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Technically ANY adjustment made to a club's length affects it's stiffness, but it really depends on where you take the length out. if you take it at the tip, it will make dramatic differences in stiffness, while taking from the butt-end iis dramatically less-so. it also depends on the relative stiffness of the shaft in its original state, lesser shafts will firm up quickly while already stiff shafts will take more adjustment to realize a change in stiffness. rule of thumb lets you take an inch or so off the butt-end without adverse affect on the original state of the shaft, while an inch and a half will not make a huge difference, more than that starts to depend on the shaft itself.

yeah I hear you, and I dont disagree about the floors, always cleaner/flatter/etc than a real green. but nonetheless it felt great and the ball went exactly where I told it to. as a followup, I spent about 20 mins on the putting green at a course near the office this morning (early meeting was cancelled). although I froze my ever-lovin tail off, the 35-40 putts I hit were more-or-less as clean and true as in the store, from 5 ft out to 20 or so. Im going to follow Dub's advice for a bit and leave the stock grip for a while and get some rounds in, as I need to get past the honeymoon phase with it and see if I can be more consistent with it than my current Ping.

what you play with vs what you have/collect? I have 3 or 4 sets of irons, but Im currently using a speciific set. the other 3 I have, but Im gaming the 4th... I recognize its arbitrary semantics, but pointed nonetheless.

yep yep and yep :D Bullitt, you and I are on the same page, my UST V2 is 45" as well. even in a stiff that 46.5" just felt LONG... almost whippy, but not quite. felt almost wobbly. Jamo, that price is ridiculous, didnt know they could drop prices already! agreed on the supertri, my buddy just ordered one with a custom Epic shaft and absolutely kills it... Patriot - go try it out, it cant hurt. I like the feel of the SF off the face, and with a different shaft it would probably rock, but in its current config it just doesnt do anything for me.

par and dub, good points... maybe Ill play it like it is for a while and see how it feels, it sure felt sweet on the shop green. thanks! senor - nah, nevermind... too easy...

Went to a TaylorMade event at the local golf Galaxy this weekend, they had a rep in the store demo-ing the new SuperFast and R9s, get a free trial of Pentas, etc. Was put into a 10.5 Stiff in the SF, and went to swinging on the monitor - finally slotted it after about 6-8 drives (that thing feels LONG), and it felt pretty good, but was only showing to be cruising about 240(220 carry) on the monitor. That didnt seem right, and of course the rep had the general lines about how the monitor could be off, or better yet that most people dont hit as far as they think they do, which I understand, but this just didnt feel right - I had just left the course from playing 18 at Firewheel, and had been carrying traps at 235, so I knew 220 carries wasnt right. When I mentioned that she suggested I get my driver and bring it in to compare (insert smug factory rep face here, lol). so I did. I went out to the car and got my R7 (in my sig) and took a couple swings, then proceeded to jack one 260 (240 carry), and did it several times in a row... so if you're looking for a new driver and like TM equipment, I really do like the feel of the new SuperFast series. best recommendation as always though, is to get fit - they only offer 1 shaft in that driver, and it may not be the best for your swing. I personally think that head in a lower kick shaft would rock...

So i finally picked up a Scotty... Ive been gaming a Ping Piper H for a while now and love that thing, but was messing around at a local golf shop waiting while a buddy was being fitted, and started putting with a used monochromatic blue SD1.5 that was laying in the rack. putting across the floor at about 15 feet, I drained the 10th putt in a row before picking it up to look at the price - $200. well, I had a gift card worth $100, so I figured Id check with the salesman and find out what the story was... $117 later Im holding the putter with a matching headcover, oilrag, etc... Couldnt give that guy enough thanks for the hookup! So on to customizing... I love the oversize (jumbo) Lamkin grip on my Piper, keeps my wrists honest, but I cant find anything larger than a midsize in the Cameron grips. I also know that the purists frown on any non-SC mods. Im not against putting a non-SC grip on this putter if I have to, but wouldnt mind being able to have it correct. recommendations? Thanks!

I agree with those recommending to go with your gut, and I also agree with finding a used set to try out, maybe even rent from your local golf shop if possible for a couple of rounds. I absolutely do NOT agree that the style of iron you play is dictated by your hdcp, as ALL swing styles are different - as with every single club in your bag, you have to go with what feels right with your particular style. The old guy babying his porsche just under the speed limit instead of buying an old beater honda to drive around in is not to be chastised for liking the porsche and being able to afford it, neither should you for going and buying what feels and looks right to you that you can afford. absolute most important thing in this discussion - your game is yours, so if the gamer irons feel right to you and it doesnt break you to pick em up, I vote pick em up.

great question, and I'd have to agree with many of the posts here, but very specifically with GoBlue... I always knew I would go to college, it was an understood throughout my childhood. my family had no money, and I busted my tail working 40 hrs a week to pay for 18+ hrs of classes a semester, plus summer and minimesters. I was under the impression the entire time that my life hinged on getting through my education and working in my field of study - medicine. so my senior year, I had my first cadaver lab. end of medical career. started over. I had invested 4 years and 140+ hours in an education I would not complete. I spent the next 2 years getting a standard business degree just to be DONE with school. circle it up to now - Im a senior IT program manager for the largest telecomm in the world, leading initiatives that affect the backbone network that we're all enjoying our forum over right this second. Im the only one in my company at my level without a graduate degree. you cant even be considered (in my company) for one of my subordinate positions without a bachelors degree. there's the key though... it doesnt really matter what degree... as long as its something related to business or tech, etc... so as GoBlue said, just get the degree so you can move on, and most likely you'll figure out what "move on" means in the process. I equate your question to some advice I receieved back in high school - I was 17, playing varsity football, working 30-40 hrs a week, and maintaining a 4.0 gpa - I was also a project away from earning the rank of Eagle Scout. the deadline to achieve the rank is 18 years old, and with everything else I had on my plate I was on the verge of just dropping it, thinking that it would never mean anything in the future. the advice I received from a mentor was that someone in the future would see my Eagle Scout rank for what it really was - not a list of merit badges and camping trips, but as a personal statement that I could put forth the effort and follow through with a long-term commitment and accomplish the final goals. as it happens, my Eagle Scout came up in the interview for the position Im in now - and I was told in no uncertain terms that it was the final straw that put me ahead of several other deserving candidates. College is the same... get in and get it done - if nothing else it shows that you can put forth the necessary effort to succeed. yes, you can be successful without a degree, but man it sure greases the wheels... good luck!!!

I was asking the same questions this past fall - I had been working a 9.5* TourBurner with a Grafalloy Blue Stiff shaft, and had slowly started pulling further and further left. I went to an R9 and played it neutral, which cleeaned up my path back to a nice push draw, but I wasnt as happy with the feel off the face. I hit a buddy's R7 Limited and absolutely LOVED the feel and distance was improved, so I went and found an R7 Limited TP with a senior flex shaft on the cheap in a 10.5* - I swapped in a stiff UST V2 shaft, and Im back to a clean push draw with an added 10 yds or so over my TourBurner, and the cleanest feel Ive had from a driver in a while. I found mine at Golfsmith for $139, as they were competing with a local sale price from Sports Authority, but they arent usually that cheap. I agree with watching the online outlets for a used or demo version, but make sure its one of the major reputable folks as I just dealt with an ebay seller on a Scotty and got burned with a fake...

well put, zeg. not sure if anyone noticed, but I normally only carry 13 clubs, its what my particular game calls for. This normally allows me to slide my cut down 7i (chipper) in the bag when I want it, which is fairly often. Ive drained more fringe chips for bird than I care to keep up with with that club, and have saved myself from tight brush situations with a lofted punch with it as well. there are times in every round that we have to br creative, and when I need to be, that club comes in handy. there is no stigma tied to it, Ive had much better players than me ask to see it after I hole out a 2nd or 3rd time in a round with it. If anyone chastising the use of a 'chipper' never finds themselves in either of the above situations, then kudos to your game, Im looking forward to seeing you on tour. if you DO in fact find yourself in those situations and choose not to use a chipper, good for you, Im glad you found a way to handle those shots with the clubs you carry. I would hope the sentiment would come back around when looking at my bag, because I gaurantee Ill only ever use what works, not what somebody is telling me is or is not acceptably chic on the course. as for the op, I dont use one of the standard retail issue chippers, but I do use a modified club for a chipper. if you have the opportunity to throw one in your bag for a couple of rounds Id recommend it, as only you can decide what works with your style and feel and is best for your game. good luck!

the chipping putters seem to have come on more in the retail market in the past couple of years, and they are definitely interesting for making that particular bump shot easier for those that have trouble making it with other clubs not so suited. sure you could choke up on a 7, but then you have the extra shaft in your way to contend with and an iron sole which has the tendancy to dig if you're not careful on these slower swining shots, where the chipper has the specific shorter shaft and fatter sole to help finesse that shot. I personally have a "chipper" I built about 10 years ago that finds its way in and out of my bag on occasion - I took an old 7 iron and sharpened the grooves, cut down the shaft, and voila...it allows me to chip/bump when that part of my game isnt working right with a wedge, as well as gives me another option when hitting out of heavy trees/brush where longer shafts get in touble and I need to keep it lower than a wedge would allow. just my $.02

at least at my local Golfsmith in Plano TX, buying used clubs is always my first choice with them. yes, the asking price usually seems high, but as someone mentioned its JUST an asking price - a 'starting' price if you will. keep in mind, GS is a retail chain that isnt in the primary business of selling used clubs, they get to stay opeen based on new club sales. I ALWAYS check there first when I want to try something different, and pick up two or 3 of the same club off the rack to ask about. I take them to the counter and ask if theyll check to see how much wiggle room they have on each, with the understanding that each club's negotiable price is based solely on what they gave for the club in the first place, and then buy the one they can come down the most on. Ive gotten new TM wedges for $15 before, because they just happened to have picked them up in a fairly cheap trade-in...

first thing you need to figure out is which end of your clubs you hit better - long irons or short irons? Im a tad squirrely with my long irons, but like to play darts with my short irons, so I agree with the comments so far about a combo set. Im playing TM Rac OS 3-6 irons, and TM TP MB 7-p. this gives me the forgiveness I need when cruising a longer shot and am trying to swing more fully, but allows the finesse I need to drop shots close with a tighter swing. the combinations that have been mentioned so far are all good options, go swing several and find a set that you like, then look for the combo version of it. buying used also helps you create that matched set you're looking for. hope that helps.

I was in the same boat as you early this year, was playing a set (52,56,60)of old gifted vokeys that didnt bite at all. every wedge, every swing, would release without much control. I borrowed a a buddy's set of fairly new CG10's, and felt like I was playing the exact same clubs, no bite, no control. I rented a set of clubs while visiting a buddy in Florida, and happened to get a 54 and 58 in cg14's - like was mentioned earlier, the insert makes them feel very muted, felt like I was losing touch on the ball, but had better bite. I ended up buying a random cg12 52 with a Project X 5.5 shaft from the used bin at Golfsmith, and loved it from the very first round - able to control it very well with great bite. The spin wasnt torturous, but I was able to stop the ball within 12-18" of every shot from 1/2 swing to full swing, closed face to layed wide open. This ended up being exactly what I was looking for, and I built a 56 and 60 to match the used 52, with ProjectX 5.5's in each. I love these clubs, and will probably build another set just like them when these wear out. hope that helps...