tweaky

after ten years of working as a clubmaker/fitter i can only say that taller people don't have steeper swings than short people. getting fitted for the proper overall flex of shaft is as important as having the lofts and lies adjusted to fit YOUR swing. most of the major club companies that mass produce sets aren't real concerned with making sure the clubs fit YOU, just that they're somewhere within their predetermined specs. i can take an R flex shaft and turn it into an S that will hit lower ball flights just by measuring and trimming the tip flex. the next time any of you "buy" clubs from a retail store ask them how they "know" the flex of the shafts in the clubs they're selling. i know because i test each and every shaft. any accredited clubmaker/fitter can. retailers can't and don't because it's not cost effective. while you're at it have them FLO your shafts.

the length of the club is a matter of personal preference and won't affect your distances as much as the lofts will Chef. have a competant clubmaker/fitter check the lofts of all your irons to be sure they're set up properly.

the Makita Cordless drill. With proper alignment it promotes just the right amount of spin to make the hole.

I didn't read every post in this thread but at some point I'm sure (I hope) that SOMEONE mentioned that the final process of a good forged OR cast clubhead is ANNEALING (reheating). The forging process causes the granular structure of the material to break up. SOME cast heads are partly forged. Annealing the heads allows the material to (at least partly) return to it's original structure and remain strong yet pliable. Given two heads, one forged/ one cast that have been through the process, MOST players couldn't tell the difference. Design (to include the type of material) and processing are the key factors of the "feel" aspect of clubheads. I'm not going to defend this as it's not worth my time, and digitation, since it's been hashed over already. Just sayin'. Thank you, and good day.

The Bengtson isn't a launch monitor but does read face angle. It's a pain to set up and take down but if you have a dedicated space for it then it's okay. The Golf Achiever II reads face angle but, from lots of experience, does an inaccurate job of it. I watched as a friend intentionally hit several shots with the face slightly to completely open and closed and it was totally inconsistant. The Zelocity Pure Launch doesn't read face angle. The Vector Pro doesn't read face angle. I've owned all four and no longer use them. I still have the Bengtson, for sale. IMHO if you want to know your face angle learn how to read your ball flight. If you already know how to do that then you don't need a launch monitor. Spend the money on green fees or lessons.

Totally agree.

What's unfortunate for so many golfers is that most of the retail stores don't offer enough service for their customers. The local Dick's has a loft/lie machine but the pro there isn't always available and it wouldn't take much effort to train a few employees who REALLY WANT TO KNOW how to use it. When I build a set of irons I build EACH club as a seperate entity that closely matches the feel that the client is looking for. I build them one at a time and the client goes out and uses each club on the range or course and gives me feedback. Will Dick's, Golf Galaxy, et al do this for you? THAT'S what I'm selling. BTW- B KELLER- nice set! I'm using Wishon 770CFEs, I'll never use another!

We post 'cuz we love...the game not you! jk Seriously- whatever you decide on find someone who'll have you swing each club and check for lie angle and check/bend the lofts correctly otherwise you won't know what's causing those mis hits and distance gaps. Even a well made box set or "name brand" set can be off enough to cause you fits of tree wrapping frustration! Enjoy the walk...

Was this an independent clubfitter or one who works at a retail store? Check their credentials for the training they received. Not everyone who works in retail has had actual classroom and hands on training and tested for quality of service. Does he/she test shafts using a frequency machine or an NF1/2/3/4? If they don't and you don't know what these are then keep looking for a clubfitter who does. BTW checking my test results from a TM REAX 65S I pulled from a TP Burner driver shows that it is more of an X flex so that would make me believe that it's likely the R flex would play like a stiffer than average S flex shaft. It might actually be a good match for you. Try it if you can just for S & Gs. (sh!!t$ and giggles as we say). I'm building a Nak 9* driver with a YS6X tipped to 327cpm for a guy who has a 110mph swing speed. From experience and the data base this profile will work for him. Wish I could work face to face with ya on this cuz I enjoy the challenge! BTW- I disagree with TinCup as far as shaft being more important. The first thing to find when fitting for driver is to match the driver loft to the swingspeed and angle of attack THEN fine tune with the shaft. This can be substantiated by others with far more experience than us. Sorry Tin, didn't mean to step on yer putting line!

I beg to differ on the square head sounding louder. My Integra Quadratic is not loud, nor "canny" sounding. Pretty much sounds like a quality driver head. Golfsmiths Killer Bee Yellow Hornet has a soft "POP" (hard to describe in words) and feels like the face actually pushed the ball "out there"! Two very different designs and both very lively but not loud, "tinny", "canny", or "tin canny". Wishon's composite head doesn't have any adverse noise either. Maybe the "name brands" haven't quite got it yet?

I have an IZZO Big Daddy. Just about any that are sold thru the "box stores" are good. The materials are basically the same. Look for something that fits your space and suits your budget. A higher price doesn't mean it's any better than an economy model.

I'm sure there is a clubfitter in your area that can help you with your decision. With that kind of swing speed you're looking for S and X flex shafts that have firm tips. Try a few on the range and course and when you find the one that works buy THAT CLUB (not another new one like it but THAT CLUB that you just hit). Other than that, getting fitted by a clubfitter is the best idea.

As long as your shot dispersion is close and yer getting at least 10 and not more than 15 yards between irons then you probably won't need anything changed.

Due to the design of bulge and roll in wood faces the lie angle has little effect on shot dispersion. You may need more bulge to increase the "gear effect" that causes side spin thus bringing your ball back in line.

Why not add one of these? http://www.feelwedges.com/v/vspfiles..._SINGLE-2T.jpg

Yer looking for basically anything that is cavity back and not a blade style (solid back) and regardless of what you buy look around your area for a clubfitter/maker who can adjust the lofts and lies for your swing. You'll stand a better chance of learning a correct swing with clubs that are not likely causing mis-hits.

Are you talking about the Turbo Power clubs from Hireko? If so I can say that I've bought from Hireko and the now defunct Dynacraft and their components are pretty good. Irons are bendable 2* and they back their stuff. I still have a set of their System Q irons that I'm keeping for future use.

Good to see there are ejimicated peeple on this site who are aware of what else is available. As a clubfitter/maker I'm not doing this JUST to make a sale. I'm here to educate my customer, listen to what they want, measure them for what they need, advise them on what's available, and let them decide whether they want to buy from me or go somewhere else. I'm really not saying that brand name stuff is total junk, my apologies for making it appear so, but if you are sold a club that was not fitted to your swing and feel then you were not served (or maybe you were just "served"). Those of you playing soft forged clubs should have the lofts and lies checked at least twice a season if you're playing them more than twice every week and especially if you're a divoter. Ever heard of spines, "FLO", tip trimming to get the ball down/reduce spin/increase feel/stop that "whippy feel",flex matching, MOI matching, custom grinding, the list goes on... I'm here to sell custom clubfitting/making not a particular brand. But thanks for your comments.

Have you tried- SMT Alpha KZG Bang Wishon Nakashima ...the list goes on

About the same, once I got them fitted for me. 1. Don't quite understand the question. 2. You do . 3. It's not the material it's the design of the club that produces more forgiveness. Cast material can be made to feel like forged, it's just too expensive a process to bother with.

There was a study done back in the '70s on this and the results were that loft is what makes the difference in distance gaps. If all the heads weigh the same and the shaft length and flex is fit to your swing you'll achieve the desired results. It's not done because it's an idea that is not easily mass marketed and produced, too much inventory is required.

Okay, I'll say this... If a person buys a name brand set of clubs and does nothing to them but play them and tries to figure out why the 5 iron and 6 iron go the same distance (or any other two clubs) without having them measured for actual loft and lie have they gotten "quality"? There's a HUGE difference between getting properly fitted and "getting fitted" by a store worker. Let's educate ourselves about our equipment. I do appreciate your comments and I certainly don't mean to insult anyone who only buys name brand "off the shelf" clubs. Let me give you an example- A client of mine brought his brand new Callaway X-Tours (with satin PX 6.0s) to me because he said they didn't "feel right". He'd ordered them 1" over length with the 3i starting at D3 progressing to D5 in the PW. "Standard" lofts and 1* upright. The only thing I can say about them getting right were the grips and the lengths. The 3i started at D5 and progressed to D7.5 in the PW. The 4i and 5i were 1* apart in loft. Callaway promised him his clubs at his specs. He's not the only one whose "name brand" "custom fitted/made" were brought to me. Granted that a lot of guys and gals get lucky and can deal with this kind of service. My purpose here is to try to spread the word that there are a lot of us out here who are interested in the tech part of this sport/game and want to help others get the most out of it. And yes, the pros get this kind of service which is partly (a big part at that) why they can play so well. Bobby Jones had a bitch of a time controlling his 7 iron. Years afterward it was discovered that it was significantly more flexible than his other clubs. It's well known that Tiger uses Miuras, not Nike irons. Klaus Rumminnigge was my hero back in '82 when I was there (Sembach AB). Some of the guys I worked with were buddies of his. FCKaaaaahhhhhh! Tip your caddies well.

This one gets my vote. God bless you, sir. Thank you for doing that!

And while you're at Cypress stop in and say hi to Paul Schlossberg for me. He caddies there and got me on 4 times. Free golf is the best! btw- Tiger was kicked off this course by security. did you know? Ask for JT at Pebble and tell him Brad sent ya. Tip the caddies well, they deserve it! Check out Pacific Grove Golf Links known as "the poor man's Pebble Beach". Beautiful course that winds inland then along the coast at Point Pinos. The Fishwife on Sunset Blvd. in Pacific Grove is popular for food. Don't feed the squirrels, raccoons, or deer. Definitely do Poppy Hills. Spanish Bay at dusk with the piper. Pull/draw your drive past the trees on #1 at Spyglass (fade/push for the lefties), the hill will give you extra roll. Practice your lob shot before you go. Golfmart in Seaside is the only place for clubwork since I left two years ago. Three is a guy at Pebble Beach (ClubTech) who does club work but I've been told by many a client that they wouldn't go back to him. Gary Janikula (Village Golf in Carmel Valley Village) is 12 miles away in the Valley but he won't pick up and deliver. Nevada Bob's closed down in Monterey. Relax..breathe...

I am dead serious. If you don't know what REAL champagne tastes like how can you judge it based on your experiences with "sparkling wine"?