[First Time Breaking a Milestone]

Thanks!

[First Time Breaking a Milestone]

Broke 70 for the 1st time Saturday after playing 39 years. Starting really working on my game and trying to break this barrier last spring. Herniated a disc in my neck which kept me out for 3 months, but finally got it done. I have a post about it on here somewhere. 

[Finally broke 70!]

Just now, cnosil said:

congrats on breaking the 70 barrier

Thanks!!

[Finally broke 70!]

So, I have been playing on and off for 39 years. I have been capable of shooting in the 70s for probably 36 of them. I used to be a terrible putter, had a terrible temper, and really struggled to shoot below 75. 

About 15 years ago, I decided to get my short game better and get my temper under control. I finally broke par for the first time in 2009 (39-32-71). Now, at age 50, I regularly shoot under 75.

My quest for the last year plus has been to finally break 70. I have had a 70, numerous 71s, 72s, and 73s. Everyone I played with was shocked I had never broken 70. I have had all the pieces physically, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get over the hump (mentally). I just couldn't put it all together.

Until....today. I finally did it. I easily could have shot 67, as I lipped out short putts on 9 and 10. Recently, I had several rounds where I was rolling along through 11 or 12 holes and then would fall apart. I bobbled today on 13 and 14, but kept going. I hit one fat out of a fairway bunker on 14, then knocked it 6 inches away for par from 50 yards. I think I knew then, it might be the day. I actually missed a 15 footer for birdie on 18 just right for 68. Best thing was, it was in a friendly money game and I finished T2 (paid top 2 spots), and won a skin.

So stoked!

[Southeast: KY, TN, NC, SC, AL, GA, FL]

14 hours ago, vagabon68 said:

1.  

2. What is your home course? Milan country club 

Played there a number of times with customers when I lived in the Memphis area. My sales territory was west TN. Had several customers who were members there. 

[Southeast: KY, TN, NC, SC, AL, GA, FL]

1. How long have you been playing golf? 39 years on and off.

2. What’s your handicap or normal score? Scratch to 1

3. What do you love about golf? Not sure, but I do love the challenge of it. I also enjoy building/tweaking my own equipment. 

4. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Not really sure, I stumbled onto this a few years ago, probably looking for equipment reviews. 

5. Do you already know any other Spies? Not sure, probably. 

6. Where are you from? Born in Charleston, SC, but raised in Wheaton, MD

7. What is your home course? Dont have one,  but probably would choose Southampton golf club in St Augustine/St Johns.

8. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? Best: comfortable to play year round. Worst: often wet, lots of afternoon showers spring into fall. Also, why do all of the driving ranges stop selling balls by 6? This is Florida and it is hot!

9. What do you do for a living? Business owner- software consulting for manufacturers 

10. How’d you pick your user name? Easy, my 1st 2 initials and last name. 

[Can older shafts be fitted with adjustable sleeve tips?]

Definitely should be able to. As long as the tip is .335". I would highly doubt that club was .350".

[Practice strokes as part of pre putt routine Yaa or Nay?]

On 9/26/2021 at 6:48 AM, Riverboat said:

I was coaching a player who was shooting 72 to 75. The one thing I didn't like was that he never took practice strokes before putting. I had him start to take 2 strokes a little too hard, 2 a little too soft, and 2 just right before stepping into his putts. (Done very quickly...I don't believe in EVER playing slowly.)  He averaged a little under 69 that season, making everything in sight and won league and regional player of the year. I don't think that adjustment made all the difference, but he had never putted like he did that year. 

That is interesting. Probably 10 years ago I stopped taking practice strokes. I was struggling with speed control.  I noticed that I didn't struggle with it on the putting green, only on the course. So, I decided to stop taking them on the course and it forced me to really focus on feel. I am a better putter now than ever. 

However, what you said makes sense. I might try it on the practice green. Maybe one of each instead of two. 

My issue is one or two bad shots a round that I compound that kill me. It is almost never putting that I feel holds me back. 

There are a number of pros who don't take one. Dave Stockton was a big proponent of not taking one. So, it certainly isn't unprecedented. 

[Questions for low and high single digit handicappers]

13 hours ago, DPattGolf said:

If I was going to make 1 suggestion it would be to focus your putting practice around putts ~8 feet and in & ~25 feet and longer. The idea is that your working on improving your pace control with the 25+ footers and improving your face control with the 8 feet and closer putts

This is what got me down those last few strokes (2-5 a round it feels like). Making 6 to 10 foot par putts can be round savers. I would add work a lot on start line. I use a gate drill with a few tees a little more than a ball width apart  and a foot in front of the ball and putt through them to a tee about a foot beyond that. I try to hit the target tee while missing the gate tees 10 times in a row before I start putting. Then, I know my start line is good. 

In putting, if my start line is always good,  and my speed control is good, it just comes down to read. I have eliminated 2 of 3 variables. 

Avoiding big numbers is huge. I am still struggling with that. If you look at my handicap card, I am shooting between 73 and 81 for my last 20 scores. When I shoot 78 to 81, always penalty strokes and doubles in there. Usually, it is a tee shot or two that is poorly planned or executed. 

[Scooters 12 month golf fitness journey!]

Awesome job! I have been following Jeff from Athlean-X. I bought one of his programs, mostly for other exercises. His ab app is great. 5 to 8 minutes and you are done. I do that several times a week, along with pilates. I do strength training 3 to 4 times a week at home.  Keep it up!

[Gapping]

Not trying to be a smart alec here, but have you looked at mechanics? That should also be in play.

The reason I ask is that I was really struggling like this off the tee last year, regardless of club. I also had some poor equipment fits as well that contributed. However,  a perfect club cannot overcome a really bad swing or even just a bad setup.

My biggest struggle is a stall of the hips and hands and arms try to square the club. It can lead to some really, really bad misses. It is not the club's fault. I also spend a ton of time on the range on an alignment stick so I know what good alignment looks like. The more offline I line up, the worsemy misses get. 

What is your swing speed with driver? Tempo? What flex shafts are you playing in your longer clubs? What is your handicap? Typical miss?

[Xcaliber golf shaft reviews]

 Hey everyone, I have been meaning to do these reviews for a while and finally took the time to show them. I have been playing a number of Xcaliber shafts for at least a year and have been playing Robin's shafts for several years, even back to when he owned AXE. Here are my unfiltered thoughts on the Avalon 6, Avalon i9, and several of the Pro series shafts. 

As an update, I did put Modus 120's in my 4 iron and 2 iron to replace the i9 shafts, because I felt that they were too light and I think I am right based on the first range session with each. 

In summary, these are great shafts and certainly worth a try!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Show us your Maltby!!!]

The biggest issue with the DBM finish in that in makes the club almost impossible to adjust without breaking it. I play my irons and wedges 2° to 3° flat and almost none of them should be bent that much. You might be able to get away with it, but likely not.

I love the finish, but they are just a hard no for me.

[Quality Components]

I have been building clubs for almost 19 years. Golfsmith and Golfworks were the companies I always trusted. I was a huge snake eyes fan and miss their stuff. 

Wishon and KZG were always brands I liked that sold to their club makers. 

I would never consider anything Hireko makes "high quality." I am sure they make decent stuff for most people, but I wouldn't build with anything they make. They were always the bargain/copycat component seller out there to me.

Just my opinion....

[Maltby TS1 Irons]

1 hour ago, Deepred said:

I noticed that as well. 
 

My pro just got the Apex Pro irons and he noted how much they looked like the TS1's. 

[Is Club Champion worth it?]

1 hour ago, IONEPUTT said:

You state that you think most factory installed shaft are pretty good and are playable as they come. That can be true some times, but NOT always. Here is a true story that might just change your mind. 

A few years ago I was in a golf store looking for a spare driver to go with my Cleveland Launcher 460 Comp. I found TWO 460 Comps in the used rack, one looking like NEW, and the other WELL WORN. The shaft factory shaft of the same weight and flex in both. Only difference was the condition and price. I picked up both and headed to the launch monitor to see what each would do. After warming up a little I hit the pretty looking one and got a BIG slice out of it just about EVERY time I hit it. Looks great, performed like garbage. Then I hit to worn out driver and hit EVERY ball pretty much straight and down the middle 90 % of the time. Looks terrible, performs GREAT. So the question was spend $35 for the ugly driver that I could hit great, or pay $50 for the pretty driver that hit a great big slice? What I did was I got BOTH of them and did a test. When I got home I pulled the shaft from the pretty driver, did a Spine alignment followed by a FLO alignment and then re-installed the shaft  back in the head. Two days later I went to the range and tested both driver again. This time the ugly driver was again a good, well behaved driver. Long and Straight. When I re=tested the pretty driver with the bad attitude and a love for slicing the ball, IT TOO, was giving me nice performance, with NO SLICE in sight. That pretty driver that most likely was NOT hit much went from a slick machine to a fairway finder, with nothing more than a proper alignment and installation of the factory shaft. 

End of this story is that I removed the chipped paint form the head of the ugly driver and repainted it to look like new, only a different color. The Pretty driver now has a new after market shaft in it, as does the re-finished one, and are my two back up drivers should I ever need them. I also loan them out from time to time to a playing partner in need of a good driver. Once they hit either of these two old drivers they learn what a good driver can do for them, and more often than not they ask me to build them a new toy for their bag. 

That is quite interesting! 

Most of what I hot has been fine. Then again, I play mostly component stuff and build my own stuff. I do hit some factory clubs from time to time and they have been fine. Just bought a PING G425lst 3 wood and the PING tour 65 shafts was just fine even though it was a flex too soft. I definitely preferred my Xcaliber Avalon 6S in it, but could have gamed the stock shaft. 

Thanks for sharing that. Very interesting story.

[Starting Shorter Putts On Line]

I use the eyeline putting mirror as it has a gate drill on it. Before I got the mirrors, I used 4 tees. I would get an alignment stick out and lay it on a flat part of the green. I would push a tee all the way in the ground to mark where I would put the ball each time at one end of the stick.

Then, place a tee half way into the ground as my target at the other end of the stick. Halfway down the stick I would then build a gate just over a ball width apart with the final 2 tees. Then, I would remove the stick and try to hit 10 consecutive through the gate and hit the target tee. The tee all the wat in the ground would mark a consistent ball placement. I hit the right tee most often. 

You can also add a putter blade gate to ensure you are hitting the sweet spot if you wish.

 

Another drill is to get a chalk line device (any hardware store has them, used in flooring). You can then find a straight putt on the practice green and stretch the chalk string out along it. Thumb the string and it puts a chalk line on the green to putt by.

[Project Set of Irons]

2 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Thanks for the feedback JT and welcome to the forum!  I do see many positive comments about the Maltby irons.  I was recently fitted for irons which was primarily to move into composite shafts.  Accra ICWT 75, MMT 80, and Recoil ES780 were the best results in that order.  Having these identified helps as I consider different options for a "project build".  I like the idea of using one of these shafts and being able to build a 6i or 7i of a Maltby or other heads for trial.  I can always pull that shaft and reuse it on another head.

To be brutally honest, I'm not sure which direction I want to go from the current/new ZX5's. More towards players or back towards GI.  Only two rounds with the ZX5's, so its a bit too early to know how they'll work out... but so far so good.  

No problem. The Maltby irons are quality. The woods, well, for me they don't work. I am a high spin player and none of them have worked well for me.

 

I have been here a while, but mostly lurk.

 

-Jim

[Project Set of Irons]

5 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

Thoughts on Maltby TS-1, TS-2, or other series irons?  The photos sure give the impression of top shelf quality and the price point on these are amazing.  The TS-1 are listed as PD yet they have less aggressive loft than the TS-2... seems odd.

I have been playing TS1's for a year. As good as there is. Great feel, nice penetrating ball flight, plenty of spin, and very consistent. My judge of irons is how much can I be pin high? I am there a lot. 

Even though they are forgiving, they are plenty workable. I bent mine to where I have a 4° loft difference. I am playing 5-pw. I am playing arojnd with a 4i.

Buy one iron and play with it. I was playing Snake Eyes 675B blades before that. I built the 5i and after 2 swings, I knew I would build the set. 

[Ping G425 Fairway Woods]

Here was the dispersion pattern....

[Ping G425 Fairway Woods]

I concur. Bought a 425LST last week because the Maltby 3 wood I had just spun way too much. Attached is my fitting data. I was hitting several shafts at 1° flat. I ended up going 1° strong but not flat to move the dispersion slightly left. 

[What are your wedge degrees and why?]

8 minutes ago, PBH3 said:

PW from the set is 44* then I go with 50*, 54*, 58*. 

Same here. Gapping is better. 

[10 Finger Grip. Is it for you?]

I have played for 39 years, all but maybe 3 months of it with a 10 finger grip. The pro I worked with when I was 11 and 12 taught it to me and we had every intention of changing later. I experimented with overlapping and interlocking grips (for 3 months) over the years. I have small hands and just didn't have a secure feeling with the others. 

I have been a low single digit guy most of those 39 years and it hasn't been ball striking that has held me back. So, use what works. 

[X-flex for Senior ?]

2 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Flex like swing speed is just a starting point for most fitters today especially the good ones. Finding a weight and launch/shaft profile along with feel so what fitters use to dial in a setup. With launch monitors fitters have a lot more data available to them than the days of swing speed = flex and swing the stiffest you can handle.

between watching ball flight, feedback from the golfer and the launch monitor data they can get someone in the right shaft that would make some scratch their head in how and why that person would be in that flex. There’s been several posts across this forum id people ending up in shafts/flexes they wouldn’t have picked for themselves. @Golfspy_CG2 is one that comes to mind if going from a regular or senior flex into a stiff flex in the same weight iirc and gained distance despite having around a 90mph swing speed 

Completely agree. For me, it is about spin control (high spin player) and dispersion. Feel is also important,  but the first two are more important to me in long clubs.I have seen people who swing faster than me in softer flexes. 

I have long contemplated softer flexes in wedges, as most pros play softer flexes in them. I had reshafted some old snake eyes wedges with r flex score shafts and hit them recently. I loved them. I will experiment one day. I could probably play s flex in my irons with no real losses honestly.

@release, I saw your points in another thread about flex and you need to rethink things. Times have changed. Many players (most pros) go softer in shorter clubs for more spin, softer feel, etc. Just go through some witb for players and you will see this. 

Everything is dependent on how you deliver the club. Guys like Koepka and DJ (from what I recall) play higher lofted drivers and shafts that are higher launch than me (softer mid/butt sections) and they swing way faster than me. I am sure their hands are more ahead and they deloft the club at impact. I am the opposite - my hands are typically behind the club a bit at impact. I hit the ball high and spin it a lot, especially in longer clubs. I play a lot more knockdown and controlled shots with short irons and wedges and can get my hands ahead. So, I can play softer flexes and different profiles.

There is no real cut and dry rules anymore. Data, feel, and the eye test all should be used.

[Is Club Champion worth it?]

11 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

Not even close to the truth. Even the made for callaway hzrdus im shaft isn’t low end.

The ping tour shaft is actually built off the aftermarket elements chrome+
 

The hzrdus shafts, the Aldila rogue white which is stock in at least one brand are $300+ shafts when bought from aftermarket dealers. Just like a graphite design, Accra, fujikura and so on

I agree. Most of the made for shafts are pretty good. I used to test clubs for Wilson Sporting Goods back in the early 2000s when they had their testing facility in Humboldt,  TN. Most of the made for shafts performed quite admirable against the best shafts they gave me. The only exception I remember was the Fujikura Speeder 757. That one outperformed everything.

@IONEPUTT I respectfully disagree on your argument about shaft alignment. Thecounter argument is that many drivers, fairway woods and hybrids are adjustable and the shaft actually rotates, as the adapter doesn't have a sleeve to keep the shaft in the same orientation. So, install a pured, FLO'd, or spine aligned shaft and then decide you want to tweak the settings. Now, you are no longer aligned unless the adapter sleeve allows the shaft to stay in the same orientation. Both Taylormade and PING have sleeves that allow the shaft to rotate during adjustment.

Xcaliber shafts have an alignment process before they put the finishes on their shafts. Last week, I installed one in my PING 3 wood and assumed I would be playing it in the -1°, flat setting (as I was fitted for). So, that is how I installed the shaft.

After some more testing, I decided that I really didn't like so many misses right. I played with the -1.5° and -1.0° settings and decided I liked the -1.0 setting, which also is 2° more upright yet still 0.5° flatter than the other 3 woods I have gamed. Now, my shaft is no longer spine aligned. I highly doubt I will see a huge dispersion difference than if I reinstalled the shaft with the graphics aligned. 

I used to have every shaft pured and now no longer request it. I am not good enough to notice a difference and am pretty convinced that unless it is a complete garbage shaft, that there is little difference. I have seen studies that support puring and many that say it makes no difference. I would tend to agree that the results difference would be negligible. Just my opinion and experience over the last 19 years of being my own club builder. 

As soon as you put certain adjustment sleeves on a club and start tweaking, any supposed benefits of puring or any other alignment method would be gone.