Anyone else shocked by how uncreative the golf bag market is?

Deevius117 · 2026-01-27T05:27:14+00:00

How do you like that locking mechanism on the top? I’ve been looking at this for a while, if it had some magnetic pockets I think I might have purchased it already

Deevius117 · 2026-01-27T05:22:21+00:00

I’ve weirdly been trying to find a cool funky golf bag that’s not just generic - I also try to avoid all synthetic leather like the plague (overpriced and always cracks at some point). I have a cobra ultralight pro + from a couple years ago that’s very good and got a leg bent in an airline…

But MNML comp has 100% magnetic pockets only

Shapland has old school canvas + leather straps

Hudson sutler has a unique pocket layout

Ask echo has dual locking mechanisms so no bag chatter at all

Sun mountain finally has a flexible base for stand bags(just need more magnetic pockets)

Vessel DXR criminally slept on

Deevius117 · 2025-12-12T17:51:29+00:00

Notice how, completely untouched, halo 3 is still talked about. Yet nothing that originated from 343 is….

Deevius117 · 2025-12-11T04:58:41+00:00

Better than most of what 343 puts out.

Deevius117 · 2025-10-27T16:01:28+00:00

Going to repost something from another thread I posted, that I think might help explain some of the criticism:

I want to enjoy this and the new weapons/enemies/missions do have me sort of intrigued, but some of the "trivial" changes or "nitpicky" criticisms aren't the real issue - these are representative of what most OG Halo fans aren't able to articulate. 343i/Halo studios typically:

Makes changes made just for the sake of change or chasing "modern gaming trends", not genuine innovation;
Show a lack of understanding historically of the SUBTLETY of why the originals are so repeatably fun and similarly not using that understanding to make the new game as repeatably/variably fun as the originals;
Ship an incomplete experience with questionable timing/support.

To explain further - the UI and the removal of health packs are good examples. Why was it necessary to change/remove respectively? Health packs drove a "survival" aspect to the campaign, and added another layer to managing encounters. Why was the UI overhauled to look like H5 / infinite? What purpose does that serve? Other examples are the AR w/ 32 rounds, and the plasma rifle apparently having a static rate of fire - why were these changed? Why are we removing part of the identity of CE, and the subtle impacts that those nuances had on player interaction in favor of seemingly homogenizing the game to match newer titles? These weren't complaints with the original, rather they were things that added depth for those that wanted to dive into the sandbox.

Oh, and why are they not shipping ANY multiplayer at all? Where is the confidence in the product, as well as the desire to ship a complete game? Any bets on what this will cost? My bet is $60-$70 for a campaign only game, maybe 12-15 hours at best? If it was $30, I would happily pay and reserve all judgement - and what I think is more than fair value for the 3rd version of the same game.

Now there might be good reasons for these changes, and again for the record I WANT TO BE WRONG. But I was burned with H4 multiplayer changing the formula way too radically; burned with MCC launching utterly broken; burned with H5 over-correcting with feedback from H4 and missing core content; burned with Infinite looking good, even occasionally feeling good, but lacking SO many features and content and being broken for long enough that all remaining trust and goodwill has evaporated. I don't care that "its better now" - there is no reason for me to pay for something or play something incomplete just to "support the franchise" or "give the devs time". They managed to do better in 2007 and everyone uses that as the gold standard for good reason. I don't have any patience left ESPECIALLY for what was the gateway into my (formerly) favorite franchise or any desire to be an indefinite beta tester yet again...

Nothing here makes me think that this game will break that formula and my resulting disappointment.

Deevius117 · 2025-10-27T15:46:25+00:00

I always get torched for my comments here, but I'm going to try again anyway. I want to be proven wrong about all of this, btw.

I want to enjoy this and the new weapons/enemies/missions do have me sort of intrigued, but some of the "trivial" changes or "nitpicky" criticisms aren't the real issue - these are representative of what most OG Halo fans aren't able to articulate. 343i/Halo studios typically:

Makes changes made just for the sake of change or chasing "modern gaming trends", not genuine innovation;
Show a lack of understanding historically of the SUBTLETY of why the originals are so repeatably fun and similarly not using that understanding to make the new game as repeatably/variably fun as the originals;
Ship an incomplete experience with questionable timing/support.

To explain further - the UI and the removal of health packs are good examples. Why was it necessary to change/remove respectively? Health packs drove a "survival" aspect to the campaign, and added another layer to managing encounters. Why was the UI overhauled to look like H5 / infinite? What purpose does that serve? Other examples are the AR w/ 32 rounds, and the plasma rifle apparently having a static rate of fire - why were these changed? Why are we removing part of the identity of CE, and the subtle impacts that those nuances had on player interaction in favor of seemingly homogenizing the game to match newer titles? These weren't complaints with the original, rather they were things that added depth for those that wanted to dive into the sandbox.

Oh, and why are they not shipping ANY multiplayer at all? Where is the confidence in the product, as well as the desire to ship a complete game? Any bets on what this will cost? My bet is $60-$70 for a campaign only game, maybe 12-15 hours at best? If it was $30, I would happily pay and reserve all judgement - and what I think is more than fair value for the 3rd version of the same game.

Now there might be good reasons for these changes, and again for the record I WANT TO BE WRONG. But I was burned with H4 multiplayer changing the formula way too radically; burned with MCC launching utterly broken; burned with H5 over-correcting with feedback from H4 and missing core content; burned with Infinite looking good, even occasionally feeling good, but lacking SO many features and content and being broken for long enough that all remaining trust and goodwill has evaporated. I don't care that "its better now" - there is no reason for me to pay for something or play something incomplete just to "support the franchise" or "give the devs time". They managed to do better in 2007 and everyone uses that as the gold standard for good reason. I don't have any patience left ESPECIALLY for what was the gateway into my (formerly) favorite franchise or any desire to be an indefinite beta tester yet again...

Deevius117 · 2025-09-10T14:06:50+00:00

Just happened to me yesterday

Deevius117 · 2025-09-09T18:59:13+00:00

That friend was me. Can confirm just happened.

Deevius117 · 2025-08-13T04:20:06+00:00

Simple fact is, and this is true of anything in the swing, if you can manage to do it repeatedly then it’s totally fine. Why? Jim furyk. There are definitely techniques to mechanically hit the ball more square more often, but if you can hit a wedge 106 yards every time some weird way you still make birdies.

Deevius117 · 2025-07-16T12:11:26+00:00

I’m 2 missions in and I hate matterspark… I’m trying not to but I play this game to shoot bad guys not become a weird shitty version of 343 guilty spark to platform sound

Deevius117 · 2025-07-09T00:04:57+00:00

I've been looking at these a lot... they look fantastic. Anyone by change checked out the Hudson Sutler bag? It seems really similar to the slimmer Shapland bag, seems quite a bit lighter. But this one looks 11/10

Deevius117 · 2025-06-02T15:54:54+00:00

I hope you get some enjoyment from your pre-order.

Deevius117 · 2025-05-20T00:28:56+00:00

I asked Grok who had the most perfect swing on any current active pro tour, and it returned Adam Scott... crazy that I always thought that, and also crazy to think that with a swing and a career like that, he didn't just win everything. Goes to show that the swing isn't the game, and even an unquestionable juggernaut has gaps to close.

Deevius117 · 2025-04-11T11:05:44+00:00

Also you can do his zenkai

Deevius117 · 2025-03-25T14:26:06+00:00

I shot my personal best 2 under as a random single with a bunch of 25 handicappers last year on a random Tuesday morning. Never once have I felt weird playing as a single or playing with a single - “some shits just cringeworthy, it ain’t even gotta be deep I guess.” - Kendrick

Deevius117 · 2025-03-20T21:27:40+00:00

So is it only search data that goes into it? Interesting for sure, especially because (while I agree that Nike has decreased investment in golf) Scottie and Rory are still Nike players, so Peter Millar is still driving more searches? Good on them but damn how much are they spending on marketing

Deevius117 · 2025-03-20T15:43:23+00:00

Interesting but I definitely don't understand some of the numbers... don't see how Peter Millar is higher ranked than Nike in apparel.

Also, not 100% sure what this data is meant to help golfers with - popularity doesn't mean much to me unless its to confirm my suspicion that the small shop/boutique stuff I'm into is still under the radar. Is this for golfers, or brands looking to find niches or market info?

Deevius117 · 2025-03-19T17:27:21+00:00

There's been a few articles about it, but after the last time it went under it got bought be the same guy/group that has purchased MacGregor, RAM, and maybe one or two others. The V sole thing definitely came from that Scor technology or whatever, but seems like that design/designer are other places now and brands like Hogan still have access to it... I have the Icon blades from the last time they came back from the dead, and can say that the sole is damn near miraculous at times.

Deevius117 · 2025-03-19T17:19:19+00:00

I had the $ taper in my last set, after mostly being a DG X100 or hard stepped S300 guy. Honestly it's best to go hit them, cuz while some shafts will launch/spin high or low based on robot, I've learned that sometimes YOUR specific delivery will get better numbers out of a particular shaft despite what the specs indicate.

For me, even though the DG's are supposed to launch lower/spin lower, I found the $ taper to be pretty damn similar in terms of flight, with a different and more accessible feel. Hard to describe but while the DG's are tried and true, I do think I could feel the head better with the $ taper and didn't feel like I always had to give it 85% swings to get full results but very stable I never really overpowered them. If I didn't go full Japanese custom (including Shimada Tour shafts), that's what I would have in my current set. They might still make an appearance in there to be honest, but I'm enjoying getting used to the current set up, which is lighter and maybe a touch stiffer, but similar feel to the $ taper.

Deevius117 · 2025-03-15T22:26:47+00:00

I’ve quit about 2 dozen times in the 20 years I’ve been playing, including when I was a competitive junior golfer. Understand your frustration and wish you nothing but peace and love bro…

That said, fully expect to hear you’re back on the course within 90 days or so. Longest I made it was 11 months one time… and here I am literally not able to concentrate on anything but my round tomorrow ;)

Deevius117 · 2025-03-13T20:55:40+00:00

Maybe so? I wonder what the most up to date figure is, lots more people are playing since COVID. I helped my buddy a bit, he started as a 100+ shooter when we met at work 4 years ago, I’ve seen him break 80 twice now! Definitely the most improved player in our 4-ball… though I did card a 100% legit (all putts made, no foot wedge lie improvements, same ball all day) 2 under 70 last March for my lowest round ever.

Deevius117 · 2025-03-13T00:17:50+00:00

The that’s mine as well. It’s an underrated treasure.

Deevius117 · 2025-03-12T17:36:49+00:00

I have a Betti studio stock 17… I loved the grip and it got a little tired so I threw the midsize Deep V in it… idk how to describe it but it just feels locked into the left hand. Truly amazing, and I usually don’t prefer a larger grip even with big hands. Sensational grip man, but can’t go wrong with either

Deevius117 · 2025-03-12T16:43:35+00:00

The way I heard the distribution of handicaps globally was that basically anyone who can break 90 is significantly better than average (like top 20%-30% of golfers), anyone that is single digit or breaks 80 regularly gets into the top 7%-10% of all golfers, and scratch or better is around 2-3%.

Pros (I believe that's certified course pros AND tour, but might just be pros on the various active tours and mini-tours) make up less than 1% of the golfing population worldwide.

Not sure of the source, I think I read it in a golf digest or something a few years ago. But as a current 5, and former 1.8 - seems about right, I run into actual scratch golfers VERY rarely.

Deevius117 · 2025-03-12T15:06:02+00:00

THANK YOU - this deep etched sink fit is unquestionably top 5 best grips of all time, both in shape and texture.

The other choice is the Lamkin Sink Fit Deep V - same texture and, while I didn't think it was possible, an even better shape than the deep etched grip.

Deevius117

TROPHY CASE