MNUte

To build off of this, let's use your distances and Bonny from the blues as an example: DR: 275 3W: 240 3U: 230 5I: 204 6I: 193 7I: 180 8I: 168 9I: 156 PW: 147 GW: 125 SW: 115 LW: 105 Hole 1: 457 Yard par 5, straight but tight course. 5 iron off the tee gives you ~ 250 into the green. 2nd shot PW gives you about 105 into the green, i.e. your lob wedge. If you can hit each of those three shots relatively straight, you have a wedge into the green and no major risk of OB. Hole 2: 361 yard par 4, again straight but tight. 5 iron off the tee gives you ~155 into the green. I.e. your shot into the green is your 9 iron. Hole 3: 393 yard par 4, again straight. 5 iron off the tee gives you 188 into the green. Hit your 7 iron and you're right up at the front of the green. Bump and run and at worse you're at bogey. Hole 4: 418 yard par 4, HCP 3 so give yourself an extra shot and treat it as a part 5. 5 iron off the tee gives you 213 in. I.e. two lob wedge shots so that you're not pushing the upper end of your boundary and forcing it. Again, taking the bogey. Hole 5: 518 yard par 5, HCP 1 so give yourself an extra shot and treat it as a par 6. 5 iron off the tee gives you 313 in. I.e. two 9 iron shots, you still can make it GIR and you're not putting yourself in bad spots or trying to force your range. Hole 6: 156 yard par 3. 9 iron to the green. Hole 7: 353 yard par 4. 5 iron off the tee gives you 148 in. I.e. your PW. Hole 8: 355 yard par 4. 5 iron off the tee gives you 150 in. I.e. your PW again. Hole 9: 160 yard par 3. 9 iron up to the front of the green. So there you go. A plan for a straight but narrow front nine without driver or wood and in which you only need to be consistent with five clubs: 5 iron nine times (your tee club), 7 iron once, 9 iron six times, PW three times, LW three times. It won't all go according to plan like that, but it shows that even from the blues you don't necessarily need to use your driver to shoot below bogey golf if your iron and particularly your wedge game get dialed in.

Makes sense! Haven't played Bonny in years. And as for breaking 90, as others have mentioned, course management and minimizing mistakes tends to be the most critical detail. Golf Sidekick has been doing a series of videos on his Youtube Channel centered on his friend and getting him from hovering around 90 to breaking 80. And Rick Shiels just did a video a few days ago as well. The most common trends tend to be: 1. Double check your alignment. Most people aren't actually aimed where they think they are, even taking their shot shape into account. 2. Get locked in around the greens. So keeping your three putts to an absolute minimum, learning how to bump and run consistently, etc. Which leads to the next one: 3. Don't use too much loft around the greens unless you're comfortable and confident that more than 3/4 of your shots will be correctly executed. So instead of using a 58 degree from the front of the green, just use an 8 iron or your putter. 4. Shift your perspective. If you're playing bogey golf, you can add on a stroke to each hole. So the par 4 is actually a par 5 and GIR for you is 3 shots. Similarly, a regulation par is a birdy in regards to your break 90 goal, which is both achievable and confidence boosting. Takes a lot of pressure off your game. 5. Don't play hero ball. If there's plenty of green to the left but the pin is tucked behind a bunker back right with not much green behind, get it on the green. Far easier trying to get a long put close to the pin than a short sided bunker flop. Similarly, learn what shots you're comfortable with and play for those shots. As GS puts it, at the high handicapper level, focus on strokes shaved (i.e. cutting down on dumb avoidable mistakes), not strokes gained. You might not get a birdy every round, but if you all but eliminate the double bogeys and blow up holes in most of your rounds, your scores will be not only better, but more consistent.

That's true. Though even for a collector's item, I couldn't justify that price for something in which there are 3,999 others out in the world. While that is indeed limited, and while value will skyrocket over the years as their numbers slowly diminish, that's still a high price point. Then again, this is why there was the thread on people collecting putters! To some, it just clicks and is their passion and hobby. To cheap a**es like me, it makes no sense!

Hey fellow Salt Laker! Where is this teebox? I'm trying to rack my brain and I can't figure it out for the life of me.

Man, it looks absolutely gorgeous, but I could never justify a putter that costs more than my entire current bag. Even if it gives significant margins of improvement, are those margins that much more significant than even a still incredible putter that's half the cost, i.e. $375?

Yes it is. But to some it can be a fun hobby. SAS and Stacked both have talked about how difficult it is in the past and how it's never a given, but how you can find some great deals along the way. Especially once you start learning where and when to look. I certainly wouldn't take on SAS's challenge of flipping 10 pounds into a 2000 pound bag, but I'd still recommend both channels as a fun way of seeing how others do it.

Congrats on the discovery!!! I think you might want to check out the youtuber SAS Golf, since he does a lot of second hand equipment flipping and makes a point to demonstrate that you can play just as good of golf with older clubs. Sure there are subtle changes in trends and focal points over the years, but for the most part, the manufacturers have been bumping up against the regulations for a while now. As a new Ebay-journeyman, you'd also like his current challenge of starting with 10 pounds and build up to a 2000 pound bag through just noticing good deals and flipping equipment. https://www.youtube.com/c/SASGolf

Mate, in reading through the thread, you seem to make the anchor point yourself and your convenience, even when talking about throwing sticks and staying classy. So that could be a critical block in communication. Others are talking about overall trends or the game as a whole, whereas you're still trying to narrow the focus to how you've been affected. Point 1 (Round Times): Saying anything longer than 3 hours is too long and that even a short delay throws off your rhythm is already asking for trouble. Just using simple math, you're saying anything over 10 minutes per hole is too long. Most local courses I've looked into (and in Salt Lake, there's a lot) have about 12-14 minutes per hole. Thanksgiving Point, which is one of the nicer courses in the valley, sets pace of play to be 4 and a half hours for 18 holes. So your view of fast is up to an hour and a half faster than the courses themselves could be requiring. And again, get about 2.5 to 3 hours and YOUR interest level drops. That's not on the people who are following proper pace of play, still ending an hour fast at 3.5 hours, but are half an hour to an hour slower than you'd like. Point 2 (Equipment shortages): A lot of newbies, youtubers, MGS members, etc have gone on and on about finding older gear that is on the market now. Enough equipment is there. The issues are with regard to NEW equipment. Most new golfers I know who have taken up the game of golf went to Goodwill or a thrift store to get some cheap clubs while they learn. Or, like my wife, they were given a set from friends. There is more than plenty of room if you're willing to bend a little or get creative. Point 3 (Courses): Again, the focus is on courses within your driving cap of 35 minutes. So the caveat and basis is about what is convenient to you. Which is fine, but that doesn't mean there's no room in golf for others. Like you, I don't like driving more than a half hour, but I've done so for openings, events and to golf with family at their home courses. It's not terrible. Point 4 (Golf balls): Again, the focus being on the shortage of golf balls you prefer. If they don't have ProV1s that day, try the other golf balls that are available. Try ordering online, whether that be new ones on amazon or the pga superstore, or reused/refurbished ones from lostgolfballs.com. The costs are up due to COVID (as they are with every resource), but there are still ways to get what you want. Just trying to say take a step back and to not look at it from a matter of your personal convenience. While those definitely affect you, that doesn't necessarily equate to the effect on the game as a whole.

I mean, I can understand why you'd love nailing a great flop or bunker shot with your 3 wood. That's just a little out of my skill range, so I'll stick with the 58.

And we get back to Rhoald Dahl's famous words, "gambling is not a sin....provided that you always win." If I play, it's at most for drinks or lunch cause it forces more time with my partners in a different environment, so just good vibes all around regardless of winning and losing.

I love that some makers have gotten back into printing lofts on their clubs. I genuinely could not care less about the numbers since the lofts can change so much between two "7 irons."

What? You guys don't use your 56° and thin it for putts??? Definitely missing out on the thrill of nailing s 50 footer that way... or a 3 footer for that matter.

I can see people thinking the all-silver look and thinking player's distance iron. I personally don't mind the blue since a lot of other clubs do more glaring visual effects (e.g. I think the Ping G400s look awful). I was deciding between the CBX and the UHXs when I bought my clubs and went with the CBXs more for price and top line. I hit both similarly enough and wasn't bothered by the blue, so I couldn't justify the extra $250 in my head. Glad to hear this new line has continued to build on that and make things fun and easy.

So Cleveland just launched their new Launcher XL irons that are meant to be a replacement for the UHX's. Thoughts? MGS's first look says they're meant to be replacements for the UHX lineup and that they're meant to look more game improvement-y. But to be honest, they look a lot more like my CBX launchers than the UHXs. I'm also really looking forward to some of the Crossfield, TXG and other reviews to see if they're truly that easy to get up in the air. https://mygolfspy.com/cleveland-launcher-xl-irons-go-big-part-iv/

So the Youtuber SAS Golf talks about this all the time. Most clubs have been pushed up against the performance limits for years now, so there aren't massive advancements that can be made year to year. If you have a club from the last five-ish years, you're probably not going to miss all that much in performance. Rather, you're going to find particular trends based on what that year's focus was. So it's more about figuring out what trend and what tech best fits the needs of your swing. My "distance" driver is a Taylormade R1 with a stiff shaft, and I can rip it just as far as I can most clubs from the past year (longest drive with it was 285 total). And my "hurting back, safe swing" driver is a Wilson Triton with a reg flex Aldilla Silver shaft, and it is incredibly forgiving for me. So for a total of $40, I have two clubs that fit my needs almost as well as two "modern" clubs that would cost me $750+ combined.

Exactly. Played a round a few weeks ago with my wife's dad and great-uncle. Her dad and I had 270+ yard drives versus maybe 210 to 220 from her great-uncle ... but we were both outscored because he hit everything dead straight and exactly on the money. . . And oh boy was he chirping at us (in a friendly way) the whole round because "what good are those drivers of yours if you can't hit your other clubs for s***?"

I was going to say grips. My step-F.I.L. plays jumbo grips, and I played a few holes with his clubs versus mine. . . Holy crap, it felt terrible and the results showed. I mentally couldn't get over how off the grips felt in my hands and how off they made even a 50% backswing feel.

Stupidity mostly. My wife and I saw it at a store for over $500 and I told her "I can make that myself for a fraction of the price." .... Yeah, that many tees is about $100 alone, let alone the wood and fabric and the time. But they did love the pieces, so definitely worth it! Especially seeing their faces when they realized I made it for them instead of just buying something.

Whichever one was feeling/working better in my warm up. I only give myself the options of my putter, 8 iron (34 degrees), 48 degree, and 58 degree. And my warm up lets me know which one feels/works best given the conditions and situations that day.

So a fun thing my coaches in other sports reminded me whenever I was in a rut is that "athletes need to be idiot savants." Absolute geniuses who know exactly what they need to do but can let their minds go blank right before a shot and immediately after every bad shot/bounce. The more we stack on our minds, the more things tend to spiral and compound. So slowing your swing down and going back to basics is perfect.

I don't think being selected for a test would make me feel more inclined to donate in and of itself. Being selected for a test would make me feel as though I needed to return the trust MGS was putting in me by putting as much time and effort as needed into writing the best review possible. I think serving the people on here by putting out an incredible review would have far more value than the minor sum I'd be able to contribute. That being said, putting that much time and effort into something is a very personal project that can really create a deep connection. E.g., I spent months making a 5ft by 3ft tee art image of a golfer for my FIL where i had to drill each hole for thousands of tees and insert each tee by hand. Basically a more dense version of the image below. After the last tee was in, I was so proud and relieved and my FIL loved it, so I did another major tee-art piece for my wife's stepdad. Similarly, putting my all into a review for MGS and seeing everyone's responses would be a very strong tie to the board, would probably have me making a lot more unofficial ones and other posts, etc. And THAT connection to the board might get me donating down the road. Tldr; maybe? But not quite directly.

That's a personal question that changes by the player. For me, it's a string of questions based on how I'm hitting it in my warm up. 1. Is my shot shape consistent? I tend to hit a bit of a fade, but my miss tends to be a slice. However, when my back flares up, I can occasionally pull/hook it. If I'm missing in every direction, I just will take my 5 iron off the tee and settle for a nice 200 yard, fairly straight shot. But if my driver is missing in the same direction, I'll move to the next question. 2. Is today's shot shape conducive to the course? Some of my favorite courses are shorter but super tight. So if I'm playing one of them and I'm slicing 40 yards, I'll go with my iron rather than take the OB penalty. If it's a more open course, I'll take out the driver and take advantage of the extra 50+ yards of distance. 3. Once I'm hitting my driver in a round, is it feeling right? If I hit two or three tee shots and it's just not feeling right, that messes with my confidence on future tee shots. Or if it feels good initially, but my last few tee shots to finish the front nine tank. And confidence will affect my results. So I'd rather play a shorter shot the remainder of the round that I'm confident in. All just about knowing your game and knowing what does and doesn't work for you.

So a consistent saying that is found in golf is that "lower handicappers hit easier shots more often and higher handicappers hit harder shots more often." Aka, a lot of them are hitting good tee shots into good positions (fairway or first cut), which gives them easy second shots etc. When their main tee club (most commonly the driver) isn't working, many will use a more consistent club and just adjust their round to being a little shorter rather than longer but constantly OB or in bad situations. I'm with you, for variety and figuring stuff out, I enjoy hitting a bunch of different shots so I can continue learning. But if I'm doing that, I'm acknowledging that I'm risking scoring higher in a round. A lot of better golfers I know don't want that risk because nailing an insanely hard shot feels great, but shooting 10 over their handicap will have them cursing the rest of the day.

It's also worth keeping in mind that there are literally thousands of applicants for almost every test. Therefore, there's a lot of people for MGS to choose from, especially since most of the testers give incredible reviews and definitely earn the opportunity to be chosen again as a proven commodity. Instead of focusing on a single aspect of the Forum (testing), just have fun with the discussions throughout the rest of the forum. I would love to be a tester. And now that I know my lack of a profile picture is dinging my chances, I'll certainly be adding one. But if it doesn't happen, I'm thrilled with all of the gear discussion, training talk, and general fun banter that can be found on here. Tl;dr, Que sera sera, it's about the journey, not the destination, and all that jazz.

Similarly, it hurts the brand and long term sales if you develop a reputation of never having even your new product in stock and people just go elsewhere where they can get a constant supply. Especially with goods that have a frequent rebuy rate like golf balls, razor blades, etc. So it would be an upfront expense initially storing everything to overstock capacity, sure. But it would also be a gamble/expense putting time and effort into a new ball & new marketing and then not having enough of it to get a strong and consistent foothold. There's arguments for both approaches, I was just posting one possibility.