CGRdrJoe
Footballguy
now you’re ready to try it on a real course and not mini golfAchievement Unlocked!
18 holes, 1 ball.
i kid i kid
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***Official 2025 Golf Thread,, belljr bright lights of shank city*** (5 Viewers)
- Thread starter belljr
- Start date
i kid i kid
3 hour lunch
Footballguy
Big Cedar is awesome. Buffalo Ridge is so underrated and two fun short courses (Top of the Rock, Mountaintop) as well. Bandon is great but for all the reasons you mentioned it takes just a bit of shine off.
Judge Smails
Footballguy
Ball striking all of a sudden terrible. Just slapping it around. Can still drive it and depend on my short game, but irons are unreliable. Usually a plane issue. No real compression. Back to basics
MAC_32
Footballguy
Any recommendations for new woods? I got a new set of irons last year (Callaway Smoke), so time for the next level. I've received a green light for a driver this spring and a strong maybe for a 3 wood by summer. Hybrids may be a year out, but we'll see how much we sink into our home improvement budget.
I got a club fitting with a highly regarded local pro for xmas, so we're good there, just hunting for some ideas before setting that appointment. Not in any rush, coaching responsibilities heavily limit my availability through mid-May, so it's possible I don't tee one up until Memorial Day weekend.
I got a club fitting with a highly regarded local pro for xmas, so we're good there, just hunting for some ideas before setting that appointment. Not in any rush, coaching responsibilities heavily limit my availability through mid-May, so it's possible I don't tee one up until Memorial Day weekend.
Zow
Footballguy
Whatever wood best fits your specs along with whatever shaft best fits your specs.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
This might sound like a dismissive answer but it's accurate. Whatever the fitting says to get, get it. The shaft is at least as important as the head brand. You may end up with a Titleist/70g shaft or a Srixon/40g. It's all in your swing and that's what fittings are for.Whatever wood best fits your specs along with whatever shaft best fits your specs.
Instinctive
Footballguy
FWIW, idk how good you are or if others who know more will disagree, but I find the hybrid to be the most important, consistent, and most used club in my bag. If or when I ever update clubs and get re-fit, if I can't pay for the whole bag at once I'm definitely going hybrid first in purchase order.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Another thing: the manufacturers are coming out with this year's models right now and they're expensive. They might be worth the money (drivers are around $650 before tax and with a stock shaft) but I'd doubt it. I'd suggest sticking with the previous generation or even two prior.
I just bought a Callaway Rogue ST Max Heavenwood (essentially a 7 wood at 20 degrees) and 3 wood. The Rogue is the generation previous to the Smoke. They cost me $120/each. They were barely used demos.
I bought a Titleist TSr2 head for $150 to "upgrade" from my TSi2 - which I sold for $100.
Golf is expensive but it doesn't have to be break the bank expensive.
And I'm a big advocate of high lofted fairway woods - like 7 and 9 and even 11. And yes, hybrids too. My first true iron is a 7.
I just bought a Callaway Rogue ST Max Heavenwood (essentially a 7 wood at 20 degrees) and 3 wood. The Rogue is the generation previous to the Smoke. They cost me $120/each. They were barely used demos.
I bought a Titleist TSr2 head for $150 to "upgrade" from my TSi2 - which I sold for $100.
Golf is expensive but it doesn't have to be break the bank expensive.
And I'm a big advocate of high lofted fairway woods - like 7 and 9 and even 11. And yes, hybrids too. My first true iron is a 7.
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MAC_32
Footballguy
Sand traps aside, I'm decent. Put me on a course with room for error and if I'm on I can shoot par, if I'm off mid-80's. On a challenging course? I'm always due for a couple blow-ups, usually when sand is involved, so best case is break 80 and can easily shoot well into the 90's. Guessing that probably comes out to a 15 handicap give or take.
But, at the point of contact, I'm fairly consistent. Directionally challenged, which is why I'm blow-up prone, but generally steady contact. I don't have an iron under 5, that's my 185 club. I make okay contact with my 3 wood, the problem is it's ancient, so much over 200 is usually reliant on dry ground. I seem to be 225+ out more often than ~200 (par 5's), which is why I'm leaning 3 wood before hybrid, but I can be convinced.
The Gator
Footballguy
Love all this fitting talk.
My coach said that Dragonfly is one of the best local places to get fitted. My plan is to get a driver next month and continue to use the irons I have until the summer then re-evaluate. That'll give me about a year of playing and practicing to then get fitted for irons.
I am very interested in the hybrid vs woods vs long irons talk too. My 4i is about 210-220 off the deck and I was already leaning towards a set that included a 3I instead of a hybrid because my swing seems to fit the irons really well...so far
My coach said that Dragonfly is one of the best local places to get fitted. My plan is to get a driver next month and continue to use the irons I have until the summer then re-evaluate. That'll give me about a year of playing and practicing to then get fitted for irons.
I am very interested in the hybrid vs woods vs long irons talk too. My 4i is about 210-220 off the deck and I was already leaning towards a set that included a 3I instead of a hybrid because my swing seems to fit the irons really well...so far
belljr
Footballguy
No offense but if you can shoot par you are like a 5
Instinctive
Footballguy
I was gonna say I'm a 14.4 and basically my line is if I break 85 it was an awesome day, high 80s I played well, mid or high 90s I played like crap.
The Gator
Footballguy
I feel attacked
belljr
Footballguy
The lowest I ever was was a 6.2. I still have never shot par. One away a couple. 2 away a bunch now I'm 7-9.... High 70s to low 80s. I have dipped into a 90 here and there still
MAC_32
Footballguy
I can shoot par on a muni type of course with sparse trees, forgiving rough, and little-to-no sand
That's where steady contact and directionally challenged does not go punished! I don't track things like fairways hit and GIR, but if I did they wouldn't be great. I'm a good chipper though. If it's on that day and I'm hitting the 7-10 footers then I can make a run at par on those types of courses. That's not the case at more challenging layouts where ~5 yards wide can quickly lead to a double no matter what I do.
Instinctive
Footballguy
Hahaha
I didn't say if YOU shoot in the 90s you played like crap.
A year ago, I would have said anything under 95 I played really well and over 100 felt bad. But I got a lot better last year. Planning to do so again this year!
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
That's a really good 4i distance, IMO.Love all this fitting talk.
My coach said that Dragonfly is one of the best local places to get fitted. My plan is to get a driver next month and continue to use the irons I have until the summer then re-evaluate. That'll give me about a year of playing and practicing to then get fitted for irons.
I am very interested in the hybrid vs woods vs long irons talk too. My 4i is about 210-220 off the deck and I was already leaning towards a set that included a 3I instead of a hybrid because my swing seems to fit the irons really well...so far
I guess the reason to have at least one hybrid in the bag is because they're typically much easier to hit out of the rough but YMMV.
Zow
Footballguy
Double+ avoidance is the biggest difference between an 18 and an 8.
Zow
Footballguy
Somewhat of a rant forthcoming here, but if you guys can take away anything from me on this thread it's that there is no such thing as "the best club." There is only "the best club for you." And by club I mean the clubhead and the shaft. In other words, when your buddy comes to you and say or some rando on a message posts something like, "You gotta go get this new Ping driver! It's the best!," please, please, please understand that such may not be the case FOR YOU.
I firmly stand by the above for a few reasons. First, golf tech has been basically maxed out and, when considering the new ball change rule, it seems unlikely that the rules will permit significant advancements any time soon. As such, the major manufacturers are all pretty good across the board and while they do release new versions of their top of the line clubs every year, we are likely talking about minimal differences and improvements between brands and models.
Second, the above totally discounts the most important tech in the club which is the shaft. The shaft is the part of the club that actually impacts swing speed, launch angle, and much of the spin rate. So, a golfer could have the best clubhead ever made, but if it's at the end of the subpar shaft, then it's still going to be a "bad" club overall.
Third, we are all different so, naturally, we all have different swings (as much as we'd all probably want to be Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, or Fred Couples with their beautiful natural swings - we aren't). And, it's the swing and all that goes with it that determines whether a club is good for that individual as the club needs to comport to the swing characteristics. So, while Tiger's irons are wonderful tech, they are designed for the rare golfer who always find the face and doesn't need any forgiveness in the club. Using myself as an example (because I am an oddity) my natural swing generates a massively high spin rate and I naturally hit a high ball flight. So, when I fit into my clubs, every part of the build was designed to lower spin and lower ball flight. This is in contrast to most golfers, such as my wife, who had need their clubs to assist in generating spin and raising ball flight. Accordingly, if not obvious, my wife's game would be a disaster if she hit my "good clubs" and mine would be a similar disaster (I'd likely be launching and spinning balls off the planet) if I used hers.
In short, when you think about what constitutes a good club think about bicycles and how Lance Armstrong, arguably the greatest cyclist ever, would inevitably lose a bike race to a four year old if both had to use tricycles. Because that same concept applies as much to golf clubs.
I firmly stand by the above for a few reasons. First, golf tech has been basically maxed out and, when considering the new ball change rule, it seems unlikely that the rules will permit significant advancements any time soon. As such, the major manufacturers are all pretty good across the board and while they do release new versions of their top of the line clubs every year, we are likely talking about minimal differences and improvements between brands and models.
Second, the above totally discounts the most important tech in the club which is the shaft. The shaft is the part of the club that actually impacts swing speed, launch angle, and much of the spin rate. So, a golfer could have the best clubhead ever made, but if it's at the end of the subpar shaft, then it's still going to be a "bad" club overall.
Third, we are all different so, naturally, we all have different swings (as much as we'd all probably want to be Adam Scott, Vijay Singh, or Fred Couples with their beautiful natural swings - we aren't). And, it's the swing and all that goes with it that determines whether a club is good for that individual as the club needs to comport to the swing characteristics. So, while Tiger's irons are wonderful tech, they are designed for the rare golfer who always find the face and doesn't need any forgiveness in the club. Using myself as an example (because I am an oddity) my natural swing generates a massively high spin rate and I naturally hit a high ball flight. So, when I fit into my clubs, every part of the build was designed to lower spin and lower ball flight. This is in contrast to most golfers, such as my wife, who had need their clubs to assist in generating spin and raising ball flight. Accordingly, if not obvious, my wife's game would be a disaster if she hit my "good clubs" and mine would be a similar disaster (I'd likely be launching and spinning balls off the planet) if I used hers.
In short, when you think about what constitutes a good club think about bicycles and how Lance Armstrong, arguably the greatest cyclist ever, would inevitably lose a bike race to a four year old if both had to use tricycles. Because that same concept applies as much to golf clubs.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
And a little more on the shaft and how counterintuitive it can be in picking one.
On a good swing, I max out at around 95mph head speed. So one might think I could benefit from a lighter shaft. That may add a couple yards...but the resultant affect on my tempo is not worth it. So I actually have a heavier than normal 70g shaft, which fits my tempo, and my friends are all jealous of how many fairways I hit. I may be shorter off the tree but being in the short stuff is critical to an average golfer like me.
Also, each shaft manufacturer plays around with their flexes so much terms like Stiff and Regular don't have equal meaning between them. A stiff in one may be a regular in another. So that's another way fittings help.
On a good swing, I max out at around 95mph head speed. So one might think I could benefit from a lighter shaft. That may add a couple yards...but the resultant affect on my tempo is not worth it. So I actually have a heavier than normal 70g shaft, which fits my tempo, and my friends are all jealous of how many fairways I hit. I may be shorter off the tree but being in the short stuff is critical to an average golfer like me.
Also, each shaft manufacturer plays around with their flexes so much terms like Stiff and Regular don't have equal meaning between them. A stiff in one may be a regular in another. So that's another way fittings help.
Zow
Footballguy
Yep my fitter won't even use the terms. He uses like half points on a point scale up to seven or something?
Thorn
Footballguy
This might sound like a dismissive answer but it's accurate. Whatever the fitting says to get, get it. The shaft is at least as important as the head brand. You may end up with a Titleist/70g shaft or a Srixon/40g. It's all in your swing and that's what fittings are for.Whatever wood best fits your specs along with whatever shaft best fits your specs.
When I got fitted for my driver last year, the guy asked if I wanted to try fairway woods as well. I said sure, since I'm here, though I'm pretty happy with my 3w and 4-rescue, both old Taylor Made burners. After about 5 swings he said, "those are the right clubs for your swing. You're not going to gain anything with new woods, at least not that would justify the cost."
Thorn
Footballguy
Zow
Footballguy
THAT'S NEITHER TRUE NOR WHAT I SAID!!!!!!!11111 It's more like a blind man tossing a grenade.
Judge Smails
Footballguy
You can shoot par and are bad in bunkers? That’s unusual but great. Green side bunker shots are easy unless it’s a really bad lie. All technique. I was bad because I couldn’t consistently enter the sand where I intended. More often than not fell back, hit too far behind the ball and bounce skidded to the ball. Only in firm sand (our course is all firm sand). Once I got a lesson and got weight left for downward strike, squared stance, ball lined with front foot, and focused on hitting my exact spot I’m getting out every time with a putt to save par. My instructor drew a line in the sand and had me take a bunch of swings trying to enter at the line. No ball. I was so off at first. No wonder I struggled. Tight now.
Zow
Footballguy
thread title
Instinctive
Footballguy
First full round of the year in the books. 19 over, at a course I've never played. Got ABSOLUTELY SCREWED by conditions a couple times. I mean like, put on right in the middle of the fairway but because the grass is all dead and concrete it rolled out and down into a creek...a 280-yard 3h (which I typically hit 190).
Chipping super out of practice. By end of the round I had some really nice ones, just nestling up close to pins. Greens were remarkably well kept, but that meant adjusting to real pace and reading vs the munis where youre generally gonna do pretty well if you hit it at the pin.
8/14 fairways was nice. 37 putts was rough. Four 3-putts and one 4-putt rough.
FIVE pars, and a birdie. SIX doubles though.
Made me feel great though. Biting wind, temp in the high 40s but felt like high 30s. Overall really heartened that even out of practice I've clearly got the skills to keep improving. When we get to like March-September again this year, goal will be to get good enough to be a single digit handicap.
Last year's goal was to get down below 14, and I peaked at 13.6 (success!). So time to try again.
Chipping super out of practice. By end of the round I had some really nice ones, just nestling up close to pins. Greens were remarkably well kept, but that meant adjusting to real pace and reading vs the munis where youre generally gonna do pretty well if you hit it at the pin.
8/14 fairways was nice. 37 putts was rough. Four 3-putts and one 4-putt rough.
FIVE pars, and a birdie. SIX doubles though.
Made me feel great though. Biting wind, temp in the high 40s but felt like high 30s. Overall really heartened that even out of practice I've clearly got the skills to keep improving. When we get to like March-September again this year, goal will be to get good enough to be a single digit handicap.
Last year's goal was to get down below 14, and I peaked at 13.6 (success!). So time to try again.
The Gator
Footballguy
borrowed my brothers driver for a nine hole course with a few par fours today. Drove the green to 15 feet of the pin on a 265 yarder. Barely missed the eagle putt but dropped the birdie.
My wife: you should get a driver.
We go to the next hole, and I slice it into Arizona.
Me: what was that?
My wife: you should get a driver.
We go to the next hole, and I slice it into Arizona.
Me: what was that?
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Zow
Footballguy
Played my second "competitive" round yesterday stone cold sober in cold but not terrible conditions. Cut was on point early and putter was much better than the last time out so I started out very well by making a birdie on the first hole and hitting every green through the first five holes. Probably should have had one more birdie. By hole six I started pushing the ball a bit but hung on to finish +1 on the front. I then three putted from 25 feet on hole 10 and my round sputtered the rest of the way in. I took three penalties on the backside include a killer water ball where I tugged my approach from a mere 120 yards on 18 with a decent score still in play.
Finished +6 on the day with two birdies which is fine but the penalties were inexcusable (though I'm about to excuse them) and I need to birdie at least one par 5 on that particular course because all but one are reachable in two shots. I've noticed my back muscles will usually to wear down on the back nine and when that happens I leave my hands way too open with the driver (my other two penalty balls came off bad tee shots, including a slice into a lake - though I was able to make "good" bogeys despite the penalties) and I start worrying about overcutting everything. I also seem to be losing interest by the middle of the back nine.
I have been taking Magic Mind shots and am enjoying those. Decent energy and focus without any jitters. Probably be better served by doing yoga and core work in the gym.
ETA: Just looked at the stats. Last weekend I shot an 80 with 38 putts and not a single one putt and no birdies. But, never flirted with a penalty area. Yesterday, I lost three balls, hung on for dear life the last few holes to combat a clear swing flaw, but had nine fewer putts producing a lower score.
Finished +6 on the day with two birdies which is fine but the penalties were inexcusable (though I'm about to excuse them) and I need to birdie at least one par 5 on that particular course because all but one are reachable in two shots. I've noticed my back muscles will usually to wear down on the back nine and when that happens I leave my hands way too open with the driver (my other two penalty balls came off bad tee shots, including a slice into a lake - though I was able to make "good" bogeys despite the penalties) and I start worrying about overcutting everything. I also seem to be losing interest by the middle of the back nine.
I have been taking Magic Mind shots and am enjoying those. Decent energy and focus without any jitters. Probably be better served by doing yoga and core work in the gym.
ETA: Just looked at the stats. Last weekend I shot an 80 with 38 putts and not a single one putt and no birdies. But, never flirted with a penalty area. Yesterday, I lost three balls, hung on for dear life the last few holes to combat a clear swing flaw, but had nine fewer putts producing a lower score.
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MAC_32
Footballguy
You nailed it with the bolded. All technique. I get by because I played a lot as a youth. Never tracked, but at least one tournament per week during summer, with two rounds minimum around it. I chose running over it in high school then it fell by the wayside in college then early fatherhood. As free time has opened up again, I have progressed from a few scrambles per summer to 10-15 rounds. Once I did, muscle memory returned, and since I'm quite a bit stronger now than aged 15 the ball goes a lot further. That said, the 'shot making' swings are still a miss. Like Woz, I can hit the ball a mile in the air- the trajectory of my 7 iron looks more like a wedge. When I need an easy fade, I can pull that out of my bag of tricks at will. But stuff like the big draw? the low liner? and anything out of the sand? I'm still looking. I find the big draw by accident on occasion, but any attempts at intentionally doing it have been comically bad.
I know the first step to correction. Lessons. I'm just not in a place right now in which I'm going to think about them. In the meantime, I'm embracing my high variance golf game. Although maybe a few months from now I can add another 20 yards from distance.
Judge Smails
Footballguy
When I took sand lessons it was shocking to see how inconsistent I was entering the spot I wanted in the sand. Pro drew a line and I just had to drill entering at that line every time. Assuming right bounce for you. I mostly use a 58 with less bounce because our sand is compact. But a fluffy sand like in Florida probably better suited to a 54 and more bounce to glide through
1) square stance. The way open stance method with swing following that foot line is old school. Much easier being square.
2) ball positioned at left toe
3) club face open, pointing up. Don’t want to dig unless sand is wet/compact or ball is buried. Less open or square in those cases will get the needed dig
4) 65% of weight on left side to promote descending blow
5) eyes on spot you want to enter the sand. Not on the ball. You must enter the spot. How far from the ball depends on the sand. With fluffy sand you can hit 1-2 inches behind the ball. Can’t do that with firm green side bunker sand. I aim about a 1/2 inch behind in those cases. Have to be much more precise
6) shallow is better than a steep dig
7) length of swing and speed depends on height and carry you need
8) accelerate and take out the sand underneath the ball, popping it up. Want to hear a good “thump”. Like the Dave Pelz drill where he has the ball sitting on a mound of sand on a wooden board. Gives you the visual/sensation.
If you have a descending blow and hit your spot you will get out almost every time and be putting. Disaster happens when you miss your spot. Ball first? Dead. Too far from the ball? Dead. Either you leave it in the bunker in soft sand or the bounce skids and you blade the ball, watching it line drive into the face of the bunker or scream across the green. Both are bad. Did I say how critical it is to hit your exact spot with a descending blow?
Now if I can hit the correct spot/low point on my full shots I’d be in business. Trying video lessons at GolfTec to ingrain that. Also bought the BlueBrick. Time to go to work!
TLEF316
Footballguy
yeah, so much of bunker play is just the confidence to swing hard (relatively speaking) and THUMP the sand behind the ball. I see newer players try to decelerate and PICK the ball out of the sand and its just never gonna work.
Once you get the proper technique, you just gotta trust it. And just know that every once in a while, pretty much everyone is gonna catch WAY too much ball and fly one 30 yards when you meant to hit it 30 feet.
Once you get the proper technique, you just gotta trust it. And just know that every once in a while, pretty much everyone is gonna catch WAY too much ball and fly one 30 yards when you meant to hit it 30 feet.
belljr
Footballguy
All good info ... For people that have trouble I tell the equate it to a flop shot in grass.
I still aim a little left with an open face. 58-60 you don't need to open as much obviously. Of course lie down/side/up changes ball position.
One tip that works for me is if you have to get the ball up quickly (pot bunker, etc) open face but lower hands/legs. The lower you can get the quicker you can get the ball up
Thorn
Footballguy
I like the sound of all of that, but if one's set up is square but face is open, one needs to aim away from the target. I don't like that.
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The Gator
Footballguy
97 at the first course with super ****tiy putting. I left two birdie putts a total of 1" short*.Kept my borrowed driver in the bag for a few rounds this weekend. Let’s see how this goes
The driver found some bunkers i would not normally have landed in and one lake
ETA, it was a WILD swing in performance. I'd been playing random balls out of my bag trying to use up some old balls. Shot a 59 through 10 , +29 ....then switched to my red Srixons...and shot +6 on the last 8 with 4 pars*
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The Gator
Footballguy
Just did it again.now you’re ready to try it on a real course and not mini golfAchievement Unlocked!
18 holes, 1 ball.
99 on a course i've shot 108 and 102 previously.
I hade THREE BIRDIE PUTTS
three putted all of them, one three putt was from 15ft
CGRdrJoe
Footballguy
nice, i missed my window to golf with the flu (thanks vegas) and now we have rain forecasted for the next weekJust did it again.now you’re ready to try it on a real course and not mini golfAchievement Unlocked!
18 holes, 1 ball.
99 on a course i've shot 108 and 102 previously.
I hade THREE BIRDIE PUTTS
three putted all of them, one three putt was from 15ft
Instinctive
Footballguy
Our Ryder Cup location for this fall has been selected - Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina.
Gotta get ready for it and show up better this year!
Gotta get ready for it and show up better this year!
Instinctive
Footballguy
Also played this weekend and:
Started off cold. Was gonna warm up but had to wear a real jacket. Range was awful. First hole tee shot garbage. Immediately d codes not to keep a scorecard, just have fun, practice round.
First five holes were terrible but I was relaxed and enjoying hanging out, working on some stingers, trying to shape stuff kinda goofing off. Sixth hole another god awful tee shot.
But it warmed up so I took off the puffy jacket. Hit the best shot of the round. And the next twelve too good Lord. Played even par 6-7-8-9. Kept a back nine score... 6 over.
Started off cold. Was gonna warm up but had to wear a real jacket. Range was awful. First hole tee shot garbage. Immediately d codes not to keep a scorecard, just have fun, practice round.
First five holes were terrible but I was relaxed and enjoying hanging out, working on some stingers, trying to shape stuff kinda goofing off. Sixth hole another god awful tee shot.
But it warmed up so I took off the puffy jacket. Hit the best shot of the round. And the next twelve too good Lord. Played even par 6-7-8-9. Kept a back nine score... 6 over.
Zow
Footballguy
I can't stand playing with anything covering my forearms and/or limiting mobility. I'd rather be cold.
Hadn't played in 2-3 weeks but played 9 holes Wednesday. Pretty cold but sunny and course had frost delay. It was very difficult to put a tee in the ground and I gave up trying on the par threes. My drives are always way too high and I never get any roll and most of the time the ball is behind the ball mark in the fairway. I hit some of the best drives of the past few years, back to back holes with dead straight 310 yard followed by 320 almost driving the green as I was just right of green. Missed 3 short birdie putts and finished 5 over. Of course last two holes after perfect drives all day I hooked a ball out of play to the left and then sliced to right.
