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Let's talk golf...


sksmith
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...equipment, more specifically

 

The garage driving net is almost complete, daylight savings is right around the corner, and FL weather proves its worth

 

With the handicap down to 14, I think it's time to graduate past my crappy knock-off irons and invest in a good set that will assist in moving toward a single digit handicap. What are you guys swinging? Cavity-back v blade? Custom shafts?

 

I'm currently very interesting in Taylormade SLDR and Tour Preferred MC, Ping i20, and Callaway Apex (Titliest AP2 714s just aren't in the price range yet)

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Oh yeah, I'm on a first name basis at the local Golfsmith and Edwin Watts...last year Adams came out with a new iron set called XTDs and I really really liked them; too expensive at the time and now I can't find a set that's not graphite shaft (will not do graphite in irons). But, yeah, I'm swinging lots (probably too many) and then hitting ebay and some online discount stores. Sometimes there are better deals in-store, such as free custom fitting and shaft upgrades; I can get the SLDRs now at $500 (3-GW) and fitting is free and no charge for any shaft change. Of course, the guy at Edwin Watts told me to just give it another 2 months and they'll be down to $250 or less since they've been discontinued by Taylormade

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Another benefit of living in Orlando, we literally have 100s of courses in the area and, therefore, tons of pro-shops...heck, Golf Channel HQ is just down the street from my house. It is a great place to live if you like golf; one of the perks of our new Disney annual pass is free golf!

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Another benefit of living in Orlando, we literally have 100s of courses in the area and, therefore, tons of pro-shops...heck, Golf Channel HQ is just down the street from my house. It is a great place to live if you like golf; one of the perks of our new Disney annual pass is free golf!

 

it just snowed here 3 inches in about an hour n a half :kicksrock:
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Shot an 89 in some nasty wind today...really liking my new Callaway Razr Fit driver and 3 wood (stiff shaft is wonderful world of difference compared to regular shaft in old driver); had a few of my irons fitted with midsize grips, too, and I really like the feel of that over standing sizing. My hands, after years of tennis, are built for grip strength and the small grips on clubs has me just clamping down hard and making me too wristy; felt much more in control of the club with the larger grip

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(stiff shaft is wonderful world of difference

 

 

See, I'm not into golf yet but I would agree, having a stiff shaft does make a wonderful world of difference.

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Shot an 89 in some nasty wind today...really liking my new Callaway Razr Fit driver and 3 wood (stiff shaft is wonderful world of difference compared to regular shaft in old driver); had a few of my irons fitted with midsize grips, too, and I really like the feel of that over standing sizing. My hands, after years of tennis, are built for grip strength and the small grips on clubs has me just clamping down hard and making me too wristy; felt much more in control of the club with the larger grip

 

 

I put a new shaft in my driver last year and I can't understate the impact it had on my game. I got an Aldila Vs Prototype Blue 70 and had it SST Pured and holy cow. My drives are so much more consistent it's crazy. Even more important though is that my miss is far more predictable and manageable. A miss is now left, and not by more than 20 yards from target. That really matches, since target line is generally center-right, so a miss is left fairway or close rough. I was averaging 5.4 fairways per round prior, and 7.9 in the 11 rounds after I got it.

Edited by flemingd
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When next set of irons is purchased this summer, a full custom fitting (including my woods) will occur...very excited about it! Can't wait to get into some tourneys later this year

 

That said, my new driver is one of those adjustable type, I should probably learn how to do it and see if offers any assistance

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Huge melt this week. Almost all the snow is gone, 57* today. I have been to the putting green three time so far this week, getting the fever. Got an event 4/12 in Michigan, so will be picking up the long clubs and hitting the range soon. Getting over a huge case of tendonitis in my elbow so I have been resting it, haven't swung the clubs full speed since early December despite having an indoor range right down the road. Been tough to stay away, that's for sure.

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Please don't be offended, but if you're a 14, unless you're the kind of 14 that is an incredibly pure ballstriker but terrible around the greens, a less forgiving club is the last thing you want to do. Are you looking to really shape your shots or hit the ball lower with your irons? Those are the only two reasons to use a players club. If you get a less forgiving club, expect that 14 handicap to raise a few strokes really quickly. I always try to make the game easier, not more difficult. Shooting better scores is when I consider the game to be fun. Blades should be reserved for low single digits only. Usually what happens is that players try to boost their ego by playing players clubs, and it ends up plateauing their game. I'm now a 6, been much lower, and will never play anything but oversized clubs ever again. I have played blades and intermediate clubs for a long time. Then when I put an oversized club in my hand, I could not believe how much easier and more fun the game was. I sold golf equipment for 8 years, and spent most of that time trying to talk people out of playing clubs above their skill level. Unfortunately, I was almost never successful.

 

Get on a launch monitor. Try a variety of clubs. I can almost guarantee you'll hit the cavity backs longer, higher, and more consistently. Sorry, rant over, I've been saving that one up to unload on somebody for a while.

 

I got a Nike Vapor Flex driver for my birthday. Like all other Nike's, it is crazy long. Feels pretty good too. Playing Launcher irons and Adams fairways and hybrids. Mizuno wedges. Can't putt anymore so I'm actually putting right-handed (I'm a lefty).

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No offense in there to take; started the thread to get thoughts, opinions, and advice. I'm not personally looking at blades, though, just brought it up to see what others might be swinging out there. The Tour Preferred's are the closest to blades that I like, but like you said, the lack of forgiveness is a negative. I did hit a set of Mizuno blades a bit ago and was amazed at how smooth they felt and the contact was almost always solid, then I looked at monitor readings and distance was just gone (7 iron was barely going 120).

 

As it stands, I'm pretty much set on the SLDR irons (unless massive price drops in a couple select sets before summer). The desire is more distance, balance in club weight, and, yes, forgiveness. I will say this: sole size plays a big role in how I perceive the club and hit them. For example, the Ping i20s are nice and smooth, like hot knives through butter. Their G series, though, have horribly thick soles and they look so clunky when looking down at them during setup, end up hitting those things fat all the time

 

I'm a lefty, too

Edited by sksmith
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Please don't be offended, but if you're a 14, unless you're the kind of 14 that is an incredibly pure ballstriker but terrible around the greens, a less forgiving club is the last thing you want to do.

 

 

Well he didn't say he was looking at forged clubs, just looking to upgrade from knockoffs. I agree with you 100% though, it's easy to screw up your game thinking you're better than you are. I play Nike VR Pro Cavity irons and I can move them around just fine when I need to. I used to have an awesome short game and it's far better to miss by 10 yards and try to get up and down than dump a 5 iron 30 yards short into a hazard that's not even normally in play.

 

 

You make a great point about getting fit for clubs. If you get length and lie right, pretty much any GI/SGI iron is going to do well for you.

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Just watch the PGA tourney this week...that's where I live and the weather we'll have through about November

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Shot an 80 today (par 70)...the driver was long all day, just a bit too much fade/slice so most 2nd shots were off the fairway...challenged the lake on a par 5 where carry is 200 yds to shore line, passed it by 20 yds easily and the successful cut through of the dog leg left me with a nice 150 yd approach; I bogeyed, 'cause that's just how golf works. No worries, though, went on a 3-hole birdie streak right after.

 

The new Callaway Razr Fit 3-wood is laser straight and long, and the few irons that I tested out mid-size grips on are so unbelievably more comfortable than the other clubs; next is a Super Stroke grip for the putter, really like the feel of those...the wayward shots are getting less and less, things are really starting to solidify, which means I'm soon gonna be confident enough to buy some Loud Mouth pants for the course!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pretty warm yesterday: they said "85", it was much closer to 90

 

Still loving the mid size grip upgrade, just a comfortable grip on those few clubs. The driver was averaging 230 all day, and straight; it was beautiful. Tried a new setup tactic of loosening my lead knee; saw Kuchar setting up that way and gave it a try at the range before going out. It really enhanced hip rotation through entire swing and follow through. Will be incorporating this into practice for a while to see if it's effects hold true

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  • 1 month later...

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