adamg

They've worked well. They are definitely lasting longer than the normal spikes. I was honestly hoping they'd be a wear a little slower than they do, but they're fine. I'm about 15-20 rounds in and they're still good enough. So an improvement. I would say 4 out of 5 stars.

I have not hit the Mizuno, but I can say the TM is more forgiving than the Titleist.

Depends on your needs and the courses you play. Some things to consider: Do you need to fill a gap between your PW and SW? Would you use your 52 to chip? Do you find yourself needing to hit a flop often? Are you comfortable controlling distance on partial shots with your PW? For me, I chose the gap. I have about a 25-30 yd gap between my PW and SW. I also LOVE to chip with my 52. For my course, I manage fine with my 56. Every now and then I wish I had a 60 (maybe one shot in three rounds) when I have to get over sand with a close pin right behind. But I am happy with my choice.

if you make the drive you can use it right away :) i personally HATE waiting for things in the mail i'm excited for

Try some stronger hybrids too. May give you more versatility if you don't hit the fairway. On a launch monitor, I was able to hit a 17 degree hybrid within 5-10 yds of my 3 wood. Slight loss in distance, a lot more accuracy and consistency.

Make sure to hit some lag putts. It's easy to find a number of putters you feel comfortable at hitting from 10 feet out. I find that you can start to really tell what putters work for you and what do not on long putts (30+ feet). If you can control the distance from afar, you have a winner. I also recommend trying on a real green before purchasing if possible.

I have been gaming the R7's for three seasons now. I love them. I have the stock shaft - and yes it's a little whippy. But overall I find them very forgiving irons and I find my distance is pretty consistent. The shaft on my 6I was bent, so I decided to try DGS300 on it. I pick it up from Golfsmith tomorrow, and will try it out on the range/course this weekend. If that goes well, I may replace all the shafts with DG's. I'm debating getting a new set, but I really do like the heads.

Have you looked at the Bridgestone e7? They're $27, but it's just $2 more. I would personally recommend checking out lostgolfballs.com. You'll find lots of threads with good reviews on this forum. It is one avenue to play a better ball at a lower price point.

I've never owned a Scotty, but I've demoed a few on real greens. I will say they felt better to me than any other putter I tried. It was easy to be consistent. For me, they weren't THAT much better than some putters I tried at half the price. I love my Ping, it was a close second to SC. So while I've never owned a Scotty, I can certainly understand why folks love them.

I only have played the Burner TP's a few holes with balls I've found, but I don't like them at all. I found them too hard. If prices were equal, I would chose the NXT Tour over the Burner TP's, but I would pick the Red (or Black if it's your preference) over the NXT Tour.

Nice to hear I'm not the only moron in the world who does that!

I find the NXT Tours have less spin than the Reds.

Personally, I cannot tell the difference between the 2008 and other years of the NXT Tour. I find it plays similar to many other balls that sell in the $25-$30 new price range. Long off the tee with a medium amount of spin around the greens. They are not rocks like the NXT's. For a wedge or short iron, I have no problem stopping them with a full swing. On partial swings near the green, I do notice less spin and more roll than when I play with a tour ball. But that's not an issue as long as I remember what ball I'm playing with :) I also play the TM TP Red's LDP's fairly often. They are probably my favorite ball. Long and straight off the tee with good spin around the greens. I cannot differentiate between the Red's and the Pro V1x's. The course I play has long bermuda rough at the moment, so I have been losing a fair amount of balls. I went with the NXT Tour's this time because the 50 bucket deal was outstanding. If they were normal lostgolfballs prices, I would pay the extra buck or two for the Red's.

Do you need a new bag?

I just purchased the NXT Tour AAAA bucket. It's a great deal at about 50 cents a ball. I've played all of those balls and you really can't go wrong either way. I tend to draw the line at AAAA. AAA is a little too worn for my likes.

I personally think it helps a little, but not much. I play R7 irons. They are game improvement so have some offset. As I've improved my swing, I can't seem to shake a draw with them when I'm swinging well. When I demo clubs with less offset (say AP2's), I hit them straight. This was not always the case. A year ago before I took some more lessons, I hit the R7 straight. So this isn't scientific. But through my observations, it helps a little. As other posters said, if you're really hooking the ball it's likely a swing issue.

Have you tried other Hybrids? I had the same issue. Hit the G15 pretty well, but would muff it sometimes when trying it because of the head shape. I just never felt confident over it. I tried the i15 but couldn't hit it consistently. I ended up going with the Cobra and have been very happy. I would bet if you tried other manufacturers that you could find one you hit just as well as the G15 but feel more comfortable standing over.

I hate to ask, but if your current driver is working well then why reshaft?

Get fitted if you can - even if just for the shaft. Most places will waive the fitting fee if you get the shaft from them. Some things are visual - like launch. But if you're getting a new shaft, you might as well take a look at how it affects your spin on a monitor.

I would like to share my experience last spring at the Pinehurst Golf Academy. I was in the market for a new putter. I asked them to help "fit" me for a putter. They watched me putt on camera, measured me (to determine shaft length), and watched me putt some on the green. They said my swing was pretty good, and my problem (like most golfers) is green reading (based on a study they ran). Their advice was to first and foremost practice green reading. They did a study and learned most people can't read a green well. They tend to blame their putter because they think they "push" or "pull" putts. While people do push and pull putts, many times there is a small break at the very beginning of the putt people miss. You can only see this if you watch your putt from behind. To your eyes looking above the ball, it's a push or pull. In actuality, you hit it where you aimed. They recommended practicing by rolling balls on a green. Do not use a putter. This allows you to watch ball movement from the very beginning. You like kind of silly doing it, but it does help. So where am I going? Based on this study, I decided not to focus on lag putts and distance control when I picked a putter. I have struggled to hit my distance consistently from 30+ ft. I was not expecting to find a putter that I could control distance well. I started to branch out and try different putter styles. I have always used mallets because I am not an arch better. I decided to try some blades. Heavier blades worked well for me. My distance control with it was superb. I struggled on short putts compared to the mallets. Despite this, I decided to trust the instructors at Pinehurst and worry about distance control and green reading. I went with the putter I hit best from far. Now it's a few months later, and I love my choice. I have focused my practice time on green reading. I am now hitting more putts inside 10 feet than ever. And because I focused on distance control when I selected a putter, I don't have many 3 putts from a long distance anymore. If I had not focused on distance control when selecting a putter, I would not have been able to shave as many putts off per round. To net it out, focus on distance control and not accuracy on short putts. Don't worry about work is supposed to work for your swing. Focus on what actually works. Then practice, practice, practice green reading. This does not have all the information they gave me in person, but they did publish some of their findings - http://www.pinehurst.com/pdf/SecretstoReadingGreens.pdf

I went through this same exact decision at the beginning of the summer. I was filling a gap between my 3W and 3I. I decided to go with the hybrid for the versatility. Off the fairway or tee, I didn't see much of a difference. Out of the nasty Bermuda rough we have here in the South, the hybrid was the clear winner. I went with the Cobra Baffler Rail H and couldn't be happier. I like the rails to help in the rough and was more comfortable with the club off the fairway then I was with the TM Raylor. After about 10 rounds with the club (I avg. 2-5 swings per round with this club), I couldn't be happier. Fills the gap between between my 3W and 3I perfectly and is great in any lie.

My irons are regular. Everything else is stiff. Works for me and my driver SS is about 107 MPH. Like most things in golf, swing speeds and flex recommendations are just that - recommendations. They work for many, but not all.

+1 on the new decade's. I tend to sweat a lot when it's hot out, and this grip has worked great for me. It's been 100+ degrees a lot this summer, and I couldn't be happier.

I've bought AAAA ProV1x's and others many times. You can barely tell the difference between AAAA and AAAAA. Minus logos and people marking balls, it's hard to tell they're not new. You'll enjoy them very much!

I had a similar experience as Bullitt5339. I just recently switched from a mallet back to a blade. I had been using the mallet for about 3 years. I tend to do much better with distance - especially on lag putts - with a blade. With the mallet, I tend to be more accurate on short putts because I find it easier to stay on line. In the end, I decided I'd rather work on keeping my stroke straight on a blade than trying to figure out how to better gauge distance with a mallet. There are drills to keep your stroke straight that I can do in my living room. The distance part I thought would be harder. I also got a blade on the heavier side which helps keep it straight for me as well.