Confessions 12 --- Exploding Heads

[DeNinny]

Ninja isn't letting those Miuras out of sight even in an armored car.

 

LMAO well played and not far from the truth. A pimp has to keep a strong hand over his #1 ho.

[mdgboxx]

Bummer, the season is winding down. We have two big storms lined up off the coast and are expecting as much as foot of rain. My last couple of rounds I couldn't really get anything going. A bunch of stubbed chips and bad putts result in throwing strokes away... This might be the year to actually do some training over the off season.

 

Today was the first morning in a while where I had my windshield wipers on maximum. It is pouring buckets now. (Good thing we played when we did.) I'm assuming my baby blades are put away for the rainy season. 'Training' with my Retro TBs and mp67s begins...

 

I use Aquapel on my windshield in mid-Spring. (Temps at 60°+) One application per year, vs monthly Rain-Ex.

I apply to the rear windshield/side windows every two/three years.

 

 

I don't get as much rain as you do out west, but although it works wonders in wet weather, it makes it a cinch to clean bug splatter off the windshield.

 

http://www.mrgadget....les-windshield/

[mdgboxx]

Here's hoping we get SOME rain down here... weather report for next week: 94/92/90 and 80's the rest of the time. We could use some winter and less summer, thanks!

 

Are you bragging or complaining? :cheesy:

[mdgboxx]

LOL Palauan Ninja, if your golf career is a bust, you could be the first Ninja Warrior golfer.

 

I confess I am fascinated with the show(s).

 

I'd have train much harder to compete LOL, those guys and gals are pretty fit. But the common theme I see where people fail is grip strength. These "cliff hanger" pull ups as I call them combined with hang cleans (olympic lift) will absolutely kill your grip and forearms. I can say that I'm more fit than ever, I have been stronger, but I feel more athletic now. Excited to see how this improves my golf game, I feel like my swing speed has increased, the whoosh sound is much louder now.

 

I love Am. Ninja Warrior, BUT I really miss the original Japan version that used to show on G4, that's also when Olivia Munn was co hosting "Attack of the Show" :wub: . The new one is aight but when that one commentator guy says "American Ninja Warrior" when they go to break I crack up it's so dramatic :D The show is still kick @ss though :ninja:

 

Olivia Munn? Seriously? (Not a fan.)

 

The Japanese quirky humor and contestant originality was much better, but the American actual athleticism is better than the Japanese show. I like both, but there is something about the original that was lost when it went American.

 

And yeah finger tip pull ups and rock climbing will get your wrists STRONG...great for golf!

 

LOL, Olivia Munn was hot at that point in time, I was few years out of high school. I still think she's gorgeous though. Maybe I'm weird LOL, I a big Jennifer Connelly fan as well! :)

 

I prefer blondes but Jennifer Connolly is the type of beauty that transcends any petty bias like that. Her bedroom eyes are gorgeous and she has a killer body. And she can act. She was tragically beautiful in Requiem for a Dream and gave an awesome supporting role performance. She was as good as Ellen Burstyn in it. I am a BIG fan.

 

How BIG is it?????? :rofl:

 

Never mind,

[mdgboxx]

All about the gingers with Scottish accents ... or blondes with Irish accents ... or Scandinavian ladies ... or pretty much any beauty with certain accents. :)

 

I guess we all have a fantasy of sorts. Mine is a well proportioned 6 foot, authentic red head. I'll even settle for a red headed albino.

 

Hazel eyes would be a definite show stopper!!!!

[mdgboxx]

PJ, I suck royally hitting into an indoor screen off a crappy mat. Even if I compared results like this with a known club, I would still want to hit the new club outside off real turf.

 

A lot of that indoor monitor stuff is just to give the ignorant golfer the IMPRESSION that there is actual 'data' to prove the new 'technology' you are testing. The only problem is that none of the testing and 'data' collection actually follows any scientific and statistically valid comparison test. It's simply expected that the golfer be ignorant of the fact that the sim may not actually reflect a real world result...they should just "trust" it!!!

 

(SMH × a bazillion)

 

Mats, crappy or otherwise, greatly reduce (almost eliminate) slippage that you would have to consider when hitting off turf. That works in the retailer's favor only.

 

The rep always encourages the customer to hit it as hard as he can: "To get the feel of the club"....! That's a crock if I ever heard one. And why I always walk in with my current clubs...To compare side by side in identical conditions.

[Gauchograd99]

Here's hoping we get SOME rain down here... weather report for next week: 94/92/90 and 80's the rest of the time. We could use some winter and less summer, thanks!

 

Are you bragging or complaining? :cheesy:

 

Complaining. PLEASE send rain! :)

[dan360]

Thanks to the Dick's Sporting Goods 50 off 100 sale, I stocked up on a year's supply of non-urethane balls. Still rockin' it white trash style.

[DeNinny]

Thanks to the Dick's Sporting Goods 50 off 100 sale, I stocked up on a year's supply of non-urethane balls. Still rockin' it white trash style.

 

http://youtu.be/jJKVlxA3Ykc

[DeNinny]

PJ, I suck royally hitting into an indoor screen off a crappy mat. Even if I compared results like this with a known club, I would still want to hit the new club outside off real turf.

 

A lot of that indoor monitor stuff is just to give the ignorant golfer the IMPRESSION that there is actual 'data' to prove the new 'technology' you are testing. The only problem is that none of the testing and 'data' collection actually follows any scientific and statistically valid comparison test. It's simply expected that the golfer be ignorant of the fact that the sim may not actually reflect a real world result...they should just "trust" it!!!

 

(SMH × a bazillion)

 

Mats, crappy or otherwise, greatly reduce (almost eliminate) slippage that you would have to consider when hitting off turf. That works in the retailer's favor only.

 

The rep always encourages the customer to hit it as hard as he can: "To get the feel of the club"....! That's a crock if I ever heard one. And why I always walk in with my current clubs...To compare side by side in identical conditions.

 

I can't handle the reps in those big brand stores. Just leave me alone and I will look at the numbers myself, as compared to my gamer club. Oh, and that FUGLY 'forgiving' club that you want me to try so bad...BTDT...so...GTFOH (please).

[dan360]

Thanks to the Dick's Sporting Goods 50 off 100 sale, I stocked up on a year's supply of non-urethane balls. Still rockin' it white trash style.

 

[media=]http://youtu.be/jJKVlxA3Ykc[/media]

 

[DeNinny]

Thanks to the Dick's Sporting Goods 50 off 100 sale, I stocked up on a year's supply of non-urethane balls. Still rockin' it white trash style.

...

 

 

[dan360]

[media=]

[/media]

 

 

http://www.youtu.be/8DzNwtbuYjE

[Fellaheen51]

[media=]http://www.youtu.be/8DzNwtbuYjE[/media]

 

[Matt J]

Well, fellas... good news from gloomy rainy southern Oregon.

 

With no outside golf on the horizon (we might dry out by next weekend), I've been doing a lot of carpet putting. My usual routine is 20 to 30 putts from 5 feet or so about 3 or 4 times per day. I putt one ball at another ball and try and hit putts of varying speeds despite the fact that I'm normally 5 feet away from the second ball. I try and hit the second ball solid like a pool shot 4 or 5 times before I quit each session. So, during my sessions this week I stumbled across something positive.

 

In essence I think I was chasing the ball down the line and pushing putts. I've always pushed putts and I think the whole left-eye-dominant lefty thing has me aiming slightly left too, so I can go whole rounds missing every putt left. My one round with a caddy, that's what he said, "dang bro, you push putts."

 

A few months back I heard one of the commentators on the PGA Tour coverage say that the butt of the putter should always aim at your belly button. It kind of clicked that I'm chasing the putt with the handle and holding off the release. My misses are 100% better after adjusting my stroke to "flip" at the ball more. My putting has really been disguising some good ball striking. I haven't had less than 30 putts in at least 20 rounds and I've still been shooting mid-seventies quite a bit. If I could shave 5 to 7 strokes off the green I could reach my goal of shooting even par.

[Palauan Hammer]

In regards to the butt end of the putter grip pointing at your belly button MJ, I think that's a great way to make sure your actually swinging the putter head. I've always been more of a putter conscious putter, meaning, I think of swinging the putter head. That Stockton method of dragging the handle through impact may work for some, but like you've experienced, I also had a bad case of the "pushes". I was missing 1.5 footers, it was bad. Started worrying less about rocking shoulders, which never works for me btw, to thinking about swinging the putter head, and it should be noted I ditched the forward press too. The result was a full release of the putter through the ball, the putter grip does point back toward my belly as well. I still putt like that to this day. Good luck finding the best stroke for your game Broskee!

[Matt J]

Got out on a practice green today and am pretty excited with the progress. Putting has been the 800 lb. Gorilla in the corner of the room for 6 months. Wish I had figured it out while the weather was better!

[CrabDaddy]

Interesting discovery, Matt. I had a good success, for a while, using a belly putter, and when talk about outlawing anchored putters first bubbled to the surface, I dusted off my Rossie for some practice. Lo and behold (<- really, a weird expression), my putting was much better than when I ditched the standard putter for the belly. I thought that, if nothing else, the belly putter would make for a great training aid.

The downfall, for me, was that, on long putts, I tended to send the ball hopping (don't know if I top the ball or hit down on it), so maintaining back of the hand towards the target, like Stockton promotes, helped to keep the putter head low to the ground before and after impact. Of course, that does not solve all my issues either, lol. I miss waaay too many 3-4 footers becasue I think steering the ball is more common with the "non-release".

 

So, I'm using the belly putter <5', Rossie LHL 5-12', and the counter-balanced V-Line w/claw grip > 12', LOL! Does the USGA grant medical waivers? I need that set up for my mental health! LOL!

[scomac2002]

 

So, I'm using the belly putter <5', Rossie LHL 5-12', and the counter-balanced V-Line w/claw grip > 12', LOL! Does the USGA grant medical waivers? I need that set up for my mental health! LOL!

 

I don't know about the USGA, but the OGA sure does!

 

IMO the anchoring ban was one of the great disservices to the recreational player all in the name of appearances.

 

I was late to the game with a belly putter, making my own up out of a Rossa Tourismo mallet that I extended and then added weight to the head with different interchangeable weights. I was just getting good with it when the anchoring ban came to pass. Thought I better go back to conventional before I was too reliant on the longer wand, so converted it back to conventional. I should have just let it be. My irons and wedges don't conform so why should I care about the putter? It was just more obvious.

 

Now it would seem that half the time people think I'm either nuts or cheap for playing "antiques" rather than being a "cheater" because they haven't been tested to see if they conform anymore even though they did when they were manufactured. It's pretty obvious who calls the shots in this game and it ain't the associations.

[CrabDaddy]

So, I'm using the belly putter <5', Rossie LHL 5-12', and the counter-balanced V-Line w/claw grip > 12', LOL! Does the USGA grant medical waivers? I need that set up for my mental health! LOL!

 

I don't know about the USGA, but the OGA sure does!

 

IMO the anchoring ban was one of the great disservices to the recreational player all in the name of appearances.

 

I was late to the game with a belly putter, making my own up out of a Rossa Tourismo mallet that I extended and then added weight to the head with different interchangeable weights. I was just getting good with it when the anchoring ban came to pass. Thought I better go back to conventional before I was too reliant on the longer wand, so converted it back to conventional. I should have just let it be. My irons and wedges don't conform so why should I care about the putter? It was just more obvious.

 

Now it would seem that half the time people think I'm either nuts or cheap for playing "antiques" rather than being a "cheater" because they haven't been tested to see if they conform anymore even though they did when they were manufactured. It's pretty obvious who calls the shots in this game and it ain't the associations.

The OGA needs to make bags that can handle > 15 clubs (or is it 14?) or some kind of attachment for carrying extras, lol. I'd still use the belly putter, but my V-Line is better all-around.

Yeah, I never understood the anchoring ban, especially for amatures. USGA looks at the landscape and sees... Problem: New materials and manufacturing bring about golf balls and drivers that go farther, straighter, and are more consistent, making classic courses obsolete for the highest echelon of elite golfers. Solution: Let's d!ck around with wedge grooves and how people hold their putter. LOL! That's an old topic that doesn't need to be re-hashed, but sometimes it's good to vent.

[BIG STU]

Crab What I think is funny is how Langer and others have found out successfully how to use the "broomstick" without anchoring to the sternum. That is pounding sand in the craw of the USGA. But then again if the PGA had had any balls to begin with they would have told the USGA to pound sand and kept anchoring legal in PGA events.

[BIG STU]

So, I'm using the belly putter <5', Rossie LHL 5-12', and the counter-balanced V-Line w/claw grip > 12', LOL! Does the USGA grant medical waivers? I need that set up for my mental health! LOL!

 

I don't know about the USGA, but the OGA sure does!

 

IMO the anchoring ban was one of the great disservices to the recreational player all in the name of appearances.

 

I was late to the game with a belly putter, making my own up out of a Rossa Tourismo mallet that I extended and then added weight to the head with different interchangeable weights. I was just getting good with it when the anchoring ban came to pass. Thought I better go back to conventional before I was too reliant on the longer wand, so converted it back to conventional. I should have just let it be. My irons and wedges don't conform so why should I care about the putter? It was just more obvious.

 

Now it would seem that half the time people think I'm either nuts or cheap for playing "antiques" rather than being a "cheater" because they haven't been tested to see if they conform anymore even though they did when they were manufactured. It's pretty obvious who calls the shots in this game and it ain't the associations.

That has been my contension all along that certain clubs were legal by USGA standards on the date of manufacture. When some of my irons were made no one knew about square or box grooves. The USGA has gotten out of hand and that is why I am no longer a member. If more rank and file golfers would do as I did and not re up their membership it may get their attention. I think it has to some point because they keep sending me mail to renew mine even after I have sent them several terse letters telling them what I think of their arseine ways. LOL sent it back to them in their own post paid envelope too.

 

The USGA has never heard of a "Grandfather Clause"

[Palauan Hammer]

I think it's about time I join the OGA! Stu, with your blessing I'd like to join please :D

 

Personally I notice ZERO difference in spin regarding the grooves.Also, I've tried a broomstick and belly putter, they weren't for me. So in my mind I see no actual advantage to either, and with anchoring, it's like anything else, it works for some, not all. Both pretty lousy rule changes as we all know.

 

Crabby D, I was stoked when Odyssey offered the V-Line in LH and I immediately grabbed one. I like a strong alignment aid on the putter because I don't care for a sharpie line on the ball. Great putter. I've always wondered what a ever-so-slightly smaller, milled, plumbers neck version of the V-line would be like :lol:

[BIG STU]

I think it's about time I join the OGA! Stu, with your blessing I'd like to join please :D

 

Personally I notice ZERO difference in spin regarding the grooves.Also, I've tried a broomstick and belly putter, they weren't for me. So in my mind I see no actual advantage to either, and with anchoring, it's like anything else, it works for some, not all. Both pretty lousy rule changes as we all know.

 

Crabby D, I was stoked when Odyssey offered the V-Line in LH and I immediately grabbed one. I like a strong alignment aid on the putter because I don't care for a sharpie line on the ball. Great putter. I've always wondered what a ever-so-slightly smaller, milled, plumbers neck version of the V-line would be like :lol:

Absolutely you are in you can kinda go see and pick your number

 

I am like you on the groove thing I see no difference. Saturday I was out on the range warming up and was spinning the crap out of the Muirfield irons with range balls. I was also spinning the worn out Clevelands and a Old brand new Hogan Special 51* K grind I had found a t Goodwill for $2.99 a year or so ago. Actually for me some of the newer "legal" wedges with the milling will spin more. Heck I can spin some of my wedges made in the 50s like that. For me it is the little cut I hit that does the spin thing. I do lose a little distance on my irons but maybe 5 yards or so. For me it is about control especially going into a green.

 

On the "broomhandle" or "Ski Pole" putter which ever one prefers to call it I messed around with one for a while. I am not as good off the edge of the green with it as a conventional putter. I also had distance control issues on long putts. 5 feet and in though it was deadly. One thing I found out is if you pull one or push one it will be greatly enhanced with the long putter. I still have mine over in the warehouse it is a Ping B-69i or something like that. It looks like a big banana on a ski pole. If I did not putt so good with the old rusty Cameron I would carry it and play it just to piss off the rules Nazis and the USGA fanboys.

 

Consider yourself a card carrying OGA member

[Palauan Hammer]

Thanks Stu!! I'll check the numbers and add a signature.

 

 

Same here on the wedges or irons for that matter, I think my swing and AOA have more to do with the spin than the actual grooves. And I'm with you on the texture milling on these new wedges. If anything I'm looking to control spin more than adding it. Nothing more frustrating than spinning one off the green after landing 4 feet from the hole. I mean, it's nice to be able to hold rock hard greens but when it's soft I really have to watch the spin. That's part of what I will really work on when I get back out there. Distance control, trajectory, and hop and stop shot with all wedges, from all distances.

 

I remember that Ping broomstick, when I first moved here to Guam in 96' I discovered the golf channel, they would always show the European Tour and I remember Sam Torrence using that model, and it does look like a Banana hahaha. You should paint it yellow LOL

 

When I have the chance I'm gonna make a bag tag like Ninja! I'll rock the OGA even when I go to these regional AM events LOL, of course I'll have to play buy R&A rules so I don't get DQ'ed though ;) but I will play with OGA spirit, do things MY way, and play MY game, screw everyone else :) . Anything is possible, even some dude from a small island working super hard and making it to the Asian Tour :D

 

 

EDIT: OK, hopefully no one has Member #3232, that's what I went with. My goal is to shoot a 64 next year, or a bogey free round.

[DeNinny]

The only conditions where the groove style *may* matter, if at all, are when

 

1) the lie is such that grass and other media can get between the ball and clubface

 

and

 

2) the loft is high enough.

 

On a clean strike, grooves won't matter nearly as much.

[mdgboxx]

Got out on a practice green today and am pretty excited with the progress. Putting has been the 800 lb. Gorilla in the corner of the room for 6 months. Wish I had figured it out while the weather was better!

 

We all know, and talk about the mental game, as long as it concerns someone else's. We forget that it could easily happen to us, personally. Yet, emotions are part of every day life, as we know it. And then appears the 800 lb. gorilla, aka pressure.

 

Don't be so hard on yourself. It's not unusual, nor is it a coincidence that the putting pressure, that was unknowingly troubling you, faded at the same rate as weather/daylight hours.

 

Off the top of my head, Tiger missed a tap in, by his standards, to set a low 60's record. Ariya Jutanugarn missed a 3 footer and eliminated herself from a playoff. John Daly missed a dumbass tap in to lose by one.

 

How do you get rid of emotional pressure?

 

You don't!

 

It needs to be replaced with "Fun". (for lack of a better word, carefree)

 

How do I get acquainted with Putting Fun?

 

I play Putt-Putt. (mini-golf, mini-putt) When things don't go so well, I like watching the children having a ball at what I consider a chore that day. It helps bring things back into perspective. I have become a loner, b/c of home base priorities. Otherwise I would set up a putting practice/comp with someone, just for the fun of it.

[DeNinny]

LOL mdg, I have witnessed Matt J's putting "problem" first hand...

 

...I'll just say that everything is relative.

[PapaJohick]

Mental game haha. That's funny this comes up today as I went out to play not caring about score (I did keep it for hc reasons but didn't care what I shot) and my only thought today was to take some frustrations I've had building the past week out on the ball. Just step up and hit the ball with everything type attitude. Didn't think about squat swing wise. Didn't think about pressures of hitting certain shots or about playing with two really good players that I got paired up with.

 

What happened? I had my best ball strking day in a very very long time. I hit almost 6/14 fairways (not a lot) but the other 8 were never in any "trouble" except one. I hit a record amount of greens. 8/18 (yes I know that sucks haha but I don't normally hit greens. I score with my chips and pitches). Only had one penalty. Putting was horrible today though but I blame it on using a new putter that I haven't ever hit a ball with so distance control was ummm bad. Ended with 33 putts. ( with 4, yes 4, three putts) all 3 putts were when hitting a green..... two of which were inside 20 feet ouch. Shot an 86 that for sure could have been 5-7 shots lower (again due to putting alone and the one penalty). The remarkable thing? I was averaging 260ish driving and had a couple go past 270. It was awesome and a great feeling. Really need to work on just swinging free from now on. New swing thought? Just stay mad at the stupid little ball and swing at it haha.

 

Hope all is well guys

[Palauan Hammer]

Mental game haha. That's funny this comes up today as I went out to play not caring about score (I did keep it for hc reasons but didn't care what I shot) and my only thought today was to take some frustrations I've had building the past week out on the ball. Just step up and hit the ball with everything type attitude. Didn't think about squat swing wise. Didn't think about pressures of hitting certain shots or about playing with two really good players that I got paired up with.

 

What happened? I had my best ball strking day in a very very long time. I hit almost 6/14 fairways (not a lot) but the other 8 were never in any "trouble" except one. I hit a record amount of greens. 8/18 (yes I know that sucks haha but I don't normally hit greens. I score with my chips and pitches). Only had one penalty. Putting was horrible today though but I blame it on using a new putter that I haven't ever hit a ball with so distance control was ummm bad. Ended with 33 putts. ( with 4, yes 4, three putts) all 3 putts were when hitting a green..... two of which were inside 20 feet ouch. Shot an 86 that for sure could have been 5-7 shots lower (again due to putting alone and the one penalty). The remarkable thing? I was averaging 260ish driving and had a couple go past 270. It was awesome and a great feeling. Really need to work on just swinging free from now on. New swing thought? Just stay mad at the stupid little ball and swing at it haha.

 

Hope all is well guys

 

Awesome Papa!!

 

Sometimes we all get caught up in the minute details, we tie ourselves in knots going through a long "swing checklist". At some point you have to just let it go. I went through a terrible slump, I was trying too hard. I changed ( or tried to change) my swing and basically didn't play golf. I was playing golf swing, I was thinking about where I didn't want my ball to go, I was thinking about my score and living and dying with every shot/swing. I almost walked away from the game, serious.

 

It was when I went back to basics, focused on the target instead of swing, and relaxed and had fun my game came back. I'm a fierce competitor by nature so having fun was probably the hardest thing for me to learn. However, after what I've gone through these past 2 years and 7 months, I can assure you I will have fun every time I tee it up the rest of my time on this Earth.

 

Sorry for the rant guys LOL!!

 

 

I agree Papa, see ball, smash ball, have fun!! :) And don't worry about your putting, when you have a great GIR day you subconsciously put a little more pressure on your putting, I know I've done that. Just keep that same nonchalance on the green, keep in natural, and let it roll!

 

 

 

BTW MDG, I'm hoping there's still a mini golf place out here! When I'm free I'm going :D