Majmike

Top purchases 1. My first Ping blade putter in the 80s. 2. Callaway Triple Track putter and ball. I can't remember my last 3 putt. 3. Ping glide wedges which really are easy to chip with. 4. My first Ping driver with big head in the 90s. 5. My golf classes at John Jacob's golf school in AZ. Best bang for your buck IMO. My worst purchases 1. Titleist Volkey wedges, maybe be great for pros but extremely inconsistent for me. 2. Numerous Nike shoes or clothing which were not durable and costed too much 3. Callaway adjustable head hybrids which felt dead(profile shows I have them but not any longer) 4. Any driver I ever bought which did not have a upgraded/premium shaft. Almost everyone was very inconsistent but for the ones where I spent the money to install a better shaft then they performed a lot better. 5. Spending money to play any Jack Nicholas or Pete Dye designed golf course.

1. Cost based on condition of course. Too many courses charge way too much for average conditions. Bunkers and greens should be in good condition. 2. Pace of play along with good player assistants 3. Courteous staff and good 19th hole. 4. Multiple tee boxes so all handicaps can enjoy the green especially for women. This also helps attract women to the game. 5. Some contributors mentioned challenging, but unfortunately everyone is not single digit. For example I hate courses designed by Jack Nicholas or Pete Dye. I have played several of them and find them to be punitive even from front tees. I sometimes wonder if Jack or Pete even could get near their handicap.

I have never paid $100 for a round in 50 years of golf. I have always been able to find great discounts on various websites or twilight rates. I played Wolf Run 5 years back on a proshop special for $75 and got $25 back in proshop gift certificate. I've also played Spanish Bay, Torre Pines, TPC courses, all the great Mesquite and St George courses and many AZ and Palm Spring courses. Since Covid, prices of golf courses are outrageous today when few years ago many munis were $35 to play and now are $65 to $75 and course conditions are same or in some cases worse. This gouging will eventually drive golfers away. I remember one local course which had to be sold and we asked why they didn't discount tee times or belong to various web sites. Manager said that's not how you run a course. We asked him can you tell us the revenue you get from all the tee times not booked in the afternoons......he knew the answer ZERO.

Just watched replay of GCs Long Drive Competition in Kingston. One competitor has been able to achieve club head speed of 165 mph using his swing technique. I wonder what the cronies at USGA & R&A if pros adapt his techniques. I guess next they will tell us how to swing. What was also interesting that winner, Jack Smith, had a normal looking swing with 150mph swing speed and hit it 408 yds. Leave the golf ball alone and let us play.

The rollback is definately a sham as it will really impact amateur and pro golfers with lower swing speeds. For example, if Rory hits his driver 320 versus another pro hits it only 300 then on their next shot who will be impacted the most. Rory will still be hitting a more lofted iron versus the average pro just added 10+ more yards and will be hitting a less lofted iron most likely moving him into the more difficult irons 3,4,5,6 that have a greater dispersion. Result will be even less greens hit. The skilled lower speed golfer will be elimated from a change to win. The same thing will happen to the average amateur with even a greater impact. Evidently the lofty minds at R&A and USGA want to keep the game in the middle ages. Did the sports authorities in other venues try to reduce athletism and technical expertise. Did they lenghten the 100 meters and other races or add weights to runners legs or shoes to slow runners down...NO. Did they make shot puts heavier, javelins shorter, or football fields longer, or other venues longer harder, again NO. Records are meant to be broken as athletics try to do the very best to excel. Golfers are hitting the ball longer, especially at pro level, due to athletism, taking care of themself, and better training using technology and coaches. The long drivers are approaching 145mph swing speed and soon you may see pros approaching these speeds. The 10 or 15 yard roll back will therefore cause no noticeable impact to the old courses which at the outrageous prices they charge to play them will insure most golfers will not want to play them. USGA and R&A just let us play the game.

The ruling bodies still haven't gone far enough. You should get a drop from a divot in fairway. You can tamp down spike marks and repair green surface. If you hit a great fairway shot and ball lands in a huge divot left by a jerk, you get zero relief. This continues to frustrate players at all levels of competition.

I loved the use by NBC of drone cams to follow golf ball during Tournament players championship. Would like to see more of this coverage instead of 3 ft putts for par.

Nasty northern California weather, so awaiting to try new 3 or 4 W. Looking at Cobra, Ping or Cleveland with sr flex. May also give Ping chipper a try

I have tried several of the balls from the test in 2019. I am a senior with a ball speed of 80-85 and hit the Callaway Epic driver. When I read the test and saw that a tour ball was getting great distance with a slow swing speed then I thought I would give it a try. I tried the Bridgeston Tour Bx balls and found them to give me the best overall distance. My score has dropped almost 6 strokes due to distance gain, less dispersion on iron shots and the ball seems to stop alot faster on the green. The Bridgestone ball is also very durable. I also tried several of the Callaway balls, Taylormade, Vice, and others to include Titlelist. I really like the Titlelist Tour S, but they discontinued the ball and the new model does not feel as good. Thanks MGS for doing the testing as it really helped my game.

I see the differing opinions about Reed whether he cheated or not. My intent in my original posting is that the video evidence is extremely damaging. If you were at a US Open and gave the story that I didn't know I was doing this.. they most likely would have been DQd on the spot at the minimum. Sports has no room, especially on pro level, for cheating as our youth look up to these athletes. They are roll models like it or not. Now we see there was cheating in baseball. At least the parties involved have shown regret and made apologies and have accepted the punishment which is severe. Mr Reed has done none of that and he still insists that he didn't know he was brushing back the sand not once but twice. In my opinion, that pig doesn't fly and he will now be forever thought by many to be a cheater and bring dishonor to this great game. Even worse though, as mentioned, the PGA Tour staff just buried their heads in the sand.

I know it has been beat to death, but now the Bob Parsons hype is being spread by the Golf Channel so hopefully this info will make some golfers that buyer beware.

I am extremely dismayed by the PGA Tour staff's handling of Patrick Reed's alleged not cheating sand bunker shot at Hero Challenge. First, they believed his testimony that he wasn't aware of his action not once but twice. In the court of law, video evidence holds far more weight than oral testimony. Second, the penalty given does not meet the standard set by other tours and incidents over the years. The Euro tour has suspended players for long term for egregious violations even after denials. Local golfing association also suspend or bar players who are caught committing wilful rules violations especially when it is to gain an advantage of other players. This was not dropping the ball a few inches incorrectly like TW did at the Masters, it was a wilful action to gain advantage over his fellow players for $$$$. Finally, by not taking strict action against Reed, what does it now say about this honorable game and it's great history of players calling penalty violations on themselves. What does this say to First Tee youth about cheating, if you say you didn't do it (even if we have video or eyewitness evidence) then we will let you play on. Additionally, I think his caddy should also be suspended as he was witness to Reeds actions and did nothing. Finally, I wrote the PGA Tour regarding their lack of action and my concerns on its impact to golf. Guess what their response was........none. It's there typical stick their head in the sand and hope it goes away.

Went to Haggin Oaks range to test out some irons. Tried the PXG irons and wow was I not surprised. I had seen the golf spy tests and now today GC was hyping the distance. I wondered where this distance was coming from in GS tests. In checking i.e. 5 iron specs, the PXGs had 2* less loft and longer shaft. Duh, this is the oldest hype in club sales to make your irons go farther ala infamous Gary Player irons in the 80s. What golf spy should do is set lofts and shaft lengths the same on irons tested then that would be a true test. Ole Bob Parsons is now up to $650 for a iron when there are so many other manufacturers bring excellent products to golfers at reasonable prices. If his clubs are so great then why aren't the pros flocking to them and the ones who are have made no significant impact on any tour. Remember the old adage, a fool and his $$$$$ is soon parted.

Slow play is really hurting golf as it is driving away the current generation from golf. Taking 4+ hrs for rounds is intolerable to most of the millenials. They drive fast, do everything fast except golf and it drives them crazy. I have played several rounds in the last few weeks in Palm Springs and Las Vesgas. I saw several groups quit when the round got bogged down. The Marshall's won't do much as afraid to lose business. The current breed who are playing now are loud and obnoxious with cursing and playing music and drinking. Theydo not care about time unless you hold them up even though you are waiting on the group in front of you. Golf will continue to retract as long as this trend continues.