Young04

make the mental leap. take a mid handicapper's statement that he is good with his irons with a grain of salt. that's what almost all mid handicappers say, and by definition, not everyone can be "good" relative to other mid handicappers. a 14 handicap may think that his handicap may be a little high for playing blades, but that he may be ok for them because he thinks strong iron game makes him unlike other 14 handicaps. in fact his iron game isn't any better than other 14 handicaps because the strength of the majority of 14 handicaps is their iron game.

one caveat i want to note is that everyone on this thread (and virtually all middle handicappers) seems to say that their iron game is their strongest aspect of their game. i've always taken statements like that with a grain of salt for several reasons. firstly, the iron game is the easiest to pick up and get better with. even some pros struggle with the driver, and i can't think of a single golfer out there that has mastered the putter.

on the PGA front, marketing and endorsement deals dictate what brand is more prevalent. in terms of us amateurs, i find that lower handicaps play mizuno. even the MX25s are aimed at the 18 handicap bogey golfer (if you shoot 90, you're a true hacker anymore). the vast majority of what mizuno sells is aimed at the sub 12 handicap market.

i hear what others are saying about using the 3 iron for tee shots, but fairway woods and hybrids these days are so much more effective for just about everyone. i can sting a 5wood just as well as a 3 iron off the tee. from the turf, a 3 iron is much tougher than a hybrid or FW.

thanks for the lecture there. you also shouldn't assume things about people's disposable income. other people can easily spend a few grand on clubs and not bat an eye. just because you can't doesn't justify your didactic post.

this isn't a perfect test, but how far do you hit your 7 iron on a solid strike? how bout your driver? use this chart as a rough guideline: http://www.golfsmith.com/cm/display_...num=learn_how5

yeah, with the information that you have, you'll stay a 25 capper forever.

that chart is helpful, but you all should use that as a very rough guideline. if i use a set of nike blades, their 49 degree PW will net me "average" distance. if i grabbed my buddy's TM R7 (don't know which one), their PW is 44 degrees, and i hit that 140 yards.

what kind of tee did you hit it off. there is one range i go to where they have these weird rubber tees that really mess up the sound. i know you have the sumo, but when i hit balls with my SQ Tour off these tees, wooden, with some metal in it, like you described, isn't a bad way to put it. if you're not hitting off of regular tees, in a non-enclosed environment, i would do that first before anything. otherwise, definitely doesn't sound right.

for me, i'd learn to hit the 3W if i were you. i find my 19 degree hybrid easier to hit than a 18/19 degree fairway wood, but i have trouble with hybrids that have a 3 wood loft and can hit a low lofted FW much easier.

i ended last season around a 10 and the 60s suit me perfectly. i did swap out the 3 and 4 for the MX25's. but to me, the MP67 and MP60s are in different leagues. i wouldn't dream of trying anything more than an 8 or 9 iron in the 67s...

i have a 19 degree hybrid too...choke up on it and it replaces the 3 iron well. i'm thinking of dropping my 3 iron because of that...may put in that 52 wedge, or a 5W (but the yardage will probably be too close to my 19* hybrid)... they should let us carry 15 clubs much rounder number than 14 anyway.

i'm surprised with a 4 handicap like yours, you wouldn't know enough about your own swing to pick out your own irons from trying, etc.

that may be the more scientific description...i thought it was supposed to help the steep angles of attack that many cutters/slicers have...

you're monopolizing the board as of this moment! the more upright angle of the D1 will help slicers.

probably another thing you don't want to hear but up on boston, we have several driving ranges (covered and heated) open year round. surprised you don't have the same. anyway, the best way to convince your wife is to get her bitten by the golf bug as well! but for more immediate needs...maybe stay over a night or two in MD and do some touristy stuff there. maybe then she'll let you sneak a couple hours of golf in.

you are a marketing exec's dream come true as are many on this board.

I have a SQ Tour and I love it. It's among the most forgiving on mishits that I've ever played. It's my opinion that if you get properly fitted for any given high end driver, you'll get roughly the same distance out of it on well struck shots. I look for how forgiving it is on mishits and it's overall feel. To me, the SQ feels very solid and confidence inspiring. Best advice to anyone, like many others here said, would just be to try them both out.

how's that any different than asking someone to explain what something looks like, in writing. or smells like, in writing. or tastes like, in writing. you get the point. anyway, never hit any of the specific model clubs you listed, i have hit some of the earlier TMs (before R5) and they generally sound like crap. The sound was dull, instead of the crisp clean ping that i'm used to. best sounding driver to me is the Ping G2 (not G5)...made a nice little "crack" when you caught one good. i personally wouldn't be too worried about it...if you want to verify, go into a local golf store and see if you find your club and hit it.

another tip to get a proper weight shift is to try a small pause at the top of your downswing. as long as you don't have a reverse pivot, by delaying your arms a hair, you'll end up naturally starting the downswing with a weight shift.

i agree with allin - the weight shift should be natural. don't force it or you may have a tendency to push your head and shoulders in front of the ball (a big no-no). it may seem odd, but you do need to get over on your left side while keeping your head and shoulders back at impact. also, depending on who you ask (and whether you have a one or two plane swing - a big discussion for another day), starting the down swing with the shoulders can spell trouble. again, you may get differing advice on this, but i think your hips should be more open at impact in relation to your shoulders. if you initiate the downswing with the shoulders, this may be hard to do. for me, when i'm swinging well, i initiate the downswing with my hips (without consciously realizing that i do), and swing my arms straight down from the inside. your shoulders will open naturally, but should be reactive to your arms, not the other way around.

Gas can is right. also depends on what kind weather conditions exist. i don't know what temp/humidity that the launch monitor uses for a baseline. colder weather = less distance.

i'm definitely not the world's best golfer, but in my experience, draws have always had more distance. more roll for sure. i know someone (who is a scratch) whose strength is working the ball. he tells me that a draw has more distance, but he will hit a fade because it's easier to control.

like you said, you get "tuned in". it's easier to groove a swing when all you have to do is repeat the same one you did 5 seconds ago. As a rule, I try to never hit the same club the same distance more than 5 times. Evidently, you're taking at least 15 swings with the same club. I suggest that you play a mini round at the driving range. After you get warmed up, tee off with your driver or 3W. Good bad or indifferent, plan your next shot based on your tee shot. if you hit it good, take a short iron to a target. Next hole, imagine it as a long par 4. hit your tee shot, and even if you hit it well, try hitting a long iron or hybrid to a set target. maximizing your time at the range is key. you rarely have to make the same swing twice on the golf course, so why should you hit 15 in a row at the range? good luck!

drier air is not the biggest factor that makes the ball go further during the summer time. in warmer temperatures, a ball will compress better than it would in the cold, giving it more distance...how much more distance? depends on the ball...i've read from what looked like a reliable study that with a high end ball, a drive that carries 250 yards in 90 degree heat would carry 15-20 yards less (i forgot the exact number the study came up with), in 40 degree weather. seems pretty significant to me...when playing in 50 degree wehther (like it is now where i live), i'll add half a club (to a full club sometimes) on par 3 and approach shots.