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Duffer_E

Member
  • Posts

    50
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Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Washington DC area
  • Interests
    Tennis, Golf
  • Referred By:
    Google

Player Profile

  • Age
    50-59
  • Swing Speed
    101-110 mph
  • Handicap
    22
  • Frequency of Play/Practice
    A few times per month
  • Player Type
    Casual
  • Biggest Strength
    Putting
  • Biggest Weakness
    Approach
  • Fitted for Clubs
    Yes

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Duffer_E's Achievements

  1. Okay, so I am still relatively new to golf, and I'm certainly not a wonk when it comes to all the rules and etiquette. However, this happened to me a couple of weeks ago: I took a Friday off of work to recharge my mental batteries, de-stress a little and play golf (I know, sounds improbable). I slid into the fourth slot of a random tee time (i.e. I didn't know the other three players). When I got to the course, and my tee time came up, the other three players never showed up, so I went out as a single. Obviously, I played faster than the group in front of me (a foursome), and was quickly (but not intentionally) waiting for them on every hole to play. They were not the fastest players, they were very deliberate in their swing routines. Plus, one woman in the group would bring a Sunday bag to the green every time. It had a couple of wedges and her putter in it. She would walk to where her ball was (usually just off the green), plunk down her Sunday bag, hit a chip/pitch, THEN TAKE HER PUTTER (ONLY!!!) to where her ball ended up, hit her putt(s), then walk back to the Sunday bag, then back to the cart. Well, on the 3rd hole (a par 3), she drives back to me (where I'm standing on the tee box) and asks if I would like to play through. I said "sure", and proceeded to tee up my ball and hit, expecting that they would wait at the tee box of the 4th hole for me to catch up and play through. However, after hitting my tee shot, as I am driving up to the green, I look over, and they are teeing off! I think the expected me to skip the 3rd hole and immediately go tee off at the 4th. This may be where my knowledge of golf etiquette breaks down, but doesn't "play through" mean "PLAY" through, not skip through? If you offer to let someone play through, then let them do so...
  2. This is a bit of a curiosity question for all those putter builders out there (and I apologize if this has been asked before, the forums are getting huge and I couldn't determine if this question had been asked before): Excluding Center-Shafted putters, is it possible to custom build a putter with any head type (i.e. blade, double-wide blade, half-mallet, full mallet, etc.), with any particular hosel type (Inline Slant, Short Slant, Mid Slant, Long Slant, Short Plumber, Long Plumber, etc.), and achieve any particular desired toe hang (obviously, putters with swappable weights will be able to achieve some measure of this)? How do all these factors combine to determine the final specs of any give putter?
  3. I prefer 14/15-way bags. I used to have a Bennington Clip Lock 15 Slot Nova Stand bag. They do not make it anymore, but it looks very similar to this one: I particularly like how the slots kept club chatter to a minimum, and the putter well was big enough for my Fat Cat (Fat) putter grip. The only issue was the build quality. In less than a year, the valuables pocket had practically ripped out from the side of the bag. I almost bought the above model from Founder's Club, but I instead went with the Ogio Woode 8 Hybrid stand bag. I like it a lot, but I do miss club lock aspect of the Bennington bag. I was considering the Ogio Alpha Convoy 514 RTC Stand Bag, but by the time I was ready to buy, it was gone from widespread production. You *might* be able to get that bag directly from Callaway, but I think they market it more to school teams (with logo customization, etc.)
  4. I don't have the time (or patience) to scroll through all the posts on this topic, so if what I am saying is already out there, I apologize. My $0.02 1. Is a rollback of 11-15 yards really going to have a significant effect on the pros? Instead of Driver-Wedge into the green, it will now be Driver-9i? How is that going to significantly impact the pro game? 2. If you really want a significant impact on distance, remove the driver from the bag. As per Trackman: No need for bifurcation. No need for all this debate. With an average 30-yard distance cut. I would give one caveat, which is, if this were to happen, the USGA would need to also put a limit on club lofts. Lock it down, so that a 3W is forever 15°, a 7i for player irons is 34°, for GI irons is 28°, etc. so that loft jacking doesn't become the solution for more distance.
  5. I think we can all agree that the Titleist Pro V1 is the Holy Grail of golf balls, the standard by which all other golf balls are measured. My question is this: are Titleist golf balls the standard across all types of balls, i.e. surlyn cover offerings, 2-piece, 3-piece, 4-piece(?), etc. or is there a different brand that is better outside of the "Tour Level" ball category?
  6. Putter heads/experts: I haven't yet had a putter fitting that I was confident with the results (I've had two, which amounted to 3-5 putts with my current gamer, and then a recommendation - no talk about stroke type, length, lie, loft, head shape, etc.). But as I started delving into putter specs (and getting thoroughly confused/frustrated - can the golfing manufacturing community agree on a standard glossary of terms/measurements please?), I wondered why putters aren't made with interchangeable necks. That is to say, for example, based on my stroke type, I should be using a double-bend shaft. I also prefer the look of a wide blade. However, manufacturers don't build wide blade putters with a double-bend shaft, only a plumber's neck, or center-shafted; therefore I have to settle for a putter that isn't exactly what I want. Why can't the putter be constructed so that the buyer can purchase the head they want (because of look/feel/whatever) with the type of neck the need for their stroke type? The neck would simply screw in/snap in/attach to the putter head, then the shaft attaches to the neck, and bingo! Wouldn't that make the putter more desirable, leading to increased sales?
  7. Very happy and very frustrated...2 weeks ago I traveled to (northern) France (Brittany) on vacation. I played two rounds of golf at Saint-Samson GC in Pleumeur-Bodou. I did not bring my clubs (shipping them was way too expensive, and the puddle jumper airline from London would have charged me even more for the golf clubs as additional baggage. So instead, I rented a "demi-serie" (half-series) which sounds exactly like what it is: a bag of 6-7 clubs. I ended up with a (Ladies Flex) driver, a 3h, 3i, 5i, 7i, PW, SW and an Odyssey White Hot 2-ball putter. Of all the clubs, the SW was the closest to what I game at home. The rest was...well, in France, golf isn't quite the game it is in the US, so the clubs were not in the best condition. The weather all week was gray and drizzling/misting. So the course was a little bit wet, and since I didn't have my bag, I didn't have, for example, a towel to dry off grips or club heads before taking a shot. Also, we played with the old, found balls that my playing buddies had gathered as they played over the past year. The first round I played, I would say was about the average I had been playing at home with my clubs (fitted, fresh balls, etc.) -- I shot 103, which is, yet isn't surprising, I suppose. I'm not playing with my clubs, so I'm not expecting fireworks. But I also wasn't expecting to shoot my average either -- I fully expected to hit 5-10 shots more than normal, since I don't have "my" clubs, and I don't know lofts, and distances, etc. All I can do is hope, pray and swing away. Then, the frustrating part -- I played again 3 days later, and I shot 95! The same setup - except this time, I declined the driver for a 3w I found in another of the rental bags they had. Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have had such a good round. At the same time, if I can shoot in the mid-90s with, as I like to put it (tongue-in-cheek), "a sad sack" of random clubs, why did I spend all this money on club fittings and custom clubs?!?!?! (lol). PS - Interesting fact: in France you are supposed to be "licensed" before being allowed on the golf course. What that entails is taking a course to learn the rules of golf (not how to properly swing a golf club), and taking a test to verify you know the rules. It wasn't like there was a starter checking licenses before we teed off, but still an interesting bit of trivia...
  8. I had a fitting at Club Champion a couple of months ago. I had the fitting done because I had completed a one-year series of lessons from Golftec, and I believed that I had progressed beyond my previous set of clubs; that lesson package came with a fitting, (only the five major brand names, though). The most significant outcome was that the fitter said I should be fitted into stiff shafts. My set at that time was the following: Rogue Driver/stock (R) shaft Epic Rogue Heavenwood/stock (R) shaft TM M4 Hybrids (4h/5h)/stock (R) shaft TM M4 Irons 5-AW/stock (R) shaft Cleveland CBX Wedge (54*/58*)/stock shaft Odyssey Stroke Lab Seven S putter All with default lie and loft angles. Armed with the knowledge that I should probably get stiff shafts, I headed to Club Champion for a more ... optioned (?) ... fitting. I was aware, and on my guard that CC fitters tend to push pricier solutions. Don't let them pressure you! I ended up with the following recommendations: Srixon ZX5 9.5* driver w/ Fujikura Ventus Blue 5-S shaft TaylorMade Stealth 2 Rescue Hybrids 3h/4h/5h with Fujikura Ventus Hybrid Blue 7R shaft Mizuno JPX-923 Hot Metal HL Irons w/Fujikura Pro 95 shaft (S) TaylorMade Hi-Toe 3 wedges (54*/58*) w/stock shaft Bettinardi 2022 BB1 Flow putter (a blade) w/stock shaft I ended up purchasing the driver shaft only, and fitting it to my Callaway Rogue driver head I ended up buying the Mizuno irons, as per the fitting specs, with a 2* upright bend I ended up buying the TM Hi-Toe wedges as per the fitting specs I did NOT buy the putter. My overall assessment of the fitting is the following: Overall: Generally positive Driver fitting: Perfectly fine, however, simply by buying the upgraded shaft, my current driver performs just as well as the Srixon I was fitted into (same distances +- 2-5 yards, dispersion the same +- 2-5 yards) Hybrid fitting: Did not spend a lot of time on this, not particularly happy with it. Iron fitting: Very happy with that part of the fitting, very happy with the Mizunos Wedge fitting: Also very happy with the results Putter fitting: Was a joke. CC uses the SAM PuttLab system. The fitting consisted of me hitting 3 putts with my current gamer, then hitting 3 putts with 2-3 putters that I liked (based on nothing other than looks). Each putt had the SPL sensor attached to the shaft, which IMHO, could alter your default swing path. It then spit out I should buy the Bettinardi. No talk about toe hang/putter neck types. No discussion about swing type (SBST/Slight Arc, Moderate Arc/Heavy Arc). The system did say that my putting stroke is the only one I consistently hit with a draw (lol) - my path is apparently pretty straight, but on an in-to-out angle. To sum up: I save a lot of $$$ by buying a new driver shaft, instead of a whole new driver. I spent $$$ on the irons with the new shafts -- definitely worth it. I bought the Hi-Toes (I like them better than my original CBX wedges), and I can't complain about the results. I did not buy the putter. I eventually bought new Ping G425 Hybrids (3h/4h/5h) -- when I tried them at another store, the stock Ping shaft (again, (S) type) felt REALLY good to me. Much better than the TM Stealth Hybrids. Oddly, the Pings were not suggested by the CC fitter. For my next fitting (whenever that may be, 5 or 10 years from now) I will probably go to a local fitter at a golf course, rather than CC. I think the fitters in a smaller shop will be more attentive to the golfer's need, and not push pricey (unnecessary) "upgrades".
  9. I recently treated my self to a golf fitting. In the end I was fitted into a Fujikura Pro 95 iron shaft (Stiff). Now, pretend that although that shaft is the absolute best option for me, it may be a little too expensive for my budget, or the shaft is on backorder, or the DTC company whose clubs I am interested in doesn't carry that particular shaft. What specs should I be looking at to get the closest equivalent shaft from another manufacturer (i.e. KBS, UST Recoil, Nippon, Mitsubishi Chemical, etc.)? Is there anything more precise I can look at besides weight and Low/Med/Med-High/High Launch and Spin?
  10. I've been playing for about 5 years. 22 HCP. This is as close as I've ever come: Reston National GC #11 - Playing 164 yds from the Black tees (not the tips - those are Gold tees) July 29, 2022 6 iron Yes, I repaired my ball mark. And yes, I did make the birdie putt.
  11. I am right-handed. I use a a Flat Cat Solution FAT-sized (not quite the largest) putter grip. It is essentially a rectangle. I have it positioned on my putter shaft so that the long edge of the grip is parallel to the sight line on the top of my putter ( 2019 Odyssey Stroke Lab 7 S). I then place my thumbs evenly together far down the grip (more than 1/2 the grip extends above my hands) and wrap my hands around the grip, with my index fingers pointed down on the short sides of the rectangle, almost touching the weighted cone at the bottom. My putting stroke is then a smooth swing of my arms, minimizing torso movement so that I reduce the arc of my swing, while my hands keep the putter steady. I had a putter fitting a little while ago, and the fitter told me that I actually have a little bit of a draw on my putting stroke (the only draw I can hit, lol).
  12. Is there a website that will provide comparable shaft brands/models if you input a specific model? For example, I type in KBS Tour-V and hit "enter" and the tool/site spits out the closest equivalent shaft by Fujikura, Project X, Mitsubishi, etc.
  13. I am curious as to what causes/allows you to make the jump to DTC clubs (i.e. Sub70, NewLevel, Takomo, etc.). I was in the market for new irons, and I really REALLY like the look of the Takomos, but, as a 22 HC, I couldn't pull the trigger on them without hitting them first. Given that in a custom fitting, the shaft is often dialed in first, then the clubhead, how did you decide to purchase your DTC club(s)? Obviously, price point is a big factor, but it isn't enough for me to make the leap of faith. Would you recommend not going the DTC route until a certain HC is reached (i.e. 15)?
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