ISO Golf Equipment - Advice

[pargolfer]

Originally posted by littleguy
FWIW, MY set makeup

Titleist 975J, 9.5, Ei-70 Stiff shaft
Cleveland Strong 3 wood (13 degrees, Bi-Matrix Stiff shaft
Callaway X-14, DG Sensicore R300, 3-GAP
Cleveland 485 56 deg, 12 degree bounce Sand Wedge
Cleveland 485 60 deg, Lob Wedge.
Scotty Pro Platinum Newport putter.

Set makeup can change due to whim at ANY time.

I know if I cut it down it will be stiffer. I have spoken to someone about how far to do it. It is an extra driver and I just want to see how a shorter shaft feels

Wilson Deep Red 305cc
Ping I3 3, 5, and/or 7
Cobra Baffler 20 degree DG s300
Hogan Apex Plus 4-E DG s300
Hogan 5208 Wedge
Cleveland 56 Gun Metal 588 SW
Cleveland 60 BeCu Lob
Never Compramise Putter

I was not happy with my irons up until last Friday when I shot an 80 and Monday I shot an 84.

I have tried

Titleist 822s
Ping Apex Edge Pro
Mizuno MX-20s
Cleveland TA7
Calloway x-14
and I want to wait to try new Ping I3+

So far I like the Mizuno.

I have also tried new

Ping Tisi tec
Cleveland Launcher 330 and 4000
TM 5 Series

I keep leaning towards the Clevelands

I still want to try new Deep Red and Zevo Compressor

I also want to try new TM Rac wedges and the Ping Wedges.



Can anyone recommend a good golf school - day clinic in the NY Metro Area. I am close to Doral Arrow wood

 

[jseah]

Re: Re: littleguy

Originally posted by pargolfer
Not true. I had an opportunity to hang out at the Buick Classic and I noticed a lot of guys playing some older clubs. A lot of the players were playing with Ping ISI irons, Titleist 990's. A few players seem to favor the steel fairway woods, the old TM Burner and older Calloway etc. There are definiotely those that like the newer toys.

I think the issue is not that the pros like the newer clubs....more like their sponsors want them to use the newer clubs for the promotional impact of "play what the pros use". Of course with some of the bigger names like Tiger, Jack and Arnie, they have the "pull" to use whatever they want. Well, maybe not Tiger, since he did let Nike "buy" their way into him using their ball. For some of the pros, they do use "similar" clubs to what is sold in the stores......similar as in the sense that a Chevy or Buick sold in the showrooms are similar to their Nascar brothers.

 

[pargolfer]

Originally posted by nnjguy
I was watching the AMEX championship yesterday and noticed that Ernie Els is using the TM 5 series driver as well. Im pretty sure it is a conforming driver. True the clubs the pros use are not always the ones we use but the 5 series would have to be a conforming club for the pros to use it.

The 5 Series used on the Tour is conforming the one for sale is not. TM and a few other club makers that have jumped the gun will probably offer trades for conforming clubs. The problem is you may not be able to "legally" use the clubs in tounaments or outings.

 

[littleguy]

The new 5 series (the conforming ones) are in the golf shops now.

i was told by the shop I frequent that anybody that bought the non-conforming 5 series can swap it for free with the newer conforming ones. No charge.

p.g.

Bad boy. You've got 17 clubs.

 

[Slinky Bender]

Originally posted by littleguy

Bad boy. You've got 17 clubs.

It's those fucking electric carts. Ruined the game for me, since it slows down every fucking course. Make guys carry thier clubs. They won't carry more than the regulation, and you'll cut down on the group marathon ball searches. You'll cut at least half an hour off of every rond played on the course ( an hour when it's crowded ).

 

[pjorourke]

I'm not sure how carts contribute to the group marathon ball searches, but when you walk you are more focused on your ball and get set up for the next shot faster.

 

[Slinky Bender]

Truly boring, but:

Duffer#1 hooks into left rough. Duffer #2 slices into right rough. Rather than each walking in a direct line along the line of flight of their balls, they both get into the cart and go after ball #1. They both spend an inordinate amount of time looking for it, mostly because they didn't pay enough attention to the line of flight since they ware driving in the cart. Often, they are joined by Duffer#3 & #4 in their cart, because they don't have to walk over and everyone thinks they will actually save time by looking for ball #1 together. They either find ball #1 or not, duffer #3 hits, and fires into right or left rough again. Now, everyone goes across the fairway to look for duffer #4's ball #2. Except they don't have the slightest clue where it really is, since no one is following the line of flight, but "guessing" at where is might have landed and ended up.........etc., etc., etc. ( and as a Starter and Greenskeeper at a very busy public course, I saw this over and over again; I was such both before and after the course allowed electric carts, and I know how play slowed considerably after ).

 

[pjorourke]

I see your point.

Of course, the best way to play is with a caddy that has a real knack for following/finding balls. Unfortunately, caddie programs at golf courses are rarer today than mixed foursomes that can play in uder 4 hours.

 

[pargolfer]

Originally posted by littleguy
The new 5 series (the conforming ones) are in the golf shops now.

i was told by the shop I frequent that anybody that bought the non-conforming 5 series can swap it for free with the newer conforming ones. No charge.

p.g.

Bad boy. You've got 17 clubs.

I never carry seventeen. They are part of me arsenal and depending on the course is how i choose my weapons of Course destruction. WCD.

 

[littleguy]

Slink,

As you point out it's the misuse of the cart and not paying attention to where your ball ends up that contributes to the slow play.

It's not the fault of the golf cart. properly used they obviously speed up play, not slow it down.

 

[littleguy]

Originally posted by littleguy
Slink,

As you point out it's the misuse of the cart and not paying attention to where your ball ends up that contributes to the slow play.

It's not the fault of the golf cart. Properly used they obviously speed up play, not slow it down.

 

[Hotpuppy]

LG,
I think quoting oneself may be a first
take care
hp

BTW still waiting to play that round

 

[Slinky Bender]

lg,

You could make the same argument for handguns*. I don't think that everyone should be allowed to use those, either. If you want to force everyone to get a license before they can use one, which includes a 20 hour course on golf etiquette, and then start to police the courses with a "golf cart police", then maybe it won't be "the cart's fault".

PS You know why the greens are horrible at most courses in August ? Because most morons refuse to fix thier ball marks, and by then they are all "baked in". I believe in capital punishment for this offense ( as well as "divot leavers" ).

PPS I think everyone should be forced to take that 20 hour course on golf etiquette even if they don't want to drive a cart.

* and properly used, they can really speed up play

 

[pjorourke]

Originally posted by slinkybender
You know why the greens are horrible at most courses in August ? Because most morons refuse to fix thier ball marks, and by then they are all "baked in". I believe in capital punishment for this offense ( as well as "divot leavers" ).

My club got new greens about a year ago and unfortunately the damn things are so hard that we haven't had to fix a ball mark since.

 

[Jarhead]

Swingspeed VS Cutting Shaft

I worked 7 years in management consulting for that pompous Titleist organization before American Brands scarfed them up from Acushnet, ( which doesn't make me an authority at a 17 cap). However, I can tell you this. Matching your swing speed to the shaft flex and head weight are critical. When you purchase clubs and choose one of the standard 3 splines (flex) that are offered, it puts you into a "range". If you buy the club head separately and then match the shafts (like good quality Apache's) by spline you can attain perfect balance that matches your speeds. I use a Ping TISI in 2 degree upright with an Apache 30+ shaft at a 43" length, which matches my swing plane and swing speed at only 94, but I know that I have no excuse in the club. Theres a guy in Lake Hiawatha, (Parsippany area), NJ called the Golf Doctor. My irons are custom oversized heads to matched shafts with the right length for my swing plane (AND THAT IS CRITICAL), so I haven't got any suggestions there. He has a web site and he's good in doing custom clubs and not a rip off. Dave Glenz school out at Black Bear in Franklin, NJ is excellent for a clinic.

FWIW: Titleist is a ball company not a club company.

And Slinky: Since we're on the subject of "Calloway"; your catching on...... albeit facitiously. Recent publicity especially the newspaper links in the thread few weeks back, which may not be the boards but it sure is big time visibility. Kiss of Death, as per our discussion.

Good luck Pargolfer.

 

[littleguy]

Slink,

Many courses have signs around in places that say something like "On the green fix YOUR ball mark PLUS one more" Of course, if everyone followed that there would only EVER be ONE to fix.

I spend the time the other guys are putting walking around the green and fixing all the ball marks I can find. It drives the other guys in my foursome crazy.

pj,

If the ball marks were fixed when they were made, you wouldn't have to worry about not being able to fix them when the greens are rock hard because there wouldn't BE any. (Did that come out right ?)

JH,

Any clubmaker worth his salt will tell you the shaft is the MOST important component of the club.

Yep, the 3 flexes ARE in a range. You can get a regular and a stiff that play almost IDENTICALLY because the "stiff" will be at the lowest point of its range and the "regular" would be at the highest point of its range.

That's one of the problems buying these clubs, especially drivers. The Pros have the clubmakers falling all over themselves to make any Pro the exact club/head combination they want to try. They'll even "frequency match" excatly the stiffness and flexpoint the Pro is looking for. For us amateurs, forget about it. Some of the Driver selection process is "feel" and some of it is dumb luck.

 

[Slinky Bender]

Originally posted by littleguy
Slink,

I spend the time the other guys are putting walking around the green and fixing all the ball marks I can find. It drives the other guys in my foursome crazy.

Dad ?

 

[pargolfer]

Re: Swingspeed VS Cutting Shaft

Originally posted by Jarhead
Theres a guy in Lake Hiawatha, (Parsippany area), NJ called the Golf Doctor. My irons are custom oversized heads to matched shafts with the right length for my swing plane (AND THAT IS CRITICAL), so I haven't got any suggestions there. He has a web site and he's good in doing custom clubs and not a rip off. Dave Glenz school out at Black Bear in Franklin, NJ is excellent for a clinic.

Thanks. I think I am going to try the School at Black Bear. BTW if you have the URL for the good doctor's web site please post it.

 

[Jarhead]

Per your Request.

PARGOLFER:

Enclosed is the URL but the site must be down because I can't get into it. Address is as follows:

Golf Doctor
34 North Beverwyck Road
Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034
973-263-6553

(The Golf Doctor - "Custom Clubfitting Center-Tim Mosel, Certified Class""A"" Clubmaker a full-service Pro shop located in the Greater Parsippany area of NJ"
www.golf-doctor.com )

Tim does a fair amount of the pros in the Northeast. For $50. they will do a Fitting Evaluation with chronograph, and specifications for Swing Speeds, Shaft load, Slope angle, club length and grip size. Its the best 50 you will ever spend and I know (3) 20 plus cappers that dropped 5 to 10 strokes in a nanosecond with proper length clubs. He has a partner Jim that does the bookings, and they have some evening and weekend hours too. Turnaround time is less than 2 weeks. Probably quicker this time of year. My full set of irons was only $425. and woods at $275.

At Black Bear: http://www.davidglenz.com/

I took lessons from Dave when he was at Morris Township Country Club in Convent Station back in the 80's before his was renown, and private lessons with him now you need to bring your wallet. His clinic is only PGA Professionals and certified and have very reasonable packages. Its cheaper than a provider, thats for sure.

Your on your own guy.

Jarhead

 

[pargolfer]

JH - Thanks.