Useless Conversation

[Chimpy]

I could be wrong, but don't most courses have pro-shops on site that will rent clubs?

[Paelos]

As for not hitting the ball after months of practice, I'm also going to play baseball this summer.  Fun hobby or horrible mistake?  At least I can walk to the baseball field.  Since I can't drive my car.

If you're over the age of 40, baseball can be a horrible mistake. It's why men usually play softball for fun. But if you have good hand-eye and don't usually get muscle pulls? Go for it.

[Ingmar]

Sliding is where you have to really, really be careful. Way too easy to blow out a knee.

[rattran]

Just buy a 9-iron, get one with a flat back, and learn to putt left-handed with the back of it. It'll freak other people out on the course, which is a bonus. It's cheap, effective, and fun.

[MisterNoisy]

I recommend bikesdirect.com. I bought a MTB from them years ago when I was just getting into it and wasn't sure id stick with it, so didn't want to spend a lot. Basically you sacrifice brand name frame for overseas versions ( still good quality ), but get the advantage of better components than you would get on bike store brands at similar price. As testament I now own a high end Santa Cruz but still will take out the Windsor from bikesdirect when I'm in the mood for a hard tail ride.

Minor assembly required as they show up Ina box. The other down side is not being able to ride it and test the fit. But $400 got me a decent bike that has held up well.

Thanks - I'm always a little leery when ordering from a new vendor (particularly when their site has such a GeoCities vibe), but their name kept coming up while I was googling.  :)

[Lantyssa]

I'm sensing an amazing story underneath this sudden drive to play golf.

[Viin]

If you really want to do golf, yes you can fudge it around with rental clubs (good place to start) and maybe some used ones. But if you aren't "average" height and arm length, you might look at getting a cheap iron set that is set to your specs. A pro shop can measure you for the correct length and lie for clubs. Then you buy something like this: http://www.drivingiron.com/product.asp?ID=316

Don't get soft/springy graphite shafts either, unless you swing like a girl.

[Cyrrex]

Most of you swing like girls, so I am guessing the graphite would be fine.  You have to generate a lot of head speed before using graphite becomes a negative.

The real truth is that club choices matter very little until you reach a certain proficiency, outside of a few universal truths.  Some of those truths are:

- Keep the big ass driver in your bag.  You are not good enough to use it.  You may never be.  10 degrees is way too big for you.
- The long irons are a bitch.  You may never figure them out.  On the other hand, a nice fairway wood or hybrid might be able to work for those situations once you are able to make decent contact.
- Your short clubs and your putter are 90% of what will make you into a decent golfer. 
- You will always hit shorter than you think.  Take a bigger club out, fool.  For every time you see someone hit it way over the green, that same person will leave it short 30 times.

Golf sucks.  I miss it.

[Lantyssa]

I miss golf a bit, but it sucks up so much damn time.

[Paelos]

Played yesterday. It was cold and rainy still in April, but it's great fun regardless.

[Sky]

I miss golf a bit, but it sucks up so much damn time.

I miss the old private course. It was changing a lot as the old guys who built it started dying off and new blood came in, and then they got a new board that opened it up to outside membership and it really started to suck for the locals as you'd get the 'serious' assholes who pretty much ruin the game. Then gramp passed away, we sold the house (we couldn't afford the new dues) so I lost my family membership and now I can't play on the course my grandfather built and I grew up on.

On the other hand, I got to grow up with access to a private closed course with a lodge and caddy shack (no caddies, but free cart use and meals in return for working shifts). I played with the spare bag of clubs that was lying around and used balls I got from dredging the bottom of the swimming pond with a fish net. So the game is a pretty natural one for me to play in a fun and relaxed way. I know the rules but don't let them get in the way of my enjoyment.

[Lantyssa]

Yeah, I grew up playing it because the country club was private and I practically grew up there.  I was never great at the game, but I enjoyed it enough to get out of regular PE in high school, and it was one of my courses in college.  (Talk about an easy ace for the final though...)  The club also had a private lake, so I did all kinds of fishing around the course.

[Sky]

Gramp and his buddies had a bunch of land in the Adirondacks, so it was so remote and awesome...but it was also remote and "Ok, we'll hang back and let the black bear play through."

[Tale]

Well, sure, but are you going to learn from this or do we have to hear the same thing again later ?

Boss work > priority work
Boss clock != clock
Until boss = me.

[Ironwood]

Well, you COULD go that way, I guess.

[Yegolev]

I'm sensing an amazing story underneath this sudden drive to play golf.

I'm sure I'll tell it wrong.


Most of it has been covered, I think, just not in a comprehensive way.
1. Teleworking is giving me cabin fever.  Coming up on one year of it.
2. Similarly, while I love my wife I need to get out and talk to other people.
3. A friend, father of one of my son's friends, owns an enormous printer sales company.  He is tired of that and has been making cartoons. (If anyone wants to buy a company, I can put you in touch)
4. Another friend and his wife do "face and body" acting in various capacities.
5. Another father/friend races a Miata (writes IT security books).  I can't do that, so....
6. I have been interested in voiceover artists for years and previous bullets have made me want to do it (or something to get outside) as a hobby.  The ATL is a pretty good place to get into it, as well.
7. I lost my car keys and that is really bothering me.
8. I need to exercise.

I have been "planning" on doing some golf since I took my son to a summer golf "camp", which was two years ago and I honestly am just letting him down by not taking him to a course.  Plus he's not playing baseball this season due to scheduling.  Which is somewhat behind me wanting to play what is probably softball, since I haven't seen the other regular parents and at least two of them play in the summer.

tl;dr
I'm a 41-year-old man.

[Nebu]

I love playing golf, but hate other people.  If I go to the course early during a weekday, I can finish a round in 3hrs walking.  Playing behind old people makes me want to strangle a puppy... it's like watching an unnecessary 2hrs of yoru life vanish.  How does it take anyone 5 FUCKING HOURS to play 18 holes?  Unless you're ARNOLD FUCKING PALMER you don't need 5 minutes to line up every putt and take 14 practice swings before every shot. 

I also love seeing people that are 20+ handicaps playing with expensive clubs, a golf glove, and Pro V1's.   

/endrant

[Yegolev]

Unless you're ARNOLD FUCKING PALMER you don't need 5 minutes to line up every putt and take 14 practice swings before every shot. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpUK47pnTMA

[Nebu]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpUK47pnTMA

    

[Signe]

If you're willing to submit to some nice body mods and a lot of tattooing, I can put you in touch with a modeling agency in France.  The more holes you put in yourself, the more work you'll get.  The voice acting thing sounds more your style, though. 

[Paelos]

When I played this weekend with my dad, we are can usually play in about 3.5 hours with no issues. 3 hours if we're playing well.

People in front of us were playing in a foursome, and he wanted to skip ahead. I said just wait they'll let us go through. I believe in the general niceness of people on a non-muni course. And they did, much to his surprise.

When I've caddied for people, about 85% of them are people who just want to have fun, enjoy the game, and don't really get too upset about anything. It's the other 15% of assholes that stick in your mind because they are assholes.

[Yegolev]

I'm fine with waiting.  This is me on an airplane:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBBQdFSvvTE

[Salamok]

you might look at getting a cheap iron set that is set to your specs. A pro shop can measure you for the correct length and lie for clubs.

Way better off getting decent used clubs and having them re-shafted and set up for you.  Having a $150 big box store set of spaldings custom set up for you would be a near total waste of money.  I agree on the driver, I have hit 10's of thousands of golf balls in my life and currently play at most 2x a year and my driver only comes out of the bag on the driving range, the rest of the time it's all fairway woods.  In golf the predictability of your shots is a far far greater advantage than an additional 50 yards on a drive.

[Salamok]

I also love seeing people that are 20+ handicaps playing with expensive clubs, a golf glove, and Pro V1's.   

Same guys that brag about only playing from the tips.  At least you have plenty of time to scavenge for those pro V1's while you are stuck behind them.

[Paelos]

I disagree with people on the used clubs idea for the main reason that technology has shifted a lot in the last 4 years on irons and the grooves. I think it's worth having something of your own that conforms to current rules for $300 if you're serious, which isn't that huge of an outlay when you consider green fees are usually $30-50 for a decent public course. And that's the lower end of iron costs. They go up to the thousand dollar territory.

Get steel shafts since you're a man.

[HaemishM]

Bah, when I used to play golf, playing with anyone other than myself was just an excuse to get shitfaced in public. The golf was secondary. It was more fun to play on my own if I actually gave a shit about what my score was. I still have a set somewhere in my mom's garage that hasn't seen a swing in at least a decade. I always enjoyed walking the 9-hole course that happens to be minutes from where I live now, but I'm not sure I could stand to devote the 3-4 hours of my time that would take these days.

[Yegolev]

You know, if you guys have alternate hobbies then feel free to suggest them.

[Viin]

What's your budget? (time / money)   

[Merusk]

You know, if you guys have alternate hobbies then feel free to suggest them.

I've decided to take-up Cycling, but I can't imagine doing that in Georgia's infamous heat and humidity. Then again I wouldn't golf in it either.

[Rasix]

I love playing golf, but hate other people.  If I go to the course early during a weekday, I can finish a round in 3hrs walking.  Playing behind old people makes me want to strangle a puppy... it's like watching an unnecessary 2hrs of yoru life vanish.  How does it take anyone 5 FUCKING HOURS to play 18 holes?  Unless you're ARNOLD FUCKING PALMER you don't need 5 minutes to line up every putt and take 14 practice swings before every shot.  

I also love seeing people that are 20+ handicaps playing with expensive clubs, a golf glove, and Pro V1's.  

/endrant

I suck, but if I don't use a golf glove my entire hand turns into a giant blister.   And my expensive clubs and balls are hand-me-downs.  

I think I might try some golf this summer.  There's a crappy public course less than 5 minutes from my house.  If I can wake up at 5am on a Saturday/Sunday, I could get a round in before the family even misses me.

Heh, but I could probably stand to do something a bit more cardio intensive. Jogging right now is a problem, because it's snake season.  Perhaps cycling will get my high enough off the ground as to avoid that. 

[Chimpy]

Haven't you heard? Snakes can fly now. 

[Hawkbit]

Finished up Winter semester last week, only two more semesters till I'm finished.  Celebrating by taking this week off work and relaxing.  Started Monday with a ham and cheese omelette and an IPA.  Now I might build a picnic table.

[Ingmar]

You know, if you guys have alternate hobbies then feel free to suggest them.

I get beat up by old Japanese men twice a week! And it only costs $35 a month. The armor was expensive though.

[Nebu]

I disagree with people on the used clubs idea for the main reason that technology has shifted a lot in the last 4 years on irons and the grooves. I think it's worth having something of your own that conforms to current rules for $300 if you're serious, which isn't that huge of an outlay when you consider green fees are usually $30-50 for a decent public course. And that's the lower end of iron costs. They go up to the thousand dollar territory.

Get steel shafts since you're a man.

I just bought a $1200 set of mint condition, 1 year old Mizuno Irons on eBay for $400 from a reputable dealer.  I strongly urge novice players to buy demo or slightly used clubs for their first set.  Also make sure to buy cavity back, improvement irons.  They will make the game more enjoyable.

For the record, I play steel shafted irons... x-tra stiff shafts!

You know, if you guys have alternate hobbies then feel free to suggest them.

I'll second cycling.  I was having a lot more knee/ankle pain running so I bought a road bike for my daily aerobic fix.  If you have a quiet place to ride, it's a great way to de-stress from a bad day.  You can also find a cycling club for the social aspect.

[Yegolev]

Cycling is an option, just it's hard to say "OK, I'm done" and get back home quickly.  My son got a flat while we were 2 miles or so away from the truck, and it was getting dark.  I never did find that leak.

Japanese people are hard to find in Georgia.

What's your budget? (time / money)   

Yeah, I'm not terribly sure.  I spent some time majoring in Aviation Mgmt, and previously Aerospace Eng, and have always wanted to fly, but that's outside what I can do at the moment.  Maybe later.  Plane ownership seems out of reach.  Similar issue with racing a car, which I would have liked to have (tried to) made a career in.  If I get bored with those things, it's harder to sell off the hardware.

Time budget is the typical "outside business/family hours" while money is harder to pin down.  $300 for golf clubs is OK.  Much more than that and I'll want to make sure I'm actually going to engage in the hobby.