YoungTom

Keanon , they make some great looking glasses. It seems like everyone these days is wearing oakleys, if you want to stand out with some very stylish looking shades, I say go with Kaenon. All their lenses are polarized (great for golf), and when you look at the prices of polarized Oakleys, they're actually c heaper. Davis Love III, Robert Allenby, Paul Azinger, etc. aren't the only ones liking them, I've got the Rhinos and i love them.

Really? I don't like the looks of the Tour Metal II's at all.

I got to hit them both a couple of weeks back. They launch much more traditionally and spun much more than the older model, they don't have that same style of moon ball off the face that just falls out of the air. I don't spin the ball much with the driver, and that's what always kept me away from the old HiBore. The scoop is also blended into the crown much better in the new models, it's not as severe a transition as before. It still feels very solid, and you can tell by the sound when you hit one dead center vs. off center. Both set up very square much like the old HiBore although I'm skeptical that the Tour is really the stated 3* open. . . One thing I didn't particularly care for though was the black pearl on the sole. Although it looks neat, the demo was brand new in the morning and by the time it was over you could see the sole beginning to wear a bit.

Steeper for me = a more up and down motion, more V shaped swing if you will. Shallower = a more "rounded" swing path. A shorter swing wiht a shorter follow through (e.g. a knockdown) will also lead to a shallower path for me. Can you tell I'm a feel player? Remember that minute adjustments in swing path can lead to big differences in angle of attack. So you don't need to be a straight up and down "V" when you want to get steep, nor do you need to be perfeclty level if you want to be shallow.

The "proprietary" shaft on the R5TP is a true Blueboard Diamana, just different graphics. The only "proprietary" Diamana out there is found on the Nike SQ's. The difference is that the R5TP has parallel tip section which is an inch longer and may need to be tipped in the shallow bore of the R5. Just about all companies use the 4" tip section diaman stock, not just TM. Take it out, lop off an inch, and see what happens . . . People get way too hung up on CPM, they really don't mean as much as many people might want to believe.

Gotta be these, best looking and playing CB I've ever seen: Japan only TM forged TP's

At some point, you're going to have to take your golf swing to the course, and it will be a terrifying experience. People will be watching you and there will be hazards to avoid, both things no range can simulate IMHO. If I could do it over again, I'd get to the course sooner rather than later. Perhaps two range sessions and then pick a slow day (early in the morning during the middle of the week) and get out there and see what you can do. It would also be very beneficial to find someone who knows what they're doing and see if they would be willing to show you the ropes. You don't play golf on a driving range, so it's not likely you'll be able to learn how to play golf on one. Get out there and play!

X-outs have physical imperfections (missing urethane, out of round, etc), while practice balls have only cosmetic imperfections. Neither is legal for tournament play according to the USGA. I stocked up on the old Titleist Practice Pro V's before the change, and I'm loving them. Although I'm running a bit low these days.

I really hate the term, "down the line." I also think it's bad instruction which can rob you of consistency and proper contact. The golfswing is a circle, around your body, even guys with upright postures (Monty, Jim Furyk, Fred Funk) are still moving the club in an arc from inside to inside, and it's only tangent to the target line for an instantaneous moment. I'd find another coach or person to give you tips. Their swing might "feel" down the line, but if they're any good, it won't be truly down the line. They're simply not communicating this feel in a proper way for you to understand it.

The 67's seemed to have a lower ball flight for me, and a much more blade like appearance at address. I never really thought of the MP-32's as a true blade. They felt like much more of a players cavity. Higher ball flight, and relatively wider sole. The 67's have less offset (although your eye may not be able to tell), and the soles of the two are also very different, the 67's far more prone to digging than the 32's. One big thing I really like about the 67's is the PW is a far better shape, it's one of the first Mizuno blades to have a good looking PW. Others have looked very odd to my eye for some reason.

E6 is okay the biggest issue I've had with them is around the greens, they don't seem to spin much, and the Surlyn covers are not the most fun off the wedges and putter. I'm a much bigger fan of the E5, especially around the greens. Who cares that it's the 2 piece golf ball. However, my ultimate winter ball (and anytime ball) is the Top Flite Strata TL-Tour. It's cheap, and the performance is very surprising, excellent around the greens, spins more than enough, and is very consistent. Don't let the "Rock" Flite name scare you off. ;)

Conterversial topic, it's tough to say. There's definately something to it that's physically demonstrable. In my experience, certain shaft companies tend to have "less" of a spine than others. However, the only place you're going to be able to truly visualize puring benefits is on a frequency meter, and you don't play golf on a frequency meter. In the end, a good swing with an unpured shaft and a good swing with a pured shaft yield the same results for me. I wouldn't pay more than $10 to have a shaft pured, personally. But the most important piece of equipment is between your ears, so if puring gives you piece of mind, by all means do it.

Ballooning is all about spin, the more spin you put on the ball, the more your ball will balloon in the air. Angle of attack is the number one factor in spin, loft is the number two. All other things being equal, the club with less loft will spin less.

You might not notice as much distance loss as you initially think even though the clubs have a stronger loft. Clubs with extreme perimeter weighting and very deep COG (Nike slingshot, Cleveland Launcher, TM R7) often need strong lofts to keep the ball from going straight up in the air and a little bit "outwards." Clubs with a little higher COG tend to keep the ball down, and thus don't need as strong a loft to get the ball moving outwards. That's why muscle backs traditionally have weaker lofts than even players cavities, the high center of gravity combined with strong lofts would result in too low a ball flight.

Contact the guys at Black Oxide Service . They'll get it done for you perfectly at a great price.

I'd be interested in hearing where the info of oil can vs. tour chrome is from? A 10% gain in spin in dry conditions is a big deal for a layer of chrome that's only .001" thick. . . Ideally in dry conditions there shouldn't be hardly any difference in spin since loft is the predominant factor in spin.

Demo sets for reps and large retailers don't have serial numbers to the best of my knowledge. If the guy on ebay has 2000 positive feedback, I wouldn't worry about them being fake.

1:1 ratio, loft:bounce. For each degree you bend a club strong, it will lose 1* bounce. For each degree you bend a club weak, it will add 1* bounce.

I really like to actually play simulated golf holes after I'm warmed up. I'll hit a driver, if it's a slice right, I'll punch out, then play a little chip up to the green. Or if I stripe one down the middle, I'll hit an approach, and if it's no good, I'll chip or pitch one. On course you hardly ever hit the same club twice, so why do it at the range when you're practicing? I've found this to be a good way to really focus and be target oriented.

Wasn't that Cleveland according to you? I think the juice ads are pretty funny, and the box is hilarious. It comes with all sorts of warnings about getting the balls too close to open flames, etc.