3 current scams within the golf industry

[Fairway14]

2 hours ago, b.mattay said:

 

 

Likewise, the fairway may be way wider at 160 then 130, in which case laying back to 160 would be smart. However, if the the fairway is approximately the same width with the same features on both sides at 160 to 130, probably better to hit it to 130. Dropping back a club might bump the fairway hit % by 10%, which likely doesn't offset the increased approach length. 

 

It's about using the club which will leave the ball in the center of the fairway for the 3rd shot. In other words, a player is consistently more accurate swinging his 210  yard club than he is swinging his 240 yard club.

[aenemated]

13 minutes ago, From_Parts_Unknown said:

Biggest scam in golf is the Hammer driver... there, I said it.  

 

WOOOOWWWW! 

[Fairway14]

2 hours ago, ChipNRun said:

The clubs must mesh with a tolerable swing motion. But your implication that people can just take any bag of clubs and play decent golf doesn't always hold.

 

 

 

It's fairly  common for amateurs to shoot the same or better than their usual when on vacation playing a rental set. Also, highly skilled players can usually within a few swings adapt to whichever clubs/shafts they are given to play. If there were ever a Tour event where the entire field had to play the same generic set of clubs/specs my guess is that the players would shoot their usual Tour scoring average. I believe most all clubs produced during the past 20 years are fine. Sure a player likes looking at this or that head design best, or likes this or that shaft brand the most, so that's what in his bag. But for 18 hole scoring average it is about swing technique and mental game/strategy way, way more than it is about equipment specs.

[Fairway14]

41 minutes ago, RCGA said:

• Courses in bad shape but charging full price 
• Bucket of range balls but 25% are split, have the dimples worn off or just generally aren't worth hitting
• Golf simulators with vanity stats and unrealistic dispersion 
• $100+ headcovers

 

All good ones, agreed.

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Fairway14 said:

 

It's about using the club which will leave the ball in the center of the fairway for the 3rd shot. In other words, a player is consistently more accurate swinging his 210  yard club than he is swinging his 240 yard club.

Accuracy is primarily a function of swing.  The angular dispersion between hitting a 210 yard club and hitting a 240 yard club is likely about the same assuming both are equally well fit to the swing.

[Fairway14]

20 minutes ago, ThinkingPlus said:

Accuracy is primarily a function of swing.  The angular dispersion between hitting a 210 yard club and hitting a 240 yard club is likely about the same assuming both are equally well fit to the swing.

 

Certainly accuracy is a "function of swing". But as shaft length increases  and loft decreases accuracy is compromised. For example, every player strikes more consistently accurate shots with a 6-iron than they do a 4-iron. 

 

[ThinkingPlus]

11 minutes ago, Fairway14 said:

 

Certainly accuracy is a "function of swing". But as shaft length increases  and loft decreases accuracy is compromised. For example, every player strikes more consistently accurate shots with a 6-iron than they do a 4-iron. 

 

Typically not.  Angular dispersion side to side is about the same.  Distance dispersion is proportional to how far the player can hit each club.  Each club is hit with somewhat equal proficiency, but the accuracy of the shorter club only appears to be better because it doesn't go as far.  The size of a player's shot pattern is proportional to the distance the ball travels.

[Fairway14]

1 minute ago, ThinkingPlus said:

  The size of a player's shot pattern is proportional to the distance the ball travels.

You got that right ! 

[chipa]

3 hours ago, MPAndreassi said:

As someone mentioned above I believe the changes you see day to day, or shot to shot in some cases, is a change in timing. A change in timing could be as simple as nerves from having to hit over water, having a beer from the cart girl or hitting a good shot and adding pressure to your second because you have to hit it close from there.
 

Pair the above with a slight change in setup, grip/posture/ball position, and someone could have completely opposite ball flights with the same, repeatable swing. 
 

Proper length and flex clubs, part of a fitting, will benefit every single golfer. 

 

I agree with the flex but one doesn't need to do a fitting for that. As far as the length goes any golfer has to deal with playing different length clubs so unless the person is exceptionally tall there should be no reason to not use std lengths.

[ChipNRun]

2 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

It's fairly  common for amateurs to shoot the same or better than their usual when on vacation playing a rental set.

Can you provide stats on this? You're entitled to your opinion, but I don't buy it.

 

If it was a gently rolling course and I could use chip and run a lot, not too bad. But if it required a lot of high wedge shots, distances were off. Also, I never risk using strange drivers on the road - revert to fairway wood, which costs distance.

 

2 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

But for 18 hole scoring average it is about swing technique and mental game/strategy way, way more than it is about equipment specs.

 

People who struggle to break 90 need clubs that won't hurt their game. In scrambles I play, golfers show up with 10-year-old blade irons that they have trouble launching, or senior golfers who need to dump their 3W (I just can't hit this thing!) for a 5W they can get airborne. Or the player with a special 46" driver that they spray all over the place.

 

Or strong players who have hybrids with lots of offset rather than a square face, and complain that they hook half their shots.

 

And, look at our Classified section. Lots of people trying to unload irons with DG X100 and PX 6.5 shafts.

 

Get clubs that won't hurt your game. The way you do this is get fitted on occasion.

[Bad9]

19 hours ago, klebs01 said:

It’s clear you don’t understand strokes gained or how to apply the lessons learned from the data. Please read Broadie’s book or learn Fawset’s principles before posting any more on the subject. 

he’s just continuing to troll. Not sure why he’s allowed to continue with it

[Fairway14]

AJGA (and other national junior golf Tours) are mostly a scam. Many families spend $20,000 plus per year traveling around chasing junior golf tour points/rankings. This is fine if the kid enjoys it and, or, the family can comfortably afford the expense. But if it's a burden and the only reason for doing it is to try an earn a college golf scholarship, playing  the  AJGA stuff is not necessary. Specifically,  coaches want to see that a player's skill level is high enough to compete well in collegiate golf. This can be proved locally, at relatively little expense, by playing regional junior tournaments  as well as  men's/women's amateur tournaments.

[Llortamaisey]

AutoFlex

[Fairway14]

6 minutes ago, Llortamaisey said:

AutoFlex

 

Good one, agreed.

[I'_rather_be_golfing]

Private or non private country clubs are a complete scam. Not sure if that counts. 

[D_iGital_pUnk]

The post about range balls is bang on. Discoloured Srixon's with no dimples are the bane of a golfers existence.

[ilikegolf26]

12 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

AJGA (and other national junior golf Tours) are mostly a scam. Many families spend $20,000 plus per year traveling around chasing junior golf tour points/rankings. This is fine if the kid enjoys it and, or, the family can comfortably afford the expense. But if it's a burden and the only reason for doing it is to try an earn a college golf scholarship, playing  the  AJGA stuff is not necessary. Specifically,  coaches want to see that a player's skill level is high enough to compete well in collegiate golf. This can be proved locally, at relatively little expense, by playing regional junior tournaments  as well as  men's/women's amateur tournaments.

I’m not sure this is true. Do most states even put on enough tournaments for a high school age kid to build a resume? I think a few AJGA tournaments a year is almost an absolute must now to get a good college offer. 

[Skhacker]

Strokes gained is a great stat for knowing where you can most improve your game.  It's helped me get from a 12 hdcp down to a 4.4 in the past 3-4 years.  The thing is, you have to put the effort in to understand and improve.  A lot of people do not like effort.

Also getting my bag down to 9 clubs and trying to play a different course every weeks has really helped me improve.

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by Skhacker

[yethmate]

Hollow tined greens and paying full whack for green fees.

 

[lil'mike]

4 hours ago, Skhacker said:

Strokes gained is a great stat for knowing where you can most improve your game.  It's helped me get from a 12 hdcp down to a 4.4 in the past 3-4 years.  The thing is, you have to put the effort in to understand and improve.  A lot of people do not like effort.

Also getting my bag down to 9 clubs and trying to play a different course every weeks has really helped me improve.

 

I too am trying to carry less clubs and get down to 9 or 10.  Can you list or PM me what you carry?   Thx.

 

[jschwarb]

On 7/12/2021 at 5:20 PM, I'_rather_be_golfing said:

Private or non private country clubs are a complete scam. Not sure if that counts. 

I say the initiation fees are a scam. But memberships? Nah. I have one to a club, a social membership with no initiation, that includes 16 or 18 (I forget which) rounds a year, which is perfect for me. Plus all the range balls I want. The other golfers are by and large good guys and the tournament calendar is solid. The kids have a pool and the club does a bunch of special events year-round. It's a good deal that I can pay for just by reselling those scam $100 headcovers 🙂 

[Fairway14]

Made For shafts !

[jambox107]

I always wondered why getting fit is a 'must do' when you're a beginner golfer. If you have a bad swing to start off, you're getting fit for clubs based on numbers from that lousy swing right? Eventually the swing will change/improve which would require getting fit again. But I also see the point where you don't want to start learning golf on equipment that is totally wrong for you from a weight and flex perspective. I think a high level fitting makes more sense for a beginner where they know what weight/flex will be easiest to use as they learn how to swing   

[Abh159]

On 7/12/2021 at 4:20 PM, I'_rather_be_golfing said:

Private or non private country clubs are a complete scam. Not sure if that counts. 

 

Wouldn't a "non private country club" be a public course? So both private and public courses are scams?

 

Where am I supposed to play golf?!?!

[I'_rather_be_golfing]

1 minute ago, Abh159 said:

 

Wouldn't a "non private country club" be a public course? So both private and public courses are scams?

 

Where am I supposed to play golf?!?!

You are right. Might had a few too many. 

[Skhacker]

23 hours ago, lil'mike said:

I too am trying to carry less clubs and get down to 9 or 10.  Can you list or PM me what you carry?   Thx.

 

No prob. 
Driver, 18 hybrid, 22 hybrid, 6/8/P/52/58, putter.

 

 

[tatertot]

Scotty Cameron has been the biggest scam in golf for 20 years now.

[tatertot]

On 7/11/2021 at 7:42 PM, Fairway14 said:

 

Certainly accuracy is a "function of swing". But as shaft length increases  and loft decreases accuracy is compromised. For example, every player strikes more consistently accurate shots with a 6-iron than they do a 4-iron. 

 

Broadie probably addresses this, but ...

 

How does this get affected by partial vs full shot distances, ie leaving yourself a 120 yard full gap wedge vs. a 75 yard partial sand wedge?

[tatertot]

9 minutes ago, Skhacker said:

No prob. 
Driver, 18 hybrid, 22 hybrid, 6/8/P/52/58, putter.

 

 

Shot my best golf with 7 clubs ... have gotten back up to 12, doubt I'll ever go back to 14.

[Fairway14]

16 minutes ago, tatertot said:

Broadie probably addresses this, but ...

 

How does this get affected by partial vs full shot distances, ie leaving yourself a 120 yard full gap wedge vs. a 75 yard partial sand wedge?

If your question is about 75 to 125 yard wedge shots, I've never seen a consistently accurate shot maker from these yardages make a habit of playing the shots "full". Not long ago, it may have been the PGA at Kiawah, t.v. viewers could hear a player in contention and his caddie discussing club selection and the player said "I've got to hit this full".. The shot had a bad result and Faldo told viewers to avoid ever choosing a wedge that need be hit full. For my own game my accuracy and carry distance control is much more consistent for 75 to 125 yard carry shots when I select more

club . I can carry my 52* 120 yards but I rarely swing it for more than a 110 yard carry shot. It's just more comfortable to make relaxed, easy paced , 3/4 length wedge swings rather than going at the ball hard, and accuracy-distance control consistency improves as well. 

I don't know Broadie's thoughts on wedge play and I don't want to. I would rather listen and learn from  Faldo (or other Major championship winner).

Edited July 14, 2021 by Fairway14