misty_mountainhop

FWIW, tried both the Vice Pro and the Pro Plus over extended periods. Both are superb balls. I prefer, just, the Pro Plus as I find its feel and performance just a little better. Both are exceptionally resistant to damage. Value is insanely good. I've played the Snell MTB (and the newer MTB Black) quite a bit too. Prefer the Vice balls as the Snells, for me, feel too hard; their performance otherwise is excellent though.

Don't get greedy. If you play it back in stance, it's likely going to launch lower - watch the lip. If you bury your feet, your swing will bottom out in the sand earlier than normal - watch hitting it heavy, although it'll at least come out. Biggest killer? IMO, hitting too hard causing feet movement in sand. Easily done and a disaster. If green in range and it appears sensible (i.e. you'll have enough loft with chosen club to get out while going at it), take at least one club more and swing easy. Try to keep lower body quite/quieter than normal. If in doubt, pitch out, take medicine and challenge yourself to get up and down.

Volbeat - Seal the Deal. Gotta love these guys:

Not sure about this one. I'm sure there are zillions who play 'football' at various levels who've shown no signs of this CTE. Ditto rugby, which I know for a fact is looking at the same issues. I would definitely look at getting rid of the insane padding and helmets in 'football' though. Get the relevant info, inform those that are thinking of playing and then let them get on with it. Come down very, very hard on any tackles/blocks/whatever that might be deemed to be excessive. Life is risk; you can't pack people in cotton wool all the time. Tiddlywinks (with eye protection of course) anyone?

Just out of interest, has anyone actually seen any reputable evidence of this? Or is this just part of the Miura 'legend'?

Hydrograd - Stone Sour. Off to see them live next month. Should be excellent.

Ta for the clarification. I wasn't aware of the 'obligation to protect the field', but that makes perfect sense.

No controversy as far as I can see. There's no requirement to mark a ball, at all, unless a playing partner/opponent asks you to. The chances of Finau hitting that were pretty small, so a bit of an extreme example maybe? Could be wrong, but I think I remember Ballesteros (maybe in an RC match or something) actually stopping his opponent marking a ball that was near the hole and just outside the line of his putt. Don't think he hit it, but used it as an alignment aid for where to start his putt.

Quite a bit of it is personal. I'd prefer a few more revs out of the MTB on pitches etc and it feels a little firm cf. what I like best. Not a deal breaker though. It's a good ball.

Personally, I'm not sure I'd rate them better than the ProV1 and, for me, not quite as good as the current iteration of the V1. When you factor in cost though? Definitely worth playing the MTB.

FWIW, I thought I'd post a 'review' of my recent experiences with the MTB. I've been looking for something with the performance, but not necessarily the cost, of some of the better 'Tour' balls and have been intrigued to try both the Vice and Snell balls. Solid single-figure for years, hit my driver ~260ish, 5i ~185, 7i ~160 and PW ~130....when I hit them well. Normally use something like the Bridgestone B330S, Callaway Hex Chrome or similar. Like ProV1s when I find them! Took a punt and bought a dozen MTBs to use for a while and have probably played them for ~10 rounds now on a mixture of UK parkland and links courses over the late Summer and early Autumn. First impressions: Like the look of the ball out of the box. Brilliant white and dimple-pattern looks pretty sharp. Not sure about the 'Snell' logo and font, but not that bad. Have had a habit for decades of flicking unknown balls with a finger when I'm trying to get a feel for how hard a ball is and the MTB gave me a slightly higher-pitched sound than I was expecting, suggesting it's a little harder than I was hoping. Off the tee: An outstanding ball to hit with a driver. Feels solid; really good. Launches at a nice height for me; pretty similar launch to the other balls I regularly use. Good distance; really good. Anecdotally, I'd say it's right up there with the longest balls I've hit, certainly of the 'Tour' category. Functions well into the wind, or fighting a cross-wind. In fact, surprisingly good boring through a typical cross-wind. Fairway woods: Yep, pretty good. Solid, mid-launch and good distance again. Long/mid irons: This is where I found the MTB to be a great fit for me. Superb. Long off the longer irons and I find the MTB launches noticeably higher for me than my other typical balls, above. Didn't get any noticeable ballooning though. Really impressed with it in this area. Short irons: Again, noticeably higher launch than I typically get so good on that point. Into the greens, I'd say I get a 'hop-and-stop' kind of performance - good, but I'd normally want a little more action on a ball for these sort of shots. The best PW strikes into links greens, I could back up 12-18" or so. Less than I get with a ProV1, but OK. Half shots/chipping: Performance here was good, but this is where I think the ball hardness is a little more than I'd like. Feels a little hard (for me) with these kind of shots. Not a major problem as it's not that bad. Putting: Pretty good, but for me, again a little hard off the putter. Fixed that, as just purchased one of the newer Ping Sigma G putters! Resilience: Excellent. Cover stood up to some very hard PW/52° wedge shots with only very light marking. The brilliant white didn't fade or yellow at all. The take home message: Overall, this is an excellent ball and one I'll be looking to use into next season. The price point for the performance is outstanding, but there are alternatives such as the Vice Pro/Pro+ or more well-known offerings such as Wilson's FG Tour ball.

Great idea. Kudos to those that set it up like this. A 'feel' sort of distance.

Many thanks for that. To coin a phrase, Scorecard just works, even after several MacOS upgrades. Kudos to the coders ...

Can I lay claim to a few?: LSW (what evidence needed for this?) Eagle Hole-in-One (8i off yellow blocks to the 6th at a place called Radcliffe-on-Trent about 9/10 years ago with a Titleist NXT Tour ball that I saved and still have at home) Broke Par. Couple of examples: Example 1 Example 2

Yep, points taken. I was generalising and clearly it isn't going to be practical for several reasons for everyone to grow their own. Still, many could and it's actually quite fun. The 'small town' issue is well made, but even there, at least one would be more likely to know where the chicken they bought came from. If I buy a readymeal or go to KFC, who knows where it's come from or how its raised etc. We're generalising and clearly there's no black/white here. Basically, the majority drink too much (take your pick here of sugary drinks and/or booze), don't do anywhere enough exercise, eat enough fruit/veg/fibre and don't know enough about cooking and home economics any more. Not a surprise we see so many carrying a few pounds (or more) than they should do. There clearly aren't any magic bullets here, otherwise we'd all get slim/fit/healthy really quickly and stay that way.

I take the point and, I think, fast food your side of The Pond sounds cheaper than here. However, you wouldn't buy the ingredients to make just one pizza though would you? Make a batch of tomato base and keep it in the fridge for more pizzas/pasta etc - freeze it in batches if you make a load. How much does it actually cost for the flour, tomatoes, herbs, some olive oil, a few olives, anchovies, green pepper and a bit of mozzarella? Buying all that from scratch - OK, more than going to Little Caesars. You can use the rest for all sorts of other stuff though and the herbs, if dried, will keep an age. If you don't use what's left over after making the pizza and then bin it, yes, it's bound to cost more. If you're cooking yourself, you can also control amount of oil etc used, hygiene, provenance of ingredients etc. Where meat's concerned these days, we also only seem to eat the prime cuts and no offal i.e liver, kidneys etc. Learn how to cook the cheaper cuts of beef - some gorgeous slow-cook/braising recipes around for that sort of thing. Liver costs a pittance, but I could do you the most fantastic Italian-style liver that hardly costs anything and would easily feed an entire family and then some. Here's a thing: how about growing your own veg?? Gardens in the U.K. are vanishing (you almost can't buy a new-build house with something that an honest person would call a garden), but everyone used to have their own fruit/veg patch. I wouldn't say it's clear cut, but eating out on junk isn't so much cheaper when you sit down and analyse it. Not significantly. It's having the imagination, ability and desire to make use of the remaining ingredients to do other stuff and that's where the general loss of those culinary skills that used to be a part of family life is a killer. Again, I'm not sure what one means by 'healthy' ingredients? Pretty much everything is 'healthy'; with the exception of obvious additives (most of which make little health difference) and highly processed vs. low processed foods (i.e. white vs. brown flour), I'm not sure what's meant by 'healthy'. It's quantity that's the issue for most re. weight gain. The health food/supplement industry etc is a disgrace and it's aided/abetted by our increasing lack of food knowledge. Anecdote: an old friend of mine who was once an international standard Canadian canoeist (C1 and C2) was reading a pretty thick book once on nutrition, diet and sport. After he'd read what must have been 200-300 pages of this tome, someone asked him what the take-home message was. After a bit of thought, he said 'Eat a balanced diet in appropriate amounts'. Pretty much sums it up I think. One other thing that doesn't help the home-cooking these days is possibly single-parent families and/or both parents working. Speculating, but I don't think it's anywhere near as common these days in two parent families, for the costs of living to be comfortably covered by a single salary. Very hard to think about and then get cooking if you're pooped after a long day.

Here's something to try if you have a mind to - a Boulevardier. Cousin of the Negroni, but works better for me. In a rocks glass: 50ml Rye 30ml Martini Rosso 30ml Campari Dash orange bitters Stir well, add plenty of ice and if you fancy, chuck an orange wedge in as a garnish. Watch you don't neck it too fast and/or have too many....

Yes, it can do (certainly re. health and less commonly re. appetite), but not generally or significantly in the sense that two people eat and burn exactly the same, but one puts on a lot more weight than the other. Eating too much can have bad effects if your genetics pre-dispose you to some form of ill health. Most don't put on weight due to their genes or because their metabolism is 'slow'. There are, of course, exceptions.

Hmm. Not sure I'd agree that 'healthy' (and what on Earth does that mean in any case?) food is more expensive. Sure, if you buy from some right-on trendy, organic, eco-grocer etc, it probably is. Generally though, I'd bet that it's not. The issue of cooking from scratch is more important IMO - people either don't know how to, can't be bothered, don't have time, feel it's easier to by readymeals/takeaways etc. Washed, pre-prepared salads in the U.K. have exploded in popularity. It's laughable how expensive they are when you get down to it. If you bought the ingredients themselves, sure, you'd have to think of what to do with the excess after you've made that first salad, but that's part of home economics - something else that's been lost these days.

Very true. I think the author of that gag didn't think much of Bud's flavour. 3 cans of Bud and you're almost at 1/4 of your daily intake. Exercise is the thing and 'we' do very little these days; even walking is off the menu in places. Escalators instead of stairs - even for a single floor where I am! Etc etc...

Yes, but - what's the similarity between Bud a sex in a canoe? They're both f***ing close to water. Actually, I quite like bottled Bud on occasion. They should print the calorie content on alcoholic drinks...

Not just a problem in the U.S. - you should see the average Brit. The same is pretty much happening in most 'Western' cultures, and a number of others too. Food aplenty and, compared to even a few decades ago, ridiculously cheap. We've also evolved in a low calorie environment where we might not know when the next good meal is coming, which we've now escaped - we want to eat. The spread of 'fast food' outlets. The general decline in people actually knowing how to cook from scratch and/or wanting to/finding time to do so. Don't know about the U.S., but in the U.K., the easily available alcohol (beer and wine) from supermarkets for people to drink at home is an issue. Not enough (any!?) exercise in most people's lives. It's a simple equation: more calories in than out -> weight increase.

One for me, about 15 years back. Been playing ~38 years now. Been close quite a number of times, but only the one so far. Couple of aces I like the stories of here in the U.K. There's a plaque on one of the par 3s at Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin Course) where two guys halved a hole in a match with aces. Disappointing if you were first in I guess. If you get the chance, play this course! The other one is at a course called Torksey (I think). Plaque on the 6th hole marks an ace (on a par 4) that ended a score run of 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Bet he thought his comp wasn't going so well after leaving the second green...

Been a while since I've visited TST (sorry!), but this is great. Not been able to benefit directly (wrong side of The Pond!), but this site is a fabulous knowledge base, full of honest and informative content/discussion, and most of that is down to @iacas. It's great that you're so willing to give of what you know and have learnt via this and other outlets, for nothing. Congratulations on the formal acknowledgment of what you do for the love of the sport and those playing it....or trying to.

Congratulations @iacas. That's fantastic. Worthy recognition for the coaching and the completely open distribution of prolific information/advice/theories/stats/etc. Don't know if it had anything to do with it, but this brilliant site is a massive cherry on the top too.