Golf Random Irritations

[JSims]

have a playing lesson with the pro

I've had 2 of those as part of lessons series. Best I've struck the ball on both of them, even my traditionally poor chipping!
We decided it was all about concentration and that seemed to improve subsequent play.

 

[tobybarker]

Sam Snead used to putt side-saddle.

It's still annoyingly oddball

 

[NearHull]

Played a friendly match against another local club recently. The old chap I was drawn with putted in a position I can only call side-saddle... Kinda hunched over, Nicklaus style, but facing the line of the putt, with his putter to one side. Hard to describe, but his toes were facing the hole, but he wasn't standing astride the line in a croquet style. Bugged me that I couldn't think of a rule that prevented it. Even worse, he putted quite well

Played a few times at a past club in Cambridgeshire with a member who had that style. He was as good, or as bad, as the rest of us at putting.

 

[Carlwm]

Having an awful swing on the course, hooking everything and barely getting the ball off the ground, then heading to the range the next day and pumping damn near every ball straight and true.

Honestly makes me hesitant to book more lessons, as I'll turn up, the pro will ask me what's the issue, I'll say I hook everything, and then I won't be able to replicate it!

I feel your pain.

During my Summer road trip, my (golf!) driving got so bad, I was even swinging & missing on the tee. Ended up leaving the club out of the bag. Went for a lesson this morning and creamed the ball straight down the middle pretty much every time. I was flabbergasted.

 

[BrianM]

Ryan Fox must feel hard done by that he never got a shout for the presidents cup.
The cynics on social media are saying it’s because he’s on the European tour and not the PGA, where all 6 picks have come from ??

 

[patricks148]

Playing a match this morning giving away 10 shots, getting 1 up with two to play and no more shots given, then buggering up 17 and leaving a 5 ft for the ein short?

 

[Imurg]

The way retailers are marrying up the word "Only" to the £529 they want to charge for one of the new Titleist drivers......
Only 529 quid....

 

[Slab]

The way retailers are marrying up the word "Only" to the £529 they want to charge for one of the new Titleist drivers......
Only 529 quid....

Unbelievable price

To prevent new shiny envy I find that If you want to feel better about your current driver just watch the YouTube reviews that were done when it came out and you'll soon realise you probably have a really good piece of kit already in the bag

 

[Hoganman1]

Unbelievable price

To prevent new shiny envy I find that If you want to feel better about your current driver just watch the YouTube reviews that were done when it came out and you'll soon realise you probably have a really good piece of kit already in the bag

The other thing I've noticed is there are not as many pre-owned clubs available as there used to be a few years ago. We have several companies over here in the states that sell used clubs (Callaway Preowned, 3Balls golf, Second Swing etc.). Their inventories are much smaller these days. The OEMs still reduce the price of "last years model". However, not nearly as much as they did just a few years ago. Today's latest and greatest drivers are pushing the $600 mark (I think 529 pounds equals about $612). The prices I've seen on older models are only 10 to 15% cheaper.

 

[BrianM]

The way retailers are marrying up the word "Only" to the £529 they want to charge for one of the new Titleist drivers......
Only 529 quid....

The ‘old’ driver I bought about 6 weeks ago was £500 and now they’ve got a new one out for an extra £30, absolutely disgusted ?

 

[Blue in Munich]

It's still annoyingly oddball

And still legal. ?

 

[oleinone]

Played in a seniors match this week against a bloke who seemed to resent the fact that I wanted to win just as much as he did. 2 up at the turn and at the 16 th par 5 when he had a complete melt down. 3 off the tee into a gulley, 2 to get out, scuffed into brambles,skinned across the green, chip and 2 putts for a 10. At which point he claimed an 8 but eventually recounted it as a 10. I was on the green for 4 but he insisted that I hole out!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

Played in a seniors match this week against a bloke who seemed to resent the fact that I wanted to win just as much as he did. 2 up at the turn and at the 16 th par 5 when he had a complete melt down. 3 off the tee into a gulley, 2 to get out, scuffed into brambles,skinned across the green, chip and 2 putts for a 10. At which point he claimed an 8 but eventually recounted it as a 10. I was on the green for 4 but he insisted that I hole out!

Did you manage to shake hands without a smile / smirk on your face? I take it you managed to less than 5 putt and win ?

 

[oleinone]

2 putted for a bogey, grinned and then let him buy me a beer!

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

When a playing companion comments that I seem too focussed on 'working on my game' during a round...that I should 'just relax and enjoy it - leave the practice to the range'. Yes I know...however...

What they don't seem to appreciate - even when I tell them - is that doing a very significant swing path change (from what I have done for 35 yrs) is incredibly difficult; that my old swing path was latterly causing me to hit multiple shanks every round, and that if I was 'just to relax and hit it' I would almost inevitably and immediately revert to my old swing path and hit a shank - maybe not immediately but give it a few shots...

And then I say that I try and hit a fade with every shot...that when I hit a draw for me that is NOT GOOD - as it is a manifestation of my old swing path. 'So what' they say 'draw is good, everyone wants to hit a nice draw so why are you trying to NOT hit a draw'. Forgive them Lord - for they do not understand

As a result my pre-shot routine has to be really focussed on my new desired swing path. If I do not I will hit the sort of topped tee shot I hit three times with my driver yesterday. And that when they express surprise and I explain what happened that is not me obsessing about my game - and it is not me 'practicing'. I do that on the range.

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

This isn’t an irritation, but it felt like a decent place to post and probably not worthy of it’s own thread.

A friend of mine has had 2 of his shafts snap in half (literally) in the last month. He has TaylorMade P790s with Dynamic Gold heavy stiff shafts. I think they’re S300s or similar. 18 months old.

The first one snapped with a (purely struck) approach into the 18th green, I wasn’t there for that one but the shot went on the right line and distance. It was his P Wedge.

Then last week at the driving range, his 9 iron went. Again, the shot was purely struck, dead straight… I witnessed that one. The club head flew 75-80 yards.

Firstly, that is incredibly dangerous. Secondly, has anyone ever heard of snaps just snapping in half? They both snapped in an almost identical place, half way up the shaft. I’ve seen shafts snap by the neck of the club, I think I’ve ever seen a few snap up by (or within) the grip, but this is new to me!!

He is obviously onto TaylorMade via American Golf where he made the purchase. But anyone got any thoughts on how/why that is happening?

I have a sneaky feeling that he is incredibly steep on the ball and is effectively thudding the club into the ground at 100+ mph, without “releasing” the head - creating massive amounts of pressure on the shaft? He’s 6ft 4, which probably doesn’t help… And in terms of yardages, he’s probably 2-3 clubs longer than I am (P Wedge was probably his 140 yard club…)

I’m sure TaylorMade will replace the shafts free of charge, but I can’t help but feel he’s going to see more clubs snapping if none of his mates have the balls to tell him that we think it’s probably not caused by build quality but is in fact probably his own doing!

Update: His 8 iron has now broken in half in exactly the same place as his 9 iron/PW. Happened on the first hole, and his approach shot ended up no more than 10ft away.

TaylorMade refused to help him, and at £90 per shaft+labour, he’s now £270 out of pocket on top of the £1k he spent on the clubs just 2 years ago.

I can’t really work it out… Yes, he is steep, he hits it hard, but I have literally never seen a shaft break through ‘normal’ usage, he’s now broken 3 in less than 6 months and they’re still relatively new.

Does anyone on this forum know anyone at TaylorMade who might be a bit more helpful than the customer service team, who are very keen to fob him off at the first opportunity.

 

[sjw]

I thought TaylorMade CS was supposed to be really good?

 

[JonnyGutteridge]

I thought TaylorMade CS was supposed to be really good?

That’s what I said to him - almost notoriously good. They told him to go via the retailer to have the club sent off to them, then apparently said that the break occurred outside of their ‘tolerance’ (ie. It has to be above or below a certain point of the shaft for it to be something that they replace) and that shafts don’t break in the middle without prior damage occurring, and again that would not be something they would look to replace.

The clubs were purchased at American Golf following a custom fit. American Golf are about as useless as it gets and aren’t offering him any help, they reluctantly sent the club to TaylorMade on his behalf but it took them 2 weeks of doing nothing before they sent it.

Subsequently, 2 more clubs have broken and he has lost motivation to do anything about it because of how horrendous his experience has been with both companies. If it was me, I would be turning up at TaylorMade with 3 snapped clubs demanding a proper resolution - not just “shafts don’t break in the middle”…. They clearly do!

 

[Deleted member 29109]

Update: His 8 iron has now broken in half in exactly the same place as his 9 iron/PW. Happened on the first hole, and his approach shot ended up no more than 10ft away.

TaylorMade refused to help him, and at £90 per shaft+labour, he’s now £270 out of pocket on top of the £1k he spent on the clubs just 2 years ago.

I can’t really work it out… Yes, he is steep, he hits it hard, but I have literally never seen a shaft break through ‘normal’ usage, he’s now broken 3 in less than 6 months and they’re still relatively new.

Does anyone on this forum know anyone at TaylorMade who might be a bit more helpful than the customer service team, who are very keen to fob him off at the first opportunity.

Are they suffering from excessive bag rub or something? Or keeping them in the car, been on a flight?

If they are breaking in the same place in the middle of the shaft is there any visible signs of damage.

Has he tried to contact the shaft manufacturer?

 

[Neilds]

Striding with confidence towards the light rough, convinced that you can see your ball just sticking above the grass - only to find it is a feather/mushroom/leaf ?
Worse still if you then fail to find your ball!