Unpopular Equipment Opinions

[Gsea]

NET stands for Not Enough Talent

[BHI 99]

1. Long irons aren’t suitable as alignment aids. 

2. $100 head covers offer more protection. 

3. Last year’s driver just doesn’t work anymore. 

[vtpachyderm]

This man is my hero 😉. Wins a pro tournament that gets him into The Open. Carrying his own bag with only 11 clubs! No caddy, no push cart, and a reduced set.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/juvic-pagunsan-caddie-half-set-japan-tour

 

I've given my take on walking vs. riding. They had the option of using a caddy that rode around in a cart, but he thought that was annoying - so, tell me again why we amateurs are not walking more if it makes a round more efficient. If a course design is such that distances between holes are long, then that's on the course, and should be called out for bad design (basically, only trying to make money, and not really give a good golfing experience).

 

Also, I've said that bags are way too big and cumbersome, and this guy goes even further and played with fewer clubs to lighten the load, which ended up simplifying the game for him.

 

So - perhaps Mr. Pagunsan leads in most unpopular equipment opinions, and has backed it up!! 😃

 

 

[TangoWhiskey]

Comments saying "X handicappers should not play Y type irons" are cringeworthy.

[karstens_ghost]

This will annoy some...

 

I'm of the opinion that "executive"/par 3 courses are the urban future. Instead of huge courses, you can make many par-3 courses play plenty long. If you are required to hit a limited flight ball off the tee, where it goes roughly 1/3 distance, then replace it there out with a real ball, you could save half the distance of a full course.

 

Of course you could play it "executive" if you wanted, where it's short, but a full course could be made in about 3500y/3200m with the first ball condition.

 

What course wouldn't want half the grounds to keep? What if you could turn each 9 into an 18 at your local? Why must we have soooooo much land for driver shots? The par 59 I grew up near could easily play "full size" with that rule.

 

If you've been around a long time, it used to be the concept of the Cayman ball. The difference for me is I want it to be there for just the tee ball.

 

 

[bladehunter]

I have one that came to mind. 
 

modern driver heads are too light weight , even for today’s long lengths.  Exception being ping.  They seem to get it.  Everyone else you need to add weight . 

[Drumdog]

Tour issue monikers are a sham

[lefthack]

1 hour ago, Drumdog said:

Tour issue monikers are a sham

 

But my putter must conform to military specifications because apparently that's a thing. 🤣

[Lasorcier]

If you are a say a 25 year old with a 917 driver and you get consistently outdriven (40+ yards) by someone twice your age with a more modern driver (say a TSi3), you don't need a new driver.  

 

If you use a chipper, you have nothing to apologize for or feel embarrassed about.  

 

Has both happen last night.  Played with  father and son in random matching when I didn't have a tee time.  The father apologized for using the chipper.  I said you have nothing to apologize for.  Son was miffed that I outdrove him consistently and put it in the center.  Like an old guy should not be able to do that. 

 

Popular opinion: it is fun to beat younger players who think they have it going on, but don't. 

[BHI 99]

Is “drive for show, put for dough” still a thing or am I showing my age?

[LUXOR54]

17 minutes ago, BHI 99 said:

Is “drive for show, put for dough” still a thing or am I showing my age?

It is, but more often now it's just talks of hitting BOMBS. 310 carry but 60 yards offline into OB right? Doesn't matter, it was a BOMB. 

[cw1209]

3 hours ago, bladehunter said:

I have one that came to mind. 
 

modern driver heads are too light weight , even for today’s long lengths.  Exception being ping.  They seem to get it.  Everyone else you need to add weight . 

 

Totally agree. This was a very recent revelation for me. Added enough weight to my driver to take it from stock D2 to D6 at 45.5". Can now feel the head during transition and much easier to square the face at impact. Doesn't feel as "fast" but the results are more consistent.

[BallerNate]

New clubs make things worse before they make things better.

 

Every new club I’ve gotten takes time to adjust to and figure out, and usually hit the old one better (short-term at least).

Edited June 4, 2021 by BallerNate

[bladehunter]

47 minutes ago, cw1209 said:

 

Totally agree. This was a very recent revelation for me. Added enough weight to my driver to take it from stock D2 to D6 at 45.5". Can now feel the head during transition and much easier to square the face at impact. Doesn't feel as "fast" but the results are more consistent.

Yep. That’s exactly what I was talking about.  
 

I recently did the same.  And once I could feel the face , the strike improved to the tune of 9 mph in ballspeed. That’s how bad I was hitting it before.  
 

certain shafts make this more or less necessary. But all in all they should give weight kits with every driver sold.  That’s how much difference it makes to me.  

[Scotty1140]

Unpopular opinion.

 

Nearly everyone make a better looking Anser than Ping.

[LUXOR54]

23 minutes ago, Scotty1140 said:

Unpopular opinion.

 

Nearly everyone make a better looking Anser than Ping.

Finally, someone said it. 1000000% agree, I don't think I've ever seen a ping putter that I've taken a second look at, aside from some of the redwoods. The last few generations have looked big box store package set level of tacky to me with the red and the teal. 

[BHI 99]

Very true, but I’m ashamed to miss a 4 footer with a $500 putter. 

 

🤣

[jholz]

Bonded woods/hybrids rule!

 

Adjustability is only useful if you like to switch/test shafts often. 

[dsmil]

On 4/4/2021 at 4:16 PM, capking said:

You should have at least one club that matches your bag brand

 

I don't have any "Adams Golf" clubs but my name is Adam.  I hope I'm covered.

[GatorNate11]

8 hours ago, dsmil said:

 

I don't have any "Adams Golf" clubs but my name is Adam.  I hope I'm covered.

You better add an apostrophe before that S REAL QUICK, sir

[kiddzizzle]

Unpopular Golf Opinons:
- No GHIN? Play from the front tees (if we didn’t call it the ladies tees, people who need them might actually play from them)
- What makes any golf course worth over $100 to play?
- Stop asking me what club I hit. Chances are our lofts are different and/or we don’t hit it the same
- In a non competitive round, have the same order on every tee box

 

Unpopular Equipment Opinions:
- A golf ball is a golf ball. You can shoot the same score with a ProV as you can a Noodle
- I feel, you can put ANY head on the right shaft and it will work
- New players should carry around 20 clubs, if it will help them (3w,5w,7w,2h,4h,52,56,60,64, etc) Why limit yourself to 14 if you can’t break 100? I want all the gaps filled so you’re the most confident over every shot

 

[Jimjam651]

The term forgiving, especially with irons, is pointless.  It lacks nuance and causes endless blades vs cavity debates that can ultimately be settled by accepting 'different clubs do different things for different players' 

 

Forgiving means different things to different people.  

 

 

[CDLgolf]

You dont have to buy a new set of clubs every year to play good golf.

[Bubb]

On 6/4/2021 at 2:35 PM, LUXOR54 said:

Finally, someone said it. 1000000% agree, I don't think I've ever seen a ping putter that I've taken a second look at, aside from some of the redwoods. The last few generations have looked big box store package set level of tacky to me with the red and the teal. 

I agree too, but only 100%.

[LUXOR54]

14 hours ago, kiddzizzle said:

- New players should carry around 20 clubs, if it will help them (3w,5w,7w,2h,4h,52,56,60,64, etc) Why limit yourself to 14 if you can’t break 100? I want all the gaps filled so you’re the most confident over every shot

 

That's a really big if. Most new players won't be rocking GPS or range finders, so very rarely will they know the exact yardage they'll be hitting, and if you're not breaking 100 there's a high possibility that you lack the skill to hit to an exact number every time. High lofted wedges are awful for amateurs, low lofted woods and hybrids as well. Mr new player John Doe doesn't need 20 clubs for exact distances when on any given shot they can hit the same 7 iron 150, 100, 60, or 2 yards. I agree that if we're not playing for money I could care less how many clubs someone has in their bag, but I would never advise a newbie to go down that route. 

[SlothofDespond]

17 hours ago, kiddzizzle said:

Unpopular Golf Opinons:
- No GHIN? Play from the front tees (if we didn’t call it the ladies tees, people who need them might actually play from them)

 

 

Unpopular opinion: the handicap system is only for old people who need some way to coordinate their weekend nassau.

[BHI 99]

Plastic tees are game changers...

[Liveonce]

18 hours ago, kiddzizzle said:

Unpopular Golf Opinons:
- No GHIN? Play from the front tees (if we didn’t call it the ladies tees, people who need them might actually play from them)
- What makes any golf course worth over $100 to play?
- Stop asking me what club I hit. Chances are our lofts are different and/or we don’t hit it the same
- In a non competitive round, have the same order on every tee box

 

Unpopular Equipment Opinions:
- A golf ball is a golf ball. You can shoot the same score with a ProV as you can a Noodle
- I feel, you can put ANY head on the right shaft and it will work
- New players should carry around 20 clubs, if it will help them (3w,5w,7w,2h,4h,52,56,60,64, etc) Why limit yourself to 14 if you can’t break 100? I want all the gaps filled so you’re the most confident over every shot

 

I’ll play from any tees you want if you pay for my round. If I’m paying I’ll play from wherever I’d like and keep pace. 

[DaveMc82]

Playing the smallest thinnest blades with the best shaft fit for you is far easier than hitting SGIs with a bad fit shaft. 

 

Club fitting especially for shafts should be done straight on the back of playing 12-15 holes on a sim. I see way too many people fit for their fresh, unfatigued swing, who have their game fall apart as they can’t handle the shafts on the back 9. 
 

Playing the softest shaft you can control the dispersion of is the key playing your best golf. 

[Nard_S]

A few more unpopular:

 

• Tour level, high spin balls are worth the extra coin even with the loss of a few yards off the tee.
• In fairway metals over 15*, steel shafts still work better. My King Cobra #5W is going back in bag.
• Golf gear has become too specialized. Wedge configurations have become ridiculously over complicated. The bag now has 4 different clubs when once basically had two. Cohesive & integrated gear is highly underrated. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by Nard_S