mike68

Well my original question sure elicited a bunch of replies. Many not well thought out, some very helpful and one from an immature individual. For those of you who posted serious replies with intent to help, I thank you. What I did was to purchase or borrow from Edwin Watts 3 types of irons I was interested in. Mizunos, Pings and Callaway Forged. I found that I could hit my current Callaway X-22's as good as or better than any of them. While I was doing this I noticed that one of the PGA Tour members, Rocco Mediate was playing X 22's and was certainly shaping some of his shots. Not a tough decision and I am staying with the X-22's until my handicap is significantly lower a few years from now. Again, thanks to those with thoughtful replies.

Thanks for the information on the MP 57's AND the X-22's. You probably noticed that "Rocco" is in my Avatar picture at a Callaway/Buick event a couple of years ago. I was watching that tournament yesterday and thought for a moment I saw someone with an X-22 in his hand. Then I thought, "No, they would not be hitting a cavity back". Live and learn

You can see below that I currently am hitting the Callaway X-22 Irons. I am very happy with these and my handicap is coming down slowly. I have been able to hit a draw and to some extent a fade, but it is not consistent. In the coming months, I will want to move on to an intermediate iron. I have looked at the Mizuno MP 52's and 57's and the Callaway X-Forged Irons. Any suggestions on the next evolution of clubs? Mike

I practice in the morning hitting 100 balls or so going through all the irons from 9I to 5I, Hybrids and Woods. In the evening I chip and putt one evening and pitches and sand shots the next evening. I quit playing for 3 or 4 years so you can see from my handicap I need to work on things. I usually play 3 or 4 times a week and skip the evening practice, Possibly too much practice, but my handicap is trending down.

When I lived in the Midwest we played as long as we could. Some mornings here will be 30's and 40's as we get into Dec, Jan and Feb. I wear Under Armore under a Gortex Golf Top and regular cotton slacks. What else can you suggest for these moderate temperatures? Gloves and a Stocking cap? Any brand suggestions. Mike

The LPGA is really caught in the current economic conditions and a bit of bad leadership for awhile. This should bring some attention to the LPGA at a time when it needs it very badly. Nothing wrong with some nudity as an attention getter. At least in my experience.

All of the above are very possible, but let me add what I heard last week from an Instructor at the David Pelz 1 Day school. He held a club in front of him and tightened his grip. The club rose up an inch or two. Basically he stated that you hold the club as light as you can without dropping it when you swing. I have been doing it and getting great contact. What happens is that as you start trying harder if you mishit a ball you increase your grip pressure. Exactly the wrong thing to do. Try smoothing a few shots while holding the club softly. Mike

I have a Sun Mountain cart that is about 4 years old and has been used very little. My home course has such long distances between the holes that it makes walking impossible. I recommend the Sun Mountain Push Carts though. Inflatable rubber tires make them extremely easy to push. They are also well made, sturdy and fold to fit in your trunk. Mike

This is a good discussion and I agree with those who advocate using what you are most comfortable with. In my case, I use a new Ping Anser V2 and find it to be the correct "feel" and weight for my putting stroke. I have used a 2 Ball knock off and found it very nice to putt with. Mike

Played Christmas Lake in Santa Claus Land Indiana in August. Just a beautiful setting, rolling hills and a great golf course. http://www.christmaslake.com/ Mike

I fought this for years and basically found out that I was trying way to hard. Let the driver do the work. Slow take away and lead the club head back through the ball. Having the ball to far forward can also contribute to this. You might try with the ball 2 or 3 ball widths inside your left heel. See if that helps. Mike

I just finished a one day course with Dave Pelz. The instructor recommends practicing putting every night at home for at least 20 minutes.. He felt that you cannot do much about all the differences you will find on an actual putting green, but that practicing at home will tell you if your alignment and distance is good. When you move to the course you can deal with the terrain, spike marks etc. I bought a $39.00 practice green at Edwin Watts and it is fine. 3 foot by 9 foot. Wish it was a bit bigger though.

I would use it, but I shoot about the same scores you do I save my good balls for days I am really serious and trying to post a good score.

Hi Keith: As you can see from my handicap, I just returned to golf from a long layoff. I am improving rapidly though and suggest you get a copy of Dave Pelz's "Short Game Bible". You can find them used on the Internet for $8.00 plus postage. It will give you a tremendous amount to work on and will help you improve. Mike

jlund: I am not hijacking your thread, but will be following this one closely since I am planning on a new set of irons in October. Currently using Talyor Made RAC Irons from a few years back. Hit a Burner Iron here recently and it was very nice feeling. Not sure if it would be good at shaping shots or not. Have also heard the good things about Mizuno Irons from some of the good golfers at my course. Regards Mike