bobfoster

Warning sirens going off in Hawaii.

@TiScape - you getting alerts on your phone?

Huge (8.7ish) quake off the coast of Russia. Significant tsunami warnings everywhere from Japan to SoCal. Tsunami expected to hit slightly after midnight. WRXers ... get to higher ground.

And a lot of people suck as golfers….😉 🤣Now that's freaking hilarious.

Nailed it dude.

Well, actually the worst was Lost In Translation. That movie with Bill Murray directed by Sofia Coppola. You totally got pilloried online if you did not profess to love it. Even though it bored the living bejesus out of everyone that watched it. But ETEWAAO was a close second. You are supposed to pretend you understand it. I asked a friend. She said "isn't that the one where a hot girl travels through time to kill people?". I said yeah, while the writers probably think it was way more profound, that pretty much sums it up. (Though honestly, much like @TiScape, I only watched half.)

It isn't. It is even worse.

But there are many like me (I think). My standards have not lowered. Cameos? Um, no. I like watching Scottie pay golf. Really good. Watching his post-round interviews? Boring as a box of hammers. No desire to watch that. Can't even imagine wanting to see him "act" in a movie. The original Happy is still being talked about. The sequel will be gone by 2026.

LIV is still around? Are they still losing to America's Funniest Animals on Nielson?

They killed Virginia 3 minutes in. Stopped watching. The first one was quite juvenile, but occasionally very funny. The reviews on this one are decidedly mixed. Still juvenile, but not quite as funny. Cameos and a weird (partially AI) script don't really make for a memorable movie. The first one generated all manner of memes - everyone and their brother trying the multi-step drive, lots of quotable lines. People still talking about it years later. Highly doubt this one will be remembered a year from now. Maybe I'm wrong - but we'll see next year. Side note - some sequels work, but many do not. When it comes to golf? From my perspective golf movies are almost all a one-and-done. There have been some amazing ones. The Greatest Game Ever Played. Bagger Vance. Bobby Jones Stroke of Genius (all three amazing - golf movies only completely understood by actual golfers). And the two giants (by far) still quoted in multiple threads today - Tin Cup, and Caddyshack. All of them stand on their own - none of them could be sequeled. (Actually, they tried to sequel Caddyshack - and it was a total freakin' dumpster fire). There is literally not a single great golf movie I've seen that was even remotely improved by a sequel. But I'm an old curmudgeon (though I still think I'm right). Now get off my lawn 🤣.

Dude - this was an amazing post (and I don't even recognize your name). I have a similar perspective. This is what the site's founders did (perhaps without even initially meaning to). They built a community. This thread has been what you'd expect here - a multiplicity of (often strong) opinions. Some cautiously optimistic, others (perhaps justifiably) quite worried. There are some pretty sophisticated people here, many that have seen good companies destroyed by founders cashing out with little concern for what they were leaving behind. [Side note - there's another active thread tonight about LAB selling to a Private Equity firm - does anyone really think this will lead to revolutionary new putter designs?] So let me throw my voice out to those that are worried. The founders of this site deserve respect. Deserve the chance to show us what they will do with the influx of cash. These aren't guys selling to a PE firm so they can retire to a beach in the Caribbean - they are not going to abandon what they built. The foundation of this site was never about money. And your post was a crystal clear reminder of where it's value really lies.

Central NJ here. The high tomorrow and Wednesday is 100. RealFeel probably >110 (as Wednesday is going to be humid as well). Alexa is already giving me heat and air quality warnings. But if I was playing this year, it would be no big deal. Golf's an outdoor sport. And in truth, the older I get, the more I love the heat. The cold gets into my bones (odd, as I grew up in Michigan, and used to love winter sports). Now? 100 is fine, but anything below 45ish in December and I'm sitting in front of my fireplace at home. As of yet, Coach YouTube has no instructional videos about how to properly grip a club when I'm wearing mittens (Vardon and overlapping are out), and my usually fairly consistent swing plane doesn't work that well when I'm wearing seven layers.

To the WRX Founders - this is one of my usual Bob TL;DR, but maybe worth it. I think I'm one of the old timers - not an original member, but certainly have been here for longer than I can precisely remember (originally as MidasMulligan). This place, this community, has - without exaggerating - added real value to my world. I've been playing and watching golf since I was 8 years old (I'm now 67). Prior to WRX I did have a lot of friends that played golf, but few of them were into it as much as I was. This place was amazing to discover - an entire website full of fanatics. I mostly fixate on 6 forums ... Tour & pre-release, Equipment, Club techs, Tour talk, General, and Rules. I have learned, over the years, more than I can express (from the amazing people here). Hope I've also added a bit of value. In fact, I think I might appreciate WRX a wee bit more than some younger members, as I remember what golf was like prior to the internet, and these forums. There was no eBay or anything like that - you bought new clubs, or used ones at your local brick and mortar. Most information about new releases came from either OEM marketing materials, or big box clerks, or the friends you played with. Any information about the pros, or pro tours came from either TV, or monthly magazines. There were (and still are) some alternatives, but to me, WRX changed the game. If you are genuinely into golf, this is the place to be. And it isn't just for fanatics. I've played a lot of golf, and have helped friends (young and old) get into the game. I can't remember how many I have referred to this site over the years. Including total newbies intimidated by the game. I told them that they'd be welcomed, and that there were no stupid questions. This is another unique thing about the community here. It isn't just for fanatics - The long time members here are patient. I've seen countless instances in which a new golfer came here, asked a question that (unknown to them) had been talked about in endless threads - but were answered with dignity and respect. This website is not just people talking about the game, it literally helps welcome people into the game. It isn't just about the sport, it grows the sport. Let me mention moderation. Must admit I've been nailed two or three times over the years (though it was unfair only once). [Funny note, the old-timers sort of see it as a badge of honor - we've all gotten nailed ... you aren't a true WRXer until you've gotten a time out 🤣.] Despite that, I deeply appreciate it. No politics. No religion. Strictly PG-13. This is a place where intelligent adults talk about golf, and only golf. Amazingly refreshing. Golf has always been my refuge from a busy life running a company, and WRX has become a refuge from the (often incredibly crude and nasty) online world. A couple final points (since I'm going on too long, and will write more suggestions later?). First, please please please do not change the moderation. Moderate as you have been - Keep it clean, and focused completely on golf. And beyond that, don't moderate for golf content. For example - I've seen Easyyy hype Happy Gilmore 2 twice in the last two days. I hope I don't have to like it (because it is really not close to the original). This place works because we can all be blunt and honest. That can't change. Second? ClubWRX. I've been a paid member off and on over the years. I have not done it because I got anything - it was just a quiet thank you to the guys that started this. But it sounds like you guys are now flush with money - you don't need my $35 a year. I'd still pay the membership (and pay even more if it was worth it), but you need to build out the value proposition there. Last sentiment: To @Easyyy and @Gxgolfer: Thank you for your efforts and energy. I am confident you know the full value you have created here ... for golfers. And confident you can navigate the influx of cash to make WRX better, and do nothing that kills what makes this place special. [PS. Parenthetically to the Founders. Businessman to businessmen. My corporation is now 23 years old. Medium sized, several hundred employees. I remember the trajectory, and have learned. Once, my partner and I made a bad mistake, partnered with a company we didn't fully vet. It sounds like you know how devastating a bad decision can be. But you learn, right? Thing is, the challenge of recovering from a bad decision is nothing compared to how difficult it is to handle good decisions. Twice in my company's history we nailed it, won huge contracts that almost doubled our size in a matter of months. Managing dramatic success and expansion can be incredibly challenging. I wish you the best of luck - for the sake of all of us here.]

thank you for this.

Problem with the internet is that you can't see body language, facial expressions, or hear intonation. But I suspect I hear a note of sarcasm here? 😂

Holy Moly. Slightly odd, however, that we found out through a normal discussion thread with a website link - and not by an official announcement by the WRX boys. Really wonder if (and/or how) our community is going to change. This is actually really big news.

He's currently "the next Tiger". Or, really, the next next next Tiger. They crop up every few years. A couple years from now we'll move on to the next next next next Tiger. Is Scottie fantastic today? Yeppers. Can he sustain that level of dominance for a decade? Maybe, but I seriously doubt it.

ProV1 forever here. Everything else is arguments over imitations.

They "love" it? Really? Maybe a few things to get straight here. 1. Just because someone does not agree with whatever random change you want to make to the RoG doesn't mean they are somehow stuck in the past. Golf is voluntary. The USGA is voluntary. You wanna take relief from a divot? Take it! Heck, take mulligans, designate anything under 5 feet as a gimmee putt, and make foot wedges okay (after all, it is pretty unfair and totally not your fault that people planted those damn trees all over the place). Play by any rules you want to. 2. The so-called "play it as it lies monologue" is not some private mantra old guys delight in torturing you with. "Play it as it lies" is one of the most foundational principles of golf. Actually, the most foundational one. Here's how the RoG starts - Rule 1, and 1.1: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Purpose of Rule: Rule 1 introduces these central principles of the game for the player: Play the course as you find it and play the ball as it lies. Play by the Rules and in the spirit of the game. You are responsible for applying your own penalties if you breach a Rule, so that you cannot gain any potential advantage over your opponent in match play or other players in stroke play. 1.1 The Game of Golf Golf is played in a round of 18 (or fewer) holes on a course by striking a ball with a club. Each hole starts with a stroke from the teeing area and ends when the ball is holed on the putting green (or when the Rules otherwise say the hole is completed). For each stroke, the player: Plays the course as they find it, and Plays the ball as it lies. ____________________________________________________________________________________________ Play it as it lies is not some "monologue" to be disparaged, it is literally the first rule of golf. And yes, tens of millions of rounds were played according to that rule (even, gasp!, "before the internet"). It is true that the ruling bodies have (very rarely) made exceptions to that principle, but it is still the guiding principle. It sets an extremely high bar that any rules changes would need to get over. Both the USGA and R&A have periodically looked at divots, and consistently decide it simply does not rise to the level required to make an exception to that first principle. To provide context? I often play on public courses, some that are not known for great etiquette. Like, for instance, raking traps. Easy to wind up in a deep, unraked heel mark in a sand trap. Another thing that probably seems "unfair" to you. And the ruling bodies have actually looked at the issue, and a possible rule change, and - similar to divots - decided that it did not justify an exception to the fundamental rule. Very few things do. (Weirdly, it turns out that a handful of moody amateurs in an online discussion thread deciding "it's time to change this rule" isn't a compelling enough argument - to golf's ruling bodies - to override the most basic rule of the game. Go figure.) 3. I've been playing for well over 50 years now, and if I've learned anything, it is that the game of golf, by its very nature, has a great deal of complete randomness baked into it. I've had absolutely countless incidents of bad luck on great shots, and equally countless incidents of good luck with terrible shots. Over time they kind of zero each other out. But if you can't deal with randomness, golf is not the game for you. 4. Finally, since some in this thread have gone beyond just making arguments, and actually get demeaning, perhaps it is appropriate to respond in kind. Absolutely no one I play golf with "looooves" to see someone hit into a divot, nor feels any "glee". That may be one of the silliest things I've read here in months. The dominant feeling is pretty much just an "oh well" kind of indifference. Or, put another way, what you are apparently obsessing on is simply considered utterly trivial by a lot of golfers. If I find my ball in a divot? Shrug my shoulders and just play it in the same way as I would if it bounced badly and wound up behind a tree or rock. In fact, being in a divot is almost "the best bad luck" you can have. It is just not that big of a deal. It happens rarely, and even when it does it really isn't that damaging at all. What I will admit a bit of glee about? Watching entitled whiners going on endlessly about how "unfair" the rule (or rather, the lack of a rule) is. Makes me giggle. The RoG are unlikely to change something so completely trivial. Golf is fair insofar as the same rules apply to everyone - but anyone that considers bad breaks to be unfair needs to either quit golf, or ... frankly ... just grow the hell up. /Mic drop.

I have a feeling that winning on the big stage is habit forming. The endorphin rush must be indescribable and make everything right with the world for a short while and drive the quest for more wins. Possibly for some, but according to Scottie the "thrill of victory" lasts for, like, two minutes. And I think @gvogel is correct here. Golf has changed dramatically since Hogan. Scottie just won $3.6 million for the 2025 Open - in Jack's entire career on the PGAT, his total winnings were ... $5.7MM - Scottie made over half of that in a single week. These guys today live in a different universe. I think almost the entire OWGR top 100 are millionaires right now. And even if you don't win much anymore, but have decent name recognition, you can always hope for an invite to the YouTube Exhibition Tour, where you get participation prizes even if you finish last. Tiger had a bit of what you are talking about - the 2019 Masters was almost unbelievable, a decade without a major, years of back issues and surgeries and he still did everything in his power to play at the highest level (Hogan was very similar). But really? I don't ever see Scottie doing that. His game is (currently) the best in the world, but I just don't see the same fire for the game as others have had. He's never had to deal with any really serious injury, and he's already all existential and asking "what does golf really matter in the big picture?" He's a great golfer, but he'll never be a Hogan or Tiger.

Big Scotty fan too. For over a couple decades. Almost always playing blade putters (Scottys, and for many years before that, before that, Ping Ansers). Tried a Scotty mallet years ago (the Red X), but I never did feel in sync with it. A little while ago I went to a Scotty Squareback - plays sort of halfway between a blade and a mallet IMO), and saw numbers improve. Then last year I was in Dick's waiting for a friend and playing around on their putting mat. Randomly tried a Phantom 5.5, and immediately fell in love. Played it all last year (due to an injury I have not yet been able to play in 2025). Best putter I've ever owned. (You know how every now and then you pick up a club, and get that inexplicable "just right for me" feeling? This was that.) So I also agree with your second point ... I'm looking at the new 5.5, and while the cosmetics are cool, I'm not really seeing or hearing anything that would make me pay that much for the new one.

Meaningless, subjective title.

I volunteered for the 1972 Canadian Open. It was a great experience. Watching Lee Trevino and Sam Snead stand out, as was the round where I was assigned to marshal for Arnold. Watched Lanny Wadkins and Ray Floyd in a practice round. Priceless. Drooling with envy. You got to marshal for Arnie? I mean, dang. And I also thank you for proving my point to that idiot. It has been over five decades since you did it, and it still stands out in your memory. That's why people volunteer.

There are stupid people getting out of bed every morning. You just have to find them! You may not see any value in it - but being insulting only makes you look foolish. I've not only paid to volunteer, I'm also a Patron level member of the USGA, a strong supporter of what they do for the game. Also? Over the years I've hosted guys playing on the KF Tour (though at the time it was called the Nationwide), LPGA pros, and even guys playing amateur college events. All of it cost me money - but I don't just play golf now and then, I love the sport, and support it. And BTW? I got to meet a lot of other volunteers at the US Opens I worked. Almost to the person, they were pretty fanatic golfers (weekenders, casual golfers generally don't volunteer, in fact a lot of them probably wouldn't even know that you can volunteer). Serious golfers actually understand the value. It is about the experience. You can watch golf on TV. You can even get tickets to go see a tourney live as a spectator. Being a volunteer, however, is different. Yeah, you get some cool swag and perks, and open access to the tourney when you aren't working (in terms of just money, it is well worth it) but there is something much bigger than that. it is being part of a tournament. And that is an almost inexpressible feeling - most especially at a major. BTW, you are unlikely to understand it, but the volunteer positions for next year's US Open are already filled - a year ahead of time. All that is left is a waitlist. If you do not grasp why so many serious golfers act that "stupid", you are saying a lot more about yourself than you are about the volunteers.

Same paying policy applies in US for USGA/US Open, PGA/PGA Championship, PGA tour events, Presidents Cup, Solheim Cup and Ryder Cup. I've been a volunteer a couple times at the US Open. Not only don't you get paid, you have to pay them. And it is totally worth it.