2017 Golf Thread

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Let me know when you're thinking of going. I usually go in March on my big trip and then one other time, usually Jan/Fen with a smaller group of like 4 or 8 guys. There's always room for good golfers and good drinkers. Being good at both is a bonus.
 

Phragle

wild card bitches
SoSH Member
Jan 1, 2009
13,154
Carmine's closet
It sure has. I found a place with Trackman about an hour from my house but they don't sell clubs and charge $120 for a fitting. I have no idea what they have in house for shafts and heads but I may just have to do that.

And of course, I found out the guy I played with on Saturday has a buddy that is the Ping rep for Portland and can get the club for a good deal. Supposedly he's going to order one for me. Nothing to lose if I can get it for well under face value. Ebay will act as insurance.
I don't think I'd do that fitting for just a driver. I've turned over almost my whole bag without a trackman. Are you worried about having a different swing or club path with a different driver? Maybe the rep can get you the head you want with a couple shaft options to try, idk.

Speaking of ebay, I found a $300-400 1-iron at my shop for $80. Lovely.

Let me know when you're thinking of going. I usually go in March on my big trip and then one other time, usually Jan/Fen with a smaller group of like 4 or 8 guys. There's always room for good golfers and good drinkers. Being good at both is a bonus.
Fl4wless is neither so idk how he helps
 
Last edited:

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I don't think I'd do that fitting for just a driver. I've turned over almost my whole bag without a trackman. Are you worried about having a different swing or club path with a different driver? Maybe the rep can get you the head you want with a couple shaft options to try, idk.
Well, you have your sim that you go to often so you can trust the numbers. I simply don't trust a standard lauch monitor vs a doppler based one. I'd honestly love to be able to have 5 or 6 different sessions with 2-3 heads and 5-6 shafts since my swing from day to day (or even hole to hole) can have a good amount of variance. I'm also more tired some days. More flexible. Etc., etc. At this point, I'd really love to find the ideal balance between distance and accuracy. I hit the ball plenty far so I don't really need to pick up distance. Honestly, if I don't have penalty strokes off the tees, I'm low 70s. If I do, it's high 70s/low 80s. That place lets you rent a Trackman for $50/hr on your own too. I may go get a full bag fitting for $120 and then go back a bunch of times for $50/hr to get really dialed in. More likely is that I'll just say fuck it and buy new clubs next time I've too many drinks.

Speaking of ebay, I found a $300-400 1-iron at my shop for $80. Lovely.
And WTF are you going to do with that? Decoration for you bar?
 

Phragle

wild card bitches
SoSH Member
Jan 1, 2009
13,154
Carmine's closet
Well, you have your sim that you go to often so you can trust the numbers. I simply don't trust a standard lauch monitor vs a doppler based one. I'd honestly love to be able to have 5 or 6 different sessions with 2-3 heads and 5-6 shafts since my swing from day to day (or even hole to hole) can have a good amount of variance. I'm also more tired some days. More flexible. Etc., etc. At this point, I'd really love to find the ideal balance between distance and accuracy. I hit the ball plenty far so I don't really need to pick up distance. Honestly, if I don't have penalty strokes off the tees, I'm low 70s. If I do, it's high 70s/low 80s. That place lets you rent a Trackman for $50/hr on your own too. I may go get a full bag fitting for $120 and then go back a bunch of times for $50/hr to get really dialed in. More likely is that I'll just say fuck it and buy new clubs next time I've too many drinks.
I guess you can buy old flightscope radars for 1-2 grand.

And WTF are you going to do with that? Decoration for you bar?
I'm either going to make a few hundred bucks or I'm going to hit it 250 into greens.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I guess you can buy old flightscope radars for 1-2 grand.
I've looked into this in the past. It's really hard to tell what flightscope's measure and what they calculate. If you have any inside track on that, I may have a buddy that would split the cost with me.

I'm either going to make a few hundred bucks or I'm going to hit it 250 into greens.
I know which one I'd bet on!
 

Phragle

wild card bitches
SoSH Member
Jan 1, 2009
13,154
Carmine's closet
I've looked into this in the past. It's really hard to tell what flightscope's measure and what they calculate. If you have any inside track on that, I may have a buddy that would split the cost with me.
I saw an article on Golf Digest about a guy that built a home simulator for like 3 grand. I believe he bought an old flightscope radar that measured just the ball for like 1600. I'll look through my history for it.

I know which one I'd bet on!
Well yeah, but only someone just offered $325.

There's a reason you're supposed to stand in the fairway during a thunderstorm and hold up a 1 iron...
Is this how you lost your hair?
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I don't think I'd do that fitting for just a driver. I've turned over almost my whole bag without a trackman. Are you worried about having a different swing or club path with a different driver? Maybe the rep can get you the head you want with a couple shaft options to try, idk.

Speaking of ebay, I found a $300-400 1-iron at my shop for $80. Lovely.


Fl4wless is neither so idk how he helps
You keep my name out ya mouth boy.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I saw an article on Golf Digest about a guy that built a home simulator for like 3 grand. I believe he bought an old flightscope radar that measured just the ball for like 1600. I'll look through my history for it.
I just looked and the Flightscope xi+ is the cheapest model with radar and it's $5k. I could buy a lot of clubs for that. There's nothing on ebay. Now I just need to decide if $5K+divorce is worth shaving a few strokes off the game.
 

Phragle

wild card bitches
SoSH Member
Jan 1, 2009
13,154
Carmine's closet
There's an x2 which is newer and measures ball and club data for 4500 obo on eBay. Poor mans trackman. That's means a ball only radar has to be a lot less
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
There's an x2 which is newer and measures ball and club data for 4500 obo on eBay. Poor mans trackman. That's means a ball only radar has to be a lot less
They have that "Mevo" one for $450 but it's really hard to tell what features it has.

Edit: They have the features listed on their FAQ page and it looks really cool with a few exceptions. It can only track spin with metal stickers attached, which is pretty useless at a range. It doesn't track spin access, just spin rate. For $500, those are decent sized exceptions. Still, I'll look for a used one.
 
Last edited:

doldmoose34

impregnated Melissa Theuriau
SoSH Member
back to bags for a second, I've had a bunch, Titliest, Cobra, Ping Hoofer (the best until the strap ripped at top), and for the past 5 or 6 years, a Callaway Chevron stand bag.. so we are playing a 4 club in a coed group a couple Saturdays back and I figure I'll walk and carry it, and 4 holes in, the strap comes out of the top, thread had given away. so I did what any of you would do, took it home and put it back together and to wood screws into it and its good as new

In our league last night, it was an interesting match up, my partner an 8 was playing in the MGA father Son at Andover so he was out and our usual subs were out so it was Me(21) solo vs two friends of mine 18 and 20 so I was getting 2 blows. I've been playing really well lately, in fact I'd shot 42 last friday with the 18 i was going against as my partner that day. we are out of the playoff picture. I told them I wouldnt tank becuse other guys were still in the hunt with them... I played great and it was all even on our 8th tee (the 3rd hole) when the wheels came off the bus... duck hook into the shit, lose to a 6 and they made 4 while I lipped out a par putt on 4 to lose 2 down... but it was a hell of a fight
 

patinorange

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 27, 2006
30,663
6 miles from Angel Stadium
I cannot get out of the shit sand traps at my local course, I was in 5 of them today and skulled it across the green every time. Its costing me 5 or 6 strokes every Saturday.
It's a coarse, hard sand with very little cushion underneath it. I seem to do ok with an open clubface, normal sand shot when I play in real traps, but this stuff has me baffled. I'm getting older and shorter and am finding myself in more traps. I have also developed an inexplicable fade on my fairway woods that I never had before, causing me to end up in more traps. I need to fix that.

I hate golf.

Of course I just signed up for a 8 day trip to Ireland with 9 of my buddies to play golf in June.
 

Byrdbrain

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
8,588
The course I play on most often has some traps like that, it is super annoying as about half of them have decent sand and half don't. There is even a local rule that you can remove rocks from the traps. It is a pretty good course other than the traps.

When I am in one of the bad ones I typically play the ball back in my stance and catch the ball first just like a normal chip shot. Many people play a putter out of them as most of the traps don't have severe lips but I simply can't make myself do that.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
Yeah, if I'm in a trap like that I just play it like a normal chip from a tight lie. Usually it works good enough to get it onto the green at least.
 
I played in the Scottish Mid-Amateur a few years ago at Dundonald, site of this year's Scottish Open on the European Tour. The course hadn't been open too long when I was there, and it had yet to really mature...anyway, there is a bunker with a revetted face at least six feet tall at the front left of the green on the short par 3 11th, and I found myself in that bunker on my second hole of the day (having started at the 10th). There was almost no sand under the ball. Now, I'm normally a pretty fair bunker player, but I tried seven times to escape that bunker onto the green without success before finally playing backwards at my 8th attempt. If it wasn't the sort of shot I can pull off in normal conditions, I wouldn't have kept trying.

That was a long day.
 
Last edited:

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2013
15,952
Nashua, NH
Concrete sand traps are one of my biggest pet peeves on the golf course, and it seems like most courses around here have them instead of well maintained bunkers. I usually swing pretty hard and take a lot of the crap with me to make sure I don't thin it, but it has varying degrees of success. A lot of the time I'll get out but still end up in the rough short of the green.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Concrete sand traps are one of my biggest pet peeves on the golf course, and it seems like most courses around here have them instead of well maintained bunkers. I usually swing pretty hard and take a lot of the crap with me to make sure I don't thin it, but it has varying degrees of success. A lot of the time I'll get out but still end up in the rough short of the green.
It's also one of the reasons the rules for sand traps are stupid. The best players in the world never have to guess what the conditions of the bunkers are, but I do? That makes no sense. They changed the rules for 2019 for grounding your club in a hazard but not in a bunker. It was a missed opportunity I think.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
They could even just designate them as a "waste area" and let them go to seed. Interestingly, the course I was briefly a member at in Portland (The Reserve) has one course with something like 115 bunkers. I played it last weekend and the entire course is torn up as they are removing most of them and rebuilding the others to reduce maintenance costs and speed up pace of play. It's a really smart move that will make the course less scenic, but a better course overall.
 
It's also one of the reasons the rules for sand traps are stupid. The best players in the world never have to guess what the conditions of the bunkers are, but I do? That makes no sense. They changed the rules for 2019 for grounding your club in a hazard but not in a bunker. It was a missed opportunity I think.
I'm not sure I follow this criticism - you should be able to gauge the condition of a bunker by digging your feet into them, right? How is this any different for professionals?

In general, I believe American-style bunkers with flat bottoms and low lips are far too easy to escape anyway - bunkers are by definition hazards, and as such they should be hazardous. Elite golfers in particular shouldn't be able to hit long irons out of them more easily than they can escape the rough. As such, I don't mind coming across dodgy sand conditions in bunkers, at least in theory. Actually, in the tournament I played at Royal Dornoch a few weeks ago, I was annoyed during my rounds by how soft the sand in the bunkers was relative to typical Scottish conditions, resulting in more plugged lies than I ever get at Dunbar or other courses near me...but then, if I screw up and hit into a bunker, surely I deserve whatever punishment I get, no? (FWIW, you could make this same argument about the bunker I described at Dundonald, although I there I think the sand conditions didn't fit the bunker design - the massive revetted face was enough of an obstacle that poor sand might as well have turned it into a small pond or even out-of-bounds circle.)
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I'm not sure I follow this criticism - you should be able to gauge the condition of a bunker by digging your feet into them, right? How is this any different for professionals?
Because those conditions never exist for professionals. There are standards for the PGA tour that specify how deep the sand should be, how compacted it should be, etc. They don't guess if there is an inch of soft sand or a tenth of an inch of dust above concrete. I take the point of not hitting it into bunkers, but doesn't the same sentiment exist in other hazards; and yet they changed the rules to allow grounding your club there. And the concept of testing the quality and depth of sand with your feet is a joke a many, many courses in the US. You can easily be standing in 3 inches of sand with barely a skim coat under your ball. Half the time it's a miracle to be in a bunker that's been fully raked of footprints.
 
Outwith the PGA Tour, we also have to put up with greens stimping at less that 13 which are less than silky smooth (among many other things). Even on Tour, though, sand conditions change when it's been raining, or when you play abroad or on courses with different types of sand. I don't think the rules should have changed to allow you to ground your club in a hazard, by the way, but the difference between most hazards and bunkers is that sand is easily moved in such a way that you can effectively change your lie. As soon as you start letting golfers touch the sand in a bunker, you open a door to all sorts of semi-legal shenanigans.

As for bunkers not being raked, well, yeah, etiquette is a dying art. It pisses me off that too many golfers neglect raking bunkers, putting rakes where they belong after they are used, fixing ball marks, etc. These are issues in Scotland as well, but it is what it is. If you're playing a course on which the bunkers are particularly badly maintained, I'd be happy for you to you play with a "house rule" that if your ball comes to rest in a footprint or other unnatural conditions interfere with play, you can lift your ball, rake the bunker and replace the ball on the sand as close to the exact point as possible without penalty. That's not tournament golf, but I don't suppose I'd want to invalidate your USGA handicap if I found you were bending the rules like this in the correct circumstances.
 

( . ) ( . ) and (_!_)

T&A
SoSH Member
Feb 9, 2010
5,302
Providence, RI
The course where I play in my league has those crappy, cement like sand traps. But personally I kind of love them. I like playing out of a 'normal' bunker just fine but when you're playing off of sand that's very firm then in my opinion it's an easier shot. Play it the same way you would hit a chip from a tight lie or hard pack, just clip the ball first and don't even worry about taking any sand with the shot. There are a lot of factors to consider when hitting any chip but a regular sandshot introduces additional elements to consider... just how soft is the sand, how far do I want to hit behind the ball, is it plugged? Etc.... playing out of concrete traps Eliminates those additional factors to weigh into your shot.

My partner complains about them because he skulls shots out of them. But if your club is hitting a hard surface before it hits the ball then yes it is likely to 'bounce' and connect the blade with the ball.

He started playing better out of our leagues traps when I asked him why he was trying to play a sand shot when he wasn't standing in sand. You wouldn't hit a chip from 10 yards out in the fairway like you would hit a bunker shot. So why would you try to hit a bunker shot off of concrete?
 

inJacobyWeTrust

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 12, 2007
1,245
Watertown
Anyone have any tips/drills/exercises that they use to help under pressure?

Never used to have issues, even in college tournaments but recently I find myself overly nervous in any sort of competitive play. FWIW I am a 3 handicap not prone to large numbers and have made an 8, 9 and 10 in different tournaments this summer.

The biggest challenge for me has been short pitches from tight lies. I can't stop hitting them fat, especially early in the round. I've been practicing these shots, but without the "pressure" of a tournament setting I clip every chip/pitch perfectly which only frustrates me more.

I've read Bob Rotella's "Putting Out of Your Mind" and found it helpful on the green, and am now onto "Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect" so I fully acknowledge the problem is likely in my head, for the most part. Hoping someone out there has a thought process or technique they have employed successfully to stop choking in tournaments.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I know this is a very SoSH answer, but have you tried alcohol? I get the same way in tourneys and have found a couple of weak beers before and during the round helps immensely.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
Anyone have any tips/drills/exercises that they use to help under pressure?

Never used to have issues, even in college tournaments but recently I find myself overly nervous in any sort of competitive play. FWIW I am a 3 handicap not prone to large numbers and have made an 8, 9 and 10 in different tournaments this summer.

The biggest challenge for me has been short pitches from tight lies. I can't stop hitting them fat, especially early in the round. I've been practicing these shots, but without the "pressure" of a tournament setting I clip every chip/pitch perfectly which only frustrates me more.

I've read Bob Rotella's "Putting Out of Your Mind" and found it helpful on the green, and am now onto "Golf Is Not A Game Of Perfect" so I fully acknowledge the problem is likely in my head, for the most part. Hoping someone out there has a thought process or technique they have employed successfully to stop choking in tournaments.
Zen Golf is another good book that could help with this as well.

I suffer from the same issues, FWIW. I've found that over-exaggerating the feeling of hanging the club in my fingers with a loose grip in my practice swings helps me relax and hit the ball and not tense up at the point of impact.
 

PedroSpecialK

Comes at you like a tornado of hair and the NHL sa
SoSH Member
Dec 12, 2004
27,164
Cambridge, MA
For the short pitches specifically, I had the same issue for a long time. In addition to chunking them, when I'd try to swing through and not really 'think' about how I was swinging, I'd often hosel rocket it even when standing pretty far away.

What fixed it for me was being more deliberate in the takeaway, and focusing on my wrist action through the swing. I convinced myself that if I took a mental of note of when I was starting my downswing and remembered to begin my wrist-action at that point, that 9 times out of 10 I'd swing through the bottom of the ball and get the contact I was looking for.

Initially it wasn't great for distance control on my pitches / chips, but keeping those two points in mind during takeaway and follow-through and adjusting clubs/positions in my stance respectively, it helped me out a lot.
 

inJacobyWeTrust

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 12, 2007
1,245
Watertown
I know this is a very SoSH answer, but have you tried alcohol? I get the same way in tourneys and have found a couple of weak beers before and during the round helps immensely.
Ha! Incidentally in tourneys where drinking is allowed/encouraged, I do not have this issue. I tend to catch the fats in qualifying for the state Am/Mid-Am tourneys where drinking on course might be frowned upon. A quick pop or two before the round might help though...
 

steveluck7

Member
SoSH Member
May 10, 2007
3,994
Burrillville, RI
Ha! Incidentally in tourneys where drinking is allowed/encouraged, I do not have this issue. I tend to catch the fats in qualifying for the state Am/Mid-Am tourneys where drinking on course might be frowned upon. A quick pop or two before the round might help though...
Do you drink caffeine regularly? I've found that I play a lot better when i haven't had any caffeine for the day. I'm not one who gets jittery when i drink it but it does affect my swing. It particularly helps me on the tee box but it spreads to every aspect.
 

inJacobyWeTrust

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 12, 2007
1,245
Watertown
Also a very good thought, I do typically have a lot of caffeine but try to avoid it before playing. Lots of good responses here, I appreciate it!
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I have the same issue, I play awful in tournaments. I've tried a lot of different things, but haven't found anything that works yet. I'm playing in the Washington State Mid-Am next week and fully expect to have a lot of jitters.

I get nervous before all sporting events, but when I played hockey, for example, I'd be able to get that nervous energy out during warm-ups or the first shift. There's no real way to do that in golf.

I will say, walking the tournament definitely helps. It allows you to slow down and walking releases some of that nervous energy. It's definitely a trade-off though because you'll be more tired at the end of the round, especially on a hot day.
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2013
15,952
Nashua, NH
Has anyone here ever tried to completely overhaul their grip? I've always had issues with my grip and it has led to period of what feels like yips in my hands during the swing and I'm in one of those periods right now. The club just doesn't feel comfortable in my hands and I have a tendency to either move my hands or tighten my grip as I swing which leads to all sorts of problems. I was taught an interlocking grip when I was a kid and have always used it, but I started messing around with the overlapping grip on the range the other day and it felt way more comfortable and my shots were a lot more consistently on target. Probably SSS but it was interesting. Of course, my driver and 3 wood swing felt like a mess with the overlapping grip but I'm having some intense driver yips at the moment. Anyway, I'm not sure what to do going forward - whether I should keep experimenting with the overlapping grip or keep trying with the interlocking grip since it is all I've ever known.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
So next weekend is my hockey team's annual Ryder Cup tournament, and I'm pretty excited for it. I know I've posted about this before, but we started this about 6 years ago with just 8 of us, and cobbled together a 4 on 4 (including @NickEsasky) one day tourney over 36 holes. After that we expanded to 45 holes, gave Esasky the boot and kept it to just our men's league hockey team, and went on the road to Plymouth for a weekend.

The year after that we expanded and brought in another group of guys from a team we're friends with. Moved it to 8 vs 8, did Plymouth again, and started a tradition. Last year we went to Portsmouth, NH. We trade off "host" teams who pick the destination/venues and are returning 15 out of the 16 guys from last year.

The format is three 9 hole matches on Saturday (Best Ball, Alternate Shot, Scramble) then two 9 hole matches on Sunday (switching opponents within our foursome at the turn. Pairings and orders for Saturday are submitted blind in advance, Sunday's matchups/pairings are drawn out of a hat after Sunday (which is HIGH drama). Everyone is handicapped as well, so it ends up pretty fair.

This year is in Newport, where we're each renting a house for the weekend. We're playing a friendly/prep round at Montaup CC Friday, then 27 holes at Newport National GC Saturday, staying over, then driving halfway home in the morning before playing our 18 at Olde Scotland Links on Sunday.

Going to be an awesome weekend of golf and beers, and I'm most excited that now it's a real tradition that's taken hold. We've kept it within driving distance for the first few years but I can see us going a bit further in the future. Will update after the carnage subsides next weekend.

Anyone else do any fun trips/outings like that as a yearly tradition?
So this finished up this weekend. The highlights:
  • We had a 7-5 lead after Saturday due to some phenomenal team golf
  • The alternate shot match I played with my brother was maybe the most fun stretch of golf I've ever played. We won 5 of the first 6 holes to take a dominant win, capped off by me hitting a pitching wedge to 6 inches to win the match.
  • Newport National was an absolutely gorgeous track and in phenomenal shape
  • The weather for the weekend was beyond perfect
  • Newport itself was great, hit up some good bars and overall had a fantastic time
  • Both teams had great matching outfits both days and overall looked great and had a ton of fun
The lowlights:
  • We collapsed on Sunday, losing the first matches 4.5-3.5 (still up by 1 after this)
  • We lost the second matches 5-3, giving us a full point loss, moving us to 0-3 all time against the other team. They won 14.5 - 13.5 and retained the Cup.
  • I completely lost my swing on Sunday. I played a warmup round on Friday and shot 85 (so I felt good going in) yet I don't think I broke 50 either 9 holes on Sunday, and both my matches were over by the 7th and 6th holes, respectively. The shanks came out at the end and everything. Was easily the single most frustrating round of golf I've ever played.
  • Old Scotland Links was in horrific shape everywhere except the greens. To the point of being embarrassing. I played there in July and it was in great shape, I don't think they've watered it since then. Brown and packed dirt everywhere. The greens were the only saving grace there. I won't be back anytime soon.

All in all, a great time was had by most. Sunday really left a horrible taste in my mouth and had me embarrassed, almost ruining my entire weekend, but that's golf I suppose. I feel like I've lost every shred of progress I've made this summer (which was substantial). I need to figure out how to get my swing back when right now I couldn't feel less comfortable standing over the ball, especially with my irons.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
7,204
I'll start by saying that I'm a below average golfer (shooting between 110-120 right now), but I've been playing a lot more (10-12 rounds/year) the last two years and slowly been making some progress. My irons are decent, especially off the tee, but I've never felt comfortable with my driver or woods. I actually don't think I ever really had the proper approach with my drivers or woods. I honestly spend most rounds teeing off primarily with a 2 iron or 3 iron on par 4s and 5s and take the driver or 3 wood out once or twice a round with a second ball in my pocket just to try it out. Since I realized how much distance I'm giving up, I decided to watch a few Youtube videos and hit the range yesterday to primarily practice with my 3 wood and driver off the tee.

One thing I'll note, I've never bought my own set of clubs. Had two sets that were both hand me downs definitely lower end sets. At the range with some major adjustments to my approach, felt a lot better with the my woods and will now use them off the tee. I also pulled out a hybrid 4 that I have that I honestly have no idea where I got it and have never tried before. Since I have enough trouble with my woods, I figured I should bother with the hybrid when my irons were the one part of my game I felt good about. Man, was I completely wrong. I started bombing it a straight and super consistent 190-200 yards. I've honestly never felt more comfortable with a club that quickly. Only problem is the grip was completely falling apart and after 10 shots gave myself a blister on the middle finger of my right hand.

Anyway, I'm now completely on board with wanting to include some hybrids in my bag and figure that I should probably just look at purchasing a full new set of irons/hybrid which it appears almost all sets come as now. Since I've never bought my own clubs, what's the best way to go about doing this to get a decent middle of the road set. I don't need state of the art and I don't need $1,000 clubs, but I'm up for paying $400-600 to get a nice set that will last the next 10-15 years. Can I get a deal now that the season is closing out? There's a golf galaxy not far from me. Are the best deals online? Should I be looking at a used set? I'm also thinking that I should probably get fitted as I'm 6'4 and while I realize that it's a combination of wrist plus arm length, I'd love to know for sure where I'm at.

If there are old posts in this thread that probably have that information, let me know which poster I should be searching for.
 

Byrdbrain

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 18, 2005
8,588
I'll leave club buying advice to others but I will say that, as you've found, a guy shooting 110 to 120 should use hybrids instead of long irons. Most new sets you will look at won't have any iron lower than a 5 iron with a 3 and 4 hybrid.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
There are lots of posts that talk about getting fit and it's pretty much universally recommended. With that being said, at your level I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a set of clubs because as your game improves you'll likely want to replace them. Here's a brand new set of irons from Bombtech (based in Burlington, Vt) that are currently listed at $297 that I'd recommend to any 90s and up type player. My regular golf partner has them and they're pretty damn nice for that price. You'll have to spend some extra to get them adjusted to your fitting settings but that's going to be true in general of any clubs you buy that aren't from the fitter themselves. You should also check with your fitter for used clubs based on your fitting sessions. And get fit someplace that's not Golf Galaxy. Golf Digest publishes top fitters for each region. That's a good place to start. If you end up going the Bombtech route, PM me. I have coupon codes for them.

For Hybrids, the best rule of thumb I saw was from Tom Wishon. Find the last iron in your bag that you feel truly comfortable with and replace every club above that with a hybrid. If you love your 6 but feel less comfortable with a 5 then replace 3/4/5 with hybrids.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
For Hybrids, the best rule of thumb I saw was from Tom Wishon. Find the last iron in your bag that you feel truly comfortable with and replace every club above that with a hybrid. If you love your 6 but feel less comfortable with a 5 then replace 3/4/5 with hybrids.
I basically did that this year. I stop at my 6 iron and then have a 4 hybrid that's cut down 1/2" that I basically hit like a 5.5 iron. Going to be getting a 3 hybrid as well and doing the same thing. I absolutely love the clubs, I hit them infinitely better than I do a long iron, and even when I miss - they're usually still going 150-180 yards (I'm a 13 right now, if that helps).
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
7,204
I'm not getting any work done today. So started going through this thread and scanning for information about fitting and buying. Based on my skill level and having never been fitted before, I'm thinking that I really need is the equivalent of the Joe and Leigh's Easy Fitting. Based on jercra's recommendation to look at something like the Bombtech's and if buying online, would I buy them and then get them fitted or vice versa? How much does getting fitting settings adjusted to a club cost and work? Also should I care about buying a full set of the hybrids and irons together or should I definitely be buying separate.

Complete newb at really buying any equipment, so appreciate the help and guidance here. I'm not looking to drop to a single digit handicap, but playing an average of between 90 and 100 seems like it should be very doable and a lot of fun.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
How much it costs to get clubs adjusted is entirely dependent on the fitting. If you need mid/oversized grips you're usually looking at ~$10/club. If you need longer shafts you're looking at ~$10-$50/club depending on the shafts you choose (could be cheaper if you just put butt extenders in). If you need to get the clubs bent it's usually ~$5-$10 club. It's possible someone like Joe and Leigh will do the customization for you as part of the fitting fee, but I have no idea. According to this thread, they are one of the many that discount the fitting from the cost of the clubs. I'd go get fit first and then ask them about used sets and about customizing a set you buy.

As far as getting hybrids and irons at the same time, that's what I would do. I know it sounds like I'm a sales guy but I'd honestly just get the Bombtech hybrids too. I'm a 2.1 index and I have their 3-wood, 5-wood, 3-hybrid and multiple sets of their wedges. They make good stuff and charge half of what other club makers do.

And now I'll contradict myself a bit and agree with @ConigliarosPotential that a fitting isn't a requisite for someone shooting 110-120. It will likely help you in the short term but your swing isn't consistent enough that it's really going to make an enormous amount of difference. In your case, being 6' 4" means you may need 1/2" or 1" extensions to you shafts and getting measured by someone who knows what they're doing will tell you that, but shaft flex, lie angle, etc. are not going to be reliable for you on any fitting. Don't get me wrong, it's not going to hurt you and will likely be of some short term benefit, but if you don't want to pay the extra money to get fit then it's not likely to cause you much harm either.
 

Time to Mo Vaughn

RIP Dernell
SoSH Member
Mar 24, 2008
7,204
How much it costs to get clubs adjusted is entirely dependent on the fitting. If you need mid/oversized grips you're usually looking at ~$10/club. If you need longer shafts you're looking at ~$10-$50/club depending on the shafts you choose (could be cheaper if you just put butt extenders in). If you need to get the clubs bent it's usually ~$5-$10 club. It's possible someone like Joe and Leigh will do the customization for you as part of the fitting fee, but I have no idea. According to this thread, they are one of the many that discount the fitting from the cost of the clubs. I'd go get fit first and then ask them about used sets and about customizing a set you buy.

As far as getting hybrids and irons at the same time, that's what I would do. I know it sounds like I'm a sales guy but I'd honestly just get the Bombtech hybrids too. I'm a 2.1 index and I have their 3-wood, 5-wood, 3-hybrid and multiple sets of their wedges. They make good stuff and charge half of what other club makers do.

And now I'll contradict myself a bit and agree with @ConigliarosPotential that a fitting isn't a requisite for someone shooting 110-120. It will likely help you in the short term but your swing isn't consistent enough that it's really going to make an enormous amount of difference. In your case, being 6' 4" means you may need 1/2" or 1" extensions to you shafts and getting measured by someone who knows what they're doing will tell you that, but shaft flex, lie angle, etc. are not going to be reliable for you on any fitting. Don't get me wrong, it's not going to hurt you and will likely be of some short term benefit, but if you don't want to pay the extra money to get fit then it's not likely to cause you much harm either.
Appreciate the feedback here. Honestly, I'm really just looking for the middle of the road set of clubs and it sounds like the Bombtech's may be a fit. (Side note: when I hit their site today it appears they're offering a 15% off discount for the entire site, which would drop that iron set to about $250). The Easy Fitting that I mentioned is really more of a measuring than a fitting, which is mainly what I'm concerned about. $40 for Irons includes: Length of club, Lie Angle, Shaft Material, Flex and Weight, Grip Selection, Composition & Size, Ideal Set Make up between hybrid and iron. I guess really the only thing I need is length of club, which even though I don't have a consistent swing is what I worry about messing up with my swing or making it difficult to build a consistent swing playing with the wrong club length. Looking at Bombtech's site, do they change their stock a lot? I don't see any hybrids on their website right now. They have a Driving Iron package with a 2 and a 3 Driving Iron. Also currently offering a package of their Driver and 3 Wood at just the driver price ($297).
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Yeah, they run out of things a lot. I'd pick up the iron set sooner rather than later (they have an excellent return policy if you don't like them). You should also be worried about grip size. I find "normal" grips to be too small for my hands and play mid-sized on all my clubs.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
SoSH Member
Feb 22, 2004
12,959
The Paris of the 80s
If you're shooting above 100 and only playing 10-12 times a year I think you should consider a used set of Pings. They're generally only a few hundred, tend to wear slow, and generally very forgiving. I'm on eBay right now about for $200-300 you can get a set that is a generation or two out of date and those are still perfectly good irons.

I'm hunching here based on what you said above but I bet a black dot (standard lie angle) set with stiff steel shafts would be a fine starting point. If your swing is particularly upright or flat you might want to fudge in one way or the other when searching but you're probably fine. Edit: I just noticed you said you're 6'4" so some might suggest longer shafts but remember that longer shafts are harder to control. However, lie angle you can kind of gauge yourself with some tape on the bottom of a club and hitting off something firm (plastic, wood, etc.). Some tall folks have a steep swing...

Plus, if you don't break the bank of a 5-PW you can get a couple modern hybrids and those are worth spending money on. The tech is real and great compared to years ago (note: irons just have not advanced a ton compared to woods/hybrids over the past couple decades).

FWIW, I'm still playing a set of i3 O-size 5-PW (~2000) that have 10-12 years of heavy use on them and I'm only now feeling like the grooves on some are getting to the point where I need to consider a new set in the next year or two.
 
Last edited:

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I might quibble a bit with the notion that irons haven't advanced but, for the most part, GI irons have advanced towards more of Ping's design (low CG, cavity back, wide sole, offsets, large face, etc.) and with more advanced materials to move the CG lower and increase MOI. Ping make really great clubs, especially for the mid/high handicapper.