[I Dumped My Driver (at least for now)!]

On 8/5/2022 at 5:13 PM, burnsie said:

Like many, I struggle with consistency hitting my driver (Titleist TSi2 (2019??)).  At 76, I hit it around 200-230 when I catch it just right. I play at least twice a week; problem is, I never know who’s going to show up each round - the ball striker or the slicer!

So this week I retired my driver and used only my Cleveland Launcher 5-wood off the tee. I’ll admit, I hit it only around 180-200 yards, BUT, it was on a rope right down the middle! Every time!  On many holes I had to use it again for my 2nd shot but I was either on the green or very close.  It was one of my best rounds ever!

Now I’m wondering if I’ll ever go back to a driver. I’ve been very pig-headed about this for decades so it was a big deal for me!  It was an eye-opening experience.  Of the courses I play, I might consider the big D occasionally for the carry, but it could be a 3-wood instead!
 

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks - if you kick him hard enough!
 

 

I was once in a similar situation.  I would slice my driver but hit my fairway woods dead straight off the tee.  I was on the range one day and the club pro happened to walk by.  I mentioned my issue and he had me hit my driver and 3 wood for him.  Basically he said my swing with the two different clubs was vastly different.  Wirh my 3&5 woods I brought it from the inside resulting in straight to slight draw every time.  With the driver, no surprise, I was coming over the top. He had me focus on coming from the inside with the driver.  Using alignment sticks, I was able to groove an inside out swing which has held up for me over the last few years.  I've gained distance and accuracy.  

Bottome line, IMO, if you can hit your fairway woods straight, you'll be able to fix your driver.

[Poll: Spikes or Spikeless?]

Last year I decided to give spikeless a try.  I've always been an Adidas guy wearing the Tour 360 spiked for several years.  Bought a pair of their CodeChaos spikeless and loved them.  Great traction and comfort.  Like them so much I picked up a second pair. 

[Introduce Your “Home” Course]

I'm a member at Three Jack National and proud of it...

 

http://3jacknational.com/

[NPG Episode 103: Why many professionals are leaving THIS job]

Oh where to begin...

I'm retired and have been working in the Pro Shop at private club for the last six years.  Believe me when I say that our pro's clubs haven't left his office in the last three years.  Same goes for the 1st assistant.  Both are young guys that work 6 sometime 7 days a week when we host an outside tournament on a Monday when we are normally closed for maintenance.  No way are these guys getting paid a decent wage for the time they put in.  I'll also advocate for our Superintendent.  A thankless job most of the time.  Constant complaints from members; the greens are too fast, the greens are too slow, too soft, too firm, pin positions, etc.  Our Super does an excellent job and has a great crew.  Members fail to realize that things they want done to the course cost money.  Even hint at raising dues and all hell breaks loose.

A word about private club members.

Since covid, no surprise to anyone, our tee sheet is full from open to close.  Most members book their times using an on-line app up to 9 days in advance.  I can't tell you how many members book times and either don't show up or book for a 4some and show up with just one or two players.  These same membes will also ****** about not being able to secure a tee time...

On a Tuesday we'll get a call from a member that he has 7 friends coming to town on Friday and wants us to squeeze in two tee times for him.  Not going to happen.  Result, pissed off member who lets everyone know what dirtbags we are...

Or the guy who "used to be a member" that shows up expecting to play for free when he's playing with his member buddies..

The group of low handicap members that are playing behind a group of average players, who are on pace, constantly calling the shop for us to send someone to have the group in front "speed up"...

The guy who wants to go out and walk, by himself, to "work on his game" on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday during the middle of the day...  Not gonna happen. Result, pissed off member...

We have many female members.  Individually, all very nice women.  When playing in the weekly Ladies group or the Ladies Member/Member, it's always "oh I don't want to play with her, we don't get along"...

Oh, and the members who don't follow the "cart path only" rules...

And those that don't think they should have to repair ball marks or rake bunkers.  After all they pay dues to have that done for them...

We have approximately 420 members.  As you may well imagine, it's very difficult to keep the vast majority of them happy.  Each thinks the club should be set up in a certain way, their way, and when it's not...

There's not enough space here for me to relay all that goes on.  I certainly understand why becoming a golf pro may not be as appealing as it sounds.

[How many brands are in your bag?]

For me it's:

Driver  Callaway Rogue Max

3 wood  TaylorMade M6

5 wood  TaylorMade M6

7 wood  Callaway Epic Speed

5i - SW  Mizuno JPX 19

58 degree wedge Callaway Sure Out

Putter  Wilson "The L" Infinite

[Another Course Bites The Dust-Georgia]

2 hours ago, edingc said:

Locally, we've lost four that I can recall over the past three years and another is closing soon. Two closed up right before COVID, one closed during 2020 and another closed after the 2020 season. Another just sold out this past offseason and 2022 will be its last season. I believe all five have been or will be developed into subdivisions.

Michigan obviously has/had a glut of courses compared to many areas, but the "affordable" and beginner-friendly ones are getting tougher to find. One of those that closed before 2020 was a favorite of my college roommate and mine. It was something like $12 for nine holes with a cart, and each time you went around they'd charge you less and less. I think we did 27 or 36 holes once, by the last time we went around they charged us like $2. It wasn't a nice course by any means but golf is golf! Another was a well-maintained par 60 executive that was great for people learning the game.

It takes a ton of work to maintain these courses and most of these closures are just from people who were tired of the hours and scraping by financially, unfortunately. The one that is closing soon has been doing great business but the owners want to retire and no one in their family wants to run it as a course. Naturally, it's worth a ton more as developable land than as a course.

I worry about my course. Thankfully the owner is mid-30s and seems to love what he does. It is also not particularly valuable land (literal farmland not that close to anything huge) at the moment, but that can change as more people seem to be building mansions in the middle of no where around here.

It's getting tougher to swallow watching these courses close because many rounds around here are now $50+ with a cart. A course I grew up near (and has now unfortunately been featured multiple times by the friggin' Fried Egg) is up to $48 to walk on a peak season weekend.

You hit it right on the head.  It's all economics.  One application of fertilizer on an average course is somewhere around $16k.  Course are not cheap to run and people don't want to pay greens fees that will support all the expenses and a reasonable profit for the owners.  I worked at a course in north Georgia that was barely breaking even for those exact reasons.  It had been owned by the same two individuals for many years.  When they finally decided to sell, golf course management companies were offerring them pennies on the dollar compared to real estate developers for the property.  They would have loved to sell it so that it stayed as a golf course, but financially it didn't make sense.  Developers had the land cleared within weeks of the closing.