[Printed Yardage Books]

Recreational round with buddies on home course - not needed.

Competitive round - especially on a rarely/never played course - absolutely. 

Guest at a high end course? - get a yardage book.  If you get the opportunity to play a course that's difficult to get access, do yourself a favor and buy the yardage book. Or at least buy the guide book sold at the course. Don;t sq

[How long do you play a ball before retiring it?]

I once played 8 rounds (non-consecutive) with the same ProV1 just to see the results. After 4 rounds, the ball it rather beat up. After 6, ball flight had noticeably changed. More sidespin - less control. After the 8th round, I retired the ball. Still have it.  I sent a note to Titleist on the topic. The cust service rep said 3 rounds. 

Normally, I start each round with a new ball. Starts my day off right. 

If you're on a budget, buy the Maxfli Tour 24 pack - under $3 per ball. Considering the expenses of alcohol, food, and cigars during golf, don't play an old scuffed ball. The golf ball is the most important piece of equipment. 

[When Do You Normally Golf? (Times/Days)]

Spring & summer weekdays, I try to hit the range by 4:30 and tee off by 5-5:15. In the fall, I skip the range and try to tee off as soon as possible - chasing daylight with twilight fall golf.  I also play afternoons on weekends - the crowd thins out and pace of play at my club is better later in the day on weekends.  

Winter - depending on the day.  I live south of Boston - some courses open year round if there's no snow. If the temp is over 40, we're good to go. Winter golf is best mid-day when temps are highest.  A sunny winter day in the 40's with some swing oil and heck, might as well be in Florida.

[loss of distance with colder weather]

I live south of Boston and we have courses open year round when the snow is clear.  

When it gets below 60 degrees, take an extra club. Especially golfers over 50. We're not as flexible. 

Good news is, when the course gets very cold (frozen), 300+ yd drives happen. The ball keeps going on concrete-like fairways. 

Winter golf with a flask of high-test swing oil makes for a great day.

[How long do you keep a pair of golf shoes?]

I play in Mass. Wet spring conditions, humid summers, dry fall season.  To play frequently, one needs at least two pair of golf shoes.

Puma are my go to shoes, although Sketchers have also been great, but the waterproofing didn't last as long.

I have one pair of lightweight spikeless for dry summer days and another pair with spikes for wet conditions.

 

 

 

[Worst courses you've ever played?]

18 hours ago, PrismFlopper said:

Lakeville Country Club. Let’s talk about this subject. If I pay 20$ and under and the course is an absolute dog track then hey what was I really expecting. If it’s cheap then I don’t won’t be offended that the course is terrible. this course charges nice CC prices for an abandon muni tracks.

BUT Lakeville Country Club…. How do I begin. They charge 75$ pp a round and then extra if you want carts. BUT the carts are horrendous and it’s always cart path only. Cart path is a mix between a motor cross track worthy bumps and the cobblestone roads of the North End. 
The COURSE omfg. Sorry for the language but you’ve got to be kidding me. Can’t tell the difference between the fairways and the greens. The beaches of Normandy has less craters than this place. Two separate holes have fairways separated by like 3 yards of “rough” which is more like brush, and the greens are separated by a “bunker”. I could keep going but I’ll stop there.

The club house…. More like old hunting lodge vibes. Your choice of well alcohol. 
The only nice quality of this course is I think it’s like the 16th hole is almost a TPC Sawgrass island green that was cool to play the day I played.

Im still to this day offended at the gall of the people at this course to charge this rate and quality of service.

Hard pass on the Lakeville Country Club - overpriced POS track. Ownership has no pride. Definitely a place to be avoided. 

[what is the proper pace of play when it's packed?]

My club has a number of older, long-time members that feel entitled to play at a slow pace and they NEVER allow faster pace groups to play through. 

Everyone knows the culprits, but unfortunately they're still allowed to book during peak times. I try to avoid playing behind them, but if I'm stuck, I really put the pressure on them by hitting as close to these groups without hitting into them. I do everything I can to make them feel uncomfortable. 

And if I'm able to pass them (via jumping ahead to the open hole), I don't replace the flagsticks in the cup. Instead, I leave the flagsticks on the ground so the slow group gets no pins to look at. 

A-hole move? Solution is easy - let faster players play through. 

If your slow playing group finds the pins pulled, you'll know why. 

 

 

 

[2023 Ryder Cup - Official Thread]

4 hours ago, StrokerAce said:

A big reason Bryson wasn't picked too... not the best "locker room" guy but he gets the job done.

I like the way it's done right now. Gives the captain some control over his team but also rewards the players who've had a good season.
Couples needs to learn to shut his yap; spouting off about Young helped nobody.

Like it or not, camaraderie is a BIG part of success in team events and ZJ had to factor this in when making his picks. 
I thought he did a good job of justifying his selections and am looking forward to the event.

 

You know what makes a great locker room guy? A player that WINS on the course is a good locker room guy. 

[2023 Ryder Cup - Official Thread]

JT and Burns over Glover, Bradley, Young, DJ? 

Thanks Zack Johnson for hosting a popularity contest versus the most deserving players. If you heard Keegan's comments, he was classy, but summed it up perfectly. "Had a great season, but I'm not overly friendly with those guys" - aka has a family and minds his business, but outplayed JT and others.

"Earning" a slot on the Ryder Cup has become a joke. Let's que the music from the show "Friends" and and show JT and Burns with their buddies.

Besides Bradley, Glover, Young, the real losers are the golf fans that won't see the best players. We'll see some of the best players and their friends. 

Why do most of us love golf? Because it's pure. Your score is your score. It's not a popularity contest. 

Let's make this simple.

NO MORE CAPTAINS PICKS - Qualify only.

 

 

[Driving iron or Hybrid ??]

I think it comes down to swing speed.  My driver swing is 95-98, so hybrids are a great choice. 

My son has a 118 driver swing speed. He uses a Ping Crossover 2 iron as his fairway finder. It's a great club if you possess the necessary high clubhead speed. 

[How many wedges do you carry?]

I'm a wedge-man. I love the wedge game.  I carry 4 in the bag. 

56 and 60 degree Cleveland RTX Zipcore wedges are my choice of weapon.  The classic look and feel is perfect. 

Pitching and Gap wedges are part of my Bridgestone Tour B HF2 forges iron set. 

[What's the best tip you have ever received, and how did it change your game?]

I can tell you the best tip I've given when asked by once-per-week players on how to improve.

"Quit Golf"

If you're not going to put in the practice time and physical conditioning, you're not going to improve.  There's no magic words.

 

[What benefits do you find of joining a golf club?]

"Why is divorce so expensive? Because it's worth it."

That applies to joining a club - yes it's expensive, and yes it's worth it.

As a member, I play more often and use the practice areas more frequently. Joining lowered my handicap and I've met a nice group of members when I joined. 

It's nice never having to worry about making a tee time after work. On summer weeknights, I can jump on my course at 5pm and easily get in 9+ holes. 

But there are lots of expenses such as member/guest tournaments, minimum food amounts, and everything else that shows up on the monthly statement - did I really order that many drinks last month?

 

[Best value golf ball?]

Hold on - if a dozen Maxfli Tour balls costs $40, that's $10 if you lose three balls in a round. If you drop down to a non-tour ball at $25 dozen, that's $6 in lost balls in the same round.

Is saving $4 per round worth it?  Putting with a urethane ball is far superior.  Urethane balls check up with wedges around the green. Maxfli offers one of the highest quality balls on the market.

Do a side-by-side putting and chipping test with 3 Maxfli Tour balls and 3 non-tour balls. Suspect you'll have your answer very quickly.

 

 

 

[MyGolfSpy 2023 Golf Ball Test!!!]

LA Golf and PXG need to be included in the golf ball test.

A separate head-to head test: ProV1 - ChromeSoft - TP5 - Z-Star.  

Criteria using Iron Byron: carry, overall distance, dispersion, spin. Run it using 3 swing speed ranges and multiple clubs. This, along with golf ball quality testing puts the golfer in the best ball for his/her budget. 

[The Still Aceless Thread]

I been within 2" about five times, but no cigar.

Holed out a number of times from long range in the fairway  - yeah the eagle feels great, but I'm still chasing the hole-in-one.

My dad got his first ace at 81 yrs old.

[Unofficial Poll - White Pants]

If you show up to play in my foursome wearing white pants or shorts, be prepared to be the butt of low-brow locker room jokes all day.  

 

 

[Have you ever played a course with an "unplayable" hole location?]

one of the muni's I sometimes play at cuts pins anywhere. sometimes less than 18" from the fringe, steep downhill locations, sometimes dead center of the green.

come to find out the guy who cuts the pins never played golf.  clueless.

[Iron head covers!🙈]

No thanks. My bag does a good job of keeping my clubs from banging around. Since I don't resell my old clubs after replacing with new ones, I don't care if there's some nics and dings.

[How often do you practice?]

How much time do you practice compared to the time spent playing on-course?

My weekly practice time is usually 5+ hours short game, 3 hours putting, and 5+ hours at the range. 

Do you only practice prior to rounds or schedule specific practice times like me?

At the end of last season, I started playing more and practicing less...and it hurt my game. Never again will I shortchange myself with less practice. 

[Poll: Driving Range Warmup Before Playing a Round?]

Absolutely warm up before a round. Stretch and a bucket.  Why wait until the 4th hole to get in a groove? Hit the range and roll some putts is always part of my routine before teeing off. 

[Tour Exotics Drivers and Fairway Woods]

Reshafted my TEE ESX 220 driver to a Rappaport Blue (Golfworks OEM version of Virginia Composites shaft). Improved the distance - gives a bit of extra tip-kick the Ventus shaft didn't offer.

 

Overall TEE products are terrific.

[How Do You Organize Your Bag?]

I'm not particular but normally woods / long irons are high in the bag and wedges / putter lowest in the bag. 

 

 

[What’s Your Go To Golf Tee?]

On course: Wood tees - white or natural only.

Why? Like most golfers, I'm superstitious about certain things. I could never use a plastic tee during a round.

 

[How many rounds does a golf ball last?]

I guessing there's other MGS members that tend not to lose a lot of golf balls like myself.

 

Last year, I played a ProV1 for 8 rounds in a row. While the Pro V1 seems like the most durable ball, after 8 rounds, it was really beat up. I just wanted to see how far I could push it. 

 

A couple of the DTC balls I've experimented with are lucky if they last 9 holes. The "Cut" ball was the worst performer. 

 

What are your experiences? Should MGS also examine durability when it conducts ball testing or do most golfers lose the ball before performance degregradion?

 

What's the longest you've played with a single ball?