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FORE! How is your golf game coming?

Plai

Paul Lai
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Phil mentioned he got a club fitting in an early post.
So, I made the mistake of getting one last week. The results: my irons are .5" too short, 2 degrees too flat, the shafts are too stiff (and of the wrong material), and heads aren't forgiving enough.
So, now I have the sweet agony of trying to find irons that match the new specs that my personal budget can tolerate.
Anyone got a crystal ball for the lottery?
 

Tricia

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Lesson booked for next week.
We postponed my lesson for a week later (today) because we had a play date at Mammoth with Wayne Wong and crew last week.

This lesson was not only good, but it helped me figure out that I need to loosen up a bit.
We worked a lot on changing my grip since I am hyper mobile and relax my arms so that they aren't so rigid, which emphasizes the hyper mobility.

Here is a bit of my practice. I have a lot to work on.
 

Tricia

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Phil mentioned he got a club fitting in an early post.
So, I made the mistake of getting one last week. The results: my irons are .5" too short, 2 degrees too flat, the shafts are too stiff (and of the wrong material), and heads aren't forgiving enough.
So, now I have the sweet agony of trying to find irons that match the new specs that my personal budget can tolerate.
Anyone got a crystal ball for the lottery?

Did the fitter work with a specific brand?
Did the fitter give you a list of things he thought would work?
 

Plai

Paul Lai
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Did the fitter work with a specific brand?
Did the fitter give you a list of things he thought would work?
Details, details....
The shop was GolfGalaxy in San Jose.
The fitter was focused on Ping, but I mentioned I was agnostic, with a preference for Titleist (current brand). At the end of the fitting, the above mentioned changes were recommended.
He also mentioned that any of the other popular brands would behave similarly with similar specs.

Well, I've been looking at all the other brands, and there's some non-trivial (15+%) price differences.
I've also looked at 2nd tier stores (Dick's, Costco, etc) for their selection and the prices are even better, but I doubt my "customizations" would be acommadated.
I've also considered "building" my own set (aka golfworks.com, since I've done similar in the past).
And yes, I've been looking at the used market for all for the above.

I've also been mostly considering technique changes, that might alter the specs in the future.
Right now, I'm lost in the weeds, and most likely will work on myself before changing equipment.
 

Skitechniek

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A LIV Golf player (Koepka) won the PGA Championship, pretty controversial haha. I wonder what the effects of that will be.
 

Jim Kenney

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A LIV Golf player (Koepka) won the PGA Championship, pretty controversial haha. I wonder what the effects of that will be.
It might be sacrilegious, but I'd get a kick out of a periodic Ryder Cup type of thing where the best of PGA play best of LIV. Talk about heated competition!
 

Jim Kenney

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We postponed my lesson for a week later (today) because we had a play date at Mammoth with Wayne Wong and crew last week.

This lesson was not only good, but it helped me figure out that I need to loosen up a bit.
We worked a lot on changing my grip since I am hyper mobile and relax my arms so that they aren't so rigid, which emphasizes the hyper mobility.

Here is a bit of my practice. I have a lot to work on.
You get bonus style points for practicing on a range with mountain views in the background :ogbiggrin:
 

PisteOff

Jeff
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Phil mentioned he got a club fitting in an early post.
So, I made the mistake of getting one last week. The results: my irons are .5" too short, 2 degrees too flat, the shafts are too stiff (and of the wrong material), and heads aren't forgiving enough.
So, now I have the sweet agony of trying to find irons that match the new specs that my personal budget can tolerate.
Anyone got a crystal ball for the lottery?
I find the 1/2” too short to be a situation that could be remedied (possibly) with grip position and/or more easily and likely with address posture and where your hands are in relation to your waist at address. I mean, it doesn’t take much of an adjustment to accommodate a 1/2”. Those same adjustments would/could affect lie as well.

The heads aren’t forgiving enough is bullshit. As compared to what? That statement really bugs me. It’s a sales pitch. Head forgiveness is about (not a complete list), low center of gravity, perimeter weighting, and thinner cross sections through center of mass. All of this aimed at creating a larger sweet spot. Most of it eliminates spin as it relates to an off center ball strike. There’s only so much forgiveness and it’s a small value. If you’re striking the ball with an open club face I don’t care what you have in your hands, it’s going right. The more forgiving club might go a few yards less to the right. Either way you’re likely not on the green. Unless your clubs are 30 years old and not tour blades they’re likely already perimeter weighted cavity backs. Plainly put, a golf club cannot fix a bad swing. The objective is to hopefully minimize the miss hit.

If you’re on a budget my suggestion would be to re-shaft your existing irons. The length, lie, and flex profile of your shafts will all be addressed. You’ll spend $200-500 to reshaft your irons depending on what you choose for shafts/grips.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Philpug

Philpug

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I find the 1/2” too short to be a situation that could be remedied (possibly) with grip position and/or more easily and likely with address posture and where your hands are in relation to your waist at address. I mean, it doesn’t take much of an adjustment to accommodate a 1/2”. Those same adjustments would/could affect lie as well.

The heads aren’t forgiving enough is bullshit. As compared to what? That statement really bugs me. It’s a sales pitch. Head forgiveness is about (not a complete list), low center of gravity, perimeter weighting, and thinner cross sections through center of mass. All of this aimed at creating a larger sweet spot. Most of it eliminates spin as it relates to an off center ball strike. There’s only so much forgiveness and it’s a small value. If you’re striking the ball with an open club face I don’t care what you have in your hands, it’s going right. The more forgiving club might go a few yards less to the right. Either way you’re likely not on the green. Unless your clubs are 30 years old and not tour blades they’re likely already perimeter weighted cavity backs. Plainly put, a golf club cannot fix a bad swing. The objective is to hopefully minimize the miss hit.

If you’re on a budget my suggestion would be to re-shaft your existing irons. The length, lie, and flex profile of your shafts will all be addressed. You’ll spend $200-500 to reshaft your irons depending on what you choose for shafts/grips.
Shafts are the bootfitting of golf. The club heads like skis are the sexy things to buy, the shafts are the important thing.
 

S.H.

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A LIV Golf player (Koepka) won the PGA Championship, pretty controversial haha. I wonder what the effects of that will be.
Was bound to happen sooner or later. Too much talent went to LIV for it not to happen.

I doubt it has much effect on anything, except LIV claiming this "proves" they deserve to receive OWGR points. Maybe LIV golfers will get some of their sponsors back?

LIV has already drastically changed the $$$ outlay from the PGA Tour, which is a good thing IMO.
 
Thread Starter
TS
Philpug

Philpug

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What is Block worth to the LIV tour? I am sure it would set him and his family up for life.
 

jmeb

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Shafts are the bootfitting of golf. The club heads like skis are the sexy things to buy, the shafts are the important thing.

To a degree.

But playing the wrong style of irons for your game or playing very old woods isn't doing any 20 handicapper any favor. You're not going to get results you're looking for if you're expecting a FIS ski to be as forgiving as a freeride ski or vice versa. Gaming a 15 year old driver is simply giving up a great deal, just like skiing 15 year old skis.

The driver in my bag is custom fit (distinct shaft + length). I went to a free fitting from a brand recently and hit every driver they put in my hands 15-25yards further with less dispersion -- across the board --compared to my driver on the same simulator. Even ones with the wrong shaft, wrong weight, wrong draw/fade bias, wrong loft. Why? Because my driver is a steel shafted driver from 2004.

While buying most anything off the rack at Golf Galaxy would improve my game, I just spent $225 to book a complete bag fitting. No intention to replace irons/wedges at this time (also custom fit, circa 2008), but i'll have an upgrade path when it feels necessary. (Or as a gift to myself when the handicap hits single digits again...)
 
Last edited:

PisteOff

Jeff
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What is Block worth to the LIV tour? I am sure it would set him and his family up for life.
He’s here in DFW. He was immediately granted an exemption to the Colonial. He also just received an invitation to the RBC Canadian Open. If he stays hot the sky is the limit. He’s gaining a huge following that they’re calling “the Block-heads”.
 

PisteOff

Jeff
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If Block makes the cut at Colonial the wife and I will likely head out Sunday to see the final round. It’s not an overly long or difficult tract (for a pro). It sets up at a respectable 7209 yd. Par 70. for the tournament. The greens can get real fast and the wind can pick up as the day goes on if it’s hot. There are bunkers in play off almost every tee and 9, 12, 13, 15, and 18 are the toughest greens at the Colonial to hit into in my opinion. With that said I usually spend my time on the back 9 when watching the tournament. I’ll loop the back 9 with different groups.
 

Tricia

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Details, details....
The shop was GolfGalaxy in San Jose.
The fitter was focused on Ping, but I mentioned I was agnostic, with a preference for Titleist (current brand). At the end of the fitting, the above mentioned changes were recommended.
He also mentioned that any of the other popular brands would behave similarly with similar specs.

Well, I've been looking at all the other brands, and there's some non-trivial (15+%) price differences.
I've also looked at 2nd tier stores (Dick's, Costco, etc) for their selection and the prices are even better, but I doubt my "customizations" would be acommadated.
I've also considered "building" my own set (aka golfworks.com, since I've done similar in the past).
And yes, I've been looking at the used market for all for the above.

I've also been mostly considering technique changes, that might alter the specs in the future.
Right now, I'm lost in the weeds, and most likely will work on myself before changing equipment.

I'm pretty sure that I'll get a new beginner/intermediate set from Cobra, but while I was at the range getting loosened up for my lesson yesterday I was observing the bags from other golfers and most were a mish mosh of a variety of clubs.

Its interesting what I'm observing now after witnissing Phil's fitting.
You get bonus style points for practicing on a range with mountain views in the background :ogbiggrin:
This view does NOT suck!

golf.gif

IMG_7294.jpeg


Today we went to hit some balls at the Grand Sierra water range.
IMG_7301.jpeg
 

FlyingAce

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Dec 22, 2019
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Phil mentioned he got a club fitting in an early post.
So, I made the mistake of getting one last week. The results: my irons are .5" too short, 2 degrees too flat, the shafts are too stiff (and of the wrong material), and heads aren't forgiving enough.
So, now I have the sweet agony of trying to find irons that match the new specs that my personal budget can tolerate.
Anyone got a crystal ball for the lottery?
If it is just shaft length and lie angles, they can be extended and adjusted easily. What’s your current shaft flex and weight?
All you need to find is stock clubs with the correct shafts, then any golf stores can adjust the lie angles for you.
 

FlyingAce

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I'm pretty sure that I'll get a new beginner/intermediate set from Cobra, but while I was at the range getting loosened up for my lesson yesterday I was observing the bags from other golfers and most were a mish mosh of a variety of clubs.
I have a mixed bag of clubs and am not brand loyal (unlike with my skis)!
Driver: PXG
3 wood: Taylormade
5/7/9/11 wood: Callaway
Irons: PXG
Wedges: Vokeys
Putter: Scotty Cameron
 

MissySki

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I'm pretty sure that I'll get a new beginner/intermediate set from Cobra, but while I was at the range getting loosened up for my lesson yesterday I was observing the bags from other golfers and most were a mish mosh of a variety of clubs.

Its interesting what I'm observing now after witnissing Phil's fitting.

This view does NOT suck!

View attachment 204186
View attachment 204185

Today we went to hit some balls at the Grand Sierra water range.
View attachment 204188

Wow, I'm so jealous of these views you get to practice with!!

P.S. I have the Callaway Strata 16 piece starter set, and upgraded my driver to the Big Bertha Reva at the end of my first season because I just did not get along with the driver that came with the set. I got my driver quite cheaply though as my instructor let me use a brand new demo club for a work tournament I played in and I liked it so much I ended up buying it at the end of the season at a steep discount even though I was the only one who had ever used it. I like it much better than the original in my set. Eventually I will do the whole fitting thing, I feel like my swing is just way too inconsistent to get much out of it at this point.
 

Plai

Paul Lai
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find the 1/2” too short to be a situation that could be remedied (possibly) with grip position and/or more easily and likely with address posture and where your hands are in relation to your waist at address. I mean, it doesn’t take much of an adjustment to accommodate a 1/2”. Those same adjustments would/could affect lie as well.
I'm mostly with you on this statement. I think my address is too upright/open, my grip is too neutral. I also think my take-back is too steep (besides short).
But mostly, I think I need to get some of these kinks out of my game/swing before changing/modifying clubs. The iron fit was probably a little too early. It's only been a few outings since I restarted golfing.

That said, the shaft flex thing is really interesting... I was measured (7 iron) club head speed in upper 80's/lower 90's mph. Every chart I can find says to use a stiff shaft. The fitter wants to put me in a senior shaft (probably mostly based on age.).

I'll work on my technique for now.
 

PisteOff

Jeff
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I have a mixed bag of clubs and am not brand loyal (unlike with my skis)!
Driver: PXG
3 wood: Taylormade
5/7/9/11 wood: Callaway
Irons: PXG
Wedges: Vokeys
Putter: Scotty Cameron
I’ve always played Cobra irons and wedges. I was a big Greg Norman fan back in the day. Steve Jones too. I played Orlimar drivers until Cobra came out with the Fly-Z. I hated every Cobra driver to that point. The Callaway I hit (a friends) was to whippy, even stiff shafted it just seemed too heavy for the shaft and my swing at that time. Thing sprayed all over the place. The Taylor Made Burner was decent but I could hit my Orlimar better. The Orlimar HipTi was a hot driver on the tour back in the 90’s. Smaller volume than the trend at the time. I bucked the big 460cc driver trend for a long time. Cobra came out with the Fly-Z to much ado so I went and demo’d it. That Cobra Fly-Z (S) and I clicked immediately and it was 30 yards longer (in the air) with a much larger sweet spot than the respectable drives I got out my Orlimar. My miss with the Orlimar was a 20-30 yard slice. My miss with the Fly-Z was a baby fade. I was in love. I kept the Fly-Z when I bought the new Cobra set and switched from an Odyssey putter to a Cleveland which has been more consistent with a better feel when striking the ball. I then bought Cobra F6 3 and 5 woods and an F6 hybrid 2-3 after trying them at Carl’s Golfland. I can hit lasers with all three of them. When I started to overpower the Fly-Z I picked up the Cobra Speedzone with a stiffer shaft and lower kick point.

I regripped the Fly-Z that I had posted a picture of a little while ago here. I’ve not hit it yet. I’m 7 weeks post op from my ACL replacement and I just started taking easy swings, just rhythm and swing plane moves for flexibility. I won’t start releasing the club until I can torque that knee. It’s the left knee so it’s the one that gets torqued. I’m a righty.
 

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