Golf

[Chili]

I also have found that the marketing ploys such as "more forgiving of bad shot" clubs is a bunch of crap. A golfer with my level of skill can hose up any possible benefits of a "forgiving" club with the blink of my eye during the shot. Only a pro could take consistant advantage of such a club, and he doesn't need such a club to begin with.

Obviously there is limits to the level of ineptness a club can assist with :p , however to say that it's nothing but marketing crap is a long ways off base. I don't have the time at the moment to get into a long spiel showing the benefits of "game improvement" clubs but they can be significant.

 

[HajiWasAPunk]

Obviously there is limits to the level of ineptness a club can assist with :p , however to say that it's nothing but marketing crap is a long ways off base. I don't have the time at the moment to get into a long spiel showing the benefits of "game improvement" clubs but they can be significant.

I agree. This is no different than saying a beginner shouldn't adjust his suspension or would or wouldn't notice a high perfomance part.

The more consistent you are, the more you'll notice taking advantage of things like better clubs or ball and if you hack bad enough a $500 driver and a $10 ball will only help you hit it a few yards further into the woods. Notice in all those marketing adds they only said it will go straighter or further, not it will go straighter than Tiger Woods or further than John Daly.

 

[HubertGarfunkleIII]

golf courses are for dirtbiking on some of those sand pits would make fun little jumps :nod:

 

[HajiWasAPunk]

golf courses are for dirtbiking on some of those sand pits would make fun little jumps :nod:

Do they speak English in Arkansas? :nener:

 

[sparkysakitas]

well miami is a little far away from me pat lol
i totally agree with marketing ploys etc
right now i play with blades they are ping clones i do ok with them reason i was going with the nikes was the fact that my g/f works for country club in the rest and she gets discount
plus free golf for me :cool: so i can get them at discount
i have tendency to hit the ball to right and was reading that ann offset club helps to correct it plus i kinda like the look of the nike's
right now i am a low 90's high 80's shooter and would like to bring it down to low 80's
here is course she works at http://www.lakejovita.com/
i get to golf free here so it will be my practice course
and i play from blue tee's

 

[Chili]

right now i play with blades they are ping clones

Ping does make anything that would be considered a "blade" this is a "blade"

i have tendency to hit the ball to right and was reading that ann offset club helps to correct it

Offset irons will make it easier for you to release the clubhead properly through impact which squares the face at impact. It will not however correct your slice if your swing remains the same.

 

[sparkysakitas]

here are my clubs

here are the pings they are cloned from

not trying to argue or anything chili just trying to let you see what i am using
as far as i know these are considered blades (correct me if im wrong)
my swing is getting better with each time i play also
when i connect with these guys the ball has great distance
i am just not happy with them

 

[Moose]

I was going to buy clones, but instead I bought an older set that was used. Apparently the quality is not the same (clones vs actual).

 

[sparkysakitas]

I was going to buy clones, but instead I bought an older set that was used. Apparently the quality is not the same (clones vs actual).

same here but i figured shell out the cash for good ones rather than being cheap and i will have them alot longer
and i am playing alot more now to so not like they wil just sit in closete

 

[Chili]

I'm sure Ping would refer to theirs as blades, in fact a few years ago I believe that model was referred to and marketed as the O-Blade. While not as extreme as many on the market that club still has far too many game improvement characteristics for what was traditionally considered a "blade". Really doesn't matter one way or the other, just more a pet peeve of my own I suppose.

Buying clone clubs is a very iffy market, along the lines of buying a chinese pit bike. There are some that actually have half decent quality control and others that are horrendous. Also the skill of the club fitter/maker comes into play here as there is many who the Pro's would refer to derisively as a club gluer since they have no knowledge and are simply hacking shafts and gluing them into heads.

Don't confuse the copy or counterfeit club market with the custom club market, there are many excellent clubfitters around the country who make custom clubs from quality component manufacturers like Golfsmith and Dynacraft who could supply you with an excellent set of well fit clubs for a fair price.

My advice is to deal with a decent shop and get fitted versus buying off the rack. This does not mean you need to buy a Custom made set of clubs but it does mean that after purchase the Pro or club fitter alters them to suit you. Proper lie angle is so important to your success and consistency and I'd venture a guess 70% of the golfers out there have clubs that are not the right lie for them.

 

[sparkysakitas]

i was planning on getting my swing analyzed and getting set up with fitting so i can get the right flex length lie etc
i am going to do this right so like you said i have proper clubs
for me and only me
i want to start playing some tournements etc (nothing major)
seeing as we have so many golf courses here mihgt as well enjoy them

 

[Chili]

Sounds like a good plan, I'm sure you'll be happy. If you are serious about your game and your goal of reducing your scores focus on your short game. From 50 yards and in is where your most likely to save the most strokes in a hurry. Three things I recommend to anyone serious about improving their golf game is keep your grips fresh (wash them every other round and replace them every season) they are your only link to controlling the club. Short game instructional books from Dave Pelz and a book on the mental side of the game called " Golf is not a game of Perfect" by Dr. Bob Rotella.

 

[trial_07]

There should be a book entitled: "10 ways to avoid throwing your putter" or something like it.

 

[THORmx_nucca]

In response to those talking about riding dirt bikes on a golf course.
Someone I know did that.
He took his CR80 and took it onto the golf course, after a few minutes of riding, he tried a pretty big hump, fell off and then the police arrived.
They took his bike and he was fined 2500.
I do not reccomend this. =P
If I had permission to do that, a golf course might be pretty fun to ride on. For a while, at least.

 

[Jaybird]

Obviously there is limits to the level of ineptness a club can assist with :p

That's it...rub it in from way up there. :nener:

OK...let's talk real golfing. The game sucks. It is the hardest sport I have ever tried to master. Anyone can play, but to play well, and consistantly so, you need to be there and do it on a regular basis.

A few years ago, I was ate up with it. I had a membership and would golf three nights, and a Sat morning money scramble, every week. I also took my clubs with me anytime I went out of town and would walk on just about any place I could.
I could shoot in the mid-80's on most given days.
I rarely get out now, maybe two or three times a month...and if I shoot close to boogey golf, I am very pleased.
But I know what it takes to get back to the low 80's...and that is practice. Funny how that works.

I will be there today, looking for that one birdie that brings me back the next time.

 

[Patman]

WEll my bad, I thought I read "Dade County" not City as your location :bang:

Chili are those Ping not a "muscle back" design? Sort of a blade / cavityback cross?

Anyway Chili gave me advice on the Pelz instruction & the book. My son has read the book a few times and it helped him. As luck would have it his instructor follows a lot of Pelz methods so that has worked out well also. (thanks Chili!) :cool: :cool:

For example sparky the last set my son had was a Big Bertha driver, Tour Edge HP5's, and a mid priced putter. He got a Mizuno MX500 driver fitted to him and knocked a few strokes off. Then we got him a Mizuno Bettenardi putter and his putting got much more consistant. Then a month ago we got the Mizuno MX25's and he is still sorting them out but has dropped a few more strokes. When he started on the HS golf team this year he shot 96 (he way typically around 92) in tryouts with the old setup from the blue tees. With a few lessons, new fitted clubs as well as getting to practice almost every day and some tournament experience he now play from the gold tees and can typically shoot 74 with a bad day of 78. He's convinced the clubs have helped him gain consistancy which builds his mental game. Also the only golf tools we happen to have around the house are a putting cup, a chipping mat & a catch basket, all the outher "stuff" stays in the store or somebody elses basket :laugh:

 

[Chili]

Chili are those Ping not a "muscle back" design? Sort of a blade / cavityback cross?

Muscleback no, this is muscleback

For me it would still be considered a cavity back club. Again like I said I'm more of a purist an obviously getting older so my opinion of what is or isn't a blade is a little more traditional than that a kid who didn't play when your choice of woods meant carvings from Persimmon or laminated blocks of maple and not what size CC of chucktanium do you want :laugh: .

 

[SpeedyManiac]

Not sure how F'=ma' would apply here. I'm looking for something like this:
absolute(v)=sqrt[R(2wv+w^2R-a)] where w=v/r
This is Coriolis' law of acceleration describing a "fictive force" when a particle (golf ball) has a speed compared to a turning referential (golf stick). In this formula, if R (length of the stick) is greater, then v is also greater.

This is what I've found so far, but I'm sure there's something way more concluding and way simpler. SpeedyManiac could give us an answer.

You're looking into it too far. Don't even need coriolis or any of that crap to analyze shaft length versus speed. That's all I'll say though, because my physics is limited to sports I'm interested (DIRTBIKING).

A few years ago a local golf course was up for sale, plus surrounding land (500 acres). I believe the asking price was just over $1 million. I'm still sad I didn't have the money or credit rating, because it would've been one sweet investment, and probably the best motocross track in the country.

 

[trial_07]

V=sqrt(ra) right?

 

[Patman]

Muscleback no, this is muscleback...

:laugh: Just proves up I got a lot to learn about the technical parts of golf eh? :laugh:

 

[sparkysakitas]

well i went out and bought a set of slingshots today
they are used got them for 300$ less than half price
testing them out tommorow and all weekend

 

[XRpredator]

v-squirt?

 

[Patman]

well i went out and bought a set of slingshots today
they are used got them for 300$ less than half price
testing them out tommorow and all weekend

Wow that's an AWESOME price! Like Chili mentioned be sure the grips are in top shape, it's worth every penny to have them replaced. We spent some time talking with Rich Beam one evening and he said it's not uncommon for him and many other pro's to have their clubs regriped every day during a tournament to maintain control and of course because it doesn't cost them anything :laugh: We have my son's done at least 3 times a year but again he plays at least 5 times a week. Also (Chili can confirm this or not) but I believe even something as simple as an extra wrap of tape can improve your feel if you have large/long hands.

 

[Chili]

Also (Chili can confirm this or not) but I believe even something as simple as an extra wrap of tape can improve your feel if you have large/long hands.

All part of the custom fitting process. I can as can most players with any feel at tell the difference in grip size from one extra wrap of grip tape. Since Sparky sounds like a slicer I'd likely refrain from going bigger on the grips unless he has huge mitts as it can inhibit clubhead release.

 

[Chili]

We spent some time talking with Rich Beam one evening and he said it's not uncommon for him and many other pro's to have their clubs regriped every day during a tournament to maintain control and of course because it doesn't cost them anything :laugh:

I've spent a bunch of time around Pro golf including caddying for many Pro's in Canadian Tour events. My guess is Rich was likely exaggerating a bit to help make a point about how important fresh grips are to success. WHat happens as the grips get dirty and worn they get harder to hold onto, the average Joe starts to grip tighter without even realizing it and starts to negatively affect his game.

Not that it likely matters to you Pat but if you ever decide to send him any written correspondence it's Rich Beem.