Any Golfers on the forum?

Blueingreen

Played fanatically for one summer in my mid teens.  My best pal at school grew up in a small town with a golf course, nothing else to do, and was good (played off 3 or 4 by 15). We had a few games one summer and by the next I was hooked.  We were literally playing two and a half rounds a day in the school holidays and then practicing our pitching and putting on the early holes as it started to get dark.

By the end of those several months playing that intensely, I was playing off about 7.  You pick things up so fast at that age. In my best ever round I was one over coming to the 17th tee.  Bogied the last two and had to settle for 3 over, but not bad going for a 16 year old who'd been playing for two summers and didn't have the muscle power to be a big hitter.

By the following summer the magic had faded.  I only played a few games and my game had gone backwards - I picked it up so fast that the habits weren't ingrained and I was back to playing off about 18.  I'd started to get an interest in beer and girls and among our slightly "alternative" crowd sport in general wasn't considered cool and golf in particular was a game for middle-aged squares.  It was around then that I started mucking about with a guitar belonging to my brother.

Later I really regretted not keeping it up, being a good golfer would have been a big help in my career, but I never got going again.  I only ever played a handful of games after that and found my inability to play to a decent standard too frustrating to enjoy it.

iseverynamegone

strumjoughlamps said:

iseverynamegone said:

120 is a full wedge or a 9 no? 

Im going through shanking the odd pitch at the moment 

Slightly different for everyone, think I'm a slightly over average hitter with short irons. 

Back from Toptracer, Sw making 100yds sometimes but it felt like work.. Pw way too far but shifting weight to my left and a very slight choke on the club much much better.. Best course of action avoid leaving it 100yds away.

New 3 Wood went okay  190-210 but I put 3 balls on the mat picked up my 4 Hybrid and hit 192, 188 and 201. The club just suits me. 

I’d say you are above average on distance. My 4 hybrid is 180, PW110-120.  

I recently got ShotScopenV2 so will be tracking a lot
more stats over coming months. Really impressed with it. 

mudslide73

I'm in the "promising junior finds guitar and jacks it in" camp. My dad was so disappointed it took him until I was 44 to come and see me play in a band. I find myself fancying golf again more and more now I'm older.. he's still out 3+ days a week at 75 years old.

Tone71

mudslide73 said:

I'm in the "promising junior finds guitar and jacks it in" camp. My dad was so disappointed it took him until I was 44 to come and see me play in a band. I find myself fancying golf again more and more now I'm older.. he's still out 3+ days a week at 75 years old.

One of my regrets was never playing a round with my dad, by the time I had become interested he had suffered a stroke and could no longer swing a club. 

Tone71

Out of interest what clubs do we all use? Only reason for asking is that Im considering upgrading my WS D100's and could do with some pointers (assuming 28 hp). Leaning towards the WS D7's.

iseverynamegone

I’m have Ping G. Went to Gainsborough to be fitted for them and ended up at +1 inch.  

strumjoughlamps

Tone71 said:

Out of interest what clubs do we all use? Only reason for asking is that Im considering upgrading my D100's and could do with some pointers (assuming 28 handicap)

Why are you considering upgrading your current clubs?

I use Taylormade woods and hybrids all regular flex, Nike Pro Combo forged irons and Nike Method M4 putter. carried in a Callaway Hyper Lite Zero bag. 

CHRISB50

I use a TM R7 driver and have R9 irons all reg shafts. 

I use a TM burner utility 3 and have taken the 3 and 4 iron out my bag. 

My putter is a Slighter Tacoma Custom that I had made about ten to fifteen years back, when I was really into it! 

SouthpawMark

Over the past few years I used Taylormade, Titleist, Ping, Callaway & PXG. They’re all pretty much the same in terms of quality (apart from TM irons which felt awful). The best irons in terms of quality, look and feel were Callaway blades. PXG felt amazing, but I didn’t like how they set up behind the ball.

I would recommend getting professionally fit. A proper fit..not someone simply letting you try a few different clubs in an American Golf Discount, which is a complete waste of time. Find somewhere with a track man or a GC Quad, and someone who can optimise lie angles, launch angles, spin rates etc.  

iseverynamegone

Depending on where you are maybe get to Orka golf for  proper fitting a proper set.  No more expensive than the big brands and a much better and more personalised experience 

Tone71

strumjoughlamps said:

Tone71 said:

Out of interest what clubs do we all use? Only reason for asking is that Im considering upgrading my D100's and could do with some pointers (assuming 28 handicap)

Why are you considering upgrading your current clubs?

I use Taylormade woods and hybrids all regular flex, Nike Pro Combo forged irons and Nike Method M4 putter. carried in a Callaway Hyper Lite Zero bag. 

The D100's were the first set that I bought when I started having lessons, they were second hand from Golfbidder, a few years down the line now I was hoping for an upgrade as my game has settled and I'm now striking the ball better and more consistently, I bought them initially to get distance in order to get around a course and used to play a long, low game now it is more up and down which I prefer.

I have been invited by a mates wife (she works for Callaway) to go down for a custom fit but haven't been as don't really want to buy clubs at Callaway prices.

Really though to answer, I want steel shafts as mine are graphite and want a new, shiny box fresh set. 

Rocker

The most important club in your bag is your putter.  Most shots are taken on the green so get a good one.  Try lots, some are heavy, some lightweight and lots in between.  Age does not matter, if it works for you buy it and hold on to it.  Forever.

Next most important clubs in your bag are your scoring irons.  8 iron to sandwedge.  Make or brand is almost irrelevant if they suit your game.  Get the grips replaced every couple of years.  Learn how to hit shots from 120 metres in using most of your irons.  Hit it low or high, run in or pitch onto green.  

Important clubs are what are described as utility woods - 5 woods, 7 woods etc.  These are extremely versatile clubs and work equally well off the tee on Par 3 holes.

The least important clubs are the woods and long irons.  Yet these are the clubs that are most promoted and cost the most.  There might just be a connection!  Macho but effective if your technique is spot on.  Be aware that the driver is often the club that sends you scarpering into the woods.  If you need to go long off the tee, a 3 wood is almost as long as a driver and a lot straighter.

Pro golfers assess every hole from the green back to the tee.  So play to the position where you are comfortable hitting one of your scoring irons to the green.  Less wows from your playing partners but you will end up taking their money home anyway.  It is a price worth paying.

joneve

Tone71 said:

Out of interest what clubs do we all use? Only reason for asking is that Im considering upgrading my WS D100's and could do with some pointers (assuming 28 hp). Leaning towards the WS D7's.

Mizuno here. Won’t use anything else. Nothing feels like a Mizuno (never a truer word spoken )

Look the best and feel the best. Their JPX forged range are great if the MPs are a bit on the ‘bladey’/muscle side for you. 

strumjoughlamps

joneve said:

Tone71 said:

Out of interest what clubs do we all use? Only reason for asking is that Im considering upgrading my WS D100's and could do with some pointers (assuming 28 hp). Leaning towards the WS D7's.

Mizuno here. Won’t use anything else. Nothing feels like a Mizuno (never a truer word spoken )

Look the best and feel the best. Their JPX forged range are great if the MPs are a bit on the ‘bladey’/muscle side for you. 

@joneve pulls up on something that should be looked at when considering upgrading your D100's as they have mahoosive cavities and you obviously want to move on from those but go too far the other way could spell trouble and loss of enjoyment for the game. 

iseverynamegone

Rocker said:

The most important club in your bag is your putter.

Next most important clubs in your bag are your scoring irons. 

The least important clubs are the woods and long irons.  

 Be aware that the driver is often the club that sends you scarpering into the woods.  

The entire reverse is actually demonstrably  true, you probably should have a read of strokes gained analysis. There is a bias to assume putting is far more important than it is to lowering scores when it isn’t. 

The most important clubs if you want to lower your scores are the driver and whatever you use for approach shots, be that irons or hybrids. Getting on or as to close to the green in 2 should be your aim.  Being able to hit a driver 250 straight and follow it up with a 180 approach is so so much more important than putting. 

Rocker

Sorry but have to disagree @iseverynamegone. ; Watch any pro golf on the TV.  They all. or most of them, reach every par 4 and most par 5s in 2 shots.  It is the guy who puts best wins.  You use the putter, on average, 30 to 40 times per round.  The driver is the more spectacular club to use but it is the putter that wins you the bets.

I know which I prefer. 

SouthpawMark

The most important club is the club you can hit off the tee most consistently. There’s no point in being a good putter if it takes you 9 shots to get to the green. 

BigBearKris

I played my first game April last year. Fell in love straight away. I play in Bournemouth- one course is overlooking the sea - I love the time outdoors, twilight in summer is spectacular. 
I improved fairly quick but last few months I am not getting any better - just last sunday I had the worst game since December last year - I find that few visits to the range help a lot

iseverynamegone

We are not talking about pros though , they represent 0.01% of golf. 

Buts let’s assume we are just for shits and giggles. 

http://datagolfblogs.ca/which-is-more-important-putting-or-ball-striking/

Long game accounts for 3 times more separation between pros than putting does over the long term, 
and by long term we just remove the week to week variance in putting all golfers have.

Look at it another way thinking about what equipment is most important - you have to play a round tomorrow and you have a choice to use either a 50yr old putter or a 50 yr old driver and long irons.   You would be foolish not to choose the putter (unless you were just trying to prove a point) 

On any given day I can putt 30 in a round, occasionally. So can a pro.  But I’m yet to occasionally shoot 65 - because I don’t have the long game to be able to score like that. 

Sure you remember the putts sinking but that’s an emotional response which has little to do with improving you scores. 

iseverynamegone

BigBearKris said:

I played my first game April last year. Fell in love straight away. I play in Bournemouth- one course is overlooking the sea - I love the time outdoors, twilight in summer is spectacular. 
I improved fairly quick but last few months I am not getting any better - just last sunday I had the worst game since December last year - I find that few visits to the range help a lot

Can’t  beat a course on the sea links or otherwise. 

Im heading here next year -

https://www.thraciancliffs.com/golf.php