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53 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

First Tournament Recap

Kirke and I left for the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon. We were looking at about a 4.5 hour drive. But along the way, I remembered a sign I'd seen for a course along the road. We impulsively decided we needed to check it out, and that was a great decision.

Grantsburg (WI) Golf Course was a total blast to play. Just under 2,000 yards for 9 holes. They charged $10 for the 9 with cart, and didn't charge for Kirke.

He and I decided to play it as a two-man scramble. There is a shorter set of tees as well, and that bailed us out on one hole when I duck-hooked a drive. Nearly every hole is blind on at least one shot. I probably wouldn't want this to be my home course, but for a quick nine, it was a total blast! It was the kind of course you finish and immediately want to go around again because you would have a better idea of how to attack it the second time.

Monday morning, we got up early (I didn't think Kirke had a chance of sleeping in; he was pretty excited). We grabbed Chik-Fil-A for breakfast and headed to Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center for some morning practice. We starting with Kirke practicing some longer putts.

image.png

We then got a bucket of range balls. Kirke was on fire on the range. He was peppering the 100 yard sign with his driver (he normally carries the ball right around there), and he hit one in the 50 yard net on his second attempt. His swing was looking really sharp:

But we got hit with a thunderstorm (with quite a bit of lightning) partway through his bucket. We took shelter for a while to wait it out. The storm was going to pass in about a half hour, but more concerning was the fact that the radar looked to be showing an enormous storm system over the whole Twin Cities just about the time of Kirke's scheduled 3:12 afternoon tee time:

image.png

Once the initial storm cleared, we headed over to the short course for what (I'm pretty sure) was our third match on the Eagle Lake pitch and putt. The longest hole is 90 yards. This course is the scene of one important golf first for Kirke: when he was 3, it was the first time he beat me on a hole we played at the same yardage. It was a 40-yarder, and at the time, he hit hybrid on the green and two-putted for par; I went over the green and made a bogey.

I digress. Monday morning was a new first: the first time Kirke and I played nine holes from the same tees and he beat me outright:

Note that he shot a solid even par 27. I skulled my tee shot on 2 OB over the green and missed a few short putts for a 30, so Kirke thumped me thoroughly. A cool accomplishment for him, and it certainly won't be the last time I lose to this boy.

From there, we headed to another place that Kirke has wanted to go for a while: Topgolf!

We spent most of our time competing on the Junior Quick Nine game: three shots each to the nearest three targets. I had to shoot for the red and yellow targets that were further from our bay to even it up a little, so of course Kirke ended up beating me a little more often than I beat him.

After a quick stop at the local PGA Tour Superstore, we began the drive to the course.

When we arrived, I was struck by the 1) number of kids and 2) the dollars spent on youth golf equipment. It's a different world.

Anyway, we waited the COVID-approved half hour before Kirke's tee time before he went to the putting green. Given the amount of swings he'd already taken that morning, he didn't feel the need to hit any range balls.

They were only a few minutes behind schedule for Kirke's tee time. Kirke was paired up with one other 7-year-old boy; they both had the same Cobra junior bag. There was no rain when the round began—and not a drop fell during the round. We were grateful to be able to play, having come from so far.

As per my earlier post, I had done as much online scouting as I could of the course and was pretty confident that it would set up well for Kirke. What I didn't realize was the degree to which most of the greens were set well above the fairways, most with pretty severe false fronts.

On the first hole, Kirke hit his approach well above the hole. Given the speed of the practice green and the fact that the green had some significant slope to the front, he was very timid with his first putt, barely getting it halfway to the hole. It ended up as a three-putt bogey.

I'm not going to recap every single shot in part because, already, they're blending together a bit for me. Here's his card:

image.png

He made a solid par on 2. The 3rd was another that had a severe incline; he flared his 6 iron right and short and didn't get up and down.

The surprise hole for me was 5; it was one that, given the yardage, I had hopes he would birdie. He hit a perfect drive, leaving him just over 100 yards to the green. But his FW cut a bit on him and he ended up in a pretty deep greenside bunker. His first bunker shot hit the lip and rolled back to the same spot. He got out on his second try, 2-putting for a bogey.

The thing I was most proud of him about, though, is that although he was 4-over through five holes, he wasn't down at all. That's (honestly) a bit unusual for him; when he starts with a few bad holes, his attitude can get frustrated and a bit sulky. Monday, though, nothing seemed to phase him; he just wanted to go to the next hole and keep playing. The next three holes he rolled up solid pars.

The final hole was a blind drive, and although he hit it well, when we came over the hill we found he was in the right rough. This left him with about a 75-yard shot from pretty heavy rough over a deep bunker; that's a tough shot for a little guy. He ended up bunkered; got out in one shot and two-putted to finish with a bogey (his par putt just missed; that ended up being more important than we thought in the moment).

To be honest, neither nor I were expecting 5-over to finish well. We were the first group to get done, and Kirke's playing partner clipped him by one, shooting a 4-over 40. But as each group came in, no one was posting anything lower than Kirke's 41.

So Kirke ended up T-2.

I'm pretty sure he thinks that medal is the greatest thing ever!

image.png

After the round, we hit a gas station so Kirke could get a much-needed and well-deserved Mountain Dew slushie. Then we enjoyed a four-hour drive home (with lots of good conversation). It was a great two-day road trip, with lots of really special father and son memories made. We've got the ball from his first tournament set aside (to go with his first hole-in-one ball).

Kirke appreciates the support so many of you guys have shown: I share your comments and such with him. Thanks for that!

We're still not planning to make a habit of driving to these events on any sort of regular basis, especially in the near future. I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

Way to go Kirke!

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Great recap and treated to some awesome lifelong memories!

Really cool that he was able to stay level headed after a tough start. He's got half the field beat already!!

Can't wait to see what the future holds.

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2 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

First Tournament Recap

Kirke and I left for the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon. We were looking at about a 4.5 hour drive. But along the way, I remembered a sign I'd seen for a course along the road. We impulsively decided we needed to check it out, and that was a great decision.

Grantsburg (WI) Golf Course was a total blast to play. Just under 2,000 yards for 9 holes. They charged $10 for the 9 with cart, and didn't charge for Kirke.

He and I decided to play it as a two-man scramble. There is a shorter set of tees as well, and that bailed us out on one hole when I duck-hooked a drive. Nearly every hole is blind on at least one shot. I probably wouldn't want this to be my home course, but for a quick nine, it was a total blast! It was the kind of course you finish and immediately want to go around again because you would have a better idea of how to attack it the second time.

Monday morning, we got up early (I didn't think Kirke had a chance of sleeping in; he was pretty excited). We grabbed Chik-Fil-A for breakfast and headed to Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center for some morning practice. We starting with Kirke practicing some longer putts.

image.png

We then got a bucket of range balls. Kirke was on fire on the range. He was peppering the 100 yard sign with his driver (he normally carries the ball right around there), and he hit one in the 50 yard net on his second attempt. His swing was looking really sharp:

But we got hit with a thunderstorm (with quite a bit of lightning) partway through his bucket. We took shelter for a while to wait it out. The storm was going to pass in about a half hour, but more concerning was the fact that the radar looked to be showing an enormous storm system over the whole Twin Cities just about the time of Kirke's scheduled 3:12 afternoon tee time:

image.png

Once the initial storm cleared, we headed over to the short course for what (I'm pretty sure) was our third match on the Eagle Lake pitch and putt. The longest hole is 90 yards. This course is the scene of one important golf first for Kirke: when he was 3, it was the first time he beat me on a hole we played at the same yardage. It was a 40-yarder, and at the time, he hit hybrid on the green and two-putted for par; I went over the green and made a bogey.

I digress. Monday morning was a new first: the first time Kirke and I played nine holes from the same tees and he beat me outright:

Note that he shot a solid even par 27. I skulled my tee shot on 2 OB over the green and missed a few short putts for a 30, so Kirke thumped me thoroughly. A cool accomplishment for him, and it certainly won't be the last time I lose to this boy.

From there, we headed to another place that Kirke has wanted to go for a while: Topgolf!

We spent most of our time competing on the Junior Quick Nine game: three shots each to the nearest three targets. I had to shoot for the red and yellow targets that were further from our bay to even it up a little, so of course Kirke ended up beating me a little more often than I beat him.

After a quick stop at the local PGA Tour Superstore, we began the drive to the course.

When we arrived, I was struck by the 1) number of kids and 2) the dollars spent on youth golf equipment. It's a different world.

Anyway, we waited the COVID-approved half hour before Kirke's tee time before he went to the putting green. Given the amount of swings he'd already taken that morning, he didn't feel the need to hit any range balls.

They were only a few minutes behind schedule for Kirke's tee time. Kirke was paired up with one other 7-year-old boy; they both had the same Cobra junior bag. There was no rain when the round began—and not a drop fell during the round. We were grateful to be able to play, having come from so far.

As per my earlier post, I had done as much online scouting as I could of the course and was pretty confident that it would set up well for Kirke. What I didn't realize was the degree to which most of the greens were set well above the fairways, most with pretty severe false fronts.

On the first hole, Kirke hit his approach well above the hole. Given the speed of the practice green and the fact that the green had some significant slope to the front, he was very timid with his first putt, barely getting it halfway to the hole. It ended up as a three-putt bogey.

I'm not going to recap every single shot in part because, already, they're blending together a bit for me. Here's his card:

image.png

He made a solid par on 2. The 3rd was another that had a severe incline; he flared his 6 iron right and short and didn't get up and down.

The surprise hole for me was 5; it was one that, given the yardage, I had hopes he would birdie. He hit a perfect drive, leaving him just over 100 yards to the green. But his FW cut a bit on him and he ended up in a pretty deep greenside bunker. His first bunker shot hit the lip and rolled back to the same spot. He got out on his second try, 2-putting for a bogey.

The thing I was most proud of him about, though, is that although he was 4-over through five holes, he wasn't down at all. That's (honestly) a bit unusual for him; when he starts with a few bad holes, his attitude can get frustrated and a bit sulky. Monday, though, nothing seemed to phase him; he just wanted to go to the next hole and keep playing. The next three holes he rolled up solid pars.

The final hole was a blind drive, and although he hit it well, when we came over the hill we found he was in the right rough. This left him with about a 75-yard shot from pretty heavy rough over a deep bunker; that's a tough shot for a little guy. He ended up bunkered; got out in one shot and two-putted to finish with a bogey (his par putt just missed; that ended up being more important than we thought in the moment).

To be honest, neither nor I were expecting 5-over to finish well. We were the first group to get done, and Kirke's playing partner clipped him by one, shooting a 4-over 40. But as each group came in, no one was posting anything lower than Kirke's 41.

So Kirke ended up T-2.

I'm pretty sure he thinks that medal is the greatest thing ever!

image.png

After the round, we hit a gas station so Kirke could get a much-needed and well-deserved Mountain Dew slushie. Then we enjoyed a four-hour drive home (with lots of good conversation). It was a great two-day road trip, with lots of really special father and son memories made. We've got the ball from his first tournament set aside (to go with his first hole-in-one ball).

Kirke appreciates the support so many of you guys have shown: I share your comments and such with him. Thanks for that!

We're still not planning to make a habit of driving to these events on any sort of regular basis, especially in the near future. I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

That is awesome, we'll done. 

Also his swing is way better than mine. 

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2 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

First Tournament Recap

Kirke and I left for the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon. We were looking at about a 4.5 hour drive. But along the way, I remembered a sign I'd seen for a course along the road. We impulsively decided we needed to check it out, and that was a great decision.

Grantsburg (WI) Golf Course was a total blast to play. Just under 2,000 yards for 9 holes. They charged $10 for the 9 with cart, and didn't charge for Kirke.

He and I decided to play it as a two-man scramble. There is a shorter set of tees as well, and that bailed us out on one hole when I duck-hooked a drive. Nearly every hole is blind on at least one shot. I probably wouldn't want this to be my home course, but for a quick nine, it was a total blast! It was the kind of course you finish and immediately want to go around again because you would have a better idea of how to attack it the second time.

Monday morning, we got up early (I didn't think Kirke had a chance of sleeping in; he was pretty excited). We grabbed Chik-Fil-A for breakfast and headed to Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center for some morning practice. We starting with Kirke practicing some longer putts.

image.png

We then got a bucket of range balls. Kirke was on fire on the range. He was peppering the 100 yard sign with his driver (he normally carries the ball right around there), and he hit one in the 50 yard net on his second attempt. His swing was looking really sharp:

But we got hit with a thunderstorm (with quite a bit of lightning) partway through his bucket. We took shelter for a while to wait it out. The storm was going to pass in about a half hour, but more concerning was the fact that the radar looked to be showing an enormous storm system over the whole Twin Cities just about the time of Kirke's scheduled 3:12 afternoon tee time:

image.png

Once the initial storm cleared, we headed over to the short course for what (I'm pretty sure) was our third match on the Eagle Lake pitch and putt. The longest hole is 90 yards. This course is the scene of one important golf first for Kirke: when he was 3, it was the first time he beat me on a hole we played at the same yardage. It was a 40-yarder, and at the time, he hit hybrid on the green and two-putted for par; I went over the green and made a bogey.

I digress. Monday morning was a new first: the first time Kirke and I played nine holes from the same tees and he beat me outright:

Note that he shot a solid even par 27. I skulled my tee shot on 2 OB over the green and missed a few short putts for a 30, so Kirke thumped me thoroughly. A cool accomplishment for him, and it certainly won't be the last time I lose to this boy.

From there, we headed to another place that Kirke has wanted to go for a while: Topgolf!

We spent most of our time competing on the Junior Quick Nine game: three shots each to the nearest three targets. I had to shoot for the red and yellow targets that were further from our bay to even it up a little, so of course Kirke ended up beating me a little more often than I beat him.

After a quick stop at the local PGA Tour Superstore, we began the drive to the course.

When we arrived, I was struck by the 1) number of kids and 2) the dollars spent on youth golf equipment. It's a different world.

Anyway, we waited the COVID-approved half hour before Kirke's tee time before he went to the putting green. Given the amount of swings he'd already taken that morning, he didn't feel the need to hit any range balls.

They were only a few minutes behind schedule for Kirke's tee time. Kirke was paired up with one other 7-year-old boy; they both had the same Cobra junior bag. There was no rain when the round began—and not a drop fell during the round. We were grateful to be able to play, having come from so far.

As per my earlier post, I had done as much online scouting as I could of the course and was pretty confident that it would set up well for Kirke. What I didn't realize was the degree to which most of the greens were set well above the fairways, most with pretty severe false fronts.

On the first hole, Kirke hit his approach well above the hole. Given the speed of the practice green and the fact that the green had some significant slope to the front, he was very timid with his first putt, barely getting it halfway to the hole. It ended up as a three-putt bogey.

I'm not going to recap every single shot in part because, already, they're blending together a bit for me. Here's his card:

image.png

He made a solid par on 2. The 3rd was another that had a severe incline; he flared his 6 iron right and short and didn't get up and down.

The surprise hole for me was 5; it was one that, given the yardage, I had hopes he would birdie. He hit a perfect drive, leaving him just over 100 yards to the green. But his FW cut a bit on him and he ended up in a pretty deep greenside bunker. His first bunker shot hit the lip and rolled back to the same spot. He got out on his second try, 2-putting for a bogey.

The thing I was most proud of him about, though, is that although he was 4-over through five holes, he wasn't down at all. That's (honestly) a bit unusual for him; when he starts with a few bad holes, his attitude can get frustrated and a bit sulky. Monday, though, nothing seemed to phase him; he just wanted to go to the next hole and keep playing. The next three holes he rolled up solid pars.

The final hole was a blind drive, and although he hit it well, when we came over the hill we found he was in the right rough. This left him with about a 75-yard shot from pretty heavy rough over a deep bunker; that's a tough shot for a little guy. He ended up bunkered; got out in one shot and two-putted to finish with a bogey (his par putt just missed; that ended up being more important than we thought in the moment).

To be honest, neither nor I were expecting 5-over to finish well. We were the first group to get done, and Kirke's playing partner clipped him by one, shooting a 4-over 40. But as each group came in, no one was posting anything lower than Kirke's 41.

So Kirke ended up T-2.

I'm pretty sure he thinks that medal is the greatest thing ever!

image.png

After the round, we hit a gas station so Kirke could get a much-needed and well-deserved Mountain Dew slushie. Then we enjoyed a four-hour drive home (with lots of good conversation). It was a great two-day road trip, with lots of really special father and son memories made. We've got the ball from his first tournament set aside (to go with his first hole-in-one ball).

Kirke appreciates the support so many of you guys have shown: I share your comments and such with him. Thanks for that!

We're still not planning to make a habit of driving to these events on any sort of regular basis, especially in the near future. I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

Amazing ! Great job kirke really glad you decided to go through with it 

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3 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

First Tournament Recap

Kirke and I left for the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon. We were looking at about a 4.5 hour drive. But along the way, I remembered a sign I'd seen for a course along the road. We impulsively decided we needed to check it out, and that was a great decision.

Grantsburg (WI) Golf Course was a total blast to play. Just under 2,000 yards for 9 holes. They charged $10 for the 9 with cart, and didn't charge for Kirke.

He and I decided to play it as a two-man scramble. There is a shorter set of tees as well, and that bailed us out on one hole when I duck-hooked a drive. Nearly every hole is blind on at least one shot. I probably wouldn't want this to be my home course, but for a quick nine, it was a total blast! It was the kind of course you finish and immediately want to go around again because you would have a better idea of how to attack it the second time.

Monday morning, we got up early (I didn't think Kirke had a chance of sleeping in; he was pretty excited). We grabbed Chik-Fil-A for breakfast and headed to Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center for some morning practice. We starting with Kirke practicing some longer putts.

image.png

We then got a bucket of range balls. Kirke was on fire on the range. He was peppering the 100 yard sign with his driver (he normally carries the ball right around there), and he hit one in the 50 yard net on his second attempt. His swing was looking really sharp:

But we got hit with a thunderstorm (with quite a bit of lightning) partway through his bucket. We took shelter for a while to wait it out. The storm was going to pass in about a half hour, but more concerning was the fact that the radar looked to be showing an enormous storm system over the whole Twin Cities just about the time of Kirke's scheduled 3:12 afternoon tee time:

image.png

Once the initial storm cleared, we headed over to the short course for what (I'm pretty sure) was our third match on the Eagle Lake pitch and putt. The longest hole is 90 yards. This course is the scene of one important golf first for Kirke: when he was 3, it was the first time he beat me on a hole we played at the same yardage. It was a 40-yarder, and at the time, he hit hybrid on the green and two-putted for par; I went over the green and made a bogey.

I digress. Monday morning was a new first: the first time Kirke and I played nine holes from the same tees and he beat me outright:

Note that he shot a solid even par 27. I skulled my tee shot on 2 OB over the green and missed a few short putts for a 30, so Kirke thumped me thoroughly. A cool accomplishment for him, and it certainly won't be the last time I lose to this boy.

From there, we headed to another place that Kirke has wanted to go for a while: Topgolf!

We spent most of our time competing on the Junior Quick Nine game: three shots each to the nearest three targets. I had to shoot for the red and yellow targets that were further from our bay to even it up a little, so of course Kirke ended up beating me a little more often than I beat him.

After a quick stop at the local PGA Tour Superstore, we began the drive to the course.

When we arrived, I was struck by the 1) number of kids and 2) the dollars spent on youth golf equipment. It's a different world.

Anyway, we waited the COVID-approved half hour before Kirke's tee time before he went to the putting green. Given the amount of swings he'd already taken that morning, he didn't feel the need to hit any range balls.

They were only a few minutes behind schedule for Kirke's tee time. Kirke was paired up with one other 7-year-old boy; they both had the same Cobra junior bag. There was no rain when the round began—and not a drop fell during the round. We were grateful to be able to play, having come from so far.

As per my earlier post, I had done as much online scouting as I could of the course and was pretty confident that it would set up well for Kirke. What I didn't realize was the degree to which most of the greens were set well above the fairways, most with pretty severe false fronts.

On the first hole, Kirke hit his approach well above the hole. Given the speed of the practice green and the fact that the green had some significant slope to the front, he was very timid with his first putt, barely getting it halfway to the hole. It ended up as a three-putt bogey.

I'm not going to recap every single shot in part because, already, they're blending together a bit for me. Here's his card:

image.png

He made a solid par on 2. The 3rd was another that had a severe incline; he flared his 6 iron right and short and didn't get up and down.

The surprise hole for me was 5; it was one that, given the yardage, I had hopes he would birdie. He hit a perfect drive, leaving him just over 100 yards to the green. But his FW cut a bit on him and he ended up in a pretty deep greenside bunker. His first bunker shot hit the lip and rolled back to the same spot. He got out on his second try, 2-putting for a bogey.

The thing I was most proud of him about, though, is that although he was 4-over through five holes, he wasn't down at all. That's (honestly) a bit unusual for him; when he starts with a few bad holes, his attitude can get frustrated and a bit sulky. Monday, though, nothing seemed to phase him; he just wanted to go to the next hole and keep playing. The next three holes he rolled up solid pars.

The final hole was a blind drive, and although he hit it well, when we came over the hill we found he was in the right rough. This left him with about a 75-yard shot from pretty heavy rough over a deep bunker; that's a tough shot for a little guy. He ended up bunkered; got out in one shot and two-putted to finish with a bogey (his par putt just missed; that ended up being more important than we thought in the moment).

To be honest, neither nor I were expecting 5-over to finish well. We were the first group to get done, and Kirke's playing partner clipped him by one, shooting a 4-over 40. But as each group came in, no one was posting anything lower than Kirke's 41.

So Kirke ended up T-2.

I'm pretty sure he thinks that medal is the greatest thing ever!

image.png

After the round, we hit a gas station so Kirke could get a much-needed and well-deserved Mountain Dew slushie. Then we enjoyed a four-hour drive home (with lots of good conversation). It was a great two-day road trip, with lots of really special father and son memories made. We've got the ball from his first tournament set aside (to go with his first hole-in-one ball).

Kirke appreciates the support so many of you guys have shown: I share your comments and such with him. Thanks for that!

We're still not planning to make a habit of driving to these events on any sort of regular basis, especially in the near future. I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

Awesome Job Kirke! Sounds like such a great trip and great bonding. I cherish those times with my Dad as well.

In my bag:

Driver:  :Hogan: Ben Hogan GS53 10.5* Stiff Mitsubishi tensei blue Stiff

3 Wood: :Sub70: 939 x 15 deg. UST Proforce Black V2 7F4 stiff

Hybrid:  :Sub70: 939x Hybrid UST 680 recoil shaft stiff

Irons: :Sub70: 699 irons 4-PW  KBS tour 90 v Stiff 

50 Deg:Sub70: TAIII Satin

54 deg: :Sub70: TAIII Satin

58 Deg: :Sub70: TAIII Satin

Putter:Sub70: 004 Single Bend Masters Edition

Rangefinder: :CaddyTek: Caddytek V2

 

Check out my MyGolfSpy 2020 Forum Official Tester: Ben Hogan GS53 Driver

 

 

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5 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

Definitely take advantage of that.  Both of my girls play in Virginia State Golf Association junior tournaments and have really enjoyed the experience.  

What's in the bag:
Driver - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Wood (13.5*) - :titleist-small: 980F 
4 Wood (18*) - :cobra-small: F8 - Aldila NV Blue 60 ( S )
3 Hybrid (19*) - :taylormade-small: RBZ
4i - PW - :wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged - Recoil 760 ( S )
52* - :cleveland-small: CBX
58* - :cleveland-small: CBX Full Face 2
Putter - :ping-small: Craz-e
Bag - :1590477705_SunMountain: 2.5 (Blue)
Ball -  :titleist-small: AVX
Instagram - @hardcorelooper
Twitter - @meovino
Facebook - mike.eovino

 

 

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What great experience for the both of you. That bond you share with your son on the golf course will last a lifetime. Enjoy these times, they grow up so fast. 

:titleist-small: Driver, TSi 1 S Flex

:cobra-small: 3 wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex

:cobra-small: 5 wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 

:cobra-small: 7 Wood, Aerojet Max UST Helium Nanocore R Flex 

:cobra-small: 5 Hybrid King Tec MMT R Flex

:cobra-small: Irons, Tour UST Recoil 95 R Flex (6 - Gap)

:cobra-small: Wedges, Snakebite KBS Hi- Rev2.0 54* & 60*

:cobra-small: Agera 35"

image.png Ultralight 14-way Cart Bag

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First Tournament Recap
Kirke and I left for the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon. We were looking at about a 4.5 hour drive. But along the way, I remembered a sign I'd seen for a course along the road. We impulsively decided we needed to check it out, and that was a great decision.
Grantsburg (WI) Golf Course was a total blast to play. Just under 2,000 yards for 9 holes. They charged $10 for the 9 with cart, and didn't charge for Kirke.
[/url] He and I decided to play it as a two-man scramble. There is a shorter set of tees as well, and that bailed us out on one hole when I duck-hooked a drive. Nearly every hole is blind on at least one shot. I probably wouldn't want this to be my home course, but for a quick nine, it was a total blast! It was the kind of course you finish and immediately want to go around again because you would have a better idea of how to attack it the second time.
Monday morning, we got up early (I didn't think Kirke had a chance of sleeping in; he was pretty excited). We grabbed Chik-Fil-A for breakfast and headed to Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center for some morning practice. We starting with Kirke practicing some longer putts.
image.png.57fd3e8923da90c895688bbc5a9eb923.png
We then got a bucket of range balls. Kirke was on fire on the range. He was peppering the 100 yard sign with his driver (he normally carries the ball right around there), and he hit one in the 50 yard net on his second attempt. His swing was looking really sharp:
But we got hit with a thunderstorm (with quite a bit of lightning) partway through his bucket. We took shelter for a while to wait it out. The storm was going to pass in about a half hour, but more concerning was the fact that the radar looked to be showing an enormous storm system over the whole Twin Cities just about the time of Kirke's scheduled 3:12 afternoon tee time:
image.png.bdbda730f4396c67a9d59c1fa91fa012.png
Once the initial storm cleared, we headed over to the short course for what (I'm pretty sure) was our third match on the Eagle Lake pitch and putt. The longest hole is 90 yards. This course is the scene of one important golf first for Kirke: when he was 3, it was the first time he beat me on a hole we played at the same yardage. It was a 40-yarder, and at the time, he hit hybrid on the green and two-putted for par; I went over the green and made a bogey.
I digress. Monday morning was a new first: the first time Kirke and I played nine holes from the same tees and he beat me outright:
Note that he shot a solid even par 27. I skulled my tee shot on 2 OB over the green and missed a few short putts for a 30, so Kirke thumped me thoroughly. A cool accomplishment for him, and it certainly won't be the last time I lose to this boy.
From there, we headed to another place that Kirke has wanted to go for a while: Topgolf!
We spent most of our time competing on the Junior Quick Nine game: three shots each to the nearest three targets. I had to shoot for the red and yellow targets that were further from our bay to even it up a little, so of course Kirke ended up beating me a little more often than I beat him.
After a quick stop at the local PGA Tour Superstore, we began the drive to the course.
When we arrived, I was struck by the 1) number of kids and 2) the dollars spent on youth golf equipment. It's a different world.
Anyway, we waited the COVID-approved half hour before Kirke's tee time before he went to the putting green. Given the amount of swings he'd already taken that morning, he didn't feel the need to hit any range balls.
They were only a few minutes behind schedule for Kirke's tee time. Kirke was paired up with one other 7-year-old boy; they both had the same Cobra junior bag. There was no rain when the round began—and not a drop fell during the round. We were grateful to be able to play, having come from so far.
As per my earlier post, I had done as much online scouting as I could of the course and was pretty confident that it would set up well for Kirke. What I didn't realize was the degree to which most of the greens were set well above the fairways, most with pretty severe false fronts.
On the first hole, Kirke hit his approach well above the hole. Given the speed of the practice green and the fact that the green had some significant slope to the front, he was very timid with his first putt, barely getting it halfway to the hole. It ended up as a three-putt bogey.
I'm not going to recap every single shot in part because, already, they're blending together a bit for me. Here's his card:
image.png.368bf5787d7dd557c2984b6cd236db2a.png
He made a solid par on 2. The 3rd was another that had a severe incline; he flared his 6 iron right and short and didn't get up and down.
The surprise hole for me was 5; it was one that, given the yardage, I had hopes he would birdie. He hit a perfect drive, leaving him just over 100 yards to the green. But his FW cut a bit on him and he ended up in a pretty deep greenside bunker. His first bunker shot hit the lip and rolled back to the same spot. He got out on his second try, 2-putting for a bogey.
The thing I was most proud of him about, though, is that although he was 4-over through five holes, he wasn't down at all. That's (honestly) a bit unusual for him; when he starts with a few bad holes, his attitude can get frustrated and a bit sulky. Monday, though, nothing seemed to phase him; he just wanted to go to the next hole and keep playing. The next three holes he rolled up solid pars.
The final hole was a blind drive, and although he hit it well, when we came over the hill we found he was in the right rough. This left him with about a 75-yard shot from pretty heavy rough over a deep bunker; that's a tough shot for a little guy. He ended up bunkered; got out in one shot and two-putted to finish with a bogey (his par putt just missed; that ended up being more important than we thought in the moment).
To be honest, neither nor I were expecting 5-over to finish well. We were the first group to get done, and Kirke's playing partner clipped him by one, shooting a 4-over 40. But as each group came in, no one was posting anything lower than Kirke's 41.
So Kirke ended up T-2.
I'm pretty sure he thinks that medal is the greatest thing ever!
image.png.0af850d5da8b1990199b6853edb6b448.png
After the round, we hit a gas station so Kirke could get a much-needed and well-deserved Mountain Dew slushie. Then we enjoyed a four-hour drive home (with lots of good conversation). It was a great two-day road trip, with lots of really special father and son memories made. We've got the ball from his first tournament set aside (to go with his first hole-in-one ball).
Kirke appreciates the support so many of you guys have shown: I share your comments and such with him. Thanks for that!
We're still not planning to make a habit of driving to these events on any sort of regular basis, especially in the near future. I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

Sounds like a great father/son trip w more in the future.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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14 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

First Tournament Recap

Kirke and I left for the Twin Cities on Sunday afternoon. We were looking at about a 4.5 hour drive. But along the way, I remembered a sign I'd seen for a course along the road. We impulsively decided we needed to check it out, and that was a great decision.

Grantsburg (WI) Golf Course was a total blast to play. Just under 2,000 yards for 9 holes. They charged $10 for the 9 with cart, and didn't charge for Kirke.

He and I decided to play it as a two-man scramble. There is a shorter set of tees as well, and that bailed us out on one hole when I duck-hooked a drive. Nearly every hole is blind on at least one shot. I probably wouldn't want this to be my home course, but for a quick nine, it was a total blast! It was the kind of course you finish and immediately want to go around again because you would have a better idea of how to attack it the second time.

Monday morning, we got up early (I didn't think Kirke had a chance of sleeping in; he was pretty excited). We grabbed Chik-Fil-A for breakfast and headed to Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center for some morning practice. We starting with Kirke practicing some longer putts.

image.png

We then got a bucket of range balls. Kirke was on fire on the range. He was peppering the 100 yard sign with his driver (he normally carries the ball right around there), and he hit one in the 50 yard net on his second attempt. His swing was looking really sharp:

But we got hit with a thunderstorm (with quite a bit of lightning) partway through his bucket. We took shelter for a while to wait it out. The storm was going to pass in about a half hour, but more concerning was the fact that the radar looked to be showing an enormous storm system over the whole Twin Cities just about the time of Kirke's scheduled 3:12 afternoon tee time:

image.png

Once the initial storm cleared, we headed over to the short course for what (I'm pretty sure) was our third match on the Eagle Lake pitch and putt. The longest hole is 90 yards. This course is the scene of one important golf first for Kirke: when he was 3, it was the first time he beat me on a hole we played at the same yardage. It was a 40-yarder, and at the time, he hit hybrid on the green and two-putted for par; I went over the green and made a bogey.

I digress. Monday morning was a new first: the first time Kirke and I played nine holes from the same tees and he beat me outright:

Note that he shot a solid even par 27. I skulled my tee shot on 2 OB over the green and missed a few short putts for a 30, so Kirke thumped me thoroughly. A cool accomplishment for him, and it certainly won't be the last time I lose to this boy.

From there, we headed to another place that Kirke has wanted to go for a while: Topgolf!

We spent most of our time competing on the Junior Quick Nine game: three shots each to the nearest three targets. I had to shoot for the red and yellow targets that were further from our bay to even it up a little, so of course Kirke ended up beating me a little more often than I beat him.

After a quick stop at the local PGA Tour Superstore, we began the drive to the course.

When we arrived, I was struck by the 1) number of kids and 2) the dollars spent on youth golf equipment. It's a different world.

Anyway, we waited the COVID-approved half hour before Kirke's tee time before he went to the putting green. Given the amount of swings he'd already taken that morning, he didn't feel the need to hit any range balls.

They were only a few minutes behind schedule for Kirke's tee time. Kirke was paired up with one other 7-year-old boy; they both had the same Cobra junior bag. There was no rain when the round began—and not a drop fell during the round. We were grateful to be able to play, having come from so far.

As per my earlier post, I had done as much online scouting as I could of the course and was pretty confident that it would set up well for Kirke. What I didn't realize was the degree to which most of the greens were set well above the fairways, most with pretty severe false fronts.

On the first hole, Kirke hit his approach well above the hole. Given the speed of the practice green and the fact that the green had some significant slope to the front, he was very timid with his first putt, barely getting it halfway to the hole. It ended up as a three-putt bogey.

I'm not going to recap every single shot in part because, already, they're blending together a bit for me. Here's his card:

image.png

He made a solid par on 2. The 3rd was another that had a severe incline; he flared his 6 iron right and short and didn't get up and down.

The surprise hole for me was 5; it was one that, given the yardage, I had hopes he would birdie. He hit a perfect drive, leaving him just over 100 yards to the green. But his FW cut a bit on him and he ended up in a pretty deep greenside bunker. His first bunker shot hit the lip and rolled back to the same spot. He got out on his second try, 2-putting for a bogey.

The thing I was most proud of him about, though, is that although he was 4-over through five holes, he wasn't down at all. That's (honestly) a bit unusual for him; when he starts with a few bad holes, his attitude can get frustrated and a bit sulky. Monday, though, nothing seemed to phase him; he just wanted to go to the next hole and keep playing. The next three holes he rolled up solid pars.

The final hole was a blind drive, and although he hit it well, when we came over the hill we found he was in the right rough. This left him with about a 75-yard shot from pretty heavy rough over a deep bunker; that's a tough shot for a little guy. He ended up bunkered; got out in one shot and two-putted to finish with a bogey (his par putt just missed; that ended up being more important than we thought in the moment).

To be honest, neither nor I were expecting 5-over to finish well. We were the first group to get done, and Kirke's playing partner clipped him by one, shooting a 4-over 40. But as each group came in, no one was posting anything lower than Kirke's 41.

So Kirke ended up T-2.

I'm pretty sure he thinks that medal is the greatest thing ever!

image.png

After the round, we hit a gas station so Kirke could get a much-needed and well-deserved Mountain Dew slushie. Then we enjoyed a four-hour drive home (with lots of good conversation). It was a great two-day road trip, with lots of really special father and son memories made. We've got the ball from his first tournament set aside (to go with his first hole-in-one ball).

Kirke appreciates the support so many of you guys have shown: I share your comments and such with him. Thanks for that!

We're still not planning to make a habit of driving to these events on any sort of regular basis, especially in the near future. I did find out, though, that there's a Upper Peninsula Golf Association that has a junior tour here. It's already done for this season, but I'm hoping that maybe next year, Kirke'll be able to play an event or two.

This is absolutely brilliant!! Kirke is very lucky to have a father like you and you are lucky to have kids like him 😁.

The golfing memories I made with my Dad are some of my best and you two are well on the way to surpassing them.

Anyway I love seeing and hearing how Kirke is going (and how you are going with the beautiful new irons) and can't wait for his next adventure...

 

In my :titleist-small: cart Bag:

Driver:    :cobra-small: King F9 9° - LH - Atmos Blue TS 6 Stiff
Woods:   :cobra-small: King F9 - LH - 3/4 Wood - Atmos Blue 7 Reg
               :srixon-small: Z U85 2 Iron
Irons:     :titelist-small: T200 4 Iron AMT White S300
  :titelist-small: T100S - LH - 3-48* - AMT White S300
Wedges:               Indi FLX- LH - 52° 56° 60° - True Temper Spinner Wedge shafts
Putter:    :rife-putters-1: 2 Bar Hybrid
Ball:        :titelist-small: Pro V1x

Testing: Haywood CB/MB Combo Iron Set, 4-7 Cavity backs, 8-PW Muscle Backs, True Temper Dynamic Gold 105 Stiff, 2 Degrees stronger lofts.

Tracked By: :Arccos:

Follow me on Twitter @ham12_hampton and on Instagram @Nunfa0 

 

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@GolfSpy MPR Good on ya for keeping such a good perspective on Kirke's game! I know it's easy to get the cart before the horse, but I really appreciate you keeping it about him having fun, making memories, and fostering a good relationship with you to boot. My family's extremely competitive, and I think both my parents agree that they put a bit too much pressure on my brother at too young of an age. That sucked a ton of enjoyment out of sports for him, and my parents ended up easing up on me because of the somewhat negative experience my brother had.

Kids are a bit on the horizon for my wife and I yet, but once we're there I hope to emulate the perspective you have with your kids! Appreciate the humility and love following along Kirke's journey!

Right Handed

Driver: 9° :cobra-small: Speedzone (HZRDUS Smoke Green 70g X-Stiff shaft)

2 Hybrid: 18° :tour-edge: Exotics EXS Pro (Evenflow Black 6.5) (2020 MGS Official Review here)

3/Driving Iron: 18° :Hogan: UiHi Iron (MMT Utility TX 105g shaft)

Irons: 4-GW :titelist-small: T100 irons (Nippon Modus 120 X-Stiff shafts) (2021 MGS Official Review here)

Wedges: 54° & 58° post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411_thumb.jpg TSW Forged (Dynamic Gold S300)

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2B (2019 MGS Official Review here)

Ball: MAXFLI Tour X

Bag: :ping-small: Hoofer Lite

WITB thread here

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I like reading about your experiences with Kirke and am a little jealous!  Please keep sharing them!  

I tried my best to get the daughter bit by the golf bug but for some reason she was immune to the infection.  She gravitated toward the dance center and I ended up with about 10 years of backstage prop work & curtain operation. 

Your memories are better than mine of listening to dance mom's slice and dice each other.  She did play on the HS golf team I think out of pity just to throw me a crumb or two!  😄  

Modern Bag:  :ping-small: G410 LST 10.5*, Hzrdus Smoke RDX 6.5 Flex;   :titelist-small:  915F 3w, Diamana S+ 70 S flex;  Snake Eyes 18* 2h, 23* 4h & 27* 5h; :mizuno-small: JPX 900 Forged 6 - PW, PX LZ 6.0;  Edison 2.0 49*, 53*, 57* KBS Tour 120 S;   :ping-small:  Heppler Fetch;  Ball - :Snell: MTB-X; Bag - Jones MyGolfSpy Edition! 

Shot Scope H4, MG600 Rangefinder

Classic Bag:  Driver - :wilson_staff_small: Persimmon; 3w - :Hogan: Speed Slot; 5w - :wilson_staff_small: Tour Block; 3 - pw - :wilson_staff_small: Dynapower; sw - Ram Tom Watson;  putter - bullseye standard or flange.

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Got the spoiler on IG last night, but really enjoyed reading the writeup from your trip and the great outcome as the cherry on top.  Only a few more years before we are reading MGS_Kirke reviews on the forum!  Thanks @GolfSpy MPR for adding a little bit of good news to the internet!

Gameday
Vessel Sunday 2.0/ Ogio Silencer
Wilsonlogo20Clemson.png.eee77a65568179cdcfb783c9a3e68f4b.png Dynapwr Carbon | Hzrdus Smoke Black
:callaway-small:  Mavrik 3w | Evenflow Riptide
Wilsonlogo20Clemson.png.eee77a65568179cdcfb783c9a3e68f4b.png FG Tour F5 Hybrid(20,23) | MCA Fubuki

Wilsonlogo20Clemson.png.eee77a65568179cdcfb783c9a3e68f4b.png Staff Model CB 5-PW |  DG 120
:titleist-small: Vokey SM7 (50, 54, 58) | DG 120
bettinardilogo2MGS.png.3b311f05930da73872d3b638ef39f51c.png Studio Stock 15
:titleist-small:-ProV1x (left dash)

Romans 10:9


Classic Bag
Jones Collegiate Clemson Stand Bag

pinglogo_clemson_MGS.png.f64aa10b6e73d4f55a61d78f590addca.pngEye 2 Laminate
:wilson_staff_small: 1973 Staff Dynapower 4-PW

pinglogo_clemson_MGS.png.f64aa10b6e73d4f55a61d78f590addca.pngAnser

:wilson_staff_small: DUO

 

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I already said it on the Twitter, but congratulations again young fella!

In the bag:
Driver: :titelist-small: TSR2 Project X HZRDUS Black 5.5
Fairway: :callaway-small: Apex UW 19° & 21° Project X HZRDUS Smoke RDX Black 5.5

Irons: :mizuno-small: JPX 923 HMP 5-PW UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Wedges: :mizuno-small: T-22 Denim Copper 48°, 52° & 56° UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4
Putter :Sub70: Sycamore 005 Wide Blade
Bag: 
:Ogio: Alpha Convoy 514
Balls: :callaway-small: Chrome Soft X

Cart: :CaddyTek: CaddyLite ONE Ver. 8


God Bless America🇺🇸, God save the King🇬🇧, God defend New Zealand🇳🇿 and thank Christ for Australia🇦🇺!

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  • GolfSpy MPR changed the title to A thread about Kirke

So I need to write a quick post of another first from Kirke: his first time playing a full 18 round from any set of "normal" tees. My dad is the one who came up with the idea for the round: we'd all play from the gold tees. The adults (my dad, me, and a friend were all playing) were all limited to our 125-yard club from the tee, and then the clubs lower than that for the remainder of the hole. So for me, I could use my PW to tee off, and then had to play the rest of the hole with GW, SW, LW, and putter. This puts us all in the same distance setup as Kirke, and honestly, made for a very fun round of golf.

The gold tees at our course are not even listed on the scorecard (they've only been added in the last year or so). Did a little Google Maps measuring, and it looks like they play right around 4,600 yards for the full 18. For perspective: the US Kids recommended distance for Kirke (what he normally plays) is 3,000 yards for 18. The gold tees push him from playing the recommended yardage for him (boys age 7) to the recommended yardage for boys around ages 10-11. It's a big, big jump.

Playing from the golds, then, Kirke put up a solid performance: for his first time playing from adult tees, he broke 100!

image.png

[An astute friend noticed after I posted this that I messed up the math. Kirke shot a 51 on the front, for a 99 total.]

His most impressive stretch was on holes 11-12, where he parred those two holes back to back (250 and 265 yards). On the back, he tied my buddy and beat my dad. If he hadn't made a bit of a mess of the ninth hole (ended up in a ditch that he had to drop from), it could have been a few strokes lower easily. I'm guessing that there are more than a handful of folks who play from the gold tees regularly (with their full bags) that Kirke might have beaten.

I was proud of him: that length is a tough slog for a little guy, with several holes that he's hitting his FW multiple times to cover the distance (I could sympathize with him—I hit GW more times that I'd like to count). It's not something we'll do often (I have no desire to make golf frustrating), but I think it's going to make his "normal" course seem very easy by comparison, and it gives him a benchmark against adults who play this course, which will become more relevant as he continues to get bigger.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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  • 1 month later...

Kirke turns 8 at the very end of next month. This winter, I'm working with him on speed development. He's aiming to get a little stronger, but the big thing is just to set up a radar and let him play, so he can feel what fast is like. Here's his swing for the fences swing:

It's a much longer backswing than he typically takes. Here's hoping for his swing to be pushing 80 by the time next spring's snow melts!

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

Kirke turns 8 at the very end of next month. This winter, I'm working with him on speed development. He's aiming to get a little stronger, but the big thing is just to set up a radar and let him play, so he can feel what fast is like. Here's his swing for the fences swing:

It's a much longer backswing than he typically takes. Here's hoping for his swing to be pushing 80 by the time next spring's snow melts!

😳 Your days of top dog in the household might very well be numbered!

Right Handed

Driver: 9° :cobra-small: Speedzone (HZRDUS Smoke Green 70g X-Stiff shaft)

2 Hybrid: 18° :tour-edge: Exotics EXS Pro (Evenflow Black 6.5) (2020 MGS Official Review here)

3/Driving Iron: 18° :Hogan: UiHi Iron (MMT Utility TX 105g shaft)

Irons: 4-GW :titelist-small: T100 irons (Nippon Modus 120 X-Stiff shafts) (2021 MGS Official Review here)

Wedges: 54° & 58° post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411_thumb.jpg TSW Forged (Dynamic Gold S300)

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2B (2019 MGS Official Review here)

Ball: MAXFLI Tour X

Bag: :ping-small: Hoofer Lite

WITB thread here

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15 minutes ago, ncwoz said:

😳 Your days of top dog in the household might very well be numbered!

I've known that for a few years now. It's always been a matter of when, not if; and it's always been more likely to be sooner than later.

I'm not going to give it to him, but no one will be happier when he takes it from me.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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I've known that for a few years now. It's always been a matter of when, not if; and it's always been more likely to be sooner than later.
I'm not going to give it to him, but no one will be happier when he takes it from me.

That’s what Dads do


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Rick

 

 

Left Hand, 

Driver; PXG 0311XF Cypher 50 gr Senior  
5 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr       
7 wood; Ping 425, Senior Shaft 55 gr      
5 hybrid; Cally Steelhead, Hazardous R2     
Irons; Mizuno JPX 923HM 7-GW Recoil 460 F2
Wedges; Titleist S9 54*, Mizuno SW 56*

Putter; Waaay too many to list

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  • 4 weeks later...

A Golf Lesson With Kirke

So last night, Kirke pulled a little plastic toy golf ball out and was taking some cuts at it in the basement. I took some video of his swing and learned something that opened my eyes a bit, and I thought I'd share it here.

Here's Kirke's swing:

He's certainly not going all out here. But the motion is still typical of him: very smooth and very clean. He tends to have an abbreviated backswing, especially on his iron shots (he's learning with the speed sticks that for him, a longer backswing=more speed).

Here's what struck me: for a long time, I worked to get to an impact position in which I wasn't raising my hands high through impact. In other words, if I drew a line on the shaft at address (DTL view), I wanted to get to impact with the shaft more or less on the same line. To get my hands high (as was my pattern) would raise the shaft and, by necessity, bring the clubhead into impact with the heel up and the toe down (which will point the face to the right).

But my method of keeping my hands low has ended up creating its own issues. From the top of my backswing (which looks fairly textbook), I drop my hands quickly (which steepens the shaft). I'm then moving my hands on a tight arc back to their address location.

What I noticed with Kirke's swing, taking it frame by frame, is that as his hands come down, they are well outside the line established at address. But as they continue forward and left as his body pivots, by the time the club drops into impact, they have essentially returned to the original position (but now forward, into the frame from a DTL perspective).

To help explain this, check these frames from Kirke's swing compared to mine:

handpath.jpg

Anyway, I've been toying around with the hand path Kirke creates, and there's a lot about it that makes sense to me, things that I think would be an improvement on my current swing.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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13 hours ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

A Golf Lesson With Kirke

So last night, Kirke pulled a little plastic toy golf ball out and was taking some cuts at it in the basement. I took some video of his swing and learned something that opened my eyes a bit, and I thought I'd share it here.

Here's Kirke's swing:

He's certainly not going all out here. But the motion is still typical of him: very smooth and very clean. He tends to have an abbreviated backswing, especially on his iron shots (he's learning with the speed sticks that for him, a longer backswing=more speed).

Here's what struck me: for a long time, I worked to get to an impact position in which I wasn't raising my hands high through impact. In other words, if I drew a line on the shaft at address (DTL view), I wanted to get to impact with the shaft more or less on the same line. To get my hands high (as was my pattern) would raise the shaft and, by necessity, bring the clubhead into impact with the heel up and the toe down (which will point the face to the right).

But my method of keeping my hands low has ended up creating its own issues. From the top of my backswing (which looks fairly textbook), I drop my hands quickly (which steepens the shaft). I'm then moving my hands on a tight arc back to their address location.

What I noticed with Kirke's swing, taking it frame by frame, is that as his hands come down, they are well outside the line established at address. But as they continue forward and left as his body pivots, by the time the club drops into impact, they have essentially returned to the original position (but now forward, into the frame from a DTL perspective).

To help explain this, check these frames from Kirke's swing compared to mine:

handpath.jpg

Anyway, I've been toying around with the hand path Kirke creates, and there's a lot about it that makes sense to me, things that I think would be an improvement on my current swing.

Forgive me for my musings as a non-golf professional/10-cap, but have you looked earlier in the swing to see what kind of match ups Kirke creates that you don't?

This is one screen cap that I love:

image.png.4125b69a958c13beb95b7e6340f6fd52.png

Followed by:

image.png.39d4344a1c86cc6d6b17e21b6b64ffd5.png

Unofficial WHS Handicap: 7.5 / Anti-Cap: 13.0 (Last Updated Feb. 19, 2024)

Driver: callaway_logo.png.3dd18aa65544000dd0ea3901697a8261.png Callaway Paradym TD (10.5°, -1/N), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X | Fitting Post
3 Wood: 
cobra_logo.png.190908c8b4518eec87c087429e4343ee.png Cobra RadSpeed Big Tour (14.5°), 43", Fujikura Motore X F1 7X
20° Hybrid: PXG_Logo.png.8401024d1fb8aec46f0e790c1aa5b80c.png PXG 0211 (2020 Model), 40.25", Mitsubishi Tensei AV RAW White 90X
4 Utility: 
cobra_logo.png.190908c8b4518eec87c087429e4343ee.png Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", Aerotech SteelFiber i110cw Stiff
5-PW:
logo-Ben-Hogan-large.png.98d743ae5487285c6406a1e30a0a63b5.png Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff | Club Champion Fitting
50°, 54°, 58°:
231036130_Edel_Golf_Logo_v2_grandecopy.png.13cc76b963f8dd59f06d04b1e8df2827.png Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge| Official Review Thread
Putter:
image.png.49fcc172a1ed0010d930fbe1c5dc8b79.png L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3° | Unofficial Review
Grips: 
stargrip.png.4285948f41f1409613266e7803f0bbaa.png Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up
Ball: :Snell:Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow

Tracked By: shotscope.png.4a7089f2bddff325285b1266a61dda03.png  Shot Scope H4
Bag: :1590477705_SunMountain: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync
Riding On: 
image.png.1db52ce91db040317a9ac580f1df8de8.pngBag Boy Nitron | Official Review Thread

WITB? | 2022 Reviewer Edel SMS Wedges | 2021 Reviewer Maxfli Tour and Tour X Balls2020 Participant #CobraConnect Challenge | 2019 Reviewer Callaway Epic Flash Driver

 

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Perhaps I missed it somewhere in the thread but have you signed Kirke up for JGA events in your area? 

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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16 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Perhaps I missed it somewhere in the thread but have you signed Kirke up for JGA events in your area? 

The operative phrase here is "in my area." There is nothing in my area. 🙂

This summer, Kirke played in his first US Kids tournament in Minneapolis (about a 4.5 hour drive from here. He wasn't his sharpest, but he had a great attitude, and he ended up finishing T-2. My way too long summary of our trip is here: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/28689-a-thread-about-kirke/?do=findComment&comment=674609

 

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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13 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

The operative phrase here is "in my area." There is nothing in my area. 🙂

This summer, Kirke played in his first US Kids tournament in Minneapolis (about a 4.5 hour drive from here. He wasn't his sharpest, but he had a great attitude, and he ended up finishing T-2. My way too long summary of our trip is here: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/28689-a-thread-about-kirke/?do=findComment&comment=674609

 

Time to pack up and relocate to St. Paul 👍.

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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35 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

The operative phrase here is "in my area." There is nothing in my area. 🙂

 

 

19 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

Time to pack up and relocate to St. Paul 👍.

Or Grand Rapids 😉 

Right Handed

Driver: 9° :cobra-small: Speedzone (HZRDUS Smoke Green 70g X-Stiff shaft)

2 Hybrid: 18° :tour-edge: Exotics EXS Pro (Evenflow Black 6.5) (2020 MGS Official Review here)

3/Driving Iron: 18° :Hogan: UiHi Iron (MMT Utility TX 105g shaft)

Irons: 4-GW :titelist-small: T100 irons (Nippon Modus 120 X-Stiff shafts) (2021 MGS Official Review here)

Wedges: 54° & 58° post-76102-0-38507100-1525284411_thumb.jpg TSW Forged (Dynamic Gold S300)

Putter: :EVNROLL: ER2B (2019 MGS Official Review here)

Ball: MAXFLI Tour X

Bag: :ping-small: Hoofer Lite

WITB thread here

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On 12/1/2020 at 6:30 AM, edingc said:

Forgive me for my musings as a non-golf professional/10-cap, but have you looked earlier in the swing to see what kind of match ups Kirke creates that you don't?

This is absolutely the correct question. If I get to the top (or especially approach impact) with my lead wrist in extension, incorporating the kind of body pivot I see in Kirke would be worse than useless. Definitely a package of improvements. In fact, the idea of pivoting also makes a ton more sense with the better feel of weight on the lead foot with the motion tracking insoles. It is amazing how many interrelated pieces there are in a swing.

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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  • 2 months later...

 

:titleist-small: TS3 9.5°, Tensei Blue
:755178188_TourEdge: CBX T3 15°, Project X HZRDUS Black
:callaway-small: Epic Super Hybrid 18°, Aerotech Steel Fiber FC HYB S
:755178188_TourEdge: C722 21°, Ventus Blue 8S
:touredgeexotics: CBX Iron-Wood 25°, Project X HZRDUS Black 6.0
:Sub70: 639 CB, Aldila NV 95 Graphite, 6–PW
:cleveland-small: CBX 48°
:mizuno-small: T22 54° and 60°
:edel-golf-1: EAS 4.0, Garsen G-Pro grip
:taylormade-small: TP5x and Tour Response

Full WITB with pictures

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