Midpack

Sorry, my mistake. Hopefully ‘prefer blue’ fits in option 1? Among several from Mizuno. As much as I covet their irons...

Mine is my official USGA HI, I keep one because it’s required in my league. It’s actually a little lower now, but I don’t update my info here every time my HI changes. I expect it will be worse every Spring and lower every Fall anyway.

A silly question probably. I am a huge Mizuno fan, but I just can’t imagine having a blue driver. I know there are others like me, but I know there are others who put results above almost all else.

Of ZERO consequence, my current radar is only: Woods: Callaway Epic, Titleist distant second. Used to be a TM disciple. Irons (hybrids): Mizuno or Titleist, maybe Callaway. Used to be a MacGregor (that’ll date me), then Wilson Staff disciple long ago. Wedges: tbd Putter: Sold on Evnroll, PING was only other contender. Only three putters in 53 years, don’t change often. Ball: Was Titleist exclusively, now Snell, maybe Bridgestone next year. Shoes: FJ, Adidas or Skecher. Clothes: Adidas, Under Armour, Nike.

There are some brands I just won’t look at, but more that I’m open too, and three favorites. Don’t we all have some unique brand biases, though they may slowly change over time? I only played MacGregor clubs when I started, had to get over that...

The admins answer:

Thanks. My 4h is about the same distance as my trad loft 3i. I thought hybrids were about 1 club longer than an iron if both were the same loft?

I’d replace the 5i too. I carry 3i thru SW, so even stopping at 5i would bug me - but there are legit fans of filling the gap between irons and woods with long irons, hybrids or lofted woods.

I certainly hit some irons better than others, but I’ve never had a favorite wedge or any other iron. I use most of if not all of them during a normal 18 hole round. Sorry. I don’t have a lob wedge though, I hit my SW so high I can’t imagine a LW - will it hit me in the face? jk

Hopefully everyone knows most mishits are operator error, not equipment - certainly the case for me. I’d GUESS it wouldn’t make any significant difference what club brand/model I was using for 90% of my poor strikes. I’ve become a firm believer that if you want to improve, lessons are an essential ingredient, plus practice. However thanks to LSW, I’ve also become a believer in “separation values” so I devote the bulk of my time on full swing irons and driving, and less on short game and putting. My game improved noticeably from mid Summer on for three reasons. Relearning to NOT try to kill the ball, Lessons with focused drills/practice, LSW YMMV

This is how I’ve always fixed ball marks, showing an example that’s more like ball marks I see most often (starts at 1:10 if you want to skip the divot repair). However I have stopped trying to put loose turf back in the mark as a result of this thread.

I saw a couple guys yesterday who were so bundled up with layers I don't know how they could swing, or hear. But to each his/her own...

Hmmm... Just played 18 today with temps in the low to mid 50's, sunny but quite breezy - and was perfectly comfortable, even took my fleece vest off on the back nine. Maybe my threshold is a little lower than I thought, though wind and wet would be a factor like others have mentioned.

I always finish the bucket at the range, whether I'm hitting well or not. If I'm not, might as well try to figure out why. And if I'm hitting well, might as well try to reinforce the swing when the parts seem to be working. However, I usually only buy a small bucket vs the large (twice as many balls). I've seen guys buy two large buckets - I wouldn't want to hit that many balls good or bad. I don't like hitting at the driving range because it does not mimic playing on course, but I need the practice so I try to focus on the range. Last season I went to the range once a week and played twice a week for the most part. I'd rather "practice" on course more than the driving range. YMMV

I guess I’m a wimp. I can’t imagine playing on a course at less than 50F, I’m on the fence about playing today. However I’ll be on the driving range with overhead heaters or an indoor simulator once a week if possible this winter.

Still won’t take me more than 5-10 seconds per. I was pushing in from the sides, back and front, but I was also unfolding and laying the back flap down and putting missing turf back in when there was any. Sometimes lifting the back a little, but not popping it up as shown in some other vids. But I’ll rip off the back flap and throw it away with any loose turf, and just use a larger area and push more from the back, sides and front until the gap is closed. Might get a better tool too, I’ve always used freebies. I’ll probably continue to replace fairway divots when convenient/straightforward - but it’s funny to learn it’s useless after being told to replace divots (and watching tour pros caddies do it) for decades...

Maybe I missed it but I’d like to get this right - I didn’t see what to do with the still connected “back flap” - throw it away too like any little piece of loose turf? As others have noted, it’s too bad the video showed such a minor ball mark. 9 out of 10 of my ball marks look much worse unless it’s just a 30 yd chip. I almost always play early morning when greens are usually softer?

OK. Then I assume we’re all wasting our time replacing divots on fairways since the roots are broken. At best it makes a flat spot for the next player until the divot grass dies.

It is a marketing thing in part, but CoG can make a significant difference in launch angle. If you don't believe it, take a players club and a super game improvement iron with the same static loft (ignore the number stamped on the club) and hit and compare. There is a noticeable difference. I absolutely didn't believe it until I experienced it myself.

Rut row. Though I've always repaired my ball marks, and usually several others, evidently I've been doing it wrong all along. I push the sides in and up and push the back flap forward and tamp down. And if I find a little piece of turf has come out (often does), I put it back in the indent where it appears to have come from. I would have thought it would work as it resembles how sod is laid - where all the roots are "broken?" I tried doing it the right way as described in the video, and couldn't seem to close the gap. But my ball marks are almost always MUCH larger and deeper than the one shown in the video. Having read this again this morning, I will try to do it right - guess I'll have to push harder from further away from the indentation?

I’m partial to Mizuno and Titleist, but clubs are a very personal choice for many, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Same here.

+1. Some of my longest misses are straight pulls, no draw/hook at all. So I get to watch some of my most solid hit shots --- go that much deeper into trouble.

First, thanks for taking the time to explain. I've gotten more out of this thread than several earlier related threads, though it may be partly that I am starting to better grasp what's changed. Your observation re: my concern about buying new clubs and having the ball fly even higher is well taken. I've always hit high, and I've been using Pro V1's and Snell MTB's this year, so that is probably contributing more than I realized. I am going to try some lower spin balls just to see what happens. And I may be way off base, but I am starting to wonder if I am confusing height/apex with a (steeper) trajectory on my part - but I need to think about it. Thanks again!

Thanks for several very helpful posts! I won’t say “bullfeathers,” but I’ve been having a tough time wrapping my head around the way clubmakers have jacked up lofts (7 irons ranging from 35 deg to 28.5 deg?) and not concluding that it hasn’t been largely marketing trickery. They’re still making irons with a 30 deg loft, one brand/model/vintage is stamped 6 iron and another brand/model/vintage is stamped 7 iron. There are even discrepancies as large as 2 clubs in some cases! If not for the marketing angle, they could have left lofts and corresponding stamped club numbers the same, especially since both clubs carry distance is about the same despite different CoG’s. We’ve all had others ask ‘what club did you hit’ (which used to be meaningful) after a nice iron shot, but no one has ever asked ‘what loft was that (which would be more meaningful today)?’ Clubmakers are counting on most of us wanting to say ‘a 7 iron’ instead of a 6 iron. I’m playing 20 yr old forged cavity backs (with mid weight, mid kick point stiff shafts). Even though I think they’re still serving me well enough, I miss the sweet spot more and more as I’m aging and I’d like to buy new slightly more forgiving irons IF they’ll help me (not looking at super or ultra GI though). I don’t mind spending money, but I hate wasting it. I’ll go for a fitting, but hitting with a launch monitor won’t tell me what I want to know as readily as on course? Your statement above may get at the heart of my reservations about new, lower CoG clubs. I have always hit any given club higher than almost anyone else I’ve played with. And my approach shots have always stopped within a few feet. Distance/loft aside, I’m afraid I might hit even higher and/or the ball will roll more after it lands - both undesirable. Seems silly to buy new irons and trying to undo excessive height with the shafts chosen for me?