So it finally happened! 30 year old clubs vs current Years

[Exactice808]

Skip the opening for the meat and potatoes

 

 

Opening

 

Let me start off with this, if you didnt know me, I struggled with PTSD for about 11 years, never got on a major airplane flight since 2006. (I live on an island, so island hopping is about 30 minutes)

 

Finally took the plunge and went to Japan! 9 hour flight yikes.

 

made it and said Im going to Play GOLF! and I Did!

 

Japanese Golf and American, is very very different, 4 hours per 9 holes an hour lunch and another 4 hour per 9 holes...... If you dont have the stomach for slow play, um yeah..... it was a little rough.

 

 

Equipment Points. - Meat and Potatoes

 

Per my sig, pretty well setup bag I have at home, Loft and lies are all setup for me (2* flat etc), gaping is all setup, other then the new M2 3 wood I am testing..... My bag is pretty well setup to me.

 

On a normal day I would shoot about 85, ON a good day I would say 78-79, on a bad day the sky is the limits 100+ LOL.

 

I was limited in Japan to what was available around me and my father in law's old stuff.

 

Mizuno Pro MS-4's - 3-PW with S200 shafts. (These things were old...... but they worked.)

 

I bought a used Callaway 58* LW and got an amazing fitting @ a Japanese Golf store, with an old Legacy Driver, with a Tour AD DJ 7x shaft. (after I had a cheap, TM R7 with a stock 60gram shaft, the Japanese worker, offered me a bunch of clubs to try and fitted me int he Legacy driver.)

 

 

 

Bottom Line score? Shot 89, 14 over front, and 3 over back. 3 birdies. ( Yups read that right)

 

Bottom Line course? Freaking the most narrow fairways, I have ever seen in my life, 20 yards max width most holes, OB left and right, But the course was relatively short (6200 yards), most par 4s, I was within PW-9 iron range, 3 of 4 par 5's I was about 220 yards out, but no woods so could not reach in 2.

 

Bottom Line Local rules? OB does not mean re-tee, it means go to drop area and your are laying 4. So its double at best. (Frick) 3 OB's on the front 9

 

 

OK the discussion.

 

Does equipment matter? the actual clubs? Nope? Does gaping and understanding your gaping matter more? YUPS, It didnt matter if I had an SGI or a blades, If I understood my distance in which I did, (Elevation changes & LOFTS per club, the PW was 49* loft, So I just played them like my normal GW. subsequently, played all 1 clubs weaker, So 9 Iron was my PW etc etc.

 

 

The hardest part for me was I could not hit the 4 or 3 iron to save my life ( I went to a driving range to test all clubs and get a grasp of meters to yards conversion) So basically I had nothing longer than a 5 iron to hit. Which meant I had no woods so there was no attacking Par 5 in 2 in which, I likely could have if I had a 3 or 5 wood as 3 of the 4 par 5 I was within 220 of the flag with my drive.

 

 

So was the cubs in Japan better in any way shape or form? I would say better as I was surprised to shoot an 89, first time ever playing somewhere else, playing In Japan, playing with random clubs etc etc, every excuse I can think of. More so making 3 birdies and shooting a 14 over front...then firing a 3 over back.

 

No the clubs were not better at all.

 

It was resorting to the basic of skills, playing withing my ability and playing with what I had.

 

How could I shoot similar scores without any woods, when all most par 5's were reachable, or the fairways were so damn narrow yet short, but did not have a layup club as my 5 iron was way to short to lay up with....

 

These thoughts have really pushed the boundaries, to me to really push back on my basic skills rather than me tweaking clubs to fit me.... I already have the basic skills to shoot a decent score, but to shoot better I just need to keep tweaking the basic skills, rather then the clubs LOL

 

I know this seems stupid and I know this seems redundant, but its hard to admit, when "new" tech comes out and it DOES help.... It DOES make life easier, but it doesn't mean you shoot better scores.

 

 

*stepping off soap box*

 

Sorry just wanted to share my experience with playing clubs 30 years old, with a limited bag of 11 clubs, but shooting basically the same score I normally would with my normal gamer bag in a totally different country and environment.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

From the dropping area, you are playing 4, so you do have a chance at bogey. On par threes on some courses, you are playing three from the dropping area, so you have the chance to chip on and one-putt for par.

Were you playing a course around Tokyo?

[Exactice808]

From the dropping area, you are playing 4, so you do have a chance at bogey. On par threes on some courses, you are playing three from the dropping area, so you have the chance to chip on and one-putt for par.

Were you playing a course around Tokyo?

 

If my Japanese is correct , you are Dropping 4 (not playing 4), Hitting 5 onto the green. 1 putting for double. If this was the case, then likely I could carve 3 strokes from the 3 OB's I had. BUT, the drop zones were pretty generous. (I guess you can make bogey, if you hole out?) Not likely thought LOL!

 

 

No I did not get a chance to play in Tokyo, I was out in the Country. I played in a place called, Fujiwara Golf Course, part of the Arcadia Club?

 

Beautiful place.... a little cold for me, but manageable, fun though! Just LLLOOONNNGGG!

[MtlJeff]

On my honeymoon in 2013 i used Ping Eye2's with a 20 degree hybrid and a 5yr old driver. I played fairly close to my handicap for the most part.

 

While i played OK, i prefer my newer clubs and in the long run would score a bit better with them

[Exactice808]

On my honeymoon in 2013 i used Ping Eye2's with a 20 degree hybrid and a 5yr old driver. I played fairly close to my handicap for the most part.

 

While i played OK, i prefer my newer clubs and in the long run would score a bit better with them

 

LOL! ..... the inner voice is still talking to you, LOL.... I will agree... While likely I would score, a little bit better, and I prefer the LOOKS of my newer clubs over the older ones..... did they make that much of a difference if I put in the proper practice?.....

 

While I WONT..... disgrace the enhanced tech as I mentioned in my above post.......I think everyone one capable to play anything with the right amount of basic skill and focus....Im an idiot...and I pulled it off somehow, and I would say, when I go back to Japan....I would be more than happy just playing with those clubs than shipping my stuff up there... just to shoot 3 strokes better...... when I can learn to just keep it out of the OB =) HAHAH!

[Medic]

A friend of mine was really into shooting. Mostly .22 caliber rifles with a scope.

 

We went to the range and did a little competition. And I won. Handily.

 

As we were chatting over a bite to eat afterwards I found out a few things.

 

First his scope had never been zeroed. Well not formally and properly anyway. So he was going off of the idea that a little kit he purchased to set it at 75 yards would be accurate.

Second, the ammunition he was using was some knock-off brand that smoked like a musket with black powder. Turned out he used this cheap stuff all of the time. Great for plinking but could cause a real mess in the barrel.

Which brings me to the third thing - he rarely cleaned his rifle. Odds are, from the nasty ammo he was using, it was all sorts of fouled up in that barrel. Enough that it probably caused some of his shots to go astray.

And finally he rarely practiced. He basically went to the range about once or twice a year.

 

My point?

 

Really simple.

 

It is rarely the equipment but is instead the user. And the wrong equipment or equipment ill-fitted for the task won't perform as well. Practice does indeed make perfect - how can one improve without it? And taking care of whatever equipment you do have really can effect performance.

 

My rifle was brand new when I bought it in 1980.

His was brand new when he bought it about 5 years ago.

 

: )

 

I think everyone gets the idea.

 

And I cannot count the number of times I have played with someone using irons from 20 years ago and watched in amazement as they scorched the course and one great shot after another. Sure, a part of me could not help but wonder how this person might do with "newer/better" but then again the better part of me falls back onto the old thought about not fixing things that aren't really broken.

 

I'd expand on this more now but I have to go look on the BST for a new wedge to possibly replace the one that is perfectly fine in my bag and works well but that I for some unknown reason I feel the urge to replace.

[roundersmitty]

Hmm....glad to see the "no re-tee rule for OB (drop)" is in effect to speed up play to a manageable 4hrs per 9 holes....

[RobotDoctor]

Golf clubs today have stronger lofts than 30 years ago. Today a PW is 46-47 degrees. 30 years ago a 9 iron was 46-47 degrees. The lofts go down accordingly. Clubs today are 1 iron stronger (5 iron 30 years ago = 6 iron today and so forth).

[Exactice808]

Hmm....glad to see the "no re-tee rule for OB (drop)" is in effect to speed up play to a manageable 4hrs per 9 holes....

 

LOL..... Cant imagine what it would be without the OB drop rule....

 

Again to preface, American Golf is different from Japanese golf.....while I knew about it sorta...I didnt realize why....and now I really understand...The idea of golf in Japan is slightly different from American golf, With that, the filling of Tee times is totally different. Take into mind that 9 holes is more the traditional thought and you have to book 2 nine hole tee times IF you want a full 18.

 

 

With that, you also have to take into account, that they do NOT space tee times ( sorta), its basically, a one after the other after the other after the other, so every single shot you have to wait....its intense.... and LONG... but sorta interesting in that...with respect to each shot.... you can sorta really plan out your attack pattern if you are that detailed. I mean you have a lot of time to study your shot as you wait for the group in front to clear. so you can calculate your miss shot, you can calculate your distance and landing spots..... Its really a different approach on golf from what I have known. So it was a pretty big eye opener.

 

 

Anyways, back to the equipment. It was weird as I had lots of time to study, the clubs I had to (kinda A.D.D) like that, So I figured out the lies, the lofts and even the difference in S200 vs S300 vs PX 6.0 that I have, to get an idea of how different it would play. I wanted to make the best of this golf round since it was new.

 

 

But it really surprised me, that I played so well with the limited clubs as well, I lacked a SW, I lacked anything longer than a 5 iron, and the driver, was hit or miss, (meaning I had a day to fit into it, took it to the range one day and I was off to the course, never expected a club to just perform the first time out)

 

 

Thanks for all your responses, I guess I am just an excited school boy wanted to share a TOTALLY new experience!

[mahonie]

I bought a set of mint Mac VIP Limited’s from the early 1970s for pennies a few months ago (2-9). 2-iron is 20* and 9-iron is 48*, gaps between clubs fairly consistent and with very stiff and stout Tourney Taper shafts. The first shot I hit on my first round with them, after a couple of range sessions, was a 3-iron from 190 yards into a par 5. Flush contact, a touch of draw, pitched at about 175 yards in the fringe and ran out to pin high 20 feet left of hole. Holed the putt with my old Wilson Staff 8813 for my only eagle this year. Shot 2 under my handicap.

 

I’ve played a couple of rounds with them since and I could quite easily put them permanently in the bag but I wouldn’t want to risk upsetting my MP4s (and the gapping at the top of the bag is awkward).

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

From the dropping area, you are playing 4, so you do have a chance at bogey. On par threes on some courses, you are playing three from the dropping area, so you have the chance to chip on and one-putt for par.

Were you playing a course around Tokyo?

 

If my Japanese is correct , you are Dropping 4 (not playing 4), Hitting 5 onto the green. 1 putting for double. If this was the case, then likely I could carve 3 strokes from the 3 OB's I had. BUT, the drop zones were pretty generous. (I guess you can make bogey, if you hole out?) Not likely thought LOL!

 

 

No I did not get a chance to play in Tokyo, I was out in the Country. I played in a place called, Fujiwara Golf Course, part of the Arcadia Club?

 

Beautiful place.... a little cold for me, but manageable, fun though! Just LLLOOONNNGGG!

 

Just looked up Fujiwara golf course. Looks pretty nice, but in Mie? Never been there, only through it.

 

On the courses around me, it's playing four, not lying four, but who knows what they do in Mie??