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***Official 2025 Golf Thread, tbd*** (9 Viewers)

I've been attempting to play golf for like 14 years now (I'm 32). My dad bought me a set of Tommy Armour's back in 2004 and for the first few years, I probably played like 10 times a year. I was never very good at all (usually around 115 or so...) but I made some decent shots on occasion and enjoyed it. As I got a little better, the game actually got MORE frustrating for me, as I'm a bit of a headcase and expected to hit something close to my best shot every time. Eventually, I got too frustrated and quit. Tried picking it up a few times over the years but couldn't get over my mental block. The last 2 times I played prior to last year, I walked off at the turn and never went back.

Finally late last year I decided to just be an adult, suck it up and give it another shot. Played 4 rounds at the end of last fall in the 105-110 range and although I had a couple of mini-freakouts after some bad holes, I stuck it out. Made a commitment to giving it a full run this year.

I've gotten 2 rounds in so far (with about a month break in between due to the lousy weather we've been having) and although I'm still having some REALLY bad holes, my good holes are improving and I can feel myself getting better in a lot of facets of the game. Shot another 110 on sunday (some topped drives led to a few blow up holes. Didn't help that we were late and didn't get a chance to hit the range) but I made my first birdie ever (stuck probably the best 5 iron of my life within 3 feet on a par 3 and sunk the putt) and hit some other pretty decent shots.

At this point, I'm not hitting a driver (the only one I have is a hand-me-down from my dad with a MASSIVE head that's an odd shape) or any of my longer irons. So I'm basically hitting a 5 wood (and its not that new, so the tech is mediocre) and then my 5 iron for all my longer shots. So that's obviously hurting me. My mid-irons are probably the strongest part of my game right now (not saying much) but I'm having a lot of trouble with my 8, 9 and wedges hitting good approach shots. Although I hit them well on the range, I tend to pick my head up and skull them on the course. Combine that with my awful chipping (just picked up a 54 degree wedge last year and its still very much trial and error) and bad putting and I can't put up anything close to a decent score yet. Lots and lots of double bogies.

Took 1 lesson last year which helped with some fundamentals (particularly my posture and takeaway) and planning on another one next week. I feel like I could definitely break 100 by the end of the year if I stick with it and get some practice time in on the short game. Since my irons are so old, I'm probably going to get a new set, but my biggest club gap right now is between my 5 iron and my wood. I just don't have anything to hit that 200 yard shot that's not off the tee. So I'm looking at Hybrids now. 

I hit the ball far for someone who doesn't play much at all. When I actually hit the 5 wood well, I'm a good 10 yards past my dad's driver. He's 65 but a big guy and a very good player (typically in the 80's with the occasional high 70's round. Plays over 150 rounds a year). So its really just about swing consistency(I tend to swing too hard and pick my head up) and improving my short game.

Overall, I'm just psyched that I finally got past my mental block and am able to enjoy the game a little bit (despite my current poor play). With my dad getting older and my brother really getting into the game, I felt like I was missing out on a lot of family bonding time.

Any suggestions on hybrids? I'm reading a lot of reviews and do plan on going for a fitting, but I have no idea where to start.

 
Re: hybrids - lots of options out there, so hit as many as you can on the range or on the simulator. Maybe more important than the brand is the shaft. Be sure to swing different weights and different flexes to find out what works best for you (a fitter will make it happens). Lofts will also be another thing to factor in.

The Ping G series is probably tops in the category, and they just came out with a Crossover for 2016 (essentially a high-tech driving iron). Personally, I'm playing Tour Edge Exotics XGC series. I like it, but don't love it. Will probably pick up something else over the summer.

 
smoke monster said:
Forget about your clubs. You're going to spend hundreds of dollars and be lucky to save two or three strokes at best. Tommy Armour's are fine and there is no need to replace them unless they're totally beat down or you can break 80 then you can start to think about your clubs. If you really want to get better you need practice, practice, and more practice. Putting, chipping, pitching, bunker shots, flop shots, bump and run, be $ from 100 yards and in, get to the point you are making solid contact and hitting it in the general direction you want every time. Eliminate the blow up holes. You should be able to break 100 with a set from 50 years ago. Getting fitted when you're still skulling them is a waste and you need to lose the idea that your clubs are holding you back somehow (that is if you want to actually get better).

edit: If any of your clubs like your driver or sand wedge are seriously flawed then check out ebay or a used club retailer. If you buy clubs now and then get good you'll probably want a new set then anyway.
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I'm under no illusion about my clubs. i know they're not holding me back in any way at this point. Yeah, maybe new irons would be a LITTLE more forgiving on my sort of bad shots and give me a little more distance on my really good ones, but as you say, that isn't my issue right now. The issue is getting rid of the REALLY bad shots and clubs obviously don't fix that. 

I do think I need some sort of hybrid for longer shots. If I flub a drive at this point, my only option is taking out my 5 iron and basically putting myself 2 shots in the hole. Not saying I have any distance control right now, but I do think not having anything between 5 iron and 5 wood (which I really can't hit very well off the deck anyway) is a very good thing. When i see the shots my dad pulls off with his hybrids (he has 4 in his bag now....) I can't imagine it wouldn't help.

edit: I do need to find a way to get some practice time around the green. Chipping and pitching is my biggest problem now. Even when I skull an iron, I at least put a move on it and advance the ball. My chipping and pitching is just beyond abysmal right now. I have no technique and its basically total luck when I get anything within 15 feet of the pin.

 
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Great tips everyone, thanks for taking the time!

I already wanna go to the driving range again this week...

 
TLEF316 said:
Any suggestions on hybrids? I'm reading a lot of reviews and do plan on going for a fitting, but I have no idea where to start.
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go to a range where they sell clubs and have an outdoor fitting area that you can hit 5-6 different hybrids.   They'll put you on a monitor and it'll track your swing speed, trajectory, smash factor, distance and carry.    They'll fit the clubs to your swing, buy the ones you hit best.

 
Tlef. To get instantly better chipping.

Use a 8 or 9 iron

move ball back in your stance. Narrow stance.

keep hand at normal address, meaning the shafts will lean forward towards target

make a putt stroke

once you get better you start moving down your wedges

still use a 9-iron if you got a nice bump and run then you can start taking a little bit bigger swings excetera

 
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I've been thinking I should get a new set of irons for a couple years now, as the ones I've always played with were hand-me-downs from my brother. I've been hesitant though because I hit them really well (for me) although I'm surely sacrificing some distance...but accuracy rules above all. 

I just asked him if he remembered when he bought them, and while I knew they were old, the answer still surprised me: 1989! They're two years younger than my wife. 

 
RUSF18 said:
I've been thinking I should get a new set of irons for a couple years now, as the ones I've always played with were hand-me-downs from my brother. I've been hesitant though because I hit them really well (for me) although I'm surely sacrificing some distance...but accuracy rules above all. 

I just asked him if he remembered when he bought them, and while I knew they were old, the answer still surprised me: 1989! They're two years younger than my wife. 
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one thing to note: club manufactures have been suppressing loft on their irons for years to give the Average Golfer the impression they're gaining distance. for example, a 7i from 15 years ago may have had a loft around 37* and the 2015 model may come in at 32* ... that could account for 10+ yards difference depending on the player.

granted, club technology has improved vastly with "game improvement" irons, more focus on MOI, better shafts, etc., so a new set will probably yield some better results, but maybe at the cost of feel and work-ability.

just .02

 
Greens got punched the past two days at my home course. Only got to play front 9 yesterday as the back was entirely closed. 

Birdied first. Doubled fourth. Played par golf until eighth. Nemesis hole that I struggle on. 185 yard par 3. Still have a tough time fading (sometimes slicing) long irons. Nutted one straight to the pin for a tap in birdie. Parred the ninth for my first par 9 holes. Nearly birdied ninth. Greens were insanely sandy, but it seemed to make shipping much easier as the ball was guaranteed not to roll out too much. Was like throwing darts.

 
First night in league play last night.   Going into #8 in Had 4 pars and 3 bogeys and was in good control..hit every fairway. On 8 I smoke my drive and end up 110 out in the middle..my favorite distance.  I proceed to yank my pitching wedge into the trap left of the green. The lie was not the best so I tried to dig it out and it hits the lips and rolls right back at me...second time I decelerate and totally fluff it..rolls back again.  Get it out on the third and 2 putt for a triple when I should have been putting for a birdie!  Still pissed off I double the next hole going OB with my drive.   :wall:  

 
Da Guru said:
First night in league play last night.   Going into #8 in Had 4 pars and 3 bogeys and was in good control..hit every fairway. On 8 I smoke my drive and end up 110 out in the middle..my favorite distance.  I proceed to yank my pitching wedge into the trap left of the green. The lie was not the best so I tried to dig it out and it hits the lips and rolls right back at me...second time I decelerate and totally fluff it..rolls back again.  Get it out on the third and 2 putt for a triple when I should have been putting for a birdie!  Still pissed off I double the next hole going OB with my drive.   :wall:  
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brutal.

 
4.25.16

Out - 52
In - 47

one fairway hit, three GIR, 32 putts and a birdie.

what a mess. after finally figuring out the driver last week, i went 180 degrees and forgot everything. topped one into the water on #2, topped another on #6 that went 10 yards, and fired a worm-burner into another hazard on #9 for a smoooooth 52. and that was after going birdie-par on the previous two holes. hooked another OB on #14 and got wet on #17. just brilliant play.

irons were awful as well: everything was pushed right and fading. alignment is completely off too. combine that with getting an exceptional number of bad bounces, e.g. hit the ball in the bunker and it's buried on the lip, hit it into the trees and it lands in front of a root, hit it in the rough and it's in a 6" divot. the only solid part of today was short game: had a sand save and putted well.

[rant]

i get out around 11:30 am today as a single. local (home) course is about as busy as i can expect, which isn't too awful. old(er) lady gets out just before me, as a single, and by the time i've spent looking for my drive on #1 in the rough, she's long gone. perfect. crank up the music and crack a beer. fast forward to #3 and she's caught up with a twosome and is now playing with them. guys in their 30s-40s as a guess. and they are slow. like really, freaking, slow. the guys are riding together and have no idea about Cart Golf. one guy hits from the right side of the fairway, and his buddy sits there watching, and then they drive across the fairway to get to his ball. and there's the dropping of the 2nd ball because, well, #### it. he wants to hit another. and this goes on hole after hole. i realize that as a single, i have no standing on the course. that's fine by me. but these yokels had no idea what was going on behind them. the worst, however, was that after holing out all three of them stood in the middle of the green and had a 15-30 second conversation on every hole. what. the. ####. and it wasn't them adding up their scores (another thing i can't stand): they were gesticulating, and laughing, and carrying on like they were the only ones out there. to cap it off on #9, they decided to stand next to the greenside bunker after finishing and shoot the ####. i'm literally standing in the RH rough, about 120 out, just staring them down, waiting. 30 seconds. 1 minute. 2 minutes. finally they decided to break up their little sewing circle and head off to #10. i'm not saying that contributed to the ####-show that was my round, but it sure didn't help.

[/rant]

 
Loving my new club.  Can play a tough track in 4 hours or less on most days, and that's with 5-somes here and there.  So awesome when people get it.  We don't even really need marshals - seems like all, men and women alike, speed up to fill any gaps in front of them quickly.  Totally changed me wanting to play more.  

As for the game itself, big 24 man tourney in La Quinta is 5 weeks away.  Feel I'm as good as I've been swinging the club and when I hit a bad one I know the cause (e.g. - pulled one in the water on 10 and I could just feel my lower body stopping).  Course management is good.  Putting needs to get better.  3 putts aren't the issue - I can usually come close from 20-30 feet.  But I make a better stroke on those than I do on 4-10 footers.  I need to convert 3 more of those per round.  That coupled with getting a bit better with wedges.  Sometimes great with a flop shot to the back tier, but others I'll get a little cute and leave one in a trap.  Have to avoid the big miss with the short game. 7.7 index but I know I can get down to a 4 or 5 with work.

 
42 for my first 9 of the year. 2 3-putts. Tons of weak right shots. I'm not rotating through/clearing very well yet. Still stiff from the long winter layover. 

 
belljr said:
Put up my worst round in 10 years.  Not schtick.

I don't even know where to begin
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Did the same thing two rds ago myself.

Driver was half decent, couldn't do anything ANYTHING with any other club in the bag.

Hit a tee shot on a short par 4 dog leg left to 110 yds in the center of the fairway..took a 7. As upset as I've been after a rd probably ever. Was pissed for a cpl days :lol:.

Got out 2 weeks later and played well, it was like I just forgot how to golf that day. Keep your chin up

 
Skoo said:
I apologize if this has been covered, but any tips for a BRAND NEW golfer?

I've literally never played a round of golf. Hit balls at the driving range a few times, went out with my dad on Sunday. Probably the first time in 5 years I've (tried to) hit a ball. After a while I got some solid shots in, I must admit it does feel good to hit one right.

Been watching a few Youtube videos on how to swing, grip the club, etc. But I figured if there's any really good videos/websites that would be a big help.

Never had much of an interest in golf, but I'm getting old (turn 34 next week) so I figure maybe this is a sport I can still excel at! 

Thanks for any info!
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Well...I might just be hooked.

Went to the range again on Saturday this time with the wife. First we did mini golf then I hit some balls. Was surprised at how much better I was hitting the ball. Watched some YouTube videos on how to swing, hold the club, etc which definitely helped. Old man got me a putter for my birthday Sunday, so I'm all set!

The last shot I took went high, long, and STRAIGHT! Must say it felt good.

Thanks again for the tips guys!

 
Skoo said:
Well...I might just be hooked.

Went to the range again on Saturday this time with the wife. First we did mini golf then I hit some balls. Was surprised at how much better I was hitting the ball. Watched some YouTube videos on how to swing, hold the club, etc which definitely helped. Old man got me a putter for my birthday Sunday, so I'm all set!

The last shot I took went high, long, and STRAIGHT! Must say it felt good.

Thanks again for the tips guys!
Click to expand...
Nice!  You'll love and hate this game at the same time.  Biggest tip for a new golfer...... Don't try to kill it.  You'll likely be playing with guys who've played golf for years.  They're gonna hit the ball further than you.  You'll want to try and get it out there with them.... DON'T.  Focus on the swing.  Focus on your grip.  Focus on your tempo.  Focus on keeping your head down.  Do all the little things right.   The speed and distance will come with time.  Trying to hit the ball hard too early will just cause you to develop bad habits that you'll hate yourself for in 2 years.

 
Welp - new job location and daughter playing travel ball has dampered my golfing.  I usually play 30- 50 rounds a year.

Loooking at my schedule for the next month or so, I'll be lucky to break 10 :kicksrock:

 
Have a chance to go to Chambers Bay.  Free golf and caddy sponsored by a vendor.  Will likely have to cover travel from CA.  Worth it?

 
Started playing again after a several year layoff, and borrowed a friend's hybrid (Adams something).  I loved it.  I think I'll buy a few, but I don't want to close myself off to just that brand if anyone else has good experience with others.  I typically have a high trajectory with woods.  At one point 10 HC, 20 HC currently.

 
Judge Smails said:
Have a chance to go to Chambers Bay.  Free golf and caddy sponsored by a vendor.  Will likely have to cover travel from CA.  Worth it?
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$275 out of state rate plus $100 for caddie, hardly seems enough :P  It seems like such a unique course that I would want to play it, especially if someone else was paying my way. 

 
ydoc said:
memorial day 2 man this weekend....best ball on saturday....both balls count on sunday....

:excited:




 
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Same here but 3 days match play (8 teams per flight) - 10 flights.  We shot even par and lost 1 up.  

I birdie the first hole out of the trees and don't make another putt all day outside of 3 feet.  So bummed.

 
Contact us great. Short game not so much. 

Did shoot a 37-39 where I holed out from 170 from under a pine tree. Hit a low 4-iron punch landed 40 yds short of green bounces up, runs up into the cup. Eagle 2. Unfortunately no witness. 

 
Heading out to La Quinta soon for our 24 guy tourney. 12-12 Ryder Cup format for 3 rounds. Opening and closing rounds for tournament/skins games. Really looking forward to it, though after months of cool weather in So Cal it's going to be in Africa hot. Playing well, lessons have me much more versatile with short game. Excited to see how I hold up under pressure. 

 
Judge Smails said:
Heading out to La Quinta soon for our 24 guy tourney. 12-12 Ryder Cup format for 3 rounds. Opening and closing rounds for tournament/skins games. Really looking forward to it, though after months of cool weather in So Cal it's going to be in Africa hot. Playing well, lessons have me much more versatile with short game. Excited to see how I hold up under pressure. 
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Sounds awesome!

Good luck and Dominate!

 
Culminating 117 holes over this memorial weekend today. Member guest best ball tourney. Really happy with myself because my normally erratic play has tightened up and I've shot every round within 6 strokes of each (did have my classic 50-37 my first round of the weekend). Only variance is whether I'm playing sober or buzzed. So much better buzzed. :bag:

 
So 133 holes in four days (math isn't wrong, jumped two holes to get by a slow group ahead of us and we were too tired to go back). 

Best golf I've been in a long time. Beat my number by six strokes in the tournament today. Missed a two footer on a hole I popped on or we had second. Instead came in fifth. Back is fried and I'm literally typing this as I soak in Epsom but golf rules!

 
Apple Jack said:
36+ three straight days for a Member-Guest? Where is that?
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No no, the tourney was today and just 18 holes. 

Brother in law (the member) and I had a bachelor weekend with our wives and kids at Disney. So naturally we just filled it with golf and booze. 

36-36-27-34. 

Not playing the full 36 on Sunday really saved us. 

 
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Shot 5 under my cap on the last of a three day tournament today to pull us (two man tourney) up to 5th net. Great feeling to post best ever score on my home course during a tournament. Chipped in on 18 to cap it off. 

Speaking of tourneys... Anyone have experience with guys having + handicaps getting to play as scratch golfers? Seems completely unfair. We had two guys that were +2.1 and +3.1 get to play as scratch golfers today. They both shoot a 71, but the score goes in as 2 under for their combined score winning them 1st net. Two even better players won 1st gross. Wouldn't it be fair for them to have their 5 strokes added if they're going to be in the running for net $?

 
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I haven't played in a tourney that ever allowed scratch or better to play in the net division.  In every tourney I've played that was similar, there was a "championship flight" that every scratch and scratch+ player was in.  

It is incredibly unfair to allow a + player to play at even in a net tourney.  That's no different than allowing an 8 to play as an 11.

 
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Hooper31 said:
Shot 5 under my cap on the last of a three day tournament today to pull us (two man tourney) up to 5th net. Great feeling to post best ever score on my home course during a tournament. Chipped in on 18 to cap it off. 

Speaking of tourneys... Anyone have experience with guys having + handicaps getting to play as scratch golfers? Seems completely unfair. We had two guys that were +2.1 and +3.1 get to play as scratch golfers today. They both shoot a 71, but the score goes in as 2 under for their combined score winning them 1st net. Two even better players won 1st gross. Wouldn't it be fair for them to have their 5 strokes added if they're going to be in the running for net $?
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Never seen that. Seems completely unfair. 

 
Zow said:
Never seen that. Seems completely unfair. 
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"Plus" players should be giving the appropriate strokes back to the field. We used to have a pretty good Ryder Cup $$ calcutta tourney that drew some tour pro's and they were given handicaps as high as +9.

@Woz I'll be headed your way in couple weeks for a marathon golf/drunk/gambling tournament @ Laughlin Ranch :excited:

 
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