Any MM'ers golf?

[Tyler.M]

I'm always down to play. I keep my clubs in the back just in case I have a spontaneous game of pick up golf.

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[WRXtranceformed]

Another note DJ: Driving does take a ton of practice and I know a lot of people that tee off with 2 or 3 irons, or even a 3 wood. There's no shame in that if you are hitting the ball straight...better straight and shorter than long in the woods. Good drivers are expensive as crap but well worth it once you get the motion dialed in. Don't worry about the "long ball" drivers when shopping around for an upgrade, hit a bunch of them and buy the one that you hit the straightest. I use a few year old Titleist 910D2 and while it wasn't the longest driver at the time I hit it consistently straighter than any other brand and plenty long (265-285, maxed at 305ish once on a downhill fairway)

[D_Eclipse9916]

DJ I definitely recommend lessons as golf is almost entirely technique. You could be doing more harm than good by practicing poor motions. So yeah, invest in lessons and then practice and play a lot! I will say that some lessons can also throw you off depending on how good the teacher is, so make sure you pony up for a good pro. Don't stress about the high scores now as you are learning, a lot of that is from lost balls (and that will still happen when you get better :lol: )

Also very helpful: were your clubs custom fitted to you? That makes a massive difference, probably 4-5 strokes off of your game as you progress and it will speed up your learning process. Most places where you buy your clubs from will fit for free.

Fitted to a set of Callaway X2Hots.

Ill have to get some lessons next spring. I play with a bunch of donkeys so learning from them...I always ignored what they did haha.

If anyone knows Ryan Strang, you know how much of a "lax bro" he is. Worst swing ever, but I have personally witnessed a 320+ yard drive from this man straight down the fairway. He always beats me too, damn Laxers. He just powers through. 160 yard par 3? Give him his 9 iron...wtf.

[Steve85]

I basically got pointers from my dad as a kid and din't play much at all. Fast forward 15 yrs and I worked in a golf shop for a few years and just talking to a teaching pro will greatly improve your swing! I read Ben Hogans Five Lessons and the Dave Pelz book as I started playing more.

Lee is right, take some lessons. There are some key things you need to get right and the sooner you understand what those are (and learn to identify what went wrong using the ball flight) the less you will practice bad habits. You'll understand why If anyone ever tells you to "keep your head down" you should tell them to STFU.

I often play with old men who can't hit the ball far, but they never take penalty strokes and can chip and putt like mad. It's annoying to drive a par 4, and three putt for the same score a guy hit driver, 7 iron, wedge and one putted.

[Tyler.M]

Take lessons. Golf companies are almost as bad as snake oil salesmen. I've been playing for 10 years or more now and took lessons when I was younger and I out shoot most folks with my shitty topflight clubs. Spend time on the range, ignore generic golf advice you get from magazines and tv and get in person training with a golf pro you trust. The more weird tips you get the harder it will be to focus on doing the basics and you'll find yourself in bottomless yippdom for forever.

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[Senor_Taylor]

Yeah, I guess I should have thought about what I said. I play with a bunch of JMU Golf Club guys, so they usually have pretty good advice. I can't wait until I can get some fitted clubs. Out of my irons, I hit my 5 the best. I think it's because it's such a long club. Being 6'1" doesn't lend well to playing off the shelf Walter Hagen clubs.

[Tyler.M]

also, a short game golfer will defeat a long game golfer 75% of the time. we have a group of long rangers that make the rounds at local golf clubs and rip it 320 but they aren't super competitive.

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[WRXtranceformed]

Agreed...and practice putting a lot. Good putting alone can take 10+ strokes off of your game, especially once you start playing harder courses. There's nothing more annoying than shooting a 90 and knowing that it would have been an 85 without a couple of 3 putts.

[Sijray21]

background: played in HS all four years (captain senior year) and about twice a month throughout college

may as well chime in here. short game is definitely one of those things that once you master you usually don't lose it. it takes a while to get better at it though.

I've become a much better with the wedges mainly because I've missed so many GIRs that I've been forced to chip from 15-5 yards away from the green most of the time (almost prefer this over a 40-ft putt). hours and hours at the practice green, putting on the current hole when no one is behind you on the course and you're waiting on another group in front of you, and going to the range really helps. watching yourself on film, if possible, is really helpful.

[WRXtranceformed]

So I played at that course in Idaho and it was top 3 for me....it was the first time I played with a caddy and that was a really cool experience. Definitely massively helpful to have someone telling you what clubs to hit. I'm pretty frustrated with my short game, honestly I've been pulling a Palmer and putting from like 5-10 yards off the green believe it or not, especially if I'm in the fairway. It's weird to feel better about a 130-150 yard shot than I do a 15-20 yard chip. Unfortunately this has been my busiest year yet with work and work-related travel (I'm already at AA Platinum on segments not miles like most n00bs get it) and it has left the weekends pretty busy with other things. Also unfortunately, golf is one of those things you have to keep playing to stay good at it unless you grew up playing it and learned the muscle memory. In some ways I regret playing so much soccer because I haven't touched a ball in years, but could probably still banana kick it into the goal from a corner kick. Our family didn't have a ton of money growing up so golf just wasn't in the cards; hopefully we are doing well enough that I can get my children involved at an early age and they can beat me up on the course when they get to high school.

I'm getting a round in this weekend so we'll see if I can right the ship at all :lol: I really should be shooting much better than low 90s even on hard courses at this point though. Mid-low 80s seems to be the cap on my "best day" if I can play all year.

[D_Eclipse9916]

I have been playing probably once every 2 weeks lately (which is a lot for me). Doing a lot better. Getting married to Jess was actually the best thing for my golf game I play with her mom every now and then who is serious about following the rules to the letter. So that has helped me keep score and play really honest to the letter golf. It also gives me another person to go "hey lets go grab an 18", and since she lives 5 minutes from us and is retired; it is a lot easier than calling up some friends that are 30-45 minutes away.

Also, Tom (Jess' sister;' boyfriend) is an excellent coach and showed me how to change my stance/grip/direction to alter the flight path of the ball. I can now hit left to right, or right to left. Obviously not just doing exactly what I want, but I now have the tools to actually influence it, and practicing is what will make me better.

I am more of a low 90s golfer right now, but my trend is going downwards significantly, just need to get out more. Also hitting the balls right has increased my accuracy and distance significantly.

[WRXtranceformed]

We should coordinate an MM golf trip or something, that would be fun!

[Senor_Taylor]

I haven't got out for a round in over 6 months. I miss it but I just can't afford it, nor do I have the time. I'm sure I'll be in the 100s through 18 when I get back out there.

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[Steve85]

I'm pretty frustrated with my short game, honestly I've been pulling a Palmer and putting from like 5-10 yards off the green believe it or not, especially if I'm in the fairway. It's weird to feel better about a 130-150 yard shot than I do a 15-20 yard chip.

I feel ya. I have started laying up at least 125 out as much as I can. Short game really depends on practice. It was the difference for me years ago in going from low teens to single digit handicap. I lost that loving feeling and now crash and burn on almost every chip. And I'm back to shooting high 80s / low 90s.

In some ways I regret playing so much soccer because I haven't touched a ball in years, but could probably still banana kick it into the goal from a corner kick. Our family didn't have a ton of money growing up so golf just wasn't in the cards; hopefully we are doing well enough that I can get my children involved at an early age and they can beat me up on the course when they get to high school.

Ha! Both of my kids play travel (not ODP or Regionals which it sounds like you might have done?) so we find it tough to play most of the year. They got a really good foundation attending relatively low cost "recreational" golf camps, local course, local pro with volunteers type stuff. We get out just enough to keep them on track but I'm not spending a college tuition on lessons. I just berate them when they hit bad shots, works great. Playing is cheap since we usually go late afternoon when it's slow and walk. They charge like 10-15 bucks for the kids to play 9. Par 3 courses are also great for them. Just a heads up for 10 yrs down the road - it doesn't have to break the bank. Now, if you want them to play in Jr Worlds at Pinehurst...

[Sijray21]

I'm pretty frustrated with my short game, honestly I've been pulling a Palmer and putting from like 5-10 yards off the green believe it or not, especially if I'm in the fairway. It's weird to feel better about a 130-150 yard shot than I do a 15-20 yard chip.

oddly enough, I feel the opposite, haha. I'd rather have a 15-20 yard chip than a 110-120 yard approach; my approach shot is awful (which is why I'm typically finding myself 15-20 yards away after that shot :lol: ). I feel the same with long putts; I'd much rather be 1-2 yards in the rough and use my sand wedge then use my putter for a 40-ft putt. I've actually chipped it in quite a few times.

I haven't got out for a round in over 6 months. I miss it but I just can't afford it, nor do I have the time. I'm sure I'll be in the 100s through 18 when I get back out there.

this is exactly how I feel.

I haven't even had the time to ride my bike (main hobby) more or less golf due to the renovations to the house and general maintenance with home ownership (and having a pregnant wife since I'm doing most of the heavy or labor-intensive stuff for the time being). I do miss it a lot though. It's definitely therapeutic to walk 18 pending your not shanking the ball all over the place, then all sorts of obscenities come out.

We should coordinate an MM golf trip or something, that would be fun!

This would be fun. 3 buddies and I used to spend 5-6 days a year down in the Myrtle Beach area and play one 18-hole round a day (maybe 2 if there were courses we really wanted to try).

[WRXtranceformed]

We should coordinate an MM golf trip or something, that would be fun!

This would be fun. 3 buddies and I used to spend 5-6 days a year down in the Myrtle Beach area and play one (maybe 2 if there were courses we really wanted to try).

Same! We have a yearly golf trip and we have been going down to that area the last few years, or to a Palmer resort in WV.

I played this past weekend and was at 47 after 9...boof. I played better on the back but forgot to add up the scorecard before we left. Almost entirely short game related because I was shredding my drives and for the most part dropping putts. We have some pretty insane rough down here though (Bermuda, i posted a picture on FB), so even a slightly off fairway or green shot can add another stroke or two to each hole if you can't pick it clean out of that stuff. Imagine trying to hit a ball out of long, wet grass...except it's short and dry. That's how tough that it is! Fairways down here are usually on a bed of clay as well, so balls tend to roll farther which can be good if you hit a straight shot or can be bad if you have a slight fade / draw or slice it because it ends up in the sticky stuff.

Our company gives out a $400 wellness benefit every year and clubs are now approved for that, so I may pick up a new set of irons early next year. Some new technology should help and either way I need to be refitted as my swing has changed and the toe is off when I address the ball.

[WRXtranceformed]

Just found out I made Diamond Club this year and wifey and I get another free trip back to Punta Mita. :thumbup: I am going to play this beautiful Jack Nicklaus course again:
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The world's only natural island green! Last time I played it the tide was too high and we couldn't walk across...you basically got to take a swing and see if you could hit the green and then they had a consolation par 3 next to it so you could play out. Hopefully I will be able to putt out this time! I don't think I even hit it last time...it's like 180-190 yards but you are hitting directly into the ocean winds so it plays like 230+ haha. I think I used a 3 wood off the tee

[WRXtranceformed]

It's been a while since I've gotten a round in mostly because it's been so hot here. My upper temp cutoff is 90* and we have had more 90+ days this year than pretty much ever.

I found an Interesting article that goes a little deeper into why Nike and now Adidas are pulling out of the golf equipment market:

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Basically Tiger didn't open up golf to new demographics outside of the middle-aged white male as much as they thought he would. And with his decline and fact that he will probably never be relevant again pretty much did them in.

Also didn't realize golf had declined that much in the US in less than 10 years. It makes sense, it's so dang expensive and hard for the average person to go out and golf a lot, whereas I could put up a hoop on my garage and play basketball whenever I want or take a soccer ball down to a field and play for free. Even just golf balls are outrageous, for the cheapest BOGO dozens at Dick's you're still in like $25 and if you graduate to decent balls you're going to pay $45-50 a dozen retail. I've begun shopping in bulk on some grey market sites for lightly used / lost balls. It also doesn't help that golf is really hard and time consuming with the average round generally between 4-4.5 hours on a busy day. You just have to play a lot to get good and it's a big commitment every time you go and play.

I like the game but a lot needs to change if golf is going to make a comeback in the US.

[JPolen01]

It also doesn't help that golf is really hard and time consuming with the average round generally between 4-4.5 hours on a busy day. You just have to play a lot to get good and it's a big commitment every time you go and play.

This is the main reason I just can't get into golf. I lived on a golf course my whole life and have only been a handful of times. It just takes too damn long as you said and is expensive. I can't justify giving away 4 hours of my precious weekend to try and improve my game enough for it to be remotely fun.

[Ken]

It also doesn't help that golf is really hard and time consuming with the average round generally between 4-4.5 hours on a busy day. You just have to play a lot to get good and it's a big commitment every time you go and play.

This is the main reason I just can't get into golf. I lived on a golf course my whole life and have only been a handful of times. It just takes too damn long as you said and is expensive. I can't justify giving away 4 hours of my precious weekend to try and improve my game enough for it to be remotely fun.

Ditto. Only reason I want to learn is for business outings, etc. I don't think it's going to be replaced with anything else in that realm since it's the only sport you can do while still holding a meaningful conversation. Although who knows, if (us) millennials really are rejecting it that much maybe it will just fade away from business culture too.