curlydastooge

I got the Alphard V1 electric wheels for my Clicgear 3.5 a few years ago. Both are still going strong. I play on a fairly hilly course and the Clicgear was getting tougher to push up the hills. I'm now 74 years old and still enjoy walking the course, but the electric wheels make walking more manageable. Haven't got any information on the V2, except that I'm pretty sure they aren't selling the V1 any more and the V2 is the only option available now. I also got the movable front wheels to make the steering easier, but they made the cart turn too much. I went back to the single wheel on the front and I find that easier to control. By the way, if you get the Alphard, you should definitely get the wheelie bars that keep the cart from tipping over backwards on hills. They are worth the money and help avoid foul language when the cart tips over.

Maybe this is good news. I hope so. On March 29th I got my second Covid 19 vaccination (Moderna). That afternoon I went out and shot the best round I have had in a year (81). The next day I shot an 80. Could it be that the vaccine lowers scores by as much as 6-7 strokes? Maybe it was just the relaxation factor. Whatever the cause/effect relationship is, I'll take it. No, I don't plan on getting more vaccinations, unless boosters come out and are recommended.

With all due respect, nobody told me not to post the email reply. If you want to edit my post, that's your prerogative, I guess. I was merely attempting to clarify the situation and I thought that folks might appreciate having an opinion from a Director of the USGA Equipment Rules and Conformance Department instead of just my say so. Have a nice day.

Hello again, Just received this from the USGA. Thought it might clarify the situation. "Under the Rules of Golf, players are permitted to warm/heat golf balls prior to the round. Player are not permitted to actively warm/heat golf balls during the round. While a player is permitted to insulate a golf ball that was warmed/heated prior to the round, we evaluated the Hot Biscuits device many years ago and determined that its use would breach the Rules of Golf because even after unplugging the device, it continued to actively warm/heat the ball once the round started (obviously, there would be a point where the heat source would cool down completely and no longer actively warm/heat, but that’s not a determination that can be made on the course and it would vary depending on conditions). I believe a subsequent design of the product may exist where the golf balls are removed from the heating source and kept in a container. The same principles applied to the Hot Biscuits device would apply to any other unit that retains artificial heat which can actively warm/heat the golf ball, including an artificially heated thermos or insulated cup. Only assistance in retaining the heat of the golf ball, through an insulating device, is permitted. Thanks for your inquiry.

Too late... Dwight Eisenhower used black balls on the White House lawn in the snow a looooong time ago.

I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

OK. Here's the answer... "USGA Testing Procedure" Ensure that the Indoor Test Range (‘ITR’) temperature is maintained at an average of 75±3 °F (23.9 °C+/- 1.7 °C). Measure and record the temperature, barometric pressure and humidity. Golf balls shall be maintained at 75 °F +/- 1 °F (23.9 °C +/- 0.6 °C) for a minimum of three hours prior to testing. ...... So if "we" keep the balls at 75° F+/- 1°F , "we will not be "altering the performance characteristics" of the balls, but instead we will be maintaining those characteristics. .... I'm sure you Floridians will be glad to know this. .... I sure am.

Despite being called a "troll" and being told I may be overly irritable, I will hold my fingers in check and will not respond in kind. I will, however, await an answer from the USGA about my question. Please allow me that. I will let you all know what they say when they respond. Have a nice day.

David in FL, Do you have some sort of problem with me wanting information from the USGA? It seems like you don't like the idea that I'm trying to clarify what is "legal" and what is not. I'm not a lawyer or a "troll'. Trolls, to the best of my knowledge live under bridges and attack billy goats. I'm simply trying to get correct information. If that bothers you, tough.

So, if we "maintain" the temperature of the balls at the same level (degrees) at which the manufacturer or the USGA or whoever tested them, then we are not violating the rule. Right? But if we "deliberately alter" the temperature of the balls by heating or whatever, then we are violating the rule. Does that seem correct? So now we need to know what the "official" USGA temperature is, so that we don't violate the rule. Right?

What if i "clean" my golf balls in warm water before the round? Is that a violation?

Ahhh! Murphy's Law strikes again. Once you open a can of worms, you're going to need a bigger can to get those worms contained.... I'm still waiting for a USGA ruling on this question...

What about carrying your golf balls in a black bag on a sunny day? We all know that the color black retains more heat than white or any other color. So would carrying the balls in a black bag be heating the balls "artificially"? Not trying to get the discussion "heated" or anything, but this is getting more and more interesting.

Just sent this question to the USGA rules email site. Hopefully I'll hear back from them soon.

When is a golf ball considered to have been illegally "heated?" For example... 1. If a golfer drives to the course with a golf ball over a heater vent in his car, is that illegal? Or 2. If a golfer uses a "Hot Biscuits" or other type ball warmer plugged in before the round but unplugged before teeing off on the first tee, is that illegal? Or 3. If a golfer keeps his golf balls in a thermos/insulated cup or bag with hot water before the round, but empties the hot water before teeing off on the first tee, is that illegal? In short, can a ball be heated before a round begins? And if it can, can the ball be kept in an insulated container that is not "actively heating" the ball but simply retaining the heat already within the ball during the round? I know it is illegal to carry a ball in a pocket with a hand warmer in the same pocket, by the way. Be kind with your answers, please Mike

Back to my "original" question. Whether or not it is an effective method of achieving more distance on relatively cold days, would the use of a thermos bottle without any warm water in it during a stipulated round be within the "Rules of Golf"? To be clear, the warm water would be dumped out before the round. I'm only thinking about trying to retain the heat that is already in the balls during the round. I have a thermos bottle (the gray one with the silver cap, probably can't say the name without getting in trouble for advertising) that retains heat very well for a long time. I can put 6 golf balls in the thermos and they will stay warm for the whole round. As I sometimes tend to be a bit wild with my drives, I occasionally lose a ball or two during a round. Just want to know if I can "legally" use the thermos to insulate the balls from the cold air, thereby keeping them warm. It seems to me that this would be the same as using an insulated bag or an insulated coffee mug to achieve the same purpose.

Here's the scenario. Cold weather (40-50° F) in California. I'm thinking of ways to keep golf balls warm that will be within the Rules of Golf. I've tried a "Hot Biscuits" plug-in ball warmer. Not happy with the results. I understand that keeping a hand warmer in your pocket with the balls is against the rules. So I've come up with this idea. How about putting the balls in a thermos that is filled with warm water overnight and then keeping them in the thermos (without the water) during the round. It seems like that would not be "actively warming" the balls during the round. Don't know if it would be effective in adding distance or not, but it seems like it would keep the balls warm without violating any rules. Please comment and let me know what you think. Curlydastooge

I'm taking the plunge to comment on this topic because I've been frustrated for several years by having my clubs get tangled while taking them out of the bag and returning them to the bag. Just to let you know, I usually walk and push my push cart which has the bag slanted, not vertical like on a riding cart. Even though I purchased a Callaway Org 15 bag, I was still having problems with the clubs getting stuck and the plastic tubes (which I had purchased to help with the sticking club problem) sliding out while I was trying to get a club out of the bag. So, I was trying to figure out a solution to the problem which didn't involve spending a lot of money on another new bag. After discussing the problem with my lovely bride (married 31 years) I decided to visit the local Ace Hardware store and see what kind of solutions might be available. Here are a couple that seemed to work for me. 1. Attach a large neoprene gasket to the tube and insert it into the bag. The gasket sticks to the tube and the bag and keeps it from sliding. 2. Use the kind of tape they use for sealing camper shells to pickups. Wrap a few wraps of the tape around the tube a few inches below the top and the tube will then stick in the bag and not slide out when removing the club. Hope this helps my fellow dweebs to cure a frustrating problem.

I'm taking the plunge to comment on this topic because I've been frustrated for several years by having my clubs get tangled while taking them out of the bag and returning them to the bag. Just to let you know, I usually walk and push my push cart which has the bag slanted, not vertical like on a riding cart. Even though I purchased a Callaway Org 15 bag, I was still having problems with the clubs getting stuck and the plastic tubes (which I had purchased to help with the sticking club problem) sliding out. So, I was trying to figure out a solution to the problem which didn't involve spending a lot of money on another new bag. After discussing the problem with my lovely bride (married 31 years) I decided to visit the local Ace Hardware store and see what kind of solutions might be available. Here are a couple that seemed to work for me. 1. Attach a large neoprene gasket to the tube and insert it into the bag. The gasket sticks to the tube and the bag and keeps it from sliding. 2. Use the kind of tape they use for sealing camper shells to pickups. Wrap a few wraps of the tape around the tube a few inches below the top and the tube will then stick in the bag and not slide out when removing club. Hope this helps my fellow dweebs to cure a frustrating problem.

I had a similar (slow play) experience a few weeks ago... I was behind a family reunion/golf tournament. There were approximately 10 foursomes in the group/tournament. None of them seemed to have any clue about what they were doing... They were extremely slow. They let their kids play with toys in the sand traps while they were putting on the greens, etc... I saw several groups of people behind them get so frustrated that they walked off the course (probably cussing.)... However, I was playing well at the time, so I kept playing ... Also, there was a Blues Festival going on at the Fairgrounds next to the golf course and the music was great... I ended up shooting the best round I had shot in about 40 years... Interesting day!... :-)

I had one of "those" days yesterday... Great start... Parred the 1st hole... Then dumped 2 in the water on the second... Front nine continued to deteriorate until I got to the 9th, where after hitting my tee shot in the water, I proceeded to hit two great shots and then hole a 45-50 foot putt. Then played the back nine very well and parred the last 3 holes (first time I'd parred any of them!) Gotta love the game!... :-)

When I was a youth... many years ago... I remember playing in Durango, CO with my cousins in the summertime... It would get up to about 100° in the afternoon. Then at about 2 p.m. a thunderstorm would come through, cover the course with hail and lower the temperature to about 70°... They had sheds with lightning rods around the course so you could wait out the thunderstorms right on the course... Great times... Light show and golf all together... :-)

At Camelot Dunes it never rains 'til after sunset... By 8 a.m. the morning fog has flown... (etc.)... in Camelot... :-)

Yesterday it started raining lightly while I was walking down the first fairway... Thought about saying "Forget it." and walking back to the car, but decided to continue. A few other folks stayed out on the course, but I saw a lot of people walking off the course... Rain got heavier (off and on), and by the time I was was finished with 18 I was pretty wet. However, for the entire back nine I had the course to myself... What a great round!... Played better than my normal and didn't have to worry about holding others up or waiting for folks in front of me... Also found 5 balls (1 ProV1) and didn't have to worry whose they were as there was nobody else around... Hope it rains again today....!