Nave

Welcome to TST! I hope you enjoy your golf journey and this is definitely the right place to share your adventure.

Welcome to TST! Enjoy the game and the forums!

Welcome to TST - great to have you on board.

I am late to this topic and Interestingly the best players I have played with did not dress like golfers at all. The absolute best player (scored 65) I played with looked like he just walked on the course by accident. He was super humble, extremely polite, and patiently stood there watching the rest score 90 with the latest and greatest drivers while he cleaned his 7-10 year old clubs.

Wade - Thank you and congratulations to you as well. What a story and sorry to hear about your shoulder and other sports battlefield injuries. I am guilty of ignoring my shoulder pain and playing through it until I had no choice but do physical therapy. Unfortunately, the therapy did not do much apart from helping with living with shoulder pain. One day I decided to pick up swimming, specifically to learn the back stroke - literally on the first session I felt a popping relieve in my shoulder. It felt like a trapped nerve or muscle knot was released and now I am fine again. Maybe having the Alabama winters is a good thing. I imagine the excitement when the winter is over and golf season starts again. In Nevada we have golf weather almost all year.

I just realized that I have actually quit playing golf in the past. Used to work in Seoul - Korea for a few years and the green fees were ridiculously expensive. A round on a mediocre course would cost at least $250. Additionally, the courses are usually about one hour outside of town because there is limited space in the city. Most of the time the folks I’d play with would want to go for Korean BBQ after the game. Fuel, food, and caddy tips included you can easily end up paying $400. Nine out of ten times, the courses were fully booked and the t-times tightly managed (caddy) with the next group breathing down your neck. So, no thanks! $250 Clarification: Most courses required you to hire a caddy and pay for the cart. Back then I was new to the game of golf, scoring in the 90s and 100s and having to pay $300-400 for it made no sense. Furthermore, the caddies really did not like beginners and they were vocal about it, unless you tipped them extra. Consequently, I did not play in the last few years of my stay in Korea.

Solid statement there. I actually like that. For too long I’ve had too many hobbies (mentoring, other sports, video games, …) Although those experiences are valuable, I think that going forward I’d prefer to focus on one hobby and do that well.

Sorry to hear that. Wishing you a full recovery soon.

Congrats! I occasionally play at Angel Park. Which course did you play there? Palm or Mountain?

That is interesting. Do you think that this helped your game in any way? I’d imagine that having a better understanding of a course/hole layout helps to plan shots better.

Haha, I love it. I may need that type of reality check.

Thanks for sharing - this was part of the cycle I went through as well. I went from playing a lot of single rounds and the occasional session with friends to focusing on practicing and then playing more ‘meaningful’ rounds with others. Happy golfversary!!! Cheers to injury free golfing without “The Great Mistake” 😀 Rangefinder, launch monitor, new shoes and wedge - I love your enthusiasm there! Amen! I think this may be exactly what I need. You mean local community or neighborhood competitions? At which point were you ready to play competitively? I have not taken the leap yet.

Great perspective overall - thank you for sharing. This part stood out for me - maybe who I play with is a factor in my current consideration as well.

What are some of the reasons you have quit playing golf? I understand that injuries may be one of the reasons for some. Here is why I am about put it on hold, unless I find the inspiration to continue. Recently I do not enjoy the game much, and I don’t know specifically why! That is right after a recent high of taking lessons, upgrading part of my clubs, and breaking 80 for the first time. Generally these are some of the things negatively impacting my interest in golf: - So What: It took me a long time to break 80, and now I think “so what”. Not much has actually changed and it feels empty - People’s Excuses: Almost every week I hear someone saying (on the range or field) “I have not played for ages” or excuse #1001 - Time & Body: I incorporated golf specific physical training and it helped my game, but when I removed the gym equation it immediately impacted my game - Golf Gods: In the last two weeks I focused on practicing with my new 3-wood, successfully. However, this week I seem not to be able to hit a simple 7-iron shot - Other Joys: I started swimming regularly and I enjoy that much more than playing golf - Balance?: I started some other personal development projects both through my professional work and privately - those seem more enriching than golf Writing this helped to reflect, however I am still in need of something to help find my passion in golf again. Thank you!

I have never quit mid-round. Ironically I once was about to leave at the 9th hole (55 score) and I mentally gave up. However, from the moment I teed off from the 10th hole with an “I don’t care” attitude, my back-9 resulted in a better score and ultimately a 95 for that round. I am glad I did not quit, because I learned a lot from that experience.

I frequently play alone and our course usually pairs me with others, specifically with other players who play alone. I have to add that this is usually right after the morning peak times or in the afternoons when they are more flexible to accommodate singles.

Good to keep in mind. I guess I’ll find out at some point. Thank you.

Like above comments, once you’ve set up with the intention to hit the ball - everything that comes after that intentional setup should count. If you’re good enough to accurately hit a tiny ball hundreds of yards - then you’re good enough to stop your swing before hitting the ball. As some people say, golf is as much a mental game as it is a game of striking the ball consistently.

I carry the Kirkland wedge set (G,S,L) and the pitching wedge that came with my irons set. The L wedge is my go-to wedge for around the green fringe, and anything around a 50 yard play - I love it.

The one I received is the Red model.

Welcome to TST. Enjoy the game of golf!

Here is my update after two weeks of actual tests in the simulator, with a club fitter, and on the field. 1. Using the new stiff HZRDS driver shaft (see above details) enabled me to hit draws more consistently and added some yardage (e.g. from 260 to 272) measured on over 100 shots. In my case, the draws helped my accuracy. 2. The fitting expert recommended that I buy the Taylormade Stealth club head for my driver. I said no for now, because I am happy enough with the new results I’m getting with the new shaft. 3. My iron evaluation resulted in a strong recommendation to switch to a stiff shaft, because apparently my long iron accuracy is suffering from it. However, I am able to work around it by trying to shape my shots and will therefore keep the clubs until they’re used well enough and new clubs are due by force of nature. In conclusion. I only paid for the club fitting / evaluation and walked out as a happier and more confident golfer. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to be cheap - I base my decisions on data and a touch of feeling. Thank you all for your insights!

Great feedback, thank you! Not sure how accurate this data is - my tracked shot dispersion over 10 rounds is 32% Left, 46% Fairway, and 22% Right (see image). When I try to hit my driver really far, that’s when I get ridiculous OB shots. I’ll definitely look into reshafting instead of buying new clubs. I have no brand or tech preference - I’d love to keep my golf game old school and result focused. Most definitely I’ll not buy into the “our best club ever” and “even more forgiving than before”.

I finally broke 80! My best holes include birdies on all par 5s, and par on all par 3s. At Siena GC in Vegas, Nevada.

My ignorance/interest in swing speeds is limited to what I was told my swing speed is. I looked up the averages online and I am not much wiser, because so many sources say different things. Considering the above comments, I assume this: 1. It may be worth doing a club fitting session to determine if new shafts/irons are helpful? 2. Keep my current driver*. No need to try that new shaft I have received? [Hzrdus Smoke (it is the Red model)] *makes me wonder why the coach in the lesson said “your driver shaft bends too much during your swing”