[How'd you play?]

Got a quick round in this AM with @Lacassem and our oldest boys…. Did not get off to a good start as I slept through my alarms and got up with about 0 minutes before I needed to leave the house.  Got up, threw on clothes, loaded the car and grabbed my coffee and some granola bars on the way to the car… got to the course at 7:16 for a 7:21 tee time…. Yikes! 

I was stiff throughout the round and hit no really good tee shots, but my approach and putting was good today.  Somehow I snuck out a +2 but it didn’t feel like it.

I was off the toe all day and two of those fairways were gross looking hooky balls that just so happened to start far enough right.  Second shots were generally OK though… just a weird day.

Putting was solid.  5 one-putts and 4 two-putts.  Don’t feel like I really left anything out there that I should have made, and I cleaned up to the center of the cup for most of the second putts.

The important thing is that the boys had fun, despite getting a little tired at the end.

We didn’t plan on them wearing team colors…. But it happened anyway! Haha

We got to spend a lot of time putting and chipping after too on the practice green.  It was fun to play some putting games and work on my chipping which I needed.  

 

["self-fit" vs "professional fit"]

57 minutes ago, revkev said:

I’m not stunned that this crowd prefers a combo BTW. We do know more about equipment than the average bear. 
 

The thing that’s often left out of the equation is the mind - if you think it’s the right shaft head/it may Be even if it’s not.

There is something to be said about confidence.... and having good memories with a club.  I had an old Cleveland Hibore XLS 4 hybrid... with the whippiest regular flex shaft... for way too long because I felt like I could do anything with it.  Took a while to find another hybrid that better matched my swing and gave me better results.  

[What weighs greater on tester selection having 3000 posts or donating 3000 dollars?]

I can promise you that I have donated significantly less than $3K.  I also am on here, probably more than I should be and like to share about my experiences on and off the course, or just talk about random things with other members.  

This while from long before I was on this site still holds a lot of truth in how testers are selected:

I see you're still pretty new (by post count or rep) despite joining before me back in 2015.  I'd encourage you to go check out some of the on-going threads in the spy chat section of the forums:

https://forum.mygolfspy.com/forum/88-spy-chat/

There's always something going on in there and its a great way for everyone to get to know you and your game, which will only help the mods learn about you and how you could be a good tester.

[Cobra Connect Five-Pre Challenge Chatter-Testers Announced.]

1 minute ago, txgolfjunkie said:

Here's what has been floated around behind the scenes...Instead of celebrating the winners, we will be penalizing the losers. The weekly loser will be subject to: 

• Being stripped of all Cobra equipment and replaced with Ram clubs from his local Wal-Mart. I hope the loser enjoys trying to hit some greens with only a 5, 7, or 9 iron. 
• Be forced to play with Nitro golf balls and brush tees for all remaining rounds. 
• Will have his Cobra clubs replaced by the most popular 'as seen on TV' club out there starting with the Hammer driver, Alien wedge, Square strike wedge, C3i wedge, warrior 3 wood, and Gx7 wood. As far as irons go, it appears square strike makes irons so you're in luck! 
• Will be given clear iron covers and an ad in his local paper will be run daily stating that he uses clear iron covers. 

We're still discussing what the overall loser will be facing...I said caddying for Patrick Reed at a Ryder Cup overseas...but that might be a bit harsh for one's psyche. 

Yikes #TEAMYAGS better watch out!  Although I'm curious to see what @jlukes would have to say about the standard shaft offering in the Square Strike irons. 

["self-fit" vs "professional fit"]

7 minutes ago, dlow206 said:

I am a tinkerer, which I consider part of the hobby, so I do self-fit sometimes (for better or worse). But also have gotten professional fittings as well. 

I’ve got a feeling that you’re well down the path of knowing what different things should work for you.  And we know you like to tinker and try out new things (nothing wrong with that either).  

I’d imagine you know pretty quickly if a combo is going to work for you like you we’re hoping for.

["self-fit" vs "professional fit"]

13 minutes ago, BostonSal said:

I'm pretty sure than launch monitor testing has to be on the up and up or so many people wouldn't go through the expense of doing it.

I just don't have that level of commitment.

Now that our club's pro shop is almost out of the club selling business altogether, I usually go to TGW, look at the specs, hold my breath, and hope for the best.

I probably play as well as my remaining athletic ability would allow me to play anyway. Can't know for sure, though, obviously.

If you look in my bag, you'll find thirteen mix and match R-flex graphite shafts and a putter.  

To my credit, however, you WILL find thirteen matching grips!

 

I don’t even have 13 matching grips!  At the moment anyway.  I have some fresh grips waiting to get put on… but I was making sure I was done toying with settings before I locked it in.  Also, I always feel bad NOT using a perfectly good grip for at least a little bit.  

So how long will you hold onto a club if you get it and it doesn’t seem to be doing what you expected?  

["self-fit" vs "professional fit"]

3 minutes ago, revkev said:

I’m in the combo camp.  I basically know what works for me but that has come through numerous fittings. I’ve also learned that it’s possible to be misfit because you weren’t swinging well that day or also, let’s be honest, swinging too well.  
 

It’s only happened a few times but I prefer process fittings where I go more than once to verify the fit. I’ve learned that if someone wants to put me in something outside the norm, then I need to be suspicious about it. 
 

I will generally go to a fitting day at my club each year to verify that I’m still where I think I am though. The best one that I ever attended was a Titleist ball fitting day - we talked irons and loosing the 3 wood

I agree on the idea of “trust but verify”. 
I probably hit that Epic Max LS 5 times in the bay with different combos because I was seeing a different (better) shot shape than I was used to. I needed to rule out if it was a fluke or not.  And even then it wasn’t until I was able to demo it with a shaft closer to my gamer that I thought it might actually be a better fit for me than the Speedzone. 

 

 

["self-fit" vs "professional fit"]

So I was looking at the 2021 Driver Satisfaction Survey results this morning and it got me thinking about fittings.

I have been fit for the G30 that I had, and the M5 I had by professionals before getting a tele-fit with the Cobra folks for #CC4 and then basically going through a long demo/self-fit process getting into my Epic Max LS.

At this point, I know I'm pretty much optimized on distance for my swing speed and consider myself "fit" to my driver even though I didn't get a performance fitting with a pro.  The way I think about it is if I was fit for the previous, and I'm seeing improvements in the new design (in the case of the Epic Max LS I was seeing much less curvature and fade bias over the M5 and Speedzone) than I still consider myself "fit" on survey results and such.  

Who here does demo/self-fit vs a professional fit every time?  I feel like now I'm at a point where I know which sort of shaft profiles tend to work for my swing and will demo clubs and heads multiple times to see if there's a consistent difference in performance for me and don't feel like I need a professional fitting to get dialed.

[Happy thread]

20 minutes ago, edingc said:

Thanks! Same boss, so it should. Pretty well known 'round these parts that you won't find me in the office at certain times throughout the summer .

sounds like you should hold open applications for your old role on here... I bet there's a few guys who would love to have built in golf time on the work calendar! haha

Also, congrats on the promotion! 

[Unofficial Poll - White Pants]

1 hour ago, Lacassem said:

White pants no, white shirt yes on the course I have 1 collars off the course I love white tees

White pants, not for me.  I DO have a paid of very light beige or "natural" linen shorts, but I don't think I've ever worn them golfing.  I'm always temped by white pants because they can look real crisp with the right outfit and tailored properly, but I know that I'm not that guy and they would look sloppy on me.

I can't even really do white polos like Mark can... not without an undershirt anyway, which kind of defeats the purpose.

No doubt they'd have coffee stains on them as soon as they came out of the washer too.  

[Cobra Connect Five-Pre Challenge Chatter-Testers Announced.]

1 hour ago, Brian A said:

 

 

I'd say that's a bit humid yeah... you can really see all the water vapor in the air there.

And I didn't realize there was an option outside of bombs away with the driver, unless of course there is a irons only round in your future.

Speaking of which... is anyone still waiting on anything?  Any chance we can get a glimpse into the weekly challenges this year from the mods?  I know it hasn't gone as planned for #CC5 but hopefully we still have a good amount of golf left to get a lot of good fun competition going in here.

 

[How'd you play?]

56 minutes ago, edingc said:

Thanks!

Just a fluke hole. Hooded my 6 iron and hooked the first ball OB left. Second ball went left but safe. Hit back out across the fairway and lost the ball somewhere in the rough. Wasn't even long rough. Had I been playing with someone or been playing my yellow balls I think I would have easily found it.

And yes, No. 3 was a good hole. Smoked a driver and hit a nice pitch to give me a four-footer for birdie. Really, the whole front nine was quite solid after No. 2.

Nothing gets my blood boiling more than a lost ball that had no reason to be lost. Double kudos to you for keeping it together. Haha

 

[How'd you play?]

4 minutes ago, edingc said:

"One of these things is not like the others..." 

- 40/41 = 81 / 79 ESC (+9)
- 3/15 FIR
- 8/18 GIR (2 birdies)
- 30 Putts (12 2-putts, 6 1-putts)

Erase my first quintuple bogey of the season and I'd be really happy with the round. Oh well! Bad double on 17 but was pressed for time, rushing and drenched in sweat.

Hit the ball really well for the first time in a few weeks. Couple drives 290+ again; Rypstick training is paying off. Putted well and just missed a few other birdies. Excited to get back out there.

Nice bounce back birdie!  It's hard to not end up with a hole like that occasionally when you get out first thing in the morning.

[2021 Fantasy Golf]

2 hours ago, xOldBenKenobiX said:

 

 

hmmmm that kind of looks like Harry....

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Got a quick lunch break range session in today to open up my Rapsodo testing.

I was more focused on that aspect of my range session than actually practicing so I was a little inconsistent but it was still fun.  I'm working on my first impressions of the Rapsodo MLM  but I was impressed with how simple and responsive the unit and app were with my iPhone.  

We're getting close to having a winner in the Motore X vs Ventus competition in the Epic Max LS...

 

[2021 Fantasy Golf]

moved up 9 spots, but alas it was not enough.  I fully blame Bryson.  He should have done better this week and gotten me some more points.  Hurts to be eliminated by less than 10 points, but it was a big improvement for me over last year.  I'm starting to get the hang of this.

Good luck to those who advance.  Obviously rooting for my homie @Lacassem to fall flat on his face and join me in the loser bracket.  

 

[Cobra Connect Five-Pre Challenge Chatter-Testers Announced.]

1 hour ago, jlukes said:

Yup. I believe arcccos overly values fairways being hit. I’d take 90 yards out from the rough over 170 yards out in the fairway almost every time. 

well yeah I hope so!  That's double the distance! haha

I get your point though, But I think that's true form say 90 in the rough to 120 in the fairway.  That's already about 2 clubs closer.

I get a lot of 5 woods off the tee when I use the preview, but on the course the caddie suggests many more drivers for me.  I do hope they can work on the software like @gavinski91 was suggesting.  I love when Arccos does suggest I take on a dog leg and cut the corner with the driver, only to realize I'd have to have about a 40* launch angle to get up and over the tree line to do it.  

[Best Player on Tour Without an Obvious Weakness]

47 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Yeah, I had one comment that said Rahm's temper was his weakness. Maybe. But it's hard to see that in the numbers.

I think I'd lean with Rahm.  His game looks incredibly solid right this year and he also seems to have worked on his temped a lot since he had his kid.  It's amazing how something like that can change you overnight.  Maybe it helped him a bit with a perspective change?

At any rate, he's obviously still passionate and fiery, but he seems to be using it to more of an advantage now.

 

[Cobra Connect Five-Pre Challenge Chatter-Testers Announced.]

26 minutes ago, gavinski91 said:

Nice, glad that change helped you out! I've heard losing doesn't feel as bad when you're comfortable...

Subtle, yet aggressive... I like it.

 

#TEAMCHAD

[18 times? No 15,000 *^*%%#^ Times.]

Huge milestone man! Congrats! I know I’m not the only one who enjoys having you around. 
 

also, the skit you named this thread after has to be one of the top stand up  performances of all time. Love it!

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

3 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

Thanks for the info and it seems like a good combo and I am sure the Rapsodo would be a great tool. Also does this mean with the Max LS you are actually in a single digit loft? Well well well, that's a big change there.

You betcha! I put on my big boy pants and play it at 9.5*!  

Me and Matty from TXG are basically the same person now.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

10 minutes ago, ejgaudette said:

The Motore must be doing well to keep the Ventus on the bench

 

5 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.  @B.Boston, Motore actually beats out Ventus for you?  You had a Blue 6 S right?  A feel thing or better numbers too?

I'm kicking tires on shaft upgrades in my TR20, and am toying with the idea of Ventus Blue..

So here’s 10 rounds of Speedzone/Ventus Blue 6x from March until I got the Epix Max LS:

And here’s the Epic Max LS and Motore X f3 6x combo:

I excluded the one round I had with the Max LS and MMT combo as it was never going to be gaming combo, I just didn’t have anything else to use that day.

Now it’s still early and only 26 drives vs 72, but I just haven’t had any really bad contact with the Max LS and Motore combo. One of the balls to the right clipped a tree on a tight fairway and came right down. And two of the balls on the left were good shots that I’m still just getting used to being able to aim towards the right side of the fairway.  You can see that my dispersion is more left with the Max LS.  What’s interesting is they’re set up basically opposit of what you’d think.  The speedzone was set to +1.5 and the Max LS is set to -1 and the weight it all out in the toe.  It’s been an absolute bomber for me so far.  It’s had generally less side spin and I’ve had more nice tight draws than I remember ever having before.   

I’m glad that Rapsodo is in and I can start testing because I need to do some Ventus vs Motore X with good data.  The Ventus has a pleasing feeling at impact that I haven’t felt with any other shaft.  And I really believe the tech works.  Right now it seems like I can just feel smoother with the Motore X and it’s working to keep my in sync where the Ventus might be a touch too stiff.  Honestly besides two range sessions where I was switching around I put the Motore X in there at a flip of the coin to be the starter and it’s just really flat out performed on the course and I’m enjoying the feel of it.  

[Scotty Cameron Select Laguna - $500]

1 minute ago, Chip Strokes said:

yessir.  i play a short putter.  it just feels more natural to me to have my arms hanging almost straight.

Not every day I see someone playing a putter shorter than me! haha I'm 32.5.  Probably the only golf related measurement I'm longer than you in.  

[2021 MGS Fantasy Football]

23 minutes ago, STUDque said:

Nah, Circus can intermingle here and really confuse folks when we’re talking strategy on which punter is going to dominate this week. 
 

For those in Circus, I’ll try to make some headway on the setup this week. 

I'm not in the Circus league... but I do enjoy the banter and punter talk.  I think I would just get myself confused and start the right lineups in the wrong league! 

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

8 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... As a 68 yr old smooth swinger, I am fascinated by this shaft. Several extra accurate yards would be nice. 

I thought you moved to Phoenix for a few extra yards. 

I agree though, I feel like I'm a smooth swinger and its an intriguing offering.  The Motore X is getting really comfortable in my bag though.  Not sure it's going to be coming out.