Golf Talk Tuesdays - 2021

I've seen plenty of good scores shot when all things aren't clicking, somewhat dependent on which part of your game is off, it is hard to shoot good scores if putting is off. Key is to have a really good short game, good pitching/chipping and putting can overcome mistakes in other parts of your game.
 
The islands are very expensive for tourists and we cannot afford to play there "almost" every day. :)
A lot of our courses are perpetually dry (we do water them but it's never enough.) So playing in Paradise on your vacation may be a big draw, but some of the courses aren't that great. It's more about the "experience."

Military courses seem to be the best.
 
A lot of our courses are perpetually dry (we do water them but it's never enough.) So playing in Paradise on your vacation may be a big draw, but some of the courses aren't that great. It's more about the "experience."

Military courses seem to be the best.
I normally play at Ko Olina and Kapolei. Gets pricey...
 
Carded my 12th round in the 70s for 2024 on the local Donald Ross course. My average for the year so far is around 83, playing on eight to ten different courses and averaging two rounds per week, weather permitting. The key to breaking into the 70s instead of the 80s comes down to consistent putting and sinking those nerve-wracking six-foot knee-knocker putts.
 
I've been away from here for awhile (traveling) but, it's great to read about everyone's adventures at what my good friend calls 'pasture pool'! Quick update on my game: got my index down to 6.9 but, it's back up to 8.2; putting is still a strong point but, I'm still eyeing those LAB putters; won a new Titleist GT3 driver in a charity scramble, got fitted and LOVE it; headed down to 'Golf Heaven' in Palm Desert again in March-April & looking forward to that. But, the most significant development is that I was selected in the Old Course lottery so, a buddy & I are headed to St Andrews in July 2025! I'm so excited I can't stand it! We're playing 10 rounds in 12 days so, I'd love to hear any advice from those who've played there.
 
^^ I have a LAB DF3, and I absolutely love it. BUT no torque is a subtle but significantly different feel, and it takes some time to get used to it. [I doubt anyone casually picks one up off the rack and loves a no torque putter, it doesn't happen that way for most] I couldn't make anything for the first 4 weeks but then suddenly my putts/round dropped substantially, and my confidence increased dramatically. If you read player experience posts on MGS, you will find many people need at least a few weeks to 'get the hang of it' but it's worth it then.

Further evidence, I took my old favorite Evnroll ER5B to the practice green a while back, and it felt absolutely horrible - like it was fighting me. Unstable path. So LABs are different animals, you can't go back and forth to toe hang putters.

The OZ.1i is tempting too...
 
MPack - Thx for the LAB putter feedback. I've tried them (DF3, Link & Mezz) at my local GolfMart, and I like the DF3 the best. However, I've been disappointed in how little the GolfMart staff knows about them regarding a fitting. I've read all the MGS stuff and watched several Youtube videos, and I'm thinking that a Zoom remote fitting with LAB might be better than at the store. How did you get fit and what are your thoughts on that?
 
A golf first for me: taking my golf clubs on an airplane trip.

Usually, if I wanted to play golf at a destination I was flying to, I would rent clubs at the course. But DW had to go to Florida "suddenly" for a few days to help get some things in order for her 93 year old mothers care (looong story), and with recent cataract surgery and not yet getting a new prescription, she could not drive. So I came along to be the designated driver. However, it also meant I would have some free time to hopefully play some golf. So I decided to bring my clubs along.

I bought a soft travel bag for the flexibility and luxury. But after doing some detailed reading about hard vs soft bags for airline travel, I thought about getting a hard case, even though it would be heavier and more of challenge to transport based on the rental car we would get. But then I read about the soft travel bag "hack" of using a five gallon bucket, with towels wrapped to protect the drivers, woods, hybrids and putters (while turning the irons upside down in the bag), instead of removing the club heads. So I gave it a try... and it worked well, at least on the way down.

We flew Southwest, I had also read that Southwest might make one sign a liability waiver if one checked a soft golf bag. But that did not happen. At the check-in machine I just indicated one of my checked bags was a golf bag, it gave me a tag, I brought it over to the staff, they weighed and put it on the belt, no questions asked or additional forms to fill out.

When we arrived, at the baggage claim there were about a half dozen other golf travel bags, all were soft side. I do not know if they also used to bucket method, or removed the club heads.

Anyway, one round down (shot an 82 on a par 64 course, decent for my game :)), hopefully 2 more to go before we return home
 
I've travelled a number of times with my clubs in the past with no issues, both with hard and soft cases. That said, in this day and age I believe I would use "Ship Sticks" as opposed to checking them at the airport.
 
MPack - Thx for the LAB putter feedback. I've tried them (DF3, Link & Mezz) at my local GolfMart, and I like the DF3 the best. However, I've been disappointed in how little the GolfMart staff knows about them regarding a fitting. I've read all the MGS stuff and watched several Youtube videos, and I'm thinking that a Zoom remote fitting with LAB might be better than at the store. How did you get fit and what are your thoughts on that?
My DF3 is a custom color and shaft, but otherwise a stock 35” (lie, press grip, head weight) - based on trying same several times at PGASS. And I had a putter fitting at TrueSpec for my last Evnroll, so I have a good idea what fits me. However if I buy an OZ.1i, I will send in a video and buy direct from LAB. Very simple process as you know.
 
Jolly-

Just buy a 'stiff arm' to use in your soft golf bag; it's ~$30; I like Club Glove's version. I've done this for years and it works great.
 
Jolly-

Just buy a 'stiff arm' to use in your soft golf bag; it's ~$30; I like Club Glove's version. I've done this for years and it works great.
Thanks. I might try this in the future. For now, though, the bucket method is working great for me. We have returned and it protected the golf clubs without issue. If the bucket should fail me... it will be an excuse to buy new clubs 😂.
 
The Islands are kind of a golfer's paradise. You can play almost every day, though the winds may be a factor. But at least the temp. will be okay (if a bit warm from time to time.) YMMV Only way most can afford golf is if they know someone in the military that can get them into a military course.
I enjoyed playing out there. We played several courses … including the Bay Course at Kapalua. Unfortunately, the Plantation course was closed. It was a great time!
 
A funny story.

I had just 2 hole-in-ones in my 15 years of golfing (a couple of hundred rounds a year). A few months ago, I hit a ball out of bounds on a par 3 hole. I hit a provision shot which went in the hole (a hole-in-three)! A week later, on another par 3 hole, I hit a poor tee shot. Out of frustration, I hit a practice shot to prove I could do better. Shockingly, it went into the hole. So, within less than a week, I hit two "hole-in-one" shots that didn't count. Not another hole-in-one since then.
 
Nearly 65 now and bothered by declining skills. When I retired nearly 9 years ago, I presumed my golf game would improve going from weekend golf to 3-4 times a week year round, Instead, my game has gone the other direction.

At one time, I was a plus 2. Even at 50 I was still scratch and still playing in USGA qualifiers for US Open, Sr Open, US AM and Mid AM. When I retired I was up to a 2 index. I did pick up another club championship a couple years back at age 62, but my skills continue to erode. I was up to a 4.5 index last July, a 6 by December and moving towards an 8 index now. I am still playing @ 6500 - 7000 yards, since distance is not my issue but unfortunately, everything else is.
Putting under pressure has gotten much worse. Hitting it out of play left, mishitting irons and trouble with fairway woods all plague me.

On video I look the same as when I was scratch. I am in much better physical shape then when I was working. I walk almost every round, only exception are courses which do not allow. But I do not find the middle of the face with consistency anymore.

My read is that I am clearly less coordinated and have poorer balance and tempo than I used to. All of this is in spite of increased fitness relative to my golfing prime. One other factor is I do have arthritis in my hands which is bothersome, but not debilitating. Anyone else having difficulty accepting the long trudge to mediocrity?

-End of whine
 
Putting under pressure has gotten much worse. Hitting it out of play left, mishitting irons and trouble with fairway woods all plague me.

I am in much better physical shape then when I was working.But I do not find the middle of the face with consistency anymore.

My read is that I am clearly less coordinated and have poorer balance and tempo than I used to. All of this is in spite of increased fitness relative to my golfing prime. Anyone else having difficulty accepting the long trudge to mediocrity?
All more common than not in my experience. I’ve played with the same 20+ guys for the last 6 years, few are getting better. Struggles with putting and not hitting the middle of the face are very common despite better fitness.

As for accepting the “changes,” I’ve never played golf solely for the game itself. I play for golf, camaraderie/social, and just being outside/exercise in roughly equal parts. It’s not just about golf. Most rounds are a lot of fun regardless of how I play.

I was a 6 HI in my prime decades ago, I’m a 12-14 now…but that just means I get more dots playing skins!
 
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Nearly 65 now and bothered by declining skills. When I retired nearly 9 years ago, I presumed my golf game would improve going from weekend golf to 3-4 times a week year round, Instead, my game has gone the other direction.

At one time, I was a plus 2. Even at 50 I was still scratch and still playing in USGA qualifiers for US Open, Sr Open, US AM and Mid AM. When I retired I was up to a 2 index. I did pick up another club championship a couple years back at age 62, but my skills continue to erode. I was up to a 4.5 index last July, a 6 by December and moving towards an 8 index now. I am still playing @ 6500 - 7000 yards, since distance is not my issue but unfortunately, everything else is.
Putting under pressure has gotten much worse. Hitting it out of play left, mishitting irons and trouble with fairway woods all plague me.

On video I look the same as when I was scratch. I am in much better physical shape then when I was working. I walk almost every round, only exception are courses which do not allow. But I do not find the middle of the face with consistency anymore.

My read is that I am clearly less coordinated and have poorer balance and tempo than I used to. All of this is in spite of increased fitness relative to my golfing prime. One other factor is I do have arthritis in my hands which is bothersome, but not debilitating. Anyone else having difficulty accepting the long trudge to mediocrity?

-End of whine
This ended my illustrious golfing career about 12 years ago. Now, I can hit 10-15 balls and then the pain is so bad it's not worth it. :(
 

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Nearly 65 now and bothered by declining skills. When I retired nearly 9 years ago, I presumed my golf game would improve going from weekend golf to 3-4 times a week year round, Instead, my game has gone the other direction.

At one time, I was a plus 2. Even at 50 I was still scratch and still playing in USGA qualifiers for US Open, Sr Open, US AM and Mid AM. When I retired I was up to a 2 index. I did pick up another club championship a couple years back at age 62, but my skills continue to erode. I was up to a 4.5 index last July, a 6 by December and moving towards an 8 index now. I am still playing @ 6500 - 7000 yards, since distance is not my issue but unfortunately, everything else is.
Putting under pressure has gotten much worse. Hitting it out of play left, mishitting irons and trouble with fairway woods all plague me.

On video I look the same as when I was scratch. I am in much better physical shape then when I was working. I walk almost every round, only exception are courses which do not allow. But I do not find the middle of the face with consistency anymore.

My read is that I am clearly less coordinated and have poorer balance and tempo than I used to. All of this is in spite of increased fitness relative to my golfing prime. One other factor is I do have arthritis in my hands which is bothersome, but not debilitating. Anyone else having difficulty accepting the long trudge to mediocrity?

-End of whine
My husband is the better golfer of the 2 of us. He was a 6 about 20 years ago and stopped due to frozen shoulders, picked it back up about 10 years ago when he pursuaded me to pick up golf. He went back down to 6 about three years ago and then he had shoulder surgery for his arthritis. Before his surgery, his handicap was going up because of the pain and involuntary modified swing. Now he is about a 10 and hates every bit of it. He is 76 yo. His full swing is still very good and has not lost distance. His short game has become very mediocre - bunker, chipping and putting. We both take a ton of lessons continually. 2 summers ago, we went to a 3-day golf school at Aviara. Now we are both taking lessons from Robogolfpro.
In his case, his short game has not gotten as sharp. He wants to get his handicap back down to a 6 this year and I can see him doing so, if he works on his short game. We golf 4 to 5 days a week.

My golf has alot of good and bad days. It's a good day when my short game is good, a bad day when it is not. Scores bounce around and I also play in alot of tournaments, including representing our country club in a private club ladies tournament, and another ladies club in a regional league.
 
Nearly 65 now and bothered by declining skills. When I retired nearly 9 years ago, I presumed my golf game would improve going from weekend golf to 3-4 times a week year round, Instead, my game has gone the other direction.

At one time, I was a plus 2. Even at 50 I was still scratch and still playing in USGA qualifiers for US Open, Sr Open, US AM and Mid AM. When I retired I was up to a 2 index. I did pick up another club championship a couple years back at age 62, but my skills continue to erode. I was up to a 4.5 index last July, a 6 by December and moving towards an 8 index now. I am still playing @ 6500 - 7000 yards, since distance is not my issue but unfortunately, everything else is.
Putting under pressure has gotten much worse. Hitting it out of play left, mishitting irons and trouble with fairway woods all plague me.

On video I look the same as when I was scratch. I am in much better physical shape then when I was working. I walk almost every round, only exception are courses which do not allow. But I do not find the middle of the face with consistency anymore.

My read is that I am clearly less coordinated and have poorer balance and tempo than I used to. All of this is in spite of increased fitness relative to my golfing prime. One other factor is I do have arthritis in my hands which is bothersome, but not debilitating. Anyone else having difficulty accepting the long trudge to mediocrity?

-End of whine
I feel your frustration. It’s surprising that your distance hasn’t suffered, that’s what happened to me and many of my friends. I’m 71 in a month, and feel like I lose a bit of distance every year. I’m resigned to playing the white tees at most courses.

I also notice that my touch varies more from round to round, making it harder to be consistent. It affects not only the full swing, but chipping and putting even more. I worked my way down to a 5.6 two years ago, but just couldn’t keep it going last year and went up to a 9.4. Oh well, first world problem.
 
At 73, rocking an S1-L5-L4 double fusion and a grab bag of old-age health issues, I manage to shoot in the mid-80s and occasionally sneak into the 70s. Turns out, my secret weapon is setting really low expectations and then exceeding them.
 
Looks like a bruise but guess not if from 12 years ago. What happened?
Wasn't paying attention when I bent over to pick up a piece of trash in my yard and slammed my thumb into a cinder block. The sound it made wasn't good. I tore tendons and ligaments. To this day I can hardly bend the first joint in the thumb. That picture was taken about 6 weeks after it happened. I have no pictures from after it immediately happened, but my thumb had nearly doubled in size. The ER doctor was shaking his head and said: "What the heck did you do." I had physical therapy 3 days a week for 4 months after I got out of the brace. As you probably can imagine, the cold and damp days are not my friend. :)
 
I feel your frustration. It’s surprising that your distance hasn’t suffered, that’s what happened to me and many of my friends. I’m 71 in a month, and feel like I lose a bit of distance every year. I’m resigned to playing the white tees at most courses.

I also notice that my touch varies more from round to round, making it harder to be consistent. It affects not only the full swing, but chipping and putting even more. I worked my way down to a 5.6 two years ago, but just couldn’t keep it going last year and went up to a 9.4. Oh well, first world problem.
My distance has suffered, but it is not my issue. I have declined with age like everyone, but the decline is proportional to where I started. Keep in mind I am a large person. I usually weigh between 260-290 lbs with long arms. I was a 175 Ball speed player years ago. Dropped to the mid 160’s when I was in my 50’s, down to mid 150’s now. I can max out around 160 now, but not without risking injury. So I have lost over 20 MPH ball speed over the last 20-25 years.

Relative to my age group I am still long, but when I play with youngsters I realize how much distance I have lost. I did play the Fl state Am qualifier when I was 62 on a 7300 yard track. My playing partners were College players and it was a huge difference. They were hitting wedges and 9 irons into 450 par 4s where I needed a 6 or 7 iron. 600 yard par 5’s are now out of range for me, but one of them hit an iron in. That was last state level event competing with youngsters.

Now my index it too high to even enter those event.
 
My distance has suffered, but it is not my issue. I have declined with age like everyone, but the decline is proportional to where I started. Keep in mind I am a large person. I usually weigh between 260-290 lbs with long arms. I was a 175 Ball speed player years ago. Dropped to the mid 160’s when I was in my 50’s, down to mid 150’s now. I can max out around 160 now, but not without risking injury. So I have lost over 20 MPH ball speed over the last 20-25 years.

Relative to my age group I am still long, but when I play with youngsters I realize how much distance I have lost. I did play the Fl state Am qualifier when I was 62 on a 7300 yard track. My playing partners were College players and it was a huge difference. They were hitting wedges and 9 irons into 450 par 4s where I needed a 6 or 7 iron. 600 yard par 5’s are now out of range for me, but one of them hit an iron in. That was last state level event competing with youngsters.

Now my index it too high to even enter those event.
If you have been playing from the back tees, move to the white tees instead. My husband was playing the white tees 10 years ago when I picked up golf. Just before he got his recent shoulder surgery, he dropped to white/gold combo. After his surgery, he got back his previous distance but likes white/gold. He was never long like those athletes who play from the back tees. At 76, going to 77 in a couple of months, he has well earned his white/gold tee box. At our club, after 75, guys can play from the reds. He said that would be over his dead body.
 
Relative to my age group I am still long, but when I play with youngsters I realize how much distance I have lost. I did play the Fl state Am qualifier when I was 62 on a 7300 yard track. My playing partners were College players and it was a huge difference. They were hitting wedges and 9 irons into 450 par 4s where I needed a 6 or 7 iron. 600 yard par 5’s are now out of range for me, but one of them hit an iron in. That was last state level event competing with youngsters.

Now my index it too high to even enter those event.
I would guess the FL state Am is no different than AZ where I live, a scratch golfer really has no chance in those events that usually attract top college talent (>+4 HI), many from out of state. Not much point in trying to compare your game with the young ones who hit it a mile. Have you tried hitting the gym? I have found it has at least helped me to maintain what I have, haven't gain any distance but maybe don't lose as much as I would have otherwise. I started out in retirement over 10 years ago at a 7 HI, now at 67 a 4, I've lost maybe a 1/2 club distance but purposely don't go after it as hard as I used to for better contact. I'm sure the ball and equipment also have something to do with it over that period. The manufacturers have really jacked up their iron lofts over the years, my old Ping Eye2 5 iron is probably the same loft as a 7 iron today. Once most people get in their 60's the amount of time you can spend practicing on a range is very limited, so I don't try and change my swing, just live with what I have. I rarely practice on the range anymore, just hit a few balls to loosen up before a round. My short game has improved, can at least spend some time practicing that part of the game
 
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