Cfhandyman

Good morning to all on a lovely Tuesday morning. Up early with the dogs and thoroughly enjoying my morning espresso(s). I’m absolutely thrilled, overjoyed, honoured and very grateful to MGS for having been selected as one of the testers for the L.A.B. DF3 Putter and what a great group of testers I have to work with. We are all looking forward to this, not to mention the comments and suggestions from people on what they would like to see. Have a great day. @sirchunksalot hoping you get the BP sorted out and you get the all clear.

Back from my fitting at TXG (Tour Experience Golf – Club Champion Canada) with the man himself, Ian Fraser. All I can say is what an awesome and thoroughly fun experience. He really knows his stuff. Incredibly knowledgeable. I learned so much. Best fitting experience I've had so far. It didn't just meet expectations, it far exceeded them. A few observations, in Canada, Tour Experience Golf (TXG), is now rebranded as Club Champion Canada. While the name on the door has changed, everything else from the staff, Foresight launch monitors, Quintic putting monitor, shaft matrix, build shop all remain the same. Ian Fraser is the GM of the Canadian operations. Mike Martysiewicz is the Director of Club building and fitting. Ian and the quality and excellence of his staff remain consistently superb. I know exactly what to expect and what I’m getting when I come to them. A very very happy customer.

A good morning to you all on this beautiful sunny Monday. Enjoying my morning coffee. A fun day planned. Off to see my friends at TXG (Club Champion Canada) and a fitting with the man himself. Hopefully, I don’t leave my swing in the parking lot. Have a great day everyone.

Who I am – MGS Tester Introduction My name is Chris and welcome. I am a 65 year old male and I live with my artist wife Sue and two huskies in Oakville, in the greater Toronto area in Ontario, Canada. To put things into perspective the province of Ontario is 1.5 times larger than the state of Texas and 4 times the size of the U.K. Why I am testing: I am very grateful to MGS and L.A.B. and excited by this opportunity. I am keen to see if the L.A.B. DF3 and its lie angle balance approach to putter design works as claimed. It was designed to eliminate torque and produce a repeatable swing. The DF3 is the smaller, sleeker version of its bigger brother, the directed force, DF2, but does it deliver the goods? It has gained significant traction on tour and begs the question of how it stacks up to my fitted reference putter(s). VERSUS But this is no ordinary Evnroll. It has been fitted and modified with a stability tour shaft and an Evnroll gravity grip. For more information on this and my putting statistics, see, What am I looking for in the L.A.B. DF3: I gave a lot of thought on how I would test this if given the opportunity before applying. I am a fairly decent putter averaging 31 to 32 putts per round based on my Arccos data. If it proves to deliver the putter more consistently to the ball and results in more one putts, less three putts and overall, less putts per round, it will be a candidate to go in the bag permanently. I am particularly interested in how it performs from 10’ feet and in. Does it offer good value for the money? My putter testing protocol including testing on Quintic to follow in a separate post. Moreover, thorough testing of the L.A.B. DF3 will focus me on improving my putting and working on my putting drills. So thankyou MyGolfSpy. Making those short putts is critical. Who I am: I am driven by challenges and the constant need to learn and improve and I’m passionate in what I do. I am also data driven and analytical in nature. Needless to say, I am a golf, data and equipment junkie. I have had many careers. After graduate school, I did medical research looking at factors involved in preterm labour. I then moved onto organ donation and transplantation, eventually running the organ donation program based out of Toronto General Hospital. Toronto General hospital (TGH) is one of the premier transplant centres and hospitals in the world. They pioneered both successful single and double lung transplantation in the eighties. I had the distinct pleasure of working in multi organ transplant in the early days (80’s/90’s) and worked with many brilliant and incredibly smart people. Where the driving principle was you do what’s best for the patient and what does the data show. What is the source of that data, is it evidence based, is it fair, balanced, and non promotional in nature. You had to know your stuff and be prepared for anything. Back then it was routine to work 24-36 hours straight procuring and transplanting organs. Think of the guy getting off the Lear jet in OR greens with a cooler. I was that guy. I’ve been in every teaching hospital and most ICU’s (intensive care units) across Canada and many in the US. No frequent flyer miles I’m driven by the need to learn, push myself and enjoy what I do. I then transitioned to career 3, moving to the “dark side” starting with Wyeth and then Pfizer in their Rare Disease group and the launch of Rapamycin for organ transplantation. So, I stayed in transplant, interacted with all the people I worked with for many years, although now in a different capacity. If you’re going to go to industry, it’s the best way to go. Over time, bleeding disorders (hemophilia) and growth disorders were added to my portfolio but the same guiding principle of doing what’s best for the patient and what does the data actually show, guided me. Career 4, presented itself during the pandemic and the opportunity to take early retirement with no more Zoom calls and the opportunity to be a full time golf aficionado and pickleball player was too irresistible to pass up. My other passions are building, home renovation and cooking. When I was young, I bought a water access shell of a cottage as my first property. Not being handy at the time, I proceeded to take courses in construction, carpentry, electrical and plumbing. I then proceeded to completely wire the cottage, plumb it, insulate it, drywall, install flooring, build the kitchen, bathroom, etc. I’ve built and rebuilt docks, decks, so hence the handyman moniker. There’s not much I can’t do, although with age comes wisdom. Golf: I have been playing golf on and off for 40 plus years. After not playing golf for 10+ years, I got back into golf at the age of 60. I was inspired by a friend who once said, golf is the only game you can play for 30 years and never improve. When I thought about it, it is rather true, so I was determined to do it right the second time around. At the time I was about a 25ish handicap. Hence lessons, fitted equipment and diligent practice. I was inspired again when I went to Tour Experience Golf (TXG) 5+ years ago and came out not only with expertly fitted and built clubs, but many new friends. I now go at least twice a year to tweak my setup. My current handicap is 6.3, but I have been as low as 4 or high as 8.5. Most of my rounds are in the 78 - 82 range. My home course is TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley featuring 3 courses all ranked within the top 60 courses in Canada and all 3 in the top 20 public courses in Canada. TPC Sawgrass, I’m the guy in the middle in the blue and black. I love scenic, challenging courses, especially mountain or coastal courses. What drives me is hitting good shots and being consistent. My philosophy is if you hit good shots the score will “usually” take care of itself. If you don’t like the score, play better. I am competitive, however, I play more for the joy of the game. I strive to improve each year and keep father time at bay. Now, my day job is golf, pickleball and my two huskies. Myah (front) and Hazel (rear) Thank you for your patience and understanding in reading my introduction.

Lovely day to be playing golf. Unfortunately the course was very wet, I should have brought my hip waders. Hit more mud balls than I can remember. Greens nice and squishy and slow, slow and even slower. Bunkers were small lakes. But I was playing golf. Priceless. Congratulations to Scottie Scheffler for winning the Masters. He put on a ball striking clinic in a masterful performance. So what will be next year’s Masters dinner.

For good reason. Tease away. Besides I love the golf courses in BC and Alberta. Only a 4 - 5,000 Km commute.

This is for our esteemed director and the moderators. I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this and please read the instructions

Lol. Only certain people (politicians?) from Toronto think they’re “the centre of the universe”. Fortunately and thankfully, I’m not one of them. Some of the courses have opened up, most opening up later this week. Playing today, pending the rain. My home club, TPC Toronto, most likely another week to 10 days.

Good morning to all on Masters Sunday. So who shall reign supreme today? Will it be: a) I’m just getting it done, wait until you see my Masters dinner menu, Scottie b) It’s my time, move out of the way, Max c) Not so fast there, Morikawa d) Move over for the young bucks, Ludvig or Nicolai e) I’m just going to Krank it, Bryson f) I’m going to Schauffele you all, Xander It should be an exciting final round. Who are you picking? Have a great Sunday

Good morning to all on a windy, blustery day. Moving slowly this morning waiting for the quadruple espresso, aka caffeine on a stick, to kick in. Pickleball this morning, then some range time, then back home to enjoy watching the Masters. Should be fun. @GolfSpy_APH I have to go for option 1 (LAB + Ghost bag), although you really can’t go wrong with either option. Autoflex is probably the most intriguing option. Callaway and LAB the most lusted for and Ghost, downright gorgeous. So how can you possibly go wrong. Have a wonderful Masters Saturday.

I have to sincerely applaud and congratulate Jamie and the Forum staff for the superb job you have done. You didn't just hit a homerun, you hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth this year with all the wonderful testing opportunities. That doesn't come by chance. It comes from a lot of planning, hard work, diligence, follow up and vastly increased social media exposure. What I really liked is how you've increased your reach by not only featuring the major companies, but also a lot of little ones as well as unique products. So guys, stand up take a bow. Very well deserved and thank you. Just don't do this

Good morning to all on a wet Friday. Rain, rain and more rain. Thankfully, it’s Friday, espresso is delicious and it’s The Masters weekend. Can Tiger’s leg and body hold up to make it through the day. Will he make the cut. I’m hoping yes and yes. @cksurfdude see good things happen when you ask for help. Glad you got it sorted out @GolfSpy_APH great write up on the monthly recap. That should be a regular feature moving forward. Well done. Todays, daily chuckle is

Good morning to all on a wet dreary rainy Thursday morning. Thank goodness coffee is hot and delicious and I got my first round of the season in yesterday. Driver and irons were in reasonably good shape, but putting and short game were right out of the good, the bad and the ugly. But overall promising start. So today while it rains, back to practicing indoors under the benevolent eye of Dr. Trackman. Will enjoying watching the Masters in all its wonderful glory over the next few days. Have a great day.

Good morning to all on a sunny and beautiful Wednesday morning. Thoroughly enjoying my morning espresso with the knowledge that today is the Par 3 contest at the Masters and it starts tomorrow. I'm also heading out shortly for my first round of the year. Can't wait. Hopefully, the golfing gods have remembered how to instill in me how to swing a club and make a putt. Have a wonderful day.

Oh my, now you've gone and done it and opened Pandora's box. Guilty as charged. I admit, I like testing new equipment and every year will schedule at least two fittings to try things I like. Does it always go in the bag? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. But at the very least, I make notes on what I like, what worked well, what shafts I liked and what didn't. Case in point, did a recent Ping fitting looking at the Blueprint S irons. Really nice irons, great feel, performed well, until I saw the price. They were approaching Miura territory, so my Mizuno's are safe for now.

In my mind, this should be a mandatory read (and re read) if you’re interested in testing. Your request is perfectly reasonable and as director together with the moderators you want to ensure the best possible outcome for both the readers and the equipment sponsors. So yes, a lot of thought, work and testing is required to produce a high quality review(s).

Now this is a fun thread. Wedge and iron fitting scheduled with TXG (Club Champion Canada) in a months time. So new wedges definitely as old ones have 150+ rounds on them. Irons, who knows what the data will say. My Mizuno’s have been very good to me Putters - would love to try the L.A.B. Putters, ideally in a fitting setting to see if they’re as good as they say. Downside is extra cost of installing a Stability shaft or TPT shaft. yikes, can you say $1,000 putter. So would have to think very hard and long on this one. Would have to be blown away by Quintic data and performance data before pulling the trigger. Shoes - love my Footjoy tour alpha’s, but they’ve gotten a lot of wear. So maybe the BOA version or a pair of G fore’s or Ecco’s?

Funny that you should ask that. A couple of years ago, I purchased an Odyssey Rossie putter with the stroke lab shaft. Compared to their regular steel shaft, the stroke lab felt smoother and more balanced than the similarly steel shafted Rossie. It was also more consistent in making putts. MGS did a comparison see below https://mygolfspy.com/labs/odyssey-stroke-lab-putters-vs-non-stroke-lab-putters/ Now compared to the stability shaft, I much preferred the stability, although the stroke lab is pretty good. Unfortunately, my wife tried the Odyssey Rossie with stroke lab and it promptly went into her bag, when she told me, “you realize you’re not getting this back” It’s been lights out for her.

A fine good morning to all on a lovely spring Tuesday morning. Solar eclipse was spectacular, it’s Masters week, espresso is delicious and I’m playing my first round tomorrow, so it’s shaping up to be a great week. I came across this recently and couldn’t stop laughing Then I thought, boy what if some members on the forum really let loose? This could be hilarious. Have a wonderful day.

Thank you. Ideally find someone who has one and try it first. As soon as I tried it, I loved the feel and balance and yes, had to have it. Even when I was thinking, am I nuts to be doing this. In retrospect, it was money very well spent and had very positive impact on my putting.

Overall: The stability shaft by BreakThrough Technology golf is a premium product that performs as advertised resulting in improved feel and speed control. Testing on Quintic showed very stable and consistent face control with very little to no movement. Putting felt more stable, balanced, with a smooth and consistent feel when putting. Very consistent results from putts 5’ and in. Long putts of 20’ and more were consistently close. Over 50 plus rounds I saw a significant improvement in one putts and corresponding decrease in 3 putts. It is a potential piece of the puzzle and may not be for everyone. You still need solid fundamentals and a putter that matches your stroke. Overall, highly recommended and scored 95/100 Goals of testing: How does it perform on analytical testing with Quintic as well as on course, with respect to weight, feel, balance speed and lag control? What is the impact on overall putting performance as it relates to total strokes as well as one putt, two putt and three or more putt percentage. Did it have a positive, neutral or negative impact on overall putting. Introduction: Up until the last few years, there has been no change in the steel putter shafts for the last 50 years. So how do you improve putter performance? There have been significant improvements in driver specific shafts, then iron, hybrid and wood shafts, then wedge specific shafts, but what about the putter? The stability putter shaft from Barney Adams, the Adams golf founder and CEO of Breakthrough Golf technologies (BGT) then developed the Stability shaft for putters several years ago. It started with the original Stability carbon shaft and then they added the Tour and Tour one models. According to BGT, it limits unwanted movement by stiffening the shaft by 25% without abolishing feel and reducing torque by almost 50%, to deliver the club face squarer at impact. This will supposedly result in improved accuracy and solid feel and has a lower launch for a predictable roll, resulting in better distance control. It was tested using high speed cameras, the Quintic ball roll software, robots and Trackman. Testing showed that Stability shaft causes almost no oscillation, but what will it be in real life in the hands of an average or good golfer. From BGT The heel (green line) and toe (purple line) smoothly increase velocity until center impact. STABILITY: Causes almost no oscillation, evidence of how much more stable the Stability shaft is STEEL: Causes wild oscillations, evidence of how weak and unstable a steel putter shaft is, even on center strikes How is it made: From the BGT website, the original stability putter shaft is made of eight layers of high modulus carbon fibre wrapped and widened with no taper. It’s designed to significantly reduce torsional rotation. An aluminum insert with connector is added to reinforce the rigidity. The connector allows for attachment to the tip diameter of any diameter, regardless of the bend profile. See Figure 1 Figure 1 (from BGT) Putter fitting: My initial plan was to wait for the putter fitting before making the change, but after trying it at Tour Experience Golf (TXG) and knowing I was going away for a week of golf, I had to have it in combination with the Evnroll gravity grip. Smart investment or imprudent purchase? The Evnroll gravity grip is a counter balanced grip (figure 2) has an EVA foam body molded in a deep V shape. A 70 gram 10” steel rod is installed in the bottom of the V running the entire length of the grip. According to Evnroll, by positioning the weight directly under and a half-inch away from the shaft, the hands can feel the position of the putter face. Tying the hands to the putter face promotes keeping the putter’s face angle square thru the entire hitting area. This virtually eliminates face rotation at impact. This heavier-than-usual grip weight allows for more weight in the putter head. The result is a greater overall weight for increased stability and accuracy, while maintaining an ideal swing weight for optimum feel and distance control. Figure 2 Completed Odyssey Exo 7 putter with Stability shaft and Evnroll gravity grip (figure 3) Testing: The Odyssey Exo 7 putter with carbon stability shaft was tested, using the Quintic ball roll system. Quintic is the gold standard for measuring putter performance and utilises a high-speed camera (360 – 1080 frames per second) to track the putter and golf ball throughout the impact zone. See figure 4 and 5. Figure 4 Figure 5 The goal was to make 12’ putts on a level stable platform while the high speed camera catches your motion and subsequent ball roll. I consistently made putt after putt. Figure 6 shows the data capture for a typical putt highlighting attack angle, face angle, launch angle etc. Amber indicates average, green is very good, red is poor and blue is tour level (elite). For a complete summary of how to interpret the numbers see the following link. See www.quintic.com/downloads/Quintic%20Ball%20Roll%20-%20Numbers%20Explained.pdf Figure 6 In my case, the roll was true and the face angle was solid as a rock. Quintic showed that it was either green or occasionally blue (tour level). The recommendation was that the putter suited me and my stroke well and I did not need to make any more changes to the putter. So at this point, smart investment. On course testing, More stable, balanced, with a smooth and consistent feel when putting. I have noticed a significant improvement in putting of at least 2-3 strokes per round as measured by number of single putts versus two and three putts. On putts of 20 feet or more, speed and lag control was very good with a consistent clustering of balls near the hole. Three putts have become for me almost nonexistent, however this very much depends on the speed and undulation of the greens as well as your short game. Following the installation of the stability putter shaft and Evnroll gravity grip and playing 10 rounds, single putts on average went from 0 - 1 per round to 2 - 4 per round. More importantly, 3 putts dropped significantly to 0 - 1 per round following the installation of the stability putter shaft and Evnroll gravity grip. Longer term on course testing (50 round data compared to a 0 handicap – Arccos) Prior to the installation of the stability shaft/Evnroll gravity grip, I averaged 34-35 putts per round, which then dropped to 32-33 putts per round. This is also with addition of putting, speed control and green reading lessons. Currently, I average between 31 – 32 putts per round. A 0 handicap, is at 31 putts per round (Arccos). My Arccos data listed below. Consistency: Putts within 5 feet are very makeable Even within 10’ feel I have a solid shot at one putt. For long putts (30 plus feet), I was able to consistently get it close. Confidence inspiring: Confidence inspiring in knowing you can make short putts, so it allows you to go for the flag on approach shots or get up and down with a good chip. If I hit a good approach shot, i.e. within 10’ of flag, I felt confident I had solid chance at birdie, at worst two putt for par. Overall: Transformational difference, much better feedback, stability and feel on putts. I liken it to using a faster speed computer. Once you’ve tried, you will never go back. As a result every subsequent putter I’ve had has a Stability putter shaft installed. Current putter: Evnroll Tour with Stability tour shaft and Two thumbs grip (like it, but will be switching back to Evnroll gravity grip this season.) Pros: Putter fitting is a definite must, well worth the investment especially when combined with putting and short game lessons. I have shaved 2-3 strokes off my putting Cons: It’s expensive Cost: $200-$329 + grip $40, so not inexpensive. However, when you think about it, it’s the most used club in your bag with about 40% of your strokes coming from it. The average golfer makes about 34 - 36 putts per round, whereas the PGA tour professionals sit at 27 – 29 per round. A 0-5 handicap sits at 31-32 putts per round (Arccos). The USGA statistics shows that the average male who shoots 98-99 has at least 40 putts per round. Moreover, a 1 foot putt counts the same as a 300 plus yard drive. Hmmm. So for me, it has been one of the best investments I’ve made in my golf game and definitely worth the money and I highly recommend it. At the very least, I would strongly recommend a putter fitting at a high quality fitter prior to this and see what the data shows with respect to putter and shaft recommendations as well as trying it. The caveat It is a potential piece of the puzzle and may not be for everyone. You still need solid fundamentals and a putter that matches your stroke. Putting this into any putter will not necessarily make you a better putter. What it can do is make your putts more consistent with respect to speed (lag). Who is it for: If you have taken putting lessons and invested in a putter fitting it may be an additional piece of the puzzle help to lower your scores Stability tour shaft -fire Tester: I’m a 65 year old male, and live in the greater Toronto area in Ontario, Canada. I am a 6.5 handicap playing an average of 100 rounds per year with 400 rounds on Arccos. I play the majority of my rounds at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. I am driven by the need to learn and improve. I am data driven and analytical. With respect to my game, I tend to be somewhat steep with a slight out to in swing with an average clubhead speed of 77-80 mph for 7 iron and 90-95 mph for driver. The strengths of my game are short game and putting with driving being my weakest feature. Evaluation and Scoring References 1. Breakthrough technology Golf BGT - High Performance Golf Shafts (breakthroughgolftech.com) 2. Evnroll Evnroll Putters - (www.evnroll.com) Precisely Milled & Handcrafted, Made in USA 3. Quintic sports Quintic Ball Roll | Quintic Sports (www.quintic.com) 4. Tour Experience Golf (now Club Champion Canada) ( www.clubchampion.ca)

I currently have the original Rapsodo MLM which is fairly basic but works well. The problem is that during the winter I train extensively with Trackman 4 or GCquad, so I’ve gotten very used of what to expect from the data available. So now I’m looking to replace the Rapsodo, but am conflicted. If it’s <1K, it will be the Rapsodo MLM2Pro, despite the subscription fees. My real preference is the Bushnel/GC3 but realize I have to completely redo my setup in the garage. I don’t have enough space for radar unit due to my workbench and cabinets and I need to replace the net with impact screen, etc. So patiently sitting on the sidelines waiting for the prices to keep dropping.

Good morning to all and happy Monday. Enjoying my morning coffee. The weather is warming up nicely and I finally start golfing again this week. With today’s solar eclipse, I have to ask, so which group do you fall into? or will it be this. Enjoy and have a great day.

Josh, the old adage of a picture is worth a thousand words apply here I would be tempted to send them to the city manager, ask for an explanation on the deplorable conditions and demand a refund for the unacceptable conditions.

Wow, this guy does know it’s a golf course, right? I feel your pain.