mutadayen

I believe it to be a two piece ball: http://topflite.com/balls/freak/?gcid=1563 I should note that what I did was to use this ball on long par 3's, 4's and 5's and used the Bridgestone e6 on shorter holes for more playability, but i didnt see that much of a difference to be honest. My ball stopped quicker on the greens with the e6s, but it was only by a few yards. Im really thinking of trying the Gamer ball instead of the e6's moving forward for shorter holes for more control...

It's hard to tell to be honest because i'm still getting adjusted to my putter as I recently bought it. It didnt feel much different than when I was putting with the Bridgestone's. I'll be able to tell better when I get more play time, but for the most part, they putted well. I only three putt 3 times over the weekend and that was simply because I couldnt read the green for the life of me, but I had a few good putts and a couple of drained putts using the Freak ball. I cant blame my putting on the ball...it was all me.

I have to open this post and rave about Top Flite's new Freak ball. Honestly, I bought a set of Bridgestone e5 and e6's a few weeks ago and they played well, and I decided what the hell, the freak's were rated well so let me see how they perform. Well, I can honestly say they perform really, really well. I dont feel like spending $30-$45 for 12 balls, not because I can't, it's simply because I dont want to. For $15 for a box of 12, in my humble opinion, they're really hard to beat. I played a 6300 yard course on sunday with 5 drivable par 4 holes (315 yards, 267 yards, 327 yards, 252 yards, and 280 yards) and i drove each one using my driver or 3-wood with the Freak ball (i've been on this forum where people doubt that people can drive 300 yards if you're not a pro, but I can and did). The only one that didnt carry was the 327 yard hole as it rolled up onto the green. Im not here to argue that, but put my stamp of approval on this freak ball. It's the ball i'll be using for the summer... If anyone else has any input on the ball, please share.

I'm a fan of the following two: Bridgestone e5/e6 ($20 - $25) Top Flite D2/Freak ($15 - $22) I have combination depending on what im trying to...drive long or hit it soft on par 3's with irons, but those are your best bets in my opinion...

I was in your grey area last year as well and I pulled the trigger and switch to pure blades, and I couldnt be happier. Yes, they are harder to hit at first, but when you start finding your swing and hit begin to him crisp, you'll be happy you did. I'm going on my 4th month of owning my blades and about a month into really playing with them, and Sunday was my first day out with them. I played as expected, somewhat ok, but I had 3 pars and a birdie, so it's starting to pay off. When you hit a blade, you dont feel the ball come of the face...it just goes...and there's no better feeling. I would tell you to do it, and just go for it. People will say only get them if you're a low handicapper, but its my opinion that if you really want to test your game out and keep on challenging yourself, then go for it. Im close to your build (6'2", 195) but a bit older (28) and i couldnt be happier with my decision. Go for it...

Just happened yesterday. After a 280 yard drive (which i had to argue with the guys i was playing with as their math skills arent very high...377 yard hole and i hit it a little bit past the 100 yard marker (red) towards the green...do the math...280 yards)... I hit a 54 degree wedge that i pulled left that landed on the first cut of rough outside of the green about 50 feet away. The green was on a downward slant so i picked a spot to chip it to in hopes i would roll it towards the hole. 30 feet out and roughly 6 feet above the hole and just let it roll on a curve down and get it within a few feet. Few feet me arse...the sucker went in!!! Least to say, i threw my club in exhiliration and made my first birdie of the year. Too bad the rest of the day sucked, but at least that hole was encouraging...

4 years ago this June I shot a still course record 142 at St. Andrews in West Chicago, not to be outdone by my 32 year old cousin last year at Bloomingdale Golf Course with what I think has to be the world record, never been heard of 183 (and this was after spending 3 months and 6 training sessions at a range...yes, he may be a doctor, but in golf, that only means he can pick up the tab)... :)

Maybe this will help... http://www.chelseapiers.com/gc01.htm

I lived in Gotham (NYC) for the last year and recently moved back to Chicago, and I ran into the same problem. I did come up with a solution though. If you're in Manhattan, go to Chelsea Piers. I did that for a year, once a week, using a spare 56* wedge and 6 iron I left at my work. If that doesnt work and you want a good way to practice at no cost, find a park. I took a couple of wedges with me to central park and practiced 10-30 yards short game shots in isolated areas of the park. I had a few people join in, but no one really had a problem. I only got ushered away by a cop one time, but all the other times they didnt really care. Unless you live upstate, LI, or somewhere away from Manhattan, dont even bother with the game. Manhattan may be great, but its a disaster for your game...

This is a golf forum and we're getting and receiving alot of great advice, but I got to thinking that we spend 4 plus hours on a course and need some humor when things aren't going well, so i'm asking everyone to put in their favorite jokes in this thread. It doesnt have to be golf related at all. Let the good times roll...

What I did before I bought a set of players irons after moving up from game-improvement clubs (from Taylormade r7 Draw iron to my current) was that I settled on 4 iron sets after trying a slew of them out at Golfsmith (Mizuno MP-57, Titleist 755, TaylorMade rac TP/MB, and Nike Forged). What I did is found one club of each set used (its easy to find 6 irons that were demoed) after scouring all the golf stores and online sites and went out to hit each one with a bucket of balls and felt each one out. Here's I ranked them at the end: 1. TaylorMade rac TP/MB - tie 1. Mizuno MP-57 - tie 2. Titleist 755 3. Nike Forged I really had a tough time between the TM and Mizuno's as I felt they were very equal in performance and feel. I purchased the TM's becuase I got them from $1000 to $500 because only the 6 iron was used as a demo. The 6 iron had a couple of nicks, but the rest of the clubs, nary a scratch. I would advise you to do the same. I only have the Nike forged remaining because I gave away the other two to friends who were going through the same debate. I know where they're at and who has them incase someone decides to get stupid and tries to sell them, which ain't gonna happen. Hope my experience helps you in your decision...

Hey everyone. I wanted to get people's input on this because i'm a bit perplexed by some of the ranges i go to and how accurate their distances are. Does anyone really know how accurate these places really are. Some ranges I can pelt a drive well over the 250 yards fence, and some I find myself struggling to. Some I hit my 7 iron 160 yards and the others ill hit 175 (where the pins are located). Let me know if you're experiencing the same thing...

I don't know to be honest besides probably guessing that its a club that was sponsored by him. He made a killing back in 1983...or did he :) http://www.pgatour.com/players/r/?/00/54/23/results

Spends way too much time on this forum with 1,100 plus posts and not enough time working, and oh how i envy that :)

I may have to disagree a bit. You're right, he's not 6'2", but he's a legit 6'1" and yes, smaller than you'd expect in size (as far as how he looks like on TV). I could buy 190 pounds. When he was playing at the PGA Championship at Medinah a couple years back, my ex was working at a local gym that he and Phil Mickelson both worked out at Monday through Wednesday before the tournament. She called me when he was there and i ditched work for a day. He's very nice in person. I'm 6'2" and weigh 195 and at that time, he had a slightly smaller physique than me and was pretty much eye level. I had him on both fronts, but that's pretty much where it ended (skill, money, business, travel...safe to say i fell short in those categories). I only saw Phil from a distant as he was unapproachable, but from what i could tell, he looked like he was heavier and shorter than Tiger, so I could believe 5'11" and 215. Again, this was 2 years ago, so their weights have obviously changed...

I would recommend it. I bought my irons from Golfsmith for half the price of the new set ($500 from $1000). The reason they were discounted so much was because they were demo clubs, so basically, the 6 iron and PW were the only clubs used, and of the two, only the 6 iron had some scratches. I would recommend it and then some if you find a good set. If you like them, get them...

You guys are all right and you are on the right track. The mechanics everyone has listed in this post is the proper way. Up until 2 months ago wasn't until I finally learned how to spin a ball back or make it stop dead off a second bounce. The big thing you guys didn't touch on were clubs. Your clubs have a major impact on spinning ability. The example I can give is that I have a 2 year old 60 degree cleveland wedge and i just purchased 2 new wedges (taylormade 54* and 58* satin TP wedges). I also am considering a new 60* wedge because of spin. My cleveland wedge is and the club face (including grooves) feel smooth, which isnt good. They're worn down a bit because I practiced with it alot the grooves are no longer catching the ball and creating the desire spin. Using the new wedges, with the exact same swing, im generating the results I want (backspin for starters). You may want to test that theory. Im not saying to go break the bank on a new club, but you can go to Dick's Sporting Goods and pick up an Acunity brand wedge or Golfsmith or whatever store you shop at just get a low end wedge with good grooves to test out this theory. I think the clubs make a big difference. The new higher end models are made specifically for generating a greater amount of spin (Cleveland Zip Grooves, TaylorMade Y-Grooves, etc)...

That's a good point. Granted, there are some on the tour who are shorter but can still produce high speed (Camillo V. comes to mind), but generally the bigger guys can produce higher speed because of their extra length (Bubba Watson, John Daly, Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, JB Holmes, etc). I remember an interview with Tiger woods saying that if Michael Jordan was a ••••••••er and had his mechanics down during his athletic hey-days, he'd be afraid to see how far he could hit because of this extra length and agility. That's a good point...not a determining factor of course, but a good point...

Well since you don't want to believe me, i'll let Mr. Woods speak for himself. The only added thing i'll to this is that in a clinic being done by Tiger Woods, he says that his average is 290 yards at 80%, so his swing speed is more around the upper 130's. I rest my case... http://www.videogolfclub.com/golf-vi...-swing-vision/ Club speed - 139mph Ball speed - 186 mph Trajectory 11.2 deg Distance - 297 yards (on the fly)

Lol...funny. Actually it is 121.3 on five swing done at Golfsmith last summer when i was getting fitted. And no, from what I remember watching a tournament last summer, my swing falls well short of Tigers, which according to the telecast was at 139 when they tracked it. I dont claim to be great, but I am athletic and flexible.

On five swings my driver speed averaged 121.3 mph, and thats generally with me keeping it under control

I'd also take a look at the TaylorMade rac Satin TP wedges or thier new Z-Groove wedges. I just bought the 54* and 58* satin TP wedges after trying them out on the range. I tried everything as well, including the cleveland and titlest. I was a bit biased because these wedges match my irons, but at the same time, their feel and performance were the same if not a tab bit softer than the clevelands.

No, I dont think I am. I think i'm being reasonable. I'm not talking about her playing Augusta or Pebble Beach. I'm talking about if she picked an event that suited her more than some of the truly rough courses out there, I think she could hold her own. I know the courses are much shorter and I know that women arent as long as men, but I gotta give credit where credit's due. The woman is good...really really good. This is coming from someone who hates when Michelle Wie tees up at a men's tour event when she still hasn't won one event on the women's tour. I may be deluded on this one, but i'm not backing off the idea that she could very well do it. It's a mute discussion anyways because (1) she hasn't registered for a men's event and doesnt look like she will, and (2) it's just a notion...nothing more nothing less.

I dont really follow women's golf too much, but it's hard not to notice how she's playing. I'm not closed to the idea of a woman playing on the men's tour, but a few tried, and so far not one has succeeded in making the cut. Annika came real close a few years back as I think she was off by two strokes. It would be really interesting to see if how she would fare. Something tells me she would be the first to make the cut, and even go so far as saying that she could very well be in the top 30. I think she's that good...

Yeah, actually I am. I have lost about 20 yards of the clubs so you may be right. Im going to stop by Golfsmith today and find out.