MIGregB

First, I really do like the new content! The Head-to-Head Comparison feature, in particular, is very interesting and unique! And I also agree that it is a modern design in the vein of golf.com and golfdigest.com. But someone has to be a curmudgeon, so I guess that'll be me. I'm just not a fan of the giant, in your face style on any website. I admit to often needing reading glasses, but it isn't necessary to be able to navigate the site from across the room. It does force one to navigate around the website more which, I guess, provides greater opportunity to "see" advertising. I also don't like the persistent video that runs in the corner (used to be able to close it out). But I hate auto run video on all platforms. I know it's a way to help monetize the website without requiring a subscription. However, I donate every year so those methods irritate me more than is probably should. That brings me to an observation: the donate button is missing. I typically do mine after the major Most Wanted articles, but I couldn't find it after the new design. Is that a harbinger of a new funding model? I wish more people would donate so that wouldn't be necessary. BTW, I'm still a fan & I'll still donate if that's available.

As a homage to my geeky days being an Amateur Radio operator when I was a kid, I draw a line and 3 dots under the brand name on the ball. I've never seen anyone else use morse code on their ball

Yep, outdoors with your gamer would be my favorite. It's just tougher to accomplish, even if your gamer is one of the big 3 or 4 balls; Prov 1, TP5, ChromeSoft, etc. vs. Snell, MaxFli, etc. But I had a chance to directly compare my MaxFli & Snell of choice against Prov's so I have a decent handle on how they compare for me. But if I could actually blindly tell the difference, I guarantee that the handicap mentioned to the left wouldn't be double digit!!

I didn't know that was even possible. But if I'm at my PC, I can just log into the Shot Scope website and do everything from there. It's when I'm reviewing the round at the golf course, or otherwise away from my PC, that the app's wonky display is a bother. Thanks!

Yes. I've gotten in the habit of "clearing data" after every update (says it's Ver 3.13.2). But after logging back in, the X5 ad banner was just under the Connect Device banner. The good part is that they gave you the option of hiding it once you've read it, so I did.

You are correct; it's probably Samsung's One UI 5.1 overlay. In fact, we briefly chatted about this previously and I confirmed your hypothesis by using my wife's Pixel 5a. But it isn't like Samsung is some rinky-dink handset provider with a few thousand out on the market. They're the 2nd largest manufacturer in the world, 2nd only to iPhone. They have millions of handsets on the market using this same software. And I have hundreds of other apps on my phone (including system apps and my own downloaded apps), and Shot Scope's is the only one unable to work correctly. I just think that 6 months should be enough time to figure things out. BTW, in spite of my frustration with the app, I'm still a Shot Scope fan and I'm anxious to get the X5. I just don't want them to get complacent by thinking everything is sunshine and roses!!

OK... so now they're just pissing me off! An app update just came through and I had my usual high hopes that they finally fixed the 6-month-old display problem when using the latest Samsung Android software. But the only change I can find is an ad banner on the home page pushing the X5! I already bought an X5. I've also bought a V2, a V3 and an H4. Fix the dang app already!!!

Mark me down as another Snell fan, I've played the MTB-X as my daily ball for a few years peppering in others as deals come up. With the supply chain issues and price increases over the last few, however, I've stocked up on Maxfli's Tour-X because I got much better prices late fall/early winter and they, too, are good balls. But Dean is an impressive guy who makes a really good product. He's also very responsive to questions. Several years ago, I had a question about whether I needed to use something other than a magic marker for identification because I noticed that the paint was coming off under the spot as the marker wore off. He got back to me right away letting me know that they were working on a small paint issue but that the paint coming off would not affect ball performance. Pretty cool! BTW, I just noticed that there's a banner on his website talking about a new ball line-up coming in about 10 days. Can't wait!

Heresy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Got the Stealth Black. I like the added hole layout features as I play several new courses every year, not to mention the improved tracking capabilities. Now that I own a V2 watch, V3 watch and the H4, let's see if this one lowers my handicap!!!

The Samsung March 2023 update for my S22+ just came through (now with One UI 5.1 overlay) and the same home screen display issue is still present on the app. I get that developing apps for Android is a bigger challenge than for iOS (there has to be a few advantages to locking down an OS), and Samsung makes it an even bigger challenge with it's One UI. But it's not like Samsung is a minor player in the market with a handful of smartphones with which they have to contend. This display issue has persisted since November. Everything still seems to function, it's very annoying to have to drill down to see basic round info on the app. Rant finished... for now.

I had been using Pure midsized DTX grips for years and loved them; especially for the MUCH lower cost compared to the usual brands. Obviously, the solvent free installation a huge bonus, too. They also lasted a long time although I don't use a death grip so most brands last pretty well. But the last time I priced Pure, they were as much or more than conventional brands and I found a 13 pack of MCC+4 on eBay literally 1/2 the price. They were so cheap that I was afraid they were a scam, but they are brand new with original labels intact. Since I still had tape & low odor solvent left over, bought them. I never thought of trying to blow them on mostly because I easily wrecked a new grip back 10 or 11 years ago when I was 1st experimenting with blown-on grips. Do you do anything special to blow them on? I don't mind/care if they twist a bit as I don't use the grip for positioning, but as long as they don't start slipping off, I'd like to give it a try. Thanks!

I completely agree! But I haven't noticed a substantial difference between the two in that regard. Even if I think I feel the vibration from the H4 tagging, I've still had a missed shot on occasion. I guess I need to take all the other vibrating devices out of my pocket when I play

I have both. I got the H4 because I wanted a system that WASN'T so easily tagged with the club I have in my hand. Let me explain. I need to frequently but gently swing a club to keep my body relatively loose, so nothing falls off when I swing for real . If I swing the club more than a few yards from my actual ball area, it'll register a shot. And then another when I actually hit the ball. The H4 works out nicely from that perspective. However, I play a lot in cooler weather and making sure the H4 is properly attached to the holder on my belt is a bit problematic when wearing sweaters or jackets. Fortunately, the magnet is pretty strong so it even stayed attached once when part of my thin sweater was underneath. I've tried just leaving it in my pocket that becomes a pain. So I'm back to my V3 during most of the season. Neither are perfect but like tony@CIC, I much prefer SS over ARRCOS having used both.

A great place to start as you pair down your list of clubs to try out is the Most Wanted Players Distance iron test. You mentioned that you don't necessarily need a new model so those articles are available now: https://mygolfspy.com/2022-most-wanted-players-distance-irons/. This year's test probably isn't too far away if you decide on new. FWIW, I've hit the Mizuno Pro 225 against my current JPX 919HM and I liked what I saw. I'm still a way off buying new, but I might also go Player's Distance irons when the time comes.

When I read MPR's opening thread, my 1st thought was, "Heck yes! I want it blind until it's over!" But then after reading comments from shalliey (although he's in a different class all by himself with his biomechanics expertise) and others, I realized I couldn't hit shots as blindly as having the screen turned off because I need to see the ball flight to know whether I'm even in the ballpark with my swing. I used to have a net set up in my basement for winter use and discovered that the swing that felt so sweet with, what I was certain was, excellent ball contact was in reality ingraining a nasty pull hook. So, I need to at least see ball flight even if I'm in the dark about what the immediate change is that the fitter is making. SO, what does this boil down to? Just like EVERYTHING else in golf, there isn't one thing (club, ball, swing, thought...) that's right for everyone. Hopefully one can find a fitter that can work effectively with the process that works best for you. Finding that fitter; well, that's a different story.

Totally agree! I didn't read this, though, I just do this. But it's because I'm not all that good with long irons so I don't have the confidence to swing one harder to get more out of it. What I have to do is learn to choke up a bit when I do take a longer club because I invariably hit it flush with the smoother swing and go too far. I think there's a lesson in there somewhere

As club designs change (advance??), names have become far more superfluous across the board, IMHO. Just comparing your sand wedge with mine, for example, the name is meaningless. In spite of the fact that we both have Ping Glide "Sand" Wedges, mine is a 54 deg while yours is a 56 deg so the name isn't meaningful other than it's the club we use for most sand shots. The only problem is if you use a shot tracking system. Shot Scope (and I'm sure the others do as well) locks you into specific names for each club. I'd much rather have the ability to map any name I want to a tag so it is more meaningful to ME, especially when reviewing past performance data. I'd call my sand wedge my 54 deg and my lob wedge my 58 deg because I also use them both for lots of shots other than typical sand and lob shots. So, if it's just for you, call it your 52 deg & 56 deg club/wedge. It's far more meaningful anyway! BTW, I'm sure the reason tracking systems like Shot Scope have specific names for each club is so they can provide the myriad system-wide metrics that they do - all good stuff! They couldn't very easily provide strokes gained for any club if everyone called it something different, I suppose.

Not to thread jack (but the OP opened the door for me ), what do you like about the Recoil Dart 90 vs the Recoil 95s? I've just started testing graphite iron shafts and saw the Dart 90s but I don't know what the designed difference are, other than weight, of course. I have LOTS to learn so I'd appreciate your comments.

This may sound like a contradiction, but there isn't a comment above that I disagree with; good or bad. Other than putting, which is just plain funky, it mostly boils down to what Bossfan said - a perfect lie. But IMHO, it's far more than a perfect lie. A perfect lie on the course will still penalize you if you hit a fat shot. On a simulator, as well as on ANY hitting mat, you can get away with a fat shot as long as it isn't too egregious. Taking extra care to assure you are not hitting routinely fat shots is, again IMHO, one of the most important differences when hitting off any mat. The other thing is understanding that simulators aren't perfect, nor are they equivalent regardless of what brand. There's a new TruGolf installation close to home that's pretty nice. But in spite of the fact that the owner told me he's spent a lot of time synchronizing the 3 simulators so they're equal (so they can play leagues interchangeably), one of them is substantially different from the others. The one they 1st put me on was so much longer than my normal driver swing (easily 8 to 10 mph ball speed & up to 15 yards more carry) that I questioned them. Moving to another simulator, unfortunately , brought everything down to my normal. I still think, with some caveats, there is a lot of good-for-your-game benefits playing a simulator can provide. It's also just plain entertaining when we're cooped up over the winter!

I can't really blame you for your sentiment, their price increase seems to be a bit more than just inflation/supply chain causes. But you might need to test out the Kirklands before going all in (although at their prices, that isn't an expensive experiment). The Maxfli Tour & Tour X perform very differently from the Kirkland, especially in the spin off the driver and irons. IF you happen to slice a lot, you will probably be slicing even more with the Kirklands thinking that you're doing something wrong when it may in fact just be the ball. All that spin also kills distance. I stopped using them because of those very reasons. Good luck!

That's interesting. It further proves the point that there isn't one best ball that works for everyone, even as a senior (I'm 71). My experience is just the opposite of yours. I tested the Maxfli Tour X against a Prov 1X, Snell MTB X, & Srixon XV on a Trackman as well as some comparisons on the course. I've found the Maxfli Tour X to definitely be longer with similar spin around the greens. I haven't played them long enough to notice whether they "deaden" during the round as someone mentioned earlier (sorry, I couldn't find the post to attribute it), but I'm confident it's a great performer for me. I stocked up on them on-line when I noticed local DSG store running out of the 4-packs a couple of months ago, so I better be good for next year!

Hey Matt; can you provide a little more detail? In last year's best ball test, the Mizuno balls were very high quality, but the Tour X was very spinny and not particularly long. What did you like about them? Being a Mizuno fan, I always give their products a look when I'm in the market for anything. Thanks!

I suspected Samsung's One UI 5 overlay as well, but you're the 1st person to pretty much confirm that. Not to thread highjack, but my last 3 phones were Pixels. I just wasn't thrilled with the Pixel 6 when I needed a phone last May. I have the S22+ and it's pretty darn nice, but I miss Pixel's phone features (particularly spam handling & VM), built-in calendar (although I use Google's calendar app & it seems to work as well as it did on the Pixel, unlike the phone app) and the amazing things they do with camera software. I should be ready for a new phone about the time the Pixel 9 comes out; hopefully it'll be a good one. Thanks! Update: MattF, you've nailed it! My wife has a Pixel 5a running Android 13. I just installed the Shotscope app and it works fine. Thanks!

A new update just came through which fixed the connect to device crash. I checked and there were no firmware updates for either device. I still have the text rendering issue from when my phone updated to Android 13.

I was wondering whether there was new firmware which was the reason why I wanted to connect. There isn't any snow on the ground here in lower Michigan but I'm not hardy enough to play in mid-30s temps!