drumon

It's unlucky to put new shoes on a table! Maybe that depends on where you are from, superstitions n all that..... Apart from that, the stuff looks great. New gear is exciting!

Thanks for your opinion. So you dont feel there is a mis-match in your "wood swing" using different shaft materials?

Buying fairway woods 2nd hand, I see there tend to be some older (4-6 years old) woods with graphite AND steel shafts. I am looking for a 3 and 5 wood pair. Question: What is the difference to having a 3 or 5 wood with steel shaft rather than graphite? eg. What if I had one with a graphite shaft and one with a steel shaft, am I going to have trouble maintaining a consistent strike between 3 and 5 woods. I am relativiely new to learning the game properly.

Great, thanks for explaining where the FY fits in for you, sounds a useful club.

Allin: I am also having trouble hitting 3 wood from the fairway and working to improve on it. I will try your tip. At the same time I am also thinking about what woods are useful to carry. I am not a long hitter, and have considered having 3 and 5 wood or 4 and 7 wood. Though I see in your signature you have the Wilson FY 19.5 wood, tell me how you find the FY compared to a 5 wood or 7 wood on the course? I have considerd the FY though dont have a chance to try the club. (sorry for slightly hijacking the thread here.)

If it wasn't for the family, fair comment, but to my eyes and ears Tiger's statement didn't quite do Tiger justice. But maybe I dont go for such cool mild mannered statements and soundbites. I have my opinion, you have yours. I have high expectations for him, maybe too high , what can I say, because I've always reckoned him to be an admirable figure in the manner he has generally conducted himself during his professional career and I really hope he can live up to that for the public. As one of the worlds finest ever sportsmen, the public want him to be the finest example of a man in all respects and are disappointed if there are faults, I know no one is perfect and managing life in that spotlight is complex and challenging i'm sure. I hope he warms to the public when he returns to competition, the public will warm to him if he does. I, and I'm sure countless others, look forward to him returning to his profession with enthusiasm and eagerness to win.

Fair play to him, thats the first step out the way. Sure he's been through all the s?*t by now, but since this was a public broadcast, he should have done a better job, because this will have little effect in silencing his critics. For example.... When mentioning the stuff about the press following his daughter to school, he followed up by saying "I brought this upon myself" ... it would have struck a far better note with public if he said "I brought this upon them"... I'm sorry but it just doesnt quite cut the mustard for me, too staged and not enough acknowledgment for how much the public would love to see him playing golf again, playing as a gentleman. Maybe he cant guarantee that he wont be throwing clubs any more. Yes he has to acknolwedge his family in the public eye, but it was just too staged. I hope it was enough for the family. Respect to him though for getting on with it, speaking to the public now rather than much later! There'll be more for him to address publicly and it might not go so smoothly.

I meant it would be easier to sack the 3 wood altogether and just use a 5wood. Thanks for the encouragement Road Dog. I will just go for it. Though no doubt my puzzlement and need to ask questions will increase.

Fair comment, Thanks. Even though my 3 wood of the turf is 50/50, that is definitely an improvement! I just dont see it becoming a useful shot on the course for a while yet until it becomes reliable which I feel will take A LONG TIME. Maybe I should keep working hard on it rather than disregard it.

Been focussing on practising the 3 wood, fine off the tee, but its a 50/50 off the grass.... Practising the 3 wood was taking too much time which I feel would be better spent on swinging the irons well, then over time if my swing gets more reliable I can start worrying about using the likes of the 3 wood off the grass also. So, now my thoughts are to get a 5wood or a hybrid for off the grass and keep the 3 wood for the tee shots. Then gradually (hopefully) improve the 3 wood off the turf.... Then buy a driver after that when I'm happy using the two woods. Does that sound a reasonable plan for someone getting into the game and trying to improve and enjoy at the same time? ...and is a 5 wood significantly easier of the grass than 3 wood?

I'm trying to get the hang of playing my 3 wood off the grass. I'm aware of lots of tips along the lines of "sweep" the ball from the ground with a fairway wood.... and also tips to aim to take a slight divot after the ball so that a slight downward strike gets the ball to grip the face and use the loft. But I'm just not quite getting it. Can you offer advice on this? I'm under the impression that I want to keep my swing essentially same as that used with my irons. (I hope this is the case). SO....what adjustments should I make with ball position, or the width of my stance to get the club swinging and turning through the right path as it takes the ball away?

Thanks, it is indeed a comprehensive review. I'm always curious to get other views though, thats why I asked, but yes the review really does say it all. Appreciate you pointing that out.

The 905R sounds like a great and well respected club, with long lasting appeal. How suitable is it for a relatively new golfer, though one who has a reasonably consistent strike, but not a long hitter? Like myself. I currently hit an old Dunlop metal driver, with small head, steel shaft, around 210yds. Would a 905R amplify minor faults and spoil my enjoyment of improving golf?

Agree, it seems a bit weak. I know he advocates making the most of technology to play to the highest standard, but this doesnt add up. Has anyone measured the performance of these Ping wedges to see if they really are as good as something new? though I'm sure they do work well. Anyway, Padraig's approach to this, not being sure whether to use them or not, is surely setting oneself up for a fall!

Thanks so much for the scientific explanation....... really hadn't figured that one out! (that's sarcastic too).... Seriously - Thanks for the real advice though, appreciate it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/8497352.stm Padraig is also considering using the old wedges, but is waiting on guidance from Tim Finchen, he wants the tour authorities to make the decision for him!

I am getting one worn patch on my golf glove. It is worn between the two joints in the lower part of my thumb. Can anyone identify what's maybe happening to cause it? I am making sure I don't grip with my left thumb stretched too long on the grip, I try to pull my left thumb up in the grip (keeping left thumb short on the grip) to try and prevent this wear happening, but to no avail.

How would you rate the MP 001 for a newish golfer, I know they can be bought pretty cheap now, or do you reckon they are bit outdated now? Anyone have any opinion on sounds of Callaway x460 or Big Bertha 454?

Yes I mean the sound of a blacksmith shaping hot metal with a hammer on an anvil, eg making horse shoes!! It's interesting as it seems to me that having such a loud and particularly unpleasing sound doesn't reflect the (hopefully) stylish move we hope to make on the tee. To my mind, it suits to have a sweet, subtle (if possible) noise, rather than the noise of construction work when setting out on the golf course.

Shanks a Million - Top quality reply!

Thanks, this is helpful. So the Cleveland launcher seems louder than g2, g5 or x460.

I'm starting to look out for a 2nd hand driver. After paying a few visits to the range, I hear a wide range of sounds from the bays, sometimes the sound of some drivers is just deafening, like a blacksmith's anvil! ....and I dont want to have something quite so "pronounced" in the audio department. I wonder if you can shed some light on the sounds of the following and whethere they are subtle, medium, or very loud: Callaway Big Bertha 454 Callaway X460 Ping G2 Ping G5 Cleveland Launcher

Todays estimates at the range. Driver 210yds 3 wood 200yds 3iron 180yds 5iron 150 yds 7iron 130 yds 9iron 115 yds PW 110yds New to playing golf "properly", ie. with lessons and stuff. Interesting to see how swing faults are amplified on long clubs, and I suppose that helps explain to me the small gap between 3wood and driver for instance, in fact sometimes they are interchangeable.

Yes,... as an aside don't you find that professional sport rarely adheres to the spirit of the laws of its game, but some players in some sports will do what they can to deliberately bend the Letter-of-the-Law. That's where professionalism has brought us unfortunately, whereas the Spirit of the game and its laws, tends to become more and more an amateur field. Take golf etiquette, it is not OK for professional golfers to go about spitting, swearing before a crowd of adults with children in tow, or throwing clubs about..... but it happens. Anyway this is not that type of case either, John Daly is following the rules.

Thanks for your reply. Yup I'm tempted to the 5 wood, for that long whack from the rough. I might start with that and then see later on if I would better off replacing the 3iron with a hybrid. Any other views welcome on 5 wood vs. 18*hybrid from the rough? What suits you? Which picks the ball out the rough better? Whats the consensus, is a the slighter larger head of 5 wood better at hitting through the grass?