Your most unpopular Golf opinions?

[Obee]

Just now, TiScape said:

 

Pics or it doesn't happen...

[bjorn240]

13 hours ago, blonded said:

Every muni should be lined to the gills with red stakes. ANY area with fescue or trees or anything other than normal rough should pretty much be red staked since no one at munis is hitting provisionals or taking stroke and distance anyways.

 

I have no problem with the first statement I guess, but what on earth do you mean by "no one is taking provisionals or taking stroke and distance anyways,"?  I play almost exclusively munis (I have two really good ones 10 minutes from my house), and I do both of those things (as infrequently as possible, but it certainly happens).

[bjorn240]

1 hour ago, MidwestHacker said:

Every golfer I've ever played with at the several muni's around me is taking stroke and distance for lost balls anywhere on the course (or they're not keeping score at all), no one is playing provisionals in casual play and they're definitely not going back to the tee that probably already has the next group (or two) waiting to tee off. 

 

I play provisionals in casual play, and so do my playing partners.  We mostly play $23 munis in Chicago.  How else would you keep accurate score?

[MidwestHacker]

31 minutes ago, bjorn240 said:

 How else would you keep accurate score?

Stroke and distance…it’s right there in the original post. 

[Warrior42111]

1 hour ago, bjorn240 said:

 

I play provisionals in casual play, and so do my playing partners.  We mostly play $23 munis in Chicago.  How else would you keep accurate score?

80+% of golfers (at least in the US) don't maintain a handicap 

[retch10]

3 hours ago, TiScape said:

Is that a serious question? 
You get out & read the other subs at all??

Lots of guys here drop that and more on putters on the reg. Not saying it’s right or wrong (I mean it’s their $ and prerogative so…) Just saying if you get around on here I can’t imagine you’re seriously questioning it/surprised. 😊

 

*are there actually still K-Marts??? 

Oh.. I know people do spend that much. I was just asking if he actually did or was just saying that. 

 

Are there still K-Marts? Ours is gone.  There might be some around.  Online K-Mart is still a thing. I know that I indeed did buy a putter at a K-Mart (it was probably in the 2005 range) for a song and I used it for quite a few years.  I putted about the same as I did with the one before that...and the one before that...and the one I have now.

[retch10]

4 hours ago, mat562 said:

 

My powers are fading, but I reckon I'd still rank highly in this category, despite my now mediocre play.

Same.

 

 

[TiScape]

53 minutes ago, retch10 said:

Oh.. I know people do spend that much. I was just asking if he actually did or was just saying that. 

 

Are there still K-Marts? Ours is gone.  There might be some around.  Online K-Mart is still a thing. I know that I indeed did buy a putter at a K-Mart (it was probably in the 2005 range) for a song and I used it for quite a few years.  I putted about the same as I did with the one before that...and the one before that...and the one I have now.

All I remember about K-Mart is that old joke:

 

-What did the bird say when he flew over K-Mart?

 

-Cheap, cheap 

[Argonne69]

1 hour ago, TiScape said:

All I remember about K-Mart is that old joke:

 

-What did the bird say when he flew over K-Mart?

 

-Cheap, cheap 

 

Attention K-Mart shoppers. We have a Blue Light Special in aisle 11.... 

 

[dugue4]

If booking online is the only way they want me booking, then I shouldn't have to pay a "convenience fee".

[Double Mocha Man]

8 minutes ago, dugue4 said:

If booking online is the only way they want me booking, then I shouldn't have to pay a "convenience fee".

 

I haven't booked by phone for about 20 years.  That would tee me off.

 

You should call the pro shop and take about 15 minutes to book, going through all the open times, asking who is in that group, what's the weather going to be like and will a cart girl be on duty that day?  At the 16 minute mark let them know you're booking by phone to avoid the "convenience fee".

[betarhoalphadelta]

On 7/14/2025 at 6:52 PM, blonded said:

Every muni should be lined to the gills with red stakes. ANY area with fescue or trees or anything other than normal rough should pretty much be red staked since no one at munis is hitting provisionals or taking stroke and distance anyways.

 

Or you could just use MLR E-5. That's literally what it was created for; to allow you to avoid going back to the last played spot (S&D) in the case of OOB or lost ball. 

 

Red staking everything is just trying to avoid the additional penalty stroke that MLR E-5 uses to mimic the effects of an S&D penalty. 

[clinkinfo]

My unpopular opinion…..there are a lot of BAD golf teachers, many who are “professionals “.  Assuming that going to a pro to get lessons will make you better is a bad assumption 

[TNwanabe]

4 hours ago, clinkinfo said:

My unpopular opinion…..there are a lot of BAD golf teachers, many who are “professionals “.  Assuming that going to a pro to get lessons will make you better is a bad assumption 

So many beginners, like me, simply do not know the difference and put out $$$$ and never improve. It wasnt until I learned more about the swing on my own and going to different instructors, that I realized how bad the instruction I was getting actually was. What a waste of time and money. 

Edited July 18 by TNwanabe

[mshills]

Rory is the best driver of the golf ball since Nicklaus and it is not particularly close. 

[dubbelbogey]

15 hours ago, clinkinfo said:

My unpopular opinion…..there are a lot of BAD golf teachers, many who are “professionals “.  Assuming that going to a pro to get lessons will make you better is a bad assumption 

 

I'd partially agree.

 

I'd counter there are also even more golfers out there who have even more done damage to their scoring ability through poor self-diagnosis, YouTube videos and (in past years) bad magazine articles.

 

For the rank beginners out there, I think most instructors out there would provide them with a decent basis to learn, certainly providing a better foundation than doing it solo with no guidance. But, for the more experienced golfer (like most here), finding a good instructor to get real improvement is a challenge. Definitely some good ones out there, but they're not easy to find as each of us have unique needs and ways that we best learn. An instructor that is good for me might not be good for you.

 

 

[Obee]

2 minutes ago, dubbelbogey said:

 

I'd partially agree.

 

I'd counter there are also even more golfers out there who have even more done damage to their scoring ability through poor self-diagnosis, YouTube videos and (in past years) bad magazine articles.

 

For the rank beginners out there, I think most instructors out there would provide them with a decent basis to learn, certainly providing a better foundation than doing it solo with no guidance. But, for the more experienced golfer (like most here), finding a good instructor to get real improvement is a challenge. Definitely some good ones out there, but they're not easy to find as each of us have unique needs and ways that we best learn. An instructor that is good for me might not be good for you.

 

 

I'm self taught and learned from watching pros play and and reading magazine articles and reading books. I DID ingrain some "less than ideal" patterns and set-up/swing idiosyncrasies because of that, for sure.

The good news?

• I was able to get to a reasonably high level doing it myself
• I had a BLAST "doing it my way"
• I learned how to hit the ball every which way and could hit Tiger's "9 windows" when healthy (although not with Tiger's ball speed!)

The bad news?

• The swing I developed, while quite repeatable for me, was murder on my back
• I de-lofted significantly on all shots, so hitting the ball high and soft required considerable manipulation, which lead to a decrease in repeatability -- especially under pressure.
• The de-lofting I did meant that I never learned to launch driver and maximize my distance. I could always hit fairways, but I struggled to not "pinch" the ball with my driver, which really hurt my distance.
• Working with a coach who wanted to work with ME and MY swing would have been the best way for me to go to have taken my game from "regionally competitive" to "nationally competitive."

[dubbelbogey]

It'd be interesting to know if there what correlation there is between golfers who've had lessons vs those who haven't. Of course, the tricky part is controlling for variables like how long they've played, how much they practice, etc... which would make such a study pretty challenging to pull off fairly.

 

I do have some experience coaching/teaching in a different sport - skiing. I've observed in my skiing travels that the "base level" skiers in Japan, were notably more skilled than the base level skier here in the US. I attribute this to a stronger cultural tendency to seek out professional instruction. On many of the mountains there, I observed noticeably more adult ski lessons than I have ever seen anywhere in the US. Now, the best skiers from the US and Europe are generally more accomplished than those from Asia (again, a cultural difference), but the average Joe/Jane skiers in Japan were notably proficient. Dunno if this trend applies to golf or not, but it is a factor to consider.

 

 

[NoTalentLefty]

On 7/13/2025 at 4:55 PM, NoTalentLefty said:

An American will win the British Open. 

I got that one right. But then again I didn’t say who. 

[Warrior42111]

On 7/18/2025 at 11:26 AM, dubbelbogey said:

 

I'd partially agree.

 

I'd counter there are also even more golfers out there who have even more done damage to their scoring ability through poor self-diagnosis, YouTube videos and (in past years) bad magazine articles.

 

For the rank beginners out there, I think most instructors out there would provide them with a decent basis to learn, certainly providing a better foundation than doing it solo with no guidance. But, for the more experienced golfer (like most here), finding a good instructor to get real improvement is a challenge. Definitely some good ones out there, but they're not easy to find as each of us have unique needs and ways that we best learn. An instructor that is good for me might not be good for you.

 

 

I'd say the biggest issue with golfers is themselves (no shock there).

 

Too many want the quick fix,

 

Too many don't put in enough meaningful, purposeful practice,

 

And the biggest thing IMO too many think they can learn and incorporate 3 changes a week

[PedronNiall]

On 7/18/2025 at 12:02 PM, dubbelbogey said:

It'd be interesting to know if there what correlation there is between golfers who've had lessons vs those who haven't. Of course, the tricky part is controlling for variables like how long they've played, how much they practice, etc... which would make such a study pretty challenging to pull off fairly.

 

I do have some experience coaching/teaching in a different sport - skiing. I've observed in my skiing travels that the "base level" skiers in Japan, were notably more skilled than the base level skier here in the US. I attribute this to a stronger cultural tendency to seek out professional instruction. On many of the mountains there, I observed noticeably more adult ski lessons than I have ever seen anywhere in the US. Now, the best skiers from the US and Europe are generally more accomplished than those from Asia (again, a cultural difference), but the average Joe/Jane skiers in Japan were notably proficient. Dunno if this trend applies to golf or not, but it is a factor to consider.

 

 

 

Golf is about the only sport where through various circumstances some amateur players think they can figure it out on their own. There's a reason why just like in every other sport the large majority of those at the highest level in golf have been coached. 

 

Not getting lessons at all is choosing to ignore the distilling down of combined millions of hours of learning, trial, error, and analysis avaliable to quality instructors and instead trying to go at it with only the hours a week at best most can dedicate to one of the least intuitive sets of movements in the athletic world. I'll even go out on a limb and say the odds favor even the worst instructors doing more for new and struggling players than they ever will on their own. With good data capture and biomechanics becoming more and more the norm it's going to become all the more masochistic to go it alone. 

 

On topic, my main reason for coming here was to voice that people should have some courtesy and not post up directly next to someone else when there are plenty of spots left open on the range or the practice greens. As eloquently stated elsewhere, bathroom stall rules should apply and no one should hop in right next door when there's room to leave space. 

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, PedronNiall said:

On topic, my main reason for coming here was to voice that people should have some courtesy and not post up directly next to someone else when there are plenty of spots left open on the range or the practice greens. As eloquently stated elsewhere, bathroom stall rules should apply and no one should hop in right next door when there's room to leave space. 

 

That rule goes out the window if the grass is greener on the far side of the range.  Mats, not so much.

[bcjim]

On 7/13/2025 at 7:38 AM, Shallowface said:

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/my-unpopular-golf-opinion-its-time-to-outlaw-four-balls

 

 

Is this an actual serious golf content site? Or a parody kind of thing? If the former,  this is one of the most impressively stupid columns i have ever seen.

 

Giving me pause is the authors fake sounding name and his WITB at the end which includes a bunch of junk I've never heard of. 

[bcjim]

On 7/15/2025 at 10:07 AM, MidwestHacker said:

Every golfer I've ever played with at the several muni's around me is taking stroke and distance for lost balls anywhere on the course (or they're not keeping score at all), no one is playing provisionals in casual play and they're definitely not going back to the tee that probably already has the next group (or two) waiting to tee off. 

I think you mean they're not taking stroke and distance. And just dropping a ball as if it's red stakes?

Taking it would mean going back and hitting 3 off the tee (or from wherever the lost ball was played from).

 

Really i just was checking back on this thread to verify poster @dekez idea was still being  ridiculed 😆

[WesternRacing]

On 7/21/2025 at 3:34 PM, PedronNiall said:

 

On topic, my main reason for coming here was to voice that people should have some courtesy and not post up directly next to someone else when there are plenty of spots left open on the range or the practice greens. As eloquently stated elsewhere, bathroom stall rules should apply and no one should hop in right next door when there's room to leave space. 

 

It all depends on where the grass is located.  If someone’s at the far end of our range and the only spot with good grass left is right next to him/her, I’m going to be right next to them.  I’ll give space when I can, but good turf trumps everything else.  Luckily we have enough stations that it’s rarely an issue.

[IndyArcher]

On 7/10/2025 at 2:20 PM, Pepperturbo said:

There's a segment of people that thinks they know what's best for everyone else.

 

Whether right or wrong, I do NOT allow anyone to tell me what's best for me. I'd rather face the consequences for being wrong than let some know-it-all control fanatic dictate what's good for me.

 

As long as your "Don't control me" doesn't force me to deal with your choices, I have zero problem with that. The problem with that attitude that I see in many is that "Don't control me!" often means, "Shut up and deal with it if my actions force something on you!"

[dekez]

10 hours ago, bcjim said:

I think you mean they're not taking stroke and distance. And just dropping a ball as if it's red stakes?

Taking it would mean going back and hitting 3 off the tee (or from wherever the lost ball was played from).

 

Really i just was checking back on this thread to verify poster @dekez idea was still being  ridiculed 😆

Still here. Still resent single golfers!

[retch10]

On 7/17/2025 at 7:17 PM, clinkinfo said:

My unpopular opinion…..there are a lot of BAD golf teachers, many who are “professionals “.  Assuming that going to a pro to get lessons will make you better is a bad assumption 

To be a good coach/instructor, the knowledge is essential but that alone doesn't get it done.  They have to know HOW to impart that knowledge and also know that instruction is not one size fits all. Every person they instruct is different and what works with one will not work with the next. 

 

A golfer looking for instruction on there own also needs to keep this in mind.  If there is something I want to work on and go looking at say, YouTube, I have to go through maybe 9-10 different instructors/videos looking for what works for ME.  Sometimes I take a bit from this one but the rest doesn't work and than add it a bit from another. 

 

But yeah, teaching/coaching is a skill in and of itself. Being good at golf and knowing swing mechanics doesn't make you a good instructor. 

[WesternRacing]

To the people who think there’s a lot of bad instruction out there, I don’t disagree but I think it’s simply the fact that there is maybe too much of a volume of instruction out there, which makes the bad ones more/too accessible.

 

In general though, I think there is way more good instruction out there these days than what there was even 15-20 years ago.  The good instructors today are far more willing to work with the student and build a swing that’s right for them rather than just try to fit everyone into the same cookie cutter swing.  I’ve worked with both types over the years and the experiences were night and day different.

[The Pearl]

On 7/15/2025 at 5:00 AM, mshills said:

Not as unpopular as it would have been a couple years ago….I don’t get The Buck Club. Buying expensive gear from a make-believe club is not for me. 

 

I will give the Utah Blair crew the benefit of the doubt at the start, but it quickly turned into a grift in order to fund the Tree Farm.  If you know anything about Utah, this is not exactly unusual.

Edited July 25 by The Pearl