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First off please forgive me if this is not a proper post or not in the proper location, still learning the ropes around here. Second, it's important that I mention I am very new to the game with only about 10 rounds of golf under my belt, most being 9 holes. Only this year have I started playing 18. That being said, I am hooked, love the game and am very eager to learn and improve. To give you an idea of my skill, the last 2 18 rounds I played were 110 and 105. Not great at all, however I am slowly improving as I learn. Had been having bad slicing issues with the driver and hybrids but after playing some more and hitting the range, I've been able to improve on that quite a bit and have been hitting more straight on average. Irons have always come easier to me as far as hitting straight for some reason. Wedges have needed a lot of improvement, but I practice chipping about 20-30 mins about 3-5 times a week and that's helped a lot. Today I went to the range and started to note down some distance data, mind you I am averaging the distances based off my best guess compared to the distance markers on the range. I do not currently own a range finder or tracker. From reading some similar posts I do understand that filling gaps is ideal, but I am having a some issues figuring out those gaps and understanding which clubs to keep and remove as some gaps are minimal between clubs. Below is an image of the chart I put together showing the clubs and average distances I've been hitting and power applied. For some reason I am hitting my hybrids around the same distances and I am not sure why. Wondering if one of them should be removed. I didn't notice a huge loft difference either. The irons I have are hand me downs from my grandfather and after playing with them a bit, I feel like they're just not giving me what could potentially be there. The feel is a bit hard/harsh and underwhelming if that makes sense and I can't seem to get decent distances from them. Wondering if I should be looking to invest in some more updated irons and if those should be muscle backs or cavity backs? My knowledge here is minimal. I have never played with modern fairway woods, only the classic clubs that are actually wood and much smaller than modern clubs. I recently removed the 4 and 5 woods from my bag as I was never using them and I don't hit them very well or very far. Wondering if I should look into some more modern fairway wood options? I appreciate any feedback or advice anyone is willing to give, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I am eager to learn! Thank you.

I would think that 3 in a row with the same players might get some behind the scenes examination from the SCGA if they were suspect. Are there any clubs questioning the results?

What simple fact? A golf match is not a coin flip — there is a fact for you. I'm trying to help you, and you're throwing out what could easily be called sour grapes. Come with FACTS, not weak analogies. Then you've got nothing. Hopefully they've done a better job of making their case. 😛

It's pretty close. The odds of a 50/50 shot going your way 21 times are greater than 1 in a million! I guess your point is, that simple fact is not enough to declare these guys dirty rotten sandbaggers. I disagree, but fair enough. I posted it here on the message board to get different perspectives, after all. I probably won't be digging further into specific scores. I have no dog in this fight beyond a generalized contempt for sandbagging. With that said, it would not surprise if a lot of clubs shared my concern and were grousing about it to the SCGA.

I had an article on Cam Smith pop up along with this..... Current major eligibility list for all LIV Golf players Here's a look at which majors, if any, all LIV Golf players are eligible.

That's still not actual proof. So I say again: you need more than "that seems highly unlikely." Start sharing some differentials from the event versus posted scores or something.

That is true but, theoretically wouldn't that be factored into the Playing Conditions Calculation that was recently added to the handicapping system?

Finished the full speed spectrum. Long interruption and the last two sessions had a significantly delay. What’s the difference between the Cruiser and Flex programs? I will likely do one of the two next as the golf season begins and my ability to stick to a speed program every 3 days is less.

This is a long shot but I believe some courses run their greens exceptionally fast leading up to certain events which run up every one's scores and handicaps. Technically it is not sandbagging

Day 40. In a bit of a mental rut so went back and watched my most recent Evolvr lesson. Focused on the feels there. Lots of fat contact but it felt like I was transferring my weight a bit better. Finished with a Stack progress check.

I don't know about that. Put another way, if a guy beat you 21 straight times in a handicapped match, would you think his handicap was legit? Or would you call him a cheating sandbagger?

Day 131 (23 Apr 24) - Played in monthly church men’s super ball 9 hole event - used a 9 club setup (driver, 5w, 3,5,7,9 irons, PW, SW, putter)…always makes for fun shot making when you’re in between clubs….fun day of course management (and better yet playing golf with my grandson!)

What “Lead Up”? I’ve not seen a single article until I just googled it. I see no hype.

Day 5: did my drills ahead of playing 9 holes. i think i was thinking about it too much while playing and basically messed up a lot of shots. I need to get the muscle memory ingrained.

No, but… you need more than just "it seems highly unlikely."

No, I did not dig into individual scores. But it seems to me the odds of a team winning 21 straight matches in a fairly handicapped competition are quite remote. Maybe not exactly like flipping heads 21 times in a row on a coin but close. To my mind, those odds go beyond explanations such as good play or even good fortune. Do you think I am off base?

Dude. Stop. It does not. If you're just here to troll about LIV stuff, go somewhere else. When you make stupid statements like that, it's trolling.

This lead up to LIV Adelaide has the same fell as a normal Major

Day 118: 4/23/24 Stack Full Speed spectrum training session 2/24. Finished 1 mph over last session but 4 mph slower than the preceding program.

Hitting some good shots on my golf trip. It's good I can tell when I hit better shots the way I want to swing the ball versus when I use an older swing. Shockingly, the short game has been at worst, not harmful to my game. I am using similar feels to the full swing, in that I try to get my hands down. I've been nipping the ball clean off the turf.

I was laid off two months ago. Good severance, a 90 day layoff announcement regulation the company wanted to avoid so technically I'm still on the payroll for a few weeks, and a bunch of banked PTO, so I'm in a great spot and working on a startup idea I've been batting around with my brother for a while. That means I've got time to get to the gym! I'm at like 60-75 minutes 5x a week of strength training, and either a run or a bunch of time playing soccer or tennis with my daughter on the weekends. Stronger than I've been in forever. Up ~5 pounds of (noticeable!) muscle!

Do you have examples of exceptional scores versus their established handicap indexes?

Day 54, April 23, 2024 Mirror work once again. When I get back to swings, I'll just do it A. LOT.

A bit of background. The Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) runs an annual event known as "Team Play." It is a wildly popular match play competition where Men's Clubs across the region put together teams of 20+ golfers together to compete against other clubs in a 16 vs. 16 match. In any given year, approximately 80-100 clubs will participate. Each club is grouped into "pods" of 4, and will play 6 total matches - one home and one away match against the other 3 clubs. The winning club from each pod advances to the Team Play Playoffs - a single elimination format - until a winner is crowned. Antelope Valley Country Club just advanced to the championship match for the 3rd consecutive year. They won the championship in both 2022 and 2023. Based on my review of the match history from the past 3 years (linked below), they have won 21 consecutive team matches. Keep in mind, these are handicapped matches, so this is not just a case where a group of sticks bands together to dominate the poor amateurs other SoCal clubs. Even if these guys are grinders who never quit, play their best under pressure and routinely putt the lights out, the law of averages still say that a streak of that nature is mathematically impossible. Is there any plausible explanation beyond institutionalized sandbagging throughout the club? Team Play Page

Day 3- Practiced putting for 20 minutes.