Your most unpopular Golf opinions?

[Sean289]

6 hours ago, jda said:

 

This looks more like they were rushing towards the scrap metal heap to find cheap metals to melt down and pour into their castings before other manufacturers showed them how to make clubs out of better materials and with different metal working techniques.  Ping has adapted to use these materials and techniques today.  PLD would not likely exist today without Cameron.

 

I somewhat kid.  There is no doubt that Karsten did a lot of good and golf would not be what it was without him... but there is also no doubt that a brand new F1 or Ferrari would not be what it is today without Henry Ford.  Giving all the credit for today's products to either Ford or Karsten is folly.  As a guy who played in the 90s when Cameron started to mill Mizuno and early Titleist putters, TP Mills started to use high quality steel, etc... there was no comparison of a 1980s ping to one of these putters and when a good player first rolled one, they could tell the difference immediately.  A 2024 anser would likely just be a cheap casting still if not for Cameron, Betti, TP and the rest that were involved in the 90s and early 2000s.  I think that it is good when they make each other better.

 

Do I get the unpopular take of the day for this post?

 

My apologies if my Anser style/Newport style post annoyed you. That was not my intention and I wasn’t being passive aggressive or trying to needle anyone. I have no time for that kind of carry on. 

Perhaps I should have clarified what I was saying. I make a habit of using the term “Anser style” referring to that type of putter head as for me, a blade is a Wilson 8802 or a Bullseye type putter. 

I could be talking and say “Anser style” in the conversation and that’s sometimes met “Oh like a Newport style putter?” which bewilders me at times.

I use “Anser style” as the Anser has been around a long time, has great legacy and people will instantly know what I’m talking about.

I wasn’t trying to come across with the attitude of “PING did it first, therefore the best and everything else is a shoddy copy.” I didn’t mean it that way at all.

I agree with you that both companies should has helped and influenced the other by innovating and diversifying. Wishing you little to no 3 putts with the rock that you’re currently rolling 👍

[mshills]

22 hours ago, tips09 said:

If you stop at the turn and the group behind you gets to the next tee box before you and the fairway is open you should lose your spot. 
 

This happened to our group today. Group in front stopped at the snack shack after 9. We were able to play out our third shots into a par 5, putt out, walk to 10 tee, see an open fairway, tee off and start walking to our balls before the group behind even made it to 10 tee. The group originally in front and now behind all drove their carts down the fairway screaming and yelling how we have budged in front of them. I proceeded to tell them we were doing our part to keep pace of play up during a fairly slow round on the course and by the time they get back to the tee box we will be on the green and out of their way. They were having none of that. 
 

Any opinions or thoughts? 

Agree. What is it about us Americans, we cannot go 4 hours without stopping to freaking eat junk food?
 

Makes me nuts. Now, if you jump in front and there is nowhere to go (I know that’s different than what you said) that is rude and totally unacceptable.

 

Here is another unpopular take. If there’s food at the turn, please give me something healthy. No, a hot dog, a Snickers, and a Coke does not work. 

[mshills]

…

Edited August 25, 2024 by mshills

[Double Mocha Man]

2 hours ago, mshills said:

Agree. What is it about us Americans, we cannot go 4 hours without stopping to freaking eat junk food?
 

Makes me nuts. Now, if you jump in front and there is nowhere to go (I know that’s different than what you said) that is rude and totally unacceptable.

 

Here is another unpopular take. If there’s food at the turn, please give me something healthy. No, a hot dog, a Snickers, and a Coke does not work. 

 

At one of the courses I play there is a menu and phone number on the 9th tee-box so you can call and order ahead, take it with you and not miss a beat on the 10th tee.  When they first opened and before cell phones were widespread they actually had a telephone that you could pick up to reach the kitchen.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2024 by Double Mocha Man

[Double Mocha Man]

3 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

At one of the courses I play there is a menu and phone number on the 9th tee-box so you can call and order ahead, take it with you and not miss a beat on the 10th tee.  When they first opened and before cell phones were widespread they actually had a telephone that you could pick up to reach the kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

At that same course as mentioned above one of my golfing buddies used to grab a big German grilled bratwurst sandwich at the turn.  By the 11th hole it had filled his gut and he became lazy and lethargic. I could always count on easily outscoring him on the back nine.

[Bad9]

7 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

At one of the courses I play there is a menu and phone number on the 9th tee-box so you can call and order ahead, take it with you and not miss a beat on the 10th tee.  When they first opened and before cell phones were widespread they actually had a telephone that you could pick up to reach the kitchen.

 

 

 

 

My course is/was set up the same. They only took the phone out a couple of years ago. Menus are on the 8th and 9th tees. Never ordered though.

[Bad9]

Whenever I read a review here that includes some variation of "I hit xx driver 10 yards further than my previous driver" when the previous driver is a relatively new model that they did an extensive fitting for I just stop reading.

[mshills]

7 hours ago, Bad9 said:

Whenever I read a review here that includes some variation of "I hit xx driver 10 yards further than my previous driver" when the previous driver is a relatively new model that they did an extensive fitting for I just stop reading.

Agreed. If you’re optimized there’s no way you’re picking up 10 yards unless your optimization was 10 years ago. 

[Bad9]

18 minutes ago, mshills said:

Agreed. If you’re optimized there’s no way you’re picking up 10 yards unless your optimization was 10 years ago. 

 

Usually its on last years driver or even a new model from a different company 3 months ago.

[Double Mocha Man]

3 hours ago, mshills said:

Agreed. If you’re optimized there’s no way you’re picking up 10 yards unless your optimization was 10 years ago. 

 

I'm working on "optimizing" my driver swing... to pick up an easy 20 yards. 😁  Got the Srixon ZX5 MKII driver, so I have no excuses.

[slytown]

Distance isn't king. No one should be buying game improvement irons unless they can't reach greens in regulation. I would rather have 90% of players play blades and maybe a tee up, learning how to hit the middle of the face and straighter than trying to get distance. Too many people playing "players distance" irons and focusing on the wrong thing. I'd rather watch people go flag hunting than bomb driver or hit 200 yard 7 irons.

[klebs01]

On 8/25/2024 at 10:33 AM, jda said:

 

I am OK with picking one or the other.  In the midwest, many courses have a culture where everybody stops, supports the restaurant/snack bar, uses the restroom and stuff... some change their shoes/shirts in the summer (this is really nice).  If you skip, then you are the jerk at these courses and the 10 minutes is built in.  In Colorado, nobody stops and you do get jumped if you are not fast and you are a jerk if you stop.

 

This whole debate is highly dependent on the culture and customs of different parts of the country, IMO.

 

There is little doubt that the courses with the culture to stop have restaurants and snack shops with better service, snacks and food.

Where in the Midwest? Certainly not the norm to stop in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, or Michigan. 

[J3H]

16 hours ago, klebs01 said:

Where in the Midwest? Certainly not the norm to stop in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, or Michigan. 

People definitely DO stop at the turn in the midwest, I see it all the time.  I don't think it is a midwestern thing though.

[Double Mocha Man]

26 minutes ago, J3H said:

People definitely DO stop at the turn in the midwest, I see it all the time.  I don't think it is a midwestern thing though.

 

Do the folks who don't stop wait for those that do?

[jda]

16 hours ago, klebs01 said:

Where in the Midwest? Certainly not the norm to stop in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, or Michigan. 

 

It happened in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and most of the Big 8/12 states that we played in.  The vast majority build in 10-15 minutes at the turn and it is just part of the deal.  I am not saying that every club did this, since I could not have played every club.

 

I was thinking about this more and it is not like losing 5, or even 10, minutes at the turn is a big deal.  You can make that up on the 10th hole alone, and definitely by 11.  I would hope that adults would not stay 5-10 minutes behind with a gap the whole back nine.  ...so it is a net neutral for anybody who is not looking for an impatient instant gratification.

[Double Mocha Man]

2 minutes ago, jda said:

 

It happened in Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and most of the Big 8/12 states that we played in.  The vast majority build in 10-15 minutes at the turn and it is just part of the deal.  I am not saying that every club did this, since I could not have played every club.

 

I was thinking about this more and it is not like losing 5, or even 10, minutes at the turn is a big deal.  You can make that up on the 10th hole alone, and definitely by 11.  I would hope that adults would not stay 5-10 minutes behind with a gap the whole back nine.  ...so it is a net neutral for anybody who is not looking for an impatient instant gratification.

 

That's akin to getting stuck behind someone looking for their ball for 10-15 minutes... except they're looking for their ham sandwich to be delivered to the table.

[jda]

What if there are extra sleeves of balls in the ham sandwich?

 

Many folks want to complain about this stuff, but if they want to stop for a sammy, have a #2 emergency or look for a ball, then it OK when they do it and it is THEIR RIGHT, GD IT!  If everybody catches back up, then are we just entitled jerks who lack self awareness for complaining?

[Double Mocha Man]

5 minutes ago, jda said:

"If everybody catches back up..."

Therein lies the hole in your theory.  Most don't.

 

And you are totally correct.  It is their right to stop at the turn for whatever reason.  But it's also our right to continue playing golf at the turn.

 

I'm not waiting for someone to send their ham sandwich back to the kitchen to have a tomato added.  I have bogeys to make...

Edited August 28, 2024 by Double Mocha Man

[Argonne69]

Anyone who believes that a low follow through is the key to hitting a low shot doesn't understand basic physics. The ball spends ~400 milliseconds on the club face. It's looong gone by the time you finish your swing, whether it's a high, full finish or an abbreviated half swing. 

 

Trajectory is primary determined by face loft at impact. Deloft the club, and the ball will launch lower. 

 

[PuffyC]

I’ve been playing for over 40 years in a lot of different states and we almost never see a group not stop at the turn. It’s so rare that when someone just keeps on going to the 10th tee it seems weird. That said if you want to skip ahead I’ve never seen anyone complain, but if you do you better keep up 😉

[mshills]

5 hours ago, jda said:

What if there are extra sleeves of balls in the ham sandwich?

 

Many folks want to complain about this stuff, but if they want to stop for a sammy, have a #2 emergency or look for a ball, then it OK when they do it and it is THEIR RIGHT, GD IT!  If everybody catches back up, then are we just entitled jerks who lack self awareness for complaining?

If a #2 💩 drops at the turn, my round is over. Continue without me. I’ll never catch back up!

[Liquifire]

The 2019 rule change allowing the flagsticks to be left in while putting is terrible, from an aesthetic and playability standpoint. 

 

Ever since this rule came into place, cup edges suffer from significantly more wear and tear from people picking out a holed putt with the stick still in, and mashing down the cup edge in the process.  Doesn't take long for cup edges to look terrible and play terrible.  I don't think the time saved is worth the price.  

 

That said, I'm certain that nicer clubs with more considerate golfers don't suffer as a result of this rule in quite the same way low-budget does.  Can anyone confirm? 😁   Full disclosure that I'm biased in two ways on this: I play at a low cost public course and I also change the cups for said course.  After one day of normal play, most of our cups are completely ragged. 

 

 

[st1800e]

1 hour ago, Liquifire said:

mashing down the cup edge in the process.

Worse yet, the edge of the cup is lifted and torn. 

[Double Mocha Man]

5 minutes ago, st1800e said:

Worse yet, the edge of the cup is lifted and torn. 

 

Don't worry.  I don't do any damage to the cup lifting the ball out with my hand.  I gouge the ball out of the hole with my putter.

[SnowbirdTom]

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

 

Don't worry.  I don't do any damage to the cup lifting the ball out with my hand.  I gouge the ball out of the hole with my putter.

I should mention I sometimes play a Ping Fetch putter. Us old guys need all the help we can get with bad bendover joints.  😆

[Golfbit2X]

I think that golf clubs/golf courses should be required to provide winners of tournaments on their courses with the pin flag for free as a memento even if the winners are not PGA professionals or elite players. 

 

It took me 3 months, multiple phone calls and posting 3 star reviews to finally convince them to provide me with one that I paid for. 

Edited September 5, 2024 by Golfbit2X

[ColinKelvin]

On 8/25/2024 at 5:18 PM, jda said:

 

This looks more like they were rushing towards the scrap metal heap to find cheap metals to melt down and pour into their castings before other manufacturers showed them how to make clubs out of better materials and with different metal working techniques.  Ping has adapted to use these materials and techniques today.  PLD would not likely exist today without Cameron.

 

I somewhat kid.  There is no doubt that Karsten did a lot of good and golf would not be what it was without him... but there is also no doubt that a brand new F1 or Ferrari would not be what it is today without Henry Ford.  Giving all the credit for today's products to either Ford or Karsten is folly.  As a guy who played in the 90s when Cameron started to mill Mizuno and early Titleist putters, TP Mills started to use high quality steel, etc... there was no comparison of a 1980s ping to one of these putters and when a good player first rolled one, they could tell the difference immediately.  A 2024 anser would likely just be a cheap casting still if not for Cameron, Betti, TP and the rest that were involved in the 90s and early 2000s.  I think that it is good when they make each other better.

 

Do I get the unpopular take of the day for this post?

 

Interesting analogy.  Here's the progression in car design (the actual design, not the finish) between the Model T and a Ferrari (a wee bit different?) - and the stainless steel Anser 2 and Tiger's famous Cameron - the most famous model Scotty ever made (errr, not all that different).

 

There's an argument to be made that Scotty Cameron's greatest innovation in the putter market was to push the envelope to a level unimaginable in the 90s - in how much people would be willing to pay for a putter. Also, way prior to PLD, Ping WRX had quietly been milling, modding  and tungsten weighting putters for over 20 years too, at consumer prices (you could order through Mortons). PLD is not an invention forced by Scotty Cameron or other boutique makers, it's a higher-profile rebrand and expansion of a service Ping were mostly already offering to encompass builds based on very in-depth fittings. 

 

Oh, and I'd add Tad Moore to your list of 90s pioneers - the difference between him and SC is that, like TPM, Tad designed his own headshapes rather than just milling the faces of Anser copies made of more expensive metals...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2024 by ColinKelvin

[AThompson_3]

8 hours ago, Golfbit2X said:

I think that golf clubs/golf courses should be required to provide winners of tournaments on their courses with the pin flag for free as a memento even if the winners are not PGA professionals or elite players. 

 

It took me 3 months, multiple phone calls and posting 3 star reviews to finally convince them to provide me with one that I paid for. 

Required? What are we even talking about. You do realize that it likely took 3 months because most courses don't sell pin flags and they had to snag one from the grounds crew just so you'd stop calling right? Most courses probably have ~25 pin flags for the entire course at all times. 18 in play and some extras if the ones on course get worn out. This is insane.

[nsxguy]

3 hours ago, AThompson_3 said:

Required? What are we even talking about. You do realize that it likely took 3 months because most courses don't sell pin flags and they had to snag one from the grounds crew just so you'd stop calling right? Most courses probably have ~25 pin flags for the entire course at all times. 18 in play and some extras if the ones on course get worn out. This is insane.

 

He posted an "unpopular golf opinion", didn't he ?  

 

Frankly, this is the most confusing title/thread I've ever seen. I never know whether someone is posting THEIR opinion, one that they suspect will be considered unpopular, or posting something that happened that THEY hate. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 5, 2024 by nsxguy

[Warrior42111]

26 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

He posted an "unpopular golf opinion", didn't he ?  

 

Frankly, this is the most confusing title/thread I've ever seen. I never know whether someone is posting THEIR opinion, one that they suspect will be considered unpopular, or posting something that happened that THEY hate. 

 

 

 

 

It's the wild west here, as any proper internet forum should be at times