Cahal

They're pricey but I just recently tried out the Stickys and they've been unreal. They feel alot traction wise like tour velvets but once you start using them it almost felt like they softened up and became even more tacky. Overall really liked the feel and after a few swings you notice the difference in the material, its a polymer, not a rubber, and feels pretty cool. I'm definitely impressed.

I think the one great advantage of the R9 that people haven't mentioned which will be a huge benefit is the ability to open or close the face angle. Ya you might not tinker with the settings when you get it right but at least this way you can get the settings right. If you like a closed face with draw weighting you can do so, if you're a better player or someone who fights a hook then you can get an open face angle and put the weights where it works best. Most better players like an open face angle and this driver along with the nike str8fit's and to a more limited degree Cobra L5V all allow us to finally get the face angles we feel more comfortable with.

I like Mickelson's response saying this shows why he's so glad to have a stand up, classy guy like Bones McKay on his bag. Nice to see him taking the high road over this new zealand moron, look buddy you're not the one making the shots, let tiger do the talking and shut your mouth. Does anyone think tiger would be any less succesful with anyone on his bag? Know your role, this is the type of stuff that got Fluff canned, hope he gets the same treatment.

I liked a lot of the features of the hoofer bag but have to agree with Jay-Bird that the divider system needs an update for me. I actually bought a hoofer and ended up returning it after putting my clubs in it because I found the woodee divider system on the ogio bag I have to be infinitely better.

I've seen some of the Cleveland staffers playing the CG14 including Boo Weekly when he won earlier this year so they're not just for higher handicappers.

I just bought a new driver a few weeks ago after looking and trying seemingly every model out there. I tried the Superquad and of all of TaylorMade's offerings I liked it the best. Wasn't a big fan of the Tour Burner at all to be honest. Didn't seem to have any feel to it (not sure if thats the shaft?) and the distance wasn't as good either so wasn't even close for me. I liked the superquad but found it wasn't as forgiving as some of the newer drivers out. I ended up going with a G10 with the Prolaunch Red shaft. I like how Ping has given 2 great shaft options outside the stock and no extra cost and the thing bombs drives while still being really accurate with a more traditional look and great feel. I'd definitely give it a shot as its cheaper than the Tour burner as well. But nomatter what go get fitted and try a ton of stuff out, you'll be able to narrow your choices down fast and everyone is different so try for yourself.

Man I feel bad for you but as some of the other guys have said its a tough break but work through it, the club is still gonna work. As for taking it back to the store and raising an issue. I manage at a retail store and these are the exact type of customers I CAN'T STAND!!! To me it is absolutely repulsive to damage something on your own and try to make a store eat it because of your bad luck. Would you take a brand new car back to the dealer because you got a rock in the windshield??? I see this more often than i'd like where some person brings in a driver that's caved in on the bottom from either ramming down on a ball or god knows what and then arguing with me that its a defect, newsflash you're not supposed to hit the ball on the bottom of the club! but its nearly impossible to reason with people that. I think that anyone who has worked retail or owned a business understands this and doesn't try to cheat the system like that because they understand and the people who try this kind of garbage are usually the reason why people leave retail jobs and make the people working at the stores have crappy days, sorry rant over but I can't believe people advocating this nonsense, have some character and integrity already.

I like Ping quite a bit but have a bunch of brands in my bag and my favourite club overall is still my Cobra driver so I voted Cobra. Plus they have the hands down best commercials so got to give them some love for that.

I just bought the Clicgear 2.0 as well and really like it. Haven't been out on the course yet because we keep getting freak snowstorms!!! but have had it out in the house and it seems really well put together with tons of little features. The tires are solid and roll really nicely and you can't beat how small it folds up. I highly recommend it.

Thanks a ton Supermariodave for the info! I definitely felt what you were talking about but couldn't notice any loss of accuracy so I was getting confused by the ratings but looks like I was just overthinking things as per usual. Thanks!

I started playing them last year and really enjoyed both of them. I find they go farther than the Pro V's on my average hits and keep the ball straighter. I find the Pro V1 though will spin more so if you're looking for primarily short game spin and control the Pro V's may be better but I prefer the TP line overall.

Do you guys feel that you lose any performance if you use a higher rated torque on the shaft or is it more of a feel thing? I know when I got fitted before I was trying the UST Proforce V2 which I understand has a low torque rating and while I hit it quite well and got good numbers on the launch monitor it did definitely feel more "boardy", it felt really stable and accurate but not as smooth a feeling as I've had in the past. I guess my worry is that if I got with a higher number that feels smooth and good to me that I might end up sacrificing accuracy because of it.

I have been looking for quite awhile for a new driver upgrade. I was fitted on a launch monitor and found that my current regular flex was causing me to spin the ball way more than the ideal and told that a stiff flex would help bring that number down. I have been looking and reading a ton about drivers and their shafts and see all kinds of different info but the most confusing for me has to be the torque ratings. I hit the 2008 Cobra Speed LD F today and really liked it so thought I'd get some info on the shaft by Graphite Design. I know its supposed to be an exclusive for Cobra but the ones I can see on their website that look close seem to have really high Torque ratings (4.7??). Thing is I didn't find it to be twisting or anything more than other shafts I've hit with lower numbers and seemed to be quite accurate. Does the rating mean all that much and will you normally be able to tell the difference? Your help on this would really be great, thanks!

I just tried out the 2008 Speed LD F with the Graphite Design Stiff shaft today on a simulator and really started to like it. I play an older Cobra right now and am in the process of finding a new driver as I need to up the shaft to a stiffer flex. I found the LD to be quite accurate, have a nice feel and I ended up pounding a few of the balls so its definitely near the top of my list. I'm going to get fitted on the launch monitor soon and was looking for a bit more info on this shaft if anyone had some insight. I saw on GD's website that the torque seems quite high in comparison to the numbers on most other shafts i've seen but I have to say that it felt quite accurate and smooth.

My favourite so far is the Nike SP-6 Border http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-NIKE-SP-6-BOR...QQcmdZViewItem They were a bit stiff around the ankle at first but moulded so well to my feet and have great cushioning with the Zoom Air and my favourite looking shoe so far. I also picked up a pair of the MyJoys in the Dryjoys Pods Tech model and they've been quite good so far in the house but haven't been able to play yet (Massive snowstorm, gotta love Canada). I originally had a pair of Adidas 360's and wanted to like them soooo bad cause I loved the look and the tech of the shoe but wearing them around the house for a couple of weeks they just never felt right and the 360 wrap started to kill the outside of my foot.

I currently have the Studio Style and have really enjoyed it. I find the insert and GSS face are really responsive and give you a lot of feedback depending on where you hit it on the face while still producing a really nice roll regardless. I tried the Studio Select in the store to compare and did like the standard grip quite a bit more than the Style which I had replaced. It seemed to produce a more consistent feel accross the face for me but not quite as much feedback. They both seemed to roll the ball the same to me though and as NYKFan4Life mentioned you probably can't go wrong with either one. My opinion on the looks is the Style looks much better, especially for me after I got a white/gold paintfill instead of the circus colours but I still preferred that to the big bold red graphics on the new model, just not my cup of tea and that headcover is nasty.

I had a set of these a couple of years back and they were pretty solid for me. I'd put them in the Game Improvement category and not SGI as they aren' super wide soled and are crazy on the tech side or materials but help get the ball up and are fairly forgiving. I think they'd be a pretty good bet for you, especially at their price and a couple of years from now when your handicap shrinks down you'll be in a better position to see what you want more of (forgiveness, feel, workability) and get a set more tailored to your game at that point.

A lot of time those box sets that say 17 or 18 pieces include all the pieces in the set, not just the clubs themselves. They will count things such as headcovers and sometimes the bag as well so don't worry about missing many clubs. Its just a marketing thing to make it seem like you're getting more. Most of the box sets will all have the max number of clubs they just inflate the number by counting all the add ons.

I worked at a SportChek managing the Hargoods and Footwear Departments. To help with waterproofing we sold some aerosol sprays such as "Rain and Stain" protector or "Waterproofing" sprays. These will put a small coating over the existing outer of the shoe and they definitely do a good job beading water off the shoe in the short term but you'll have to re-apply it to keep up the protection. I used to spray all my new shoes and it really did help. We did sell the NikWax products as well but mostly just for winter coats so not sure about their shoe products however the jacket wash-ins have a really good reputation and most outdoor/camping stores should have a fairly good selection.

Go with what you felt was best and if they can get it fitted for you that's probably all you can hope for. I wouldn't get too worried about trying to "grow into" a better players set right off the bat. Make sure you feel comfortable with it now, the fun part about golf equipment is that you can always get something else down the road.

I agree with that, I can't think of that many times when I couldn't see anything to get a reading off of and if you are that obscured by say trees or something I don't know that an exact reading is really going to make the difference. I also hate the fact that you have to pay a subscription fee for all these GPS systems, rely on a good satellite signal and on top of everything you can't get an exact reading on the flag! I know we're not all pros but isn't the whole purpose of GPS or Rangefinders to get the most accurate information? Otherwise I'd just as soon stick to course markers and make my own calculations.

One thing that also comes into effect is being able to pinch the ball off the turf. To really get some spin you need to have finely cut fairways so sometimes the condions you play on will affect your ability to spin it. I can get a decent amount of spin (more of a couple bounces then a check and tiny rollout but not really spinning it back) but from what I've read more on the subject it really comes down to great clean contact and having the ball come down on more of a steeper downfall (its tough to spin back a low boring shot)

I'm a huge fan of the Taylormade TP line so I'd have to go with those. I have some friends who seem to like the Bridgestone ones though too.

I'll take Philly Mick for the best shortgame. Everyone knows Tiger is the best player overall but I remember watching a tournament last year I believe and the announcers were talking about a subject like this about who was the best when they're all playing at the top of their game and I believe it was Johnny Miller echoing Butch Harmon who had said that Phil has the best game when he's at his absolute best. They all said Tiger was the best overall but that all things being equal Phil had the most talent. That's what I've always thought too its just that nobody comes even close to Tiger as far as desire for improvement, dedication and mental toughness and I think that stuff matters as much as talent or short game in the end. Oh and that reverse flop shot was siiiiiiick....who else could do that really

I play an older Cobra and find it to be a lot more muted than most of the newer drivers but I haven't tried any of the newer models that have come out recently. I did hear that the new Speed LD driver for 2008 is supposed to have an "improved" sound so maybe they've listened. From my experience though the worst sounding drivers have for sure been the Nike drivers and especially the Sumo Squared. I remember the first time I hit it I thought I broke the club it was so loud. As someone already mentioned it definitely sounded like an aluminum softball bat, just terrible.