[Random Thread]

15 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

These watermelons have been the coolest thing to watch grow. We have 4 per plant right now and tried to Stagger them. Cut the rest of the flowers that were producing two days ago and the first 2 we had tripled in size in two days

 

I usually do one "rotating" crop each year (this year was sweet corn) in addition to my staples (peppers, beans, zucchini, peas), and I think watermelons are going to be next year's crop.

[Injury Thread]

4 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Slipped/slid yesterday and definitely pulled something from my knee up the inside of my thigh. 

Sounds like what I did lifting this past winter. I assume it was the sartorius muscle.

Definitely keep an eye on it - mine severely limited the internal rotation inside my right hip. I ended up going to PT for about five times this past May because of it. Thankfully several good assisted stretching sessions and some band work got me back to better than before!

[How'd you play?]

1 hour ago, CarlH said:

Interesting.  I'm hitting the Tour X.  Haven't experimented with the regular Tour.  I was hitting Snell MTB-X prior.  The Tour X indeed spin on the green.  Can't comment on being shorter than the regular, but they're longer than the Snell MTB-X....at least from my observations.  I have 5 dozen + of the Tour X, but I may pick up some of the Tour next time I'm at Dick's as an experiment.

I found the Tour to be longer off the tee than the Tour X as well when compared head-to-head. Personally felt like the Tour X / ProV1x / MTB-X are all similar for me, at least similar enough that I don't notice a huge difference.

I could not get the regular Tour to react reliably going into greens. This year I played several rounds with some older Z-Stars and didn't have that problem, but I also added more loft on my irons and fixed some swing things that were making my dynamic loft at impact way too low.

If the Tour X came in yellow I'd buy a couple dozen over the Snells which are now not as great of a deal as in year's past.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

11 hours ago, cnosil said:

Early feedback:  Even if you just want a GPS it is a nice  product.   If you want shot tracking and are willing to put in the effort it is a great product.

Ditto.

12 hours ago, dlow206 said:

How's the current driver setup working out compared to the autoflex?

I think overall it's a much more consistent result with the Motore X than the AutoFlex. I had a nice honeymoon period with the AF, but mishits seemed to be more penalized than with the Motore.

I haven't been hitting my driver all that well this season, but ShotScope has my P-AVG at 278 yards (all Motore) and Arccos had my smart distance at 284 yards (mostly AF). A wet spring did not help overall distance and I also have done zero speed training work since the fall. I have managed a few 300-plus ones with a little wind or elevation help, but overall I still wish I was a more consistent driver of the golf ball.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

Thinking about the top of my bag for next season already. Currently have the Super Hybrid at 16 degrees and the Epic Flash 4 hybrid at 20 degrees.

The Epic Flash is essentially a 6/7 wood, and I can expect reasonably struck shots to carry about 225-235 from the tee and maybe from the deck if I really catch one. I don't use the Super Hybrid much - I hit one tee shot with it every round at my home course and I've used it sparingly otherwise. This winter I was able to get 250+ carry out of it off the deck at times on the Mevo+, but realistically on course it's probably a 230-240 club.

Those two clubs and my Cobra 4 Utility are now the only non-fitted clubs in my bag, so I'm thinking a top of bag fitting might be in order next spring. Not sure if I'd want to go to back to a wood or not, it's just so rarely used that I don't think I'd justify the money.

Really tough to justify too much more money when the course I play most often just isn't long enough. It was a lot of fun getting out last week on vacation to a 6,800-ish yard course where a lot of different clubs got a workout. I'm no more accurate with the Super Hybrid than driver, so I never give up the distance except where I'm absolutely forced to.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

1 hour ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Scored one of these for the wife yesterday.  She’s talking about playing more (and walking) with me this year…

Great cart. I have probably 1,000+ miles on it over four seasons and it's finally just starting to have a few minor issues. There's a support wire/cable that keeps the two wheel arms from opening beyond where they should and it finally snapped this year. Been meaning to fix it but it keeps on rolling.

Definitely recommend some dry silicone lubricant on some of the moving parts (at least the ones you don't touch), and also keep the screws tight on the bag holders. Mine were pretty loose at the beginning of the season and a gentle tightening of the screws fixed it right up.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

5 hours ago, yungkory said:

Did you have graphite in your wedges prior to the Edel test?

Yes, I had/have MMT 105TX wedge shafts in the Cobra MIMs. I really liked those shafts too, but the SteelFibers have a bit more feel for me and paired with the Hogans they are buttery.

Very little wrist, elbow or shoulder pain this season, and that's even with beating 500+ balls per week in the winter off of a FiberBuilt mat.

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

On 7/7/2022 at 5:48 PM, yungkory said:

Finally get to try some graphite shafts in my irons -- wrist has been hurting lately so I'm curious if graphite will help dampen the blow.

Doubt I will ever go back to steel in my irons. Such a worthwhile purchase, especially if you can get somewhere like TrueSpec to try a bunch of different options.

[How beneficial is a Launch Monitor?]

I've had some sort of launch monitor since late 2018 now. Started with the SwingCaddie SC200, went to the FlightScope Mevo, and then now the FS Mevo+ with the Pro Pack.

Honestly, your mileage will vary. I found being able to record automated clips with the Mevo the most beneficial thing about it. The SC200 was great if you just wanted to get some idea of distance at the range/on course or have a long drive competition with your friends. But personally I always had to see ball flight because you can certainly lace some hooks/slices out there that the LM will say went a long ways.

Personally, I'd save the $400 and put it toward the Mevo+ at $2,000 (or cheaper on sales) or save up longer for something like a GC3/Bushnell. The ability to hit indoors and see shot shape is invaluable to my winter practice. I went from being able to take 150-200 swings once a week at the heated range in the winter (if weather cooperated), to being about to take that same about 3-4 times per week at home.

I rarely use the Mevo+ on the range or on course, but more power to people who want to do that. Just not my use case - I'd evaluate yours wisely before making a decision.

[edingc's Work In Progress]

One-ish month check-in after my last lesson. I've been playing much more consistent golf since I've been working on tweaks from that lesson. Most notably, keeping my hands from rolling inside too much (that "cupping" feeling) has allowed me to pretty much eliminate the big left miss across the bag that was killing my early season scores.

My driver continues to cause problems at times, but it is coming along OK. I unfortunately do not get to hit driver at the range very often because if I'm hitting it well I'm putting balls over the fence (not meant to be a flex, but ). For example, today I hit the driver pretty well by my standards, including a 297-yarder right down the pipe that led to a birdie on the first par 5, but I also lost a ball waaaay right on two occassions. One led to bogey and and the second led to triple. Yuck.

I was on vacation last week and played a few different courses and that seems to have really messed with my putting confidence. My speed is all wrong, generally short, I just can't get my hands to commit to a putt right now.

Still, my scores have been solid since the lesson, with 18 hole rounds of: 72, 80, 76, 79, 74, 79, 74, 77, 92 (vacation - two bad holes killed me on a much longer and tougher course), 79 and 78. My unofficial handicap has dropped below 6.0 and most importantly my anti-cap has dropped below 11. Feeling really good about that.

ShotScope pegs me as losing just under 5 strokes to a scratch golfer at this point:

[How'd you play?]

10 hours ago, mr.hicksta said:

The wheels came completely off today. 
 

101 (49/52) with 38 putts and 5 three putts. I managed to sabotage myself in every facet of the game. This is my first 100s round in years .
 

Super disappointed at the moment, but I guess there’s no where to go but up.

Once you're back into a routine it will come back in no time.

[How'd you play?]

10 minutes ago, Lacassem said:

Nice rounds and even nicer spouse for looking up courses FOR YOU!

Where on vacation (assuming you have said it in another post) only sugarloaf I know is in Maine.

Traverse City area in Michigan. Couple very interesting courses to choose from.

 

[How'd you play?]

My wife and I had a nice vacation this week. Shot a 40 on the back at home before leaving, but most importantly figured out my driver somewhat and pounded a 295+ one near the end of the round.

I didn't really intend to play golf at all while away, but my wife encouraged me to bring my clubs. I'm glad I did as it was a blast.

First, we visited this awesome little par 3 course in Traverse City called Bay Meadows where I was able to really give the Edel wedges I'm testing a good workout. Took less than an hour to walk, and I hit some good/some bad shots. One really bad 8 iron lead to a bogey, and my putting was terrible. Shot a 29 (+2) with seven pars and two bogies but had a blast and nearly holed one with a perfect 9 iron from 160. Hope to be back. Such a cool little place (they also have a slightly longer "executive" nine as well), with some rolling topography.

While we were out for coffee one morning, my wife asked where else I could play. She found a course further north called Sugar Loaf, which was built in the 1960s at the base of a now-closed ski resort. Naturally, there were a ton of elevation changes, most noticeably on No. 17, which is a 618-yard par 5 with a massive uphill shot to the green.

I played from the back tees, and I believe based on rating this was the toughest course I've ever played (6,787 yards - 74.2/139 rating/slope). I ended up going 47/45 -> 92 (+20) without losing a golf ball. Most of my strokes came on two holes, a triple bogey when I hit the false front of a green three times chipping and had the ball come down and a quadruple bogey on the aforementioned No. 17 above. I hit a perfect drive, perfect layup, but my 7 iron into the elevated green came up just short and rolled down into the long grass. I ended up taking an unplayable lie and then unfortunately 3-putted to top it off.

Really interesting course with the back nine being very tight with no where to miss and the front being more open but still penal. I drove the ball incredibly well (including catching a downslope and running out to 320-ish), but my irons were low/left most of the day and my short game/putting were not crisp at all. So many strokes left out there right around/on the greens. 

Still, playing this course showed how far my game has come in the past couple of years. I could have never dreamed of playing from the back tees at a course like this from ~6,800 yards and not lose a single golf ball. Walking away with a good sense of accomplishment but of course disappointed I couldn't break 90.

[How'd you play?]

Played a little extra this week as my in-laws wanted to go out twice and I had some vacation time to burn:

• 41/38 -> 79
• 40
• 37/37 -> 74
• 38/39 -> 77

I have started to hit my irons really, really well as the practice I put in with changes from my last lesson is starting to pay off.

Got a very fortuitous bounce off a tree that kept a ball in bounds and led to a birdie during today's 77, but otherwise it was a very solid round. My touch was off on the greens and I had three three-putts for bogies that I wish I could remove, but no doubles at all.

I came to No. 18 yesterday at even par and ended up doubling it trying too hard for a birdie or par. Oh well!

Estimated handicap has dropped below six for the first time ever and my anti-cap is now down to 11.1. That's a huge improvement for me this year.

[Dude, I'm getting a Mevo+!]

2 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

What do you all do - aim with camera?  Or line up so the target is in line with the center of the device?

I've always aimed with the camera. I have not used the Mevo+ lately so I'm behind on firmware and app updates - must be a fairly new recommendation to aim the center of the device?

I'll have to bring it out again soon.

[How'd you play?]

Continuing my little hot streak, hopefully this can become the norm. 39/40 -> 79/78 ESC on Thursday and 35/39 -> 74 this morning.

Driver still showing some signs up perking up, today it didn't kill my score for the first time in a while. Two doubles this morning to go along with four birdies. If I could clean up those doubles, I'd be ecstatic.

[What club in your bag is giving you hell right now?]

Driver.

If I could get a consistent miss I could probably deal with it. But, I'll hit the ball right for half the round and then out of nowhere I'll snap one left.

Lots of lost strokes off the tee are killing my scores.

[How'd you play?]

-1 35 on the back yesterday. 36/40 -> 76 / 75 ESC this morning for 18.

Second time in the past week I've come to No. 16 one-under and just fall apart. Pulled my drive left and hit a fairway tree, didn't think anything of it as I heard it hit and wasn't near anything out of bounds. Couldn't find my ball. I let my frustration get to me and just butchered the rest of the hole for an 8.

Par, bogey after pulling a wedge from 100 out on No. 18 to finish the round. 

Driver cost me at minimum four strokes today and I saw flashes of brilliance, including nearly driving the green with a 304-yard poke on No. 13. Someday I will get to under par!

I believe this is the first time ever my trending unofficial handicap has dropped below seven. Progress, progress.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Working hard on becoming a more accurate driver of the golf ball and also working on improving my ball striking using what I worked on during my lesson last week.

It was straight block practice. I took about 115 balls out and split them evenly between driver and 5 iron. Same target every swing, just trying to find some good feels and confidence. The wind finally wasn't blowing down range so I could hit driver if I backed up to the rear of the teeing area. I had some success and bounced several balls off the back fencing, but still wasn't overly happy with it.

I switched to my 5 iron and just focused on rhythm and tempo. What a difference. I flushed probably half of the balls I hit and didn't miss the others by much. 

The key for me is to get my arms accelerating and off my chest on the downswing. It keeps me from getting my shoulders pulled open to start the downswing, which is disastrous. I finished with one monster shot driver with the new feel and hope that I can take that to the course.

If I could get my driver under control there's no reason I couldn't scare par at home most days. So many rounds have been wrecked by poor drives the past couple of seasons.

[How'd you play?]

44/41 ESC yesterday and 37/43 -> 80 today. 

Just didn't have a great swing yesterday for the nine. You can't lose two balls and post a 10 on a hole and score well, either.

Started today's round really well but tailed off at the end again with seven bogies and two pars on the back. Lots of tough luck breaks with poor or obstructed shots following decent tee shots. Rolled a putt all the way around and out on No. 16. Just not my day.

Still happy to see my anti-cap come down as I've been playing more consistent as of late.

[Post Your Swing]

2 hours ago, Violinguy said:

Nice looking swing with a beautiful sound at impact.  How are you liking those Hogans?

Thanks. I really like the Hogan's, especially combo'ed with the SteelFibers. Really nice feeling together. I needed the extra loft to offset my delivery. I've gotten better but my bad swing still is a low spinning hook that the Hogan's help neutralize.

[Post Your Swing]

Took some video today for the first time since April. I made a few changes from my lesson Wednesday with good results, but I need to emphasize those changes more when I'm on the range. I still have lots of the problems we talked about correcting, but the band-aids he gave me are definitely helping.

[How'd you play?]

Getting into some uncharted territory. Apologies as I'm waxing poetic for a bit here, but it's been a crazy week of golf.

Played 18 on Tuesday, continued my poor tee game, and this time threw in some bad putting. Still, anytime you have three double bogies and lose two balls in a round, 84 feels like a decent score.

Played 9 yesterday. Kept the ball in play, didn't hit it well overall, but my short game and putter were on fire. Two birdies, two bogeys for an even par 36.

I had a lesson yesterday morning and it basically confirmed that I was never going to play very good golf consistently unless I made some changes. My coach gave me a few takeaways, I hit about 20 range balls in total afterward and figured my round this morning would be garbage.

In a wild turn of events, I played out of my mind this morning. Three birdies on the front had me making the turn one under. I managed to keep that up all the way to 16, where I started to get uncomfortable and my driver fell apart. I hit one of the worst slices I've had in a long time and doubled the hole. After an "OK" drive on 17, I hit a very chunky pitching wedge to 60 feet but escaped with a pretty improbable two-putt par. One-over heading to No. 18.

Another poor drive (did I mention I just felt very uncomfortable all of a sudden?) left me 150 out, over trees, from the wrong fairway. Not exactly scoring position, but I had an angle. Grabbed my pitching wedge, and just flushed a beautiful shot that climbed over the trees. It hit three feet past the pin and rolled back to about a foot. Tap-in birdie to finish at even par.

So that's now 27 consecutive holes at even par. Definitely progress.

What a game we play!

[edingc's Work In Progress]

Finally got a lesson in today, indoors because of the heat wave we are experiencing. I've been pretty much plateaued in my full swing progress. My scoring average seems to have improved so far this season (minus a couple of clunkers at the beginning of the year), but realistically I'm going to attribute that to improved pitching/chipping and putting. I'm seeing a lot more one putts this year as a result, which is helping to offset the inevitable three-putts that also creep into my game.

My swing right now is functional but is a nightmare when my timing is off. My coach was honest and said I will need to make some bigger changes down the road if I want to get to the next level with my ball striking.

Basic overview of my issues:

• Too stacked on top of the ball at setup with open hips and shoulders.
• Backswing gets a little too inside with a closed face at the top. 
• My downswing is too timing-based because I bow my lead wrist to shallow the club while my shoulders rip open during the downswing. When I'm on I can control the face. When I'm off it leads to blocks and snap hooks. I attribute the amount of practice and play I have as the reason why this is even semi-functional.

For now, I'm working on a couple of easy victories to remedy some pieces of the above:

• More secondary tilt at setup with a slightly closed stance (dropping my right foot back).
• Feeling my wrists stay flatter throughout the swing (basically need to feel a cupping motion at this point).

We worked on a couple of other half swing drills, and I started to make some positive change by the end of the hour. After the lesson I hit a small bucket and saw some really positive results with my 8 iron. Driver remained a little suspect but I did end with 2-3 really good shots. 

I suspect the next couple of rounds will be a bit rough as I tend to play golf swing instead of golf following a lesson.

Pre-lesson swing on the left, post-lesson on the right. In the before image you can see how much I've bowed my left wrist and how much more open my shoulders are. In the post-lesson swing on the right the club is much more shallow (went from -7 something angle of attack to -4).

Tough to see, but I've drawn lines on the club face. In the pre-lesson swing my club face has rotated very shut. In the post-lesson swing the club face is much more stable through and after impact.

[How will the looming recession impact the golf industry?]

22 minutes ago, MmmmmmBuddy said:

Negatively.  

Increased costs to operate will necessitate higher rates to play and increased dues for members. 

This is inevitable.

I hate it, but when you budget for the fiscal year and then the costs for fuel and fertilizer double, there has to be an increase in revenue to offset these costs. 

I am not looking forward to the 2023 budget cycle.      

And, depending on the course, corners start to get cut. Not that I can blame them.

At my course the fairways are getting narrower (less pesticide/fertilizer). Fairways and roughs are mowed less frequently (less diesel). 

I was talking with the owner a few days ago and he strongly hinted he's about had enough. I don't know how much longer he's going to bother with it. If he sells I just hope the next owner is as good as he is, IF it even were to stay operating as a golf course and not turn into a housing development.