PirateJim

There might be two in my last 20, but no more than that. Some people take a couple of vacations a year, never to the same place twice. Some people buy a time-share so they can enjoy the same place over and over. Some people are blessed to live in a place they love and vacation happily at home. My home course is close to home and a pretty decent layout with enough maintenance issues to give me something to gripe about but not enough to run me off. The next nearest course is a good ten miles away and I don't seem to have any more fun playing different courses than I do my regular. Different strokes... Jim

Congratulations, sounds like you got some really nice clubs. According to the Ping web site, the Tour X Stiff shaft is a 64g shaft with a "Low" launch angle. The Tour Stiff is a 60g shaft with a "Low Mid" launch, and the Stiff is a 58g shaft with a "Mid" launch. If you have a real high swing speed and tend to hit your driver high, the Tour X Stiff may be a good choice. If you can use a bit of help from the shaft getting 'em high like I do you may find it fires worm burners. Most people here will recommend getting fitted including me. You will likely, however, get good performance from the stock shafts since Titleist chooses them for stock because they should work for a range of players. If you tend to have a real high flight, be aware that the XP95 steel and Kuro Kage graphite shafts are both high launchers, so you may have an issue there. On the other hand, if you are a bit marginal between needing a R-flex and S-flex, the stiff shaft should lower the flight some for you. Once you get the clubs, if you find that you seem to consistently push or pull shots, particularly with the higher loft clubs, or if you note that your divots are noticeably deeper at the toe or heel, you should probably invest in getting the lie angle checked. It wouldn't be a bad thing to get that checked anyway. Enjoy the new clubs, I LOVE my AP1s!

Hi, and welcome to the forum. Sorry if this post is a bit delayed, but here goes. I just recently went through the same decision process and I went with the AP1s for the added forgiveness, though I did fill out the wedges with SCORs so the first row of my bag looks pretty sexy, though I did it for the performance really. Really! The AP2s are beautiful clubs, no doubt about that, but the AP1s aren't ugly or anything, and if you hold them side by side they aren't really that much bigger and as a 10 handicapper I recognize my game still needs "improvement" so game improvement clubs are appropriate for me. So far as whether to get a fitting, YES!!! The fitting includes checking the lie angle, etc. which is certainly important, but much more important a good fitting will include trying various shafts to get optimal performance on the launch monitor. You mention having a high ball flight, the right shaft can help keep it down, the wrong one can help you shoot rockets. If you are getting serious about golf and plunking down some pretty serious cash for nice clubs you owe it to yourself to get them spec'd out specifically for you. If you want to go with Titleist I would strongly encourage you to look at their web site and see if there is an Advanced Fitting Center anywhere within driving distance of you. They will generally have a wider variety of shafts on hand to try, and a fitter that is actually certified by Titleist. If you can find one, try making an appointment and try both the AP1 and AP2 and let the fitter guide you in your selection. The fitter I used doesn't charge if you order the clubs from him, and Titleist is pretty tough on pricing so you won't likely save anything buying from a big box store. Ask them up front about the cost. Hope this helps. Jim

I guess I really am a lazy cuss, but keeping real close track of /recording the results of each shot is too much work while I'm playing. However, when I hit a poor shot I sort of make a mental note of it. By the end of the game I usually have a feel for where I lost the most strokes and that area becomes my primary focus for practice for a bit.

I think that's a tricky question that only you can answer for yourself. It depends on what kind of shots you are hoping to accomplish with the club, and I would think it would also depend a lot on the hybrid you choose. I believe some companies are making their hybrids as more direct replacements for irons, so a 5 hybrid would be more a 5 iron than a 4 replacement. I have a 4 hybrid that I hit farther than I did my 4i, but that may be just me.

My recent experience has been with Titleist, but I suppose most manufacturers are at least somewhat similar. They have a few shaft options that are "standard." Then they have a fairly extensive list of "non-standard" shafts, some of which have a per club upcharge. Not surprising since the base price for various shafts varies considerably. Unfortunately, until you do the fitting you won't know what shaft will be recommended. For what it's worth, the Steelfiber shafts for my irons were a $40/ea. upcharge. It is my impression that is about the high end but for five clubs it set me back an extra $200.

I voted NO. Golf instruction would be exactly the same since the "instructors" would still be instructing as always (presumably) and people would still be watching tour pros play and wondering how they make some of their shots. Now, I will say that the vast majority of golfers would be better off if they didn't pour over each copy of Golf Digest, Golf, etc. and the various offerings from who knows who on Youtube hoping to find the magic solution for whatever their current problem is. But don't blame the tour pros, they no doubt make a few bucks for contributing. Don't blame the magazines either, they wouldn't print those articles if their customers didn't want to read them.

Rather than investing in a different club hoping the problem goes away, you might wish to consider getting a lesson. And whether you get a lesson or not, you will probably need to spend time on the range grooving the technique. On the equipment side, some find that a four is easier to hit off the deck than a three and that you don't sacrifice that much yardage.

I'll second the recommendation of the Golf Pride New Decade. I try to avoid getting rained on, but in Florida during the summer (winter too sometimes) you do sweat. The New Decades perform well wet or dry and they do wear well. I wear a glove most of the time but they don't bother me even if I don't have it on and I have pretty soft hands.

The thing about the Hot List is that a lot of GDs readers like seeing the Hot List, a lot of GDs advertisers like seeing their clubs featured favorably on the Hot List, and a lot of the editors like putting the Hot List together because it requires a number of field trips to nice places where they get to try out new golf clubs, often I presume with some hand picked cronies (the infamous Low Handicapper and Mid Handicapper that have their comments highlighted.) The tricky part is doing it in such a way that they don't anger any of their advertisers or turn off any of their subscribers enough to cancel their subscriptions. The end result is a pretty bland report, particularly where some of the comments about what is Not Hot are concerned. It's another magazine article... My bag's pretty much set for the next year or so, but I am still poking through the hot list because I like golf and golf equipment and am interested in what is out there. I wouldn't make a buying decision based on it though.

Nope. He'll spruce the place all up, probably build a world class hotel then slap his name on it and fill it with deep pocketed tourists. Given the uncertainty of other alternatives which of course includes turning the links back over to the sheep, I don't think it sounds bad.

I'm not sure there is much of a way to actually stop the intentional cheat since there's nothing to keep them from going ahead and posting an incorrect score. Golf depends upon personal integrity. Any sort of "rule" you could institute to force people to post all of their scores would hurt all of the decent people that aren't cheating and the cheaters would simply turn in padded scores and laugh about it. There are also those people that do post all of their scores, but tend to play a lot of different courses, "traveling handicaps" tend to run higher than those of homebodies that stick to their own club. The least draconian solution I can think of would be to establish a "tournament association" that would be open to all members that had an interest in participating in organized tournaments. Part of being a member of this association would be turning in score cards to the pro shop attested by everyone in the group for every round played. These could be used to establish a local handicap to be used for your tournaments. You would need to establish some number of allowed missed turn-ins and drop that person from tournament eligibility if the exceed it. But the person intent on cheating might well still manage to post padded scores. Making rules to enforce ethical behavior is always a slippery slope.

Oh, I understand it. I simply do not agree with the concept nor do I believe that it will be good for the game. Only time will tell for that of course.

There has been Goofy Golf for years. In my opinion, TaylorMade is shooting themselves in the foot. I personally will NEVER play their dumbed down game (I will NOT use the word golf in refering to that bastard version of the game they envision) and while I'm at it I will give up even considering equipment made by that company that is intended for use in the actual game. Yes, perhaps golf isn't growing the way it was ten years ago when the economy was better and there was more optimism for the future, but golf will survive even if it isn't dumbed down to the level of tic tac toe.

Meaning no undue disrespect to whomever did your "fitting" for those irons, if there was no consideration of shaft options it wasn't a very good fitting. So, the first thing to do is decide if you are happy with your Cobras and plan to keep them at least another year. If not, putting new shafts in them is sort of throwing away the money. If you want to change, then I'd figure out what you want and make sure to find a decent fitter that will show you the various shaft options available. I'm pretty sure every club manufacturer has options, although the clerks that do fittings for some stores seem to think the options only extend to what is in the rack. If you want to change the shafts, find a decent club repair shop that can help you with the selection. Optimally, they would evaluate your current setup on a launch monitor to try to find the right combination of launch and spin. Most shaft manufacturers have a number of offerings with various characteristics that are all "good shafts" for the right person. I recently went through a fitting where we tried about five different shafts before settling on one that worked best for me.

I toyed with the idea of a mixed set. The AP1 and AP2 are only one degree apart at the 6 iron, AP1 @ 29* and AP2 @ 30* so that, to me, seemed the logical place to make the set switch. After studying on it, reading a lot of comments from players already using both models and some personal reflection on the state of my game I went with a full set of AP1s. They are some of the best looking "game improvement" clubs out there (IMO) and I couldn't really see a reason to go with a mix of AP1 and AP2. I am, however, filling the bottom portion of my bag with SCOR wedges, so that still constitutes a "mixed set" I suppose.

My answer may depend upon the definition of a "full range session." I like to hit the range before playing to get my swing together for the day, get the joints moving, etc. I hit what probably equates to a small bucket starting with the wedge and working up to the driver focusing on smooth takeaway and transition mostly. This differs from how I approach a range only session where, after a brief warm up, I may focus only on hitting one club or one particular kind of shot through much of the session. I think a lot of people would benefit from hitting the range before playing. How many times have you heard people lament how well they hit their driver on the range and how poorly they do on the course? I suspect a lot of those folks walk out to the first tee after a few quick stretches (maybe) and a few practice swings and whale away with the Big Dog. When they hit a poor shot that ugly little voice in their head says, "Oh no! I just can't hit the driver well on the golf course. Oh, woe is me, here we go again." Just a few good shots on the range before tee time might have avoided this cycle of failure.

I certainly agree with the one thing at a time suggestions. I don't know what sort of conversation you had with this pro before you got started, but it sounds like he was cataloging issues that he felt like needed work. I am amazed a highly rated instructor would weigh a student down with that many suggested changes in one session though. Are you, perhaps, in a resort area where he gets a lot of students he will only ever see once and who are expecting that kind of "all in one" lesson? Also, given he is highly rated, I presume he charges a premium price. Perhaps he's a bit self conscious about that and trying hard to give you your money's worth? My suggestion, if you plan to continue with this pro, would be to have a heart to heart about information overload and request limiting it to one or at most two changes per session. On a related note, after about every lesson I take with my unranked but pretty good for me pro, I seem to be screwed up for about a week before things get a little better than they had been before the lesson. I'm pretty sure that is natural.

I would certainly encourage trying out the AP2 and 825 Pro, and anything else you can get your hands on. But I'm a believer of playing game improvement clubs until such time as you are actually a "player" and can find some benefit from "player's" clubs. I've been playing Ping G20s for over a year and in spite of their borderline (some think not so borderline) super game improvement characteristics I get enough feedback to tell what I've done on a mishit. Thing is, I still have enough mishits that the extra forgiveness of GI clubs probably saves me two or three strokes per round, maybe more? I have a fitting for some new AP1 714s set for Friday. By most accounts they are about as "workable" as any GI club while still being quite forgiving of the occasional mistake. I love the look and feel of the AP2s, but deep down I know I am better off with AP1s, and they look and feel good to me too. Whatever you decide, I would strongly encourage investing in a fitting though at this point I expect your choices for 712s are limited to what is in the dealer's stock.

I have no idea how it really is on golf courses in England, but here in Florida we get a good bit of rain, mostly in the summer though. The courses I play often close when they are really wet, and when just soggy they ask everyone to stay on the cart paths only. You can do a lot of damage to a course when it is really wet, especially with electric carts, but I expect that on many courses even walking on the greens could leave foot prints that would linger long after the soil dried out. I'm afraid that I don't see that the course "owes" you anything for choosing to remain closed on some particular day. I presume they are in business to make a profit, and if golfers aren't golfing they aren't making it. But if the golfers bung up the course and the greens are all lumpy or the fairways rutted and people choose never to go back to that course the profits are dinged even harder. The local pub doesn't owe you a beer because they were closed when you came by either.

Lie angle is very important, and most important in the short irons and wedges, or so I have been told. The good news is that you should be able to get that tested and adjusted for a modest fee. Most club repair/fitting shops should be able to check that the lofts match specs while they are adjusting lie. (You will probably need to supply the specs.) I would really suggest this even if you're going the off the rack route.

Everyone has to make their own decisions on what club to get and what they want to play. I'm about a 10 handicap too and can honestly tell when I don't hit my Ping G20s elsewhere than the sweet spot, and how far I missed. (Usually toward the toe, sadly.) I don't pay a huge penalty for that miss if it isn't real bad, which is nice on the course, not so important on the range, but if I didn't hit the club poorly sometimes I would be lower than 10. I'm thinking very hard about upgrading to Titleist 714 AP1s myself, I like the forgiveness, and I don't consider myself a "player" so game improvement clubs are in order for me. Good luck.

You didn't put any actual numbers on how much you are hoping to save by purchasing clubs that may not fit you very well, but only you can know what you can comfortably afford and how much you care about improving your game. You might go to Ping's web site and do their online static fitting and then see what is on eBay that matches that spec. But a proper fitting is about more than the lie angle or length, it is also about putting you into a shaft that makes the heads work best with your swing. Good luck, whatever you decide!

Sounds like you are quite correct that the short game needs attention. A lesson or maybe several might really help. However, getting off the course and out from under the pressure of the score card and practicing is going to be necessary. Personally, I prefer to pitch than chip most of the time and that is what I practice most. But if you are trying to chip the ball just onto the green and let it roll to the hole, you should not be knocking it way off the other side of the green with a thin/skulled shot I don't believe. Seems to me that just shouldn't get off the ground and after rolling through fringe grass it was supposed to jump over it would turn up short or at least not way far past the hole. If you don't get a lesson right away, at least find a place to practice and work out the skulls. For back yard practice, you might try sticking a tee in deep (~1/8 inch showing) and popping is out with the wedge or whatever club

I don't think I would recommend just parking on one hole to practice, but so long as nobody is behind you, you should eaisly get away with hitting six or eight pitches and chips per hole and then move along. That might be better practice anyhow. Don't forget bunker practice, and don't forget to rake. If the course is busier and you need to keep moving along, there is often time to hit a pitch or two while waiting to tee off or hit from the fairway, but I would keep those down to short ones. That might help your game in other ways too. Sitting and watching the group ahead can be wearing. If you do not have much lawn at home look around for a public park or the like that has some decent grassy areas you could practice in. You will find a warmer welcome if you are not taking big divots! But for non-full-swing pitches you really don't need to take much of a divot.