AMA Thread (@iacas)

[iacas]

This is an AMA type of thread, and you can ask me anything. I'd imagine most of the questions will be about golf, but, really, ask me anything.

Some basic rules…

• One question at a time. I'll quote and answer it. Then the first person to post next can ask the next question, so long as they didn't ask the previous question. If you post a question after someone else posted a question, your post will be deleted. The sequence will be Question, Answer, Question, Answer, etc.
• Ask anything. But you don't get to ask multiple questions in a row.
• One question per post. It can be a few parts, but be reasonable.
• Ask anything. I'll be as honest as possible. But, again, be reasonable, too. If you ask a personal question I don't want to answer, I'm just going to respond briefly to get to the next question.
• I'll edit this first post if I need to add any more rules.

So… the first question… go for it.

[Club Rat]

Great idea Erik.

The first question is; Many old guy golfers often ask how to hit a driver further.

Other than the obvious, increase flexibility, strength, health, etc.

Would using a longer driver shaft help out the old guys possibly? Maybe 46.5" or 47" Length?

Being they generally have slower swing speeds, most may be able to control the longer club.

[iacas]

1 minute ago, Club Rat said:

The first question is; Many old guy golfers often ask how to hit a driver further.

Other than the obvious, increase flexibility, strength, health, etc.

Would using a longer driver shaft help out the old guys possibly? Maybe 46.5" or 47" Length?

Being they generally have slower swing speeds, most may be able to control the longer club.

I think that longer drivers are a great idea… given one condition: you can hit the center of the face. The extra few MPH you can get are not going to be helpful if you're hitting the ball all over the clubface.

That said, too, you can always grip down, too, and change the feel of the club very, very little. So longer drivers can often be the best of both worlds iff (iff = if and only if) you have the self discipline to grip down a little bit most of the time, then let the shaft out only when the hole is open, there's a good advantage for some extra length (maybe you can carry a bunker), or you're feeling good with the driver that day.

But…

There are plenty of other things older players can do. In no particular order, and without thinking too long…

• Lack of flexibility is often more of an excuse than a reality. Let your hips turn. Let your left heel come off the ground a little.
• Let your left elbow bend a little bit. It creates another lever for more power.
• Use your hands. Snap your wrists at the end. Get your hands down fast, too - use your arms to generate speed.
• Make sure the ball is teed up high enough, and forward enough in your stance.
• Make sure you're playing the right ball.
• Practice once a week doing nothing but swinging (at air if you want) FAST.

[Smidd4]

I'd like to hear about your career best round. Don't be shy on details (not that you ever are)

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, Smidd4 said:

I'd like to hear about your career best round. Don't be shy on details (not that you ever are)

Kind of a tough one. I shot 66 at Whispering Woods once, but that was from the white tees, I think? I hit two chippy 8-irons (from like 120 or something) to kick-in range, reached a par five with a 6-iron, hit all 18 greens… and just really controlled the ball well all day. I never sniffed a bogey and didn't even putt all that well. I didn't hit every fairway, but most every drive was solid and traveled.

My most enjoyable round was my round at the Old Course in St. Andrews. I shot 75, IIRC. I birdied the Road Hole. Perfect drive over the "O" in "Hotel" (there was a lot of right-to-left wind), 6I from 180 that flew 90 yards and rolled the other 90 to about 12 feet. Putt never looked like it had a chance to do anything but go in.

One of my favorite rounds was one I didn't even play: Natalie played 9 holes in 40 minutes and broke 50 for the first time (on 9 holes from actual tees).

The first time I broke par, I remember pretty clearly, it was a 71 at Lake View. I was playing with a good buddy who was one of the high school kids I coached. I had a Bullseye putter because I was mis-hitting some putts but I couldn't tell whether they were slightly heel or toe-side. I three-putted twice from bad mis-hits (one was on 16). So I played the last two holes sitting at one under par, but had makable birdie putts on both. Neither fell, but I didn't choke. Not that I ever really have.

I don't get to play a lot of golf these days, so it's tough to have a best round, especially when I'm not really "competing" and it's more like "oh, cool, I'm playing golf" and I'm either more concerned with what the people I'm playing with are doing or I'm working on something in my own game.

I will say that this year, though, I've probably had some of my best rounds. The 69 I shot after the Erie gathering last year was pretty good. That one is here:

 

That round was pretty good. Just solid, mostly. I've never been one to make a lot of birdies, but I'm pretty good at avoiding bogey. And usually by the end of the round the people I'm playing with don't even really realize I shot as well as I did.

My GAME GOLF profile is at http://www.gamegolf.com/player/iacas/ if you want to check any of those rounds out.

[TN94z]

What are your thoughts on someone going into business with a partner even though they have a successful job now?

[iacas]

1 minute ago, TN94z said:

What are your thoughts on someone going into business with a partner even though they have a successful job now?

The best decisions often come from equal parts brain and heart: it has to be a wise decision, and one you want to do, too.

If you aren't sure if it's a legitimate business, and you can do it at a hobby level for awhile, try that route. With two people, or three, or any more than one… it only increases the odds that someone gets burned out or decides they don't really like it, etc.

But, I'm not really the person to ask about this, particularly without any details (which I'm not asking for). Just be smart, and ask yourself if you're in it.

Being your own boss (or whatever) is great, and gives you a lot of freedom, but there are days when I also wish I could work from 8-5 and call it a day, and have an actual weekend, and not be working at 9:30 at night, etc.

[gogolfing]

I have a long list of books on my reading shelf right now, but have really been giving some serious thought to buying Lowest Score Wins. I already own Every Shot Counts by Broadie and have read parts of it; what would I get from LSW that I will not get from ESC?

[iacas]

Just now, gogolfing said:

I have a long list of books on my reading shelf right now, but have really been giving some serious thought to buying Lowest Score Wins. I already own Every Shot Counts by Broadie and have read parts of it; what would I get from LSW that I will not get from ESC?

My two criticisms of ESC (if you can call them that…) would be:

• He tells you how relatively unimportant putting is, and then spends the bulk of the rest of the book talking about putting. Which makes sense in some ways, as it's a somewhat easily quantifiable thing, and he's been using "strokes gained" stuff with putting for a long time. It's a much simpler problem than "everything else."
• He focuses largely on the PGA Tour pros. There's very little emphasis on what you can do. Which is understandable, again, as he's not a golf instructor.

Tens of people have called LSW the best golf book ever written. Unprompted. I'm biased, so I can't say, but I am pleased to hear that.

I've told people that if they don't get 10 things worth the price out of the cost of the book, I'll buy it back from them. Nobody's taken me up on the offer.

LSW is three parts: Technique (How to get better), How to Practice (if you just want to maintain what you have now, and improve a little), and GamePlanning (taking whatever game you've got to the course). I think any of the three parts are good on their own, but the last part is particularly good. The idea of Separation Value is good.

I'll add this… I played some of my best golf in 2015, despite not getting to play or practice very much at all. It was one of the busiest years I've had… and even though I knew enough to write the book, even just having talked about it for so long, and having it really, really soak in, and working on the principles in LSW with students, it really even drove some points home even farther to me, and allowed me to play some of my best golf.

So, long story short: you'll get a lot more, IMO, that you can apply to your game from LSW than from ESC.

[Dave325]

What do you have in your bag (clubs).... And how long do you go before switching to a different set?

[iacas]

10 hours ago, Dave325 said:

What do you have in your bag (clubs).... And how long do you go before switching to a different set?

I switch out now and then. I typically don't review too many clubs, partly because it might be seen as biased even though I specifically exclude reviews of putters and wedges (Edel ) and, well, shoes too (TRUE ).

So, my current set of clubs…

• Driver: Either the Callaway BB Alpha 816 Double Black Diamond or the Titleist 915D3. I think the shafts are similar, and both are about 73 grams. The BB requires a solid hit but has almost no spin so the ball really rockets out there. The 915 is a bit more forgiving and still hits it far, of course (all good drivers if properly fit go the same distance these days, and have for awhile now… it's just physics. The only trick is getting good launch numbers).
• 3-Wood: Copy and paste my answer from above. Both are slightly stronger lofted - I think 13.5° for the Titleist, and 14° for the Callaway, but I used the hosel to add loft to both. I don't use my 3W off the tee very much, but I still don't mind a slightly deeper face as my misses tend to be up and down versus heel to toe.
• Hybrid: Titleist 915H.d in… 18°? 17.5°? I think I bumped the loft on that up a little bit. It fits the 5W/2I gap.
• Irons: Miura Tournament Blades, KBS Tour 7.0 shafts soft-stepped once. 3I-9I.
• Wedges: Edel wedges, as seen here: 
• Putter: An Edel, custom fit and weighted of course (below). I have an E-1 on its way too that should look almost identical. I'm lucky enough that my putter head and hosel and line combos are available (or very very very close) to what's available in the E-Series: 

That's about it. How long do I go? I cycle new irons in and out sometimes. Sometimes I have to give feedback to another staff member for a review, sometimes I will just play another set for awhile. For example, the Callaway Apex blades, the Hogans were in my bag for awhile over the summer.

[SavvySwede]

Biggest obstacle and greatest achievement in TST history?

[iacas]

2 minutes ago, SavvySwede said:

Biggest obstacle and greatest achievement in TST history?

Biggest obstacle? Me.  But seriously, and I said I'd be honest, and so here's some of that.

Over a decade ago when I first started the site, I was a dick. I was 25 or so, thought I knew everything, etc. I was a jerk. Plain and simple. No two ways to say it. Not always, and there were clearly bigger jerks than me. Curiously, even back then, I still didn't ban people much, though.

I'm not one anymore. Though many, many people will disagree with what I just wrote, I'm capable of judging that for myself, particularly when I know enough other people I've met in person, or people like @mvmac who have seen the behind-the-scenes stuff that people do, and who will back me on that.

Oh, don't get me wrong - I can still act like a jerk, but you have to really do something to warrant it these days, and by "really do something" most of the time I only really even mean to my wife or daughter, because I've learned over the years to not really care about things done to me. I can take it, and often choose to just move on. I don't get worked up over things. There are things that matter so much more in life. (I feel the same way about sports more and more, too - I root for my favorite teams, but they don't really affect my day-to-day life, so there's a limit to how much I care.)

Yet if the point of communication is to be understood - as I will tell people it is - then sometimes I feel I fail at that. Whether it's because people are looking to take what I say a certain way, or they think using big words makes me appear snotty, or whatever… I sometimes fail to communicate properly how I feel about something, or the manner in which I'm typing something.

I think a lot of people picture an angry dude here banging away at keys when they read some of my answers, and the truth is that if emotional scales run from 1-10, I'm pretty much a 4-6 99% of the time. This stuff doesn't really matter in the long term, particularly with people who are such strangers they don't even share their names (pet peeve of mine… the Internet is great and all, but I've always believed in putting my name on things, as it makes you more accountable). It doesn't matter in the long term - family matters, being happy matters, etc. I couldn't care less whether some guy in upstate New York thinks I'm right about something. I do want to help people play better golf - it's one of the ways I feel I can make the world a better place - but there's a limit to how much I care about strangers on the Internet, and it's pretty low.

I think those who have met me - and in particular @mvmac who have gotten a peek behind the curtain - can see that. Those who have met me in person will attest to how much I care about THEM - real people.

Oh, don't get me wrong - I'm still direct, and appreciate the same in return. People will sometimes accuse me of having a thin skin, but the total opposite is true. If you're calling me names during a discussion, quite honestly, you're losing. I'm probably disappointed. Contrary to some opinions, I love having debates. I like discussing things. I like differences of opinion, because at the end of the discussion I'll either have strengthened my position or modified it slightly, and both are an advance. I'll say it's my scientific background, but the opposite is probably true: I gravitated toward the sciences because I liked the fact that "the truth" was revered, and people didn't take being wrong personally. But regardless of which is the chicken and which is the egg, that's still true about me today: if you can show me I'm wrong about something, I'm much happier about that than when you agree, because if I'm actually wrong about something, it's a gift - I can instantly upgrade my knowledge. If I just have a bunch of yes-men around, well… I'm never challenged, and never grow.

The other toughest thing is related: other people. I sometimes don't know what other people are thinking, and yet, I tend to be endlessly fascinated by the motivations behind people, what they're thinking, etc. This often means I can't let something go, and move on. This combines with the fact that I love discussing and debating things. Philosophers did it, and it's a way of discussing and learning things. I like doing it. But again, people often take doggedness there not as intended - me trying to suss out a good argument - but as something negative. So I kind of suck at reading the minds of others in determining where that point lies.

Plus, other people are different. Some people are easily personally offended when you disagree with them about something that's purely opinion. Others have a hard time admitting they're wrong, or they goofed. We're text-based, so we lose all facial expressions, tone, etc. That's tough, on everyone.

Since I've spent awhile now bashing myself, I will just add a few positive things quickly, and then answer the second part of your question by not really answering it.

• Those who have met me in person, by and large, tend to like me. And while I don't "need" for them to like me by any stretch of the imagination, it's good to know I'm not the way I'm always perceived to be by people who don't see my face, hear my tone, etc.
• I'm really good at what I do. Those who know me also know that it's not bragging, because there's not really much competition against which to judge myself in the field of golf instruction. Those who don't know me will take BOTH of those sentences as "proof" of my ego, but they'd be wrong and they'd admit to it if they knew what I knew and saw the things I've seen.
• I put a lot of effort into the site, and trying to help people, and it's basically all free. The Supporter memberships are basically "donations" as there aren't really major perks (well, they do get Member Reviews) for them. I think people under-appreciate how much I put into this site. Yeah, we make a few bucks, but I could make more doing other things. I just wouldn't enjoy it as much.
• Bah. This isn't answering the question, and contrary to what some think I hate saying good things about myself (my brain is hard wired to see the things that need fixing, not to recognize what's fine or good), so I'll stop there.

Oh, one more of the bad things: I don't care that much about equipment. I feel that's a big part of what led to GolfWRX being the larger site. (That and they have very little moderation - it's seriously brutal at times, including death threats, the works…) If I cared more about equipment, I might have cultivated a larger audience willing to spend $700 on a Tour shaft they hit no better than the $40 stock shaft their driver came with…  I just don't. Even back when I started TST, I must have known it was more about the meat holding the metal rather than the other way around.

The second part of your question… Greatest achievement in TST history? I don't have one, and instead of giving you the corny "it's yet to come" type of bullshit, I'll just list some of the things of which I'm proud:

• I'm proud that this site exists after 12 years or so. That's a really, really long time.
• I feel I've helped a lot of people enjoy golf more, and thus, enjoy their lives more. Though people rarely stop to say thanks, I take continued posting here by people, Supporter memberships, and so on as "thanks." It's been rewarding in that sense.
• I'm proud of the 2015 Newport Cup. @mvmac did a bit more of the work, but the event was great. I really enjoyed meeting a bunch of people, and it cemented some good relationships. We had a really good time.
• I'm proud of the transition from Huddler. People, not even Mike, know how big of an undertaking that was. It went off almost as well as it could have.
• I'm proud of the staff. We've had very little turn-over. They're all top-notch people, and they do it for the same reasons I do what I do: they're passionate about the game of golf.
• I'm proud of the future.

Does that answer your question?

[boogielicious]

I would add as another positive quality - you are very thorough. Your responses to questions and the advice you give do not have short cuts. Your posts in general have a lot of thought behind them and are complete. This site is an example of that as well. 

[dennyjones]

I bought game improvement clubs about three years ago.   I wasn't fitted for the irons and hybrids, just the woods.   Since that time, my handicap has improved from about 24 to 15.    Is it time for me to look into buying new irons?

[iacas]

10 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

I bought game improvement clubs about three years ago. I wasn't fitted for the irons and hybrids, just the woods.   Since that time, my handicap has improved from about 24 to 15. Is it time for me to look into buying new irons?

You've probably seen me write something about how I can play good golf with my wife's clubs, which aren't fit for me at all. And I just answered a thing wherein I talked about how little I care about equipment.

What irons do you have now? What ways are they holding you back? Are they worn? Do you like them? Are you looking for an excuse, or is there a real need to get new irons? Can you afford new irons? Perhaps you like the heads, but just need new shafts? Or even just new grips?

I can't really answer that question for you, except generally: I think that as you get better, SGI irons can hold you back to an extent. If you're looking to keep improving, something in the AP1/AP2 line of clubs (not Titleist per se, I'm just familiar with them and am using them as an example) - a sort of mild GI club - would probably be good. It'd give you enough feedback to let you know when you're mishitting the ball a little, still help out a little, and still let you control trajectory a bit more than the SGI irons you say you currently have.

[RandallT]

How do you attend to and prioritize Purestrike 5SK, TST, LSW, Evolvr, Analyzr, your golf instructor business in Erie, etc? Does one of them ever conflict with another (publishing a book might conflict with instruction of 5SK, for example)? Not sure exactly what my question is, but it just seems with all these things going on that while they are complementary in many regards, there must be stories you've had where one might've had to suffer at the expense of another. 

[iacas]

Just now, RandallT said:

How do you attend to and prioritize Purestrike 5SK, TST, LSW, Evolvr, Analyzr, your golf instructor business in Erie, etc? Does one of them ever conflict with another (publishing a book might conflict with instruction of 5SK, for example)? Not sure exactly what my question is, but it just seems with all these things going on that while they are complementary in many regards, there must be stories you've had where one might've had to suffer at the expense of another. 

I make it up as I go.

They're in constant conflict. Today, for example:

• I have lessons from 12:15 to 3:15.
• I'm working with @NatalieB this evening.
• I have LSW class material to make - and a lot of it, for two books, plus a pair of Keynote presentations.
• I have site duties, of course.
• I have two evolvr lessons to do.
• I have to interact with other instructors online, particularly with the show coming up.
• Analyzr, right now, is pretty quiet. There's always support email or whatnot, though. (Seriously, people, BACK UP your license files…! Yes, I can usually retrieve them, but you've gotta wait for me to do it!).

I tend to get more things done when I'm busy, and I'm busy a lot.

I'm not great at time management. I get distracted by something that I find interesting fairly often, and sometimes emergencies pop up.

But I also never miss actual deadlines. So I'm at least half decent.