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golfingbrock

 
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About golfingbrock

  • Birthday January 8

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    @golfingbrock
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Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    TX
  • Interests
    Golf, family, basketball, and any competition.
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    twitter

Player Profile

  • Swing Speed
    111+ mph
  • Handicap
    +1.8
  • Frequency of Play/Practice
    Weekly
  • Player Type
    Casual
  • Biggest Strength
    Approach
  • Biggest Weakness
    Putting

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golfingbrock's Achievements

  1. Imagine a yellow face with a green sole with Amen corner airbrushed on top
  2. I still have my TAIII in my trunk, but not currently in the bag. Scotty has been pretty solid the last few weeks
  3. @knightsofnii Congrats on the nice round! Those shorts remind me of the Fab Five http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0745/3955/articles/fab-five_600x.jpg?v=1587083102
  4. As of my last update, I tried a new grip and was putting great! I played the City Championship a couple weeks ago, and really didn't make anything for 2 days, but my speed control was good and I didn't have any 3 putts. I ended up T15 after back to back rounds of 76 The next weekend I played, hoping that the decent putting would continue, but putted absolutely horribly both in line and speed, including several 3-putts and 38 putts total. So this week I am putting TA in timeout in the Trunk and putting my old Scotty back in the bag to see if that will work. Long term I'm probably better off sticking to a putter and working through the issues to develop a consistent feel, but at this time I feel that my overreaction is justified.
  5. I played Saturday and shot a solid 74 with a penalty and 2 bad 3 putts and bogey on the last 3 holes. My speed control was okay but hit a few really bad short putts. I played 9 with my dad Sunday and tried cross-hand grip, and putted better than the day before. But the as my family sat behind the 18th green waiting for the fireworks I went out with my TA and a couple of balls and tried a pencil grip. All of a sudden this putter felt great! So I went out and played this morning, committed to the new grip. The front 9 I didn't hit the ball well but my putting was decent(1 three putt from long range on a bumpy green). On the back 9, I decided to switch to a new ball, and for the most part hit the ball much better. But most importantly, the putter caught fire and I made 5 birdies! Also had a couple really good lag putts to limit the damage elsewhere. This will for sure be going in the bag next week in the Fort Worth Mid am. Will report back
  6. Thank you! I thought under 2 minutes of video was better than a 4 minute video, so had to speed it up. I will say I probably rated it a bit harsh compared to all putters. But when weighted for value/price, this putter would jump to a solid B around 85/100
  7. Alright, my review is up too. Looks like we had a pretty wide variance of scores on this!
  8. I have played a bigger variety of courses than I normally do over the last month, though I usually play on fast bermuda greens. Our greens that are normally in the 10-11 range have been in the 8-9 range to help them heal up from the Texas freeze this spring. I played 1 round on medium speed bent, and a couple rounds are really slow bermuda. Will expound more on how it worked out in the review.
  9. Before you make any adjustments to the lie angle, try holding it differently. I like use ulnar deviation to help get the putter flat on the ground, and a good side effect of this is that it helps take my hands/wrist out of the putting stroke. I took a few pictures of this with my old putter as an example But also found this article about it which should be helpful https://golf.com/instruction/putting/ulnar-deviation-putting-stroke-fix-jankowski/
  10. I have a Perfect putting mat that I've used indoors, and also my office carpets roll around a 10 so I've been able to practice speed control up to about 23 ft. I did some head to head in the office and the TAI2 certainly holds up well. On the course I'm focusing solely on the TAI2 and not my other putters, as I'm trying to get the feel for various greens. I played a terrible round on Saturday thanks to a case of the hosels, but my putting was solid. Speed control was great, and even made 3 in the 15-25 ft range. Practiced on Monday and also found that they rolled really true on some smooth but not fast bent greens. Finally getting a round on my home course this coming Saturday which has huge Bermuda greens that generally run 10+. Will be focused of course on short/intermediate putts, and getting my lags close. I have putted defensively there recently, but from what I've seen thus far, feel pretty confident with this stick.
  11. I've spent a few days putting around the office, and decided to grab a video today on the Perfect Practice putting mat. This thing has great stability and control on the short to mid-range putts on the mat. Looking forward to getting on the course this weekend. MGS putter.mp4
  12. Sorry, all future posts on this thread will be putter related. But at Dick's, for the same price as new Scotty ($399) you can get a 36" Blackstone with lid. Then you can get a Tommy Armour Impact putter ($149) with all the money you save from not eating out.
  13. The way my gamer was putting it shouldn't be too hard to at least get equal. I will do some head to head tests indoors on the mat, and then on the course will compare my putting stats to my putting stats over the last few months. Wish I had strokes gained data for the past, but I will be able to tell quite a bit from total putts, # of 3 putts, and proximity of first putt as I focus on speed control.
  14. Sorry I'm a day behind, but I'm thrilled to be testing the Impact No. 2 putter. This is my 2nd test for MGS, as last year I tested the Honma TR 20 440 driver which is still in the bag (link in signature) Though I've been a pretty decent player for awhile, putting has been the game within a game that was most likely to derail my round. About 9 years ago, I got my Odyssey Sabertooth White Ice, which replaced my Scotty Cameron Newport 2 that I had used since high school. I recently changed the grip, and I've been toying with conventional, cross-hand, claw, pencil grips etc, but my putting has been pretty poor this season, mostly with speed controls and trust issues due to way too many 3 putts. In March, I took the Sabertooth out of the bag, and used an old Sam Sneed Blue Ridge blade putter that my grandma bought for $5 from a garage sale 25 years ago, and I had one of my better putting rounds of the year, posting a 71. The next round wasn't so good, so I went back to the Sabertooth and struggled again, and then the last few rounds I got the Old Scotty back from my dad and putted decently well. My speed control was much better and my 3 putts were down, but I didn't quite feel the same control on shorter putts. Here are the putters I've used over the years I was thankful that Scotty held me over for a month til I got my hands on the Tommy Armour. I picked the No. 2 for a couple of reasons. 1. It did great in the MGS Most wanted testing, specifically on short to mid range putts 2. I've gone back and forth between a mallet and a blade, and this wide blade kinda fits that sweet spot Some of the other testers did not get putter covers, but because I got mine late, I think it was shipped from a different branch, and I was fortunate to receive one. My first impression is that this putter would get easily dinged up without a putter cover due to the materials and paint, so definitely want to keep it under covered up. The head is heavier than I expected, and it is very easy to keep square at impact. Also the face feels softer so I feel like I need to hit it harder than my other putters to get the ball to the hole. Also I'm TBD on changing the grip. I'm used to a bigger Superstroke grip, but I'm going to use this one for at least a few weeks before I consider a change. Anyway, you want pictures of the putter and headcover, so here they are: My first round was on a course with very slow greens compared to my usual, so I didn't read too much into it yet. I have a 15 ft Perfect Practice Mat in the office, so I'll be using it daily to get the feel down, and hope to have some good on the course feedback soon. About Me: I am 38 years old Texan, married to an Okie, and have 2 great kids. I am currently a 0.3, and trying to get back to scratch soon and hope to play in some local tournaments this summer. I work in industrial sales, mostly instrumentation and filtration products, and I make sure to take breaks to putt, chip, and shoot hoops in the office. Most of my golf is Saturday mornings, but trying to find a way to get more golf on the clock. When I'm not at work, playing golf, tweeting, or doing projects around the house, I like to cook on my Blackstone Grill
  15. Tommy Armour Impact No. 2 Putter Review Hey guys, @Golfingbrock here! You can call me Brock, Brocksy, or whatever. As weird as 2020 was, 2021 has been just as weird. There were some delays with getting this putter in, but also while waiting for the putter, we had a hailstorm that wrecked my car and my roof. And earlier this year we had a rare multi-day freeze that severely affected the Bermuda greens here in Texas. Last year I tested a sweet Honma TR20 440 driver which is still in the bag, and this year I got to test the Tommy Armour Impact No. 2 Putter. I was really excited to test this putter, especially since it rocked the MGS Most wanted testing! About me: I am a scratch golfer despite my putting. For the last 9 years I have been using an Odyssey Sabertooth putter. I had a Superstroke Slim 3.0 for years with varying results. Late last year with an effort to improve, I tried claw and cross-hand grips in addition to my traditional grip. I had some relative success with the claw stroke, and since my grip was getting worn out, I decided to get a Superstroke Claw grip (wide pistol handle). For whatever reason, this new grip never felt quite right, and my putting woes continued. When my putter was not behaving, I’d put it in timeout and bring in my Wilson Blue Ridge Sam Snead Blade putter. My grandmother got this for $5 from a garage sale over 20 years ago. In 2019 I played 27 holes at Sweeten’s Cove. After making no birdies the first 9 holes, I switched to the Sam Sneed and made 7 birdies the last 18 including the last 3 holes. Also, my low round this year of 71 occurred while using the Sam Snead. But normally the Snead hangs in my son’s room as decoration, and I have never really considered it as a gamer. I also re-acquired my old Scotty Cameron Newport 2 this year. I used this putter in junior and college golf and for years after before loaning It to my dad in 2012. I played a few rounds with it this year and expected for this to be my gamer again pending the TA2 review. Scotty, Sabertooth, and Tommy: Slammin' Sammy: During this test I played almost every Saturday, at various courses with an array of putting surfaces. I was able to get out during my lunch break a few times to test on real greens, but I did most of my practice and testing indoors on my office carpet and on my perfect practice putting mat. Speaking of the TA2, on to the review: Looks: Compared to the Scotty’s, Toulon’s, Evnrolls and other premium putters, this one looks cheaper by comparison (hey it IS a $150 putter). Mostly because it’s painted instead of a metal finish. But I love the classic wide blade shape and the simple yet useful alignment aids. And the color scheme is simple enough that it isn’t too distracting (8/10) Sound/Feel: When I first tested this putter, it felt much softer than my other putters, so I felt like I really had to hit it to get it to the hole. The milled aluminum face has a clicky sound, and feels like a tin can on off-center hits, but feels nice on centered strikes. (7/10) Basic Characteristics: This putter feels very stable and has a nice heft to it. Whether you have a slight arc or straight back/straight through stroke, this putter has a nice weight in the hands. This putter tested very highly, especially in the short to mid range putting, and I would have to confirm that this feels great on those putts. On the putting mat, I can get in a groove and the stroke is very repeatable. For long range putts I had a hard time getting the feel and speed control, and this one performed worse than my other putters (15/20) In practice this putter was on par with my other putters. Here’s a video comparing my old Scotty to the TA2. (I tried more videos in practice but had a few where my phone over-heated and shut down thus deleting the videos) putter test.mp4 On Course Performance: I said earlier that this has been a weird year, but the variety of courses I played during this test really ran this putter through the gauntlet. My primary course, Rockwood has Bermuda greens that run around 10 on the stimp, up to 12 in tournament conditions. My first few rounds were decent on short to mid-range putts but distance controls struggled. This putter felt really bad into the grain and I left a few woefully short. I also played Stevens Park and Keeton Park in Dallas. Both of those courses had very slow greens at the time (due to growing out to heal from the freeze). I used the TA2 at Stevens and I left putts short all day and could never get a feel for the speed. I used my old Scotty at Keeton, and though they were slow, my feel and speed control was much better than it had been with the TA2. I also played medium speed bent grass greens in Tulsa with the TA2, and this putter rolled great. This was probably the most confident I felt with this putter, and despite my worst ball-striking of the year (LITERALLY A FULL-BLOWN SHANK-FEST ), I made multiple 15-20 footers and a few from 5-10 to salvage an otherwise terrible round. Despite my solid putting on Bent, most of my rounds are on Bermuda and this putter had underperformed. I was ready to give this a 15/30 for on the course performance, but on a whim this past Friday, I decided to go to the PGA Store and get a Superstroke Slim 3.0 grip on this thing. I hit a few putts in the store after it was installed, and it felt promising. With the new grip, the putter felt more stable, the mishits didn’t ring as much, and I made some really great putts with it. I still had two 3-putts in each of my rounds with the new big grip, but those were all from 50-80 ft (including a couple first putts I left 20 ft short). Other than a mis-read and slight push on a 5-footer, I made some really good putts, though I averaged 33 putts a round in those 2 rounds. The new grip! Overall I averaged 34 putts per round during this trial, up from the 32 I averaged before. (23/30) Miscellaneous: I mentioned earlier that this putter may not be as sexy as some of the bigger names. I was one of the fortunate few that got my putter with a putter cover. Compared to most leather putter covers, this feels solid and nice as a fabric cover with corduroy interior. But after a month this putter cover already has some wear, and I’m not sure how durable it will be. Also, we talked about the painted metal on the putter earlier. After a month, there’s already some paint coming off the bottom of the putter (probably due to my dew sweeping morning rounds). Still from the top line view, the putter looks nice. And the painted black shaft is still holding up for now. (7/10) Wear 1 month in: Play it or Trade it: I have the Fort Worth City Mid-am Championship coming up in 2 weeks, and I was already thinking about which putter I wanted to focus on the next few weeks to play in tournament play. My handicap went up and my putting hasn’t been great at times during the test. But with the grip change, this feels like a totally different instrument that I just need more time with. Over the next 2 weeks I will ramp up my practice and it will likely be a game time decision between the TA2 and the Scotty. Right now, it’s a Toss-up, and worst-case scenario it ends up as a solid backup. (16/20) Conclusion: This is a solid putter, especially for the price of $150. This is a great putter for the weekend warrior, and should perform adequately compared to any $400+ off-the-rack non-fitted putter. The TA2 underperformed compared to my gamer until I made a grip change, and now it is in the running for a spot in the bag. The look is simple and clean, it’s easy to line up and the alignment aids aren’t distracting, The paint finish, sounds, and feel of the TA2 aren’t as good as a premium putter. But I will continue to use it if it performs! (Though I’d also consider putting with a rock tied to a stick if it made me putt better). FINAL SCORE: 76/100
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