The ShotScope LM1 is a $200 launch monitor that made waves last fall and at the PGA Show in January. Think of it like the PRGR or the Stack radar, but in a different form factor and with a better display.

It's also got a rechargeable battery (no messing around with AA or AAA batteries), and a bigger, brighter, multi-color screen over the greyscale LCD on those units.

I believe it still uses the same algorithms to "guess" at the distance given the club you've chosen, assuming a relatively moderate launch angle. I do not believe it measures your "VLA" (vertical launch angle). As we know from Dr. Sasho MacKenzie, ball speed for shots 150 yards and shorter accounts for about 98% of the distance the ball travels, assuming you didn't blade the bejeezus out of it, so the LM1 can, like other simple launch monitors, really help you dial in your distance wedges.

I don't think ShotScope is honoring discount codes yet (you're free to try clicking the link and using the codes in the sidebar here at TST), and it's sold out for now anyway. But, you can sign up to be notified when it's back in stock.

I'll update this thread as I continue to test the unit, but so far I really like:

• Ease of setup and use.
• The quality, brightness, and colors of the display.
• Battery life seems adequate. I'm not sure about five hours, but… it'll last well over a full session.
• The battery charges quickly and with a standard USB-C cable.

I had some difficulties inside when players were hitting drivers into a net 13 or 14 feet away. Many swings reported 35 MPH, or 38, or 32. My hunch was that it was seeing the speed the screen moved, perhaps, as we tried a number of configurations. It was a solid screen, not a net, and later testing to an archery net that was 35 feet away yielded consistent and reasonable numbers every time.

One of the guys I play with uses the Callaway "Soccer Ball" pretty much exclusively, another I play with uses the lime-greenish-yellow Kirkland Signature, and another only plays PRO-V1's. 

I find that most of the golfers I encounter play one ball exclusively. ... or pretty close to exclusively. I've always thought that was a pretty smart idea as you get used to how your ball performs off the wedges, the putter, the driver etc... 

So, are you loyal to one particular ball, or are you just playing what ever is cheapest, or what ever you find in the woods, or some other choice? 

This golf ball has won numerous awards from Golf Digest over the years.

Dicks decision seems to be born out of contempt for Top-flite golf balls with the sole desire to steer people to the Maxfli brand.

Personally I feel that DSG has destroyed an iconic American brand rejuvenated by Callaway. and returning it to its top-rock origins.

Dick's Sporting Goods would be better served selling off Top-flite golf ball to someone willing to continue with what Callaway has created, a darn good budget golf ball for the masses.

Thinking about changing from my motocaddy lite 14 way cart bag to either one of the new Ping Hoofer or Hoofer Lite bags.

Apart from the obvious extra divider, is there any issues with the clubs bunching up in the hoofer lite bag? I’ve read that the hoofer bags now have a different bottom to try and keep the clubs separate.

Whats the general opinion of hoofer vs hoofer lite and would both fit on my trolley no problems if I decided to push instead of carry?

I’ve noticed both have their pros and cons. GPS seems super convenient, especially for quick yardages and hole overviews, but rangefinders feel more precise when it comes to dialing in distances to the pin or hazards.

Would love to hear what others prefer and why!  #GreenSideTalk

Never seen anyone using a staff bag before. Granted it was on a cart, but it was huge. The funny thing about it was that it only had a 6 way divider on top. With it being so large I fully expected a 14 or 15 way divider. hmm... 

Have you ever seen anyone using a Staff Bag before? 

Mizuno is introducing new technology with their JPX One fairway woods and drivers. The new tech for golf but used tech for Mizuno since it is found in their baseball side of the business, is Nanoalloy. Nanoalloy is a microscopic polymer layer put on the face of their titanium driver. What this layer does is change the elasticity of the driver face and increases ball speed over a larger area of the clubface. Adding a bit more elasticity with this layer, they are conserving the golf balls energy from the impact. 

Due to USGA rules, this technology falls under their coating regulations. Which add a correction factor to the ball speed testing done for conforming golf clubs. This rule was introduced when Taylormade went to their carbon clubface. Which I didn't know existed. 

I am sure that center strikes are at the USGA limits like all other drivers. This has my interest. I am always, "window shopping", for new golf equipment 😉

Most of you would be aware of the import tariffs imposed on importers to the US circa September last year. Prior to their introduction, I was selling a decent number each week into the 'States. Since the tariffs came in - which added ~AU$60 to the total cost of getting them over there - sales have dropped to virtually nil. I think fear of the tariffs is the biggest part rather than the actual cost increase, despite me declaring everywhere on my site that we pay the tariffs and have successfully got every order into the US without any problems since.

What is still unknown to most US consumers is that these tariffs will DOUBLE in February as Australia Post will no longer be allowed to offer "private" rates, they all change to "commercial". I do indeed think that this will make the products uncompetitive to ship there.

So what's the backstory? 

• I'm a small Aussie business, not some corporate juggernaut.
• I invented these products - not a reseller for someone else.
• The import tariffs double in February, so add another ~15% to the total cost.
• If you want StanceMate alone I can do a super deal on a run-out model PREVIEW HERE (note you cannot purchase this yet. I think the shipped price will be about AU$110 inc Shipping (tariffs included).
• If you want to reduce the cost of the whole Stryper Plus Bundle I can swap the runout StanceMate to reduce the overall price by AU$60. These work EXACTLY as the newer version, just not as premium quality in the way the finish is achievbed in production)
• IMPORTANT: All import tariffs are PRE-PAID at my end, and clears customs no problem. I've sent a half dozen since October with every one delivered.

NB: I'm not here to get into the politics of the decisions on tariffs, so let's not go down that road. It is what it is!

So StanceMate to your door in US - tariffs prepaid - about US$70
Bundle to your door in US - tariffs prepaid - US$240
Bundle (with version 1 StanceMate) to your door in US - tariffs prepaid - US$200

Cheers
Corbs

I've mailed Ecco but they haven't got back yet

Thanks

After some searching, I see Fiberbuilt often being praised. Not sure if I can get hold of it easily here, and buying internationally can get expensive for a mat that's already quite pricey (~$800).

The Wittek Quattro is also usually favorably mentioned, and at half the price (~$400) of the Fiberbuilt. Anyone have experince with this mat?

Any other suggestions?

What do you all think?
Have any of you put one in there? 

i can’t determine if it is legal or not, but even if legal. WHY would anyone want this?  What benefit is it?

The TRUE OG or Original or Tour are almost the only shoe I wear to play golf. I occasionally wear the Knits or some of the other shoes, but given that it's often soft or dewy or unknown… I often opt for the waterproof OG/Tours.

I'm really looking forward to the OG3 Pro.

I am going to try to attach a picture of the bag and will also describe it below.

I cannot figure out how to adjust the straps in a way that makes the bag comfortable to carry.  The bag also seems to want to be more upright/ vertical than how you would normally carry a bag like this. I have tried to search this site and others on the web but almost all info is on the newer ping Hoofer bags which have quite a different design.

The bag is pretty minimal in terms of pockets and has no handle on the top.  It has 2 backpack straps that are not connected to each other.  They are connected to the top of the bag and in the middle of the bag above the primary ball/ gear pocket.

Any feedback appreciated, thanks for your help!

Approach® R50

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Approach R50 is a premium golf simulator and launch monitor with a 10” color touchscreen for virtual rounds, and three-cameras for precise club and ball measurements.

The Garmin R50 is a $5k all-in-one camera based launch monitor. It has a built-in sim (the HDMI output is limited to the screen's resolution, which is only 1280 x 800).

As some may know, I'm not a big fan of the 6', 8', or even 10' putting mats widely available. They're just not big enough to work on much, as a 9' mat gives up at least a foot on each side, as the hole is typically cut a foot or so in, and you putt a foot or so from the edge of the mat.

Recently, I've had the chance to test out the PrimePutt XXL 15' x 3' putting mat, a high-quality putting mat with a price of about $450 to $550 depending on when you buy and what specials are available.

The PrimePutt XXL has three holes (as all of their mats do) cut starting one foot from the back edge of the mat (with the outer two about 18" from the end) with an attractive wood backstop a few inches behind the hole and short of the edge of the mat. The backstop serves as a ball rack, too.

Along the side, and every three feet, there are small diamonds that make setting up at a particular distance easy.

According to the company, the PrimePutt offers the most realistic putting surface available. If you looked at Instagram during 2020 or early 2021, you saw another putting track that offered a smooth surface and a small ramp with two differently sized holes. That surface, I can say, is not realistic as it's too smooth. Like our 1500 square foot SynLawn installation, the PrimePutt offers a little bit of bounce and imperfection, reflective of the reality of putting on a stimp 9 or 10 green. Putts wobble a bit as they slow down, which is an important characteristic of real putting greens that helps ingrain proper putting speed.

PrimePutt says they spent months of research with turf-grass experts, material scientists, and PGA professionals to create a mat that closely resembles a real grass putting green, and I think except for perhaps even more expensive solutions (like SynLawn), they've succeeded.

The nylon turf, regardless of the size of PrimePutt mat you choose, has three of the proprietary cups cut into them. PrimePutt claims that these cups accurately reproduce full-depth cups, as balls that hit the left or right edge but would stay in bump into the back lip, but putts that travel a bit too quickly ride up the lip and miss long or lip out on the opposite side. The same is true for putts that would hit the back lip of a real hole and bounce out — they bounce out on the PrimePutt cups, too.

The bottom of the PrimePutt is specially-designed and rubberized with a no-memory material so that the mat lays flat and doesn't move, even when walking on it or occasionally scuffing your feet or something.

The bullet points:

• Engineered for at-home practice to master skills that translate to the course.
• Designed to fit spaces of any size, from living rooms and offices to studio apartments.
• Durable, easy to store and set up, and immediately lays flat and is ready to use.
• Uses premium materials like US-made nylon, natural rubber, and the same plastic as regulation golf cups.
• Made in the USA.

And the specs:

• Mat Size: 3 feet x 15 feet
• Mat Thickness: 1/2 inch
• Max. Putt Length: 14 feet
• Cup Size: Regulation (4.25 inches)
• Speed: (9-11 stimpmeter rating)

Though the cost may surprise you at first… I will point out that a 13.5' x 4' putting mat (albeit with a foam base) costs $1199. You can find others that are a bit less expensive, but you're often trading off the realistic putting surface and roll.

You can find more information at PrimePutt.com.