Golf thread

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

So, I built one lineup for this Draftkings millionaire maker. I used all of my salary, and decided to bump down to Rham from Thomas to try and make my line up unique. Unfortunately, another genius did the same thing, so I was going to be duplicated either way. The Thomas line up won a million. I'll have to settle for 125k. It's not a million dollars, but few things are. I guess I'll take it.

Limehouse?

Yeap

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

2020: When you can't tell if your hands are numb because you were sweating hundreds of thousands of dollars of golf wagers, or because you have COVID.

[NonProfitCow]

That’s so awesome man! How many entries did you put in?

[Cubswin11]

Nice win man! I’m waiting for an update from the pools I got in at my golf course, definitely lower stakes but think I placed in at least one of them for a few hundred.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

That’s so awesome man! How many entries did you put in?

1 entry in this, and 1 entry in a smaller tourney. I took second in a football contest (during game 5 of the WS in 2016) for 15k, and hadn't had any cashes over 2k since, so I was low on funds. I left 3k in after the 2016 win, and I was down to 100 bucks today...

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

 

https://twitter.com/CodySchick8/status/1329144108934426625

[Hairyducked Idiot]

First time in almost two weeks, with nephew. The clubhouse was a little slow and then they had us up a little early, so we skipped the range. Step up to the first tee, stick it to inside 5 feet, second-ever birdie. Had a very enjoyable round, course was full but pace was very reasonable, no super slow groups clogging it up. Ended up with another 38, so I'm consistently playing bogey golf (albeit on an extremely easy course). Thanks to a good run of tee shot and chips landing near the hole but in the fringe, I was able to officially get in with 13 putts for 9 holes.

 

Nephew came ridiculously close to his first birdie. His nemesis hole is very short (70 yards) but you have to clear a deep creek. He cleared the creek for once, was about 10 feet off the green in the light rough. His chip was dead at the hole, either rolled or skipped straight over it, and stopped about 8 feet past.

 

He's a fairly sheltered homeschool kid, so I'm fairly certain he heard his first f-bomb when I hit my birdie putt and said "let's f#!@ing go!" before I realized what I was saying. He swears he forgot what the word was, but I don't believe him.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

First time in almost two weeks, with nephew. The clubhouse was a little slow and then they had us up a little early, so we skipped the range. Step up to the first tee, stick it to inside 5 feet, second-ever birdie. Had a very enjoyable round, course was full but pace was very reasonable, no super slow groups clogging it up. Ended up with another 38, so I'm consistently playing bogey golf (albeit on an extremely easy course). Thanks to a good run of tee shot and chips landing near the hole but in the fringe, I was able to officially get in with 13 putts for 9 holes.

 

Nephew came ridiculously close to his first birdie. His nemesis hole is very short (70 yards) but you have to clear a deep creek. He cleared the creek for once, was about 10 feet off the green in the light rough. His chip was dead at the hole, either rolled or skipped straight over it, and stopped about 8 feet past.

 

He's a fairly sheltered homeschool kid, so I'm fairly certain he heard his first f-bomb when I hit my birdie putt and said "let's f#!@ing go!" before I realized what I was saying. He swears he forgot what the word was, but I don't believe him.

Half of the reason for a kid to go golfing with his uncle is to up his curse word game.

[Splendid Splinter]

Curious to see what everyone have in their bag. Here's my set up now.

 

 

Driver: Titleist 917 D3 8.5° w/ HZRDUS Smoke Black 60g 6.5

3 wood: Titleist TS2 15° w/ HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5

3 utility iron: Titleist U510 w/ HZRDUS Smoke Black 80g 6.0

4 utility iron: Titleist U500 w/ HZRDUS Smoke Black 90g 6.0

Iron set: Ping i210 5-UW w/ Project X Rifle 6.0

Titleist Vokey SM6 54/14 F Grind and 58/10 S Grind

[Splendid Splinter]

This is a humble brag, but I don't care as it's an amazing achievement. Ever since my high school coach offered me the Jr High Golf coaching position 4 years ago, I told him and others that one of my goals for golf/coaching was to get down to a 0 handicap within 5 years. Almost all of them just laughed at me at the time as I was probably ~8-10 handicap then and said I would never get there. They're not laughing now.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

This is a humble brag, but I don't care as it's an amazing achievement. Ever since my high school coach offered me the Jr High Golf coaching position 4 years ago, I told him and others that one of my goals for golf/coaching was to get down to a 0 handicap within 5 years. Almost all of them just laughed at me at the time as I was probably ~8-10 handicap then and said I would never get there. They're not laughing now.

Congrats! That's pretty sick.

 

...although, the only humble part about that was that you referred to it as a humble brag.

[JudasIscariotTheBird]

But my bag:

 

Driver: Cleveland Launcher 400 9.5deg Literally bought at an antique mall. Has a few dents. Considering a replacement.

3 and 5 woods: "Cougar" Really old. Not quite actually made of wood. Supposedly previously owned by Tom Kite. I'd only put that at 20% likely.

Irons 4-PW: Taylor Made M2s, 2018 model? My Dad won them hitting a hole in 1 at a league tourney, but they were older than his bag's model.

SW and LW: "Warrior" I'm told they are garbage.

Putter: Dead Center by Titleist, it looks old AF.

 

I have not purchased a golf club at any point in my life.

[Splendid Splinter]

This is a humble brag, but I don't care as it's an amazing achievement. Ever since my high school coach offered me the Jr High Golf coaching position 4 years ago, I told him and others that one of my goals for golf/coaching was to get down to a 0 handicap within 5 years. Almost all of them just laughed at me at the time as I was probably ~8-10 handicap then and said I would never get there. They're not laughing now.

Congrats! That's pretty sick.

 

...although, the only humble part about that was that you referred to it as a humble brag.

 

Thanks! Very true on the humble part. I also know that my 0 handicap is very misleading as well. My home course is a 9 hole course (does have a back 9 where there's 6 tees that are separate from the front tees, but same greens). It's a 70.8/126 rating and almost 6500 yards if you play 18 so it's considered an "easy" course. This year with COVID, it was the only course I played on all year. Ended up with 3- 70s and a 69 this year which really brought my handicap down. Still cool to see/say that you're a 0 though.

 

In the past, I would play other courses and usually from the tips. My scores/handicap would reflect on that. IIRC, I started out this year with a 2.5 index. I did tweak some things on my swing/stance/club setup which led me to be more consistent this year so looking forward to playing other courses next year and see where my handicap ends up.

 

Not a bad set of clubs considering you never purchased a club in your life!

[stitchface]

I need a new driver. What should I get under $400?

[Cubswin11]

I need a new driver. What should I get under $400?

If your budget is up to $400 go to a retailer or course with some sort of swing analysis tools/simulator/Track Man and a professional who knows their stuff. That’s a healthy budget to get you something to fit whatever the feedback says.

[Splendid Splinter]

I need a new driver. What should I get under $400?

If your budget is up to $400 go to a retailer or course with some sort of swing analysis tools/simulator/Track Man and a professional who knows their stuff. That’s a healthy budget to get you something to fit whatever the feedback says.

 

I 2nd this. You can pretty much get any of last "year" model's for $400 or under plus you'll get the benefit of hitting all of them, see the numbers from the simulator, and having someone who knows what they're saying telling you what he would recommend. You also would be able to test out different shafts as well as they do make a difference. If you get a cheap enough driver, you might be able to get an upgraded shaft if it's something you want.

[stitchface]

Thanks guys - I'll look into it.

[Cubswin11]

Thanks guys - I'll look into it.

And yeah, definitely look at upgrading the shaft based on the data and go with it if it’s within the budget. It will make a difference. I got a whole new set of clubs ~18 months ago, Titleist TS3 drive and AP3 irons and the rep from Titleist who had me on track man recommended different shafts (project X on driver and Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour on irons) over the stock ones. Definitely can see an improvement in my game and worth the up charge.

 

Golf Galaxy or Golf Smith (always forget which one it is, one got bought out/merged/whatever by the other a few years back) offers the fitting services if you have one by you. Dick’s also might, from the chain store perspective. I’ve always gotten fitted through my course though. They bring in reps from whatever brands and have a track man+simulator to analyze and the pro knows his stuff too. So there’s a few ways to go depending on what you have around you.

[Splendid Splinter]

Thanks guys - I'll look into it.

And yeah, definitely look at upgrading the shaft based on the data and go with it if it’s within the budget. It will make a difference. I got a whole new set of clubs ~18 months ago, Titleist TS3 drive and AP3 irons and the rep from Titleist who had me on track man recommended different shafts (project X on driver and Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour on irons) than the stock ones. Definitely can see an improvement in my game and worth the up charge.

 

Most of the drivers now will have 3-8 shafts that you try out for no up charge and somewhat the same for iron sets IIRC?

[Cubswin11]

Thanks guys - I'll look into it.

And yeah, definitely look at upgrading the shaft based on the data and go with it if it’s within the budget. It will make a difference. I got a whole new set of clubs ~18 months ago, Titleist TS3 drive and AP3 irons and the rep from Titleist who had me on track man recommended different shafts (project X on driver and Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour on irons) than the stock ones. Definitely can see an improvement in my game and worth the up charge.

 

Most of the drivers now will have 3-8 shafts that you try out for no up charge and somewhat the same for iron sets IIRC?

I think there’s a little more room for drivers that they have multiple stock options that don’t cost extra but think they will still look to up charge you on something different (but if it’s based off of simulator/track man data I’d roll with it if it’s not a lot more). That’s been my experience at least. Think I spent an extra $60 on my driver shaft and the irons were like $6-12 a club (I forget).

[stitchface]

Thanks guys - I'll look into it.

And yeah, definitely look at upgrading the shaft based on the data and go with it if it’s within the budget. It will make a difference. I got a whole new set of clubs ~18 months ago, Titleist TS3 drive and AP3 irons and the rep from Titleist who had me on track man recommended different shafts (project X on driver and Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour on irons) over the stock ones. Definitely can see an improvement in my game and worth the up charge.

 

Golf Galaxy or Golf Smith (always forget which one it is, one got bought out/merged/whatever by the other a few years back) offers the fitting services if you have one by you. Dick’s also might, from the chain store perspective. I’ve always gotten fitted through my course though. They bring in reps from whatever brands and have a track man+simulator to analyze and the pro knows his stuff too. So there’s a few ways to go depending on what you have around you.

 

There is actually a pro shop about 40 minutes from me that has a great reputation for fitting. It's also pricey and crowded so I'm pretty reluctant to go over there. Nearest Golf Galaxy is even further. Having talked to the local pro, the reality is my swing is still evolving - I made major changes in the last few weeks so not sure a fitting now will be a big benefit down the road - not even sure I'll keep playing as much when I can return to other activities. So, not sure I'll go do a fitting right now.

 

On the swing changes, I made huge strides on my long irons and fairway woods hitting them straight and upping my distance 10-20%. It's left a bit of a gap in my yardages as I try to catch up with the longer irons. There is something quite awesome about hitting a 4 wood 230 yards down the middle though it isn't actually useful that often.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Nephew finally tied me this morning, partially because he had a good round for him and a lot because I had a terrible one.

 

I noticed lately I've been holding the club too far out from my body and bending over too much, causing me to come across the ball. I worked on fixing that this week, and it makes a huge difference when I hit the ball cleanly, but I'm not hitting it cleanly as much because I'm still getting used to the new stance. I need a couple practice range sessions.

 

So today was just one of those days where nothing went right.

 

First hole - Usually play a 7-iron, decided to go 6 because the pin and tee placement were both making the hole longer, hit it pure and flew the green completely

 

Second hole - Hit a pretty good one that was about to land pin-high in the light rough just to the right of the green on the same side as the pin, plunked the only tree on the hole and got send back 30 yards short

 

Third hole - Took three tries to get out of the tee box after striping every drive in warmups

 

Fourth hole - Only par of the day

 

Fifth hole - Decent drive, flubbed first approach, hit a good second approach but it catches the wrong part of the green and slopes off. Respectable bogey.

 

Sixth hole - Hit the greenside bunker, first time I've had trouble getting out of a bunker since my first week golfing.

 

Seventh hole - Play my usual club for this hole, catch it pure with the new swing, fly the green by 40 yards and into a creek that isn't even meant to be in play for that hole

 

Eighth - Thought I stuck it in the middle of the green, hops back after it lands and spins back to the false front, rolls off entirely. Pitch shot almost goes in but rolls through. Dangerous downhill putt from the fringe, I try to barely hit it, it still rolls all the way back down.

 

Ninth - Weird mishit. Made like a weird deep thunk sound, went high and maybe 50% of the distance I intended. Maybe hit the top edge of the club instead of the face? Flubbed first chip too.

 

Ended up about 8 shots worse than I've been averaging out there. No big deal, still had fun with nephew. I'm excited about the new swing. I was really getting a clean, straight ball flight even on my drives in warmups. Should help a ton with my distance problems.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

God as my witness, I'm going to figure out how to stop slicing. I don't care if I start pull-hooking everything down through my 8-iron, at least they won't be slices.

[stitchface]

God as my witness, I'm going to figure out how to stop slicing. I don't care if I start pull-hooking everything down through my 8-iron, at least they won't be slices.

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

God as my witness, I'm going to figure out how to stop slicing. I don't care if I start pull-hooking everything down through my 8-iron, at least they won't be slices.

 

I moved further from the ball and that kept me in to out. Too much sometimes.

 

I spent the entire range session today going aggressively in-to-out and I was still managing to slice it. I think I have a really bad open-club-face problem. I can see it even when I practice in slow motion, my natural movement is to let my wrists break and open up like crazy. I have some ideas on how to fix it, maybe?

 

I'm wasting so much time on this stuff because I "don't have time for lessons."

 

I think this is the source of my distance problems too. I'm not a great athlete by any stretch, but I'm a healthy adult male who can get a normal amount of swing speed going, but I'm getting *way* less distance than the average golfer reports. I think with the higher irons, the backspin is letting it straighten out, but the backspin is still killing the distance. Then the longer clubs would be almost a decent length if it was going straight instead of curving so much.