Cleveland Mashie Fairway Woods

[Ice]

I won't post one huge review and be done with this thread... I'm gonna go in steps to document how they work for me long term. I haven't played with them enough yet to get into full performance reviews, so let's start with the looks of them:

 

 

They look pretty slick if you ask me. The crown is the RETRO-RAW finish designed to look like raw metal that metalwoods looked like in their baby years. It's a durable finish but it's definitely skyable Just ask my poor 5 wood. It's got a pretty deep face on it. The sole is the real jewel of the club. The Gliderail+ technology is designed to prevent hitting it heavy and slides through any lie to better deliver the face to the ball. The club is dubbed "longer from any lie." Paired with the awesome Miyazaki C.Kua shaft, I think it's one insane looking fairway wood. More to come...

[ms1195]

I have some experience with the 15 degree Mashie Tour Hybrid, and I agree that the finish is great. I think it is a better version of grey than the Adams or Cobra offerings. Also very durable like you said, my guess is because it's not paint but finished metal.

 

For whatever reason that hybrid has not worked out for me, kept hitting it high on the face. I may have to give the fairways a look, pending your approval of course...

 

I look forward to hearing more about your experience with the club.

[Ice]

This is one of those clubs where you know if you hit it well. When properly struck, it still has sort of a dull feeling but it's the dull feeling you like feeling... hard to explain I know. When it's mishit you know it. Kind of like a blade iron but not "buttery soft."

[furu]

It´s a mini driver (not Minnie Driver). A club people love or hate. I had it for a few weeks. Senior golfers loved it of the tee, pretty good from fairway and rough. Very easy to hit. For me there´s just something strange going on with the shape and size. I usually like the Miyazaki shafts but this one felt like it didn´t keep me connected with the clubhead. Great for distance and speed, not so good for control.

[ms1195]

This is one of those clubs where you know if you hit it well. When properly struck, it still has sort of a dull feeling but it's the dull feeling you like feeling... hard to explain I know. When it's mishit you know it. Kind of like a blade iron but not "buttery soft."

 

The "dull" feeling you describe from the sweet spot is definitely a good feeling on the mashie's. One thing I will say that surprised me with the hybrid is even when the contact felt harsh, like I definitely missed it, distance was usually very good, like as good as a flush hit. Have you experienced that with the 3 wood?

[Ice]

The "dull" feeling you describe from the sweet spot is definitely a good feeling on the mashie's. One thing I will say that surprised me with the hybrid is even when the contact felt harsh, like I definitely missed it, distance was usually very good, like as good as a flush hit. Have you experienced that with the 3 wood?

 

It really flies. It's freaking RBZ long for me. It does tend to go even when I strike it on the heel which I do frequently.

 

It really isn't an offset FM. the hybrids are offset hook machines but the FMs aren't...

[Ice]

The sole technology is really something special. Sure you can shrug it off and call it a gimmick (like the ASP). But try it first. I've never hit a FM what is easier to hit off the deck, especially from the rough. It really helps channel away anything between the face and the ball and give the club a smoother route to impact. It even makes it harder to hit fat.

 

RPJ, why don't you like the shaft? Have you spent a lot of time with it? I freaking love the C.Kua. Smooth feel to it, and it gets the ball up where I want it. I'm biased towards Miyazaki shafts though. I want a B.Asha soooooo bad for the driver.

[furu]

The C.Kua is not for everyone. My experience with it - great for a smooth swing, trouble if you rush the transition.

 

Check out Cleveland/Srixon/Miyazakis info on flex codes. A flex code says so much more about a shaft than the flex they put on it. Not just Miyazaki shafts on the list.

[Ice]

i love the flex code system. While it is still what miyazaki believes to be stiff (going back on the no industry standard for flex...) it's a darn good representation of it. I like being able to see a code and get a feel for what the shaft is going to behave like. If even one company (I can see it being MRC or Fuji) put the international Flex Codes on their shafts, the system would spread like the bubonic plague and soon we'd have an industry standard for shaft flexes.

 

Today I'm gonna hit on what the Mashie does when it's mishit. I was intentionally mishitting soem and some happened unintentionally...

 

Toe: best place to miss. the ball went straight with a little push to it and about 90% of distance average.

 

High on face: very high, ballooning ball flight. 50% distance maybe...

 

Low on face: 10 yards off the ground, low flier. Hard and long. 110% of distance. In my case, that's a bad thing most of the time because if I have more room than I want the club to go I'd be taking a longer club.

 

Heel: Oh lord... Biggest snap-hook you'll ever see. Don't let it happen!

[Ice]

I hit the Tour today with an X shaft. Very nice club & I liked the way the shaft felt. Like I said, I used to have all X flex in all of my clubs however I switched out in '05. This X felt nice, smooth. My bro's puttin it in his bag. Nice stick

 

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever

 

It's an awesome shaft. Did you hit the 59X or the 83X?

[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Great write-ups Ice - thanks for the posts. Am gaming the '11 Mashie hybrids this year and am having a love/hate relationship with 'em. Know what you mean about the "thud" when you hit the sweet spot - you know you've pured it, and the ball just goes. Have the 59 gram shafts in mine - a little too light so any kind of an aggressive swing is a crazy hook. Right now I'm in a love mode with 'em, but check back Monday - that could change.

[Ice]

Great write-ups Ice - thanks for the posts. Am gaming the '11 Mashie hybrids this year and am having a love/hate relationship with 'em. Know what you mean about the "thud" when you hit the sweet spot - you know you've pured it, and the ball just goes. Have the 59 gram shafts in mine - a little too light so any kind of an aggressive swing is a crazy hook. Right now I'm in a love mode with 'em, but check back Monday - that could change.

 

I really do like the hybrids too but if it isn't the tour version I can;t do it. It'll hook 90* every time. Gi clubs with offset and light shafts altogether do that for me.

[Ice]

Neither, and that's because it wasn't the Kua Series driver shaft that I was hitting..lol..It was the "Kusala" Series, Black 83(81gr) XS, with a 46" shaft that he cut to 45"..Dude, it's one of the prettiest shafts I've ever seen. He has it on an i20.

 

He ordered the "Dromos" for his D3. I guess that one was made for adjustable drivers. I don't know what the hell the difference is, though obviously there is one, and my bros into all that stuff.

 

He plays the "Kua" in his hybrid and FM, and it's the 89gr shaft, though I didn't hit those.

 

Anyway, while I still can't comment on the "Kua" shaft, the "Kusala" is very nice.

 

Have a good one

 

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever

 

Ok... so it was the Kusala Black 83X... flex code on that is 5689. Very low launching shaft... insanely stiff tip. I agree that the Kusalas are very attractive. IMO anyone who can handle a traditionally or heavier weighted shaft can find the perfect fit in the Kusala line.

 

The Dromos is multi-axis, or spineless. No shaft can be truly spineless... it's impossible. But it's as close as it gets to spineless. It's designed to play the exact same way no matter what way the shaft is oriented in the driver. For example, with the RIP Beta I used to have for my R9ST, I had to keep it standard. Going higher or lower loft was nuts cause the spine was off-center...

 

the C.Kua is the most popular one. Comes sock in most Cleveland clubs (real shabang, not a made for). The standard versions come with 59 gram and the tours come with 83 gram with exception to the 270 and 290 drivers that come with 39 and 43 gram. It's designed for smooth swings and to get the ball up there a little.

 

Each Miyazaki shaft is names after the artist who designed it's graphics. Hence "Artwork by C.Kua, Artwork by B.Asha, etc...

[Ice]

Off the tee this thing really flies. It's built (obviously) for off the deck, but it's more fun to hit of a tee. Deep faces do that to you. It's high launching and pretty low spinning for me, which equals distance. It can be worked and it can be hit straight. If you're looking for a tee 3 wood, take a strong look at the TF3 or the F3. Your bonus? It's as good as it gets for bombing second shots on par 5s also.

[Ice]

I'm hitting the F3 with an Aldila NVS shaft tonight. I'll walk away owning it if I like it. It's a very high launching shaft (I hit a pretty low ball flight. I'm just gonna have to weigh if I need it or not. I rarely use my current 3 wood and only have it to fill the spot I have open, it's useful on short tight par 4s or if I want to run the ball 200 yards along the ground.

[Ice]

I'm hitting the F3 with an Aldila NVS shaft tonight. I'll walk away owning it if I like it. It's a very high launching shaft (I hit a pretty low ball flight. I'm just gonna have to weigh if I need it or not. I rarely use my current 3 wood and only have it to fill the spot I have open, it's useful on short tight par 4s or if I want to run the ball 200 yards along the ground.

 

The NVS is not the shaft for me. Ball flight was all over the place.

 

Not sure what else I can say about this club. It really is longer from any lie for me and is the best FM off the ground on the market. Plus with the kick-ass shaft, nothing beats it.

[Joezilla]

I've got the 3M hybrid with the standard Mi Kua 59g shaft in regular flex. I absolutely love it. I'm really thinking about going back for either the 2M or 4M and also the 3 wood too.

 

Joe

[jayhawker]

I had the mashie 3w with nvs shaft for about two weeks before I got rid of it. Hit it fantastic off the ground, perfect ball flight and consistent. The problem I found was that it was harder to keep consistent off the tee with that shaft, and I hit it like 40 yards shorter off the tee. Long story short, I handed it in towards my jpx 50 degree wedge. Best club decision I have made to date.