Vanstonica

Interestingly enough, I tried a variation of the same thing for a different reason. I've got a bum left knee, and I always had this fear that a cleat would catch while I was pivoting and I'd tear something up. I removed the cleats from my shoe, figuring that the pretty aggresive tread pattern that is built in to a footjoy would be enough to keep me from slipping. I ended up putting the cleats back in. I try to play early in the morning, and I was finding that with the dew on the ground, I was probably in more danger of slipping and sliding around and tweaking my knee without the cleats than with them in.

I demoed both of these, and really wanted to like the CG better....but in the end, I thought the Vokey felt better in my hands. It seems to be a little heavier than the Cleveland. I usually tee off first thing in the morning, when the dew is still pretty heavy, and I've felt that it made a difference when trying to smack the ball out of wet grass.

Hey folks, I'm seriously considering purchasing a Ping Rapture 3 wood as a driver alternative. I hit the snot out of my hybrids, and have starte using them off of the tee a bit more than a driver, just due to the fact that I'm a lot more consistant with them. I hit the Rapture today and fell in love with it. I have an r7 steel right now, but I tend to cut under the ball with the shallow face....the Rapture is almost like a "mini driver" with a 292 cc head. Has anyone played with this consistantly enough to give me a log term opinion? Are there any other suggestions of clubs that I should check out (I've hit and dismissed Callaway, Cleveland, Titleist, Nike and Adams fairways in my search so far) Thanks!

They'r enot a total waste of money. I had a Nike-knockoff driver that I bought at Kmart when I first started playing. It worked fine for me, until the head snapped off about a year after I bought it. You may be better off buying a used Callaway Steelhead or Taylormade. You can probably pick one up for fairly cheap off of ebay or at Play it Again Sports (or whatever the the "used sports equipment" store equivalent is in PA)

I think technology is a bigger asset to drivers and fairway woods than to irons. If you look at the 15 year old Ping Zing 2 and a brand new Ping G 10 iron, there really isn't that much of a difference in construction or cosmetics (of course, that doesn't keep me from plopping down $800 every other year on new irons!). If I were in your shoes, I'd probably set aside some cash and buy a name brand drive now, and then replace the irons down the line.

I'm likewise a huge fan of hybrids....I've even ditched my 5 iron and carry a cheap RAM hybrid I picked up at Target for $10. As far as a set copletely made up of hybrids, such as the Callaway i-brid irons, I don't think it would work for me. I've never mastered the art of hitting a low stinger with a hybrid, so on the occasion where there are tree branches extending out over the fairway, or I'm having to punch out of the woods, I'd much rather have a standard 6 or 7 iron in my hand instead. They're a lot easier to keep low.

I'm one of the folks that swear by them now. I did develop a callous on the inside of my fingers from using the grip though. It definately feels a little different. I'm not a big fan if Winn grips. When I've used them in the past, they've always seemed to wear out and get slick pretty quickly. Then again, I don't change my grips the "recommended" once a year.

Hi Sandwedge, It's, of course, really up to your preference. I like a 54 with less bounce, because that's pretty frequently what I use for greenside chipping as well. It doesn't show in my profile, but I just bought a few Vokeys (54 and 58 spin mill) to eventually replace what I have in the bag (Ping Tours). I like the feel of them so far, but they are heavier than what the pings are, so I'm not going to put them in play until I've had some time to practice. I've always used the 58 degree with higher bounce for my sand shots and for shots from 60-70 yards and in. The tree-lined fairways I play tend to stay pretty moist from rainfall and shade, but the greens tend to dry out from summer sun, so I've adjusted my wedges to match.

I'm glad to see someone posting a review of the AP1's. I haven't been able to demo them yet, but I'm really anxious to do so. I'd like to find a set of iron that will allow me to progress with my game, and yet still offer up enough forgiveness for the quite-often occasion where I end up chunking the ball around the course. My only fear after seeing the AP1's in person is that the head looks pretty large....even more so than the G5's I play now. Has that been an issue hitting out of less than idea lies (i.e...the rough?)

The best decision I ever made in regards to golf equipment is taking my 60 degree out and putting a 58 degree in its place. Maybe it's all mental, but it sure seems a heckuva lot easier to hit than the 60 was. I used to spend half of my round fuming after I'd inevitably skull my 60 over the green and into a sand trap. If you're faced with a severe uphill shot and need more of a "flop" club, you can always open the 58 up a bit.

If you can find a used 2 Ball that's in good shape (or heck....the old two ball without an insert has been discontinued, if I'm not mistaken, so you can probably get it for around $100 at a place like Sports Authority), that's the direction i would go. I've had a center-shaft 2 ball for about 5 years now, and every year the new model putters come out, I spend about a week hitting all of the golf shops and seeing if there is a model I prfer. To date, nothing I've demoe has come close to the overall feel and positive results the two-ball gives me. Just my two cents, of course.

I thought I'd post this after reading through the "Is Phil Fake" thread: I'm not a huge PM fan, but at least the guy seems to appreciate the fact that he is paid MILLIONS for doing something that the rest of us have to pay to enjoy. It may be "fake", but Phil is always slapping the hands of people who come to see him, waving at folks in the gallery, and generally seeming to be appreciative of the folks who are there. I know Tiger is legendary for his ability to focus on the task at hand, but would it kill him to be a little more personable to the fans? And I'm not just dumping on Tiger.....in most of the tournaments I've seen in person, nearly every pro seems obvilous to the fans. Am I the only one who thinks this?

It is! How 'bout that Dawg?!?!

4 iron hybrid Pitching Wedge Putter I can hit bmy hybrid around 200 yards, so that would be decent for something off the tee. I'm envious of all of you who can put with ANYTHING other than a putter. There would be skid marks all over the green if I was hacking away at it trying to putt with anything else.

I may be the one Georgia fan who DOESN'T think we got screwed. I was upset when we didn't move into the BCS when #'s 1 & 2 lost in teh last week of the season, but on the flip side, had we been in LSU's position and had them go to the title game if we were the SEC champs AND had the same record to boot, I would have been ticked off. UGA screwed themselves when we lost to Tennessee and South Carolina. We had a young team that grew up as the season went along, and although I think we could have played with and perhaps beaten just about any team in the nation at the end of the season, there was no getting around the fact that we lost twice in the first few weeks. All that being said, I would prefer a plus 1 to a playoff.