2018 Golf Thread

[TFP]

I surprisingly ended up with the TaylorMade M4s today. I went in thinking anything but TM but I defintiely hit them the best. The Ping G400s were up there too, but I didn’t like the look of them over the ball nearly as much. I picked up 7+ mph of ball speed, 1/2 the side spin, and 1000 less rpm backspin at the same launch angle for another 15 yards or so. And the mishits were much much better than the ones with my old irons.

I hit the i200s as well which I honestly adored but they didn’t go nearly as far (10 yards less) and weren’t remotely as consistent. But when I hit them flush? They felt amazing. Just not the right choice for me.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Interesting. I had similar numbers on the AP1s and the M4, slightly better on the M4, but they were too clunky for me. I have a steep swing and I felt like I’d be singing a shovel. I’ll sacrifice a few yards for the mental stability.

Anyway, mazel tov! New clubs be fun!!

 

[TFP]

Yeah I had no problem with them for some reason. Maybe because the G400s felt even clunkier. But I did like 4 different rounds with them and were flushing them each time. Felt good to remember what good iron shots felt like again.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Everybody’s different man. Glad you’re happy with your choice. And yes, a crisp iron is a delight.

 

[Comfortably Lomb]

I surprisingly ended up with the TaylorMade M4s today. I went in thinking anything but TM but I defintiely hit them the best. The Ping G400s were up there too, but I didn’t like the look of them over the ball nearly as much. I picked up 7+ mph of ball speed, 1/2 the side spin, and 1000 less rpm backspin at the same launch angle for another 15 yards or so. And the mishits were much much better than the ones with my old irons.

I hit the i200s as well which I honestly adored but they didn’t go nearly as far (10 yards less) and weren’t remotely as consistent. But when I hit them flush? They felt amazing. Just not the right choice for me.

G400 lofts are about one club stronger than the i200. There’s your 10 yards. i200 seems to be aimed at lower handicappers. A few tour guys adopted them and Ping seems to be encouraging bags with iblades for short-mid irons and i200s for mid-long irons.

They’re on my demo list this year but basically just seem like Ping took a muscle-back blade and merged it with reasonable perimeter weighting. Some help on mishits but not close to the super game improvement type stuff like the g-series. I suspect I would love them on good swing days and they wouldn’t help me nearly as much as I would like on bad swing days.

 

[TFP]

It’s not just the loft though. The launch angles were the same as each other and my old 7 iron...it was flying like a 7 iron on all irons. It’s not like I was hitting it lower and farther like a 6 iron and it’s just because it was delofted. Obviously the M4s are hotter distance-wise, but it’s not as easy as just calling their 7 iron a 6 iron and being done with it.

That said, I agree with your overall conclusion on them.

 

[Phragle]

It’s not just the loft though. The launch angles were the same as each other and my old 7 iron...it was flying like a 7 iron on all irons. It’s not like I was hitting it lower and farther like a 6 iron and it’s just because it was delofted. Obviously the M4s are hotter distance-wise, but it’s not as easy as just calling their 7 iron a 6 iron and being done with it.

That said, I agree with your overall conclusion on them.

For a lot of people here 28 degrees of loft is a 5 iron. The shaft can make a big difference in distance too. What'd you end up with for shafts?

 

[TFP]

KBS Max85S. It definitely made a big difference as well.

 

[southshoresoxfan]

I’m just absolutely in love with my new JPX900s. They are butter off the face. When I’m swinging halfway decent there is almost no dispersion.

If it could just stop snowing we could have a SoSH Scramble.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Those JPX900s are great clubs

 

[Phragle]

KBS Max85S. It definitely made a big difference as well.

You paid for a fitting and were fit for stock off the rack clubs?

If it could just stop snowing we could have a SoSH Scramble.

Or we could go on a golf trip to somewhere that isn't an arctic hell

Those JPX900s are great clubs

His club fitter was even greater. Not only did he instantly identify the crap irons he was sold, I also recommended the perfect replacements

 

[FL4WL3SS]

The rule changes are out and will take effect on 1/1/19. Lot of stuff to chew on.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usga-and-randa-officials-reveal-final-draft-of-modernized-rules-of-golf-to-debut-in-2019

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Biggest changes in my mind are fixing spike marks (woohoo) and being able to move loose impediments and ground your club in a hazard (yeehaw).

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Looks like no viewer call ins anymore either and no penalty for a double hit or accidentally moving your ball both on and off the green.

Pretty significant changes. Might make cheating easier.

 

[Comfortably Lomb]

The 2-shot vs stroke and distance on lost balls is a good change. Watching people march back to the tee was always infuriating.

I think the search time should be shorter than 3 minutes. 5 was always insanely long but even 3 is too much. Good change though. Right direction.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

The stroke and distance change is only to allow a local rule and not for competition. I don't think it changes much, most people play like that anyway.

 

[TFP]

You paid for a fitting and were fit for stock off the rack clubs?

I tried some other ones, no real changes or improvements. We looked at lie and length as well, and I was stock on both.

Who knows, maybe I got scammed and didn’t get the exact perfect club, but enough people have gone to Joe and Leigh’s that I trust them, and the fitting itself only cost $40 in the end. I don’t need custom stuff if it’s not necessary. Plus, these are way better than what I have now, which is all I care about.

 

[jercra]

Biggest changes in my mind are fixing spike marks (woohoo) and being able to move loose impediments and ground your club in a hazard (yeehaw).

Importantly, "in a hazard" does not include bunkers. A couple of differences from the original proposals are 1) Drops will be from knee height, not 1", 2) drops will be 2 club-lengths for all drops rather than the 80* rule to ease measurement burden, 3) The local rule allowing for a 2 stroke penalty and a drop on lost ball/OB is official.

To me, one of the biggest changes is removing the stupid rules about accidentally moving the ball during search and on the green being penalties. Any rules that move towards common sense are a move in the right direction to me. The interviews with the rules officials were informative. The change in the drop rule was to preserve the randomness of drops. They specifically addressed not changing the divot rule and basically said they never will as they consider "play it where it lies" to be fundamental to the game.

 

[Comfortably Lomb]

[QUOTE="jercra, post: 2701417, member: 2532]They specifically addressed not changing the divot rule and basically said they never will as they consider "play it where it lies" to be fundamental to the game.[/QUOTE]

Asinine. It might be the most unfair rule in the book right now. No one views it with anything but contemp and it continually risks tainting tournament results. Maybe these people won’t change but other people will be in their roles in the future.

 

[cshea]

Yes I was just about to say that. Why are they punishing good shots?

 

[jercra]

Yes I was just about to say that. Why are they punishing good shots?

Eh, you can look at it the other way around too. If someone hits a terrible shot that hits the cart path and bounces 75 yards close to the green, why were they rewarded for a bad shot?

In the end, there's a simple classification problem. What counts as a "divot"? If it's 90% grown back in but there's still some sand, is that a divot? How about 98% grown back in? The only solution I could see would be to say it's "preferred lies within 6 inches" anywhere in your own fairway. That's a pretty big leap to make and I'm not sure it's worth it to solve the number of times a ball lands in a divot.

Edit: And I assert that most unfair rule in the book is not letting you test the condition of the bunkers. On tour, the bunkers are always the roughly same. There are even standards. At my local muni they can be literally anything. There should be rules for footprints and animal tracks in bunkers and you should be able to test the conditions. Sand traps are hard enough for most golfers already.

 

[Comfortably Lomb]

The whole “play it as it lies” thing in response to divots/damage in the fairway just feels like something someone’s crusty dad said when they were a kid in 1960.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Spike marks were a bigger issue, celebrate the wins.

 

[TFP]

I love that OB rule change for non-tournaments.

 

[bostonbeerbelly]

This thread is giving me hope that there is green fairways on the way once we get through this next storm and a few more weeks of iffy weather here in the northeast.

I just paid my club bill, ordered 250 4A quality prov1's (used the 20% ebay coupon the other day) and got new golf shoes - so I am getting ready.

I am still on the search for my dream club, but can't seem to find it. I am looking for something that would be like a 2 wood - 12/13* and a little bigger head than a 3 wood but not a driver size. I seem to remember that maybe Mickelson carried something similar a few years ago on tour, but I can't find anything that meets my desires off the rack at the moment.

 

[Phragle]

Ping rapture 3 wood?

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

This thread is giving me hope that there is green fairways on the way once we get through this next storm and a few more weeks of iffy weather here in the northeast.

I just paid my club bill, ordered 250 4A quality prov1's (used the 20% ebay coupon the other day) and got new golf shoes - so I am getting ready.

I am still on the search for my dream club, but can't seem to find it. I am looking for something that would be like a 2 wood - 12/13* and a little bigger head than a 3 wood but not a driver size. I seem to remember that maybe Mickelson carried something similar a few years ago on tour, but I can't find anything that meets my desires off the rack at the moment.

It was a prototype, I don't believe they ever sold it to the public. It was called the "Phrankenwood". It was 8.5* and 250CCs.

 

[bostonbeerbelly]

Ping rapture 3 wood?

Awesome! That is pretty much what I was hoping for putting that feeler out. Crazy price difference between the 13* and 14* - I will try to watch some eBay auctions or check some used club sites to find one to try out.

 

[bostonbeerbelly]

It was a prototype, I don't believe they ever sold it to the public. It was called the "Phrankenwood". It was 8.5* and 250CCs.

Looks like I remembered the loft differently but vividly remember the size of it and thought this idea may catch on main stream at some point. Looks like the rapture may fill the void and I will report back with my results.

 

[jercra]

It was a prototype, I don't believe they ever sold it to the public. It was called the "Phrankenwood". It was 8.5* and 250CCs.

Yeah, was it. I got something similar from Bombtech a few years ago called the 3+ which was a 12* 3-wood. I hit the shit out of it but 1 out of 10 times I hit it far enough left that I thought it would make it back to the tee and I'm not smart enough to not try to use it off the deck when I'm 290 out so I took it out of my bag. They don't make or sell them anymore.

 

[southshoresoxfan]

Yeah, was it. I got something similar from Bombtech a few years ago called the 3+ which was a 12* 3-wood. I hit the shit out of it but 1 out of 10 times I hit it far enough left that I thought it would make it back to the tee and I'm not smart enough to not try to use it off the deck when I'm 290 out so I took it out of my bag. They don't make or sell them anymore.

Btw Jerca, that Bombtech 3W is money. Tested it vs TM, Ping and one other (Phragle would remember). 250 carry on the nose almost every swing. Between 20-25 yards roll out. Sounds like a missile launcher too.

My buddy laughed, asked me if it was a driving range club, pulled it out at the sim, hit it 5x and bought one. Great club.

The hybrids are smooth as butter too. I like the steel shafts vs the graphite on normal hybrids.

 

[jercra]

Btw Jerca, that Bombtech 3W is money. Tested it vs TM, Ping and one other (Phragle would remember). 250 carry on the nose almost every swing. Between 20-25 yards roll out. Sounds like a missile launcher too.

My buddy laughed, asked me if it was a driving range club, pulled it out at the sim, hit it 5x and bought one. Great club.

The hybrids are smooth as butter too. I like the steel shafts vs the graphite on normal hybrids.

The older hybrids used to have graphite shafts in them. Mine does. My buddy got the whole set in steel shafted and I love them. Will probably get some later this year. They also just released their black wedges. They make nice wedges and the whole set is sub $100 for forged wedges.

 

[southshoresoxfan]

The older hybrids used to have graphite shafts in them. Mine does. My buddy got the whole set in steel shafted and I love them. Will probably get some later this year. They also just released their black wedges. They make nice wedges and the whole set is sub $100 for forged wedges.

Those black wedges w the neon green grooves look unbelievable.

 

[SoxJox]

Looking for some help on club replacement.

As background, I am 63 and have played golf most of my adult life. However, I have not played much over the past 10 years and my club set is old (Adams 2705 irons; Callaway Big Bertha driver and fairway metal, circa 2006) .

For reference, my last formally recorded handicap was 18; I hit my drives about 245-250; and 7-iron at 150.

Going forward, I may get to play maybe 25 times a year (hopefully increasing when I retire in a few years), so I don't need to go hog wild with the latest and greatest - just looking for something that will afford me some of the advantages of technical advancements over the past few years without draining my retirement account.

So, looking for:

• Modest set of irons (perhaps including hybrids instead of traditional 3-4 irons)
• Driver
• Fairway metal

I believe I'm set on wedges and putter.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

I’d definitely drop the 3 and 4 irons and replace with hybrids. I’d consider doing the same with even a 5 iron. I’m going to somewhat ignore your yardage’s, as most people don’t accurately know what they hit their driver and if you’re hitting a 7 iron 150, 250 seems long for a driver (on basis of translating swing speed).

I would do some kind of simple fitting, mostly for determining the shaft, because you likely would benefit from transitioning to graphite and you probably want a good read on proper flex. Also, keep in mind that if your clubs are that old, the newer stuff is most likely a stronger loft, so a new 5 iron would be the same as your old 4 iron. Etc. don’t pay any attention to the number on the sole, focus on the specs. Then compose your bag - 10.5* D, 3W, 3H, 4H, 5-GW, SW, LW, putter is what I use now, but it doesn’t mean it’s what you may want. Maybe you replace even the 5 iron with a hybrid. Maybe you drop it and add an extra wedge.

Once you figure out what you need for shafts or if you need adjustments to length or lie, if you don’t want to buy new and break the bank, check out sites like 2ndswing.com or 3balls.com and pick up some lightly used stuff. I know especially with 3balls, the higher graded clubs are essentially brand new, usually shelf models or demo clubs that were taped up and don’t have a scratch on them. I’ve gotten year old clubs from them that come with the shrink wrap still on and they are always doing sales. You can do quite well shipping there - I bought Ping G, D, 3W, 3H & 4H last year from them (while they were still on the shelf before the G400 line came out) and none had a single scratch on them. I saved over 50%.

 

[SoxJox]

Thanks Paps. Good info. The trouble with the driver is that is the total distance traveled - not down range distance. Something along the lines of a parabola. Wink wink. Actually, no, not that bad thank goodness. In all honesty, the 250 is when I hit it flush. At least I'm capable of hitting that far, but not necessarily consistently. Average distance is probably more like 240, with a carry of 220.

 

[TFP]

I’m legitimately angry and depressed that we won’t be playing golf up here anytime soon. This storm sucks.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

I’m legitimately angry and depressed that we won’t be playing golf up here anytime soon. This storm sucks.

Yeah this put quite the damper on my day, having just picked up my new irons yesterday. They’re just sitting there taunting me, all shiny and pretty.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

I can't wait to play this weekend

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Thanks Paps. Good info. The trouble with the driver is that is the total distance traveled - not down range distance. Something along the lines of a parabola. Wink wink. Actually, no, not that bad thank goodness. In all honesty, the 250 is when I hit it flush. At least I'm capable of hitting that far, but not necessarily consistently. Average distance is probably more like 240, with a carry of 220.

Yeah, I’d definitely test drive some graphite shafts. The lighter weight will offset some of your loss of swing speed and then you can adjust for flex. I don’t know what your physical state is, but the lighter graphite will also help you have a little more energy in the tank by the end of the round. Worry about driver and fairway metal later. Figure out how you want to compose your bag, start with irons, then move into the woods and hybrids.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

I can't wait to play this weekend

You’re just mean.

 

[Phragle]

Anyone want to hit up the Clubhouse in Middleton?

 

[FL4WL3SS]

You’re just mean.

Won't have my new clubs yet though. Boo!

 

[southshoresoxfan]

I can’t get those black Bombtech wedges out of my head

 

[SoxJox]

Yeah, I’d definitely test drive some graphite shafts. The lighter weight will offset some of your loss of swing speed and then you can adjust for flex. I don’t know what your physical state is, but the lighter graphite will also help you have a little more energy in the tank by the end of the round. Worry about driver and fairway metal later. Figure out how you want to compose your bag, start with irons, then move into the woods and hybrids.

I've wondered about the graphite. I'll test for sure with the fitting.

On my physical state, I have always been athletic and technically balanced and coordinated. I'm still quite strong at 63 - perhaps moreso than my average peer (if I may bashfully boast), but my flexibility has been compromised by a more sedate work environment where I am more stationary than I have ever been in my life (witnessed by the 15-20 lb weight gain over the past 10 years - but I have parallel plans to address that).

 

[southshoresoxfan]

I've wondered about the graphite. I'll test for sure with the fitting.

On my physical state, I have always been athletic and technically balanced and coordinated. I'm still quite strong at 63 - perhaps moreso than my average peer (if I may bashfully boast), but my flexibility has been compromised by a more sedate work environment where I am more stationary than I have ever been in my life (witnessed by the 15-20 lb weight gain over the past 10 years - but I have parallel plans to address that).

Work on your t-spine mobility. Google drills for it. It will open up your shoulders / help with the desk job situation. Should restore some rotational power.

 

[4 6 3 DP]

I'd hit the clubhouse. Good spot.

 

[southshoresoxfan]

Yeah I’m in.

 

[Papelbon's Poutine]

Made the three hour drive to Bangor, ME today for my new job training and a GSM tomorrow and had completely forgotten how close Belgrade Lakes is to 95. I have a feeling I’m going to be stopping to play after a few meetings this summer, as they generally get out around 12:30.

 

[FL4WL3SS]

Is that a good course?