Official Golf Thread

[Pilot]

^^ too early for me to function.

Looking a bit stormy this afternoon. Hope I can get an evening round in.

 

[imschatz]

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

What % of you guys actually play legit golf? In other words...

-no mulligans
-counting the actual number of strokes you took on a hole, and not subtracting the ones you didn't like, or turning the 9 into a 7
-rehitting, not taking a drop, for OB and *lost ball*!!!
-playing the ball AS IT LIES, not rolling it out of the divot
-putting out (no gimmies)

Hoardes of people violate these rules, and then when they actually play competitively (or for $), surprise, their scores are 5 strokes higher...
Few rules I break:

1) I don't shoot provisional's .. so if I hit a ball into a bush and lose it, I'll just drop it + 1 stroke. So shooting three beside the bush instead of three off the tee like the rules say.

2) Gimmies inside a foot for anything worse then a par. A par must be putted out regardless of how close it is. And even then .. we don't take many gimmies. I'll usually putt out unless it's for a double or tripple bogie when I pick up my ball more out of pure frustration then as a "gimmie".

3) No worse then a tripple bogie. This is there simply to keep games competitive as a group and to avoid the frustration of having to add up the strokes on holes you'd rather just forget.

I don't have a handicap, and I don't golf competitively. The guys I golf with all golf fairly well, but we aren't consistent. So the above rules are there simply to reduce variation on our scores to make it more competitive for us.

If I did golf competitively .. the above modifications may add a stroke or two at worst. I average around one lost ball a round most of the time it is a water hazard, so I won't be adding too many strokes for shooting provisionals. And I might get the odd 8 on a par 4 once every 5-6 rounds if I get into trouble with finding my ball in long grass.

But otherwise .. if you hit the ball it counts, and we keep eachother honest.

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

Got a 6:18 AM tee time on Sunday. Yikes. At least the greens will be receptive.
My brother works at a golf course, so we'll jump out around that time (sometimes a little earlier) as a two-some on a cart as the first group out. Have golfed many a round in under 2 hours that way

 

[imschatz]

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

New goal: Break par this weekend.

Strategy: Try really hard.

All I have to do is hit all the greens in regulation, and make a birdie. Should be easy.
And don't 3 putt .. god damn I hate 3 putts. If there is one thing that ruins my round the quickest .. it's a 3 putt. Get's all up in my head, and I am just useless after a 3 putt.

 

[Pilot]

Going out to the course in a few hours www.chenalcc.com Getting to play for free since my friend works there. One of the nicer courses (The Alotian is obviously the nicest) in central AR Oh and I get to try out my new (sat in a closet) FREE Cleveland 588 chrome 53 degree wedge today.

 

[UpperWestie]

Played Piping Rock today for the first time ever. What a track. CB Macdonald knew what he was doing.

 

[UpperWestie]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Here is a wedge question: so I understand a certain way to groove them will be ended this year, but you can play them until 2024. As a complete noobie, would it still be worth my while to get this superior grooved wedge set? If so, which set?

Originally Posted by bdeuce22

square grooves. unless your short game resembles mickelson's, i don't think it is necessary. plus, with club technology evolving every day, something newer/better will probably be discovered.


Definitely get the sq grooves wedges while you can. They are meaningfully better for your game than non sq grooves, especially for amateurs. Until you can get your handicap way down, you will likely not be able to hit a perfect wedge shot to spin it/hold it/check it with regular wedges. Square grooves allow any beginner to do that. That ability saves at least a few strokes a round. Why WOULDN'T you get them?

 

[StephenHero]

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

What % of you guys actually play legit golf? In other words...

-no mulligans
-counting the actual number of strokes you took on a hole, and not subtracting the ones you didn't like, or turning the 9 into a 7
-rehitting, not taking a drop, for OB and *lost ball*!!!
-playing the ball AS IT LIES, not rolling it out of the divot
-putting out (no gimmies)

Hoardes of people violate these rules, and then when they actually play competitively (or for $), surprise, their scores are 5 strokes higher...

I do now. At one point I didn't. I'll drop for a new lie if I'm in the fairway on some courses with poor groundskeeping (potholes, burnt grass, puddles, etc.) but that's about it. Ironically, it makes the game so much more fun. You can take satisfaction out of a good score knowing you didn't cheat. You also learn to manage the course, play conservatively, and force yourself to address your weaknesses.

 

[imschatz]

Originally Posted by UpperWestie

Definitely get the sq grooves wedges while you can. They are meaningfully better for your game than non sq grooves, especially for amateurs. Until you can get your handicap way down, you will likely not be able to hit a perfect wedge shot to spin it/hold it/check it with regular wedges. Square grooves allow any beginner to do that. That ability saves at least a few strokes a round. Why WOULDN'T you get them?
Because those wedges are really hard to hit. High loft, low bounce wedges .. referred to some as "blades" .. are really hard to hit well. Any imperfection in your swing is increased exponentially into the ball with those clubs. I got a pair of square groove Callaways .. and god damn can I hit those clubs poorly if I lose focus. Plus, any nice wedge will have grooves cut so that you'll get the spin you talk about. This isn't a phenomenon available only with square groove wedges. In fact, I recall reading (I believe it was in golf digest) that the square grooves only significantly improve ball spin out of rough longer then 6 inches. I donno .. I'm no golf pro, but for an absolute rookie, I wouldn't be going anywhere near those clubs. But I don't know a thing about Piobaire's swing. What I'd recommend .. IIRC Piobaire you're taking lessons or have taking lessons recently, correct? Ask your instructor. He'll give you the best advice with respect to those types of clubs.

 

[navysuede]

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

New goal: Break par this weekend.

Strategy: Try really hard.

All I have to do is hit all the greens in regulation, and make a birdie. Should be easy.

+1

 

[UpperWestie]

Originally Posted by imschatz

Because those wedges are really hard to hit. High loft, low bounce wedges .. referred to some as "blades" .. are really hard to hit well. Any imperfection in your swing is increased exponentially into the ball with those clubs. I got a pair of square groove Callaways .. and god damn can I hit those clubs poorly if I lose focus.

Plus, any nice wedge will have grooves cut so that you'll get the spin you talk about. This isn't a phenomenon available only with square groove wedges. In fact, I recall reading (I believe it was in golf digest) that the square grooves only significantly improve ball spin out of rough longer then 6 inches.

I donno .. I'm no golf pro, but for an absolute rookie, I wouldn't be going anywhere near those clubs. But I don't know a thing about Piobaire's swing. What I'd recommend .. IIRC Piobaire you're taking lessons or have taking lessons recently, correct? Ask your instructor. He'll give you the best advice with respect to those types of clubs.

The bounce/loft/lie have nothing to do with the face, and square groove wedges aren't exclusive to pro/non-offset wedges.

Anyways, to your point, I'd bet that 90% of ALL wedges made in the last 5 years, whether game improving wedges with major offset or tear drop pro wedges with zero offset have grooves that behave like non-conforming clubs (square or deep or laser milled). So at the end of the day, this whole discussion is sorta pointless because if he goes out to buy a new wedge, chances are they all have max spin and behave like square groove clubs.

 

[imschatz]

Originally Posted by UpperWestie

The bounce/loft/lie have nothing to do with the face, and square groove wedges aren't exclusive to pro/non-offset wedges. Anyways, to your point, I'd bet that 90% of ALL wedges made in the last 5 years, whether game improving wedges with major offset or tear drop pro wedges with zero offset have grooves that behave like non-conforming clubs (square or deep or laser milled). So at the end of the day, this whole discussion is sorta pointless because if he goes out to buy a new wedge, chances are they all have max spin and behave like square groove clubs.
hm.. appears your right .. like I said I'm no golf pro I always get a little suspicious when people start trying to tell me something as specific as the grooves on the club make a noticeable difference. Ex: The Callaway i-Mix and similar drivers that allow you to adjust the club mid-round. Always makes me laugh, as .. well .. I can't hit my one driver consistently, why'd go out and get a club that's essentially 30 different drivers that I can spend more time ****ing around with my club then my swing that actually matters.

 

[archetypal_yuppie]

I'd like to try to play a round of golf with persimmon woods and tiny little blade irons. Lets say, Jack Nicklaus's 1975 set of clubs. I wonder how much more difficult it would be.

I imagine it would add at least 4-5 strokes to a 5-handicap's score and 10 strokes to a 15's.

Of course most courses are longer now than they were then, but they're also in much better condition.

It sucks that golf takes so long that it feels like a waste to experiment on any given round. I'd love to play a round with just SW, 7-iron, 3-wood too, but it never seems like the right time. I bet a lot of courses wouldn't let you tee off with just those clubs in your bag, too. My local public course has rules to prevent non-golfers from playing.

 

[Mark from Plano]

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

I'd like to try to play a round of golf with persimmon woods and tiny little blade irons. Lets say, Jack Nicklaus's 1975 set of clubs. I wonder how much more difficult it would be.

I imagine it would add at least 4-5 strokes to a 5-handicap's score and 10 strokes to a 15's.

Of course most courses are longer now than they were then, but they're also in much better condition.

It sucks that golf takes so long that it feels like a waste to experiment on any given round. I'd love to play a round with just SW, 7-iron, 3-wood too, but it never seems like the right time. I bet a lot of courses wouldn't let you tee off with just those clubs in your bag, too. My local public course has rules to prevent non-golfers from playing.

My first two sets of woods were persimmon. My first set of irons were blades, but I pretty quickly switched to a set of Karsten I Pings in High School in the mid-70's. These were pretty much the first "game improvement" clubs on the market. Have never played blades again after that, but have gone back from the cast to the forged irons for better ball control.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

...switched to a set of Karsten I Pings in High School in the mid-70's...

Holy ****, man; you are old!

 

[lemmywinks]

I've been playing golf in and out for most of my life and I seriously want to get back into it again but I have no equipment. What do you guys recommend for gear - that's clubs, shoes, balls, gloves, bags and all that jazz. I'm kind of conscious of the whole 'buying good gear when you clearly aren't worthy of that gear' mindset especially since I'm a younger golfer.

Opinions? thoughts?