When Did You Sell Out?

[Phil McGleno]

7 minutes ago, David in FL said:

Nothing that I can think of.

I will answer for you-You use a chipper and tell other people to use one.

For me it was the range finder. Walk it off or-Better-Just eye it up. That is what I used to think.

[tristanhilton85]

I would say a few years back when I started anchoring with a belly putter. It didn't last long for me, but I never felt quite right using it.

[David in FL]

1 minute ago, Phil McGleno said:

I will answer for you-You use a chipper and tell other people to use one.

For me it was the range finder. Walk it off or-Better-Just eye it up. That is what I used to think.

I don't use a chipper.  I do recommend that mid-to-high handicappers give it an honest try as it could help them score better.

If I did use one, I wouldn't consider it a sell-out any more than any other club change I've made over the years. 

[Golfingdad]

Hmmm, I'm going to say that it was not long after I became a TST member.  I was always a little wary of getting lessons, and a good portion of the reason for that is I was afraid I'd get a bad teacher and he'd mess me up.  But a little part of me was also simply proud of the fact that I had a pretty decent "self taught" swing and game.  After getting enough info here I finally succumbed and started getting professional lessons.  It's certainly not a change I regret, but it's the only real "sell out" I can think of at the moment.

[iacas]

1 minute ago, David in FL said:

If I did use one, I wouldn't consider it a sell-out any more than any other club change I've made over the years. 

Yeah, you're not really getting the spirit of this thread…

I sold out when… Hmmmm… when I replaced my 2I with a hybrid. I use a push cart when I walk. I joined a club (Whispering Woods) where you basically can't walk. I walk when I can, though. So not that.

I use a laser, but I was one of the first to get one of those, and yardages have always been something I think should be public knowledge (as they are).

I still use blades. I still carry a 3I.

Oh, I sell out in the spring when I play golf with shitty balls because you don't need the spin when the greens are mushy.

I don't often wager. Is that selling out? To some…

[woodzie264]

I don't feel like I sold out on anything, but I guess you'd have to have some kinda golfing moral standards established as a benchmark from which to later fall....and I've never had that. 

Even so, many would have issues with the fact that:

I usually ride, but when I don't, I use a push cart.

I love my hybrid and still use a long putter (though I don't anchor). 

I have no shame.

Edited June 28, 2017 by woodzie264

[Jack Watson]

I think I sold out a bit when I stopped using persimmons and seventies blade irons exclusively.

Do I need modern tech?  No,  not if I hit balls regularly and practice as I 'should.'  

I sold out also a bit when I realized I just don't have the drive anymore to find my potential.   That does not mean I don't keep score or something,  just that I know more about myself now.

I am quite okay with my level now even if it means I am not scratch.  If that's selling out then I am sold.  Golf can be seen/enjoyed/used in many ways including as a vehicle to greater self knowledge.  Make no mistake this game can break a person.

I am proud to say I committed to it enough during one period to be able to understand that and I have learned a lot about the importance of balance.

I do feel like a bit of a sellout though not even using a 4 iron anymore.

To me the game is the challenge and for almost a decade I worked towards something...Now I understand better what that was. 

Edited June 28, 2017 by Jack Watson

[Hacker James]

sell outs? Hard to really say as I am so wishy/washy. a couple:

accepting the reality of playing one set of tees forward is probably where I should be

Opting to go with Adjustable Drivers (still not sold on them)

Being satisfied with Bogey+ rounds.

Using hybrids over longer irons i.e. 3-4-5

Riding vs push/pull

[Vinsk]

Hands down ...I bought a "Sure-Out" wedge by Callaway. I wish they didn't stamp the gimmicky "Sure-Out" on the back. They might as well have called it an "Alien II." Just put Callaway on it...move along..nothing to see here.

[drmevo]

I go through periods where I struggle to hit partial wedge shots, so I hit a punchy sort of shot to run it up on to the green (sometimes up to 80 yards out ). Feels kinda silly, but it beats a shank! And I "get lucky" often enough that I get my fair share of 1-putts. 

[sjduffers]

I use a push cart, with a stand bag, and no getting another bag with legs was not a sell-out: I ride or I push the cart, so why do I need legs? I don't! 

I have a fat grip on my putter. Not a sell out. I put better with it.

I had a 4 hybrid in my previous set but when I got another set (and shipped the old one to the other place I go to once in a while), I went without the hybrid and opted for the 4i instead. Not a sell out, or even a reverse sell out. Just happened that way.

I have a rangefinder: it's much better than trying to read distances on a phone that takes forever to get its GPS signal sync'd up. Much quicker than pacing off sprinkler heads and guesstimating the flag position from the center. Not a sell out.

I got rid of my 3 hybrid in favor of a 60 degree wedge and I may now have a small gap between my 4 (hybrid or iron) and the 5 wood, and not a huge yardage between the 5 wood and the 3 wood, but that's not a sell out. I am not missing that 3 hybrid much and I can use the 60 degree wedge when short sided or for short bunker shots.

I am taking lessons (or have for the last 2 years or so, as I am in a pause with them right now). It's helped me a lot and I should have done this a whole lot sooner. Not a sell out.

I am always trying to improve, and no sell out in sight: I can use all the help I can get!  

[Gator Hazard]

2 hours ago, billchao said:

I can't think of anything I'd consider "selling out." Guess I'm punk rock like that. 

What about a chipper? Or non conforming balls or drivers?

[jsgolfer]

For me it was going to hybrids.  I used to think I they were only for old guys, but now I'm an older guy and I love them.

[billchao]

1 minute ago, Gator Hazard said:

What about a chipper? Or non conforming balls or drivers?

I meant something that I use or do, as per the topic.

[Buckeyebowman]

2 hours ago, nevets88 said:

I don't think a push cart is selling out. I started using one this year as well. 

I don't either. I went the full route. Walking and carrying, walking and pulling a cart (when carts were pulled, not pushed). To now, since my knees are shot, I ride! But, I still play.

The GPS yardage finder caused me to laugh. My buddy got a Garmin "wristwatch" for Christmas. He brought it to the course our last time out. Said he'd read the manual, but basically only knew how to turn it on! I showed him how to use it, and I'd never had my hands on one before. It was very intuitive!

It was really nice knowing exact distances. Not that our games are so sharp, but that the yardage markers on the course were off enough that it could make a difference! You know. Those holes that always seem to play longer, or shorter, than their stated yardage.

Considering the detailed info the pros have at their disposal, I don't find a GPS to be selling out at all!

[David in FL]

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Yeah, you're not really getting the spirit of this thread…

Ok.  Getting into the spirit of the thread...

It had to be when I traded my Titleist persimmon driver for my first metal wood.  Somewhere around 1992ish...?   A Wilson Killer Whale.  Go big or go home!  

[nevets88]

3 hours ago, iacas said:

Everyone's gonna have their own points at which they've sold out. For some it might be using steel shafted clubs.

Relevant commercial. I love this commercial, one of the best ever.

 

[JonMA1]

I guess I've never looked at getting new equipment or taking lessons as selling out because it's not like the game suddenly became easier as a result.

That said, I stopped using GPS and GameGolf this month and now have a strange desire to buy a used set of Mizuno blades.

I draw the line at carrying my clubs instead of using a push cart.