reif99

You can get a lot better a lot faster if you improve your short game. If you can make most of your four foot putts and you can hit most chips and sand shots within 10 feet, your scores will really come down. Then to go really low, you're going to need to solidify the long game. I've gone from an 8 to a 4 this year basically on the improvement of my short game. My swing sure isn't any better. I'm not making a lot more birdies but I am making a lot fewer bogies. I'll bet that if the typical 18 handicapper got himself a scratch short game, he'd be single digits without improvement at all to his long game.

You need to grip so that at address, with club pointing at your zipper, the face is square to the target line. Reif

Hey, I recognize that swing (except I haven't been able to rotate that much in 15 years . . .). I agree with the others, as incongruous as it may seem, what goes up, must come down, i.e., your backswing DOES affect your downswing. The simple thing is on setup, too much forward press. The shaft should point at your zipper. Taking the club back way too far inside, which leads to across the line at the top, which causes your over the top move on the transition. I only know this because it's what I've been fighting for 20 years. And I don't think your hips are too open at impact at all.

I guess the first question you have to answer is: Why do you want an Aldila shaft? I don't care who makes the shaft, some perform better than others depending on one's swing. A 55 gram stiff Aldila might be perfect for you. Or you might spend the next round in the woods looking for your tee shots. Or it might look like you're hitting a nine iron off the tee. If you're gonna spend the money for new shaft, spend the time to get fitted for the right one. Reif

Wow. Is that article saying I should be playing the ball more towarrds the heel in my "traditional" blades (MP-29's)? Is there any way to determine the CG of an iron club face while it's shafted?

The 64 has helped my short game immensely. Question away - I like it. Have you ever used one? It's also money from 70 (full swing) and 50 (half swing) yards. On the 18th hole (in regulation or the playoff, I don't remember) at the US Open, Tigers Woods hit a LW 106 yards. So I'm not sure you are correct that the 60º is only for around the green. Lastly, if you are correct, then it only exacerbates my problem (bigger gap between wedges) and doesn't answer the fundamental question: Why, with equal changes in loft, why is there not an equal (or at least logical) change in distance?

It's a good deal, and those were THE clubs back in the day (10 years ago) - with the caveats other mentioned (length/lie shaft etc.) But what's the rush? It's coming into winter time. Again, I recommend going to a shop and hitting a few to see if you like one better than another, then pick some out. If you are just looking for blades for blades' sake, then the MP-14's you're looking at are as good (or better) than any. Reif

Well, maybe. But why, with the lofts what they are, does my distance vary so much? To do what you suggest, then I'd have 60º, 55º, 52.5º, 50º and 45º. That just doesn't look to me like a progression that would give equal yardages.

Again, go hit some, find a some you like, and buy them used in "good" or "very good" condition on ebay. You'll pay less than half of retail, and you'll have a set that will last for five or six years easy. Here's an example: ebay listing for MP-32's.

Only one person can tell if "blades are really hard to hit." But generally higher handicappers will not like them because mis-hits are more costly with blades than cavity backs. Hard to hit? Go find out. Go to a shop (or better yet, a demo day if one is in your area soon) and go hit some. You probably don't even need a range if you've never hit them before. If you a hit a few and your hands feel like you're hitting them "off the end of the bat," then you're probably mishitting too much to put blades to good use. I'm probably right on the edge of being able to really use them (I'm a seven, but tee to green I'm probably more like a 4), but I like the solid contact on the good shots more than I hate the loss off the mis-hits. I would buy used blades first before going all out for new. I bought my set used on e-bay six years ago for about $250, and after probably 200 rounds (and more practice balls than most people hit) they're just now getting worn out. One last thing about forged, I understand they can bend them easier if you want to get fitted, but someone probably needs to confirm that.

I'm a little worried about getting too much bounce - I'm already two degrees weak. I have given some thought to strengthening the SW, since I use the LW out of the sand most of the time anyway. Good suggestion.

Maybe. But my 8 iron is 160 (9i=145, PW= 135). I'll check it out, but I can't believe I'm making that much different a swing with the SW than the PW. Could the Pelz wedges give me that much "hit" less than the Mizuno's? Seems like a stretch.

I'll take any advice I can get - but if I'm delofting the shorter clubs won't that exacerbate the issue if I fix that problem?

I've got Rifle wedge shafts in the PW-LW, and they are all the same length.

Before you say, "Well, just get a gap wedge," please hear me out. I have Mizuno MP29's. The 9i is bent to 45*, the PW to 50* (those are weaker than specs). I carry Pelz SW, 55* and LW 60*. I hit the 9i 145 yards, the PW 135, the SW 110 and the LW 100. I also carry a 64* wedge, so I'd really rather not have to trade that out for a GW. None of this makes sense to me. 5* difference in the 9-PW is 10 yards, then another 5* to the SW is 25 yards, but then another 5* loft is only another ten yards. Looking at how far the pros hit LW and SW, I don't think I should be hitting those any further, but I hate being 115-120 yards out and having to mess around with my PW instead of having a "go-to" swing at that distance. Maybe I should just get a gap wedge. Thoughts? Thanks.