Southwest: CA, NV, UT, AZ, HI

[GolfSpy MPR]

MGS New Member Introduction: Southwest Region

California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Hawaii

Welcome to the MyGolfSpy forums! We’re always glad to have new members contributing to the best golf discussions on the internet.  If you’ve already created an introduction thread, feel free to re-introduce yourself here!

If you haven’t yet done so, take a moment to check out the Moral Codes that shape how we treat each other here.

You’ll find that this community is very welcoming to newcomers so come on in, take off your shoes, and get comfortable. Tell us all about yourself. To help us get to know you, here are some questions you might answer in your new member post. Feel free to share some fun pictures of your golfing ventures as well!

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?

2. What do you love about golf?

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?

4. Where are you from? What is your home course?

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?

6. What do you do for a living?

7. How’d you pick your user name?

[Jaredgamble5]

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? have played all my life.  Normally shoot high 70's low 80's

2. What do you love about golf? The challenge.  It is different every stroke.

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? Looking for more golf connections

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? California.  Dont have a home course, will play anywhere

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? the Best thing about golf in my area is the amount of golf.  The worst thing is paying $600 for Pebble Beach

6. What do you do for a living? Contract negotiating

7. How’d you pick your user name? Chose it liked it.

[romeopapazulu]

Can we get a UT in the title of this thread?  

[GolfSpy MPR]

Can we get a UT in the title of this thread?  

I knew I'd end up leaving some state out. My apologies to the good folks of Utah.

[romeopapazulu]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

1 hour ago, romeopapazulu said:

Can we get a UT in the title of this thread?  

I knew I'd end up leaving some state out. My apologies to the good folks of Utah.

I'm not a native here, so I don't know where exactly we claim to lie, but it seemed like we were in the middle of a few of these groups.  Sure enough, there were only 49 states listed in the titles.  I saw it in your subtitle in the thread, though.

I wish this place felt like the South West right now.  We've had our ten year snow here in the last week.

[azstu324]

Howdy! I guess that's what we say here in AZ? 

 

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? Been playing since I was about 12. No established handicap but average mid 80's on most par 70-72's so I guess that might make me about a 13?

2. What do you love about golf? By nature and profession, I'm a very critical thinker/problem solver. This whole game is like solving 18 consecutive  mini puzzles that are never the same each time. 

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I've been a member for a few years now. It was my initial curiosity with club making and interweb golf club investigation that led me here. It just seemed that the more I searched for answers about different golf related subjects, the more I found myself reading MGS responses as they seemed to be more candid and honest with nothing but respectful folks. Eventually I just joined to become a part of the community. I really only know other spies through regular discussion and banter through various threads. Nobody personally. 

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? I live in Chandler, AZ. Not really an AZ native but have lived here for over 25 years so we claim it as home. My home courses are really the locally recognized budget tracks.. nothing with TPC or Trune attached. Foothills, Kokopelli, Ken McDonald, Rolling Hills, Springfield, Western Skies, Superstition Springs, The Duke, etc. 

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? The best thing is that there is absolutely no shortage of courses in the Phx area. The worst is that in the winter time, green fees nearly quadruple due to prime season. 

6. What do you do for a living? I'm a Mortgage Underwriter (Risk analysis)

7. How’d you pick your user name? I'm from Arizona, my name's Stuart, and my DOB is 3/24... Hence AZStu324

[Jdfishing]

I've been playing golf most of my life, but didn't really get serious about it until I retired in 2002. Lowered my Handicap to 14, but it has gradually risen to my current 18. Currently shooting high 80's to low 90's. Aging and a bout with prostate cancer contributed to my rising Handicap.

The two things I love most about golf are the beautiful scenery and its a game that you will never fully conquer. 

When I first spotted My Spy Golf, about two years ago on the internet, I was intrigued by its no-nonsense coverage of golf topics. Honest evaluations and some pretty valid studies.

I currently reside in Fairfield, CA, when I'm not on the road with my 5th wheel, traveling the western U. S. My favorite local courses are Rancho Solano and Paradise Valley. 

The best things about golf in my region are the fabulous weather and the wonderful mix of ocean and mountain courses. There is nothing bad about golf in my region. 

I retired in 2002 after 30+ years in law enforcement. 

My user name reflects another passion in my life. 

[The desert moose]

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? Been playing since grade school age. Used to be scratch in college around 7 now I guess still shoot mid 70s. I have some youngsters getting in the game and regained my passion for golf.

2. What do you love about golf? I love the challenge of imagination. Me vs. Me 

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? Just happened to come by a couple posts from google searches and sounded fun to get involved.

4.  Where are you from? What is your home course? Currently Casa Grande AZ. Don’t really have a home course. I love playing poston bute, lone tree, the duke, and the raven every time I get out to play.

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? There isn’t a lot of trees and I get stuck behind the only darn tree.

6. What do you do for a living? father of four boys. EMT and surgical technologist.

7.  How’d you pick your user name? I’m a big guy at 6’4” and my grandfather always said I was as big as a moose. My nickname became moose growing up and now living in the desert I thought it to be a clever name to keep. 

 

Thanks to to everyone and happy to be here. 

[PapaBear47]

1. I've been playing golf for about 15 years.  I am currently a 15hcp after having kids and playing less.  Looking forward to getting back to single digits!

2. The feeling of the "great" rounds where you can't miss and it all feels "easy" for a bit is utterly addictive.  I love being outside and the continued challenge of pursuing improvement.

3. I've been an avid reader of the articles, reviews etc and finally decided to jump in on the forum.

4. Costa Mesa, CA - no real home course but often play Santa Ana CC and Oak Creek Golf Club

5. Southern CA is great for year round golf!  Worst is crowded slow play.

6. I have a Wealth Management firm and am a husband and father to two boys.

7. I'm a proud dad and proud California Golden Bear.

[GMoney1970]

California native here born and raised in the Bay Area. Been in construction most of my life, union electrician since 1999 and working for a GC the last 3 years. Picked up golf in 2011 and have been obsessed ever since. The last 4 months has been tortuous since I have not had a chance to get out and play. If anyone is in the Pine Moutain Lake area you will start to see me there on the regular. Love this game. 

1. Been playing just over 7 years and have a handicap of 16.2

2. Whats not to love, its the game you love to hate but can't get enough of. 

3. like to hear other opinions on  gear and courses, don't know any other spies to my knowledge. 

4. Now residing in Dublin Ca, and 3 to 4 days a week in Groveland Ca. Need to establish that one again.

5. Best is there is a ton of courses to choose from and all offer something different, Worst is I don't get enough time to play and some are so $$$$$.

6. Construction Manager/General Superintendent for Suffolk Construction

7. Been a nick name since I was in High School. 

[dggolfer87]

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I've been playing golf about 28 years.(Had a putter in my hand at 3). Lowest Hdcp was a 1, currently unofficially about a 5. 

2. What do you love about golf? I love the inability to perfect. Golf is a game that challenges for perfection and yet is always elusive.

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I have been a casual Spy over the years doing research. I am enjoying a renewed desire to get connected and follow everything golf. I don't think I know any other spies.

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? Born and raised in Southern California. Currently in Murrieta, (Fowler territory). We have about 6 courses in a 10mi radius. I currently wouldn't say any of them stand out as a home course. I tend to rotate around depending on who I'm playing with.

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? Best by far is year round weather. As most of the country is jealous for, we can play everyday and rarely be in anything below 50. Worst thing is also tied to weather though. We don't get a lot of rain which means courses struggle to stay green and our grass is usually not very healthy. Even the higher end clubs struggle keeping nice conditions.

6. What do you do for a living? I spent 10 years in the golf world, specifically retail. (Dick's Sporting Goods and an Independent Golf shop). I just recently left and changed industries to real estate as a Mortgage Loan Officer.

7. How’d you pick your user name? Initials, birth year. 

 

Excited to be in the "club" and take a more involved part of the MGS family!

[Jvgolfcoach]

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I have been playing golf for 20 years I am a 12.2 Handicap right now hoping to improve it. I usually am around 82-86. 

2. What do you love about golf? I love trying to get better at this great game. I also love growing the game. 

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?  have been reading my golf spy for about 3 years now and I trust their testing and I don't know any other spies

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? I live in Santa Clarita California and I don't have a home course I will play anywhere

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? There are a lot of golf courses down here but there is also a lot of people who play so rounds can be long.

6. What do you do for a living?I am a high school special education teacher and football/golf coach.

7. How’d you pick your user name? I am the JV golf coach for the school I teach at.

[Bulldogdrumin]

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?

On and off for 30 years 

What do you love about golf?

Hitting the ball long and straight.  Oh, and being outdoors.

1. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?

The idea that technology can help me play better golf

1. Where are you from? What is your home course?

Santa Clarita California.  Valencia Country Club.

1. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?

Slow play on the weekends.

1. What do you do for a living?

CEO

1. How’d you pick your user name?

My user name was my late fathers before passing away in 2007.

[mr.hicksta]

Hey all!

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I've been playing for about 20 years. I'm currently an 11 handicap and I'm usually shooting in the mid to low 80s with the occasional 70s round. 

2. What do you love about golf? I love how it mirrors life. You could play the same holes 10 times in a row and it would be different in some way every time. 

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I've been a member for awhile, but have primarily come to the site to read reviews. As of late I've decided to take advantage of the forum to discuss this awesome game with like-minded people!

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? I'm originally from Northern Cali, but currently reside in Hawaii. My home course is Navy Marine Golf Course in Honolulu, HI. 

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? Best - year round golf. Worst - the golf scene in Hawaii is vastly overrated. 

6. What do you do for a living? Active duty Navy officer currently in my 19th year. 

7. How’d you pick your user name? It's my last name with a 'ta' on the end. I added the Mr to class it up some, haha!

Edited March 21, 2019 by mr.hicksta

[ole gray]

Glad you are becoming active and enjoy the community!

[Kenny B]

On 3/4/2019 at 6:52 AM, GMoney1970 said:

California native here born and raised in the Bay Area. Been in construction most of my life, union electrician since 1999 and working for a GC the last 3 years. Picked up golf in 2011 and have been obsessed ever since. The last 4 months has been tortuous since I have not had a chance to get out and play. If anyone is in the Pine Moutain Lake area you will start to see me there on the regular. Love this game. 

1. Been playing just over 7 years and have a handicap of 16.2

2. Whats not to love, its the game you love to hate but can't get enough of. 

3. like to hear other opinions on  gear and courses, don't know any other spies to my knowledge. 

4. Now residing in Dublin Ca, and 3 to 4 days a week in Groveland Ca. Need to establish that one again.

5. Best is there is a ton of courses to choose from and all offer something different, Worst is I don't get enough time to play and some are so $$$$$.

6. Construction Manager/General Superintendent for Suffolk Construction

7. Been a nick name since I was in High School. 

Welcome.  I played my very first round of golf in Dublin in 1991 while on a business trip to Livermore.  A group of guys I was working with wanted to play on the weekend, and they needed a fourth.  I'd never picked up a club before, and I finished 18 holes!!  I have no idea what my score was, but I was hooked.  I came home and spent the rest of the year on a local driving range.

[rjmi11er]

Hey All!

Just getting started here. Here is my intro post. Hoping to find some groups to play golf with in So.Cal.:

1. I have been playing golf for about 26 years and am currently a 1.7 index. 

2. I love this game because it reflects life so clearly. Every opportunity is a new challenge, perfection is unattainable ( the great Roy McAvoy), you must deal with what you are given, and it doesn't seem fair sometimes.

3. I have been following MyGolf Spy for years and find the approach to testing and equipment very refreshing. I play a mix of clubs from a variety of manufacturers that seem to fit my game best. That seems to be the philosophy here as well.

4. I live in Yorba Linda, CA and currently play a mix of private clubs and daily fee clubs. Usually Hacienda Golf Club (Epic!) or Black Gold Golf Club.

5. The best thing about golf in my region is that you can play year round and there are plenty of really solid tracks to go play. The worst thing about golf in my region is the greens fees are excessive, over $300/round for some courses.

6. I am currently in Sales for a Construction Start-up specializing in the Multifamily and Hospitality sectors.

7. My username is a combination of my actual name (RJ Miller) and my College Football Number (11). I had to add in the number because as you can imagine, getting RJMiller as a user name is a tough get.

Thanks to all for doing this! Looking forward to connecting and learning.

Cheers!

-RJ

[esande7]

Hey all! Just joined the forums and am getting back into golf after nearly a decade off.

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I played a lot as a kid, typically tagging along with my uncles and grandfather.  No real competitive golf experience other than friendly wagers with friends.

2. What do you love about golf? I love the mental and physical challenge.  I love the emphasis on consistency.  Most of all, I love being outside and seeing some of the beautiful courses.

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I stumbled across MyGolfSpy while looking for some reviews on golf equipment.  I love the unbiased approach and love the community contributions.  I've read for quite some time but just recently jumped in on creating a profile for the forums.

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? I'm from Salt Lake City, UT.  I don't have a true home course and choose to golf the many courses Salt Lake has to offer.  I also enjoy traveling to various courses throughout the Western US.  I golf most frequently at Stonebridge in West Valley City, UT.

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? The best thing about golf in Utah is the wide variety of courses and the many public courses that are truly affordable to play.  The worst thing is the winter.  I love getting away to warmer weather during the winter.

6. What do you do for a living? I work as a manager of Information Systems in the Financial Services industry.

7. How’d you pick your user name? It is one of those randomly assigned usernames from long ago.  I have somewhat adopted it as my second name.

Glad to be here.  Thank you everyone for your contributions.  Love reading the content.

[yungkory]

1 hour ago, esande7 said:

Hey all! Just joined the forums and am getting back into golf after nearly a decade off.

1. How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score? I played a lot as a kid, typically tagging along with my uncles and grandfather.  No real competitive golf experience other than friendly wagers with friends.

2. What do you love about golf? I love the mental and physical challenge.  I love the emphasis on consistency.  Most of all, I love being outside and seeing some of the beautiful courses.

3. What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies? I stumbled across MyGolfSpy while looking for some reviews on golf equipment.  I love the unbiased approach and love the community contributions.  I've read for quite some time but just recently jumped in on creating a profile for the forums.

4. Where are you from? What is your home course? I'm from Salt Lake City, UT.  I don't have a true home course and choose to golf the many courses Salt Lake has to offer.  I also enjoy traveling to various courses throughout the Western US.  I golf most frequently at Stonebridge in West Valley City, UT.

5. What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? The best thing about golf in Utah is the wide variety of courses and the many public courses that are truly affordable to play.  The worst thing is the winter.  I love getting away to warmer weather during the winter.

6. What do you do for a living? I work as a manager of Information Systems in the Financial Services industry.

7. How’d you pick your user name? It is one of those randomly assigned usernames from long ago.  I have somewhat adopted it as my second name.

Glad to be here.  Thank you everyone for your contributions.  Love reading the content.

I took about a decade off where I probably had 2 range sessions and 1 18-hole round in that span, and also work in IT. Did we just become best friends? Jokes aside, welcome to the forums. If you're looking for fellow equipment junkies, you've come to the right place.

[cpogoose]

Hi everyone! I’m a long time lurker here and longtime instagram follower of my golf spy, finally made an account! 

I’ve been playing golf since I was 13 (I’m now 22). At my best I was a scratch golfer and won a couple of Arizona junior tournaments, but these days I’ll barely break 80 on a good day. I stopped playing while in college but now I play and practice 5 to 7 times a week since graduating. I’m trying to get back to scratch so I can compete in some az amateur tournaments. I’m pretty dedicated to it, hopefully I’ll be in the low 70s by the end of the year!!

 

I love that golf is unbeatable. No matter what, there is somewhere to improve. 

 

I found mygolfspy on youtube first, I love their in-depth videos and unbiased approach. 

Im from Goodyear AZ, my home course was the golf club of Estrella. Golf in Arizona is amazing. I can play all year. The worst thing is that it’s desert golf, which can be unforgiving, and grass has a hard time growing out here on a lot of courses.

im currently a data scientist in Tucson.

 

goose is my nickname, and cpo is my initials. No cool story there.