Mizuno JPX-825 Irons Review

The JPX-825 irons are Mizuno newest game improvement irons, I was lucky enough to try them out and give my thoughts.

mizuno_jpx825_irons_7iron_hero2.jpgWhen you ask most golfers about Mizuno irons the general feedback is that they make fantastic irons for professionals and low handicap golfers. Mizuno has a long history stretching from the 1980’s of making forged blades that had an almost cult like following. Mizuno has not had much of a reputation for making game improvement clubs for mid and high handicappers, although they have made irons targeting this group they have not been overwhelming popular as the better player clubs have been.

Of course Mizuno has a great reputation not only with good players but also with the PGA Tour as well. Much of the MP line of irons are designed with the tour players input. However with some new offerings specifically the JPX line, Mizuno seems to be trying to take their great reputation into the game improvement arena. For mid-handicappers Mizuno is now offering the JPX-825 Pro irons which are targeted at six to eighteen handicappers. These irons give the forgiveness of game improvement irons but the feel and playability that the lower handicap golfers prefer. In addition to these irons Mizuno now offers the JPX-825 irons targeted for golfers with a handicap from ten to twenty eight.

For this review I was given a set (4-PW) of JPX-825 irons with True Temper Dynalite Gold XP S300.

2013 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S Putter Review

TaylorMade has made some small but important improvements to the 2013 version of the Ghost Spider S putter, take a look at my thoughts on this new putter.

taylormade_ghost_spiderS_putter_address.jpgWhen Sergio Garcia first started playing the TaylorMade Monza Spider putters I can remember reading golf forums where most where making some disparaging remarks about the look of the putter. However once the putters hit stores and people got a chance to putt with them, the comments all but disappeared. The simple fact was the putter helped golfers to make putts. Through the years TaylorMade has brought many of the changes to the Spider line of putters, mainly the “ghosting” of the putters, as well as some other technology improvements that I will discuss in the review.

The Spider putters have never been built to look beautiful, they have been designed to make putts. Most golfers that I now who own a Spider putters really like them and have used them for a long period of time. That generally says something good because a putter is one of the easiest clubs to switch in a players bag.

The adjustments to the 2013 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S are minimal but they continuously improve the line to help golfers make more putts. In this review we will take a look at the new and improved 2013 TaylorMade Ghost Spider S.

Performance Enhancing Drugs and the PGA Tour

Vijay Singh’s recent revelations about using PED’s puts the PGA Tour in a interesting position, I give my take on what they should do.

Thrash TalkA few weeks ago, Lance Armstrong did an interview with Oprah and essentially admitted that after lying to us for over ten years, he had in fact taken performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). To many this was not a surprise.

Recently Vijay Singh and Bob Charles announced that they too have taken PEDs. This was much more of a surprise because many, myself included, believe that PEDs aren’t likely to make you a much better golfer.

TaylorMade R1 Driver Review

TaylorMade Golf made big news with the most adjustable driver they have ever made, the R1, lets take a look at how it performs

taylormade_r1_driver_address.jpgIn recent years nobody has done a better job creating buzz with the release of their new line of drivers than TaylorMade. TaylorMade has such a huge presence on the PGA Tour and they take pride in their stable of players using and promoting their latest equipment. The release of the R1 driver from TaylorMade is exciting because of how much customization the driver provides to both the golfer and the club fitter.

TaylorMade launched the R1 by telling golfers that this was their most adjustable driver they had ever made. A golfer can adjust the loft, the face angle, and the shot shape all with a single wrench.This means a golfer can go into their local pro shop and have a clubfitter tune the driver to their swing without having to switch drivers. Also if a golfer changes their swing they do not have to change drivers, they can simply adjust the R1 accordingly.

The Three Eras of Golf

The game of golf has dramatically evolved from a game played with hickory shafts and gutta perch golf balls to massive titanium metal composites and surlyn covered golf balls, has the evolution been a good thing?

Thrash TalkI believe that golf has gone through three distinct eras, with each of these eras defined by the equipment of their times. The three eras are: hickory, steel, and “metal.” The first two refer to shafts, while the third refers to the heads of drivers. There have been great golfers within each of these eras and a few like Tiger Woods pushed the era changeover to take place. I know that separating these eras as I have is a bit of an oversimplification, but nonetheless each is important in its own way.

I will be the first to admit that I do not know much about the hickory era. There will be some argument, but the greatest player from this era is likely Bobby Jones. Only if you are the truest of traditionalist will you play the game with the equipment from this era. I have used a replica of Calamity Jane, which is the putter used by Bobby Jones, and even that putter is pretty darn hard to hit. I can only imagine trying to hit a driver consistently along with the lousy golf balls from that era. Still, it is the considered by many as the start of the modern game as we know it.

What to Watch for in 2013

2012 was quite a year, I take a look at 2013 and what to expect from the PGA Tour.

Thrash TalkNow that the PGA Tour is about to kick off the West Coast swing, it is a good time for some thought on what to expect for 2013. In retrospect, 2012 was a really good year. I have already reviewed the season’s majors here, but the rest of the season had tons of intrigue as well. Tiger won three times, Rory won three times and took player of the year honors, and a new crop of rookies made their mark as well.

Bifurcation… What the Heck Does That Mean?

Should there be a separate set of rules for the pros and the rest of us?

Thrash TalkRecently there has been a ton of discussion on the USGA decision to prohibit golfers from making a putting stroke by anchoring the club or their forearm to their body. For the first time in my life I was introduced to the term bifurcation. I know that my vocabulary should be better, but I needed to look up the word in the dictionary. For those like me, it means to divide into two branches, in the case of golf, one set of rules for professionals and one set for amateurs.

In the last few years the USGA has made two major changes to the game, one changing the rules on the grooves in an attempt to force players to curb the distance gains that have been made, and the recent putting stroke change. Many believe the groove change was a colossal failure, and I agree. It has done very little to affect how players score on the PGA Tour and just forced them to get new wedges. I have used wedges with the newer grooves and for a slower swing speed players such as myself and I do get less spin. I play with many plus handicap players and I see the new rule hardly affecting them.

High Definition Versus Live Golf

Is golf better on television or live in person? I give my thoughts on the topic.

Thrash TalkI am very blessed to be able to live in the California Bay Area which has a plethora of awesome live sporting events. We have 2 football teams, 2 baseball teams, a basketball team, a hockey team, a number of college football teams, and even a soccer team. The PGA Tour comes to our parts regularly for the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and now the Fry’s.com event. Every few years we get a US Open, at Olympic and Pebble.

This past weekend I went out to watch the Fry.com event a few miles from my house. What is nice about the Fry’s tournament versus the US Open is the total number of people who attend is far less and you can get closer to the action. Even when I spent some time following the leaders on Saturday I could easily find a good spot for viewing. While at the US Open there were so many people there that even with the players not in contention it was hard to get a view where you were not having to look over someone. Then if it were the disaster of the Tiger and Phil grouping then you had a mob on your hands.

How to Improve at Golf by Using a Camera

Lasting improvement in golf can be really hard, I explain how I did it by using a simple video camera.

Thrash TalkIn the last few years there has been an explosion of Internet golf instruction. It started as a small movement mostly on forums, and now has grown to a point where individual instructors now have their own sites and forums dedicated to instruction. What has sparked this wildfire you say? Simple answer? The slow motion video camera.

When I was growing up, I was quite lucky to essentially live on a range. I worked at the course washing carts so I would get free range balls. Many of the pros who worked in the shop would come out and give me some lessons. During this period, the pro would watch your swing a few times, give you a few pointers and then be on his way.

I would go on hitting hundreds of balls and after a while I would go back to having many of the same problems. I could never understand why. Today I know, without a camera to track my improvement I would slip back into all the bad habits I developed and never really improve.