bweiss711

I do agree. And they mentioned on their live stream this morning that they got a decent bump in subscribers over the weekend, likely due to the SkyTrak video. So more of this type of content could be on its way, and maybe they'll be more willing to go out of their way to create it. My point was only that this video wasn't meant to be anything other than comparing SkyTrak to GC Quad as opposed to a comprehensive look at all home launch monitors.

Just want to stick up for that TXG channel a little bit. I really enjoy their content and personalities, and respect their expertise. They are a golf club fitting channel. And as their channel has grown, they have branched out a bit into more general golf interest, such as training aids and launch monitors. This was the first video they have done on a launch monitor, I believe. And they did it because one of their subscribers wanted to know how it stacked up against a GC Quad and sent his unit to them. They work in the world where everything they need to make a video already exists in their fitting studio because of the business they run. Their channel isn't about testing everything under the sun related to golf. If this was your first look at what these guys do on their channel, I could see how you'd think its lame that they don't seem to be going all out to test literally everything in the mid-range home launch monitor market for better context of what they said about SkyTrak. But its not what their channel is built on. This video wasn't intended to be anything other than looking at how a SkyTrak unit compared to a GC Quad. And this type of video is very much an anomaly to their normal content. That being said, they did say they reached out to FlightScope about a Mevo+. And they would be willing to test a subscriber's unit if someone sent one in. But this type of content is not what they are about. Its very much a bonus to their core content, so I wouldn't expect them to go all out and purchase a $2000 unit just to make a single video. Now should they get their hands on one, I'm very curious to see their results.

I had 5 of 6 guys miss the cut. How is that even possible? Good news is I started the guy who did make the cut. Bad news is there is still a little ways to go until I hit rock bottom.

Between these 2 choices, I'd like to see the same guy win 10 of the next 16. What Tiger did early in his career was so incredible, and i'd be fun to go on another ride like that. Have another generation get to experience something like that. However, what I'd actually like to see is the winners come from the same same 6 to 8 golfers who are all in contention for each of the next 16 majors. Doesn't matter if the same guy wins all of them, but to see the rivalries build over the course of several years at the most important tournaments would be ideal.

I understand the correlation between between distance and rating/slope. I guess I believe that since they are so closely correlated, youre getting the distance you should play from the rating/slope and also accounting for the 10% where distance doesn't tell as good of a story about difficulty on a particular course. Really enjoyed that write up. Love it when numbers and reason are used to tell the story about what something actually is. Very informative, and will use it a reference for my friends when discussing the impact of rating/slope. I'd also say that if I had to revisit my vote, I might actually pick peer pressure, or more accurately, just going with the flow. I use rating/slope to pick which tees I SHOULD play. But the tees I ACTUALLY play are usually the ones the group picks to play, with me putting in my fair share of input. I'll generally play the forward tees when I play with my dad (who insists they're not the senior tees). But I'll play the tips or something longer/harder than I would otherwise when playing with a group from the office.

Im shocked to see I'm the only person (so far) who chooses tees based on rating/slope since its literally a measure of how difficult the course plays from those tees. Maybe its because I have a higher handicap, so I'm more sensitive to slope by definition. I'd imagine if i was closer to scratch i'd be more interested in the difference between rating and par. But in either case, I see rating and slope as a more appropriate measure of which tees to play than distance. (Though the responses to this poll clearly show I'm in the minute minority on that.) Ideal rating/slope for me to enjoy a round while also being challenged is usually around 71.5/125. There are courses around me where I can find around those numbers anywhere between 6200 yards as well as 6700 yards. My 2 favorite courses play at 6650 yards 72.2/133 and 6770 yards 71.8/125. At that distance and difficulty, I feel like my score is within my control, not the course's. I recently played 6700 yards at 73/144 with a group of 3 other golfers much better than me, and wanted to give up the game by the end of the round. There just wasn't anywhere to hide on that course for someone with my game. Playing that course from 6200 yards at 70.2/135 would have been more appropriate, but not because I can't handle 6700 yards of distance. Its because I can't handle 6700 yards at that difficulty. There is another course around me that plays at 6200 at 68/113 from the longest tees. That one actually stopped being fun to play after I got better at this game over the summer. Obviously, when comparing different tees on the same course, there is a strong correlation between distance and rating/slope. A course never plays easier at a longer distance. But I wonder how many people are missing the point when comparing distances across different courses, and not choosing the most appropriate tees. Not all 6500 yards courses are the same. I also wonder, although not necessarily about the people who would regularly post on this site, how many people don't really understand the purpose of slope/rating and how it can affect your round. My high school buddies just choose based on white or blue. And that's it. The ones who struggle to break 100 want to play the whites, the ones with a bit more confidence play the blues. They don't give a single thought to distance, rating, or slope. Mostly because they don't know why those numbers are even on the scorecard.

I've had my eye on one of these for a while too. Mostly with the idea of improving sleep habits. I've not pulled the trigger yet, mostly because of adding yet another subscription. However, if I'm able to use the data to truly improve my sleep, then I'm happy to pay the $1 a day. Something like a group to keep me honest might be enough to push me over the edge. I guess I'm curious what is the gamification aspect of being in a group? The advantage of being in a group to have others root you on (or judge you) is obvious and likely enough motivation. But is there more to it than that?

Crazy good weather in Chicago enabling more golf. Got out to my 9 hole "home" course this morning and added a birdie on the 8th. Stuck it a foot away from the pin from 165 out. Probably my best shot of the year. Still haven't solved par on the 7th hole. Maybe tomorrow morning.

If it makes you feel better, ive made my picks for every tournament and also have no shot to win.

Made it out this afternoon. Temperature got to 70 in Chicago, so I made sure to get out again. Intended to play as a practice round, but got put in a group who was playing straight up, so I played along. Ended up grabbing a birdie on 4, bringing my total composite score to -7 for the year.

Been a long time since I've posted here. Just want to provide an update about how this season has finished up. The last bit of feedback I received was about my hands at the top of the backswing, and that my right hand coming off was as severe as anything @iacas has seen. This feedback came the day after I had completed my worst round of the summer. Which came in the same week I posted a message with the video showing what my right hand was doing while simultaneously trying to state I think I had some kind of breakthrough because I had just shot literally the best round of my life a day earlier. So that week was quite a whirlwind of emotion for me. I did go back to the drawing board and try to address what was going on. A couple fixes included weakening my left hand grip a touch, strengthening my right hand grip a touch, and trying to manage the length of the backswing as best I could. That hand seemed like it would fly off the grip the further past parallel I would get. Those tweaks seemed to work. I was making good, consistent contact into my net in the back yard, and I felt like I had found something. I was gun-shy of putting it on camera again, because I was worried that I'd end up doing something different, presenting it as if that's what I had been doing to be successful, and end up going in a cycle of confidence and doubt all over again. Basically, I decided if I was able to "feel" my way to something that was working, I wasn't going to mess with it. I'd just take it to the course, and try to ride out the rest of the season. Then during the winter, I'll try to get all scientific and break everything down. I just wanted to play golf, and not get all up in my head about it on the course. Long term, I know I need to work at being more aware of what's going on in my swing. Anyways, I'm happy with that decision, and here is how the rest of the year has played out: That 14.6 differential was the best round of my life which prompted my post saying I fixed my swing. Then the 27.8 two rounds later was the worst round of the summer, quickly followed by the feedback that my right hand in my swing was a severe problem. Those next 7 or 8 days was me trying to work on that. And then the rest of the summer is by far the best stretch of golf in my life. My goal this year was to get to an 18 index. I was a 24.5 coming into this season. These past 6 weeks got me down to a 17.3, so I'm ecstatic about that (which is an understatement). Even those last couple rounds, I wish I had shot better, but again, I was a 24.5 index 6 months ago. Those rounds would have literally been the best rounds of my life if they happened in the spring. So, I just need to keep that in perspective. Shooting 95 used to be a dream. Now its a disappointment. I've come a long way this year. If nothing else, I've proven to myself that improvement is possible. But this year has also shown how much further I have to come. This offseason will be about actually understanding what the swing is supposed to be, and how to get myself to be able to execute and repeat it using more than just "feel". Hopefully, progress throughout the winter will be documented here. In a few weeks or so, I'll probably post the "baseline" swing, and work from there. Thanks to all who have contributed to this thread this season, specifically @iacas and @Grizvok. The feedback and support one can receive on this site is pretty incredible.

Not sure how much more golf I'll play this year. I've already packed it in, and consider this the offseason, so anything else I play this year is going to go in the "Practice Round" category. That makes this my final update for the year for this challenge. I finally strung some good shots together and actually got a birdie on one of the 2 remaining holes for my par challenge on my "home" 9 hole course. Which left only hole number 7 as my arch nemesis this year. Many missed par putts on that hole, some only a few feet. Nonetheless, that par managed to elude me all season. I'll get it next year for sure. For the composite, I had already finished the par challenge earlier in the summer and added a couple more birdies on 2 and 15. Looking forward to beating a composite 6 under par next year.

Day 41: Missed yesterday's post when I played 18, and played well. Really good with the driver. Shot 86. Today, I worked on the shortcomings from yesterdays round: lob wedge and fairway woods/hybrid off the deck. Swing thread update should be coming soon.

Day 40: Played what ended up being a practice 9 holes on my "home" course this morning (Shot a 48, a pretty typical below average round for me on this course). No playing partner and tested the Arccos system. Turns out I'm making the switch to Arccos. I really liked it. As for the golf, wasn't great. My swing quickly deteriorated after my chip in birdie on the first (which of course doesn't count for the birdie challenge in a practice round), a three putt GIR on the 2nd, and then a duffed pitch shot and lipped out par putt on the 3rd. All downhill from there. Was making terrible contact on almost every shot after that. I came back home this afternoon, did some more swings into the net. Really trying to figure out where my "swing basics" went wrong. Turns out I believe it was mostly due to posture, and I think i was able to build a check into my pre-shot routine how to make sure the sole of the club is flat enough against the ground, and how to adjust my posture to account for the different lie angles throughout the bag. Standing more upright with the longer clubs produced much more solid contact. I'm playing an actual 18 holes tomorrow. We'll see if I'm able to bring that to the course.

Day 39: Full swings with Driver, 7 Iron, and Pitching Wedge trying to cement the swing basics I've been working on all week. Another positive session. Hopefully, doing this kind of work this week is setting a baseline for my swing to build from moving forward. I've also got plenty of confidence now heading into the weekend. I would not have been able to say that earlier in the week.