[Spikes or spikless?]

On 4/12/2023 at 9:37 PM, Alan Scalzi said:

I own a pair of Nike spike golf shoes not bad but comfort is ok , was looking to get the Nike Air max 270 as they are comfortable ( have not tried them on) just worried about traction for the price $150!

I have both spiked and spikeless... but it depends on the round. Normally I'd go spikeless for walking, spiked for riding (and especially wet days). When going spikeless, brand and style are both important -- you need to find the right traction for you, and I went through quite a few before finding the ones I like best. My quick rundown that I just sent a buddy (note that none of these are the new 2023 releases -- I have enough golf shoes as it is): 

Favorites are G/Fore MG4+, New Balance Fresh Foam Contend, and Adidas Codechaos. All are very comfortable and have traction that works well for me. 

Works fairly well (again, for me): Asics Gel Kayano Ace (great comfort, OK traction), True Linkswear Knit (traction OK, mostly lacking support in the uppers, seems more like a casual or range shoe than on-course shoe to me). 

Did not work: Puma Ignite (specifically because of traction -- the Ignite has a very specific sole, and it slipped all over the place for me). I think other Puma spikeless soles are different, so might work better, but I'm jaded. Other G/Fore athletic styles didn't work either, but more because of fit, which was surprising because of how well the MG4+ fits me (goal was to dabble in Speedgolf, and wanted a golf shoe that I could run in, rather than a running shoe I could golf in). 

Special Shout-out: New Balance Minimus SL. Loved them. But they're a few years old now. Might be able to find them on clearance somewhere. 

Notably missing: Nike, which is what you were asking about (sorry). The last time I tried Nike, I could not get a good fit, so haven't tried them in the last handful of years.  

[How many sets of clubs have you owned in your lifetime]

Irons are one thing that I stick with for a while... if we did this same exercise with drivers, I'd probably miss 4-5 of them...

Before full-size sets, had some custom-built Golfsmith stuff (Texas Classic 3-5-7-9, I think). The full size sets: 

Cleveland VAS 2-LW - before you ask: used them for multiple years. Yes, I still have them. Yes, they're all-original...including the original grips 

Ping i3 Blade 2-PW - loved these things, but ran into shaft issues, I'm guessing related to getting slammed in a trunk or something (plus overuse, maybe not drying, etc.). 2-iron actually snapped on me, mid-swing, inside the grip, while demonstrating at a junior clinic -- all the kids got a good laugh, but after replacing the shafts with what our pro had in the shop, played 6 months of the worst golf I could imagine. While they were being fixed, I borrowed a set of Mizuno T Zoid Pro and nabbed what is still my only individual tournament win, so...

Mizuno MP30 2-PW

<took a bit of a break from playing and club ho'ing>

Ping i20 3-PW

Mizuno JPX919 Forged/Tour Combo set (4-6 Forged, 7-PW Tour)

Titleist T100S (MGS Test) 5-PW with a T200 3-4 iron and U505 1 iron (current signature)

 

[What's Your Go To Hat?]

19 hours ago, GolfSpy_SAM said:

Do they, though? All I can think is "this accountant needs a haircut."

 

Wait, that's not Flair Hair?

[What's Your Go To Hat?]

My go-to hat these days is Branded Bills, both on and off the course -- high quality, comfortable, have styles that match a lot of different tastes, and some great designs (assuming you're into repping 'merica or a specific state, but they branch out into other designs too). My two most-used right now are (stock photos from their website -- my white one actually has a white WI badge): 

 

For the joke or themed occasions, like certain scrambles or our league playoffs, I have a couple from Bogey Bros that feel like similar quality -- for the sake of keeping things clean, I'll withhold the specifics.  

I used to love New Era 39THIRTY Flex (specifically the Ryder Cup versions, but also have some from courses I've played), and some of the Travis Mathew Flex hats, but the bands on both started to stretch and wear out pretty quickly with regular use, so only pull them out on occasion now. 

 

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

7 hours ago, scubahoops said:

I am really curious to know what you think of that LAB putter. I have a DF 2.1 and I have never putted better and I love how unique the LAB putters look.

Only rolled a few putts on the practice green so far (custom ordered, just showed up this week), so obviously need more time and better weather to know for sure, but early signs are very positive. I picked up a Mezz XL off of their outlet last year and putting improved significantly with that in the bag - my hope is that this performs just as well, but with a better look.

Feels light, which historically has not been my preference, but at the same time, it feels nice. Can't tell much about distance control on the 18ft artificial green, but it rolls nice off the face and feels really easy to roll it straight (which is their goal - I'd say they're succeeding). 

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

Definitely didn't need any of this... But this group is not about need. In non-ho fashion, I also sold off the only Swag putter I ever bought (immediate buyer's remorse last year), and that covered the cost of almost everything here:

LAB Link.1 (really wish I pulled the trigger on the first/intro release, but this standard one will do) with an Accra white shaft and Garsen grip. Pictured with the new Forky-themed cover from Hatch Golf, which is immediately going on my 4yo's bag, a future club ho himself:

 

And a green/gold Vessel VLX Lux:

 

[What ya drinking tonight?]

4 hours ago, ncwoz said:

Any recommendations for some "sipping" rums for someone who enjoys whiskey?

Can't really say I'm a "rum guy" (also more into whisky), just became more open to it after tasting some on a trip to Puerto Rico a handful of years ago. @Lacassemposted a pic of Bacardi 10 in this thread recently so maybe he would have some recommendations.

We've only tried a handful straight. These Cubans are great if you can get your hands on them. Ron de Barrilito 3-star is the rum that made us realize that rum can be good straight, and it was only like $20-25/bottle when we were in Puerto Rico - the bartenders we talked to claimed you can only get it in PR, but I think you can find some floating around the states. For Rums you can get easily without leaving the states, Ron Zacapa 23yr is very good, and I think we also liked Bacardi 8 (been years since drinking it straight, but remember thinking it was solid). 

[What ya drinking tonight?]

Almost every time I travel internationally, I pick up a Havana Club 7 -- it's phenomenal, and very reasonably priced. It started as just a novelty because of the embargo, used it in cocktails, but never really considered drinking rum straight... But for any rum haters (like I used to be), aged, quality rum is actually really good, nothing like the rum I thought I knew (Dark and Spiced are completely different categories). This time we were in the Caymans, really close to Cuba, and I found some stuff there that I've never seen before, so brought these puppies home. 

Tonight I'm trying the Eminente 7 Year. It is nothing short of impressive. Definitely a bit sweet, but smooth, and very enjoyable. Served in a G/Fore "Can't Break 80" glass, 1 small ice cube: 

 

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

I'll be honest, when I saw ads for this, I thought "that's so dumb"... But then on vacation last month, they had this set up next to the pool, and we watched people having a blast playing it. So.... Now it's mine - PutterBall, cross been putting and beer pong. 

 

Doesn't fold out as smooth as I'd hoped, but still looks fun. Unfortunately we planned to use it for the first time on NYE, but toddler cancelled our plans. 

Second similar purchase that also had it's maiden NYE voyage cancelled - not technically golf, but can be a fun addition to a buddies trip (comes apart, so very portable): Craggy Hooks game. Played a few games against the wife on NYE, and it's definitely a good time.

[Used Golf Balls…Thumbs up or down?]

Specifically focusing on 3+ piece urethane / "tour" balls - other models might be different: Lots of people have already said this, but there might be some duds in there even if they look good or are rated high on the condition scale. If you're looking for a bit of a discount, look for logo overruns instead of used, which you can usually find at a $5-10/dozen discount over the stock balls. For example, "Mint" ProV1x are likely going to run you $30-35/dozen, maybe more, but golfballs.com has ProV1x overruns for $34.99, with the stock model being $44.99 -- I'd rather pay the extra few dollars rather than take the risk of some bad balls. You just have no idea what logo you're gonna get (some can be fun!), and it might be the prior gen ball (also true of used). 

Or, other discount options: if you're not using them in tournaments, pick "Practice" over used -- the "Practice" balls perform well, just aren't legal in tournament play. Or, Vice, Snell, and OnCore all put out some really good, tournament-legal balls at lower prices than the mainstream brands (the first two offer bigger discounts than OnCore, but I've had success with all three). 

 

[How many rounds do you manage using the same ball?]

My dad prides himself on keeping the same ball in play for as long as possible (even takes pride in continuing to use a scuffed ball for some reason...). Me? Not so much. 

Assuming I don't lose it, average ball life for me is probably around 6 holes. Some make it longer, but rarely make it through a full round; others only make it 1-2 holes. I inspect the ball on the green and/or between holes, and take out anything that's scuffed or damaged in any way. I do make exceptions for casual/fun rounds, so minor issues stay in play in those situations. Main things that take it out of play:

Cart Path, Tree, Rock, or similar?  immediately taken out of play, even if it appears minor. 

Wedge from the fairway?  inspect closely - probably 30% of the time the wedge scuffs it enough to make a difference. 

[Unofficial Poll - White Pants]

13 hours ago, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

Own them (both pants and shorts), don't wear them... Keep telling myself I'm going to do it, but then never actually do it. 

Have an old picture I'll need to dig up if a buddy wearing his lightweight white golf pants - the way the pockets were cut/lined, 100% looked like he was wearing a thong.

Found it - not the best look. I'm self conscious about mine looking the same

 

[Unofficial Poll - White Pants]

Own them (both pants and shorts), don't wear them... Keep telling myself I'm going to do it, but then never actually do it. 

Have an old picture I'll need to dig up if a buddy wearing his lightweight white golf pants - the way the pockets were cut/lined, 100% looked like he was wearing a thong.

[Range Rocks for Short Game]

Basically just repeating recommendations here...but my strategy is to keep a lot of used / slightly damaged balls for this purpose (emphasis on slightly - anything with significant damage is out). When I take them out of play during a round, I put them in a shag bag or tube to use later in some way -- some friends will take damaged "good" balls for their own use, and I keep a tube of the better-condition balls that I leave in the trunk for short game sessions. The tube holds 18 or 20 balls, and helps with collecting the balls from the green. 

Bonus tip, depending on whether you're open to colored balls (you could also do this with ball number, but I found colors more effective at keeping me honest): bring a mix of colors/designs to the green with you, and change your shot based on the ball. For Snell, you could hit your typical shot with the white, and then hit a high one with the yellow (or low, you pick); for a PIX- or Truvis-style ball (or Vice with all their colors), there are more options, so you could have balls for three different shots (in my tube I have 3 designs, and depending on the design will hit stock/square, open face, and low-checker). This makes the session a bit less robotic and forces you to adapt to different shots you might need on the course. 

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

8 hours ago, Tiftaaft said:

I have spent some time in PGASS testing out the DF2.1... It is very INTRIGUING.  I reached out to the L.A.B. contact to see where they would suggest testing out the MEZZ 1 Max that was just released as it has a smaller profile than the DF 2.1.  Got a quick response back with a few options (including Club Champion... but I'm not sure I'm ready to invest the $125 for a putter fitting.... yet).   The tester reviews, and discussion from others on the forum Including @ChiefMikeOfficer have made this company very hard to ignore.  

Review links below for reference:

 

I played around with the DF in a PGATSS a while back - loved the performance, hated the look (and there's risk my mallet covers won't fit it - petty concern, but a factor). So, figured I'd try the Mezz instead. A full fitting on one of these might require a new mortgage after factoring in fitting fee, shaft upgrades, who knows what else. 

If you do know your specs, labgolfoutlet.com could save some money.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

On 8/21/2022 at 10:47 PM, ChiefMikeOfficer said:

First few putts on the BirdieBall look promising, so we'll see if it stacks up on the course (first time out will be Tuesday night). 

 

Just throwing it out there... It works. It works very well. Didn't make anything outside of 6ft, but also didn't miss anything from 6ft and in. Based on how I've been playing, that's huge - shot 35 tonight, but recent putting performance would've put it somewhere between 37-40. Feels like you can't hit it off line. Distance control was good, but need to get used to it (but comebackers were easy). 

If you have enough in the golf slush fund, give L.A.B. a shot. Or at least try a demo at a local shop -- they seem worth it to me.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

A few additions recently. Since I'm a putting headcase (and a putter ho...), decided to give this baby a shot. Wanted it quickly and roughly knew my specs (although with other putter styles...), so went to the L.A.B. outlet site -- a little more than I intended to spend, but the cheaper, comparable spec'ed putters all looked kinda beat up, so I went for it. Well... Must've been someone's cancelled custom order or something, because this thing came brand new, wrapped, stickers still on it, etc. First few putts on the BirdieBall look promising, so we'll see if it stacks up on the course (first time out will be Tuesday night). 

 

 

Then, snagged two of these copper Daly coins to use as ball marks (yes, had to censor it):

And then... Picked up the PRGR monitor from SuperSpeed, intending to actually start using them again, but we'll see.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

10 hours ago, azstu324 said:

So I didn't necessarily "buy" these but I did just recently get them. 

HUGE thanks to Cobra/Puma. I did own (still do) the predecessor to these. I received them as a gift a while back. Love these shoes! Well after about 6 or so months, the left shoe developed a tear in the heel. Last week I decided to email Cobra just for kicks. I sent them pics of the tear and let them know that I didn't have a receipt due to them being a gift. I also let them know that if they couldn't do anything about it I'd totally understand. 

Well being as awesome as they are, they sent me the updated shoe and told me to keep the other pair. 

Safe to say my shoe loyalties definitely lie with Puma. 

New kicks

Previous are in the middle. They're practically new except for the tear which I was also able to find an adhesive patch for. 

 

Thanks Cobra/Puma!!

Had a very similar experience with them a couple years ago (based on the pic, probably the same release as the issue you had) -- bought their SoleLace model of this shoe, and while trying to tighten it, the eyelet snapped. They just asked for pictures, and replaced the shoes with the model of my choice (went with the Disc). And...I was kinda able to repair the SoleLace -- heated/molded back together, but I'm guessing it's weaker than the original that snapped.

[2022 MGS Open Championship Contest]

5 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

So who's getting up ( or will still be up at 1:30 am to watch he beginning?)   You guys on the West Coast get to watch around 10:30 pm or so, that's pretty cool.

 

I'm almost always in Myrtle Beach for Open week -- typically coincides with Father& Son/Family Golf Week, which I've been doing with my dad since high school. Which means I'm away from the fam, which also means I have full control of my bedtime situation so I always throw on the right channel before going to bed and leave the TV on. That way it's on any time I get up throughout the night and when I get up in the morning. Actually get a decent amount of coverage that way. 

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

Stingers incoming!  Going to give the U505 a shot. Went with the 1 iron???  Same build as the T200 3- and 4-irons that have been treating me well -- Graphite Design Tour AD IZ-95X shaft. Goal was to swap out the 3w (really struggling with FW woods lately...). The T200 3i is 20°, and my options were 16° or 18° in U505, or 17° T200 - since it's a 3w replacement that's mostly going to be used off the tee anyway, 16° felt like the right play. 

 

 

Also picked up a handful of Golf Pride CPX grips -- my SuperSpeed grips started tearing up my hands, so wanted something soft for that, and just added a couple extra because I had some money left on a gift card. Used them for one session, and they are niiice, so I threw one on the U505 too. Maybe this will finally be the grip that gets me off the MCC (a few dollars cheaper than MCC too). 

[2022 MGS Open Championship Contest]

[Unofficial Review: Jones Trouper R]

I picked up a Utility Trouper 2.0 earlier this year, I think shortly before the R was released. Overall I think it's great, and agree with just about everything in the review. Slight difference in my setup -- I use side pocket 1 (your ball pocket) for gloves and markers, and put balls+tees in the medium side pocket (easier to reach in and grab one as I head toward the water and need a new ball to drop  ). I might still play around with that configuration though (and might try moving the balls to where you have them). I also agree that there isn't a clear place for tees, so mine are just rattling around with my golf balls.  

One issue I ran into is is with the stand (looks like the R has the same stand, as I'm guessing all Troupers do). Nearly all bags that I've owned have had a stand that hooks into the legs from the outside-in, so the pressure of extending the legs pushes into the hook; the Trouper does the opposite, hooking in from the inside and relying on a locking washer to take that pressure. Well, somewhere near the 3rd tee in only round #3 carrying the bag, one of washers popped off, making the stand just dangle loose -- could not find it after realizing what happened, and the stand simply did not work the rest of the round (could hook it back in, but it would pop right back out the next time I put it down because there's nothing there to hold it). The stand mechanism is exposed inside the bag too, competing for space with the clubs/grips, which is not ideal but hasn't caused any issues yet (that I know of -- guess it's possible it contributed to this issue). 

 

Customer service was great -- they first sent new parts, and after I somehow failed to get the repair to stick, they took the bag back to fix it themselves. Haven't had the issue come up again, but I'm watching it carefully (one of them looks loose, but sturdy so far). They did say that if it continues to be an issue, they'll just replace the bag too, but hopefully it doesn't come to that -- plus if it does happen again, I'm probably just going to put a washer on and then bend the end of it so that it can't pop off quite as easily. 

[Garmin User Group]

I'm a little late to the game on the CT10 sensors, just picking them up this year, but if anyone is interested in the experience so far (or wants to post their own review), I started this thread on the new (still Beta?) Unofficial Reviews section:

 

[WANTED: Beta Testers for Unofficial Reviews]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_THV said:

Totally understand and we can adjust the rating categories. What suggestions do you have to adjust them?

Specifically for the GPS Tracking category (maybe specific to automated trackers and not all GPS devices?), I found myself struggling to differentiate Accuracy vs. On Course Performance, and between Features vs. App/Dashboard. Maybe I'm just misinterpreting the intent of the categories, but these were my debates while writing it:

Accuracy feels like it's just part of OCP for this type of device, and could be dropped (or combined). Things like did it pick up my shot? With the right club? In the right spot? That's how I interpreted "accuracy", but that all feels like OCP to me. Other "accuracy" assessments felt like they'd fit under OCP or Features (e.g. no way to tell it where the hole actually is --> either poor performance or lack of feature; map accuracy could be kinda separate, but also kinda not). 

Features vs. App/Dashboard -- again kinda feel the same to me, or one is just part of the other. I guess in my case the Features could be what I have available on the watch pairing with the sensors, which is separate, but I consider all the stats to be in the Features category too (but those are all on the app/dashboard, so...). I could see these being separate for some other systems, but for mine, they felt kinda the same. 

[WANTED: Beta Testers for Unofficial Reviews]

Posted my CT10 review here:

 

 

Did it on desktop, no issues getting it done. Only thought is that there was a lot of overlap between scored categories for this specific type of device, so I kinda struggled to separate everything.