ropes of the system, he genuinely took an interest in the testing I was doing for this review. We first set the system to do a “blind” putter comparison between the TA3 and my Ping gamer. I call it “blind” because I wouldn’t see the results until after the test was over. The criteria of the head-to-head comparison were simple: 10 putts with each measuring technical proficiency (SAM calls this tendency, and is a measure of the technical quality of the putting stroke) and consistency. After doing the comparison, SAM putt lab recommended I stay with the Ping but a very narrow margin. However, because the system weights consistency more strongly than tendency the Ping “won” based on me being a more consistent putter (not at all surprising when it’s been in my bag for 3 seasons now). My tendency was actually better with the TA3 suggesting I could be a better putter overall if my consistency improved. Next, we set up ~30 ball extended practice sessions with each putter and the results were similar. The Ping narrowly edged out the TA3 but this time in both tendency and consistency. I can’t say that I’m entirely surprised by this as my Ping has been a very strong club for me for quite a while. Ping: TA3: My takeaway from the SAM putt lab experience (and primary component to the score I awarded for this section) was this: the TA3 putts nearly as well as my Ping which has multiple seasons of familiarity working for it. I was confident that putting it in the bag would not set my game back significantly and in fact I took this a challenge to improve my putting with the TA3. I’ve made all my SAM putt lab data available in case anyone wants to take a closer look. On-Course Performance (29 out of 30 points) All told, I took the TA3 on the course a total of 4 separate times for the purposes of this forum review testing. I don’t have data from the first round; I was playing with a group of friends before a wedding and we scrambled the back nine to get the groom back to the resort for the rehearsal. It was a first introduction to the TA3 and I did make a very nice birdie putt on the 9th hole (~20 ft.). Round 1: The results speak for themselves. This was the best putting round I can ever remember having. Nine one-putts is just silly, although a big assist goes to my wedges that put a couple chips close to tap in distance. Why can’t every round be like this one? Round 2: Much more like what a typical round (33.2 putts) is for me. Round 3: A bad score despite having my best GIR? That's a bad day at the office for the TA3; there's no hiding it. Every round had at least one three-putt and in another round played after this testing I managed to four-putt a hole with the TA3. A magic pill the TA3 is not; that being said a high score for this section was well earned with no rounds significantly above my average putts per round and one round which was crazy good. Miscellaneous (7 out of 10 points) I have to say I’m enjoying a putter which can easily swipe the ball up off the ground, especially while playing summer golf in DC. It would be nice if the entire putter head fit inside the cup (it’s just barely too big) and would be a suggestion I would make to Tommy Armour. One thing that needs to be talked about is the condition of the packaging the TA3 arrived in. Multiple TA3 testers received boxes that were damaged, falling apart, and in my case completely open at one end. If Tommy Armour, which is already fighting the stigma of being a bargain brand, thinks the TA3 can compete with the likes of Ping, Taylormade, Odyssey, etc. then the packaging needs to hold up to the same standard. Hopefully Tommy Armour addresses this moving on. Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20 points) Given that both the data I’ve collected, as well as on course performance has shown that the TA3 is every bit as good as my Ping, I would gladly put this club in my bag when the pressure is on. If a freak accident happened where all my clubs were destroyed the TA3 would be my first purchase because I know I can start a new bag around that club and not look back. The combination of the feel and looks are undeniably confidence inspiring for me which has led me to the decision to keep it in my bag for the rest of this season including for my league championship a month from now. I did make one small modification moving forward... While I enjoyed the stock grip, I’ve known from the moment I’ve seen this putter in person I was going to put Evnroll’s gravity grip on it. I didn’t want to do so until after my forum review testing to make sure it was a pure evaluation of the TA3 only. For $130, I’ve got a poor man’s ER5B and saved myself $290; the tinkerer in me is beaming. Conclusion The Tommy Armour Tour Impact #3 is a close to the “real thing” as it gets from a bargain brand. It went toe to toe with my Ping gamer and definitely punched above its weight. This putter has the complete package at an exceptional value. Will you make every putt with the TA3? Obviously not. Will you never three putt again? Who are we kidding? But if you are in the market for a putter that just performs, get over the stigma, and give this club a shot. I think you’ll quickly find yourself believing you’ll make putts with it, all while taking it easy on your wallet. Thank you MGS again for this awesome opportunity and forum members for your insights and attention. Final Score: 91/100
  13. Tommy Armour Tour Impact No.3 - Stage 1 About Me: I have a confession… For the past year or so I’ve been carrying on a torrid affair in my imagination with mallet putters. If you were to ask me what single “dream” club I would add to my bag, the answer would be easy: Evnroll’s ER5 Hatchback in all black with the gravity grip. Maybe this all sounds a little too convenient, that is, my obsession with mallet putters after MGS picks me to test the Tommy Armour Impact Series #3. Unfortunately, I’m not so good at keeping my affair a secret… While my obsession with the ER5 is an open secret, I’ve also made it a point to try a few other premium options in this category: Taylormade TP Black Copper Ardmore 2 Odyssey Stroke Lab Seven S Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 Ping Sigma 2 Tyne If you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on any of these putters, they are all premium feeling and very sharp looking despite having a unique identity. In addition, as a scientist I’m inclined to defer to the experts even when it runs contrary to subjective thoughts. The promise of more consistency from higher MOI mallet putters is simply seductive. So how have I managed to fight the urge to drop a couple hundred dollars on a new putter? The answer is a combination of cold showers, gentle reminders from my fiancé that we’re getting married in October, and a current gamer that putts well. Just when I think I’m in the clear, MGS comes by and gives me a chance to test the Most Wanted Mallet Putter for 2019, the TA3. I’m Sean by the way, and for a more formal introduction/bio I’m going to refer you to my last forum review on the Vice Pro ball back in 2017. Much of the relevant information is still the same. I never thought I’d get picked to be a reviewer once much less twice in three years. Thank you MGS for this awesome opportunity to test the TA3 (and enabling my mallet putter obsession). My Game: Handicap: 10.8 This is down 0.7 strokes from 2017 thanks entirely to a few lessons at Golftec followed by another maintenance lesson this year at a Trackman facility. Video of putting stroke: I’ll add a video of my putting stroke as an update to Stage 1 when I get chance to visit the practice green. Putting strategy: Look at every putt from at least two angles Pick a line and commit, never second guess (thanks Bones) Give every putt a chance to go in, with a smooth efficient stroke Misses should be 1-2’ long and on the high side While I consider putting as a strength of my game, this wasn’t always the case. I struggled mightily on the greens as a teenager. The most significant help with my putting came from reading “Putt Like the Pros” by the great Dave Pelz. This book was worth its weight in gold to me. It taught me how to practice and completely changed my mindset about putting. Armed with knowledge from a reliable source, I spent many a late night at the practice green until my putting improved. Go figure, but I’ve found that keeping my putting sharp requires more practice than I can always budget. When I can’t get to the practice green, I rely on my Putt Out training aid for at home work. My Bag: Callaway Great Big Bertha 10.5*, -1” Ping G30 5W, -0.6* to 17.4* Cobra King F7 Hybrid 20.5* Mizuno JPX-EZ 4, Taylormade R9 5-AW, -.75” Cleveland RTX 3.0 CB 56*, 60* Srixon Z Star My bag has seen few changes in the past two years. I’m currently gaming the Ping Karsten TR PAL model putter. This has been my gamer for the past three seasons with zero regrets. While the PAL might not be for everyone, it’s been a great fit for me. The TR face technology is buttery soft and I find consistent distance control very easy to manage. I’ve made a lot of big putts with this putter, so it’s going to take something very special for me to shelve it. Conclusion: Thanks again to MGS for this opportunity. I’m going to try my best to give the Tommy Armour Impact #3 a thorough, honest review. My plans for the TA3 include on course testing as well as a head-to-head comparison with my current gamer on a SAM PuttLab system. If anyone has a question or suggestion for the review, please don’t hesitate to share. While the full Stage 2 review is still to come, I already inserted the TA3 into my bag for a casual 18 holes I played before a friend’s wedding. I won’t spoil too much, but after a single round I am VERY intrigued. While you can tell it's not a Ping, Evnroll, Scotty, etc., the all black is just so clean looking and the Winn Midsize Pistol helps give it some "heft". The transition into my bag was much easier than I expected. If there’s one thing that will make me forget about the TA3 feeling just a little less than premium, it’s seeing putts go in the hole. Can it supplant the PAL and find its way into my bag on a permanent basis? Have I found an economical alternative to the ER5? We’ll see!
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