delav

One of my favorite drivers is still the TM R7 425TP, which is now at least 7 years old. It's shafted with the same Motore as my R11, and when I hit this driver well, it's every bit as long and actually feels quite a bit better. The only thing I really notice is forgiveness on off-center hits.

In general, you should hold the club loosely, in your fingers.

I'm not quite sure I follow your question.

That's fine. It's not terribly easy to find 2 degree upright sets under $200.

I heard Nick Faldo say this once, and it really resonated with me. It's easy to 'swing' the clubhead with minimal shoulder and body turn by manipulating the wrists. Focusing on 'swinging the grip/handle' keeps the arms and body together on the takeaway and follow through. There's also a Sandtrap thread on a book by Eddie Merrins related to the concept. http://thesandtrap.com/t/19042/swing-the-handle-not-the-clubhead-by-eddie-merrins

At 2 degrees upright and 1" over standard, resale will be tough anyways Why not find a good used set that is already 2 degrees upright (pretty common fit), and have a local club make put an 1.25" extension in? Even with new grips, you could probably come in under $300, and with better value than a clone set. Example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/VGShape-Titleist-DCI-762-Irons-Golf-Clubs-Reg-DG-R300-3-4-2-Upright-/151099583030?pt=Golf_Clubs&hash;=item232e3caa36

Sounds like a good start. Remember, swing the grip, not the clubhead.

How were you comparing distances.. were both hit side by side? Did you hit both on a launch monitor, or just a simulator in a golf shop? I recently hit the 588CB and really liked them. Distance was on par with my current irons, and within 5-7 yards or everything else I was hitting. For me, trying different shafts had a big impact on launch angle and spin, which effects distance, so be sure to look at those numbers carefully.

If you like the size and shape of the 962, you'll probably like AP2 over the AP1. I played the 962 for a while back in the early 2000s, and it's still a good club. Don't overlook the importance of finding the right shaft, that can make a world of difference.

I'd advise against building this movement into your golf swing. You do want to keep your right elbow soft and close to your side, but not at the cost of losing the club inside and your hands way outside. I'd work on pitch shots and half swings, focusing on keeping your biceps close to your chest. This will promote body turn and eliminate the requirement to manipulate the club with your hands. Also, there is nothing wrong with a moderately strong grip. Too weak a grip can cause a variety of issues in your swing however.

If your AP1s and AP2s have the same shafts and grips, I'd probably consider something like this. You can decide where the cutoff is for your mid-long irons for the AP1s.

How many greens in regulation do you hit per round? There is a reason that many pros and top amateurs play do not bag blades. I am certainly neither... and I'd rather be putting for birdie than chipping.

As others have said, you've got a nice, athletic swing. I bet you have a tough time hitting a controlled cut or a fade though... As you begin your down swing, you allow your hips to move toward the ball and your 'butt to come off of the wall.' This is likely part of your pushes and shanks. Honestly, I fight this exact issues as well. I've found its a chain reaction stemming from my takeaway and the depth of my swing arc, relative to the ball. For me, working my hands deeper on my backswing (hands moving close to my right hip and up behind my right shoulder) helps me generated a deeper body turn and better connection between my arms and by body. Intuitively, this helps me turn onto my left heel through the ball, and keeps my butt from pulling off of the wall. It's also helped my ball striking, trajectory control and shot shaping... I'm finally able to play fades on my approach shots like I've always wanted. Good Luck. If I have time, I'll grab some of your video and throw it into Analyzr to illustrate a few things.

To the OP: The Callaway game improvement irons that you're playing are a full club longer than your Muira's because they are game improvement clubs. These clubs have lighter shafts, increased MOI (perimeter weighting), and decreased lofts... all things that help the average golfer hit the ball straighter and farther. They are also manufactured using casting process, which, truly has no bearing on feel. The x-forged are good clubs, I liked the 2009s the best. The new 2013s are nice too, but I'm not a PX fan and never hit one with a DG shaft. These clubs will have more traditional lofts and shaft weights. They will be easier to hit than your Muira's, but likely shorter in distance and harder to hit than your GI clubs. They will also feel different, due to the design of the head and the distribution of mass. My suggestion would be to go see a club fitter and look at swing speed, shaft weights, ball speed, launch angle and spin. Get fit for clubs you can consistently hit a precise direction and a distance. As for the forged/cast/feel debate... Shorty is correct. I'll digress without using the term 'buttery' for the betterment of the interweb community. I was once told 'not to confuse correlation with causation' during a statistics course, and that saying directly applies here. Forged Clubs Typically, irons manufactured using a forging process are muscle-backs or players cavity-backs (small cavities). Therefore, these head designs will produce a different feel and ball flight based on their center of gravity and concentration of mass (MOI). These attributes are correlated with forged clubs because of the design of the head. These attribute are not caused by the manufacturing process. Players clubs are forged because they can be easily bent to the loft/lie/bounce that better players require. Forging is more time intensive from a manufacturing and materials standpoint, which is where your cost comes from... in addition to needing to recoup R&D; costs over a lower sales volume. Cast Clubs Cast clubs are often designed with moderate to extreme perimeter weighting. It would be difficult to forge a club with a large cavity and highly-manipulated weight distribution... melted metal and a mold work much better here. It's also much easier to churn them out at high volume and low cost...like hotwheels. This is important because most amateur players don't want to pay $1,000 for a set of irons. These clubs have a lower center of gravity, which produces higher trajectory and spin, so manufacturers also decreased loft to compensate... there is part of your added distance. When you move weight from the center to the bottom/perimeter of a club, the feel changes. These is less mass behind impact, and the feel off the face is a bit harsher. The more perimeter weighing, the thinner the face, the harsher the feel. The Bottom Line Comparing them side by side, the average Joe would say the forged club is softer. He might wax philosophically about how pure the shots feel, or how boring his ball flight is, thanks to those Japanese forgings... The enlightened golfer will smile and know that it's all physics. And for what it's worth... I play very often and score reasonably well, and I have cast clubs in my bag. They feel pretty darn good, flight the ball decently, and let me have some good rounds on bad days. I've got forged blades in the garage if you'd like them. delav

I'm currently using the SuperStroke Ultra Slim grip and like it quite a bit. I tried the Fatso grip, but thought it was too large and negatively impacted feel. The ultra slim is tacky and comfortable, and I like the way that it promotes quiet hands and softer grip pressure, but maintains good feel of the putter face.

Before shuffling your equipment, I'd really consider spending the $50 - $75 for a good lesson from a PGA professional. If you're hitting very high slices with a 9.5/S driver, there are swingpath and impact issues that could be addressed. Solid impact will benefit every club in the bag.

I grew up playing without a GPS/rangefinder, playing for 20 years and finally purchasing the Nikon LR550. Using the laser rangefinder has sped up the pace of play for me, and helped me better understand my distances. I typically do not use the rangefinder within 60 yards, but find it very useful when playing new courses and avoiding trouble, and fine-tuning things on the range. Highly recommend!

I'm interested to see how this driver performs. There was a very favorable review posted on WRX about this club, which was fun to read. The technology makes sense to me... we may be talking incremental improvements in MOI and forgiveness, but I'd imagine the shaping and wall thickness of the cavity also allows them to do different things with the clubs center of gravity that wouldn't be possible with a 'traditional' head.

To the OP... this may seem harsh but I believe it to be true and well-intended. I guess I'll tell my story, because I'm not that much older than you and also loved golf at 19. My father-in-law always said, "work hard now, so that some day you don't have to." I played to an 8 index in high school and played all four years on our golf team, never really playing well until my senior year. When I graduated high school I went to a D3 private school in the Northwest for undergraduate and had the opportunity to play golf for our team. My dad had a pipe dream of me playing professionally or being a teaching pro. At that time, I couldn't consistently break 80 and knew that while I enjoyed golf, I wanted a solid future with plenty of career opportunity... and a good GPA. I ended up with a business degree with a focus on marketing and a minor in math. I also didn't play more than a handful of rounds during undergrad. I decided to go back to school and earned my MS in Industrial Engineering. Doing well as an undergrad paved the way for graduate assistantships (free grad school). Having business and engineering degrees opens plenty of doors for really neat jobs, too. I'm now 28 and back to playing lots of golf. While I'm not on tour or teaching golf, I wouldn't have done things any differently. Careers in product management, product development, R&D;, or supply chain for a golf equipment manufacturer are well within reach. Perhaps I could even get a PGA teaching certification or make a run for the mini tours... However, the life of most teaching pros isn't necessarily glamorous or lucrative. The good news is, with a good education you have options and the resources to pursue your dreams. Once you've got your degree, nobody can take that away from you. Good luck!

There are a few companies that will refinish your iron heads. However, nicks and dings are part of playing forged irons. These will never effect playability, and may even grow on your over time. My Titleist ZM set looks pretty rough, but still play great.

Give this a read, too: http://www.golf.com/instruction/youre-playing-wrong-size-grips After reading that article, I've been tempted to reevaluate my grips.

Valid point, but ironically enough, I can't believe you're playing a driver from 1998!

Agreed. The short product-life-cycle in the golf industry really only effects those who fall into the marketing jargon. The guys I play with could care less who has the newest driver, irons, etc. In fact, the guy who has the latest and greatest in his bag also carries the highest index :) For the rest of us, it's a great way to get cutting-edge technology at a bargain. Find a head you like. Buy a real golf shaft. Play golf.

The MP53 is a good example of a solid players cavity. It's not a blade, however