[Does Your Significant Other Golf?]

My wife did play golf up until she had a bad shoulder surgery a few years ago. She was a pretty competitive softball player through high school, so the athleticism was there. We actually got her a new set of irons shortly after we met and she was swinging a 7 iron somewhere in the high 70s or low 80s at that point.

Sadly, after the shoulder surgery she can no longer swing a club. But she walks nine holes with me a lot when the weather is nice. Typically start our day on the course and then head over for coffee afterwards.

[Lacassem hitting area build DIY]

16 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Going to leave this teaser here. Will have a few photos after each section build and then once it’s all done

Definitely the way to go if you want a structure cost wise. EMT is super simple to work with.

I'm really, really hoping to get my garage finished in the next 18 months and then can look at doing something like this.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

I've taken a somewhat purposeful break from touching a club. I played my last round of the year sometime in early October and really only have hit balls for a few minutes three times or so since then.

Got out in the garage last night to restart Stack and hit some 8 irons. Man, is my swing in rough shape! 

I'm down a good 6 MPH if not more from my best numbers last offseason. That's a bummer. I'm hoping getting back into Stack will net me a few of those back quickly, with the rest coming back by spring time. 

Did make some progress on the swing. Ball had crept too much forward in my stance which either led to me hitting off the toe, or sliding forward to get to it. Last 10 or so balls, I put the ball more middle stance and reeled off several out of the center. I went from 2-3 degrees left, 9+ down and 2-3 open face (weak fades) to 0-2 degrees right, 6ish down and basically zeroed out face. 

Lots to work on. It felt good to be out there again. My heart hadn't been in it for a while, and combined with being extremely busy with other things, I hadn't made an effort to prioritize getting swings in.

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

Cyber Monday deals on here got me.

Two pairs of Ecco Biom G5 BOAs for less than $180. Hoping the Gore-Tex works well. I almost always end up with wet feet.

Thought I was done until I found out the Maxfli Tour X's are now available in yellow and they stacked the 4 dozen deal on individual dozens. So, combined with the $20 app discount, $95 bucks for 4 dozen balls and a sweatshirt. That was a steal.

[Unofficial Review: Flightscope Mevo]

On 11/7/2023 at 8:28 AM, Jnoble89 said:

What I am most concerned about, knowing what my misses are, is that I will not be able to see any lateral data. What may look like a great shot according to the Mevo data may be a slice or hooky miss.

This was an issue for me. I started grooving a low slinging hook trying to chase ball speed numbers. I'm guessing the capability is there, but Flightscope would prefer you move to the Mevo+ and pay the premium.

It'd be cool if FS could open up lateral data on the regular Mevo but just not give it any of the integrations that the Mevo+ has. So no sim, no FlightScope Skills, etc. Just a driving range. Would be by far the best option at this price point.

Are you going to try out a Titleist RCT ball? I've found with the Mevo+ the RCTs produce very, very good numbers. On par with Trackman, for sure. I never had much luck with the metallic dots.

[Unofficial Review: Flightscope Mevo]

I loved my little original Mevo. It was a great upgrade from the Swing Caddie I had previously.

The Mevo+ I have now is obviously a big step up from the Mevo, but the little unit's accuracy was very good.

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

3 hours ago, gavinski91 said:

Just picked up the Dumpster Fire one for my 3-wood, and a GOAT fairway cover as a Christmas gift for my brother-in-law. Really impressed with the quality of the Cayce stuff (plus it goes on and off so much easier than the stock Cobra offerings).

Glad to hear the quality is good. I'm kind of particular about things matching so while I did not order the same print on all three, hopefully having the same brand and type of headcover will match enough!

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

Lasted less than a week into my offseason without making a purchase... not too bad!

My Callaway Retro headcovers were starting to fall apart. I had been eyeing a few different companies all summer, but Cayce Golf's sale on the GOAT (tiger striped) headcover did me in. I have GOAT coming for the driver, Jazz Cup for the fairway and Dumpster Fire for the hybrid.

Dumpster Fire more adequately describes my driver than hybrid, but it's a phrase I use a lot both to describe things at work and in my golf game! Fits me perfectly.

[Bag Boy Nitron Cart - 2023 Forum Review]

Golf season is over for me here in Michigan. We had a nice day yesterday, so I took the opportunity to clean up and put away the Nitron for the winter.

I don't know how many miles I put on the cart, but it was a lot. I tallied somewhere around 1,000 holes of golf while walking with the Nitron this season. I also started using it to bring my entire bag out to the driving range, so the Nitron opener has been used in excess of 200 times already with no signs of wear.

The cart cleaned up really well, with no major changes to anything that we discovered during testing. The paint scrapes from the hinged areas have not really gotten worse:

 

I gave the cart a good spray down with the hose and put some protectant on the plastic parts. The cart is now folded up and fit snugly in the carrying bag, ready for next spring!

[edingc's Work In Progress]

My course officially closed for the year last weekend, though I had not been out to play since the beginning of October. 

I haven't spent as much time on the forums lately for many reasons. Both my work and personal lives have been busier than ever, which has not given me much time to spend on here. However, I will admit I also needed a break to work through my golf swing, which I lamented about several times throughout the season.

2023 ended up being the busiest golf season since I started playing:

• 115 total rounds of golf
  • 38 18-hole rounds, 36 at home
  • 3 18-hole scramble events
  • 74 9-hole rounds, 71 at home

Much of the year was spent treading water, for lack of a better phrase. I started the year hitting the ball really well, struggled from June to early September, and then started to turn a corner as the season came to its close.

• 18-hole average score: 80.7 ( +0.2 from 2022)
  • Best round: +1 73, twice
  • Worst round: +21 93 (away from home), +15 87 at home
• 9-hole average score: 39.8 ( +0.5 from 2022)
  • Best round: -1 35 at home, -1 36 away from home
  • Worst round: +11 47 (My last nine of the year!)
• 46.7% GIR ( 3.3% from 2022)
  • Best: 12/18
  • Worst: 3/18
• 32.7 putts per round ( +0.1 from 2022)
• 32.1% Fairway Accuracy ( 0.4% from 2022)
• Birdied 17/18 holes at home. No. 11 continues to elude me. I have not birdied it in five years as a member.
• Final Estimated Handicap: 7.5 ( +0.8 from end of 2022)

Overall, with exception to my driving accuracy (which is hampered by both my skill and the narrow fairways on my course), I played about even with what The Grint expects of my handicap:

My coach since 2019 unfortunately moved on to another university across the country, leaving me with no established relationship with an instructor right as I was needing a lesson the most in the middle of the year. I ended up taking a Skillest lesson with Dan Carraher which has gotten me going in the right direction again. I am the most optimistic I've been about my swing in a long while.

As the offseason begins here in Michigan, I'll likely focus on gaining back some speed that I lost throughout the year and also just general fitness this offseason. I plan to go little lighter on the actual number of balls I hit this winter, with more focus spent on nailing things I need to work on rather than just swinging. I also want to get back to being more active on here!

 

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

Gravity Fit TPro system. 

Getting close to the offseason here and I wanted something I could do in my office or at the gym. I have some other golf-related exercise items (Planemate, Stability Sticks) that are too big or inconvenient to take to the gym.

Speaking of, I really should go through my training aid stash and get rid of anything I'm not using... Unfortunately, that's quite a bit of stuff.  

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Squeezing out the last few great weather days on the range. 81 and sunny at lunchtime.

I feel like I'm back to where I was in May of this year. My last lesson from Dan C. on Skillest was very, very helpful and has given me a simple goal to work toward.

Today I really focused on balance in the downswing. I realized I had gotten into a habit of starting my downswing by getting into my lead heel. I'd end up dropping my right shoulder and hitting hooks, or if I "stayed balanced" I'd extend my trail hip and throw my right shoulder higher which led to weak fades.

I'm getting closer. When I get things right my distance has come back to what I was seeing early in the season, if not a little better. This past weekend I flew a couple of greens somewhat unexpectedly, but the swing that highlighted my weekend was a piercing 9 iron from 166 to the flag that landed pin high and kicked 10 feet behind the pin in the fringe.

[edingc's Work In Progress]

7 hours ago, srooch2 said:

Alright, great job. When I’m putting good I feel  like it resonates through the bag more than any other shot in golf. It relieves a lot of pressure through the rest of the bag.  

So true.

I've actually simplified even more as I no longer take practice strokes. In what has been an otherwise pretty frustrating season, my putting has been a highlight lately. It's held quite a few shaky ball striking rounds together.

[Bag Boy Nitron Cart - 2023 Forum Review]

Getting chilly in the mornings again. It was right around 44 when I teed off this morning. While the hand warmer attachment isn't as good as a pair of gloves, it does a great job keeping the chill off. Although I thinned a pitching wedge on my third hole of the day and felt that for quite some time - definitely no fault of the cart or mitt!

[How'd you play?]

Shot a +6 42 this morning and felt like I hit the ball better than I have all season. Driver cooperated, putting was so-so, but overall hit the ball so good. Dumb bogey from 40 yards out trying to make a birdie instead of just getting out of a bad lie and onto the green. Double bogey on the next when I dumped a ball into the water trying to play hero. I need to learn to play for par and not birdie, would have walked away with a 38-39 most likely.

 

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Balance. Balance. Balance.

So much harder than it should be. But I'm getting further along and seeing some good progress, and inching back to where I was in April/May before everything went sideways. I was getting so out of balance and back on my heels that all I could do with driver was drop the club way behind me and hit duck hooks. I actually hit a few balls over the back fence of the range today, which I'll take because my driver face currently looks like this:

It's a pretty big crack that I noticed developing late last week. Callaway was cool about it and is shipping me a replacement, no questions asked.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

15 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I pulled out the hybrid and hit a few, just because it might be my favorite club in the bag and that's saying a lot considering the Cobra's are money.

The SpeedZone hybrid I had for #CC4 was a great club, it just went a little too left for me. I seem to be getting along much better with the much flatter 0211 hybrid I have now.

Glad you were able to get out for a good session!

[Putts for Birdie]

Don't have the numbers for birdie specifically, but I do have make rates from different distances:

• 3 Feet: 91% make rate
• 5 Feet: 47% make rate
• 7 Feet: 25% make rate
• 10 Feet: 21% make rate

My putting has some room for improvement... Grint has me putting as a 10.1 handicap.

[Did you get your membership money's worth?]

2 hours ago, revkev said:

Clearly the cost of golf is much different where I live than it is elsewhere in the world. 

We've not been immune to the COVID bump as well. It's getting exceedingly difficult to find "affordable" places to golf in Michigan. I have a very advantageous situation (no kids, more than average vacation time, flexible course ownership and proximity to course/range) that allows me to maximize my time on the course. Even then, yes, these rates have more than doubled since before COVID. In 2019 I paid $175 for basically the same range membership and less than $500 for the golf membership. A lot of our affordable courses have called it quits and are being replaced by housing developments, which is making tee times tough to come by as well.

If you start looking at clubs with membership value beyond golf, you're looking at $5k+ for a year membership for the accessible ones. The truly private "country clubs" are $10k-$15k with some crazy initiation fees as well.

[Did you get your membership money's worth?]

My season is not quite over (and down south you can play all winter), but for the first time ever I tracked both rounds and number of range buckets trying to figure out an average cost to my golf.

I have a playing membership at one course and a range membership at another. My playing membership this season was $725 for unlimited walking rounds, while my range membership was $440 for $32/day in range balls.

My playing totals (not quite finished with my year yet):

• 26 weekday walking 18s - $24/each = $624 rack rate
• 1 weekday riding 18 (+$10 additional cart fee) = $32 rack rate
• 11 weekend walking 18s - $28/each = $308 rack rate
• 1 weekend riding 9 (+$5 additional cart fee) = $27 rack rate
• 37 weekday walking 9s - $16/each = $592 rack rate
• 26 weekend walking 9s - $18/each = $468 rack rate

Total Rack Rate: $2,051
Membership + Cart Fees: $740

My range totals (hoping for another month on and off):

• 77 large buckets - $16/each = $1,232 rack rate
• 28 medium buckets - $8/each =$224 rack rate
• 20 small buckets - $4/each =$80 rack rate

Total Rack Rate: $1,536
Membership: $440

So, overall, my memberships worked out well in my favor, giving me $3,587 rack rate worth of golf for $1,180. I should note that throughout the year I only paid to play two other courses away from my membership and also got two range buckets at another range before I filled in on a few leagues.

How does this stack up with everyone else?

[How'd you play?]

Finally played the round I wanted to play all season today. After a lot of struggles from June to a few weeks ago, it feels really good to hit the ball well, even if it was only nine holes. 

Walked away with a +2 38 after a near albatross on No. 9. Hit a great drive, and then hit one of the prettiest shots I've ever hit, a beautiful 7 iron from 181 that I had to sling around the dogleg and let roll to the back pin location. Tap-in eagle.

After legitimately considering giving up golf after this season a few weeks ago, of course I'm now hooked again .

[Slippin' Grips]

4 minutes ago, downlowkey said:

You’re the one that originally turned me on to Star a few years back, when you sold me a half dozen spare red Sidewinders for a song. I’m actually still playing those on my wedges and very impressed with them as a company.

Do you feel like building up the undersized grips to standard has helped them play a little firmer?

Right! I almost forgot about those.

They may be a touch more firm like this? I went undersized to work better with the larger butt size of the graphite shafts in my irons (although I do have small hands). They are definitely still very tacky after 200 rounds plus practice, but they are starting to wear a bit in spots. I liked that Star's undersized grips weren't super light, so it was a huge difference on the swingweight scale.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Long story short, I ended up doing a Skillest lesson with Dan Carraher. I have had a pretty frustrating season, and just as I was ready to book a lesson with my coach of the last four years, he unfortunately took a job across the country.

Dan immediately identified major issues with my balance throughout the swing. I've been working on cleaning them up over the past few weeks to some improvement, but I had a few things really click for me this week in regards to feeling my tailbone moving better in the backswing and also my posture at setup. 

Shot a 39 this morning with some really shaky putting (two 3-putt bogies), but at lunch I grabbed a large bucket and really had one of the best sessions I've had in a long time. My balance was so, so much better. Really hoping to keep that feeling as the season winds down.

[Slippin' Grips]

2 hours ago, downlowkey said:

I’ve been dealing with a hinky wrist for about a year that has cost me some grip strength in my lead hand and switched to the midsize Star Sidewinder 360 as an experiment. It’s a little softer than I’d ideally prefer but they’re super tacky, designed for air installation, made in the USA, very reasonably priced (especially when they have holiday promotions) and come with a 3-year warranty. They also offer a bunch of different colors, all listed by gram weight for us club building sickos. Very happy I made the switch.

Undersized Sidewinder 360 here, built up with some blue tape (1 wrap + plus 1 wrap under bottom hand) to get them to what was traditionally a "standard" grip size.

[Bag Boy Nitron Cart - 2023 Forum Review]

I've really come to appreciate the Nitron system. I'll be honest, before testing this cart I always wondered, "What's so hard about opening a cart?" It is so simple to open/close this thing, I love it.

My season is winding down but so far I've gotten about 25 18s and 50+ nines on it and it has held up remarkably well.