Wahoo

Hoping for a push cart (clicgear 3.0) and an ft-iz hyrbid. Don't let me down Santa!

I play the White Hot Tour #9, and it is a great putter. I also tried the black i #9 at the store, but actually prefer the feel and weighting of the tour series. The tour series is heavier than the XG and has a firmer insert. The XG felt too soft for my tastes.

Lie angle is probably one of the most important specs to get right. If you go to a range with mats, you could try putting some masking or duct tape on the sole of your irons and see where they wear off. It won't be perfect, but you can at least see if your lie angles are too flat or too upright and compare this to what the online fitting suggests.

The XG is the softest of the group. The black series i, white ice and white hot tour are very similar and are each firmer than the XG.

I just picked up a new Callaway driver. There was a sticker on the shaft saying that the parts were made in China and Vietnam, but assembled in the US. I imagine that most of the major companies are the same.

Mizuno's are flatter than most brands. Try looking up the specs of a few different brands to compare. You will also see that the progression from 3iron to wedge also varies slightly brand to brand.

I think you are talking about the ferrule. These are usually just cosmetic, so should be ok as long as the head doesn't feel loose.

I picked up my Mizuno F60 3Wood and 5Wood for about $25 each on callaway pre-owned last year (they were having a sale). One club was "like new," the other was "very good."

I think the "Soft" in Nike Power Distance Soft refers to the core, not the cover. If the cover isn't urethane, you probably don't need to worry about a wedge cutting it up. If you are still worried, Titleist has a policy that they will replace certain brands of balls (NXT, SoLo, NXT Tour?) if you cut them up -- they will give you a new sleeve.

I recently switched to the mid-size winn grip on a whim. It only costs $8 to change, so I thought it was worth a shot. So far, so good -- it is really just a matter of personal preference.

I've heard 4

I tried both and went with the WH Tour. It felt better to me, plus I liked the fact that the sight line went all the way back. I believe both models use the same insert (firmer than the XG series). Both are great putters.

I have oversized round grips on my 56 and 60 wedges and regular ribbed (with extra tape) on each of my other clubs. Works well for me.

I would think that the DT Solo (new edition this season) fits this description, no?

I have Callaway X hybrids (steel shafts), and I find that they cut through the rough better than other (TM) hybrids I've tried.

I think that it really comes down to personal preference, so I would try a bunch of different putters out and see what works best. You'll see a lot of top pros (like Jim Furyk, Padrig Harrington, Rocco Mediate) using large mallets. I've always been a fan of the mid-mallet, which seems to offer a good balance between foregiveness and feel and allows for some alignment aids. My favorite is the Odyssey #9, which has the size of a mid-mallet, but is weighted much more like a blade (toe hangs around 5 o'clock).

IMO the "game improvements clubs masks you faults" argument is often exaggerated. You still need to make solid contact to hit it well with any set, and you will know when you do this. The difference is that a slightly off-center hit (talking about an inch or two) with a GI club has a better chance of staying in bounds and flying a decent distance.

I would definitely take some private lessons, but you may also want to sign up for a group clinic that covers all the basics (putting, short game, irons, driving, rules, etc.). Many courses and ranges offer these clinics, and they are a good way to get started.

You may want to be careful if the lie angles can't be adjusted. By cutting down the shafts, you are effectively making the lie angles more flat (normally, a shorter-length club would have a more upright lie angle). An aside -- many people don't realize this, but if you buy a hybrid or wood with a steel shaft, the stock steel shaft is typically shorter than the stock graphite shaft by about an inch, yet the OEM's don't adjust the lie angles -- so, you end up with the same problem.

I would definitely get your lie angles fitted using impact tape (but first make sure that the shop can adjust the lie angles), as incorrect lie angles can have a big effect on how well you hit the clubs. I doubt that tweaking the lofts a degree or two will make any significant difference in your game -- you just need to figure out how far you hit each club at their current specs.

I don't think I could answer your last question with any set of clubs, but I do think the 25's have great feedback. I know when I hit them on the sweet spot. I'm not sure if this makes much a difference, but the 25's are have slightly softer forgings (1025 versus 1020 in the 23's).

I have mx-25's and a demo mx-23 6-iron, and I don't notice any difference in terms of forgiveness (although I have read that the 25's are more forgiving). You should be able to find some demo 6-irons on ebay. IMO, the 25's have a lot nicer finish than the 23's. Maybe just see which set you get the best deal on.

I vote for numbers only (i.e., 3 - P). I wouldn't want loft numbers because if I had them bent at all, the lofts listed on the clubs would be inaccurate, and this would really bug me for some reason. It isn't hard to google the specs ... plus, any pro shop will have the specs on hand.

You should consider GP Tour Velvet. Good feel, great price.

I got the Putting Arc for Christmas (which is similar to the product you reference, but promotes an inside-to-inside stroke), and I have found it helpful for grooving my stroke in my living room. We'll see how to translates to the course.