slide13

driver is 9.5* loft '07 Burner with a stiff RE*AX Superfast 50 shaft. Swing speed on the launch monitor today was about 108 I believe. Maybe a shorter shaft would help, sometimes I think that is part of what screws me up. Then again, if I went with a shorter shaft and higher loft I'm not far off from a strong 3 wood accept for head size. Maybe I'll look into it though....or maybe I just need to work with my driver more. I should probably get something 10.5* or 11* though.

I have a tough time with my driver. I hit it fairly long but the control just isn't there. Sometimes I slide it bad. Next time I'll over correct and hook it. Seems the only shot I can't hit is a straight one, at least not consistently. I have a 3 utility wood that I hit amazingly well. Always feels comfortable, the balls seems to fly off the face and good shots go dead straight and the bad ones are only slightly off. Works great both off the ground or off a tee. I know the higher loft and shorter shaft are a part of it, but this club just feels right when I hit it. So, in light of that, I'm thinking of ditching the driver and getting a strong 3 fairway wood of the same brand and shaft type as my 3 utility wood (Nickent 4DX). If I do this I may take the driver out of my bag all together and just use this strong 3 in its place off the tee. I have tried the driver in the same model but only at the golf store with a taped face. Didn't have the same feel as the others so I'm not sure about that one. I think sometimes the long shaft, super huge head and just knowing that it's a driver in my hands are part of my problem. Anyway go this route before? If so are you still doing it or did you find yourself gravitating back towards your driver over time?

The two courses closest to me (one is 10 miles, the other about 14) both are set up for either. You hit off grass when conditions are good, but if the ground is too wet or something there are mat areas to hit from as well. Works ok but I tend to only go if chances are good I'll be hitting off grass, I hate mats.

I vote Nickent. I haven't had any recent Adams stuff but I had a Tight Lies 3 and 5 wood that I hated and could never hit so I have a bias against them now. I recently picked up a Nickent 3 utility wood, and a 3 & 4 hybrid and I absolutely love them. Every time I pull them out good things happen. Easy to hit, forgiving and great distance. I can't say enough good things about them. I hit them so well I want to try a Nickent driver now. Oh, and the 3DX hybrids are on sale for $59.99 most places and are outstanding (I picked one up for the 3h and it hits pretty much the same as my 4DX). Really hard to beat at that price.

I'm in the same boat. Played a lot back when I was really young, some in my late teens and early 20's and then only 2-3 times a year for the last 5 years or so. Just now getting back into it and working on my game. I've been in the upper 40's to mid-50's lately (mostly mid-50's) but it's getting better all the time.

I have a Vulcan blade PW that was originally around 47* or 48* probably and was bent to about 54*. From what I understand that is a lot. My brother did it while working at a pro shop, he had two PWs for some reason so he didn't have a lot to loose really and it turned out great. Even though I've moved to some more forgiving cavity back irons I've kept this wedge in my bag because I like it a lot.

Get your foot in the door first. Job at the course, golf store, etc. Anything to get into the industry. I started working at bike shops when I was 15 and did so all through college. After college I did the shop thing for a while, looked at law school myself (actually went to orientation week before decided it just wasn't for me) and then I got a job at a major bike company and it's great. The college degree was nice, but the experience in the industry, even just at the retail level, was really important and what got me the job. Not sure it's the same in the golf industry, but it certainly can't hurt.

My G5's have them on each iron, 5-P. Every set I've seen at the store has been the same.

I've hit the R7 and I bought the G5. Both are great but I really like the feel of the Ping clubs and they offer a lot of forgiveness. So far I'm very happy with them.

I've never used them myself but my brother has and he absolutely loved them. He's had a lot of different clubs in his day be he says these were his favorites. If you can get them for a good price (not sure what that would be really), then go for it.

I just recently got my first hybrids, a 3 and 4 to replace the same in irons. So far I've been very happy with them. Easy to hit, long, and forgiving. I never had a huge problem with my long irons, but the hybrids are easier for sure and a little longer too I think. Overall I really like them. They feel great and fly nice...what more can you ask.

It can be tough when you get paired with someone like that but hey, at least he's out there trying rather then sitting on the couch at home. As long as he's having fun out there then more power to him IMO. We all started somewhere. Then again, when his came starts to infringe on yours because you have to help him find his ball that does suck.

I'd go with another wedge if it were me. I have a similar setup and I run wedges 46 (PW), 50, 54, 58. Seems to give me a pretty nice range. Throw a 54* wedge into the mix and I'd say you're set.

Not sure on those but I just picked up a Nickent 4DX utility wood that is 15*. $79.99 at TGW...great deal on a nice club and it fills the gap nicely between my driver and my 20* hybrid.

Just picked up 2 dozen TP-Black for $55. Seemed a nice price for a premium ball and I've heard so many good things I figured I'd give them a try. I hope to be as impressed as others in this thread.

It is a good price, the same is $27 at Target. I picked up a $7/dozen refinished balls that were all Nike One-Black or One-Platinum. Out of the dozen, three had some sort of promotional marking and the rest were normal. For $7/dozen I was pretty pleased with that buy. The Pro V1's they had were looking pretty clean but $27 seemed a lot for used balls after picking up the Taylor Made TP-Black for $55/2 dozen at the local golf shop. I also hate playing balls with promotional logos on them, not sure why, but I wonder if you would find some of those in the refurbs? I ended up picking up 60 balls today, $55/2 dozen of the Taylor Made TP-Black, $20/2 dozen Callaway Warbirds, and $7/dozen for the refurb Nikes (only had one box or I would have gotten more, the rest of the boxes were Top Flites or similar).

From what I have seen there are a lot of great options out there. I ended up going with Vokey myself, but the Cleveland and Callaway X-forged also seem really nice and look great to my eye. Local shop has a handful of used Callaways so I might pick one up to compare to my Vokeys but so far I haven't been disappointed with the Vokey wedges. In only a few rounds with my 58* and only a few hits with my 50* I've already had some great shots. I don't know why but wedges are my favorite club. I love the look of them, I love hitting them, I just enjoy the heck out of them. Any decent driver will do for me but my wedges just have to feel "right" and so far the Vokeys fit the bill.

My first set of clubs was Dunlop as well. Great way to get started without a hefty price tage. I played them for years when I was young and they treated me very well during that time. Granted this was back when you could still get wood woods rather then metal ones (though most high end clubs were metal then). Go out and have fun with your new clubs, I'm sure they will serve you very well.

49 last night. Just squeezed in 9 before it got dark....actually it was pretty darn dark on the 9th hole. Since this is my third time out this year and only the seventh or eighth time in the last 2+ years I'll take it. New clubs working pretty decent and things can only get better. One par and one birdie which right now is enough to make me happy.

I picked up some Ping G5 irons for a great price for 5-PW and then added a couple Nickent hybrids instead of long irons. So far this is proving to be a nice and forgiving setup. I had a tee shot with my either iron that was not struck perfect but the shot was beautiful and stopped 2 feet from the pin. With my blades this should would have definitely gone off line at least 10-15 yards probably, if not more.

Yeah, my Ping bag won't stand upright at all without leaning either. My Nike Sasquatch would though very well. But really, the bags have legs that are there just to address this purpose so I really don't see it as an issue myself. The strap system did it for me, much better then the Nike bag. Other then that though the Nike was a killer bag.

I like Ping putters, been playing with my PAL 4 for about a decade now. I was playing around at the store the other day though and picked up a bunch of different putters and none did anything for me until I picked up a Scott Cameron. Still, not sure it's worth the extra compared to my Ping. If I even switch from the Ping it will be to the Scotty Cameron. Odyssey makes some great putters too, a know a lot of people who really like them but they have just never quite done it for me.

Ping Hoofer, Voyage, or Latitude. I just picked up the Latitude (by returning a Nike Sasquatch I had purchased the week before) because I like the extra pockets and the putter well. The Hoofer and Voyage are great too though if you don't need the extras. I had a Nike before and it was a great bag in all aspects except for the strap system. It was comfy, but I had trouble reaching the handle to take it off my shoulder and put it on the ground. It was a pain! The Ping bags are much much better. Other bags, like Ogio and Sun Mountain, have decent straps too but the stand system always felt really bad and unstable. The Nike was pretty solid in that regard and nobody beats Ping for a stable stand setup, they are by far the best IMO.

I like used and closeout items. Just picked up my G5 irons on closeout, got 5-PW for $300. Then I came across a last generation Burner driver used for $99 and couldn't pass that up, especially with a 30 day return policy on the used gear. Paying a premium for the latest stuff just isn't something I can afford when there are some great alternatives out there. There are some good deals on new drivers right now though, the free fairway wood offered by a number of companies seems like a nice buy.

I've had a Ping PAL 4 since the late 90's and it's been a great putter for me. Just feels right. Also, Ping has great service. I emailed them asking about how to get a head cover and a few days later there was one in my mailbox at no charge.