Alf. S
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Posts posted by Alf. S
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I think Luke Donald has mad a few marginal calls that you've got to hope they work out. So I'm just a hacker that hasn't played on tour or with any of the players but out of the possible picks Meronk and Alexander Bjork were the ones to miss out,
I'm surprised Meronk was left out having won at Marco Simone earlier this year. I pretty sure the reason Nicolai Højgaard got a pick because of his performance there over the last couple of years at the course.
My 2nd point is I'm not sure how much Straka is committed to the European tour since he has played in limited events and maybe might not fit in to a team environment and Bjork would be a strong player in his place, although not won this year is a strong player with greta short game.
Aberg is interesting and I'm really looking forward to seeing how he fares but on Sunday at Crans Montana he was phenomenal.
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Date 09/04/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 81 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 10 Net Score to Par 1 Net Score 72 Net Birdies or better 3 Longest Drive 290 VCT Match Play Score Staggered round 18 today.
- Vegan_Golfer_PNW and rkj427
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- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Walked my 1st 18 since being discharged from hospital 4 weeks ago, suffering from BPPV (vertigo) but managed to complete. 15 over of h/c 9, hitting the ball well but not necessarily in the right direction and short game really rusty. Just happy I completed, was completely knackered last night.
- BallsLeon, fixyurdivot, cksurfdude and 9 others
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In the UK for club golfers and most members clubs, buggies are not widely available so walking is really the only option. With the boon in electric trolleys this has enabled the older golfers still to walk. We have a 90 year old at the club that still plays twice a week.
Having walked my 1st round for 5 weeks yesterday after illness it was a bit of a struggle with the 5 miles up and down hills but I'm sure it will get easier.
- Rickp and cksurfdude
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You can try and get a replacement with Skycaddie. They basically hid behind the 1 year warranty and wouldn't move. But they did offer me a large discount on the SX550 which surprise is far more robust and has a better IPX rating!
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This post is purely for my own mental wellbeing.
No score to post but I thought I would share a small achievement.
After being rushed into hospital on the 23rd July with a blocked bile duct and acute kidney injury, i was discharged under observation for the last 2 weeks only to be diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV), this is a bummer you walk like a drunk without having the fun of the alcohol. Joking aside the BPPV makes it really difficult to walk never mind swing a club. Today my wife took me out in a cart and managed 14 holes and shot +6 with a triple on the 2nd. I think having to keep my head still might have helped. After 4 weeks of illness, a bit of anxiety about recovery and been stuck in the house, I think there is an end in sight.
For the last 25 years, I took for granted being able to golf 3 or 4 times a week and at short notice pop out and play any of the local courses. This brings it home that live for the day you don't know what's round the corner.
- J7Hawkins and GolfSpy TCB
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Hi All
I have just posted my review of the Craftsman Headcovers.
Apologies for the lateness but I've had a pretty torrid time in the last 3 weeks, hospitalised for 8 days, back out only to be affected by vertigo issues which means I can't walk any distance without getting dizzy. This means golf is out at the moment and pretty much reliant on my wife to drive me around.
Anyway hoping for better days.
Enjoy Your Golf
Alf
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Date 07/08/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 77 Course Handicap 10 Gross Strokes over/under par 6 Net Score to Par -4 Net Score 67 Net Birdies or better 3 Longest Drive 270 Club Championship weekend shot 77 with 36 putts. The greens had been mowed and ironed to be at least 1 more on the stint than when I played on Thursday. I'm a dead weight putter and the balls would look on line but as soon as they slowed swung away from the hole.
2nd round today shot 83 with again 36 putts I usually average 28. Grr
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4 hours ago, richk9holes said:
But, please more about the haggis...
OK you've asked for it.
Not just in Scotland but all over the UK the traditional butchers have created what are called "puddings" from the non prime parts of the animals. The butchers never divulge their exact recipes but the 3 most famous are White Pudding, Black Pudding and of course Haggis. They are all part of the National Cooked Breakfasts.
Scottish = bacon, sausage, fried egg, beans, mushrooms and haggis
English = change haggis for black pudding
The traditional way to eat Haggis is with mashed potatoes and mashed turnip (swede). This is referred to as Haggis and Neeps
Scotland's national poet Rabbie Burns (Auld Lang Syne) birthday is celebrated on the 25th January throughout Scotland with local societies and groups holding Burn's Suppers which will be Haggis and Neeps and toasts made up of whisky. A Large Haggis (usually Sheep's stomach encased) will be piped (bag piper) into the banquet hall and the toastmaster will recite Burn's poem to "Address to the Haggis" before bursting it open with a knife to be served.
As said in my previous post it is now used as an ingredient and it is common to see Steak Balmoral or Chicken Balmoral served in restaurants. This is Steak or Chicken served with a whisky cream sauce and either stuffed or on a bed of Haggis. And also as a starter Haggis bon bons
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The traditional Haggis is cooked in a Sheep's stomach but this is not very common any longer but you can still get them from butchers. The supermarkets stock it either in a synthetic skin or in slices and in various sizes. For me I sometime buy the slices and grill or fry them and put them in a roll/bun.
Long before McDonalds or KFC came to Scotland, post war an influx of Italians came to Scotland. The original Scottish fast food was the Italian chippie, Fish Supper (Fish and Chips); deep fried Fish in batter with thick cut deep fried potatoes (not crisps). Their menu evolved to deep frying everything with Chips, black pudding, quarter of chicken, PIZZA, chocolate and of course Haggis. This is also probably why Scotland leads the World in the level of Chronic Heart Disease.
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Like many foods there is good Haggis and bad. The key in my view is the moisture, too dry and it disintegrates during cooking, too moist and it feels gooey in your mouth. If you find a good butcher that makes a good one you go back to him.
Do I eat it all the time, sitting in my kilt and saying "Och Aye the noo" like in Brig a doon, no but I probably have it once or twice a month. Before you get too judgemental I would suggest you look at where some of your "locally" produced food comes from and how it is produced. Burgers and Sausages can hide anything.
And it is definitely more exciting than playing Mini Golf.
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7 hours ago, chisag said:
... You make some good points but if my choice is:
1. Mini Golf
2. A savoury pudding containing a sheep's heart, liver, and lungs, minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal's stomach with WARM BEER
... I am playing mini golf.You cannae beat a good cooked Haggis, My favourite is a chicken breast stuffed with it and covered with a whisky sauce.
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Why do people think that golfers like playing Mini Golf.
I hate it with a vengeance.
- You play with a putter that usually has the grip falling off that is too small for you.
- The ball is usually as hard as a brick
- Normally on a thread bare piece of carpet
- You have to hit the ball so hard you can't possibly aim it.
- Ball normally ends up against a wall or off the course
But still my wife will ask if I want to play it when we pass a course!
Thoughts?
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Date 06/29/2023 Course Name Harburn GC Gross Score 77 Course Handicap 10 Gross Strokes over/under par 7 Net Score to Par -3 Net Score 67 Net Birdies or better 7 Longest Drive 0 - Javs and GolfSpy_KFT
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Heading to the course with my 1st try/setup, changed the wood headcovers to see if I like the black and red better than the red and white.
One thing I did discover is that as I played round, I changed the position of the clubs in the bag to get them more visible and better ordered
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Couple of photos of my 1st try on of the covers
- OdinSnipes414, Javs, Triple_Putt and 1 other
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14 minutes ago, Big moose said:
The ones pictured look like they have zippers on them, I haven't seen any with velcro.
Nope they have velcro.
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Headcovers arrived this morning
- rkj427, ParFore74x, Bad Golfer and 5 others
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Date 06/08/2023 Course Name Bathgate GC Gross Score 77 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 6 Net Score to Par -3 Net Score 68 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 281 -
The Review - June 2023
Craftsman Headcovers – Official MGS Forum Review by Alf. S
Intro
Iron covers seem to divide the golfing community, there are lovers and haters. I’m not sure many of the haters will get past my intro but here goes.
I’m a 62-year-old retiree based out of the central belt in Scotland between Glasgow and Edinburgh conveniently placed for golf, with St Andrews, East Lothian (Muirfield), South Ayrshire (Troon and Turnberry) and Angus (Carnoustie) all with in a 2-hour drive. My home course is parkland and is The West Lothian Golf Club which sits above the Firth of Forth giving views over Fife, all the way down to the Bass Rock and up to the hills of the Trossachs North of Stirling.
My work background was programme management in microelectronics so I am a technophile with attention to detail.
I play on average 3-4 rounds a week; weekly competition, bounce game with friends and I’ll try and get a couple of rounds by myself when the course is quiet. I have been playing social golf since my early teens but for the last 20 years I have played competitively.
On the course I like to look good, and I like my clubs and my bag to look good. I mostly use an electric trolley when I play and have a selection of cart bags that I use throughout the year, I match my woods covers, putter cover, towel, rangefinder case and hybrid headcovers to the bag. Yes, I’m really that pedantic. Below is my current setup with the Srixon iron covers out of retirement for the duration of the review.
During the testing I will be looking at
· The look of the headcovers with my 3 different bag setups.
· How easy they are to get on and off the clubs. When hitting an iron, I usually slide the head cover onto my umbrella handle, does it fit?
· Are they secure on my clubs and is the closing mechanism good quality?
· Water ingress and trapping of water on the clubs.
Every time I buy new irons, I buy a new set of iron covers, usually neoprene with the manufacturer’s logo. They stay on my clubs for about 2 weeks then go back into the garage, they will then come out on an annual basis only to be returned to the garage after 2 weeks. I can do all the testing in the world on these but ultimately it will come down to the look and useability of the headcovers for me to decide if they will become part of my bag setup. For the test I want Craftsman to convince me that I want to keep them on my clubs.
First Impressions (500 Words) (9 out of 10)
I went for the
Colorful Embroidery Number Iron Head Cover Set
Craftsman were also good enough to also provide me with a set of wedge covers
Colorful Embroidery Protective White Leather Wedge Iron Headcover 52° 56° 60°
They arrived as promised securely wrapped and in A1 condition. On unwrapping and first inspection all the covers were in perfect condition. Comparing them to the neoprene covers I currently have they are far superior in quality and design.
With the iron set you get 7 iron covers (3i to 9i) and 5 wedges (PE, AW, SW and 2 x LW) which should support most iron set ups. I’m afraid to say, not mine which uniquely has a 52 and an AW. But this was basically the reason for asking for the wedge set.
Putting these slight niggles aside my initial impressions are very positive and award them 9 out of 10.
Aesthetics (19 out of 20)
If you are using Iron Covers then good aesthetics will be a mandatory requirement in choosing the right covers. Craftsman do not disappoint on this measure.
The standard set contain 3i to 9i, PW, AW, SW and two LW in a variety of colours that makes it easy for you to identify the clubs in your bag and are striking visually.
On close inspection the SW iron cover had some loose threads
With the quality and options for the headcovers I would rate these 19 out of 20, deducting 1 point for the SW loose threads.
The Numbers (18 out of 20)
How do you rate something that in terms on the effect on your game is minimal. The main question would be do they protect your clubs from pings and water.
The covers are made of polyurethane (PU) leather which makes them durable and water resistant with the padding the clubs are very well protected.
The fit on most clubs was very good but like most iron covers when you get to the wedges they can look a bit mis-shape, and this is the case with Craftsman.
Like most head covers care is needed to dry the clubs before putting the headcover back on or storing the clubs or you could end up with rust. On the times I used them which was about 10 times over the month and 3 wet days this was not an issue.
The next area I looked at was how they fitted in with my bag set ups. Here are just a few pictures of them with a myriad of covers and bags I have.
I use cart bags on my electric trolley on the Powakaddy Dritech which is a 14 way bag but is the smallest bag the clubs did feel a little cramped.
My favourite was the third one above with the black and red Callaway wood covers.
Fort this section I have given the covers 18 out of 20. Main deduction being the mis-shape on the wedges and the volume they take up.
Practice makes…? (20 out of 20)
In this section I’m marking the practicality of the iron covers and their use on the course.
The use of iron covers should be part of your normal routine, if it isn’t then you run the risk of misplacing and causing unnecessary delays to your playing partners. My normal routine would be:
1. Select club and remove from bag.
2. Remove headcover and place on umbrella handle.
3. Check face of club and clean if appropriate
4. Play shot.
5. Clean face
6. Replace headcover and club in bag.
With the colour and large numbers on the covers it makes it easy to identify the club in the bag.
The securing of the covers is through Velcro tabs which looks a bit flimsy but in experience have been found to be robust and secure in their application.
On the course I could not fault the covers and have marked then 20 out of 20.
Anecdotally I have send a couple of these covers in lost property at the course which I will put down to human error.
The Good, the bad, the inbetween (20 out of 20)
If you like iron covers you will love these. I’m not a total convert but I love they way they make my bag look. I think I would have liked to have a total white option available .
Play it or Trade it? (5 out of 10)
After all the praise I’m giving them I am still on the fence on using iron covers, they haven’t convinced me to use them 100% of the time and they will probably come out for the season start and special occasions when I play. Like the old ones they will stay on my clubs for a couple of week then be put away again.
Conclusion (91 out of 100)
These are quality iron covers that without going down the leather alternative, should be considered as the top of the market.
- rkj427, tchat07, GolfSpy_APH and 5 others
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Date 05/29/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 76 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 5 Net Score to Par -4 Net Score 67 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 270 Broke out of the doldrums. Lovely day today with 70'F and light winds. Course is getting more fiery by the day. Hit a sweet 7i into the 1st thinking I was going to be putting for birdie, ball ran thru the back, leaving a tough chip that I duffed for a double.
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Date 05/28/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 88 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 17 Net Score to Par 8 Net Score 79 Net Birdies or better 4 Longest Drive 270 The score doesn't really tell the story.
Blustery day (westerly upto 30mph) with the course playing dry and hard. With the west wind I always find the course plays harder, long par 4s play into the wind and the shorter ones down wind. Lots of long irons, hybrids and 3w for approaches which meant scrambling was at a premium, unfortunately for me I seemed to short side myself 90% of the time which made it impossible to get close even summoning my inner Phil.
After 2 months of struggling with poor ball striking the last 2 rounds have been very positive. Although not scoring I have a least the foundations to build back and optimistic.
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Was playing with my son and his ex-marine mate at my home course, where it happened to us. 3rd is 320yd par 4 ball rolls thru the green when we are putting, 4th lands in the greenside bunker, 5th again 340 yd dogleg ball flies over the dogleg and lands on the green on the full.
We wait on the 6th tee for them and say they can play thru since they have nearly hit us 3 times, the guy starts to argue with me about playing thru and tries to say that the balls were no where near us. Meanwhile the ex-marine is asking "can i just hit him". Needless to say this was the last we saw of them.
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I have 2 tubes and one shag bag. The tubes take 20 balls each and the shag bag about 80.
The shag bag I tend only use in the yard for chipping and getting my chipping rhythm repetition, i.e I will hit 80 balls to build my confidence up and down the yard for about an hour.
The tubes I use differently
1. For warm up I will use one tube will 2 core balls, hit 5-10 drives, 5-10 7i. These I hit from different tees so the balls endup 60 to 30yds short of the practise green. I then pitch the 20 balls onto the green. Then chip the ones that miss the green.
2. I fill the 2 tubes with coloured Callaway Supersoft or Wilson Duo balls, 10 of each colour. I can then hit 10 balls, change something and hit another 10 and hopefully see the dispersion and distance difference when I collect them.
3. I fill one tube with my gamer ball, this is mainly for short game practise or gapping practise
- cnosil, fixyurdivot and BIG STU
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On 11/30/2022 at 1:45 AM, Roger Love said:
I'm preparing have a trip to Scotland. Can you give me some golf centers that have good sevices?
Sorry just saw this. Do you still want some info?
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Date 05/23/2023 Course Name West Lothian Golf Club Gross Score 77 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 6 Net Score to Par -3 Net Score 68 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 260 I've been having a bit of a hard time on the course both mentally and physically. Walked off after 8 on Saturday after 4 lost balls and a litany of bad shots; slice pulls, tops, shanks. After some soul searching over the weekend back out yesterday. Burnt it up on the front but back 9 was a trial.
- Millwrightofgolf, dback and GolfSpy SAM
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2023 Ryder Cup - Official Thread
in Tour Talk
Posted
There has to be a mixture of players, I've always thought major winners are the players that can handle the pressure better than most and should make the foundation of the team.
Hopefully Lowry will show some form over the next 2 weeks that justify his inclusion. 2 x 68s at the Irish Open over the last 2 days is a good start.