drglew

Dad-2-3 Great purchase in my opinion--see my other posts! Best club i've ever bought. Love the look, feel, sound, and most importantly results (ok, i do hate the headcover...). Get yourself some other shafts and wrench on ebay, or perhaps even a 2nd head with a different loft (and different shaft) from Rockbottom, and voila, you have your own custom fitting van for less than $200. I think interchangeable shafts at a $400 price point was a dismal failure -- people willing to pay that price for new clubs are also the ones willing/able to pay for demo days, launch monitors, and custom-ordered latest model clubs -- they never needed interchangeable shaft technology. But at $57, the Evolver now brings "home" club fitting to the common man! (at least before they disappear over the next few years)

Zack, I did exactly as you've done for the most part. Ditched my long irons a few years ago, now only have 6i and higher, and have a 3, 4, & 5 hybrid. 5-hybrid has a much nicer ball flight than the old worm-burning line drive of my 5-iron, and a whole lot more forgiving. Also consolidated 3 & 5 woods (which i hit the exact same distance basically), now only carrying a 17* 4-wood. That lets me carry an extra wedge so i can take full swing shots without big distance gaps--i've found that much more useful on most courses I play (ie I don't have a specific really long ~225-yard par 3 hole to worry about distance gaps in fairway woods!).

At that budget, try the Nickent Evolver 4DX. (see my other posts...best club i've EVER bought i think--no joking). Previously had a love-hate relationship with an '07 Burner -- mighty long, but mighty crooked for me.

Precept Laddie X-tremes were my favorite cheaper ball. I always thought they played similarly enough to the NXT's, but were often available as a double dozen for $19.99. Ditto on lostgolfballs.com as another alternative esp if you want "premium" multilayer balls at a discount price; their AAAA quality balls could almost pass for new in my experience (i'm a Taylormade TP fan myself currently), and the AAA's are very playable as well.

I'd agree that falling for the Evolver (or any Nickent product for that matter due to bankruptcy) may be like a summer fling -- aka Travolta falling for Olivia Newton-John in Grease or something. However, i'm "hopelessly devoted" to the Evolver! (ok, no more corny Grease references). I've just come off my best driving days of my life over the past 2 weeks, finally figuring out what shaft/head combo works best for me; it's been a fun process tweaking loft & shaft over several range sessions (and I have the "CYG" hosels so i can adjust face/lie angles too). The Evolver is so cheap right now one can stock up on enough supplies to get through many seasons. Plus, if I wanted newer shafts in the future, the hosel tip could be removed at a golf shop & then replaced with any other golf shaft with .350 tip. Yes, you can do the same thing at a fitting or demo day, but they're probably going to end up selling you a $300+ driver--which you then can't alter 2 weeks later if you realize your swing or wind conditions changed. At current prices, you could probably get 4 or more Evolver heads/shafts for that price! Yes, i'm stocking up to neutralize the lack of potential for warranty repairs (although i've ever used any golf manufacturer's warranty service come to think of it). To get 4 of my current shafts i even purchased a righty package (head/4 shafts/wrench) even though i'm a lefty! The wrench issue is a good point though -- annoying as the triangular tip doesn't match any "real life" tool of which i'm aware, unlike the Taylor Made ones which can be changed using a Torx screwdriver if needed. And the deals (at least at Rockbottomgolf) don't include a wrench, although they can be had on Ebay. I'm planning on trying to find a matching size socket screw with a Torx tip instead (for flexibility in case i lose my Nickent wrench, but then could rig something to remove the Nickent screw and then replace with a Torx using an old Taylor Made wrench). If i find a matching but more user-friendly screw I'll definitely post that! So anyway, i'm completely thumbs-up for the Evolver 4DX!

If your starter set is still in decent shape, i'd say there's no mandate to upgrade if you're still mostly shooting over 100's with a full complement of inconsistent misses, as it's more likely to be the swing rather than the clubs. A series of lessons would be a much better investment. One CAN shoot good scores with a starter set. I remember shooting a mid-80's round using my mom's ladies starter set a few years ago, even though the shafts felt like spaghetti and i had to adjust for a giant draw instead of my typical fade due to the huge offset & whippy shafts (but results don't lie...maybe I should have stolen her clubs...hmm). If your original set included woods, my opinion is the first "upgrade" should be a new driver rather than irons though. You'd probably notice the difference more there than in any other club, considering how much technology and forgiveness they can incorporate into a 460cc head these days. And you don't have to spend a ton if you don't want to or go used -- there's plenty of inexpensive top brand stuff on the web, usually a model from 1-2 years ago, but certainly better than 99% of "starter" drivers.

i can't see the pic either. although i sometimes wish my downswing had a cloak of invisibility...

If you want to experiment with shafts, both flex and brand, you might want to check out the Nickent Evolver 4DX which can be had at Rockbottom golf for $300, but bankruptcy has its advantages to the consumer. I switched from an '07 Burner on a clearance whim, and now am loving the Nickent (hitting it a bit farther and much straighter). With these clearance prices, i picked up another head also (i.e. have both a 9* and a 10.5*), and have 4 shafts. It's my own "tour van" in my basement, and a whole lot easier to swap out shafts with a wrench--i can do it on the range in 15 seconds--unlike a vise, heat gun, and epoxy!

Been on both ends: Got hit square in the nuts when waiting to tee off by a line dive (1st tee somewhat close to the 9th green and someone hit a wild fairway wood); no "fore"; i definitely thought i was going to die (or never have kids); i didn't die, and now have 2 healthy boys, so i'm lucky i think. I also hit a playing parter standing 30 feet away from me--almost laterally--when i tried a big greenside flop shot and hit a sideways shank instead--split his forehead above the eye and he needed stitches. I did yell "watch out!" and he turned to face the ball--i think if i didn't say anything he would have been hit in the side of the head instead with a less visible scar. (Send him a gift box of customized Pro-V1x's afterward though). Needless to say, I ALWAYS try to pay attention to my playing partners, even good ones, or even greenside on chips!

I actually consolidated my fairway woods (replaced 3 and 5-woods -which i hit pretty much the same distance anyway- with a 4-wood) so I could carry an extra wedge to close those distance gaps between 80 - 120 yards. Currently carrying a PW (46 deg), 50-deg gap wedge, 54-deg, and 60 deg. Agree with Gibby that most 56-deg "sand wedges" have lots of bounce and can be tough off of tight/firm lies (but easier from the sand or fluffy rough), so i often chip using the 50-deg. esp if there's a fair amount of green to work with.

B-con, you can't take relief from a tree etc blocking your stance unless declaring an unplayable lie -- and taking a penalty drop. I've sometimes fooled around practicing opposite handed chipping (RH, as i'm normally a lefty) with a 9-iron flipped upside down. I'd agree though the shot doesn't happen (at least for me) enough to justify carrying an off-handed club for this.

PGA Tour Superstore for me = Target for my wife. Addictive place, and guaranteed to spend an extra $100 i wasn't planning to!

BBGPSGolf for Blackberry is completely free & works great for me. Always within a few yards of any sprinkler head yardarges at my local courses. Battery hog though--and playing partners sometimes think i'm always checking email while on the course, which is not the case!

can't speak directly about the X-22 Tours, but I recently purchased their predecessor X-20 Tours, and they're the first irons i've really felt good about since an old set of Cleveland TA7's. Very solid feel, very forgiving almost like a game-improvement iron, yet minimal offset--as my old iron miss was a nasty pull-hook, which has now mostly turned into a nice little draw. I actually like hitting irons again, which I haven't said for years. Plus, new X-20 Tours can be found on several sites for $429. My 15.8 index still screams "game improvement irons", but I too can't get used to that offset--i'd agree with r23 and go with the Tours if you like the way they set up. And the X-20 & 22 Tours are still plenty forgiving compared to a true blade.

Playing one for about a month (9.0 degrees LH). Love it, really classic shape, solid feel; about the same distance as my old Burner, and hitting it much straighter. After buying my Evolver in a store (with wrench & one shaft) for $100, I then ordered a bunch of shafts on Ebay -- actually a package including 4 shafts, 10.5 degree RH head (i'm a lefty, so it's sitting in my basement), and wrench. Still figuring out which shaft I like best (before I probably try to resell the others), but I think it's the "stock" Proforce V2 HL actually (opposed to the Aldila shafts I sought via the Ebay purchase!). If you want to experiment with shafts especially, this is a great driver, and a great deal. I may buy another at this price just to get a 10.5 degree head so i can really swap things around based on wind conditions. Note the Rockbottom shafts probably have the standard hosel based on the photo, not the "CYG" adjustable hosel where you can then adjust face/loft/lie angle.