The Golf Thread - 2018!

[DuncanM]

85 today in very cold conditions. 3 over on the back 9, which is as good as I've played in years.

I'm a cripple who only played twice in 2018

[yorky500]

That's a very, very good score. Well done.

You have 361 days to get 2 more rounds in to beat last years efforts,

[DuncanM]

Thank you! I am certainly hoping to play more this year.

I can't play without a buggy, at some point a single person, old man buggy will be a tempting, I'm only 41 but needs must.

I love the hog one but it's pricey!

[DuncanM]

http://www.turfchopper.com amazing

Regarding golf balls, I used Dunlop Tour Soft today and it was ace. Very low compression so great in this cold weather. Spun up absolutely fine and did not feel hard. I adjusted my chipping to a more AoD shot rather than spinny low shots that require sexy urethane for friction.

I can't justify expensive balls anymore so it was a test that worked well.

[thebraketester]

85 very nice. And the hole in one, that’s what dreams are made of.

Funny round today. Drove the ball really well. Only made 1 duff shots with driver where I skied it and it went about 170 yards, struggled with longer irons and putting. Only 1 blob hole, but too many bogies. Made 89.

[yorky500]

Shot 85 today which was disappointing after last weeks round.

I struggled with the heat and humid conditions. When I got to the course it was dark (05:30) and showing 26 deg C. I teed off at 05:50 just as the sun was coming up and by the 9th, I was soaked through with sweat, which is not a nice feeling.

I should be used to it - but I am not.

Still, I am a sucker for punishment and I will be back on the course, same time tmr.

[kiethton]

30 points for me today, 18 on the front but all went to st on the back 9

[lowdrag]

DuncanM said:

http://www.turfchopper.com amazing

Regarding golf balls, I used Dunlop Tour Soft today and it was ace. Very low compression so great in this cold weather. Spun up absolutely fine and did not feel hard. I adjusted my chipping to a more AoD shot rather than spinny low shots that require sexy urethane for friction.

I can't justify expensive balls anymore so it was a test that worked well.

I remember a test carried out thirty years back. Take your bag indoors at night after each round. The balls take about 24 hours to reach ambient temperature and not much less to lose it, so the balls fly further if warm. I'm not arguing that the balls you used aren't better, just offering a reason perhaps why.

[Blue62]

Has anyone invested in a SkyTrack monitor? Full set up for £3k seems good value when compared to other systems but be interested to know if anyone out there has first hand experience?

[Blackpuddin]

DuncanM said:

http://www.turfchopper.com amazing

Regarding golf balls, I used Dunlop Tour Soft today and it was ace.

That trike thing will be awful on uneven and/or sloping ground. Really poor design and componentry.
Agree with you on the Dunlops though, I've been using them for a good few months following a recommendation from a low handicap mate.

[DuncanM]

Blackpuddin said:

That trike thing will be awful on uneven and/or sloping ground. Really poor design and componentry.
Agree with you on the Dunlops though, I've been using them for a good few months following a recommendation from a low handicap mate.

I think you're right regarding the trolley, I'll stick to buggies

Congratulations on your hole in one! I really should have read back before posting the other day

Regarding the Dunlops, they really are decent balls with a nice low compression. Absolute bargain. Replaced by Slazenger now it seem?

[Blackpuddin]

Oh! I didn't know that. Happy to buy them as Slazengers if they're essentially the same ball. Do you know what they're called now?
I'm sensing a growing online dissatisfaction with equipment reviews and think that they are becoming increasingly valueless as reviewers scramble to be first to go live, possibly setting aside some impartiality in the process.
Thanks re the ace. By way of a celebration I've decided to get my recently bought Titleist MB blades out from the back of the shed for today's solo 9 holes. That should bring me back to earth.

[yorky500]

Does anyone on here use a "range finder" or a GPS based app on their phones to determine distance to the pin / length off the tee etc.?

I have never bothered with either and just rely on the 100/150/200/250 yard markers down the side of the fairway or in the middle of the fairway plus a bit of guesswork! hahaha

If you do use either and/or both of them, do they really help you improve your game?

Just intrigued by it all and wondering if I should make the leap into the 21st century with all this new gadgetry available thats supposedly meant to help you improve your game!

[rsbmw]

I use TheGrint. Not sure about improving game but it is handy to know how far away you are

[deckster]

yorky500 said:

Does anyone on here use a "range finder" or a GPS based app on their phones to determine distance to the pin / length off the tee etc.?

I have never bothered with either and just rely on the 100/150/200/250 yard markers down the side of the fairway or in the middle of the fairway plus a bit of guesswork! hahaha

If you do use either and/or both of them, do they really help you improve your game?

Just intrigued by it all and wondering if I should make the leap into the 21st century with all this new gadgetry available thats supposedly meant to help you improve your game!

Got the lot. Rangefinder, sensors on the clubs that tell you your average yardage and plot every shot on the course, tells you whether you're on target, left, right, on in regulation. The works.

Makes bugger all difference to my game, but it's quite fun to fiddle with when pretending to look for the fifth lost ball of the day.

[kiethton]

Looking at my current bag (as you always do in January) and thinking about what I need to look at.

All of my clubs are hand-me-down's from my brother (was sponsored by Titliest) but are now ageing and I'm conscious that the woods especially are unlikely to have the correct shafts (Fujikura 70g stiff) and the 3 wood is likely of the wrong loft.

Current bag is:

Titliest 910 D3, 9.5*
Titliest 910 3 wood, 13*

Given the next club down is an older 19* Cleveland Halo (which I love) I need to sort things out at the top end, wedges (52*/08 bounce, 56*/14 bounce, 60*/04 bounce) are also getting on for 10 years old now and a little worn but I think with a good sharpening can last another year or 2. My AP2 irons are still decent IMO.

So looking at the woods and my intention would be to look at a new driver and potentially swap-out the 3-wood for a 4 wood. Although I'm not short off the tee I know that I can likely get a lot more yardage and consistency (last driver to be fitted was 8.5* loft and X-flex) as I get a lot of spin, often a lot of height and no roll.

Current thoughts are to look at the Callaway Woods (Epic sub-zero, Rogue sub-zero) and maybe the Taylormade M4/M5 too? - is the new Titliest TS3 any good? and get a matching 4 wood too?

I've been out of the industry a while and now only play for fun (now a 7 handicap) but want to try and get back to scratch! - locally I've got an american golf (and my own proshop which are often price competitive for members), I assume the former will have all the right gear to get me fitted properly and track spin rates etc?

[lowdrag]

kiethton said:

Looking at my current bag (as you always do in January) and thinking about what I need to look at.

All of my clubs are hand-me-down's from my brother (was sponsored by Titliest) but are now ageing and I'm conscious that the woods especially are unlikely to have the correct shafts (Fujikura 70g stiff) and the 3 wood is likely of the wrong loft.

Current bag is:

Titliest 910 D3, 9.5*
Titliest 910 3 wood, 13*

Given the next club down is an older 19* Cleveland Halo (which I love) I need to sort things out at the top end, wedges (52*/08 bounce, 56*/14 bounce, 60*/04 bounce) are also getting on for 10 years old now and a little worn but I think with a good sharpening can last another year or 2. My AP2 irons are still decent IMO.

So looking at the woods and my intention would be to look at a new driver and potentially swap-out the 3-wood for a 4 wood. Although I'm not short off the tee I know that I can likely get a lot more yardage and consistency (last driver to be fitted was 8.5* loft and X-flex) as I get a lot of spin, often a lot of height and no roll.

Current thoughts are to look at the Callaway Woods (Epic sub-zero, Rogue sub-zero) and maybe the Taylormade M4/M5 too? - is the new Titliest TS3 any good? and get a matching 4 wood too?

I've been out of the industry a while and now only play for fun (now a 7 handicap) but want to try and get back to scratch! - locally I've got an american golf (and my own proshop which are often price competitive for members), I assume the former will have all the right gear to get me fitted properly and track spin rates etc?

I changed my driver last year and found that it was difficult to find less than 9.5 deg drivers; well, at least the ones I was looking at anyway, and I bought a Titleist 917 9.5 with stiff shaft. I still find my pitches fine even after 10 years with the sand iron, and the 3-wood I carry is an old Ping G2 13 deg. It is hard to find low loft clubs these days since flight is all and no roll. I am 73 so have lost length and need the roll. I like the look of the Rogue woods but haven't tried one. Off topic, but have you tried the new AVX balls? I think personally I prefer the Pro V1X which I have used for years. Fitting shouldn't be a problem and they surely will have all the equipment to check your impact and flight characteristics. Best of luck.

[kiethton]

lowdrag said:

kiethton said:

Looking at my current bag (as you always do in January) and thinking about what I need to look at.

All of my clubs are hand-me-down's from my brother (was sponsored by Titliest) but are now ageing and I'm conscious that the woods especially are unlikely to have the correct shafts (Fujikura 70g stiff) and the 3 wood is likely of the wrong loft.

Current bag is:

Titliest 910 D3, 9.5*
Titliest 910 3 wood, 13*

Given the next club down is an older 19* Cleveland Halo (which I love) I need to sort things out at the top end, wedges (52*/08 bounce, 56*/14 bounce, 60*/04 bounce) are also getting on for 10 years old now and a little worn but I think with a good sharpening can last another year or 2. My AP2 irons are still decent IMO.

So looking at the woods and my intention would be to look at a new driver and potentially swap-out the 3-wood for a 4 wood. Although I'm not short off the tee I know that I can likely get a lot more yardage and consistency (last driver to be fitted was 8.5* loft and X-flex) as I get a lot of spin, often a lot of height and no roll.

Current thoughts are to look at the Callaway Woods (Epic sub-zero, Rogue sub-zero) and maybe the Taylormade M4/M5 too? - is the new Titliest TS3 any good? and get a matching 4 wood too?

I've been out of the industry a while and now only play for fun (now a 7 handicap) but want to try and get back to scratch! - locally I've got an american golf (and my own proshop which are often price competitive for members), I assume the former will have all the right gear to get me fitted properly and track spin rates etc?

I changed my driver last year and found that it was difficult to find less than 9.5 deg drivers; well, at least the ones I was looking at anyway, and I bought a Titleist 917 9.5 with stiff shaft. I still find my pitches fine even after 10 years with the sand iron, and the 3-wood I carry is an old Ping G2 13 deg. It is hard to find low loft clubs these days since flight is all and no roll. I am 73 so have lost length and need the roll. I like the look of the Rogue woods but haven't tried one. Off topic, but have you tried the new AVX balls? I think personally I prefer the Pro V1X which I have used for years. Fitting shouldn't be a problem and they surely will have all the equipment to check your impact and flight characteristics. Best of luck.

Yeah, it can be difficult to find lower lofts, or even an X-Stiff shaft - have historically had to have it fitted from the demo build-a-club bag and then ordered in.

I don't know why but I have just never gelled with the 13* 3 wood, fine off the tee but getting the ball high enough off the deck has always been an issue (almost the opposite), that and gaps aren't quite correct.

Never tried the AVX balls, tbh I take the view that I'd like something goes well with the driver but also gives me a good amount of tear/feel on the greens. Lucky that I've not bought balls in years (thanks corporate days!) but in the summer try to use Pro V1X, TP5's or even the Z star XV - winter knock-around's with friends I normally use whatever ball in decent condition that's floating around in my bag at the time (a finder!)

[siovey]

Hi guys, long time thread lurker here. Been playing a lot of golf recently 3 - 4 times a week in horrendous conditions. Local course is in a shocking state but hasn't cost me a penny by the time I get to tee off! Best round of 82 (9 birdie putts missed!) But mainly in the mid 90's as just too inconsistent! I'm hoping playing in awful conditions will help me play well in the better weather. Fingers crossed!!

Edited by siovey on Wednesday 9th January 18:32

[swisstoni]

I've tried the AVX balls and quite like them. I think they are lower spin off the driver and so roll out more. I thought they might be a good winter ball for that reason. They feel a bit firmer off the putter than the Pro Vs to me, but they spin pretty well around the green. Plus they are the only Titleist premium ball that you can get in yellow. Also handy for winter.

* All my opinions need to be taken with a pinch of salt due to high teens handicap.