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2021 Thread of 3 Putting


Jhawk

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10 hours ago, pops said:

What did your super say?  No course is done for the year in April. 

He doesn’t have a plan. For instance, we have started using gates for entry and exit from the fairway. He placed entry gates about 150 yards down the fairway resulting in people driving halfway down the hole to drive back to their ball (women and seniors typically). When we asked why they weren’t at the front of the fairway he literally said he doesn’t know and has never used a gate concept before. The course is in bad shape and he only thinks about fishing. He aweiated the tee boxes but didn’t want to disturb golf with doing the fairways. We have black mud by some greens so we asked if he should sod there. He bends down, cuts out a sprig of Bermuda and shows us the white roots with a smile saying “see I told you this wasn’t dead”. Never mind that there are about 4 sprigs per 10 square inches. Everyone wants the guy fired because he doesn’t see a bigger picture. My worry is that the board and the committee don’t see a bigger picture either. 

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He doesn’t have a plan. For instance, we have started using gates for entry and exit from the fairway. He placed entry gates about 150 yards down the fairway resulting in people driving halfway down the hole to drive back to their ball (women and seniors typically). When we asked why they weren’t at the front of the fairway he literally said he doesn’t know and has never used a gate concept before. The course is in bad shape and he only thinks about fishing. He aweiated the tee boxes but didn’t want to disturb golf with doing the fairways. We have black mud by some greens so we asked if he should sod there. He bends down, cuts out a sprig of Bermuda and shows us the white roots with a smile saying “see I told you this wasn’t dead”. Never mind that there are about 4 sprigs per 10 square inches. Everyone wants the guy fired because he doesn’t see a bigger picture. My worry is that the board and the committee don’t see a bigger picture either. 

Gates are fine halfway down but generally should be close to beginning of fairway. The point of the gates is to keep carts out of the rough which tends to be more shaded and harder for the grass to grow. The key is to move the gates regularly to avoid heavy wear in one spot.

We typically are carts on path from January through March. Makes a HUGE difference. Also encourages more walking play. With the freeze damage this year we have extended it a bit.
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3 hours ago, DDD Dad said:


Gates are fine halfway down but generally should be close to beginning of fairway. The point of the gates is to keep carts out of the rough which tends to be more shaded and harder for the grass to grow. The key is to move the gates regularly to avoid heavy wear in one spot.

We typically are carts on path from January through March. Makes a HUGE difference. Also encourages more walking play. With the freeze damage this year we have extended it a bit.

Yep. I know all of the junior and mid-tier members (I’m in the middle tier at age 36) would be willing to sacrifice various things to ensure the course is ready for play in April and may. It appears the full members aren’t willing to ever sacrifice. Which makes selling the ROI a really difficult thing. It seems the older members would rather play a goat ranch than be told carts on path. Unfortunately at our club, only full members have a voice. I’m 4 years from that but I might tell the board I’ll pay full dues if I can win a board seat next year depending on how this committee position goes. 

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14 hours ago, Jhawk said:

He doesn’t have a plan. For instance, we have started using gates for entry and exit from the fairway. He placed entry gates about 150 yards down the fairway resulting in people driving halfway down the hole to drive back to their ball (women and seniors typically). When we asked why they weren’t at the front of the fairway he literally said he doesn’t know and has never used a gate concept before. The course is in bad shape and he only thinks about fishing. He aweiated the tee boxes but didn’t want to disturb golf with doing the fairways. We have black mud by some greens so we asked if he should sod there. He bends down, cuts out a sprig of Bermuda and shows us the white roots with a smile saying “see I told you this wasn’t dead”. Never mind that there are about 4 sprigs per 10 square inches. Everyone wants the guy fired because he doesn’t see a bigger picture. My worry is that the board and the committee don’t see a bigger picture either. 

That's tough. I've been on the greens committee with a lifer super and it can be maddening. 

Does the super play?  I've found just playing 9 with the super every couple months can make them see things in a different light. Kind of like the plumber with the leaky sink. 

Is the club willing to spend the money on a new sup or give this guy the resources to get the club in shape?   Or is it just the continual bitch-fest and that's all that ever happens?  If I'm never a board member at a club again that will still be too soon. 

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12 hours ago, pops said:

That's tough. I've been on the greens committee with a lifer super and it can be maddening. 

Does the super play?  I've found just playing 9 with the super every couple months can make them see things in a different light. Kind of like the plumber with the leaky sink. 

Is the club willing to spend the money on a new sup or give this guy the resources to get the club in shape?   Or is it just the continual bitch-fest and that's all that ever happens?  If I'm never a board member at a club again that will still be too soon. 

I’m trying to root out the resources thing. I’ve asked for a line item budget from the board and an equipment ledger with useful life estimates on equipment. The super always falls back on his resources from what it sounds like but he also says “it’s too expensive” when a 2k cost arises. I have the club financials from 2017-2018 and his general budget then was 1.65M. Need to dig into the numbers there. I know he gets paid between 120k and 140k and has good benefits. My home course the super is the best in the state/area, was stolen from colonial and gets paid 130k. No reason our club can’t have a great super, especially given our annual excess cash flow is about 700k a year. 

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7 hours ago, Jhawk said:

I’m trying to root out the resources thing. I’ve asked for a line item budget from the board and an equipment ledger with useful life estimates on equipment. The super always falls back on his resources from what it sounds like but he also says “it’s too expensive” when a 2k cost arises. I have the club financials from 2017-2018 and his general budget then was 1.65M. Need to dig into the numbers there. I know he gets paid between 120k and 140k and has good benefits. My home course the super is the best in the state/area, was stolen from colonial and gets paid 130k. No reason our club can’t have a great super, especially given our annual excess cash flow is about 700k a year. 

Ok. If he has a budget of 1.6 then there is no excuse whatsoever. 

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20 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

Anybody know what happened to the greens at Plum Creek in Kyle? Played there last week and the greens barely had any grass at all.

The snow/freeze really hurt them. Combine that with the insane amount of golfers out there and they just haven't bounced back yet

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8 hours ago, hacker said:

The snow/freeze really hurt them. Combine that with the insane amount of golfers out there and they just haven't bounced back yet

Their greens have always been consistently good. Seems a lot of the other courses fared much better with their greens. Hope they can get it corrected. I really like the PC course.

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6 minutes ago, LebongJames said:

Anybody a member out at Lost Creek on here?

 

I have several friends there. I left my club last year and looked at Lost Creek at the end of last year. Decent rates to join last year but from what I heard on another buddy looking to join they have gone up significantly this year and may go up again as they might be doing some more improvements.

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6 minutes ago, ZB'Tejas said:

I have several friends there. I left my club last year and looked at Lost Creek at the end of last year. Decent rates to join last year but from what I heard on another buddy looking to join they have gone up significantly this year and may go up again as they might be doing some more improvements.

Ya it’s definitely gone up from when we inquired last year. They also told us they plan to go up even more by the end of the year. I can believe it when you compare the cost to anything else in the area. We went ahead and joined yesterday.

Probably in the wrong order but I was just trying to get a feel of how the golf community there was. How are tee times right now outside of Saturday and Sunday morning?

A lot of my friends in Austin don’t love golf so I was wondering if people are open to me joining their tee time.

I am also interested in just playing a round of two per week in the afternoon by myself as I have been working on my swing a lot lately.

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We were members of Lost Creek.  Pre-shut down it was  easy to play mid day during the week.  Last summer, tee times were completely full all day, every day.  

We dropped because impossible to get tee time for wife and I.  Always placed us with another group and she did not like it.   Way overcrowded.  

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19 hours ago, hacker said:

The snow/freeze really hurt them. Combine that with the insane amount of golfers out there and they just haven't bounced back yet

Tell me about it.  The greens just got punched out at Bluejack and the comfort stations were closed.  Tried to play a little further south, but both the Cypress and Jackrabbit Courses were booked up.  Add to the fact that my brother-in-law will not stop nagging me to come out to Whispering Pines for a weekend, but I'm not sure about the drive.  No Starbucks in the area either.

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8 hours ago, LebongJames said:

Ya it’s definitely gone up from when we inquired last year. They also told us they plan to go up even more by the end of the year. I can believe it when you compare the cost to anything else in the area. We went ahead and joined yesterday.

Probably in the wrong order but I was just trying to get a feel of how the golf community there was. How are tee times right now outside of Saturday and Sunday morning?

A lot of my friends in Austin don’t love golf so I was wondering if people are open to me joining their tee time.

I am also interested in just playing a round of two per week in the afternoon by myself as I have been working on my swing a lot lately.

I responded before reading this.

I recommend playing in some of the MGA events during the week or join one of the weekend money games. GNO is every other Wednesday evening and a great way to meet people. There is a Friday Open every week. I think they are still doing the money game around 9am or 10am on Sat and/or Sun.

The tee sheet fills up pretty fast even after "the purge," especially the weekend. I recommend booking 5-7 days in advance as much as possible for weekends and mornings. Sometimes tee times free up from people who cancel the day before. You can usually walk up and get out in the afternoon and evening without much trouble. 

I hope the initiation is the only thing they continue to increase this year. If they increase my dues again (they already doubled them last year), that may be the last straw and cause me to leave for greener pastures.

Edited by drewlaws
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2 hours ago, drewlaws said:

I responded before reading this.

I recommend playing in some of the MGA events during the week or join one of the weekend money games. GNO is every other Wednesday evening and a great way to meet people. There is a Friday Open every week. I think they are still doing the money game around 9am or 10am on Sat and/or Sun.

The tee sheet fills up pretty fast even after "the purge," especially the weekend. I recommend booking 5-7 days in advance as much as possible for weekends and mornings. Sometimes tee times free up from people who cancel the day before. You can usually walk up and get out in the afternoon and evening without much trouble. 

I hope the initiation is the only thing they continue to increase this year. If they increase my dues again (they already doubled them last year), that may be the last straw and cause me to leave for greener pastures.

Pam said they do not plan to raise dues much going forward, just initiation. I am sure that is probably just a tactic to get us to join but I hope that to be the case. The monthly fits what the club is but if goes up a lot more it would be more than or equal the Hills.

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1 minute ago, LebongJames said:

Pam said they do not plan to raise dues much going forward, just initiation. I am sure that is probably just a tactic to get us to join but I hope that to be the case. The monthly fits what the club is but if goes up a lot more it would be more than or equal the Hills.

I appreciate the info.

 

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7 minutes ago, LebongJames said:

Pam said they do not plan to raise dues much going forward, just initiation. I am sure that is probably just a tactic to get us to join but I hope that to be the case. The monthly fits what the club is but if goes up a lot more it would be more than or equal the Hills.

If it’s the same Pam, she had some RATs back in the day.

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My putting is back. After going from a 10.1 to a 14.1 I’m back down to a 13.3 with a 92, 89, 86, 86. All on the heels of having less than 30 putts per round. Two of which were 26 putt rounds. Finally just got back to trusting the arrow on the ball where I lay it and making sure my head is out over the ball at address. 

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1 hour ago, Jhawk said:

My putting is back. After going from a 10.1 to a 14.1 I’m back down to a 13.3 with a 92, 89, 86, 86. All on the heels of having less than 30 putts per round. Two of which were 26 putt rounds. Finally just got back to trusting the arrow on the ball where I lay it and making sure my head is out over the ball at address. 

That’s nice. If I could eliminate mistakes in my short game I would feel so much better about my game.

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16 hours ago, smwhorn said:

Looking for recs on best place in Houston for custom fit clubs. Any places to check or avoid would be appreciated.

Thanks

I just got some new clubs from Golf Tec.  I liked the experience.  PM me and I can get you "free" fitting if you're interested.  Otherwise I liked the guys at Golf Galaxy on Richmond, but they didn't show the stat comparisons as well as the Golf Tec guys.

I know a bunch of people who use Club Champion, but be ready to bend over and take it right in the wallet.

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Played the La Cantera Resort course last week.  It was misting rain for the first four holes, but it dried up a bit after that.  The course is fun and pretty wide open (typical resort course).  Greens were a bit slow due to the rain, but all-in-all the course was in good shape.

I was crushing my driver and only missed two fairways, but putting on a hilly course is not normal for this flat Houston guy.  I had 31 puts (6 three putts), but somehow managed a smooth 80.

I was pretty happy to drive the green on number 7 (hole with the tee box on top of the cliff that overlooks Fiesta Texas).  Hit my drive about 310 down the chute, but three-putted for par.  I love/hate this game.

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26 minutes ago, Jimbaround said:

I just got some new clubs from Golf Tec.  I liked the experience.  PM me and I can get you "free" fitting if you're interested.  Otherwise I liked the guys at Golf Galaxy on Richmond, but they didn't show the stat comparisons as well as the Golf Tec guys.

I know a bunch of people who use Club Champion, but be ready to bend over and take it right in the wallet.

I'll prob take you up on this.  I'll be buying two custom fit sets.  One for me and one (well deserved and well earned) gift for our male offspring.  Hopefully, I can "work a deal."

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Played karsten creek today in stoolwater. 88 from the whites. 4 doubles. 2 triples. An eagle. A birdie. 2 birdies on insanely tough 4-5 foot putts that became bogeys after a 3 jack. Taking a 4 foot put that turned 12 inches left to right and left me 12 feet away if missed high or low. Great course. Pristine shape (ZERO WINTER KILL). A great round that could have easily been my first round in the 70s. Back to the grind after 4 straight days on the course. Oh yeah... 21mph average wind with 40mph gusts. Was awesome. 

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11 hours ago, Jimbaround said:

I just got some new clubs from Golf Tec.  I liked the experience.  PM me and I can get you "free" fitting if you're interested.  Otherwise I liked the guys at Golf Galaxy on Richmond, but they didn't show the stat comparisons as well as the Golf Tec guys.

I know a bunch of people who use Club Champion, but be ready to bend over and take it right in the wallet.

Agree about club champion. They know what they are doing, but their prices are all regarded. 

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how much do clubs really matter?

granted this dude is an ex-tour pro but makes you wonder. he's playing an extra shitty entry level bag (driver, hybrid, 3 irons and a putter) and still manages to shoot -1 on 9. the most expensive equipment in the world is not gonna help your game if your swing sucks. $1200 clubs aint gonna fix your shitty slice. 

so do fitted or expensive clubs shave off 1 stroke per 18? 2 strokes? not at all?

 

Edited by crash_davis
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Ive had my same (cheapish) clubs for going on 15 years or so, and I feel like it is time to reinvigorate my golf game (playing/practicing more).  Granted, with two young kids it will not be a every weekend type of thing but I want to make the effort either way.

That being said, what is the consensus on a full set of irons / new woods that could be had for ~$750 bucks or so?  Obviously im not trying to break the bank here, but I would like an upgrade to give me a push.

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Fitted clubs will increase the likelihood of a center face hit, optimize attack angle, and maximize power release. Modem clubs will minimize impact of off center strikes.

How many strokes saved depends on how closely your body matches the random clubs you’re swinging and your ability to hit center face

I wouldn’t be surprised to find the improvements to be in the 25% range of handicap

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1 minute ago, hookemATL said:

Ive had my same (cheapish) clubs for going on 15 years or so, and I feel like it is time to reinvigorate my golf game (playing/practicing more).  Granted, with two young kids it will not be a every weekend type of thing but I want to make the effort either way.

That being said, what is the consensus on a full set of irons / new woods that could be had for ~$750 bucks or so?  Obviously im not trying to break the bank here, but I would like an upgrade to give me a push.

Ebay and Facebook Marketplace are the best places for used clubs. Warning, there are a ton of fake shit on both places, especially with Ping, Mizuno, Titleist, TM and Callaway drivers as well as irons. YMMV on used purchases. Best advice is to buy from reputable Ebay sellers with thousands of sells.

Callaway Pre-owned is prob the best place to buy authentic gear for reduced prices. Just purchased a basically brand new Mavrik driver for $200. Can find cheaper on Ebay but again I have to worry about if it's fake or not. Figured the extra $30-50 on Callaway pre-owned is worth the peace of mind.

Or you can buy new or on sale from a store like PGA Superstore. 

Regarding brand and specific suggestions, it depends on what you want, Game Improvement, Players Distance, Super Game Improvement, etc.

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On 4/28/2021 at 11:48 AM, crash_davis said:

so do fitted or expensive clubs shave off 1 stroke per 18? 2 strokes? not at all?

I went from Titliest AP3's to fitted PXG's 311's last year expecting a significant improvement and, while they are more forgiving, it was a nominal increase in my game at best.  

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If you really want to lower your scoring average/HCP more time needs to be spent practicing chipping, bunker shots, and putting. The answer is in the math!

Assuming the average course of 18 holes has 4 Par 3’s, so GIR is 32 strokes. Subtract your average round (say 90) from 32 = 58 !!!
More time should be spent there than just ball-beating at the range. Scores really add up around the greens! The ability to get “up and down” to save par, 3-5 times or more, during each round is key to breaking 90 or 80.

As for the range, always save your last 15-20 balls trying to mimic “shots” from the round you are about to play or have recently played. Switch clubs, distances, and sight angles with each shot and don’t forget to hit a couple iron shots off a tee - for the Par 3s.

Hook’em and OU still sucks!

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4 hours ago, Atxracer said:

I went from Titliest AP3's to fitted PXG's 311's last year expecting a significant improvement and, while they are more forgiving, it was a nominal increase in my game at best.  

How do you like the 311s? I picked up the 0211s and love them. First time playing pxg and I’ve been impressed(even thinking about picking up the st version). Scores have come down significantly but mainly due to practice and increase in playing frequency. 

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Anybody have one of these Bushnell golf speakers? Thoughts? Looking to add a small Bluetooth speaker -- I've had a Bose Soundlink II for many, many years and it's been great -- but I want something a little easier to throw in a backpack for a trip or take to the golf course. Was going to get the new Sonos Roam until I ran across the Bushnell.

https://www.bushnellgolf.com/products/gps/wingman-speaker/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=surfaces&utm_campaign=shopping feed&gclid=Cj0KCQjw1a6EBhC0ARIsAOiTkrFjmV52rcPu9O7eD8kRVDcbGsKbjSvr1B8aAZAzajUyqeQ9Z9Id99YaArQKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

api6b4p2s__56101.1618420616.png?c=2

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Some updates... I had an epiphany on oklahoma golf this week.  I'm playing ok, especially for having our range being renovated so I haven't hit balls all year.  Shooting low 90s to upper 80s right now.  Played Karsten Creek on Monday and shot an 88 with 4 doubles and 2 triples.  Had a birdie, and eagle, and two 3 putt bogeys.  The course was in phenomenal shape, zoysia all around.  The thing about it was, the course was just barely narrower than my home course but very similar in that there is 3-5 yards of rough or you're OB.  I took 20% off my driver and hit a ton of fairways.  The epiphany is that my current club doesn't punish you for hitting it as far as you can.  In fact, I'd argue you get rewarded for swinging hard because the landing zones are often tight.  A bad shot left or right and you are very clear of the tight zone.  A bad shot short and you are clear, and a bomb long (even not in the fairway) and you are no worse than a drive that is just a yard off the fairway.  I guess what I realized is that I'm not just erratic.  I actually consciously swing my ass off because I know I won't be punished at my current club.  I can't wait for the range and performance center to open because I'm slowing down my swing like crazy right now and it is helping.  The problem is doing that on the course during play isn't a good time to learn.

Second, we got $150k approved to fix problem areas on the course.  Greens & Grounds committee also got the approval to terrace a steep false front and run-up on a hole as well as closing the course on Tuesdays in may to bring it back to life.  We'll have new collars next week (yes... replacing what has been ruined in 3 years because of bad management) and the course will be on its way to be in good shape by July.  Now we just need to get rid of some key employees so we can have people with foresight managing the G&G. 

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I am about to start playing again.  Like a lot on this thread my first real golf goal (besides winning money on this particular hole) was to break 90.  The guys I played with regularly years ago moved away, then kids, then coaching, and then...  But gonna pick it back up again.  I basically quit after making a hole and one day after Ricky's Heisman run vs A&M, and then taking down and old playing partner nemesis for $680 at Forest Creek about a year later.  Only reason I ever picked it up honestly was my wife's family had a family reunion in New Braunfels at Landa Park, and it was fun.

Only think I am going to probably do is go and take a few lessons right out the gate.  I am sure I can get sub 90 fairly quickly, but I'm a lot less fit and my back will probably kill me.  Basically it's NOT about making great shots, it's about not allowing a single bad shot costing you more than that single stroke!!!!

Here was my prescription to breaking 90.  First just play bogie golf.  That's all 90 is, play bogie for every hole and get a single par and you are at 89!

1) leave the driver in the bag, get a lower lofted 3 wood to replace the driver.

2) Get great from 150 yards in.  Learn to hit your 7 iron every way imaginable.  If you are accurate from 150 yards in, you are 2/3 of the way to sub-90.

3) Get a good 60 degree sand wedge and practice to where you KNOW that 90% of the time you can get out of sand with a chance at a one put. Just don't lose an extra stroke here.

4) Course management!!!!  This alone to me is probably worth 4-5 strokes for the average duffer.  In Texas you can bump and run onto most greens from a Looooong way away.  

5) Aim at the high side, and beyond the cup on every putt.

IF you do these 5 things you just saved 5-7 strokes for most guys.  

All you need do is NOT hit the drive OB, and when you get in trouble OB just find a way back to the fairway, and only lose that single stroke. If you come how playing the same ball you started with your are probably near or breaking 90.  Leaving putts short and falling off below the hole are another two or three strokes a round (at the minimum). Just playing to the easier part of the green approach is worth one or two more strokes.  

Now I guess I shall start playing and prove myself correct!

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Best speaker in the game right now.

I like the magnet and the yardage aspect is an added bonus. So it sounds pretty good? I like the Sonos and would get that if the sound was superior. The yardage isn’t make-or-break for me but is a nice value add.
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I like the magnet and the yardage aspect is an added bonus. So it sounds pretty good? I like the Sonos and would get that if the sound was superior. The yardage isn’t make-or-break for me but is a nice value add.

Lemme know if you’d like to play Lakewood some time.
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10 hours ago, C-Man said:


I like the magnet and the yardage aspect is an added bonus. So it sounds pretty good? I like the Sonos and would get that if the sound was superior. The yardage isn’t make-or-break for me but is a nice value add.

Sound quality is great. Gets loud as hell if wanted. Magnet is great and strong. About 75% of the speakers used at our club are this one. Makes a great gift. I’ve got a bose and I wish I had the bushnell. 

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