munichop

2 piece balls by definition are limited in the range of shots that can be played around the green compared to urethane. Like I said I witness my casual group every week struggle to chip consistently with urethane. It doesn't make them great chippers if they use surlyn. What happens is their worst efforts with surlyn are better than their worst efforts with urethane. Similar to using a putter from off the green. You may not make a great lag every time but your mistake will be closer than the crappy chip. As I have aged and lost clubhead speed and have limited practice due to my back I have simplified my approach to golf so I can still score. My fg17's are a distant memory as well as shaping shots to get to tucked pins. I prefer the low compression balls and can still score well with them when I am having a good day. For me their limitations have become a strength because I trust my foul balls will stay in play better and like I said my short game is about having a ball that is consistent around the greens. I never try the low skidder that is shown on tv. My golf ball doesn't allow me that shot. But that is a sacrafice I am willing to make if I can consistently score with an old man point and shoot golf ball.

I know what I witness every round with my friends. The difference between their inconsistent shots with urethane is more than with surlyn. The ones who play urethane do so because they are used to the ball. I tinker more with golf balls than all but a couple of guys in my group. My short game is w deg gap wedge. Expect release on every shot. I save par about 70 percent this season when missing greens. I am averaging 2 bogeys a round, over 4 birdies a round. My best ever bogeys per round was 1.61 with a gamer soft. The limitations of the surlyn ball helps me play smarter because I don’t chase sucker pins. My friends see this play out every week but only a few have tried my approach. Everyone has to find what works best for them. Cost isn’t a factor. If I played pro vs I wouldn’t pay for a ball ever. I live on a golf course and find more than I could ever use. I give the good ones to my friends who play them.

I have played the supersoft and softfli the most the last 2 years. The maxfli seems to work better at elevation while the SS seems better at lower elevations. Just got 2doz for 30 dollars of the previous version of the softfli. They seem to shape a little more than the new ones and chip more consistently for me.

I have suggested this before but I think the core of the ball could be revised to keep the speed for lower swing speed while acting as a governor for tour guys. I expect the ball makers will find a way to say that their golf balls will do that.

But the rules don’t require you to play the shot on the green surface. Guys can play the ball in the air on the greens. For years the rub of the green was the response to tapping down the green. Now it is allowed. The rules have been modified. Maybe that is why the randomness defense seems… random.

Agree yet they now allow tapping down the green in certain circumstances when before it was the rub of the green. So they have made changes. This one remains for now.

Interesting that so many of the rules were revised a few years back and this one remained. I could see the pga tour having a rule change for this similar to lift clean and place for some events or holes where so many balls gather in one spot.

Darren Clark mentioned the skills of shotmaking are diminishing due to equipment and American style golf. That’s why older guys still have a chance in the Open. Even guys in their 50’s can contend if they have a good week.

BD plays into the persona because it feeds his ego. Then there are players like Annika. For YEARS Donna Caponi would bring up the idea the Annika would have been an engineer if not for golf until someone asked her about it- she laughed and said her paaion ouside of golf was cooking. She would have tried to become a chef. BD likes the idea of being a scientist more than ACTUALLY being a scientist. All that being said he has no idea yet how to prepare or approach a links golf course and that type of golf. Let's just say it doesn't "compute" for him...

I have commented on this before but it bears repeating that most lpga players score the way shorter mens players do, with their wedges and putters. Most of them can’t overpower golf courses so they relie on fairways and greens to give them the most chances. They save shots with course management and sharp short games. While scratch players are good at these things the women pros are exceptional. That’s why they make a living playing the game.

I have always preferred to think Watson played as well as anyone and tied for first that year. The playoff for me was secondary. I was never his biggest fan but no one since Peter Thompson played links as well as him. There was one shot in particular I remember him hitting on the back 9, a par 3 down wind with a forced carry over a pot bunker. No one could hold the green but he did by cutting the ball up in the air and landing it exactly where he needed to get a birdie chance. It was a subtle, masterful use of trajectory,spin and wind. SC never got the credit he deserved for that back 9 Sunday and the playoff.

Before LIV pga tour players could play the European tour as an alternative. Once another choice was available AND name players were choosing it the pga tour offered more money to those who stayed. Whether any of it is sustainable for a long time is another question.