Overrated/Underrated (Golf) Topic

[Vinsk]

52 minutes ago, Pretzel said:

The same cannot be said for the women, and it's just a less important event overall for women's golf even if it is technically the Ryder Cup's counterpart.

Yeah the fact that the best LPGA golfers aren’t even in the tournament really kills the importance for me. I can appreciate how it’s important to the ladies playing of course. However on golf radio today they were asking players if they would rather have a Solheim win over a Ryder Cup or a Major. Really? That’s just PC nonsense. Nobody in their right mind is going to choose a Solheim win over a Major. 

[GolfLug]

23 hours ago, iacas said:

Underrated or Overrated #21 - The Solheim Cup

Only slight overrated. I don't think there is any more buzz around it than it did. It's not like they pulled in 'million dollah sponsors' or anything to begin with.  

I don't blame Inkster and Co. for overselling it a bit. I would if I were her. But yeah, the whole things a bit meh.    

[pganapathy]

#21 - The Solheim Cup - Definitely underrated.  This is a tournament/cup with really brilliant golf if we cared to watch it.  Especially for amateurs.  The male pro's tend to rely a bit more on raw power than the women.  Even from thick rough, the men are strong enough to muscle the ball.  We can definitely learn more from watching the women.  They strategise better if you are an amateur.

[Vinsk]

7 minutes ago, pganapathy said:

#21 - The Solheim Cup - Definitely underrated.  This is a tournament/cup with really brilliant golf if we cared to watch it.  Especially for amateurs.  The male pro's tend to rely a bit more on raw power than the women.  Even from thick rough, the men are strong enough to muscle the ball.  We can definitely learn more from watching the women.  They strategise better if you are an amateur.

I Just have to disagree. There was plenty of poor shots and decisions we don’t expect to see from professionals. And ok..that can happen. But again..I’m not real interested in tuning in to watch professional players hit a 7i 155yds to the middle of the green, or lay up to a 470yd par 5. Hell I don’t watch the men for their ‘strategizing.’ I don’t learn anything from watching the ladies play. They’re astronomically better than me. I learn nothing from them being able to hit a 5i 180yds very consistently. They’re that much better it’s not fascinating at all.

[ChetlovesMer]

On 9/16/2019 at 6:20 PM, iacas said:

Underrated or Overrated #21 - The Solheim Cup

I'm going with overrated. I say this as a fan of the LPGA. Personally I enjoy the LPGA almost as much as I enjoy the PGA. Here's the thing, I think the Ryder Cup is over-rated too. 

I also don't buy into this whole "You can learn more from watching women's golf...." I find that a bunch of hoo-ha. I'm not being cynical at all when I say I really don't learn much of anything from either the men or the women. I enjoy watching them, both on the tele and in person. But I'm sure I haven't shaved even a 10th of a point off my handicap by doing so. 

I know I don't speak for the majority of golf fans when I say I will watch the PGA, the LPGA, the European tour, I'd watch almost any golf they care to televise. I like watching golf, period. 

Even so, the Solheim Cup is slightly overrated. 

[ChetlovesMer]

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

[billchao]

55 minutes ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

Overrated. A lot of people get fixated on just the spin alone as if that's the only reason the ball stops on a green. Have to look at spin in conjunction with launch angle, apex height, and descent angle.

[Darkfrog]

2 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

I think it's overrated. I've never had a real fitting, but it seems like focusing too much on any one variable could lead down the wrong path. I've never actually thought about my spin rate until recently when I started seeing the data on my Mevo.

1 hour ago, billchao said:

A lot of people get fixated on just the spin alone as if that's the only reason the ball stops on a green.

Do you think this is because in televised golf, among ball flight characteristics spin is talked about more frequently, and this also is a more a prominent attribute discussed in advertisements like wedges with more spin?

 

[Vinsk]

3 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

I think it’s thought of as much as it should be from my ‘experience.’ But if going one way I’d definitely say overrated for the same reason Bill stated. The angle of descent plays a big role as well. 

[iacas]

4 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

Overrated. Focus on your dispersion, etc. Unless spin is crazy different, they're going to be in a pretty tight range.

[saevel25]

4 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

Overrated, when I got fit I never really focused on it at all. I have a high ball speed and I am an easy fit. Blade style irons, Stiff/X-Stiff golf shaft, and things kinda line up for me well. 

There are so many parameters to getting fit, it's like saying 25% of the fitting process should be the main focal point. 

[billchao]

2 hours ago, Darkfrog said:

Do you think this is because in televised golf, among ball flight characteristics spin is talked about more frequently, and this also is a more a prominent attribute discussed in advertisements like wedges with more spin?

Not really. I think within the subset of golfers that actually care about things like their spin rate, a number of them tend to be stuck in the mindset of x club should produce x * 1,000 rpm, and they dismiss clubs that won't produce that for them. They're the same type of people that will look at a modern GI club and complain about how "jacked up" the lofts are and claim they'll never hold a green with such low spin rates despite having never hit one onto a green firsthand.

[ChetlovesMer]

21 minutes ago, billchao said:

Not really. I think within the subset of golfers that actually care about things like their spin rate, a number of them tend to be stuck in the mindset of x club should produce x * 1,000 rpm, and they dismiss clubs that won't produce that for them. They're the same type of people that will look at a modern GI club and complain about how "jacked up" the lofts are and claim they'll never hold a green with such low spin rates despite having never hit one onto a green firsthand.

I agree 100%

[Darkfrog]

4 hours ago, billchao said:

Not really. I think within the subset of golfers that actually care about things like their spin rate, a number of them tend to be stuck in the mindset of x club should produce x * 1,000 rpm, and they dismiss clubs that won't produce that for them. They're the same type of people that will look at a modern GI club and complain about how "jacked up" the lofts are and claim they'll never hold a green with such low spin rates despite having never hit one onto a green firsthand.

 

4 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

I agree 100%

Interesting thought, makes a lot of sense. Guess I’ve never given much thought much to spin before, or known anyone to obsess over it. When I did a pseudo fitting for driver shafts, my instructor just looked at the shaft bending during transition, and we kind of compared visual ball flight/dispersion on the sim, but didn’t look at numbers. I doubt I hit the ball consistently enough to really need to inundate myself with data.

I’ve always hit my irons and hybrids high, and I’m not playing on tour greens so unwanted roll hasn’t been a problem for me. Short game on the other hand, I could use less roll. 

[boogielicious]

16 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

Overrated. Just focus on dispersion and average distance to determine you shot zones.

[ChetlovesMer]

15 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

I think it's VERY overrated.

I'm no Alfred Einstein but from what I've read and seen, to a large degree spin is pretty much proportional to the loft of the club. Mizuno's 35 degree iron spins it about as much as Wilson's 35 degree iron. etc... Obviously with some variation, but pretty much loft and strike are the biggest factors rather than any special sauce a company can use to manufacture their grooves. I assume the ball you use would also make a difference. 

[BC-to-MI]

18 hours ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Underrated or Overrated #22 - Spin Numbers when getting fit for Irons

 

I think it's certainly a factor that should be considered, but certainly would be more overrated than underrated. If you are hitting your irons in a tight dispersion circle, getting good peak height, and have an appropriate angle of descent, spin is really only a major factor if it's extreme in either direction. Even then, changing golf balls can make a big difference without changing anything else with your iron set.

[ChetlovesMer]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Overrated. Just focus on dispersion and average distance to determine you shot zones.

I remember about a year ago having a discussion with a guy who said some 9 iron or another was spinning 200 rpm too low for him to consider purchasing. He said words to the affect that his 9-iron needed to spin 9000 rpm and brand whichever was only spinning like 8800. 

At the time I didn't think about it, but looking back now if I really think about it. That's rotations per MINUTE. So, if your 9-iron is in the air for 2 or 3 seconds, at 200 rpm too few, that's only a difference of 7 to 10 actual revolutions during that flight.