GolfSpy SAM
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Posts posted by GolfSpy SAM
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1 hour ago, Golf2Much said:
On August 6th I messaged @GolfSpy TCB mentioning that with the NBA now planning a mid-year tournament and the Ryder Cup fast approaching, maybe we should have a VCT mid-season tournament. He quickly responded that we were on the same wavelength, and he already proposed a format which was the structure of this Match Play Tournament. We quickly filled in a couple of blanks, created some structure and divided up the roles. GolfSpy TCB would serve as the commissioner, and I would be responsible for scoring (as in the previous two tournaments). Five days later the MyGolfSpy VCT Four Person Team Match Play Event was announced.
To our surprise, the response was overwhelming. Over the next two weeks, the captains raised their hands, teams were formed and creative team names and logos were developed. Finally, as September 1st approached, captains made their pairing choices and week one kicked off with 64 golfers, 16 teams and four divisions. I don't know about the rest of you, but I found the team banter fun to read and it made me even more excited about playing in this event!
After week one, our commissioner needed to step aside due to unforeseen circumstances. I volunteered to be the assistant commissioner and do the scoring to keep this puppy going! I want to thank all the captains and participants for your patience. We made it through the last two weeks of divisional play and the semi-finals last week without a major incident!
In reading many of the comments on this thread over the last few weeks, I appreciate all the kind words directed my way. However, I can't take the credit. If it wasn't for GolfSpy TCB's vision and determination, this event would not have been possible.
So, I think it's only fitting that we dedicate this week's final matches to Commissioner GolfSpy TCB! Without him, we would not have had the opportunity to compete with our fellow forum members from around the world in this type of match play event.
Thank you, Commissioner @GolfSpy TCB...these finals are for you!
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31 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:@GolfSpy SAM I think we are hitting the theater on Friday for Paw Patrol! When the first one came out during the COVID craziness, the tiny little theater in my hometown would let you rent out the ENTIRE thater for $15 plus your ticket and concession fees, so we did that and the kids loved it lol. Not a fancy theater by any means, but our oldest who was 3 at the time felt like a big shot
Oh man, I really, REALLY love that they did that. That's incredible. Going to the theaters is absolutely one of my favorite things, and I've missed it SO much - not just with Covid, but being far enough away from family that we don't have any built in (free) sitters. So going to a movie AND paying for a sitter ends up being way out of budget for something as silly as a movie. Tuesday nights are like, $6/ticket, so it felt like a pretty fun reason to get back in the habit. The little guy LOVED it - it was really awesome. "Can we go back to the movie theater to watch Paw Patrol again tonight???" he said when he woke up
- sirchunksalot, GolfSpy_BEN, RockerFCC and 7 others
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Morning, friends! Took the kids to see Paw Patrol in the theater last night - our littlest one's first time in a real movie theater. Pretty awesome to be back - one of my favorite things on the planet when I was single was taking a day off and hitting multiple movies in a day
Saw this just now on a FB golf group, and I thought you'd all get a kick out of it, too.
Happy Wednesday, and may all your hump day dreams come true 
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So, Friday was my first round after the "Most Wanted" article dropped, and all I can say is the near-chip-in (like, ugly lip-out) that led to par, the chip-in on a par-3 for birdie, and the several 100-yard-and-in shots I put within 10-20 feet were evidence enough for me to know that if a wedge isn't properly fitted to you, it may not be as easy as pulling from stock and having it be amazing. Now, to be fair, I've not played the MG4's, or any of the other wedges (with the exception of the prior version of the K-Sig wedges), but I can easily imagine that buying stock without knowing your specs (which I most definitely did not before my fitting at Indi) would make it near-impossible to accurately get something that felt "dialed" from stock.
I also wonder, and this is pure conjecture, if the larger-head and full-face grooves of the Indi were off-putting compared to a "smaller" profile of the standard wedges.
Anyway, I'm a HUGE fan of mine, and won't be swapping them out anytime soon
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Just a fun little update, even if I wasn't a tester on this year's test
Over the last two weeks of play (two Fridays), I've broken 80 both times (first and second time ever, mind you), and made 100' of birdie putts on the first Friday, and made a 40' putt this past outing, as well as two knee-knocker 12-15' putts for par to keep my round going, and finally a 12-ish eagle putt on 18 for my first-ever eagle (I may never get tired of posting about this - apologies in advance).
I also left three birdie putts about 2 or 3 rolls short of the hole on the front 9 of Friday's round.
The DF is my very best friend. I've really come to realize the thing I love most about it is that it frees me up from thinking about 'stroke' and just allows me to concentrate fully on reading the green and pace. I no longer have to think about HOW I'm going to hit it - just step up and hit it, and assuming I did good work on the line, I've got a really good chance of it falling.
That's all Go about your business.
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22 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:
Sounds like you need the cameras on more often!
Maybe we bring a recording team to Bandon to capture the magic.
Hah! I was going to offer to bring my kit and try and shoot some high quality stuff anyway, but you're right. We need a full team. Drones, steadicams, b-roll, the works
- GolfSpy_BEN, Vegan_Golfer_PNW, Preeway and 1 other
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I recapped most of this in the VCT thread, but I'm so sorry but I need to talk about it some more, lol.
So last Friday I played a round where for the first time I broke 80, and did so with five birdies. I've never done either (most birdies I've ever carded in one round is two), and I've lived on the memory of that round all week.
And then today happened. I started with a double, and then a par, and jokingly said to @Syks7, "now that I've doubled the first, I'll probably play great." Apparently my subconscious was listening.
+5 thru 9, which wasn't great, but I was striking the ball pretty well, and left 3 birdie putts short by a few inches each, so I was giving myself some looks.
And then the back 9: rattled off 5 straight pars, and then hit a beebee with my Caley 3-iron (driving iron) to the back of the green, on a 211-yard par-3. Left the 50' putt about 8' short (not a great effort), and then had the par-putt do a full 200° turn around the hole and settle 2" from the hole. Ouch.
On the next (16th), I made a 40' putt, which somehow felt like karma making it back up to me.
I made a (for me) ridiculous sand save on 17 to keep me at even on the back, and then got a nice gift on my drive on the par-5 18th: hit a cart path (presumably) and it rolled it to 321 yards, leaving me 189 in. I nutted a 6-iron to about 12(ish) feet, and then drained the eagle putt for my first ever eagle, and my first ever 9 under par.
It was... Crazy. I was shaking like I'd just won an award or something, lol.
Anyway, finished the 18 with a +3, 75. Still kind of can't believe it was real, except @Syks7 (I made him, btw, because I wanted it recorded JUST in case I finally made one) recorded it for me.
So here it is: my moment of Zen.
(I start walking not because I was "walking out in," mind you, but because I thought I'd over-read another putt and was going to walk over and tap it in, lol. That reaction is absolutely unplanned.)
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3 hours ago, EasyPutter said:
Date 09/28/2023 Course Name Concord Crest GC Gross Score 87 Course Handicap 22 Gross Strokes over/under par 16 Net Score to Par -6 Net Score 65 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 208 VCT Match Play 
Nice, buddy! Congrats! What tees did you play from? Blue, white or gold? Course handicap changes from each one - Blue = 22, White = 19, Gold = 13.
Awesome round!
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Date 09/30/2023 Course Name Encino Golf Course Gross Score 75 Course Handicap 9 Gross Strokes over/under par 3 Net Score to Par -6 Net Score 66 Net Birdies or better 7 Longest Drive 321 VCT Match Play Good lord. So, apparently breaking 80 last week wasn't good enough, and so I decided to go out today and best it by three more strokes.
I'm overwhelmed with how I'm feeling right now, to be honest, but let's put it this way: I was -2 on the back 9, including my first eagle (ever) on the 18th.
It felt INCREDIBLE.
The lowlights: two doubles on the front 9. Mostly just got out of position from the tee, and paid the price. Also a bogey on the 15th after leaving a 50+ foot putt 10' short, and then the next putt circling the putt about 200° and exiting left out of the hole. That one hurt.
The highlights: a chip-in birdie on a par three that I just missed the green on. A 40' birdie putt on 16 (on the hole immediately after the lip-out, which felt like karma, lol). A 12-ish foot putt for par for a sand save on 17. And then a 321 yard drive (thanks, I'm pretty sure, to a VERY generous cart path bounce) on 18, followed by a legit-perfect 6-iron from 189 to about 15 feet for eagle.
And then...this
Thanks to @Syks7 for coming out and for filming the Big Bird - thanks for being such an awesome partner. Here's to more rounds together!
-GolfSpy SAM (Matt)
- BNewton51, Cfhandyman and Syks7
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1 minute ago, GolfSpy BOS said:
Thank you @Golfspy_CG2 and Titleist for coming up with another awesome event for me to lose! I look forward to having high hopes going into Saturday only to be deflated and well out of the running by Sunday AM!
But you can't win if you don't try right!?
You also can't win without answering the tie-breaker questions.
- Nick_D, TSauer, Josh Parker and 2 others
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Yeah, baby!!!! It's on!
What Player Will Have the Most Points: Scottie Sheffler
What Player Will secure the Clinching Point on Sunday: Xander Shauffele (Souflee? Shikaka? White Devil?)
Thanks to Titleist and @Golfspy_CG2 for setting this up!
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So, listen: I know, I know, it's TOO EARLY (whining sounds) to start thinking about this stuff.
But, and hear me out here, what if it isn't?
Exactly.
So I figure let's start a space where we can compile things we're thinking about getting the kids, the spouses, ourselves, etc. I'll start:
https://www.costco.com/arcade1up-pac-man-partycade-12-games-in-1.product.4000204022.html
The kind of thing I DESPERATELY wanted as a kid, small enough to hang on the back of a door or in a playroom, has 12 games (including GALAGA!) and is sub-$200. I've got a 7-year old and a 3-year old who need to be schooled in the ways of old
I mean, RIGHT?! (Also available is an NBA-Jam version that includes three different variants of one of the greatest arcade games ever made, but I think I'd rather go Pac-Man old school than NBA Jam. I know, it's like choosing which baby lives.)
What are you thinking about for your kids/spouses? Anything good that we should take a look at?
Sound off here!
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2 hours ago, billpierce said:
After reading sounds like I need to take a deeper look. And I was just about to pull trigger on takomo skyforger lol
I get it, right? I've heard mixed things on the Skyforger wedges - look at address being the main cause for concern (very rounded front edge). If that suits your eye, however, I've heard literally nothing bad about Takomo's other clubs, so might be worth a flyer.
I'll say that the Indi wedges have, so far, completely over-performed (with the exception of spinning considerably more than I'm anticipating, but that's literally what they're designed to do, so that's user error more than club error
). I'll be super curious to see the Edison wedge results, as well, as those have a similar design theory (more mass above center line to raise MOI and lower flight, raise spin, etc.), but a different sole.
It's so great that there are THIS many options for DTC consumers - seriously a great time to be a golfer (especially a golfer on a budget).
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Duration: 01:02:02
Ryder Cup week predictions, a catastrophic fire that took the lives of 10 golf ball factory employees, the lawsuit to follow, and how viral golf videos seem more... aggressive? Chris and Tony get into it and then some on this week's NoPuttsGiven. Let's get into it. Looking for something specific in today's episode? CLICK MORE
0:00
Welcome back
0:50
Ryder Cup Week
7:07
Launch Tech fire
14:44
Ben Hogan
15:58
Runway golf course
16:41
Tantrum golfers
19:11
Launch Monitors
25:00
Mizuno drivers
36:00 Ryder Cup swag
43:47
Aftershow -
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7 minutes ago, Golf2Much said:
There you have it! After three weeks of hard fought team match play, four teams have made it into the playoffs.
The semi finals are as follows: Duckboat Vol 2.0 take on Sharky Mac'n Swans. In the other match, The Distinguished Gentlemen take on The Muscle Backs.
Unlike the previous two weeks, all the matches will be individual. So, no teams for this and the finals next week. Captains, please post the order in which you want your team members to go out. As in the past weeks, you have until Sunday (September 24) to play your round and Monday (September 25) to post it.
This should be exciting.
Hey, guess what? You're a LEGEND for getting all this done!!
Also, I broke 80 for the first time in my life, so I'm not going to let a little thing like getting ABSOLUTELY BURIED by @MsWalkrOfSkyand team ruin my fun
Congrats to the groups moving on! I'm playing Friday and am available to pinch-hit if anyone needs A GUY WHO IS CAPABALE OF BREAKING 80, Baby!!!
- JohnSmalls, rkj427, USMCSnyper and 5 others
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5 minutes ago, Shrek74 said:
Nice job on that 78!! Can add Break 80 to your banner list now.
If you can post that Crossfield video from YT, that would be great. I've gone to a more square stance in my chipping too and I feel like it's done wonders for me. Very few chunks and thins since making this switch. I got some good stuff from the earlier Good-Good instructional videos (before everyone left and it turned to
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4 minutes ago, Willie T said:Awesome update @GolfSpy SAM! Will need to check out Crossfield’s video as I want to get more confident with the 50 at longer distances.
I'm a REALLY big fan of his - and his teaching style. It really just "clicks" for me, the way he presents it.
- Willie T, billpierce, Nunfa0 and 1 other
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Just a quick update for this journey with the Caley's. Most of you won't know this, but my goal for this year was to break 80. I broke 90 for the first time last year, and the combination of lessons and hard work was leading to a LOT of mid-80 rounds. I've been working really hard to improve my iron-play, as my putting has been pretty consistent, and my driver's either hot or cold, but I can take that one out of the bag if it's misbehaving
Can't really do that with my irons.
I had three rounds in a row with an 87, but in all three, it felt like I was THISSSS close to doing something special. A couple of bad shots off the tee, a few bad approaches leaving me WAY too long a par putt, etc.
Well, this past Friday, I shot 78. FIVE birdies - not "net birdies," mind you. Actual, full-on, birdies. Granted, my putter was on fire (made over 100' of birdie putts, which is just silly), but I genuinely believe it was my iron play that made all the difference. I just kept giving myself EXCELLENT looks for birdie/par. I managed to "escape" from any trouble I put myself in off the tee. But there's just something about the Caley's - I know I've talked about their turf interaction being magic to me before - but they just inspire such confidence over the ball that I'm GOING to hit it crispy, that I just ... do.
My ONLY "bad" shot with the Caley's was on the 17th tee, into a VERY stiff wind, playing 178. Normally, this would be an easy 6 iron for me, but I was worried the wind would be an issue, so I went with the 5-iron, to ensure I didn't leave it short. Lol. Not a problem - I absolutely PURED it, with some draw spin (shocking, I know), and it bounced (pin high) off a sprinkler head and into the abyss/desert cacti 20 yards past the green. I mean...clearly, I hit it TOO well (lol), but that feels like a mean, mean thing to have happen. Ended up doubling the hole, which hurt, but...all-in-all, it was hard to be too mad at it.
Anyway, I couldn't be more pleased with the set. I find that I hardly EVER use the 4-iron, as I never used it in my old set (like, at all), and instead am opting for the 3-iron D.I. off the tee, which is becoming one of my very favorite clubs on a short 4 or a tight fairway. I've used it a few times off the deck if the lie is good, but I still feel more comfortable with a 5-wood off the deck in comparison, but the flight off the tee with the 3-iron is just SO much more preferred (low, penetrating, not balloon-like at all, especially in comparison to my 5-wood).
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I've been a little absent from the thread - apologies for my MIA behavior, but I have some updates
1. Shot my lowest round ever on Friday, a 78, which included a KILLER up-and-down for birdie with the 56 on a long par-5. Managed to squeak my 3-wood up to the green-side rough, but had an elevated lie where I needed to land the ball (preferably with some spin, as well) in the collar and let it drift forward. Landed it exactly where I needed and left myself 3 feet for birdie, which I holed. On the hole previous, I had 75 yards to the pin (a shot I've been working on a LOT), and used (again) the 56 with a 3/4 swing, and landed it hole-high and it rolled out to about 15' below the hole. Managed to sink that one, as well, so I started the back nine bogey-birdie-birdie, which ... I've literally never gone birdie-birdie on any two holes, so that was pretty spectacular.
2. I've been working a lot on my 100-yard shot, which thanks to an AWESOME Mark Crossfield video, I've switched from trying to hit a full 56 to hitting my 48 (FLX) with my legs directly under my hips (so, making more of a rectangle than a triangle where they'd be under my shoulders - not sure that makes sense in writing, but it makes a ton of sense visually). I've dropped 3 shots pin-high with this routine, and it's led to significantly better dispersion - something you all might want to try. Really, really cool.
3. My biggest transition is figuring out just how much these things spin. Coming from some nearly-3-year-old Kirkland wedges (which I still think is the best value in golf, btw), I'd gotten very good (for me) at using them around the green and judging the roll-out. Well....these Indi's are a completely different beast when it comes to green-side spin, and the first few rounds I was leaving myself 15-20' putts instead of it rolling out to 3-5' like they used to. I mean, they just BITE, and bite hard. However, knowing this (and remembering this, especially in this past round), I was able to put several green-side shots inside 5' (see #1 above), which really, really helped keep my score from ballooning.
4. I'm absolutely loving the ATK grinds on the 52/56/60. Really allows me to go after it and not have to worry about digging. Big fan.
5. Toe-side hits are VERY forgiving, and thanks to the full-face grooves, I notice absolutely no drop-off in spin.
6. I still have a lot of work to do to feel like I'm 100% dialed with these, but the added confidence of being able to get spin on and to be able to fly it closer to the pin and have it STAY close feels pretty spectacular.
That's it
I'll have more to come with each successive round - but happy to report these things are the real deal and, for me, the 48/56 are just absolutely money and have become my go-to clubs from inside 120.
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3 hours ago, PeterHenric said:
So there was a post saying that availability of the driver, balls, and wedges was all supposed to be 11/1. The yellow balls showed up early. I’ll be keeping an eye online for the driver and wedges. Will be purchasing promptly when they are available.
Wedges have been available since late summer - I believe the iron sets are supposed to be coming sooner than later (11/1 was seen somewhere, 11/11 somewhere else).
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Date 09/23/2023 Course Name Hansen Dam Gross Score 78 Course Handicap 11 Gross Strokes over/under par 6 Net Score to Par -5 Net Score 67 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 292 VCT Match Play Designate as Week 3 Match Score Well, it finally happened, ladies and gents.
I broke 80. Given that I was +3 over the last two, you could say I smashed it.
5 true birdies, three of which counted as net eagles, which felt pretty incredible. I made over 100' of birdie putts, I FINALLY birdied a par 5 (it's a mental thing where I end up bogeying them a lot), and I felt like I didn't have any nightmare holes - missed a few makeable par putts, but... More to grow on
If this is the round we lose out in the Match Play with, I'm VERY ok with that result.
2023 goal checked off: now to break 75!
-Matt
- GolfSpy_APH, GolfSpy_KFT, Javs and 1 other
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...I must've been drunk on Swiss miss when I wrote this....
- cnosil and GolfSpy_KFT
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21 hours ago, MsWalkrOfSky said:
Date 09/19/2023 Course Name Hulman Links Golf Course Gross Score 101 Course Handicap 31 Gross Strokes over/under par 29 Net Score to Par -2 Net Score 70 Net Birdies or better 9 Longest Drive 0 VCT Match Play Designate as Week 3 Match Score Wow my front nine was absolutely amazing! I felt like I was playing great. However, the back 9 at Hulman is absolutely my worst nightmare: narrow with trees on both sides, as well as strong doglegs that I can't cut due to high trees. My distance means very little on that back nine, and it shows. I still feel like I put up a good showing for match play this week though, which is good
I also dropped my handicap from 23.7 to 22.1, so definitely a great score! Also, for the record, the greens at Hulman tend to be huge, rolling, and decently quick, leading to a lot of 3 putts, especially when putting from the fringe 
So...wow. Lol. You really wanted to put the dagger in this week, eh? Congrats!!! I'm still picking my jaw up off the ground after looking at that front 9 - we've got our work cut out for us, that's for sure. But hey, who says I can't go out and break 80 this week (for the first time ever)?
Great, great round!
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1 hour ago, pozzit said:
It's been a minute since my last update but well I haven't been able to really get out since I finished the test. I got out for 18 holes on Monday and forced myself to spend 20+ minutes on the practice green getting used to the speed. Overall on the round, I was happy with my putting especially since it had been close to 2 months since I had played ended up with 33 putts which I'm satisfied with. I knocked 2 get approaches to 3' but made them both and only had two 3 putts on the day which was a huge step in the right direction. I lagged pretty well and was pretty confident inside of 8 ft only missing 1 or 2 putts inside that distance.
Love it! Sorry to hear you haven't been able to get out in months (!) - that can be hugely disruptive, so great to see you were still able to lag it pretty well.
Also, for those interested, the LAB Member Review recap is up on the main site: check it out!
https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/lab-putter-review/- TSauer, Josh Parker, GolfSpy_KFT and 3 others
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Happy Wednesday, and may all your hump day dreams come true 
SEASON 2 - WEEK 27 MYGOLFSPY FORUM MEMBER WEEKLY VIRTUAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR (VCT)
in MGS Virtual Golf Tournaments
Posted
Annnnnd I crashed back to Earth, lol. After two rounds in the 70s, back-to-back weeks, this week was a classic case of the driver getting me into trouble. I just couldn't seem to keep it in play the way the last two weeks have worked, so it was a lot of scrambling that eventually caught up to me on the back 9. Shot a 42 front TEN putts (including a putt from the fringe) - putter was fire today, especially through the first 15 holes (19 putts through 15 holes - it was crazy)), but fell apart on the back with a 48.
That being said, got to play with a great friend of mine, and the whole round was light and happy and the kind of fun that I think golf SHOULD be, even if you're not playing up to your potential. Managed to walk the entire 18, despite it being balls-hot, and had some INSANE cramping in my left leg (both the calf and the muscle on the front - shin muscle? lol whatever it's called - at the SAME time) walking down the 18th, but it subsided quickly and only led to a double
Anyway, back at it next week, and eager to get the tee-box figured out before the round.