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Everything posted by rrassoc
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Agree and agree! In 2013 I bought a used r11 via eBay. I actually bought a couple: a 9° regular and a 10.5° stiff flex. I settled on the 10.5 regular combo, and re-sold the 9° stiff. I've made adjustments to the settings a couple times a year as my swing "adjusted." Just recently, I experimented with weight changes and found a significant increase in swing consistency by increasing over-all swing weight. I might be swinging it more slowly, but I'm certainly hitting it with more control and swinging fastest at the bottom of my swing. I'm hitting it longer and straighter, just by making adjustments. It's not scientific fitting, but it's cheap and it works, even for a 16-19 handicapper. I might just go see if getting fitted for a shaft might help. - Still cheaper than a new driver!
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Yes to global warming (if it's real) ! No to the 4th wettest year on record (2018) in the Philadelphia area. The greens on my home club were nearly destroyed by the wetness this past year. Yes to how inexpensive condos are in Myrtle Beach! The days are warmer and longer in the winter than the NE, and flights aren't crazy expensive! My game has improved here because of my MB winter trips. Get out there!
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I'm just coming back to this blog after about a year, but I'm going to add my 2 cents here because my R11 is old but awesome, and you can get one for cheap on eBay, which is what I think people should do! I just played with / adjusted the weights on my 10.5 R11, adding to the swing weight substantially, and got a significant boost in consistency in distance and dispersion. I've had this club for years and still love it. For the heck of it, I just bought a 2016 model M1 and am in the process of tweaking settings, but I think the R11 is going to stay in the bag. It's an awesome driver! I can imagine the R11s being slightly better because of the size being a bit larger. My R11 may be 7 years old, but it's a keeper!
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Where Is Your Next Golf Trip Going to Be?
rrassoc replied to Smidd4's topic in Destinations and Travel
Heading back to Myrtle Beach in 4 weeks, staying at the Barefoot Resort. I'm leaving the course choices up to one of my buddies, hoping to play some places I haven't been before. So far my favs are TPC and Barefoot-Love. I've played quite a few thus far! Thistle, Oyster Bay, Tidewater, Eagle Nest, Barefoot-Norman, Legends-Heathland, Myrtle Beach National-Kings North and West, Man O'War, World Tour, Indian Wells, The International Club, and Caledonia (which was really nice but I think overpriced). Recommendations? -
The Golf Digest test in 2010 was awesome. I completely agree about the TaylorMade TP Black: It's the best, most under-rated ball, especially for the price. I wish Golf Digest would reproduce that test again with the new balls. They should make it an annual event.
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I found it: Z = U grooves. ZTP = V grooves, conforming to Tour Players' rules http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/111473435/ZTP_Z_groove_Face_insert_plate.html
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Still trying to figure out the difference between the ZTP and the Z inserts. Anyone?
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I tried a 50° after losing my gap wedge. Loved it. Just replaced my 56.12 RAC TP Satin with a 54.12 xft. Going to replace my 60° TP Satin with an xft next.
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Last yr I bought a 50degree xft wedge to replace my lost gap wedge. I really liked the idea of just having to replace the face when the grooves wear out. $30 is a lot cheaper than a brand new club. I found that I hit this club 20-25 yds farther than my TM CGB Max gap wedge (also 50°) which was my 100 yard club. Some of the difference was due to a swing change, but I really like the feel of the new xft club. My 56° RAC TP used to get me ~90 yards full swing, and is now my 100 yard club. I just replaced it with a 54° xft to reduce the gap between the two. Next I will replace my 60 RAC TP with a 58 xft. As you can tell, I really do like them!
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The plain RAC wedges aren't very good, but the RAC TP's (Y=cutter grooves) are excellent. I've used both. It didn't take me long to replace the RAC with a TP. Haven't tried the Z-cutter grooves yet. Ready for new ones though, as mine are a couple years old; Looking for feedback on the new, replaceable face versions. If they perform as well as the Y grooves they'll have a winner given you won't need to replace the whole club when the face wears out.
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What wedge set up should i have from these options
rrassoc replied to billysandy's topic in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting
Exactly what I'd do, too! -
My short game improved substantially after getting Dave Pelz' Short Game Bible and a set of GOOD wedges, including a 60°, which I use more than any club in my bag except my putter. I can play all sorts of trajectories from all sorts of lies with the 60 that I can't with even the 56. My 56 has 12° of bounce my 60 has half of that. Check how sharp the grooves are. My first 60 was a cheaper version. I couldn't get good spin with it.
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Finally Fixed my slice for good
rrassoc replied to mrserv0n18's topic in Instruction and Playing Tips
I agree. In fact, I learned to fade the ball by holding a bit tighter onto the club with my left hand. The 16th at my home club requires a carry over a quarry to a short iron dog leg right. The further right you hit your tee shot, the farther you have to carry the quarry, from 200 yds to maybe 240. To play it safe I usually hit a bit left and look for the fade & roll right. Regarding fighting the slice: I do sometimes get in a habit of not making a full shoulder turn back, which results in "coming over the top." - Even if I swing from the inside, I'm off the proper plane, which causes either a slice when I don't turn the club over, or a pull or duck-hook when I do. -
I have TaylorMade 3, 4 and 5 Duals. The 3 is one of my favorite clubs in my bag. I've learned to draw them fairly regularly when I want, but I do have a tough time fading them. The stock configuration favors a draw, so I'm going to reconfigure the weights for more of a neutral bias. God bless Movable Weight Technology! I tend to hit my hybrids 5-10 yards farther than equivalent irons, so I do have a gap between my 6 iron and my 5 hybrid. I choke down on the 5 to close the gap.
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I'm an ~18 handicap. My buddy who's a 4 suggested I read this book, and I was fortunate that Santa followed through and put it under the Christmas tree for me! Checking out the thread, I noticed a pattern that the higher handicappers seemed to give lower marks to the book than the lower handicappers did. Tom Kite, Lee Janzen, Jan Stephenson and the others referenced listened and found significant improvement, but only after hitting lots and lots of balls; practicing like committed professionals. Pelz tells exactly what needs to be done to execute the shots, from setup, to swing plane, to the dead hands technique, to hitting to targets with known distances. He even suggests where to place the camera to get proper feedback! I'm not going to give up practicing my "power game;" I still need to gain consistency, reducing my Percent Error Index with my full shots. But now I know what to work on and how to do it to reduce my PEI in my "finesse game." If players with handicaps on the other side of zero can improve with these techniques, I'm certain I can. OK, so I haven't tried it yet, given I've only had the book for a week. I'm committed to putting in the time to practice. I'll let you know how things worked out later in the season! Happy New Year!
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So what was the verdict on the Warrior clubs?
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Wedge setup. Need your opinions!
rrassoc replied to andre112's topic in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting
Well, 11 months after my previous post: I did buy a 60° wedge. It complicated my game quite a bit! I agree with cigarnut81. I found that I absolutely need the lob wedge at my home course for the many trouble shots I find my way into, where I need to hit the ball practically straight up. I take my 5 wood out of the bag there. As for hitting short shots of different distances, I've learned that I can play all sorts of shots with any of the 4 wedges. One area I seem to have a huge problem with is consistency in my swing speed. I can do serious damage to my score trying to get cute by trying to pick a particular wedge and swing. Unless I'm really likely to need the lob wedge like at my home course, my decision to carry it is based more on my likely need to my 3 or 5 wood. So, I let the course dictate my setup. More work to do in '09! A little knowledge is truly dangerous. I only reduced my handicap in '08 by 3 strokes, but if I do that again next year I guess I won't complain! -
Holy cow! Good thread topic! I learned that: I CAN relax without having two beers first! I MUST ALWAYS follow my pre-shot routine, which (unfortunately) includes three mechanical swing thoughts in addition to standard set up stuff and practice swings. I need to balance my practice on the range with my playing time (about evenly) to keep tabs on my top 3 things to work on Listen to Dr Bob Rotella on CD at least once per month! I CAN usually hit a draw with my TM Dual hybrids when I need to! I actually play better in tournament situations. I think it's because there is pressure to remember the above. And finally, I learned that if I do manage to fit 1-4 above into my hectic schedule, I CAN indeed break 90, after all these years!!! I think it was good for me to review and list what I've learned. There's certainly more, but these are the biggest. The good news is that the summer is only about half over. There's still more time to engrain what I've learned and keep moving forward. Maybe I will reply again in September...
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When is it time to get a custom driver shaft?
rrassoc replied to Mr.Buckethead's topic in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting
I had a TM460 that I was ballooning. I got it used for next to nothing from someone on eBay (another story in itself). It felt good, but after a while I noticed I was consistently ballooning the ball and getting no roll. So I went to a local pro and got fitted. Two things happened: I found out that my swing speed wasn't as fast as I thought, so I needed a regular flex instead of firm, and I came away with a few shaft options and picked the least expensive ( *********** Then, realizing that I needed regular flex shafts helped me understand why I didn't like the 3W and 5W that came with my set. They felt like baseball bats. Fortunately, I recently won a closest to the pin prize during a scramble event and received a new driver! I traded that in for two new shafts, and now I love my fairway woods! Proper shafts make a huge difference, even for a ~20 handicapper like me, and there are cost-effective options for your level of play. In the words of David Starsky / Ben Stiller, "Do it. Do it; do it." -
taylormade changes drivers wa to much
rrassoc replied to obsessedgolfer's topic in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting
My perspective is: Who cares? Every manufacturer comes out with something new every year it seems. We don't need the newest piece of technology. How much better will our game get by spending an extra $200-$500 every year? Now if your driver is 3-4+ years old, I'd think about buying a new(er) one, because the technology has changed significantly during that period. Don't want to spend $500? Get a used one that's a year or two old. - A model that everyone raved about back then. You can't go wrong, provided if course that it's matched to your swing. Bottom line: Find something that works well for you and hold on to it. Then spend your money on lessons or more practice rounds! To be honest, I cannot imagine parting with my superquad, ever , no matter what they come out with next. I'm sure there are lots of folks on the SandTrap who would second that opinion about whatever they're currently using / in love with! -
possible broken taylormade wrench
rrassoc replied to michaeljames92's topic in Clubs, Grips, Shafts, Fitting
I agree, although I wonder whether whoever put the weight(s) in previously didn't use the TM torque wrench and over-tightened them. -
Are most people exagerating their long drive exploits
rrassoc replied to jfrain2004's topic in Golf Talk
I definitely think people exaggerate. Also, there's a huge difference between carry and total distance. People talk about how far they carry it, but who really keeps track of carry unless they're paying attention at the range? Where a ball ends up has a lot to do with how it hit and where it hit. Can it roll for 30 or 50 yards? I watched a lot of long drives this year at the Mercedes Championship where the ball seemed to roll down the hill for a mile! Here's the link to the PGA Tour driving distance stats. Check out Fred Funk! -
I agree. I've been contemplating putting another wedge in my bag, which means pulling out a longer club. I haven't been that successful hitting my 3 wood off the fairway with the combination of accuracy and clubhead speed that I'd like, so I will usually go with the 5 wood or hybrid. I also realized I can choke down on the driver if I need to be careful about hitting it too far off the tee. The 460cc club head is a lot more difficult to miss-hit than the 3 wood! This post just helped me make my decision!