daled

All the driving ranges around me are closed. One small public course allows play with social distancing. I'm looking for something relatively inexpensive to put in the back yard that would help me shake off the rust. Let's say, around $500. I'm a slicer, so if this toy would help with that, it would be awesome. Thanks.

Finding an instructor is the problem. I'm gun shy. The first guy, I worked with, let him make the changes, which were unconventional, and it destroyed me. The second guy wasn't as bad, but we didn't click. I'm not a "player". I don't use forged irons. When i make a good swing, it's very good, but I don't always make that swing. I'm not presenting myself as a low handicapper in high handicapper clothes. But, I am a legit 24, and I can, and do play lower on occasion. I'm an 18 hole a week golfer, 9 on Wed. 9 on Sunday. I know you can't buy a game, but I'm certain you can buy a better game. Before I bought the XR, a high percentage of my drives were right, in the trees, or OB. Now, it's not a common thing, but I still do it. The draw bias is huge for me. So with that in mind, I ask opinions about XR vs. newer drivers. As further explanation, my league is 40 man, 10 4 man teams. C 0-4 handicap, 1 4-9 handicap, 2 9-12 handicap, 3 12 and up. I clock in as a 2 man. I go up and down during the season, as low as 9, and as high as 13. I finished as a 10. It's not uncommon for me to play better than the 1 men when I'm in their group. I'm an average golfer, and age does matter, I've seen my length shorten even while my technique has improved. I bought new irons, I'm curious about drivers, and I've been working on the most important tool, my body. It's not easy at 62, but I have built up some strength, and I'm anxious to put that to good use. But, wherever you go, I guess there are people that can do a detailed diagnosis with fragments of information. I'm not referring to you. So, that is my mindset, and situation.

It's interesting that you can draw such conclusions based on a very small amount of information.

Golf is a mind game. Whatever you choose should feel good to you, make you happy, make you want to go to the range, want to play. Don't worry about finding the exact right club, worry about finding one you love, that feels good, that makes you not regret parting with the cash! Good luck.

I was all Callaway, except putter, until this year. I went to the dark side. I was playing Callaway xhot2 irons, and bought a new set of Cobra SZ with recoil regular flex shafts. The jury is still out, since this isn't exactly the time for golf in Ohio. But, I've been to the simulator, and so far so good, they feel good. I don't feel like I'm missing a lot with the XR, but the advertising for new clubs is enticing. As was suggested, I'm going to cruise the used driver market.

Tried it twice. One instructor was recommended and horrible. It cost me a whole season to unlearn. The second, also recommended, wasn't as bad, but left me with some lingering issues. At this point, my swing is decent enough, I tinker on my own, but I don't need some guy messing me up. I did get simple advice from the guy fitting me that so far, has the potential to help me tremendously. I'm at the point that's what I need, just a tip here and there. As was said earlier, my biggest issue is putting. I agree with the line of thought that putts should be 1/2 stroke, (only because I'm that bad). I'm 62, my goals are simple, beat my golf buddies, do well in my league. If I can get below 20, I'd like that too.

I've had a couple of lessons with other parts of my game that ended up being tragic. I lost a season due to a guy trying to change everything. I'm in a pretty good place with my swing now. I can even self diagnose on the fly, a skill I've only recently acquired. Putting. I've tried a lot of things. Left hand low, claw, the works. My distance is usually good, my line generally sucks. One thing that I've worked on lately, as much as is possible in the cold, is to quit trying to aim the putter head, loosening my grip, and just letting it go. Seems better, practicing. If I could putt, I'd probably shave 2-3 strokes per 9. I just mean putt as well as my best friend, who not coincidentally is probably 2-3 strokes better than I am per 9. I'll look around for one of those Ping clubs, that's very affordable to me. I'll keep the XR as a backup and maybe pass it on to my son.

Still cold in Ohio, still stuck with indoor golf, ugh. So, I have time to ponder. I pulled the trigger on new irons. I'm excited and I know my expectations high, maybe unrealistic, but hey, that's part of the fun. Here's the pondering I'm doing now. I have a Callaway XR driver. Nice club. I can carry it about 230 on a good strike. The XR is a 2015 model. Are the new drivers good enough that it's worth upgrading? I'm about a 24 handicap, but a good deal of that is my putting is horrid. My ball striking is fair to middling. I know, fix the putting, easier said than done. And I know the real answer is, go try new drivers and compare. But, is it even worth going through the process? What I would want from a new driver is forgiveness. If I bought a whatever, and that driver went 235 carry, but the dispersal was better, it would be worth it. I'm not going to carry the ball 270 yards, those days are behind me. If a new driver kept me in the fairway a couple more times a round, that would be worth it. I'm interested in what you think of the XR vs. newer clubs?

If you're serious about new clubs, go get fit. It will cost $50 - $150 depending on where, and most places will apply the fitting to the price of new clubs if you buy from them. I wanted new irons, and went to Golf Galaxy. First question they ask is your handicap. Second, price range. I had hit the rogue x last year, really liked it, but wasn't ready. I went with the idea of buying new Callaways. I tried Cobra SZ, and it was best for my swing. I bought 8 clubs for $914. Distance is secondary. Pay attention to the dispersal. I have a problem with fitting because I start playing trackman ball. I try to bash the ball and see the result instead of just swinging. Don't fall into that trap. As a bonus, the fitters are generally pretty decent golfers and they can offer tips. You can't buy a game, but you can buy a better game.

I sole it behind the ball while I take my grip, but I hover before I start my backswing.

I'm in Ohio. This time of year, we go to the indoor golf simulator a few times a year. The last time we went, I used my new Cobra irons. Either it was one of those good days, or these irons are good. I'm going with the latter. The distances from the Golf Galaxy trackman to the indoor simulator seemed to hold up. I know the indoor simulator was pretty close to what I did on the course with my old set. So, I've picked up about 10-15 yards with the higher irons. Oddly, I noticed I didn't really gain much with the 5 iron. It was easier to hit, but didn't seem to go much further than my old 5 iron. Could have been something I was doing, or could have been the simulator, those things aren't the most accurate. I found it interesting that I let my friend try the 7, and he didn't notice any distance gain over his old Callaway XRs. He's a little better golfer than I am, but on this day I crushed him by 8 strokes. That felt good. I'm 62, in decent shape, bought the Cobra SZ with graphite shafts, regular flex. What I'm seeing is distance gain, and straighter more consistent hits. Again, this is the simulator, but I can compare this to previous trips using my old clubs. I'm really stoked to get out and use these things for real. As an aside, the guy at Golf Galaxy seems to have fixed my years of woes with fairway woods. I was hitting it well at the simulator, something I couldn't do before be it simulator, real grass, concrete, or on foam! I had one that went about 245 yards. In fact, as the day wore on, and the beer flowed, I mistakenly pulled my driver and hit it off the deck, successfully. That leads me to a question, what is the appropriate thank you for the guy at Golf Galaxy? He spent some extra time, and picked up a flaw and I am really excited about that. Let his boss know? Give him some cash? I'm open to suggestions. Bottom line, if you're getting new irons, don't overlook the Cobra SZ. They are game improvement, so they're kind of big, and the soles are a lot bigger than most. But if you're like me, and don't even think about the looks of the club, you just want performance, give them a go.

I'm 62, but I still work. I also work as much as my time and my energy level will allow. While jogging, an question came to me, if I had to focus on one area of the body with my workouts, should it be my legs (running), or should it be my upper body and core, (weights). I don't intend to ignore one for the other, but I can shift focus. Which would be more beneficial to my golf game?

There's a guy that does club reviews on youtube, Rick Shiels. He found a complete Callaway set, Callaway Edge, at Costco. This set cost under $500. It includes irons, driver, fairway wood and an Odessey putter. The putter alone is over $100. He tested the clubs on the course versus a mainline Callaway set, and it was almost as good. I know $500 is a big bite, but if you can upgrade the whole set for that, why not?

I210. And he is a high handicapper. They had me hit that club and I hit it too high with too much spin. I see that it's not classified game improvement, but that's what worked for him.

How high? What's your age? My son-in-law and I went to Golf Galaxy and got fitted. It was a good experience, but I don't have on course results to report. I'm 62, this is only my 4th set of irons. I bought the Cobra Speedzone with graphite shafts, (that's the new version of the F9). I hit the P790, the performance didn't match the price for me. My son-in-law, who is a very high handicapper, bought Ping i210s. You might want to give those a look too? The other posters are right, go to a golf shop and hit them. Buy what you like! Good luck.

Of course, but you'd think I'd be able to make the same determination 6 vs. 9. However, I have, more than once, managed to find a way to hit the wrong one. You're probably right. I am likely overthinking this. I wouldn't be, if it wasn't 30F outside so I can't go play!

That's a good idea. It's black right now. What kind of paint would stand up to the use?

Go to a local golf store. Not a chain, but a small operator. Near me, there is a store called "Foxy Golf". They sell new clubs, used clubs, golf gear and do fittings. I can walk in, find a used club on the rack, and go use it with their launch monitor. If I like it, I buy it. Naturally, no returns. I'm using a Scotty Cameron Newport putter I bought from there. It was about 150 + 25 for a super stroke grip. A new one is about $400.

This really isn't much of a problem, but what the heck, I'll ask anyway. I just opened my new iron set. Nice and shiny! Cobra Speedzone. I noticed, the "5" on the 5 iron looks unsettlingly close to the "S" on the sand wedge. With my other set, I have on occasion, whether it's the heat of the moment, or too many adult beverages, grabbed a 6 when I meant to grab my 9. That doesn't end well. The first part of the fix is to put the two clubs in opposite ends of the bag, as you would expect given the shaft length. Then, you would imagine I'd notice that the club was not the correct length if I drew the wrong one out of the bag. But, understanding I'm a knucklehead, is there a good way to mark the sole of one of the clubs without making it look like I'm a knucklehead? Just kicking that around, like I said, not much of an issue.

Thanks all. As an added bonus, the fitter gave me some advice about how I was trying to hit my fairway wood. I was doing a forward press at setup and delofting the club. I went to the range yesterday, cold as heck, but had to try it. Sure enough, off the mats in the cold, (40F), and it worked. Now I get it, it's a mat, but it was better than I've done ever. An added bonus. Props to the guys at Golf Galaxy. They spent time with me, and even price matched Carl's which saved me $100.

I did it. Bought a set 5-SW. They were freaky good on the monitor. I'll find out in a couple months how they play. I'm happy with my decision.

64g. I used the F3, (regular flex). I was fitted for them. It's an aggressive change from what I'm used to using.

Does anyone have any experience with these? I'm seriously considering going to graphite shafts for my irons. Swing speed with a 7 iron is about 75mph.

I'm aware that the manufacturers are messing with the loft. They all do it. But, they are also making the clubs better. The graphite shafts are much better now too. Will new irons make me a scratch golfer? Nope. If I can shave a couple strokes with new irons, and have clubs that i can play into my 70s, that is what I want to accomplish. And let's face it, who doesn't like shiny new clubs? Having said that, I'm getting a lot of good input here. Lots to consider. Another thing I've learned last year, and through this latest fitting is that the new tech launches higher. If the monitor is to be believed, my old 7 put the ball about 18 yards high. The new Cobra with the graphite shaft put it 23-26 yards high, with a lot more spin. I'm well aware that the graphite shaft makes a lot of difference.

No, didn't hit a 4 iron. I favor irons. I have hybrids that I don't hit very well off the deck. Same is true for my 3 wood. The longest club in my bag, not off the tee, is a 5 iron. I guess I'm kind of drawn to the upgrade realizing that graphite is in my future. The dispersion was better with the set they're trying to sell me. And the mishits seemed to go better, but that was in a simulator, so it's tough to be sure. Sorry about the misplaced post, I'd move it if I knew how?