Midpack

I wasn’t sure how to vote, none of the choices seemed to fit. I hadn’t taken lessons before this year. I took 4 lessons last summer, and I will take another 6 starting next spring at about 2 week intervals. I don’t plan on off season lessons as I can’t practice much if at all here Dec thru Mar or longer.

This year I got out 3 times/week. Driving range on Sat AM, 18-hole league play on Wed, and driving range or 9-hole practice round on Mondays. Occasionally I'd have a 4th day at the driving range or on the course some weeks. But golf is seasonal where I live (little if any play for 5 months or so).

As far as playing, it's OB on every course I've played. As for retrieving the ball, it depends on the situation. If it's clearly visible (no search required), and out in the open not too far in, I will retrieve the ball as long as there are no fences or landscaping, signs or other obstacles. But if it's close to a private home, or there are any people in the yard, or I don't see the ball without searching, or any kind of obstacle/sign/landscaping - I wouldn't try to retrieve the ball. I do what I'd want others to do if it was my property. It depends entirely on how close to the course the homes are, but I assume most people with homes on golf courses know there will be balls on their property at some frequency. YMMV There was a home on a course I played on with a garage side much too close off the tee to one hole. The siding was so battered, I assume the owner gave up trying to repair it. Very sad...

That’s persuasive...

Well you’ve clearly found a topic with no end. Again, mental must play a much smaller role for pros and low handicappers. But the overwhelming number of players are neither, I’m addressing this topic from the POV of the larger group. Again, I think golf is more physical than mental but the mental isn’t trivial, more than 5%. However in thinking more about it, maybe improving your game requires more mental effort than just playing at a given time - and that’s why I’ve GUESSed golf is 10-20% mental. Why else would golf instructors/writers universally say just mindlessly pounding balls on a driving range probably won’t help. I assume we all know people who put almost no thought into improving and are satisfied with a handicap that doesn’t change year after year. And I’ve watched players make the same poor choices with predictable bad outcomes while playing over and over. It takes a series of conscious physical and mental steps to develop/improve swing fundamentals and to practice deliberately. And game planning is also largely mental for most amateurs. And it’s hard to believe someone can shoot a 98 one day and a 77 the next time out without mental playing more than a 5% role. How could someone be that physically inconsistent days apart?

When I was younger and got fitted, my clubhead speed was 105 mph with a driver. Now in my early 60’s, my average driver clubhead speed is 94 mph and 86 with a 7-iron. I can still hit my irons as far as when I was younger, but I’ve slowed my swing down for much better consistency and only lost 10 yards with my irons - my 35 degree loft 7-iron (vs 28-31 for many modern 7-irons) is now 140 yds where it was 150 yds in my 30’s.

I give up, your arguments aren’t actually proving anything either, though you obviously don’t see it that way. I can give more examples but it’s pointless as I can’t prove it, just as no one else here can no matter how “self evident” they seem to think their arguments are... We’re heated agreement somewhat anyway, I just think it’s more like 10-20% mental for most of us here and in the mainstream. If you’re 5% or less, and I have no reason to doubt that, maybe you’re an outlier? I’ll be quiet on this subject now.

That’s fine for the all too common “nerves” mental aspect of playing golf. But there are many other mental exercises and choices involved in playing and improving at golf, many shared in the earlier thread.

All my irons are from 1996. I plan on buying new 4-GW irons this Winter to see what the tech fuss is all about, but I'll probably just carry on with my 1996 SW. I don't know why but I still have my original Acushnet Bulls Eye putter, though I don't carry it and likely never will again...

Golf could be 80:20 physical mental for me and Dustin Johnson. The fact that DJ is better than I am doesn't prove golf is only 5% mental for everyone, though it may be for pros and some others. While DJ is one of the most powerful players, there are other tour pros and long drive folks who are more physically capable than he is. And if physical ability was 95% of it, wouldn't the tour rankings and wins correlate almost exactly? At least "we've" now acknowledged that game planning is mental, where it wasn't in the earlier thread. Mental was arbitrarily confined to nerves by some of the almost entirely physical supporters early in the past thread. I can't see how green reading isn't largely a mental exercise. Just as "well, the brain controls everything you do, so it's 100% mental" isn't instructive, neither is "well, you don't swing a club with your brain, so it's 100% physical." By the latter, also biased POV, writing a book or playing chess would be almost entirely physical too? I agree it's more physical than mental, but the mental isn't trivial for many/most IMHO, I'd consider 5% trivial.

There are only two types of people in the world, those who can extrapolate from incomplete data...

+1. Shooting an 87 even once in your first year is impressive. Many players never break 90, even 100 after years of trying. Nicely done!

I've played with all kinds, some I don't care to play with again. And try as I may to be courteous, acknowledge good shots and follow the rules - I am sure there are others who'd rather not play another round with me. We all have different expectations no matter what the written and unwritten rules are.

Bizarre! I played league with a guy a few weeks ago that kept pulling to within 2-3 feet or my (or his own) ball, sometimes even behind the ball where you couldn't swing at the ball even if you wanted to - baffling. He had to move the cart every time. I don't know if it was poor vision/depth perception or what. It's interesting to see how different each week is, rules interpretations (yes, I know the rules are clear enough), pace, skill level, courtesy, etc. I've had to make allowances most weeks. But a few weeks ago I got (rightfully) scolded for after parking the cart I was driving too close to several greens, so I have my own inconsistent habits I guess. And I'm been more mindful about where I leave carts since, so the guy did me favor speaking up.

More than 4 months later - I'm pleasantly surprised! Started the year with a running 5 round HI of 18-20 and finished with a 12 on my last five rounds. Frankly I didn't expect to break 80 ever again, but managed a 79 and a 77 in September, I'll readily admit I was beside myself both times! I would attribute my revival (after 15 years idle) and improvement to: lots of rounds/practice (3-4 times/week), finding a good pro and taking some lessons (that'll continue next Spring) and Lowest Score Wins book (honestly, not patronizing) - Separation values, how to practice various shots and game planning (shot zones & decision mapping) - all very helpful! I guess I'll have to set more ambitious goals for 2018, but not complaining, a good problem. Now the trick is to try to avoid forgetting everything I learned over the Winter.

I can manage one swing thought at a time, but that's pretty much it. It's my affliction, but thought #1 for me is take a full swing but just don't try to kill it. Why I still have to remind myself again and again after 53 years is a mystery. The rest has to be in my static setup and muscle memory. However, game planning, green reading are largely mental IME, along with a few other mental aspects. I am guessing it's somewhere in the 70:30 to 90:10 physical:mental for me (probably closer to the latter), but it varies from person to person and even round to round, year to year, week to week for me too. Additional anecdotal evidence or examples aren't going to convince me it's more than 90% physical after 53 years playing...and it doesn't matter anyway.

FIFY. Hopefully your on course math is better, or "joking" again.

I take it you didn't notice that it was originally published in 1981. Of course it's only $1.99 36 years later... Actually some people inferred that the mental was (almost) trivial. That's a stretch IMO, but there's no point in continuing to trade anecdotal evidence while pretending one POV is wholly objective while the other isn't (both sides). I believe it's way more than 50% physical, but the mental aspect isn't trivial IME.

And this best selling book must have been complete hogwash according to many here...

Mine are 19 years old, though they sat idle for almost 15 years, and they're almost certainly going to be replaced this winter even though I am still hitting the old ones reasonably well and they're in excellent condition. My eyesight, and hand-eye coordination will never be what they once were, time to give new technology and more forgiveness a try.

How many times have you seen one forum member change the views of another forum member with a differing opinion - on any forum? Especially with this question with both sides offering up anecdotal evidence to prove their POV. Very rare IME, but carry on...

Gorgeous. Those are on my short list, though probably won't win out only because I'm not consistent enough.

If you wipe off your irons after every shot and use iron covers they will look “pretty and shiny” far, far longer - guaranteed. Everyone I play with is amazed that my 19 yo irons still look new! However, many/most players will consider you a nerd or worse if you have iron covers. There are some makes/models of bags that will keep your irons apart better, the Ogio Silencer is one example. With the latter you can keep your new irons shiny longer without others knowing you’re a nerd... Riding in a cart with your clubs bouncing around will do more damage to irons than anything else - more than hitting them or carrying them.

What a thread - the horse died days ago. Like most sports, golf is more physical than mental, by how much we’ll never all agree, largely because it varies by skill level and each individual.

If you're buying new clubs, I can't think of any reason not to take advantage of having them fit to you. From what I've read there's at least a 50% chance standard off the rack irons won't be exactly right, could be a little off, could be a lot. I am buying new irons, if not a whole new set this winter. I read and read, and compared specs to narrow the list. Took some suggestions from others here. Went and hit several makes and models and my irons short list is down to 2 brands, 2 models. I'll be narrowing it down to one brand/model in the next week or two, and expect to be fit sometime thereafter.