Steve Keeler

Find out your swing speed, most courses that have demo days have the equipment to monitor it, if not an upscale club or big box store should have a monitor. This will give you an idea where your swing fits with shaft flex.

Try using your hybrid or highest lofted wood and putt with it. Use a putting stroke. The loft of the club will get the ball airborne and then rolling. Easier to control and the added bounce of the hybrid/wood will help

I hit it last weekend (both models the MP-630 and 630 Fast Track). I tested the Fast Track in both the 1-10 and 5-6 setting. I did notice that when set up with the weights in the 1-10 setting the ball (a brand new top-flight range) did fly lower. I'll give it another try when the weather gets better. Overall it felt solid, but wasn't as comfortable as my 983K. It does frame the ball nice, so that's a plus! And the stock shaft is OK (Fubuki) would like a little less torque.

A few weeks ago I sat in on the Optimizer Fitting Demo with Chicago's Mizuno Rep. He walked us through the fitting concept and showed us the way the Optimizer and software work. Its great for fitters (I was certified Titleist and HG when I was a professional) because shaft flex and characteristics is purely subjective. Using this new tool and software has taken the guesswork out of the equation. The three options that the program provides is just that, options. The idea is to eliminate one of the shaft profiles (based on your trajectory tendencies so a low kick point shaft would in your case be eliminated which would be the DG S300 for its low kick point) and then try out the other two shafts (X 5.5 mid-low kick point and KBS mid kick point). The main reason you were placed in the Stiffer shaft was due to your quick tempo #8 which is at the upper end of their tempo range. If your tempo was more like swing #2, you would have been more in the Regular Flex range. Now you are correct in that there is an option for soft stepping or hard stepping, but the software program will alert the fitter when and if there is a "tweener". I'm going to get more instruction on Saturday (I'm going to do Tech Rep work at Demo days part-time) and I will input your data into the system to see what comes up. So I will post more on Saturday night.

Set A all the way. Learning to hit your PW SW and LW the Pelz way will improve your game.

More loft does = more control, just go hit a bunch of different lofts. The shaft you play as well as the ball you play will also determine your optimum launch/loft. Fitting would help like Gioguy21 said. Good luck!

Start with getting in balance...the swing starts from the bottom up and you tend to fall away from all your shots. Anything else you do won't mean a thing if you're falling over...good luck and stick with it!

Totally disagree. It is a semantics thing. In my experience telling someone to "hit" down only caused a steeper angle and deeper divots. When focused on swinging the club, the results were a swing more on-plane and contact at the bottom of the arc. (TW stated later he was a Picker...which would have changed my original response, and I would have told him to stop watching video's of John Cook!--Joke) Totally agree, and finding out TW is a picker is even more of a reason to get instruction and a club fitting... TW good luck and if you find yourself close to Bemidji at the end of July you can find me at the Town and Country playing the Birchmont or on the lake hunting muskies..

When I started on Titleist Staff in the late 90's I got the 962b's, then the 990's. No major complaints they had flighted Rifle's so the shafts were wicked good, finally my last set was the 690 cb's. The 990's were the weakest of the bunch. Nice club, but not near the look and feel feel of the 962' s and way different from the 690's. If they are an upgrade then you'll like them until you are able to hit something forged, then you'll make the change.

Tell your wife the next time she wants new shoes " Payless has a bogo sale"....actually don't, she might let you get your irons, but never ever have a chance to play...good luck and go with the 990's

I've said this literally a thousand times..."swing the club, don't hit the ball"...try this next time and let the ball get in the way of a good swing!

I had a flashback to the 1 Iron shot at Marion...LOL. Shanks has some great ideas/tips and is dead on. Any club fitter will tell you that you need to fit length first. Check the loft and lie of your set...they are not always to spec or have been modified by the previous owner Get some impact tape and hit the clubs you have and the clubs you like (ZB's) and compare the patterns on the face And don't cut down the shafts you'll open a whole different can of worms and check the flex of the shafts too!

That's the Chicago Way! Personally I like having the Staff bag in the Trunk. If I'm playing in an outing and don't know anyone..yep staff bag because (it usually means I get to drive) it has my name and that way the group can "remember" me ..seriously I like it when the weather might get dicey. Holds every piece of gear I could imagine. The downside is some cart straps will not fit properly, only hanging on by 1/8 inch doesn't make me feel that the clubs will be secure. If you do ride with someone else that has a staff bag...awkward. Oh and caddies really don't like lugging the staff bags and all the stuff inside them...I carried it once for 3 holes after our cart shorted...it wasn't fun. Just get what you like...if you can't play good golf, then try looking good doing it! Joke...

All the irons you listed are great sticks. Just hit em and figure out which feels and looks the best. Plan on going to a bunch of demo days and be sure to get fit! Wilson and Bridgestone have some sweet new clubs as well.

Jay-Bird has it right. You need to determine when and where you load the shaft. Typically pro's like all their woods and irons to be the same swing weight, with the wedges heavier due to having more control on the shorter shots. I'll never forget getting my 975 D Titleist with the gasp (BiMatrix) shaft...well after the first round I fn hated it (the demo I used in the Illinois Open Qualifier was a monster, I couldn't miss a fairway and it was long)..found out it was C-9 which proved to be too lite for my style of swing. Needless to say the club ended up getting dumped...so try zeroing in on what weight feels good, and have a professional "eye" your swing.

FYI did you get fit for them?

"specialized" or not..a sand wedge does not have to be your 56*....I play the 60* out of the sand. I suggest taking a lesson on bunker play (sorry the old pro in me) once you learn the proper technique you'll actually love playing out of the sand. The problem when having one club, especially the 56* with high bounce, it can bite you once you need it in the fairway...your goal should be to maximize the shots around the green and not the bunker. ks8829 sums it up well.. Thats my two cents...Go with something like 12* bounce in the 56

Not my lowest, but in 2001 I birdied 6 strait holes playing in a Pro- Member at Urbana CC in Ohio. PB Dye was in my group. Ended up with 28 putts and shot 68 with an ob double. What was cool is that PB said "my father and I expect you to be a great putter of the ball" and that day I drained two over 30+footers...it also helped that I chipped in once and had a couple tap ins...

maybe bigger isn't better! I like the smaller look of the head when framing the ball. Also I think Bang used to make a 500-600 cc driver head...now that was a pumpkin on a stick. Imagine if all drivers were the maximum 460cc, then what could they do each and every year? The smaller heads are a way to make the product "sizzle"...Just my Opinion

Haven't hit the club with the shaft you described, but the UST AXIVcore Red 69 shaft is a medium to high launch. If you liked the outcome and it gave you better results than what you currently have then buy it...A number of years ago when I was a Henry Griffitts club fitter, our fit cart didn't have labels on the shafts, just color coded tape. I could fit a player using ball flight, and never ever have to tell them that they hit a regular 'Hi-kick' shaft better than the X-shaft they currently had. So rely on the outcomes, and don't pay too much attention to numbers (I know others will give me grief, but this game is about feel and feel leads to confidence) PS high loft is the new "in" due to the spin rate of today's golf balls and better shaft (loading) technology.

I've been lucky to get instruction from a few of the Top 100 instructors (some past, some current). And at one time I wanted to become one myself. But to answer your question I think that if you really want to improve your game, and money is not a problem, then by all means go! But remember, it will take some serious effort to improve your game. You should have pre-set goals and explain them to the professional you choose. When I was younger I went to DeDe Owens, and in college I saw Todd Anderson (pre top 100). While I worked at Cantigny I watched Jim Flick give personal one on one instruction. I could list more, but that would be redundant...All those that are Top 100 have an unbelievable ability to break down the golf swing, and that is why they are recognized by their peers. I also want to say (as many of the other posters have in this thread) there are amazing golf professionals that are not Nationally ranked. I suggest that you try someone local. CT has some great players and teachers. I'm from Chicago and we have about 30+ pros that really know their stuff. In the end you need to find a professional that can help you achieve your goals. If you want or need a Top 100 instructor to do that then I recommend the Sea Island Golf Learning Center located in St.Simons Ga. They have 4 of the top 100 Golf Teachers and the facility is top notch! The course is fantastic and the food...well I'm biased, I lived on the island for 4 months of the year when Chicago winter's sent me south.

Find out from your friends. Ask around the golf course you frequent who's the best. Ask the pro at your course who they would go to...As for expectations, define your goals and tell the instructor what they are. Then ask how they can help you reach your goals. When I taught, I always asked this question. The more detailed, the better the "depth" of instruction. Or you can just move to Illinois. We have a ton of great instructors!

If you knew that you were a digger, then why the M's? and not the TK or V's? Bending can help, but I think you need to figure out what gaps you want to fill and then go hit some wedges. I recommend the Mizuno MP T series and I really like my Vokey Raws...

With the way club manufactures release the newest and baddest clubs, it can become overload. I "pushed" new technology when a golfer needed assistance, perimeter weighting, hi-launch, shaft flex, etc. I felt comfortable fitting people to "new" when I saw the "old". Anyhow I currently use a 983K Titleist Driver with Grafalloy Prolite Shaft and Steelhead 4 wood with a memphis 10 steel Shaft...they have the same frequency. I putt with an original 8802 (yes it passes the nickel test and my dad played it in the late 60's while at AU) so I think golf equipment should always be a personal thing. If you don't see a need or want for "new" tech, then continue playing what you have, you'll play better. BTW I regret moving up from the 962B's to the 990's and then the 690 CB's...The only thing bout the 690's that "feel" better are the T-flighted 6.0 shafts!

Remember there is no "standard" in loft/lie and length of clubs...I mean a Mizuno standard is x/x/x while Titleist is y/y/y. So just get the true specs of each club and see how far off they are.