Your most unpopular Golf opinions?

[_chris]

17 hours ago, klebs01 said:

I’m with you on rolling one up and from the Midwest. It happens once in a blue moon and isn’t something to worry about. I would usually say nice shot. Catch a flyer that rolls up from 280 out. It happens. Not going to fault anyone. The should have hit. Just don’t fly one in when it’s obvious. 

I hit a 3w (poorly) into a group ahead that was putting. It was rolling but going fast enough that it hit the one guys wedge laying on the grass and popped into the air a few feet. I immediately raised my hand and then drove right up to apologize. The guys were apoplectic and wanted to fight. I was playing with my son and the club pro who even verified the yardage. I was 310 out. If I strike a 3w well off the deck, it's going 275. I fully intended to be off the green, I just skulled it. 

 

Having said all that, my unpopular opinion is, I apologize once. Maybe twice if I'm egregiously at fault. If you keep chirping at me after that, I'll suggest your mother has illicit relationships and that your father disappeared. I can only be gracious for so long. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

I take one practice swing for any full swing shot. However it's not a "practice" swing in the sense that I'm practicing anything. I do it partly as a little way to mentally get me ready to hit a ball, and also to have a little sense of where the ground is. 

 

I do it quickly. It's not a full rehearsal of everything I would do while addressing the ball to hit it. Sometimes it's even before I'm fully "set". But it prepares me to hit the ball.

 

When I was teaching my son to play he was taking sometimes 4 or more practice swings before hitting the ball. I put an end to that right quick. 

[Archimedes65]

I played a round yesterday at a very well known, iconic private Bay Area course, behind a threesome and then a foursome, then us.  The round took 4 hours and 45 minutes.  By the 10th hole, there were three holes open in front of the threesome, yet they weren’t letting anyone play through.  The members in our group and the one behind us were furious.  Marshall was called; barely improved the situation.  I was second off at my club this morning, played behind a threesome that played in 2:45 (with two guys walking).  Ready golf is easy to play, if you want to do so.

[Argonne69]

Unless it's late fall, and there is a significant amount of leaves in the fairways, jet dryers should be banned from the courses. Trying to enjoy a peaceful morning on the course, and I'm joined by the ear splitting whine of the dryer removing a handful of twigs and leaves. They're loose impediments, so we can live with them. Oy. 

 

 

Edited June 10, 2024 by Argonne69

[DocBrown3887]

I actually like LIV tournaments on TV despite the ugly scoreboard and many players on that tour, Houston was fun this weekend imo. I have also always disliked the traditional "stuffy" golf culture so maybe that is part of it.

[SurfDuffer]

Blades are no more difficult to play than any other set of irons.  Weak minded people believe they are difficult to hit and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

[bobfoster]

I have a new one I think. This statement:

 

"I do not at all mind a 4 hour round. I do not at all mind a 4.5 hour round. It is what golf is these days, and I just relax and fully enjoy the scenery and the people I am playing with. Gotta hit the 4:45 mark before I start getting irritated."

 

Now, such a statement is absolute blasphemy to the Fast Golf Cult. As with many cults, the numbers are small, but very vocal. 🤣

 

"I could never play fast, so I learned to play well". (Hee hee.)

- David Gilmore, Guitarist, Pink Floyd. 

[mshills]

Removing bunkers is often a great idea. For many courses, it saves some amount of maintenance $, can help keep the cost of play low, and make the game more accessible.  
 

Bunkers don’t need to be manicured. We should learn something from looking at Royal Melbourne as one example. They don’t need to be perfect, in fact I’d say they shouldn’t be. That local $50 daily fee should not aspire to, or spend like, Muirfield Village or Quail Hollow or Augusta National. If I’m mad about it, don’t hit it there. 

[Argonne69]

10 hours ago, bobfoster said:

I have a new one I think. This statement:

 

"I do not at all mind a 4 hour round. I do not at all mind a 4.5 hour round. It is what golf is these days, and I just relax and fully enjoy the scenery and the people I am playing with. Gotta hit the 4:45 mark before I start getting irritated."

 

Now, such a statement is absolute blasphemy to the Fast Golf Cult. As with many cults, the numbers are small, but very vocal. 🤣

 

"I could never play fast, so I learned to play well". (Hee hee.)

- David Gilmore, Guitarist, Pink Floyd. 

 

Imagine paying good money to see a Pink Floyd concert. They play the full Shine on You Crazy Diamond suite, but in the middle of the extended piece David constantly stops and walks over to his guitar tech on the side of the stage to have a conversation, or to get a drink. When it's his time for a solo, he stops to tune his guitar. 

 

It's not about playing fast. It's about playing efficiently and flow. Got stuck between two clowns in a cart yesterday. The usual one sits in a cart while his playing partner hits, and then they drive 5 yds forward before the 2nd player gets out and does his whole shtick.

 

[Warrior42111]

12 hours ago, SurfDuffer said:

Blades are no more difficult to play than any other set of irons.  Weak minded people believe they are difficult to hit and it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy.

Engineering and physics might disagree.

 

 

[Greenie]

1 hour ago, Argonne69 said:

 

It's not about playing fast. It's about playing efficiently and flow. Got stuck between two clowns in a cart yesterday. The usual one sits in a cart while his playing partner hits, and then they drive 5 yds forward before the 2nd player gets out and does his whole shtick.

 

 

It is amazing when a group learns to play efficiently how much time is saved. I agree it is not about playing fast. When you play efficiently a group can easily play in under 4 hrs. without rushing or feeling rushed. 

 

My group is a bunch of mid 60's players. Our foursomes without being held up usually play around 3:30. No one is rushing. We look for balls, talk trash, smoke cigars, take shots of whiskey, and enjoy the day. Half the guys are high cap golfers. I've been playing in this group of guys for years. I can't say I ever felt rushed. 

[betarhoalphadelta]

12 hours ago, bobfoster said:

 

"I do not at all mind a 4 hour round. I do not at all mind a 4.5 hour round. It is what golf is these days, and I just relax and fully enjoy the scenery and the people I am playing with. Gotta hit the 4:45 mark before I start getting irritated."

 

Now, such a statement is absolute blasphemy to the Fast Golf Cult. As with many cults, the numbers are small, but very vocal. 🤣

 

 

Most golf is not played as fast as I'd prefer to play. So I might be a member of said cult. 

 

That said, I recognize that on a weekend in prime time, things are not going to be "fast" anywhere. 4 hours is fine. 4:30 is a bit slow but I can understand it. However I do think when you start getting beyond 4:30, it starts becoming a problem. When you're approaching 5 hours, it's downright glacial. Anything beyond 5 hours should require the offending group(s) to stand on the putting green and be pelted with moldy overripe tomatoes by any group that was stuck behind them. 

[Maine Golfer]

2 hours ago, Warrior42111 said:

Engineering and physics might disagree.

 

 

My take on blades is up to the user. Im not playing blades because i think im better, i have fun 6 thru wedges bladed. I make no claims what other golfers should play. I find the idea of telling others what they should play is absurd. I just ask people attempt to not play slow and be respectful of others 

[jda]

Engineering and physics do not play golf.  That same ridiculous take about engineering and physics can also show you that blades hit better shots in some circumstances are can be easier to hit.  In the whole scheme of things, they might be a wash for most people, physically and engineeringly speaking, but also out on the course.  If you are skulling, shanking, etc., then not even the largest GI can really help you much.

 

One of my friends just got battered with a 5 hybrid the other day out of the deep rough.  Game him one of my blades with some instruction to swing kinda steep and he could not believe the results and how much easier the blade got the ball out of the rough.  He is about a 10 and can strike the ball pretty well.  He was also impressed with the spin when he borrowed a 9i for a par 3... and that it went further than his 9i that is 6 degrees stronger.

 

I do agree that most people who can find the relative center club face could likely benefit from the lack of offset, extra spin, less sole interaction with the grass, etc.  However, it is just too easy to sell new clubs to people who are struggling rather than practice or getting better.  What might be the final nail in the coffin of blades is that most are not juiced 4 to 8 degrees for people to feel like they stronger or young again... you have to play a 46 to 48 degree PW and let your friends make fun of you where they are hitting G, A or S which are juiced to the same degrees anyway.  However, if most people believe that they cannot play them, then they cannot.

[Warrior42111]

If someone is consistently around the center of the face I agree with you, look at all club options. But a vast majority of golfers are not. That's why hitting a club where distance drop off between a toe, heel, or center strike isn't as significant vs a blade is probably more important then flighting a ball to those golfers.

[jda]

We don't need to argue this here, but have you played blades and experienced those off-center strikes for yourself of a modicum of time?  Most are not ACTUALLY any worse than with a GI club, they just FEEL worse.  There is still more mass behind the ball for some of those misses with blades, which we know what physics and engineering says about that.  Then, you add in the benefits of a good/decent strike, any strike out of the rough, etc.  They are worth checking out for most players although not everybody will want them, and rightly so.

 

The low strikes with blades can still REALLY spin which help a lot of people too from a skulled shot going too long.

 

Heel strikes with blades are good still, as long as you don't shank it, of course.

 

Most people probably don't swing hard enough for most of this to matter... a toe hit is a toe hit and will always be short even with GI stuff.  If you swing harder, then any club, including a blade, will still be competent.

 

EDIT: to make this an unpopular opinion, I think that too many people believe what they have read or heard about clubs without actually using many of them for themselves.  Most of this is drivel from manufacturers designed to sell new clubs and not so much to help people use or play them.

Edited June 11, 2024 by jda

[Warrior42111]

Last fitting for me came down to P770s and the 21 HMPs. It was close but I went with the HMPs for two reasons.  One despite hitting the 770 well I was uncomfortable at times with the smaller size. I know making a confident swing is key so didn't want to have that. Also on my mis hit toe there was about a 7yd difference. Adjust for loft difference probably 5 yds if loft were equal. Seeing how at the courses I play most you need to carry to get to the green a few times I thought the consistency on mis hit difference would benefit me the most. 

[david.c.w]

1 hour ago, Warrior42111 said:

If someone is consistently around the center of the face I agree with you, look at all club options. But a vast majority of golfers are not. That's why hitting a club where distance drop off between a toe, heel, or center strike isn't as significant vs a blade is probably more important then flighting a ball to those golfers.

I have a wear mark on the high toe of most of my irons

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

Okay, the blade talk basically inspired another unpopular(?) opinion here...

 

There are only two types of irons. Irons for people who know how to create decent impact conditions, and for those who don't. 

 

• For those who do: Basically this means that you can actually generate a little speed, hit the ball before the turf with a descending AoA to avoid turf interaction, and the hands ideally ahead of but at worst roughly even with the ball at impact (no flipping). This will lead to a good, high, ballflight. This is someone who knows how to hit the ball, but might not be very consistent. In this category you have blades, cavity backs, and players distance irons. The only difference between them is the degree of sole/perimeter weighting offering forgiveness on mishits.  
• For those who don't: This is the category of people who can't elevate the ball to save their lives. Often because they have a number of swing faults. Maybe they're flipping and it screws up their AoA. Maybe they call themselves "sweepers" because they're too shallow and so they need a thick sole to keep the turf from slowing down the clubhead because they hit turf just before ball. Either way we've left the realm of "forgiveness on off center hits" and we're in the realm of "you need the help getting the ball in the air on EVERY SINGLE swing". This is for someone who has no clue how to swing a club and hit the ball. These are your GI / SGI irons. The tech long ago stopped being about forgiveness, and became about how to get a ball up in the air from a swing that's unable to do it without help. 

I'm not a great golfer. I benefit from "forgiving" irons. But I don't need help getting the ball in the air. Hence I play irons that would fall into the players distance category, and frankly I would have no qualms about playing CBs or blades--I know how to hit them, I just might be punished a little more often for off-center contact.

 

[_chris]

On 6/7/2024 at 12:09 PM, Archimedes65 said:

I played a round yesterday at a very well known, iconic private Bay Area course, behind a threesome and then a foursome, then us.  The round took 4 hours and 45 minutes.  By the 10th hole, there were three holes open in front of the threesome, yet they weren’t letting anyone play through.  The members in our group and the one behind us were furious.  Marshall was called; barely improved the situation.  I was second off at my club this morning, played behind a threesome that played in 2:45 (with two guys walking).  Ready golf is easy to play, if you want to do so.

I always offer to be allowed to go ahead. I can get the slow moving group going faster. Every single time. 

[PARETO]

On 6/7/2024 at 8:18 AM, _chris said:

I hit a 3w (poorly) into a group ahead that was putting. It was rolling but going fast enough that it hit the one guys wedge laying on the grass and popped into the air a few feet. I immediately raised my hand and then drove right up to apologize. The guys were apoplectic and wanted to fight. I was playing with my son and the club pro who even verified the yardage. I was 310 out. If I strike a 3w well off the deck, it's going 275. I fully intended to be off the green, I just skulled it. 

 

Having said all that, my unpopular opinion is, I apologize once. Maybe twice if I'm egregiously at fault. If you keep chirping at me after that, I'll suggest your mother has illicit relationships and that your father disappeared. I can only be gracious for so long. 

10000% agree. I’ll give you one really honest “sorry guys”. After that, your chirping will be ignored. 

[golferdude54]

Offset shouldn't exist in any club design except putters. It should be onset driver, FW's, hybrids, then irons/wedges with no offset. 

[SnowbirdTom]

If you're playing in a league, get there at least 15 minutes prior to your tee time.  As a starter, I got a bit vocal last night with two leagues lollygagging around and having to be told to get on the tee and go.  "We don't have our fourth."  I DON'T CARE!  Get your kiesters in gear and play your assigned time.  Your missing player can catch up and you can have that conversation WITH HIM about being on time.  There's two leagues behind ya that don't care either. They want to play at their assigned times.

 

I don't herd cats well because someone took my cattle prod away.  🤣

[vtpachyderm]

With enough practice and reps, any putter will work. Putter variation is only there for your mindset.

 

Putter fitting is just a compensation for a flawed putting stroke. It is the slowest and least dynamic stroke you play. All a fitting does is take care of the mental mindf**k that is putting. Forget rollback etc etc - just standardize the putter for the pros and watch the chaos unfold.

Edited June 12, 2024 by vtpachyderm
word use.

[Double Mocha Man]

11 hours ago, _chris said:

I always offer to be allowed to go ahead. 

 

"Euphemism of the Day" award right there! 😄

[Mookie91]

Like collard shirts on the course

Don’t like audible music on the course 

Think in a divot in your own fairway should be a free lift 

[Argonne69]

It's been several years since we've been allowed to putt with the flagstick in the hole. 

 

If you elect to take it out, fine, that's your choice. However, if you fail to put the flag back in the hole properly you should have your playing privilege suspended for a week. Can't understand what's so difficult about seating the end fully in the liner. 

 

If you fail to put the flag back at all, then you should be off the course for a month. Pfffttt. 

 

Edited June 12, 2024 by Argonne69

[mshills]

Golf dress codes should continue to relax.

 

I know. The horror of wearing athletic clothes to play a sport!

[AngryGilmore]

On 6/6/2024 at 9:11 AM, mshills said:

Some situational awareness is called for too. It is pretty easy to tell if someone just hit a 1 in 500 nutted shot that landed 10 yards short, got a members bounce, and rolled on. You look back and the player is usually waving or hand up and often yelling “SORRY!” I’m not going to be mad about that at all, and if the player rolls up to apologize I’m going to fist bump him and tell him to make that putt!
 

You drop a 5w trajectory in on top of me….not the same thing at all, and you won’t have an eagle putt any more when you get up there. 
 

I do agree, if there is any chance at all, I wait, and that is not slowing the PoP down one bit. 

 

I've had a couple balls roll up on me.  More often than not, I'm not mad because it would have been a hell of a shot to get to me in the first place.  I'm not mad.  Im impressed

[imkirby34]

2 hours ago, Argonne69 said:

It's been several years since we've been allowed to putt with the flagstick in the hole. 

 

If you elect to take it out, fine, that's your choice. However, if you fail to put the flag back in the hole properly you should have your playing privilege suspended for a week. Can't understand what's so difficult about seating the end fully in the liner. 

 

If you fail to put the flag back at all, then you should be off the course for a month. Pfffttt. 

 

 

Or how about if the stick is properly seated, but the flag is left tangled (not completely unfurled)?   That sticks in my craw.