Jwat381

What is a good smash factor then? I was testing a club I wasn't used to, but I felt most of my shots were pretty close to the center, except for a few errant crazies when I was trying to work the ball a lot for the sake of testing the club. Thanks for the explanation.

I searched the site for something relating to this topic rather than starting an entirely new conversation. I've used an interlock since I started playing, and I haven't used a glove in quite a while either. Starting yesterday, my left hand has gotten so raw and torn up (I'm swinging a club to some effect every day, so my hands get chewed up) that I had to pull the glove out of the bag. Only thing is when I put the glove on, the interlock becomes painfully uncomfortable, so I switch to the overlap. I feel like I get more club head speed out of the overlap because my hands aren't locked together. Does anyone else feel that way or have any insight to share? Both grips are close enough that I could pretty much switch between the two mid-round if need be, but I would like to really stick to one for good.

Since this entire thread has gone somewhere conveniently tucked in a hand basket, can someone please explain "smash factor" to me? I saw my stats when testing out a G20 the other day (any opinions on that club would be much appreciated, by the way. I'm thinking about buying that, replacing my Nike STR8-FIT Black Square. My Nike is 9.5 regular flex, and the Ping is 9.5 Stiff with a shortened Project X 6.0) and got all my stats, and the only one I was unclear on was the smash factor. It was about 1.4ish if I remember correctly; swing speed was usually about 105 to 110 max. Thanks!

Yeah I agree 100%! I don't necessarily choose to enter late or early, just at whatever point I see the contest is open and I am around a computer. But there is definitely strategy to both sides. No matter what, the person who wins will have gotten lucky and will be very happy. Because even if you pick Tiger, there's a 1 in 10-15 chance that it's the wrong score, so if you do pick him and are the one guy who got the right score, that's gotta feel like a blessing. On the other hand, if you're the winner (like the U.S. Open winner) who picks a big underdog and wins, then you're probably even more excited. Great contest, thanks guys!

Shanked wedges and 40 yard 7 irons are so devastating to your psyche. Any round where neither occur is a good round if you ask me.

Not that I'm complaining, I actually really like these contests, but they are very difficult to even come up with a valid entry. Entering earlier in the week helps, but if you're submitting picks anywhere from page 5 on, you have less picks to choose from, and you have to be very weary of all three of your picks.

Rickie Fowler (-5) Padraig Harrington (-5) Geoff Ogilvy (-6)

I was at a little par 3 course yesterday. We're waiting on a hole to let a group of two behind us play through, and the tee box we're waiting on is right by a pond. My buddy tried to skip the ball across the pond, to no avail, so I said I could skip it all the way across. I took a few practice swings and he said it wasn't looking good; just then I hit a perfect low 4iron that skipped at least 15 times all the way across the pond. In your face. That was the coolest trick shot I've ever pulled off.

Just think, all this time you're spending debating your big stick yardage on the interwebz and blasting drives on the range, you could be practicing your putts and chips.

I was just thinking about this the other day. It's always a roller coaster ride when I play new courses. Playing every hole blind doesn't really reflect your HC the same way playing a course over and over doesn't, if you ask me. I feel I need at least 3 trips to a course to say I put up an honest score relative to my skill level. Greens vary so much between courses, that alone can add 10 strokes to your total.

This whole thread is so ridiculous lol I was on a launch monitor yesterday and I was getting club head speed around 100 each swing and I was getting 260 carry MAX. This is in Eugene, where the balls don't fly quite as far, with range balls, but still. To say you hit 270-300 is just begging for attention.

I'm selling a set of Titleist 735.CMs on eBay right now. I love them, I just don't swing fast enough with my irons for stiff shafts. Other than that, they're a dream. Not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for, but they are a very quality set. I'll send you a link to the craigslist ad I have, I have more pictures on there. https://post.craigslist.org/manage/3105376956/rsnau

I haven't had bad bounces quite as bad as what you guys are talking about, but I've had a couple that really left me scratching my head. I crushed a drive off the tee on number 1 with a nice draw on a hole that bends to the left. Went to go find my ball and it was absolutely no where to be found. I saw it land, but didn't see where it rolled to. Never saw it again. It's pretty demoralizing to have to drop a ball on a hole when you smoked a drive, off the first hole to boot. The only other bizarre luck I can think of was hitting right behind the only tree on a fairway. It was pretty much wide open, very little rough or other obstacles, just one tree up the left hand side and I ended up in a perfect straight line with my ball, the tree, and the cup. Even a foot more right or left and I would have had some option.

So very true.

Woulda been cool for sure! I left a birdie putt about an inch left of the cup on 12, so I was an inch away from skipping 80 all together. I'm still bummed about that putt because I hit a great 3H off the tee, and a spot on 60* to about 8 or 9 feet. Had a great line, just didn't quite hit it firm and straight enough and it just skirted the left edge.

It was the course I usually play, and it measured just under 6100 from the whites. I played yesterday morning, and although my approach shots were abysmal, and my putts were no where near as solid as Wednesday the 4th, I still broke 90 with an 89 haha. Once I broke 100, I never shot above 100 again, so I'm hoping the same will be true for the 90 benchmark.

Most of the time I play with either one of my two buddies or my old man, none of which play golf, so I spend a good majority of my round giving them shot advice and what have you. It can be good and bad. Keeps me focused on the game of golf, just not my game..

Also, it's helped me improve my ball striking from the fairway with the 5W. This is mostly due to practice, but I used to be entirely unable to hit a wood off a fairway. I've been landing anywhere from 50 yards out, to front edges on Par 5's lately.

OP: That's so funny that you say all that because I've been doing the exact same with almost exactly the same yardages lately. Driver can get out there, but mis-hits end up anywhere from 225-240, where as a clean 5W is gonna be more accurate and just a little bit shorter. On most of the par 4's, and even par 5's really, your next shot will still be similar to what it would have been had struck a driver well. And I'm just playing with a cheap stock Tommy Armour 5W.

I just shot 80 the other day, and it was from the whites and par was 71, 6060 yards. I was sort of hard on myself after it too, like you were, because the course wasn't 6900 yards and extremely difficult. I think that's what watching so much pro golf does to you. Shooting a low score anywhere is hard for someone who isn't close to a 5 hcp, I'd say. Just gotta be happy with your low round, and keep chuggin along!

I agree! I couldn't believe I chopped off ten strokes from my lowest. I don't expect to shoot that low all the time now, especially on the courses I don't play as often. I'm playing first thing Sunday morning, so we'll see how it goes! I'd say the biggest thing was my putts from inside 6'. I look at the hole in close now, and spot line from beyond 6'. I two-putted, or better, every hole except for one. I wish I could be that confident all the time. The best of it all was to make it with a birdie on 18. Two fairway shots, a GIR and an 8 footer for birdie. I was pretty sure I shot 81 or 82, then I tallied it up, twice, and it came out 80!

Haha, I didn't even think about that. I was in school that morning, like a good student. And yes, I know it's hard to believe and I'm sure there's a few that think I'm lying. But I'm not out for internet forum glory; at least not dishonest internet forum glory

Wow, that's pretty intense, probably fairly bittersweet. How long had you been playing to shoot 80 at 16? Im 21 now and I've been playing steadily since May 2011.

By shooting 80! I was just in the zone yesterday on a course I consider my home course. Par was 71, 6061 yards. It all just finally clicked! What's funny is it wasn't *that* hard. Just kept it in the fairway, so played a few hybrids and woods off the tee, and just did my best to control my ball on and around the greens. I was confident in my flat iron, and BOOM, 80! I'm still pretty damn ecstatic.

Yeah I knew they were player irons. I wanted to "play" myself into them haha. I just went ahead and bought the 2.0's today. I just hit them further, higher, and better. The regular flex shaft helped, but I've swung regular shafts before, and it didn't feel as good as these. I was actually wondering if someone could explain the physics behind it? What is it that makes the ball fly so much easier with my new clubs?