Ruckus

I'm not going to repeat what most people have already said, it's redundant. However, I was fortunate enough to spend a few years of my childhood in a house adjacent to the 7th tee of a private country club. When it was dusk and I was sure there weren't any more groups, I would head out to the green with my Nerf putter and putt around. This is what got me interested in golf. Even though we lived in a nice area, we couldn't afford the golf membership or golf clubs. I don't think it hurt anyone and I had 20 or so minutes of harmless fun before dinner. This kind of "sneaking" is acceptable, in my opinion.

I don't know if you are being facetious or not, but Cobra is not inferior to TaylorMade, it's just a matter of preference. They no longer have the budget to have as many guys on their staff (Puma has equal revenue as Fortune Brands [Acushnet], but their operating budget has decreased after the sale), but that does not imply that their stuff is crap. I've played Cobra in the past, and I would say their equipment was actually slightly higher quality than TM. And as is the case for all pros, Camillo wasn't playing stock Cobra irons, so you can't assume he has improved equipment based on your personal experience of the equipment. The only thing that improved is his bank account, because results indicate that his game sure hasn't.

Uh... what's your budget? Do you have a brand preference? Do you prefer forged or cast irons? The thing is, all major manufacturers make great products, it comes down to preference. Get fitted (you will hear this a lot) and decide what kind of coin you are willing to drop. if you can play to an 8 with your Berthas, then you probably don't need anything game improvement. My preference would be Pings or Mizunos (those are the 2 brands I play almost exclusively) with the new i15s or MP-63 being at the top of the list. Wedges, Vokeys are of course great, but loot at Callaway offerings if you want forged.

The addition of a lob wedge is a personal call, and many "experts" say that high-mid handicappers don't need anything more lofted than a sand wedge. What's your game like? Do you need more loft in your short game? I am trying to ween myself off of my 60* wedge, as it usually contributed more harm than good. I have a grind on my SW that helps me open it up a lot more, so the LW is becoming redundant anyway. For someone with your handicap (a mid capper like myself), bridging the gaps in your long irons/hybrids is more important, in my opinion.

The course I play the most is Flemming, the 9 hole course at Harding Park. Harding Park (the 18 hole course) is expensive and you usually have to book a tee time weeks in advance, but it's definitely worth it. Also, I play Lincoln and Sharp Park (in Pacifica), but Sharp is in pretty bad shape as of late and Lincoln is not my favorite course, other than the 17th hole. Presidio Course is a nice course, but it's a little out of my price range to play regularly. And if you don't mind the scary neighborhood, look at Gleneagles... definitely worth playing just for the ambiance and difficulty. There's definitely no shortage of places in the area.

Sometimes people get too hung up on loft and having 4-6 degrees between all clubs. It would be more useful to know how far you hit those "bridge" clubs, because distance is what you are after. With my last bag, I had driver to 4 wood to 4 iron and it worked out well.

Strange question. What would the characteristics of these blades be? Would they be cast? What about the Vokey name would make them any better or more unique? The one trait people like most about Vokey wedges is their tear drop shape (based on Cleveland designs) and spin milled grooves. The latter would not be applicable to longer irons. I guess it would be cool (?) to some people that their irons said Bob Vokey on them...

I wanted to like it, my swing had other ideas. At the time, I needed help getting the ball higher, but this combo launched way too high with a spin rate in excess of 3000. This caused balooning and, ultimately, loss of carry distance. But it really is dependent on YOUR swing. If you are swinging over 95 mph, then you need a stiffer shaft than an R flex anyway.

I agree with your assessment of Nike, but I think that aligns with the mass market segment of SC. You don't think pushing putter headcovers for obscene prices is "pushing products aggressively"?

Yeah, as Enis said, this will launch very high. I tried this combo (and I prefer a higher flight with a high kick) but I was moonballing. A medium flight shaft would be a red board (I know it's not a standard offering for Ping) or a Proforce V2 (not high launch), like I am gaming with my G10. It's a broken record mantra, but get fitted.

Delav, the thing is, Scotty Cameron doesn't necessarily appeal to the "players" demographic. Sure, people respect SC as a brand, but I think the primary appeal is more to collectors and rich (but not necessarily skilled) golfers. I know it's almost blasphemy to say this, but there is nothing particularly novel about SC putters, at least not enought to justify spending $300 for an off-the-rack product. When I was first getting serious about golf (about 8 years ago), I bought a Scotty because it had the reputation for being the best, and it cost the most, so it had to be the best, right? In my mind, this fits perfectly with image of Nike golf.

I'm sure the two putter lines would remain separate. SC would be the "elite" line and will continue making boutique and custom putters and the method lineup will likely remain as the cheaper alternative. An interesting point someone else brought up... will Scotty go to Nike or just sell the brand (think Roger Cleveland). I don't think that Scotty has any allegiances to Titleist, but he might go independent.

Firstly, Tiger is not even long compared to the Bubbas and Justins and JBs hitting stupid drives recently. I think even Phil can consistently outdrive Tiger at this point. Secondly, even if Tiger can get all of it, it's likely nowhere near the fairway. So Tiger is not a advertising his Nike drivers very well as of late.

WTF? Jennifer Garner and ugly have never before been utterred in the same sentence. You, kind sir, need professional help.

Assuming you did not crack the head or inflict any other kind of damage to the shaft, then it would take a very long time for the driver's COR to deteriorate. If you are like me, then it could be a case of mechanics. Even if I am hitting my other woods fine, my driver can be erratic because I employ a different swing off the tee. I have also found 10 more yards on drives in the past few months (due to a combination of lessons with a new instructor and a proper club fitting), so it's easier for me to have flaws in this new swing. Bottom line, it's not likely that your driver "went dead."

That's a decent price. Hope you enjoy them. I bought a set of MP-32's (9/10 condition) a couple of months ago for $195 just to mess around with them (never hit pure blades before). They kicked my i15s out of the bag. I did hear that MP-32's are the easiest blades to hit, for whatever reason, so this may not apply to your MP-67s, but they are far easier to hit than people claim. However, I am working with a new instructor so this may have something to do with my "improvement".

Well, I at least appreciated this one.

You're right, but I have the highest handicap in my group, and I can't afford (literally) to be 10 yards right and short. I use my Eye 2's or i15s, which are far more consistent for me.

I use MP-32s on the range to hone my swing. Don't have the marbles to play these on the course. Ever.

We are by no means wealthy, but since I am the "finance guy" in the relationship, I know when we have some money to spend. I don't neglect the things we need and spend plenty on the wife and the baby. I find nothing wrong with occasionally (once or twice a year) spending a few hundred dollars on anything I want without clearing it with the ma'am. It's not like I'm hiding anything from her but I don't find the need to discuss all our purchases (under a thousand dollars). It is also a different dynamic because we are a single income house (read: I'm the one that gets the paycheck). I think things are very different when you have a dual income family since I would never spend money she earned without discussing it first.

Man, my marriage must be very different than most of yours... If I need (or, let's face it, want) new irons, I budget a little bit ahead of time and then go get them. Do you guys go through your finances together with a fine toothed comb?

Oops, thought it said i15's. If they were i15's I would check if they were stolen/counterfeit for that price.

How the heck did you get a set of i15s for $300? That's a damn good steal, assuming they are in playable condition. Good find, you will love them (I play them when my eye 2s are mean to me).

I don't get the hostility. The dude plays to a 13, he is not on tour. If his fitting yielded a driver that improves his game, who gives a damn how much he was charged or how many shaft combinations he tried. If he is happy with his fitting, then it is an experience worth sharing.

Yeah, he definitely doesn't get much roll compared to JB and Bubba. Watch his swing, it's very shallow for a long hitter. The higher loft helps him carry and definitely fits his swing type. If you look at Tiger from 5+ years ago, he looked like he was trying to kill it with an almost out of control follow through. Dustin's is a lot more smooth. I think more pros would benefit from the high lofts (namely Phil, who still insists on using 7-8 degrees of loft).