Badams69

Latest purchases: (preface by saying I am used only guy) don't make money playing golf, so like to keep the expense down to about 20-40% of new and spend the balance on playing etc. While looking for a new wedge with a bit more bounce I happened into a market with booths of all types with my wife. About to purchase an old Cleveland or two with high bounce, when I found the cheaters special - SMARTSOLE. I consider myself a solid short gamer, and have to say although I never thought I would, I love it and have yet to find a shot it doesn't work for. Preconceived notions and prevailing wisdom haven't matched my experience with it. Cost - $15 condition - excellent ...... results? Well I have a Ping Glide 2.0, Cleveland RTX-4 and CG15 sitting on the bench and unlikely to get minutes soon. Now ...... since the mid 90s I have used Ping Zing 2 with the exception of a brief stint with a 2-ball (weeks) and a season or so with Anser 3 (same slant neck and finish as the Zing2) ....... Came across a post or two on here about Bobby Grace putters and went with the LoPro (in the Zing2 general styling) and find it to be excellent. Can't say it is better than the Zing2 for me, but it also shows at worst fractional signs of being less effective (chalk it up to familiarity so far). Cost - $35 - excellent condition with solid results. In bag for now with old standby ready at any time. Also - giving an Adams 3w a spin with more solid results than anticipated to this point. It stays in the bag if the chips are on the line - but casual play it has performed well so far. Cost - $30 - good shape, promising results. Thanks

Like a golfing bandit! Good work man!

I'd hope so (better) ..... it would be different in many ways I'd presume.

Thanks and good point about Casper. We had a high level girl who did that 3 straight years on a 150y par 3 (mostly due to high winds, hard ground, terrifying bunkers and a doozy of a lake protecting the green .... she hit 15 yards short chipped up and took 6 or 7 across 36 holes on that hole, while the field was averaging about 10. She made it to state every year at a very high level. Every other coach looked at us like we were purple when she began doing it and they realized it was intentional. Not sure, if I am expressing this wrong. It is not simply course management as it is taught. It is the more the mere existence of some force greater than ourselves as golfers. PAR just existing is the point. I t looms over so much and yes, we do have to cope with it and manage our games. But, it is so ingrained in the game that even discussions of it, in my opinion fall short of recognizing the power it holds. It IS semi-arbitrary in the context of a game that simply is won by lowest total. Total of one golfer vs the other golfers - on a competitive level. And I am simply saying ....... in that context there is no need or use for some third party score to be involved, but it is. Whether we acknowledge it or not. It is in most all aspects of how we discuss performance of any kind. Which, to me is detrimental to truly being able to achieve true course management. It is almost akin to a house actually being haunted - LOL It would be as if football teams had an expected point total they were supposed to meet. Or something of that nature. It is just THERE..... being over it or under it has no relevance as to how you will finish in a competition. In reality ..... but then there is the power of perception hole by hole and THAT is crazy. Yes - I know it isn't going anywhere and that mostly this is not a discussion many enjoy, as most are trying to just minimize it to something else. Which is fine, I just get a kick out of looking a tad deeper into this game and aspects that impede all of us (or 99%) from our best performance.

Agree there. Oddly I think it is why I generally like people who truly are GOLFERS the best. We get it that good times and bad times don't last. That you can do everything right and get a poor result and vice versa. We also know that finding and object to point the finger at outside yourself is neat, but not anything that is going to benefit your bottom line. We get it that one poor hole does not preclude a great day, and one perfection event (hole in one) does not equal a victory overall. Makes perspective on life make so much more sense in every facet. If only we learned that every day is not the No. 18 hdcp hole nor or they all No. 1 either. You get a variety of all of them and have to figure out how to get through it alive!

In my opinion this could be copied and pasted for most every "fitter" out there. For a variety of reasons. But mostly the case that most are under experienced, bust mostly because they are dealing with humans. Humans swinging a golf club have major variations across multitudes of scenarios. The variables that can change how we swing a club are endless and the interactions with clubs the first time they are in someone's hand is about the last thing that is reliable. How many times have you or I grabbed a buddies new club and hit it great ..... bought a club similar and the honeymoon phase was superb. THEN, it did what they all do. thud! Fact of the matter based on my own experience is that we adapt to our clubs and adjust to the different feeling of brand new clubs temporarily, and then revert to our defaults. I've been fitted 3 times and each were the worst sets of clubs I've ever owned. Coincidence? Don't think so. Partly I think the whole fitting concept/industry is part money maker and part peer pressure to agree it works best. It seems perfect and if done correctly it should be. But Club Champion nor any other one trip fitter, has a high probability of actually fitting someone into the "best" clubs. Now ..... if it were multiple trials across multiple visits combined with on course play in between, the rate of success would rise exponentially. Sorry for the essay here, but I think someone would be just as likely to do well buying various used clubs and finding the parameters that work for them. Shaft weights, flex material etc. and not be afraid to buy and sell until you find it. What little you would lose on the transactions would equal one fitting and might open your eyes to something you'd never have thought of or been shown in a fitting. Alternatively, one could go to PGA SUPERSTORE, GOLF GALAXY and a few others and narrow it down for free. Then find a true boutique fitter. If that is what you want. I'll never use one of these chains myself. Unlikely to use another either ..... but if I were to do so, it would be with parameters set ahead of time, compromise of my terms and theirs. Thanks.

I'd need a chiropractor after all that putting. LOL Good work!

I can see that. Given I don't walk 18 anymore with it strapped on my shoulder, that eluded me. Guess the trick is to find the trinity of all 3, easy to carry well/lighter than most, durable, and sharp! Vessel just needs to add a little back patio and it is the perfect house!

On the bright side ....... it is done now. Now that you state it that way - I think the Marshall was lacking answers either, so he tried something. understandable and maybe it was just him telling himself "I tried"

Not knowing much about this whole situation, whether it was just then and Marshall got the wrong impression or if the group behind was simply playing faster than your group. General etiquette normally dictates that if it is open in front of you and obvious that group behind is playing faster - you simply find a spot to let them through. I'm not understanding the on pace portion of this much. As it has nothing to do with it. It isn't a punishment, it allows them to play at a quicker pace, opens up breathing room for your group and thins out a potential bottleneck by a little bit. If there are groups stacked up around the course, it is not much of an option as it won't do much. We've played where four groups on every hole. You tee off while group ahead watches from fairway, they hit approach while you watch, then you wave up the group behind. and so on. But in this instance, again just based on what I've read, probably just let one group through and it all settles in just fine. Positives all around.

double loop - is that hoofing for two golfers simultaneously? If so - how does that work, I saw some youtube play and one caddy, seemed one guy was always having to wait his turn and caddy was here, there and everywhere but not at once, of course. Is it as much slower or as much more work, as it appeared to be???

pic of that SJSU Jones bag I was referencing. I thought it looked clean as heck. And a cool white version that appears to be a smaller model. Though it could be a different brand, I do think it's a Jones, but maybe not.

That Vessel rep should be ashamed! LOL When I was buying my Jones bag, I had just retired from coaching ..... Holy Smokes their team bags looked fantastic ...... think San Jose St was using them then. Sun Mountain makes a great bag - our experience with bags purchased prior to my taking over the last program, was that they fell apart for a few players. In fairness most players had zero issues. We did Ping simply because they .... well, are PING. Players could sell their bag and we just bought replacement ball pouches and had them embroidered.

FWIW, two drills that showed the most consistent results throughout about 80 golfers on our teams across a few years. 1.) To get your stroke sending it where you think it should, or just make sure it still is - DEAD STRAIGHT 3 FOOTER, make 20-25 in a row. Get to where you can do this but go through routine on each one (don't just rake and stroke the next one). 2.) To make sure you see the line from your setup along with innately marrying up your stroke for feel with distance ....... Spend about 30 minutes putting 20-40 footers looking at the hole. Work around the green and allow your body to make whatever adjustment it tells you it needs to make. Some will be in stance, some posture, some grip all to allow you to get the ball going where you are looking both directionally and distance. Once you have a feel for putting while staring at the hole - move down to 2 balls, then ultimately down to 1. Keep varying the holes and it will take far faster. Each in varying degrees have transformed the on course performance of dozens and much more quickly than other drills I have seen.

Sounds silly, but I repeatedly worked on reducing the angles, weight distribution and so forth in my stance. 20 times every time I get a few moments and especially if a mirror is there to check it a bit. Then ignore mirror and see if I can find that same feel. No club, just simply rehearsing a new posture with less knee bend and less angle at hips. Essentially a bit taller but also realigning the vertical distribution of my weight relative to toe/heel head/butt. So easy to fall right into a prior comfort spot that has to go. So lots of trial and error to figure out how I best find that spot all while attempting to ignore it and focus on hitting a ball and the other 4,700 things that have to be addressed. LOL

No kidding. The further I get away from playing all the time and a lot better, the more that's my whole mental approach. Or maybe that is wisdom induced anxiety! That book - GOLF IS NOT A GAME OF PERFECT ....... talk about low hanging fruit for a title!

You aren't lying. It is super cool looking. But as a former golf team coach, I am shocked they put you in this minimal of a bag. If they were playing and needing their rain gear, something tells me you'd have a different model

Good looking bag. I have a recent model Jones and like it quite a bit. Trying a C130 currently but thinking I may just switch back as I don't have all that much use for whatever someone is supposed to get from C130 vs Jones/stand bag.

That's what it's all about!!!!! Golf is a great game and seeing different strategies is fun. They are all wise when they work. - golfing your ball to the best of your ability!!! I recall one par five that was a nightmare tee shot with cliff feet from the right fairway mow line, trees and homes along the left. So - I told my buddy that during tournament play I was going to reverse the hole and hit my layup shot (there was a huge ravine blocking access from 60-15 yds from the green) off the tee .... 5-7 iron and then hit a FW or hybrid down to whatever that left. Whatever it took to remove the trouble/potential penalties as best I could. Have seen many an 8 or higher on that hole across several summer amateur events. And although I didn't execute perfectly on a super gusty day ..... I hit my fourth shot from about 80y super tight and walked away with 5. Which was about the best I felt I could score there anyway. Someone else made birdie in the group - yet I felt far happier than them based on the mental ease that I felt while playing the hole due to plan. No shot ever posed much in the way of risk and had I not scuttled my 2nd shot (thus my 3rd was literally a lil chip down the fairway to improve my positioning although I was with range to "reach it", the shot was a booby trap for me based on how I was playing and other factors) ..... I easily could have had a nice look at four. Why did this stand out? Well - I had made a 10 on it and an 8 or higher more than once previously when I was chasing certain scores rather than just laying out a plan that was simple and easy not to foul up.

Among those names ...... one would do well to chase down whatever they could find from 1. Jon Sherman and 2. Adam Young of THE SWEET SPOT podcast, The Strike Plan, and PRACTICAL GOLF. Maybe more digestible for most and a healthy complement to anyone looking to improve their game in a ..... PRACTICAL fashion. Stagner, Broadie, and Fawcett are staples but PRACTICAL golf should be right there with them for any golfer. The skills approach by A.Young is tremendous way for anyone to see extremely rapid results that matter. Research is pretty clear on external vs internal focus when it comes to golf improvement. Some of the best content I have ever come across and I've devoured a healthy portion of golf stuff through the years.

Thanks and excellent observations! What I thought while reading this was ...... PAR as a built in "expectation" also can serve as a governor for excellence. A hole that should take on average 4.25 strokes for our ability level, for instance ...... we'd feel a-OK if we walked away with a 5. And we shouldn't be upset, not at all. However if you underperform at .75/hole across 18 holes ........ well ..... we all know how that goes. And that's likely a stretch for sake of making a point, but glad you brought that to mind. I too, although I understood why, was humored by everything juxtaposing the approach to #6 last week vs other holes of similar length. I grasped why in every aspect but it brought a chuckle to hear the broadcast building up the anticipation "is he going for it" ? How is it going for it there and not "going for it" when someone is simply hitting their tee shot on a par 3? Are they not both "going for it" ....... why is it couched in such a way??? I offer up "PAR" as the culprit! For better or worse.

You're right. Thanks

Hilarious ..... and I only laugh because I can picture it. Likely you are better than most you play with, sure you play with some similar or better also. But, it is funny how I can picture any average golfer paired with you relying on you for all info. Even what par is. When it is on their scorecard, the tee box itself and often quite apparent by simply looking in front of you. But, we both know WHY they ask. Which is not always the best result. Thanks Tom.

Speaking of kids ...... When I coached teams, we had rounds where we played with all flags pulled and others where they could only use a club from a tee once. Others where every tee ball or approach (alternate days) would be worst ball. This did help elevate options along with likely outcomes to the front of some of the better players minds. Oddly my first sub par round in HS came using nothing but 4 iron from the tee outside of the par 3s. Mostly because my dad took away my driver, because I traded the one he bought me and he took the new one away, because I was an idiot. Little did he or I know what the result would be, my best round ever to that point. That convinced me at 16, of how it didn't have to be one way.

No doubt about that. Along those lines. I love when, I believe Fawcett pointed out .... we are playing with a shotgun, NOT a rifle, but we all aim as if we had a snipers skill level. Likely more the younger crowd, but it gets to us all when we feel forced. Their work is invaluable to say the least!