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.... Maybe I'm missing something here .... shafts don't really effect speed, swing motion does and stiffer shafts don't increase speed. If you're slicing, that usually means you'r coming from the outside in, and that slows the speed down because of the change of the swing plane - not the shaft .... Before you get sold a bag of goods, maybe you might consider some video and a few instructions from the Pro in the area.

From one of my previous posts: ..... Do some field tests and take on some courses ... first, you gotta like the way they look, then you have to like the feel of the club in your hands and the swing motion .... It's like anything else in life they can look good, but if they're not playing well for you then you need to go to plan "B" ... I played Cleveland TA5's and the Adams ST's woods for a few years .. in 02 they were "the big dogs" and they were fitted, they were one of the very first in black matte and they sure were puuurty .. I probably got asked 15 times in 2 years about who, what and where about those clubs ..... the problem was, I didn't play well with them and after awhile I lost confidence and I couldn't keep my score under 90 on any consistent basis .. one day I would shoot an 85 and the next day I would shoot an 95 (on the same course) - the hybrids.? - cut 10 strokes of my game on a consistent basis. The big difference is, when you go to play longer and tougher courses and you have the confidence to do so .. especially since I play 240/250 rounds a year and we're moving back south. But before I switched, I played everything on my local track first just to get the feel and touch ... you name it, Nike, Vulcan, Cobra, Tour Edge, Nickent, Callaway, Cleveland, Taylor, etc etc, .... what I didn't do, was to listen to 15 opinions from 15 different players and sales guys at the local "ball shop" (thats what got me in trouble in the first place) .. Like my instructor said: "unless you can find the exact twin to yourself, then a doorknob has as much credibility.." That all said .... the current owner of my TA5's now has dropped from a 20 handicap to 12 handicap -- that just goes to show "the right club in the right hand works everytime ...." Take your time, it's your $$ and your game.! Enjoy.!

... Sorry Erik, but no one said anything about "better" .. The words used is here is "expensive - so it's better" ... cost really has nothing to do with it .. like my great Grand-Daddy used to say - "the hand buys what the eye see's ..." And lets be honest here, there's no guarantee of quality for "any" club manufacturer ... you were maybe at Firestone last year, one of the first thing the players check is the lie of the club ... last year the Cleveland truck was filled with wedges that read a 56* and they were 53* and the 60* lobs were 58* (not knocking Cleveland, I've also seen Titleist and many others have "imperfections") ... but hey, they're mass produced. Whether someone spends $1,400 or $400, it's all in the feel of the wheel ..

... Sounds like money well spent ... Just remember to get an RA# from Tour Edge and when the weather gets cold and cranky you can send it back and they'll give you a new club - minus the love bites.

.... The best club in the world, is the club that works best for "that" particular player ... if it says Ping and they play well and they love the feel and the touch, then that is the best club in the world for them ... if the club says Billy Bobs barbeque and Pawn shop and they love the feel and the lower scores - then that is very best club for that player ... As far as marketing, do you think stores like 2nd Swing are popping up all over the country and flooded with 3 month old clubs because folks made the right decision - heck no.! .... they saw their favorite player on TV use it and they went out and payed their $400 and are now wandering the golf courses looking for the last 250 balls they just lost ..l.o.l... I can't believe the thought pattern .. " "beacuse there HAS TO be a reason why this one is more expensive - so it's better". Really....? .. hmmm, Mercedes Benz is one of the most expensive vehicles on the road - and certainly strokes the ego ... but, also has one of the lowest CSI's on the market. ... so much for your theory. Me personally, I feel good in my own skin .. names don't do it, action does.

.... It's nice to see you're finally getting honest with yourself ....

... Players and pro's at Muirfield, players and pro's from the Golfworks like Maltby, the ex-VP from Vulcan golf .. players and pro's from Clemson and some players and pro's from the Magnolia Grove in Mobile (Trent Jones course) --- other than that, just a wild guess on my part.

... Good coaches give their players 22 good reasons to win ... not one or two reasons why they can lose .. I think Phil needs to get a new coach .. cuz' this one ain't helpin'.!

.... I've seen alot of players using Acers and they seem to love them, plus GigaGolf has a wonderful reputation ... the nice thing is, you're not paying for those $2 million dollar commercials and the quality is the same "if" not better than the "big boys" .... Enjoy.!

... Hmmm, what is the difference between a 300hp Nissan and a 300hp BMW ....?

... It really depends on the player and the skill level ... I replaced my 3w and my 5w with hybrids and I've had no problem hitting my 21* 200+ yards ... I think most folks new to hybrids have a tendency to think they lose yardage, actually it's the other way around .. plus the accuracy and control is much better. Another major factor in hybrids is, you now have a club that you'll feel confident with in the deep rough and being able to play it 150 yards+ .. not too many woods can do that.

This was posted in another topic, but it all looks and feels the same. ... Here's some food for thought ... In March of last year my "other half" kept getting ticked-off because I was always leaving to head south to play golf ... so I said: "I'm not quitting, so you better pick up the game..." step 1.) So we wondered around a few golf shops, did a lot of feely touchy and she finally liked the look and the feel of a package set of $199 clubs at Golf Galaxy ... step 2.) I took her to the driving range 2/3 times a week to let "her" get the feel of hitting a club, what's the feel of a 3 iron, what's the difference of a 7 iron, how's the feeling of hitting a 3 wood and what feels better -- lots of balls hit the side rails in the very beginning .. but, 20 ft turned into 20 yards, then 20 yards turned into 60 yards, and 60 yards turned into 120 yards and so on ... it was loud for awhile .l.o.l.. but she now had a much better idea and understood alot more info from watching the Golf Channel and reading Annika's book (which is a good one I might add) by actually feeling and touching ... the vast amount of time, I just kept quite (ear plugs help.!) step 3.) Then I took her on a few courses .. now she had a much better idea of slope, distance and had a much better perception of the green (that always takes time, sometimes a lifetime) .. ;^) step 4.) I researched instructors in the area ... let's be honest, just because they're an instructor doesn't mean they're especially good, there's a big human factor here and that will make all the difference between money spent, and money well spent .... if you really want to see how a really good instructor is, watch his or her patience and dynamics around the very young players .. that usually will tell the story. Not only was it a good time to tweak her game, but this was a very good time to tweak her clubs ... different grips, change the lie on a few, shorten a few with the proper measurements and maybe pull a few out, depending on her likes and dislikes .. I might have spent $70/$80 bucks. step 5.) Now she was getting more and more confident and the womens league was opening up and she played on Thursday afternoons .. then on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays we played together and every weekend we picked 1 new course .... the more courses you play (male or female) the better you get. step 6.) Now her confidence level is way up .... one day she mentions how she would rather play from the mens tee's because she feels that she would have a better opportunity to play her woods and her longer irons -- okay, it sounded good to me(?) .. in the meantime she was right, it was a big addition to her game ... now, it shakes a few of the men at most of the courses, but hey, it's her dime. step 7.) That was 17 months ago ... she's kicked a few clubs out of her bag and moved on to a few hybrids, she's changed to a bigger driver because she can drive a ball 175/180 yards ... now, she's played courses in Myrtle Beach, Pinehurst, the Trent Jones courses in Alabama and even pared a few holes on Amelia Island .... did I mention she has a 18 handicap from the whites.?

... Here's some food for thought ... In March of last year my "other half" kept getting ticked-off because I was always leaving to head south to play golf ... so I said: "I'm not quitting, so you better pick up the game..." step 1.) So we wondered around a few golf shops, did a lot of feely touchy and she finally liked the look and the feel of a package set of $199 clubs at Golf Galaxy ... step 2.) I took her to the driving range 2/3 times a week to let "her" get the feel of hitting a club, what's the feel of a 3 iron, what's the difference of a 7 iron, how's the feeling of hitting a 3 wood and what feels better -- lots of balls hit the side rails in the very beginning .. but, 20 ft turned into 20 yards, then 20 yards turned into 60 yards, and 60 yards turned into 120 yards and so on ... it was loud for awhile .l.o.l.. but she now had a much better idea and understood alot more info from watching the Golf Channel and reading Annika's book (which is a good one I might add) by actually feeling and touching ... the vast amount of time, I just kept quite (ear plugs help.!) step 3.) Then I took her on a few courses .. now she had a much better idea of slope, distance and had a much better perception of the green (that always takes time, sometimes a lifetime) .. ;^) step 4.) I researched instructors in the area ... let's be honest, just because they're an instructor doesn't mean they're especially good, there's a big human factor here and that will make all the difference between money spent, and money well spent .... if you really want to see how a really good instructor is, watch his or her patience and dynamics around the very young players .. that usually will tell the story. Not only was it a good time to tweak her game, but this was a very good time to tweak her clubs ... different grips, change the lie on a few, shorten a few with the proper measurements and maybe pull a few out, depending on her likes and dislikes .. I might have spent $70/$80 bucks. step 5.) Now she was getting more and more confident and the womens league was opening up and she played on Thursday afternoons .. then on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays we played together and every weekend we picked 1 new course .... the more courses you play (male or female) the better you get. step 6.) Now her confidence level is way up .... one day she mentions how she would rather play from the mens tee's because she feels that she would have a better opportunity to play her woods and her longer irons -- okay, it sounded good to me(?) .. in the meantime she was right, it was a big addition to her game ... now, it shakes a few of the men at most of the courses, but hey, it's her dime. step 7.) That was 17 months ago ... she's kicked a few clubs out of her bag and moved on to a few hybrids, she's changed to a bigger driver because she can drive a ball 175/180 yards ... now, she's played courses in Myrtle Beach, Pinehurst, the Trent Jones courses in Alabama and even pared a few holes on Amelia Island .... did I mention she has a 18 handicap from the whites.?

... I think you'll do fine with the your new hybrid ... I have all the confidence in the world in my 6 hybrid, it will drop a target from 170 yards out without breaking a sweat .. and my 4 is always an easy swing away from 180/190 ... I like Tobacco Road and courses like it .. it's thinking mans course, you either love it or you hate it ... players play it, and golfers get beat - most get beat.

... You missed the whole point Cody ... But the next time you visit Europe or Spain you'll get it ...

... I appreciate your honesty .. The average swing speed across the board is in and around 85/90mph .. but most players think 100+ ... in the meantime, they're out losing their $40 balls all day long .l.o.l. You're like a breath of fresh air ....

... I'll get a chance to play one this weekend when I go to Pinehurst ... Picking up another 20/30 yards would be fantastic, getting another 50 yards would be a miracle ... I'll keep my fingers crossed.

... I'll be down there Thursday and Friday, then Saturday thru Tuesday we'll be in the SC area ... Do you know what courses you'll be playing.?

.... You did good ... The manufacturers still haven't quite figured out how and what hybrids to market yet, they're too busy pushing product .... but in your case you did good. See how you play the 5 and you might be going back and getting a 9 or a 3, you never know until you play them ... "generally" starting with a 30* 6 gets the ball rolling and then players either roll up or down - or both. Enjoy.!

... I don't think we're talking about a "gifted" thing here .. I think we're talking about 2 different people in 2 different places at 2 different stages of their lives ... Serge has made over $26 million at the age of 26, he's also treated like royalty in Europe and Mick Jagger in Spain -- that said, he's also 26 going on 16 ..... what event was he at last year when he ran after his Mercedes and left the news crew standing.? Michelle Wie.? she's 16 going on 26 .. she has a little better focus because of people in and around her and will do well as she matures. I think it's going to take Sergio few more years to get over the "rock star status" and remember he plays golf for a living ... I do love the way he plays - when he's focused.

... Be careful with shaft lengths ... Even though you can go online, or get the measurement at the local golf store, that doesn't make it Gospel anymore .. actually far from it. With all the new technology of shafts, like mid kick, low kick, high torque low torque, light weight shafts as low as 40 grams and the new grip styles, etc .. it's really up to "your" feel and touch of the club - not a measurement .. Tiger plays a 44.5 and he's 6" 1(?) I have friends that I play with and some of the real tall guys play with anything from a 43.75 to a 45.5, it obviously works for them ... on the other side of that coin, I'm 5" 9 and I play much more effective and more accurately with a 44.5, that seems to be that perfect length for me .. that said, it took me 2/3 months to adjust it to "my" particular comfort and swing speed at a quarter inch at a time (some prefer cutting a half inch, as do my scratch golfer friends) so take your time and get "your" feel ... As far as tee's at the course ... try the Pro length tee's (3 1/4) they are color marked and it will get you adjusted a little quicker, and then go from there.

... The National is a GREAT course, as is Mid South and the Legacy ... I'm glad you liked the "Road" .. most real players do.!

... Unfortunatley, sadly you're right on the money .. especially now with the large influx of new players. I guess it's okay to leave beer bottles under the tree's, dress like a bum and leave 30 divots on the course. Perhaps giving a test may not be a bad idea .. it will get some peoples attention.

... There's nothing wrong with wearing shorts .. But wearing a pair that have been thru the wash 200 times, still have tranny fluid on them, 3 sizes too small and they went out of style in 1985 should be banned from the planet.... I guess I'll never understand how some players wear golf shoes that look like they've been in the French Foreign Legion since Charles de Gaulle was in office -- what.? no pride in appearance...?

... He didn't really say that with a straight face, did he..? Was he smokin' something....??