Midpack

You can have a basic fitting for free at many stores. While you'll get a better fit once your swing stabilizes, there's a lot you can determine even while your swing is evolving. You can check your own wrist to floor measurement, and find height/WTF tables online that'll give you a good idea if your outside standard shaft lengths. You can also measure the size of your hands to see if you might need non standard grips, just search for tables. Every Dick's or Golf Galaxy I've been in had a launch monitor, so you can check your clubhead speed which may not change much, though note which clubs your hitting as your speed for a driver should be noticeably higher than a middle iron for example (8-10mph in my case). Only if you're clubspeed is close the threshold between regular and stiff (or senior, X stiff) will you likely need to wait on choosing shaft flex. If you're comfortably in the range of womens, senior, regular, stiff or X stiff you can probably choose shafts. Those are three key variables that you can very easily gauge yourself to give you an idea how much benefit a fitting may provide. That said, you should still get fit IF you plan to buy any clubs IMO. There are other shaft variables, like kick point, you can't estimate for yourself. And I'd be very cautious about having lie angle modified while your swing is evolving, that can change as your swing develops. And no club or fitting will fix your bad swings. Even a super game improvement set can't fix many swing defects, though they will help with some off center hits. As some say, for most mid to high handicappers when you have a mishit, it's the Indian at fault more often than the arrow.

I've seen a few people here and elsewhere say their irons are just worn out, time to replace. And I read a thread here re: do shafts wear out, that seemed to suggest metal and especially graphite shafts don't wear out if they're given reasonable care. So the only other reasons I found were grooves wear out and you can't spin or work the ball, and grips wear out. Obviously grips can be easily replaced at very low cost. I can't tell if my iron grooves are worn or not, but I still stop the ball within a few feet or even back up higher lofted irons a foot or so most of the time. IF irons do eventually wear out, is there an easy way to know?

That's too bad. Hopefully they'll determine the clubs you have are a decent or better fit, it could happen. However, some shops/fitters may be incentivized to recommend you need new clubs...

I set up (static before the backswing) and aim the same, but it appears I subconsciously alter my swing path. I realize altering my swing path is physical, but if I'm not consciously altering my swing path to avoid trouble - I'd call that mental, you'd call it physical. I do it on certain holes week after week, even aim more left and yet the ball almost invariably tends right (or vice versa). On other wide open holes, it doesn't happen regularly. I guess I'm unique. But this whole debate has become just as tiresome and unsolvable to me as others. Golf is physical and mental, in that order IME. How much of each probably depends on the individual. Low handicappers have mastered the mental better. High handicappers are probably giving away strokes due to mental errors, I see young guys with clear physical ability make bad shotmaking choices all the time - I'd categorize those as mental errors.

Funny how often when I tee off if there is trouble on the left, my drive will go right but still playable (and vice versa) even though I don't line up differently and I am not consciously altering my swing to avoid trouble. I am sure someone will come along to insist that's almost entirely physical... Again, fascinating how opinions are facts in the minds of some, and the views of others are obviously nonsense. Golf is physical and mental, probably in that order (71% - 29% like the poll inadvertently suggests).

Not conclusive, but Puma owns Cobra, and I looked at their most recent financial statements - Cobra golf isn't even mentioned. They talk about soccer, running, motorsports, signing Big Sean to promote Puma, Women's apparel and celebs, shoe tech, brands, distribution. If there's a separate Cobra golf financial statement, I couldn't find it. IME if they thought golf was signficant and/or growing, it would at least get a mention in financial statements/reporting. There's ZERO.

So the poll says 71% physical and 29% mental - sounds about right to me, even if only by chance. Mostly physical but the mental side is significant, there are strokes to be gained from both.

IF you're planning on buying new clubs, irons, metals or a whole set - why would you NOT go for a fitting? Many clubmakers offer a variety of shafts (beyond just flex) along with loft, lie, length and grip size at no extra charge nowadays, and many big chains offer fitting for free if you buy clubs from them. There is more to shafts than just flex, kick points make a difference for one. I've read that off the rack clubs fit about 50% of the public, so I'd want to know if I among the other 50% before I spend several thousand. Just my WTF measurement and hand size suggest (that I can measure myself) suggest I might benefit from some easy tweaks in my clubs. The trick is picking a good fitter. It appears there are at least as many inferior fitters as good ones out there? Good luck. I expect to get fitted for new irons if not a full set this Winter, I'm just waiting to see if there will be significant discounts in the off-season (up north). And I won't be able to use the new clubs much until next Spring anyway.

It's interesting how certain some are in their views, but that's what makes the world go around. While I believe it's more physical than mental, I almost always know when I've made a mental mistake (after the fact), and they're often pretty costly. I often can't feel what I've done "different" physically when I make a bad pass at the ball. The mental aspect of the game is more challenging than the physical to me. YMMV

Probably the same video I watched. They claimed it's actually posted on some courses in the UK. I'd never heard of it until then either. I do take care to not scuff the grass with practice swings on every tee, and I'm almost as careful with practice swings on fairways. I have seen folks take actually divots with practice swings on tees, that shouldn't be IMO. We usually shake hands, but don't remove our hats. However I've noticed that most if not all touring pros take off their hats to shake hands after the 18th in tournaments. No biggie regardless. It's funny there are a whole group of guys I play in a league with that I never see without a hat. Some I might not recognize without a hat on. We had a season end lunch/prize distribution yesterday, and looking around the room I had a hard time recognizing a few people. And some kept their hats on (mostly bald guys).

Tough crowd...

How Many Unwritten Rules of Golf Do You Observe? I thought about a poll, but it would be too lengthy, so maybe how just something like 'I observe X of 18 as much as possible' if you're interested? I will admit there's one on the list I'd never heard before (#8). And gladly most of the people I play with are good about almost all of them. Silence – don’t talk, or make noise, while someone is hitting Fill your divots, fix your ball marks, rake your bunker Watch your shadow, don’t let it fall on the line of someone putting Don’t walk or step on the (putting) line of another player in your group Understand cart etiquette - Park in an area where you're not walking backwards after the hole to get back to the cart Stay on the cart path, off fairways and away from greens as much as possible Play “ready golf” (vs classic tee honors/furthest away) No practice swings on the first tee (beside the tee before your turn if you must) Tend the pin - It's never a bad thing to ask someone with a lengthy putt if they want you to 'tend the pin.' Never stand behind a player, or his/her line when they’re hitting – stand well away, to the side in front of them and be completely still Let faster players go through (unless you’re waiting too?) Always help others look for their (lost?) ball for a few minutes Don’t give advice unless asked Don’t let a bad shot/hole/round affect your playing partners (it’s just a game) Yell FORE if there’s any chance you might hit another player(s) Stay on the cart path, off fairways and away from greens as much as possible Always return lost clubs, headcovers, etc. (Remove your hat and) shake hands with your player partners at the end of every round

Last official senior league round today. Started with a triple bogey (no place to warm up at that course?), and 5 over for the next 17 holes for a 77. 30 putts, 8 Fairways, 9 GIR (with several more nGIR). My HI was 16.7. What a very strange game golf is...

I never attributed "everything to the mental game." There seems to be some disagreement on where the line between physical and mental might be drawn, no biggie.

Revealing thread, there are varying "definitions" of what's mental and what's physical. I would have called game planning, green reading and just practicing effectively mental, along with just maintaining composure/managing pressure/stress. What's the essential difference between someone who just mindlessly bashes ball after ball at the range vs someone who practices with purpose? "The way I look at it in golf is that the mental game is a mechanism for fulfilling physical potential. Physical potential being a function of natural ability and effort put in through practice, instruction, conditioning, etc. Physical potential won’t automatically be transferred to the golf course in the form of performance. That is where a strong mental game steps in and allows the body to perform the tasks it has already been trained to do. In other words, the mental game bridges physical potential and physical performance. When faced with consequence on the golf course, the physical motion the body already knows how to perform can be hindered by doubt, fear, and anxiety. Our mind and body know how to physically execute the shot, and the mental game is required to protect that ability by warding off the potential doubt, fear or anxiety."

While it's more physical, the mental side is what most players I've seen overlook. Course management, misplaced anger, letting one bad shot lead to another (or more), poor "decision mapping/game planning (LSW)," etc. It's amazing how many shots some people throw away in a round that could easily be avoided. YMMV i wonder what a poll with one more choice might yield? Physical, mental, equipment.

At 63 I have all the same challenges others have noted. In addition, poorer eyesight has been a new challenge. I never had to play with glasses from age 10 to late 40's and then quit golf. Now at 63 and back playing golf, just seeing the ball clearly at address has been a significant issue for me. And of course corrective lenses that work at address aren't right for reading or distance vision. Anyone else? I'm afraid between poorer vision and all the senior physical challenges, my days of consistently finding the sweet spot on my clubs are probably over. Game improvement clubs here I (reluctantly) come...

It depends on the instructor. If you don't know him or her, I'd be there early, stretch/warm up a little before your scheduled time if possible, and be prepared to concisely and specifically answer 'what do you want to accomplish?' Let the pro ask questions and structure how you go about the lesson, he/she knows how to effectively teach. And there's a big difference in what you can expect from one lesson vs several. What the pro tries to impart will greatly depend on whether you just want one lesson with no further commitment or several (many pros offer a discount when you pay for 4-6 lessons up front - though you can make that decision after your first or a later lesson of course). My swing had 'too many moving parts' and the pro is changing my swing systematically in pieces that I can more easily digest. I am sure I'd be lost if he tried to change everything in one lesson. So I have signed up for 4, about 2-3 weeks apart, and I'll continue with him regularly next Spring (our season is almost over). The pro I've been working with not only diagnoses using his smartphone camera showing me my swing and what he's trying to correct, but he always gives me some drills to help me practice after the lesson to help me incorporate the changes. The drills have been invaluable to me. My HI has dropped from a high of 20 to 13 since I've been taking lessons and really working toward the changes he has suggested. I know it takes time to change swing habits, so you have to be patient and keep at it - it takes time in my experience. You might even get worse for a little while before you get better. I've had bad lessons with other pros, but lessons with a good pro are the best thing you can do to improve in my experience. Self diagnoses is hopeless for me (I've tried) and watching videos, reading articles, listening to what you buddies suggest can do (much more) harm than good - it can send you on wild goose chases.

The (Columbia) hat I've worn all season doesn't have a course or a brand logo on it - revolutionary!

I far prefer eBooks and hadn't bought a paper book in years either until LSW - I made an exception, something I'm increasingly unlikely to do over the years ahead. YMMV

Hilarious. I'm afraid to even try a brief pause at the top, but it is fun to watch Matsuyama's swing. He happened to be on the driving range when I walked by after his Fri round at the BMW last week, first time I've seen his swing in person (vs TV).

I just finished reading LSW, and I thought it was outstanding. I wasn't practicing mindlessly, I was on the right track WRT SV's, and I loosely practiced game planning - but the book will/has improved my understanding in all three, and I definitely learned some things I didn't realize at all. I look forward to reading through it again and using it as a reference. Well worth the money - I'm recommending it to those I play golf with looking for insights! FWIW, an eBook would have increased sales among those I know.

I only have two wedges - PW 47 and SW 55, but I know that's not what most people prefer. My full swing 55 flies so high I can't imagine a 60, but I've never tried one.

I'm lucky. The league I play in with over 60 guys doesn't have anyone as bad as the OP describes, just garden variety complaining here and there. No cheating or driving carts where they shouldn't be (orange lines around all our greens) that I've seen. And no really bad tempers. It's nice. Sure I enjoy playing with some more than others, but I'm far from perfect too. Who knows, maybe I'm 'that guy'...

Tough call for me too. I've never had anything but forged blades or forged cavity backs, the feel of cast GI clubs isn't very satisfying to me, but I've never owned cast GI clubs so maybe I haven't given them a fair chance. At a 15 HI with less consistent center hits (poorer vision?) and a little slower swing I should probably be playing GI/SGI irons but I'd hate to give up the great feel of a forged club, and I want some mishit feedback. So I think I want a forged iron with some forgiveness. My iron short list is Mizuno JPX900 Forged or Hot Metal and TItleist 718 AP1 or AP2. Hope to get fitted in the off season, hopefully I can find a good fitter (I know there are some better than others).