rebby

I sent my TeI3 into BOS last month and the UPS guy brought me this earlier today. Before... [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/golf/TeI3-before.jpg[/img] After... [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/golf/TeI3-after.jpg[/img] I got the shaft reinstalled a few hours ago. Waiting on the epoxy to cure is agonizing...

:whistle:

Sweet deal. Congrats, enjoy the new sticks.

I was finally able to spend some time on the driving range with the ShotMaker. I worked w/the SM in both my driver (E flex) and my 3-wood (D flex). Conditions were ideal for this type of test. It was 84 degrees out and I was hitting directly into a 7-8mph headwind. The range that I went to has Callaway Tour i range balls so the it's a comparable ball to what I play on the course (TM Penta), or at least more comparable than your everyday range rock. I have two drivers that are almost exact copies of one another so I installed the SM in one and left the other one alone. For this test, I used the weighted SM grip plug. I picked a small target about 250 yards down range with the goal of hitting the ball directly over it. I started with my SM equipped driver and proceeded to drive ball after ball almost directly over the top of my target. I did have one that got away from me to the right (a big block exasperated by the wind) and another that I pulled hard left (not coincidentally this was the ball that I hit directly after the block). Once I settled back down, I started hitting balls directly over my target with a the tiny baby fade that I like to play off the tee. Trajectory was exactly what I've gotten used to with the SM, just a touch lower than without the insert. The feel was also very good but even with the weighted grip plug, the swingweight felt a touch heavier (I have yet to weight it though). Almost as if I had a SensiCore insert in my driver. On good swings, dispersion was very tight. Balls were practically landing in the same spot time after time. I even had one hit another as it was bouncing down range! After hitting a number of balls with the insert I swapped to my other driver with the same goals in mind. Hitting into the wind was perfect for this test because if I'm going to lose a drive, I'm going to lose it when I'm hitting into the wind. The first thing that I noticed right off the bat was trajectory. The ball came off the tee about the same but rather than holding it's line it continued to climb and reached a much higher apex than balls hit with the SM. It defiantly didn't balloon but you could tell that there was more spin. On that note, my favored "tiny baby fade" was more of a fade. Rather than moving just a few yards to the right, the ball kept drifting rightward as much as 10-15 yards. Certainly controllable and expected into the wind. I did lose a few balls with this driver as well. Every one that I lost was a block to the right which is my typical miss with the driver, I think that it's more a mental problem with my release than anything else but I digress. Anyway, these blocked shots ended up further right and not nearly as far down range as the block that hit with the SM. This is consistent with what I experienced on the course as well (I hit a ball that I swore would be OB in a tournament last Sunday, instead I found it about 5 yards in bounds and 10 yards further than I expected it to be which setup a nice birdie). After hitting a number of drives with the SM, the feel without felt softer and more active, not quite as stable either. Just to be sure, I started swapping back and forth between the driver and continued to experience the same results as the bucket of balls slowly dwindled. The results with my 3-wood was exactly as I realized with my drivers. This test wasn't nearly as apples to apples though as my SM equipped 3-wood has 13' of loft and my other 3-wood has 15'. For that reason alone, I won't get into the, mainly subjective, details. Personally I really like the SM thus far. Hitting driver into the wind has always been one of my more difficult shots since I'm a higher spin player. I have a tendency to lose the ball into the wind which just crushes my confidence off the tee which, as you'd expect, results in tentative swings and just exasperates the issue (blocks). The lower spin/trajectory that I get with the SM helps my ball flight but I think that it helps my confidence even more. I'm convinced that being more confident over the ball is the biggest difference for me and has given me the biggest performance gain with the SM. I'm impressed enough with the SM that I'm really intrigued by the Mugen Prototype shaft now as well. I'd love to see how this shaft performs side by side with my Whiteboard but, for some unknown reason, I'm still sitting on the fence and can't quite pull the trigger. I think that part of my hesitation comes from the fact that I know I'm going to need yet another SM insert once I get that driver put together (I have a 909D3 head just waiting for a shaft). I've also had a really hard time finding some real world reviews of this shaft. As Harrison products become more popular however, this should become less of an issue. Does anybody have one of these shafts that they'd like to part with?

The sweet spot of your putter might be slightly toe bias. If it is, you'd be far better served hitting it out there. [url=http://www.golf.com/golf/instruction/article/0,28136,1623623,00.html]Finding your putter's sweet spot.[/url]

Here are a few quick pictures that I took when my SM kit first arrived; The full kit. Includes Shotmaker, installation tool, drill bit, documentation and caps. [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6446.jpg[/img] The drill bit is more of a single round blade. It's pretty sharp and should do the job with no problem. It has a guide in it that slides back and forth as seen in the pics (works great to remove the portion of the grip that gets drilled out). [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6447.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6448.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6449.jpg[/img] Fixed caps, intended to be glued in place. My kit came with 5 of these. [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6450.jpg[/img] The installation tool is a telescopic screw driver. The yellow handle is actually a torque wrench of sorts so that you're sure to use the correct torque when installing the Shotmaker. As you can see in the pictures, the wrench tip includes both a hex tip and threaded end. This allows for installation and removal of the Shotmaker as seen in the various videos provided by Harrison. [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6451.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6453.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6454.jpg[/img] The Shotmaker itself comes in a hard plastic sleeve (which is a good thing based on the damage the box endured during shipping). The weighted/removable grip plug was included in the box. [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6455.jpg[/img] The removable grip plug is secured in the same manner as the Shotmaker itself. As you can see, by tightening the bolt the rubber ring will expand and lock the plug. Using this plug will drop the swingweight by 1 point thus canceling out the affect of the SM (depending on how you feel about counterbalances that is). [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6456.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6457.jpg[/img] The shotmaker itself. [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6458.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6459.jpg[/img] [img]https://rebby.com/tmp/shotmaker/IMG_6460.jpg[/img]

I have 2 (one D flex, one E flex). The jury is still out but here is what I've noticed thus far; - Spin is lower and I'm seeing more roll out, thus a few additional yards. - Carry distance is unchanged. - Launch is roughly the same. - Swingweight is up 1 point. - Good swings still result in good shots. - Moderate swings result in slightly better (straighter) shots. - Bad swings still result in bad shots. - I've been in the fairway more often. I have 2 identical drivers (Callaway 9.5' FT Tour, Diamana WB) that I've been hitting side by side, one w/the ShotMaker, one without. Thus far this appears to be the real deal. I've only had them for about a week and haven't had much time to hit balls or play ([url=http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/blakerebelein]I'm actually in the PICU w/my son at the moment[/url]). I'm hoping to get some more time to really put these through the paces next week. At this point though, confidence is up and that alone is half the battle (or more).

In the end, I think that this will help Tiger. IMHO, he needs to mix up his "inner circle" a bit to bring about real changes.

[url="http://web.tigerwoods.com/news/article/2011072022046142/news/"]from Tiger's website[/url] Quite honestly, I didn't believe the rumors. I guess it's true...

I use bath towels on my golf bag. Even have one with a big Ashworth logo on it. I like these a lot more than the smaller golf towels, more real estate if you know what I mean. I think that I'm in the minority though. Instead of using a towel loop or ring to attach it to my bag, I just toss toss it over my woods/irons and let it weave through the various shafts. It's been a really good system that has worked well for me over the years. Don't overlook the towel section at your local discount store, you might find a few options that would really work out for you.

Nice, keep us posted on this. I've been looking for another set of CC wedges. Been considering another set of Scratch or Miura. This could sway my decision.

As with most of the others, my PW is from my iron set. Currently that means that it's a 48' Miura baby blade. I see no reason to replace it with anything else, it's a fantastic wedge. In fact, I would love it if I could get a 52' baby blade to replace my dedicated GW.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I used to have a set of SB-1's and still have my TD wedges. Great clubs.

Way to many variables to even pose a guess. It really depends on a lot of factors (shafts, grips, fitter, builder, etc).

"No Embroidery on the Forehead Area"??? What, you mean that I can't get my favorite [url=http://thesandtrap.com/forum/thread/47215/why-do-amateur-golfers-wear-brand-name-logo-hats-like-compensated-endorsed-pro-s]golf logo[/url] on the hat? I know of [url=http://thesandtrap.com/user/b+of+h]at least one member[/url] that should really appreciate that. :-)

My young kids have hats w/out the buttons. It just looks wrong to me.

ProLaunch Red, as previously mentioned, is a great starting point. Very good shaft for the money. If you're alright with spending a little bit more money though, the Diamana Whiteboard can not be beat. The Matrix Ozik Code 8 is a great choice as well. I use the Whiteboard in my driver and the Code 8's in my fairway woods. Great shafts. If you have the option of going to a quality fitter, that's your best bet. They'll have the best knowledge of what's going to work with your swing.

I agree. I really like the satin finish.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my baby blades but if you don't have the swing to play them, it's foolish to play them on a daily basis. Work on swing fundamentals in your swing and play them when you reach a level where a mishit doesn't physically hurt. If you/re seriously physically hurt after making a poor swing all that is going to do is cloud your mind and hurt your confidence. That is not good for your golf game. That said, hitting the baby blades will undoubtedly make you a better ball striker in the long run IF you're able to hit them repeatedly without ending up in pain. The feedback of these irons is phenomenal and, like an old school classic blade, feedback like that comes in more places than just the center of the clubface.

Ah, it's all in good fun. I sensed the under-toe of sarcasm. In fact, earlier in this thread, I was a little sarcastic about being a poser myself. :-D Those 710 MB's are solid irons. I wouldn't mind [b]playing[/b] them for a few rounds. I love the satin finish on the upcoming 712's too. Although, I don't think that I'll be letting my Miura's go anytime soon. [quote] I used to be that blade hater. In fact, I had several heated discussions on this very site back in the day where I said that everyone would be better off with a more forgiving iron. While I do still believe that the average 15 handicapper will be doing their game a disservice to play blades, I will never go back. For me I just love the feeling, plus I just like the fact I am in charge of where my ball goes. If I make a bad swing I should be punished with a bad shot, but most importantly if I make a good swing, cavity backs just seemed to be inconsistent. [/quote] I was the same way. I had it continuously drilled into me for years that cavity back irons were pretty much a requirement to play good golf. Like almost every serious golfer, I had a set of PING Eye2's in the bag for quite a while. I even moved to the i3 "blade's" years later and played some exceptional golf with them. Making the switch to a forged blade made me a better golfer though. My practice became a lot more productive and my good shots became more and more consistent. It really was an eye opening experience. It's a great feeling when you put a good move on the ball and just know that you knocked it stiff. I get that feeling more often with my blades than I ever did with my i3's (even though I had a lower handicap with the i3's -- a result of practice, not equipment).

That's a really good point that I neglected make myself. To illustrate Erik's point, picture the sweet spot as the point on a pin in the exact center of gravity of the iron. The sweet spot does not grow exponentially with the iron, it remains a constant size and simply moves as the iron changes size and shape.

What's wrong w/[b]gaming[/b] irons? Just an expression. A lot of guys [b]bag[/b] this or that, others [b]game[/b] this or that. I apparently gravitated towards having [b]gamers[/b]. :-D What's the preferred terminology? I can go that route instead if you'd prefer... :beer: On the other hand, it's hard to fight with this mentality -> [quote]these days playing any forged blades can be seen as a poser move by many non-believers.[/quote] After all, any "reputable" golf magazine will tell you 10 ways til Sunday that even pro's can't play blades. [quote]Not here in Arkansas[/quote] Ug, Miura dealer in Arkansas, tough one. Good luck, how about a neighboring state?

Consistency - The consistency shot to shot from an iron like this is unbelievable. If you do your part, one shot will seemingly drop right on top of another if you hit the same club twice in a row. No other iron that I've ever hit has had consistency anywhere near this. Workability - With a blade this small, working the ball is simple. Minor adjustments is all that is required to move the ball one direction or another. On top of that, the club head is very "active." You can really feel the club head and you don't have to fight it when attempting to work the ball. I find larger irons more difficult to feel and not nearly as "active." Control - The 1957 is a very dense blade and controlling ballflight is stupid simple. Again minor adjustments are all that is required to flight the ball high or low. Confidence - The small size of the baby blade really inspires confidence. Of course, this can work in the opposite direction as well. For me however, the small blade inspires a lot of confidence for me. I know that all I need to do is make solid contact and I will end up with a quality result. Confidence breeds success and success breeds confidence. Once you start making solid contact, the snowballing will commence. I really like the small size of the baby blade out of the rough as well. In thick rough, blades this small really really cut through the rough nicely.

Yeah, what shafts do you have in the S56's? Also, what is this vibration that you speak of? I have 2 set of baby blades and experience no such thing. The Miura's a butter soft, best feeling iron made. ETA: According to your sig, you game PX 5.5 in both sets of irons. Now I'm really confused... How consistent is your impact?

MIura's are easy to find if you know where to look. :-D