The Links Lounge (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION/LIV ***)

[DLeightonReid]

Good morning, golfers!  It is golf day here in the Ozarks, with an expected high in the low 60's.

 

 

[touch]

35 minutes ago, NJBigFish22 said:

I just put a Syper Stroke Pistol 2.0 on.

 

 

So you went with the Knock Off brand I see. 😄

[touch]

That is not snow.

 

It will be a slower than average week for me due to the greens getting punched back on Monday and Tuesday. Today the driving range reopens and tomorrow the course will open with sandbox greens. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by touch

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, touch said:

How about the rest of you guys? What putter grip do you use? 

 

Stroke lab pistol grip. Reverse overlap.

[Petethreeput]

51 minutes ago, touch said:

That is not snow.

 

It will be a slower than average week for me due to the greens getting punched back on Monday and Tuesday. Today the driving range reopens and tomorrow the course will open with sandbox greens. 

 

 

What's your aeration schedule?

 

We big tine punch right around July 20th so we still have the warmth for the grass to fully recover and toward the end of the year a company rolls through MT with a micro tine machine.  They do most of the courses within 120 miles of us so the dates change annually depending on the travel schedule.  They aerate and then we put down a little sand after and the greens are almost like new after a couple of days.  It's a pretty incredible turnaround, but it has saved us the deep tine early then late since the early isn't guaranteed good recovery time with the weather fluctuations in the spring, which also increased our playability time for a shortish season.

 

Our only compensation for the deep tine afterward is inside the putter is auto-good since you have to hit the ball so hard and with the hole ridges there is a good chance good putts can miss.  Of course, bad putts can go in, but like any good golfers, we only focus on the negative.

 

 

[touch]

@Petethreeput

 

The schedule is twice a year Pete. Both times the grounds crew use the big tines.

 

Once in mid March and again the day after Labor Day weekend in September. 

Edited March 21 by touch

[Petethreeput]

Exactly what our course did, but the early spring sometimes wouldn't recover for 2-3 weeks, and then we had one late big tine that didn't recover at all when we got snow about 8 days later and the course shut down.  That was a total mess which is why we went with the traveling aeration company.  I think they are out of TX, but I am not sure I remember correctly with that.  It is less expensive to use them annually than it would be to buy the machine.  For a hot minute they had a water-jet tiner, but not sure what happened to it.  You could adjust the size and depth of the holes.

 

 

 

 

[NCLancer]

[chisag]

5 hours ago, touch said:

How about the rest of you guys? What putter grip do you use? 

I have a feeling that Super Stroke grips will come out on top.

 

 

 

... I have basically used the same putter grip forever. For years I used the standard Ping pistol grip, blacked out (before Tiger made it popular) A skinny grip gives me the finger feel and control I need for putting. Anything bigger changes the feel and makes me more mechanical. I switched to the Lamkin Sink Fit Skinny which is the same size but provides better traction, which was a problem with the smooth Ping pistol grip. I have several in reserve just in case Lamkin stops making them. 

[touch]

 

 

Besides the putter grip I have a second question today for you gentlemen. 

How far do you hit (carry distance) your 7 iron? 

 

 

I carry my 7 iron 138 yards. 

 

 

[chisag]

2 minutes ago, touch said:

Besides the putter grip I have a second question today for you gentlemen. 

How far do you hit (carry distance) your 7 iron? 

 

 

I carry my 7 iron 138 yards. 

 

 

... I hit my 7 iron around 160, give or take a yard or two. I bent my T200' 7 iron 1* weak so it is to 31.5*. At may age I am hitting my 7 iron the same length as I always have which is nice, but when I was younger playing MB's and Players CB's the loft was usually around 36* so my current 7i is pretty much my old 6i. My playing pards are closer to your 138 with their 7 irons. My 81 yr old amigo hits his around 140 but he is playing T350's that are very strong lofted at 29* and my other 66yr old pard is getting better and probably around the same distance with his Rogue Max OS at 27.5*. 

[DLeightonReid]

7 hours ago, touch said:

 

 

OK so the drummer in the group plays a Flatso 1.0.

How about the rest of you guys? What putter grip do you use? 

I have a feeling that Super Stroke grips will come out on top.

 

 

 

Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 for me and I putt left hand low.  

[NJBigFish22]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

 

 

... I have basically used the same putter grip forever. For years I used the standard Ping pistol grip, blacked out (before Tiger made it popular) A skinny grip gives me the finger feel and control I need for putting. Anything bigger changes the feel and makes me more mechanical. I switched to the Lamkin Sink Fit Skinny which is the same size but provides better traction, which was a problem with the smooth Ping pistol grip. I have several in reserve just in case Lamkin stops making them. 

It’s interesting why we make the choices we do.  I always used a huge putter grip, but when I got my new putter went with a smaller grip, I felt like it was rotating in my hands, so I gripped harder, but became tense.  The new SS Pistol 2.0 is still smaller than what I used to use, but has allowed me to feel it’s secured with light pressure.

[NJBigFish22]

1 hour ago, touch said:

Besides the putter grip I have a second question today for you gentlemen. 

How far do you hit (carry distance) your 7 iron? 

 

 

I carry my 7 iron 138 yards. 

 

 

I was high 140’s when I got fitted to the T200, which are 1 degre weak, since the reshaft I haven’t been on a LM, but feel like I picked up a couple yards.

[chisag]

32 minutes ago, NJBigFish22 said:

It’s interesting why we make the choices we do.  I always used a huge putter grip, but when I got my new putter went with a smaller grip, I felt like it was rotating in my hands, so I gripped harder, but became tense.  The new SS Pistol 2.0 is still smaller than what I used to use, but has allowed me to feel it’s secured with light pressure.

 

 

... Yup. Probably nothing more personal when it comes to equipment than grips. When I was doing a review for Piretti putters, Mike Johnson fitted me with a SAM and commented how much he liked my stroke because I just rocked my shoulders and didn't use my hands. I smiled and said I ONLY use my hands. He disagreed and showed me in the video how my hands didn't move and my shoulders did. I said "Sure the shoulders move, but only in reaction to my hands and my hands moved my shoulders, not the other way around". And LOL he actually told me I was wrong. 🙄

... I am very relaxed and hold my grip so loose it almost comes out of my hands and I allow the weight of the head to create a pendulum stroke so there is no hands manipulation but my fingers holding the grip is all I feel when stroking a putt. I hold the grip in my fingers and not my palm. My wrists never move our break down so the skinny grip works best for me. I would say at least 75% of my students flipped their wrists to some degree so a thick putter grip was a good work around for most of them. 

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, touch said:

How far do you hit (carry distance) your 7 iron? 

 

31 degree.  150-155ish, depending on the temperature and humidity.

 

 

 

Edited March 21 by Double Mocha Man

[Petethreeput]

See that pro on TikTok validated me.  I play the classic blade, loft at 36* on the button, and I fly it on a great strike 153, but I feel more comfortable telling the group it flies 148.  I may/may not hit it on the simulator... you can decide.

 

For me, and this is what I look for is the descent angle.  The ideal descent angle is 45*.  In truth, my descent angle is over 40, under 45 at 148, but not enough for me to worry.  Total distance comes to 156 yards on a good 7i swing.  I think another way to look at this is, if I really, really wanted to fly my 7i 165 I think I could, but it wouldn't be anything I could count on to stop.

 

I am also at altitude which helps a lot.  During the summer, if I keep this up, on a hot day (85+) I bet I will be flying a 7i 155.

[touch]

4 hours ago, DLeightonReid said:

Super Stroke Mid Slim 2.0 for me and I putt left hand low.  

 

Interesting that two of the better putters in the Lounge you and @Petethreeput are both left hand low.

How long have both of you putted cross handed? Did you convert somewhere in your golf career and see instant improvement? I'm curious. 

Anybody else hold the putter LHL? 

Years ago I heard and interview with Freddie Couples and he was asked if he would have changed anything about his game coming into pro golf, his answer was.... I should have started putting cross handed. He added, parents if you are bringing your kids into golf be sure to have them hold the putter cross handed.

I have experimented with that grip and it works fine for me on short and medium length putts, but for long putts I can't dial in distances very well. From 45 feet and longer I'm far better holding it conventionally. 

Aren't we all different, and isn't putting the facet of the game where we all can be extra fussy. 🙂 

 

I'd say I'm sort of unique in that I use the interlock grip with golf shots, but for putting I switch to an overlap. I've held the putter the same way for over 4 decades. Boring I know. 😀

I'm just glad I decided to finally ditch blade putters for good after 32 years and switched to a high MOI center shafted mallet 7 years ago.

First was my RIFE and now it's my Spider. Doing that improved my putting game far more than any grip design/various thickness or way to hold a putter ever could. 

 

 

 

Edited March 21 by touch

[touch]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Yup. Probably nothing more personal when it comes to equipment than grips. When I was doing a review for Piretti putters, Mike Johnson fitted me with a SAM and commented how much he liked my stroke because I just rocked my shoulders and didn't use my hands. I smiled and said I ONLY use my hands. He disagreed and showed me in the video how my hands didn't move and my shoulders did. I said "Sure the shoulders move, but only in reaction to my hands and my hands moved my shoulders, not the other way around". And LOL he actually told me I was wrong. 🙄

... I am very relaxed and hold my grip so loose it almost comes out of my hands and I allow the weight of the head to create a pendulum stroke so there is no hands manipulation but my fingers holding the grip is all I feel when stroking a putt. I hold the grip in my fingers and not my palm. My wrists never move our break down so the skinny grip works best for me. I would say at least 75% of my students flipped their wrists to some degree so a thick putter grip was a good work around for most of them. 

 

Thanks chisag. Insightful stuff.

The two times I experimented with super stroke grips or mid sized putter grips I  didn't like them because to me they removed the feel from my fingers. I believe I'm like you in that I need feel in my fingers for speed control.

We'z be all different when it comes to the flatstick. 😀

[touch]

The work continues on the greens. 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 27 by touch

[imkirby34]

My Argolf broomstick came with a Winn 2-piece grip.  I have a SuperStroke Zenergy 2-piece on my Bell broomstick.  There aren't a ton of options for 2-piece grips.

 

As for the 7i distance, I'm at 165 yd carry (+/- a couple like most folks) on my '21 Apex Pros - I think it's 33*.   I can't vouch for direction.

[imkirby34]

On 3/17/2024 at 9:35 PM, imkirby34 said:

After almost 4 years of legal back-and-forth, one of my buddies finally got his separation papers officially signed recently so the crew planned a weekend of golf in the wine country (Napa) to celebrate his emancipation.  Unfortunately, it was not scheduled for this past weekend which saw cloudless skies and 65-75 F temperatures.  Instead, it's for next weekend which the forecast has rain on Friday for the twilight round and showers on Saturday and Sunday for the other 2 rounds.  It figures.  At least I'm working only Mon-Wed this week.  LOL.

 

The Friday & Saturday rounds have been cancelled as well as our hotel reservations, but we're still going to play on Sunday at Hiddenbrooke Golf Club which hosted the LPGA Samsung World Championship back in 2000-2002.  I haven't played there since 2001, so I remember zilch from the course.  

[touch]

I'm always jazzed when I see the first signs of green popping in the zoysia fairways. 

Hopefully no more frost and it will continue to green up. 

 

 

Edited March 27 by touch

[NCLancer]

 

The grip that came on my Sabertooth is a Sweet Rollz Midsize Muertos.  I love the feel and the look has grown on me.  I use a claw/pencil style grip which helps aid in keeping my wrists stiff.  I admit to heavier grip pressure as I dislike the feel of the putter "moving" during my stroke.        

 

 

[Triple Lindy]

I don’t know that I’ve ever had anything other than a pistol grip on my putters. Just replaced mine at the end of last season with a Winn DriTac midsize.

[Triple Lindy]

5 hours ago, touch said:

 

 

Besides the putter grip I have a second question today for you gentlemen. 

How far do you hit (carry distance) your 7 iron? 

 

 

I carry my 7 iron 138 yards. 

 

 

135 carry, down about 10 yards since shoulder surgery. Don’t know that I’ll ever gain that lost yardage back.

[Double Mocha Man]

17 minutes ago, NCLancer said:

 

The grip that came on my Sabertooth is a Sweet Rollz Midsize Muertos.  I love the feel and the look has grown on me.  I use a claw/pencil style grip which helps aid in keeping my wrists stiff.  I admit to heavier grip pressure as I dislike the feel of the putter "moving" during my stroke.        

 

 

Dia de los Muertos.  Almost looks like a flower child grip. 

[aenemated]

I putted left hand low for a couple years in high school. Not sure if it ever made me better or worse.

 

My 7 is a T100 - had the 5, 6 and 7 built a degree weak to fit better with the 620MB 8, 9 and PW. 35°, full swing I'll get around 165. 

[EdY]

Went left hand low when I started playing on fast (stimp 11ish) greens and started to decelerate on <=3 footers. Lost some feel on the long putts early on but that came back after committing to the grip. On super long 45’+ I still some times go back to a reverse overlap trad grip. 
 

160 is a stock 7 iron. Mizuno tour jpx 921 stock lofts. 

Edited March 21 by EdY

[NCLancer]

Callaway Steelhead XR 7 iron (30 degrees) with a stock UST Recoil 760 F3 shaft goes about 130 yards for me.  I probably use my 29 degree older Cobra Baffler hybrid more often...just depends on the situation.   My bag also contains an 18 degree Ping 5W with the next club a 20 degree Ping hybrid.  Perhaps I have a gapping problem?