Are SIMs expensive? Yes, no?

I have a local SIM where I can play and also various golf courses of different prices and difficulties.

So, the SIM charges $35/h. Then there's the option to play actual golf anywhere from an executive par 3 in city course for $40, standard easy municipal for $30 or even higher end course for $125.

I've never played a SIM but I feel like spending $35 for 1h vs let's say $40 for 2 and half hours on real grass and sand, although the course is nothing special, doesn't seem quite right.

What are your thoughts on this?

I’m really curious to see what everyone here prefers and also what’s more recommended when it comes to divot tools. I hear many saying 1 prong is better for the roots but many are made with two and state 2 is the proper method. I’m making my own and want to hear from the people what they would rather use and also what works better and is better for the green overall.

Given some of his press conference comments regarding the game and the nature of winning, Scottie’s sponsors may want to make sure he doesn’t watch the last 10 minutes of the new Saban documentary 😂

(Just having some fun. Phenomenal documentary if you haven’t seen it yet!)

Anyone else, feel free to add more, but here are some questions that have bothered me since this technology has become so prevalent:

1. Why are blind shot safety features only enabled for like 2 holes out of 18 (at most) when 5 or more reasonably pose blind shot risk? I know y’all care about pace, but lawsuits are expensive and an injury on course is going to screw everyone’s day a hell of a lot more.
2. Why send messages about being behind pace on #14 when it’s clear we’ve been waiting on groups ahead of us for #1-13? Is this just laziness and sending to everyone on the course or that 9 or something? The group 6th in line of the traffic jam probably isn’t the problem.
3. Why are the geofence borders not noted on the map half the time? Why are they not updated for those that are? Either do the work to update or quit being cheap and pay for the whole feature because it’s holding up the pace you care so much about.

I’ve been playing golf seriously since 2021, currently an 11 hdp. I’ve given as much as I could afford to give to the game. I have great memories, great trips including one to St Andrew’s amazing milestones including a HIO. But for whatever reason I am not able to break 80. I decided that this year I would give everything I could and I did, I spent thousands of dollars on everything from equipment to lessons and nothing happened. I was so frustrated that I decided that if I didn’t break 80 it would be best for me to focus my energy on something else. I played what I thought would be my last round and was actually happy that it was over. But after today as the golf season is coming to an end here where I live , I finally found it. I hate this game and I can’t wait to play it again next year..

What do you guys do when you go to the range and it’s just not the day for hitting the ball well? Do you abandon the range to practice chipping and putting? Push through the range session? Try certain drills? Or just give up and go home?

I got new irons yesterday and took them to the range today. Ping i240 4-P with KBS C-Taper stiff shafts, that I got fitted for just over a week ago. I was warming up with my 52* wedge, a club I’ve had for almost a year and I’m very comfortable with. I could immediately tell today was not the day. I’m not sure if I was swinging slower or sequencing was off. But none of my shots felt good and they were all 30-40yds short. I was hitting everything off the toe too, which is odd for me. I didn’t take the poor performance of the new irons to heart because nothing was working.

I just pushed through the session going through drills, and trying to get my swing back. I slowly made improvements but never made it back to normal through 160 range balls. Also I’m an idiot and didn’t bring any of my old irons with me to fall back on if I was struggling to get used to the new shafts. Probably a good thing though considering they’re very very different.

Does this ever happen to you, and if so what’s your go to play?

After buying and then altering my Temu LAB putter vzn1i (temu bought, new actual LAB grip, upgraded two of the weights to balance and weight nicely and removed ting from face) I finally and nervously decided to hit the course with it. Cost wise it came in at around $300NZD ($170USD). It went well, 3 birdies and then mostly two putts and the feel was very good. I think a few more rounds it will be as useful as an original (which I also have -df3). So if you are after a project that is fun and worthwhile I recommend. Prepared for abuse by LAB purist, I was one so I get it.

I’ve ordered new irons and I’m pretty pumped about them. They will be arriving the morning before I have a tee time at a course I’ve been wanting to play for quite a while. Due to other obligations I will not be able to get there early and spend much if any time on the range. Do I bring the new hardware and just let er rip? Or do I play with my current irons that I know distances and feel and go for a better score? What would you do?

I've been looking on dick's sporting goods at some golf apparel and i've taken an interest in puma's quarter zips as well as this brand Walter Hagen for golf pants.

Does anyone have experience with golf apparel from these brands and if so, how are they?

Should I be looking elsewhere for golf clothes?

Thanks!

To whoever is willing to share. We see so much about handicaps in golf. I want to hear some actual scoring averages from people who play regularly and actually keep track.

I think I’ve successfully convinced a buddy of mine to give golf a try, but he’s not likely to want to spend on lessons for now. I also don’t want him to get discouraged over not being good, so I want to give him some free resources to help him out until I can get him hooked enough to shell out for lessons. What should I send him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpTIljjbONU

Pretty cool to see my username pop up and have him answer my question!

A thought to consider, I’m not saying this IS a significant factor to pace of play issues. Just wondering if it MIGHT and I haven’t heard it discussed.

It occurred to me during my round yesterday that a large part of the pace issue may be caused by the different way players play the game. If no one in a foursome putts out and the foursome in front of them do, the foursome not putting out will naturally play much quicker.

The solution if it were a significant factor could only be for everyone to putt out. Because it can’t be that we never do.

Between the Scotty, the Spider and the 2 ball which do you find easiest to line up to the hole using the different sightlines?

I find the Spider the easiest to line up. I prefer the Scottys cleaner look but at the end of the day it's whatever gets the ball in the hole in the fewest putts.

My golf game is generally in a good spot, my ball striking has been very consistent recently, chipping and putting are getting better, the only consistent struggle I have is closing the face with my driver.

I have a launch monitor and my numbers look good. AoA is around +2-3 degrees, path is pretty neutral but if I try to manipulate it I can swing anywhere from -2 degrees to +4ish. Club speed is between 96 and 102 mph. I have a Qi10 with a stiff shaft set to standard and jumbo grips (I'm 6'7 with large hands).

The problem is no matter what I can't get a feel for the face and it ends up open 90% of the time. On the course I've tried to just aim left and deal with it but it's not working. Randomly 1 or two will go dead straight right where I'm aiming (way left), some will fade 15 ish yards and end up fairway and some end up slicing into oblivion.

I've tried slowing my swing down, trying to feel the logo of my glove pointing towards the target, trying to feel like my trail hand shakes hands with the target, trying to "throw" the club head backwards, nothing has clicked. I have a Mavrik Max 5W as my only other wood and have no issues closing the face with it. In fact, my miss with that club is a hook. My buddy gave me it and it has a midsize grip regular flex shaft. Could grip/shaft be the issue?

With my irons I know pretty instinctively at this point if I miss, what the issue was and how to correct it but with driver I just can't figure it out.

Anyone who struggled with an open face, what finally clicked for you?

Low sun,
Lots of leaves,
Hard ground,
And a cold breeze.

Idk if this is a common thing or not but I have some distances that I just can’t seem to hit within my distance of certain clubs. Like I have my full swing distance and various lesser swing distances but there always seems to be a gap that I just can’t find with that club. Let’s just call it 85%. Is this a thing at all? And if so is it one of those things that just gets better over time or is it a situation where you just need to experiment with the next club up or down or different ball placements to find that distance?

So let's make some assumptions.

No golden ticket.players must either get a spot on the DP World Tour and make the top 10, then get a card for the PGA second tier. Or they go over and rise through Corn Ferry tour and open qualifiers.

Who form the whole of LIV is good enough to make it back?

Looks like P. Reed is back mext year, but presumably only to the second tier and must grind his qay up the rankings. He was in good form at the start of the year, but injury has slowed his momentum.

Rahm has been poor, but i think he'll start practicing again and make it back quickest of all.

Others i would expect back: Neiman, Hatton, Detry.

Thoughts?

Frost delays

Losing boatload of balls because of leaves

Spending wayyy too much time looking for that boatload of lost balls.

Aerated greens.

Did I forget anything?

(yes I had bad day out there today)

I am a single golfer and I get paired up with lots of randoms. The majority of them are guys who have been playing golf for 20-30 years but the majority of them are not good.

I used to get intimidated by these guys, the ones who wear golf clothing, have expensive clubs, those who make golf their entire identity...and it got me thinking, why are they so bad? I know they've taken lessons, they play regularly...but they still don't get better.

I'm drumming up conversation so let me know your thinking - thanks

You know you play some country ass courses if Milk Bones are an essential part of your golf bag. Gotta keep the local course dogs happy