davebemis

You should be absolutely alright with the length of the tape. When you wet the tape, it's going to soften it up, and when you slide the grip on, a lot of the excess stickiness is going to stick to the inside of the grip, so the area that the tape wouldn't usually cover will still have some tape residue on it to stick it to the shaft. With the amount of tape wraps on it, I would completely agree with tefunk and try out one club to see what you will like. If you do it, and decide that you don't like it, there is a way to take the grip off without having to cut it off. Just like how you slide the grip off with the solvent, it's the same way to get it off. The only thing different is you need some way to get the solvent in between the grip and the shaft when it's already stuck on. I know at the course that I work at we use a metal coat hanger to do this. The left or right part of the coat hanger we would crimp together until the diagonal part is very close to the bottom of the hanger. Then we cut off the rest of the coat hanger and bent the ends 90 degrees to create a handle. Once you have that tool created you can put it as far as you can into the grip, spread it apart, and put in as much solvent as you can, and then move it around to loosen it up and keep repeating the process until you can pull the grip right off. It can be a lot of work, but if you have an expensive grip, it can definitely save you some money.

For this year, I purchased a new set of Callaway RAZR X Tour 4-PW irons, an R9 3 wood, and a Vokey 52* to fill the 52* that was in my old set. Got to love eBay and Global Golf!

Being from Maine, the golf season seems to be shorter than several other places, but we were pretty lucky this winter! I actually played January 1st, which was definitely a first for me. The pins weren't in and we just shot for a sprinkler head cover in front of the green, but it was still swinging a club. There was also a course in southern NH open, so if you count that "round" in January, I've played 4 total rounds this year. It looked like courses were about to open and then we got a foot of snow that dropped canceling that from happening. Hopefully these 60 degree days that we're about to have is going to melt a lot of that away!

I purchased an R9 3 wood from them. I bought it in "excellent" condition, and when I received it, it looked brand new. I didn't even see a ball mark on the face or a paint chip on the top of the face. Knowing someone who bought a fake R11 driver, the first thing I did was pop the head off and inspected the inside of it just to see if there was anything fishy and thankfully I didn't see anything at all. My order came very quickly, and the price was the best that I could find around at $70 including shipping (being left handed is nice because they have a 25% off coupon that you can use). I had absolutely no problems with them, and would definitely get something from them again.

I have the Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G's, and I absolutely love them. They are very soft/comfortable and very tacky. I have had them on my clubs for over a year, and still when I pull a club out they seem to get tackier and tackier. The best part about them is the price at only $3-4 a grip. Compared to the Multi-compound at around $8, I'm never looking back. I have the white ones, and when they get dirty, I just wipe them clean with Dawn, and they're as good as new. The only problem that I see with them are in wet conditions, or when it gets really hot or humid out (being from Maine I don't usually have that problem). When it's raining, it's very hard to hold onto the club, but to fix that I bought some rain gloves, and they're back to being perfect. I'd imagine with the money that you save from purchasing more expensive grips, you can afford to buy some gloves.

My highest lofted club is a 60* but I never use it for full shots, only around the green. I used to do nothing but chip with my 56* but have recently hit a lot with my 60*. I feel like it really comes in handy when you have a shot over a bunker to a tucked pin. When I have a full shot where a 60* is needed, I force myself to hit a knocked down 56*, and with that I get more comfortable hitting the same shot with any club when I'm in between distances.

Well I can't really give true opinion on them because I only hit them once, indoors, on a simulator. But I can give an opinion about Taylor Made irons because before I purchased my Callaway RAZR X tour irons, I played the R7 irons for 3 years. They were amazing clubs. The sweet spot was huge and the face was a little over-sized which made looking over the ball very comfortable. Also the sole of the clubs were wide and a little curved which helped getting the clubs through the grass. But after reading comparisons with the R7 and R9 irons, I guess the R9's are nothing like their predecessors except for the inverted cone technology. I actually found a review of them through The Sand Trap here: http://thesandtrap.com/b/clubs/taylormade_r9_iron_review A lot of people have really enjoyed them I guess. They fly further than the R7 whether you hit it on the sweet spot, or miss-hit it. Now depending on how far you hit your clubs, I would go for a 4-AW or GW (approach wedge or gap wedge) with your set. A lot of people have that gap missing between their pitching wedge (usually around 50 degrees) and sand wedge (typically 56 degrees). You don't have that 3 iron, which people usually can't hit well anyways, but you pick up a matching AW to fill that gap. Check out that review, try hitting the clubs, and then go from there!

I guess my advice to you is to go to a golf shop and hit as many irons as you can into a simulator. I really wouldn't buy anything before you hit them because it might be a huge waste of money. I'm guessing with a mid handicapper you could look into a slightly oversized iron that's very forgiving, but again you could hit a blade really well. It's really an unknown until you hit them. Once you've narrowed it down to a specific iron that you like, then it's time to hunt the internet. Don't be afraid to look at used clubs, or on eBay because there are great deals out there. Try Callawaygolfpreowned.com. Of course they have a lot of Callaway products on there, but they also carry other brands as well. Or Taylormadegolfpreowned.com. I've had very good luck through there purchasing both a driver and rescue club. And of course there's eBay. Do research on the company who's selling by checking ratings and comments. If the company looks good, and an image of the product looks good, give it a shot. I just purchased a set of Callaway RAZR X tour irons off of eBay for just over $280 including shipping, and they've barely been hit. I guess that's my advice for you because that's exactly what I did. Go to a golf shop and hit as many irons as you can to get a feel for one, and then scour the internet to find the best deal.

I have yet to try out the Win Dry Tac grips, but I do play the Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G (white) grips, which are very tacky, and I love them. If the tackiness/feel of the Win Dry Tac grips are comparable to the GP Tour Wrap grips, they must be amazing.

Nice! I actually just got an R9 3 wood from Global Golf last week, and I have nothing but good things to say about the company. It came very quickly, it said it was in "excellent" condition but didn't have a ball mark on it at all, and I got it for a great price! Congrats! Just don't let the buying new clubs bug hit you like it hit me... and my bank account.

I would also suggest callawaypreowned.com. Even though I haven't purchased anything from there, one of my friends has, and got great results. If you're into Taylor Made like you said with the '09 Burner you could check out Taylormadegolfpreowned.com. I purchased my R9 driver, and '09 rescue from there. Search the internet too for coupon codes to use during checkout. I got the driver and rescue for just over $200 including shipping a year ago in excellent condition. I just looked on there for a '09 Burner and found this for you: http://www.taylormadegolfpreowned.com/golfclub.aspx?pd=1016616 $95! And don't be afraid of eBay. As long as the seller looks legit from the comments and reviews you can get great deals there. I just picked up a set of Callaway RAZR X tour irons which were barely hit floor models for $280 including shipping, and I picked up a Rife 2 bar putter for $70 including shipping. There are great deals out there to be purchased, just hunt around and do your research!

While reading through some Golf Digest articles online this morning, I read one about back weight grips: http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-equipment/blogs/newstuff/2012/01/back-weight-your-golf-clubs-wi.html apparently the grip weighs 92 grams which is more than a traditional grip. Because of that, when you're at the top of your swing, it adds more mass, helps the transition into the slot a lot easier, and in some cases added 4 miles per hour to ball speed. The only downfall, is they're selling for $18.99 a pop. Anyone out there try it already or something like it? To me it's hard to justify spending $18.99 per grip compared to the Golf Pride Tour Wrap 2G that I use for $3 each just for 4 miles per hour more on ball speed.

I actually play an R9 driver myself, and absolutely love it. I don't see myself buying another driver for a while. I don't play with the face settings at all, the only thing I do is put the heavy weight in the heel. I've hit a lot of the other drivers out there (Titleist 910 D3, Callaway RAZR Fit, R11, etc.) and in my opinion have yet to find one better than my R9. I was actually in the market for a new 3 wood, and tried every one that I could, and ended up buying an R9 online. If you do decide to get an older Taylor Made driver, check out www.taylormadegolfpreowned.com. I've had very good luck with it in the past.

If you do decide at some point to get new clubs, don't be afraid to check out used clubs. If you're really into Callaway, Callaway pre-owned is a great place to try to get discounted stuff (callawaygolfpreowned.com). I know I've gone through Taylor Made golf preowned before (taylormadegolfpreowned.com) and got some really good deals (R9 driver, and 3 hybrid for $209 including shipping, and I just got a R9 3 wood for $70 including shipping all in excellent condition). Also you could check eBay. I just got myself a set of Callaway RAZR X tour irons for $280 which were floor models and barely hit. It could be a risk, but if you do research on the company, and it looks legit, you could get yourself a great deal. Also you could talk to people at your home course to see if they have any clubs worth buying. Looking at your swing speed, you could benefit from steel shafts, and also a stiff flex on your woods and if you get a hybrid. I do agree with everyone else though, and keep working on your game. I'm sure if you keep at it, you'll see those scores drop fast, and when you get new clubs your new improved swing will make them money!

I used to work in a pro shop, and now regularly visit/play/hang out there. For fun, the pro, assistant pro, and apprentice all converted putters into belly putters, but in an odd fashion. They took their regular putters, and cut the grip off. Then took an old shaft of a regular club, crimped the tip, and epoxied it into the shaft of the putter. They then took a regular grip and cut a hole in the very top of it, and slid the whole thing over the shaft, and had it secured half way down where your lower hand would be. They then put a regular grip on the top and called it good. A very make shift way to do it, but none the less, it's a belly putter.

I used to have the Taylor made R7 irons which were 4-gap. After purchasing a 56,60, I looked and found out that my gap wedge was 50 degrees, and in retrospective I should have bought a 54, 58 to complete the ideal 4 degree gap between my clubs. But all in all, everything was fine and I had a nice distance gap in between each club. I just looked on the Taylor Made website and the Burner 2.0 gap wedge is 50 degrees. If you already have a 60, you could just purchase a new 56 degree club, or you could trade in your 60 to and get a 54 and 58; in both situations keeping the gap wedge (50 degree). It's all up to you if you want to spend more or less money.

I work in the creative services department for a TV station in Portland ME.

I used to play an Odyssey 2-Ball with a Golf Pride USA Rivalry grip turned 90 degrees with the flat part towards the face of the putter, but I have recently switched to a Cleveland Classic #4. I read a lot of reviews about it and people somewhat compared it to a Scotty Cameron, but of course for less money. The feel of it is great and the ball starts to roll right off of the face. I did put another Golf Pride USA Rivalry grip on it, but it is positioned normally.

I own a Taylor Made R9 driver and a few months ago one of the members at the course that I worked at brought in different shafts with the R9 attachment on it and one of them was an extra stiff. With my swing speed around the same as yours, I decided to pop out my shaft and put in the extra stiff one to try it out. To be honest, it just felt too stiff and weird. I did lose some distance, and gained a little accuracy, but I took it out right away because I didn't like the feel of it at all within my swing. I just couldn't get into a good rhythm with my driver because I couldn't feel that flex on my downswing. This may all be different for you though. I would go to your pro, or to a golf shop and see if they have extra stiff shafts that you can try out.

Depending on your age, as well as how hard you swing your clubs, you might want to consider getting steel shafts over graphite shafts especially regular shafts. My first "adult" set were Titleist DCI 981 with graphite shafts and I loved them. But as I started playing more, and my game got better, I realized that I wasn't getting the control that I wanted, so I switched out to steel shaft Taylor Made R7's, and I hit them a lot better. You could take 5 near identical swings at a ball with graphite clubs and they could go different places. But I would try out both.

I tried playing a Winn Excel Midsize Pistol Golf Grip for a while, and I seemed to lose the feel of the putter head. At first I loved it because it seemed to fit my hands really well, and it just felt more solid. But after playing with it for a while it seemed as if all of the weight in my putter was in my hands and not in my putter head not allowing me to create the pendulum needed to maintain the triangle between your shoulders and putter head. I then switched over to a smaller Golf Pride V-Rad Rivalry and I haven't looked back. I love the softness and tackiness of it. If you feel like the only reason why you're using a large grip is to take your wrists out of it, try wearing a bracelet (the rubberized ones like the Livestrong bracelets work the best) on either one or both wrists and put a pen or pencil on the outsides of your wrists between the bracelet and wrist. This will keep you from breaking your wrists and will keep that triangle in tact.