palvord

I have to echo what a few testers are seeing regarding battery life during normal wear. I began Saturday, 8/22 with a full charge. I wore it Saturday evening/night to a graduation party, most of the day Sunday while doing chores around the house, I played 12 holes on Sunday, wore it while working at home and taking walks in the evening Monday and Tuesday. This morning, 8/26, my battery life is 4% I am impressed so far with the battery endurance compared to my Fossil smartwatch. That battery I need to charge every night.

After watching my father-in-law go through a horrific experience with a fitter that was clearly inexperienced, may I suggest: - Does your launch monitor show club impact information? At my FIL's fitting, the only information he was shown was carry distance, total distance, swing speed, ball speed, ball spin. On the screen, it kept showing him hooking the ball, but there was no data provided showing where on the club face he struck the ball, his swing path, face angle, etc. It became a wasted three hours.

Unfortunately, I could not compete the challenge this week. I had a very limited window of time to play the round this weekend. I was able to get out this evening for a twilight round at 5pm. It seemed the course was pretty empty, and I flew through the first 11 holes, not trailing anyone. Arriving on the 12th hole, I found a group on the tee box, and a group on the next 3 holes. Seeing that I wouldn’t be able to finish the round in time for some family duties, I packed in for the day. I was playing decently well, and had only one miscalculation where I was left with my 60* wedge for a tee shot on a par 5 that required me to carry a small pond 110yds. I just took my penalty and played from the drop zone on the other side. Sorry I couldn’t post a number to challenge you @B.Boston Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I played my first round today with the LX5, and thoroughly enjoyed my entire round. Eventually, I will compare the data to Arccos, but today was so much fun to just put the cellphone in my bag when I arrived at the course and not pull it back out until it was time to put the clubs in the car. I felt totally present for the round, which may have helped my scoring, but where I truly appreciated not having my phone on my person was that I was able to remain distraction free and hold full conversations with my playing partners the entire round. It was really nice to be disconnected from the outside world on the course. The maiden voyage for the watch was a good test as I had only played the course one other time. It has multiple blind tee shots, most of the par 5's force you to lay up on your second shot, and has many elevation changes. I shot an 84 today, and overall had a positive first experience with the LX5. Some observations from first use: - Finding the course takes longer than expected. My wife was wearing the Garmin S2 and had her FCB yardages on the first tee in about 30 seconds. The LX5 took a good solid 5 minutes to find the course. I found that odd, especially since I was playing a course that I had downloaded the night before. - The watch is very light. It never felt like it interfered with my swing, or swing speed. - The screen is very bright, and the size of the face helps you easily see the course mapping and data provided. - The scoring section was easy to use, and I will be interested to see how the data collection in SkyGolf 360 looks. - The zoomed in green section is very handy to help see how much room you have to work with for certain pins. The FCB numbers are great, but you can do some quick addition or subtraction with the help of the targeted green for even better distance information. - If you are spending a longer time on a hole, or far from the hole (aka playing from another fairway) the watch will vibrate and ask if you have finished your current hole. I bet that happens so they are able ensure you are seeing the yardages for the correct hole. - I didn't miss the "plays-like" distance from Arccos, but having that data over the last year and a half has apparently taught me to better judge for slope and wind. I never felt like I chose the wrong club today. And now for some photos of the various screens that you will all become familiar with seeing from all of us testers:

It's here! It's finally here! (pictures to follow) Just wanted to jot down some initial impressions so I don't forget my thoughts and feelings from the last hour of unboxing/setting up. First, it looks like it should weigh more than it does. The face seems quite large at first glance, but putting it on my wrist, it doesn't look big or even look like a typical golf watch. (that last part was according to my fashion designer, aka, my wife) I spent the better part of an hour working on downloading courses that I frequently play and making sure my watch was registered with SkyCaddie, as well as getting my SkyCaddie 360 membership page setup. That community page looks like it will hold value, but this is mainly focused on the watch. I played around in the demo for the Golf, and am really digging the ease with which you can either look at the FCB numbers, or choose to see the hole layout. Manipulating the cursor to varying targets was rather easy sitting at my desk, and not under pressure to get my shot off. I'll be interested to see how that functions on the course. The responsiveness of the touch on the screen appears to be quick and accurate at first testing. Playing around with the heart rate monitor was fun, and it was quite quick at registering my heart beat. Further testing/comparison to come. My minor "complaint" about the unboxing and setup was that I had to manually set the time. That seemed like an odd step considering it is a watch that links into satellites for course information, and also didn't change time when I connected to my laptop via USB to download the courses. Also, to set the time, I had to figure out how to convert GMT to EST. I'm sure many people know what GMT means, but I was lost. Thank you, Google. Oh, and for those wondering about random button pushes with a swing, since I am left handed, I won't have that as a worry. The two buttons are on the right hand side of the watch, which moves them out of any danger of being pressed at initial glance. My first round with the watch is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon on a course that I have only played once. I will be looking to see how easy the features are to use without doing any digging into the literature or "how-to" videos. I also will be comparing the information I receive to my Arccos system and if it will be changing my pre-shot routine. If you have questions, don't hesitate to ask!

I almost wonder if this challenge encourages overthinking, which doesn't allow you to focus fully on the shot in front of you, so you're not able to 100% commit to what you are doing, which leads to execution errors. If I'm able to get out and play, (lots of family stuff on the calendar for the weekend) I'm going right after the number one spot. @B.Boston let's dance!

It was really strange being on the forward tees. You see the course in a different light and it makes you learn more of what angles can help you succeed when you have your full bag. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Well. It’s over. Thankfully. It was a struggle today with the wedges, which was unusual for me. I really have enjoyed these challenges and may incorporate them into my practice rounds. Course: Timber Wolf Golf Club Red Tees: 4862yds 68.4/123 Current Handicap 12.8 Score: 84 Sorry I couldn’t post a better round to challenge you @edingc Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

IMG_2027.HEIC @edingc It’s happening! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I think this will be the most interesting part for me. I've become used to the extra data from Arccos and the calculations they use for wind and slope are quite helpful. Going back to that mental dance of adding or subtracting for slope, wind, temperature, etc. is going to be challenging since I've been using Arccos for almost three years now.

I so badly want to play this challenge this week. I just don't see how I'll have the time in my schedule to make it happen. When I saw the challenge drop, I immediately thought of the strategy suggested by @GolfSpy STUDque and playing the forward tees. For the par 4's and 5's it gets me into wedge range quickly, and the par 3's, I could play those by planning to get on in two wedge shots. If it's gonna happen, I'll be challenging @edingc I'm hoping the challenge from his own peanut gallery will be the motivation needed to get him posting better scores. Mods, I'll make sure to let you know if this officially is a thing before Sunday morning so you're not twiddling your thumbs waiting on results.

For the first time in my golfing career, my handicap is no longer in the teens! With my play this year, I've been trending down from a 14, but for a long time was stuck at 13.3. My last three rounds however have dropped me down to a 12.8! Now for the hard part of keeping the trend going the correct way.

I'll see what I can do.

As a Buckeye, stranded in a foreign land, I would love to return home. However, our baby shower is that weekend. To help with social distancing rules, we are hosting it over those two days to limit the amount of people that are showing up. Have fun, and thank you for thinking of me!

I chip and run often with my specialty wedges, I just don't know how to get the dang ball to stop the same way with my irons. It is a serious skill that takes lots of practice and can come in handy in certain situations.

@daviddvm - the results are in! My handicap according to GHIN before the round was 13.0. My round was played at Beacon Hill GC in Commerce Township, MI. I played from the blue tees which measure 6324yds. Course rating is 69.3 and slope is 132. Since I don't carry a hybrid, my longest club is my 5i. I exclusively used it off the tee where I would normally have used my driver. This really had me playing from different parts of the course, which was a good thing. I honestly didn't have to think on the tee box at all. I felt incredibly confident that I wouldn't miss in dangerous areas, where my driver brings more danger into play. Where the challenge really challenges you is missing the wedges from your bag. I spend the majority of my practice time with my 52, 56, and 60 wedges working on various shots from 90yds and in. Having irons only really put a premium on hitting the green with your approach shot, or missing in a place where you could bump and run along the fairway entrance to the green, rather than needing to carry any rough. I have no idea how to stop a bump and run with any of my irons. I was really pleased with my round today. Having double bogey's on two par 5's really hurt. The first one came from a bad chip attempt with my 7i, where I normally would have used my 60* The other came from hitting a ball into the water trying to reach the green in regulation after hitting a less than stellar tee shot, and a not great second shot. It's really difficult to be upset with an 83 considering I don't believe I broke 90 in any of the challenges last season. My golf game is certainly in a better place this season than last, and it is really nice to confirm what I said last year. These F9's are legit! Hopefully with the creative accounting that goes on to calculate our MGS totals, I can defeat @daviddvm. But for know, he can rest easy knowing he clipped me on Gross score.

YES!

Going head to head with @GB13 would be fun, but he would wipe the floor with me since he has this weird thing in his golf game called, "talent." If all of the stars aligned, @edingc and I could have an in person match, but I have in-law duties to handle this weekend. I so badly want to tangle with @B.Boston and that New England ego, but I don't have access to a course for ants. While challenging @Headhammer could be fun, I'm worried he may get Lexi to do his work for him again. My handicap is closer to @daviddvm so here goes: @daviddvm

Damn! My 5w in the 4-iron slot is probably not acceptable then.

Nice new wrinkle to CCC! This is gonna be fantastic!

To prompt some brainstorming on your part, I offer my advice from the peanut gallery: Find a way to test a club with the KBS C-Taper Lite Stiff flex. I have thoroughly enjoyed the way they feel in the F9's. I don't feel that I have to try anything special to create a good strike, and also can quickly tell where on the face I struck the ball. I think it would be completely worth it for you to test a club with the shaft you were originally fit for. Better to use the arrow prescribed for you, than the arrow you had to settle for.

So far, I'm looking like I'll be lucky enough to not have complete washouts, but who knows:

So like all golfers on the planet?

Crabby patties are burgers now?