SAGolfLuvr

I 100% agree that the Snake Eyes irons are just fine. With the exception of some really good performing Ping Zing knock-offs I've hit, the Snake Eyes irons I've hit perform like Adams and Callaway irons of the same weight and skill level set. I would suggest Snake Eyes clubs to anyone looking for good performing clubs at a great bang for the buck price.

Oh, and one more question. Does Top Flite still make STRATA Balls? I had some success with those too.

I was dissapointed with the performance of the GV2 also. I am surprised with the good performance of the Wilson DUO. I have no problem playing NXT and X-OUT/Recycle/Reload ProV1 or ProV1X sold at Academy Sports or Walmart.

Rooster, I can't see how my friend can argue against this set up. It has more surface area and is cheaper (thank you for sharing your net purchase) than what he wanted to do. What is most surprising to me is that the guy is using driver in the vid INDOORS (11-14 seconds in vid) and he hits no ceiling AND the net frame shudders a little but doesn't recoil as much as I thought. That is much better than I envisioned. I hope your install goes just as well as his went.

How high is your garage? Have you taken a full swing with a driver in there yet? I wonder if the garage door opener or garage door hardware, etc is in the way of your driver swing. If those things aren't in the way, then how high does the ceiling need to be in the garage?

Good evening everyone. I have a golf buddy who bought a hitting net so that he could practice hitting golf balls in his back yard. He has hit a few balls through the net already and has neighbors behind him. He has been lucky to not break any windows or hurt anyone, yet. I suggested he create a PVC frame and hang a quilt from it and position it behind his net. He would have to anchor it with hook stakes or sandbags of course. He is resisting my idea. Do any of you have any home made backyard hitting net solutions that you wouldn't mind posting or sharing? I hope he sees something in here he likes before something bad happens. Thank You in advance.

I agree with what Saevel25 says and what like to add.... If you were fitted for your 9i-4i then you also want the lie angle to match your irons. Saevel has already covered having the same shaft, bounce, length gapping, and degree interval, in your wedges based off of your pitching wedge, which is why he recommends the same wedges but different lofts. Good Luck.

I have an Optishot and it has helped lowered my handicap. Putting stinks. Other than that, I can warm up before a round and work on my swing. It doesn't tell you about your "over the top move" or "how you don't keep your spine angle". It tells you how fast you swung, how your ball reacted to your swing, what your swing path was, and how far you hit a specific club. Whatever I do on Optishot actually happens in real life. It will not tell you launch angles and spin rates. I like both the play and practice modes. Lastly, hitting driver can have it's challenges. So I use 3 wood or 5 wood but leave it on the driver setting. It has helped me groove my fairway woods and my driver.

I am responding to SouthernBuckeye's post that started this thread. 1. I agree with you. 2. You've been playing for 3 years and it will take a while to find 3 or 4 more golfers who feel the same way you do. That can be your new regular foursome, BEWARE the slow golfers playing USGA rules and scoring in the 90's or higher. They will slow down the group and cause tension that you don't need when you play golf. 3. This is why they say the REAL SCORE of average recreational golfer is more than 100 because they don't play by USGA rules. They had rules officials follow many foursomes around and recorded their actual scores. 4. Don't play courses that regularly have such bad conditions that you are "forced" to continuously improve your lie (to keep from damaging your clubs). In South Texas, we have some courses with hardpan and rocks in the fairway so I avoid them when I am playing for score to record on GHIN. You will pay a little more, but you will have piece of mind and your clubs will last longer. 5. Please remember, the majority of recreational golfers will commit all sorts of rules infractions. Nobody can change these golfers for the very reasons they have given you. So you will either have to just tolerate it and let them know you don't respect their final scores, or you find some kindred spirits to play with. Good Luck.

Someone please remind me of the unwritten rules of Tee It Torward (TIF). I thought that if you normally score scratch or below 80 then you can hit from the tips or any tee you want to. If you score more than 80 then you play from the forward tees (by age and gender) until you can score scratch or less with consistancy. Isn't that the "nutshell" version of the unwritten TIF rules?

I have an Optishot SIM. It is not as good as P3Pro but it has helped me lower my handicap. All the drawbacks you are hearing here are accurate but I can get up as early as I want, hit the foam balls (to not wake up anyone), and groove my swing without paying for range balls before I get to the course. That gives me more time for chipping and putting when I arrive at the course. What happens in the SIM happens in the real world except my 18 foot putts don't go in everytime :-) It definately won't hurt your game in the winter.

Wilson DUO Titleist PRO V1 (used balls sold at Academy Sports and Walmart)

If you have a Golfsmith in your town or a Golf Galaxy or even an Edwin Watts, I would suggest you visit them and hit thier used drivers with lower lofts and different shaft flexes. Make sure to check how long the clubs are because people experiment then trade them in. Dick's and Academy Sports have hitting cages these days but I don't think their selection of Demo clubs will be sufficient for you. Good Luck.

I have the Optishot golf simulator. I set it up in my 12w x 12w x 16h barn style shed. I don't hit anything longer than 4 hybrid because of the way I installed the lofts and shelving but it keeps me loose on rainy and cold days and warms me up when the course I am going to has no driving range. I repeat, it is great for keeping you loose and grooving your swing. It is not a true launch monitor and you can play several golf courses on it. I enjoy it a lot. It has helped my hit lower scores on the golf course and has lowered my handicap 2 strokes so far. Good Luck.

Hi Tye, I am in San Antonio too. I suggest you go to YouTube and watch a few vids from local teaching pro Jim Barker. Then answer him on one or two of his YouTube posts. Let him know what you want to do and I think he may point you in the right direction. I am also a volunteer for pro golf events. That helps you get familiar with the world of pro golf and you meet lots of friendly, great goal oriented people. You should try volunteering for the upcoming Valero tournament. This is the first year in 7 years that I will not be attending because of job and school, but you sound like a fine candidate. Good Luck!

I think many of us has quit the game of golf due to a very bad round after great practice or even after a string of great rounds at least once. You are doing the right thing by coming to this forum to get the madness out of your system. I didn't know about this forum when I quit the game so I let my $1100 set of clubs with bag, balls, the works (NEW 2 week old TM R7 driver in the bag at the time) go for less than $200. I took it to a place to consign for me and they gave them away. So I had TWO things to be hoppin' mad about. Guess what? 2 months later, I put a cheap set together and was back on the links. I've fought my way down to a 11.7 handicap. So don't give up, just like they said. Your swing will come back. Video taping my swing and taking a few $45 lessons from a Pro put me on the fast track to recovery. Hang in there!

Academy Sports and Walmart both sell used PROV1 and V1x ($25 plus tax) and used "spin series" ($20 plus tax) balls for much cheaper than they are brand new. The "spin series" has a few NXT and NXT Tour balls which is a "step below" the PROV1/V1x. I like all four balls except that the NXT's scuff easier. I suggest you buy a box and see how it goes. Also if you have a Golf Galaxy nearby, they will fit you for the kind of ball you should play with.

It's obvious that I care about my buds "too much" although I stopped betting with them like Pablo68 suggests. MLGolf's suggestion is workable because I can hit 5 wood or 3 hybrid (no three or four iron in my bag) from the intermediate tees but testosterone normally pulls driver out of the bag. I should try it just to see if I pull off a "Phil Mickelson" when he played one round of the U.S. Open without a driver. I think Tuffluck is correct about Tee It Forward's goal of speeding up play and thus improving everyone's golf experience and yes I play fast. But Tuffluck reminded me that I am normally waiting to tee off last because the group ahead is "in range", Especially on par 5 when I know I can make the green but can't wait for green to clear because folks are waiting to tee off behind me. Yeah, I think I WILL challenge myself to hit fairway woods and hybrid off of the tee. I think I will still be close enough to hit mid-iron in but have to make longer birdie putts/chips, everyone can play from the same tees and no need to give them strokes, and if I break 80 without driver it will be a pleasant surprise, but somehow, I think it's possible.

OH, I forgot about the wagers. You guys are right about the betting. Originally, they put me back there to make it more fair because I won almost all the time. Then my game got better and I won all of the time. Just as you guys suggested, I started giving them strokes but one guy was too proud to take strokes. I still won, so then they started asking for an unreasonable amount of strokes. So I stopped betting with them. Now they want to beat me straight up. Similar to what NM Golf hilariously said, I told them to move up to the senior tees. Sometimes they did, depending on the difficulty of the course, but most times they wouldn't. But I get what you guys are saying. Just play where I want to play from and don't feel guilty that they don't have much of a chance. I try to be a good sport, but that messes up my personal goal of breaking 80 more often.

Guys, Thanks for the responses. In a way, AmazingWhacker would be going along with my buds because when I play from the forward tees on par fours, my second shot rarely requires more than a 9 iron (except for when I need a weed eater or chainsaw). By contrast, my buds are farther back hitting long irons and sometimes woods into the green. Fourputt would be helping me break 80 a lot more often, I'd have a lot more fun, but I would have to find some new buds. But on Wadesworld point, when I join people playing from the forward tee other than my buds (both for my enjoyment and to speed up play), even complete strangers comment that maybe I should go back to the rear tees, but of course they don't force me to. I will keep trying to play the forward tees as much as they allow me to.

The "Tee It Forward" initiative says a 12 handicap like me should play the intermediate tees until I become a 9 handicap. Yes, it is a lot more fun from the "white tees". But I outdrive my buds by at least 20 yards or more so they "force me" to the back tees "blues". This keeps my score in the 80's so I shouldn't complain but would like to break 80 more often. Just wondering what other folks thought and experienced on this issue.

I'm Intrigued.... I suspect they are similar to a popular brand. Can you take some pics of the six iron and post them here?

To add to the two posts above ( I agree with both), buying a used SET or a full SET in your price range is the best thing to do. Don't buy cheap individual pieces. Get some ideas by going to a golf course (or two) and renting a set of their clubs and going to the driving range. They may let you borrow them at a discounted rate if you tell them you are new to the game, want to practice, and thinking about buying a set of modestly priced clubs. As they stated in the previous posts HITTING/TESTING the clubs is very important. Lastly, ask A LOT of questions about playing discounted golf. NEVER pay full price for playing golf unless you have to. You will learn about affordable memberships, coupons, maybe a city sponsored municipal golf program, to play discounted golf. You live there, don't pay what tourists pay. Best of luck to you.

I was just about to reply and say "Don't blame the clubs!" until is saw Aangel's post. I currently own Adams irons because they are affordable but every Ping Iron set that I have borrowed or rented outperformed any set of clubs I ever owned. So I will change my reply to "Make sure you are fitted for your new set of irons by a professional".

"Generally, do we feel that you can gain actual insights that can help improve your game by keeping stats? " Absolutely. Knowing my tendencies has been the key to shaving points off of my score. When I pay attention to my stats (IE I am inaccurate at 180 yards but very accurate at 165 yards), I can par the hole by leaving myself with 165 yard approach. The trick is being very accurate with your shots and very consistent with the distances. The stats don't work if you spray the ball. Also, you have to know the course very well. I stink at hitting a 165 yard shot on a slope below my feet.