Camille Bissarro

Walter, Missouri I've tried: Golfshot and 18Birdies on my phone, Arccos Cobra Connect for a brief moment, and Golfwith(?) on my Samsung Gear watch a few years ago. I don't like to take my phone out for every shot, and the Tizen support for golf apps at the time was poor. In all cases I've not been overly impressed by the products I've tried. Sprinkler heads, course familiarity and guesstimation are my current technologies of choice.

@Flip4000 for the first pair, about two months. The second was less than that. I walk about 3-4 rounds per week, but still, it's not like we're talking about a kleenex or a take out coffee cup.

Well, I'm sorry to say they did not last longer (see below). It seemed like DJ was sporting a pair this weekend at the Traveler's, but they were unblemished to the degree I wonder if he wears them more than once. Certainly not long enough for the foam to completely break down. I went with the CodeChaos this time. They've lasted three weeks, so here's hoping.

@berkeleybob thanks! It came to me from my wife's grandparents' retirement house in Tenants Harbor, Maine by way of my father in law. It's old, but my wife doesn't know if it originally belonged to her grandparents, or if it came with the house when they bought it. In either case, they got that house in the late 1960s or early 1970s, but by the appearance and construction, the bench seems to date quite a bit before that. As I'm typing, my wife is telling me to add that one of the Bean family (of L.L. Bean fame) lives there now. That's all I can say about the provenance of the bench, but I do enjoy working on it!

@cnosil for sure, it's a low-volume set up. Having used it a few times, on iron heads and a driver adapter, I'd say it's a good and relatively inexpensive option for the hobbyist. Certainly it's less expensive than a shop shaft extractor tool, and cheaper than a ruined shaft too. Speaking of, maybe I should factor the shafts I've ruined attempting other methods over the years...that would push the total cost up a bit

I've been trying to figure out a cheapish graphite shaft pulling setup for a while. I came across some videos on Youtube (here and here) by a guy who built one from a couple of vises. He's from the UK, so he says it cost less than &20. I picked up the vises for about $20 a pop at the hardware store. I cut out the aluminum cuff myself, but I'm going to get one from Golfworks here shortly, and had the torch and shaft vise collar already. It's a pretty simple design, and it works a charm, so I thought I'd share it in case anyone is interesting in making one themselves.

@chisag yeah, it's not a really serious thing, I mostly tease him with it (he's just a couple of years older than I am, but we tease each other). But I can definitely see how it would be beneficial for both my bodily health and my game. By the by, my grandmother used used an electric walking cart in the 1980s. It ran on what looked like a car battery and the drive chain, which turned a plate-sized sprocket, seemed to have been taken off a motorcycle. Serious machinery. Or maybe it just seemed that way to my 10 year old eyes.

@DaveP043 I agree weight-wise, but pushing the cart up hills seems to strain my lower back/hips more than just carrying my clubs. Plus I like to have my hands free while I walk. My friend keeps suggesting an electric push cart, like the one he has, but I can't go for that yet (age stigma). When I do use my push cart, I like to ghost ride it down steep hills, and walk unfettered for a few moments, hands in pockets, chill like Kevin Kisner.

@GB13 it seems like you're living proof it was not, in fact, to hot to walk

@Kaplack it's only going to get worse this summer (I'm in Missouri, and it hasn't gotten hot yet). My course has removed all of the water cisterns because of Covid-19, so I've got to pack enough water to last the round. That seriously adds up, at about 2lbs/quart. I guess it gets lighter as you go, though, so long as you don't pick up those extra balls...

I usually walk, and although I have a couple of push carts, I prefer to carry my clubs. Generally I play better when I walk, but since I play most days, and although I'm still in the glorious early years of middle age, my body can't always take it. After three or four days carrying my clubs I usually take a cart for a round or two to recuperate. Walking definitely puts me in a better headspace to play. @mtisdale That's interesting, I always find it less sociable when everyone in the group rides, zipping around, unless it's really slow and you pull up next to each other. My normal group is half/half walkers and riders, and the guys in carts will drive slower to chat, or I'll chat with the other guy who walks. Just the other day, the other guy who walks and I both took carts and around the fifth tee he commented it wasn't very sociable with everyone in carts. One last thought, a mortality study done in Sweden (Farahmand et al. 2009) found a ~40% decrease in mortality rates among golfers as compared to the general population, all of which translated into ~5 years longer lifespan. Of course, golf isn't the only variable, but something to think about. Lower handicap players also had lower mortality rates, but again, I'd caution about taking too much from that finding. If anyone is interested in reading it, I can send a pdf. Copyright prevents me from posting it publicly, though.

In terms of stability, they're good. I don't generally swing out of my shoes, but I do tend to stretch/stress the outside of my left shoes (leather upper Tour 360 & FJ Dryjoy) during my finish, which is where these busted. I think I saw DJ wearing a primeknit shoe last year, and I'd imagine if they're stable enough for him, they would be for the average golfer. Then again, he probably replaces his shoes every few rounds, so he wouldn't break them down over time. I'll see how this second pair holds up, and report back.

Walter, Warrensburg, MO. 10.5 Mizuno JPX 919 Forged PTX Pro-Icon Combo

Update: After ~ six weeks of walking/playing these shoes blew out (see attached). I bought them online, on sale, but returned them to a Golf Galaxy store yesterday. I looked at several of the other lighter weight offerings. Puma Ignite felt flat underfoot and the Adidas Codechaos don't have spikes, so I went for another pair of Tour 360 Primeknit. I'm hoping these last longer.

You're welcome, hope it works out.