patriot07

Go try out some hybrids and pick one you lick for sure. A 3-hybrid is probably what I'd go with. The other club should either be a gap wedge, sand wedge that you like more than your current one, or a driver that you're more comfortable with. Your drivers and wedges are your scoring clubs, so I'd try to upgrade/acquire at least one of those if you're buying 2 new ones.

Hybrids are generally not designed to go as far as a 3-wood. That's why they call them "hybrids", they fill the gap between your long irons and fairway woods. If you're not hitting the 3 wood well, I'd either get rid of it and find the longest hybrid you can (and accept that it won't be as long as your 3 wood) or find a 3-wood you can hit. But if you absolutely need something to go that 3 wood distance, I don't think you'll find a hybrid that fits that bill, unless you don't hit your 3 wood very far, which defeats the purpose of a 3-wood in the first place.

I tried one of the Niblicks at a demo day and didn't like it. Maybe good for a higher handicap who has trouble around the greens or 100 yards and in, but I much prefer a normal wedge to the Niblick.

DaSportsGuy is right, driver specs don't matter much for a 36 handicap. You don't have a consistent enough swing for a particular set of specs to make a noticeable difference. Find any high MOI driver that you're comfortable with and go with it. The Burner 07 TP and Adams Speedline are both very, very good drivers and either will be fine. No experience with Tour Edge. If you're really looking to go affordable, almost any used Adams driver can be had for less than $100 and they're all very good. The redline series is very hot and pretty forgiving.

Apparently I'm the exception. My 3-iron was only going about 5 yards farther than my 4-iron. But my Adams hybrid, which is one degree lower loft, only goes about 5 yards farther than my 3-iron. I hit my hybrid more accurately and it's much better into the wind, so it's still a big upgrade over my 3-iron, but my loft/distance relationship is about the same with my 3-iron and hybrid. Before I got this Adams, I was hitting a Snake Eyes Quick Strike 18* hybrid and got about 5 more yards out of it than I do this Adams, but it was an all-steel head. But, I had an 18* hybrid replacing a 21* 3-iron, so I guess I'm the exception, but not everyone hits the hybrids a club or 2 farther.

I hit the original r9 and wasn't crazy about the lack of forgiveness. When the r9 460 came out, I fell in love with the Motore F1 shaft and the 460 head and picked one up. I've been loving it ever since. It's 10-15 yards longer than my Titleist 907D1 and just as accurate. The stock shaft was almost an inch longer, so that took some getting used to, but it's all good now. Of course if it bothers you that much you can always cut it down to whatever you want.

TA7 irons 4-PW 588 51* gap wedge 900 RTG 60* lob wedge Love them all, great value in the irons and best overall performance for any money in the wedges.

I've got a handicap similar to yours. I used to play a 58 with a 5-wood, but I dumped the 5-wood that I hit maybe once a round at most for a 51, 56 & 60 wedge set and I like it much more. I'd either get a 54 or get the 58 bent back to 56 and get a 60. I don't like wedges past 60 for anyone not named Phil Mickelson, they're just too tough to hit for the minimal benefit you get over a standard 60-degree wedge. Around the green, I use the 56-degree wedge 80% of the time. If I've got a ton of green to work with, I'll bump & run a pitching wedge, and if I've got a bunker shot or no green at all, I use the 60.

You're exactly right, but I've never understood this. Wiggle room should be based on value, not on how much they gave for the club. I was there one time about a year ago and saw a like new Mizuno F60 3-wood that I wanted. The new ones were clearanced to $80, and they had a ton of them. This used one was marked $90. But I didn't care about used, so I just went and explained that it was higher than the new clubs and anything lower than the new price would be fine, $70 or so seemed fair since they didn't even have a matching headcover for it. They explained that they had $90 in the club and were just trying to sell it for what they gave. So he said verbatim "Yeah I guess you're better off getting the new one." I explained to them that customers don't care what they gave, only what the club is worth. They're not going to sell a used club for more than the new ones just because Golfsmith gave too much for it. That one really hacked me off and I haven't bought much there since. That particular experience was at the Frisco store. The Plano store does seem to be a bit more reasonable on negotiation and have better customer service.

I feel the exact opposite. I love the Vokeys and Clevelands and it seems like I can't hit a good shot with the Mizunos. But wedges are so personal...

Please go try it out. No better driver than a free driver. If you like it, great. You've got a free driver that you love. If not, you still aren't out any money, and you can trade it in on something else or keep it in your extra set. But at least you gave it a shot. For the majority of people, I think the 07 Burner is truly a better driver than the Hyper X. I've hit both and I love the Burner. The REAX shaft isn't my favorite, but it's not bad. Works great for some folks.

This is somewhat true. Less true now than it used to be. About 4-5 years ago, their prices were really good. Then one day we showed up and their prices had risen unexpectedly on all their used clubs. We asked a salesman and he said it was a directive from corporate to raise them to the new levels. But after that, the prices were still fairly negotiable. But that's gotten pretty much non-existent now. I mean I saw a used r9 there last week for $349. Even if they took $50 off, which they wouldn't do based on my experience, the price would still be ridiculously high. Their prices have reached the point that even if they're negotiable, it's still a joke. Not always the case, but more often than not. Needless to say, we used to go there a lot, and still go there a decent amount, but now it's usually just to try stuff out more than it is to buy, even though we do buy occasionally. And we always ask for lower prices on the used stuff, so that's not the problem either. ETA: Not trying to rain on Golfsmith, but their used club prices are awful.

Yeah that stinks. I've actually been really depressed on how fast the Vokey Tour Chrome wedges have worn. I can't believe the CG15 are worse. Thanks for the warning. On the other hand, I will have to disagree about the lie adjustment. They've got to draw the line somewhere, and I'm sure some engineer at Cleveland said that it was only safe to adjust them 1* at the store, and that's why they're doing it. What if it was 2* and you wanted 3* upright? The line has to be drawn somewhere, and it just so happens that your spec isn't within that limit. I can understand you wanting to get what you want, but 2* on a wedge is alot. I'm sure they didn't make that policy to avoid liability, but because they thought it would really be an issue. They said they can do it for you, but you just have to order it straight from them.

Golfsmith and PGA Superstore both have the 90/90 playability guarantee. PGA Superstore applies this to new and used clubs. Golfsmith's policy only applies to new clubs above a certain price point: Irons - $550 Drivers - $275 Fairway Woods - $185 Hybrids - $165 Wedges - $90 Putters - $100 Matched Individual - $75 Also, they don't give cash back, only credit. I got the info here: http://www.golfsmith.com/display_pag...ifference_9090 Their used club return policy is 3 days 100% cash back. But that's actually subjective depending on what store you talk to. But that's the answer you get most of the time. I've heard 3 or 4 different policies in the last couple years. Sometimes they'll take it out to a month. You're right about Golfsmith's used club prices. Sometimes they're actually HIGHER than the new club prices, especially if there has been a recent price reduction on the new ones. If you're buying at Golfsmith, you're better off buying new. Their used club prices are a joke. They used to be good about 4-5 years ago, but not anymore. PGA Superstore is not quite as bad, but they're pretty close. If you're buying used, you're better off going with 3balls.com, rockbottomgolf, a legit ebay dealer, callaway preowned or someone reputable online. The only good deals at Golfsmith are when you can occasionally find a mis-marked club (2 identical clubs, one at half the price of the other). I got my Adams A3 hybrid recently for $35, when they're normally going for $60-$80 used at the retail stores.

Finally came to a decision. I bought a skycaddie SG3, Leupold GX-I, and used a callaway uPro before I finally picked up a used skycaddie sg2 on craigslist for $50. It's much easier to use than the rangefinder, and is just as functional as the uPro or the SG3. For those who are still undecided, try to find a used SG2 cheap. I've had the SG2 for about a month now, and it's way better than the rangefinder, and way cheaper than the uPro. You won't be disappointed, for the money. If you have $350 to burn, grab the uPro. If you want to save $250-$300, pick up a used SG2 and have fun.

I didn't look at any of the videos, but I noticed during the tournament yesterday that he was setting up with a much more open putting stance than I've ever seen from him before. I didn't notice that he was missing a bunch of putts left, but his stance certainly seemed to have changed.

Tiger hasn't been the same since he got a wife and family. I'm not blaming him, because I think most of us would pay less attention to golf as a spouse and parent than as a single person. But he just doesn't have the same amount of time to focus on his game, and it's suffering as a result. He's good, but he's obviously not as dominant as he used to be. It's not a result of any of the players being much better, in relation to the past 10 years (even though Yang had a great tournament). It's just a result of Tiger coming back to the field a bit. A new era: yes. A new era as the result of other players getting better: no. Just my $.02.

Here's my $.02: Titleist: very good ergonomics, but the fabric around the club dividers up top wears out quickly and will give your shafts some serious bag wear if you don't keep an eye out. Callaway: very solidly built, but the straps aren't the most comfortable Taylormade: not quite as solidly built as the Callaway, but much more comfortable and is very well designed for a walking golfer. Currently, I carry a Taylormade Diablo. I had the Torino last year, and one of the pouches broke, so they sent me a Diablo (a $230 bag!) to replace it. I have to say, Taylormade customer service is the best I have seen at any company, not just in the golf world. If you have a problem with any of their products, they WILL take care of you. I love the diablo bag. It's very well built, and they can be had for around $150-$170 now, but that's still a pretty penny for a stand bag. I think the OGIO and Sun Mountain bags are overpriced compared to the other name brand bags, I had an OGIO bag that I really didn't like. I only kept it for about 3 months before I sold it and picked up a lightly used Callaway. I would recommend the Taylormade (one of their upper end bags, Torino or Diablo, not the lower end stuff, it can be pretty cheaply made and the legs don't always function well), with the Callaway Warbird Hot and Titleist x86 as close 2nd's. I have no experience with Ping, Cleveland, Mizuno, or any other bags.

Alot of the questions about whether or not you should use a driver should depend on 2 things, in my opinion: 1. How much shorter and how much more accurate is the club you'll replace it with? 2. What is the penalty of a bad drive? I really came to realize this when I moved from the Dallas area to go to college in east Texas several years ago. When I was playing in Dallas, I was shooting mid to upper 70's and did not ever get cheated on a driver swing. I didn't hit a ton of fairways, but most of the courses in that area don't really penalize you for missing the fairway because there aren't enough trees to block your approach shots. When I came to east Texas, a missed fairway might as well have been a 1-shot penalty on most holes because of all the darn pine trees, so I went immediately from 75's to 85's. So I learned to hit the driver with more control, and now I'm back down in the upper 70's. I never took it out of the bag, because I didn't have a swing that would allow my 3-wood to be significantly more accurate, so it didn't make any sense. But I can certainly relate to those who put away the "big dog" if you're more comfortable with something else. It's insanely frustrating to lose your chance at scoring well on a par 4 or 5 right on the tee box because you can't put a driver in play.

I think it's for all models. As I understand it, the caddiesync software is what needs to work with Mac's, not necessarily the unit itself. Either way, I'm sure the 2.5 and 5 do, and I wouldn't even think about buying an SG3 or SG4, because of all the problems they've had. I'm actually looking at a used SG2 right now. The only one that is even in question is the SG1, it may not work with Mac's, but that's not a popular model at all. You might as well go pick up an igolf neo if you're looking at the SG1.

I like having a GPS, but it's totally on a case-by-case basis as to whether it's worth it or not. My home course has very, very few yardage markers on some holes, so I might be on a par 5 and not know if I'm 215 or 185 out. Obviously, there's a huge difference. If your course is marked really well (100, 150 & 200 markers with a few others in between), I don't think there's a need for one. If it's not marked well at all, it may be well worth it. If it's somewhere in between, it depends on whether it fits your game or not. If you have a favorite yardage you like, and you have the distance control to hit it, but you don't always know the yardage, it's a good tool. Or if you feel like you hit alot of good shots when you're inside 125 yards, but you end up 5 or 10 yards in front of or behind the pin, it's a good idea. Or if there are alot of hazards/bunkers around the landing zone on par 4's & 5's, it might make sense. If this sorta stuff doesn't describe your course, it probably isn't worth it. If it does, $150 gamble to find out may not be a bad idea. Of course this assumes your GPS has layup markers and hazards. I wouldn't get one without them.

Yes, longer shaft only means longer distance if you can swing it almost as fast as the next shortest shaft. If you can control it and swing it just as fast, there isn't any problem in swinging a longer shaft. If not, stick with the shorter length. You'll tend to find more fairways with the shorter one.

Skycaddie isn't a bad option if you stay away from the SG3 and SG4 models. The igolf Neo isn't bad if they've got your courses mapped. Skycaddie seems to have the most courses, of all the reliable options. If you're wanting to spend a little more cash, the uPro is really cool, but it's $300 plus tax, and then costs quite a bit to get the pro mode courses. They don't seem to have a ton of courses mapped in the pro mode either. Definitely, whatever you decide, check to see which company has the most local courses mapped. There's nothing more frustrating than having a working GPS sitting at home because the course isn't mapped. That's why the skycaddie is such a good option. The annual fees are no big deal, really. $30/year is less than one green/cart fee at most places.

I talked to Tom Watson for a few minutes at a golf clinic he and Cadillac were holding in Dallas. Heck of a guy. My other pro golfer meeting was with Todd Hamilton right after he won the open. I have a picture of he and I, while I'm holding the Claret Jug. It's pretty awesome.

The e6+ will have less spin than the pro v1x, but you're not going to lose 15 yards on an iron shot by switching golf balls. Maybe 3-5, if there's a huge difference between the golf balls, but not 15 yards. You're just hitting the ball differently.