icourtnage

Erica Blasberg wins my vote......

The MP-60's are fantastic. I went to the range a week or two ago and tried out the MP-60's, the Taylor Made R7 TP's, and the Adams IdeaPro irons. I liked the TP's the least of the three... the feel was kinda weird. I was pleasantly suprised by the Adams, but the MP-60's were the clear winner. I play with MP-37's right now, and the 60's were easier to hit, but not clunky or heavy. The 60's allow you to still work the ball, and they feel great.

I have also hit it.......and although its pretty deep, the ball does balloon.....I'm with BritBoy - waiting for the TP version

Woah!!! I'm a little suprised by the answers to this question. Having worked at multiple golf courses, and having many, many friends who are assistant and head pros, it is somewhat customary to tip your instructor. I find it laughable that people are saying that head pros are 'high enough up the food chain', because most pros don't make all that much money. They are providing a service directly to you, so using an analogy about restaurant managers is innapropriate. I would say that, unless your lesson was a bad one, you should definitely tip the pro. Its no different than any other situation in which you tip, especially since you are focusing on developing a relationship with this person, unlike a waiter or valet.

I'm guessing that you might have seen the TP version on the SuperQuad when you were in Canada, which retails for $799 in the US...... but I could be wrong

The 60's are fantastic clubs. Easier to hit than 33's, 37's, etc. As strange as it may sound, go find the new Adams Idea Pro irons. I went to my local range, and a sales guy suggested I try them out. I was suprised at how soft they felt, and how easy it was to work the ball. Plus, if I remember correctly, they have True Temper's new 'Black Gold' (or something like that) shaft, which is great (its TT's version of the rifle).

.....all I can say is, "Wow". I went to the range yesterday to try out some drivers. I hit the TM Burner, Nike Sasquatch (whatever the most recent one is), the TM SuperQuad, and the Cleveland HiBore XL Tour. I couldn't believe how great the HiBore was!! The ball rocketed off of the face, and had an amazing trajectory. I was thoroughly impressed.... does anyone have one of these babies? As far as the Nike went, it was 1/2" shorter than the other clubs, and the grip was pitifully small. Yes, I am positive it was a men's driver. Anyone know if this one was just a fluke? Or are the shafts typically shorter than other manufacturers? The SuperQuad was ok....I liked the ball flight, but the ball didn't come off as hot as it did off of the hibore or the burner. The Burner was a great club! Make sure to get one with a little less loft, as the ball really moves up on you..... -Ian

As far as 'Troon' goes, I think its a golf management company that has courses accross the US (maybe abroad). They have a few courses in Arizona that I've played.... $46? Wow... I'll have to head out to the local golf shop and check it out. That would be absolutely ridiculous - I just have to hope they discount the old Pro V1s!! Everyone should post the prices they see, so we can get an idea of what the market is bearing

Personally, I have a special place in my heart because Titleist has always made, in my mind, players clubs. Thinner top lines, increased workability, and solid feel. As iacas said, Titleist makes a club for better players. And to be honest, that is part of the appeal of the brand.... there is some exclusivity associated with it. Branding is a big part - Vokey wedges....Scotty Cameron putters - Titleist has done a fantastic job branding their clubs, and making sure that those key pieces of equipment, wedges and putters, have been consistent over the years. As far as wedges go - Titleist makes great wedges....and they are consistently great. Rarely do you see a 'form forged' screw up like Cleveland had. Granted, Cleveland makes fantastic wedges too. Mizuno has a similar story. Their irons are PURE, and they have historically been geared towards better players. Granted, they've started to put out a lot more clubs in the past few years to try and broaden their customer base. At heart, they are still a club that good players love. In my opinion, its somewhat cyclical. Both brands are associated with better players, and in turn, better players gravitate towards those clubs (an interesting phenomenon). I'll readily admit that when choosing clubs, the stigma around them does affect me a little bit. Hogan, Titleist, and Mizuno have special places in my heart because they make, on the whole, clubs geared towards the better player.

Well now I seem like an idiot..... I guess i'm not enough of a golf junkie to know the pro's kids name.

Hitting on mats is much different than hitting a golf shot on a course for a few reasons. If you hit a shot fat on the mat, you won't notice as much of a difference in terms of how the ball flies as you would hitting off of grass. Mats also discourage hitting with a descending blow, because the movement of your club is impeded by the mat, whereas you'd take a divot on grass. You probably get used to beating balls on the range, and then your mind and swing are thrown off by only hitting one golf shot every few minutes. Try practicing on the range by going through your pre-shot routine before you hit each ball. I promise that you'll feel more comfortable hitting shots on the course......

A little bit confused..... Evan? That picture kinda looks like Phil. Does he have a second name that I am not aware of?

Your mental state is of the utmost importance. If you step up over a putt, and know you are going to make it.... i'm betting you'll be a better putter than someone who isnt confident. Although attitude and confidence have a huge impact on any part of your game, putting is where these two elements matter most.

Welcome!! I've recently joined as well. So far, everyone has been respecful, and has provided me with great insights! Best of luck. Remember to give people rep points (the little rectangle in the top right corner of posts) if they offer up something helpful, interesting, or fun.

To back up what other people have been saying, bending non-forged clubs can result in them breaking. I have seen it happen a couple of times - so make sure you are confident in the abilities of whomever you take the club to. I think it would help if you told us what type of clubs you have..... I'm wondering why only one of them was off. And what was it off 2 degrees from? Standard? Your other clubs? Have you ever had the lie angles adjusted? Did you special order the clubs?

I wasn't saying that your course is a cow pasture just because people wear jeans. I was saying I think that on courses other than cow pastures, people shouldn't wear jeans. If a person can't afford khakis, then I have no problem with that person wearing jeans. But if you've got a grand worth of clubs in your bag and your wearing jeans, then I don't see an excuse (and this is what I see a LOT). Additionally, since when are khakis 'special clothes'? I'm pretty darn sure that almost everyone on this forum owns a pair of khakis. And if you don't - you can get some nice Dockers for $40, which will last a lot longer than that box of Pro V1s. One last thing - I understand what its like to play in the rain and the mud. But logically, throwing on a pair of rain pants makes a heck of a lot more sense than ruining some jeans. To summarize my position - If you can afford to wear something besides jeans, then I don't see why you are rolling around the course in Levi's. Heck, Khakis, shorts, or rain pants are FAR more comfortable to walk around a golf course in than jeans....making me wonder why people who can afford such things still wear jeans. This is a very interesting discussion. I think people have some strong feelings about this, and I'm glad to see that nobody has gotten truly mad.

Nice! Its good to see another Seattle-ite on here. I'd be happy to play a round, but we can PM about that. Thanks for all of the responses. I 100% agree that there is a time and a place for jeans - if you are playing on a cow pasture, or a crappy 9-holer, then wear whatever you want. I also agree that we, as golfers, need to be careful not to come off as elitist. BUT, there is a certain code of conduct that applies, and I believe that includes attire. I'm not saying everyone needs to throw on some slacks and a nice shirt, but a polo and khakis (which I'm sure everyone has, as they are at the same price point as jeans) isn't asking that much. I don't believe having a dress code is elitist. I've volunteered at the First Tee, and they require the kids to wear appropriate golf attire for tournaments, and nobody cries foul for being elitist. Its about respect for the game - you follow the rules, you police yourself, and you dress appropriately. Thanks again for all of the responses. I think there is a great diversity of thought on this forum, and everyone brought up thinks that I hadn't considered. -Ian

I headed out last weekend to play at my local muni, I was appalled to notice how many people were wearing jeans. Growing up, I was taught that a golf was a classy game. Don't get me wrong, I've never been a member at a club, and I've worked at many golf courses. Am I wrong to say that its somewhat disrespectful and trashy to wear denim? A golf course isn't a gun club (not that there is anything wrong with a gun club....but you don't see people in nice clothes there, usually).....and walking a couple of miles in jeans can't be comfortable either. I'm sure there will be a few of you who will call me an idiot for posting this. But, I felt it needed to be addressed. I think that khakis, slacks, shorts, or rain pants are fine- its that seeing people wear jeans just rubs me the wrong way. I understand the reality of playing in terrible weather - the winter here in Seattle is terrible - but jeans make a heck of a lot less sense to wear than rain pants when the weather is nasty. Now on to the comments....

I'm guessing that is a price difference in MSRP, and we won't see much of an increase in prices at the counter. If they charge another $12, I'm guessing some people will start moving over to alternatives in a hurry! I love the ball, but I have a REALLY hard time forking over $40 for a dozen. I don't lose many balls, but after using a Pro V1 for a round, its pretty scuffed up. I'm hoping Titleist does realize that there is some price sensitivity, and that there are substitutues. Maybe I need to go back to college - I got those suckers for free.

A 48 degree Cleveland wedge. I love the versatility around the greens, and the ability to control the spin. It works far better than the pitching wedge that came with my set.

Feel is the biggest thing, by far. If a ball feels like crap, then I don't even consider using it. The ProV1x, as NM Golf said, is the perfect mix of softness, and not too much spin. I'll be interested to see how the new ProV1's feel.....

I think that your assumption may be correct. The average golfer doesn't have clubs that are the appropriate lie angle anyways, and since you are, as you said, inconsistent, it won't be noticable.

I agree with gas can....... zero restriction is the way to go.

The best rain gear is Zero Restriction, by far. I've had Nike and Footjoy before, and ZR is the best. Ralph Lauren makes quality shirts - especially their purple label stuff.

You have a caddy!? That'd be nice...... I think the hot list is fairly reliable. I agree with the complaints about the 'buzz' factor, but to be fair to Golf Digest, I do have to point out that it is the 'Hot List', and partially aims to evaluate those clubs that are...well....'Hot'. If I were to organize the results, I'd make sure that there were evaluations of each club by the handicap of the evaluators. I mean, I don't care as much about what a 30 handicap says about the workability of an iron, whereas I'm definitely interest in what a scratch golfer says. I'm sure that a 30 handicap doesn't care what a scratch golfer says about workability. Just a thought. Additionally, I realy don't care what technology is present in a club. If its made of rock and hits the ball long and straight, then I'm sold on a driver. I'd rather know about look, feel, workability, consistency, distance control, and price.