TwoCoatsOfWax

It's kind of nice to see a stand bag with a 14-way top.

The course at Aberdeen near Valpo was always pretty nice but it's been years since I've played there. Can't vouch for it now. Scherwood Golf in Schererville is probably one of the closest to the state line and just off Rt 30. Nothing spectacular about that one though. A fairly typical public course. I wish Lake Hills was still there in St John. I basically lived at that course for several summers as a kid.

I keep up with just about all the videos from James Robinson and The Average Golfer. I'll watch an occasional video from Crossfield or another youtuber if the topic is of particular interest to me.

I mostly play alone. Walking a golf course, alone with your thoughts and the sounds of nature, is so peaceful. We're bombarded with so much noise in our daily lives (traffic noise, push notifications, advertisements, etc) that solo golf becomes somewhat meditative. Sorry if that's a bit new age-y. Playing with others is fun if you get the right people; a difficult task. Playing alone, however, relieves you from having to make inane small talk or listen to some stranger tell you what makes him the world's foremost expert on fantasy football.

Average Golfer on YouTube built a really nice one. He used something called archery netting iirc. It looks like a thicker, more tightly woven net so the balls won't go through unless it straight up rips. Also, instead of PVC, he used galvanized steel for more stability and durability. It's probably not the cheapest build out there but it looks really solid. I'd put up a link but the work laptop blocks YouTube. Apologies.

Great idea and excellent handy work. Not sure how much I would trust the off-road capabilities of such a small wheel/tire diameter.. One sprinkler head, rut you didn't see (b/c you were looking for your ball), loose gravel, or wet grass, and your Zero 9 Scooter will result in somewhere more than Zero but less than 9 broken bones. This is not really a time you want to end up in the hospital. I do think an affordable single rider golf cart/vehicle with a good design that minimizes the chance of injury is a good idea though. And in a social-distancing post-covid world, I wouldn't be surprised if demand for such a product finally reaches critical mass. Let us know how it goes.

Have you used the Alphard eWheels at all? This seems to be the least expensive way to get remote functionality. My pushcart has a swivel front wheel so it should work well. It's also half the price of the Zip Navigator. If so, what were your thoughts on the Alphard product?

Thank you for this write up. This is more helpful than the info in most reviews on YouTube.

I'm quite happy with my TourTrek 360. I'm so glad I paid the extra for the swivel front wheel model. I believe DSG is the only place its sold. Regular price is $180 (I think) but it is often on sale for less. It has a built in cup holder, scorecard holder, and storage compartment perfect for a rangefinder. It is even compatible with the Alphard eWheels kit if you decide to go that route.

I am also in the "subscription fatigue" camp. I understand it from a business perspective. However, as a consumer there are just too many subscriptions services now that the word "subscription" is almost an immediate turn off. Perhaps a mixed model would is the best approach? Offer both pay-as-you-go and subscription. Pricing then becomes the critical decision but that is for another topic.

I just finished watching Mad Men last week. Instead of starting a new show, I plan to finally watch that ever-growing list of movies sitting my my Netflix/Amazon queue; some of which have been sitting there for a couple years. lol. After that, it's time to break out the Three Stooges DVD collection.

I know, move the PGA Championship to Augusta and award two titles to the winner. Edit: P.S - I'm not actually being serious.

Unless you call around to various fitters to see if they have a 4 or 5 hybrid to demo, Global Golf U-Try sounds like your best option to try out first. I do agree with cnosil's 10-20 yard gap generalization particularly if you were to order a 4 hybrid in the same model & shaft combo.

For sure! But for sake of argument, let's say they were in fact thinking of moving the PGA Championshop. The Tour would most certainly deny it anyway right up to the very minute they announce the tournament has been moved.

I really like those in part because they fold so small as you mentioned. What kind of bag do you have? Is it stable and resist twisting well? Their website recommends a lightweight cart bag but I would think a stand bag that's semi-rigid would work just fine too.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will give those a try once the weather breaks here soon.

I've been trying to find a golf GPS app for android that lets you download the course data. This way you don't need a data connection on the course. Not only would it save battery life, but would let you re-purpose an old smartphone into a dedicated golf GPS device. It looks BirdieApps Golf GPS has this ability with a subscription at $20/yr. That's not terrible but obviously free is better. Anyone know of a GPS app that allows one to download course data without a subscription? Internet searches only revealed BirdieApps and the descriptions in the Play Store aren't always helpful. Thansk.

You mention the shaft but what make/model iron were your friend's clubs? Maybe they are simply easier to hit than yours. Who knows. I thought the JPX 919HM were pretty forgiving clubs themselves. Lots of factors can come into play especially since you weren't hitting driver for "his ball". I am making the assumption that you hit driver with "your ball" here. Two 9-hole rounds is a small sample size so it could also be variance. Play a couple full rounds (incl. driver) replacing your irons with his to get a better comparison. Last year, I bought a set of knockoff one-length irons and did some similar things. Fun stuff. Fittings: I'm of the opinion that while helpful, fittings aren't necessarily the silver bullet some make them out to be.

Buy a couple cheap used drivers and have them cut down. Or, buy some knock-offs from a place like GigaGolf. They may not provide max performance, but would at least give you a sense of what hitting a shorter driver is like.

Personally, I don't have an issue with bifurcation of the rules. I'm still going to play and watch golf if that's put in place. Different rules/equipment at various levels of other sports don't seem to affect their popularity. Yes, golf is unique with its equipment rules as is, but changes appear necessary at this point. I think standardizing the ball would be a no brainer whether its rolled-back or held at current status quo. For example, watch a Formula 1 race and the teams/drivers have choice of 3 different tire compounds: soft, medium, and hard. Have a standard range of golf balls that are lower, medium, and higher spinning. Maybe even design a range of 5 or 6 balls all with different characteristics so players still have choices. It might help drive the cost of balls down too.

It seems to me that the discussion/debate can get a little muddled due to the size/scope of the report. It has some interesting stuff in it for sure. Yes, there are many reasons tour pros are hitting it further and further (club tech, ball tech, fitness, etc). and there are many reasons why golf courses can't be lengthened (cost, environment impact, etc). All of them have merit, but they are still secondary considerations IMO. Ultimately, the bottom line is that golf courses cannot be perpetually lengthened as a method of accommodating continually longer shots hit by tour pros. Something has got to give. I thought that was the original reason which caused the USGA and R&A to undertake this report. I go back and forth on what that “something” should be. I have ideas and opinions like everyone else. There’s only so many weapons governing bodies can use to address the issue anyway. Whatever changes are implemented, I guess that the following will happen: Tour pros and aspiring pros will still want to play on the PGA Tour for all that PGA Tour prize money People will watch about the same amount of televised golf as they do now Most of us will play about the same amount of golf as we do now I think we'll all be fine.

I started playing the Q-Star Tour last year and will continue to do so this year. Like many others, I tried out several different balls after the ball test. The QST wasn't the highest performer in the test, but the price point for a 3-piece urethane ball caught my attention. The short-game performance and the durability are what sold me on it. Short-game, I could not discern a difference between the QST and Z-Star. The ball test had QST spinning less then Z-Star, but at my skill level I have had no issues stopping the ball on the green. It also seems to take quite a bit during normal play to scuff these up; a real plus IMO. The QST is a heck of a price vs. performance balance particularly when you catch a good sale. At one point last year, Golf Galaxy had the QST at $10/dz. I couldn't beat that.

I would watch reviews for the 2017 clubs and comparable 2019 clubs on YouTube done by the same reviewer. I can't imagine most of them have changed their swings that much in two years. That would be closer to what you're looking for.

I'd guess some use MGS tests at times but may not acknowledge it publicly as management wants the perception to be that it's their company doing it all. In other instances, MGS gets brought up in discussion and management/executives dismiss it outright. Sorry for the cynicism. I guess I've been working in a corporate environment too long. Good article! Before reading the article, if I had to guess the number of employees at MGS I would've guessed more than 12.

That's the first time I've heard Golftec referred to as the "Natty Light of golf lessons". I'm curious as to why some people say that. In any case, glad to hear you had a good experience. My plan is to get a fitting or a swing analysis from them in the spring . The motion vest and what it adds to the video and resultant data really intrigues me. It's actually a big reason I was thinking of making the 2+ hour drive to the nearest Golftec.