PiKapp23

I went through the new driver purchase process a few months back and tried each of these drivers (as well as just about everything else made). I have always liked Taylor Made drivers just because of the very solid feel and sound on impact. From that perspective I liked the 4 models mentioned (counting both 07 and 09 Buners). All had a good feel. However, I hated the 2 Burner models because of that damn decal on top. It is to distracting. For shape and look I prefer the Tour Burner. The R7 Limited has the adjustable weights so it you are wanting to be able to 'treak' your swing you can do that, but this doesn't by any means give you the ability to fix a bad swing (for that you might find the R9 a better fit, although it also won't 'fix' a bad swing). I though the 09 Burner might have been the longest of the bunch, followed by the 07 Burner and Tour Burner. I don't think the R7 was much shorter, but on the simulator that day I was hitting it a little shorter but I suspect it was the particular shaft in it). Which reminds me - don't forget about the shaft when considering these drivers. In most cases the shaft makes as much or more difference in the club than the head does. You want to make sure you get the correct flex (tame the ego and get the one that truly fits your swing speed). Also important can be torque and kick point depending on your swing. It's best to see a professional about this. I see so many guys buy new drivers and not be happy after a few rounds. Most of it is because they got the wrong shaft or wrong loft, either because of their ego or lack of knowledge. The 'right' driver with the wrong parameters for you is the wrong driver. Good luck and I hope you find the perfect fit for your game.

Chipping went from being one of the worst parts of my game to one of the best a few years ago with one little change. Try putting the ball back in your stance with your weight almost completely on your front foot. This helps ensure ball-first contact and with a little practice I think you'll find this a very easy way to chip. Once you can do this consistently with one club, try Tom Watson's method of using different clubs based on who far onto the green the pin is. Basically the idea is to always use the same motion and hit a spot just on the edge of the green and let it roll toward hole. If it's only 10 feet on green from where you're at you might want to hit a SW or LW. If pin is 50 feet you might want to use a 8I (or even longer iron). I saw Tom talking about this a few years ago and he said a good way to practice this is to pick a shot just a foot or so on the green, then try to hit that exact same spot with the ball (in flight) and see how far it runs out. The great thing about this method is it keeps everything simple.

I carry a MP-T and MP-R and really like both wedges a lot. They have a great feel, although they do not spin as much as my old Vokey or Cleveland CG14. I think the MP-R is a better wedge for bunker play, thin lies or rough (the leading edge is slightly curved), but the MP-T is better out of the fairway (flatter leading edge on that model). I think you'll be happy with your new wedge.

The Adams Tom Watson wedges are a really good deal. You can find a 52/56/60 set for around $100 or less at a lot of places. They are nice wedges and hard to beat for the price. Watson himself plays at least one of them and since he's among the best wedge players in history (no one has every scrambled any better than him), I'm inclined to think they must be OK. I friend of mine plays them and likes them a lot.

Wow! 2 months in and you're already in the 80's and 90's? That's very good. There are a lot of golfers that never get to that point in their life (even regular golfers). Stick with it and I hope you continue to progress at that rate. You'll be a scratch or better in no time.

Straight shots are almost never a bad thing so I would think the FT-i is the better choice. The stock FT-5 is not that much better at working the ball anyway and the FT-i is definitely straighter. If you struggle with getting drivers to go straight then this is your best option among the 2. The only thing I ever disliked about the FT-i is he sound. Also, pay attention to the shafts available. The FT-5 seems to have more shafts available off the rack than the FT-i.

In theory you'll be giving up some distance going from 3 wood to 15* hybrid (1H), because of the shaft length and the design differences (it probably compares closer to a 4W distancewise). Just how much distance you'll be giving up depends on your swing and the consistency with which you hit the sweet spot. From my own experience with a 15* 1H a few years ago, I found that I was giving up 15 yards, maybe slightly more compared to when I hit the 3W perfectly. At that time I hit the 1h on the sweet spot much more often, though, which usually translated to more yardage, not to mention much better accuracy. The one downside is that the 1h will come off on a lower trajectory so greens may be a little harder to 'stick' than with a 3W or 4W. A 4W might be another good option since it's usually much easier to hit from turf than a 3W and will have a higher trajectory (and thus softer landing).

I am playing a 4 wood currently (Nike Dymo) and must say I love it. It's so much easier to hit off turf than 3 wood because the head is smaller and it has a higher trajectory from all shots. There is a little distance lost, but not that much that I have found - 10 yards might be about right. When I was playing a 3 wood I didn't hit it very often off turf because if it was not a really good lie I could get just as much distance with my 4H. Now I use the 4 wood on 2nd shots into par 5's and feel confident with it. It has a great trajectory and does seem easier to control than most 3 woods I've ever had. I also have been using it from tee more than I used to use my 3 because it seems a little easier to work (I like to hit a draw off tee with it most of the time).

It depends on what you're looking for. I play 3 Mizuno irons, the 17* (2H) in steel and the 23* and 26* in graphite. If control is your main interest then steel is a good choice. I use my 17* off the tee as alternative driver and like the steel because of a lower trajectory and I at least feel more in control. With the other 2 I like graphite because I want them to fly high and land soft. The 17* probably plays more like a 20* (3H) because of the steel and that's how I use it because the difference in distance between my 17* and 23* is only about 10-15 yards. If you are trying to fill a gap for a specific distance then you'll need to decide what that distance is and fill with the club. The Nickent is probaly going to be 15+ yards longer due to graphite (I am assuming it's graphite since you do not specifically say) and the lower loft. I love my Mizuno and never really cared for the feel of the Nickent's but I know plenty of people love them as well.

Shaft flex is always a big question mark. Swing speed alone doesn't indicate what flex you should be using because it depends on your tempo, backswing to downswing transition as well as what 'feels' right to you. I remember reading an article in the last year or so about Hot Stix (club fitting company out of Scottsdale, AZ) that said they usually recommend with a driver to go with a stiffer flex than the normal swing speed table recommends. Of course the only time the stated flex rating can be relied on anyway is when you shafts you are hitting are identicle (same brand and same model with same specs). There is no industry standard on shaft flex so what what is a Stiff in one model might be a Regular in another model, but an Extra Stiff in yet another. For irons you are usually ahead to err on the side of too soft rather than too stiff, but personally with a driver I think it might be better to err on the side of too stiff. When it comes down to it you just have to see what you like the feel of best and seem to have the best numbers with on a launch monitor. As for fitters, I know most fitters will allow you to get a professional fitting then take those specs to another place to make purchase. However, remember the issue with flexes being different across the industry. Also, if you are taller and shafts need to be lengthened they will likely be a little less stiff because of the extra length. For best results in fitting make sure you see a professional fitter and not just a PGA Professional. Both will be better than just picking something off the rack, but a fitter is better trained to actually go through a full dynamic fitting (they check for more than just swing speed, arm length, etc) to find the clubs that will work best with your game and give you the best chance to improve.

For the vast majority of golfers it's definitely not going to 'hurt' your drive problems (cutting shaft or choking up). I would think that 'yes' it would at least help with you problem of poping up the driver simply because it will shorten your swing and put you closer to the ball for a more controlled swing.

One thing I always do in those cases is take aim at a point that allows for my normal miss, a fade. I'll move to the right side of tee box and choose a point in the distance on the left hand side of fairway (or sometimes even a little left of that point) and swing with conviction. I do not want to try to take something off the driver because that often leads to bad. I know almost always choke up on driver about 1 1/2 inch as well for more control. These things help we control the shot and give me as much room for my miss as possible (and still allow a room for a straight shot or even a slight draw or pull).

My career low on a regulation course is a 72 (+2). I was -2 through 7 and even through 9, but just couldn't keep it together on back. I have been under par only one time and I don't really count it because it was a really short par-3 course (with 2 driveable par 4 holes of less than 250 yards). I shot 27 (-2) there a few years ago with 3 birdies and a bogey, but have never managed to do it again...yet .

I know it seems rather elementary, but try choking up on the driver. Most drivers these days are just too long and result in lost accuracy. I struggled all season, until I bought my Str8-Fit driver. Even then I was still spraying a little bit but once I started choking up I am suddenly hitting lots of fairways again and not losing and real distance because I'm hitting the sweet spot (which I had started to think was just an urban legend). Most modern drivers are 45+ inches long, but many experts suggest having shaft cut down to 44 inches (or even 43) for accuracy and instances where people have done this it makes a huge difference. This effectively not only shortens the club (putting you closer to the ball), but also stiffens up the shaft a little which is better for accuracy. I now choke up about 1.5 inch for all drives and am contemplating getting shaft shorted by that amount (I think it's current length is 46 1/2 inches long).

In one of the golf magazines this month Dave Pelz has a table that says based on handicap how many GIR players average. I was personally surprised at the numbers he posted (although I do not remember exacts now). He has found that a 10 handicap averages only 5 GIR a round and a scratch only averages (I might be off by 1 or 2 on that number). Being a 10 I thought I should be averaging more than I am (which is about 6), but it's interesting to see that I was actually above average. Based on that, if you could hit 2-5 GIR on average I think you're doing well as a new golfer. Of course that also depends on the yardages and the course (as others have said). Longer courses your numbers will be less as is the case with hard courses, so the short game is the critical part of the game for scoring. Work on chipping and pitching and GIR become less of an issue. (I think even pro golfers only average something like 12).

Typically I play 18 on every weekend (usually Sunday), plus 9 on Tuesday evening. This summer I have been teaching my friend's son to play and that usually results in another 9-18 holes on Saturday on a par-3 course. During the summers I also usually average about 1 day a month that I take off work (or a holiday) when I play 18 as well.

If I'm not mistaken, your PW is 46* and your next club is 58*. For many players that might even be 2 wedges (50* and 54* to keep the gaps even) so I definitely think you should go with at least a 52/53* and possibly even consider putting 2 clubs into that gap. With 12* gap you might be talking about a distance gap of 30-40 yards and in wedges you usually want to be no more than 12-15 yards and most prefer closer to 10 yards between clubs. And I agree with hitting the 1/2 and 3/4 swing shots as well because even with only 4-5* of loft gap you'll still often be stuck between yardages and need a partial swing. I have gotten pretty consistent with a 3/4 swing with most clubs (which is about the same as 1 full club down) and pretty decent with 1/2 swing with gap and sw. I also agree with trying to hit to specific yardages, but when you have 12* of loft gap that leaves a big distance in between still that you are going to have a lot of partial swing shots that are still going to cause issues.

With your swing speed I would think steel is a much better option. Graphite would potentially give you more distance, but because they are so much lighter and usually longer you would probably lose some accuracy and feel. The advantage to graphite might be that it would allow you to slow you swing down without sacrificing distance and possibly inproving accuracy because of a more controlled swing and better tempo. If you think you can 'dial back' on your swing speed and consistently do that then graphite might be a viable option. Typically graphite shafts in irons are only used by seniors, ladies and those with a slower swing speed that need the distance (they are also sometimes used by those who have wrist problems or those sort of problems because they have less vibrations). Like everything in golf its important you go with what you like best because it often helps your confidence level if nothing else. I played graphite for about 6 years and was happy, but as I got better I realized I was sacrificing a bit of accuracy. With that said, graphite shafts have improved a lot since that time.

That's funny... Courses never offer a reduced rate from what I've seen, no matter what the conditions are or what is being done. They 'should' but won't. Your situation is the worst I've heard off. Plenty of times they groundskeepers just keep mowing or whatever, but I've never had them drive right in front of me and definitely never had them drive over my ball then laugh. I understand that the best time to do work is in the middle of the day and I'm fine with that as long as the workers respect the players. I know they have work to do and don't want to have to stop every 10 minutes but they need to remember that the golfers are the reason for them having jobs to begin with. Talk to the course manager (if you haven't already) and demand either a refund or a comped round or two to make up for it. Hopefully he'll take this feedback and either talk to the grounds crew about this or have the superintendant do it.

Each GG should have a PGA Pro and maybe a certified professional fitter as well. These employees are not just paid sales people or cash register jockey's, but real golf professionals. I would trust these people, but would be vey leary of others. They have good intentions and want to help, but often times they do not have the expertise to help in all situations.

I recently dropped my 3W for a 4W and have been very happy. A 4W is easier to hit off turf than a 3W and longer than a 5W. To me it seems like a perfect combination of trajectory and length. Since I have stated playing it I have seen very little difference in length between it and my old 3W but there is no doubt it's easier to hit. Yesterday I hit it out of a fairway bunker just over the green 215 yards away - it had plenty of loft to clear the lip and was high enough that it would have stopped on green if I hadn't flown over it.

I think an older model of Srixon that is still being sold is for a lower trajectory as well - the Z-URC - which currently priced at something like $25 for a multiple piece, urethane covered ball.

My 17* hybrid is a TT DG S300 shaft, but I only really use it as an alternative driver seldom hitting it off fairway. I like the steel because it feels like it can control it better than graphite. Distance-wise it plays more like a 3H than the 2H that it is because of the shaft, but I really like the lower trajectory and control that I get from it for those tight driving holes.

The last several years my group plays March-January and only skip February because of extreme cold and/or snow (although I got to play this last Feb. on the last weekend). We will play as long as course is open and the temperature is above freezing. I have played a few times below freezing, but most courses around here are not even open then.

Earlier this year I shot a 59 for 9 holes and only shot that well because my short game and putting were so good. In the previous 3 weeks I had shot a 72, 78 and 80. I recovered a couple weeks later, but was so frustrated for a couple rounds there I was ready to quit - OK, not really but almost.