Golf Talk Tuesdays 2015-2020

[Music Lover]

The shortcomings in my long game were painfully exposed yesterday. I played with 2 friends...one of them scores the same as me (anywhere from low-80's to 100) and the other is a 2 handicap. Both of them outdrove me 70 - 80 yards on every tee shot, and I'd be left with 4-hybrid to the green while they were hitting 8-irons.

I ended up shooting 84 with an 8 on a par 3, so I played fairly well, but that was only because my short game was on. I finally realized that I'm never going to score well with 210 yard tee shots unless all the planets align or I only play 5,000 yard courses, lol.

The 2-handicap looked at my 30-year old knock-off 3-wood (what I use off the tee) and after he stopped laughing he recommended a local club fitter. For basically the same price as buying a new driver and fairway wood, I could have my swing professionally analyzed and clubs built that fit my swing speed, launch angle, etc. After I got home I booked an appt. for next week. I'm not expecting to go from hitting it 210 to 280, but another 30 or so yards would be nice.

 

[Huston55]

The 2-handicap looked at my 30-year old knock-off 3-wood (what I use off the tee) and after he stopped laughing he recommended a local club fitter. For basically the same price as buying a new driver and fairway wood, I could have my swing professionally analyzed and clubs built that fit my swing speed, launch angle, etc. After I got home I booked an appt. for next week. I'm not expecting to go from hitting it 210 to 280, but another 30 or so yards would be nice.

Music-

Let us know how it goes with the new clubs.

 

[Midpack]

I am still relearning golf and today's etiquette. I'm playing in a senior league on a local public course. Seems there are many staunch old school types in the league. I have no problem with being polite, courteous and considerate with others in my foursomes. But it appears I may be ruffling some feathers when it comes to "proper attire?" Reading between the lines it appears cargo shorts are a no-no as is leaving your shirt tail out

I wear dress shorts, but I have some cargo shorts too. Same fabric, length, etc, - they just have two extra flap pockets. Maybe they object to the baggy oversized below the knees cargo shorts that young bucks wear with waistbands around their knees?

And I do wear golf polos (though a nice T shirt wouldn't bother me), but I haven't tucked in a polo in decades. I'd probably have to tuck it in again after many full swings. Hopefully my FJ shoes and hats are acceptable, no complaints so far.

So what's the golf "dress code" these days since I've been out of touch with golf for about 15 years. Is it proper dress shorts only, with a belt, and a tucked in collared shirts only?

 

[Big_Hitter]

there a a bunch of guys at the club that don't tuck in their shirts

one of my buddies plays in a bowling shirt but almost everyone else wears a golf shirt

yeah ditch the cargo shirts and pick up some clothes on the cheap at tgw.com or something similar

 

[Dawg52]

My club was private up to about 2 years ago and we had a somewhat loose dress code then. Now we are semi private and you see most anything. I don't wear T shirts but even that is allowed now. Cargo shorts has never been a problem. With our club needing revenue, someone would have to show up naked before they are turned away.

 

[Texas Proud]

My club was private up to about 2 years ago and we had a somewhat loose dress code then. Now we are semi private and you see most anything. I don't wear T shirts but even that is allowed now. Cargo shorts has never been a problem. With our club needing revenue, someone would have to show up naked before they are turned away.

And that might not be a reason either.... if she looked nice

 

[Dawg52]

And that might not be a reason either.... if she looked nice

I wouldn't have a problem with it.

 

[zinger1457]

I just came back from a week of golfing in Phoenix and collared shirts and no denim were the only things I saw mentioned as far as dress code goes. My home course also has the anything goes dress code. I've never seen anyone turned away from a golf course because of normal cargo shorts (not the baggy ones that drop 12" below the knee).

 

[Music Lover]

I am still relearning golf and today's etiquette. I'm playing in a senior league on a local public course. Seems there are many staunch old school types in the league. I have no problem with being polite, courteous and considerate with others in my foursomes. But it appears I may be ruffling some feathers when it comes to "proper attire?" Reading between the lines it appears cargo shorts are a no-no as is leaving your shirt tail out

You're in a senior league on a public course and some people are offended by your shorts or because you don't tuck your shirt in?

They're the ones with the problem, not you. Maybe you should find the most obnoxious coloured shirt you can and wear it proudly...it might throw a few of them off their game...

 

[pb4uski]

+1 While cargo shorts are probably frowned upon, they would not be verboten at our club. Ditto with shirt not being tucked in.

A friend of mine belongs to a private club down south and they prohibit cargo shorts and require shirts be tucked in... in fact, my friend was politely requested to tuck his shirt in by a ranger the last time I golfed with him there. They also prohibit wearing hats in the clubhouse.

 

[Midpack]

I believe in maintaining some decorum on the golf course, but this sure reminds me of the big declines in yacht and golf clubs. The Boomer and older members stauchly cling to old traditions, that really don't have much to do with the game, while most people 50 or younger have been staying away in droves for decades. I've been deeply involved with trying to revive a yacht club and it's been hopeless, the fossils on the board are against any and all change despite the huge membership losses and having to lower membership fees. They meet and try to figure out how to attract 20-40 somethings back to the world of the 1970's and can't understand why it hasn't worked - over and over again. I am not suggesting it's easy, what changes are needed to attract younger members while not alienating older members. But older members will die off, and with no one back filling the end is inevitable.

If it wasn't for business being transacted at clubs and networking, I think golf and yachting would be even further toward obsolescence, thanks mostly to Boomers and older generations...

 

[Music Lover]

I remember around 20 years ago it was hard to get a tee time even several days in advance at many of the local courses around here. Now, you can almost walk on at any time without a problem. Young people are not taking up the game, and seeing people under 40 on the course is a rarity these days.

 

[Huston55]

I remember around 20 years ago it was hard to get a tee time even several days in advance at many of the local courses around here. Now, you can almost walk on at any time without a problem. Young people are not taking up the game, and seeing people under 40 on the course is a rarity these days.

A lot of that has to do with the rise & fall of Tiger.

 

[gcgang]

USGA recognizes as evidenced by Play 9 and pending Rules simplification. It seems major hang up is amount of time required to play an 18 hole round.

Trends in industry are to make clubs social centers, add 6 hole or other less "golf time" consuming options, stressing family friendly activities.

 

[Midpack]

DQOTD: I am relearning the game, and I am torn between playing for score (in a league) vs playing to rebuild my game. I have favored playing for score.

The league is on a short course where I can reach every green in regulation using only irons, most easily (7i or less approach), and I have refrained from using woods/metals on all but 3 holes with wide open fairways. So far I'm very erratic with woods/metals so odds are I will score higher if I go for max distance off the tees, so I am working on that on the driving range only.

Any thoughts? I suspect I know what the consensus is...

 

[Big_Hitter]

In league I'd keep hitting your irons off the tee.

The other 3 days a week you play I'd be practicing the driver, chipping and putting.

 

[jkern]

I'd keep hitting irons off the tee too. However, I would play the woods at least 1 out of every 3 or 4 times. Otherwise the transition back to woods will be difficult.

 

[gcgang]

Try the Golf in the Kingdom, Shivas Irons admonishment to his pupil, first 1/3 (3 holes if playing 9) for balance using the irons, next 1/3 use true gravity , the last 1/3 play for score.

 

[pb4uski]

.... Any thoughts? I suspect I know what the consensus is...

It's not how, it's how many. IOW, keep using the irons.

I have always had trouble hitting a driver... I have not had a driver in my bag for over 5 years. I can hit a 5 wood as far as most of the people I play with hit their driver so that is my go to club off the tee most of the time... on longer par 4s I hit a 3 wood (which I hit 10-20 yards farther but not with as much confidence).

 

[Music Lover]

On par 4's, my general rule of thumb is to get to or inside the 150 marker. From there, it's never more than a 7 to the green (unless windy), and now you're playing a short par 3.

 

[Midpack]

Thanks! Interesting, not what I suspected the consensus to be. On a golf forum most people said hit the right club despite the score, woods as often as possible, until you get comfortable with them again. I've been using an iron off the tee on all but a couple wide open holes. So far I've used my woods off the tee 6 times, with good result only twice. And on many holes a good drive puts me too close for a full approach shot - I've never been good at getting distance right in the 30-80 yard range and there's little spin with partial swings. I'd rather have a full 7i-PW than a partial swing, and I've been "laying up" accordingly.

 

[zinger1457]

Thanks! Interesting, not what I suspected the consensus to be. On a golf forum most people said hit the right club despite the score, woods as often as possible, until you get comfortable with them again.

One of the learned skills in golf is understanding your game and how to manage it. To borrow a quote from Clint "A man's got to know his limitations". You see it all the time at the pro level, pros with less skill regularly beat pros with more skill, usually because they are much better at managing their game. In short I would say use the practice range or casual rounds to develop your skills and use the skills you have during a tournament round to score the best you can.

 

[Music Lover]

I went for a club fitting this morning. Back story...I haven't used a driver off the tee in a good 20 years and have been relying on a cheap knock off 4-wood. Lately, the lack of distance has been a bother so I decided to have a driver and fairway wood custom built rather than just buying the latest one off the rack at the Mega Golf Store.

The fitting started with a few general questions about my ball flight, then he took a few measurements...wrist to ground, hand size (for the grip), etc. Then we went out to the range and he watched me hit a few balls.

First up, the driver. He said that most drivers are too long for the average golfer and recommended a 43" shaft. I hit a few, then he changed to a 42.5" shaft and I hit a few more while a launch monitor measured my swing speed, ball speed, etc. Then we tried again with a different head. That nailed it...for the first time in my life I hit 4 consecutive tee shots that landed within a few yards of each other, that all felt comfortable, and more importantly, they all had the same flight path.

We went through the same process with a fairway wood and quickly dialed one in that produced straight shots. Then, we sat down and looked at the numbers from the launch monitor...swing speed, ball speed, flight path, etc. I then agreed to having him build me a driver with an 11-degree loft and a 42.5" shaft, and a fairway wood with a 16.5 degree loft.

The total process from start to finish took a little over 90 minutes, and the cost was roughly the same as if I had bought the latest new driver and fairway wood off the rack. I highly recommend this route for golfers looking to improve their long game...the difference hitting a club fit to my swing as compared to a random club off the rack is huge.

My new clubs will be ready on Monday...I can hardly wait!!

 

[jjquantz]

Good for you, Music Lover. I hope the club's effectiveness transfers to the course.

 

[zinger1457]

I then agreed to having him build me a driver with an 11-degree loft and a 42.5" shaft, and a fairway wood with a 16.5 degree loft.

Good move, I think many golfers would be much better off with a shorter driver shaft. The standard off the shelf driver length seems to be getting longer every year, it's now ~45.5", way too long for most.