revrat

I play the Rife Antigua and love it. I'm not generally a fan of mallet putters, but I tried out the Barbados in in the center shafted and heel shafted versions when I was looking at putters. I loved the center shafted Barbados. It really felt well balanced and smooth. It rolled the ball incredibly well, just like all the Island series putters. I didn't like the heel shafted version as much. It just didn't feel as good to me. I still prefer my Antigua putter, but if I was going to play a mallet style, it would hands down be the center shafted Barbados. They also make it in black, and that one is just dead sexy to look at too. All that said though, putters are super subjective, and only you can say what's going to work best for you.

I tried and disliked the Cobra Bafflers, Mizzy MX950, CLK's, and Taylormade rescues before I tried the Admas Pro Gold. I haven't hit another since the Pro Golds. They are fantastic for me. All the others I tried were serious hook makers, and the Adams just wants to get out there straight. Mine have the Matrix shafts. I've heard the Javelin shafts on those clubs were not as nice. I can't speak firsthand on that though. I keep hearing great things about the A7, but I'm so happy with my Golds, I don't even feel like I want to try them.

Aren't we all looking for that ball? ;) I doubt you are going to find a cheap ball that is both low spin on the driver AND stops on a dime. You're likely going to have to settle for good performance on one parameter, and mediocre performance on the other if you want to keep it inexpensive. I like the Srixon AD333 for a good blend of straight and long, with some ability to stop, but it's strength is definitely off the tee, and not in ball stopping spin. Same thing with Bridgestone E6. Straight as all getout, but not a big spinner on the green. Srixon Trispeed is the same way. WAAAAAYYYYY long and straight, but has very little brakes. E5 from Bridgestone will spin better on the green, but will not be as straight off the driver. If you want something that's going to stop good on the greens, you're going to have to accept some spin on the driver, which is not going to help your slice. I can't seem to think of any really spinny balls that will stop real good that are really inexpensive. Maybe some time spent on getting your swing in better shape would be more helpful in fixing your slice, rather than trying to fix it with an equipment change. If you do happen to find the magic ball that is real straight, stops on a dime and is cheap, please let everyone know, so we can get on that ball as well.

I would look seriously on Ebay for some Ben Hogan forged irons. Look for Apex, Apex Plus, Apex 2, Apex Edge Pro, or whatever tickles you. You can find some really nice sets for under a hundred bucks. They are soft as all get out, and can be bent up as much as you will need. They also look and feel great. I just picked up a set of Apex Plus just to goof around with for less than $70, and am eagerly awaiting their arrival at my house. The pictures had them looking like they were in plenty good enough shape to play for several more seasons.

There is better stuff out there for much better prices than the UA branded gear. Look at some of the Duofold gear, and Russell Athletic. Both of them have some really nice stuff that I use as base layers. Look at places like REI and Campmor for layering stuff like that. My UnderArmour stuff is stuck in the bottom of my drawer because the duofold and Russell gear gets worn more. I think with the Underarmour, you're paying more for snazzy commercials than top shelf layering clothes. Don't get me wrong, the UA stuff works as advertised, but you can get equal or better performance for a lot less jack if you're not hung up on brand names.

I'm wearing the Adidas Tour 360 3.0 shoes for walking right now. They had a break-in period that was none too pleasant, but after two rounds, they started to feel like gloves for my feet. I can totally reccomend them, and will be looking for another pair or two since the prices are falling down on them right now.

I play the same irons, in a 5.0 shaft, and absolutely love them. I thought I may have bitten off more than I could chew as a fairly new golfer playing those clubs when I first ordered them, but they have been easy to hit from day one. I was coming off of some Turbo Power Big Bertha knock-offs, which were really easy to hit, but had no soul at all. They were ugly, and had no feel. I was stunned by the looks of the B-Stones when they arrived at my house. The first time I stood over them on the range, I was seeing visions of worm burners and hosel rockets in my head, but when I swung it the first time, I was rewarded with a surprisingly straight, and crisp feeling shot. I was amazed at how good it felt. After the first range session, I had an understanding of what people were talking about when they spoke of the "forged club feel". I could tell exactly where I was hitting on the club face, which really helps me understand my misses now. My old knock-offs had no feel to them at all, and on top of that, they were friggin HUGE! These beauties just sit there and look gorgeous until you put them into the ball. My favorite thing about these irons is the ball flight. I don't know if it's more a function of the shaft or the head, but my ball flight with the PC's is lower, and flatter, but still checks up and sits nicely with the mid and short irons. My old clubs sent balls into the stratosphere where the winds really beat up a lot of my shots. The first really flushed shots on the course with the new clubs, I thought, "Oh crap, I just screwed that one up" because of the trajectory, but I watched it slowly descend and softly land and stop. The ball takes off low and straight, and climbs steadily to the top of it's trajectory, and then comes down on a much steeper angle than it went up with. At least that's what it looks like from my perspective. It really is something I like to watch. I did lose a bit of distance for the same club versus my old knockoffs, but I think that is more because the lofts are way jacked up on the old clubs. I'm not worried about them being all that long anyhow, as long I know where each club is going for me. I'm really sold on these clubs, and they have really helped me enjoy the game more. And for the prices you can get them for right now, it really is a no-brainer to try them out. Especially if you want to feel what forged is all about. My set came as 3-pw, and was delivered to my door for $265.

After going through several putters, I landed on the Rife Antigua, and it has absolutely killed the putter ho virus I was dealing with. That thing looks great, and rolls the ball like nobody's business. I can't see anything knocking it out of my bag at all.

I've had my Adams Tech A4 for a couple of months, and I still grin when I think about hitting it. It's easier for me to hit than some of the GI drivers that use "easy to hit" as a selling point. It's long, straight, sounds way better than my old Mizzy 560, and looks like a million bucks. They are dirt cheap right now too.

I carry a couple of Adams Pro Gold hybrids in 2 and 4, and I like them quite a bit. They are awesome in the rough, and the 2 has saved me more times than I care to think about by being fantastic at punching low shots under trees from areas where my ball should not have gone in the first place. The only problem I encounter with them is that I can't seem to get them to go good off of fairway lies or teed up. The prettier the lie, the more likely I am to be disappointed with my hybrid shot. I don't quite understand it, but it is certainly a real phenomenon. Out of thick stuff though, my hybrids are like money for getting the ball up and advancing toward the green.

My wife just got me a new Sun Mountain Speed Cart, and I want to get a new bag to go with it. I see that Sun Mountain makes a bag especially for that cart, but I was wondering if other cart bags would have any issues fitting or staying securely on this cart? It has clamps that are supposed to cradle the bag, but there are no straps that completely wrap the bag up. What kind of bags are you Speed Cart guys using out there, and do you have any problems with any of the bags? Thanks for any feedback.

I've recently started walking, and if I'm only playing the front nine on my course, I carry. The back nine has lots of hills, and long distances between holes. Push cart is nice here. Especially when we get summer temps over 105. One big thing I discovered wehn I started walking was that my shoes sucked. Riding, I can play all day with crappy shoes and not notice it. Walking, and particularly walking while carrying the bag, I found my shoes to be killing me. I just ordered some Adidas 360 3.0 shoes to try after hearing how wonderful they are for walking.

For a great deal on some cheap but good balls, look at the Srixon AD333. Budgetgolf.com has them on sale right now for $40 for 4 dozen. I think the only top shelf balls I've ever hit have been ones I've found. I refuse to spend more than $20 per dozen at this point in my golf life. With my crappy(although improving) game, I just don't get any tangible benefit from a premium ball, so I can't justify the cash outlay for them. Noodle, TopFlite Gamer and D2, AD333, Precept Laddie, and TMade Bruner are all less expensive balls that get a lot of love.

One of my old co-workers is retired, and took a one day a week part time job as a marshall on a really nice course. He gets free golf when space is available on the course. He gets free range balls, and can get guests on for a greatly reduced rate, or even comped depending on who is working that day. He doesn't get a huge discount in the proshop, however. Something like 20% off their ridiculously high marked up retail prices. I'm sure his free golf is worth way, way more than the value of the 8 hours a week he puts in.

Keep in mind also that Mizuno is coming on strong with their drivers in the las couple years. I have an MX560, and it is by far the easiest hitting, straightest driver I've ever hit, and it's way long too. I wish it would have come with some ear plugs though. It is a loud son of a gun. The MX700 is this years release, and I've heard it is nothing short of fantastic in terms of forgiveness and ease of use. Also Ping's G10 was easy to hit although not as long for me as the mizzy, nor was it quite as forgiving. Still a fine choice. Tayormade burner. I understand the 09 burner to be no different than the 07, so if you can locate one, you can likely get it dirt cheap, although the 09s are being closed out at several shops already, making them a great buy. Mizuno MX560 or MX700 Ping G10 T-made Burner

I had this same problem corrected proabably 9 or so years ago after no progress after three months of 3x per week PT. "Subacromial Decompression" I believe was the name of the procedure. It was done arthroscopically, and I was back in action in about two weeks time. There was some pain in the healing, but it subsided fairly quickly. I was hesitant to have it done, but I'm really glad I did it. The temporary pain and discomfort from the procedure was well worth the benefit of having my range of motion and shoulder strength(most of it, anyway) back. Physical scars are almost non-existant. I had three tiny incisions with one stitch each. Post-op pain control was Vicodin, but I only took it for a day. It really didn't hurt bad enough for me to want to put up with the Vicodin side effects. If therapy doesn't help you, you can move forward to that procedure with a high degree of confidence in being fixed up pretty well. Good luck with whatever course of treatment you pursue.

Or......just go and get the stuff anyway. If she's fully engrossed in Facebook, she'll never notice. If she does happen to notice, and gives you the business, just tell her to calm down, and tell her that I said it was OK for you to get the gear. Piece of cake, right?

Oh yes. Horse stuff. When your wife complains about not having a hobby, DO NOT suggest to her anything to do with horses. Trust me here. If I could go back eight years, I would have said "knitting" or "golf" instead of "riding horses". She doesn't really care for my hobbies, which are fishing and golf, but she is "all in" on the horse stuff. Tack, lessons, boarding, hoof care, vet bills.....all that stuff. I bet the horse hobby is at least as expensive as 4-5 times a month bass fishing and twice a month golf on my local course. Actually, I just kid about keeping new clubs from her. She's great in every way, and we are lucky enough to be able to enjoy our hobbies to just about whatever extent we want to without bothering each other about it. Horses make her happy, so I'm all for that. I'm happy to be on the lake or pulling my hair out on the course, and she's all for that, and keeping each other happy is what it's all about.

It's going to be great opening packages in the next few days. I have a bunch of new gear on the way to replace my crappy third hand castouts. I have a set of Mizuno MX950 irons and hybrids on the way, and a three club set of Cleveland CG14 wedges in 52, 56, and 60. I can't wait! I'm stoked and ready to spend some range time to get aquainted with some new toys. My no-name driver and cheap TopFlite 3&5 woods are nervous, but I keep trying to convince them that they are safe, and will not be replaced(yet). My putter is spoiled and already knows it has a place in my bag forever. Now I just need to figure out a way to be home everyday before my wife until all this gear arrives, or I'll owe her some horse stuff.

Yup. That's the course I live on. Fun course. Got my first birdie last week, and screwed up an easy chance at another this week. Now I need to get the first eagle. There are a couple of holes that I can see it as a possibility if I play them right. Probably easier said than done though.

I did it once just for grins. I found a ball in the rough on the way back to the cart after a 5 wood from the fairway. I ran up and hit it like HG, and I'll be damned if the thing didn't roll up onto the green past the bunker on the left front of the green(where my shot ended up), and within 10 feet of the pin. I felt like I should just quit for the day right then. I tried to play it off like it was something that I could do regularly, but I couldn't keep a straight face for more than a couple of minutes.

So I figured since I live on a golf course, I should learn how to play. So far it's been very enjoyable(despite my scores), and I found someone to play with that is near my skill level, so we can compete with each other and grow our games. I've played around with golf some before, but never really played, and I can already see myself putting a lot of time into this game going forward. I hope to learn lots from this forum along the way.

Being that I'm just starting to get serious about making myself into a golfer, I usually get about 2 per round. If I could only putt...........

I am a geothermal power plant operator. We hava great schedule that leaves me with about 50% half of my days as off days. Plenty of time for fishing and this new golf hobby.