I don't get how some are suggesting vanity cap, whatever handicap he has is taken from the comps he plays in (not sure this one would count for his system) and he's posted up his scores in the area tournaments he's played in, so whatever handicap he has should be legit.
Well in his intro video before the tournament began, he claimed he doesn't even have a handicap, because he's a Pro. (Which doesn't even make any sense).
Also, when looking up "Shiels" on GHIN's website, nothing comes up. So maybe he actually doesn't hold a handicap for some odd reason?
Alot pros dont
Thanks and there you are - he apparently doesn't.
Having said that, it's not hard to search his event results for those that are curious. Some good, some not good - inconsistent as you might expect.
I think Rick spends most of his time at the range using his launch monitor and not enough on the course. He knows how to play swing but not how to play golf. Doesn't diminish his instructional ability or the enjoyment of his channel.
100% this. For a long time it's been clear that he knows very little about the facts of golf. For a year he's worked with Dan Whittaker and in the studio his numbers look good yet on course his results have been horrible. And he hasn't made the connection.
This is not intended as a bashing thread. We have all had rounds where it felt like our first.
But I thought pros had some level of constistency cracked.
Ric hit 41 over for 3 rounds in a pro am on a 6300 yard course.
The winner was +2.
How does a pro unravel like that?
If you have played much tournament golf you'd understand how it happened. Golf and tournament golf don't have much in common. Probably hasn't been playing much when the wheels fell off. He also might be injured too.
If playing golf is not your living then we are all capable of bad weeks . Also how many tourny's has he played this year and when you know the internet world is watching then it might be hard to focus on golf. I would be really surprised if other tourny golfers would criticize how anyone played a weekend and certainly no offence to higher caps or non tourny players but these are the ones usually criticizing. I missed the cut at nationals that was for me 9rds in nine days after losing a tourny by a shot the previous 4 days and all some people could say is did you choke were you nervous, the fact that I played 9rds in nine days and 3 months later would get a total hip replacement , no the only thing was that they couldn't understand the 79-77. Rick is excellent at what he does , I enjoy his video's and I could care less what his tourny scores are, his swing looks just fine.
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Man, #9 really tore Rick a new one this weekend. Par 4, and he went triple bogey, triple bogey, double bogey. +8 on one hole alone.
Not to mention, only 2 birdies after 54 holes of golf probably doesn't help much either.
For those of you that are curious and haven't looked it up, his three rounds were 88, 88, and 79. He double bogey'd the finishing hole of the tournament to shoot that 79.
+41 for the tournament, with the closest competitor to him coming in at +34.
He’s just not that good of a golfer. It’s one of the reasons I’ve mentioned here about why I don’t get why people give merit to his “professional” reviews.
To those of you apologists defending Rick saying family was his priority and he has had different drivers in the bag, etc. Im a professional, I have 3 boys under 8, haven’t touched a club due to injury in 4 months, and change my equipment frequently. I get clearance to play next week, and I guarantee I can shoot better than 80, let alone 88. I carry a handicap. Mine is in the plus range, which is why I can shoot better than 88. You may notice Rick never sniffs at breaking par in his highly controlled vlogs, which are usually played from the middle tees. That should tell you something.
Watch Rick’s stuff for entertainment, but don’t fool yourself into thinking he’s a player. By the way, his ability to hit golf balls all day every day using a GCQuad is a reason why he should be shooting low scores, not high scores. He plays A LOT of golf.
Also, if I hear Peter Finch say one more time that tour pros are better than him because of short game, I may lose my ever loving mind.
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I'm not sure mentioning that he is on a family vacation makes me an "apologist" - I don't have any dog in the fight of whether he plays well or not. But among lessons, obligations, filming vlogs, reviews, editing, you name it, those guys aren't having the luxury of hitting golf balls all day long or practicing much. Not making excuses, but their focus is on their content, giving lessons and other business matters related to their channels and I think there is a lot more that goes into what they are doing than one might think. I have no doubt there are any number of folks who play to a certain standard that can be busy with whatever and go out and play better golf and probably a lot of plus handicaps on here that may be able to do that and I'm sure Powdered can back up his abilities, no reason to think otherwise. Shiels has some decent results when he does take the time to focus and actually play real golf, just don't see that anybody is making him out to be a lot more than what he is - his tournament results are out there for all to see and be judged however someone wants to judge them. Just a different way of getting golf out there and has a huge following that I'm sure is more a positive influence on the game than otherwise.
I think about the few good players I’ve known, the ones who can generally be around par or better from the way-back tees in tournament or big-$$$ situations. And I try to imagine how much time these YouTube “celebrities” must put in setting up, recording, editing, posting and responding to reader feedback in order to keep the content flowing.
Surely those two things just can’t go together along with some sort of day job or straight job, whatever they do for a regular salary.
Everything has its drawbacks, as the man said when his mother-in-law died, and they came down upon him for the funeral expenses.
He’s simply not very good, that’s why he makes money from YouTube and sponsors, not playing golf. He’s probably a 2 or 3 handicap who had a terrible week
He shot 88 in the first round!!!!
pete finch faired much better, he was +2 in round 1 i believe
There must be a lot of pressure and embarrassment shooting scores like that when your supposed to be an authority on golf and have a huge audience, he’s probably more well known than most European tour players
Good youtube videos, decent coach, tournament golf not so much
If only he signed a deal with Titleist, then complained about manufacturers not sending new equipment to test, he probably would have won.
Mark is very petty isn’t he haha
99% of “ authorities on golf “ couldn’t break 80 if their lives depended on it. So he’s middle of the road for his profession.
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All pros can have a stinker like that. We just aren’t watching them on Sunday. They either missed the cut or played the early tee time not televised. I agree with what was said earlier. I suspect he spends the majority of his time in the hitting bay and not out trying to shoot low scores. Rory 5 putted this weekend, and he’s no Rory. But I bet he is a good guy!
Im sure hes a good guy. I enjoy his material, been a subscriber for ages. Ive also played many of the courses he posts vlogs from, which makes it even more interesting.
As i said its not a bash, just surprised and disappointed for the guy.
Agreed. I’m also a subscriber. I guess what I was saying was, not that he was being bashed, but I just wasn’t surprised.
I don't get how some are suggesting vanity cap, whatever handicap he has is taken from the comps he plays in (not sure this one would count for his system) and he's posted up his scores in the area tournaments he's played in, so whatever handicap he has should be legit.
Well in his intro video before the tournament began, he claimed he doesn't even have a handicap, because he's a Pro. (Which doesn't even make any sense).
Also, when looking up "Shiels" on GHIN's website, nothing comes up. So maybe he actually doesn't hold a handicap for some odd reason?
My usual group of playing partners are 4 pga pros from my area... none carry handicaps because they are pros. When pros sign up for tournament, they don't ask for handicaps so why have one...
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And his 76 in Open Qualifying wasn't all that bad last year, and miles ahead of what a 7 handicap would have shot.
Like them, don't like them, but not enough respect for people figuring out a way to make a living playing golf/teaching golf/bringing some exposure to the game. They are as wrx as most of us.
For me, it's entertaining and that's enough. Nobody forces anyone to click that play button.
his game is very one dimensional. Finch has a lot more game and a lot more shots in the arsenal. You can tell how Finch likes to practice just by watching his channel compared to Rick's.
Isn’t it possible he either didn’t take the tournament seriously or realized his game was off and just played to get through? I’ve seen plenty of well known tour players have a bad Thursday and they basically blow through Friday to get off the course.
I don't get how some are suggesting vanity cap, whatever handicap he has is taken from the comps he plays in (not sure this one would count for his system) and he's posted up his scores in the area tournaments he's played in, so whatever handicap he has should be legit.
Well in his intro video before the tournament began, he claimed he doesn't even have a handicap, because he's a Pro. (Which doesn't even make any sense).
Also, when looking up "Shiels" on GHIN's website, nothing comes up. So maybe he actually doesn't hold a handicap for some odd reason?
Considering he’s from the UK and they use a completely different handicap system why would he be in GHIN? Pros don’t play handicapped events and generally don’t keep handicaps.
Rick 100% has a vanity cap. He plays terribly in a lot of his vlogs. He said he had a great back 9 at sawgrass and had 4 birdies, but in his video he didn' make a single putt. Says he got a par on 17 but his first putt might have gone in the water. He also got an 8 on 18.
I saw that vlog and i agree, the video certainly didnt support the dialogue.
If you re-watch, youll hear him say immediately after that, "If you believe that, you'll believe anything, haha"
He’s a driving range pro who is supplementing his income doing YouTube videos, nothing more. There are like 10 of these guys from the U.K. for some reason. If you base your equipment buying decisions on how one of these guys plays In Some random tournament you are way off base.
He seems like a great guy but not necessarily a great golfer. He’s passionate about equipment and does decent reviews so take it for what it is worth. Personally I think he does a nice job.
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Well I have noticed that his shots always go further in his driving bay testing than actual playing. How many times has he really smashed 300 yard drives on camera? He doesn't really out drive the pro's that he plays with. Frequently short of them. if he really drives it 300 yards out, he would occasionally out drive those guys. They often play from the white tees as well. A lot of what he does is marketing, and he's done it well for a youtuber. On the other hand he never presents himself as an awesome golfer though. You often can see how when he plays with some other pro's who are real good, they truly out class him. And most of the time it seems his long game is not as good as it should be for a pro. So they play alot of front tees. You see a lot of drive and then 150 into the green sequences. That said, I don't really mind. He's a teaching pro and obviously wasn't good enough to survive on tour if he ever tried. And he normally seems to be a better golfer anyway judging by his tournament performances. I really wish Tommy Fleetwood would have a youtube channel but then he probably wouldn't be very good at golf anymore. On a pro level that is.
Well I have noticed that his shots always go further in his driving bay testing than actual playing. How many times has he really smashed 300 yard drives on camera? He doesn't really out drive the pro's that he plays with. Frequently short of them. if he really drives it 300 yards out, he would occasionally out drive those guys. They often play from the white tees as well. A lot of what he does is marketing, and he's done it well for a youtuber. On the other hand he never presents himself as an awesome golfer though. You often can see how when he plays with some other pro's who are real good, they truly out class him. And most of the time it seems his long game is not as good as it should be for a pro. So they play alot of front tees. You see a lot of drive and then 150 into the green sequences. That said, I don't really mind. He's a teaching pro and obviously wasn't good enough to survive on tour if he ever tried. And he normally seems to be a better golfer anyway judging by his tournament performances. I really wish Tommy Fleetwood would have a youtube channel but then he probably wouldn't be very good at golf anymore. On a pro level that is.
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I think some talking about Pro's and handicaps on here, don't have a club about the handicap system in the UK.
I don't know a single Pro who keeps a handicap. Handicaps in the UK are not a product of every round that we play but every competition round we play. Most competitions - weekly club competitions, open competitions, etc are only open to amateur golfers. Pro's typically only play in Pro events. They go play and the lowest score is the winner, there is no need for them to have a handicap.
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Can anyone shed light on the pro's (one pro further up) who has a handicap? I was under the illusion that no pro on the planet has a handicap?
Back on topic; Rick said in his pre round vlog he was driving the ball oonbelievable! Best part of his game and his vlogs back that up.
There can be no excuses as Finch also does daily vlogs etc etc and shot a decent score for a driving range pro (I really hate his moveaway on all swings though)
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Thanks and there you are - he apparently doesn't.
Having said that, it's not hard to search his event results for those that are curious. Some good, some not good - inconsistent as you might expect.
100% this. For a long time it's been clear that he knows very little about the facts of golf. For a year he's worked with Dan Whittaker and in the studio his numbers look good yet on course his results have been horrible. And he hasn't made the connection.
If you have played much tournament golf you'd understand how it happened. Golf and tournament golf don't have much in common. Probably hasn't been playing much when the wheels fell off. He also might be injured too.
https://www.instagra...y=rickshielspga
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vokey 52--56--60
taylormade spider tour dj versionr
epic green staff bag or titleist cart bag
Not to mention, only 2 birdies after 54 holes of golf probably doesn't help much either.
For those of you that are curious and haven't looked it up, his three rounds were 88, 88, and 79. He double bogey'd the finishing hole of the tournament to shoot that 79.
+41 for the tournament, with the closest competitor to him coming in at +34.
To those of you apologists defending Rick saying family was his priority and he has had different drivers in the bag, etc. Im a professional, I have 3 boys under 8, haven’t touched a club due to injury in 4 months, and change my equipment frequently. I get clearance to play next week, and I guarantee I can shoot better than 80, let alone 88. I carry a handicap. Mine is in the plus range, which is why I can shoot better than 88. You may notice Rick never sniffs at breaking par in his highly controlled vlogs, which are usually played from the middle tees. That should tell you something.
Watch Rick’s stuff for entertainment, but don’t fool yourself into thinking he’s a player. By the way, his ability to hit golf balls all day every day using a GCQuad is a reason why he should be shooting low scores, not high scores. He plays A LOT of golf.
Also, if I hear Peter Finch say one more time that tour pros are better than him because of short game, I may lose my ever loving mind.
In the bag:
PING. Lots of PING.
Making 11 cuts from 12 events. Averaging 72.4 in tournament conditions. Yeah, I doubt many people on here can do the same.
Now that Crossfield guy! Just kidding.
Surely those two things just can’t go together along with some sort of day job or straight job, whatever they do for a regular salary.
99% of “ authorities on golf “ couldn’t break 80 if their lives depended on it. So he’s middle of the road for his profession.
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Agreed. I’m also a subscriber. I guess what I was saying was, not that he was being bashed, but I just wasn’t surprised.
My usual group of playing partners are 4 pga pros from my area... none carry handicaps because they are pros. When pros sign up for tournament, they don't ask for handicaps so why have one...
A little better than that, lol. http://www.pga.info/...he-picture.aspx
And his 76 in Open Qualifying wasn't all that bad last year, and miles ahead of what a 7 handicap would have shot.
Like them, don't like them, but not enough respect for people figuring out a way to make a living playing golf/teaching golf/bringing some exposure to the game. They are as wrx as most of us.
For me, it's entertaining and that's enough. Nobody forces anyone to click that play button.
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Considering he’s from the UK and they use a completely different handicap system why would he be in GHIN? Pros don’t play handicapped events and generally don’t keep handicaps.
If you re-watch, youll hear him say immediately after that, "If you believe that, you'll believe anything, haha"
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He seems like a great guy but not necessarily a great golfer. He’s passionate about equipment and does decent reviews so take it for what it is worth. Personally I think he does a nice job.
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Could Rick Shiels shoot under 85 at Augusta with masters Sunday pins without a caddy?
(Or even, could he beat an LPGA pro)....
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I don't know a single Pro who keeps a handicap. Handicaps in the UK are not a product of every round that we play but every competition round we play. Most competitions - weekly club competitions, open competitions, etc are only open to amateur golfers. Pro's typically only play in Pro events. They go play and the lowest score is the winner, there is no need for them to have a handicap.
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Back on topic; Rick said in his pre round vlog he was driving the ball oonbelievable! Best part of his game and his vlogs back that up.
There can be no excuses as Finch also does daily vlogs etc etc and shot a decent score for a driving range pro (I really hate his moveaway on all swings though)