jholz

I really can't figure out the attraction of a "mini-driver." Tough to get away from the conclusion that OEM's simply found a new way to jack up the price on a strong 3w.

None of this really adds up to me. May be the deal of the century, but I highly doubt it.

I'll refrain from responding to individual replies - but suffice it to say that I do appreciate the information and interest in the topic. Your replies have opened up the conversation. So, we have gotten some hints of the "underworld" of professional golf income - i.e. anything outside of tournament winnings. This isn't news, of course. Endorsement deals and the like are de rigor. But, how many clubs is Camillo selling? What about these "unofficial" tournaments? Seems like money just flows to these guys. Moe Norman seemed to make a living. My question remains... how? How does this economy work? Is it just a bunch of rich people paying someone famous to show up and hit golf balls?

On the odd occasion where "some random person in a cart needs to get by", leaving your cart on the path and making that random person drive onto the grass will result in much less turf damage. The guys who "constantly and consistently pull over in the same place" next to tee boxes, greens, practice facilities and the like are the ones that cause damage. This is all very similar to the "scatter" directive at the end of a cart path. But, you espouse a very common "theory" concerning the practice. It's the - "I pulled over onto the grass so that other cart drivers don't have to go on the grass to get around me" - theory. Heard that a million times - generally from golfers who ride in carts. However, if one listens to turf managers and golf course operators... your "theory" is nonsense. It places the needs of random cart drivers over those of golf course operators, maintenance crews, superintendents, grass, and fellow golfers. So, you may think you are being thoughtful, but your "thoughtfulness" ends up making countless people's lives harder. And all to support the needs of a "supposed group of cart riders who need to get by" and may, or may not, ever show up. Poor logic and poor humanitarianism, if you ask me.

I must admit that I don't get the "cameo" thing. Old men (including my father-in-law) and nerds really seem to love it though. At the end of the day, I'm reasonably certain that I'll never watch Happy Gilmore 2 (nor "The Wizard of Oz" or "It's a Wonderful Life") - and my existence will be improved immensely.

Ugh. $600 for those? How does one get a "wear spot" on Ping irons? Used prices for the i210s still hover in the $700 range. I bought my i210s brand new, with custom shafts for ~$800 four years ago. Oh my, how things have changed.

Mr. Curiosity to the rescue. If there's any way that I can help you get to the $25mil. lifetime earnings mark - please let me know. I'm good for a $10 donation.

I'd love for someone to cover the lives of these "marginal" tour players. How do they live? Where do they make their money? What is a typical week like for them? In this realm, I'm thinking of guys that have a "marginal" status on any tour. They play events sometimes, make the cut sometimes, if they walk with money, it's like $32k. So, how does a Camillo Villegas or Arron Baddeley survive? Where are they making their money? How it is that they continue to stick around?

I never appreciated Swag until L.A.B. came along.

Utah is the king of work-arounds. No shortage of booze.

Somehow, when you attract a lot of people with cheap housing, no income tax, and sunny weather - everyone moves to your state. Once everyone moves to your state, one finds it is rather difficult to maintain cheap housing. They also find it difficult to provide services without tax income. So, over time, Florida begins to look like New York City - and the wheel of human idiocy continues to spin round and round. Let's all move to Utah!

I'm not a fan of TM in general - and can't for the life of me hit one of their woods. I can't have them in the bag. They infect other clubs with their nonsense marketing. But, I have played some TM wedges in rental sets before. They were very good. I'll also acknowledge that - when they put their mind to it - TM can produce some stellar, one-piece, forged, players irons. So, I'll run against the grain here and say that TM has been putting out some very good wedges over the last many years. If you haven't tried them, you are missing out.

This sounds about right. Marketing machine bar none.

This sounds like a very poorly run golf course. Also, golf leagues tend to suck super hard when it comes to courtesy and respect for fellow golfers. The thing that always kills me is that every golf community I have lived in has at least one serious money game, every weekend, that can somehow manage to hold their comps without overly disrupting general play. Why can't leagues figure out a similar method?

This question reminds me of George Carlin's bit about Catholic School and "heavy question time" with the priests. According to Carlin's telling, the students would try to think up scenarios to stump the Padre. Generally, the situations introduced were utterly preposterous. Things like, "If god is all powerful, can he create a rock so big that he, himself, can't lift it?" In this case, I think we have an equally preposterous question (i.e. using the act of throwing a golf ball before making a stroke when that act has been openly described as a significant aid to the player hitting the golf ball effectively). Someone spent too much time in law school. There are several easy answers to this question as the act itself, and the stated intent of that act, potentially run afoul of several rules that have already been mentioned. Your argument about "there isn't anything in the rules" will get rolling eyes from the vast majority of long-time players. The vast majority of human action is not bound by, nor is described in, law. Additionally, passing a new law or making a new rule does essentially nothing. So, you have free reign to go out and test this one for yourself. I'm reasonably certain that it will be people, rather than rules, that get you to rethink the idea. It just depends on how far you want to take it. If you are just doing this in casual rounds, people will merely be confused and probably won't want to play with you. Questions like, "why is that guy always throwing golf balls around?" and "that guy was really weird" are sure to be heard. If you play with a slightly more serious group, they will probably start bringing up the rule considerations that others in this thread have cited. Unless you are a total richard, I suspect that they would start forcing you to control your throws and ensure that the thrown ball doesn't land in a place where you will gain an advantage from "testing the ground". At that point, you will be left heaving balls into the trees. Which begs the question, are you cool with just throwing away ~50 golf balls a round? Finally, if you ever want to get into legitimate competition, I think this practice would be stamped down hard. They'd DQ you and probably send a letter.

If you.ve got the cash to find a decent place to live and afford regular golf - then I'd be looking forward to it as well. Outside of the cost and the crappy drive 100 miles out of my way, my round on HH was very enjoyable.

I assume a French photog caught the first few snaps in this tread. That black and white makes me want a Gauloises and a cafe au lait.

Seems like y'all just got off the boat. Love to see the complaints. Welcome to the world of competitive sports. At the end of the day, no one cares about your kid any more than the money they think they can pump out of them. Don't trust coaches. Don't trust statistical rankings. Don't trust tours. They will all let you down. The simple fact is...if your kid is good enough to do it - they will find a way. You can't find it for them.

Tough to tell if you are taking the piss... But yes, I suppose "edgy" means not taking the predominant line of argument? Everyone loves L.A.B. right now. I think they are a gimmick. Only time will tell. You are welcome to be a spectator, as I am myself.

Let me assure you. I am not talking about you. I sincerely apologize if my posts somehow seem to implicate you. It was not my intent. I hope that you have a long and productive relationship with your L.A.B.

This is how I felt after getting my first Bettinardi. Many of us have been there. And yeah, ride the wave. I hope it lasts a long time.

All I can say is that I've seen the same claims with Rife, See More, Scotty, and others. All that L.A.B. is doing different is upping the price tag. And yeah, if spending $700 on a putter provides some kind of psycho-somatic response where you are making more putts - just go ahead and ride it out. Experience tells me you will be the first person to jump on the new "bandwagon" when it appears. Over the course of that time, your putting statistics and score will probably remain roughly the same.

Man, I was missing a few putts this weekend. I've always assumed it's because I wasn't very good at golf. But now, with all the hype, L.A.B. has clearly shown that my putter head and shaft are really the problem. A new head and proper shaft cost about $700...according to L.A.B. I'd argue they are selling a $30 lump of metal on the end of a stick to absolute chumps - and the chumps are lining up to buy it. So, I continue to ask anyone and everyone to prove me wrong. In that endeavor we can select from the following questions: What's the price tag on a putter that ensures that every ball goes in the hole? Is purchasing a new putter head at $500 enough? Or should I pair that head with a $450 dollar shaft? If I try that and it doesn't work, should I buy another $450 dollar shaft and try that? Or, should I lay out $500 for a "fitting" at Lab's headquarters? I'm guessing that both, along with an additional outlay, may be warranted. Perhaps I can get a personal lesson with the clown that features in L.A.B.'s marketing? That guy with the afro and flat brim cap seems to know everything about golf. What might it cost to get his insights? I'm looking for that "iron-clad" guarantee that is promoted in your content. You guarantee that we will make more putts with your product. Just curious on how much will your "guaranteed" putter might cost? $30k? Or is it merely a marketing chimera that L.A.B. uses to fleece their customers? I'd suggest the latter.

And this is why I don't live in Denver anymore. It's easier to get on courses in Maryland.

Duplicate post.