Golf Talk Tuesdays 2015-2020

[Music Lover]

+2. I’ll be glued to the TV, best golf day of the year!

I agree, it's best TV golf day of the year and has so few commercials that a pvr isn't necessary. They also don't fill the screen with the rolling bar at the bottom or useless graphics.

 

[frayne]

There is always next year, Frayne. People forget, but Jack Nicklaus in 1998 (the year after Tiger won his first Masters) at age 58 was staring at a birdie putt on 16 that could have got him within one stroke of the lead when the leaders where in trouble a few holes back. And The Golden Bear beat Tiger that year also.

All true and I remember Watson almost winning the BO not that long ago. I just think there is too much young talent in the game these days. Michaleson's swing speed isn't that much better than the average golfer and he can't hit fairways consistently and is a scrambling machine that does put a good score up, once in awhile. Given Tiger's three or four back surgeries it's only a matter of time until something else breaks down. The conditioning these young guys go through to stay in shape in addition to their talent make them hard to beat for the older guys out there. Kind of sad but the reality of the game.

 

[Dawg52]

I agree, it's best TV golf day of the year and has so few commercials that a pvr isn't necessary. They also don't fill the screen with the rolling bar at the bottom or useless graphics.

Ain't that the truth. Even the online streaming is good before CBS takes over. No commercials there. Will be pulling for Rory but wouldn't mind Fowler coming out of the pack to win. But if Reed plays half way decent, he will be hard to beat.

 

[golfnut]

Normally, I root for the American but in this case want to see Rory become the sixth golfer to win all the majors. Plus being a 1st generation Irish guy, got to root for the mick.

Reed is obviously a guy who is easy to dislike if you are up against him. According to the attached article, he was disliked by his own teammates at both colleges he attended. It's kind of a long read and it paints Reed in a bad light.

I'm not saying everything is factual but even if some of it is true, Reed is one weird dude.

https://deadspin.com/how-patrick-reed-became-golfs-latest-villian-1682766305

 

[VanWinkle]

Weird is good, Go Reed!

 

[Dawg52]

Normally, I root for the American but in this case want to see Rory become the sixth golfer to win all the majors. Plus being a 1st generation Irish guy, got to root for the mick.

Reed is obviously a guy who is easy to dislike if you are up against him. According to the attached article, he was disliked by his own teammates at both colleges he attended. It's kind of a long read and it paints Reed in a bad light.

I'm not saying everything is factual but even if some of it is true, Reed is one weird dude.

https://deadspin.com/how-patrick-reed-became-golfs-latest-villian-1682766305

Here's another article. As they say, there are 2 sides to every story so who knows what to believe.....

https://heavy.com/sports/2018/04/patrick-reed-family-parents-sister-hannah-feud/

 

[Mulligan]

All true and I remember Watson almost winning the BO not that long ago. I just think there is too much young talent in the game these days. Michaleson's swing speed isn't that much better than the average golfer and he can't hit fairways consistently and is a scrambling machine that does put a good score up, once in awhile. Given Tiger's three or four back surgeries it's only a matter of time until something else breaks down. The conditioning these young guys go through to stay in shape in addition to their talent make them hard to beat for the older guys out there. Kind of sad but the reality of the game.

The oldies always have the British Open to target though, lol... Remember Bernard Langer was only a couple strokes off the lead at Masters just last year or year before and he doesnt hit it long. Dont give up hope, yet! Useless trivia on swing speed...I read an article that during 1998 Masters Nicklaus ave. swing speed was actually faster than Tigers was that tourney.

 

[golfnut]

Here's another article. As they say, there are 2 sides to every story so who knows what to believe.....

https://heavy.com/sports/2018/04/patrick-reed-family-parents-sister-hannah-feud/

Agree but both articles allude to a very strange family dynamic.

 

[aja8888]

Looks like our local Woodlands boy won the thing!

 

[frayne]

Congrats Patrick, pretty much fairways, greens and a magical flat stick all four days. A great win and hope he keeps it going.

 

[Midpack]

Good for Reed. Speith and Fowler made it interesting, along with Rahm until he got derailed late in the round. No one else really mounted a challenge. Rory didn’t have his best day and Casey was too far back to be a threat.

 

[6miths]

Yes was good to see a couple of them make a run. Was interesting to see the lead pair really not get any traction all day. Reed had just enough of a lead that -1 did it.

 

[Huston55]

Golf Ball Preferences

What ball(s) do you normally play?

Lately, I’ve been playing Nike RZN, which I got on a close-out special.

Have you tried any of the direct sales balls (Cut, Snell, Vice, Ksig, etc.)? If so, what did you think?

I just ordered a Cut sampler but, haven’t played them yet.

 

[pb4uski]

I almost hate to admit it but I play good quality AAA used Titleists (not ProV) that I buy 50 at a time for ~$23 shipped to my door. If I lose a ball I don't care... more concerned about the lost stroke than the lost ball.

https://www.amazon.com/Titleist-Goo...7&sr=8-4&keywords=50+used+titleist+golf+balls

 

[golfnut]

Just a 14 capper and brand of ball I play does not affect my score. More often than not, I pick up 5A balls from Golfballsdirect or Lostgolfballs. Usually pick them up in bulk (48 or 96 count). Wait for sales.

Lately, I have been going with Callaway Supersofts, Bridgestone E6s or Wilson DUOs.

 

[frayne]

I play good quality new balls, Bridgestone, Titliest, Callaway. Don't believe in playing found balls (bad mojo from the golf Gods, find one, lose two. That sort of thing). Usually I break out a new sleeve every other round and very seldom lose a ball and pretty much shoot in the 80s. Give all my old balls to the grandkids.

 

[Music Lover]

I play middle of the road to decent new balls...that I find on sale. My current stock is a few dozen Taylormade Burner balls on clearance for $10, and I still have a couple 18-packs of Wilson's I got for $9.

 

[Midpack]

After decades using only Titleists, I switched to Snell MTB’s last summer and never looked back. IMO Snell MTB’s at $32/dozen ($28/doz if you buy 6 doz, both free shipping) are comparable to Pro V1’s at $48/dozen. I like Titleist and they are the golf ball benchmark. But the premium for Titleists and other big name balls isn’t for a better ball, it covers pro endorsements, advertising and retail support - I don’t feel a need to subsidize those costs.

Snell updated their MTB line and it now includes MTB Black and MTB Reds, arguably to match Pro V1 and V1Xs. I have 5 dozen Snells ready to start the season!

I also won’t play with found balls, they’re too unpredictable - distance and spin. But I keep quality brand good looking ones for practice. I toss ugly found balls into the fairway for the next guy (who wants them) to find or offer them to others in my foursome.

I did use Wilson’s Duo Spin 3-pc ball over the winter when it was really cold, nice to have a softer ball then.

 

[Huston55]

I found this chart interesting for evaluating balls. Evidently, this comparison is done each year.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/sp...ows-how-short-shots-separate-price-categories

 

[zinger1457]

I always play a tour level ball, all of the top brands make good ones. My winnings from the tournaments I play in usually go toward new balls, plus the golf shop gives a discount for members. I do notice the difference with tour balls and 'distance' balls on approach shots (wedges) and chips and pitches. Did try the Kierland ball that Costco sells and it's pretty good, no local Costco's where I live and not a member so not much of an option. I would be careful on the refinished balls, I did try a dozen of the Titleist Pro V1's and it was obvious to me that some of the balls were not real Pro V1's. Could tell from the feel on full shots and the spin when hitting wedges and chipping.

 

[golfnut]

I have a relatively small circle of friends (about 6 of us) that play golf on a somewhat regular basis. Hcps range from 7 to 16.

- one guy has to play prov1s - new or refinished. Talks about how they are superior in distance and spin. However, none of us see this superiority (esp. distance) on the golf course ( he is a 8 hcp). I think he is swayed Jim Nantz's titty commercials.

- Another guy won't play used balls even though I got him a dozen 5A e6s which he then mixed in with new ones. Never heard how that experiment went - if it went badly, I'm sure I would have heard from him

- 4 of the 6 have to play brand new "name brand" equip. Touting all the new technology and the big budget the major brands have so they can afford r&d. I just think of all the endorsement money the major brands pay which comes out of the customer's pocket. The r&d talk is mostly a load of cr+p. Just wait a year or 2 and pay 50 cent on the dollar for new equipment. As an example, purchased a set of Mizuno jpx ez forged on ebay (brand new) on ebay when this model was about a year old for $325.
Few weeks later went into a Golf Galaxy and saw the same irons for $999.

- Related to the above only 2 of us will consider component (ie Maltby) equipment. The others automatically think "knock off".

-One of us (not me) inflates his driver distance when discussing it by 25-30 yds. All of us hit our (good drives) 240-250. He'll claim 270-275 (which might happen on concrete fwys and with the wind).

Bottom line is we have fun playing and debating the above (and more ) topics after our round.

 

[Dawg52]

I also won’t play with found balls, they’re too unpredictable - distance and spin. But I keep quality brand good looking ones for practice. I toss ugly found balls into the fairway for the next guy (who wants them) to find or offer them to others in my foursome.

.

That's all I play with. Find them everyday when walking the mutt. I play with the mostly new ones(Pro VI or similar) and notice no difference to one out of the box. Of course I'm not a scratch golfer. The older balls I hit into the range. Before someone says I shouldn't be hitting old balls into the range, that is all that's there anyway. A mixture of old balls. I don't play at a tour quality club.

 

[golfnut]

Big difference between refurbished (which I won't play) and recycled. When I purchase 5A recycled, I see no difference vs. new (except in my wallet)>

 

[Music Lover]

I save the balls that I find and hit them in the back yard...my property is 630 feet deep and I have a couple flags set up for target practice. Between the balls I find and those that my friends find and give to me, I currently have two full 20 gallon pails stock piled.

 

[Midpack]

That's all I play with. Find them everyday when walking the mutt. I play with the mostly new ones(Pro VI or similar) and notice no difference to one out of the box. Of course I'm not a scratch golfer. The older balls I hit into the range. Before someone says I shouldn't be hitting old balls into the range, that is all that's there anyway. A mixture of old balls. I don't play at a tour quality club.

I’m far from scratch too. And while some found balls are perfectly good, some aren’t, and I can’t always tell by how they look. Again, I do use good looking found balls for practice rounds, just not for a round I plan to post for HI. My previous hobby was way more expensive than golf, so I can afford to buy golf balls. Gives me more incentive to try to avoid losing them...