The 60 and over Thread

[1860VS]

@1860VS I know the "experts" say amateurs shouldn't be using a 60º, let alone anything higher, but like anything else, if you practice with those very high lofted wedges they can be real stroke savers.

The experts aren't playing CBXs or Smart Soles.

 

[CTRosarian]

The question of high lofted wedges come down to resource allocation.
Most golfers, for one reason or another, don't get any better. Their handicap stays the same year in and year out.
Which suggests they ought to go for the low hanging fruit of merely getting out of the bunkers and learning how to do pitch and runs onto the green.
As well as course management to avoid the need for a lob wedge in the first place! Stay away from short sided lob shots to begin with!
This may be as simple as learning to aim properly. Go for the center of mass and not a head shot!

High lofted wedges are more complicated. Just finding the right wedge grind for your course may be an issue.

 

[drb1956]

The question of high lofted wedges come down to resource allocation.
Most golfers, for one reason or another, don't get any better. Their handicap stays the same year in and year out.
Which suggests they ought to go for the low hanging fruit of merely getting out of the bunkers and learning how to do pitch and runs onto the green.
As well as course management to avoid the need for a lob wedge in the first place! Stay away from short sided lob shots to begin with!
This may be as simple as learning to aim properly. Go for the center of mass and not a head shot!

High lofted wedges are more complicated. Just finding the right wedge grind for your course may be an issue.

Actually, my short game is the best part of my game. Wedges are like "butter".. My playing friends often ask me about short game options, on the course, while playing. "What would you do, or which wedge would you use" is the usual question. And yes, finding the right grind for your course, or courses in your area is paramount to wedge success...

 

[1860VS]

The question of high lofted wedges come down to resource allocation.
As well as course management to avoid the need for a lob wedge in the first place! Stay away from short sided lob shots to begin with!

High lofted wedges are more complicated. Just finding the right wedge grind for your course may be an issue.

No matter how much we try to improve our approaches, we are going to end up missing greens. Heck even on tour they average missing just under 6 greens per round. Of course course management is very important, which is why I will often lay up into the fairway on a par 4 after a poor drive. Or lay up on a par 5 because I would rather hit a wedge off the fairway for my 3rd than try to recover from the rough next to the green. Then the lob wedge shines, hitting drop and stop approaches that hopefully allow for a one putt par save, or a bird on a par 5.
That is why I allocated a slot to the 64*, leaving myself a bit wider gap at the top, going from a 6H to a 4H, but I can fill it easily enough turning over the 6 or cutting the 4. And way out there (180+) the odds of me hitting it close are a lot less than the odds of dropping a wedge down to snuggle up next to the pin. When I get out past a 7I, my target is the fat of the green, not pin hunting. If I get short sided it was just bad swings or bad bounces, not bad decisions. Heck, I wont even pin hunt with the 7 in my hands half the time unless all conditions are good.

 

[CTRosarian]

I play on a tricky senior/beginner course where pin hunting the tiny greens is often the best option!
If you slice the ball on the 7th hole the ball not only rolls down a hill but there is a long bunker to deal with.
If you are just to the right and a little bit short there is a grass hill in the way; perfect time to pull out the lob wedge and hit it at the pin.

I usually go for the greens when I'm within 100 yards. What I need to do more of is to work the ball, as I can do it consistently with my irons.
Last year I was working on ball contact.

The course is intentionally set up the way it is because it is a well maintained municipal course in a populated area with cheap green fees.
The beginners are too busy trying to learn how to swing the club to be bothered by the tricky course layout.
If you are an average golfer more than likely you will have a couple of blow up holes and won't be back soon!
I talked to one couple after the guy told his wife to write down a 12 on the scorecard! Worst course ever! His wife loves the course!

 

[skigolfmike]

@1860VS I know the "experts" say amateurs shouldn't be using a 60º, let alone anything higher, but like anything else, if you practice with those very high lofted wedges they can be real stroke savers.

I used to have a 60, but I can only hit it 55-60 yards now. I’m really a fan of the Edison wedges and the 51* is a pretty good fit. I might bend it to 52 though to get a better fit in the bag. I am seriously thinking of getting a 57* with the same specs as the 51* to see if it can take the Vokey out of the bag.

 

[1860VS]

I am in a bit of a quandry. Reviewing my four real life rounds since adding the 6 and 4 hybrids to the bag, it has come to my attention that my percentage of greens hit with them from a high, soft 180- to a lucky turned and burned 242 yards stretch to a par 5 is....100%. Yes, the sample is small, but the results are eye opening for rounds played in difficult late winter/ early spring conditions. Now I am thinking of getting a hybrid to replace the 7 wood under windy conditions. But on the other hand...... the 7 wood is so easy to hit out of crap lies, why would I? And its like the 4H can cover 7 wood distances of there is room to turn it over. So do I need a 7 wood at all? But what would I put there instead? Looks like I am talking myself into a remake of the bag from the 5 wood to the 7I...

 

[CTRosarian]

With my slow swing speed it is hard to justify a lot of long distance clubs. Which is why I carry five wedges!
I have a club for any playable lie within 100 yards.
As well as a good idea of how to swing that club!

 

[Phil75070]

He showed taking his right knee and pushing it into the left knee at the start of the downswing. As soon as his knees touched each other, wham, his hips spun open to target. Dang, I thought. Looks weird, but could it be that easy?

Another thing this does, in addition to helping with opening the hips, is promote a good weight shift onto the lead side.

 

[skigolfmike]

I am in a bit of a quandry. Reviewing my four real life rounds since adding the 6 and 4 hybrids to the bag, it has come to my attention that my percentage of greens hit with them from a high, soft 180- to a lucky turned and burned 242 yards stretch to a par 5 is....100%. Yes, the sample is small, but the results are eye opening for rounds played in difficult late winter/ early spring conditions. Now I am thinking of getting a hybrid to replace the 7 wood under windy conditions. But on the other hand...... the 7 wood is so easy to hit out of crap lies, why would I? And its like the 4H can cover 7 wood distances of there is room to turn it over. So do I need a 7 wood at all? But what would I put there instead? Looks like I am talking myself into a remake of the bag from the 5 wood to the 7I...

I’ve got a 3H that was in the bag a few times last year depending on course conditions. It would kick the U21 out of the bag. The problem last year is it had the same carry as the 4H, so it didn’t have a lot of times where I could play it. I think the mix I have right now pretty much works anywhere. I think what helps the most is the extra few yards I’m hitting the ball off the tee and the 1/2 club longer I’m hitting all my clubs.

 

[Buckeyegolfnut]

I knew someone that worked at an optical store, and they told me that some of the frames cost them like $10, but they sold for $159. What!! Talk about mark up! Commonly done in the optical field. My insurance pays for certain frames up to $169, and not just the cheap looking frames, but some are designer brands. I don't want "flashy" frames, but fairly basic, lightweight metal, usually the frameless type under the lenses, for less weight, and wearing lined bifocals(32 years), I don't get a reflection of light at times when looking through the reader part of the lense. I get my glasses at Sam's Club, and all the add ons, like scratch proof coating, Transitions, and the one for headlights at night, are all half of what they are in an optical store. These are the best non scratching lenses in all the years I have worn glasses. I can pretty much clean them with anything, except steel wool. I have been buying them at Sam's for the last 6 years. I go every two years, as I drive an 18 wheeler locally. Need them for my DOT physical, which includes an across the room eye test, cover one eye, then the other. PITA when you sit on them, but the metal is soft enough that I can gently bend them back in shape, although I have only done this one time in all my years of wearing glasses. Never understand folks that need glasses to read are always having to find them, then put them on just to read something. Get some bifocals, no lines, and put them on in the morning, just like your pants, and no worries about looking for your glasses when you do need to read something. Some folks wear cheaters from the drug store. Ok once in awhile, but if you struggle to read, or see across the street, go to the eye doctor. They also check for a lot more than just what you see. They look for tumors behind your eyes, and also at the optic muscles, and if you have any other eye diseases. Being a senior, and a truck driver, my eyes are very important to me. I will be retiring soon, but still just as important, as I will still drive a car for quite a few years.

So true! It's pretty much the same in any business that sells something that you don't buy all the time. Want a nice hardwood dining room table? New refrigerator/freezer? The markup is elevated. The retailer doesn't figure to see you again in quite some time!

I have the digital eye scans at Lenscrafters. The doctor will often discuss what he sees with me!

It is yet another way to screen for health issues.

Maybe Lenscrafters has changed, but I don't trust them at all! When they opened their first store in this area I made the decision to go there for a new pair of glasses. I got the call to come and get them, the tech put them on my face, and it was like I was on LSD! The floor looked like it was at a 45 degree angle and I was staring into a funhouse mirror! I ripped them off and walked out!

Fast forward to today. I have had my cataracts done, which I was advised to do by an optometrist who was trying to set me up for a new pair of glasses. At some point he said, "I just can't seem to get you dialed in!" Eventually, he presented me with a referral to a local opthalmologist. Today my distance vision is 20/20. I've been using the cheap drugstore cheaters for reading, but they make my eyes fatigue very quickly. I'm thinking of going back to that optometrist and having him make me a pair of real readers!

 

[skigolfmike]

When I played this afternoon, i had a little trouble with the 9th. What I can tell you is the front right pin is the most unfair pin on that hole and maybe on the whole course. I had 135 playing 140 to the pin out of the right rough. I hit an easy 7i and ended up on the back of the green in the fringe. It took 4 to get down from there. I played this putt over about 6 time and this was the best result. First try I left it 8’ above the hole. Took 3 more from there.

 

[drb1956]

No matter how much we try to improve our approaches, we are going to end up missing greens. Heck even on tour they average missing just under 6 greens per round. Of course course management is very important, which is why I will often lay up into the fairway on a par 4 after a poor drive. Or lay up on a par 5 because I would rather hit a wedge off the fairway for my 3rd than try to recover from the rough next to the green. Then the lob wedge shines, hitting drop and stop approaches that hopefully allow for a one putt par save, or a bird on a par 5.
That is why I allocated a slot to the 64*, leaving myself a bit wider gap at the top, going from a 6H to a 4H, but I can fill it easily enough turning over the 6 or cutting the 4. And way out there (180+) the odds of me hitting it close are a lot less than the odds of dropping a wedge down to snuggle up next to the pin. When I get out past a 7I, my target is the fat of the green, not pin hunting. If I get short sided it was just bad swings or bad bounces, not bad decisions. Heck, I wont even pin hunt with the 7 in my hands half the time unless all conditions are good.

I miss a LOT of approach shots! Mostly to the right. Always have the right club in hand, just never hit the target. Gets frustrating, round after round. Tried moving my target to the left, but not always good results with that either. Feels like a forced shot, and my brain is too aware of what I am doing, and I manage to screw it up. Waste a lot of strokes with this part of my game. Definitely my score would look better once this is resolved. Could be my swing, or maybe the clubs have a bad lie for my swing. Will be looking to figure it out this season...

 

[4hourrule]

Well yeah, except this is a recent development. I’ve been playing the TP5 for a while and this is something in the last 2-3 rounds. I’m thinking my release has changed. I’ll need to put on the HackMotion and see if something has changed. As far as divots, they are mostly thin and not very deep. I’m not completely sweeping it. The other thing I’d like to see is if I’ve magically increased my swing speed.

Are your Divots further forward ?

 

[4hourrule]

My buddy and I were in the Pub yesterday following a practice session, and we were discussing the new drivers we want to try when our club's demo day arrives a few weeks from now.

After much discussion, including the high cost of a new driver, my buddy joking said: "These new drivers might get us 5 extra yards, but what I would gladly pay a lot of money for would be to give me the body of a 20-year-old!" (He is 50 and I am 66).

It was a great point!

At 66 with Back issues I'd be happy with just the Back of a 20 something.

 

[1860VS]

YUUUUK. I was going to go walleye fishing on the Detroit River today. Rain and 15 mph winds. I don't take the little boats on big water (its a 12 mile, 20minutes at cruising speed run down Lake St Clair to get to the river) in winds over 10 mph. I guess I'll head to the sim.

 

[4hourrule]

12 miles on the Water is a ways when its Choppy. We'd Gunkhole a lot on ours over a Weekend and I'd always check for Wind. One Twin enjoyed the bouncing the other not so much and even at 30 feet he wanted no part of it. We never fished on it since I had Nightmares of one of them hooking another while casting...still creates shivers.

 

[1860VS]

12 miles on the Water is a ways when its Choppy. We'd Gunkhole a lot on ours over a Weekend and I'd always check for Wind. One Twin enjoyed the bouncing the other not so much and even at 30 feet he wanted no part of it. We never fished on it since I had Nightmares of one of them hooking another while casting...still creates shivers.

I had one sun hook me in the scalp. Another hook me in the arm. Why we always wore sunglasses.... lol

 

[CTRosarian]

The Short Game book by Peltz explains why you miss approach shots.
Let's say your swing gets you to within 10 yards from 100 yards. From 200 yards that same swing only gets you to within 20 yards!

Course management suggests that a layup from the rough to get you to within 100 yards is a better shot than trying to do the impossible and hitting the green from 200 yards. If you make the layup that leaves you with a fairway lie from 100 yards.

Missing to the left or right is normal. Not much can be done about the lateral dispersion besides good course management.

 

[4hourrule]

I had one sun hook me in the scalp. Another hook me in the arm. Why we always wore sunglasses.... lol

JUST...Nooooooo.

 

[DGA3]

Does this ever remind me of one of the few lessons I have ever had! Back in the mid-90s, I took a couple of lessons from one of the assistant pros at the course I belonged to, and he had me concentrate on doing this exact same thing, driving the trail knee forward toward the lead knee! I don't recall if the goal was to actually have the knees touch or not, but I am going to have to try this again.

Kind of like this?

 

[Sean]

Course management suggests that a layup from the rough to get you to within 100 yards is a better shot than trying to do the impossible and hitting the green from 200 yards

I believe that kind of thinking has changed from a strokes gained point of view. I have heard/read that the closer you can get to the hole, the better.

 

[1860VS]

JUST...Nooooooo.

My brother and I went on a remote fishing trip. We get out and the very first cast our rod tips touched and he buried the hook on a big pike lure into my scalp. He is saying " we have to get you to a Dr." I am like, the hell I am spending two days with a hook in my head waiting for the supply plane to come. Push it through, cut off the barb. Pull it out. He did. I spent days surrounded by black flies that smelled blood. Brutal. But we still had fun.

 

[4hourrule]

My brother and I went on a remote fishing trip. We get out and the very first cast our rod tips touched and he buried the hook on a big pike lure into my scalp. He is saying " we have to get you to a Dr." I am like, the hell I am spending two days with a hook in my head waiting for the supply plane to come. Push it through, cut off the barb. Pull it out. He did. I spent days surrounded by black flies that smelled blood. Brutal. But we still had fun.

And they say me riding a Motorcycle is dangerous

 

[1860VS]

And they say me riding a Motorcycle is dangerous

After losing the 2nd friend in 6 years, and another losing a leg, I sold my bikes a couple years ago. Just not worth it. People just don't see bikers.