Fatshot
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Posts posted by Fatshot
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I've got two wedges that are a "given" in my bag.....a 54* and a 58* Maltby M-series. They both have old Ping R-flex wedge shafts in them, and although (at age 78) I'm beyond using a shaft that stiff, I've left them in b/c they feel heavy to me, and I prefer a wedge to feel heavy b/c the chipping / pitching swings are much slower than full swings.
Then I've got the PW and Gap wedges that match my set. The lofts of those are 45* and 49*. In my mind, the PW is nothing more than a full swing club, since lofts of modern clubs have been strengthened so much over the years. The gap wedge presents some problems b/c it is as light as the rest of the irons in my set, so when I try to chip or pitch with it the club tends to feel a little light. I have another gap wedge (an Indi, also 49*) that I switch back and forth with the wedge that matches my set. It also feels a bit too light, so I'm always looking for something that's a better fit......
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I wouldn't mind using a center shafted putter, in fact I have a couple.....but I've never really been what I would call successful with one. I have always leaned toward heel shafted, face-balanced mallets (starting with the old "Zebra" mallet, and progressing through the Odyssey Rossie II, and now the Maltby PTM-5 heel shafted mallet.). My only problem with the heel shafted mallet is sometimes the double bend shaft is not installed quite right, making them look a slight bit hooked to me.
A center shafted mallet always looks square, but for some reason, I don't make a lot of putts with them (of course, I don't make a lot of putts with ANY putter, LOL!)
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Growing up I always played all the sports in season, but I was about 10 or 11 when I started getting interested in golf. I started watching a show on TV called "All Star Golf." The format was two pros played medal play, and the winner got to come back the next week and take on someone else. Well, Sam Snead won something like 10-15 matches in a row, so he and that smooth swing of his became my model !
So, I climbed up into the garage attic and brought down my dad's old set (Spalding Bobby Jones starter set, with a wooden shafted "Niblick" thrown in for good measure!), cleaned them up, and started batting wiffle balls around the yard. About that time, we took a family vacation at my uncle's cottage at Devil's Lake, MI, and I bugged my dad to take my brother and me to play at the 9 hole golf course there. On about the 3rd or 4th hole I hit a PERFECT drive.....high, straight, and long....right down the middle, and I was HOOKED! When we got home, a few buddies and I would play the local 9 hole muni (for 50 cents...75 cents if we went around twice!....this was the 1950's, after all!), and I've been playing ever since!
One thing that bugged me was that the following Christmas my parents thought that since I had taken up golf, they would encourage my older brother to do the same, so they bought HIM a set of new clubs !!!!!!! I was SOOooo jealous!! Sooner or later though I worked out some kind of trade with him, so I eventually wound up with the shiny new sticks!
I'm 78, going on 79 now, walk 18 holes twice a week, still at it......
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Do I use a 7 wood.....? OMG yes!! And a 9 wood.....AND toying with the idea of building an 11 wood!!
IDK why the manufacturer's seem so determined to force hybrids on us....I've only had 1 or 2 (in the higher lofts, BTW) that I could hit consistently, but the higher lofted woods have kept me competitive, even at age 78.
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I do go to YouTube for golf info, but not too regularly. I don't usually bother with club reviews, but I do look at ClubMAKING info from a couple of different sources. I also watch and rewatch Jim Venetos' videos, as I use his swing. In the winter, when I'm really "starved" for golf, I'll watch highlights from famous tournaments, players, etc.
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I'm a retired high school teacher and golf coach, but I worked summers at 3 different golf courses for 26 years. I started out in my 20's working on the greens crew at a little country golf course (which I still play regularly, BTW). The hours weren't great (6:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.), but after work we could play free golf, so that was fun. After a few years of that, I was asked to move into the pro shop and work for the pro. He was a great guy, but not so much fun to work for. My job was to run the shop while he was out playing (often!), sell equipment (this was back in the day when pro shops actually sold equipment....I loved that part of the job!), handle the inevitable complaints/problems, (since the pro tried to avoid any controversies!), and work long hours and weekends. During this time I became the golf coach at the school where I taught, so I juggled those duties as well. I remember the relief when the golf season ended, b/c then I could have some time to spend with my wife and family!!
After several years at that course, I moved to a very nice brand new facility and worked for a very good PGA pro. I worked there for six years until I was nearly ready to retire from teaching. Then I got the opportunity to manage a course on my own.....another brand new local golf course with four owners. I thought it would be my dream job, but it turned out to be the longest year of my life! Four owners, each with his own idea of how the place should be run and always making "suggestions" and looking over my shoulder! I think I played 2 or 3 rounds of golf all season...!! At the end of that year, my wife sat me down and said, "You're killing yourself.....this CAN'T be any fun for you....why don't you just teach a couple more years, without extra jobs, play all the golf you want and ENJOY yourself.....?!" It proved to be great advice!! I'm now fully retired, I play and practice 2-3 times a week, and love every minute of it. Golf is fun again.....!!
PS....I can relate to the comments of other previous posters who have expressed the opinion that WORKING in golf is not the same thing as playing golf.....it's a JOB, like anything else.
- StrokerAce, joncoke86, tdroma98 and 4 others
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The most I have ever spent on a putter was $250 about 6-7 years ago (and I don't even use that putter anymore, LOL!). Most of my putters I have bought used from Ebay. My current gamer is a Maltby PTM-5 mallet that I bought for $100 (one of their value paks which I bought and had them assemble for me since it has the double bend shaft).
I was in the PGA Super Store down in Orlando this winter, picked up a putter I liked (i'm partial to mallets), and proceeded to make EVERY putt from various distances! Then I looked at the price tag.....it was a Bettenardi for $459!!!! Gulp....I couldn't put it back on the rack fast enough!
The only putter I "lust after" right now is one of the new Zebra (mallet), which somebody came out with just to "tempt" me, LOL......they're $250, I think.....
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I actually LIKE to practice (hey, it's golf after all!), so I make sure I get to the range once a week. It helps that I'm retired, so I have all week to play my rounds (twice a week), get the yard work done and any "honeydo" projects my wife has for me. So, I usually practice one of the weekend days, while the working guys are out there playing.
I'm lucky in that the course where I practice is close to home, and has an excellent facility: chipping green, putting green, and full range. So, I can work on all aspects of the game every time I practice.....esp. the short game!!!
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I have always liked Maltby and have used their products successfully for years. Their latest designs....esp. irons....combine good looks with excellent playability due to the Maltby Playability Factor. They are also reasonably priced. I'll be a Maltby customer for as long as I play the game!
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The best seat for Saturday or Sunday is in front of your big screen TV.......I'd rather PLAY!!!
- William P and MuniGolfer
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Senior golfer here as well. I use 75 gram graphite in all of my irons, but I want my sand and lob wedges to feel heavier than the rest. My 54* and 58* are Maltby components shafted with two Ping TFC100 regular flex shafts, and for some reason they DO feel heavier, even though they're 75 gr. as well. When it's time to change out the heads, I plan to keep those Ping shafts and install them in the new ones....probably Maltby again!
- sirchunksalot, Kenny B, William P and 1 other
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I use a Garmin GPS on the course.....I like the fact that I can see a map of the entire hole, know at a glance how far it is to every trap or water hazard, see and record my distances for each club, etc. Most of my friends use range finders, but I find a GPS much more useful for my purposes.
- Rob Person, VernL4 and William P
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I just bought a mint Cobra LTDx Max 10.5 degree driver head and paired it up with a UST Mamiya Helium shaft (senior flex). I spined and floed the shaft before attaching it to the head, and played 18 holes with it yesterday. My first couple of drives were pull hooks (my usual miss), but then I started aiming a little right and tried harder to "wait on the club head" before hitting through the ball. This straightened the drives out a lot, but still was hitting it more left than straight. I would say that overall I hit it LOW and slightly LEFT compared to my gamer.
When I got home yesterday I got out the torque wrench and changed from the "Standard loft / draw" setting to "+1.5 degree/ straight." We'll see how that goes next time out..... If that doesn't prove to be better than my old Ping G, I'll fit it with an R shaft and give it to my 50 year old son....
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I'm a senior, so I don't have to play on weekends, and we usually tee off at 8:00-ish, so even if there's a group or two ahead of us, they're probably quick players who don't waste time, just like us. So, pace of play is rarely a problem!
I'm from NW Ohio, which is flat as a pancake, so hilly terrain like some of these pics show would be a real luxury for me! Beyond that though, I like a course that has a variety of holes.....some doglegs EACH way....par 3's of different lengths.....some thought given to where the senior tees are placed (I don't want to play 380 yard par 4s anymore, but I don't want 280 yard ones either!)...good turf in the fairways and on the greens.....I'm a walker, so I'd rather play a course where I don't have to walk 200-300 yards from the green to the next tee......and most of all, I want to use EVERY club in my bag, and have to play a variety of shots from around the greens. Factor all those things together, and that would be my idea of a really good golf course!!!
- Shapotomous and BNewton51
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Like my profile says, I have an Indi 49* Super Gap wedge (Recoil shaft), and two Maltby M Series....a 54 and a 58, both on Ping TFC 100 shafts. The Maltbys could probably use replacing.....looking kind of beat up, but I have the replacement heads.....just a question of when I want to make the change. I finally "learned" how to use them last summer, so I guess I'll stick with them to start the season!
- William P, Rob Person and Bobbers
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Like several have mentioned before, I'm retired, so don't have to play on weekends......I don't want to clog things up for the working guys! We play Tuesdays and Thursdays around 8:00, walking. The Tuesday group is a travel group (about an hour away is our longest trip). Thursdays are at the "home course" only about 15 minutes from home. Start by 8....finish by noon....we beat the crowds and beat the heat, and I still have the afternoon to accomplish any chores my wife may have dreamed up for me to do.....!!!
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OOooops!!! Thanks for the heads up.....I didn't know that. So we'll see how it looks by the end of the 2024 season!
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Wow.....VERY cool !! I think at one time, Bert Dargie was considered in the same category as Kenneth Smith when it came to custom made golf clubs. Hope you keep us informed with your progress and post pictures!
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My group varies from guys who just "pick it up" when they're 6 feet way to one guy who will give or take NOTHING!! We are never playing for much, so I guess it doesn't matter. My own preference is to give 2 footers or less, but if a guy is going for a big number on a hole, I'll say "That's good, if you want it......"
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Don't laugh, but my favorite ball for several years has been the soft version of the Top Flite. It used to be called TF D2 Feel. They recently changed the name to TF Hammer Control, but the ball is the same. It's an "Old Man ball," but then I'm old, and at my age, can't see paying $40 + for a dozen balls. This ball gives me adequate distance on full swings, and is soft enough around the greens that it doesn't feel like the old "Rock Flites" of years ago.
Other similar balls I like are the Callaway Super Soft, Titleist Tru-Soft, Maxfli Softfli, and Srixon Soft Feel, but the Top Flites are cheaper, so that's what I usually buy.
- Josh Parker and Rob Person
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We usually play early in the morning (8:00-ish), so I make sure to eat a full breakfast (bacon / eggs for protein). Then I take two bottles of water along and try to drink one on the front nine and one on the back. I also take along some kind of snacks and begin eating by hole #8 or 9.....that could be peanut butter crackers, granola bar, apple, peanuts.....it varies. But I'm trying to ensure that I have enough energy for the back nine. My method has worked (for me) pretty well so far......
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I'm 78 and have played since I was about 12 years old or so, so I've had my share of golf-related issues.....My low back used to be a real source of trouble to me, in fact it went out on me while playing golf one time and it took about 4 weeks and numerous trips to the chiropractor, plus ice, heat and rest before I could even swing a club again. Since then, I have used an inversion table pretty regularly, and that with an occasional trip to the chiropractor keeps the back trouble at bay.
I started wearing a compression sleeve on my knee last year for "preventative maintenance" due to slight soreness....that seems to help.
But starting last season, I'm experiencing a sore left shoulder. I think it's caused by my using an "Orange Whip," the weighted practice club with the extra-whippy shaft. My "theory" is that the extreme flexibility of the shaft causes the weight on the end to exert a ton of pressure on the joints as I swing through. I've stopped using it, and that provides some relief, but since it's winter, I haven't swung the Whip in at least two months, and the shoulder is still kind of sore. I just hit balls yesterday (we're down in Florida right now), and I can feel the shoulder today, so that tells me that there's still some irritation there. I suppose I should have it checked out when I get home.
Anybody else dealing with a similar shoulder problem.....??
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Down in Florida for a few weeks to escape the winter up north. I went to the driving range yesterday to shake the rust off my golf swing. I began with the new Indi wedge that I bought on Black Friday. Glad to report that I hit it pretty well (after a few of those "unmentionable" shots that squirt out to the right, LOL). I seemed to hit it very high (hard to determine distance b/c the target flags were not marked for yardage) and very straight.
Around the chipping green I made solid contact, got a nice low trajectory, and predictable roll out. Of course, these were Florida conditions which are NOTHING like what I'll face at home in northern Ohio. We'll see once I get home and start to play spring golf, but I was favorably impressed with the Super Gap the first time hitting "real shots!"
What tee box are you playing from?
in Articles of Interest
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I am 78 years old, and like all the rest of us, I've watched my distance diminish to the point where I am now playing "Senior Tees ONLY." The old formula (5 iron distance x 36 = course yardage) yields 150 x 36 = 5400 yards as my ideal course these days. In our traveling group of 8 players I am the oldest by a couple of years, but that's about the distance we normally play. If a par 4 is longer than about 360 yards, I may even move up to the ladies tees....!! We play for fun and companionship, not money, so what difference does it make anyway?!! BTW, just beat my age this week with a round of 77 on a 5400 yard course, so I guess I'm playing right where I belong.....