SteveO

@Pat007 Well thanks for that reply, which was completely unrelated to the original question. I'll be sure to come straight to you the next time I need some sort of appraisal (I'll also elaborate on the rest of my equipment, which was newer and more expensive than the irons, but that's another story). To the posters who actually addressed my question, thanks for your input. I'm going to go hit the Nikes tonight and see how they feel. Thanks again!

Hi there, My clubs (Taylor Made 300s) were damaged in a fire last fall, so I need to replace them. The insurance company didn't give me as much as I would have liked for them, so I'm looking for a used set to keep it cheap. A little about me: I played in high school, but since then (I'm 25), I've only had time to play 5 or 6 times a year. I'm typically a 20 handicap or so. I'm 6'5", right handed, and I tend to fade the ball a bit. My short game used to be a strength, but lately has turned into a bit of a disaster. I've found two sets of clubs on Craigslist, and I'm trying to figure out which is the better deal and which would fit my game better. Here's what I'm looking at. Option 1 I'm going to go hit these clubs tonight: Driver: Taylor Made r5 XL (9.5 degrees, 460 cc, standard); pictured here . Irons: Ping Zing, red dot (1-PW, sand & lob wedges); pictured here . Putter: Odyssey (I'm not sure of the exact model); pictured here . Bag: Callaway; pictured here . Price: $350 for all Option 2 This is more of a mix-and-match set: Driver: Taylor Made r5 XL (same as above) Irons: Nike Slingshot (3-PW, steel shaft, used less than five times); pictured here and here . Putter: Odyssey DFX 2-ball (center-shafted) Bag: Nike Extreme (brand new); pictured here . Price: $365 for all Can anyone offer opinions or advice on the sets? I know it will come down to which clubs I hit better, but I thought I'd try to reach out to anyone with experience with Pings or Nikes. My dad has the r5 driver, and I hit that really well, so I'm not too concerned with that. Does either of these options sound like the better deal? Any input would be appreciated. I'd be glad to provide any other relevant information. Thanks in advance.

It's hard to say with all of the equipment advantages Tiger has, but I'll give the edge to Tiger. Jack was probably more consistent, and the jury's still out on how Tiger will end up after the fiasco in his personal life, but I think he'll eventually beat Jack's record. I'd certainly rather have a beer with Jack, though.

Following a fire that destroyed our house last fall and the birth of our first child in January, I haven't had much time for golf lately. In fact, I hadn't played since last Father's day. So my brother and I decided to get up early and play a few weeks ago. We booked a tee time at 6:34 at a course we had both played once or twice in high school. On the first hole, my approach shot was a little short ... probably because the head of my 5-iron flew off and landed about 40 yards down the fairway. My dad cleaned up my clubs following the fire, but apparently the heat weakened the epoxy. I had no problems with the rest of my clubs, but it wasn't a good way to start the day. I ended up shooting 96 (not far from my average), but even more disappointing was the fact that my brother shot 86. He continues to hold it over my head to this day. Considering I hadn't played in a year, I was pretty happy with my ballstriking. My short game, however, was atrocious. I probably three-putted at least 8 or 9 holes. We're planning a rematch this weekend, so I'm going to head to the driving range Friday night and spend most of my time at the putting green.

I work as a magazine editor for a group of B2B publications. Oh, how I long to escape my cubicle and not sit in front of a computer all day. I'm currently in grad school to become a teacher (high school English/journalism).