Black_Black

I bought my Sonartec MD 19* on the spot a week or two after the 04 Open. I saw various displays of it's versatility when T.Hamilton was knocking em dead from the fairway and in and around the greens. I just had to have one! The only clubs I've ever bought with out prior testing or research. But, I am seriously considering picking up a 585.h it looks and more importantly, flies soo pure

I use my set wedge. I used to use a 48* vokey 200 until I left it on a hole about 3-4 months ago I think the difference is not really in performance, but in set-up and appearance. My set PW looks more like an iron than a wedge. The Vokey has more of a softer wedge feel to it on all shots. It also looks more playable to me, than my set wedge for chipping and various open face shots. I wouldn't recommend using a Vokey or CG PW if your iron set is an oversize game improvement model with quite a bit of offset the difference from pw to 9 would be possibly a bit too radical in the looks department.

Natalie winning a tournament doesn't make her hotter, to me anyway. I'd go with Anna any day of the week

I was watching the telecast on ESPN earlier and an announcer made a comment about how the next year's US Open tickets usually sell out the Monday after the US Open? Is this true?! Living in San Diego I want to secure my spot for next year so this was a bit shocking to hear. Was the comment just propaganda? I would also like to know what the price of a week's ground pass to this years US Open costs for non USGA members. Thanks guys.

I hit a couple shots on the practice green with a Fourteen wedge it has a really nice setup and it had some nice "yak" action. I can't say that it is any better than my Vokey's. But it is a very nice looking and performing wedge. Probably not worth the $149.99 price tag I've seen on them though. . .

I usually swear by my GF II's and Classics Tours. But I really liked the fit and look of those new Adidas Powerband. I'll probably pick up a pair of those really soon.

Yeah new drivers are always welcome. I cracked the face on my 983k about a year ago. Quick turnaround though.

I think it's a great shaft. I recently bought a 907D2 VS proto 65 S(off the rack) My launch monitor numbers were nearly the same as my old driver (983k 8.5 V2 75 44.5"). I went up one degree with the D2 because I didn't quite have the correct spin numbers with an 8.5 D2 but my launch angle change was something like 13.2(old) to 14.5 which is actually helping me carry the ball a bit more which is welcome. I could've gone for the 80 gram model that has less torque but it was too beefy for me (felt like a boardier and heavier V2). I prefer something in the mid to low 70 gram range. It's is noticebly more responsive than my previous V2 shaft though. It channels energy back to my hands better if I mis-hit it a little I can immediately feel it. It feels smoother through the ball than my V2 but the dispersion is tighter probably due to the larger head. It also looks great too! If it performs better than my current 3-wood and or hybrid I may reshaft those too! I definitely suggest you go and try it out.

I'd take Creamer. Gulbis seems top-heavy not sure why though. She doesn't look top-heavy in her calendar. But seriously, ANNA RAWSON hands down kicks Creamer and Gulbis' A$$ in the style and appearance categories.

Fairway Wood - Titleist 970 or PT (very similar) Tiger Woods was still using his at the start of the 05 season! Irons - Mizuno MP-29 Wedges - Cleveland 588 and Titleist Vokey Spin Milled. Putter - Ping Anser/Scotty Cameron 009

I don't care what others do on the course as long as it doesn't affect me. If I am unlucky and get paired with some beer league duffers I usually just ditch them or play ahead. I don't drink or smoke anything while I play thats my personal choice. I believe that if your intentions are to have loads of fun on the course with your buddies then please, by all means have fun drink a few beers. As for marijuana I don't condone the use of it all. It's sad to hear someone make excuses to use it (It helps me concentrate, I play better, I get better grades on tests etc etc.) It is what it is, a poor excuse to justify your addiction. Those are my 2 cents.

You need to be able to make a repeatable swing to get the results you desire from your clubs. I'd say you might want to trade the 13* in for a standard lofted 15* 3 wood and maybe drop the 17* hybrid. Having both a 17 and 19* club is redundant and usually 13* 3 woods are reserved for high spin or hard swinging players. Your yardage woes probably stem from not being able to repeat your swing. You would probably benefit greatly from some lessons. Good luck.

You shouldn't lose a 1/2 club distance unless you're current irons have strong lofts then I could see that happening but, if your PW has 48* and your 5 iron has 27-28*'s of loft your yardages should stay the same. As for my pick, I'd have to go with the 695's. They are the sharpest looking clubs around and the feel is unparalleled. I'd play them but me and my 735's are so dialed in right now I wouldn't want to mess up what I have going.

Haha! Those little bastards always make off with the goods! Last year I was robbed for a 1/2 sandwich and an un-opened Reese's!!! We just saw 2 squirrels climb into the cart and snatch my stuff. My group and I were busting up laughing on the tee box as he scampered off into the trees.

I just write what I get on the hole with a pen. Sometimes scorecards get soggy in the morning and pencils aren't effective. I also keep track of GIR's and putts in the extra rows on the card.

Totally off-topic --- But why did they stop selling Mars Bars here in the U.S.?

Wow! Shindig, I'll play with your group so I can get some goodies. I usually like to have a meal before I play I can't really concentrate if I'm constantly opening stuff or chomping on food. But I do always have some kind of sports drink like a Gatorade(any flavor) or Vitamin Water(Power C) and a banana if I'm feeling a little more adventurous I'll make a PB&J; but thats rare.

I live by the "If you sky it, you buy it rule." haha. I've heard of some people sending clubs back to Titleist for a new paintjob. Never done it before but maybe it's something to look into with your club manufacturer.

I'd say that "tour" designated clubs from my experience are usually neutrally weighted internally as a whole. But, they can also have a plethora of differences from off the shelf models like slightly altered face angles, lofts, lies, profiles, etc. The only "tour" clubs I've used besides putters were fairway woods a 906F3 and 904F (the F3 is a bit larger and has a deeper 2-3 degree more open face than the F2 and an opaque paint job. I've heard that the 906F4 is a more shallow version for easier launch). Because of heel bias weighting in the 904F off the shelf model I was able to turn the club over much easier producing a draw(my natural shape is about a 5-7 yard cut with my woods) the "tour" model I hit seemed to be completely neutrally weighted producing my natural shape. Go demo a regular Idea Hybrid and see how it flies. Hope this helps.

My picks are either Adam Scott or CHIII. Though, we haven't seen Scotty in too many events this year -- he definitely has the complete skill set to compete in and win majors. I think the only thing holding him back from winning a major is the of lack mental toughness. A psych coach might help him with that, I've read that he doesn't have a pre-shot routine? Maybe that leads to weird lapses in his game during pressure situations? And he does seem to get down on himself at times. His recent vacation prior to the Nissan definitely slowed what he had going in Hawaii. But I hope to see a different Scott in Doral. After all, the course suits his game very well. Charles Howell has shown a huge transformation from previous years. His playoff victory against Phil in LA and almost getting a piece of Tiger here in SD. He is showing us that he certainly has the game to win a major this year. He is the next American player I'll be rooting for to step up and win a major.

The first post is pretty spot on I would add Miura as a high end status brand. But they do make a top notch high quality product. Their blades(the model name is acutally BLADE) all aspects of them look insanely beautiful. I suppose you can call them the Ziyi Zhang of irons!

I totally agree with you! accept about the 200th on the money list!! I guarantee you players low on the money list, if you watch them on the practice tee at pro events are hitting long irons and woods a little squirrley. Look at the Cambo days(post 1995 Open to about 1998, he was horrible! I think he even shot back to back 86's!) and Duval? I bet a gifted amateur could've given them a run for their money back then. Trajectory? I don't know how relative that is to being a pro look at guys with average ball flights like Freddy Funk, Corey Pavin, Justin Leonard and Brad Faxon to name a few. I've seen them hit balls and it aint nothin' special! Unless you've got a Tiger-like ball flight (I think all of TW's irons are bent a degree strong to keep his ball flight down) then maybe it could be an advantage.

Ahh, what a bummer Ernie is one of my favorite players! and he also used my favorite equipment company! Titleist seems a lot like the Chicago Bears right now! I can't believe they have such a hard time shellin' out the dough! Geez, it's almost a joke how bad they are! They let Phil go after he won a Masters? Now Ernie, with his multiple majors (with Taylormade) but still, a staple on the PGA tour. This is disgusting. I wonder how this will affect his game? i.e. clubs and a new ball if Callaway makes him drop Titleist gear cold turkey?! (he'll probably continue to use his Titleist woods and putter via Callaway headcovers haha) Maybe Titleist will sign someone new? Like a Luke Donald maybe? He'd be a good enough replacement for me hah!

PRO?! I used to wish that someday I'd grow up to be a touring pro! Back in high school when I routinely shot sub-par rounds. (through nine holes mind you.) I always had a rough time stringing birdies together through 18 (my low round is 69 bogey free) I realize now what they have and I don't and will never have, and that is an amazing short game! This next one is what distinguishes good pros from average Joe Schmo pros, the ability to get up and down (scrambling). Any scratch or single digit handicaper can hit fairways and greens with ease but do they have the ability to get up and down from trouble? These guys have the ability to get up down from the most adverse of conditions, lies, and angles etc.! Check the stats, Top 15 Sand Saves and Scrambling made more than a million on tour last year. I'd also add that In addition to all of this stuff, being a pro would most definitely require a great deal of mental toughness (something that probably can't be taught). This is probably the most important part. You're a 6 HC so you have a great deal of work and time ahead of you before you get to where you want to be. I hope it works out for you man.

The majority of rounds I play are with my SC studio design 3.5. But I like to switch between my SC 3.5, SC Newport Beach, and an Odyssey 2 ball white steel blade. All of my putters have SC Baby T grips and are 33 inches in length with standard lofts and lies not sure of the exact weights though. You can't beat the feel of a SC putter. My Odyssey also has great feel just not quite the same level as the SC's but helps me the most when I'm having alignment issues