Tee2Trees

Man that sounds painful. I'd say you're swinging too close to your body but you should wear protective work boots until you get it figured out.

I'm pretty solid with the 3W but with a 5W I can get too steep and hit pop-flys. The first question to answer with your FW's is whether to go shallow-face or deep. For me deep-faced FW's can be more reliable, although sometimes a bit shorter off of tight lies. I like to use a relatively shallow 3W (Xhot) for max distance potential off the deck but then a deeper faced 5W (actually 2H) to give me more consistent distance and trajectory from varied lies.

It won't, but it will be more forgiving than any other club on the market. Hit anywhere on the face the ball will travel the same distance and no gear effect from hitting off-center.

There are basically two paths you can go down as your game develops: get a proper fitting now and hope it doesn't change very much over time or until your next upgrade, or just learn to play well with off-the-rack clubs and then you will always have that option. I have managed to do both: my "custom spec" involves slightly upright lies and mid-weight shafts at standard length. But I also have a couple sets of irons with "standard specs". The difference in performance is minimal and I can adjust between them with small changes in my setup (grip and ball position). Also bear in mind that "standard specs" vary between manufacturers and even within a given manufacturer's product line, so you really have to go by the spec sheet of the specific club you are interested in. Many times you can fit a "custom spec" by identifying a "standard" that fits it: i.e. Taylormade for over-length, Mizuno for flatter lies, Titleist for heavier shafts, etc. etc. In summary, you can't really go very wrong here. And whatever issues you end up having out on the course probably isn't going to be caused by your club specs. Just pick what you like and feel comfortable with.

Since Kaepernick claims he is protesting against cops who get away with murder, I wish some reporter had the nerve to ask him which cops and cases he actually has a problem with? Is he protesting against the federal DOJ and Eric Holder who aquitted Darren Wilson after determining there were numerous lies in the BLM narrative? Is he protesting against the city of Baltimore Grand Jury who aquitted the Freddy Gray officers after also determining there were numerous lies in the BLM narrative? Is he protesting the Chcago Grand Jury who sentenced police officer Jason Van Dyke to prison for murder? Why is our useless media so afraid to ask for specific details about these athletes' self-proclaimed righteous cause? The the dimwitted suits for ESPN Berman and Young decide they need to credit Kaepernick "for opening up a discussion" for the TV audience. Well that should include some mention of Tim Brackeen, just the latest police officer murdered by a criminal he was serving a warrant to, shouldn't it? A perfect example of why criminals often need to get shot by the police and acting indecisively costs them their lives. Instead, it is a non-story that gets no coverage specifically BECAUSE of the conversation we should be having that Kaepernick's antics have managed to stifle!

The Cleveland should have a slightly shorter and heavier shaft than the Nike. I don't think the stiffnesses would be much different but the head weight is probably more on the Cleveland which would help load the shaft. 45" length and 65 grams is generally going to provide more control than 45.75" and 55 grams.

I've had two "miracle" 9-hole rounds in my life. One included a birdie and an eagle in a JV high-school match. And then last year I brought my "vintage set" to the local course (Ping Zing 2's and a Pal 4 BeCu putter) and made three straight birdies and a 4th one two holes later. But I still have yet to break par over an entire 9-hole round. The key to my 4-birdie day was the fact that on almost every one I left myself exactly 150 yards to the pin from the fairway and, well, I guess I had my 7 iron grooved that day.

He's wrong. Not because of the flag or the anthem or the military or his salary or his lagging performance or his fame or his status or his upbringing or any of that. He's wrong because he said his reason for doing it is because the police are killing too many black people. Well, the police aren't the problem. He has been motivated by propaganda and is perpetuating a myth with his selective outrage. If he wants to see less black people getting gunned down he should support the police, but instead he has it exactly backwards. Not a very deep thinker, this Kaepernick.

Back in high school I learned how to get 3 unique distances out of single club using a consistent full swing every time. For the 55-degree wedge: Square stance, gripped at end = 80 yards. Open stance, gripped at the end = 70 yards (increased loft). Open stance, gripped down = 60 yards. Now I have added a lob wedge to my bag and it has only made my short-approach distance control worse. Sure, it is a good option when chipping to a tucked pin, but the full swing consistency isn't as good as I used to have with my old Wilson 1200 LT.

Eye 2's have a deeper cavity and probably more sole bounce (especially in the Eye 2+).

This has been an interesting thread to read. For me, the distance is usually there, but clean strikes are not a given. I use the swing which comes most natural to me, which most people would describe as looking somewhat wild ala John Daly or Bubba Watson (club goes way past parallel on the backswing and with the left heel up off the ground and maybe some left elbow bend for good measure). Some days this works great for me and I continue to improve my consistency so I'm not planning on shortening the swing from what I am already comfortable with. As for the shorter hitters, has anyone tried using a longer, long-drive style swing? I'm sure this is not recommended, but I would be curious to hear if a big wind-up like Daly and some jumping off the ground at impact like Bubba adds swing speed to an otherwise controlled player. Also, has anyone tried SGI distance irons? The Cleveland 588 MT is a good example, as they are offered with 50 gram graphite shafts and almost a full inch above standard length. I would think that approach would add at least a few yards per club, but difficult for a guy like me to keep on plane with consistency. I always though this category would be an equalizer for slower swingers who can control an ultralight club.

Could be the first domino which has fallen. I bought a new Method putter from Nike for $90 a couple of years ago and just recently another one for $55 (and passed on a new Method core for $35). They are probably losing money on clubs even without considering what they pay for the big name endorsements. Mizuno is similar to Nike corp and could be in similar dire straights with golf clubs. Srixon/Cleveland is probably bleeding cash on golf equipment as well. And Adidas is already looking for another buyer for Taylormade/Adams.

I don't think the X22's in general are known to be heavy, but you may have heavy shafts in them or they may be over-length. In stock form they work great for a lot of people. For a new set, you might want to first think about what style of iron you want to "grow into" as you improve. That being a super-game-improvement club marked by a long blade length, wide sole, and generous offset, or a regular GI or player's club with a shorter blade length, narrow sole, and little offset. There are great players who use both types out there, so it really is more about preference than performance. Some people will insist that a narrow sole is required to maintain a low ball flight, or a short blade length and little offset is required to hit a fade, but professional golfers Colin Montgomery and Annika Sorenstam have proven otherwise during their careers. But maybe like many people you will find you like players clubs just because they look nicer in the bag and inspire confidence (or so I'm told). Of the examples you mention, Mizuno JPX-EZ are the most "Super-game-improvement". After that it would be the Adams XTD irons that are slightly less in this category as well as the Mizuno JPX-EZ forged. The Adams XTD tour irons are definitely in a different category and can be called regular GI or player's clubs. Hope this helps!

I keep thinking about how the massive number of new golf clubs being manufactured each year. Is it reasonable to think that an equal number of old clubs are being thrown away? At some point, the world will have reached peak inventory and these two numbers will balance out, meaning huge numbers of golf clubs will end up in the dumpster each year. Today we are comfortable throwing away old Spaldings, Bullet, and Daiwa clubs, but it won't be long before before your treasured Taylormade R11 driver goes right in the trash because it is literally worthless and you need the closet space to hold your winter coat during the golf season. Kind of odd to think about!

Looks like about one set per week is going for that. Remember they are new but have to be listed as used due to MAP restrictions. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-2016-Model-Mizuno-JPX-EZ-Forged-Irons-4-GW-Steel-XP-95-Stiff-S300-Iron-set-/391513678229?hash=item5b2808a195:g:1dQAAOSw9eVXWDUl

It's the updated 2016 JPX-EZ. JPX-EZ Forged were running about $90 higher. This speaks to the basis of my conjecture. These were in original Mizuno packaging. I think Mizuno is in on the ebay sales just to dump excess inventory without affecting the pricing on their website. I don't think it is traditional cyclic marketing. The closeout price cuts are getting deeper and they are coming sooner. Something has to give.

Push-draw with the driver and pull-fade with the irons. I can do the opposite with each pretty easily but I struggle to execute the above on command.

Tough call. You can get fit for a driver/shaft and then you might consider it obsolete within 5 years due to advances in technology (or end up deciding on a different shaft length, etc). A good putter, on the other hand, can last you a lifetime. But a well-fit putter comes with an even smaller guarantee of working out for you in the long run. Most golfers have at least 2 putters, which may be "fit" properly or not, and eventually one of them begins to misbehave and the backup is called into duty. In short, a "fitted" driver combo is sure to work well but has a shorter shelf life long-term. On the other hand, while a "fitted" putter isn't going to be overpassed by technology it is less likely to stick as a unique solution for your game long-term as your putting style might change over time and the occasional slumps are inevitable.

Being an equipment junkie, I did some online shopping for some new clubs over the week. Here is what I found. Mizuno, one of the most respected brands in golf, is making some of their iron sets available through an ebay seller to the highest bidder. I got my set 4-PW for $230 +shipping. The listing describes the condition as "used" (to save some brand reputation amidst the cheap prices), but in fact they are brand new in retail packaging drop-shipped directly from Mizuno. Adams, recently acquired by Taylormade and undergoing a brand identity shift, is making what was their previous top of the line XTD iron set available to anyone with $190 + free shipping with custom shaft and grip specs. Their corresponding XTD brazed titanium hybrids are also available brand new to the highest bidder and going for about $20 each plus shipping, again drop-shipped directly from Adams. Cobra, not shy about discounting previous year's models on their own website, must have found they needed to do more because their excellent titanium/carbon Fly-Z+ driver with real-deal Matrix shaft from last year is running about $95 through a large dealer and you can pick either white or black. This one is described as "open box with accessories" probably to disguise the fact that is is another production over-run being dumped at bargain-barrel prices. Nike makes one of the most costly putters to produce in the Method, and even here they are dumping excess inventory under the "open box" guise for something like $35 to $55 depending on the model. So needless to say I did well in my shopping. But notice that these premium clubs made by respected brands have depreciated by up to 75% from the original "store" price within 1-2 years without ever being taken out of the packaging. This is literally below the high-volume production cost levels. Something must change. I can think of two things could alleviate the glut of new equipment. The club manufacturers could collude and drastically reduce their supply of clubs and correspondingly increase prices and eliminate fire-sale discounts. This would also need to incorporate a much longer product cycle. It's probably not realistic due the collusion aspect alone. The other possibility is for quite a few manufacturers to go out of business. Adams can't survive if their new business model involves selling $200 hybrid for $50 within a year of release and then dumping them for $30 on ebay a few months after that. Who else could go? Well probably every single one of the smaller brands plus some bigger ones (Cobra?, Nike?, Mizuno?, Callaway?). What does it mean to the consumer? I would say sell any "extra" clubs you own while they still have some kind of value. Don't expect the trade-in market to exist very much longer. The new normal is going to be an environment where used golf clubs are dealt with like used socks. And don't fool yourself about anything holding value after buying it at retail. The value in your clubs is created by the length of your experience with the instrument.

Well not exactly. Just by virtue of the longer lever you will increase the SW and soften the flex. But by no means do you need to get caught up in the "specs" of the club and make changes based on that alone. You will most likely be able to adapt to anything with practice.

I think it's a good idea and something I've wanted to try myself in the past. My only recommendation is if you want to carry anything higher than 56 degrees then you should keep the lob wedge at stock length and refrain from using it on full shots. This club is more useful and important for greenside work.

I don't like the bag stands at the range. For me they get in the way and using them offers no additional stability over the bag itself. If you watch the PGA guys warm up on the range before an event they never have the stands out and many of them just lay their golf bag on the ground the same way it has been done for the 200 years before stand bags.

You're right. He doesn't take a step forward. He actually just shifts more of his weight to the balls of his feet when he brings his putter into position, and that is the moment that the ball moves. As an intensely fact-based person I will conclude that if it wasn't the wind or grass growing/straightening that caused the movement it was the weight shift of DJ as he leaned forward to address the putt that caused enough movement of the ground underneath to move the ball. But for heaven's sake, it wasn't some tremor from soleing the club 1-2 seconds prior. Ultimately I would defer to the player's perception of the matter. Otherwise you kinda promote cheating by letting the players know they essentially have NO HONOR nor are expected to have any. We will look at super-slo-mo replays and assess penalties wherever we can based on "more-likely-than-not" standards which hold greater authority than the player or opponent who has a better view of the event in the first place.

We only have video of whoever was in the top 5 contending for the lead (plus some extra Rory and Jordan coverage) and at the moment of address before the putt. Seems more than likely that balls were oscillating like that on the greens all the time after they initially came to rest.