Your most unpopular Golf opinions?

[golfortennis]

17 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

It's a conversation. Some people are more heavily invested than others. As long as they don't repost essentially the same thing over and over.

 

I'm on the fence on this.  Yes, I agree with what you are saying, but at the same time, have you ever tried to follow a major discussion thread?  If you don't post within a minute you could be three pages behind a topic.  And good luck finding something you want to see discussed if you only come to the thread later that night.

 

50 might be too low, but there is something to be said for not having 78 pages in 3 days.

[ac6]

On 9/7/2022 at 11:08 AM, BIG STU said:

My home course the traps are rougher than a night in the county jail but IMHO playable. None of the Mens Leagues will play from them and they are a free drop in the shootout. I play out of them in my rounds both vintage and modern. I was playing the other morning and one of the old farts that lives on the course was riding by going to their league play. I had hit it in the trap off the tee on our 13th hole. The nosy old fart asked me if I was playing from there? I told him yep because I hit it there. He informed me that the Mens Groups did not play from there. I basically told him I did not give two hoots if the mens groups farted or blew a tin whistle I hit it there and was playing it from there. I further added their "handicaps" were a scam because of that and they rolling the ball in the rough etc. 

 

Jesus. Free drop??? If they're that tough you gotta avoid them or learn to blast out to a safe zone. That's not golf and the dudes running that league ought to be ashamed

Edited September 27, 2022 by ac6

[Robert72]

2 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

It's a conversation. Some people are more heavily invested than others. As long as they don't repost essentially the same thing over and over.

 

It was in the spirit of the title:   "Your most unpopular Golf opinions"

[BIG STU]

18 minutes ago, ac6 said:

 

Jesus. Free drop??? If they're that tough you gotta avoid them or learn to blast out to a safe zone. That's not golf and the dudes running that league ought to be ashamed

Absolutely I agree and our traps have been rebuilt to some extent and are not that bad IMHO. Oh yeah I chide them all the time over it. One of the reasons I do not play any of the Mens leagues. What is funny even without playing the traps most of those guys are like 15 to 20 Hdcp. Naaw those traps are not as tough as some I played out of growing up on goat track courses. Our practice area has a decent trap and I have to rake it before and after my practice. That area is between the crossover between the 9th and 10th holes. One of the guys that I gave a ration to came by and said he would play the traps if he was as good as I was out of a trap. I chided him again as in How do you think I got good out of a trap? By practicing and playing out of them not free dropping out. He left as fast as that gas EZ-GO could go

[J_Tizzle]

9 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

Absolutely I agree and our traps have been rebuilt to some extent and are not that bad IMHO. Oh yeah I chide them all the time over it. One of the reasons I do not play any of the Mens leagues. What is funny even without playing the traps most of those guys are like 15 to 20 Hdcp. Naaw those traps are not as tough as some I played out of growing up on goat track courses. Our practice area has a decent trap and I have to rake it before and after my practice. That area is between the crossover between the 9th and 10th holes. One of the guys that I gave a ration to came by and said he would play the traps if he was as good as I was out of a trap. I chided him again as in How do you think I got good out of a trap? By practicing and playing out of them not free dropping out. He left as fast as that gas EZ-GO could go

 

Thats just a mentality to never be good out of the bunkers.  The worst thing you can do in a bunker is be scared of being in a bunker.  I'm a 0.4 handicap and I'll tell my playing partners "heads up boys" sometimes in a bunker, but you gotta step foot in there with the expectation you're gonna stiff the next one or you'll never get it out.

[chisag]

On 9/27/2022 at 12:06 PM, BIG STU said:

Absolutely I agree and our traps have been rebuilt to some extent and are not that bad IMHO. Oh yeah I chide them all the time over it. One of the reasons I do not play any of the Mens leagues. What is funny even without playing the traps most of those guys are like 15 to 20 Hdcp. Naaw those traps are not as tough as some I played out of growing up on goat track courses. Our practice area has a decent trap and I have to rake it before and after my practice. That area is between the crossover between the 9th and 10th holes. One of the guys that I gave a ration to came by and said he would play the traps if he was as good as I was out of a trap. I chided him again as in How do you think I got good out of a trap? By practicing and playing out of them not free dropping out. He left as fast as that gas EZ-GO could go

 

 

... Having played all over the country, I have never encountered bunkers like they have in Phoenix. Most green side bunkers are very deep and have high lips and often you can't see the flag. But the have absolutely no sand at all in them. It is like playing off a concrete cart path. Those same bunkers are great from the fairway but around the greens they are impossible to hit any kind of shot other than use a low bounce LW and pick it clean. Obviously you need some speed to elevate it over the lip which means it will carry much farther than needed and often off the other side of the green. 

... Some GM's have tried to use the weak excuse that the Haboob winds that can get up to 30-40 mph means they can't keep sand in the bunkers or it will just blow away. Nice try. Chicago is much windier than Phoenix and so is most of Florida. And Texas can be like a fan on high. No need to rake bunkers in the mornings because there is nothing to rake and it cuts down on maintenance is the reason and in winter they still charge $200-$350 to play sandless bunkers. 

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by chisag

[BIG STU]

9 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Having played all over the country, I have never encountered bunkers like they have in Phoenix. Most green side bunkers are very deep and have high lips and often you can't see the flag. But the have absolutely no sand at all in them. It is like playing off a concrete cart path. Those same bunkers are great from the fairway but around the greens they are impossible to hit any kind of shot other than use a low bounce LW and pick it clean. Obviously you need some speed to elevate it over the lip which means it will carry much farther than needed and often off the other side of the green. 

... Some GM's have tried to use the bak excuse that the Haboo winds that can get up to 30-40 mph means they can't keep sand in the bunkers or it will just blow away. Nice try. Chicago is much windier than Phoenix and so is most of Florida. And Texas can be like a fan on high. No need to rake in the mornings and it cuts down on maintenance is the reason and in winter they still charge $200-$350 to play sandless bunkers. 

 

Sorta like some of the "waste bunkers" around here. On the fairway end they do not have high lips but are as hard as concerte most of the time because they are also used as cart paths. Now most of the bunkers I grew up with on public goat track courses in the Piedmont of NC used clay based red brick mason type sand. You had to use a thick flanged high bounce SW to get out of those. Here is a mix. Courses like my home course use a low grade beach sand which is grainy. The high end courses use a washed and graded sugary sand that also needs a high bounce wedge to get out of.

[sandpounder]

I play in Southern California.  Never had a bunker problem.  Sand is perfect at some higher end courses and just good at the lower end.  Every once in a while it is compacted a little, but that is when the do not fluff it up.  I have played over 25 courses this season and I can say that about all of them.  I do not understand a course with no sand in the bunkers?

[golfortennis]

54 minutes ago, J_Tizzle said:

 

Thats just a mentality to never be good out of the bunkers.  The worst thing you can do in a bunker is be scared of being in a bunker.  I'm a 0.4 handicap and I'll tell my playing partners "heads up boys" sometimes in a bunker, but you gotta step foot in there with the expectation you're gonna stiff the next one or you'll never get it out.

 

When I took a lesson with my pro to figure out my bunker issues, the last he said before I started hitting some shots was "if you're going to make a mistake, make it a big one!"

[chisag]

15 minutes ago, sandpounder said:

I play in Southern California.  Never had a bunker problem.  Sand is perfect at some higher end courses and just good at the lower end.  Every once in a while it is compacted a little, but that is when the do not fluff it up.  I have played over 25 courses this season and I can say that about all of them.  I do not understand a course with no sand in the bunkers?

 

 

... Yup even the LA Muni's like Encino, Woodley Lakes and Hansen Dam have good bunkers. Never experienced anything like Phoenix bunkers. To be fair maybe half the courses I have played have decent bunkers but the other half skip the maintenance with no sand at all. 

[mshills]

Absent some crazy lie or stance, a bunker shot is one of the easiest shots in the game.  You don't even have to hit the ball!  😁

[J_Tizzle]

32 minutes ago, golfortennis said:

 

When I took a lesson with my pro to figure out my bunker issues, the last he said before I started hitting some shots was "if you're going to make a mistake, make it a big one!"

 

I love it.  I have a buddy whos gone from a 110+ to shooting a 79 in the past 2 years and thats one of those things I taught him.  Lay that clubface open and accelerate down and through the sand, finish with your normal finish, nothing chopped off and low.  He's not good enough yet to try to stiff it and be cute, he's trying to get out in 1 and 2 putt for a 5.  

[Double Mocha Man]

59 minutes ago, golfortennis said:

 

When I took a lesson with my pro to figure out my bunker issues, the last he said before I started hitting some shots was "if you're going to make a mistake, make it a big one!"

 

The beauty of greenside bunker play is you get to hit the shot fat!  Who doesn't know how to do that?!

[sandpounder]

5 hours ago, chisag said:

 

 

... Yup even the LA Muni's like Encino, Woodley Lakes and Hansen Dam have good bunkers. Never experienced anything like Phoenix bunkers. To be fair maybe half the courses I have played have decent bunkers but the other half skip the maintenance with no sand at all. 

Just curious, why do Phoenix bunkers have no sand?  What is the reason?

[chisag]

1 hour ago, sandpounder said:

Just curious, why do Phoenix bunkers have no sand?  What is the reason?

 

... They claim the wind blows it out of the bunker. Once or twice a Sumer we get Haboob's that blow in for 5-10 minutes and winds can be very strong. I have been out here almost 3 years now and only had one hit me on the course and saw one other. But I think it is just an excuse to skip the maintenance. Never seen anything like it anywhere else I have played. 

 

 

[dugue4]

21 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

The beauty of greenside bunker play is you get to hit the shot fat!  Who doesn't know how to do that?!

on purpose???

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, dugue4 said:

on purpose???

 

Yes.  Open the clubface of your wedge (54, 56, 58 degree), expose the bounce and hit behind the ball.  Slick as a whistle...

[dugue4]

I’m really good at hitting the ball fat on accident 

[Fairways_and_Greens]

You should play blades if you want to. Unless you’re playing in a tournament, OB should be played like any hazard, why slow down play?

[dvq9654]

On 9/27/2022 at 12:55 PM, sandpounder said:

I play in Southern California.  Never had a bunker problem.  Sand is perfect at some higher end courses and just good at the lower end.  Every once in a while it is compacted a little, but that is when the do not fluff it up.  I have played over 25 courses this season and I can say that about all of them.  I do not understand a course with no sand in the bunkers?

You clearly haven't played at the LA munis... While they may have sand, the conditioning is atrocious and makes for some incredibly interesting / challenging shots

[mark174ace]

The modern pro game of power golf has ruined amateur weekend golf. I get paired up with so many people that try to kill the ball on every shot. The pro game has changed and I understand that, but the amateur game is still about keeping the ball in front of you and thinking your way around the course. The other thing I am finding more is that amateurs have no idea how far they realistically hit their irons and just want to attack every flag. Golfing IQ is at an all time low in the amateur game imo.

[golfortennis]

On 10/1/2022 at 2:19 PM, mark174ace said:

The modern pro game of power golf has ruined amateur weekend golf. I get paired up with so many people that try to kill the ball on every shot. The pro game has changed and I understand that, but the amateur game is still about keeping the ball in front of you and thinking your way around the course. The other thing I am finding more is that amateurs have no idea how far they realistically hit their irons and just want to attack every flag. Golfing IQ is at an all time low in the amateur game imo.

 

Count this guy as another one who can't follow instructions.

 

The the thread is asking for "unpopular" opinions, capiche?

[elwhippy]

Clubs need to go back to interviewing members before offering a membership. Some seriously downmarket members creeping into local clubs. 

[Righty to Lefty]

On 8/23/2022 at 1:07 PM, Golfah said:

- I don't get why people think the prices of clubs are "outrageous" for a piece of equipment that theoretically will last many years (well, not on WRX) and serve you day after day for a pursuit that is highly personally fulfilling and life-improving.  And, they are liquid in the sense that they are easily flipped to recover value.  There are greens fees more expensive than some individual clubs out there.  Have you looked at the price of guitars lately?  Costs north of $2K to get a half-way decent Stratocaster - a piece of wood and plastic made on an assembly line.  If you want inexpensive clubs, there are plenty of options.  Kind of like complaining about the price of cars while shopping for a Porsche.

 

- I like Dechambeau, especially his social media presence.  He's got some cringey aspects for sure but I am actually inspired by the vids of him pumping up and imploring friends to push the boundaries of their swings. 

 

- Streamsong sucks

 

- The vast majority of instructors  just look at a swing and randomly choose some aspect to "fix" without considering the key cause-effect relationships.

 

- You are either born with the mental and physical ability to play good golf, and it comes naturally or you are not - and practice and instruction will barely move the needle if you are not.  I learned this with seeing young juniors in my son's league.  You can see it at a VERY young age who naturally have the inherent swing concepts, coordination and mental skills and mindset to play the game at a high level - and instruction is just a bit of polish on the rough diamond.  

 

Ooooh you bout to get roasted for sayin this...even though it is absolutely true! 

[BIG STU]

9 hours ago, golfortennis said:

 

Count this guy as another one who can't follow instructions.

 

The the thread is asking for "unpopular" opinions, capiche?

I do not know there--- Everyone has an opinion and it is either popular or unpopular to others.so I guess he is covered (shrug)

[Pastit]

6 hours ago, elwhippy said:

Clubs need to go back to interviewing members before offering a membership. Some seriously downmarket members creeping into local clubs. 

Over here it’s so bad one needs to interview the clubs. My closest club had a member’s son break into 37 lockers. There’s foul language in front of juniors etc. etc. But it’s not done to have these views. 

Edited October 3, 2022 by Pastit

[SBH9458]

3 hours ago, BIG STU said:

I do not know there--- Everyone has an opinion and it is either popular or unpopular to others.so I guess he is covered (shrug)

All in the eye of the beholder!  You nailed it here @BIG STU

[golfortennis]

6 hours ago, BIG STU said:

I do not know there--- Everyone has an opinion and it is either popular or unpopular to others.so I guess he is covered (shrug)

 

I get that, but I would say the only quibble with his post would be he should have said recreational game instead of amateur game, but otherwise I found him to be spot on.  

 

Hope you guys avoided lining the animals up two by two.

[bcjim]

My unpopular (maybe) opinion is that anyone whose tee time falls before the course opens for play after a frost delay should be sent home or offered a partial round based on where they might be after X minutes after their tee time.

 

You take your chances and I shouldn't have my early afternoon tee time altered (pushed back) to accommodate your risk and things that happened before my tee time. 

 

 

 

[callawayjay]

Using the term gamer…just stop.