Golf

[The Bear]

I thought it was some kind of trendy, down-wiv-da-kids spelling of "Live Golf".

[Izzy]

3 hours ago, spacemunky said:

All this time it never occurred to me that LIV was just 54 in roman numerals 

 

1 hour ago, Zear0 said:

Can't believe I've now worked out why it's called LIV

 

You're in bad company @spacemunky

 

1 hour ago, The Bear said:

Guilty as charged too! 

 

30 minutes ago, sharpylcfc said:

Me also! Always thought what a rubbish name 

[The Year Of The Fox]

Every days at school day! 

[sharpylcfc]

On 04/11/2025 at 20:47, Izzy said:

Haha LIV events now 72 holes from next year.

Player power to get OWGR points is my guess. 

Is there even a point to LIV anymore then? They might as well all just go back to the PGA Tour at this point, not that I'd blame the PGA if they'd turn round and say we don't want you back.

Edited 6 November 2025 by sharpylcfc

[Robo61]

3 hours ago, sharpylcfc said:

Is there even a point to LIV anymore then? They might as well all just go back to the PGA Tour at this point, not that I'd blame the PGA if they'd turn round and say we don't want you back.

No,  with the exception of the prize money available for largely second rate players.  It seems that going to 72 holes is an attempt to get OWGR points,  though will in my view take further changes to the qualifying criteria in for it to be succcessful.  If they were to get world points then I would expect them to attract a few top players.  

[SouthStandUpperTier]

3 minutes ago, Robo61 said:

No,  with the exception of the prize money available for largely second rate players.  It seems that going to 72 holes is an attempt to get OWGR points,  though will in my view take further changes to the qualifying criteria in for it to be succcessful.  If they were to get world points then I would expect them to attract a few top players.  

72 holes would also be better preparation for the majors. I think I'm correct in saying that Brooks Koepka's USPGA win in 2023 is the only major won by a LIV player.

[Izzy]

4 hours ago, sharpylcfc said:

Is there even a point to LIV anymore then? They might as well all just go back to the PGA Tour at this point, not that I'd blame the PGA if they'd turn round and say we don't want you back.

The ONLY point of LIV is sportswashing by the Saudi PIP.

They’ve already lost $5 billion which is a drop in the ocean for them.

They're desperate to be credible and legitimate so will keep throwing money at PGA players to defect until the PGA tour do a deal with them.

[sharpylcfc]

1 hour ago, Izzy said:

The ONLY point of LIV is sportswashing by the Saudi PIP.

They’ve already lost $5 billion which is a drop in the ocean for them.

They're desperate to be credible and legitimate so will keep throwing money at PGA players to defect until the PGA tour do a deal with them.

The timing of the change to the LIV format is a strange one because isn't the ruling due soon on whether Rahm etc can play in the Ryder Cup in the future. Might just be a coincidence though. Wonder if it means they'll be able to play in the future now. 

[Izzy]

3 minutes ago, sharpylcfc said:

The timing of the change to the LIV format is a strange one because isn't the ruling due soon on whether Rahm etc can play in the Ryder Cup in the future. Might just be a coincidence though. Wonder if it means they'll be able to play in the future now. 

Two separate issues I think.

IMO LIV going to 72 holes is pressure from their players to change the format so they can gain OWGR points.

The Ryder cup issue is more a legal thing between Rahm, Hatton etc around paying the DPW tour fines to still be a member of that tour too and therefore still eligible for RC selection.

It’s all a farce. 

[sharpylcfc]

18 minutes ago, Izzy said:

Two separate issues I think.

IMO LIV going to 72 holes is pressure from their players to change the format so they can gain OWGR points.

The Ryder cup issue is more a legal thing between Rahm, Hatton etc around paying the DPW tour fines to still be a member of that tour too and therefore still eligible for RC selection.

It’s all a farce. 

Should just to pay the fine and crack on, then they can be free to play in the RC. If their players want OWGR points, play against the best on the PGA Tour simple really. More bothered about the money lining their pockets though.

[The Year Of The Fox]

5 hours ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

72 holes would also be better preparation for the majors. I think I'm correct in saying that Brooks Koepka's USPGA win in 2023 is the only major won by a LIV player.

Bryson? 
 

I stand to be corrected 

[The Year Of The Fox]

Club fittings

 

What experience have you all had, and where from?

 

My back story is that I got ‘fitted’ at American Golf (Leicester) in Autumn 2020.

 

I use the term loosely, but it wasn’t especially down to it being their fault 

 

I’d gone in and basically told the guy I wanted the Taylormade SIM Max irons, and kind of thought/hoped they’d have all options, lies, lofts, flexes available and match me up to them. 
 

5 years on, I’ve improved somewhat despite my whinging in here. I started

lessons a year ago with the guy down Coalville driving range who’s phenomenal but it’s changed my swing dramatically compared to when I was fitted at AG. 
 

I’m wondering whether nows the time to have a proper fitting, not swaying the fitter towards any brand at all, and see what they come up with. 
 

I’m not sure I want to be fitted by the guy in Coalville as he has two brands only, so can’t be sure they’re necessarily going to be right for me. He also knows I don’t hit driver, and has remarked 2/3 times that he’ll have me hitting driver in no time (he senses an easy sale I think) 
 

I’ve always wanted some P790s, so am thinking about going to my golf clubs fitting session Taylormade will have next year, knowing it’ll be as good a fitting a mid handicapper could get (but without telling him how badly I’m gagging for some P790s) 

 

Or, do I try AG Trent Lock, going in with an open mind there? Trent Locks fitters seem (to my mates) to be better at fitting than the Leicester branch. 
 

The Sim Max are currently Regular 85g shafts, but have been hitting tonight my mates brand new Ping whatever’s, with a Stiff 105g shaft. Seemed to hit them marginally straighter than I do my own, which tend to have a baby draw currently (no bad thing I suppose)

 

What are people’s experiences?

 

The sensible side of me wants to have more lessons over the winter and see where I’m at in the new year, but I’m not always sensible 

Edited 6 November 2025 by The Year Of The Fox

[SouthStandUpperTier]

15 minutes ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Bryson? 
 

I stand to be corrected 

You are right. 2024 US Open. The point still stands though. 2 major winners in 3-4 years is not a great return. LIV's format is no real preparation for the majors.

[The Year Of The Fox]

3 minutes ago, SouthStandUpperTier said:

You are right. 2024 US Open. The point still stands though. 2 major winners in 3-4 years is not a great return. LIV's format is no real preparation for the majors.

I agree 

[FoxesTez]

1 hour ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Club fittings

 

What experience have you all had, and where from?

 

My back story is that I got ‘fitted’ at American Golf (Leicester) in Autumn 2020.

 

I use the term loosely, but it wasn’t especially down to it being their fault 

 

I’d gone in and basically told the guy I wanted the Taylormade SIM Max irons, and kind of thought/hoped they’d have all options, lies, lofts, flexes available and match me up to them. 
 

5 years on, I’ve improved somewhat despite my whinging in here. I started

lessons a year ago with the guy down Coalville driving range who’s phenomenal but it’s changed my swing dramatically compared to when I was fitted at AG. 
 

I’m wondering whether nows the time to have a proper fitting, not swaying the fitter towards any brand at all, and see what they come up with. 
 

I’m not sure I want to be fitted by the guy in Coalville as he has two brands only, so can’t be sure they’re necessarily going to be right for me. He also knows I don’t hit driver, and has remarked 2/3 times that he’ll have me hitting driver in no time (he senses an easy sale I think) 
 

I’ve always wanted some P790s, so am thinking about going to my golf clubs fitting session Taylormade will have next year, knowing it’ll be as good a fitting a mid handicapper could get (but without telling him how badly I’m gagging for some P790s) 

 

Or, do I try AG Trent Lock, going in with an open mind there? Trent Locks fitters seem (to my mates) to be better at fitting than the Leicester branch. 
 

The Sim Max are currently Regular 85g shafts, but have been hitting tonight my mates brand new Ping whatever’s, with a Stiff 105g shaft. Seemed to hit them marginally straighter than I do my own, which tend to have a baby draw currently (no bad thing I suppose)

 

What are people’s experiences?

 

The sensible side of me wants to have more lessons over the winter and see where I’m at in the new year, but I’m not always sensible 

I would 100% avoid American Golf for fitting. Have a look at Scottsdale in Birmingham. 

[JacobLCFC1234]

1 hour ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Club fittings

 

What experience have you all had, and where from?

 

My back story is that I got ‘fitted’ at American Golf (Leicester) in Autumn 2020.

 

I use the term loosely, but it wasn’t especially down to it being their fault 

 

I’d gone in and basically told the guy I wanted the Taylormade SIM Max irons, and kind of thought/hoped they’d have all options, lies, lofts, flexes available and match me up to them. 
 

5 years on, I’ve improved somewhat despite my whinging in here. I started

lessons a year ago with the guy down Coalville driving range who’s phenomenal but it’s changed my swing dramatically compared to when I was fitted at AG. 
 

I’m wondering whether nows the time to have a proper fitting, not swaying the fitter towards any brand at all, and see what they come up with. 
 

I’m not sure I want to be fitted by the guy in Coalville as he has two brands only, so can’t be sure they’re necessarily going to be right for me. He also knows I don’t hit driver, and has remarked 2/3 times that he’ll have me hitting driver in no time (he senses an easy sale I think) 
 

I’ve always wanted some P790s, so am thinking about going to my golf clubs fitting session Taylormade will have next year, knowing it’ll be as good a fitting a mid handicapper could get (but without telling him how badly I’m gagging for some P790s) 

 

Or, do I try AG Trent Lock, going in with an open mind there? Trent Locks fitters seem (to my mates) to be better at fitting than the Leicester branch. 
 

The Sim Max are currently Regular 85g shafts, but have been hitting tonight my mates brand new Ping whatever’s, with a Stiff 105g shaft. Seemed to hit them marginally straighter than I do my own, which tend to have a baby draw currently (no bad thing I suppose)

 

What are people’s experiences?

 

The sensible side of me wants to have more lessons over the winter and see where I’m at in the new year, but I’m not always sensible 

If youre getting a club fitting, get a good one, depending on your budget.

 

The absolute best place IMO is Precision Golf in Surrey. Closer to home, Scottsdale golf in Birmingham build most clubs on the day.

 

Fitting is a bit of an art rather than a science. it needs some dialogue with your fitter, and it needs some understanding of what youre looking for and what you are trying to achieve.

 

For example, when people think of a term like "Dispersion" people will immediately think left and right. Not really. YOU are creating left and right dispersion, "Dispersion" really means how consistently does the club retain launch and spin properties depending on where on the face you hit it, and the situation youre in, so as an example coming out the rough you dont want balls that lose spin and fly forever all the time (as an example).

 

Also, hitting a ball bang straight down a line is a pretty much useless skill, so the fitting needs to take into account what you do in a real world setting, not just indoors.

 

Be careful as well that when fitting clubs, you CAN be upsold certain options that are doing very little for you. Shafts are an obvious one. Its easy to sell expensive shafts because your Ventus Black and your Graphite Design VR are sexy and masculine....its like BMW's and Mercs. It has a much smaller impact on the quality of your shots than you might think i can assure you, a good fitter will explain this in detail. Its a TIMING DEVICE.

 

When you hear of a shaft being "high launch" or "low launch", again NO THEY ARE NOT!!! the only way a shaft can make you launch it higher or lower is if the shaft influences THE WAY YOU DELIVER THE CLUB TO THE BALL. Thats not the shaft in of itself doing that, its the effect the shaft is having on YOUR DELIVERY, and that will NOT always conform to the "norms" youve heard before in golf.

 

Example: Patrick Cantlay uses shafts that are lighter and softer than Colin Morikawa. Patrick Cantlay swings faster than Colin Morikawa, hence he *should* use the heavier stiffer shafts if following that logic. He doesnt.

 

That all being said, fitting IS essential to improve your golf game as it can really work WITH your swing to make the most of it.

 

Lessons wont really matter to a lot of aspects of your swing and if your delivery does change a little, you can always bend the lie angles a little flatter or more upright if you need to, but lie angles GENERALLY dont really ever go more than a couple of degrees in either direction (GENERALLY) so theyre not huge changes if needed.

 

If youre prepared to travel, check out precision golf. They do lots of fantastic youtube content and they are an unbelieveably good fitting centre.

[The Year Of The Fox]

Cheers both. I’d actually forgotten about Scottsdale. Will look into both and see how much cash I come back with from Australia 👍🏻

[Zear0]

9 hours ago, JacobLCFC1234 said:

 

Also, hitting a ball bang straight down a line is a pretty much useless skill

Always knew I was a great golfer for never doing that 

[JacobLCFC1234]

15 minutes ago, Zear0 said:

Always knew I was a great golfer for never doing that 

No professional golfer ever attempts to hit it straight. The logic of why is extremely simple if you want me to delve into it?

[The Bear]

Scottsdale looks really good, but you don't get the fitting fee off your new clubs. But you can get them same day as mentioned. 

 

A couple of mates have gone to Clubhouse Golf in Warrington. They are supposed to be good too and you get the fitting fee deducted from any clubs you buy. 

 

Scottsdale have 50% off fitting for Black November right now too. 

[HowardsBulletHeader]

16 hours ago, The Year Of The Fox said:

Club fittings

 

What experience have you all had, and where from?

 

My back story is that I got ‘fitted’ at American Golf (Leicester) in Autumn 2020.

 

I use the term loosely, but it wasn’t especially down to it being their fault 

 

I’d gone in and basically told the guy I wanted the Taylormade SIM Max irons, and kind of thought/hoped they’d have all options, lies, lofts, flexes available and match me up to them. 
 

5 years on, I’ve improved somewhat despite my whinging in here. I started

lessons a year ago with the guy down Coalville driving range who’s phenomenal but it’s changed my swing dramatically compared to when I was fitted at AG. 
 

I’m wondering whether nows the time to have a proper fitting, not swaying the fitter towards any brand at all, and see what they come up with. 
 

I’m not sure I want to be fitted by the guy in Coalville as he has two brands only, so can’t be sure they’re necessarily going to be right for me. He also knows I don’t hit driver, and has remarked 2/3 times that he’ll have me hitting driver in no time (he senses an easy sale I think) 
 

I’ve always wanted some P790s, so am thinking about going to my golf clubs fitting session Taylormade will have next year, knowing it’ll be as good a fitting a mid handicapper could get (but without telling him how badly I’m gagging for some P790s) 

 

Or, do I try AG Trent Lock, going in with an open mind there? Trent Locks fitters seem (to my mates) to be better at fitting than the Leicester branch. 
 

The Sim Max are currently Regular 85g shafts, but have been hitting tonight my mates brand new Ping whatever’s, with a Stiff 105g shaft. Seemed to hit them marginally straighter than I do my own, which tend to have a baby draw currently (no bad thing I suppose)

 

What are people’s experiences?

 

The sensible side of me wants to have more lessons over the winter and see where I’m at in the new year, but I’m not always sensible 

I think you've already had some good pointers regarding fitting. I'd avoid American Golf like the plague, generally speaking they are just golfers working in retail rather than fitters. Plus you will hit into a screen which is easily manipulated too, they can change the settings to make it fly straighter, further etc all the things you would want to see. 

 

Interested to hear about your Coalville range comment, I have been going there for lessons monthly since about 2019. They are limited brand wise, but if you went to a Titleist fitter or a Taylormade fitter you'd have the same experience in terms of brand limitation so I don't necessarily see that as a negative. 

 

I got fitted years ago by the guy at Coalville and improved as a result. Partly because my original clubs were causing me issues with dispersion due to increased swing speed vs when I originally bought them which sounds like a similar issue you are describing with 85g v 105g shaft in the TMs. But I do also believe in fittings for players because they do cover every detail and if you are taking golf seriously and spending X amount on clubs, I have no idea why someone wouldn't go get fitted. It makes zero sense to me why you'd buy off the shelf or not get fitted by a proper fitter (not AG). 

 

[Tiny earl]

I had my last set of Ping irons fitted at their Gainsborough centre.

Vast array of confusing technology, then he decided my lie angle needed adjusting 

so he clamped my eight iron in impressive looking jig and hit it with lump hammer !!!

 

 

[spacemunky]

33 minutes ago, Tiny earl said:

I had my last set of Ping irons fitted at their Gainsborough centre.

Vast array of confusing technology, then he decided my lie angle needed adjusting 

so he clamped my eight iron in impressive looking jig and hit it with lump hammer !!!

 

 

Been many a time when I wanted to hit my clubs with a hammer!

[The Year Of The Fox]

1 hour ago, HowardsBulletHeader said:

I think you've already had some good pointers regarding fitting. I'd avoid American Golf like the plague, generally speaking they are just golfers working in retail rather than fitters. Plus you will hit into a screen which is easily manipulated too, they can change the settings to make it fly straighter, further etc all the things you would want to see. 

 

Interested to hear about your Coalville range comment, I have been going there for lessons monthly since about 2019. They are limited brand wise, but if you went to a Titleist fitter or a Taylormade fitter you'd have the same experience in terms of brand limitation so I don't necessarily see that as a negative. 

 

I got fitted years ago by the guy at Coalville and improved as a result. Partly because my original clubs were causing me issues with dispersion due to increased swing speed vs when I originally bought them which sounds like a similar issue you are describing with 85g v 105g shaft in the TMs. But I do also believe in fittings for players because they do cover every detail and if you are taking golf seriously and spending X amount on clubs, I have no idea why someone wouldn't go get fitted. It makes zero sense to me why you'd buy off the shelf or not get fitted by a proper fitter (not AG). 

 

Cheers for your input

 

To make it clear, I have nothing against Rich at all. He’s transferred my game, I’d like to give him my money for new clubs, but feel like I’d be limited- plus I don’t want a new driver- (another club to master) 

As a golf pro though? Class. Worth the ££

[The Year Of The Fox]

1 hour ago, The Bear said:

Scottsdale looks really good, but you don't get the fitting fee off your new clubs. But you can get them same day as mentioned. 

 

A couple of mates have gone to Clubhouse Golf in Warrington. They are supposed to be good too and you get the fitting fee deducted from any clubs you buy. 

 

Scottsdale have 50% off fitting for Black November right now too. 

Yes I’ve seen that cheers!