GrandStranded

Laugh out loud funny. Great video...

I'd wait and get them on stub hub for $10.

This thread asks is he the BEST choice. Most likely not, there might be someone better. Is he a GOOD choice? Probably. It can't be the easiest bag out there, and LaCava is one of the best supposedly.

A bunch of guys in my league got into a discussion about Tiger's comeback this morning. Some surprising (to me) and I think valid points were brought up. Here are a few. Tigers health has been good since December, and he had some good tournaments on the West Coast. The Masters, despite his final round was a big disappointment. Even with the shaft change in the driver, he basically was grinding to make the cut and never a factor. He's in his forties, so it isn't like he has a huge window to get his game back to where it was. Most players his age are married, his life on Tour has to be kind of lonely, nobody could imagine a tour wife wanting her husband hanging with Tiger socially. A reasonable point to assess Tiger would be when the British Open is over, he'll have over 6 months out there, played just about everywhere he wanted. We should know by then how he stacks up against this crop of players. Will he be okay with just having a chance to contend, rarely if ever winning? Surprisingly to me almost everyone thought he would, as long as he stayed healthy. Another surprise, and something I would never be able to see myself, a few felt he changed his swing during the Masters, reverting back to what he was doing with Foley.

Strategy

I tried so hard to like the Epic, I've seen a lot of people I play with having success with theirs. I tried different shaft and loft combos in an effort to make it work for me. I had some of my longest drives ever, but never felt comfortable or saw any consistency with it. When I compared it to the 400 max it was a no brainer for me. I'm a firm believer in the PING "straight distance" mantra. This club has been everything I hoped the Epic would be. It's long, and really forgiving. You have to be willing to try everything. All the OEM's make good equipment, the trick is finding what works for you.

I look at it like Tiger knows what Tiger wants. When he had Williams he was young, ran hot at times, and wanted a "bubble" around him when he got to each venue. He wanted a "body guard" type confidant on the bag who'd get into it with him(maybe) and deal with fans, photographers etc he didn't want to bother with or be bothered by. LaCava is a different personality, but so is Tiger now. He's older, and I think he feels he's as good as anybody out there now, but he's smart enough to know he isn't going to dominate these young guys like he did years ago. He's also been through a lot, including counseling the last few years, which may have shifted his priorities slightly. l'm not saying he's not out to win, I just don't think he's willing to approach it with the same focus anymore. That might be a good thing. LaCava was on the bag for a few wins before Tiger was out, and I don't think he's anywhere near a problem, or the problem. Everyone wants Tiger to hurry up and get back to what he was, instead of appreciating where he is at this point of his comeback. I don't think there's a lot to see here as far as the caddy situation.

If you're going to spend $4-500, why limit yourself like that? Test every head, shaft combination you can. Every OEM makes really good equipment, and another one just might be a better fit for you. It's not like you're under a club contract, and Callaway is paying YOU to play their clubs. You're paying THEM. This isn't a knock on Callaway, I have 9 of their clubs in my bag. But if I found something that worked better....

He was offered in a trade when he was with the Brewers(?) and then we didn't bid enough (shocker!) when he was a free agent. Both times the Mets wanted to stick with d'Arnoud. First base is a crap shoot, hoping Gonzalez stays healthy. Bruce can play there, but Dominic Smith doesn't look like the answer. Hey, we both know it's all about the pitching staying healthy anyway. It is nice to see the cushion we've already got against the Nats tho. Reverse of last year...

I think most people who've seen Tiger's entire career have a very hard time imagining him never having a shot at winning a major. Then when I look at the stats posted above, I have an even harder time thinking that. The only problem with us feeling that way is we are remembering a younger Tiger. This one is over 40. Who knows if the "mediocre" iron play you mentioned isn't very close to the best we'll see from him? Like most everyone, I tend to think his iron game will get better, but we don't know. I also think it will be harder to have every part of his game needed to win, (irons, driving, short and putting) come together for that one major week at his age. I'm starting to think after watching him so far this year that even though he's better now then we had a right to expect, he isn't going to ever be close to what he was. It just might be that age, and the physical and mental wear over the last twenty years might end up limiting what hopefully will at least be a healthy comeback.

I'm no expert, But I think courses are set up to play harder for Majors then regular Tour events. I think this might make it easier for the better player to win. Over the course of 4 days, the separation between really good and good should become more apparent. But then again, who knows? As a lot of people here like to joke, even Danny Willet has a Green Jacket...

Now we just need Plawecki to hold the fort until Oakland starts selling in late summer. Then we can get LuCroy, like we should've last year...

I saw the thread where you were thinking of changing your set up a few months ago. The irons you bought are drop dead gorgeous. You made a great choice. Hope you're enjoying them!

If you're below a 16 or so, you'll probably be better off trying the G400's(way cheaper then 700's) or the regular Rogue irons before you buy.. Plenty of distance and forgiveness. If you're better then high single digits, go I series or Rogue Pro's maybe?

I play with a pretty good player who is distance obsessed, and he bought a set of these irons. It comes with 2 GW's One is 46* the other 51*. The PW is 41*!!! He had to buy a THIRD 52* Gap to go with a 58* The longer irons might be useful as a hybrid replacement, but the overall set is a mess. Just go to the Callaway site, check the lofts. The bottom of the bag is a mess. As for my buddy? He couldn't hold a green, gave up on these, and just traded them for a set of Ping 700's. The third set of irons he's owned this year. He'll probably buy 3 more sets before the year is over. Like I said, he can play, but he's the type this set was made for. Someone who wants to say they hit an 8 when you hit a 6..