ScottyT

I carry a Heavenwood and love it. I can't weigh it but I can tell you it has a Project X Hzdrdus shaft, R flex, and it feels light. Very versatile club I can use from fairway or rough. On windy days, I choke up just a bit and it long and low under the wind with a good run-out. It's an easy club to use to hit those "stingers"

Agree. Maui's are the best and their customer service is superb. I've owned Oakley's, Costas, and Smiths. I've spoken to numerous owners of local stores (NOT chains) because I wanted to do my homework before dropping over $200 on a pair of sunglasses. They all consistently, to a person, recommended Maui;s first, then Smiths. They all told me Costas used to be good, but they've begun to cut some corners to keep down costs. They did side-by-side comparisons and showed me the differences in materials and craftsmanship and I always came away impressed with the Mauis. I'm not sorry at all that I bought them. I've tried several tints in the Mauis and own two pairs: One in the bronze, which are my "everyday" pair, then a pair of "HT" (high transmission....allow more light through while still providing UV protection) in a greenish tint for cloudy and low light conditions. Both tints work well for golf, with the HT's working particularly well in cloudy/partly cloudy conditions. FYI, I bought my wife a pair of Maui's to replace HER delaminated Oakley's and her first response was "WOW, what a difference. These are great !!"

Delamination describes the process of the antiglare/polarizing coating coming off the polycarbonite lens. There are a number of causes from heat to using the wrong lens cleaner to aging. There are many forums addressing this

Used to wear Oakley but no longer. Great when new BUT every lens I ever used delaminated in about a year, requiring a purchase of repacement lenses. Delamination is and will continue to be an issue with Oakley’s polycarboniate lenses .At over $100 for repacements, the ongoing cost was ridiculous. Prescription lenses would be much more expensive. I switched to Maui Jim’s with lightweight glass lenses . Have had two plus years with no issues whatsoever. You can get them with prescription lenses. A higher initial cost, but very well worth it.

Everyone: Dick's has Top Flite D2 soft 15-ball packs on sale. Great deal if you get 5 or more....$9.99/15 ball pack. They are a good ball and I play them all the time in my regular groups as well as in competitions. For really good golfers, with high swing speeds and consistent ball striking, the top tier brands do make a difference, but I see little or no difference in my handicap (8) whether I play this or a more expensive "name" ball. These balls have a very nice feel....they aren't like the Top Flite "rocks" of old. At this price, they're a steal. I play a course with a lot of water along the fairways and around the greens, along with lots of woods. Losing balls is just part of the experience. While I HATE losing a ball, losing one of these at less and $1/ball, is not as painful as losing one that costs $4. I highly recommend them if you're looking for a good everyday ball. Check your ego at the first tee and give these a try.

It always comes down to personal preference, but if I can hit it long and straight, I don't care about who makes the club, what it feels like, the sound it emits, or anything else. I don't care if the shaft is stiff, regular, senior, ladies or made out of steel, graphite, wood, or bamboo. I don't care if its Taylor Made, Ping, Callaway, Tittleist or some off brand made in Peru, if it's conforming and I hit it consistently straight and long, I"m good......That said, I know sound, appearance, brand and other things ARE important to many golfers and that's fine. If that's what makes the game more enjoyable for them, then those are factors they need to consider.

If just for performance, probably not worth it. But it probably goes beyond that as several others have noted. It may be that, to some people, the design and craftsmanship have a high value beyond performance and playability. Nobody can judge how much value the "nontangibles" have, except for the individual. To me, not worth it; to somebody else, maybe worth every penny.

Welcome to golf. Everyone goes through up and downs (just ask any touring pro) and for us non-professionals, those peaks and valley are more pronounced. Last week I shot 74 on Tuesday and 84 on Thursday. What changed? Beats the hell outta me, but it happens. Look at it this way: only a few things really separate us from the pros.....ability, skill, and consistency.

I play in two groups each week and we play a variety of games based on a point system: 1pt for bogie, 2 for par, 3 for birdie, 4 for eagle and zip for double bogies. Just add the points, rather than stroke totals. 1. Traditional scramble/best ball 2. "Shamble". Everyone hits a drive, then everyone plays own ball from location of the best drive to finish the hole. 3. Total Team points: using the above point system, add up total team points for 18 holes. 3. Not sure what to call this but everyone plays own ball for 18 holes: Add up scores for best NINE individual holes using the above point formula We use this format for both individual and team scores (we play 3-man teams, normally). Example: one par, one birdie, one bogie equals 6 pts on that hole for the team. Keeps everyone in the game all the way through and allows for bad holes. You simply choose the best team point totals for nine of the holes. 4. Using same scoring format, we also play best individual 9 holes (front or back nine) in the team format. So, for example, you have 12 points for the front 9 and 16 for the back 9, you would use the 16 point total. Simply add up the points for the best 9 (front or back) for each person on the team and that's the team total. Gives a chance for a comeback if your first 9 is crappy and may make you aggressive and try to do better on the back if you have a good front. It's a fun format. Differs from #3 in that you chose either the best front or back 9. In #3, you chose the best 9 individual holes from the total 18. 5. Red/White/Blue: Can be fun. Start at the regular (usually the white) tees. If you get a par or bogie, you stay on those tees. If you get a double, you move up a set; if you birdie you move back a set. So. for example..if you birdie the first hole, you move back a set of tees (on our course, that's the blues). If, then on the second hole, you bogie or par, you stay put; but if you double bogie, you move back to the whites. If you are having a bad day and double bogie the third hole, you move up as set of tees (red on our course). Again, we use the point system, rather than strokes. But you may find yourself hitting from tees and distances which aren't familiar !! Besides bragging rights, we play for beer or a pot (everyone throws in a few bucks and winner take all). Enjoy ur trip !!

I get pretty annoyed by bad manners and poor etiquette They have no place on the course where courtesy and decency should count. Just learning? Bad player? Just have trouble getting around? That's OK, everybody has to learn at some point, we all hit bad shots, and some of us are just slower or faster than others.... just remember there are other people using the course and displaying good manners, proper etiquette and respect for other golfers will gain you a lot of goodwill in the future. Taking the initiative by offering to let faster players play through when warranted will show you understand etiquette and gain you respect from your fellow players. And treating people decently is a given, both on and off the course.

Top Flite Gamers...give 'em a try. I've tried and played most premium balls and really like the ProV's and the Bridgestones. That being said, I really don't like paying $30-40 for a dozen balls. I play a course with water on almost every hole as well as lots woods. Many of the fairways tilt towards woods or water and it's really easy to lose balls. Sooooo, I started looking for cheaper alternatives. Top Flite Gamers, I think, are the best ball for the money. Dicks has 'em on sale for less than $12/dozen and that's a steal. Since switching to Gamer's, I've seen zero change in my handicap (8) or scores. Granted, they dont spin as much as a premium ball, but I don't have any trouble getting good spin on them. I still play ProV's and Bridgestones, but only the ones I find in the woods or pick out of the water. BTW, I also have played Noodle's.....not great, but not terrible either.

I have same story hilmar2k....fitter had Miura but I ended up with the Wishon's. The Miura's have an allure and mystique; good marketing has a lot to do with that. Nonetheless, they are very high quality clubs, and pieces of art, perhaps the most beautiful club out there. I had trouble justifying the price....somewhere in the 2-3K (or more) category. I would have been the envy of the club, based on snob appeal, but I doubt they would have improved my scores all that much, if at all. I really couldn't tell much difference in feel between the Miura and the Wishons, Mizunos, or any quality forging for that matter. But if you want to accumulate style and prestige points while playing a quality club, then Miruras will get you there !! Intersting side note: My fitters son is a teaching pro at a local country club. One of the wealthier members bought Mirua's but after several months, determined he just couldn't play them very well. In frustration one day, he sold his full (3-SW), slightly used set to my fitter's son for $700 !! If I fell into a deal like that, I'd be playing Miuras too !!

Use a 7 wood all the time; it's quite versatile. Lee Trevino said he could do anything he wanted with a 7 wood, I like the height I get with a 7 wood and it's very useful on long approaches. and out of the rough. I recently picked up a 9 wood (Callaway GBB Epic) as well, since I'm getting older and distance is becoming. a bit of an issue. It's working great on long par 3's and moderately long approaches. Hybrids are foregiving and I find woods to be even more so. Since I started using these, I'm hitting more greens and my handicap has dropped. So, yeah, 7 woods are great !!

I read an article by Dave Pelz, who is a putting and short game guru. He said, after a lenghty study, that most golfers read too LITTLE break. He emphasized whether or not you "give up the hole" is totally dependent on and a factor of speed, distance, amount of break and your preferred style of putting (do you prefer to "charge" the hole or "die" it in?). He went on to say that every putt is different and each factor must be considered on each and every putt. I don't know if there's a simple solution (or we'd make all those putts !!). Those 8-10 footers are particularly diabolical !!

You are hitting it longer than the pros; maybe you need extra stiff. Here are the distance averages for the pros copied off the Leaderboard webite. PGA pros almost all use stiff or xtra stiff. According the Leaderboard website, PGA Tour players' average 4-iron shots travel 210 to 220 yards(including the roll). They can hit 5-iron shots 195 to 205 yards; 6-iron shots 180 to 190 yards; 7-iron shots 165 to 180 yards; 8-iron shots 150 to 170 yards; and 9-iron shots 140 to 155 yard

My swing speeds are right about where your's are, as measured during a club fitting. Fitter said I was in the R flex range (see comments above about flex being somewhat subjective as club maker/designer Tom Wishon points out). I hit some shafts in the senior flex range; didn't like the feel and had horrible results. Fitter checked my flex/torque on old steel shafts and those of the new graphite I ended up getting. He showed me the numbers and they were virtually the same. But with the lighter graphite shafts, I gained distance and consistency.

My clubfitter says 5.5 graphite is roughly equivalent to an "R".....However, he cautioned, "R", "S" "A", etc flexes are subjective and vary by manufacturer. One manufacturer's "R" may be more like "S" by another, and visa versa. ""

Tiger says he hits his 9 iron 142. Average on the PGA tour for 9 iron is 136 and an 8 iron is 149 according to Golfweek Magazine. Those are using clubs with "true" lofts, although many of the pros adjust lofts to improve gapping consistency. It's common knowledge that some manufacturers "juice' their lofts, so that what used to be, say a 9 iron, is now more like an 8 or even a 7. I'm an 8 hcp and play Tom Wishon (custom built), with Acura "R" shafts. Tom Wishon is a top-notch clubmaker and designer, has written several books on design/building clubs and is well respected in his field. He bemoans the "juicing" of lofts as being mostly a marketing tool that manufacturers use to claim their club is "longer" (he's not a big fan of adjustable lofts, either; check out his videos to see why). I used to play Mizuno's with TT steel shafts but started noticing a distance drop off as I got older, so I switched to the graphite shafts after being fit. On a calm day, I hit my 7 between 145-150 when I hit it solid.

I think the most important thing during a fitting is to swing naturally. It's common to change any behavior, including swinging a golf club, when being observed. It's a well-docuented psychological phenomenon, so be aware of it. Secondly, I wouldn't get too hung up on the numbers....just find a head/shaft combo that gives you the best results. Don't get overly concerned with spin rates, etc. I'm an 8 hcp and got fit last year. Made a big differnce. The only number we really discussed much was "smash factor" Trust the fitter.

I played Mizuno MX-23 forged with True Temper "R" shaft for years and loved them. Muzuno makes quality clubs, and although the forged have maybe the best "feel" in golf, their cast clubs have a nice feel too. I've hit many at their irons on demo days and am partial to the forged, but they don't fit everyone well. You can't go wrong with any Mizuno as long as you pick the right club head and shaft for your swing and ability. You need to stay clear of blades if you're not a low handicap. Just to throw this in, I play a Callaway Epic GBB with a Project X Hzdrds shaft, 5.5 torque (vs "flex"). I had a Cleveland that I loved, but the Callaway Epic consistently gives me better results Plus it looks awesome! Marginal strikes lose very little and I get very good distance and dispersion. That said, the shaft on any club is critical and you need to find a shaft that fits your swing. Only way to find that is to experiment or go to a club fitter.

Agree with other posts....if you hit a club extraordinarily well, why change? I would think any improvement would be marginal if you are hitting it as well as you say. The best, and in my opinion, ONLY way to find the proper shaft for you is to take your current driver and go to a reputable club fitter (reputable being the key....there are a lot of hacks at big box stores who only want to sell you a club) and try diferent combinations relative to what you use now. Your current driver would be the starting point. If you find a combination that out performs what you have now and you're willing to drop the cash, then by all means, do so. After years of trying various off the shelf drivers, I went to a fitter. Found I needed shaft with a higher kick point, shaft in the "regular flex" range. I now hit my drives 10-15 yards longer and straighter because of a simple shaft change. Beware: The shaft flex's you see imprinted on most shafts is subjective; there's no standard and varies by manufacturer. I've played "S" shafts that felt more like the "R" of another company, for example., and visa versa. You may find shafts with torque listed and torque is an objective measurement. A good fitter can help you demystify all this and get you into the right shaft.

Are Cameron's and Bettinardi's "better?" Maybe they're made more precisely and have a certain elitist appeal, but "better?" That's pretty subective. It's "better" putter if you start draining more putts !! Confidence is the key. If you have confidence in your putter, then you'll probably putt well with it. I will qualify that by saying the type putter you use should be compatible with your putting stroke. If you have a putter with the wrong head style, shaft style, length, or lie, that are incompatible with your stoke, you will be fighting an uphill battle. Other than that, make, model, design, look, brand....doesn't matter much if you don't have confidence in the putter. Pros change putters all the time for a variety of reasons.....they get contracts to play a certain brand or they lose confidence in the putter they are using. But one being "better" than another rarely has anything to do with it.

OK....accept that you're ALMOST as good as a pro. Only a few things separates pros from the rest of us: skill, ability, and consistency. That being said, pros all have bad rounds and bad weeks when they miss the cut, so it's normal for us mortals to have our game to go to hell every so often (just more often than pros) Playing too much may be an issue; you can tire somewhat, whether you're in good shape or not. That will change the swing dynamic, almost always for the worse. Personally, I play 6 days a week and sometimes I get tired or my muscles tighten just a little and my game goes south. But I play anyway. A bad day is simply that....a bad day. Focus on the GOOD days and how much happiness they bring you. A birdie gives me more joy than a bogey gives me pain. Accept the bad days and carry on !!

I feel your pain. I've experienced a couple bouts where I went from playing well, to playing horribly. The first time, I found I for some reason had developed a "reverse weight shift" also known as "fire and fall back." I couldn't hit any club in my bag...shanks, fat, thin, topping., you name it, I was doing it. Finally fixed it by raising my right heel on the backswing and forcing it back down during the swing to force my weight forward, a tip I found in a golf magazine. Fixed the problem and it's never come back. Second time, it was improper release and constant, really ugly shanks. I almost quit the game !! After watching me ht shank after shank, the pro gave me a drill to try....stand stationary, don't take a full swing but just hit the ball using wrist action. II went through several buckets of balls over several days doing this drill and this drill only....no full swings. Like magic...it worked. and I was playing well again. Obviously, finding the cause is the first step;i have somebody watch you swing or read through publications to find the symptoms/cause. Then take corrective action. May take a little time to adjust and fix the problem, especially if it's become ingrained, so don't necessarily expect instant results. Just stick with it; you WILL get better. Good Luck.

I carry a full set when I play, but honestly, only use 6 or 7 of them in any given round. I play in a group every Tuesday; the last Tuesday of the month is "fun Tuesday" and we play some "silly" games. One is a "putter plus three other clubs" game played from forward tees (about a 20-25 yard difference from the regular tees on par 4/5's, same on par 3's/short par 4's on our course). I carry driver, 6 hybrid, 8 irion, gap wedge and I normally end up scorimg very close to what I normally shoot (high 70s/low 80s). Left with distances where I don't have the club I'd normally play, I have to choke up on some clubs sometimes, or maybe be a little more agressive on the swings. Playing this game has made me a better, more creative golfer as you must make adjustments throughout the round. For example, there's a long par three, with an elevated green on our course. Always been a tough hole; One "fun" Tuesday, I pulled out my driver (the hole being too long for the 6 hybrid), chocked up and sort of "punched" it. Boom....on the green, 12 feet from the hole. I kept practicing this shot from the regular tees when I played and it kept working pretty well. I now do this routinely and what often used to be a bogey has become a par more often than not. Probably never would have tried it if I'd been using a full set.