Unpopular Equipment Opinions

[GatorNate11]

1 minute ago, beaney said:

Some excellent insights here. 
 

I certainly agree with the notion that you must throw with dominant hand, and that rotation is key - get that belt buckle facing the target after release. 
 

With regards club, agree that going with a wedge, while not likely to fly as far as driver, is easier to fix, or in the event of a stray throw into a lake, replace. So I wonder whether a gap wedge might be the absolute best option, as you haven’t got to find a replacement to match a set (as you would with your irons), but it’s the longest of the wedges so might give max return for minimum cost of replacement. 
 

and of course, keep your grips clean!

It's worth noting my lob wedge also has lead tape slapped on it. Not for swingweight/CG, its purely for downforce. 

[beaney]

2 minutes ago, GatorNate11 said:

It's worth noting my lob wedge also has lead tape slapped on it. Not for swingweight/CG, its purely for downforce. 

just want to throw this out there (pardon the pun), but what about a counterbalance putter? An absolute ton of weight, long grip for traction, good length but I suppose the downside is that it might slightly harm your scores if you break or lose it early in the round……..could be a justifiable reason to carry two putters. 

[GatorNate11]

2 minutes ago, beaney said:

just want to throw this out there (pardon the pun), but what about a counterbalance putter? An absolute ton of weight, long grip for traction, good length but I suppose the downside is that it might slightly harm your scores if you break or lose it early in the round……..could be a justifiable reason to carry two putters. 

For my personal taste a putter is heavier than I like to throw, so I don't really have any data for that. 

[2Down]

Heavy clubs can be dangerous if tossing without a proper warmup.  Be careful or you might hurt your shoulder.  D
 

Edited June 19, 2021 by 2Down

[dubbelbogey]

I advocate double bag straps as you can grip the whole bag properly with both hands as you spin it hammer-throw style and huck the whole thing into the lake.

 

Single-strap bag staff bags and "cart bags" (gimme a break - probably in plaid), therefore, are for complete posers who have no bag-toss game.

[iNeedMoreGolf]

Grips can last more then 1 season 😲

[tsecor]

On 6/18/2021 at 4:16 PM, PhilsFanDrew said:

I totally agree.  The average weekend hacker is not going to magically drop strokes by being custom fit.  You don't need to be custom fit to keep the ball in play and avoid penalty strokes, duffed shots, and 3+ putts.  

The only "fitting" that makes sense for a hacker is possibly the ball.....testing has shown a high handicapper can drop as many as 4 strokes per round with a premium ball

[Bad9]

1 minute ago, tsecor said:

The only "fitting" that makes sense for a hacker is possibly the ball.....testing has shown a high handicapper can drop as many as 4 strokes per round with a premium ball

Interesting. Can you share the testing source?

[tsecor]

Just now, Bad9 said:

Interesting. Can you share the testing source?

TXG talked about it in a video. I forget which one as i watch many of them, but I believe its the video of them discussing the new Prov1 and Prov1x balls

[me05501]

On 6/16/2021 at 12:09 PM, bladehunter said:

And that’s accurate. The 200 yard 7 iron you see on TV is always wind aided , down hill and usually comes up 2 clubs short.  As in front of a big green. 180-85 I believe a lot of guys. 200 plus. Maybe 5 guys on tour on flat ground with calm wind will fly it that far.  I’m talking in play , not driving range long drive tries. 

 

Correct. Not to mention that any pro could probably hit a full 7 that went 140 and a full 7 that went 210 if he wanted. They know how their clubs and swings work. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Don't say "it's the indian, not the arrow" unless you're talking about the ball. If it's a club issue, it should be "it's the indian, not the bow."

 

Unless we're talking about the difference between helicoptering or tomahawking the club. In that case you can say arrow. 

[DangleGolf]

Don't know if its that unpopular (I don't have my finger on the pulse of opinions) but I think handicap is the worst metric for a fitting. I've seen so many players with a pure swing score ridiculously high for various reasons, and I've also seen players who hit 100 yard ground rockets and get lucky enough on the greens to score a lot better than their swing indicates. It irks me when someone gets a fitting and their handicap is the first question. It should rarely matter

[DangleGolf]

On 6/18/2021 at 5:59 PM, DoubleEagle08 said:

Custom fitting on a mat, whether or not you have a monitor, is the same as not being fit. Better to buy with 90 day guarantee, try for a week, and swap out if needed. 

This I strongly agree with

[me05501]

1 hour ago, DangleGolf said:

Don't know if its that unpopular (I don't have my finger on the pulse of opinions) but I think handicap is the worst metric for a fitting. I've seen so many players with a pure swing score ridiculously high for various reasons, and I've also seen players who hit 100 yard ground rockets and get lucky enough on the greens to score a lot better than their swing indicates. It irks me when someone gets a fitting and their handicap is the first question. It should rarely matter

 

It's sort of lazy, but I think it's a shorthand way of learning how seriously the player takes the game and what they're expecting to be able to do. 

 

If someone says "I don't have a handicap" or gives you a number with a decimal point in it you know you're dealing with two different kinds of people. 

[Frankensteins Monster]

Scotty Cameron is a cult.

[Bad9]

4 hours ago, tsecor said:

TXG talked about it in a video. I forget which one as i watch many of them, but I believe its the video of them discussing the new Prov1 and Prov1x balls

Do you recall how many golfers they tested over how many rounds of golf?

[betarhoalphadelta]

1 hour ago, DangleGolf said:

Don't know if its that unpopular (I don't have my finger on the pulse of opinions) but I think handicap is the worst metric for a fitting. I've seen so many players with a pure swing score ridiculously high for various reasons, and I've also seen players who hit 100 yard ground rockets and get lucky enough on the greens to score a lot better than their swing indicates. It irks me when someone gets a fitting and their handicap is the first question. It should rarely matter

 

I'm with you 100%. The truth is that a "fitting" as typically done is a pretty basic affair, and really just get you "in the ballpark" of clubs that work with your swing.

 

High-cap golfers (including me) are inconsistent, but that doesn't mean that the basic geometry of the swing changes much. Yeah, my path can vary a bit, but it's in-to-out. Yeah, my face closure can vary a bit, from a block to a pull hook. Yeah, sometimes I don't hit center of the face--I miss toe a lot when I'm not hitting thin or fat. Golf is hard because getting that tiny little sweet spot onto the ball at speeds of up to and over 100mph on a club between 35-45" on the ends of your arms is just frickin' hard. 

 

But the basic swing is repeatable and consistent, in that I'm swinging pretty much the same speed, the same plane, the same transition force, the same release, etc from one to the next. That's what I'm being fit for. 

 

17 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

It's sort of lazy, but I think it's a shorthand way of learning how seriously the player takes the game and what they're expecting to be able to do. 

 

If someone says "I don't have a handicap" or gives you a number with a decimal point in it you know you're dealing with two different kinds of people. 

 

What if someone says "I'm a 24.3" like me? 

 

Do you just automatically assume that person is an engineer? I suck, but I suck PRECISELY. 

[tsecor]

28 minutes ago, Bad9 said:

Do you recall how many golfers they tested over how many rounds of golf?

no.  They were shocked at the results because they thought the ball would not make a big difference, but it was the opposite result

[HappyGilmoresBoots]

13 hours ago, tsecor said:

The only "fitting" that makes sense for a hacker is possibly the ball.....testing has shown a high handicapper can drop as many as 4 strokes per round with a premium ball

I had my best round of the year yesterday playing Dunlop DDH's and other sorts of shag bag balls.  Still lost a ton, but played substantially better than earlier rounds this year when I've played Kirkland Sigs, Top Flite Gamers, and other urethane, multi-piece balls.  I do nothing but slice Pro V1's off the planet...I can't afford $5 a ball.

I'm calling BS on this claim, based on my own results of dropping 4 strokes by hitting the bottom-of-the-barrel surlyn 2-piece distance balls (like DDH's, Wilson Ultra 500's, Taylor Made Distance+, and whatever the Titleist So/Lo is called these days)

[Jim53]

BB&F ferrules look cheap on 90% of the builds

[tsecor]

11 hours ago, HappyGilmoresBoots said:

I had my best round of the year yesterday playing Dunlop DDH's and other sorts of shag bag balls.  Still lost a ton, but played substantially better than earlier rounds this year when I've played Kirkland Sigs, Top Flite Gamers, and other urethane, multi-piece balls.  I do nothing but slice Pro V1's off the planet...I can't afford $5 a ball.

I'm calling BS on this claim, based on my own results of dropping 4 strokes by hitting the bottom-of-the-barrel surlyn 2-piece distance balls (like DDH's, Wilson Ultra 500's, Taylor Made Distance+, and whatever the Titleist So/Lo is called these days)

play what works for you right? I hate playing expensive balls too but have had my best rounds ever with the prov1

[naws-golfer]

15 hours ago, Jim53 said:

BB&F ferrules look cheap on 90% of the builds

GTFOH

[naws-golfer]

Cameron’s are nothing special with too much loft. He makes 1 decent putter a year

 

mizuno feel is not a real thing.

 

vokeys feel terrible because of their cheap metal.

cart bags are the cargo shorts of golf.

 

[uglande]

On 6/21/2021 at 9:22 AM, DangleGolf said:

This I strongly agree with

TXG tested this idea a couple of years ago and found zero difference between a normal grass lie and a synthetic mat. But I have my doubts. I find mats to be far more forgiving on descending iron shots, so they launch higher and hit higher on the face. I notice differences from one mat to the next as well. But as a practical matter, there really aren't good alternatives to mat testing. I don't know any retailer that is set up for grass testing. 

[uglande]

No golfer has ever been blinded by glare from their chrome wedges.

[karstens_ghost]

Here's one.

 

To the knobs that say "3-metal" when referring to a fairway wood...

 

Irons aren't made of iron. Woods aren't made of wood. Calling them metals just really makes you sound foolish. Grow up.

[drumdude96]

32 minutes ago, uglande said:

No golfer has ever been blinded by glare from their chrome wedges.

I have been, several times.  Most of the holes at my old course run east-west.  Late in the day, when the sun is just right, you get tons of glare off of chrome wedges.  Nothing like seeing yellow and red spots in your vision after looking down at the sun reflecting off your wedge.  It sucks, and it is a real thing. 

[dubbelbogey]

34 minutes ago, uglande said:

No golfer has ever been blinded by glare from their chrome wedges.

"Blinded", no. But is the glare highly annoying at times? Abso flippin lutely. Not even debateable.

[JDorfler]

The score card doesn't care about;

How much you paid for your kit

Where your gear was made

If you use covers

What color your belt is

Age of your kit

If you walk or ride

What tee you use

What ball you use

What putter you use

How many wedges you have

How far you hit your club

 

The only thing that matters is you have fun.

Edited June 23, 2021 by JDorfler
grammar

[naws-golfer]

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

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

I like to buy my bags from a company that makes bags, and clubs from a club company.

 

I don’t go to Taco Bell for burgers