buteman

I'm a senior golfer with a nine handicap, I play three times a week, my course is a challenging par 71 with a total of 67 bunkers / traps and water in play on 13 out of the 18 holes. If I had to say what is the best thing I have done for my golf it would be deciding to be fitted for my irons last season. I had decided to go with Mizuno JPX 900's " Hot Metal " fitted with UST Mamiya Recoil shafts, I sure like these irons. I bought a Nike " Covert " driver eight years ago, Kuro Kage regular flex shaft, 10.5 degree of loft and 1 degree open. I simply resisted buying a new driver due to the ( in my opinion ) ridiculous cost, it's all marketing and ridiculous claims and at an average price of 750.00 for a top end driver ( Can. tax in ) I gave new drivers a pass. That was until a few days ago, I had bought a new Taylormade RBZ Black, I paid 262.80 ( Can. tax in ) and I had a $ 200.00 gift card. This was more or less a bit of an experiment so off I went to the practice range yesterday, I only play one ball when I'm out golfing ( Pro-V1 ) it's my ball of preference simply for feel and nothing else. I have a ton of used golf balls, my Grandson lives by a golf course so I'm the recipient of all he finds. I poked through the balls and came up with a couple of dozen Pro-V's and took them to the range. After warming up I took the plastic off the new driver and teed up one of the Pro-V's ,, wow ! ,, seriously it was a wow ! ,,, the specs. 12 degrees of loft and an A flex shaft ( considered to be a senior shaft ) the shaft which I've always considered to be the most important element was a Matrix Ozik White Tie X 4-55 gm. I hit 23 Pro-V1's with the new driver, I pulled two slightly, I pushed three also slightly I hit the rest absolutely solid. Trajectory was a bit higher but not by much ( compared to my Nike ) and without question I was longer I would say by about 10-15 yards. I'll have the new driver in the bag this morning for the first time. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement, great performance from an inexpensive driver I won't say cheap driver ,, by the way an English golf professional has a clip on YouTube where he is comparing this driver against Taylormade's top of the line Sim Max. Practically no difference at all other than about 4-5 yards longer with the high end stick and the guy testing really liked the RBZ Black. So in my humble opinion this RBZ Black is an excellent club at less than half the price of the new sticks out there today, we shall see how it performs on the course today.

Yesterday was opening day at my club ,, I shot 85 including two triple bogeys. I had a great time out there, nice to be back out there with my friends. I accept what the golfing gods hand me and hope to score better next time out ( this morning ). All in all it's been almost five months since I teed it up and yesterday I certainly hit some good solid shots. When I did put myself in a good scoring position I failed ,, my irons shots with the shorter clubs 7 through wedge were pulled. Actually it was like a big sweeping draw, my natural shot is right to left but this big miss cost me at least five shots yesterday. Any ideas guys ?? Thanks.

Well I've stuck by my eight year old Nike " Covert " driver since I bought it new back in 2010. But now I'm off to see the club fitter at GolfTec next week and I'm going to take a good look at what's new and what might work for me. I'm a senior golfer with a nine handicap ( last time I looked ) my miss is left with the longer clubs ,, in fact to be honest I've fought the hook for about forty years. The hook sneaks in but that being said I can also go five or six rounds with no sign of that nasty snap hook but it's always there. And no, I won't spend another dime on lessons regarding eliminating the hook ,, see twenty different " teaching professionals " and you will walk away with twenty different answers. I know it's different strokes for different folks but I have a golf buddy ( similar age and handicap ) who like myself fought the hook off the tee for years who all but eliminated the hook by himself. Last season we checked, his swing speed was 91 m.p.h. and mine was 93 m.p.h. ,,, he went to a Callaway XR driver, Project X stiff shaft and driver face two degrees open. So I've always outdriven him ,, not by much but about five yards, next thing I know he knocks it past me by about the same ( or more ). He also changed his setup, tees the ball up a wee bit lower, tees it up on the right hand side of the tee, opens his stance and tries to hit a solid power fade which he was doing consistently. So I'm putting myself in the hands of the fitter, the guy is great ,, fitted me for my wonderful Mizuno Hot Metal irons with the Mamiya Recoil 95 shafts. My good old Nike driver is one degree open and has a stock KuroKage 50g. regular flex shaft, yes indeed it has served me well but I better start spending money now ,,, can't take it with me and the kids don't need it !! So let's see what we can come up with next week. We are probably a month away from the first practice facility opening so I think if I do make a change now's the time ,,,, have a great day guys ( and gals ).

Hello, As a senior golfer there is two items that I am very fussy about when it comes to golf equipment ( other than my clubs ). The ball I play and my footwear, the past two seasons I have played one ball and one ball only, Titleist DT TruSoft. I don't buy in to all the claims that the ball manufacturers throw at us. Absolutely no doubt in my mind that if we took all the top line balls ( and added some of the not so top line balls ) and had a machine strike the balls when it came to distance ,, which we all look for ,,, there wouldn't be but a couple of yards between any of them. I switched back and forward trying different balls but overall I really liked the DT TruSoft and I'm playing that ball again this upcoming season. Footwear ,,, you know quite seriously I can't get over some of my golfing partners who would shell out $ 700.00 on a new driver, $ 1600.00 on new irons, $ 400.00 on a new putter but they wait until there is a shoe sale then buy inferior shoes at a discount. If I play at least 12 rounds a month and my home course is a fairly easy walking course I absolutely make sure my feet are as comfortable as possible. I have four pair of Ecco Biom golf shoes that I interchange, I use a very good insole with some arch support, believe me, top quality golf shoes are a very wise investment. By the way, socks, I would ask advice on what to buy and where, price is of no concern, there is very little selection of top end comfortable golf socks where I live ,,,, have a great day everyone.

Yes indeed, what a great game golf is and a game that, for the most part can last a lifetime. I'm a senior golfer living in central British Columbia and I finished the last season with a nine handicap. I'm a member of a semi private club, the golf course plays to a par 71 and is always in beautiful condition. Our course is heavily bunkered and water comes into play on numerous holes. I started swinging a golf club when I was around 6 or 7, I lived on a small island off the coast of Scotland and in the mid 50's golf was only for the well to do folks. Our home backed onto the only golf course on the island so I was able to sneak on, find a couple of balls under the gorse bushes and whack away. I'm in my early 70's fully retired now and I will play around 12 rounds a month. Last Summer I had a ten day period where I just simply played the best golf of my life, I shot my age four times and bettered my age ( 73 ) twice ,,, totally unexpected but as we all know " on any given day " ,, I mean it didn't take long to get back to normal scores ( my average would be around 77 ). I'm extremely thankful for what I have, my wife who is not a golfer is my biggest fan I tee it up regularly with a super group of guys and we are basically all in the same handicap range. We have 112 senior members at my club and only 18 with single digit handicaps and last season I won the Super Senior Championship with rounds of 77 - 76. At my wife's encouragement last Winter I was professionally fitted for a set of irons at GolfTec ,,, what a wonderful experience that was. The fitter was one of the best in the Province and we spent a good deal of quality time together. The fitter was absolutely meticulous, I've always been a big fan of Mizuno golf equipment so I chose Mizuno. We narrowed it down to two models, the forged and the " Hot Metal " and I really must say that after testing both seven irons with the same shaft and using my play ball I just couldn't tell the two clubs one from another, I chose the " Hot Metal ". But as we all know it's mostly all about shafts these days, we chose UST Mamiya recoil 95's F4, I was quite surprised when the fitter said we were going with a stiff shaft. He finished the irons off with a Golf Pride MCC Plus 4 grip, they are wonderful grips. I had a set of Pingi3 irons with graphite shafts we checked the degree of loft in my new Mizuno 7 iron against my Pings ,,, identical but I was ten yards + longer with my new Mizunos. Golf ,, so different from other sports, I was a hell of a good right winger in my soccer team years ago but all in all you just can't play that game and many others ( football, tennis, ice hockey etc, etc, ) when you are in your senior years. So roll on the new season, probably around six weeks away, can't wait. I've been blessed with good health and I've had the opportunity to play some great courses over the years ( The Old Course at St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Turnberry, Royal Troon, La Costa to name a few ). I will make only one change in equipment for the new season, my putter, I've had the same old Nickent " Pipe " putter for ten years and I'd gladly replace it if I could but I've never been able to find a replacement. I came across a Mizuno / Bettinardi mallet style putter that I purchased so that will be about the only change for 2019. In the meantime to those of you that live in warmer climates and are out there hit them long and straight and others like myself waiting for the snow to disappear hang in there ,, won't be long. Oh by the way for lessons on how to dig up a few bunkers and greens check out Mr. Garcia he's a friggin expert at it ,,, the as@#$%e ,,,,, Cheers guys.

To be honest I haven't had a chance to try it. I have a minor issue with my hands so I need a fatter and softer grip and I've just had the grip replaced. We are probably six weeks away from our golf season opening ( I live in central B.C. ). My local GolfTown has an excellent artificial green so I will go down there today and see how the ball rolls. Cheers. Yes I couldn't agree more, good point, I certainly didn't pay mega bucks for it ( $ 80.00 Can. ). It's a fairly short putter and it does get my eye right over the top of the ball which I like. The grip is being changed to something a bit fatter and softer. I will try it out today on GolfTown's artificial greens and see how the ball rolls off the face. Cheers,

Trying again ,,,

Try once again ,, I see the other photos were too large.

Hello, This is a first time post and I'm hoping someone in the forum may be able to help me. I recently received a Mizuno / Bettinardi Black Carbon putter, it's a mallet style putter and it looks like it has never been used and I'm trying to determine as to whether this putter is genuine or counterfeit. On the sole it has Mizuno Black Carbon 343g. a hexagon with the initial B towards the heel and BC3 towards the toe. On the face on the toe it has F.I.T. Face and on the heel it has the Mizuno emblem. There is a number on the heel ( S57349 ). The putter has a black and yellow grip Mizuno on the front and Black Carbon on the sides and hasa black and yellow headcover with Bettinardi on top. I have tried contacting Bettinardi as of this writing I've had no response, anyone have any ideas I'd appreciate hearing from you. Cheers,

Sorry,,,had to chuck this back at you,,,,Royal Dornoch is ( and always will be ) one of the great links courses, a favourite of Mr. Nicklaus, Mr. Watson and Mr. Trevino. And also it is far removed from the ENGLISH border,,,it's a fabulous SCOTTISH links course. I sent an e-mail to the club secretary a couple of months before departing from our home in B.C. I received a delightful reply he made arrangements for me to play an early morning round with three members. We stayed at the Dornoch Castle Hotel,,an experience indeed,,fabulous accomodation and likewise with the food, the hotel is situated close to the golf course. The course itself could easily be used as a good test for the Open Championship but with Dornoch being such a small village it would not be able to host an event of that size.

I went for a fitting for Ping irons yesterday,,three hours and twenty minutes later we ( the club fitter and I ) had not come up with an iron that we were comfortable with. He took the video of my swing and talk about ugly,,,yes my swing sure was ugly,,,looking at it I wondered out loud how I could hold my nine handicap with that swing. The fitter laughed at that remark and told me he's seen players with a much worse golf swing that had lower handicaps than mine. Oh sure he liked my grip, my setup and my takeaway that was really solid but once I got to waist high I flattened my swing,,,made a good turn okay but barely cleared my left hip on the downswing and had what he called a " chicken wing " at impact,,,,not good at all. The fitter advised that we tweek my swing before we move on and fit me with a good set of Pings, anyone ever had a struggle correcting a flat swing or had issues clearing the left hip on the downswing ??

I play the Titelist Pro-V1 and the only reason, and I do mean only, is feel,,nothing more nothing less, I could care less how " far " it goes or how much bite, spin etc. etc. it has. Nothing ( I have found anyway ) compares to that ball off the face of my driver, I love it off the face of my short clubs when hitting approach and chip shots and a very nice feel off my putter. I don't use the Pro-V during cold weather,,certainly it has a " clunky " feel in cold conditions I use a " Noodle " for a lower end ( price wise ) it is an exceptional ball and one that is overlooked a great deal. I have a golf buddy who plays off a 12 handicap,,,uses a Top-Flite " Gamer " on a regular basis, he loves the feel and it performs well for him. So forget all the stats. and technical B.S. the ball manufacturers throw at you,,we're amateur golfers and most of us play on courses that are not even close to PGA tournament conditions. Many of us wonder how the pros. can make the ball bite and impart backspin ( which is great to watch ) first of all they are hitting off fairways that are cut probably as tight as the greens we play on. The caddies make sure the clubs ( especially the grooves ) are spotless and of course the players choice of ball,,,they could probably make a range ball back up out of knee high weeds. So find a good ball that feels good,,,totally ignore the price,,just feel comfortable teeing it up a smack it !

Thanks for your input, all things being considered I've come to the conclusion that a top line set of Pings are only slightly more expensive than Titelist, TM, Callaway, Mizuno etc. etc. But it's not about money at all, I have a professional golf club fitter spending two hours with me as well as the very latest fitting technology from the Ping people,,,so figure,,,what is that two hours worth ?? I must be perfectly honest I will go to the fitting this morning with a completely open mind and most certainly pay close attention to what the fitter has to say and what his recommendations are. Steel shafts are certainly in the mix,,,the technology in shafts is really mind boggling,,,when I started playing you had three choices, steel only of course, regular, stiff and extra stiff. I can also remember in the pro. shop as a wee boy,, the old pro. only had two brands of golf balls ( as did most pro. shops ) Dunlop 65's and Penfolds. Now you would need a degree to figure out what brand of ball to use. Have a nice day.

Todays the day,,,I've promised myself for years that I would have a set of irons custom made to fit me and my particular golf swing. I see the fitter at the golf shop today and my choice of clubs are Pings, anyway, I'm in my mid sixties and have a nine handicap and play about 14 rounds a month and our season lasts about seven months. This particular fitter helped fit me with a new driver,,,a Nike " Machspeed Black " at last I have a driver with a neutral face. My miss is right to left with the long clubs and as most " off the rack " drivers have a 2 degree closed face, no question that the neutral face in my new driver will be better suited for my swing. I have spent a great deal of time doing research and reading opinions of fellow players regarding shafts which I might add I'm well aware of how important the best suited shaft is. It's just a fact, the majority of the opinions say go with steel,,,and many of those opinions came from players who have never hit a graphite shafted iron in their life. Well that's okay I do appreciate input and respect their opinions,,,but it certainly is something to wonder about as to how they can pass an opinion on an item they have no experience with other than the opinion of others. The last round I played in 2011 was with a great group which included our club champion, real good player with a three handicap and is a good forty yards past my best drive ( well he is in his late thirties ). His iron play is excellent and he uses TM irons with graphite shafts. I happened to mention to the club fitter that I liked graphite shafts ( I have them in my Cobra FP's ) he said,," with a good set of Pings you won't need graphite shafts ", okay but what if I want graphite shafts ?? money is not the issue so if I have to pay a couple of hundred bucks extra to get a club I'm happy with no big deal. At present I hit my seven iron 147-150 and if I find that I will loose any distance whatsoever using steel shafted Pings then it's not going to work for me at all,,,,I'd appreciate your thoughts. buteman.

So heading into 2012, can't wait until the golf season starts, I decided after many years to make the move to a fitted set of Ping irons ( G20's ). Always wanted Ping irons and now in my senior years, fully retired and a member of a good club here in B.C.'s interior where we can enjoy a full seven month golf season. I'm curious as to what difference ( if any ) my new Pings will make to my game, at present I use Cobra FP irons with a regular flex graphite shaft. So on the subject of Nike's SQ Machspeed driver, I bought one yesterday at the local Golf Town, the round black model, my verdict is still out on adjustable drivers but after chatting with the pro. at golf town who checked my clubhead speed, launch etc. etc. I took his advice and bought the 9.5 driver stiff shaft. I play off a nine handicap, my miss is mostly left with the longer clubs, my present driver is a Cleveland " Launcher " 9 degree stiff shaft but this driver has a 2 degree closed face ( which most " off the rack " non adjustable driver have ). I'm sure you will agree, if your miss is left ( hooks ) especially with the longer clubs the last thing you need is a driver with a closed face, so I shall be most interested to see what I can do with this new driver once the first practice range opens. Most of the reviews ( which I do take note of ) rate this driver highly, in fact a few have made strange claims about how far they can hit this driver. I shall have to eat my words at my club,,I did say I would never have Nike equipment in my bag ever again, comes from a bad experience I had a number of years ago with Nike. By the way, when it comes to golf equipment it's not always about price, in my particular case anyway, but I bought this driver yesterday for $145.00 ( Can. ) it's a really good looking golf club with the good quality Fubuki shaft and a comfortable grip,,,can't beat that price.