GolfSpy SAM

Cfhandyman · Thursday at 04:01 PM

28 minutes ago, Old Sarge 7997 said:

Maybe "Bluser", a mash-up of Blue and Laser ? Or "Bluzer"?

GolfSpy_KFT · Thursday at 01:47 PM

14 hours ago, Cfhandyman said:

I’m loving the idea of naming our putters. So far we have orange, red, black, blue and green. I have this blue beauty

So I need help and input on what we should name this bad boy. So far, I’ve come up with the following: Blue Devil, big blue, blue thunder, Excalibur and gimme the blues. What do people think or what would you suggest? I’m open to suggestion.

How ‘bout just Blue? As in,

cnosil · Thursday at 01:39 PM

1 hour ago, cnosil said:

Yes, one of the testing requirements is to see if you can destroy your DF3. I think @GolfSpy SAMshould evaluate it with his since he has a 2.1 to fall back on

I’ll be cutting mine open immediately to see if it’s REALLY filled with goo, or perhaps hidden Korean technology.

Steve F · Wednesday at 05:51 PM

3 minutes ago, downlowkey said:

Get outta here with your spell breaking nightmares. Show a little reverence for that magical period between order and delivery of a new putter, when @GolfSpy MPR is free to believe anything (including infinite 1-putts) is possible?

He's Scr3aming about all the one-putts, that's all

ejgaudette · Wednesday at 05:36 PM

I don't know if Munch had red hair, but this made me laugh out loud. I call it The Scr3am.

The Scr3am.jpg

Cfhandyman · Wednesday at 04:42 PM

12 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

I'm assuming as opposed to the other, which is Left Conan? I'm laughing. And then I'm stopping, before I have to ban myself for talking politics.

That's why I capitalized the "right", as it made me laugh twice. Both in "correct" and "republican" - while I can't tell you O'Brien is for sure on the left, I would guess.

By the way, if you haven't had a chance to check out "Conan Must Go"'s first episode in Norway, it's shockingly funny, especially if you're a Conan fan (not RIGHT Conan, mind you).

Northern Monkey · Wednesday at 04:23 PM

7 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

The advantage of the name Conan is that I'd have a ready excuse when I gas one way past the hole: "Nuts! Wrong Conan!"

or...RIGHT Conan.

MattWillGolf · Wednesday at 04:21 PM

1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

This is absolutely going to have to factor into our reviews.

I have a fairly well-earned reputation around here as a budget golfer. To be sure, I have a lot of gadgets, but they are almost all either from eBay or (more recently) through connections that I've developed in the online golf community that have resulted in some very generous people/companies sending our family gear that we would never plan to purchase ourselves.

With the TPT shaft and counterbalance setup, my DF3 is going to have a website price over $1,000. For me, in my position, I don't know that there is ever a situation in which I would remotely consider spending that kind of money on a putter. When I've bought putters (again, most often on eBay or Callaway Pre-owned), I typically targeting a max price of $125. My Evnroll Midlock was an eBay purchase for $235; I believe that is the most I've ever spent on a putter.

Here's why I think a review like this matters: there are some guys in golf for whom money seems to be no object. If the DF3 is all it seems to be, they're happy to spend $1,000 to save a stroke or three a round. And for some, it doesn't even have to save strokes: some guys just like buying toys.

For my part, I'm generally grateful for those guys: without them, the secondary market wouldn't exist. In three years, they're going to want another toy, and their current putter will be on eBay or Second Swing or Facebook Marketplace.

For my part, then, I want to write this review about my experience with the performance of the DF3 (counting myself incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to get a putter that would otherwise not be accessible to me). If the putter performs well, I hope there are some who read the review and go and buy a L.A.B.

But then, three or four years from now, I'm hoping someone is scouring eBay for a used L.A.B., and is wondering if he should pull the trigger, and maybe he comes across this thread, and it helps him also make an informed decision.

I really love this point of view, as I'm in the exact same position. While I have purchased new clubs (most recently a 3/5 Cobra LTDx Max), they're always either used or several iterations old. My purchase, after trade-in, of both of those FANTASTIC (and literally new) clubs was $150. That's very much within my budget. But $750? Not so much.

It's one of the reasons I felt so extremely (and honestly, eternally) grateful for being selected to test two years ago - it was something that I just genuinely would never have had the chance to try, let alone put in the bag. I would wager there's a way larger percentage of people on our side of the fence than on the side of "I don't care what it costs, I'm going to find a way to do it." And there's room for both of us at the party, which is awesome.

If the DF3 works out for me, I honestly don't see myself parting ways with my beloved 2.1 - especially now that the wife and kids got me the Alien Headcover for my birthday last week. But who knows, in 2-3 more years, I could be ready to pass it on to someone looking for a way into the L.A.B. ecosystem at a fraction of the cost. And even just the thought of that makes me really happy, of being able to spread that joy and excitement that I've had with the putter to someone else.

Anyway, just mostly wanted to jump on the bandwagon of this thought-process, as I super appreciated the reviewer saying that he couldn't see spending that much money - it's a very honest take. That being said, I've saved WAY more strokes with my 2.1 than with any new Driver, 3 wood, 5 wood or iron set I've ever had. So...the argument is there that it IS worth it.

That's me, talking in circles once again

Also, as for names, right now I'm leaning towards the obvious "Green Arrow" references - Oliver Queen is a bit wordy (and a little too inside-baseball).

I could go straight up Green Arrow.

I could go Robin Hood.

What am I missing?

MattWillGolf · Wednesday at 04:09 PM

1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

I was also thinking about giving my putter a name. Given the color I've chosen, I'm kicking around names of famous redheads, either historical or fictional. (Just for my part, I'm going to exclude actresses, etc.)

I'm also open to groan-inducing puns.

Early leaders: van Gogh or Weasley. Not a huge Harry Potter fanboy myself, but Weasley just seems like a fun putter name.

Please don't forget the greatest comedic redheads of all time - any of these would be an option, as far as I'm concerned:

Carol:

Lucy:

And of course, Conan:

Wednesday at 03:56 AM

For anyone thinking about joining this paritcular club, a good deal going on until Monday April 29:

FallenSaber · Tuesday at 11:34 PM

3 minutes ago, BrianVT said:

Anyone can write a paper; not anyone can write a good one. That's the point.

If that recent post up above that just came through is an example of a review that gives you the 'trust" to have him test and review something, wowzers...

It seems clear you don't agree with the testing selection process, and honestly, that's totally fine. But there is a method to the madness, and it's nothing as nefarious as "ad revenue and other similar targets." Someone posting "cool!" or "I like this" 50 times is not the same thing as someone posting about their recent round, asking a question about gear, asking advice on a swing (believe it or not, a lot of people give advice about someone's swing based on a video of it, including a lot of highly-paid coaches), etc. While it ISN'T about quantity, it's a basic guidepost we use to see how involved someone is. Ironically, your back and forth here on this thread, despite perhaps feeling combative at points, is the kind of discussion and liveliness that we (as forum staff) LOVE. It honestly helps illuminate the process even more, which we're all about. It's why we posted the "How to be a tester" post in the first place, and why it constantly gets brought up again and again, as it's all laid out right there.

I totally understand where you're coming from, raising a family and working, and a golf forum might not fit in with that schedule. I have two kids of my own, and once school is over, it's non-stop until bedtime, and by then, I'm usually exhausted and want to crawl into bed. That being said, I have a desk job with JUST enough down-time to keep a tab on things and poke my head into various threads to see what's happening. But for a lot of people, that's not an option, and god bless you - no sarcasm.

If and when you're interested in joining a community of a bunch of genuinely passionate golfers, come on back - we'll be here with even more testing opportunity, because the people here who are picked for testing, LOVE it, and want to do even more.

Appreciate your viewpoint, and hopefully you can recognize the passion that people have for this place (that sometimes MAY come out aggressively ).

Josh Parker · Tuesday at 09:25 PM

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_BEN said:

I need the slope and course rating for this course. Much appreciated!

71.6 / 125 (orange tees). Sorry about that!

Cfhandyman · Tuesday at 09:20 PM

Date	04/22/2024
Course Name	Soule Park
Gross Score	86
Course Handicap	9
Gross Strokes over/under par	14
Net Score to Par	5
Net Score	77
Net Birdies or better	0
Longest Drive	0

Another "what if" round, lol. Struck the ball SO well, in general, especially off the tee where I seem to have figured a little something out to give myself a lot more fairways.

As @Syks7 said in his "How'd you play" post, the course is just a delightful test of making sure you put yourself in the right places. There were at least two holes, in particular, where I was faced with effectively an impossible shot (for instance, left myself on the right side of a green that funnels HARD from that side down to the left, with the pin placed halfway down the hill. Only way to stop it would have been to bang it off the stick (which I missed by about 2" - my ball went right over the right edge of the hole), and even then I'm not sure it really would have helped much), and paid the price for it.

Not to mention the hole that effectively broke me, lol, the par 4 16th, where I left my drive out to the right, and had to either punch it back to the fairway and take my most-likely-bogey, or (and this is the brilliant choice I made (smh) ) try to snap hook a five-wood 210 yards around a huge tree. Yeah, so, that went OB, and then I was so pissed about that I flubbed the next one from 110 into the gorge that the first one went into. So...not a great QUAD (not sure there IS a great quad, but yikes).

Anyway, I'm a HUGE fan of this course - it's VERY gettable if you miss in the right places, and I did a good job of that most of the day. But the few places I missed bad, I really paid the penalty.

Can't wait to get back

Scorecard didn't ask for it, but longest drive was 289 (and I still bogeyed the hole, lol. Stupid being right instead of left...)

Josh Parker · Tuesday at 06:42 PM

A very happy birthday present to me - I've already told the testers, but figured I'd share here, too. Due to some VERY unforeseen (and happy) circumstances, I'll be joining in on the fun (not as an official tester by any means, but more as a happy co-participant)

This was ordered yesterday (white Accra shaft, white pistol grip). To say I'm excited is a VAST understatement.

cksurfdude · Tuesday at 05:42 PM

5 hours ago, JoeCool said:

I had a hard time getting my video to a low enough resolution to fit their request. When I take a video with my iPhone, it comes out way too big! Do you have an easy solution for that?

So, I just tried to record a 5-second video clip with my iPhone (13 Pro, if that matters), with settings from 4k 24 (my standard) down to HD 30, and all of them came in over the 5mb limit.

So, I found this site here: https://invideo.io/tools/compress/video-compressor/ - just upload your file to that, select the "medium" compression, and my 4k file went from 12mb to 2.5mb in about 3 minutes, total.

It's easy, it's free, and you don't have to sign up for anything (always an added bonus).

Hope that helps!

Lefty11 · Tuesday at 04:36 PM

On 4/21/2024 at 8:18 PM, CB Lobo 4 Life said:

Hey Jamie,

I have been wanting to comment on this for days now. Mostly because after being selected as one of the testers I did as all good golfers do and sought out the intelligence of the YouTube world regarding how these irons did. From the videos that I saw the only issue that any of those individuals (Peter Finch & Matt Fryer) stated was the sole interaction. In their assessment of the irons, there was concern that the irons created a lot of digging due to the sole and leading edge being sharp. I do feel that to some degree they are right a little bit. Let me explain.

When you look at the sole of the MB's for example you will see a very standard sole with standard bounce and the leading edge is pretty square. Which for softer conditions could be more difficult for softer turf conditions. However, I feel personally that these clubs (speaking of the MBs, the CBs will be better in this department) have really good turn interaction. As good or better than most if not all irons I have played. Some may struggle with the MB's in the turf interaction department though, if for instance, you have more of a steep swing this could cause an issue. Yet this is not exclusive to the Haywood irons. "Blade" irons in general are more difficult to hit off the turf for most golfers and those with a steep swing. For me, I don't see an issue with the turf interaction. Mostly because the leading edge and larger footprint of both sets just give me so much damn confidence.

I do have one caveat to this question though and that is one thing, V-SOLE. Of any iron set, I have ever played (TM Rac OS, Cobra AMP, TM P760 & 770) the Haywoods I can honestly say beat out these previous irons sets when it comes to how well they play out of the turf. Now, if you bring my Srixon iron set to the party that is where the fight begins. That V-SOLE on the Zx7 MKII & Z Forged II set is incredible. There have been times in the past playing with them where I don't even recall grass being there on some shots. Now, more tests need to be done, and I plan on a full 18 round play through with the two irons head to head to compare near the end of the test, but suffice it to say that for now, the Srixon irons do edge the Haywoods ever so slightly in this way. I am excited to continue answering questions for you all and add more to my post here in the coming days!

For a comparison of the Haywood and Srixon soles see below:

Srixon 8 Iron (Z Forged II "V-SOLE")

Haywood 8 Iron

Interesting to me that the Haywoods are so head-and-shoulders above the other sets you mentioned, turf-interaction wise. Are you pretty steep? I am, which is why I ask - and I've used (AND LOVED) the V-Soled Srixons a few times and gotten along with them really well. The Haywoods are very high on my list of MB/CB's that I'd consider going for, so great to see that they're doing well by you, but a direct comparison against the Srixons would make for some great reading

rkj427 · Tuesday at 02:05 AM

11 minutes ago, JoeCool said:

It’s been a week and no news. I even sent an email asking the same question and no answer. I’m afraid they didn’t get the video.

Joe - they actually did have an error in processing videos - the testers experienced the same thing. I’d recommend going ahead and sending it again along with a note saying you submitted last week but wanted to double check they got it.

tdroma98 · April 21

@RTH1 - This picture is INCREDIBLY informative - thank you for thinking of taking it like this! Such a simple and effective picture showing the differences.

Great work!

Willie T · April 21

First of all, @Willie T - LOVING the updates you've been posting in here. Legitimately my favorite part about coming into a thread I haven't checked in on in a while is to find the 6-week test turning into a long-term test with updates like this. Absolutely killer info!

And actually, one of the reasons I wanted to come in here was to do a bit of the same. I played on Friday at one of my favorite courses in my area - links-style course designed by Gil Hanse, where there are tons of shaved-down areas around the greens, forcing you to either putt it 80-100 feet, or chip something with some spin and get it to roll out closer to the correct shelf the pin is on. Well...the Indi 56 is just a shot-making joy to use. The amount of spin I was able to get was pretty incredible, and the TP5 Pix I was using made it pretty clear just how much spin was being imparted.

Shot of the day was a 35 yard spinner that I had to land on top of a shelf that was 10' above my feet, and then checked hard and trickled down past the hole to about 18" - the ball was thrown back to me by my playing partner with "I know you don't usually do gimmes, but that was ridiculous."

I took it

Anyway, it's gotten to the point where I just love using these wedges, and as my technique gets better over time, these wedges have continued to shine.

Playing again tomorrow on another Hanse design with similarly styled greens, so excited to report back with any more "wow" type shots

MattF · April 18

1 hour ago, StrokerAce said:

it's this guy's birthday? happy b d @GolfSpy SAM !

Where the hell did you find that picture? Lolololol.

Thanks, all! No golf today for me - playing tomorrow at Rustic Canyon (with none other than @Syks7 and @Billy The Kid Rogers) and then again on Monday at Soule Park in Ojai on Monday. I'm a lucky man to have this community to brighten my day every day, but especially on a birthday spent working

Northern Monkey · April 17

12 minutes ago, GolfSpy AFG said:

True, but distance is a huge enabler to lower scores. The closer you are on approach, and with increased speed in general, you can put shorter clubs in your hand. Proximity to hole in turn goes up, meaning more makeable putts.
Not disagreeing with you, you can absolutely play to a scratch driving it 250, but it’s easier to do it driving it 270. It’s why I feel speed training is almost a must-do if your really want to lower your score to the fullest extent possible.

Having played with guys who I outdrive by 40-50 yards (driving it 270-ish), but who beat me by 10 strokes, I can attest that distance isn't everything, lol. While I personally wouldn't want to give up 30 yards, for most of the courses I play, hitting the middle of the fairway 240-250 out is going to lead to WAY better scores than hitting it 275 in the rough behind a tree. I'm clearly in the "lesson" camp on this one, lol, as I tend to lose SO many strokes off the tee - one of the reasons I've had to work so hard at my chipping/putting over the past few years, as my driver woes seem to plague me week to week. On the bright side, I've gotten shockingly good at punching out with a 5-iron/5-wood. That's a skill I wish I didn't have to have, though.

pete1276 · April 16

On 4/15/2024 at 11:54 AM, pete1276 said:

This is a good thread. I like a good story. Mine is rather simple, but it will remain one of my top golf memories of all time. My wife and I took a trip to Scotland 6 years ago. I somehow convinced her for us to stay a night in St. Andrews. I didn't have a tee time, I really just wanted to see the property. I knew about the standby line from research, and I was going to give it a shot, but I wasn't keeping my hopes up.

We got to St. Andrews on a Sunday and walked the property of the Old Course since it's closed on Sundays and is basically just a big park. It was great seeing all the landmarks, where all the greats stood. I got a picture on the Swilcan Bridge and Hell Bunker. It was a good day.

My plan was to go to bed early and head out to see if I could get in the standby line around 4:00 AM, but I couldn't sleep that night. I was still a little jet-lagged, so I decided to get up, get dressed, and take a walk down the standby line around 1:45 AM. When I arrived, there was already one person waiting, I was a bit surprised that I wasn't the first that early in the morning, but I was still happy that I was only the second in line.

It was a long night, and I spent time reading and trying to sneak in a nap here and there on the uncomfortable bench. Meanwhile, people would show up from time to time. The next person after me didn't show up until around 3:30, but it started to pick up after that. Eventually, the doors opened at a little after 7:00 AM and the line had significantly grown. I imagined there were about 40-50 people in line hoping to get to play the Old Course. We were informed that there were currently only 2 guaranteed spots for the day and 2 projected spots. I was really glad I had shown up early.

I gave them my name and GHIN card to prove I was worthy to play the course. At the time, I was a 13 handicap, which was still well within their requirements, but I was still nervous that I could be turned away. They gave me a 10:30 tee time and I had time to freshen up and grab breakfast with my wife before heading back to the course. I got there to check in about 45 minutes prior to my tee time hoping to warm up, but I did not realize that the driving range was not close to where I was and was accessed by shuttle. Not knowing how long it would take to get there and back, and not wanting to risk missing my tee time, I decided to stay around the first tee. I was able to chip and putt before my group was called to the tee.

Everyone in my group hired their own caddie, my caddie's name was Christopher and we got along nicely. I was nervous as could be when Christopher recommending that I hit my 5-wood of the first tee. I took the club and favored the left side since OB loomed right. Off we went and I started to get into the groove. Christopher was an excellent greens reader and I didn't question his reads even when I read it differently. This payed off early in the round on the second hole where I went with his read rather than my own and sunk an 8 foot birdie putt. It was a dream start going par-birdie-par-par-birdie through 5 holes. I had a few bumps on the front 9 but I still managed to hold it together for the most part.

The front nine was almost all downwind...then we turned into it. The wind was blowing a constant 15 mph. The only things we had working for us was there weren't a lot of gusts, it stayed relatively dry, it wasn't too cold, and the sun even peaked out from time to time.

The back nine was pretty uneventful, except for one par 5 on the back where my caddie handed me a three wood to hit into the green on my second shot and just told me to keep it low. I struck it pure with a low draw. It rolled up to the front corner of the green. My caddie looked at me and said, "now that's a golf shot." I had a hint of pride on that shot that carried me through the rest of the round. The road hole was interesting, and I was able to keep the ball in play down the stretch.

I eventually made it onto the 18th green and had a 12 footer left to save par. I noticed a small crowd watching around the green, and my wife was there filming my finishing hole as well. I drained the putt and gave a fist pump. I finished with a 78, which was my personal best at the time. As a 13 handicap, I had never broken 80 before that day.

I got to play one of the most iconic golf courses in the world and break 80 for the first time all at once. It was a dream, and I was floating on air for the rest of the trip.

Even though it was a simple story, I didn't really realize how much there was to tell until I started writing. If you managed to make it through, thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope I was able to share a little joy with you from my favorite golf memory.

Thanks so much for sharing - what an incredible story to have! Thanks again!

sirchunksalot · April 16

Two years in, my 2.1 is still kicking ass - THRILLED to see what this group experiences with the 3.0 (and yes, I'm a little jealous, but that's normal when a new kid is born into the family - the big bro gets a little jealous )

Please just include gratuitous videos of the ball-picker-upper in slow-mo, plesae

TJ Hall · April 14

1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

One photo update: from yesterday, we made a copycat recipe for Chick-Fil-A chicken, with buttermilk biscuits. We added strips of bacon, and then maple syrup mixed with chipotle hot sauce.

They were incredible!

...I think we're all coming to your house next year for Masters week Wow!

cksurfdude · April 11

2 hours ago, EasyPutter said:

We are out of the 50s and into the 40s!

49 today and counting!

Month and a half my friends

For those of you who don’t read “Fancy Schmancy,” he said: “

We are out of the 50s and into the 40s!

49 today and counting!

Month and a half my friends

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