amished

I went ahead and reordered Vice Pro Plus balls again, this time in the green they didn't have two years ago when I ordered my last 5 dozen. Hopefully these last even longer with the improvements I'm seeing in my game.

Even with Gold tees (or whatever color), there will still be challenging holes/shots; it's the overall length that should change in a significant manner. While you might have that 400 yard par 4 that you will struggle with, you might also have a 110 yard par 3 instead of a 160 yard shot. As is, when I go to a new course, if they have multiple tees I'll pick one based off of distance and who I'm playing with. There are certain friends that I'll take a step back and play up to/around 7000 yards, and there are more that I'll step forward and be fine at the 5900 yard range. Both will have their challenges, and it's less about score on those days (for me) than it is the company. No matter where I'm golfing from, I'm going to try to score my best and if my best is close to 100 that day, so be it.

I can see that. Perhaps the modifier is based on what level of success you've been able to play to? So if you've made it to the PGA tour, you might have a 2x modifier, but if your professional career has made you less than X amount of prize money you might have a .25 modifier? I don't know how often club pros play in smaller tournaments to base the lower value on to try to be fair to the most amount of people.

My 8 iron goes between 140-150 yards. Alex Noren is currently the 200th ranked PGA tour member in average distance to the pin from 125-150 yards at 27' 9". I'm certainly not that good, but it gives me an idea for where I'm at and with several thousand swings a measure to the ceiling of capability. On top of that, the arguments about how people haven't gotten a hole in one in their careers (I haven't) doesn't necessarily pertain to the argument as some hole in ones are from shorter distance, or some people don't play par 3s at that distance regularly (I don't). I feel like an 8 iron is sufficiently short enough to not have too big of a dispersion so as to give anybody with a good swing a reasonable shot at a hole in one. The video with Andy Sullivan was under much tougher conditions than this scenario, so I would expect an average pro to complete this within a day or two of starting. Giving myself 30 days seems like a reasonable time frame to make one in the hole.

How about this: If a pro has retained that status for 4 years, it would take 4 years to revert back to an amateur. If they were a pro for 15 years, it would take 15 years to revert to amateur. Or perhaps some sort of multiplier (.5 time spent as a pro)?

They're getting more and more comfortable and easier to get on and off after a week of fairly consistent use. Last night it was getting very dew-y and would be quite slippery in my old shoes and they held quite well. The grip pattern does quite well in that regard as there wasn't much for grass clippings that stuck to the bottom of my shoes to reduce traction over time if they weren't cleaned.

I'll hit random other balls out there, but I tried out Vice golf balls and they worked for my game and I'm sticking with them. Every so often if I find a different ball on the course I'll hit it around a bit but if I don't see a noticeable difference I'll stick with what I have as it's cheaper for similar performance.

Shot a personal best (tied) at my local par 35 9 hole course last night with a 37. Lipped out a putt on the 9th for a 36, and left a putt half an inch short on another hole that could've made the round better. I did make one 15-20' putt that helped save a par, but otherwise it was pretty much GIR or nGIR the whole round for some "boring" golf.

I didn't mean to equate anything. What I was trying to say is that for many golfers (myself included), the idea that you need to put in a lot of effort to hit the ball creates tension because so many other activities that require strength do better with a tension. So that subconscious thought leaks into many swings and is something people do think about to avoid.

It's not a podcast, but this is a great resource to think about when heading out to practice: It will definitely help to take a lesson (easiest) or be extremely diligent in the shots you're hitting and where your misses are as well as learning what you can and should do to correct those misses so you know what to practice. I took one lesson recently, and there were three things that I progressed through that I could do sometimes during the lesson. When I did execute what was being taught to me, I hit the ball incomparably better than I have before. Now I'm spending time working on the first thing I was taught. Soon I'm hoping to move on to the second so that I can ingrain that into my swing, and then hopefully finish with the third. But being able to have somebody see your swing that knows what they're doing, and giving you a path to a swing that you're happy with is an incredible step towards improvement. Before, I would try to work on certain things and it would help for a while, but I didn't know if that would be something that will produce long term results because I couldn't really get effective feedback on my swing. Getting that feedback has given me so much more confidence that I'm working on the right parts of my swing to produce a golf game that I'll be happy with. That direction makes it so much easier to practice, both in motivation and in technique, for me.

If the cart goes back and forth a lot between the two players' balls then I could see 4 scooters being less wear and tear, and likely less fairway crossing by the vehicles in general.

That seems somewhat misleading though. Tension can absolutely rob you of range of motion, or make you start your swing before reaching your full backswing end point which will reduce the speed at which you can swing a club. So it depends on your definition of effortless, is it just twirling the club around you or is it relaxed athletic movement? If it's the latter, then I would say that effortless swings will be better for you in the long run.

Until I went out and got fitted (was looking for a 5wood primarily) I didn't have one. The few I had tried I hooked like crazy and just didn't catch my eye so I couldn't feel comfortable with them. Then the fitter had me try the 2019 Callaway Apex 3h. The look is definitely more of a driving iron/hybrid cross and I love hitting that club now. I've hit some of my best shots in recent memory with that club as I do still tend to find myself in the rough more than I care to admit.

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey is one of the better mental game books out there, but the biggest parts that I took from it has to do more with how you should practice and how to view your game. It definitely tries to emphasize that if you practice properly and can trust the movements that you're physically doing, you're going to get your best performance by not thinking about what you're doing mechanically (limiting swing thoughts). It also talks about keeping a level head while practicing or playing, finding other ways to measure success or to not let the pressure get to you. What's the worst that could happen during a round? You lose a couple balls and you have something to work on, essentially. Putting too much pressure on yourself makes it harder to keep those mechanical thoughts out of the way, so it's advocating a way to focus on certain things or to not let things bother you. Short version: as long as your physical ability is where you want it, this book will try to get you playing more in the "Unconsciously competent" range of activity, so you're not thinking about your swing, or where your weight is, or anything other than the result you put in front of yourself.

Low key one of the best things about the Open (other than the golf) is the excellent commentary. Watching some of the featured group coverage has been excellent. The knowledge and wit that's available on the "secondary" coverage is quite enjoyable.

I feel like anybody that has gotten to watch a pro up close knows they can't make it. I think I've told this story here before, but I have a friend who took 2nd in our state championship as a Junior in High School, won the championship as a Senior and went on to golf for 4 years at our main state University. He's been grinding to try to make it onto the web tour or some other smaller events, was one blowup hole from making it to the U.S. Open two years ago (triple bogey, hit it OB on his tee shot his last hole of the day) and just an incredible golfer. He was around one afternoon helping our local high school kids and we were working on controlled wedge/short iron shots to help alleviate the effect wind had on the golf ball, and it was probably a 10-15 mph wind. As a demonstration, he took his normal preshot routine from a slightly downhill lie, 160ish out (no previous swings all day to my knowledge) and stuck a flighted down 9 iron to 12' or so. A shot I would have to take 50 or more attempts to get that close, and even then probably not do it. He then pulled out his pitching wedge and said he'd have to aim over a tree to the left of the green and let the wind take it in if he was going to hit that instead. So he stepped up, preshot routine, and stuck it to 9'. Two shots in a row, with no warmup, with tough conditions to hit two shots which would be once a summer shot for myself. And this is a guy that currently isn't able to make it as a touring pro. I just hope I can get to sub 5 hdcp...

Same here. The length is perfect, and since I apparently have narrower feet than you all it's close enough to keep the pair I have. Been wearing them at work yesterday and today and they're certainly comfortable. I do hope that they get easier to put on/take off in time but already it seems part of the shoe is conforming to my foot already. I also don't know if it just hasn't been quite as hot or something, but my feet don't seem to sweat in them as much as my other golf shoes, so that's always a plus for me.

I finally took my first ever lesson last week and when I could incorporate the movements that my instructor wanted, I was hitting the ball better than I ever have before. However, one of those things he had me try was a "pause" at the top. When I "paused", I was much more controlled, I felt like my weight was properly forward to really strike the golf ball. Seeing the footage, my pause doesn't exist (I could barely see my hands stop at all) but the way it felt was like it took forever to start my downswing compared to what I'm used to. I tend to have more of an issue incorporating this pause with my driver (Ping G15 "Draw" with a regular flex shaft) that I bought early on in my golf career that was the best at the time for my swing at the time. As I've grown as a golfer, and particularly with my lesson, I'm much more athletic and swinging much faster (because of a better swing in general). As a frame of reference, I did go out and get fitting for a 3 iron replacement and got put into an Apex 2019 20* Hybrid with their base stiff shaft that really feels nice in my hands that I seem to have less problem with. Do you have any tips for maintaining that "pause" at the top, could my shaft/club be too whippy for me to feel comfortable pausing, or something else that I'm not thinking of?

I have MP-33s from 15-20 years ago and they still hit well. I'm sure there's improvements to be had but it works for me so I don't feel like I need to do much about it.

Honestly, I wouldn't set a goal for the "end of the year", but just set goals. Try to get to +30, get a Birdie on a hole, get two pars in a row, stuff like that rather than setting a scoring goal like that. For me, it's easier to check off one of my other goals from the list and update it to my new skill level (or luck level). Go from one birdie in a round to two, three pars in a row, etc. after you hit one of them. Personally, I feel the scoring "goals" are some of the long time hardest ones to hit as to get lower and lower it gets harder and harder. The other ones can be done without scoring particularly well, but end up affecting your scores. The "No 6s Challenge" around here is one I'm still trying to work on, but that's a good one in a similar vein and you can work on that even now with the par 3 course (going down to no 5s eventually)

Initially my shipment said it was coming tomorrow, but looks like they got here early and will arrive today!

Based on this, I ordered myself a pair of the white ones. Should be here middle of next week, just in time for my golf trip!

Mizuno MP-33s, take 5 yards off the red column and you have my distances within a yard or two until you get to the higher lofted clubs. My 56* is right around that 105 mark, 52 right at that 115, and PW at that 125 which matches pretty good. I've always struggled more with confidence over my longer clubs though so I probably subconsciously take some off of that.

I think I would enjoy it less in multiple aspects, so I voted worse off. I most commonly play 9/par 35 at my home course. If there's nobody in my way, I can get that completed in a very reasonable amount of time so going to a 12/48 course would take just that little bit longer, and 6/24 would not be long enough. I suppose an 8/36 could be done if the courses were set up that way but it seems harder to do to design 3 out-n-backs so that you could play a certain 8 or rotate or anything like that. If I want to spend more time, a 18/70-72 is enough time for me to golf in most situations before I'm good for the day. If I get really ambitions 36/140-144 is just a good day but that's rarely done for me. So the par 36/72 tend to line up with reasonable amounts of time for me to play without feeling like I'm giving up part of the course if I did do a 6 or 8 hole stretch. As for watching, 4 days of par 48 golf doesn't seem like enough, while if they were subjected to different rules/double play 4 days of 96 seems like too much. Three days of 96 is close but I don't like the idea of either only one day of qualifiers, or trying to figure out who should keep playing halfway through day 2 at a 144 stroke turn. So on the flipside to argue against 4/48 it doesn't seem like the best players have as much opportunity to consistently display themselves as the best players. Perhaps this is something that I don't understand as I'm not at that level but I feel over a par 192 (compared to the 270s that it currently is) there's much more opportunity for variance. I feel (emphasis on feel) like there will be players that can get hot over 12 holes currently but fall apart over the 6 and then they're not in contention, which seems fair. If they only have the 12 to get hot over, the leaderboards would be much all over the place. Maybe the leaders being more volatile would be much more exciting as a viewer, that's hard to judge, but I like seeing how the best pros can get hot, but still manage their game when they aren't at peak performance. The length of the current game seems to allow both sides of their game to shine and keep the people that can get hot and yet manage themselves at the top. This has gotten long winded, but I like the idea that over more time you're more likely to see even the leaders struggle over a longer period of time.

I agree. Seems like a mistake to be "too long" or "too short" in your club selection. It seems easier to get good distance with a 3w/5w for the tee, from the fairway, and be able to half swing to get down to a reasonable iron distance. That's the iron you should then pick, in my opinion, and then have that with a half swing go down to the distance that you would hit a wedge and that would be my third club. At least, this approach seems optimal from a theoretical standpoint, but I don't know how well you'd be able to control certain half shots, or the course isn't generally all that long so maybe a 4h would be all you need for a long club instead of a 3w. Honestly, I probably could score reasonably close to my normal score on my home course with just a 4i (I don't like hybrids much) as my longest club, but there's a lot of doglegs and target golf if you're not accurate with a driver on many holes. A different course would make me want to go with a 3w or something more than likely so there are a fair few factors that would go into that decision.