appletonjim

Golf in the summer and curl in the winter. Love em both.

I use a Precision Pro rangefinder with slope for daily rounds. Had a garmen GPS for years and liked it but it quit working and was out of warranty and not fixable and garmen offered 5% on a new one so I thought I would try the laser rangefinder method. I really like it's accuracy when you can mark the flag but sometimes you are still walking off yardage (if I hit em in the fairway every time that wouldn't be a problem). I enter scores in the WI/USGA handicap tool and enter the details when I can.

As we move into the off season I was thinking about swing speed again. I unfortunately do not have a high ceiling man cave (relegated to the basement with 6.5 foot height) so I cannot take a full swing but can tun/extend my hands when in golf posture with out a club. Any recommendations for swing drills to increase clubhead speed in a confined space? As background: 64 years old. Decent physical condition and flexibility - I do some floor stretching, planks, crunches, pushups and squats 3 -5 times per week plus abbreviated versions on Thur (18 holes plus 9 holes - two leagues), and Sat (18 holes) all walking with a push cart. In the winter I curl so I stay active. Baseline swing speed according to the trackman at Golf Galaxy is 97 to 101. Index hovers in the 6.7 to 7 range. I am in the upper 30% of my groups scorewise but the guys who are better are almost all longer. If I could pick up 20 yards or even 15 that would be pretty major. And as a secondary question - even if it has to wait until spring for outdoor training - what are opinions of Super Speed vs Stack? Or are there other equally or better training methods? Haven't bought a PLM yet but would probably go with limited version (PRGR? or Rhapsodo?) as I don't plan on building a sim (unless it's as Dorf on Golf) anytime soon. Thanks, Jim

I have done this at Golf Galaxy. Have replaced a couple. I like Titleist players gloves. I paid a little more that first time. From then on I pay $4 when I get the replacements to keep it going. I am not sure how long they'll keep doing this but it's been great so far.

Currently have Callaway Apex Forged 4 - PW. The PW stock is 45* where my old TM was 48* so there is a bit of a gap between that and my 52, 56, 60 Vokeys. Grooves might be a tad worn on the 52 (definitely on the 56sw) so it might be time to replace it with a 50*. Side question - what are your feelings/results with bending lofts? I could potentially bend the Apex 45* a bit weaker to 46* or 47* or go the other way and bend the Vokey 52* down to 51* or 50*. What kinds of limits are there on loft adjustments like this before you lose functionality? And do you have to also adjust the lie another degree up or flat to compensate? Thanks, Jim

Just picked up a TM Stealth (v1) the new reduced price (then bargained down a little more) then they gave me $100 for my M5. Hitting it pretty good so far.

Pained me greatly to not pick Tiger. Will he forgive me - or will it be that chip on his shoulder he needs? And speaking of will will Will will himself to will a couple puts in? Nah and Na won't either. And for the cut line and Tiger's line. I'll go with the cut line at +2 on a wet course with hard sub air greens and Tiger at minus (-4).

I would really like the organization for a cart bag to be the same as a stand bag so I don't have to shuffle clubs when I switch from walking to pushing to riding. Put the longest slot for driver/3w on the same side as the storage pockets so it works for any method and the irons don't clank on graphite when on a push cart.

I have a Sun Mountain 4 wheel cart. Got it originally because I needed it to fold small to fit in the trunk of my MGB. That was quite a while ago so I would bet other carts would fold small now also. 4 wheels are definitely more stable but I don't think that is a huge deal. I also let my cart go down hills frequently. The tracking is actually adjustable with a small allen wrench on the front axel so Pakman92 should be able to fix his slice (in his cart anyway). I don't think the glide is really much of a 3 v 4 function but more about the size of the wheels - bigger wheels easier glide - so you might want to check into that. I don't find it hard to maneuver the 4 wheel cart at all. A slight push on the handle unweights the front wheels and turning is easy. You do it without thinking.

I might have to look into that tool. I go old school and just use a needle nose pliers and rip 'em out. You have to dig a little to get a solid bite and pull pretty hard but come out - sometimes flying. They are plastic and I have yet to damage a receptacle. Perhaps not the factory recommended method but if you don't have that tool and need to get it done in a hurry you can get 'er done.

I've had mine for several years now and gotten the free replacement batteries a couple times. You need a serial number or something like that from the registered unit but then it is simple and the replacements come in an envelope in a few days. Highly recommend Precision Pro !

Winter will just not let go here in Wisconsin. Had a couple decent (50's - we'll take what we can get) Saturdays but today there was snow on the ground and frost warnings again for tomorrow and Thur. Have not had that really warm day where you can just feel the sun warming your bones yet. We'll end up going from this right into summer. Oh well.

Thanks for the recommendations. Based on schedule and some iffy weather (50's and some rainy days) I only got to play once and did the Craft Farms Cyprus. It was my first time out since October. That is a pretty nice track. Big practice range which I definitely needed to shake some of the rust off. There is some water (2x on the front and 1x on the back but amazingly was able to grab all three) and I would like another crack at the greens. I misread too much break fairly consistently - some of which were unfortunately on the comebackers. Hacked it a bit with a 46 on the front but wasn't too displeased with the 40 on the back considering the above mentioned water balls. Also did get to spend some time at the Flora-Bama so managed to have some fun...

Looks like the cold is going to break just in time. We'll be down there Feb 22-Mar 2nd. And then up to Hot Springs Village 4th - 9th. Put together a list of courses for GS. Any I should be sure to play / avoid? Thx Jim Gulf Shores Golf Club, 520 Clubhouse Drive, 520 Clubhouse Dr, Gulf Shores, AL 36542, $45 to $65 , 20 minutes from condo Craft Farms, 3840 Cotton Creek Cir, Gulf Shores, AL 36542 $40 to $75, 20 minutes Craft Farms Cypress Bend, 3840 Cotton Creek Cir, Gulf Shores, AL 36542 $45 to $75, 20 minutes Peninsula Golf and Racquet Club, 20 Peninsula Blvd., Gulf Shores, AL 36542, 251-968-8009, $59 to $79 , 30 minutes Palmer design 3 courses Lost Key Golf Club, 625 Lost Key Dr, Pensacola, FL 32507, $65 or $50 after 1, 10 minutes Soldiers Creek Golf Club, 28341 Preserve Trail, Elberta, AL 36530, $50 to $45 after 1, 40 minutes Perdido Bay Golf Club, 1 Doug Ford Drive, Pensacola, FL 32507, $60, $50 at 11, $37 at 1, 15 minutes Kiva Dunes Golf Club, 815 Plantation Rd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542, $84 to $75 at 12 40 minutes

I've been pretty happy with my Precision Pro rangefinder. Had a Garmen Approach GPS for years that I liked but when it died I went the laser route. Reviews say "it is not as fast" as Bushnell or Leupold but I really don't know what that is supposed to mean. When I see the flag and press the button it vibrates and gives me the yardage (and slope if I have that turned on). There is no delay or anything so I think that "fastest" is marketing hype that is not functional. It doesn't have the range of some of the others - for example I can't scope a 500 yard shot with mine and Bushnell can and beyond. I suppose that matters. For me that might be better for rifle practice but not so consequential for golf. I think it shoots pretty well out into the 350+ plus range which is further than I can hit it. I would say that it is sometimes hard to pick up the flags that don't have the little reflector things on them. Mostly I see that at driving ranges. If my club wouldn't put those on (and every local club that I have played has) I would just put a piece of reflector tape on the flag as I played that hole. Again probably can't do that at the driving range but you are usually hitting bad balls so distance is not that reliable anyway. One of my playing partners the other day had one of the hybrid ones that when you look through the viewer you see the normal range finder yardage but on the left was the GPS representation of the hole with distances. It was kinda small but pretty cool - also that dramatically raises the price. You might be able to do some of the things that I used the Garmen for - like yardages from tee/swing to your resulting ball position. That might be nice again but I don't know if I would pay for it. Customer Service for Precision Pro is great. Batteries for life is a cool thing. I have replaced mine and free is nice. Highly recommend. Jim

If you were going to play in a scramble and wanted to hit the absolute longest rock there is, what would you choose? Green side spin/feel/whatever doesn't matter since you can switch to your gamer for the approach.

I am driving down from Wisconsin for my mother's 90th later this week and plan on playing a couple times if there are any Spies in the village.

I have gotten the solicitations for the MISIG (Most Important Stretch In Golf) training aid and thought about it but never pulled the trigger. Is anyone using this now or in the past and if so were there any noticeable results? https://feelthestretch.com/ Thx

Pace of play just gnaws at me. But far and away the biggest detriment to my scoring is playing with my wife. I love her and enjoy a nice day playing with her but between the what am I doing wrongs (and won't take the correction) and wanting to talk about other life issues that just doesn't let me focus I never score well. And it's not like I can take a separate cart (oh, by the way, I drive too fast) or just stay away and not talk to her. Anyway I will play every single time she asks because there may be a time when we cannot play together but I know it won't be for a score. Also - how do you enter those scores for handicapping? I just consider it practice.

I walk so maybe I would look at it, but I don't see why clubs don't put inexpensive rakes on each cart similar to the divot sand jug. They could clean/wipe the handles pretty quickly when doing the cart clean up. On to your design again - got to make it fold down/up so it doesn't interfere with club pulling etc., and/or put a nice headcover on it - there you go - accessories, too! Or possibly a light weight clip-on that you can snap on your SW after you hit and it hangs collapsed off your bag by your towel ring.

Well the new TM M5 has been in the bag for 9 and 18 holes so far. Had not had any time for serious range work but did hit a few warm up balls so I am starting to get a feel for it. My previous trajectory was lower than I would like so I did loft up and I see that as an improvement. Also just did a quick set to middle and full fade on the weights to counteract my hook just a little - need to play with that a little more. The sound is not metallic at all - much more muted. It does sound solid and pretty satisfying when you hit one good. Bad hit is still a bad hit - can't fix stupid - but the general accuracy on anything better than bad is better. Overall I am not sure it is appreciably farther on the perfect hits vs perfect hits comparison - I would need the trackman to tell me that and I don't have one. However on the not perfect hits it is much better. Happy so far. Next up is replacing my old Wilson Staff Fybrid 3 hybrid. Bought it at a Wilson demo day in '08 I think. It's a little heavy and for me prone to hooking - although everything is. That may mean looking for adjustable weights on this as well. Hybrids don't seem to hold their value quite so much on the secondary market so I have seen some pretty good deals on TourEdge and a few others. Hit 'me straight...

I saw and heard basically the same info from a number of videos and stats compilations like this so I made the decision to go with a 2018/19 M5 at a significant discount. I paid full price for my Apex irons with a fitting so I am not (too) reluctant if the justification is there to pay the price for an upgrade. It was for my irons so I did it. I knew the driver was next - played an original RBZ - and have been looking at Epic Flash, TM 5/6, Cobra, and a few other vs Mavrik, SIM, Speedzone. Without seeing dramatic improvements with this years models to justify that price difference I pulled the trigger on the best deal I could get. Kinda stoked to hit it for real after a few hits into the net. Hope the honeymoon period lasts a long time. Wish it was going to be here for Saturdays skins game but oh well.

Love the Duluth stuff. There is a Duluth Trading Post 25 minutes from here. I have a number of shirts and jeans. Haven't tried the fleeces but usually looking for some wind proofing so maybe with a light wind jack on top. ALthough we have finally made it into summer I hope. Was 80 last weekend. Woo hoo! Also been getting my kids for Christmas some quality clothing that will last . I don't know how much they really appreciate it now but in 15 years when it is still a favorite they'll know.

If I was playing a tournament and the rule was to play it down no matter what, I would without complaint (or at least without loud complaint). I like challenges too, but how would you feel if you have a chance to win something in the team game and your playing partner says he can clear that 250 yard water hazard when he hasn't carried one that far all day. His (and thus my/our) likelihood of success is minimal but if he thought that was a personal challenge he can do it. He'll be a better golfer if he learns to make that shot but I would hope he learns it during practice. Anyway it is always an ask situation - never assume anything and move it without checking.

We are playing for money - small money to be sure - so we play 'em down and hole out putts (you would have a scratch handicap if you made all your putts so don't ask for it). I get rub of the green. You get behind clumps in the rough or in divots in the fairway and you just play it. I don't need a perfect lie in the sand but if someone digs in their stance the ball can be below the surface of the sand. Responses are mixed - at this point I am just asking partners if it is OK to move it just like I would in a really bad rut or casual water which happens in the spring here. Thanks for all your feed back - I hope you (and I) never hit 'em in the sand. Jim