Stuart

there isn't necessarily a loss in distance......i gained distance when i switched to X......but if somebody did lose noticeable distance then that would be an indicator that the shaft is too stiff

X stiff.....you'll have more accuracy.....if you lose considerable distance then its too stiff

I've been struggling with my putting for some months now. It is the one weak part of my game. And I mean consistently weak. I do shoot some good scores, but if somebody else would have been putting it would have been maybe 5 shots better. Anyways I have been through a few putters in the last 2 and a half years. I've tried the Newport 2 (several times), which I like the look of a lot. Also tried the RedX5, the Seemore FGP, Newport 2.6, the Fastback and now finally the Circa 62 No. 1. The Circa 62 No. 1 is a very small, thin-bladed putter with no real alignment aid to speak of besides a small circle, and yet I've never felt so confident over a putt before as with this putter. My stroke feels extremely natural with it and for some reason it also gets me out of the mind frame of obsessing over my alignment and aim and allows me to more or less just let go and roll the ball. I think that for me less is more. I will update this in a couple of months as it will take a little while to really see if the No.1 holds up under pressure. I'm going down to Casa de Campo in a week to play Teeth of the Dog, so hopefully I will have some birdie putt stories! :)

I don't qualify as a wedge master, but it is the best part of my game. I try to repeat a couple things though and they (I believe) are fundamental. At address your hands should be ahead of the ball. This will help you make a descending blow to the back of the ball. Keep your body level at address, and make sure not to tilt away like you may do with your long irons and woods. Stay over the ball. You should not sway with any of your golf shots, but most especially with your wedges. I think that taking a 3/4 swing as your full wedge swing will help with that. Accelerate through the ball. If you don't do any of the other things, do this. Hope this helps.

I agree with the sentiment that moving closer to the ball is the most common cause of shanking. I had people tell me that I might be coming too far inside, but then when I tried to exaggerate coming even further from the inside I didn't shank. For me I realize that when I shank its a function of initiating my downswing with my upper body instead of my lower, and because of that my spine-angle is prone to change and move me closer to the ball when I do this resulting in a shank. I would suggest that if you need a quick fix to get you around this expensive course you're playing soon, set up with the ball on the toe of your club. This isn't a fix, but it will get you around the course without shanking, if your shanking is a result of coming over the top or moving closer to the ball on your downswing.

Agreed! It's not as if Rory S. is Gandhi...I find it hard to believe that anybody would come to his rescue.

Why would you even have an opinion? You wouldn't know. Plain and simple. Stop theorizing so much and just go play some golf. Or maybe go to the range...

Titleist 681....great blades.

Iacas, have you ever hit Miura or Vega or Scratch wedges? I was looking at some Vega wedges which the pro said is the same guy that designed the Miura wedges. If you have hit them, what did you think?

I have to respectfully disagree. If you are someone who doesn't naturally fire their hips, then I think you have to practice with the intention of initiating your downswing by firing your hips, until this becomes habit. You're correct that firing your hips will square your club face. Whenever you make a swing change you really have to be conscious of the way you practice to make sure you don't fall back into your old habits. When you go out to play you don't want to think about it but when you practice exaggerate the feeling of firing those hips.

Lead with your lower body. Meaning, fire your hips from the top. If you try to square with your arms and hands you will never be consistent. If you fire your hips your arms and hands and club have no choice but to follow.

Been hitting my irons pretty awesome lately so just put my 2 iron back into play and took my 60 degree out. My home course has gotten pretty dry lately and hard, so the lob wedge is not really getting any play. I'd rather use my 56 around the green when the conditions are like this.

I just turn my carry bag sideways so that its facing out to whatever side of the cart i'm riding on. Saves the legs and it will stay in that position better.

I'm kind of surprised this topic has received so much attention, given the topic. I don't think it makes sense to get so far into MOI and all the other jargon, when at the end of the day, if you like what you see when you look down and what you feel when you make a good swing, then I'm not sure the other means of measuring success are relevant. If you were to test out several different types and brands of club, you are not necessarily going to hit the one with the highest MOI or whatever else, the best. If that is true, then there can't be any one single means of determining what is best for an individual. I believe golf is more mental than physical. I believe that when I go out to play with the right attitude I can play any shot and any course. I also believe that when I talk myself out of something or have a crappy attitude there isn't a golf club invented that can save me from myself.

I've been playing blades for the last few months because they feel so much better than anything else. I was reluctant to even try them at all, given how much bad press they receive, which I think is a little bit unfair. They are not as hard as people make out, and they feel even better than people say. I can understand if you are not a good iron player or if hundreds of thousands of dollars is on the line for every shot, but if you play golf for the love of the game and you are a decent iron striker, then i can't think of a reason not to play them. :)

I had the Titleist 695cb's which I really liked (and still have), but was curious about the Titleist ZB Forged for the short iron blades. Liked them when I tried them out so bought a set. I would probably still have them in the bag, but I was in Toronto last month for a business trip and a buddy suggested I get a set to keep up there as Golftown had some demo sets on sale. On a whim, I tried the Titleist 670's as they were the only ones still in plastic. I literally couldn't believe how sweet they felt. I kept switching to other clubs to compare but kept coming back to them. Needless to say I bought a set, and liked them so much when I played them that day at Islington that I actually brought them home and they are now in my bag. They are awesome clubs, and if you are a good ball striker you will love them. The head is smaller than pretty much anything out there, but they are beautiful clubs and worth every penny. I can't imagine that anything will replace them. If the headsize is worrisome to you, then try the 690's or 680's, which are slightly larger with a nicer thinner topline. The 670's are better for people who hit a high ball as they help keep it down a bit more than the 680's or 690's.

Sergio is second ranked in scoring average for the year...and something like 172nd in putting. He's got every other shot that Tiger has. In fact you could argue he's a better iron player and much better driver of the ball. Just goes to show how important the flatstick is. If Sergio could get that going, he'll give Tiger a run for his money every time.

I was in Toronto last week for business and my buddy convinced me to get a set of irons to keep up there, as I travel there quite a bit. So off we went to Golftown which was having a great sale on Demo clubs. A few of the better sets of Titleist irons (which I tend to favor) still had plastic on the grips and had obviously never been hit. So I tried out the 735's which is the set most like mine (ZB Forged) and then tried out a few other sets. I liked the 735's best and was just about to buy them. But then my buddy holds up the 670's and says why don't you try these. I laughed and said yeah right. I'd never even heard of them. Anyways I ended up hitting the 6 iron, and as I was lining up the shot I was thinking here goes nothing. Pure butter. So i'm thinking that was a fluke, and hit another. Pure butter. They felt so much softer than the 735's that I ended up hitting another dozen shots and walked out of the store with them. We played a round at his club and I liked them so much they are now sitting in my bag at home and I've played two rounds with them so far with happy results. I'm kind of starting to wonder about all these "technological advances" that have been made in irons. The reality is that they were so cheap that if the honeymoon does wear off, its no big deal. But I must admit, I'm shocked at how much I like them.

Go Obama. The fact that McCain could base his campaign around attempting to tie Obama to a terrorist is ridiculous and completely destroys any respect I HAD for him. Is it not patently obvious that if Obama did in fact have ties to a terrorist, that it would have come out long before this? Do you not imagine that the Secret Service or the FBI or CIA would have had an inkling of this long ago? It makes me sick that this is the best he can come up with. Have fun in the gutter John.

If its in the low 400's (400-420) and very tight, I usually hit my 3 iron, which I hit about 240 off the tee. Otherwise I'll hit a 3 wood which I'm very straight with about 270. I stay away from my driver unless its a par 5 that I'm trying to reach in 2. Its a nice feeling ripping a drive 300, but its an even nicer feeling standing up on the tee and just knowing that you're going to stripe your 3 wood down the middle every time (almost). :)

I'd have to agree with you on that. I'm skeptical of people gushing about how they all of a sudden can work the ball either which way with ease now that they have blades. It just doesn't work like that. Most people are just trying to make solid contact. And how many people out there truly hit fades and draws with equal confidence?? Be honest. I hit a baby draw most of the time if I'm not hitting it pretty much straight. I don't hit a fade unless I have to, which usually means I'm behind something and that's my only option of advancing the ball. I play the Titleist ZB irons, which in my opinion are the best of both worlds. I get a little help with my long irons and I get the sweet feeling of blades with my short irons, which (incidentally) are the best part of my game. I hit a lot of greens in regulation. Hitting the ball in the middle of the club face with an 8 iron blade isn't an issue for me. If it is for you, then stay away from blades. Period. If you are looking for a club that will give you instant feedback then maybe you want to get another set of clubs that are blades, but my bet is that you are not going to want to use them during your saturday 4-some if money is on the line. They would be more use as a training tool possibly. Just my 2 cents, which incidentally, means nothing. :)

I voted Forged Cavity because Blended sets like I use weren't an option on the poll. I now play the Titleist ZB irons and love the fact that I still have the help of a cavity in my long irons, but also now enjoy the superior soft feeling of a blade in my short irons. I went from the 695CB's to the ZB's and while the difference isn't huge, its distinct especially in the scoring irons. I would imagine that most single digit handicappers hit their short irons well, so I don't really see the downside to a blended set. Seems to me that its the best of both worlds.

I started off with the overlapping grip but switched to the interlocking because it just seemed so easy to repeat. It feels completely natural to me now. The only thing is that my grip still isn't perfect as there is still room between my hands. I just need to figure out if I'm going something wrong with both hands or just one. Just started taking lessons a month ago, so hoping to get these things ironed out over the course of the next few months.

Good review. Think I might have to bite the bullet. Putting is the main thing slowing me down. Shot a 73 yesterday with three 3 putts. Nearly drove myself crazy...lol.

Anybody have the Red X5 on this forum? Any thoughts or comments on it?