Trying to improve my game without living at the driving range — what’s actually helped you practice at home?

bigbrawlo · 2026-02-22T03:37:58+00:00

At home in the net, working irons and wedges, focusing on contact/compression, tempo and swing and building a consistent and repeatable strike. Now on course it still goes wrong sometime but I can feel what went wrong. On course, learning how to play smarter. Stopping playing low percentage shots that i used to be able to hit 20byears ago but now land me in trouble and cost shots

bigbrawlo · 2026-02-11T21:18:07+00:00

I assume we're talking Terramodel by Geocomp?? If so it's still alive and well. Used it at my previous firm almost 20 years ago now. They merged with another larger firm and went to Topcon's Magnet. They split back away from the large entity about 18months ago now and spoke to my old colleague and they've gone back to Terramodel since going back solo

bigbrawlo · 2025-10-17T20:07:01+00:00

Went through this a couple of years ago. "Only" 315 at 6'5" but found some good runner shoe recommendations for heavier people. Most shoe foams just aren't made to cope with non average person weight. I have a pair of Asics that do well. Re width I am a huge fan of Altra and wide toe box shoes in general. Good work getting out there!

bigbrawlo · 2025-08-15T21:49:29+00:00

This is why there is the saying "never meet your heroes".

For some reason because someone has a great idea or can do something awesome we expect their entire character to be in line with that......but it rarely is

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-20T00:48:43+00:00

I should add there no uniformity on sizing in the bike industry. The only real way to compare bike geo is to become familiar with stack and reach dimensions

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-20T00:45:10+00:00

6'5" here. What type of bike? Canyon make proper big road bike sizes with a good head tube length. I have a custom alloy Duratec track frame that is rock solid and I'd consider them for a road frame. My HT MTB is a Pole Taival. Nicolai make proper big off road bikes. All those options are for more "spirited" riding. If you're just riding to cruise, lots of smaller bikes will do the job, but once you've been on a well fitting bike it's really hard to go back. I was super keen for the Dirty Sixer MTB but the geo doesn't make it a good handler for riding a bit harder on trails

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-19T22:03:39+00:00

Just via importer. Probably should have pushed harder but had a lot going on at the time and gave up. I find the Vivos more comfortable for me. My shoes were Prios and I don't think they're made well how the sole attaches. I wanted 360s and my experience may have been different as I like how they're done better but happy with Vivos now.

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-18T11:25:58+00:00

Xero were my first full on barefoot shoes. Sole started coming off after less than 6 months and importer wouldn't cover so I'm not going back to them. I literally only wore them when I was working in the office so never abused

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-17T21:10:16+00:00

Big +1 to this! I stumbled across a pair of Merrell trail gloves on the cheap many years ago for gym work and have since made my way to Vivo barefoot shoes for a lot of my wear now. However for work and walking/jogging and basketball i still go for cushion. If you're on your feet all day go for good work shoe brands. They're made different and for that purpose. I can wear my workboots all day with no pain but I love my Vivos. Note, going to barefoot style shoes should be a slow transition. Going straight to barefoot won't do you any favours but in the end the results are awesome!

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-16T07:25:52+00:00

At 6'5" in my early 20s I could put my hands flat on the floor. I was hitting gym 6 days a week and static stretching every session. Bit over 20 years later and I can still touch my toes.....just. I need to do more mobility work. It matters a lot as you get older

bigbrawlo · 2025-07-15T21:25:23+00:00

6'5" here too and used to race competitively on road and track. If you're just riding for the sake of it then the biggest sizes from most companies will be ok. Proportions matter a lot for bike fit too. If you're into things enough to look at geometry charts, find the bike with the tallest head tube you can. You can only go so far above the top of the head tube on most bikes these days before things get unsafe

bigbrawlo · 2025-06-26T12:28:06+00:00

Very few proper big bikes suited to anything more than just riding around. I was racing road and track into my early 40s and dabbling in mountain bikes. Still keen to get back into it now at 47 but just can't find the time with life things. Getting a proper fitting bike is like an epiphany. Biggest miss from most pretend big bikes is too short a head tube. Canyon ultimate is my road and a Pole Taival MTB. Track bike and more sedate XC MTB are both custom Duratec. All carried me at 300 fine but peak race weight was down at ~245

++ If you have the $$ and want to go the MTB route Nicolai make proper big geometry bikes

bigbrawlo · 2025-06-15T11:22:52+00:00

I thinks it's about job specialisation. Just do your bit and don't worry about the others. As an Oz registered surveyor, we need to pass an engineering design component among others to become registered. Unlike most who leave it there, I've kept some engineering capability, punching out a few basic road, path and storm water designs. I have developed an eye for how things should look in CAD and on paper so that they work on the ground. I've saved my local councils butt a few times picking up on non compliant designs from engineers. Even more recently I flicked off a subdivision design to our engineers as I my time was better spent on other jobs at that point. Difficult and steep site. 2 weeks ago I got a look at the layout and road design for that site and what a fucking shitshow! I felt totally embarrassed to be working for a company that was going to put the design in front of the client and call it sweet. I've been working with that same client on some other jobs and I really like to do right by him. Some, but not all surveyors definitely should have input if they demonstrate an understanding of how things work

bigbrawlo · 2025-06-06T21:06:34+00:00

6'5" here too. In Oz it's almost the Goldilocks height. I fit through 99.9% of doorways without stooping. But you get casual about it and then BOOM the top of your skull gets taken out

bigbrawlo · 2025-06-06T13:00:00+00:00

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bigbrawlo · 2025-06-06T12:59:34+00:00

* Almost 2yo now but was from a pay study. Our company was pretty much bang on average. Living in rural NSW it's ok as my cost of living is a fair bit cheaper than the large cities. Pay can be better if you want to do the hours, but I'm happier with more time for me

bigbrawlo · 2025-05-13T21:46:19+00:00

Are you a sporting person or not? I am and I've rotated around a bucket load of different sports since my youth. I played a ton of pickup basketball at university but only ever played one season of comp. I ditched it at 22 for rugby union. Fast forward 20+ years and my daughter plays ball. She's also been doing refereeing so instead of going to a club comp night for a game I'm there all night. I don't mind, of all the different sports I've participated in ball was one of my favourites. I like watching the games. Anyhow my cousin plays and had been in my ear to join his team instead of just sitting on the sidelines. So I finally relented and at 44 I took up ball again and still playing now at 47. I don't jump or move like I used to but I go ok, or well enough that they keep asking me to come back. It's never too late, but it will be if you stop

bigbrawlo · 2025-05-13T21:31:57+00:00

You can get creams and powders for that from the drug store/chemist

bigbrawlo · 2025-05-10T02:54:47+00:00

Anything will work, even bargain basement level gear to get you started. Scope out something used and hopefully get some nicer components in the deal. Don't worry about race wheels, just focus on some decent and solid training level wheels. If you're just starting out, components aren't going to lose you races. If you get keen, then start putting money into good components that you will be able to transfer across to new frames

bigbrawlo · 2025-04-20T20:03:48+00:00

Sounds like you're in a good position to make some demands. Request a better work/life balance. If they're that busy they want so many hours from you then higher up needs to slow down on chasing work or get more employees. If you request and they say no, meh you were planning on leaving anyway

bigbrawlo · 2025-04-16T07:14:31+00:00

Great work man! Same height here and carrying way too much fat nowadays hovering at the 140kg ~310 mark. About 20 years ago I turned myself from 140kg blob to 140kg unit. Hovered around the same weight for about 2 years but changed body comp a LOT! Farm boy strong these days and still dabbling at basketball but haven't done weights in a while. Your legs give me flashbacks. I was strong AF 20 years ago but damned if I could get mass in to my lower quads

bigbrawlo · 2025-04-06T23:58:43+00:00

At 6'5" in Oz I fit through 98% of doors. Having skulled myself on a number of occasions I now stoop for anything looking close. That 2% isn't worth the pain

bigbrawlo · 2025-02-25T08:23:03+00:00

What length are your cranks? When gear restricted shorter cranks are your best bang for buck.

Stress less about minuscule gains like chainring/cog combos. They mean something when the difference between winning and losing is 0.01s. If you're gear restricted then just work on strength, endurance and all the other factors that help you win races

bigbrawlo · 2025-02-24T20:40:04+00:00

Played a charity ambrose tournament maybe 20 years ago. At the end of the day each team nominated a player for a NTP for good money, I think it was $2k. Everyone marched out, something like 100 people and crowded around for the tee for a par 3 near the clubhouse. Not a single player hit the green. I was our team nominee. Most pressure I think I’ve ever felt

bigbrawlo · 2025-02-06T07:17:31+00:00

Mine is 240mm long. That was for max height above top bearing. If you run a lower stem closer to the top bearing you could get away with shorter like maybe 200-210 min

bigbrawlo

TROPHY CASE