Unpopular Equipment Opinions

[Scotty1140]

In a blind swing test (hmmmm maybe that isn't such a great idea...) many people here couldn't tell the difference between apple to apple comparisons across brands.

[ShankAaron]

almost forgot this one.

 

-Bettinardi? Never heard of them, they any good?

[RCGA]

Srixon is just Cleveland Golf with better marketing

[karstens_ghost]

3 hours ago, RCGA said:

Srixon is just Cleveland Golf with better marketing

No one wants their clubs named after a terrible US President.

[tannyhoban]

3 hours ago, RCGA said:

Srixon is just Cleveland Golf with better marketing

Way back when Cleveland first appeared on the radar I thought it was pretty cool there was an equipment mfg. in NE oHIo, ha.

[lefthack]

5 minutes ago, karstens_ghost said:

No one wants their clubs named after a terrible town in Ohio.

Ftfy.

 

🤣

[tannyhoban]

2 minutes ago, lefthack said:

Ftfy.

 

🤣

Go Browns!

[miamistomp]

 I remember those Cuyahoga burners...

[NoTalentLefty]

Most golfers need a 4 1/2 to 5 degree increments in their irons.

Most golfers can get by with a two piece ball.

[sshadow2]

Nike golf clubs (especially last few of their years) were/are awesome!

[meh]

34 minutes ago, sshadow2 said:

Nike golf clubs (especially last few of their years) were/are awesome!

 Their irons, yes. Their woods that came unglued (A LOT), not so much.

 

[jwb10]

i-500s still suck

[blam89]

Equipment matters way less than we all think 🤔 

[lefthack]

19 hours ago, sshadow2 said:

Nike golf clubs (especially last few of their years) were/are awesome!

 

They made supreme combo sets.

[HappyGilmoresBoots]

Saying "blades will help you become a better ball striker" is like your soccer mom neighbor saying "I'm gluten sensitive, and I've lost a *ton* of weight by going gluten free."  That is, half true:  You've gone gluten free, and the consequence is that you're paying more attention to what your eating...this is driving your weight loss.

Using blades religiously to improve your ball striking is called "practicing," and practicing will help you become a better ball striker with the gear you already have...blades are just a detail here.  The fact that you're paying attention to your ball striking is what's driving your improvement.  In other words, run what you brung and get used to it.  The worst disservice is not practicing regularly with the gear you already have.

 

...and with all that being said, not everyone can commit to golfing, practicing, or range time 3, 4, 5 days a week...the golf equipment market bears a lot of super-forgiving "shovels" to those that only get out and golf once a month or less.

[Lasorcier]

You get better at golf by playing golf.  Playing once a week and hitting the range for 5 days  is far less effective than playing 5 days and going to the range once.  Go play. 

[BHI 99]

It’s better to try and emulate a PGA players swing/gear than a LPGA players swing/gear. 

 

 

[C_rad]

On 5/15/2021 at 10:25 AM, The Mad Bomber said:

Slap my hand because it's not equipment related but...

 

Get rid of handicaps. Regardless of how many shots you think you're entitled to, if you shot 89 and the guy you're playing against shot 77 - YOU LOST. Go hit a bucket and come back when you can shoot 76 and actually beat that guys 77.

I played a friendly tournament last week. Played a 84, which is a good score for me but decent if i think every factor in perspective : new born and some other changes in my life. 
 

Regardless, i had the best score in the tournament of 12 or so people. I lost to a player who shoot a beautiful 111 because it was his personal best and with their handicap system, he played a “71”???? 
 

yeah right. 

[BallerNate]

Iron head covers are cool! 😎

[callawayjay]

Using “gamers” to describe the set you play with. Just stop. 
 

that implies you play competitive golf. Even $100 Nassau’s with your buddies isn’t “competitive” it’s just braggadocio 

 

 

[Mitchell]

Heavy putter heads and “technology” in high dollar putter shafts are crutches used to help players with poor strokes feel better about still “barely missing” putts.

[betarhoalphadelta]

Tired of hearing people say "well he uses game improvement irons but his game hasn't improved at all" or "he plays only ProV1x but it hasn't made him a better player"...

 

Clubs or balls don't make you a better player. Practice does. 

 

Clubs or balls, however, can help your game cope with the lack of practice. It's a lot more enjoyable to suck with a GI iron that bails you out when you miss the center or a spinny ball that checks up when it comes off hot hitting 2-3 grooves low on a short iron and you're just praying for it to stop. 

[callawayjay]

4 hours ago, Mitchell said:

Heavy putter heads and “technology” in high dollar putter shafts are crutches used to help players with poor strokes feel better about still “barely missing” putts.

I feel this way about claw putting grips and reverse overlap 

 

it’s a cry for help. 

[lefthack]

On 6/12/2021 at 5:53 AM, Lasorcier said:

You get better at golf by playing golf.  Playing once a week and hitting the range for 5 days  is far less effective than playing 5 days and going to the range once.  Go play. 

 

I have pretty much stopped going to the range. Hitting off mats doesn't do my mechanics any favors. I have been going to the club 3-4 days a week for an early morning 3 ball round of 9. I hit everything in my bag, I have real targets and am hitting off turf. 90ish minutes of losing balls in the woods does wonders for my mental health.

[BallerNate]

On 6/12/2021 at 8:53 AM, Lasorcier said:

You get better at golf by playing golf.  Playing once a week and hitting the range for 5 days  is far less effective than playing 5 days and going to the range once.  Go play. 

This is 100% truth…no doubt about it! Just wish I had more time to play!

[RCGA]

On 6/12/2021 at 10:23 AM, Lasorcier said:

You get better at golf by playing golf.  Playing once a week and hitting the range for 5 days  is far less effective than playing 5 days and going to the range once.  Go play. 

 

Totally disagree and this thinking is counter to training & improvement process for every other sport.   

 

How do you improve off the tee? By hitting a lot of driver/fairway woods

How do you improve your irons? By hitting a lot of iron shots 

How do you improve your chipping? By doing a lot of chipping 

 

Aimlessly hitting balls is useless. But you're never going to be a good long iron player if you only hit 5 balls with your long irons - all of which are during an actual round. 

 

 

 

[BHI 99]

3 hours ago, RCGA said:

 

Totally disagree and this thinking is counter to training & improvement process for every other sport.   

 

How do you improve off the tee? By hitting a lot of driver/fairway woods

How do you improve your irons? By hitting a lot of iron shots 

How do you improve your chipping? By doing a lot of chipping 

 

Aimlessly hitting balls is useless. But you're never going to be a good long iron player if you only hit 5 balls with your long irons - all of which are during an actual round. 

 

 

 

 

Every lie and condition on the course is different, every lie and condition on the range is the same (sans wind) You don’t develop feel for playing golf at the driving range. Of course, nobody plays by feel anyway. It’s all about range finders, simulators, and $100 head covers. 

 

Warm up at the range to see what your swing is giving that day, then play it. Perfect is the enemy of the good, but a hell of a way to sell gear and lessons. 

[Straphael]

I always see people say that and it’s true at a certain level. However beginners have no chance just playing and not understanding how to actually hit the ball. You aren’t going to learn when you can’t be able to try it again and again in a controlled environment. Saw it yesterday and the kid just looked miserable topping and shanking every ball well his friends gave him generic advice over and over. No shot he enjoyed his time out there. 
equipment one. Turf interaction is king. How your iron/wedge gets through the turf matters more than head size or cavity vs blade. It’s why fittings on mats are inferior and no pro would ever do it. 

[karstens_ghost]

The hardest part about practicing is practicing realistic conditions. Ranges love turf because grass is expensive. It's hard to find bad lies when turf is level. Practice balls have poor characteristics.

 

I think it might be fair to say that "on course practice" does have merit, but it's also the regime in total. Yes, it's good to have perfect practice conditions. Learn there, but then how does it apply?

 

What's unpopular is that the way the golf industry has sold us the concept of "practice" is bogus. It takes quite a while to really figure out why you can "stripe it on the range" but that it doesn't translate into success. How you get to success on the course in such a minefield of training aids and BS is a windy one we all have to figure out based on what's around us and where we live, and what we have access to.

[BHI 99]

You gotta build a swing for sure, without question. Then you gotta learn  playing the game. 

 

Par 3 courses don’t get near the credit they should.