BGPro

To each his own... just find one that fits your hands (and stance), feels good to you, and one you have confidence in. I use the newport 2.5, and love it. Putters are very personal.

the one thing EVERYONE should have is a weighted club, preferably an iron such as the momentus. Other than that, putting aids are at the top of my list. Where do you score? the putting green. You can even make some of your own. The string drill... two pencils and 5' of string. place two shafts on the green and putt between them, keeping them 1/4" or so from each side of the putter head... i mean, why spend hundreds of dollars when you can make your own that are cheap, get the job done, and are VERY trustworthy. That's my 2 cents. If you want more ideas, I have a plenty of drills that I teach... just ask. Oh, and weighted clubs should be for warm-up purposes primarily... don't expect them to "put your swing on plane every time, or cure that slice"... they are good for primarily warm-ups, and you can find them for $30 or so at a sporting goods store... you don't need the name brand, just something heavy.

For those players out there with scratch or better (or tour experience), do you find yourself going through about two driver shafts a season? I've went through two shafts last year between all the practice I do and the tournaments I play, and I don't yet have the luxury of a tour van. Can anyone else relate? My swing speed is around 125-130, and I've played a VSProto 70 X, and a DVS 70 X... thinking of trying the Diamana Whiteboard, but for the price I don't want to have to keep replacing a $300 shaft twice a year for just my driver. I am very confident that it is not my swing, as I video and analyze it constantly... could I have just had two bad shafts? Any insight would be helpful. Thanks!

Like I said earlier, if you decide to "tip" the shafts, yes, you can make them a bit stiffer. However, beware that you could potentially change the characteristics of the shaft slightly. In your case, you could probably get the 6.0s and if they aren't quite stiff enough, you can tip them 1/4", but no more than that. Doing it that way, you won't have to just buy new shafts. If I were to take a set of clubs and tip them, it would be about $10-15 a club (also factor in you'd have to extend the clubs as well). Also, just because you wish to slow your swing down doesn't necessarily mean you should get new shafts. So maybe you'll lose 5 yards or so by slowing down your swing with the 6.5's... but you've always got the right stuff if you need to hammer down on a shot. Really, the stiffer the shaft the more control you have over aim. Just take your 6.5s out and try smoothing out your swing at the range for a while and see how that works first. I would hate to see you spend money that you don't need to. Good luck with the decision, I wish you well!

Not necessarily... if you like the characteristics of the 6.5 ProjX's but want the shaft to react better to a slightly slower/smoother swing, then the 6.0's are the way to go. The X100's are a very common shaft among low handicappers and professionals, but they posses different characteristics such as spin rate, trajectory, feel, weight, and playability. PERSONALLY, I find the X100's to be a lighter, but bulkier shaft in my hands. I like the feel of the ProjX's because it feels more solid, I feel that I can control every aspect of the shot including trajectory, workability, and distance. I would suggest going to a large retail store and demo a club that offers both shafts. Another good idea is to go to a DEMO day for ANY manufacturer. A large demo day should offer the SAME clubhead with the two different shafts. Another option would be to go to your local clubmaker or pro shop and see if they can order one of each of the shafts. .. then put them each in your 5iron, and see which you like best. The short of it is, if you CARRY the ball 190-200, you should probably be swinging the 6.5's. One more thing that is important and something a good club builder/fitter will help you with... how do you load the shaft? I hope this helps, and feel free to ask me more questions as I'd be happy to help. Sorry I take a long time to explain things, but I like to be thorough... I mean, we're dealing with potentially hundreds of dollars, lol.

Be very careful about that... just because the loft is the same does not mean you will hit it the same. Yes, a 5wood has 18 of loft and a 3hybrid has 18 of loft. HOWEVER, the hybrid is significantly SHORTER than the 5wood... thus, the 5wood TYPICALLY hits it farther than the 3hybrid. I'm not saying that some people can't hit a 3hybrid as far as a 5wood because I'm one of them. Just be careful that you take into consideration a hybrid and a wood are NOT the same, NOR very interchangeable. A hybrid, is typically used to replace the long irons, and not the fairway woods. I DO agree however, that a 2hybrid with say 15 or 16 degrees of loft would be the closest thing to a 5wood, but the characteristics will be different (trajectory, shot shaping ability, and distance).

To each his own... however, i know that's what the website for royal precision says, but working with clubs as my profession, plus using the shafts myself, I feel that the 5.0 is soft regular, 5.5 regular, 6.0 soft stiff, 6.5 strong stiff, and 7.0 extra stiff. It's one thing to trust the website specs, but it's another to put the shafts on the "freak" and see for yourself. NEVER trust what the specs SAY they are... I've used a R300 before in a 2hybrid, and I hit that 2hybrid 250+ carry. It freaked out around extra-stiff with only a 1" tip. Take the 6.5's to your local club builder and have him/her put them on the frequency meter and see where they go. That's a very reliable way to see how stiff they are.

i should have looked at the entire post, sorry... why don't you just switch out your ProjX's from your titleists and put em in the new clubs? At my shop, it would only cost you around $7-15 a club to do that... all I'm using is glue and new ferrules, and it only takes like 2 hrs. to work on them.

each shaft should cost you around $30-30. you can buy sets for $250 or so. Also, keep in mind that 6.0 doesn't mean stiff... it's a softer stiff. 6.5 is a strong stiff, and 7.0 is x-stiff. You can always make a shaft stiffer, but not softer... so if you're going to err, err on the soft side, and you're local club maker can "tip" the shafts to make them stiffer (but this changes some characteristics of the shafts also, as the ProjX's are a "butt-trim" only shaft). what is your reasoning for purchasing ProjX's? they are a lower ball flight than the S300's with a much heavier weight, typically.

replace your 3wood with another 3wood, lol. a hybrid is not anything like a 3wood. Do you carry a 5wood? If your bag setup is D,3,5,whatever... then yes, you replace the 3wood with another one. But if your bag is set up D,?,hybrids/irons on down, then i suggest possibly a strong 5 or even a 4wood. It all depends on what you want. In my honest opinion, do not go with titleist if your handicap is a true 30+... the heads are too small and very unforgiving. callaway is good for mid to higher handicappers, and so is taylormade. You probably want something with a larger face and more forgiveness, unless you plan on dropping that handicap below a 10 within one season.

I like to use my 2iron when it is windy and i want to keep the ball low. hybrids are designed to get the ball up quickly and land softly. I also have a 2hybrid, but i typically carry 3 wedges instead of either 2iron or hybrid. It all depends on the conditions you play and your ability level. For most people 2irons are very tough to hit consistently, and thus the invention of the hybrid. Oh, and about hitting something 235 from 3" of rough... take your medicine and hit a shot into wedge range and you'll be better off, lol.

While yes, these all contribute to some degree, there is one factor that everyone is leaving out... SOLID CONTACT. I don't care if you use old macgregor clubs or the newest vokey wedges... I'll bet you $$ I can still back up a 20+ yr. old wedge JUST as good as the new ones.

I played the S400's for about 4 years before I switched to the Project X's. What a difference! The shafts are much heavier than DG's, but I like the feel of a heavier club. I only reccommend the Proj. X shafts to someone who actually NEEDS them. If your game is single digit or better, go for it. I really wouldn't reccomend them for someone who has a handicap of 8+.

The SV Tour wedges are some of the most consistent wedges I've ever played... and they DO come in a black finish, just not in all the lofts they have.

Unless your getting to single digits or lower in your handicap, you won't notice a 1* difference.

Yes, tipping the shafts will stiffen them up. Usually, if it's a stiff shaft a 1/2" will tighten it up just enough to be noticeable. If your clubs came from the factory already +1/2", just extend the clubs 1/2" with extensions. Typically, factory graphite shafts are a slight bit weaker than they say they are (at least in my experience with club building). I hope this helps!

With a clubhead speed of 115, yes, and X-stiff is what you need. I also agree that an X-stiff may not give you all the benefits you need. Here's what I suggest... Find a shaft you like in stiff flex. Go to your local golf repair shop and ask them if they will install it for you. Have them take 1" off the tip of the shaft, as this will make it stiffer and perform like a "soft X" shaft. As for the trajectory, it does have something to do with the shaft, but also with the clubhead. All these new clubs are designed to have a higher ball flight in order to get maximum distance, but are horrible to use in wind. I would suggest taking a piece or two or three of lead tape and tape the sole of the driver close to the face. This will now move the center of gravity lower and more forward on the club, resulting in a lower ball flight. I know this because I just went through the same thing you are going through. If I may make a shaft suggestion, I just switched to the Aldila DVS 70X, which I tipped 1" to make it XX. I would try the DVS in stiff first, and if it still isn't stiff enough, pull it apart and tip it 1" and see how that works. I used to use the VS PROTO, but the DVS is a much better shaft.

I like to use saddle soap to clean them, then mink oil to protect them and keep the leather treated and soft. Cedar shoe inserts are a must if you want to keep your shoes around. If you take care of them, I've had shoes last upwards of 4+ years!!! and I play EVERY day!

Oh, their turn time is 1:40... a fast, yet reasonable turn time.

Thanks for your thoughts... I'm actually the Assistant Pro at the course, and I DID make the noon group wait. They got pissy, bitched at me, went to the head pro then the club president. The pro and president stood behind my decision, yet still they bitch at me. I don't understand some people. Today I timed their front nine... 1hr on the dot! They came in and bitched at me 15 min. before they teed off, and I knew they were going to try and cause a problem again on purpose... this time I was prepared. Unfortunately the 1:00 group didn't show up because of the heat, so I'll see what happens tomorrow and friday. I'll be waiting for them. Don't you think that an hour for 9 holes is ridiculously fast anyway? I mean, in this group a 5 footer is a gimme, lol. I always bite my lip whenever I enter their scores for handicaps, because I know they aren't finishing the holes.

I've got a question for you about turn times and pace of play. First of all, here's the situation... A nine-hole golf course; so you need to make a turn tee time for the back nine. Two groups have two seperate tee times (each group having about 8-10 players, so 4 or 5 somes) one at 12 and the other at 1. The 12 o'clock group plays their first nine holes in an hour and bumps into the 1 o'clock group. Who do you think has the right of way? Keep in mind, the pace of play is 1:40:00 for 9 holes at this course, and this is how the pro shop schedules your turn times. I'd be very intrigued to hear your responses!!! let me know, the 12 o'clock or 1 o'clock?

The stiffer the shaft, the straighter the ball flight. The more flexible the shaft, the longer the ball flight. It's finding the balance of the two that you need to take into account. The less torque you have on a shaft, the less twisting and therefore the more stable the shaft will be... that's the only thing torque does. Usually, the heavier the shaft, the less torque the shaft will have, because of the faster swing speeds used for the heavy shafts. I hope this answers your questions.

Agreed!!! 9/10. I got my Scotty Cameron used and the previous owner must not have liked paint because it has none on it. I think I may be adventurous and paint some groovy colors on it! Nice work on yours!

I just want to say that the weight of a wedge doesn't affect the spin you get. The clubhead speed affects the spin, along with the grooves and ball you play. I like the way my clubs feel now... consistent throughout the set. I've kept my wedges the same as they were, because I was hitting them lights out.

After matching the clubs using lead tape, I found that the feel of each shot is more consistent. The ball reacts the same for every club. I couldn't believe how mis-matched the weighting was... I wound up putting a ton of tape on my 4 iron, and none on my wedge. I think it was worth the hour or so of work, as I can feel a difference. Heavy clubs though... just how I like 'em!