Matthew Fitzpatrick whines about BDC...

[gvogel]

7 hours ago, clevited said:

 

Not even close, but thanks for playing.

I was pretty darn close of the loft, so I was half right.  Wrong on the shaft length.

Krank head, right?

 

I fooled around with SMT heads for awhile, and got to know Mike Tait.  Really nice guy.

Edited October 17, 2020 by gvogel

[gvogel]

7 hours ago, clevited said:

 

Is that true now.  Where is your statistical proof for golfers of all skill levels?  Seriously, if you have that, i want to see.

 

Edit: FYI, i have/had many drivers I play around with.  I have a 4.5 degree long driver, i had a 5.5* 46 inch driver, 7.5* 45.5, and now i almost exclusively play 7.5* or 6.5* 44 inch driver.  I do enjoy hitting up on the ball but if i am playing for score, i lower my aoa to sub 5 degrees roughly for most drives or i hit 5w.  I can pretty much hit a 5 wood hard as I want and keep it in play, can't say the same for driver at all.  Therfore it is the hardest club in the bag.  If i want to replace it with a glorified 3 wood to better control it i can, but that is what my 5 wood is for.  Driver is for when i need to get it out there as far as possible, 5w is for when i need to keep it in play on a narrow fairway or if i don't need an extra 50 yards.  

 

I can't believe you guys are trying to sell to me the idea the driver is the easiest club in the bag.  Funny stuff.

I remember reading that a PGA Tour pro said that hitting driver was the easiest club in his bag - or something to that effect.  And in the age of wood drivers of less than 200 cc, driver was the most difficult club to hit, which is why Sam Snead had a 2-wood which he used fairly often.

[clevited]

13 minutes ago, gvogel said:

I was pretty darn close of the loft, so I was half right.  Wrong on the shaft length.

Krank head, right?

 

I fooled around with SMT heads for awhile, and got to know Mike Tait.  Really nice guy.

 

Im currently using a TM M1 430.  Not sold on it at it behaves way different spin wise than my Krank.  Yeah my sig disappeared with my current stuff but sadly, the Krank died.  Gone through 4 drivers this year.

[pinhigh27]

4 hours ago, bladehunter said:

Matthew Wolfe .... saw him do it several times off the tee in last month.  

One of the longest players on tour and has apparently done it a handful of times . How does this establish a trend for the average tour player 

[Sean2]

1 hour ago, pinhigh27 said:

One of the longest players on tour and has apparently done it a handful of times . How does this establish a trend for the average tour player 

It doesn't, but that's how the announcers/media likes to roll. It's all about hyperbole these days, and unreasonable extrapolations resulting from that hyperbole. 

[Shilgy]

3 hours ago, gvogel said:

I remember reading that a PGA Tour pro said that hitting driver was the easiest club in his bag - or something to that effect.  And in the age of wood drivers of less than 200 cc, driver was the most difficult club to hit, which is why Sam Snead had a 2-wood which he used fairly often.

And here I thought there was only one being** that could hit a one iron. 😏 And long irons were way harder Han driver back in the day. At least for me they were.

 

 

** carefully keeping religion out of the conversation. 

[fowlerscousin]

3 hours ago, gvogel said:

I remember reading that a PGA Tour pro said that hitting driver was the easiest club in his bag - or something to that effect.  And in the age of wood drivers of less than 200 cc, driver was the most difficult club to hit, which is why Sam Snead had a 2-wood which he used fairly often.

that seems hard to believe to me. i think these "easy 7 irons" "smooth nine" "nuked eight" would be easier for them.

[MUNIGRIT]

Haven't read the actual story but just going off the title. Is Matt whining about his lack of wins on Bryson and his work ethic?

[vtpachyderm]

Roll back or limiting the ball/driver/equipment will still separate those who put the time and effort to hit whatever it is they have longer to make the game shorter. It might make for better viewing for the purists out there, but Fitzpatrick will still complain about whoever it is hitting it longer than him. At the pro level where people are making a living, obviously, they will look for every advantage in the rules allow to give themselves an edge to win. Every single dominant player of the time did that regardless of equipment since they all played under the same rules.

 

We've already got bifurcation - the handicap system. Golf is the only sport I can think of which has handicaps - think about it, you're helping players who are not as good to be able to play against much better players. Is Fitzpatrick saying that they should play with handicaps as well because he doesn't want to get longer (his words saying if he put on 40 pounds he could be as long). Why not eliminate handicaps altogether if you want to play golf in it's purest form?

 

At the amateur level, there is nothing stopping us from not using a driver, or not investing in the latest and greatest to limit how far we can hit it. Why do we amateurs play with GPS and rangefinders - it's not how the game was originally played? Had to eye-ball, pace it out, or use whatever worked for you at the time to figure out distances.

 

Hell, every time a group of me and my mates play, we decide on what rules we're playing to i.e. 3 clubs, straight up, half hcp, etc. etc. just to make it fun. What the pros do has no bearing on our love and enjoyment of the game. We've got a society of about 20 of us, and we play regularly, and on all the rounds we've had winners with hcps as high as 25 to scratch guys, and there are no words to describe how much fun we have even though the skill level is so spread.

 

I mean the list could go on and on, but I honestly believe that golf is as popular as it is now because the entry ticket is that much easier and that's only a good thing. You still have to put in the hours and effort to get good, but everyone on here knows that already right? 😉

[Titleist99]

9 hours ago, vtpachyderm said:

Roll back or limiting the ball/driver/equipment will still separate those who put the time and effort to hit whatever it is they have longer to make the game shorter. It might make for better viewing for the purists out there, but Fitzpatrick will still complain about whoever it is hitting it longer than him. At the pro level where people are making a living, obviously, they will look for every advantage in the rules allow to give themselves an edge to win. Every single dominant player of the time did that regardless of equipment since they all played under the same rules.

 

We've already got bifurcation - the handicap system. Golf is the only sport I can think of which has handicaps - think about it, you're helping players who are not as good to be able to play against much better players. Is Fitzpatrick saying that they should play with handicaps as well because he doesn't want to get longer (his words saying if he put on 40 pounds he could be as long). Why not eliminate handicaps altogether if you want to play golf in it's purest form?

 

At the amateur level, there is nothing stopping us from not using a driver, or not investing in the latest and greatest to limit how far we can hit it. Why do we amateurs play with GPS and rangefinders - it's not how the game was originally played? Had to eye-ball, pace it out, or use whatever worked for you at the time to figure out distances.

 

Hell, every time a group of me and my mates play, we decide on what rules we're playing to i.e. 3 clubs, straight up, half hcp, etc. etc. just to make it fun. What the pros do has no bearing on our love and enjoyment of the game. We've got a society of about 20 of us, and we play regularly, and on all the rounds we've had winners with hcps as high as 25 to scratch guys, and there are no words to describe how much fun we have even though the skill level is so spread.

 

I mean the list could go on and on, but I honestly believe that golf is as popular as it is now because the entry ticket is that much easier and that's only a good thing. You still have to put in the hours and effort to get good, but everyone on here knows that already right? 😉

Quote: 'You still have to put in the hours and effort to get good, but everyone on here knows that already right?" unQuote:   

 

I have to tell you, there's many on this fine board that think all you have to do is buy the modern equipment and you will instantly be good at golf and that golf is an easy sport......No skill required!

[vtpachyderm]

3 hours ago, Titleist99 said:

Quote: 'You still have to put in the hours and effort to get good, but everyone on here knows that already right?" unQuote:   

 

I have to tell you, there's many on this fine board that think all you have to do is buy the modern equipment and you will instantly be good at golf and that golf is an easy sport......No skill required!

Wouldn't be GolfWRX otherwise would it?

[Freeze]

On 10/17/2020 at 3:07 PM, gvogel said:

I remember reading that a PGA Tour pro said that hitting driver was the easiest club in his bag - or something to that effect.  And in the age of wood drivers of less than 200 cc, driver was the most difficult club to hit, which is why Sam Snead had a 2-wood which he used fairly often.

“The driver is the most forgiving club in the bag now. You swing as hard as you can and get it down there far, it’s not skillful. It’s not a skillful part of the game anymore.”

 

Adam Scott last year at Medinah

[FakeClubPro]

On 10/10/2020 at 11:48 AM, ChrisSP said:

Embarrassing comments by Fitzpatrick. Power has always been an advantage in golf. It was an advantage for Jack, it was an advantage for Tiger, and it's been an advantage for many others, including Rory and DJ to name a few.

 

But power alone will never make someone one of the best players in the world. Look at a guy like Jamie Sadlowski. He's trying to play for a living these days. How that's working out? All of the guys I named had immense skills, and so does Bryson. To assert otherwise is laughable.

 

Personally, I play regularly with some guys who hammer it by me. So what, according to Fitzpatrick, I'm just supposed to quit?  Screw that. I find other ways to compete and beat those guys, and I love playing against them.

 

Maybe Fitzpatrick should put down the Kleenex box and find his own way to be a better player.

 

Good post.  Look at Francesco Molanari a few years ago.  He is not a bomber but was laser with his irons, stayed in the fairway and putted well.  He won the Open in 2018.   T2 PGA Championship in 2017.  He just gets out there and works his game.

 

Rory is not as tall as Fitzpatrick but Rory became a gym rat and can bomb it.  I think Fitz is 5'10" and Rory is 5'9"??    Almost every guy out there now including on the Korn Ferry Tour are very fit. 

[gticlay]

I hit it a long ways and have had total distance of 400 in good conditions... but I don't think I've ever carried it 400.  That's real, real long.  I'd love to get some tips from him.  I'll say I think there's always gonna be the guy who makes a comment like that MF guy did (see what I did there?).  All this talk reminds me a great deal of when Tiger won the 1997 Masters by 12 strokes.  Here's some (positive) comments from other Tour players.  And the answer is NOT to "shorten the ball", it's to make these guys play a more difficult course setup.  Did you know the maximum speed of the golf ball is still 255fps?  Same as always.  Well, I'm no expert, but I'm posting a video at the bottom that has some great discussion and recommendations.

 

Ernie Els

Els, who in later years would become a frequent major-championship bridesmaid to Woods, said he remembered seeing Woods on the range after the roller-coaster opening-round 70 that began with a 40 on the front nine and ended with a 30 on the back, “and I could see the excitement and the joy’’ in Woods’ face.

“He knew he’d won the first hurdle,’’ Els said. “I think he knew then that it was over.’’

Nick Faldo

Faldo, the defending champion who was paired with Woods in that opening round, knew it was over, too.

“The way I analyzed it, he went out in 40, came back in 30 and we didn’t see him for dust for another 14 years,’’ Faldo said. “That was the start of Tiger and the start of his dominance. It was a special day. You go out in 40 and then you win by 12. That’s something pretty unique.”

Faldo shot 75 that day and followed it with an 81 and missed the cut.

Paul Azinger

Azinger, an 11-time PGA Tour winner with one major championship, was paired with Woods in the second round. He began the day one shot ahead of Woods and ended it six shots behind after Woods’ 66 to his 73.

“I never had seen Tiger hit a shot until that round,’’ Azinger said. “When he won the way he won, it was amazing, but you didn’t know its place in history at the time. I didn’t understand its place in history at the time. It wasn’t, to me, the beginning of the unfolding of an historic run. I didn’t see it. My crystal ball had a crack in it.’’

Colin Montgomerie

One of the great exchanges of that week involved Montgomerie, who was paired with Woods in Saturday’s third round.

On Friday night, Montgomerie, three shots behind Woods, waxed poetic about the fact that the young Woods had never been in the position of taking a major championship lead into the weekend and how everything changes on the weekend of a major.

“The pressure is mounting … and I have a lot more experience in major championships,’’ Monty said that night.

Woods, in his recently published book, revealed that Montgomerie’s words “definitely motivated me.’’

Woods shot 65 that Saturday to Montgomerie’s 74, and after the round, Monty spoke as if he had seen a ghost.

“All I have to say is one brief comment today,’’ Monty told reporters. “There is no chance … we’re all human beings here … [and] there is no chance humanly possible that Tiger is going to lose this tournament. No way.’’

Montgomerie, on a recent NBC conference call, recalled that Saturday round by Woods as “the easiest 65 I’ve ever seen.’’

“From the second hole onwards, I thought, ‘Hang on a minute. This is something extraordinary,’ ’’ he said. “This is a game that I had not seen before and none of us had. I’m probably the reason he did what he did. I thought I would beat him. I was wrong. But I admitted it. I’d just witnessed something very special. I thought I shot a very solid 74 until I lost to him by nine shots. I witnessed something that nobody else had seen.’’

Montgomerie, surely rattled by the thumping he took from Woods on Saturday, shot 81 on Sunday.

 

Costantino Rocca

The Italian was paired with Woods in the final round. Trailing by eight shots at the start, Rocca played a bit part in the coronation as Woods shot 69 and won by the record 12 shots.

“At that time, he was very powerful and the people were going crazy to see this thing,’’ Rocca recalled. “From the 13th to the 18th, the people supported him like crazy. I don’t know if anyone remembered I was on the golf course. It was good for him, not for me.’’

Steve Stricker

Stricker had just played with Woods earlier in the year at Pebble Beach and realized, “I don’t have that game.’’

“He’s playing it 310 or 315 and hitting 3-wood past my driver and he just had this intimidating look about him and this belief in himself,’’ Stricker said. “So I saw it earlier in the year. But then to see him put it all together at Augusta was pretty cool. He showed the world what he was capable of at that time … and it was just a glimpse of what was to come.”

Gary Woodland

Woodland, as a teenage boy living in Kansas and playing every sport he could in ’97, said he watched that ’97 Masters on a VHS tape his mother gave him, and it changed his life.

“I watched it over and over and that’s when I got excited about golf,’’ Woodland said. “I was playing so many other sports that I wasn’t focused on golf. But Tiger was an athlete. Where I grew up, nobody played golf. But he made it cool.

“That week changed everything for me. I probably would have tried to play baseball or something else, but he made it cool for athletes to play golf and that’s what I wanted to do. Eventually, I probably will tell him that.’’

Brendan Steele

Steele was an impressionable teenager growing up outside of Palm Springs, Calif., when Woods did what he did in ’97.

“I had just kind of picked up golf,’’ Steele said. “I definitely remember sitting around and watching that Masters and
being so blown away by it — the dominance and the madness. I don’t know that I would be where I am without that week. It definitely motivated me and excited me about the game more than I had ever been before.’’

Jordan Spieth

Enlarge Image Tiger Woods (left) and Jordan Spieth, during a practice round before the 2015 MastersGetty Images

“There’s nobody who had more influence in my golf game than Tiger,’’ Spieth said. “He brought it in every tournament … the dominance, the way that he was able to bring it in the majors, the way that he was able to kind of get into contention and be in contention and be at that highest kind of mental part of the game week-in and week-out and major-in and major-out.”

Jason Day

Day was a 9-year-old living in Rockhampton, a town in rural Queensland in Australia, when Woods was changing the game in a week.

“My dad had this turn-knob TV with bunny ears and you had to move the antenna to get the right picture and it was like really early in the morning,” Day recalled. “I remember [Woods] walking up the 18th and he obliterated the field. There’s two moments where Tiger really got me into golf — that moment when he won the ’97 Masters and I started playing more golf than I usually did at that age. Then when I read a book about him when I was 14. Those are the two moments that really kind of changed my life with regards to my career.”

Ian Poulter

Poulter, who was manning his local pro shop in England, selling golf shirts when Woods was dismantling Augusta in ’97, said what transpired “opened everyone’s eyes.’’

“When that happened in ’97, you don’t think anything other that, ‘Wow, this kid’s exceptional,’ ’’ Poulter said. “But I don’t think anyone thought right then he’s going to win 14 majors and take on Jack’s record. That week changed everything. It changed golf for everybody. It changed courses for us all, it changed purses, it changed equipment.’’

Bernhard Langer

Langer won the Masters in 1985 and 1993. So he knew his way around Augusta National about as well as anyone walking the grounds. And yet …

“I couldn’t believe some of the clubs he was hitting,’’ Langer said. “He was demolishing some of the par-4 and par-5s. It was sort of unheard of at the time. That got the Masters to do something about that — plant trees and make it longer. At that time, it looked like he was going to break Jack’s record and be the greatest player ever. Then he took a different turn.”

Nick Price

Price recalled Woods “totally overpowered the golf course,’’ adding, “We had not seen that happen at Augusta, I think probably since [Jack] Nicklaus back in the ’60s. It was a clinic for all of us. We knew that this was a whole new ballgame now.”

Adam Scott

“I remember that whole week very, very clearly,’’ Scott said. “I was watching on TV at home in Australia. It was the start of something amazing that happened over the next 10 or 11 years. If you think just about the reaction to how he played that golf course and then now what Augusta National Golf Club looks like now compared to what it looked like for the 50 years before Tiger, that’s a significant change.

“And then, you think of the influence Augusta National Golf Club has over golf around the rest of the world and the way courses have since been treated. They kind of led the ‘Tiger proofing,’ and now it seems like every course is ‘Tiger proofed.’ ’’

Andy North

North was working his first Masters as an analyst at ESPN that year and called Woods’ dominance “a signal that the rest of the golf world was going to be in a lot of trouble if they expected to beat this guy.’’

“And then there was the impact he’s had over the last 20 years,’’ North said. “He made golf cool for a lot of younger kids. If you were a kid playing in high school golf team back in the late ’90s and early 2000s all of a sudden now you were proud to walk through the front door of the school with your golf clubs to put in your locker, versus trying to sneak them in the back door. Now, all of a sudden people recognized that golf was a sport that meant something.’’"