dmband8985

yeah, that reasoning for not wanting to play hybrids is just foolish. if you've played hybrids before and not liked them, then it is reasonable to pass on such a set, but to do so because you want to develop your game doesn't make sense. here is the low down on hybrids...they are simply easier to hit and more forgiving than long irons. Usually when you hear those terms used to describe a club you automatically assume that the ease and forgiveness come at the price of playability and workability...but that is simply not true for hybrids. the statements made in the previous two sentences are what make hybrids good candidates to replace long irons it seems like your aversion to hybrids is that you think they are super game improvement irons in your bag mixed in with the game improvement irons you are hoping to put in your bag. you plan on playing a lot and hope to get better, and you feel like as you do, you will want to replace your hybrids with regular irons. this i think is the wrong way to perceive hybrids. while some super game improvement irons today seem to resemble hybrids (huge club heads with wide soles to get the cg low and back) and even use the name hybrid in their names, traditional hybrids are not super game improvement irons. (i really hope that sentence makes as much sense as it did in my head). to be sure, think of hybrids as a completely different type of club used to fill in the distance gaps between say a 5 iron and 3 wood or whatever the case may be. A lot of my buddies that shoot close to par or under consistently really like hybrids because of their versatility, and since they can hit a 3 hybrid to cover the gap between a 3 wood and a 4 iron, they can carry an extra wedge (on that note, i should cite Anthony Kim b/c he plays no fairway woods, just one hybrid...an adams at that) hope this opens your eyes to trying hybrids...if you don't like them after hitting them, thats another story, but just don't assume they are an easy way out of learning to hit long irons cause you'll have to learn to hit hybrids just the same

your grandfather is a pretty smart guy. we all know both types too. the so called "gear junkies" that still play off 25 strokes, with their tour forged irons, FT-Iq driver, 500 dollar putter and custom bag with their name embroidered on it with matching custom towel. here's what i say to them: "congratulations on wasting 5 grand" truth of the matter, i'd rather play the part of a good golfer rather than act the part. I know people with irons from Hireko and GigaGolf (XK Pro and pursuit forged respectively) that will wipe the floor with most golfers on this board. Golf digest also included hireko's acer xk line in their budget irons listing, which i don't think they would do if they were crap, considering most of their revenue is generated by advertisements from the big oem's. if you want to gripe about something, put down people who play knockoffs. don't be quick to label clones as knockoff because they share some similar design features. knockoff are clubs that blatantly try to pass themselves off as the real things but are made from god only knows what materials and shafts and have no quality control whatsoever. nobody wins with knockoffs

you go to golfio.com and buy two sets of any macgregor mt pro sets you like cause all of them are only 350...i'd buy a full set of muscle backs and cavity backs and you can mix and match them as you choose, depending how your game is that day. or you can buy one chrome set and one black set so your clubs colors can reflect your current mood. i was joking at first, but come to think of it, i may buy one set of these...probably combo set in gunmetal and nippon shafts

i play 18 like 3 times a month, but try to be on the range at least 3 times a week...which is probably less than most of you. while it may not be completely necessary to change my grips once a year, i just feel like it is preventative maintenance to keep my equipment performing well for me year after year, and it comes at a fairly low cost and very little time (could probably do my whole bag in about a half hour). i don't wear gloves, so to me the feel of grips is very important and thats why i go through the trouble of regripping every year

i was going to respond to this earlier but something else came up....funny though that everyone responded with the exact things i was going to say. the mp-62's definitely don't fit the bill for what it is you described about the state of your game and the type of club you want. i'm assuming you are drawn to the fact that they are forged and offer some pretty cool tech by terms of a dual muscle, they are still too much of a players iron and i worry that you will be disgruntled by the game by using sticks like that. that said there are plenty of irons that offer the best of both worlds....plenty of forgiveness now and enough workability to push your score into lower territories when you get to that stage. x-20s are an example of such a set. i have many buddies that play them and they are all playing close to par...which goes to show how the right set could keep performing for you for years to come. I've never been a fan of callaway myself but they've got their reputation for a reason.... i really like the idea that someone else suggested of cleveland irons....CG7 or CG Golds could really fit your game well. Adams too is a brand you should really consider, I'm a fan of the new Idea Tech A4's or Idea Tech A3's (both the cg golds and A3's you could save you a lot of dough and will make fine sets as you really hone your skills on the course...as i always say, better to play the part than look the part with expensive clubs). Miz mx200's like someone suggested are worth a try. i'd also give nickent 4dx cavity backs a try and even wilson staff ci7s. finally titelist ap-1's

it really depends on how much you golf and what kind of grips you play. for instance, some grips, like tour velvets are incredibly durable...they don't lose their feel really easily. Winn grips on the other hand, while they feel great, don't hold up to moisture nearly as well (at least the older winn grips). if your grips are really out of shape, regripping will definitely save you stroke. Here are reasons why you should regrip: 1. If your grips are the wrong size, then it could make it difficult for you to get your hand in the right position at impact. I play midsize grips, which allow me to ease up the tension in my fingers and make it easier to get the club square at impact. 2. Your grips are old and beat up, small slips can cause bad shots which equal extra strokes. i always wipe my grips dry after a round or a session at the range. i regrip every off season just to keep the condition of my grips consistent. if you start doing this, do it yourself...just need a few tools and supplies, some of which you may already have. its a relatively low cost thing you can do to keep your equipment performing well. 40 bucks a year is cheaper than a dozen balls in some cases and its my experience that good grips are better than expensive balls

i agree, i'm a huge fan of the gamer. and at under 2 dollars a ball, its a great value for a three piece.

if you're playing 8 off, like your fi5's which aren't that forgiving to start, then you should be looking at the i10's

I'm tempted to answer this by saying: you don't win back to back majors with crappy equipment. but there has to be more to it than that. ask yourself this, what determines the reputation of a brand? sure quality equipment goes into this, but for the most part, it is advertising. golf companies sometimes put out as much money advertising their products as they do in the research and development of the product itself. This comes in the form of traditional advertising (TV, magazines, etc) as well as player sponsorships which gets their name out on the hats of the players....which in reality is the only way you know what clubs most pros play. There are great clubs out there that don't come from taylor made, titelist or callaway...wilson staff is without a doubt one of them.

agree with everyone else...hybrids are a great way to replace multiple clubs in your bag and add room down low for wedges. when i starting to really improve my game my bag consisted of driver, 3h, 4h, 5-pw, 56wedge, 60wedge, and putter. as i improved my distance with driver and the distance gap became a bit too wide, i struggled deciding between a 2h and 3W to fill the gap. Ultimately i chose a 2h to close the gap just cause i like the versatility of hybrids. wilson fybrids actually look pretty promising in the regard of replacing woods and iron....Paddy's got it in his bag so its gotta be solid

I'm sure it's been posted somewhere on this site since it's happened, but too busy to look at all the posts....how incredible was that skip shot on the 16 by vijay??? if you don't know what i'm talking about, google: vijay singh skip shot and watch the video

my irons originally had winn grips on them (G8's made for nickent i think). I liked the softness since I'm a non-glover, but they hardly lasted a year of moderate play. I had them regripped with tour velvets, which i've been decently happy with, but find them too hard sometimes. If I don't play for a week, it is almost a sure bet that I'll get a blister, a problem I never had with the Winn grips. One positive for the Golf Pride grips though, is the durability...I've had them on there for a full season now and they feel exactly like they did the first round I played with them. Are there any grips out there with the soft feel of winn, but hold up well to moderate to heavy play?

those are great clubheads...but like the guy before me said, they are newer heads and i doubts you'll see them in the outlet section anytime soon. but if you can find a coupon that doesn't exclude them, you might be able to save a couple bucks per club. as far as TT Dynamic Gold shafts, those rarely go on sale...but they are already pretty cheap...well relative to the quality of the shaft. if you want to save a couple of bucks per shaft, Golfsmith does sell a Snake Eyes branded Dynamic Gold shaft (same thing but the sticker says Snake Eyes Dynamic Gold by True Temper instead of True Temper Dynamic Gold)

what is the difference??? TT dynamic gold's are stepped, are there any stepless shafts (aside from project x, which are a bit too expensive for me) that are comparable to the dynamic golds. more importantly is the first question, what are the advantages/disadvantages of each type of steel shaft?

i've posted specifically about dynacraft before and got no responses, but hoping people have uses other hireko golf brands and would like to share their experiences. I've been a fan of some of gigagolf's products from my brief experience with them...does hireko live up to the same quality? on a side note, I saw in the latest Golf Digest Hot List, Hireko's Acer XK Irons are listed under best value new clubs...does this bring legitimacy to companies like Hireko and Gigagolf? http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/...ist_bestvalues

as i said in another thread, taylor made rep was at the range last week showing off the new clubs...TP will have 9 shaft options. not sure what they will be but i'm guessing the latest round of tour shafts from the top manufacturers.

cg reds are only 499 now...if you can consider something with a gel on the back a better player's iron

wasn't anything ridiculous...but then again i don't usually have problems adjusting to different heads, so long as it is not square

There was a Taylor Made rep at the range yesterday showing off the new gear, and got to take a couple of swings the new r9 and the new rescue. the rescue was whatever in my opinion, but the r9 is pretty freaking sweet...he also showed how you can adjust the loft and lie, which really is quick and simple. I was impressed. Apparently there is only one shaft option for the regular r9, but TP version will have like 9 custom shaft options...can't wait till march......

i like gigagolf a bit more than pinemeadow, or atleast from hitting clubs of friends who purchased from those sites. have you played before or even just messed around at a range with someone else's clubs? I know it's a beginner's set, but it is an investment and you'll likely use them for a few years before getting new clubs, so it is important to get the right schtix. I would actually wait until after you start lessons to buy your clubs cause then you can cater a set of clubs that fit your swing rather than fitting your swing to you clubs that are ill-fitted for you. plus you can figure out which clubs you hit well and should put in your bag and which ones you don't really need...for instance, you may find that you can't hit a 3 or a 4 iron, but you can hit 3 and 4 hybrids really well. you also notice that there is a distance overlap between those same hybrids and fairway woods...essentially eliminating the need to purchase those four clubs when 2 would do. a good makeup when your starting out IMO is 3h, 4h, 5-pw, sw, putter...slowly add a driver to your bag. i say this because every beginner will step up to any tee box and, as long as there is at least 250 yards between him and hole, will pull out his driver and try to bomb one deep. Only problem is a lot of times, a combination of not being able to hit driver well and swinging incredibly way to hard will result in the ball going further right than straight. that said it will do wonders to your game, and your enjoyment of playing golf, if you don't even have a driver when you are starting out. believe it or not it won't affect your score too much unless you're on a par 5, which is the only time it will take a full extra stroke to get to the green without a driver (consider a modest par 4 at about 400 yards, I could hit driver and 8 iron to the green or 3 hybrid and 5/6 iron...same two strokes, but the latter will allow me to get regular use out of all the clubs in my bag making me more consistent with them)

haven't hit them myself, but i'm thinking of just taking a risk on them as well cause they are only 199 at rockbottomgolf.com. i play the 3dx redbacks right now as well as nickent hybrids and they have yet to disappoint me....except for the face that my game has improved in the last couple of years and i'm yearning for something a bit more stiff and a club that is a bit more workable. from what i can tell these clubs could bridge the gap between my game-improvement 3dx and the really nice forged irons i buy when i break par consistently...

08 cobra f speed ld...got mine not too long ago for about 150 and it is longer than my...well i'll refrain from finishing that....

i don't very much see the point of a 5 wood and a 3 hybrid...atleast for me...5 wood and 3 iron have their places even though the distances overlap, but the versatility of the hybrid, being able to hit it in a variety of ways from all types of lays makes it a great candidate to replace two clubs in your bag and carry an extra scoring club...my bag consists of a driver, 3 and 4 hybrids and then the irons and wedges giving me lots of scoring club choices. i seem to remember anthony kim saying he carries one hybrid and no fairway woods

weird title i know...i'm in a quandary regarding my game right now. for years i had not been able to hit mid to long irons very well, but was pretty darn good with 8 and lower....i think the heavier weight of short irons and game improvement designs of my irons were responsible for being able to get the ball in the air easily. as my swing has taken shape though, i find myself hitting my mid to long irons much better, particularly because i feel that the weight of the head isn't overbearing and I have really good control of the head at every position of my swing....sounds a bit illogical, i know, but i just have an easier time keeping it square when the head is not too heavy. is there anyone else who feels like this or has had this experience before? and are there any irons out there where the weight of short irons isn't as notable.

i play a speed ld which is supposed to be really loud according to this study...i'm a good ball striker and yes it is loud, but it's not that loud...fast pitch softball players and non-professional baseball players are subjected to much more intense sounds when they play aluminum and alloy bats. i used to live a block from the baseball stadium at my university and on game nights i could hear when players hit the ball. i don't know who conducted this study, but it seems bogus and probably like half the other horrendous stuff people publish in the name of science....