tdc1

A number of years ago I was living in Ireland for a few months and decided to take a short trip to St. Andrews. Made car rental reservation with an outfit at Edinburgh airport and said, yes, a Ford car would be acceptable. Upon arrival I discovered that the reservation agent had said Ford Ka not Ford car. Upshot was that my clubs (in a Sun Mountain carry bag) had to ride at angle in the back seat because trunk was too small! Like others have posted, I always take my clubs and push cart with when looking for a new car — odd looks from salespeople but golfers among them instantly understand. A side note: was lucky enough to only wait 30 minutes as a walk-up single to get on the Old Course, and Carnoustie is the hardest course I’ve ever played.

I have tried several brands this year. My take: 1. Columbia OmniFreeze Zero - the most obvious cooling “tech.” These were my first purchase. They work well but are loosest fit around bicep so require most frequent adjustment - a minor annoyance but enough so that when playing 18 holes I prefer other brands. Also a bit short in sleeve length. 2. Nelson (nwgolf) - the longest in sleeve length, upper arm fit is closest to arm pit. Also work well, good upper arm grip without squeezing. 3. SunDay Afternoons - good fit, adequate job. 4. SParms sleeves - really like the way they work but sleeve length is a touch short; stay up well. 5. SParms shawl - function great, no worry about slipping due to wrap around shoulders but length is too short for my liking. 6. Solbari - good function and fit but some slippage around bicep. 7. Tough Outdoors - from Amazon. Worked okay but had to roll top down a little to prevent bicep from being squeezed to tight (felt like blood flow was being cut off). The only sleeves to leave deep marks after wearing them for only 9 holes. All the sleeves I tried are sized- I deliberately avoided one size fits all. I didn’t find any of them to restrict my swing. You will know you are wearing them, especially when walking on calm, sunny days but it is not so intrusive for me that I would go back to slathering on sunscreen (just had my annual appointment with my dermatologist after have some cancer removed a while back and he was very pleased). Riding or on days with some breeze you will feel a noticeable cooling effect. As with all MSG forum comments, YMMV.

Currently using a G3 but would love to test the more advanced features of the V3. Good luck to all of us who are trying to become testers!

Like many of you I am intrigued by the ongoing MSG ball tests/ball labs. Like some of you, perhaps, I am also confused by mixed messages I seem to get from the data. Below are some things I see as recurring point. About me: 70 years old; erratic with driver; solid distance, by my standards, with 30-degree 7 iron (145 carry); driver swing speed guesstimate of 88-90 (been a couple of years since accurate assessment); I do not have a favorite ball at this point. Ball test/lab takeaways: (1) low compression (soft) balls are slower and shorter — except when they aren’t; (2) at my swing speed I’m leaving distance on the table with driver by using lower compression ball but probably gaining a few yards with irons; (3) around the greens I’m losing spin with lower compression ball; (4) matte finished balls spin less than gloss finish, and significantly less when wet; (5) non-urethane balls may give more distance off driver but less control on approach shots. Am I badly misreading the test results? Thanks.

Currently using a ShotScope G3 watch and am happy I went the wearable route.

Tried a Phantom, which I liked, but lost the darn thing somehow. Went with a ShotScope G3 wearable and am quite pleased. The V3 had more bells and whistles than I think I need at this point.

Got an Arccos free trial a couple of years ago when I got new irons. Gave up on it due to poor interface, missed shots, practice swings registering as actual shots, etc. I understand Arccos is much improved now and would love to test drive the new version.

Currently playing one brand throughout the bag. But then I only own 16 clubs (two additional putters).

The new ball test underway got me thinking: a) how many golfers actually know their swing speed with a driver? b) how do they know their speed (i.e., are their numbers based on iPhone apps, personal launch monitors, GC Quad, professional fitting, etc)? c) how often do they test their speed? I ask because I know I have, at best, a “guesstimate” of my swing speed (much closer to 85 than 115). I don’t own/have access to a launch monitor, I don’t belong to a private club with a pro who might have such equipment, and the nearest fitting center is a 90+ minute drive. Also, I’m not sure that the good folk at Dick's will be too happy to see me bring my club in and monopolize the hitting bay for 45 minutes to check numbers. I have recently come round to Tony’s idea that I should play the “best” ball I can afford to lose, and I’m lucky enough I can find enough wayward Pro Vs/TP 5s/etc., on my home course that i rarely buy golf balls. Still, without accurate swing speed data, I feel like I might be missing out on a good fit. I know yardages with most of my clubs (except driver/3w/6i which are too inconsistent) but not if/how that transfers to ball choice. Thoughts on a rainy afternoon in the middle of the mitten. Thanks for reading along.

Hmm, I’ve always thought that delofting will open the face.

I’ve been trying to find best setting with my G425 Max 10.5* driver. I've tried the higher lofts with both neutral and draw settings for back weight, and currently use standard loft/draw setting for back weight. So far I have resisted going down in loft for fear of club face being open at address (my miss is usually high toe push/slice). Assuming a good swing at the ball, what might I expect to see at the lower loft setting? Thanks!

Man, does my game need putting help! Good lagger, but in close is killing my score.

Posted the following a short time ago to the forum topic about UV arm sleeves: "I ordered from two different companies and tried the first pair today — Columbia Freezer Zero. They stayed up quite well (the top rolled down a little but nowhere near enough to interfere/annoy — never worried about them sliding down. "When waiting on the group ahead I could feel the heat of the day but not more than I would have with bare arms covered in sunscreen. When walking or when there was a breeze my arms felt significantly cooler. "Three notes about the Columbia: (1) wide seam on inside of arm — did not leave a mark or become irritating but some might not like the look; (2) there is a definite bluish tinge to the white sleeves due to the cooling technology in the fabric; and (3) large Columbia logo on forearm of each sleeve. None of these would stop me from buying again but I wasn’t fully aware of these until they arrived"

I asked the MGS forum about long sleeve shirts a few days ago and a number of responses recommended arm/sun sleeves. There are a bunch of choices out there. I ordered from two different companies and tried the first pair today — Columbia Freezer Zero. They stayed up quite well (the top rolled down a little but nowhere near enough to interfere/annoy — never worried about them sliding down. When waiting on the group ahead I could feel the heat of the day but not more than I would have with bare arms covered in sunscreen. When walking or when there was a breeze my arms felt significantly cooler. Three notes about the Columbia: (1) wide seam on inside of arm — did not leave a mark or become irritating but some might not like the look; (2) there is a definite bluish tinge to the white sleeves due to the cooling technology in the fabric; and (3) large Columbia logo on forearm of each sleeve. None of these would stop me from buying again but I wasn’t fully aware of these until they arrived I have a second pair on order from another company and intend to explore some other brands. And, as if this reply isn’t long enough already, be sure you note whether the product is using UPF or SPF as its standard for UV protection.

Thank for all the input! I've ordered a couple of sets of sleeves from different brands to try. Will post an update after I give them a try. Tim