k-troop

Hey! I'm Kevin, love golf, been playing since I was 11 (36 now). From Texas, lived in the northeast, east, south, and now in Hawaii. As I've moved, my game has changed (went from hitting screamers on the windy south gulf coast to high fades in NY, back to a lower traj again in Hawaii). Isn't the game amazing? Most of my best buds in life are guys I got to know on the course. I've come across this forum a few times doing google searches looking for equipment info, and I saw a few threads that I had some insight on so I thought I'd join the conversation. Hope you're all well wherever you are.

Also FYI I have the R11 version hybrid, because I didn't like the head shape on the titleist (didn't inspire confidence) and I've always used TM hybrids. Anyway, the white paint is peeling on the toe and the back of the hosel. It's a pretty thick acryllic coating, moreso than a paint. Somewhat irritating, as it makes the club look "used" even though I've only had it 4 months and hit it maybe 50 times.

Accuracy, distance, shot shape, trajectory, etc. is more about the shaft than the head, assuming you make a good swing. I hit both the R11 and D3 before settling on the D3. I really, really like the Mitsubishi Ahina for Titleist shaft (formerly known as Whiteboard), and obviously the R11s at the shop didn't have that shaft so it's hard to make a direct comparison. I ended up going with D3 for several reasons: really liked the way the ball felt and sounded coming off of the face, didn't like the white so much, and the launch characteristics of the shaft were better in the Ahina than whatever I was hitting in the R11. Also good to note, the Titleist has independently adjustable loft and face angle. The R11 changes the lie angle, and their adjustment "chart" is confusing to me. Seems like if you want to add more loft to the driver, then you have to open the face and flatten the angle. Obviously I never quite comprehended how their adjustments worked, which probably contributed to me going with D3. I've got the D3 9.5, adjusted down to 8.75 with the neutral (.5-deg open) setup. Ahina for Titleist 73 gram shaft, X-flex. It's a bomber, and I can work it to the right pretty easy. Left is a little tougher, but that's probably because I'm starting with a half-degree open face. When I set up for a big swing though (wide stance, right foot slightly open) I typically get a high, sweeping draw (and occasionally a low snapper).

I was playing Miz MP-57 with TTDG S300. Recently switched to Titleist AP2 with KBS Tour shaft, S flex. Two data points, but I think the MP-57 and AP2 heads are comparable in weight and launch. The KBS tour shaft has a slightly lower swingweight, and I know the KBS is a slightly lighter overall shaft. For me, the shaft feels lighter and faster. I noticed a slightly higher launch angle at first relative to my MP-57s with the TTDG. I brought the ball down a bit by shortening my backswing slightly and switching from a Pro-V1x to a Penta-TP ball. Overall, I like the shaft much better. Feels like I can hit powerful tight fades without having to swing hard and without losing much distance. With the old clubs, a cut 3-iron would take 20-yards off of the distance (from about 220 to 200). Now, I hit a full hard 3 about 220, and a fade is around 212-215. I did notice a few times I hit an erratically long iron shot (6-iron from 185 blew over the green 20 yards, for example), but I think that was a combination of factors because I was making a lot of tweaks at once. Overall I really like the KBS after playing Mizuno and TTDG for 20 years.

Sun Mountain made a classic cart and classic carry/stand bag in 2004-05. They were the only bag like it I've ever seen, and they only made one run. It was the same size and shape as a modern lightweight carry bag, with a single long bottom pocket, a ball pocket, tee pocket, and lined valuables pocket. They made an all-leather bag, a canvas stand bag with leather trim, and the same bag without the stand. The all-leather version was $325ish, and the stand/carry versions were just over $200 new in 2004. I picked up a NOS green poly-canvas stand bag on e-bay a few months ago for $125. Had been sitting in some golf shop in Alabama for 7 years as a floor/display model. Only slightly heavier than a modern carry bag due to the blend of classic styling and modern materials. The legs are some kind of hickory-veneer over aluminum; it has genuine buffalo-leather trim and brass fittings, but the bulk of the material is poly-canvas. Pretty cool bag. Keep an eye out on e-bay; one might pop up from time to time. You can still find links to these bags online (google sun moutain classic golf bag) but rarely for sale. I've never seen one in the wild; in fact, mine is the only one I've ever seen. I wanted one of these back in 2004 when they came out, hesitated for a year, and then they disappeared from the market. Was looking for a new bag earlier this year and went hunting for this specific bag online; took me a couple months to find it.