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re: Hot Springs Village

Posted by LSUStjames on 7/20/26 at 11:42 am to
We chose Cortez because of tee time availability. We are there early July and a noon round just wasn't that appealing while in a heat wave. :lol:

They said Ponce and Cortez were 3 & 4 behind Granada and Isabella. Balboa was the easiest to walk as the elevation changes were minimal.

To be honest, I could have just played Granada both rounds and been happy.
That's doing rich correctly :lol:

One of the all time great Tigers and such a class dude.

re: Hot Springs Village

Posted by LSUStjames on 7/14/26 at 8:45 am to
quote:


You can stay on the lake thirty minutes from the courses closer to Hot Springs and have access to the races and the casino. Unfortunately, it’s going to blow up before I can afford a Lake House in the area


We looked at saying on Lake Hamilton, but it was the 4th weekend and they were expecting THOUSANDS of boats on that lake. We had a pontoon boat and pulled the kids on tubes, so picked Balboa instead. If there were 10 other boats on that lake, that was plenty. Sure, enough we went see the Chapel on the 4th and it was like an enormous frat party on water on Hamilton, so we made the right choice for us.

re: Hot Springs Village

Posted by LSUStjames on 7/14/26 at 6:20 am to
It’s all homes that you rent through VRBO, AirBNB, etc.. they are all nice. The area overall is very nice.

I regret not playing Isabella over Cortez. Cortez was good with a mountain view big drop par 3 17th but apparently not s good as Isabella.
you'd want to try the Tour B RX or X depending on how much compression you want. X will be closer to a ProV1X. Make sure you get the latest 2026 model, they are so much hotter off the face than previous models which was the complaint.

I love the RX, it's almost as much compression as a ProV1 but way straighter. Straightest ball there is. Bridgestone dimple pattern makes them all pretty damn straight balls.

Its my main gamer, but I do switch to the AVX for high wind or sometimes I'll play a ProV1 if I'm in the mood.

Hot Springs Village

Posted by LSUStjames on 7/13/26 at 1:09 pm
Spent 5 days there last week and played a couple of the 8 courses they have on property. They have 9 but 1 is private. Played Cortez and Granada.

Granada might be the most pristine and beautiful course I've ever played. Its Bermuda fairways and bent grass greens / collars. Even the damn tee boxes were absolutely perfect. The elevation changes were insane and there was a waterfall that ran down from the clubhouse through the entire 18th hole.

Just a heads up. Area would make a damn good golf trip. We took the kids and stayed on Lake Balboa so only got to play 2 of the courses.
I use it only on high wind days. Spin is typically too low so it doesn't get a high enough trajectory, but on high wind days, that's perfect. Low spin slices through the wind.

re: Driver tips

Posted by LSUStjames on 6/28/26 at 4:59 am to
90% of driver is setup. Grip, ball position. Ball position actually changes a little based on tee height, with a really high tee, the ball may be on your toe instead of heel. For normal height, on your forward heel. After that, i keep my eyes on the ball until after contact, one piece take way which means i rotate my lower body and upper body at the same time to ensure I’m actually rotating lower body. On the take away, i keep the club as close to the ground as i can for as long as i can. This creates width in my swing and i will typically return the club on the same path giving a positive AoA. Lastly you need release the club through impact.
AVX is a very low spin ball with slightly lower compression than the ProV1 which can make fly straighter and farther.

I've played them if I find them on the course. They are great off the tee, not so much on approach shots or around the green, at least for me.

I love the Bridgestone Tour B line. They are all ridiculously straight balls. Even when I force a shape, it's always a "baby" shape which is what I want. If I do the same with any other ball, I always over cook it.



re: Choking up

Posted by LSUStjames on 6/8/26 at 1:49 pm to
I have 3 hand positions on my irons for about 3-5 yard changes in distance. My wedges I only choke up. All the way to the shaft on chipping/pitching, and about halfway for flighted shots.

Grand Bear or The Preserve?

Posted by LSUStjames on 5/18/26 at 10:57 am
If you could play one, which would you choose?
Don't over focus on swing mechanics while on the course! You don't need a beautiful perfect swing, only a serviceable one. Play your miss.

Time and experience are almost more important. Once you start to recognize the lies, where to miss, etc the game gets a bit easier. Most of my consistency struggles are still expecting a certain shot from a lie where it's not very likely.

re: Santa Maria - holy hell

Posted by LSUStjames on 4/17/26 at 8:11 am to
Were you the guy that was looking for his putter with your kid in the cart? I was out there Tuesday afternoon as well playing with 2 randoms and the group in front of us was young kids. I'm thinking we were 2 groups behind you. If I would have known we could have hit into them a few times :lol:

re: Which L.A.B. putter?

Posted by LSUStjames on 4/16/26 at 1:28 pm to
DF3i with the insert.

The regular DF3 doesn't come off hot enough and is easy to leave lag putts short. I went with Oz.1i because of that. DF3i was not out then or I would have went with that.

Go watch Horvat's latest videos, that putter has helped him a ton.
Tour Response
Bridgestone e12
Callaway ERC
Q-Star


TR is probably best, but e12 is the straightest ball I've ever played. Bridgestone in general are very straight balls, but the e12 is ridiculous straight.

re: Lab df3 putter

Posted by LSUStjames on 4/2/26 at 1:46 pm to
I have the Oz with the insert, it has definitely helped me start way more puts online and keep them there.

It's also really good for putting 1 handed inside 8'. I swear I make so many of those without really even trying.
quote:

I can’t stand playing SM too many clowns who think they are Gods gift to golf out there. Too many ppl act like they are “members” and you are burdening them by being on “their” course.


Sadly this is true, though in do find its better this year than last year. I live in the sub and play other courses if i can before SM. Dealing with the entitled old man brigade who think they own the course is rough. It’s not all of them by any means but the ones that ads like that ruin the experience. Also i find the people i get paired with are SM to me overall not as nice than say Webb or Beaver.

re: QI35 Driver

Posted by LSUStjames on 3/27/26 at 5:57 am to
I’d get a QI10 or Sim2 over the QI35
what makes him different is he was doing it way back in the 90s when the tech wasn't what it is today, so he has roughly triple the experience of most fitters today. It also has to do with his concept of what a good golf swing actually contains vs what people think it contains.

James Leitz @ Tchefuncta Country Club

Posted by LSUStjames on 3/25/26 at 12:50 pm
I just read an article about him recently about being a top 100 fitter in the country and one of the best as instructing using trackman. His insights and concept around the golf swing were pretty awesome.

Any one use him for either? I'm in BR but wonder if the drive over would be worth it at least for a fitting.

re: Webb park greens

Posted by LSUStjames on 3/25/26 at 12:45 pm to
I play a weekly group out there and its got the point we were talking about just giving gimmie's inside 6'. The ball hops off line like crazy. You are lucky if you get anything to roll true past 2'. Also you entire approach strat changes to run everything up and don't land on the green. you can hit the green with 9-10k spin and watch it roll off the other side.