If you cannot find your ball, you essentially abandon it so its not yours anymore. Finders keepers

There is a difference between "forgot" and "lost". If you take a PW and your putter to the fringe and decide to putt and walk off and leave that PW, that is forgotten. Hitting a ball into the woods, looking for it for five minutes, then dropping and hitting a new ball makes the previous ball "lost" and abandoned. However, if I found a nice ball with a smiley face in black sharpie on it and a player later at the clubhouse says "did anyone find a ball with a smiley face written in black sharpie?", that ball is clearly theirs and I would return in.

Couldn’t agree more that it’s not a Mini Driver but it’s not a 3w, it’s a 2wood!!

I think you guys might have come up with a new vs match video, both of you, on a shorter course, Guy using the TM mini and Rick using the Callaway Mini, NO DRIVERS! I'd love to see that video!

I have adopted a more casual approach to golf at 53 years old - much like Guy described - and I enjoy it more than ever. I play several times a week, and never keep score. I enjoy good shots and forget the bad ones.

Golf ball consistency is the most important for amateurs not premium. Playing with the same ball so you know how it reacts around the green If you play with random balls you find you might carry your 8 iron 150 yards and then with the next random ball you might only carry it 140. Or you chip with one random ball and it spins and stops on the green one another random ball runs out and ends off the green. Even base level amateurs shooting in the 90s with benefit from a predictable response playing ball. Even if it's a low-end ball.

I've played in "golden ball" comps where each 4-person team has a designated ball. 1 player plays the gold ball for a hole while the other 3 play scramble. Both scores go on the card. At the end, the lowest combined score wins. Puts incredible pressure on the gold ball player to play conservative (to not lose the ball) yet aggressive because their score counts. Very fun. It's funny how mental golf is. When you have the gold ball you feel the pressure. When in the scramble you're relaxed thinking "It doesn't matter if I muff the shot because another teammate will make a good shot." It's like the nerves when hitting over water.

I have the Taylormade Mini Driver in an 11.5. I've played with loft and have used it lofted down to 9.5. It goes farther than my driver ever did because it manages spin and launch better than my Ping G425 LST ever could. I always struggled with AoA and spin rates with large-headed drivers. The mini driver has helped me manage that and the results are so much better. When you add in the fact that I can hit it off the ground basically as easily as a 3-wood it's just a no brainer. Longer, more fairways, and more versatility. Absolute weapon.

Best pod in a long time. Loved this one even more than normal. Keep up the good work lads 👌

Loved the “lost” golf ball chat, laughing out load watching this.

That was the funniest episode you guys have done.

Best/funniest show for quite a while, thanks! 8-)

Not surprising that Guy would like the Vice ball since he's wearing a Vice Golf shirt.

On the 'not looking like a golfer' point. My dad and I have a game where when we play with someone for the first time, we guess what they will shoot based on how they put the tee in the ground off the first. We are usually pretty close.

I’ve got to be honest I laughed through the entire “who owns the golf ball” segment. Great stuff 😂

I just upgraded my ping g430 10k max on a 3 wood stiff shaft and use that as my mini driver. I hit it a bit shorter than my driver but it’s a fairway finder

I love using Vice Pro Plus balls. As long as they stay under $35 lol.

I have never bought a golf ball. We live at Praia D'El Rei in Portugal and often take a walk along the course late in the afternoon. You'd be amazed how many very expensive, almost new balls we find. I have a big moving box full with them, so I can always choose which brand I try today 🙂

Great story about identifying serious players: I was playing a course where Matt Kuchar was doing a nearest to pin for a sponsor., camera's dones ect. They let everyone on the course have a shot (9hole track so like 30 guys) and he watches everyone hit. Near the end, my buddy who's a pga pro, steps up in very non-golf attire, backwards hat, hoodie, tennis shoes, no glove and the second he addressed the ball, Kuch knew it was good and started chirping him. Buddy won me a stand bag that I still loop with

"You lose a PRO V1 you get a Top Flite that is the rule" This one is so so true!! Every freakin time!😂

Love this mini driver!

Loved the golf ball discussion😂😁😁

Aspirational golf balls, all Titleist: Tour balata, tour prestige, tour professional, and now the Pro V.

Mini Drivers are the nuts. I replaced my Cobra LDTx for the Taylormade Mini Driver 13.5. I’m a 9 handicap and get so much more control with no loss in distance, off the tee it will carry 260 and be in the fairway. Brilliant clubs

I'm a new golfer and have about 15 rounds under my belt and I have landed on the taylormade distance balls. I found one on the course and hit it really well... at the time I was hitting callaway supersoft so they are about the same price. But I realized I don't like the overly soft balls. Mostly notice it off my putter. I really like having a small amount of feedback I get from the distance ball.. which I'm assuming is a harder ball. Also, I found some Prov1s and I didn't like them that much. Nothing I would pay that premium price for. Golf balls are too damn expensive anyways.

look forward to seeing that mini-driver on break 75 !

I will say I grew up always using Titleist. I remember when I was excited to have a sleeve of Balatas! Early in my work career I took a long hiatus (7-8 years) from golf but thankfully got back into it in 2020. When I came back, I struggled on short putts until I invested in an Odyssey triple track putter and I’d get the Callaway triple track chrome softs to match. Probably never would have bought Callaway golf balls if not for that reason. My point is I think that innovative idea was enough to get me away from my beloved Titleist. Callaway is also investing a lot into trying to attract young golfers with Good Good, etc. Same with TaylorMade. Titleist should probably take note or they could find themselves behind down the road.

I like Vice. At 76, it's really important how well I can see the ball down the fairway or in the rough. Love the Vice neon.

I’ve just purchased the Callaway mini driver. Planning on using it as my fairway finder in place of my 5 wood

My mens club has a "yellow ball" tournament coming up. We don't do the lose the ball you're out rule, but they do it as both a team comp and individual competition, so even if you don't have the yellow ball, your hole counts for you individual stroke play score. Lots of fun

We organise the yellow ball format at our club a few times a year but the yellow ball is worth double points, while the other 2 players scores still count. Once it is lost no more double points. The way in the podcast is brutal for the yellow ball score to count only

American golf club member: My club does do scrambles occasionally, but not very often actually. Regular weekend games are usually a game where people will still post individual scores, but there will be a team aspect to it as well. When we do have tournaments, scrambles is not the most common format surprisingly. Also, I think it’s funny how you all call it a “Texas scramble.” Not sure how that got started, but at this point I just roll with it.

I play the mini driver as a 3 wood. The bigger head gives me confidence of the deck and off the tee. I bought a 5 wood for the first time in years. When lies are sketchy, I just hit 5. I hated hitting 3 wood for years. This is a game changer

I had an H&B 2-wood as a teen in the late 60s. Great club. I had a hard time adjusting to hitting a driver when I got one because I couldn't help swinging harder. With the 2-wood, distance wasn't the object, so I hit better quality shots.

Mini driver is the way, especially on links courses in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿💨 My BRNR replaced currently my driver. As for balls, Srixon AD333 are the one for me (buy them in bulk 4 for 3) 🤓

Freaky Friday callback by guy was spot on

Rick; whenever any one asks if you would change places with someone the answer is always no. You wouldn't have you family which is supposed to be the most important thing to you.

A.) Love my Mini Driver in the 3 wood spot as well (low flighted 2 wood essentially, distance off the deck and wind avoiding fairway finder off the tee.) B.) "Mini Driver" does sound significantly better than "Big 3 Wood" and moderately better than "Rocket 3 Wood", remembering that naming trend.

On the lost golf ball discussion, you lose possession of the ball when you have affirmatively abandoned it. Effectively leaving it behind. The next person that finds it can take possession of it as unclaimed property. Even if the person in your group finds it while playing the same hole, you would have no legal claim it. It would certainly be poor form for your playing partner to do that, but it is abandoned property.

Welcome to the Mini driver big 3 wood club. 2 weeks ago played a Scramble. Didn’t play well overall but chip in on the last for birdie and almost had a hole in 1. Day had a great vibe

I like the kirkland balls and started only playing them. Theyre cheap but very good quality and feel. You dont have to play the best and super expensive balls but in my opinion you do have to be consistent with the ball you play. Worst you can do is play all different balls all the time.

Phil Schofileds are always taking advantage of young boys 😂

Another brutal format I’ve played is the stableford multiplier. 4 man team and you multiply your scores on a hole, so 4 net pars would get you 16 pts. If one person has a bad hole and scores 0, everyone else’s score is worthless!

Local club driving range have communicated to golfers that ALL balls dispensed are owned by range.... including branded premium balls that have been hit out of peoples bags. Doesn't stop me sneaking away the good condition non range balls :)

I live on the green of a 180-yard par 3. I clean my pool on Wednesday mornings. This one morning, I saw some golf balls in the pool. I pulled them up, and they were all Pro V1s: three Pro V1 3s and one Pro V1 2. So, it seems this guy hit my pool, unloaded a new sleeve, and hit all three into the pool. Win for me!

The forrest takes and the forrest gives :D

Back in 2010 I started doing research on holes on PGA Tour where the split between hitting driver vs. 3-wood off the tee was closest to 50/50. The players that hit driver performed far better on those holes whether it was their avg. score, SG - OTT and yes...even hitting more fairways. The players were actually hitting more fairways w/driver than 3-wood. I examined every cross section I could possibly think of whether it was by player club speed, their driving skill level (i.e. SG - OTT for the year) and basically came down to that hitting a driver was more likely the better play than hitting 3-wood off the tee on these holes. There were exceptions like Henrik Stenson and Jim Herman (another heavy used of 3-wood off the tee and hits it very effectively), but odds were that for at least Tour pros, hitting driver was the way to go. I also started to see holes where Tour pros were practically forced to lay-up with a 3-wood and the hit fwy % was much lower than I expected and the amount of bad tee shots was much higher than expected. Eventually Mickelson came out with the Phrankenwood with Callaway, a 3-wood head with a driver shaft. It failed for Phil, but I started to see the big problem with a lot of 3-woods and how it was killing good rounds for golfers. This was even worse for long hitters who may have to lay-up because their driver would go too long. But their 3-wood wouldn't go as long as a shorter hitter's driver and they were missing more fairways with their 3-wood thant he shorter hitter was with their driver. There was little in the way of that club they could simply count on to hit no more than 300 yards and still find the fairway. I came up with the concept of The Gonzo Wood which I published in 2012 Pro Golf Synopsis e-book. The concept was a driver size head (460 cc) instead of a 3-wood size head (~180 cc)., but with a 3-wood shaft and a strong 3-wood loft (around 13*). This would combine all of the things that help golfers hit a driver and 3-wood more accurately (driver size head, shorter 3-wood shaft, 3-wood loft). I also added that they should follow Wishon Golf's Graduated Roll Technology so the face design of the 'Gonzo Wood' would not have a lower loft on the bottom of the face (which many drivers have) so it would be a bit easier to hit off the deck if needed. Soon after I published that, Ping and TaylorMade (both of whom had employees that purchased by e-book) started coming out with short lived mini driver concepts. And in recent years have rejuvenated the mini-driver concept. I'm glad to see it. I never considered making a head with about 330 cc's and keeping the head a little shallower to help with hitting it off the deck. I'm glad they've really worked to further tweak the concept and create something one can more effectively hit off the tee and still be capable of hitting off the deck. I've just seen so many rounds get ruined (whether it's myself or others) when golfers have to lay-up off the tee and they end up toe hooking a 3-wood and it gets them into trouble and they make double. I'll be purchasing the TM Burner Mini-Driver soon myself. I just think many golfers don't realize just how useful it can be. And if they still don't like it off the deck, they may be better off just adding a 4 or 5-wood and use that off the deck on par-5's.

Great format we play at our club is Divorced Stableford. You multiply yours and your partners stable ford scores together each hole and highest score at the end wins........great fun unless you score well and your partner wipes the hole

I have always been a pro v 1x left dash player but then my son and I bought some kirkland balls and we might be losing a yard or two of distance, but my accuracy has actually gotten better, and they feel better around the greens. So for a third of the price I think kirkland might be my new ball.

I’ve been playing the maxfli tour x golf ball. You can get a discount if bought in bulk. I think 4 dozen cost $120 USD

When I was a junior golfer I got all of my Tees from the course.

Golf balls follow the rules of Finders Keepers 😝

Mini driver is so much easier to market than calling it a 2 wood or 3 wood XL

Wolf hammer. The greatest game in golf. You’ll never play stroke play or stableford ever again.

Back watching again

On the topic of finding golf balls, if I found a ball with someone’s name on it I wouldn’t use it if they were a member of the same golf club as myself, but if I was away visiting another club and found a ball with someone’s name on it I’d absolutely put it in my bag and put it in my practice bag! 🤷🏻‍♂️

I think it's time Matt get's his own camera for his cameos! 😎😎

“You never leave a scramble format unhappy” ….. I beg to differ sir.

I have the mini driver in a 11.5 and I haven't figured out off the deck yet, but the 11.5 off the tee is a rocket. I dunno why but I find it easier to hit off the tee. I play that with a 16.5 degree 4 wood and a 19 degree hybrid and it has changed the top of the bag completely for me.

Do you feel LivGolf might look to contract influencers into their tour? They're all about exposure and they would generate way more views by creating influencer events or even including them in the main tour.

Fishing equipment is my nearest comparison to the golf ball/club ownership debate. You lose a lure, maybe 10 quid for a decent one, and a friend in your fishing group finds it, you would probably expect it back of gift it to them for even getting it back. If a fisherman days later finds it, that’s their lure and going in their tackle box. If you leave a pole, someone picks it up, it’s got your name on it somewhere, they’d give it back begrudgingly

I watch all your Podcast and wish you would test the Optimum golf balls here in Australia I like them but lots knot them

I'd say as long as you meet the person it definitely belongs to, you should return it. If someone just says that's their ball, how should you know? You can't, so there's no obligation, but if they perfectly describe the markings or it's custom printed, it's clear they are the owner. You should return it.

Check out the Autopilot Driver, its 41 inches shaft, 14 degrees, and grooved face. I switched it out from the Wilson D300 to this. The forgiveness is crazy and misses at least for me personally arent bad as compared to my normal driver. Average round is an 85. Played years ago and just got back into recently for a few months. Distance is farther than a 3 wood, but not as far as a driver. But consistency is key and it does provide alot of accuracy and way more forgiveness. They are sold on amazon for 200 dollars new

Grow up witb pro v1x being go to ball in high school. Now i really like TP5x pix. Everything i love about pro v1x but i feel like the cover is more durable.

Been playing golf since there was really only one performance golf ball. Titleist Balata 90 and 100 compression. 100 was always my go to because of my swing speed. Back in the day we didn't have the ability to measure all the different metrics, just swing speed. Since I was already playing premium balls it was always just a step up to the next best thing. There was a ball called Rextar Balata that was cheaper than titleist and I used those for a while. I believe they were manufactured by Bridgestone. Now for me, it's the left dash ProV1. Comparatively speaking prices haven't gone all that crazy. In the nineties I think the new Professional series ball by Titleist was going for 37-40 bucks? With the progression of tech in golf balls, it's one area where golfers haven't been completely pinched by the mfgs.

My advice to higher hadicap golfers has always been to play one ball. I don't care it cost $10 a dozen, just make sure you play one type of ball as you learn. I see friends using 10 different balls in a round. Then they wonder why they don't see the same result from the same swing.

I guess I have to go check out these mini drivers. I have no issues hitting my triple diamond Paradym off the deck but would love a little more height. That being said I have probably only hit it in actual play maybe five or six times so I can see the usefulness issue being a thing. I don't completely love my three wood right now sooooo......maybe?

10 minutes after your last strike, that ball is finders keepers.

I bought a brand new sleeve at the pro shop and had marked them relisaed on the second tee and asked the group behind and was advised that they didn't see them. On the 4th we hear a four shout and low and behold my new ball almost hits me

I love my mini driver and it’s not that much shorter than my driver I’ve hit a few 300 yards with the TM mini driver off a tee. I use it to punch out trees also with 11.5 degrees of loft.

If I'm playing a ball that I've found and somebody points out that it's their mark or initials on it, I would give it back. They paid for it, it's their ball as far as I'm concerned. I once noticed one of my playing partners was playing a ball my girlfriend lost, a pretty distinctive bright green Callaway with her mark on it, I offered them a trade and they just happily gave it back to me. Maybe we're just different in New Zealand.

I bought the TM Mini a couple weeks ago. I am shocked as well at how easy it is to hit off the deck. So weird how easy it launches...

I’m a fan of battle golf. Where you remove clubs from each others bags

I haven’t paid for a golf ball since I bought my ball retriever 😂😂

I’d be interested to see the difference between the mini driver and a normal driver with a 3wood length shaft, for the average golfer would you loose much distance but gain more confidence being closer to the ball

The format is called a waltz and you can also do an Australian waltz which is the other way round 3 scores 2 scores 1 score etc.

Why tiger is the best player ever: What are the furthest tees called? The Nicholas tees? I rest my case

I've got 2002 Todays Golger here and Pro V1's were £34.99 back then

One does not lose a ball on the putting green, everywhere else it's fair game. The caveat is if you see other golfers; you must ask if it is their ball.

It’s a 2wood, the titleist one made for the tour guys in very small numbers, in cam young’s bag, has 2W printed on it

They had to backtrack quickly on that Mercedes comment 😅😅

I golfed with a guy once who had 4 pitching wedges. He would find clubs and keep them total POS. I feel the same way about people who takes balls.

big shout out to Ewen Ferguson for BMW International win. He was great playing with Rick on youtube and Rick just brushed his win off. Geez

Got a used mini driver 300 and it’s a fast swinging club with noticeable forgiveness

Rick watching the fly 💀

PXG makes the 0211Z driver in 16 degrees, and you can order it as short as 42 inches.....

Rick, please review the new Kirkland V3 golf ball I've used the V2 for a while now, I love them. I've heard some bad things about the new V3, I'm quite sceptical to buy the new ones, give the people a HIT review!

I feel like we need to address the point of taking golf balls on the course. At my home course holes 12, 16 as well as 14, 15 run parallel to each other but go in opposite directions. Holes 12 and 14 have OB running up the left side the full length of those holes so it’s not uncommon for people to put their ball in the adjacent hole to avoid losing the ball. On more than one occasion I’ve done that and people in front of me who were playing the hole picked up my ball thinking it was free. My question is, should courses start hanging signs in their clubhouses that say something to the effect of “if it’s not your ball, leave it where it is.” Cause I’ve had it happen to me when I was playing of my absolute best rounds and it almost questions the legitimacy of the round if you call those people out and say put it back where it was and then they say they can’t remember where it was.

Talking about high lofted drivers, Tour Edge makes a 15 degree driver in the E524 series

Still playing the srixon soft feel ball no idea why but I won't change 😅

For me, my mini 11.5 is the lowest spinning setup on the market, but my AoA is about .5-1* I hit the crap out of it, 300 with roll all day

Once you leave the hole ball is up for grabs 😂

Guy, you are probably too young, but the mini drivers are a 2 wood which were really common when I started golf.

I always buy a provisional pie.

Is it just a co-insident, that Guy is wearing Vice Golf T-shirt?

“Mega 3 Wood” I’ve coined it and will be selling them soon.

Yellow ball is truly awful. I'm always guaranteed to lose it on my first hole with it!

I don't think I'd ever discuss the ball I found on a golf course a week later with friends....problem solved. 😂🤣

Ok what if you throw your club in the bushes in a rage and leave it there. At the end of the round you have cooled down in the clubhouse and decide to go get it but it’s been taken? Is there a time period where it no longer becomes your club?