WRX Forum Buzzz
FTF: Could a scratch golfer break 85 at Augusta National?
The GolfWRX forums exist so golfers have access to the latest equipment releases, hottest discussions, real equipment reviews, best instruction, new technologies and everything golf you can imagine. So if you love golf, the GolfWRX forums are your sanctuary.
In the From the Forums weekly feature, we bring you the hottest, most buzz-worthy topics from our forums for your convenience. I’ll be your trusty tour guide to navigate the latest buzz. Here’s a peek behind the curtain into golf’s sanctuary.
Could a scratch golfer break 85 at Augusta National?
A classic barstool debate: Could a scratch golfer break 85 at Augusta National? Many variables to consider, sure, but it’s a great essential question, which golfer929 has parlayed into an equally great thread. See the thread.
The best rounded mallet-style putter ever?
Ah, the rounded heel-shafted mallet. A classic of the flatstick universe. Zach Attack, after singing the praises of his Odyssey Black #9, asks the community for its favorite putters in the mode of Phil Mickelson. See the replies.
5-hour rounds at public courses
“Without marshaling it is a free for all,” contends David69, after one too many maddeningly slow plods around a golf course. Further, he suggests that at public/packed venues, he’s rarely seen the pace of play in a reasonable range at a course without marshalling. So why not more marshalls, he wonders. While “money” might be the obvious answer, the discussion here is a good one. See the thread.
Rating the course raters
Top-100 lists are a big part of the golf industry. No matter how much we malign them, the rankings are important to courses and determine where people play golf. But at the heart of these lists lie the course raters and the criteria that guide them. We don’t want to spoil this excellent thread by saying more. Check it out.
Wilson Staff love
Nic19 has been very impressed by the resurgent power of Wilson Staff, once one of the most storied brands in golf history, and more recently one that looked on its way out of the industry. See what other WRXers have to say about Wilson in particular and brand ups and downs more generally. See the thread.
Equipment
I’m a 31 year-old male and I turned my apartment living room into a driving range stall – GolfWRXers react
In our forums, our members have been reacting to a post from ‘GolferTodd’ who has turned their apartment living room into a driving range stall. ‘GolferTodd’ produced the following photo in our forums with the caption:
“To the exclusion of furniture. Bachelor life.”
And our members have been reacting to the post in our forums.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- MtlJeff: “This is amazing……When i was 28 i lived in an apartment that had my winter tires in the kitchen, i only had one plate and 1 set of knives and forks, and i cooked pasta in a witches cauldron from 1835. And i still convinced a woman to marry me. So i am all for this. In fact this is way better than what i had to offer.”
- TiScape: “Love it Todd. Go Dodgers!!”
- imkirby34: “Based on the view out the window, it looks like you’re on the first floor, which is probably a good thing because I’d hate to live below you, even if you have an extremely shallow AoA. Haha.”
In our forums, our members have been discussing classic irons. WRXer ‘DonaldDunes’ has caught the vintage club bug, and wants to know other members’ favorite iron models that “have stood the test of time or were the top performers for their day.”
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- Maine Golfer: “I love a lot of clubs but ’69 Wilson Staff’s are an all time favorite. Easy to hit in relative terms and they look amazing.”
- Wilsonian: “No surprise from me, but the Wilson K-28 irons, specifically blades with the glide thru sole. I grew up playing Ram clubs, but got away from them as I got older. My return to vintage was with the Wilsons, and my first set of hickories were the Wilson Plus Success irons. You’ll try a lot of sets, but I think it’s a matter of what feels best in your hands, specifically your 7 iron which is the best indicator imo.”
- Hawkeye777: “Hogan Redlines. Macgregor Nicklaus Muirfield 20th. Wilson Staff Tour Blade. Those are mine, don’t play any of them these days (no real reason to) and didn’t really “collect” them. The Wilsons I played with for years.”
In our forums, our members have been discussing how much wear is too much wear when purchasing used irons. WRXer ‘con_mon2’ is interested in a used set of iron and kicks off the thread, asking:
“Would love to hear everyone’s thoughts on this! How much wear are you comfortable with?
I found a set of irons on eBay that I am very interested in buying, but they have a bit more wear than I’m comfortable with. I have attached a few pictures showing especially the wear on the sweet spot on the PW and 9 iron. Maybe you can convince me that I’m being too picky and I should just buy them? Or maybe I should be concerned about the wear? I’m not really sure. They are Ping i230s which came out in 2022 so they aren’t that old. And the seller had this to say about the condition: ‘Good: Normal wear for their age. Excellent playing condition but they have cosmetic wear on faces and soles. Sweetspot wear is visible.’
Beyond the cosmetic, I’d really like to know this: At what point do you start to worry about the grooves being so worn that they have a substantial effect on the shots you’re hitting?”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- rsballer10: “The term you are looking for is “browning” and these irons have some of that going on. They are completely playable, but I’d say they’ve reached their half-life.”
- Nessism: “Those heads are stainless steel. The “browning” that some people reference, is really the yellow shade of the nickel layer under the chrome. When forged carbon steel heads wear through the chrome, the “brown” is RUST. These heads will never rust. People applaud the old Ping irons as being “indestructible”. Those heads had no chrome. These heads, even if the chrome is beginning to wear through, on one head, are miles more durable than the older unplated “indestructible” Ping’s. And even further ahead of any forged club.”
- phizzy30: “Hard pass for me. I would rather get a new set of DTC irons and would be glad to spend the extra couple to few hundred.”
Entire Thread: “When buying used irons: How much wear is too much? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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NR
Aug 22, 2017 at 12:22 am
Yeah sure, just play from the ‘Condoleeza Rice’ forward tees.
Landru
Aug 29, 2017 at 1:14 am
And with the help of a staff club caddie in those white jumpsuits.
Mark Hawkinson
Aug 19, 2017 at 9:10 am
85 gets neat almost every year by a scratch golfer in the Masters. I can not remember his name “Knox maybe”. He is the club champion at Augusta National and serves as a marker for the odd Number player if needed. Reports are that he has actually beat his opponent a few times over the years but his score is not posted. However it is well below 85
Doug
Aug 21, 2017 at 3:36 pm
Read the forum before you comment. The stipulations are:
He says he could do it and would not only break 85, but 80 as well! Stipulations are no caddie, no cart, no walking the course beforehand, and 1 hour warmup before the round. Sunday tournament conditions, from the back tees.
That’s a lot different from the club member who has played the course >100 times. Jeez.
Playing it for the first time with no caddie and no walking the course beforehand would be pretty tough I would guess.
The dude
Aug 19, 2017 at 1:52 am
Really bad article…..
Seriously?
Aug 18, 2017 at 2:14 pm
I’ll first preface this comment with anyone could shoot 85 or higher on any given day anywhere…it is golf after all. But Augusta? Look…I have the upmost respect for the place and everything, but Augusta is far…FAR from the most challenging golf course around. I’ve been there a few times for the masters, and I can think of 10 public golf courses off the top of my head that are infinitely more challenging than Augusta, and myself and friends (that aren’t scratch…closer to 3-5) shot closer to even par on. Augusta is more of less a fairly wide open golf course, and with greens that are that perfect it’s hard to miss inside 10′. Now if you’re asking could someone break 85 in the ACTUAL Masters, under tournament pressure, maybe not. A lot of people freak themselves out if they don’t have the experience…but a casual round? Augusta isn’t even remotely close to one of the more challenging courses in America, let alone the world.