walfice

Just yesterday I shot a 44/36. Worst I can remember was last year, 50/38 (new course to me and strong wind).

I got a new driver a couple months ago and decided I wanted a higher flight. The advantages of a higher flight for me are more carry which allows you to sometimes cut over a corner of a dog leg hole, carry fairway bunkers etc. Also, too much run can get you into trouble sometimes, especially when the fairways are dry and firm. Think about the ideal tee shot required on your home course. If I played in strong winds most of the time I would have gone with a lower launching driver.

If I was in your position I would get a new SW instead of a LW. Have a look at the Callaway x series jaws wedges,they look pretty cool and will go very nicely with your irons. Then I would probably look to get a 3h to bridge the gap between driver and 4i.

Have you taken it back to the retailer? They may replace it for free if it's still under warranty and you have the receipt.

Nice review, where have you seen them at £21? I haven't seen them for less than £29.99.

I've just replaced my wedges recently. I looked closely at the Ping tour w and vokey but decided to go with the nike VR wedges again. Imo they are pretty under rated, the only downside to them is there are not as many bounce/loft options like you get with vokeys and cleveland. Reading how you described your course you could maybe get a 58/60 with around 8 degrees bounce and a 54/56 with around 12-14 degrees bounce, that way you are covered for grassy lies and tighter ones too. Best thing would be to ask advise from your club pro.

When I had an R9 driver I put that shaft (45.25") in my R9 3 wood (just on the range to see how it worked). It worked great, certainly longer than the stock 3 wood shaft (43") and straight too. I wouldn't like to try it off the fairway though with such a long shaft. My advice (fwiw) would be to keep that 3 wood as it is if it is so reliable and try demo a 13 degree 3 wood. I had a nike sq 13 degree 3 wood, it was almost as long as my driver off the tee but hard to get any useful carry off the fairway.

I notice that Vokey wedges have different sole grinds. Q1. Is the grind with the soft, rounded trailing edge (not sure what the grind is called) designed purely to keep the blade closer to the ground when opening the face up? Is it beneficial for bunker play? Q2 Is this grind available with all lofts and bounce options?

Ogilvy switched to Titleist this year, also, I read a couple of weeks ago that Acushnet is selling off the Cobra brand to Puma. Did anybody else read this?

I have an R9 3 wood. It's the first 3 wood I've ever really felt comfortable with. I like the way the leading edge sits very tight to the ground, it gives you the confidence to hit it of a tight lie. It's probably not the most forgiving 3 wood but it goes very straight (for me). If I was to lose or break it I would get the same club again (maybe in a 4 wood though). The other 3 wood I was considering was the Ping G10/G15, it was a very close second.

That is a great price for a rapture. It wasn't really suited to me though, I found it a little dull feeling and sounding as is the case with other composite drivers I have tried. The diamana blue shaft is a very good one, it launches mid to high (I think) and has a nice smooth feel. If it was me I would go for it, you could always sell it on ebay if it doesn't work out.

I'm thinking of replacing my 3 iron with a 21 degree hybrid, I have good gaps between my 2h, 3i and 4i but would like a 3h to replace the 3i to make the game easier. Question I have is would there be much of a distance gap between my current 19 degree and the 21? How much of a gap do you get between closely spaced hybrids?

I'm playing the r9, it's the first 3 wood i've ever really got on with. It is hard for me to not hit it straight, I hit it so well I bought an R9 driver to go with it but I sold that because of it's lack of forgiveness on off centre hits. It doesn't have a very deep face so that may be a drawback for you if it's mainly to be used off the tee. Give it a demo along with a Titleist 909.

I used to play the Nike SQ 18 degree hybrid, it wasn't the easiest hybrid to hit but had a great sound and feel to it. I now use the TM 09 rescue in 19 degrees. It goes pretty much the same distance as the 18 degree nike but it goes a little lower than I'd like so will change to the 909h (which i demoed with the TM 09 but got a better deal on the tm so went with that) when funds allow.

Like previous posts said, try the white hot XG models, they have one of the softest feeling inserts I have tried

Demo the Ping G15, it is available with the aldila serrano shaft which launches pretty low. It is also a very forgiving driver with a nice sound to it.

You said 'casting is garbage....i wouldnt play anything but forged myself'. I assumed 'anything' meant 'any' club. My mind reading skills aren't what they used to be, sorry.

Better throw out those vokeys then.

I had my driver fitting today and went with the 909 D2 10.5 stiff Diamana. It was more forgiving than I expected, certainly more than my R9. I tried the d3/voodoo combo and it gave a very low flight. The diamana gave a good launch angle and spin rate and was more consistent than the voodoo, plus it had a nicer feel. The voodoo felt ok but a little harsh on off centre hits. Looking forward to taking it out on the course.

You can't go wrong at that price, go for it. Srixon make great balls, I personally think the AD333 is the best 2 piece ball on the market and better than many 3 piece balls.

I tried a 13 degree 3 wood last year and couldn't get the ball up off the deck. I was getting 190--200 max carry (about the same as my hybrid). I switched to a 15 degree and it goes much further (220ish carry), so less loft doesn't always mean more distance. On the plus side it was almost as long as my driver off the tee.

You could replace the 3i with a 3h and keep your wedges, or add a 5w/2h and use a 54/60 wedge setup (or 52/58, 54/58, whatever suits you) which is what I do. It works for me. PS, you have a nice bag, a 909 hybrid would be a great addition.

I demoed the D2 this week along with the Nike VR str8 fit and Ping G15. I'm going to demo and get custom fit next week but I think I will go for the D2, it felt great. The Ping was ok and the VR was probably a couple of yards longer than the D2 but I can't really afford the VR with it being so new to the market. I really liked the setup and feel of the D2 and the fact it comes at 45" as standard where as most other manufacturers are getting on for 46" shafts. I demoed the Voodoo shaft and the ball flight looked pretty good to me, I will see what the figures on the monitor say next week.

My brother plays these irons with the Project X shaft, he hits the irons a similar distance to his last set (tour edge ex-1. nippon ns.pro 950) but a little bit higher. Maybe the head/shaft combo doesn't suit you in these clubs. I know the DG shaft launches too low for me with excessive spin, so I was fitted with the DG high launch shaft.

The Srixon AD333 is a great ball. Good distance, good feel and spin. It also launches pretty high too. I'm going to give the Bridgestone E5 a shot when I've finished my Zstar x balls, i'm quite intrigued by urethane covered 2 piece ball.