wtd

When I first started playing pretty much everything in my bag came from Ebay (R580 driver, R580 fairway woods, RAC OS irons, RAC wedges, and even my OGIO bag). This year I'm retooling and have, with the exception of my 585H, and a VS Proto shaft, I have purchased everything through my local proshop. My experience with Ebay has been 100% positive, but for big ticket items I'm willing to pay a little extra for the comfort of knowing that should I have any issues with my new equipment, I can find a resolution right down the road. As other's have suggested, check the sellers feedback closely. If there are negatives, find out what you can about them. In too many cases, one or two unreasonable buyers have lowered the ratings for very good sellers. -wtd

The TaylorMade R580 Ti is a personal favorite of mine. You may still be able to find them at Dick's at a huge savings. Ebay is also an option. There are lots of them still to be had new. I've had mine for 4 years and couldn't find anything I liked better, so instead of replacing it, I had it reshafted.

I've found the Inside Approach to be extremely helpful for this particular problem (it also seems to help with hitting the ball fat). They retail for $40 now, but I've heard a rumor (unconfirmed) that you can pick one up at Target for $20 or so. When they were selling for $80 I made one using $6 worth of PVC pipe from Home Depot, and pool noodle.

I tried both the Burner and SuperQuad out at a recent demo day. I liked the sound of the SuperQuad a little better, but the Burner was still better than anything from Callaway. Both were long, but based on what I could see down range, the Burner was probably a little longer (the face feels positively electric). As MOI drivers go, it's nice-enough looking. I found both to be extremely straight. In the end, I bought the SuperQuad. I like to tinker with things, so having the movable weights (even if they may not be practical) should keep me occupied to the point where I won't feel like I need a new driver this time next year.

Here's another quick shot of the ARC top:

Both TaylorMade and Callaway are now providing proshops with fit carts. I believe the Callaway cart is driver-only. The Callaway fit cart has the current driver models (FT-I, FT-5, Bertha), each in a variety of lofts. The shafts lock into place using a quick fit system so you're able to try a variety (if not all) of the shafts offered with the chosen head. The TaylorMade cart works pretty much the same way, however; TaylorMade has taken it a step further by offering the same quick change sytem for their various iron offerings. I took advantage of the TaylorMade cart last week, trying the SuperQuad with a variety of shafts. If finally settled (if you can call it settling), on the VS Proto shaft. According to the TaylorMade website there are several Select Fit carts in the greater Boise area .

BillBill13, That's really the problem though. The last thing the Yanks need (at least this Sox fan thinks) is another starter that can't get them into the 7th. Last year Clemens averaged a hair under 6 innings per start. Throw in the DH and it's only going to get tougher for him. Just speculating of course, but when everything shakes out, this could be the single stupidist signing of the Steinbrenner era; and that's saying something.

Check out http://www.titleistperformanceinstitute.com/ It's free to register. They have a few hundred golf-specific exercises along with video demonstrations. While some of them require things like cable machines, a substantial number of them require little more than free weights, or better yet, no weights/accessories at all. It's far and away the most valuable golf fitness site I've found so far.

I demo'd the FT-5 last night (my local shop just got their new Callaway fitting cart). I tried it with both the V2 and VS shafts. For me, it was just Ok. It wasn't all that forgiving (not that it's supposed to be). I'm not a big fan of the tin can sound either. After trying a mix of heads and shafts, I decided on the TM SuperQuad with the VS shaft. To each his own I guess. Having a shop near by with a fit carts from different manufactures makes it really easy to find a combo that works.

My current driver is a Titleist 905T. I'd like to jump to a 460cc head, with a little bit more forgiveness. I'm also going to get a bit more detailed with the shaft filtting than last time. The NV 65 has suited me fairly well, but I'm thinking a heavier shaft might help (fast tempo, not always well controlled), and occassionally the NV balloons a bit on me.

I'm going to be buying a new driver in the coming weeks. I hit a bunch during a recent demo day weekend, and have narrowed the field to the following four (in no particular order): Cleveland HiBore XL Tour - Odd looking, but straight. The non-tour model sets up too closed for my tastes TaylorMade SuperQuad - great looking, nice feel, nice sound TaylorMade Burner - Light (not always a good thing) and long. The face feels hot on impact. Titleist 907D1 - Kinda funny looking, but still sounds and feels like a Titleist. As a remote possibility... Titleist 907D2 - Love the traditional look, but realistically, I probably need a more forgiving club. Distance and accuracy are more of a concern right now for me than workability. My best shots are generally a mix of dead straight and power fades, with my worst being a mix of tree-knockers and trout molesters). Anything to help turn the fade into a draw would be nice, but my main concern is hitting fairways. Does anyone own (or at least tried some/all of the drivers on my list). Any thoughts you can share? The final decision will be a mix of what I like the best vs. the extra cost associated with putting right shaft in the club (been told NV, VS Proto, or Proforce V2 might work - only the launch monitor will say for sure). Titleist is generally less expensive with respect to shaft upgrades, with is a huge plus. I tried both new Callaway clubs, and the new Nike drivers as well, but... Callaway is priced too high (not sure I could get used to the look of the FT-i anyway), and the Nikes look and sound horrible.

These are same three iron sets I narrowed my search down to (after hitting about 10 different clubs). I finally chose the X-20 tour. I can't give you anything concrete, but the 755s were what I eliminated first. I just didn't like them as much as the others. I went with the Callaway's over the R7s because I found them to be a little bit more forgiving (my handicap is fairly high, although most of my problems are off the tee). The very thin topline on the R7s was a little intimidating for me. The other factor was that I really liked the project X flighted shafts that are stock in the X-20 tour. To put them in the R7s would have been $15+ per club. It goes with out saying...hit them all. I haven't had any second thought and with the weather finally nice in the Northeast I'll be able to try them on the course this weekend.

The nice folks at Ogio were kind enough to hook me up with an Atlas for nothing. I would have bought it anyway. It's an outstanding cart bag. With the exception of the rain hood, there isn't anything I'd change on it.

I've got Titleist R580 TI 3 & 5 woods. Great sticks. I haven't found anything I like nearly enough to replace them with. I'm going to get them reshafted (the M.A.S. 60 stock shaft leaves something to be desired), and possibly refinished.

My local proshop just had a Demo day weekend. I won't go so far as to say that I hit everything, but I did hit a good number of hybrids. Obviously my preferences are bound to differ greatly from everyone else, but that being said, here's my 2 cents... I absolutely loved both the Cleveland HiBore and the Titleist 585H. They have very different feels, but I didn't want to stop hitting either one. Granted I was hitting off the mat, but I didn't find the 585 the least bit difficult to hit. The HiBore was straight every time. Within the next couple of weeks, one or the other is going to find its way into my bag. I liked the Callaway FT-Fusion, the Callaway X-hybrid (although not as much as the Fusion), and the Cobra baffler (which would be my third choice behind the Cleveland and the Titleist). I didn't care for the TaylorMade R7 Draw hybrid. Inexplicably the TaylorMade rep didn't have any other hybrids in his van for me to try, so that was my only look at TM. I didn't like the Nickent 3DX DC either, but that may have more to do with a rep who was too busy giving me swing advice to try and sell me on his product. Finally, although I really really wanted to love the Adams Idea Pro, I didn't. I liked the feel and the trajectory produced by the VS Proto shaft, but the club itself is overly boxy and felt dead on impact. The Nike rep didn't have a single hybrid with him. It seems like everyone is blowing out their Slingshot hybrid stock. Does anyone know if Nike has a new hybrid on the way, preferably something as yellow as everything else they're putting out these days.

Does it make sense to put the same shaft (different weights) in all of your woods and hybrids? I'm going to be buying a new driver, a new hybrid, and perhaps reshafting 3 & 5 woods. I was curious what some of the clubfitters in the forum thought about keeping everything the same. Also, has anyone done a direct comparison between the Proforce V2 and the Aldila VS Proto? My local pro has suggested that either shaft might work out to be a good fit for me (Driver swing speed averages around 110, with a fairly quick tempo).

As others have said, it's all about feel and roll. A $39 putter probably isn't going to have the same level of engineering as a $179 putter, but then again, there are plenty of people successfully using basic blade models without any sort of advanced face technology. When I picked out my new putter it came down to the Rife mallet, the Yes! Tiffany, and the Nike Unitized. Don't get me wrong, the Nike felt great, but at close to $300 I just couldn't justify it. The feel of the Yes lineup and the Rife series is nearly identical - at least I thought so (the technology in the face is very similar). On the day I bought, I just happened to sink more putts with the Yes, so that's what I bought. There is no substitute for knocking a few hundred balls around the shop. Since you'll take more strokes per round with your putter than any of your other clubs (and in some cases as many as all your other clubs combined), I'd argue that the putter should be the club you really spend the most on. That being said, I'll drop $500 on a new driver in a heartbeat, but still struggle to part with $150 for a putter.

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but Tiger's previous contracts pretty much stipulated that he could play any clubs he wanted to. He recently signed a new one though, so that may no longer be the case. Still, he played Nike's even when he wasn't 100% obligated to do so.

I've read the 6.0 plays somewhere between S300 and X100 in TrueTemper shafts. Of course, who knows how reliable my source was. Perhaps one of the clubmakers can give us a better idea. I was fit for the 6.0. My driver swing speed range is around 100 -/+ a few MPH, and I hit my 6-iron between 170 and 175.

I just bought the X-20 Tour (4-PW) with the Project X 6.0 flighted shafts. Haven't had a chance to get them out on the course yes (it's been a lovely spring thus far in the Northeast), but the Project X shaft was one of the biggest reasons why I chose the X-20 tour over the other sets on my list. Based on what I saw during my demo sessions, shot dispersion is a lot tighter than it was with the 95 gram shafts in my previous clubs.

I'm enjoying the best courses played thread, but I haven't yet had the chance to play anything "World Class". Of course, as a guy who tries to play on as many different courses as possible, I have found a handful of real disasters. With that in mind, what are the worse courses you've played, and what was so bad about them? For me 3. Putterham Meadows in Brookline, MA - Some nice-enough holes, some potential, but huge huge huge drainage problems - oh, and goose droppings everywhere. 2. Brookhaven Golf Club, Porters Corners, NY - Fairways practically indistinguishable from the rough. A lot of bare dirt around the greens. 1. Pheasant Hollow, East Greenbush, NY - We call it Peasant Hollow now. It's basically flags in a field. On the 6th hole, my 9-iron approach ended up 90% buried in the green. The green on the 7th had a mushroom patch growing on it.

When I was shopping for my new irons, I definitely had some preconceived notions going in. In fact, before hitting anything I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to buy the Mizuno MX-25s. Long story short, much to my surprise, I ended up buying the Callaway X-20 Tours, despite my initial anti-Callaway bias. I thought about buying Titleist despite my belief that the were too hard for the average golfer to hit. I'm going to be picking up a new driver soon (and eventually some combo of hybrids and fairway woods). I think the iron search pretty much blew away most of my remaining biases. I'm still not high on Ping (mostly because their Rapture series looks ridiculous, and I feel like they're a little heavy handed in the way they overly-control prices). But I definitely wouldn't totally rule out Ping clubs. I try and hit the shop with a list of 5 clubs or so that I'd like to try. If the pro has any additional recommendations I add them to the list. Mostly, I try and hit as many clubs as it takes to find something that just feels right. All that being said, it can be hard not to become a brand loyalist. If you buy something for a given manufacturer and you really love it, it makes sense that you'll look to that same brand first when choosing a new club.

For now I'm a dabbler. My wife and I are house-hunting now. Once we find a place and get settled in, I'll look for something nice close to home. I'm lucky enough to be within 45 minutes of 30 or so public courses (some obviously better than others), so I do I like to take advantage of the variety. The downside is that I can't just show up whenever and play a few holes, or hit balls on the range. I'm sure the cost works out about the same now, but I have a feeling I'd play and practice more if it was all paid for in advance. For those of you who do have club memberships, out of curiosity, what's the going rate in your area?

I gave up on the Masters.org site altogether. I'm watching the Golf Channel's coverage right now. Once live coverage swaps I'll switch my SageTV client over to that. Between that and Dice-K's first start on MLB TV I can't imagine I'll be getting much work done this afternoon.

Comparing the Raptures to the 755s is a bit of an apples to oranges thing. As hypergolf said, the 755 is more of a players iron, while the Rapture pretty much qualifies as an ultra game improvement club. By way of comparison, the 755s are in the same category with the Callaway X-20 tours, Cobra CB, and close to the TaylorMade R7 TP. The Raptures are sledgehammers. They're not dissimilar to complete hybrid sets such as the Cleveland Hi-Bore irons, or the TourEdge JMAX Bazookas from a couple years back.