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MyGolfSpy Forum Guide: How To Be A Tester As promised I wanted to do an update for our Want To Be A Tester Thread. We take pride in our transparency and member testing platform. 2023 was an incredible season and it continues to provide amazing opportunities to all of our members. For those new to the Forum let me break down the keys to becoming a Forum Tester and how to increase your chances at being selected. (I will break down the why afterwards) It should also be noted that we as staff view member testing opportunities as a way to give back to the members who have contributed so much to our community. It should also be noted that these reviews are a lot of work and take a lot of time to commit to. All Forum Members selected for testing must have a profile photo. This is our most basic rule, but the bottom line is no profile photo = no selection. Recent Activity - We want to see and have members who are actively engaged in the community. This does not necessarily mean posting everyday 10 plus times a day. But a steady history or pattern of activity is a must. Posting an unofficial review. This is not a must, but helps give us an idea for your writing style and overall ability and completing a thorough review for us. These are 3 simple, yet very effective ways to being noticed by the Forum Staff and having your name stand out as we go through the tester selection process. Now as to why we look for those previous 3 areas of criteria. Photos and media content are essential for testing. While some people are good writers, a bunch of text can be a tough slog to read through. We want to see creative photos and media that highlight the product. If someone cannot even bother to post a profile photo it gives us little confidence they could do any photos in a review. Photos and media are becoming ever more important for our reviews, especially with our Forum Recap Articles gaining further recognition and popularity with OEMs and MyGolfSpy readers. Good, high quality photos which highlight and feature the product are essential. Recent Activity is also extremely important. This shows us reliability to post consistently and take part in conversation throughout the testing period, as well as after the testing period. Being able to see that history gives us added confidence in our selection. Now when I say history I do not mean years of posting. It will be shown a little later in this post, but we actively try to get new people involved. Posting an unofficial review is pretty self explanatory, but for us when we are giving out thousands of dollars worth of equipment we want to have a level of confidence in who we are selecting. So is that all we look at when selecting testers? No, definitely not. The other things we look at and take note of are as follows. Post to Reaction Ratio: This is a simple metric, but gives us a slight idea of the value contributions to the community. However posting in the Good Morning Thread is a bit of a cheat code for that. Donor Status: For those that have, but don’t have the tag please let one of the staff members know and we can add that for you. While not a deal breaker one way or another, it can be used as a tie breaker. OEM requests: This one you can’t really know about ahead of time. However as these companies are providing equipment for free they are within their rights to ask for certain handicaps, situations, swing speeds, geographic regions and more. These questions are asked in the signup form. For those with lower post counts we can see login dates to see that someone is visiting the site. Maybe you are someone who loves reading the forum, but are hesitant to post that much or feel as though you do not have a lot to contribute. I ensure that you do have a lot to contribute no matter who you are, but at least this allows us to see that someone is taking an active interest in the forum. For those that have tested before. Previous review grades and comments are taken into account. More on that below. How long do I have to be a Forum Member before I am considered for Testing? A week? A month? Longer? I was a member for 2 years before I was selected for my first testing opportunity. However it took me a year to really get involved. There is no magic number for how long it takes to be a tester. Simply put we want to select members who are active contributors within our community. That doesn’t have to mean a long history of posts. We also actively try our best to give at least one new tester in on every testing opportunity that happens. In 2023 this happened in nearly every test. What else can help me become a tester? These are small things and are not requirements, but help with us getting to know you a little more or at the very least recognize your forum name. Follow us on our social platforms - The Forum has accounts on Instagram and Twitter… or X. Join our Community Call: Every Thursday we host a Community Call for our members to have general chit chat and sometimes Live Q&A with different golf companies or people. These are a great way for a member to get to know the staff, ask questions and for us to get to know you a little better. Importantly you don’t have to have your camera or mic on, but can simply sit back and listen or type questions in the chat. It is a great way to quickly get involved and see what our community is all about. What are the other rules or guidelines to Member Testing? Members generally only get one opportunity to test each season. Meaning if you are selected for a set of irons it is unlikely you will be selected for another test during the season. There are some exceptions, however we have a lot of great members and want to spread the opportunities around as best we can. Smaller tests such as golf balls, gloves, grips and that sort of thing do leave you eligible for other tests later in the season, however members will only be allowed to be involved in one review at a time. Basically no testing two items at once. For our testing opportunities like Cobra Challenge and full bag opportunities a member can only take part in these once. Period. These are amazing opportunities and of course a lot of fun and work, but we have too many incredible members to give these to any member multiple times. I mention these previous points to highlight a greater point. Please only register or sign up for the testing opportunities you are really excited about and if you are currently testing please do not sign up for other testing opportunities. To be frank it looks greedy and like you are only here for free stuff. Are there certain things that would make me ineligible for a testing opportunity? Outside of not having a profile photo, it should go without saying but all testers must be members of the forum. To that end you must also be a member in good standing. This means no current warnings on your account. Another factor that comes into play are poor previous review scores. I will put this bluntly, if a tester have gone mia on a testing opportunity in the past or been a difficult tester missing deadlines, not providing a review or come close to meeting the deadlines. We have very little reason to consider that person for any future review opportunities. We have too many deserving members to go back to that well or take that risk. Geo Restrictions are the other factor. It should be highlighted and noted that we encourage all testing opportunities to be eligible for all our members, however some OEMs have certain restrictions and in the end it is their call. I am a lefty and live outside the US so I am in your corner, but we are also not going to deny an opportunity if is just US only. Another factor in this is over 90% of the community is US and Canada based. Getting a larger portion of outside NA members will help increase are chances of getting more worldwide testing. I have been selected as a tester, now what? Your lead Forum Staff Member will guide you throughout the process. If there is a fitting involved or any other requirements they will facilitate those and ensure that everything is run smoothly. Most importantly, carefully read all the instructions and documents provided. There is a lot to go over and missing key points can cause you to get behind or miss important deadlines. The biggest thing is ask questions if you have them! The forum staff are here to help and work with all the testers throughout the process. What Happens After Testing? Even after an official test is completed it is highly encouraged that testers continue to take part in discussion. There may still be questions and may still activity on the thread which you should engage in. We love seeing ongoing and longer term updates as it helps anyone considering buying the product have a longer term view of how the product performs. Your Lead Forum Staff Member will then grade your review and participation and you will be given a survey to fill out. After these have been completed you will get your official tester badge! Technically speaking you are now eligible to enter in for more testing opportunities, however as we said above for the most part a member will only get to take part in 1 tester per season. Again I repeat it is why anyone should only sign up for the products they are truly interested in. _____________________________________________________ FAQ I never get picked! Why don't I ever get picked? I hear you, but have you done most of the above? Have you provided worthwhile contributions to the forum? Do you have a profile photo? The answers are all above and we lay out the process pretty clear. The rest is up to you. That being said posting in the TESTERS WANTED pages does not count towards your post count. Also the pick me pick me type posts don't really fly with us. Post them as you like or if you like, but again we want to see members adding value to the forum. Those posts are not. What happens if I get sick or injured during testing? Look this is a lot of work, but at the end of the day we understand things in life happen. TELL THE FORUM STAFF! We can make adjustments and arrange dates to work with everyone's schedule. However you have to tell us first! I don't have social media accounts, does that mean I can't be a tester? This is not a requirement for us. It is nice when the forum gets mentioned and a member is able to bring attention to the forum via social channels, but not a requirement. Good photos however are and with phones today there is little reason why anyone wouldn't be able to take a decent photo. Why don't we know what tests are coming so we can wait to sign up for the ones we really want and not risk getting picked for one we don't really love? We build our schedule out starting about now, however it takes time and things move around so there are no guarantees on when a test will be posted or moved. Posting our schedule to everyone also wouldn't be fair to the smaller tests or some of the lesser known brands which come to testing. We want excitement for every test and mystery in whats to come. If you aren't excited about the product up for testing, don't sign up. I was picked and the product just didn't work for me. What now? First I hope that the person enjoyed the review and was able to provide a good thorough and honest review. If it doesn't work, so be it! That being said we do not allow for any reason a member to sell their testing equipment for at least 2 product cycles. If it doesn't work for you, then pass it along to another member and let them try it. This happened several times this season with various products and members were able to get more testing opportunities. Pay it forward! But seriously, I have been here for X amount of years and still never get picked. Yeah I bring this up again because you would not believe the emails we get. We picked a lot of testers this year, if a longer term member hasn't been picked the basics of is the timing wasn't right or the activity level just wasn't there. There are some tests we feel some testers would be great for and others not as great, we have thousands of applications and have to pick 4-6, it isn't easy and not a ton of fun. If your name hasn't been called there are some gaps in the above material. _______________________________________________ I hope all of you have found this beneficial and productive to go through. The forum staff spend a lot of time going through all the applicants and reviews and so much more. It is not an easy task and we take pride in the selections we make. The testers that don't live up to expectations well that is tough for us and not a great look on us, the forum and this community. Therefore we take a good amount of time and effort to hand pick each tester. There were some testers this year that under performed to a level that they will not be partaking in testing moving forward. On a good note there were a ton of excellent testers and reviews which we are all very proud of. If you have questions please just ask! If you have concerns or want to know more then please reach out to one of the forum staff members. The other thread is going to be locked and this will be the main thread moving forward. There will also be subsequent larger drops of information here for all to view as we aim to be as transparent as possible with testing and make sure that anyone who really wants to be a tester will have that chance and ability to be. Thank you all for reading!

The moment everyone has been waiting for! Please welcome our Testers and Challengers for the 50th Anniversary Special from Cobra Golf! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Testing the Cobra King Tour,CB,MB are! @chisag & @Tom the Golf Nut _________________________________________________________________________________ Testing the Forged Tec or Forged Tec X are! @sirchunksalot & @CFreddie _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And finally testing the Aerojet Irons we have! @Jnoble89 & @JerryB _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ We are super excited to have the 6 awesome members testing these irons as well as all the other awesome Cobra clubs available to them and challenging themselves, the community and each other in what will be an epic journey. The teams have still yet to be decided and we will update this thread with future challenges, updates as well as the testers will have their full reviews, introductions, unboxings and much more all here in this thread! As a final housekeeping note, please keep all memes, gifs and those such posts in the PreChatter thread as this thread will be meant for the reviews and challenge discussions. Thank you all for those who applied and have been following along and we cannot wait to get started with this! _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Want to see their reviews, introductions and unboxing? Please follow the provided links above in the Orange Box!

Testers Announced! The TaylorMade Qi10 drivers were one of our most requested products for member testing. It is no surprise to see why, either, with several PGA Tour pros putting them into their bags immediately from launch, and even Colin Morikawa finally replacing his original TaylorMade SIM in favor of the new TaylorMade Qi10 Max. Yes, that’s correct—a tour player using the Max head. About The TaylorMade Qi10 Series The series of drivers consists of three models: the Qi10 Max, Qi10 LS (low spin), and Qi10 Standard. Each has slightly different weight placements, but only the LS model includes a moveable weight. The big story for these drivers is forgiveness. TaylorMade has created its first driver with 10k MOI points. To read all the finer details of why this matters, you can see our full overview here: TaylorMade Qi10 Drivers First Look The shorter version is TaylorMade has leveraged a multi-material design, relocated mass, and improved shapes to achieve maximum forgiveness within each model while claiming to still retain all the speed (and therefore distance) characteristics. Other big changes to the driver include the face and crown. Where previous versions for years had a clear distinction between where the titanium support met the carbon crown, the Qi10 features a clean glossy black crown with a new blue carbon face. The blue replaces the red of the Stealth models and is their third generation of carbon driver face. Please welcome and congratulate our 6 testers! TaylorMade Qi10 LS @Jmikecpa @GolfSpy_BEN TaylorMade Qi10 Standard @IndyBonzo @EMacK1961 TaylorMade Qi10 Max @Hook DeLoft @Michael.Sandoval33

Testers Announced! Titleist T Series Irons For full details check out this link -https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/titleist-t-series-irons/ This is the third generation of T-Series Irons from Titleist since they moved on from the AP lineup. This generation of T-Seriers introduces two “new” irons to the lineup in the T150 (replacement for the T100S) and the T350. Here is a breakdown highlight of the series. Titleist T100 - The most played iron on the PGA Tour there wasn’t much to change from the previous version. However Titleist worked to improve the feel, create tighter dispersion and updated the variable bounce sole. Titleist T150 - One of the “new” models the T150 retains the looks and progression that the T100 made but with a slightly thicker topline and slightly wider sole to create a more forgiving package while retaining improved ball speeds by an updated Muscle Channel. Titleist T200 - A non-clicky backplate! However in all seriousness the T200 for 2023 is where some big improvements were made. With some updates to the topline and finish the T200 retains the same size as the previous version with what will likely be a more appealing look. Titleist have moved the speed boosting Max Impact Core closer to the heel and face of the golf club to improve sound and forgiveness. Titleist T350 - The replacement for the T300, the T350 comes in a package that matches the rest of the T-Series much better. It is a larger, more forgiving iron than the T200 and for Titleist is their Ultimate Game Improvement Iron. However most all of you know all that and are eager to hear if you were selected for testing! Please welcome and congratulate our testers! T100 - @bens197 T150 - @Ben Joest T200 - @GregB135 T350 - @ole gray **While Testers were selected for those as their main sets, Titleist is working with all of them to ensure they are fit properly. Meaning split sets are an option for each tester.**

TESTERS ANNOUNCED! The personal launch monitor space has grown immensely over the years and Rapsodo is introducing their new MLM2Pro. The original MLM from Rapsodo consistently came top of MyGolfSpys most wanted testing in a variety of categories since its original launch. The Rapsodo MLM2Pro looks to build off that foundation while bringing new features and abilities to help golfers improve their games and practice while not breaking the bank. Here are some of the highlighted features straight from Rapsodo. “The all new MLM2PRO™ Mobile Launch Monitor + Golf Simulator Dual optical camera vision + radar processing for precision accuracy Shot Vision and Impact Vision for multi-option swing replay Simulation at 30,000+ golf courses 13 metrics - 6 measured metrics - including spin rate and spin axis Apple and Android compatible Rapsodo Combines - 24 total shots - 2 approach targets - 1 driver target Full functionality indoors and outdoors” Where the original Rapsodo MLM was great for practice and training, the addition of being a golf simulator and being able to read spin rates is very intriguing. Not to mention it is now Android compatible! Please welcome and congratulate our testers for the Rapsodo MLM2Pro! @xOldBenKenobiX @CSiders12 @GolfSpy_APH @GolfSpy BOS

Hey all! I am pretty excited to announce that we will start to see review recaps of the member testing on the main site! The Forum Staff are all working on doing writeups for the main site using quotes and photos which you as testers have provided in your reviews. The first one is scheduled to release tomorrow... so stay tuned to mygolfspy.com to see and read it. We are also linking in everyones reviews to hopefully get all of you some more attention in your reviews. This will take some time to get all of them done and we will do our best to write recaps for all, but cant guarantee all will be published, however I think this is great for us to see happen and the addition of having your words written on the main site should be a cool added perk to member testing!

Introduction Hello All, most of you have seen me here and there around the forum, but for the new and uninitiated, my name is Ben. I am a 45-year-old father of 3, who has been happily married for 14 years. I am on the forum staff, as a moderator. My primary duties lend themselves to the VCT, as Commissioner, but I help out in other areas as needed. If you are not aware of the VCT and haven't checked it out, come join us! It is a friendly, low key way to compete against your fellow members in a virtual setting. And now, a bit on the current state of my game. Through a considerable amount of practice, hard work and a little rub of the green, I have worked my index down from a 9 to 1.4 over the past 18 months. I am a good ball striker, a great wedge player and a competent putter. However, off the tee, I am decidedly average and a little inconsistent. Baseline Numbers A recent trip to the range allowed me to grab some baseline numbers from current gamer, a Callaway Paradym TD with a Graphite Design Tour AD - XC 7x shaft. Through trial and error, i have found the combination of a low spin head with an x-stiff low spin/low-mid launch shaft helps me keep my spin numbers manageable and helps to mitigate a slightly negative Angle of Attack. This time of year, my swing speed averages around 106 mph, during the warmer weather I am around 110 mph. Questions to Ponder 1. Can the QI-10 help improve the following metrics?: Ball Speed Carry Distance Total Distance North/South Dispersion East/West Dispersion 2. Will the Twist Face Technology help mitigate my misses, weather they be low bullet pulls or high spinny slices? (See above re: consistency. A reliable miss would be a welcome addition as well) 3. Will the QI-10 help me improve my "off the tee" Strokes Gained number during actual rounds? This is going to be fun! Lastly, as always, if there is something that you, the constant reader, would like to see or be tested, please feel free to ask. I will accommodate your requests, as I am able. Link to my fitting post: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/62804-testers-announced-taylormade-qi10-drivers/?do=findComment&comment=1017665 Link to my unboxing: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/62804-taylormade-qi10-drivers-2024-forum-member-review/?do=findComment&comment=1022464 Taylor Made QI-10 LS – Official MGS Forum Review by GolfSpy_BEN First Impressions (20 out of 20) At first blush, this driver exudes class and a simple elegance that I find very appealing. Taylor Made knocked the design out of the park with this one. Gone is the garish red face, replaced by a dark blue that, at a glance could be mistaken for almost black. One of the things I never liked about the Stealth lines was, at address, I noticed that face and I found that distracting during the task at hand. Also, gone is the strip of differing material just above the face, and in it's place a glossy one piece crown that absolutely sparkles to the eye. Aesthetics (10 out of 10) The QI-10 has a timeless look about it and hearkens back to design elements of drivers of yore. It reminds me a little of what Titleist tries to convey with their offerings from a design perspective and I, for one, am here for it. The perfect driver, to me, is one I barely notice when I am swinging. The shape of QI-10 LS is akin to a classic shaped driver and puts off a vibe, best described as, fast. Looking at the club, at address, the mind races with possibility. This clubs subtly suggests, "The ball will go far, just give it a swing, find out." I get the sensation that there is a beast lurking beneath the tranquil facade, a feeling similar to a Ferrari or a Porsche. Standing still, they just look fast. The Numbers (10 out of 10) A refresher of where the Paradym TD stood in a practice session prior to the commencement of this test And here is a month’s worth of accumulated sessions with the QI-10 LS: The thing that stands out to me, is the numbers are depressingly similar. A glass half full type will point out that it is a sign of consistency that there isn’t a great increase or sharp drop-off between the 2 clubs. That’s great and all, but my mediocre average driving numbers are what prompted me to volunteer for this test to begin with. That everything stayed more or less the same, means I can’t/won’t penalize the QI-10, but I admit I had hoped for something more. One aspect to all of this, is the Kai Li shaft proved to be a dud for me, which prompted me to come out of pocket on an upgrade shaft. There is some hope moving forward that as I acclimate towards the new shaft/head combo, that the averages will naturally rise up to the level I am seeking. Plus, as we move into the summer months and prime golf season, the warmer temps will aid and abet a faster swing and more favorable playing conditions. On-Course (17 out of 20) Because of the abbreviated testing window, the QI-10 LS was basically given one round to make the bag. An argument can be made for either side, whether this is fair or unfair to the product. On the one hand, I can acknowledge that to truly make this decision a number of rounds need to be played and a large body of evidence must be weighed and measured to make a truly informed decision. Yet on the other hand, if the product doesn’t crack and require 3 weeks to be replaced, then those rounds and the larger sample size happen and this is all an academic argument. Such is life. For the QI-10 LS’s audition, I booked and played a round at my home course; Majestic Springs. We had a 9:34 am tee time on a Sunday morning that was forecast to be partly sunny and more importantly, dry. Upon arriving at the course, we were informed of a 45 minute frost delay that had pushed back the tee times, so we were now going off the back at 10:15 am. The back nine is on a higher elevation and is more open to the sun and wind, so this is SOP, any time there is a frost delay. It was approx. 45 degrees when we started with an a cold, intermittent wind. Through the round, the wind died down and it warmed up to 65 degrees. Here is an unvarnished recap of the driving holes: Hole 10 For my first tee shot, it went straight but was woefully short. I caught it high center of the face and the ball went nowhere. Not the start I was looking for, and it led to a bogey. Hole 11 More of the same for the par 5 11th, except this one went 20 yards shorter. The irony of me hitting my second shot 80 yards further is particularly delicious, given if I wasn’t testing a driver this is the point in the round where I would pull the ripcord on using the driver and hit 3 woods off the tee for the rest of the day. Given that wasn’t an option, I recovered nicely on this hole for a par Hole 12 Another 181 yard bomb, but this one sliced weakly off to the right, and if it was mid summer would have been lost to the heather. Fortunately, the heather is clear cut at the end of the season, so the ball was easily found and played forward toward another bogey. Hole 13 Better contact on this one, as it went 213, but still a slice. Aggravation was starting to creep in with another bogey and I was now +3 through 4 holes. Why do I play this silly game again? Hole 14 Blessedly a par 3, which I chipped in from the fringe for par after a short tee shot and duffed first chip. Hole 15 The number 2 handicap hole on this course, and one i usually fair well on. Drive was 209, but in the fairway. On this swing, I saw a glimmer of hope as it felt like I caught it well but the wind knocked in down a bit. Add another par and keep it moving. Hole 16 This short par 4 is one that fits my eye well and I usually love driving the ball from the elevated tee box. I’ve had some really great drives on this hole, but this wasn’t one of them. 184 yard slice that had me contemplating walking off the course, however a par is a par. Hole 17 To this point, the par 3’s were arriving when I needed them most. A workmanlike par took us to 18. Hole 18 A 226 yard drive that wasn’t pretty but it was effective and I parred this hole to finish the first nine in 3 over 39. Bring on the front nine. Hole 1 This tee shot encompasses what I hoped this driver could be for me. 260 yards, down the middle, leaving me a short pitch in. It is more than coincidental that as we started the front nine, the temperature had risen into the 60’s and there was a subtle whisp of warm breeze, making for agreeable playing conditions. Another par. Hole 2 It is important to note that this is my nemesis hole. My usual play is a 6 iron off the tee, followed by a 7 iron into a narrow green. I don’t typically take Driver on this hole because with the 240 yards forced carry any mishit drives end up in the creek that divides the fairway. But given that this is a testing round, I pulled driver and produced a high draw that carried 245 yards, hopped once and stopped. It was a new experience leaving myself a gap wedge in. Of course, I bogeyed the hole, as I was still in shock at the drive. Hole 3 Unlike the first nine, this par 3 had awful timing, as it broke the driving groove I spent the previous 2 holes cultivating. A par, so I can’t be too disappointed. Hole 4 This elevated tee box and fairly wide fairway invites players to come out of their shoes. I tried to, and damn near missed the ball, resulting in a 192 slice into the clear cut heather that made me mad. Golf is a fickle mistress, at best. Hole 5 Par 3’s were now back in my good graces, following that awful drive and the resulting par was satisfying. Hole 6 Not a great drive, but also not a bad drive. Given that it stopped 1 ft before the pond on this hole, it may have been my luckiest drive of the day, and the par train kept a rolling. Hole 7 The last of the par 3’s and with it, my last bogey as well. Flubbed a nine iron because I was trying to get cute with a tucked right pin that was located on the upper tier of the green. Lesson learned, we live to fight another day. Hole 8 220 yards of I don’t know what the hell happened on this par 5, coupled with an downhill/sidehill lie for my second and thank the golf gods, that they allowed me to walk away from this hole with a par. Hole 9 207 yard high spinny right ball was a fitting end to this topsy-turvy driving round. A lovely 7 iron to the center of the green allowed for a 2 putt par and a +5, 76. It is a testament to the other parts of my game that this lackluster display of golf ball driving didn’t completely send this round off the rails. A final postmortem of this round reveals a couple of profound truths. I need to commit more time in practice to my driver swing and there isn’t likely a place in my bag, for this level of inconsistency and frustration. The Good, the bad, the InBetween (10 out of 20) The Good: When my swing was grooving, this driver produced great drives and left me hungry for more. The head cover is of a premium quality and really well done. The Bad: The advertised stock shaft for the LS was on back-order and required a last second switch, in order to keep to the testing schedule. I have deducted 3 points for this. The head cracked on a normal swing, in what can only be surmised as a freak occurrence and yet the whole ordeal lost me 3 weeks of valuable testing time, so for that I am deducting another 7 points. The InBetween: The further we get into this season, I will be keenly watching for other cases of the club malfunctioning, because I am genuinely curious if what happened to me was a one-off or a part of a larger pattern of quality concerns for Taylor Made. Going back to the original SIM, there have been cases of faulty heads, so it bears monitoring. Play it or Trade it? (19 out of 20) For this test, I am treating this question as literal. The simple answer is trade it and so I did. @IndyBonzoand I have traded heads, so that he can see if he likes the LS and I will do the same with the core head. It is entirely possible with enough time and persistence, I could grow to love the QI-10 LS but I frankly don’t have the patience to find out. And because hope springs eternal, bring on the core head and let’s see what this baby can do. I deducted a point for the cost of shipping the head to my fellow tester. After receiving the core head, I took it up to the golf ranch. Persistent rain kept me off the turf range, so I don't have any Rapsodo data to share just yet, but I liked what I was seeing from a shape perspective. More straight balls and fades, less high spinny slice balls. So there is still hope that a QI-10 driver makes the bag this season, just not the one I thought it would be. Lastly, it is my earnest hope that the LS is everything @IndyBonzohopes it will be and more. May he find the happiness that resides within it. Conclusion The QI-10 LS is a good driver. My personal feeling is that this line of drivers is an upgrade over the two generations of Stealth. Early on in the testing period, there were moments of brilliance and promise before a series of unfortunate events tainted my testing experience, but based on the evidence put forth by the testers and shadow testers alike, this is a line of drivers that works really well for a cross section of skill ranges. As evidenced by @Michael.Sandoval33breaking 100 numerous times with the Max and @chisag declaring his standard model, the holy grail. High praise indeed. Final Score (86 out of 100)

Taylormade Qi10 Max Driver Official MGS Forum Member Review by Michael.Sandoval33 Greetings from Sunny Southern California! A Tidbit About Me As you may be able to tell, my name is Michael. I am currently 33 years old, a beginner-level player, and this is my official foray into the amazing world of MGS testing! I was born and raised in San Jose, California where when it came to sports growing up, you played football. And I was pretty ok... until my knee... These days, I am studying for my Bachelor's Degree in Software Programming. Beyond that, I enjoy the little things like spending time outdoors with my Fiancé and our ball of wireless energy Mr. Pickles, or lounging around watching the next episode of the show we are enthralled by. Picking The Game Back Up Growing up, I played from time to time in Middle School with my older brother. He was never really into it, but I appreciated the times we went out to the course as brothers. From there, I would play down in San Diego with friends at a nine-hole on the weekends, but it was all for fun as we used rental clubs from the pro shop. All of that changed towards the end of October when a buddy in Virginia insisted I start playing before my visit this fall. Daily visits to the range and many visits to the courses later and I now think that I may be slightly addicted, though only slightly. Currently, the weakest aspect of my game is finding the fairway from the tee and I am looking to vastly improve in that area during testing. [Heartwell GC in Long Beach, CA] Well... What About The Test? I am going to be testing the Qi10 Max primarily at the driving range and out on the course. I have also committed myself to at the very least, (2) indoor sim sessions per week. As the testing unfolds, I am open to member suggestions on how you would like to see the Qi10 tested, which will further broaden the testing parameters. As I am fully aware of my current handicap and preconceived notions regarding such, I welcome every opportunity to provide an insightful perspective from my personal skill level. In my testing, the key is in the forgiveness of the 10K MOI that Taylormade has generated. My expectations are mountain-esque for this product, especially so after reading the release information on the Qi10 as well as the buzz from the world of Golf. As of writing, I expect to see results that display a consistent carry distance and flight path, especially when contact with the ball is not directly centered. I am currently looking for a fairway finder, and if the driver can truly deliver a solid and consistent offering while helping elevate my game to the next level, this is no doubt a club that will stay in my bag after testing. I would like to graciously thank the forum staff here at MGS for the amazing opportunity and I am ecstatic to embark on this journey with you all! *FITTING UPDATE!* *Why I Signed Up For The Test* *Unboxing Update* First Impressions (18 out of 20) When I was selected to test the Qi10 Max, I had lofty expectations from all of the claims that Taylormade had placed on the levels of forgiveness promised with the 10k MOI. As my first season of golf was already in full gear, I was ready to begin using the club as soon as it arrived at my front door. There is not much that can be said negatively about the looks of the Qi10 Max. However, when I unboxed the club, my initial thought was, "It is bigger than I remember it being at the fitting." Even with that being said, the Qi10 is still in the running to win the Beauty Pageant. The carbon blue face carries an understated "Bang" that cannot be missed. The Taylormade symbol at the top of the head provides a simple touch, acting as an effective alignment aid that I find easy to look at behind the ball with added confidence. The bottom of the head has been compared to various sci-fi spaceships, which is fair. To me, the club is more similar to something straight from the world of Formula One with its sleek and aerodynamic shape and lines along the bottom of the head. One thing is for sure after taking the Qi10 out on a few dates, other people are taking notice. Especially when she is out in her fancy dress. Aesthetics (9 out of 10) As mentioned in my first impressions, the Qi10 Max is quite the beast when addressing the driver from the tee as it is the largest model in the Qi10 line. But I am still a big fan of the dark blue face with the black carbon crown while the Taylormade logo used as an alignment aid adds a clean touch. Pairing the head with the Fujikura Ventus Blue 5-S shaft, the Qi10 Max is a sight to behold as the blue & black colorways match perfectly. The bottom of the head does have a lot more going on with the silver lines that run across paired with the larger Taylormade and Qi10 Max branding which attracts attention from other players. Still, as it is the bottom of the head, the markings are not a deterrence and I found myself rarely looking at them. When connecting with the ball, the driver's sound is very subtle both on flush shots and mishits. While not particularly loud, you do know when you have hit the ball. On the off-chance that you completely miss the carbon face, it does sound and feel like you have hit a rock. This occurred on a couple of occasions but it was expected on such misses. Nothing aesthetically with the Qi10 affected my performance throughout testing as I preferred the overall calmness that the driver provided. The Numbers (7 out of 10) When I first started testing the Qi10 Max, the dispersion was not as tight as expected. The larger head was daunting to me and I found that my shots were constantly fading off the tee into what would be considered out of bounds. Throughout my continued use and as my comfort with the driver grew, the grouping of my shots vastly improved though the fade never fully went away, even when adjusting the loft sleeve of the driver to both open and close the face. In that same sense, the Qi10 was very forgiving to me as I grew accustomed to knowing no matter where I connected off the face, the ball was either going to launch and stay straight or fade late in its carry and well within the ranges I was seeking. The loft setting that I did find myself comfortably adjusted at was 11.5 degrees and paired with the mid-launch/mid-spin design of the Ventus shaft, the trajectory and distances I was seeing were both what I was searching for. On-Course (18 out of 20) Here it is, the most important part of my testing, how does the Qi10 Max perform when it is time to come out and play? Based on the Arccos data that I was able to gather, the driver did exactly what I asked of it. I mentioned in my introduction that I was looking for a fairway finder and that is what the Qi10 Max is. I was able to hit the fairways 71% of the time while missing to the right 26% of the time which was expected based on the driving range stats. My favorite shot with the Qi10 Max was easily Hole 7 at Recreation Park 9 GC in Long Beach, CA where I was able to clear a large water hazard with confidence I did not have before my testing and that was by far my biggest "This Is It" moment. With each use, my confidence continued to build. When I hit the ball from the tee, I knew I would look down the fairway knowing the next shot was going to be in play. The distance was less important to me than some of my fellow, more experienced testers. But knowing that my yardage around the tee averaged around 200 yards, I quickly learned how to continue setting up the rest of my play after my initial tee-off. Final Performance Comments: In the end, with the Qi10 Max, I went from constantly playing smaller courses due to my skill level and lack of confidence, to tackling the larger 18-hole par 72 courses. I was able to break the 100 barrier twice (both times shooting 97) which I absolutely would not have accomplished so quickly in my time golfing without the driver. According to GHIN, I took my initial handicap of 29.5 down to a very respectable 23.3. The fact that I was able to achieve this over the short 6 week testing period is a true testament to the performance I saw from the Qi10 Max. The Good, the bad, the in-between (18 out of 20): The Good: Without question, the looks and on-course performance of the Qi10 Max were very good to me. I enjoyed pulling up to the first tee, pulling the driver out of my bag, and knocking one clean down the fairway (or close to it). One question that was brought up numerous times was concerning the face of the Qi10 and how well it held up compared to the last generation of Taylormade Stealth models. Through all of the testing, the face barely showed any sign of use besides a range ball mark that will be permanently imprinted on the driver and takes nothing away from the performance. The Bad: The standard length for Taylormade drivers. The shaft is too long for my swing as most of my mishits were connected from the heel which ultimately led to the continued shot fading. The In-Between: While not the driver's fault, the in-between is 100% my swing which I will be looking to improve sooner rather than later. I cannot blame the hammer for the wielder's lack of experience and skill. Play it or Trade it? (18 out of 20) You have made it this far, am I going to play it or trade it? Without question, I am going to keep the Qi10 Max in the bag. I chose to keep the driver as stock as possible for testing purposes to give an honest review for newer golfers who might see the Qi10 Max available online and order without looking at any other available options. From here, however, I will be tinkering with different shafts, lengths, and head weights to find the perfect combination to suit my game. Conclusion: The Qi10 Max is a performer that gave me the confidence I was seeking on the course. It did take some time to adjust to the driver as a whole, but when I reached that point, I knew I had found the one for me. If you are looking for a driver that is going to keep you in bounds and in play, the Qi10 Max is an option you should seek to test out for yourself. It may not be the longest out of all of the drivers on the market, or even within the Qi10 line, but there is no doubt it can perform with the best out there. Final Score (88 out of 100)

Introduction Who is this guy? Greetings MyGolfSpy readers! Welcome to my review of the TaylorMade Qi10 standard driver. (FABWIFE and the author) My name is John, and for almost as much as I can remember of my 53 years, I have enjoyed two hobbies: playing drums and playing golf. For Father’s Day a couple years ago, my amazing FABWIFE and three daughters gave me an octopus driver headcover as an homage to both of my hobbies. (The Octopus is sort of emblematic of drummers, with the many limbs doing different things.) I crazy love that headcover. In my mind, a driver has to *earn* the right to wear it. So, what’s really happening in this review, is . . . That’s interesting I suppose, but how’s his game? Driving the golf ball has always been the most variable part of my game, with phases of joyful glory, and periods of abject failure and humiliation. Last summer was a particularly good driver season. This winter (especially during a dreadful January) practice time has been hard to come by, and driver has suffered most. This baseline (below, from December 2023) is not where I want it to be. Can the TaylorMade Qi10 help? My current gamer is a Callaway Paradym ◊◊◊ with an Accra FX 3.0 140 M0 shaft. (It’s an Otto-Phlex shaft. IYKYK. There's a great, long thread here in the forums on it.) Right now the handicap sits at 8.2. So, how will he judge the Qi10? Would you believe I have never owned a TaylorMade club of any kind? It’s true, and when the realization hit me, I was surprised myself given TaylorMade’s reputation and longevity. So no preconceptions here. For the TaylorMade Qi10 to Earn the Octopus, as compared to my current gamer, it will need to show: Improved accuracy and dispersion Greater distance (carry and total) Workability Consistency Using launch monitor data (indoors and out), I plan to: Provide results with different loft and lie settings from the TaylorMade 4-degree loft sleeve Perform head-to-head comparisons against my current driver Bonus: Compare data against the 2023 Stealth 2 (standard) on loan for the test On the course, I will test for accuracy/fairways hit, distance, forgiveness on mishits, and most importantly scoring effect. Results will matter most, but feedback on sound, feel, and aesthetics are forthcoming too. Dear readers: please also share any other testing ideas or questions you have! Seriously though… I want to express my gratitude to both TaylorMade and MGS for the opportunity to test and review the TaylorMade Qi10 driver. Thank you! Now let’s get after it . . . the octopus is eager to find out if it’s moving to a new home. First Impressions (18 out of 20) It was not just the excitement of a driver delivery and review opportunity that revved me up to get the Qi10 in my hands. TaylorMade makes some lofty claims about the Qi10 standard driver, namely, that the Qi10 provides a "balanced blend of distance and forgiveness." More distance and more forgiveness. That's every driver, every year, right? But TaylorMade's substantial mathematical and design-based support for those claims increased my eagerness to do this review. (It's here . . .) Who wouldn't want all this? TaylorMade avers that the Qi10 offers: Extra forgiveness - meaning more consistency on off-center strikes - resulting from an 8500 MOI and lower mid-head center of gravity. The Qi10's MOI significantly exceeds that of the 2023 Stealth 2, and is equivalent to TaylorMade's purportedly most forgiving model from 2023, the Stealth 2 HD. Better distance resulting from "improved energy transfer" yielded by the redesigned 60X Carbon Twist Face, lighter titanium than "traditional" titanium drivers, and carbon fiber covering 97% of the crown (for weight dispersion to the exterior and more clubhead speed). A cool, new blue color. (Spoiler alert: it is cool!) I go into more excruciating detail about TaylorMade's Qi10 driver claims, sortof explain MOI (moment of inertia) and what forgiveness really means with a golf club, show the driver from all angles, and hit on sundry other related topics in this unboxing video if you would like to learn a bit more. (Unboxing video with cameos) My daughters and FABWIFE rightly tease me about being unjustly confident in asserting opinions as fact sometimes. Undeterred, I offer you, dear reader, this unoriginal but honest opinion: the sub-premium packaging for this premium driver cannot suffice. (Opinions are like . . ..) The good folks at FedEx treated my Qi10 with kid gloves. Good thing, since it arrived in a thin-ish brown box, bubble wrap encasing the shrink-wrapped head, and loose plastic bags over everything else. TaylorMade must know more about effective packaging than I. Regardless: - 2 points. Last on the technical front, I remain impressed by the TaylorMade 4 Degree Loft Sleeve. My Qi10 can play at lofts from 7 degrees to 11 degrees, with the clubface open or closed 4 degrees from standard, and with up to a 4 degree increase (upright) in lie angle.. Certain combinations of these settings purportedly increase or decrease spin by 400 rpm. After one quick range session with the Qi10, I can confirm the ability to modify spin with the sleeve. (The TaylorMade 4 Degree Loft Sleeve) Kudos to TaylorMade for offering a numerous and varied selection of stock shafts for the Qi10 driver from prominent makers like Fujikura, KBS, Aldila, Mitsubishi (MCA), Project X, and UST, along with several other custom options. My fitting resulted in the choice of one of my favorites, the low launch, low spin Mitsubishi Kai'li White 60S. (Sexy) Aesthetics (10 out of 10) Everything else about the Qi10 impressed straight away. The 460cc clubhead carries a traditional-looking oyster shape. The subtle blue face does not distract. (TaylorMade Qi10's 60X Carbon Twist Face) TaylorMade's engineering prowess shows up more upon inspection of the carbon face and its pronounced grooves, and especially on the underside where some science fiction - based design work reveals itself. (30g rear weight for a lower center of gravity) (Lucasfilm/Disney) The deep black crown and alignment aid seem likewise subtle, and look darn good behind the ball. Again, no distractions. Last and perhaps least, the headcover. Usually I don't care. They get replaced quickly. The Octopus forbids interlopers anyway. That said, the Qi10 headcover objectively screams "luxe," with the white, quilted side ("Qi10" in the quilting) looking like an elite running shoe (says FABWIFE) or a designer handbag (says me; go figure). The Qi10 lettering has just a dash of gold for extra panache. It's sweet. (The Q is for "Quest for Inertia," not for "quilted") The first hitting session with the Qi10 left me wanting more due solely to driving range issues, although performance hints abounded, particularly with respect to the effectiveness of adjustability and increased forgiveness. Much more to come, of course. A little less conversation, a little more action please . . .. IndyBonzo's Qi10 Standard Driver Specs: 9* loft Mitsubishi Kai'Li White 60S shaft GolfPride Z-Grip, 4 extra wraps Length: 44.75" (1" shorter than standard) (So pretty) The Numbers (8 out of 10) The TaylorMade Qi10 is an excellent driver, packed with distance potential, and significant technological improvements that will make it perfect for a variety of golfers. Let's look at the data. First, the admission (again) - your author is accustomed to, and has been fit into, a low-spin driver. Any issues I had with the Qi10 related solely to my own swing and that spin tendency. That said, the distance potential in the Qi10 is pretty incredible. I played over ten rounds with it, hit countless balls on the range and in the sim, and I can tell you without hesitation that when struck well and with manageable spin, the ball just flies off the head. (Needs lessons) The Qi10 also excels in forgiveness. A heel, toe, low or high face strike (without excessive spin) does not fly far off-line, if at all. I could find my target locations easily and regularly without difficulty. Look at this dispersion pattern from a March range session: (Tight like a Tiger) When my spin crept in, that is when I struggled to keep the distance up. Again, that's about me and my swing, and not an indictment of the Qi10. The data proves that TaylorMade improved its flagship driver significantly since 2023. As promised, I compared the Qi10 standard driver with the Stealth 2 standard, and the results showed added accuracy and forgiveness, with no meaningful loss of distance at all. Check this out: In comparison to my gamer, however, both distance and forgiveness fell just short when tested over several shots. To wit: For that reason alone, I must deduct two points. Redemption may be in the cards for the Qi10, however, as you will see below when I discuss the future. Hint: Spin can be addressed. On the Course (19 out of 20) In golf you have to pick your spots. By that I mean sometimes you are playing target golf and need to drop a drive into a small area with precision, or sometimes you have a large landing area and you just want to uncork one. The Qi10 can do both. As you can see from my dispersion example above, the Qi10 will go where you point it. The impressive 8500 MOI and resulting forgiveness also means it delivers accurately whether the strike is perfect or not. Purely in terms of precision, I do not think I have ever played a more accurate driver. I played well over ten rounds with the Qi10 and never doubted I could put the ball on the line I chose. Again, my personal spin tendencies affected distance on the course, but I don't think it's fair to knock the Qi10 for that again. A golfer with a normal or better driver spin tendency will have no issue at all with consistent distance. This driver can pop off. (Boom goes the dynamite) Feedback is also excellent. I knew when I struck a golf ball if it was going to go long, short, or somewhat off-line, purely by feel. It's a great feeling club on the course. My only quibble on-course is with workability. Because the Qi10 is so forgiving, your author sometimes found it difficult to hit an intentional draw or fade. Is this a big deal? No. Forgiveness is the name of the game with the Qi10, so a mere one point deducted. The Good, Bad, and In-Between (18 out of 20) TaylorMade has really impressed your author with the Qi10. Yes, it can be long and accurate and it's undeniably forgiving. It's gorgeous too, and that blue face just screams class. But beyond all that: It holds up. After beating countless range and sim balls and playing on-course repeatedly, the driver face looks near new, with only slight ball marks on the face. (Darn range balls.) (Holding up well) Also, the wide selection of stock (no upcharge) shafts is one of the best I have ever seen in a driver offering. It virtually guarantees finding one that will work with your swing. It turned out that, in looking back at my numbers from testing, the stock Kai'Li White shaft (low spin!) gave me the best results, including over the premium shafts I tried in the standard Qi10. Finally, the loft sleeve and adjustability settings just work. Launch angle and spin were affected precisely as predicted by settings changes. The adjustability from the sleeve exceeded my expectations, and is better IMO than that offered by Callaway in the drivers to which I am accustomed. The only small demerits (- 2 points) I have to offer on the standard Qi10 result from the absence of a movable weight to affect draw/fade bias (which can be had in the Max and LS models) or the ability to move fixed weights around the head to do the same. I find this quality very helpful in drivers, and TaylorMade provides this variability effectively in its other models. Why not all? Does the Qi10 Earn the Octopus (a/k/a Play it or Trade it)? (19 out of 20) Trade it. And maybe. Let me explain. The standard Qi10 just did not fit my spin tendency, plain and simple. And it's not designed to! The Qi10 LS was designed for players like me, who need to keep spin low. If you are a golfer who can generate consistent distance without spin issues, seeking truly outstanding accuracy, playability, and forgiveness in a slightly more traditional-shaped head as compared to the "max forgiveness" offerings from TaylorMade and other brands, then you should definitely try the Qi10. Luckily for me, the kindof guy who can spin a ball off a boat oar, I have made a friend (well, lots of friends) here at MGS. More particularly, @GolfSpy_BEN who tested the Qi10 LS model very graciously offered to swap his LS with me for the standard model. I hope he makes a love connection (y'know what I mean) with the Qi10 I sent him. As for me and the LS? With one round in the books, I can say without hesitation the LS model is better for my game. Please read about my very encouraging first experience with the LS here: So, my testing will continue, and I will report back in this thread with frequent updates, and eventually a decision on where The Octopus will live long-term! Conclusion The TaylorMade Qi10 is undoubtedly an excellent driver. Packed full of improvements and technology, in the hands of a very wide range of golfers, it will provide distance potential, accuracy, and forgiveness in an aesthetically attractive package. Even those seeking the highest levels of forgiveness should try it, alongside the Qi10 Max driver. For the subset of golfers whose swings foment silica nanoparticle equivalent spin, like your author (Google it), a lower spin model may be more appropriate. TaylorMade has you (and maybe me) covered with the Qi10 LS. More to come on that front! FINAL SCORE: 93 / 100 THANK YOU to MyGolfSpy and TaylorMade for this excellent opportunity for me and my fellow testers!

Well it has come time for Jason, Hayes and Mark to graduate into their GolfSpy tags. All three have done exceptional work behind the scenes and helped us make significant strides with the Forum in various manners. They also are now consistently being published on the main site and seeing their content make a splash. Honestly we could go on, but we are proud to give them official GolfSpy tags as the go from interns to... well interns with GolfSpy tags. Thanks guys for all your hard work and congrats on your new titles! As for why they chose what they did you will have to ask them! Hayes formerly known as Getoffmylawn (name is still reserved for his alter ego) @GolfSpy AFG Jason formerly known as Jnoble89 (don't think anyone is taking that tag) @GolfSpy_KFT Mark formerly lacassem (sorry nothing quick witted to say) @GolfSpy_SHARK (sorry no @) available for ya!

Well it’s Baaaaaaack!! My somewhat annual driver shootout. As many of you know jn years past. I picked up the expected hot drivers of the year and tested them out. It’s certainly nothing official like MWT does. But I do get some actual data—both from the range and on course with ProVs I will give both LM data and just real world here’s what I think thoughts. Some days I’ll post just about one that I played that day and another day may be where I took all of them out for a driving session on the course. To begin with it’s going to be what I think are the 3 most talked about drivers of the early season. Callaway Smoke Ai -Shaft Tensei AV Black 55 R PING G430 Max 10K -Alta CB 55 R TaylorMade Qi10 -Graphite Deaign QC5 R Some others may be added but not at the very beginning. Here’s the starting lineup

G’day guys, I’m Splatt, or Sean Platt if you want to get official about it (see if you can put together where my nickname came from). Firstly, I’d like to thanks MyGolfSpy and LAB golf for the opportunity to test this amazing putter. About me I’ve had an interest in golf for a long time starting back in the days of the PlayStation 1 and the early Tiger Woods video games. However, I didn’t start playing golf until relatively recently. My work held a corporate golf day and I was tasked with leading a 4-man ambrose team. Finally, I would get the chance to find out if the years of Tiger video games translated into real life, spoiler alert: They don’t! I don’t think I actually hit the ball until the 3rd hole, I lost the 2 sleeves of the company-branded golf balls I was allocated by the 7th, and I accidentally let go of the driver on the 13th, but by the end of the day golf well and truly had its hooks into me. By the next weekend, I had a set of old clubs I had borrowed from a friend and I was back playing a full 18 at my now-local club; I shot 139 and I still have the scorecard. I’m going to frame it one day so I can see how far I’ve come. My game I’ve come a long way since the days of shooting a casual 139. I’m currently a 21 handicap. I get regular lessons and my swing has improved a lot, most obviously in the last 12 months my swing with the driver has resulted in a lot more fairways. However, a glaringly obvious shortfall in my game for a long time has been putting. 3-putts have been as common in my game as water-balls, chunked chip shots, and swear words. In fact, it’s a running joke amongst my friends that whatever ball I’m using is the 3-putt variety: “What you got there? A Titleist? Must be the new Titleist 3-putt” “Using Bridgstones now? I didn’t know they did a 3-putt model” etc etc This is why when I saw MGS had a chance to test a LAB putter I jumped at the chance. Over the last 12 months my putting has improved a lot, I switched to a mallet and moved to a straighter putting arc. From all of the promos and advertising the LAB seems perfectly suited to me and what I want to get from a putter. My plans and what I need from the putter Prior to the LAB arriving, I’m going to get as much putting data from my existing putter as possible. I’ve already recorded the number of putts per round for the last few years, but I’m going to be going for some more in-depth data. Once I have the LAB in my hands, I’m sure there’ll be a bit of a teething period where I get used to it, but from there I’ll try and get some data so I can see the differences straight from the get-go. Moving forward from there, I plan on being quite regimented in testing the putting: multiple putts from varying set distances, plenty of time on my home putting matt, and as many real-life rounds as I can squeeze in. And of course, as much data as I can get. To stay in the bag after the testing period I’d want to see some improvement (putts per round dropping, less 3-putts, leaving longer putts closer ect), but more importantly I’m going to need to trust it. Arrival and unboxing The day finally arrived and my new LAB putter was delivered. I happened to have the day off and I'm pretty sure I scared the crap out of the delivery man. He got about half a knock in before I ripped open the front door. Some care instructions to follow. I hadn't thought about oiling it. Might be a once a year job after the winter season: The head cover game is strong. It feels high quality and the fit is nice and tight. For the putter I went with the Mezz.1 Max in a blue finish with a white shaft. I opted for 4 arrows for the alignment rather than the standard single line. The money shots: Previously I used an Odyssey Stroke Lab Mallet. I was surprised at the size comparison between the 2. I assumed the Mezz.1 Max was going to be substantially larger than my Odyssey, but it's only slightly wider. Some comparisons: I love the colour and it only gets better outdoors and on a putting green: I'll be back in a few days with my initial thoughts. Initial thoughts WOW! Ok, that's my initial thoughts done.... More detailed initial thoughts I was stunned by how the putter looked and felt when I first took it out of the box. Let me tell you, the pictures I have above and the official promo ones from LAB don't do it justice. In real life, this is a seriously stunning looking putter. The blue has the perfect metallic shade to it that pops without being obnoxious and paired with the white Accra shaft is just *chef's kiss*. Now for the actual performance: this putter rocks! Comparing it to my Odyssey Mallet is legitimately like night and day; and the Odyssey wasn't a low bar either, that putter fantastic in its own right. From the easy set up, the feedback from the strike, to the weight of the putter, everything about the LAB is like a friendly helping hand assisting you to making the putt. The first night it arrived I spent an hour or two on my indoor putting matt. The first half an hour or so was mainly admiring the looks and getting used to the different grip, putter weight, and setting up with the pre-built in shaft lean. After that, I was off and running hitting what felt like identical putt after putt. The biggest thing I noticed that first night was after I few hours when I switched back to my Odyssey putter for a few putts. I got into my putting stance and, holy crap, this putter is fighting against me! It must be something you get used to pretty quickly and stop noticing, but when I switched back to the Odyssey it just felt like the face did not like being square to the target. Then I went back to the LAB and the differance is outstanding, the face automatically wants to be square to the target. When I putt I concentrate on three things: where to aim, start line, and pace. With the LAB I feel like I can forget about the starting line as the ball effortlessly rolls exactly where I'm aiming. Speaking of the roll, the LAB not only aims exactly where I'm aiming, but the ball rolls so purely. This may be more of an indictment of my putting skills rather than the qualities of the LAB (but probably a healthy mix of both), but I've never had a ball roll so smooth and pure. I use a line on a ball for alignment (seen above) and, let me tell you, that line just rolls over and over on itself without wavering, like a snake chasing its tail. I've found a place in Perth that dials purely into putting stats called the Putt Lab, I'm going to try and get in there this week for a detailed comparison between the LAB and my old putter. Stay tuned for that and more testing to come. Rainy day testing Australia is being very un-Australian right now and there's all this water falling from the sky. In fact, the only time it's not been raining is where I've been at work far away from my putter. I have found a place near me that specialize in putting lessons and data. I've got some time booked there next week for an in-depth putter comparison. Stay tuned for that. In the meantime, I decided to do some at home tests using my Putt-Out matt and Putt-Out Pressure Trainer. The matt has 6 stations at increasing distances from the hole. I took 10 putts with the LAB and my old Odyssey putter at each station and counted how many perfect putts I could do. A perfect putt has the perfect line and pace and will finish in the small hole in the Pressure Trainer: One thing I noticed while doing the test was the LAB had a certain 'dialed in' feel to it once I managed a perfect putt and subsequently led to more putts in a row with the LAB than the Odyssey. Results from 60 shots Odyssey - 19 perfect putts with an average of 3.16 per station LAB - 20 perfect putts with an average of 3.3 per station Not a huge difference, but I know I'll take an extra putt per round finding the centre rather than not. FIRST IMPRESSIONS 20/20 As you can see from the pics above, I was nervous as hell when the premium package finally arrived. I had been tracking the box like the sycophantic golf nut I am and when it finally turned up at the door I literally broke out in a sweat when I saw what a beating the box had taken. But, LAB Golf was fully prepared and had wrapped my baby in layers upon layers of the finest bubble wrap. The box took a bit of a bashing in the long journey from American to Australia: I'll admit I was a little worried about the condition of the putter inside, but LAB had that covered with ample additional packaging inside the box: Once out of the protective packaging, I was very impressed. The leather headcover feels ultra-premium and fits snuggly over the head of the putter. The material is a soft felt on the inside and is thick enough that when I slip it onto the putter it gives me confidence that it protects the precious cargo inside like a high-end motorcycle helmet. The magnets which hold the headcover closed are strong and close firmly around the putter. head cover.mp4 After admiring it from all angles for what felt like hours I set up my putting mat and gave it the first of many putts. The schtick from LAB Golf is that it’s all about Lie Angle Balance (L.A.B, get it), which basically means that the putter is balanced so that it doesn’t try to open or close the face during the swinging motion. This is noticeable straight away during the backswing. My old putter would feel quite heavy in the takeaway, and when comparing it to the LAB I realised that this wasn’t the weight of the head, this was the putter fighting to close the face. In contrast, the LAB actually feels quite light during the swing. Later that day I took it for a test drive on the putting green at my local driving range. I started with some shorter-range putts and then moved on to some longer-range ones. The thing that stood out to me first was how the ball rolled off the face. Now, I stated above that I’m not the best putter of the ball, there are obviously some huge technical issues behind my technique, but when I strike a putt with the LAB the ball just seems to roll much more pure than I’m used to. Instantly the little hops and wobbles that I had become accustomed to were gone and replaced by a smooth roll towards the cup like I was hitting the putt on glass. AESTHETICS 10/10 For the putter itself, I went with the Mezz 1 Max in a blue finish, arrow alignment aid, and a white Accra shaft. The contrast between the electric blue putter head and the white shaft really blew me away when I first took it out of the packaging. The shaft has a texture on it which surprised me because my current putter has more of a glossy finish to it. For me, it’s the perfect shade of blue, it’s not too bright nor too dull. It just pops against the grass and my golf ball, which has made alignment and aim direction much easier. The sound off the face is crisp and powerful sounding on the longer hits, I’ve had putters before that have had a clicky sound which just ends up putting me off; luckily the LAB isn’t like that. This is also the same for off-centre hits; strikes out of the toe and the heel still sound powerful, which also gives me confidence that I haven’t completely ruined the shot by not striking it in the centre. THE NUMBERS 8/10 I took the LAB and my old Odyssey putter to a place near me called The Putt Lab to get some comparison data. I did 30 shots with each on his tracking Capto system, this would give me the data for the comparison. Firstly, David from The Putt Lab, took some measurements from both putters including lie angle and loft. The LAB came back with 3.5 degree of loft and a lie angle of 69 degrees, exactly the specs as per the build, kudos to the guys over at LAB. The Odyssey, however, was a different story. The lie angle measured as 1.5 degrees, which means that at impact with a bit of shaft lean the putter is delivering zero loft, or potentially negative loft (more on that later). This would help explain why I always struggled with longer putts and a funky, bumpy roll of the ball. Some more data below. ON-COURSE 19/20 Now we’re onto the good part, taking this bad boy onto the course. I’m going to preface this by reminding you that I’m not a great putter, I generally average around 40 to 45 putts per round. Terrible, I know. My first round with the LAB was at one of the monthly games with my social club, I had told all of the boys the month prior that I had a LAB putter on the way, so when I turned up to the course with it, it was like I have turned up with a celebrity. Everyone had to get a look and a couple of practise putts. This first round happened to be a great first test for the putter because I was having on of my famous terrible ball-striking days, so the LAB was up against it to try and salvage my round. And, oh boy, did she save my bacon that day. As soon as I got to the green I felt I could relax and let the LAB do the work, in fact, anything within 5 feet almost felt like cheating they were going in that easy. My previous round before the arrival of the LAB I had recorded 43 putts, this first round with the LAB I dropped to 36 putts! I really like the look of this putter at address, it has a certain squareness about it that gives me the confidence that the golf ball is going to roll exactly where I’m aiming. Whether I have my aim point correct is all up to me. One of my new favourite things is when I’m paired up with random people and watching their expression on the first green when I whip out the blue, point, Mezz 1 Max. I have found it’s always a talking point and quite the ice breaker. I’ve now had multiple rounds with the LAB and the only minor issue I have faced is pace control on medium to long range putts. The ball rolls so smoothly that it’s completely reversed my pace issue, I used to have a habit of leaving putts short (I’ve since learnt that’s because of the face loft), but now my misses are rolling way passed the hole. It’s even trickier on downhill short putts, it literally feels like a tiny tap is too much. THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE INBETWEEN 17/20 This is a great putter, there’s no question about that. Before it arrived I was concerned about the centre-placed shaft, they’re definitely not for everyone and I wasn’t sure if I would like it or if it would put me off, but, luckily, I have not even noticed it. The remote fitting process was a massive highlight. It’s as simple as filming yourself face-on doing a putting stroke with a vertical reference point behind you like a doorframe. And that’s it, LAB will take it from there and calculate the lie angle. Mine came back at a very nice 69 degrees. I have two criticisms. The first is a very minor one about the putter itself. Along one edge of the putter grip it has written down it in bold white lettering ‘L.A.B GOLF Press No II 1.5’ and it’s just makes it look a little busy for my tastes. I would much prefer it didn’t have this and just had the tasteful centre line and LAB Golf logo on the front. Is it make or break? Definitely not. I almost forget it’s there. Almost. My second criticism is mainly because of how much I love this putter that I find it frustrating there are not more of them around in Australia. None of the golf stores here stock them, it’s an online-only item. For most people who would be interested in switching to a LAB it’s a pretty big leap of faith to just order without having a test putt, and I think that’s a real shame. Hopefully LAB can work on getting them into more Aussie stores. PLAY IT OR TRADE IT 20/20 I honestly cannot imagine another putter coming along that would knock the LAB outta my bag. I think every other club in my bag is going to get upgraded and/or swapped out and the LAB putter will still be going strong. It has reinvigorated my love for putting and I have noticed myself practising putting more just because I want to be using it all of the time. When I used to get to the green I use to take a deep breath and whisper a prayer that the worst is only a 3-putt, now I breathe a sigh of relief when it’s time to get the putter out of the bag. I don’t think the putter is for everyone, I’ve had a couple of people hit some putts with it and can’t get past the uniqueness and the centre-mounted shaft, but I do honestly believe that most golfers would see a benefit from using a LAB putter. TL/DR The LAB Mezz 1 MAX is a unique beautiful putter that does what it says in the marketing hype. Give it a go. Final Score 94/100

Looks like the golf balls will be arriving soon for many of our many many testers! @PJVicary @BKervin @warrenator8 @CLenahan @JeremyD @Fred Mitchell @GolfSub70 @fixyurdivot @GolfSpy_APH @scotter032 @TheProfessor02 @Ben Joest @Getoffmylawn @Jnoble89 @Zman56 @Schobel0804 @ArizonaLogan @dlm @gingerbeast87 @golfinnut @HikingMike @GolfSpy_BNG @rkj427 @Javs @CFreddie @azstu324 @MyCatsMom @SpanishHands @vandyland @Randall Robbins @Parshooter36 @funkyjudge @Tom the Golf Nut @jbern @Preeway @GolfSpy BOS @Woodrow72 @RockerFCC @Hook DeLoft @jdparker @Cshane12 @RoverRick @Rob Person @tdroma98 @ZMendle10 @2puttbogey @J7Hawkins @Shlax @DukeStKing @glenmore5 @DonnieGolfs @Prodigal Duffer @Emag315 @tbarnes80 @EugeGall @Contron @TJ Hall @d0m41n @Cfhandyman @DMcA @ZoonORama @MichaelC_81 @Matumbo @Leonvdwesthuizen @JackBurtonsPorkchopExpress @Slater @buckpillar @MH15 @RonnieB @GolfSpy SAM @snoopy79 @NubianRugby @JohnH1 @Alf. S @sglj3 @RjGolf4Life @brogies @ClarkWGriswoldIII @Peejer @CK1over @taylorjonasher @ctg44 @jj1010 @Lacassem Okay that is a lot of names to tag... my fingers are sore. Be sure to check into this thread to see all the updates as tester get their white back from Titleist and read their experiences! Ask questions and lets have some fun with this!

NOT ONE, NOT TWO, But THREE winners of VOKEY SM10 Wedges Courtesy of Titleist and Vokey Wedges A big thank you to the entire Vokey Team for their awesome support of the Forum and this contest! Read THE Entire post or you may be in danger of missing out on a crucial Step. We don't want any DQ's here! Wedge play at Augusta National can be the difference between winning and losing...just ask Larry Mize 1987, Tiger Woods 2005--remember that one---or even Zach Johnson 2007-laying up to a wedge on all 4 par 4's all four days. So with that we are happy to announce that Titleist Vokey Wedges is sponsoring our 2023 Masters Pool. Read below for the details.... 2024 MASTERS POOL SPONSORED BY VOKEY WEDGES-- Everyone picks a team of 6 golfers. Add your best 4 of 6 golfers scores to form your team score. The best team score wins the pool. Cut golfers (and anyone who doesn’t finish 4 rounds) get 80 for any rounds not completed. Playoff holes do not count. HOW TO JOIN THE POOL Pick your team of golfers here: Join the MGS Vokey Masters Pool Here Follow the action live Live Leaderboard MY Golf Spy Rules for This Contest Please read the 3 Rules Below, there are only two, but if they are not followed completely, your entry will be disqualified. 1) You MUST be a registered member of the Forum to win 2) Your entry MUST be your FORUM USER NAME! as the Team Name when you register!! (NOTE-If the contest will not aacept your exact user name due to punctuation-send me a DM for instructions on how to proceed) Any names that don't match and do not contact me will be DQ'd. 3): please make a post in this thread before the event begins with the following two answers-Note these tie breakers come into play after the Tie Breaker inside the actual contest. If any of those rules are not followed your entry will be disqualified! Also Multiple entries not allowed. Any duplicate entries will be deleted 1st Tie Breaker What is the Cut Number. Such as -4 and better makes the cut 2nd Tie Breaker -Who will be the low amateur If a tie still exists, the winner will be selected at random by the moderation team PRIZES!!! 1st Place: The first Place winner will receive a set of 3 Vokey SM10 Wedges-Your choice of loft, grind and finish. 2nd Place-Three Vokey SM10 wedges of your choice, loft and grind and finish 3rd Place Three Vokey SM10 wedges of your choice of Loft and Grind Entries will close at 11:59 EST Wednesday April 10, 11:59 EST Entries will automatically lock then. NOTE: Not required, but feel free to go to the Vokey Wedge Selector Tool and find out which wedge would best fit you, and feel free to share your selections here. If you win, you will still have time to submit your final specs and choices to us. This is purely for fun, and perhaps to get you ahead of the game if you win! Vokey Wedge Selector Tool

Testers Announced! We are very excited to announce our 4 testers for the Takomo Iron series! With over 4000 applicants this was not an easy one to narrow down and we are happy to introduce the following testers! Testing the 101t Series @ZackS Review @KC Golf Review @DukeStKing Review Testing the 301 CB @TylorJudd Review Testing the 301 MB @Jim Shaw Review Special Tester for this group we have our own @GolfSpy_BNG to test the 101t series as well! Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

The whole saying it takes a village is true. Especially for the Forum. Our staff work so hard and put so much effort forth and our community is so responsive it hardly makes it feel like work. As forum staff we are truly appreciative of everyone in the community. However today I along with everyone else in the community want to give a special thanks and tip our caps to a very special member of our team. @GolfSpy TCB Today marks Tims 1 year anniversary of being on the Forum Staff and wow what a difference he has made in his short tenure here. He will never admit it and probably hate me for making this post, but it really needs to be recognized the work, time and efforts he puts forth to the forum. He is our Tour Commissioner and Founder of the MGS VCT. Without him that would not be a thing on the forum. He has sent countless emails back and forth to our dev and team to get that working and has found a few special members to help him through it all. He is also the designer of all the forum logos. The Jones Bag logo we all got... thats Tim! The... oh wait that will be coming soon... again Tim! Not only that but he also was the guy who designed all the orginal testers wanted and testers announced banners for IG and Twitter. This guy works hard and truly wants all the best for the forum. Constantly bringing up new ideas, thoughts and suggestions for us to help bring forth the forum to a better place. Oh yeah Womens Section thats Tim! I know many of you have had PMs with him and I really can just continue to say great things about what he does behind the scenes for the Forum. Needless to say I can go on and on, but want to make a special note of today being his official 1 year as a Forum Staff member and hope that all of you will congratulate Tim as well for celebrating this milestone! CONGRATS ON ONE YEAR TIM!!

[L.A.B. Golf Link 1 Review] – Official MGS Forum FINAL Review by [Syks7/Jonathan Gilliam] TLDR/Synopsis: I was really excited for this test and the Link did not disappoint. I rolled and absurd number of putts over the last three months. The short and skinny from all that putting is that the tech is legit. It is probably even more legit with the more forgiving L.A.B. models, but the Link.1 performs every bit as well as it’s more interestingly shaped siblings. I put it through its paces running three tests and collecting a ton of data -- some of which I’m still sorting through, interpreting, and figuring out how to present in a cohesive way. In almost every case in those tests the Link outperformed the other two putters I tested it against. Sometimes it was by an absurd margin, sometimes it was by a little, but it always did well. I think it only came in third a single time in one metric of one session of a test. It was that good. If you read nothing else in this review know that I highly recommend the Link.1. If you want to find out why join me down in the weeds for the rest of the review. If you are feeling crazy you can join me so far into the weeds that you’ll need a hatchet by clicking on the cross post links in the review. One last thing. Several other testers have covered the fitting in detail and I don’t disagree with their assessment so I’ll not rehash their reviews info. The only thing I will say is that it was excellent. INTRO About me I'm a 40 year old architect in Southern California and as of this moment am currently a 11.7 handicap. (Down now to 10.9 in large part because of the Link) I have a 3.5 year old little girl, two dogs, and a wonderful wife who tolerates my love of the game. I am, to put it simply, completely obsessed with every aspect of Golf. Its all I really want to talk about outside of my family and my profession and I spend an inordinate amount of time either researching golf related items, hitting golf balls, or thinking about how to improve my game. Its to the point that I'm loosely planning to get some sort of club building and or fitting certification when I get to retirement (or before) and build clubs to keep myself busy/get my fix. I gravitate toward any information that can teach me more about the game whether its on the equipment or playing side. I also love testing/tweaking/rebuilding new or new to me equipment and I often can be found perusing used club bins for the 'next' thing to try out. I love trying to figure out why a particular wedge or club built to my spec works better than another and my garage is starting to look suspiciously like I'm running a used wedge operation -- even after culling the herd a bit. This test will be right up my alley and I have a small fleet of putters of varying toe hangs and balances that will be fun to compare to one of the LAB putters. About my game I took a series of lessons last year and my improvements come in bursts forward followed by frustrating stumbles backwards. It's been both rewarding and frustrating but I've learned a ton about every aspect of my swing along the way. I still text my instructor every now and then and joke that he should keep charging me when I discover something new in the very simple drill he had me do repeatedly. I'm coming off a big regression (at least I hope so) and I'm still working my way to break 80 (Did it!) and crack into single digits (maybe). The ability is there but I have to get over a mental hump to do it. I'm curious as to whether a LAB putter will help with enough strokes to get me there (it has), but to be honest if it helps me feel more confident standing over a 6 footer to save par (it did) that's almost as good as holing putts. Final Testing Methodology Testing evolved along the way, but I ended up running three tests where I did my best to eliminate random variables to see how well the tech performed. I think I was reasonably successful. I chose not to tally results along the way and just focused on collecting the data. I was trying not to be influenced by the results, but it was hard not to notice the performance of the Link.1 along the way. Even then, it was a bit of a surprise how much of a runaway it was for the Link.1 when I started to sort through the data. The Link.1 was just better than the other two putters I put up against it -- The Bettinardi Innovai 6.0 CTR & Yes! Callie. Both solid premium putters. Unboxing For simplicity’s sake I just recorded me opening the box. While I did not injure myself, my sharp object safety appears to have gone out the window in favor of excitement. Do not draw sharp objects toward yourself. No frills in the unboxing. A putter, a card telling you not to mess with the weights, and a head cover. First Impressions & Aesthetics 10/10 Link.1 is pretty. The shape, satin finish, milling, and graphics are just flat out sharp. Even the custom alignment options blend well into the form. Its a very nicely designed piece of equipment and everything on the putter, aside from very subtle badging, has a purpose. There’s pretty much zero fat to trim. Even the hosel, which I originally was on the fence about has turned out to be highly functional for me. If I align the top of it with the sight line the putter sits is perfectly flat on its sole – meaning that I’m perfectly at the lie angle that I was fitted for. Which also means that the putter is sitting exactly at the lie it’s balanced for. That said I think the hosel is going to be love hate for some people. First Impressions -- General & First Putts A couple hours out of the box there's a couple things I've noticed. It would seem pretty obvious given the name and the methodology of the company (L.ie A.ngle B.alance) but the putter is exceptionally well balanced. It feels nice and light in hand during a stroke even though its clearly quite beefy when you're just carrying it. True to my conversation with Sam Hahn (about the brain measuring torque as swing weight) it feels heavier outside of it's balance point. Update to this point: If you can feel the balance, it’s a great way to check that you’ve properly soled the putter. There’s been more than a few putts I’ve stopped mid backswing because the stability feels off. I’ve even integrated a kind of rhythmic pendulum swing in my pre-putt routine to get the right feel before I take an actual stroke. I ordered this putter with the simple rubber grip. It’s nicely detailed and feels good, but I'm still not a huge fan. In the end I swapped it out for my preferred Lamkin Skinny Pistol. It’s not worth deducting points from the review but one of my few constructive criticisms would be that I’d like to see L.A.B. potentially add an option for grips outside their own stable to the custom build list. My initial feelings after the first few putts was one of promise and that feeling hasn’t gone away as I’ve gone along. It was stable out of the box and is stable now. I liked the feel off the face though it does have a somewhat harsher feel to me than the other two putters. In regards to sound I only tend to notice the sound off the face when sounds get tingy or sound off. Link does neither and has a nice muted thwock sound that’s neither clicky nor tingy. If I wasn’t doing this review, I would not have noticed it at all. One final thought: Its hard to tell from photos, but this is a pretty wide (toe to heel) blade It doesn't look like it when you're holding it, but it's quite a bit wider than everything in my stable. Its as wide or more than my old TM Spyder spaceship putter and makes the older Spyder, Callie, and Innovai look positively svelte in comparison. Additional unboxing first images here. First impressions after first grass session. First Session The numbers 10/10 As I mentioned before the Link was just better than the other putters. This is true in all three of the tests I ran and in my on course metrics which I’ll discuss in the next session. I’m going to talk through the relevant data for each of the tests. This is the cliff notes version. I’ll post the details and more data in another post at this Link. along with some other interesting things I’ve picked up from the data that aren’t as relevant to this test. Test 1: 5’ Indoors on a Birdie Ball Mat. I rolled 168 putts with each putter over four weeks one 21 ball shag tube at a time. Link was hot out of the gate and never faltered. My worst performance with it was in week 2 when I only made 38/42. My best with it was 41/42. It was absurdly consistent every time I rolled it and my final make percentage was 94.64% which was 5% better than second place. Speaking of 2nd and third place I think they are only as close as they are because my putting stroke got so much better using Link all the time that it pulled the make percentages up for the other 2 putters in the last couple of weeks. Another thing of note was that with Link I did not have to remember a certain feel that I needed to concentrate on to make the putt. I just had to make a stroke. Test 2 Linear (Speed Dispersion) from 12’. Flat putt uphill & downhill. This was a relatively simple test taking a page from Scott Fawcett’s DECADE system. The idea being that every golfer has dispersion patterns even on the putting green. Properly accounting for that dispersion pattern by centering the pattern on the hole will make you more accurate. In this test I rolled 21 straight putts with a start line toward a rubber target hole (flat with no cup) then recorded the resulting dispersion pattern. There were two metrics that I felt were relevant to the test. Dispersion pattern length, and made(rolled over the target cup) putts. Link only faltered in the uphill dispersion length – which it only did because I fatted the last putt. It is an outlier that skewed the statistics. Despite that, Link still won the test because it made the most putts both downhill and uphill and had the smallest dispersion pattern on downhill putts. There’s more metrics to look at and discuss at this link. Test 3: Lag Dispersion from 40’. Uphill & Downhill breaking putts This was another simple test. I set up two target circles of 6’ in diameter and 3’ in diameter with a target hole in the center and lagged toward the cup from 40’ – both uphill and downhill. This one was a runaway, Link had more putts inside both 18”& 36” and had the smallest area of dispersion and the closest median distance to the hole. There’s more I’m planning to look into with the data but this was enough for the test. Numbers conclusions It’s hard to argue with the data on this. Link was more accurate from short range, very accurate with decent speed control from 12’ and highly accurate for lagging from long range. Speed is easy to control and a smooth stroke always puts the putt on line. It’s fairly apparent from looking at the data to see that Link shows a pretty pronounced and tight linear pattern through the hole – even at distance. This is particularly true when you start to dig into the data further and pull out the outliers. -- particularly if you start to remove some of the bigger outliers. I was genuinely surprised and impressed with it’s performance. It’s quite clear that this is a result of the tech of Lie Angle Balancing. I found that it made it easier to hit the center of the face with regularity and that even when I didn’t the putt stayed on line. In fact the only time I ever had trouble with the Link was when I tried to ‘guide’ a putt with my hands. Let me say that again. The only trouble I ever had with Link was when I got too handsy. It did equally well uphill, downhill, cross slope, from the fringe, and at every range. There was no reason to deduct any points. On Course 19/20 I’ll be honest, it’s hard to find fault with the putter I was rolling when I first broke 80. That said I did struggle with it on course during the initial rounds. When I first received the putter we were kneed deep into aeration season here in SoCal. The big holes… not the micropunches. The greens were slow and sandy and I had a terrible time controlling speed. I still do when the greens are slow. I think this may be the single issue I’ve encountered with the Link. IMHO it doesn’t like slow greens. Part of this is me to be sure, but part of it is that you just have to take a bigger strokes when greens are slow and its hard to remain smooth through a bigger arc on those longer lags. Any hand action you have is exacerbated in a bigger stroke and it can be hard to let the putter tech do its thing. This can be tough when you’re a player like me that can hit a green but isn’t throwing darts. Which leads me to on course experience #2. After a lot of work (and this L.A.B. Youtube video. Link) I got the speed under control and found myself with a funny problem. The ball always went where I aimed it. That wouldn’t normally be a problem, but it exposed just how poorly I was aligning and aiming. This is one of my favorite attributes of good equipment… feedback. One of the reasons I was sure the Innovai was going to be in my bag forever is that the feedback is so good that I always know why I miss when I hit a putt with it. The same is true with Link, but it goes one better in that its so good that it will tell you that there are flaws in your technique. I don’t think any of this is serious knock on Link or the rest of the L.A.B. putters but it’s something you should be aware if you decide to purchase a putter from them. It is highly important to give yourself some time to adjust. This is probably more important with Link since it is the least forgiving of the 4 current models. Now that the less positive is out of the way let’s talk about how its performing after the adjustment/break in period. My last 6 rounds have been 84,81,81,85,82,79. Prior to that my low was 83 (hot putter). I’d been going through a major regression and was entering scores that ranged from my second worst in 3 years (101) to 87. I wasn’t even coming close sniffing where I was last year. The improvement isn’t all Link, but I think it has a large part in it. To be clear, there are still three putts but those happen (a lot less) now because of poor reads instead of nervous hands. I have every putt I’ve made with the Link recorded and I will delve into the SG data eventually, but for now I’ve been focusing on a three other metrics that I think are showing a positive change in my game. The first is birdies. I know bogey and three putt avoidance is key to getting better scores but I’ve made a whole mess of birdies with the Link. I’m now on a 9 round streak of a single birdie or better for the round. To put this in context I’ve gotten to my index by making par. I rarely made birdies before. How rare. I had 4 over the previous 12 months before the Link showed up in the mail. These mostly aren’t coming from tap in range either. I have a weird affinity for 17.5 feet downhill. 4 of the recent ones have been from that distance. Once has been from beyond 30’ and the rest are in the 5-15 ft. range. It’s done wonders for my confidence on the green and overall calmness on course. I can make a mistake and know that I might be able to recover that stroke. Before I got the Link the strokes I lost were just gone and it felt like I had no margin for error. The second the 4-10 ft range. I’m making a lot more of those and this has taken a lot of pressure of my chipping/game when I’m trying to get up and down. Consequently, I stand over both the putts and the chips with much more confidence. I know I’m going to get it on the green with the chip and I know that I’ll have a chance to get up and down without having to get to tap in range. The third is lag putting. For the most part I’m pretty much assured of a two putt with the Link in the bag. My high make percentage zone around the hole has expanded enough that there’s less pressure to make a perfect lag. Anyone seeing pattern here? Having Link in the bag has taken a lot of pressure off of parts of my game that aren’t necessarily made to be leaned on. The level of added confidence is hard to quantify but suffice it to say that it allows me to play calmer (better). A typical putting day with Link. Lot's of little cleanups and a few longer ones. THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE INBETWEEN (18/20) THE GOOD The tech. The putter works as advertised and it does so while maintaining a traditional aesthetic. The more I look into how a putter is balanced to the lie angle and what the other L.A.B. models look like the more impressive the engineering that went into the Link looks. All you have to do is look at their previous blade iterations to understand why. I’d love to see how they do it, but that’s their ‘secret’ sauce. From what I can tell it took a lot of complicated calculations to figure out. The customer service. It’s a small company but they make you feel like you belong. I recognize that this is a test and we’ve had more attention than the average joe, but I do see Sam Hahn & Bill Presse respond to people personally on facebook groups. Even when they’re answering the same question for what must be the millionth time. I’ve also heard nothing but good things about other personnel and their fitting crew. THE BAD There isn’t really anything this front, but if you’re going to point a finger at anything it’s the price. It’s a premium piece of equipment and the price reflects that. I’m lucky enough to be in a position where it’s a doable purchase for me, but the younger much more broke version of me would have been up a creek without a paddle. I say this as a believer in the equipment that thinks it’s worth every penny. The only other bad would be that it’s hard to see or test one one in person. PGA superstore has them which is great if you’re near one but the closest one to me is just outside of easy to go check out range – anywhere from 40 minutes to two hours away depending on traffic (which can change at any moment). L.A.B. is a small company and I’m not expecting them to be negotiating merchandise deals with whatever golf chain dominates a particular just yet, but it would be nice to see more of them around and available to try in the future. THE IN BETWEEN I can’t stress enough that you need to give yourself time to acclimatize to the putter. It’s just different than you’re used to after playing a putter with torque since you first got into the game. I think this is particularly true of the Link where it’s not as on rails feeling as the higher MOI models. It’s balanced, but the shape and nature of the blade gives it a lower MOI than the others. I guess I’m trying to say is that I feel like it’s a lot easier to accidentally fight the tech on Link than it is with the other models I took a single stroke with @mygolfspy_sam ‘s DF 2.1 and it felt like it was on rails. The Link doesn’t quite feel like that. So give yourself some time to unlearn the hand action you’ve built into your putter stroke. This is advice echoed by a friend of mine who also delved into the L.A.B. stable on the advice of a friend of his -- by buying all four models. I was chatting with him about which one he liked best and he said that initially he didn’t get along with any of them. He had a conversation with his friend who told him exactly what I’m saying here. He needed to quiet his hands down and stop fighting the tech in the putter. The person that told him this is someone that a large percentage of golfers would accept a swing tip from. Keep that in mind. PLAY IT OR TRADE IT (20/20) If you’ve managed to read this far you probably know the answer to this section. Link is staying in the bag. I thought I was relatively consistent with the Innovai, but Link is on another level. The more I use it the better it seems to get. I haven’t had a round in the last two months where I did not roll at least one putt that resulted in me thinking “I can’t believe that went in.” While there are still some struggles (see the difference in dispersion from uphill to downhill lags) and occasional three putts my overall game on the green is in far better shape than it was before the test. Link, beyond being a great putter, has also been a killer training tool. I was never going to find out how mediocre my green reading and alignment were until I developed a consistent enough stroke to put a putt on line all the time. I’ve sort of been able to build that stroke in tandem with working on alignment and start lines because of Link’s consistency. The only thing that has the potential to knock the Link out of the bag is another product from L.A.B..... The Innovai is on the chopping block. CONCLUSION Full disclosure. While I wasn’t opposed to writing a glowing review I wasn’t quite expecting to write one like this. Any deductions I made the point total were a reflection of some minor faults I found and some trickiness in the learning curve, but it easily could have been 100/100. It was just good enough that it felt like it needed to be held to a slightly higher standard. I was familiar with the product and tech before the test and I was genuinely interested in putting it through its paces. I did my level best to remain objective and really test it right up until the point I started going through the data and it echoed what I’d been experiencing on course. Link was just better. I’d set up the tests thinking that it would be a much closer fight (and parts of the test were) but overall it was a runaway. The only portion of the testing that the Link didn’t outright win was lost in large part to me fatting the last putt in the tube. As much as I wanted to retake that putt it was more important to maintain the integrity of the test. (Sort of like when you play golf) The cool part about the way that I collected the data is that there’s additional statistics I’ll be able to pull out of it for future updates. For now, here are the points that I’ll leave you with. The looks are fantastic The tech is legit. It functions as advertised. The putter is excellent after a breaking in period. The putter is wildly consistent. Its always good without any hot and cold streaks. The more you trust in the putter – leaving thoughts about stroke at the door – the better it gets. FINAL SCORE 97/100

Intro and About Me First off thanks to MGS for this great opportunity to test one of the hottest product launches of 2024. I have been a member of the site for a lot of years and have done several tests for products over the years and it is nice to be back after being quiet on the site for a few years. So a little about me… I am 47 and for the first time in close to 10 years I actually live at home with my wife of 23 years and my three children. My wife and I met at 19 and well she somehow hung onto me for going on close to 28 years….yes she is a saint and supports my golf addiction. I have a soon to be 18 year old son that is a senior in high school and will be heading to Johnson and Wales in the fall. A 15 year old daughter that is a freshman in high school and just taking the game of golf back up so she can play in high school. Last but not least 12 year old daughter that turns 13 next week and is the reason I have a gray beard and drink. We also have a five year old St. Bernard named Sebastian that came to live with us after my best friend passed away. Career wise I am a finance guy by trade and am a CPA and have my MBA. From 2010 until late last year I was in the casino business and as mentioned above I either lived away from home or travelled so much that I was never home very much. I spent close to a decade with the Genting Group so if you have ever been to a Resorts World property in the US I was part of the design team as well as the opening team for just about every property. Now that I have decided to grow up and stop playing casino I work from home four days a week and am the CFO for a software company that develops slot machine content as well as iGaming infrastructure. It is a good gig and I am starting to get adjusted to being home all the time and working a more traditional job. Overall it was a positive move and allows me to have a little more free time on my hands My Golf Story My golf career started when I was two years old and my grandparents starting taking me to the course. I had a cut down left handed 7 iron that I would wack away at on the course and somehow was pretty natural at it. I started taking some very basic lessons when I was about 5 and then was essentially self taught from that point forward. The four lessons at the end of Golf Magazine from Jack Nicklaus was my guide for close to a decade. I spent many years on the course with my Grandfather and by the time I was about 8 or 9 I was beating him and his group fairly regularly. Around the age of 10 I stopped playing left handed and started playing on the correct side of the ball and was a scratch handicap by the age of 14. I have pretty much stayed scratch or better most of my adult life with my lowest index being about a +5.6. I unfortunately grew up in the pre-Tiger era where golf was not cool so I played baseball, football and wrestled in high school. I was on my high school golf team but considering that the season was the same as football I played matches very infrequently. When I went to college I was supposed to play baseball and thanks to a nasty shoulder injury my freshman year I got an opportunity to walk onto the golf team and the rest was history. Golf became my number one sport and baseball became a hobby that I played until my late 30’s. My game these days can be summed up as I can make a 7 from places I should make 4 and 4 from places I should make a 7. I have always had distance on my side and can still move it pretty well for someone my age. Iron play has always been good and really good from 100 yards and in. Putting was my nemesis for a lot of years, but I have finally tamed the beast to get to where I am average at worst and have days that I can make everything I look at. Bit of an older video of my swing but not much has changed in 5 years. Testing Plan So the last question is what do I want to get out of this test? Well, quite simply I am chasing distance for the first time in my life. Chasing may not be the right term but more appropriately preserving distance. I am playing CB irons for the first time since college because well I am just not long enough with blades anymore. I have also moved full time to graphite in my irons as being a pitcher for over 30 years is starting to catch up with me physically. In full disclosure the last TM driver that was in my bag was the R1 and that was just a short stint. I would have to go way back to the R7 to say that I had a TM driver in my bag for and extended period of time. The M series and I just never got along for various reasons and it just became a brand that I was not interested in. Will the Qi10 change all that???? Stick around and we can find out together. I plan to test this driver primarily on the range to start since well I live in NY and we are in later winter. I will try and provide as many numbers as I can from launch monitor data or as much as I am comfortable with. I tend to not try and get caught up in the numbers but prefer to go by the eye test. As for competition I have two drivers for comparison; my gamer which is TSR 3 with a HZRDUS RDX Smoke Blue 60 TX and a Rogue ST Max LS with an AD DI 7x turned down two degrees. Looking forward to the process and maybe I will discover a driver I would have normally overlooked in the new releases. ...and man I gonna miss playing this place every week. First Impressions (19 out of 20) My driver arrived safe and sound in the typical box and packaging that most of the OEMs use these days so no major surprises there. In the box there was the driver that was packed well enough, a spec sheet and the head cover. I know it has been mentioned but the lack of a weight tool is a real detractor. Like many I have dozens of them so it is not an issue for me, but if you are upgrading to this driver as your first major purchase not having the tool could be another $10 to $15 on top of a close to $700 driver. To contrast when I got my TSR3 through it came not only with the head cover and the wrench but also a nice little pouch that held the wrench…..sometimes small touches are really nice. First thing that I did once I had some time to get into the workshop was get the specs and measure them to the stated specs. As shown below they were spot on according to my tools and the loft I am deeming close enough since I don’t have a loft/lie machine that plays well with Twist Face. The only detraction that I can really say was I ordered mine with a slightly heavier weight in the back and it was shipped with the standard 2g weight. Not a huge issue but again for a $700 driver the specs should be spot on as ordered. Also a bit of a pro tip…the back weight is held in with blue locktite so a little bit of heat is needed before you try and remove the weight. OEM Spec Actual Spec Swing Weight D4 D3.7 Length 45 3/4" 45 3/4" Loft 9* 9* as best I could measure Headweight was spot on.... Now onto the looks category. In a word this driver is just stunning! I like that they have moved away from the red and black and into the black and blue color way; it is really a nice look. The head cover is done really well and one little touch that was nice is the TM logo that is on the bottom of the head cover is a soft plastic that actually flexes a little bit. Nice touch that shows someone spent some time designing the head cover. One immediate reaction I had to this driver is that it looks like it has no loft on it. Not sure if this is the Twist Face effect or not, but it has a very tall flat appearing face. I do really like that new Infinity Carbon Crown that they are using for this driver. One of my put offs with TM in the past was the two tone top that I just could never get used to looking at. The line that contrasts the face to the crown was also a really nice addition, helps a lot with the alignment of the club head which is a nice subtle touch. L to R: 2016 M2, Qi10 LS, TSR3 My Specs: Qi10 LS 9* with a HZRDUS Blue 60g 6.5 Gamer Specs: TSR3 10* (set at 9.25*) with a HSRZDU Blue PVD 60 TX Due to the weather in NY since this driver has arrived I have only been able to get in one range session with the driver and my initial thoughts really boil down to two main points aside from how good it looks behind the ball. First is that this driver really does kill spin and at some point I see myself possibly having to put some loft into the head. Jury is still out on this since I am not yet to cruising speed and I was hitting garbage range balls. I generally play a spinner ball so this just maybe the day and the balls I was hitting but out of the 35 or so balls I hit with it there were some dippers that fell out of the sky which is not what I ever want to see. Secondly this driver is really flat….like really really flat. Set at the standard setting the driver has a lie angle of 54* which is 4* flatter than the similar offering from Callaway and 4.5* flatter than the TSR4. My current gamer is a TSR3 that I have set 1* upright so it is at 59.5* or 5.5* more upright than the Qi10 LS. Not sure if this will make a difference but thanks to the loft sleeve there is a setting that only adjusts the lie which takes it up 4*. For now I am not changing this setting based on the limited balls I have hit that were in a nice grouping on the face just slightly toe side of center which is my normal strike pattern. Lot's of options for adjustment Overall I am really looking forward to diving into the real testing and put this driver through its paces. Early results are very promising and with some time and possibly some tweaks this could be a winner for me. As a side note I have jumped all in on the TaylorMade brand mostly because of this test. As I stated in my intro I have not had a TM club in my bag in ages and now the entire top end of my bag is TM. I had a failed experiment with a 7 wood and was scrambling to find something that I could build before heading to FL for a week. Had a choice of a TSi2 five wood or a Sim. Three weeks ago I would not even have considered the Sim and after two rounds I absolutely love it….does exactly what I need it to do. Combine that with a good friend of mine the “loaned” me an M5 three wood and a Sim2 Rescue to try along with the driver and I am almost a TM fanboy. TaylorMade Qi10 LS Final Review by Jmikecpa Well, I can’t believe the official review period has come to a close but I guess it is time for my final thoughts. I would again really like to thank MyGolfSpy and TaylorMade for this fantastic opportunity as it has been a blast. Now onto the final verdict and if the Qi10 LS will have a spot in my bag. Asthetics (10 out of 10) As I said in my initial impressions this club is just a beautiful looking driver and has a classic shape. In the past I was not a fan of the color scheme as well as how the carbon crown was blended into the face. In the Qi10 they just got it right. From a shelf appeal standpoint I would grab this and give it a swing just on looks alone. The feel and the sound match the looks and it all is just spot on. The feel to me is powerful with a nice crisp crack at impact. Also a huge fan of the blue face over the red that was in the Stealth and an A+ to TaylorMade as after close to 1,000 balls hit the face looks like new with little to no signs of wear. The Numbers (7 out of 10) This aspect has been a mixed bag for me and the static numbers in a word were poor. If I had not been able to hit this driver outdoors it would not have made it past swing number five on Trackman. It seemed about every fourth or fifth ball would result in a low spin dipper that went nowhere but down and hard left. I should note that I have not hit one ball outdoors that I was able to replicate this shot and saw good results on balls not hit into a net or a screen. I am rating this lower mainly due to the fact that if I had an indoor fitting with this driver I would have just said not for me and moved on. I know that everyone wants data and numbers but it just was not working for me during this test and after two indoor sessions on Trackman I just decided to see what I could get on the course as that is where it really matters. From a ball flight standpoint this driver launches low for me at around 10.2* on average and spins just over 2,000 RPMs on quality strikes. Due to my issues with getting dipping flights indoors it lead to a lot of heel strikes just to avoid the shot I never wanted to see. Again I just needed to get out of playing data scientist and just get out and play and use the eye test and Arccos to gather the numbers that were meaningful to me. On the Course (18 out of 20) I have been able to play a handful or rounds with the Qi10LS due to weather as Long Island this time of the year is hit and miss. It should also be mentioned that my rounds were played in less than optimum conditions that were mostly cold (two rounds with temps in the 30’s) and a lot of wind…..I mean a lot of wind. I have had a lot of time on the range thanks to my daughter playing high school golf and can honestly say I have practiced more in the last two months than I have in the last three years combined. The initial on course experience for me was at best up and down to put it in the best light. The good was really, really good and the mediocre was worse than what I would expect. I did give a mystery shaft a try for part of the test and it has some promise but may be too radical of a change for me right now. I was able to do a mini fitting with this club and the fitter put me in a UST Quantum Purple which is a very light shaft for me but the idea was to give a little more launch and keep the stability that I like. Results were mixed so I stayed with the HZRDUS Smoke RDX Blue for the majority of the test. In a nutshell the driver became a numbers hero and with some work I could learn to trust it on the course. I played a round yesterday morning in mid 40’s temperatures and sustained 30 mph winds with gusts near 50 mph. I had thought about bailing on my tee time due to weather but gave it a go for the sake of one more data point for this test…..and I am glad that I did. My sentiment going into the round was that I had one more round and then I could go back to my gamer and stop struggling along with the Qi10 LS. That sentiment changed yesterday and I began to realize that what I am looking for in a driver has changed since moving back to NY. Yesterday’s round was at a club that is local to me that I have not played in about 8 or so years that consists of three nine hole layouts. One of the layouts is a parkland style course while the other two nines are out along the water. I was fortunate to have my opening nine on the parkland course and only was subjected to nine holes of absolutely crazy wind. Round started on a hole that I would normally hit a 5 wood or hybrid and thanks to the 25 mph left to right wind blowing seven of the eight tee balls OB I was a bit jittery on the tee. Aimed up the left side and the wind never moved it from the start line. Knocked 30 yards off of it but it was safe and playable…no issues. This flipped a switch in my head that I had known but not exploited at all on the course. This driver is just flat out stable in the wind and with a decent pass it stays on the line that is intended. I saw that in range sessions but just could not trust that on the golf course so I started doing just that and had some great results. That little bit of trust went a long way. On #6 I finally unlocked the code and ripped a 341 yard bomb center cut leaving just over 40 yards into the green. #10 was another bomb that unfortunately ended up in a divot that I couldn’t take advantage of, but got the results. #13 was a hard left to right wind with OB left and right….drive stayed dead solid straight and found its way to the left center of the fairway. #14 was straight into a 40 mph wind and will just illustrate how hard the day was. I had to wait for the gusts to die down on the green since I was physically incapable of taking the putter back into the wind. At the end of the day I had zero balls OB or in any trouble and was just able to keep it in play. I ended up with a 75 on the day and had the low gross round of the day by 8 shots when I left after lunch to head home. This round got me thinking about something that I always had top of mind when I was playing a lot on Long Island and that was how does my equipment handle the wind. I started this test saying I want to preserve distance as I am getting older but now realize that playability is more important. In the six rounds that I have played with the Qi10 LS in the bag I have not had one penalty stroke off the tee which may be a record for me. I really needed the last round of this test to reset my expectations. The Qi10 LS is just as long as anything I have hit the last several years but the stability in flight is not something that I was used to. My early testing would bare this out as I had many times that I played to avoid the big miss and erred on being safe. Had I just trusted it a bit more then this would have been a much more positive review period. That being said the outlook is positive and I am no longer counting down the days until the review period was ending. Early season stats after 5 rounds with the Qi10 LS.....I will take these stats. The Good, the Bad and the In Between (18 out of 20) The good is the flight and how stable the ball is in the wind. I saw this on the range and just struggled with trusting it on the course. The club responds very well to what you put into it and it is really just point and shoot. This is what most would term as the “player’s” model but I think that any decent ball striker that is in need of spin reduction could play this model as it is surprisingly forgiving for the design. Again as stated above this driver is just flat out stunning to look at behind the ball and I think that TaylorMade nailed it with the blue and silver color way. The only real knock that I have right now on the Qi10 LS it is a bit hard to turnover with the flat stock setting and just the design as a whole. I did move the sliding weight all the way to the heel and that was some help but this is a driver that is meant to be straight to a fade for most. I am toying with pulling the adapter and keeping to standard loft and put it in the upright setting, but that is for a later time. The in between is something that may seem minor but is a bit of an issue for me and that is the TaylorMade loft sleeve. I just seems like a not great design and it was a pain in the back side getting the head back on the shaft when I had it off the several times that I needed to pull the head. Could be that I am just used to Callaway or Titleist which to me are the best adapters out of all the major OEMs. Play it or Trade it (19 out of 20) Before yesterday I was going to punt on this section and say it needs further testing as I was just not there and I did not think that the golf I had played were a fair test of the club. After the performance yesterday the driver is firmly in the bag and I don’t see that changing. I may make some tweaks as conditions require but for the most part the settings and shaft will not be changing. The only change that I am making is taking the 4g of lead tape off the weight port and actually getting a proper weight for the club. Looking back at the testing period my highest score was 75 and that was in conditions that most would not even try and play in. I needed to adjust my expectations and when I looked back at the positive it far outweighed the negative once I looked at it objectively. I am not sure if I was expecting to be blown away and find my Excalibur and when that did not happen I started to sour a bit….maybe. From a numbers perspective it really is no better than my TSR3 but I can say that I would not have been able to keep the TSR3 on the planet yesterday. Unfortunately living on Long Island high wind and golf is a reality that I forgot about after three years in VA. Thanks to this test I now have a top end of the bag that is built for Long Island. Overall Score (91 out of 100) Conclusion Thanks again to TaylorMade and MyGolfSpy for allowing me to participate in this test and give my thoughts on one of the hottest drivers of 2024. My testing was a bit mixed but in the end there was a lot more good than bad and I found a driver that could be a staple in the bag for a few seasons (I am reformed and not buying every new club on the market). The mixed was more of trying to stick to initial goals of the test and not considering if this was the best for where my game is right now. The other positive that came from this testing period was my eyes were opened to a brand that for the most part I had written off for the last decade or so. The entire top end of my bag right now is TaylorMade with only the Sim2 hybrid not making the cut. When I sat down after my round yesterday and thought honestly about how the Qi10 LS performed I could not think that anything else would be better for me right now. If this driver performed the way it has in real rough weather I am looking forward to see how it performs under normal conditions. I will be popping back into the thread to give and update and a mid year review once we get to a more forgiving time of the year. As a bonus, this shot yesterday was hit with a 4 hybrid and landed in the hole……..but did not stay. Cut hybrid into a hook wind that never left the flag and to make matters worse I lipped out the putt for bird.

Introduction Hello All, Like the screen name suggests, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die… Wait…That’s a different thread altogether… Let’s try this again. Like the screen name suggests, my name is, in fact, Ben Joest. I am 44 years old and a happily married father of 3. My progeny: Emma is 10, going on moody teenager. Katie just turned 9 and is my golfing ride or die. Lastly, is our son Noah, he is 4 and if he had been the first, he would be the only. Just energy and enthusiasm for days, and frankly it is exhausting. SWMBO, has mostly come to grips with my addiction to the little white ball, and carries with her the belief that this vice of mine beats similar afflictions involving booze, broads, or bets. The kids are active in youth sports and keep us running most of the year, so finding the time to play can be challenging at times. The family has decided that, when one is given such a magnificent opportunity to test out the latest offering from a preeminent equipment company such as Titleist, certain concessions are made on Dad’s behalf, isn't that right family? Go Team Joesty! My history with Titleist can be traced back to the early 2000’s. My first club of theirs was a second hand 975J Driver that I picked up in 2003. I have been playing golf in one form or fashion since I was a kid, growing up in the late 80’s, but prior to 2003, my clubs were mostly hand-me-down sets I inherited from my Uncle Mike, whenever he decided he was ready for an upgrade. Mostly MacGregors and Wilsons, and nothing so memorable that I can recall exact models, all these years later. That all changed in 2003. I started playing with a buddy from work, that gamed a Titleist 983K Driver and he hit it a mile. After one round, we were enjoying a frosty beverage and he asked a simple question, that looking back, completely changed my trajectory as a golfer. To that point, I was content to play whatever and hack it around the loop, occasionally collecting a par or a birdie, but mostly carding bogeys and doubles. He nonchalantly asked something to the effect of “Do you want to get better?” This question is so beguiling, as it instantly removes the scales from one’s eyes and forces an unwitting soul to reconcile the state of their game. After a brief pause, I responded, “Yes. Yes, I do.” And down the rabbit hole and into the wonderous kingdom of golf equipment I went. Looking back, it didn’t take long for me to develop the full-blown addiction and cobble together a decent set of used clubs. I grabbed a set of Taylor Made Super Steel Burner irons 3-PW from a buddy’s sister, who was selling her ex-husband’s clubs dirt cheap. I found the 975J Driver and 983 3 & 5 Woods at 2nd Swing, when they still had brick & mortar stores in the Cincinnati area. I topped it all off with a rusted oil can scotty Cameron putter that I found at an estate sale for $25 and a Callaway 56° wedge that I paid less than that for, under the auspices that I should probably have a sand wedge now that I am a serious golfer. I still have most of these clubs, but 975 driver is lost to History. Since that seed was planted 20+ years ago, I have had lots of other clubs, including a 905 driver I still have the head of, a 910D2 driver, and a set of 712 AP1 irons, that have come and gone. I recently added a set of T100s 4-PW to my stable, and they will be what I set my baseline numbers with for this test. As some of you may know, I have developed into a muscle back blade enthusiast. See the Who Doesn’t Want to Play a Muscle Back Iron? Thread for more details but the TL; DR: Is my game good enough to play muscle back blades? Is my game consistent enough to play muscle back blades? A little bit of background on the current state of my game. Throughout most of my adult life, my handicap hovered between 8-12. Which is a decent number and it meant that my scores lived in the 80’s, with an occasional low 80’s round and once I shot 78. As last season was ending, after some internal deliberations, I made a commitment to myself to improve. I purchased a net, a perfect practice putting mat, and at Christmas I received a Rapsodo MLM from my family. I spent the winter utilizing these tools to hone the rough edges of my game and joined a simulator league at the local practice facility. There is also a thread for the details of that. The additional hours spent have paid off, and I have worked my handicap down to a very respectable 4.3. With that in mind, I signed up to test the T150 irons. I am fascinated by Titleist’s attention to the nuances of one’s game when they fit a golfer into a set of irons. I will be sharing the fitting details in a separate post. The goal in all of this is to determine, if a well fitted set of irons can help me improve on what, according to the shot scope data, is already a strength of my game. My plan for testing these irons is, by design, going to be a bit free flowing as I don’t want to get trapped into a specific methodology and dismiss new ideas, so this is where this test becomes interactive with you, the constant reader. I will be putting calls out to the membership to glean what exactly folks want to see. However, without a loose outline, we are reduced to this: So with that in mind: · Using the MLM, I will use the current irons to set baseline numbers for club speed, ball speed, carry distance, total distance, and apex. · Also, dispersion will be looked at from the perspective of the average carry and lateral dispersion. A comparison will be made to determine if the T series improves these numbers and maintains a good gapping between clubs, as these 2 items are a key selling point for getting fitted into these irons. · Multiple range sessions with the T series, to accumulate an average for each club for comparison to the current set. · A baseline regarding strokes gained numbers through Shot Scope data ( See graph above) · At least one round per week, along with observations and results · Upon completion of the testing rounds, a comparison of how the strokes gained metric has improved or worsened over the course of testing. · Irons only rounds. To this, there have been some preliminary discussions about challenging the other Irons testers from this season to a “friendly” irons only battle royale. Details to follow. The current goal is shooting par or better this season, with breaking 70 clearly in my sights. Join me on this journey, as it is going to be a wild ride. Here is the link to my fitting post: Here is the link to my Unboxing/Initial Thoughts Post: Final Review First Impressions These irons are flawless. From an aesthetic standpoint, the T100 through T350 lines are a study in classic, elegant design. Titleist took pains to craft a range of irons that, from aesthetic and performance perspectives can be blended seamlessly. By doing so, they have given their fitting specialists the wherewithal to confidently blend T100’s with T150’s, T150’s with T200’s, etc. As described in my fitting post, I tested a blend of the T150 and T200 lines. PW-8i in the T150, 7i-5i in the T200, and because it was offered and encouraged by Titleist, I was also fit into the T200 Utility 4 iron to round out my 7-club set. Enough can’t be said about the Titleist fitting experience. The attention to detail is awe-inspiring. It starts with having the fitting on a natural turf driving range with a trackman unit set up to capture all the performance data in real time. Another aspect that separates this fitting from a big box retailer or smaller custom fitter, is the ability to hit every iron in each product line rather than just the 7 iron or a limited combination of each line. It progresses with the use of brand-new range balls to get things dialed in, followed by your choice of ProV1 or ProV1x to capture 3 shots, so that the fitter can make an accurate assessment of the choices he has determined are best for your game. The product of this fitting is an email with the golfer’s recommended build and specs. Also, because I can’t say enough nice things about my fitter, Jim I am including his contact info here, in the event any spies want to reach out to him: Under normal circumstances, the order is placed, and you receive a new set of irons 3-4 weeks later. Because our Titleist rep is a rock star, we all got our sets about a week and a half after the order was submitted. The shipping label on the boxes indicated that Titleist sent them standard overnight delivery. Again, a subtle detail that shows that Titleist knows they have a premium product, and with that comes high expectations, that they take the necessary steps to exceed. I was and continue to be impressed with every aspect of their customer service. (20 out of 20) Aesthetics These irons are a masterclass in elegance and design team has taken a minimalist approach to ornamentation. They are almost too pretty to hit. Although the T150 and T200 lines are built with forgiveness and performance in mind, from address it is easy to confuse the two. They have done a marvelous job avoiding one of the pitfalls of forgiving irons, in that the top line is clean and appears minimal. The T200 especially, doesn’t have the chunky topline that other hollow body player’s distance irons tend to have. Here are images of similar type irons: Taylor Made P790 Ping i230 Callaway Paradym Titleist T200 When at address, it can be tough to differentiate between the T150 and the T200. Which is which? It is only from the side that the difference becomes apparent. The make up of the irons themselves, shows the thought and engineering that went into creating these beauties. (10 out of 10) The Numbers Since receiving the irons on 8/28 I have had 12 range sessions. During those visits, the focus has been on the following: · Gaining familiarity with the irons. I have hit over a thousand balls with these irons between range sessions and the rounds played. I have a pretty good feel for these irons, and I know what they are capable of. During that time, I have reached the following conclusions. · The loft gap of 5.5° between the T150 8 iron and the T200 7 iron The averages shown below show my concerns over this being too big of a loft gap proved unfounded. However, as this is the blend point for this set, nowhere is it more apparent that what is gained (distance & forgiveness) in the T200 line, is done so at the expense of feel. The T150 irons are among the best feeling irons I have hit. Where as the T150 8 iron feels fantastic, the T200 7 iron feels muted by comparison. The chart below shows the performance of the 7 iron is there, but the feel isn’t the same. So much so, that I will be ordering a T150 7 iron to swap out with the T200. The 5 & 6 are clubs that I traditionally struggle with, so the loss of feel isn’t as jarring, in the interest of consistent performance. · The loft gap of 1° between the T200 5 iron and the T200 Utility 4 iron This is another area where the averages show that over the course of testing, my fitter Jim was correct in his recommendation. There were times during my range session when the difference didn’t feel as pronounced as the averages suggest. So I may be going back to my 21° Callaway 4 utility, as it goes a little bit further on average, but also gives me peace of mind, that the loft gap is 3° rather than 1°. · Dispersion patterns for all 7 irons. Dispersion for these irons from session to session and overall has been impressive. I can’t recall any balls that I hit that didn’t go where I was aiming. I tend to overcook the ball to the left when I overswing, but with these irons my misses were still in the area and direction I was aiming. Their reliability is like a security blanket on the course or a nice, warm hug from mom. · Carry yardage gaps between the 7 clubs. On average, the gaps were good. It is worth noting that over the course of testing each club more or less maintained the 5 mph ball speed gap that Titleist looks for during the fitting process. The Rapsodo MLM does a delightful job aggregating all of the data from the range sessions into easy to share graphics (Note: Distances shown in the graphics are carry distances) Pitching Wedge (44°) 9 Iron (40°) 8 Iron (36°) 7 Iron (30.5°) 6 Iron (27°) 5 Iron (24°) 4 Utility Iron (23°) In conclusion, I am very pleased overall with the irons. My personal feelings regarding the 7 iron and 4 utility have taken a couple points away from the score, but do not detract from my appreciation of these Titleist irons. (7 out of 10) On-Course Over the testing period I was able to get 6 rounds in. The first 2 came on Labor Day, when I decided 18 at Shaker Run Golf Club wasn’t enough and played a second 18 at Majestic Springs. That urge paid off in a major way, as I shot a Personal Best -2 69 on the Par 71 track. Shaker Run Golf Club 9-4-23 My favorite hole from this round was the Par 4 14th. An average drive left me about 135 yards out from the pin. A well struck PW put me to 20 feet. A lag put got me close and a 1 foot tap-in sealed the par. As this was the first round with the new sticks, there was a period of adjustment needed and the 6 bogeys on this round highlight that. Majestic Springs 9-4-23 Unfortunately, there is no shot scope data to share for this round. As it was the second of the day, the X5 didn’t have enough battery to make it through both. My favorite hole for this round was the Par 4 18th. I played a 5 wood off the tee that left me 132 yards to the pin. A 9 iron landed softly on the front of the green, leaving me a 45 foot put to a back pin. It broke left to right about 4 and ½ feet and rolled in center cup. That marvelous putt was for 69 and marked the first (and only thus far) time I have broken 70. What a special round of golf. Hickory Woods 9-10-23 My favorite hole from this round is the Par 3 13th. The layout of the 13th is unique in that the green is about 40 feet below the tee box. So the hole measures 143 but plays closer to 123. I hit the PW to 6 feet and calmly stroked in the birdie putt. Homestead Golf Course 9-13-23 While the birdies on 3 and 11 were nice, my favorite hole from this round was the Par 5 12th. It started with a drive that was straight but woefully short. That left me with a decision: I could lay up to the edge of the fairway for a decent look in or pull the 3 wood, then hit and hope. For once, self-control got the better of me and I grabbed my 48° gap wedge and proceeded to forward the ball by 100 yards, leaving me with a comfortable 7 iron into the green. The 7 iron I hit was high and majestic and one-hopped into the greenside bunker. From there, I grabbed my 58° lob wedge and went pin hunting. The ball finished 4 inches from the hole, for a tap-in par that felt so earned and rewarding. Majestic Springs Golf Course 9-24-23 The Par 3 17th was my favorite hole for this round. I hit a high draw with the 8 iron that landed pin high and finished 18 feet from the pin. I rolled the birdie putt on a good line that burned the left edge of the cup and left a 9 inch comebacker for par. Majestic Springs Golf Course 9 -28-23 The makeup of the bag for the irons only round. My favorite hole of this round was the Par 4 16th. A great drive by the hybrid off the tee left 90 yards to the pin. A ¾ PW finished 3 feet from the pin, that I converted into the rounds first birdie. Strokes Gained In my introduction, I included the graphic on the left as a benchmark of where my game stood at the onset of testing. As this test concludes, the graphic on the right is where things stand currently. While the credit for this improvement cannot solely be attributed to the Titleist irons, adding them to the bag sure as heck didn’t hurt. (18 out of 20) The Good, The Bad, The In-Between The Good: Performance, specifically how easy they are to hit and hit well. Consistency comes next. As evidenced throughout this testing period, my dispersion has been well within an acceptable range for my game. Although I could go on, I will stop with Confidence. These irons inspire confidence in my ball-striking and overall game. At any given distance, there is no hit and hope. If I am 155 yards out, I grab the 8 iron and execute. If I need to get one out in the center of the fairway off the tee, I grab the 4-utility iron and swing away. If I am staring at a 127-yard shot to a front pin location that is guarded by a false front and trouble, I hit the PW, knowing the ball is going to go where I need it to. These irons are confidence personified, period. The Bad: And now for the nits to be picked. Overall, I have little to nothing bad to say about these irons. My initial disappointment during this process is the lack of the shaft I wanted to try at the fitting, the fitter didn’t have the steelfiber shafts, so that has left me curious as to how that set-up would have differed. The In-Between: The mysterious nature of the Strokes Gained metric being used by Shot Scope. (18 out of 20) Play it or Trade It? PLAY IT!!!! As this set is currently constructed, I have seen scores that rightly justify their continued residence in my bag for the foreseeable future. To say that they will remain in their current configuration, would be tantamount to denying my tinker nature. My natural curiosity may see a change to Steelfiber shafts, and I will be swapping out the T200 7 iron for the T150 7 iron, but by and large there are no plans to swap these irons out with anything else. (19 out of 20) Conclusion These irons are as good as you can imagine them to be, their only limitations are that of the individual swinging them. They are built to perform with the singular purpose of allowing any given golfer to play their best. The ease with which these clubs blend across the product range is truly magnificent. If you are in the market for new irons and don’t schedule an appointment with a certified Titleist fitter, then you are doing yourself a grave injustice. Even if you have no intentions of buying them, the $100 for a fitting with a Titleist club fitter is a value for the experience alone. Want a small taste of what Tour pros feel like? Go get yourself a Titleist fitting! Final Score (92 out of 100)

McGolf Custom Clubs got named as a best fitter in America 2023 -2024 We are very happy and honored to receive the recognition. This is our 7th time for receiving the award.

Please welcome and congratulate all our testers! @Madden B @BMDubya @vman1964 @Blake Hopkins @ShimmyCocoBop @Bohnson @Randall Robbins @Jeff in the Mitten @Wicki @KenBender @TG8 @JChurch @David Staller @JRDuck40 @Indy_Oz @yungkory @MuniGolfer @Irish Assassin @"Mr. 72" @Mike10487 @climberboy2000 @tschott @JeremyD @2puttbogey @Erin B @Digiburdie @KevGolfnut61 @longdrivenate @Pingzingny @boylerz1 @TylerC31 @Push-ups For Bogeys @pantleggs @Duxman130 @gregh729 @Bob Jerabek @JC from SA @Thegolferdude @manderson831 @KenRider @Ryan Luke @Lvhawks3 @Hamhandsbill @Bangsuk @golfinnut @4theDogs @Desous17 Be on the look out for unboxing and intros coming soon! Let the testing begin!

TESTERS ANNOUNCED! MyGolfSpy Forum had a near record amount of registrations for this test and it certainly was not easy to narrow it down to get to our 6 testers. From L.A.B. All golfers have had those days when their putting stroke feels completely off. What they’re feeling is torque — the twisting of the putter head — and it’s the enemy of consistent putting. Lie Angle Balance (L.A.B.) is a patented technology we developed that simplifies putting. It eliminates torque from the design of a putter, giving all golfers the ability to consistently repeat their stroke — especially when the pressure is on. Whether you’re a great putter or a golfer who frets every 5-footer, our putters and grips will help you become a better putter. That means lower scores… and more bragging rights. Please welcome and congratulate our 6 testers who will partake in a long term L.A.B. Putter review! @RoverRick @McGolf @pozzit @Splatt @Syks7 @TSauer Stay tuned and follow the thread for a lot more to come!

Although this post/thread is more on a personal note it does in a sense apply to all of the Forum Staff. Today marks the 1 year mark since being named as the Forum Directory. A position I am extremely proud to be in and am so grateful to have been put in charge to help lead this community. However this could not have been done alone, we have an amazing staff that work so hard in the background and in truth do more than I think anyone could imagine to keep the community moving forward, bringing new ideas and helping with all the other forum stuff. There had been a good amount of turnover within the forum staff and having the stability of this group has made a world of a difference. So before I go forward I want to thank them. @GolfSpy BOS - you were the first new hire since I came on as a Mod and have taken on so many things and been an incredible addition to our leadership group. Thank you for stepping up and helping drive this community forward. @GolfSpy TCB - Thank you for bringing all your ideas to the table and being a fresh voice within our group. It is always appreciated and required. The MGSVCT is a clear hit and has added so much to the forum. It has been a pleasure to see it take off in the sense that it has. @GolfSpy SAM - The life of the party? Your humor, participation and activity as well as helping lead the community calls has been so much fun and a huge additive to the forum. @GolfSpy_BNG - The classifieds section, fantasy sports and a lot more. You bring a ton to the forum which many may not realize at first. You have been a fantastic addition to the forum and we are all truly appreciative of the work and efforts you put forth. @Golfspy_CG2 - As much as you try to retire or step back, you are always here and getting sucked back it. Not sure we have enough words to type to thank you for the efforts you put forth. You have so many insights and history on the forum that this place would truly not be the same without you. There is no question the forum went through a downturn for a while there. However we got very fortunate as a new COO was named for MGS and he has (not at all that others at HQ havent been) allowed us to really take the forum in a way we saw best fit. In our first meeting with him he said something that has stuck with me. He said he didnt care about what happened in the past or what had been done right or wrong prior, but wanted us to move forward with fresh light and not look back. We have taken this heart and worked to drive all areas on the forum. Some of these areas are - Member Testing - a record number of tests this season, a record number of participants and reviews being posted! - MGSVCT - What a cool addition to the forum. Special events, weekly championships and a whole lot more! We do also secretly hope we can find a way that members can achieve official handicaps through our VCT, however that could still be a ways down the road. Oh and Bag Tags! - Classifieds - New system, cleaner look, better method for searching and more. Still working on it taking off, but we are very happy with this platform. - Group Buys - So far just the Jones bag, but we may have something else coming your way. - Community Calls - One of my favourites and something I am so happy we started. - Course Reviews - Another which hasnt taken off, but happy to so all the new reviews there! - Newsletter Updates and Upgrades - Get Forum Content every weekday and has definitely helped drive more users to the forum. - Forum Content on the main site! - This one I am just thrilled about. Period. - Forum Socials - This we have actually handed over to HQ to handle and we hope that it will take big steps forward as we move forward. And more. This last year truthfully on the forum has been one of the busiest years period. Participation is up, activity and engagement levels are way up and we have seen so many new members on the forum that simply makes me smile. This year has also been, in truth, so so much work and I am so happy for it! The amount of nights I have been up till 1am or later doing work whether front end or back end has been countless, but when we see the excitement for membership and the shock when we release tests or just the overall growth of community it all makes it worth while. As much as this is really a job and work, it really isnt. For me I am proud of what we as a community have done this past year and how we have banded together to bring the forum from where it was a year ago to where we are today. This has not been a solo effort and not even just a staff effort, however the whole community. So a big shout out to all of you who have stuck with us and provided feedback or taken part in anything on the forum. We have this community because of you. I am so happy to celebrate 1 year as the lead on the forum and am so excited continue in this role driving the forum forward and ensuring that we continue to stay true to our roots of being a community. I could go on a lot longer, and may in future responses in this thread, but just a big thank you to HQ for putting me in this position, to the membership for sticking by us and the staff for contributing how you have and supporting me over this last year. One year down and a whole lot more to come!

Thank you MyGolfSpy and Cobra Golf for giving me this phenomenal opportunity to compete against a wonderful group of testers! Congratulations go out to @Tom the Golf Nut, @chisag, @Jnoble89, @JerryB, and @CFreddie for being chosen, I'm looking forward to teaming up with one of you. My hands are shaking right now, normally I pack everything for work and head out the door but I had to sit for a minute and compose myself after seeing the announcement. This is an amazing opportunity and I hope I can do the forum proud.

Okay we have a pretty unique opportunity open to all members in the US regardless of whether they are testing something currently or not. The process is simple, but you need to read and follow instructions in order to take part. What is it? Bridgestone is looking for up to Forum members to get a free dozen Bridgestone Mindset golf balls for sampling. Yes, you read that right up to 125 members. That's not all though, if you are in a part of the country that isn't able to golf right now, don't worry! Next month we will run this back for another week and another 125 members. Then again the next month and the month after that for a total of up to 500 members! Note: Each member is only eligible to participate once! Pick your month for when you can golf the most and get the most out of this opportunity! A huge thank you and shout out to Bridgestone for this. So how do you apply and what do you have to do? Step 1: Watch this YouTube video Then watch it again. Seriously, a second time would be beneficial and it is only 2 minutes long. Step 2: Go over to Bridgestones website and go through their Ball Selection Guide. https://www.bridgestonegolf.com/en-us/find-my-ball/ball-selector-tool#/ Once you have done that you will know which ball is best for you! Easy. Post a screenshot or photo of your results. Step 3: Fill out this form and answer all the questions correctly! Questions need to be correct in order to be eligible for the free dozen golf balls. Link below for those that are not able to fill out as is in the forum above. There are two sections - one for the questionnaire and second for shipping information to be sent to Bridgestone. (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc1xWU_2ZHalyaHbKJGBO-KP5nCs5iYtTa6W9XMUvM96IUUrQ/viewform?usp=sf_link) Step 4: Wait for your golf balls and get ready to start posting! We will leave this open for 1 week and then send all the correct responses to Bridgestone for them to ship out the golf balls. Few final notes for this opportunity - There will be no PM or other message confirming your participation. When the golf balls show up we will ask that you post and share your experience with them. We will create that thread after the opportunity has closed. Last - take an extra minute and read all of this again! In this case it really pays to read and follow instructions! Thanks all!

Membership has grown, forum activity is way up, new members are joining and getting involved, new features are being introduced, engagement is way up as well and Member Testing is at an all time high. The Forum is in a good place and I want to give a big shoutout out to the Forum Staff. @GolfSpy BOS @GolfSpy TCB @Golfspy_CG2 @GolfSpy_BNG @GolfSpy SAM The amount of work and efforts this team has put forth over the last 8 plus months to provide the membership with all of these features, tests and just making the forum what it is today cannot be understated. Not only that, but the behind the scenes time they commit to everything on the forum is fantastic. From our weekly meetings, to special meetings with OEMs to get member tests, to goodness knows how many emails every day they all put in so much time it is kinda hard to repay them properly. It has been such a pleasure to work with them and gather their input and ideas and put them into practice. From simple, but engaging threads such as Tell Us Your Best Story thread to Forum changing features such as the MGSVT and not to be forgotten Archived BST all of it has truly helped The Forum become a thriving place each and every day. When we were looking for staff members we wanted those who would be engaged and be active members on the Forum, not just staff members working in the background. I am extremely proud of this group for taking on that challenge and being leaders in the community. You may have also noted I am using the words Forum Staff versus moderators. Of course we all moderate and take care of those duties, but in truth these guys do a whole lot more and as such I do want to somewhat move away from the term Moderator and move to Forum Staff as it significantly better describes the job they do. These guys have truly rocked it and again just want to give a big thanks to all of them here on the forum. It has been and will continue to be a pleasure to work with all of you as we see what is next for the Forum and its Membership. I guess really I want to make this post and maybe today (May 20th) Forum Staff Appreciation Day... can we make that a thing? I think we can. Fwiw I want to exclude myself from this and recognize all the staff above. I have said things like this in other threads and posts, but truly believe it deserves its own thread. Have a great Saturday all and if you see this thread please drop all of these guys a thanks as they do a whole lot more than anyone can really imagine!

Hello golfers, readers of all ages, I’m EMacK1961 and I have been selected as a tester for the TaylorMade Qi10 Standard Driver. I play out of a region just south of San Diego, in Ensenada, Mexico. The weather allows for golf year-round, unlike some parts of the spy network, that is currently under snow and ice. Most days are in the 60’s-70’s with on shore breezes to contend with. I currently am a member at Baja Country Club. I also play at the Bajamar Oceanfront and Golf Resort. I have been playing since the 80’s, when I was in the USArmy at Ft. Campbell, KY. I became more serious about the game in the 90’s as an escape from my bowling pursuit. I was a member of the PBA in the 90’s. I enjoyed rounds of golf to clear my head from the bowling life. The 2000’s were not kind to me from 1999-2014 I had 14 spinal surgeries. I have pieces of metal, plastic, and cord holding my spine together. It was after the last of the surgeries, that I allowed myself to seek out an instructor who I could work with. Bobby Lopez, PGA was the guy. He worked with what I brought and made a half decent swing out of it. Since 2020, I’ve had two more surgeries. My swing didn’t change much after that, thank goodness. With surgery behind me, I went to work on my body. I worked out, dropped almost 50lbs, became stronger, yet more flexible as well. Now my clubhead speed with a driver is over 100mph. I’m the kind of golfer that enjoys every round as if it could be his last. I appreciate a well done shot by myself or my playing partners and I acknowledge it. My scores hover around 90. Some higher and some lower. I need to work more on 125yds and in. I keep pulling to the left. I want to test this product on the range and on the course. I have a launch monitor I will use to show the differences between my current TaylorMade R15 and the new Qi10 Standard. I also have Shot Scope which will help track data with the new driver as well. Ultimately, the data will determine if it stays in the bag. I’m over the world excited about the testing of the new Qi10 Standard. I have never had any new technology at my disposal before. I’ve always bought used and several years old (at the time). I’m not one to go into a golf shop and look at the new equipment. A. I usually couldn’t afford it and B. I find it hard to decipher all the technospeak used with those new products. That’s why I rely on MyGolfSpy to help me make sense of it all. Over the years I’ve had a TaylorMade bias, I suppose. I’ve followed their products more closely than the other OEMs. The thing that jumps out at me, at the moment, is the word forgiveness. Yes, it has a carbon fiber crown, and it is the 3rd generation of the twist face technology (better results on off-center hits), but forgiveness…that’s what I’m looking for. I’m going into the testing not loving the driver. This is a relationship that has to be built. There will be a feeling out process in the beginning. I’ll take it to the range and set up the launch monitor and see what we get. I’ll take it on the course for a date, so to speak. Does the club perform the way I want it to? Does the club speak to me? Does the club work as advertised? My expectations…wow, that’s a good one. I expect that I will see a definite difference on the launch monitor and on the course. My dispersion should be less as my off-center hits wouldn’t be as penal with this new technology. As far as my specs for the driver, I chose the 10.5 degree and the Adila Rogue Silver 110 60 shaft for low launch and low spin.

Getoffmylawn’s Review of the Edel SMS/SMS Pro Combo Irons – April 2023 Introduction. Hello fellow spies! My name is Hayes. By now I suppose I qualify as a long-term member here at the MyGolfSpy forum, and let me say up front that if you are in any way new-ish to the forum: stick around! Get involved and immersed, and not only will you find some incredible testing opportunities, but some great knowledge and potentially even lifelong friends. As for this testing opportunity, first and foremost let me offer a huge “THANK YOU” to Edel and MyGolfSpy. As I’ll talk about several times over throughout this test I’m sure, this particular opportunity is right up my alley and I’m beyond excited, and honored, to have been selected. A little bit about me: I’m on Active Duty in the Air Force and have been for the past 22 years. I’m currently at Carlisle Barracks in Carlisle, PA, and will move this summer to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. My wife and I have been married for 12+ years now, and we’re very very busy with 3 little ones ages 5, 7, and 9. The bulk of time outside of work is spent running kids around to their many activities, from ballet to travel baseball, and when I do stumble upon some truly “free” time, you can bet I’m going to head to the golf course. Put simply, I’m an absolutely obsessed golf junkie and have been for about 10 years now, with precious little time at this stage of my life to actually play golf. That puts me squarely at a 7 handicap right now. I’ve taken a few lessons, I do plenty of strength training and speed training via The Stack System, and I have a basement putting green along with an assortment of training aids I use to do a lot of daily dry swings and drills. As a result, for a guy who plays pretty sparingly I can still get it around halfway decent. My scores tend to hover around that 78-82 range, but I’m also a threat to go lower or higher. Put simply, it’s tough to be consistent without more on course reps. That consistency challenge is especially noticeable in my approach game. Here’s the latest & greatest breakdown from Arccos on where I’m great and not so great, and as you’ll see, my approach game continues to hold me back. If I can clean that up, I’ll be able to capitalize on what Arccos says is above average driving and putting, and in turn start shooting the consistently lower scores I’m after. Fitting. I did NOT get a fitting from Edel, or specifically in preparation for this test. I am instead relying on several fittings from the past year that have led me to the Frankenstein iron set I’m currently gaming... I’ll post more of a What’s in the Bag later, but the bottom-line is I’m currently gaming a set of JPX 919 Forged irons, with copious amounts of lead tape throughout the set to put me at a swingweight of D3 across the set. To make a long story short, 2 years ago I developed a serious case of golfer’s elbow, and the solution I landed on (in addition to some physical therapy) is the Aerotech Steelfiber i95. Not only did I see near-immediate relief in my elbow, but I gained spin and 3-5 yards, and while some find them a bit boardy I’ve grown to love the shaft. However, my specs also call for the sticks to be a quarter inch short, and getting the swingweight right on a shortened Steelfiber shaft can be a challenge. 6 months ago I did a full bag fitting at Club Champion, and I got confirmation that the Steelfiber i95 is the ideal shaft for me, but that I needed to be at a D3 rather than a more typical D2. So with that info in hand, I’ve been gaming some lead taped Mizuno’s that are about to sit on the sidelines (perhaps permanently) while a new set of Edel’s tryout for a spot in the bag! On order is a combination set with the SMS Iron in the 5 and 6, and SMS Pro for 7 through PW. They’ll be swingweighted to D3, ¼ inch short, in a standard lie, and 1 degree strong. (That will make for a gapping problem with my current wedges…more on that in another post.) Curiously, when asked, Edel advised that they would achieve that D3 swingweight via tip weights, rather than through a heavier SMS Weight in the center. My clubs will come with the standard 2-8-2 weights in the toe, center, and heel, but I will also be picking up 6 and 4 gram weights and playing with the weight positioning. THAT is going to be my main point of emphasis for testing these irons. The Swing Match System purports to help golfers find a level of customization not possible with more conventional clubs, and most every review I have seen or heard verifies that there is a distinct “aha” moment when the right weight configuration is plugged in. I intend to put that to the test and measure the results to find out what are the real differences in yards, spin, dispersion, etc., between weight configurations of 2-8-2, 8-2-2, 4-6-2, 6-4-2, etc. The possibilities aren’t endless, but it’s close. To do that, I’ve secured use of the Full Swing simulator at my home course clubhouse, and free of charge at that! My plan is to compare them heads up to my gamers in their standard configuration, then try all the different variations and document the differences. Then, experiment with changing configurations within the set. As a guy with a bit of heel-strike bias, and some difficulties turning the ball over on longer clubs, I am beyond excited to have a chance to achieve the kind of customization Edel says I can achieve with their system. If their claims prove true, the Edel’s will earn a spot in my bag. Unboxing So let me be clear up front on the unboxing thing: I have high hopes that I'm really going to love these clubs, and the sticks themselves are freakin' beautiful. My personal unboxing experience, however, left a bit to be desired. Here's how my clubs arrived: As you can see, the box is not the typical brand-specific box one would expect, and there is copious amounts of packing tape and "extras" going on to try and pack and ship these. In the end, the clubs arrived in perfect condition so all's well that ends well, but I have to say it wasn't quite the "premium" feel I was expecting. I got over that initial disappointment quickly though, because even still in the plastic these things are gorgeous: First Impressions (Score: 17 of 20) I can't wait to get these on the course. Out of the box, they are truly awesome to look at, and that applies to both the SMS and the SMS Pro. Here's the SMS 5 iron: And here's the SMS Pro 7 iron: This being my first blended set of irons, I think one of my more immediate concerns was how well the set would transition from SMS to SMS Pro. As a reminder, here's my build sheet showing I've got the SMS in the 5 & 6 iron, and SMS Pro in 7 iron through PW. I've also provided the specs from the Edel website for each line: As you can see, the SMS has .7-.8mm more offset than the SMS Pro and has a half a millimeter thicker topline. Put next to each other, I have to say they blend really well together, with the only truly discernible difference being the non-milled sole on the SMS. Here's the SMS 6 iron and the SMS Pro 7 iron side-by-side: Add in some Steelfiber i95s and the Golf Pride ZGrip, and I can't wait to get these bad boys on the course: Before I can get on the course, it's time to dial in the Swing Match Weighting...that comes Thursday. I'll be posting spin and distance numbers with various weight combinations soon! FINAL REVIEW Aesthetics (Score: 9 of 10) Put simply, these clubs are drop dead gorgeous. As a blended set, Edel has done a masterful job in blending these clubs to appear as a natural progression. As you can see in the picture on the right (below) in particular, which is an SMS 6 iron and an SMS Pro 7 iron, these transition nearly seamlessly with almost imperceptible differences in offset and topline. They scream players iron, with a premium look captured in the Edel badging, Edel logo on the hosel, and the Edel-colored ferrules. And, while the Swing Weight Matching system is obviously front and center, it is integrated in a very clean and refined manner. Add in a classic satin finish, and Edel has created a masterpiece. Sound and feel are nearly as masterful as well. Well struck shots offer a tremendously smooth and soft feel in both the SMS and SMS Pro. I do find mishits to be more perceptible in the Pro, and herein lies my reason for knocking a point off. Perhaps it’s unfair of me, since by definition a blended set is combining two different clubs, but the feel on mishits is different between the two. The SMS contains a urethane foam fill not found in the SMS Pro, likely explaining a more muted feel on off-center shots in the SMS. And, while I had no problems with using the SMS out of the rough, I would personally prefer if Edel would CNC-mill the SMS sole, like the Pro, to make the blend between the two irons even better. The Numbers (Score: 10 of 10) Let me get straight to the point: Swing Match Weighting works. The system absolutely impacts ball flight, and allows a level of customization and optimization that I’m not sure other clubs can offer. I was able to use a Full Swing Kit simulator to test my old gamer 7 iron against, the SMS Pro 7 iron in 4 different weight conflgurations. These irons come in a standard setup of 2-8-2, or 2 grams in the toe, 8 in the middle, and 2 in the heel. Edel also offers additional 4 and 6 gram weights, meaning the customization options are extensive. Knowing my tendencies as a heel striker, I experimented with varying levels of weight in the heel, with noticeable results: As you can see, adjusting the weights made significant changes in distance, spin, and accuracy. In my optimized 2-6-4 setup, I’m gaining 5 yards more carry, less spin, and an astounding 12 yards better dispersion number. Anecdotally, I would offer two more observations. One, for a “players iron” the set, particularly the Pro, is shockingly forgiving. Normally with that much less offset and a smaller blade size you would expect a bit more punishment from mis-hits, but I experienced many misses that retained a lot of distance and stayed on line. Second, these are VERY workable. On course, I’m not one to try and work a ball unless a tree is in the way, but on the range I love to try and shape shots as a form of practice. BOTH the SMS and SMS Pro are much more capable of bending shots than my previous gamers. On-Course (Score: 20 of 20) I’m really not much of a ball-striker. (Have I already said that?) As evidence, Arccos shows a GIR of 35% with my old gamers, certainly nothing to write home about. I do not have Strokes Gained tracking of my rounds with the Edels. For one thing, they’re just too damn pretty to stick a green sensor into the end of. However, I can absolutely verify my approach game significantly improved with the Edel’s in my bag. My last round with them was at the MGS Pinehurst Open at Talamore Golf Club, where I hit 12 of 18 Greens in Regulation. I was paired with several golfers, namely @cnosiland @cksurfdude who played with me last year who noticed a significant improvement in the quality of my iron play. In fact, @cnosil called it the greatest display of ball-striking he's ever seen! Okay, that part's not true, but I did hit them pretty damn well. I can only chalk this up to the Swing Match Weighting system and the ability to truly customize the irons to the golfer. For me, moving a little mass to the heel not only improved my ball flight but also imrproved the quality of strike and my ability to access the sweet spot of the club. Once again, Swing Match Weighting works. The Good, the bad, the inbetween (Score: 16 of 20) As much as I’m obviously a huge fan of the Swing Match Weighting system, I do think it could be improved just a bit in execution. The wrench supplied is almost like an Allen wrench, rather than the typical torque style wrench that comes with a driver and clicks twice to let you know the hosel is properly secured. With the Edel’s, no torque wrench, just a cautionary statement to be careful not to overtighten. The weights slot in easily enough and I can’t see how one could really overtighten them, but if that’s truly a concern then why not include a torque wrench? It's a minor and maybe even petty grievance I know, but seems to me to be the logical improvement to make. Additionally, I’m knocking off a couple of points for the packaging and overall process of getting the clubs. To be clear, I love the sticks, but running out of the main Edel grip and Edel-branded shipping box kind of smacks of a smaller boutique builder without the wherewithal of a larger OEM. It was interesting to note the Callaway Paradygm testers received their clubs in essentially a week, while the 5 testers here seemed to get them one at a time and at longer wait times. Again, love the clubs and the performance, but if you do go with Edel you might be slightly more likely to run into supply problems and longer wait times. Play it or Trade it? (Score: 20 of 20) Oh, these are staying in the bag, and I would suggest anyone in the market for new irons give these a look. Frankly, I’m convinced Swing Match Weighting works to help you find the sweet spot and optimize the clubs to adjust for your swing tendencies. How many other clubs can say that? Add in surprising forgiveness in a players iron, and to me these irons should be considered by anyone in the market for new sticks. Now, allow me to go off script for a seoond, and talk about what might be an elephant in the room on the MGS forum…the SMS and the SMS Pro placed very middle-of-the-road in Most Wanted testing in their respective categories. To my knowledge, those tests were done with the weights in the standard configuration…testers did not adjust the weights to optimize the clubhead. You all know I’m a HUGE fan of MGS, and I normally wouldn’t question testing protocols, but I can’t see the logic in that. Swing Match Weighting is the signature technology in the irons…how can you thoroughly evaluate the irons if you don’t use the tech?? Bottom line: if you can, try them. Conclusion Edel’s Swing Match Weighting works. Consequently, they’ve created a phenomenal set of irons that blend together nearly seamlessly and deliver exceptional performance. These irons can be customized in a way no iron can to help golfers optimize the fit of the club to their swing, and in turn optimize on-course results. Final Score (Score: 92 of 100)

Well all time to give you a little run down and all things forum and where we are at as well as where we hope to get to this season. I will kick off with Member Testing - as you have likely seen it is in full swing and we have a good schedule built out and in place already. We will be adding a lot to it over the course of the season and still have on going discussions with several companies. It will be a great season for member testing and one we are very excited to have everyone take part in! Remember to read the guide on how to be a tester. We will not just pick ppl to pick ppl. All must be qualified and active contributors to be chosen. The forum so far in January has seen one its best months ever. Period. Post counts are fantastic and overall activity levels with members and the eyes on the forum has been fantastic. With the new changes to googles SEO system we are seeing a nice boost in traffic and we hope that will translate to more great new members and more people joining the forum and getting involved. The Forum staff are going to look to continue to bring you a variety of new features, new activities and threads to participate in and enjoy. With the new push on socials watch out for a few give aways from time to time and be sure to follow! I have already mentioned forum staff articles, but keep an eye on the main site for Matt, Jason, Bryan, Ben, Hayes and Marks articles as they will start dropping tomorrow! We are continuing to adjust the ad load and tweak that configuration, however the platform we run on (Invision) has a massive update coming which will change a lot. We will not be updating right away as we sort out any bugs and potential short comings of the new system. In addition to the new features it will be adding all of our custom features (VCT, Member testing sign up and more) will all need to be updated prior. However this will bring a fresh look to the forum which we hope makes it look a bit cleaner and just more modern. Stay tuned as we provide updates to when these changes will happen! The Forum staff have lofty goals and expectations for the 2024 year. 2023 was great, it was a bench mark season for us and one that we haven't seen in a while. With all time highs in several categories. We want 2024 to take another jump, however we are also very aware of our identity and not losing that sense of community. We may be a smaller ish forum, but we still want to grow and keep our core values at the heart of that growth. We want to see our socials grow, our content on the main site and forum expand. We want to continue to bring excellent member testing to our community with stellar reviews. Additionally we want to grow the outings to be able to host and hold more than one per season in many areas all over the US and hopefully one day over in Europe. There are so many things going on behind the scenes with the staff its truly a great time to be a member and with the growing community we can only hope to bring you more of a little bit of everything. So what can you do to help? Tell your friends and golfing peeps about us! Get them to sign up, get involved and make them aware of this awesome community. We don't have a referral program, but if you have friends or colleagues that are curious or nervous, a little nudge goes a long way. Share or follow us on socials! This is a great way for us to get the word out about the forum and a fantastic way to help the hard work on the socials pay off. Keep being involved! Posts, activity and new threads all help us get more visibility on google and other platforms. Bottom line thank you for everyone making the start of 2024 near record breaking and come the new month I will post some more data for those who are interested in diving into that side of things!

Have you posted 5 or more rounds in the MYGOLFSPY FORUM MEMBER VIRTUAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR? Yes??? Then you are an OFFICIAL MEMBER of "The Tour". No??? Well... What are you waiting for?? Get out there and PLAY, then POST your score in the current week's competition! Here's Why... Official Members of the VCT are eligible to receive this small token of appreciation from the MyGolfSpy Forum. Sadly, it is a little thinner than I would have liked (I would call it a tour card, rather than a bag tag... so I shall name it a bag card ), But, it does serve it's purpose of telling everyone walking by your bag that you are proud to be a member of MYGOLFSPY Forum, and that you are a card holding and participating Official Member of the MGS Forum Member Virtual Championship Tour. And if they are clever enough to take a picture, it links them directly to the forum... Can you say... "New Members"?? (I also want to give props to @Lacassem for being the inspiration for including the QR code on the card) Here's what to do: Just send me your mailing address by DM or to my email: tim.root@mygolfspy.com. I promise the mailing address will go no farther than the envelope I write it on to mail your Bag Card. Then watch your mail for your "Tour Card" and display it proudly on your bag during your next round. Seriously and Genuinely... Thank you all for making the Virtual Championship Tour threads a fun place to share your rounds, your stories and have a little friendly competition between the awesome members we have here at MGS. Remember... 5 rounds posted makes you an OFFICIAL MEMBER of THE TOUR. Sincerely, The Commissioner of the MGS Forum Member VCT Golfspy TCB

Hello All, This is my 2000th post. I tried to time it up, to hit on March 27th. The 1 year anniversary of my stumbling into what has become a rather integral part of my life. However, because there are so many great things going on the forum, and I gotta get these posts off, I am a week early. Such is life. A look back at the past year reveals quite the journey so here are a few highlights: The Callaway Paradym Iron testing opportunity is what prompted me to join. I signed up and impatiently waited for the announcement. The tester’s were announced and to my dismay, I wasn’t one of them. What happened next is/was critical to my journey. I read @GolfSpy_APH’s how to be a tester thread. Which prompted me to take the initial steps with a completed profile and photo where the B had been. My first actual post came on April 13, 2023 7 people gave a blue heart, which was gratifying, so my initial trepidation about posting was overcome and we were off. My next pivotal moment, and what I would argue is my finest contribution to these here forums would come from a fundamental question I asked myself: Over the course of 2000 posts, this was and still is my absolute favorite. Because I followed the prescribed steps and got myself involved I was chosen to test the Garsen Max Putter Grip. Which was cool, because Garsen sent us three different putter grips to try out. That resulted in: Subsequently followed by: I’m fairly certain this review remains unread by the masses, for reasons I have explained on the community call, IYKYK (yes, it’s still there). We have mentioned in the “want to be a tester” threads that doing a great job on a small item review can be a springboard into bigger tests, I am proof of that as I was selected for one of the most coveted spots for 2023: It was around this time that @GolfSpy_APH put out a feeler for anyone interested in joining the staff. Along with @GolfSpy AFG, @GolfSpy_SHARK, & @GolfSpy_KFT, I joined the staff as a forum leader. Which prompted @GolfSpy AFG to rename us as the “interns”. Almost immediately @GolfSpy TCB had to step away from the forum and I inherited a moderator role and the VCT. For those who are interested: And if you haven’t joined us yet, but would like to, our 3rd season will be kicking off the week of April 8th. We would be honored to have you join us. Lastly, my latest endeavor: Follow along as I try to overcome a series of seemingly random and unfortunate events. As I look back on the past year, I am filled with gratitude and admiration for my fellow testers and the membership at large. You have all made this place a special corner of the interwebs, where civility, intellectual curiosity, and kindness rule the day. A special thanks goes out my fellow staff members: @GolfSpy BOS, @GolfSpy SAM, @GolfSpy_BNG, @Golfspy_CG2, @GolfSpy AFG, @GolfSpy_SHARK, & @GolfSpy_KFT you guys are the absolute best of us and I’m proud to call each of you, my friend. To @GolfSpy_APH, my sincere gratitude and admiration for not only the opportunity you have entrusted me with, but the ever steady hand with which you guide this ship. It has truly been one of the great pleasures of my life, finding this place. Finally, if you made it this far, thank you for indulging my vanity post and know that you have a friend in me. - Ben

The Forum Community has benefited recently a stable group of dedicated staff members. We have seen significant growth, activity and participation across all areas of the forum. With this meant we need some extra help to manage the forum and aid in the various day to day functions on the forum. We are very pleased to have @GolfSpy_BEN (formerly Ben Joest) join our Forum Staff as a moderator. Ben has been a forum member for a little under a year, but proved his review chops early with the Garsen Grips member test and then blew us out of the water with his participation and activity throughout the season leading to a selection for the Titleist T150 irons. Ben also was one of the first to answer the call when looking for members to join the focus group, provide feedback on various projects and was a leader with the community call discussion. Finally with an area of need being required to be filled Ben stepped up and made himself available to take on the MyGolfSpy Virtual Tour as "The Commissioner". We have all benefited from having Ben on staff and appreciate his work, efforts and fresh approach to seeing the forum. Please all welcome and congratulate Ben on his new title and role on the forum! However that is not all... For those who also have paid attention to our Forum Staff Page you may have noticed that we also have a few more Forum Leaders to introduce. These members are working with the Forum Staff to make update and bring fresh new ideas to member testing, the forum and aid us in writing Forum Staff articles. That is not all though and we are very excited to have these three members join us as Forum Leaders. @Getoffmylawn - Has taken over our social media accounts and is doing a fantastic job in making daily posts and getting those accounts the attention they deserve @Lacassem and @Jnoble89 have both taken on writing responsibilities and create projects to help make our whole 2024 season better! The MyGolfSpy Forum is truly lucky to have so many great members and as staff we are thrilled to see our team grow as we continually look to strive for a bigger and better forum all while keeping to our roots. Please give Ben and the others a warm welcome!

One of the best things about our community is when a product may not work for them they pass it along. This is the case for @StrokerAce Callaway Paradym Driver. While it performed well during testing it didn't make the bag in the long run. The driver then changed hands to @GolfSpy SAM who put it head to head against his PXG. It worked well, but the comfort with the PXG was able to out perform any potential gains with the Paradym leading to more consistency and confidence with the PXG. Maybe third time is a charm? We want to find this driver a forever home! How to Sign Up - Unlike others where you drop your name and info in a sign up we want to switch things up a little and get those of you who are involved right now on the forum a better chance at getting your hands on this driver. Please post and share the following. 1. Your current driver( photo included) and the story of why you are gaming it. 2. Why we should pick you to test the driver. 3. Tell us about your best drive or driving round this season. The member selected will be required to do a full review on the driver and have their own placeholder post in the Paradym Driver Thread. *Driver specs - Callaway Paradym Standard (9*) with two shafts (Kai'Li' white XS 70g, tensei blue XS 75gs *We prefer those who are able to get play outdoors for this, however not a must. *Some geo restrictions (shipping costs falls on the tester). Interested in testing? Let us know below!

Testers Announced! Mizuno Long Game Test! Mizuno is here to bring back a favorite and often requested forum member test for 2023! The Mizuno Long Game test will see testers fit the top end of their bag with the ST 230 line of clubs to see what sort of improvements can be made using Mizuno's latest gear. Testers will get to experience the missing piece from their golf game in Mizuno's CORTECH Chamber which is featured throughout the lineup. What is the CORTECH Chamber? The CORTECH Chamber: The Missing Piece: Mizuno's CORTECH Chamber encases a dense stainless steel weight with elastomeric TPU, taking stress from the club face and creating an additional energy source. At the same time, locating weight closer to the club face to reduce spin rates, while contributing to a more solid, powerful sensation at impact. Please welcome and congratulate our testers! @Beakbryce @vandyland @Swood1994 @russtopherb

Cobra 50th Anniversary Member Special – Official MGS Forum Review by Jnoble89 Hello all! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jason, better known as Jnoble89, and I am thrilled to be participating in the #Cobra50thAnniversary challenge. I am 33 years old, and reside in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin in Reedsburg, with my wife of 8+ years and our two boys, ages 6 and 3. This area of the state is home to some beautiful golf courses, and I proudly call the Reedsburg Country Club home. I do not carry an official handicap yet (working on it), but typically score in the low 100s on 18 holes. If you’d like to follow along with me on that journey, check out my thread here! I have been playing golf for about 11 years now, but until this season it was very sporadic and probably no more than 15 rounds per year max. I have already played nearly half of that total this year since our season started in April (perks of a full membership at the country club). I am currently a high handicapper, but working hard at lowering that number. My biggest strength lies in my putting and short game approach (8 iron and down), and I am most inconsistent off the tee and on longer irons/fairway wood shots. But enough about me, let’s get into what you guys really want to hear about, which is what I’ll be looking for this equipment to do in this challenge and what I am hoping to gain from the test. What I am looking for out of the Aerojet lineup is: 1. Will my dispersion and consistency with ball striking improve? 2. What will the ball speed gains/distance gains look like (especially with the irons)? 3. If I can get more consistent on woods and long irons, will it help bring my handicap down to be closer to what my short game is? (IMO, I outplay my current handicap on short game) 4. Will a 5w/7w work better for me than my current 3w setup? If these clubs accomplish those things, they will be sticking around for a long while in my bag. I have zero experience with Cobra golf clubs, so I am really excited to try a brand I’ve never hit before. I will be doing most of my testing through range and on course play, but am also going to try to get on a simulator to do side by side numbers testing against my current bag. I don’t have a personal set up, but will be talking to our head pro to see if anyone at the club has something they’d allow me to use. I am looking forward to competing and having you guys follow along. This one is for all my fellow lefties on the forum! #LeftyGang THE FITTING I had my fitting today with Steve Olson, who is a Cobra rep in Wisconsin. Coincidentally, he is also a Lieutenant for the Fond Du Lac PD, and works with my cousin there. Small world! We met at 2pm and I got a loose with my 56° and 7i, and was striking the ball respectably well. We jumped right in after about 15 balls and Steve handed me my first club, which was a 7i. Right away I could tell it was standard length (I play +1), so was kind of confused but went with it. Expectedly couldn’t hit it to save my life and was wondering what the heck I got myself into. After maybe 3 swings, Steve hands me another one and says “ok, now let’s go with this.” First swing was LASERED to a roughly 160 carry into the wind. Immediately after impact I let out a “WOW” of amazement, and Steve said with some gusto “welcome to COBRA!” He then told me he had me hit one that would have been “off the shelf” and one fitted to me so I could feel the difference as to why fittings are so impactful. I hit a few more but the first set up was literal money. Aerojet 6-GW, +1” and 3° UP, KBS $-taper steel lite. Irons done. Moved to driver next and all he had in LH was the standard Aerojet & Aerojet LS. I knew I was not a candidate for the LS model, so we left that in the briefcase. Started with the Kai'li Blue 60 and I hit a great shot on the first swing, but the shaft was more active than I like (it felt really whippy, which to me feels unstable). I play a Tensei AV Raw White in my current driver, so he switched me to the Kai'Li White 60, and I much preferred that feel. Had some solid strikes but was inconsistent on impact, lost a lot on a fade to slice miss. I did hit a handful of solid shots, which most looked to carry anywhere from 240-250. He recommended Aerojet Max 10.5° D setting, Kai’Li White 60g. The last drive I hit of the day (and my last swing of the day after the fit) was a 250+ carry baby fade. If I can find that this summer, watch out. Driver locked in. Next we moved to fairway woods, and again I was limited to a 3W as it was the only LH option. Set up with the same Kai’Li White shaft, the first two off the tee were drilled. Penetrating ball flight, 220-230 carry. I hit some more for the fun of it, and he recommended a 7W as well for off the deck as I really struggle with a 3W off the deck. I asked for his opinion between the 3W and 5W, and his recommendation was to bag the 3 for days where the driver is just not working so I have something I can still get solid distance out of off the tee. I will be using the 3 almost exclusively on the tee box, which actually works out for my home course as the there are 3 holes for sure that I already don't pull driver on. Fairways done. I wasn’t able to hit any hybrids as he didn’t have LH options, but got to look at the RH heads and we decided on the King Tec 3H, stock shaft. He LOVES this club and thinks I’ll be able to tune it to my swing with the moveable weights. We ended the fitting with the Snakebite wedges. He had a 56 and 60 on hand in LH, so I hit both and holy cow was I impressed. Wedges are my favorite clubs to hit and even though I’m a high handicap, I can work them pretty well. Distance control was EXCELLENT and I was able to throw the 60 waaaaay up in the air. Honestly might be looking forward to these clubs the most. 52/56/60 Snakebite Black, KBS Hi-Rev Stiff, +1” 3° UP. After we finished we just had some fun hitting shots with the clubs. The entire fit was done in 2 hours, and Steve was honestly awesome at getting me into the correct shafts almost immediately. It was such a cool experience working with someone in the Cobra family. Got to ask him lots of questions about the tech in the clubs and he was great at explaining how it’ll help my game. Two golf geeks in paradise. Data was collected on a Mevo, but I honestly never even looked at the numbers. He saw what he wanted in the numbers and I trust him completely. He also told me he vacations a lot at a tourist destination very close to where I live, so we are going to try to set up at least one round together this summer. This was my first real fitting, and I cannot stress enough how impactful it is no matter your skill level. If you have never done an iron fitting, DON’T HESITATE! Now the waiting game begins, cannot wait to get these sticks! #LeftyGang Unboxing & First Impressions I'll be kicking off my unboxing and first impressions segment with the Ultralight Cart bag. I went with the Antique Bronze/Black colorway, and it looks even better in person than it did online (S/O to my oldest son, who helped me pick the color!). The actual unboxing itself was exciting purely in the sense that it was the first unboxing of the challenge. I posted a short video preview of my unboxing, which you can find on Page 25 of the thread. Outside of that excitement, there were no thrills or frills to the packaging. Standard shipping box containing the cart bag. The golf bag was inside a plastic bag which I appreciated, to keep it as clean as possible during transit. Getting into the specifics of the bag, what stood out to me immediately was the absence of a dedicated putter well. There is an oversized slot in the 14 way top for the putter, but no well. This was something I had to have when I purchased my Org 14, but I have found at times it is challenging to get the club in and out with the oversized grip. I will be curious to see the difference the Cobra bag brings. There are also three full length dividers instead of individual dividers, but again, I have had challenges at times getting clubs in and out with the individual full length dividers in the Org 14. I have a feeling it'll be smoother pulling clubs with the Ultralight. There are also no shortage of storage options on the Ultralight, which I LOVE. One thing I really like is the centralized cooler pocket. It is GIGANTIC. We have our own personal golf cart, and it's not set up where I can get a cooler on it practically, so this pocket will come in handy for sure. There is a magnetic rangefinder pocket, lined valuables pocket, two smaller pockets I'll use for tees and ball markers, and then a large pocket at the bottom of the bag where I'll keep golf balls. Two large pockets on each side, and one of them has a mesh slot that I will plan to store extra golf gloves in, which will keep them organized instead of floating around in that large pocket. There are also two smaller pockets on each side. I'm already quite confident this bag will be replacing my Callaway ORG 14 based on the presumed functionality, but time will tell as I get it on the course. I did put my current clubs in the bag for a photo to see how it looks loaded. Definitely ready to get it stocked with the Cobra clubs! Great start to the unboxing process, and I will update this section again when more arrive! Some photos of the new sticks and I will add more as we go! Cobra Woods Challenge - Reviews // Aerojet Max Driver (Updated 8/4/23) Looks/Sound/Feel - 4.5/5 When compared to my Titleist TSi3, the Aerojet Max is louder. That being said, it’s not an obnoxious sound. When struck well, it inspires confidence that you mashed a bomb. Feel is very good, even on slight mishits. The face has also felt stable when I miss out on the toe. It is longer from front to back than the players shape of my TSi, but it’s not significant and still looks really good. I do prefer the traditional pear shape of my TSi, so half a point is lost for me there. On Course Performance 5/5 The AJ Max driver and I got off to a rocky start, but after having it in play consistently, it has overtaken the TSi3. I am consistently getting better strikes, and while the top end distance may not be quite as long as TSi, I am still getting balls out over 250 pretty consistently. I have had long drives of 277, 267, 265, and my Arccos average distance is 256. I am loving this club currently. Play It or Trade It 5/5 Early on, the AJ Max did not outpace my TSi3. I can report that as of yesterday (8/3/23), it has taken the top spot in my bag and will be staying there for this season and beyond. The forgiveness plus still really solid distance outweighs the max distance potential of the TSi3, as mishits are much more punishing with that club. Really happy with how AJM is performing. Aerojet Max Driver Overall 14.5/15 This is a very good driver with good no upcharge shaft options. If I could do it again, I’d order the Tensei White AV Raw shaft that I play in my TSi3. Kai’Li white is VERY similar, but the Tensei shaft fits my swing so well. It is a confidence inspiring club that looks great at address, feels really good on slight mishits and provides solid distance on those misses. I will continue to play this driver against my TSi3 and see if it can change my mind. Aerojet Max Fairway Woods Looks/Sound/Feel - 5/5 The 3 & 7 woods are home run clubs for me. They look fantastic at address and honestly do not look intimidating to hit. Sound is crisp and they feel great out of the center of the face. I tend to miss out to the toe and feedback on those misses is noticeable, which I think is a good thing. Compared to my Sim2 Max 3W, MUCH easier to hit and solid strikes feel better. On Course Performance 5/5 In every round I’ve played since getting these clubs, I’ve had a “wow” moment. First time out on Father’s Day and first on course shot with it, I landed and rolled off a Par 5 green from 235 out with the 3 wood. On that same hole with 7 wood a week later, I hit a beautiful, high draw from 212 out that got knocked down by wind and landed just short of the green. I’m inconsistent with fairway woods, but hit these better than any I’ve owned. Play It or Trade It 5/5 100% play it. Look at address combined with the shots I’ve been able to produce have had these clubs as a lock in my bag. I’ve never felt confident pulling a 3 wood off the deck, but that has changed since getting the AJ Max woods. I don’t hit them great every time, but I’m not scared to try it when I have a chance to reach a par 5 in two. Aerojet Max Fairway Woods Overall 15/15 I’ve been nothing short of ecstatic with the performance of these clubs. They work just as well off the deck as they do off the tee for shorter par 4s, and I would recommend anyone in the market for new fairway woods to try these out. I can’t wait to keep getting more comfortable with them and maybe experiment with moving weights and loft settings. King Tec 3 Hybrid (Updated 7/27/23) Looks/Sound/Feel - 4/5 Cobra did a great job with the looks of this club. The matte black crown and subtle carbon fiber are fantastic. I don’t love the look of hybrids, and do not like the head shape as much as my current gamer. Sound is a solid crack and when finding the center of the face the feel is crisp. However, feel drops off quickly when I miss towards the toe. My current gamer, Burner Superfast 2.0, edges it slightly in the feel department and looks for my eye, so docking a point. On Course Performance 5/5 I honestly have not had many opportunities to hit full shots yet with this club. First time I hit it, though, it was a rocket and seemed to come off the face smoking hot. In my first woods and wedges round, I used it to punch out of some trees after an errant drive on a par 5 and hit a nice punch draw that got me to striking distance of the green. After a bit of a rough stretch with the King Tec, I seem to have started to find a bit more comfort, especially off the tee. Hit two tee shots 220+ this week and if that keeps rolling, I'll be very pleased. Also had some luck off the turf with it recently, so scoring is improving to a 5 from a 4 (7/27/23). Play It or Trade It 5/5 I do plan to play this club for a couple reasons. #1, my Burner Superfast 2.0 is 18°, this one has an adjustable loft sleeve so I can loft it up and realistically play two hybrids. #2, it’s a club I want to love and am going to try and tinker with it a bit by moving the weights to see if it’ll help me produce a more consistent flight. King Tec Hybrid Overall 14/15 I think this is a club that will perform very well for those that like the look of hybrids. It has pop and the ball comes off the face hot. I do not love the look of a typical hybrid, as my Burner Superfast 2.0 is longer and looks almost like a mini fairway wood. I’m going to keep it in play this year and see if I can get better with it. I’m not sure the shaft is great for my swing, but this was a club I did not get to hit at my fitting so it was the stock option. Putter - King 3D Supernova (Updated 7/31/23) Look/Sound/Feel - 4/5 This is my first venture out of the mallet putter lane, and I really like the look of the 3D Supernova. Size wise, it is nearly identical to my Spider Tour Platinum in both width and length. The Supernova is a single bend hosel vs. the double bend on my Spider, so that will take some adjusting. Sound is a little higher pitched “click” and off the face, the Supernova is firmer than my Spider. Taylormade’s Pure Roll insert is really nice, and at this point I do prefer the softer feel. I did leave a couple putts a bit shorter than I should have, and that I am chalking up to getting used to the feel of a new putter. The head also feels lighter, but overall club weight feels the same as the KBS putter shaft is heavier than the shaft in my current gamer. On Course Performance - 4/5 Remember how I just said I currently prefer the feel of my Spider? Well, that feel, at least on early results, does not outweigh the performance of the SIK face insert on the Supernova. I had a bad heel miss with a putt in my first round with the Supernova, and the ball started and held the line and dropped middle cup for a par from roughly 5’. I can say, with certainty, that putt would have missed right with the Spider. For my first time out, I was able to lag putt to within 4’ on all two putts. Putting is the strongest part of my game, and there’s a chance the Supernova improves it more. What’s interesting is that when on the Perfect Practice mat, the Spider handles the Nova. On course, I haven’t seen a massive difference in the two. Play It or Trade It - 3.5/5 The King 3D Supernova is trending into the trade it category at the moment. My strokes gained has gone in the wrong direction since putting it into play. While it is hard to say it is definitively the putter, I am used to that being one of the strongest parts of my game. I'm going to use it throughout this week (writing as of 7/31/23) and see what I can do with it. I should have a good feel of if it'll be staying on the sidelines afterwards. Overall - 11.5/15 I really do like this putter. Feel is good, it rolls the ball well, and it looks great at address. I just have not found consistency with it yet or seen an immediate improvement over my Spider Tour Platinum. Putting is the most feel based club in the bag for me (probably for most), and with the success I've had with the spider, this was a tough spot to win. Cobra Aerojet Irons Review Looks/Sound/Feel - 5/5 The Aerojet irons look great to my eye at address. For a GI iron, the top line isn’t overly thick, and you cannot see any of the back of the iron when setting up to the ball. Feel on well struck shots is crisp, and produces a nice “thwack” sound. You can also feel when you don’t strike the ball well on mishits, which I think is good for feedback. I think sometimes GI irons are TOO forgiving on feel, so I appreciate this aspect. On Course Performance 5/5 I have been thoroughly impressed with the performance of the Aerojet irons. Well struck shots are missiles with great ball flight, and compared to my TaylorMade RSi 1s, they are longer by about 10-15 yards on well struck shots across the board. Forgiveness has been really good, too. Distance loss is anywhere from 10-20 yards depending on how bad I miss, but the ball still goes straight towards my intended target. As a player who still struggles to consistently hit irons above an 8, this has been great for my game. Spin to hold greens has been much better than I expected as well, and they blow the RSi 1s out of the water here which surprised me as they are stronger lofted. Play It or Trade It 5/5 Not much to be said here, these are a 100% play for me and have been from day 1. Irons were next in my bag for an upgrade and I am thoroughly enjoying playing these clubs. Aerojet Irons Overall 15/15 I will be fully transparent in saying I was hesitant to test the Aerojet irons as my preference was the Tec X. The thought that kept creeping into the back of my mind was that the irons with the same name as the driver line that year were “lesser” irons. I am happy to say that I was proven wrong and have loved these irons. They are packed with technology and great for high handicap golfers working on improving their game. I am proof of this as during the challenge my handicap has already lowered from 26.1 to 22.6. These will have a spot in my bag for quite awhile. Cobra Snakebite Black Wedges Review 52°/8, 56°/10, 60°/10 Looks/Sound/Feel - 5/5 The SB Black wedges look incredible at address. The black club head contrasts the ball and frames it exceptionally well. Feel is very solid and good strikes deliver crisp contact and a muted sound. Paired with the KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 Black PVD shafts, these are the best looking clubs in my bag, hands down. On Course Performance 3/5 On course performance has been really good 50 yards and in. Spin and control is great, and the 60° has changed my game drastically getting out of bunkers. However, I have had a hard time getting the distance I feel like I should be getting out of these clubs, which is costing me strokes I don’t feel I should lose. I have been short multiple times with the 56°, for example, from 80 yards. That is a distance I had no problem reaching with my previous 56° wedge. I have been taking very deep divots (I typically just “bruise” the ground), so it’s taking some adjusting. I feel as though I’m striking too far behind the ball. I think this will improve once I get more acclimated to the clubs, but I am docking two points for this aspect and how it’s hindered my approach from 75-100 yards. *This may be edited if I get it resolved before the end of the challenge* Play It or Trade It 5/5 These are a no-brainer play for me. I have never owned a true wedge set, and so far I am really enjoying these clubs. I am confident I’ll get the distance issue resolved. The 60° has been a revelation out of bunkers, and the first shot I ever hit with it was getting up and over a towering pine after missing the green on a Par 3. I was sold at that moment. Snakebite Black Wedges Overall 13/15 Overall, I love these wedges. They put a ton of spin on the ball, which allows me to take a more aggressive approach to pins if I am in range. They will stop on a dime and I can get them to spin back as well. They look great at address, and the black finish is so far holding up very well. If I can get the distance issue worked out, these are a solid 15/15 and I will update my review to reflect that. I cannot speak to how they compare to a Vokey or other wedge as I’ve never owned or played one, but they have definitely won a spot in my bag. Cobra Ultralight Pro Cart Bag Review Looks/Sound/Feel - 5/5 I went with the Antique Bronze/Black colorway of this bag and it looks even better in person than it did online. Material is high quality and has been extremely durable. No wear marks from cart straps and honestly just a very well put together and thought out bag. On Course Performance 5/5 The #1 issue I had with my previous bag (Callaway Org 14) was that my grips were constantly getting hung up in the individual dividers. Difficult to get out, difficult to put in. The putter well, which I thought I HAD to have, was even worse. I have had exactly zero issues with the UL Pro in this regard and have not missed the putter well one bit. Pockets are laid out well, cooler pocket is massive, rangefinder pocket is magnetic, I could go on and on. It lacks a Velcro patch for my glove which I thought I would miss but I haven’t to this point. Play It or Trade It 5/5 Nothing to elaborate on here. Already sold my Cally Org 14 to a friend and the UL Pro is firmly in the play it category. Cobra killed it with this bag. Ultralight Pro Cart Bag Overall 15/15 Overall I am loving the UL Pro. If they added a Velcro patch to it, I believe they have an actual perfect golf bag on their hands. It’s lightweight, well thought out, tons of storage, and clubs go in and out easily. For the money (currently on sale for $174.99), you CANNOT beat this bag. If you’re in the market to upgrade, save yourself the time and research and go buy this thing right now. Cobra Full Bag Score: 98/105 (Updated 8/4/23) #LeftyGang

Testers Announced! It has been a few years, but we are very happy to have PING golf clubs back as part of our Forum Member Testing! The PING s159 are the newest wedges from PING; however, it is not just new wedges that PING is excited about for this testing opportunity. They have also released their new WebFit App that aims to simplify the often confusing wedge grind dilemma. PING s159 Wedge Features: The s159 wedges are now offered in six different grind options, with two brand new grinds introduced for this series (the B and H grinds). As PING worked closely with their tour professionals on an updated design and look which would appeal to more golfers. PING has included their Friction Face that combines face blast and their optimized precision-milled grooves for what they claim is "the launch and spin control to play score-lowering shots from every distance." Add in appropriately spaced MicroMax grooves depending on the loft; these wedges are packed full of technology. All of their loft and grind combinations have been made available in two different finishes: The Hydropearl 2.0 Chrome and Midnight. The WebFit Wedge App: A simple step-by-step questionnaire based on what their wedge experts use to identify the best grinds and options for their tour pros, the WebFit app aims to simplify and find the best grinds and lofts for your game. The entire process takes only a few minutes and provides several options that best suit your answers, making the choice of knowing what grind should work for you a whole lot simpler! Please welcome and congratulate our 4 testers! @bens197 @johngschulz @aguybadatgolf @Leonvdwesthuizen

FINAL REVIEW First Impressions (16/20) I wasn't impressed with the lack of protective padding in the box. The driver arrived without damage but I can easily imagine a delivery company gorilla damaging the club with the lack of protection. The different torx screw sizes for the two weight placements is puzzling. The head cover is nice and exudes quality. Aesthetics (19/20) I think the dark blue body and dark blue face are smashing. The Max has a very large profile that some won't like but I find it reassuring. Bottom line: this is a very good looking club. The numbers (20/20) I don't care how good a club looks if it doesn't deliver. This club delivers in spades. You can see in the body of the review that the club delivers elite ball speed numbers on off center hits. After adjusting the loft and adding some lead tape, the performance on the course was outstanding. At my slower swing speed, I just don't think I can get more out of a driver. On course (20/20) Despite being designated as the most forgiving of the Q drivers, the Max gave me a penetrating flight with low enough spin to produce a lot of roll out after landing, even in the highest loft setting. As you would expect from the ball speed numbers, it was forgiving on mis-hits. It takes a truly terrible swing to get in trouble with this club. The good, the bad, and the in between (18/20) This driver won't suit everyone. A high swing speed player may find better results with the LS or regular version. But that is hardly a criticism. There is no club that is right for everyone. The driver did not come with an adjustment tool or an explanation of the different hosel settings. The adjustment tool is probably no big deal for most -- there are plenty floating around and anyone who bought a driver in the last decade probably has one. I have no idea why TaylorMade would not include a chart explaining the hosel adjustments, but I am deducting points for that. Play it or trade it (20/20) This club is now my gamer. I fiddled with my previous driver until it was maximized for my swing and the TaylorMade still produced a small but measurable increase in performance. I am looking forward to using it as a test platform for different shafts, but the results I'm getting now are excellent. Final score: 93/100 I need to thank the guys at my local Edwin Watts. They let me pound balls on their launch monitor a few different times without charging for their time. Apparently, customer service isn't dead! Thank you to TaylorMade and My Golf Spy for the opportunity. INTRO What an exciting opportunity! Many thanks to TaylorMade and My Golf Spy. First, a little about me. I am a 67 years old (and I mean old) retired guy who has been playing golf since my mid 30's. Strictly speaking, I played a little bit when I was 11 years old but it didn't take. Interestingly, the main thing I remember about golf at that time was that I was always hitting the ball left. As you can see from my user name, the problem seems to be baked into my genes. I have never had much speed. I blame a lack of fast twitch muscle fiber. When I was a kid I could run all day but I was no sprinter. You can call me the Slow Twitch Kid. When I played football, I was small but made up for it by being slow. I'm married to a wonderful woman. We have two grown sons (my step sons) and three grandchildren. The two youngest grandchildren live 5 minutes away and we keep them every afternoon after school. I am trying to get them interested in golf, but so far no luck. The USGA says I am currently an 8.8 handicap. I say they are full of it. I have a hard time breaking 80 from the senior tees. No telling how high my scores would be from the regular tees. Driving is the strength of my game. I don't miss many fairways but am distance challenged. Iron play is the worst part of my game. My chipping and pitching are good. Putting is mediocre. A couple of days ago a Rapsodo MLM2 PRO launch monitor showed up on the doorstep, so I'll be using it for measurements during this test. I got some shots in yesterday. I am going through a bout of dizziness at the moment, so they were not my best efforts. Dizziness -- they should use that as one of the excuses on the Carl's Golf Land commercials. Here are the numbers from my best shot: Carry 207.9 YARDS Total 218.8 YARDS Ball Speed 127.6 MPH Launch Angle 19.0° Launch Dir. 2.0° Spin Rate 3065 RPM Spin Axis -1.7° Descent Angle 44.4° Apex 109.0 FEET Side Carry 1.4 YARDS Club Speed 86.2 MPH Smash Factor 1.48 Here are the averages for all shots: Carry 198.2 YARDS Total 210.3 YARDS Ball Speed 124.8 MPH Launch Angle 19.3° Launch Dir. 0.4° Spin Rate 3028 RPM Spin Axis -0.6° Descent Angle 42.8° Apex 100.2 FEET Side Carry -0.3 YARDS Club Speed 85.8 MPH Smash Factor 1.46 What stands out is that I am loosing yards because of high spin and too steep a descent angle. PLAN FOR TESTING I am going to use a combination of environments: on the course, on the range and outdoors into a net. For the net shots, I'll be using the Callaway Soft X balls that come with the Rapsodo. On the course, I'll mostly be using my current gamer, the Bridgestone B XS. I will be trying the driver in different settings in an attempt to maximize results. I also have a spare shaft with a TaylorMade adapter that I'll try, but my official results will be based on the stock shaft from TaylorMade. GOALS I'm looking for lower spin and a lower descent angle than my current gamer in an effort to eke out a few more yards without loosing forgiveness on off center strikes. One of my talents is missing the center of the face, so forgiveness will be a big part of the test. I received the driver yesterday. Make me wanna dance! It arrived safe and sound despite having essentially no padding in the box. I was disappointed that there was no adjustment tool included. Luckily, I have an old Taylormade tool that works. Also, there was no card explaining the hosel settings. I went online and printed off instructions for the Sim 2 driver that had the same hosel settings. The driver is a handsome devil. I really like the dark blue face. It is darker than the blue you can order for the My Stealth customization. This morning I played 18 holes. Playing in a 12 to 15 mile per hour wind, I hit 9 of 12 fairways. The distances ranged from 180 yards (terrible flipped hands pop up) to 249 yards (down wind on a hard fairway), with an average of 216 yards. Without the wind the range would not have been so large. I think these are encouraging results. Tomorrow I will get some numbers using the launch monitor. NOTE: I hit a number of shots today using my Rapsodo launch monitor. Unfortunately, after the shots synced, it was showing some bizarre numbers. For example, on some of the best shots, it was showing a club head speed 7 to 8 mph lower than it showed in the app at the time of the shot, but what looked like the original ball speed. This resulted in smash factors of 1.57 and 1.58. As much as I would like that to be accurate, I know it just ain't so. As a result, I am not going to post any numbers from the session. I'm going to the local Edwin Watts sometime this week and see if they will let me compare the Rapsodo to their high dollar launch monitor. I still find it odd that the heel weight and back weight are not interchangeable. I am going to get in touch with Taylormade customer service and see if they offer various rear weights (don't worry mods, I won't tell them I am part of the MGS test). UPDATE: I played 18 holes yesterday and was able to get a feel for the forgiveness of this driver. Not that I did it intentionally. I put 2 terrible swings on it and got playable results. You get a different sound when you miss the sweet spot and I did that a few times and still got my normal distance. That was impressive. When looking at the club head, I noticed something for the first time—the alignment mark is off centered towards the heel. I took a picture of that. Maybe that is to compensate for the player’s eyes being so far to the side at address. You'll notice in the first pic above that my miss is toward the toe. I say miss, but since I hit it there more often than the middle maybe the occasional shots out of the sweet spot are my miss! I went into this review hoping for more distance while retaining forgiveness. My thought was lower loft would give me higher ball speed and that may be true; but yesterday, I decided to go in the opposite direction and turn up the loft by 2 degrees and had good results. Hmm, more testing is needed to figure out that. UPDATE: I spent some time on a Trackman launch monitor to get an idea of forgiveness on off center hits. As you will see in the pictures, the retention of ball speed on off center hits is extraordinary. I tried different hosel settings to see how much they influenced spin and ball speed. The average smash factor of all hits was 1.49. That boggles the mind. The stickers in the pictures show the impact positions. Even if I didn't get the stickers perfectly centered on the face, the results are extremely impressive. Basically, any strike in the same zip code as the middle of the face gives you high ball speeds. I noticed on the course the other day that the highest loft setting was giving me the best results. The launch monitor session showed why. At my slower club head speed, I need more spin to keep the ball in the air for maximum carry. I have a positive attack angle with the driver of 3 to 5 degrees. That tends to lower my spin. Despite this, spin with my gamer driver is too high. My hope going into the test was that lower spin would get me more yards but with this driver overshoots the mark in lowering spin. However, that is applicable only to my swing. The driver cannot be faulted. UPDATE Adding some lead tape to the driver really helped with my consistency with it. Almost all shots are now soft draws and I'm generating a little more club head speed. There is something unusual about this driver which may make adding or lowering weight a little more difficult than with other drivers. Take a look at this video: 73292395586__26B318DF-D109-40E4-99ED-1BCBE5241D79.MOV UPDATE I compared the Qi 10 Max with regular flex shaft to my gamer Ping G430 Max with a Distanza 40 senior shaft. The TaylorMade was slightly better. I then tried the TM with a senior shaft and saw an increase of about 5 yards. I will be using the senior shaft from now on. Here are the numbers before switching shafts. TaylorMade Qi 10 Max Ping G430 Max

I just want to take a moment to wish all of you, my golf family, a Merry Christmas. This year has been a phenomenal one here on the forum and it’s all due to you. You have made the forum feel more like a community than ever before. I hope your Christmas Day is filled with laughter, joy, and good times with those you love. I know this is a crazy time of year and most of you will probably be running around today spending time celebrating the holiday. I ask that you take a moment during the madness to truly be in the moment. Look around, take in some memories, and enjoy this special time. Try not to get caught up completely in the craziness and make some memories, as they can last a lifetime. I hope you all have a wonderful day celebrating this holiday. 2023 has been a banner year on the forum and I’m excited to see what the next year brings.

Hello friends, and welcome to a review unlike any other (in my best Jim Nantz voice). My name is Tyler Sauer and I hail from a small mid-western town known as Belle, Missouri. I am a 32 year golf junkie that was introduced to the game back in 2015. Spoiler alert, I’ve been addicted ever since. I have been married to my lovely wife for 3 years and we have a 19 month old that keeps us on our toes each and every day. When I was younger, I was dedicated to basketball and nothing else. In fact, golf was never something that interested me. If you would have told me in my early twenties that I’d be this hooked on the game, I would have called you crazy. I joined MGS back in 2016, but I’ve been on a slight hiatus the past couple of years simply due to being busy with our little one and of course the whole winter thing that tends to roll around every eight months or so and forces me to put golf on the back burner. I’m only slightly envious of y’all that get year-round golf weather. Anyway, I’m back baby! Happy to see everyone and excited to interact with all the newcomers I’ve missed during my hibernation. My hometown course is just a few minutes from my house, and since I work remote, it tends to soak up my lunch hour most days. It’s a relatively short 9-hole track with a couple holes that can really cause some trouble. Ask me how I know. I consider myself a pretty casual golfer, I try to get in 2-3 rounds a week along with some practice time squeezed in there somewhere. If you had to distribute skill points as if you were creating my character, it would look as follows: My putting is usually the one thing that remains pretty steady throughout the season. I would consider myself a good reader of the greens, but I still tend to have those slight misses on either side of the cup. Could that be the putter to blame? Could it be that maybe I’m not as good at reading as I thought? Well, that’s what we’re about to find out. L.A.B. has been in the lab creating something special, claiming you only need the correct line, good speed, and your natural stroke to sink more putts. No longer will you need to worry about returning a square face, as their tech should make it effortless to do so. I plan to put those claims to the test in a 1v1 battle where my Newport 2 squares up against the Link. The plan is to continue what I'm doing now, and that's playing lots of golf, all while paying more close attention to putting stats like SGP as well as recording distances and missed putt data. I am truly excited for this heavyweight bout, especially since I’ve never gamed a center shafted putter. And, since we’re on a bit of a scientific showdown I want to leave you all with my hypothesis… IF the Link.1 face remains square throughout my stroke, THEN I will drop more putts and make the L.A.B. putter my primary, BECAUSE we all love one putts. (Bonus shot of my local course that I took with my drone) I want to give a quick overview of the fitting experience I had with Sam. To begin with, L.A.B. offers remote fittings if you’re not able to make it to one of the locations that is able to fit you in person. Personally, I think that’s pretty rad! In order to complete the remote fitting, just throw on your golf shoes, record a DTL clip of you putting, and send it in. Of course there are a few other specifics, but that’s the gist of it. After the Facetime with Sam, I slipped on my kicks, busted out the tripod, and sank an imaginary 40 footer… a few times. Normally, you would email the video in and they would analyze it and get back with you. In this case, Sam wanted the video sent directly to him so we could expedite the process. Pretty cool… right? After sending him the goods, he had a couple of concerns and wanted me to adjust some things. Unbeknownst to me, I was pretty crammed up and my sight line was a little far over the ball. I currently play a 36” putter, but luckily I had a 37” one lying around, as that’s what he wanted me to try out. Back to the tripod we went, relaxed the posture, and focused on keeping the sight line a little inside the hosel. Sam liked the second rendition much better… Now we’re cooking! He gave me the deets on what options he suggested and we rolled with it (ba dum tss). After recording both fittings, I took a look at things and put the images side by side, which made it pretty apparent that I was indeed a little crammed and in an extremely poor position. Of course, getting fit by the CEO of the company you’re getting the putter from is an awesome story. But, what made it extra special was Sam’s passion about the whole experience. He wanted to make sure he was doing everything he could to assure I am going to have the best possible outcome… which is just grand! I will leave the custom details a mystery for now, at least until the unboxing. That way we're all waiting on the UPS man! CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT'S IN THE BOX If you would like to look at some early testing data, click the link below. This is still a work in progress and there will be more results posted later once I can get around to finishing those tests up! >>> LET'S TALK NUMBERS <<< First Impressions (19.5/20) When you think of L.A.B. Golf, what comes to mind? Do you think less strokes at the cost of looks or is it hard to even see beyond the unorthodox design that is the Mezz or DF2.1? Before testing opened, I was aware of LAB as there are a few YouTube golfers I watch religiously that play both of those aforementioned models. So, I was already intrigued. But, what really grabbed my attention was their new Link.1 model, which mimics that of a blade. Now, there are some differences there with the center shafted head and the visible weights, but I think those things give it that LAB touch and I’m able to see past it for the most part. I thought getting used to looking down at a center shafted putter would take some time, but I adjusted pretty quickly. It really does feel like hitting your traditional blade putter. I love the laser etching of the logos and the sight line, I have never seen this done before, and it is an awesome touch! There are some slight imperfections/fuzziness on the logos, which I’m assuming comes with the laser method. You can only see that if you get REALLY up close and personal, but to the naked eye you will never even notice it. Another nice touch is the color. It may go unnoticed by most, but when you sit it next to what I would say is the normal or most common finish, you can see the difference. It has a slightly darker, brownish tint and no glare. Nothing crazy, but something I like. If I had to choose one thing to gripe about with the Link, and this is a very, very nitpicky gripe, it would be the toe weights. I think it’s more of an OCD uniformity thing than anything else. Aside from that small complaint, the Link pleases my eye very much. I do like that it is a little different than most and tends to spark some putter talk with a lot of the people I play with. Speaking of the weights, they aren’t just for show. We know that putters twist during your stroke, and in order to sink putts you need to make sure that face is square at impact so you can hit your line. That is where these weights and the LAB tech come into play, claiming to reduce putter torque (face rotation) and more consistently deliver a square face at impact, no matter how slow or fast your putter stroke is. That’s where the magic is! Imagine removing that factor from putting, now all you need to focus on is your line and pace. To visualize this a little more, give this short video a watch: Why Putting Is So Hard I will be putting the Link up against my two most used putters, an Evnroll ER2 and a Newport 2. I have been using the Newport 2 most recently, but have been in between the two for the past year I would say. Unfortunately, I do not have any prior stats of either of them, but will be performing several tests to gather some numbers and determine which of the three will come out on top. The Numbers (40/40) To start with, I wanted to put the first claim to the test. Does the LAB truly reduce torque and help my face remain constant through impact? I tested indoors on a BirdieBall putting mat at distances of 3’, 5’, 8’, and 10’. I used a laser to make sure I was lined up correctly each time that way all I would need to do is hit my line. If I could keep my face square, then I should not have any issues with making these pretty straightforward putts. I rolled 100 balls with each putter and spaced the testing out over a couple of weeks. As you can tell, the Link was the clear winner here, with the Newport finishing last. The first couple distances were pretty simple putts, there was no break and all I needed to do was hit my line. Of those few I missed, I can safely say it was due to face issues. When it got to the longer putts at 8’ and 10’, there was a slight right to left break, so not only did I need to hit my line but I needed to make sure my pace was good as well. My BirdieBall is fairly quick compared to what I normally play on, so the main issue I had at first was hitting it too firm, but I was able to adjust on the later sessions. From this, I gathered that maybe I wasn’t as good of a putter as I thought I was. Maybe I have an issue with hitting my line and there’s a possibility for improvement. Next up, I wanted to test out the longer putts from around 30’. There are days when my short game isn’t the best (more often than not) and lag putts are essential. So, I headed out to the course and tested proximity to the hole. I did those over multiple different greens with varying slopes and breaks to get the best results. The hardest part of this test was getting used to the Link. I did play a few rounds before getting to this test, because I struggled with distance control. A lot of times I was coming up way short, which isn’t a typical miss for me. I believe the weight of the Link played a role in this, as it is a little heavier than what I am used to. But, as you can see, after getting the hang of its stroke and characteristics, it outperformed the others significantly. A whopping 52% difference!! Aerial shot of my proximity test. Various shots from around the green from 30 feet. On The Course (9/10) When we take focus off the specific test and just look at using the Link during a normal round, it’s been amazing. Not only have I gained confidence in the putts inside the 10’ range, but my chances of making those longer putts have significantly increased. Before, when the putt was beyond 15’ or 20’ I felt like I was just making the stroke and hoping for some good luck that it ended up semi close to the hole, so I could tap it in. Now, there is a real possibility of me making these putts without any luck. I know it may sound odd to say, but it seems impossible to miss your line. I played quite a few scramble rounds over the past couple of months and I made sure to putt last or second to last just so I could get a read. It is almost unreal how many long putts were made. You may have read it in a previous comment, but there has been much praise from my golfing partners ever since I put the Link in the bag. There are times here and there where I struggle with distance control, but I believe that will come in time. As I mentioned, I was using the Evnroll and Scotty for a while and you saw what those proximity numbers looked like. I think a couple more months with the Link and that statistic may look even better. The Good, The Bad, The In Between (19.5/20) There are a lot of good things to talk about, but the first and most important thing is the free online fitting. The nearest PGA Tour Superstore for me is just over 5 hours away. There is a Golf Galaxy a little over an hour away, but from what I saw, they do not carry LAB putters. So, the ability to send a video into LAB to dissect your setup and fit you remotely is huge. They want to make sure the putter is fit perfectly for you! Another good thing, and I cannot say this enough, is the headcover quality is out of this world. When you buy a premium putter, you expect a premium headcover. A lot of times that part gets overlooked or the companies just don’t care enough. LAB is different. From the magnetic closure to the stitching to the soft, pillowy inside… It's absolutely phenomenal. If I ever lose or damage mine, I’m buying another one directly from LAB. One thing that may get frustrating to some is those who want to make grip adjustments to their Link. We know that changing the grip can throw off the swing weight on any club, but it also throws off the balancing ever so slightly on the LAB putters. So, if you are making a drastic change, it would be best to send it in to have it rebalanced. However, this is something that comes with purchasing a putter that is fit and balanced specifically for you. I love that the Link is the same, but different. It’s a blade, but it’s a LAB blade. It has those touches that set it apart just enough to pique the interest of others. One final thing, another good, is that you can always reach out to LAB with questions or concerns and Sam (CEO) or another member of his team will be happy to assist. Customer service is huge and I think LAB is right there at the top! Play It or Trade It? (10/10) Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, I will be playing this. My other putters are already nestled up inside on the rack, just waiting to gather dust. There is not much else to say here, I don’t see any reason to switch back to putters I’ve used in the past. Unless, I want to sandbag the front 9 and pull out the Link at the turn. Closing Thoughts… If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with mesothelioma the yips, I cannot urge you enough to give one of the putters from the LAB lineup a chance. I know you may find them a little bulky, somewhat alien-like, or just different… But, I think you will surprise yourself. I, for one, did not think my putting could improve without lots of practice sessions or maybe even a couple of lessons. However, I am already shaving strokes off of my game by doing neither of those things. There may be a small period early on where you may have some rough patches for a couple of rounds, but I guarantee once you and the new putter work things out, the relationship is going to be smooth sailing. FINAL SCORE: 98 **Disclaimer, I have developed these weird habits since using the Link.1:

INTRODUCTION: Ola Amigos! Quick chisag introduction. I didn't start playing til my mid 30's but took the game up with a relentless passion. I studied every aspect of the game and in the early 90's I was asked to sub for an instructor that went on vacation. Surprisingly many of the students I taught wanted to stay with me and not go back to their instructor. I moved to a new location and began teaching for the next 5 years and learned as much from my students as they learned from me. I was on Staff with Tommy Armour, Wilson and Titleist. 2 back surgeries from playing QB through college put an end to my teaching. I feel lucky I can still play 5 days a week. That said, some days are better than others and my scores can reflect that. I was an Air Personality (DJ) on the radio for the first 10 years of my working life starting in Greenville NC and ending up in Chicago and used that as a stepping stone into acting. I have been a member of SAG (Screen Actors Guild) in Chicago since 1978. Chi-SAG. As an actor in my prime years I was either very busy or had a ton of free time, and that free time was spent on the range and the course. My love of equipment led me to the PGA Show and I started writing reviews in 2005 and continued to do so until Covid hit in 2020. After spending 2 winters in Phoenix I moved here full time in the fall of 2020 and it has been heaven on earth. I play as a single a couple times a week but have regular partners on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Paul on my left is a snowbird from Chicago and in his late 60's and Chris on my right is an 80yr old Wisconsin transplant and been here since 2010. Shade and sun protection from sun hats is a must! The foundation of my game is iron play and my short game. Driver has always been my Achilles heel since my first back surgery as my body often disagrees with me on the torque needed between my shoulders and hips, preferring to have none. I will be playing 2 different courses exclusively for this challenge. Aguila my winter course where I walk and I move to The Raven where I ride on June 1st as it is one of the only completely tree lined courses in the Valley Of The Sun and when the temps get well above 100* shade is your friend. I am grateful for this amazing opportunity from MGS and Cobra so a big thanks to both and had several decisions to make. 1) Driver was first and I have to admit I lusted for the Aerojet LS but like the Head Cheerleader that doesn't know the difference between "their" and "there" performance beats beauty every time. The LS was producing 1600 rps and the Aerojet Max was producing 2600 rpms flying higher, longer and straighter. 2) Fairway wood was the next big decision. Playing on the hardpan Phoenix fairways make almost perfect contact a must. It didn't take many ever so slightly ground first contact into the ball off the hardpan to figure out a deeper faced 3 wood isn't a good fit for me and I have pretty much used a 5 wood exclusively. But I have always wanted to try a 7 wood as flying the ball higher can have it's advantages. This challenge will let me find out if a 7 wood is a good fit for me and I imagine many of you are in the same boat so I hope to have some interesting results for you. 3) Hybrids. My 21* Sim2 4hybrid has been a mainstay in my bag while my 17* Super Hybrid goes in and out depending on conditions. The 19* King TEC should be an ideal combination of those two in one club so I am pretty excited to get it out on the course. 4) Irons. This one is a no brainer. Absolutely love the King Tour irons. So much so that I previously bought a set and was a little disappointed in how much visual offset they had and sent them back. The next time in the golf store I immediately 2nd guessed my decision seeing them on the shelf. I have been doing this long enough to know setting down the King Tours right next to MIM Tours is quite different than being on the course and looking at the ball without the hosel grind of the MIMs to compare. So I now have a second chance with the KIng Tours in this challenge. 5) Wedges. Another no brainer as I have my wedges dialed in for Phoenix. The versatile grind is perfect and I am ordering a 50* Chrome Snakebite I will bend to 51* and a 58* Black Snakebite. Pretty excited about the full face grooves that are a bit shocking to my eye in Chrome but hardly noticeable in Black. 6) Putter. Another tough decision that turned out to be easy than I thought. I prefer a heel shafted blade putter having an arc stroke but maybe a mallet might be worth giving a try. I have 2 Scotty Camron 2.5's and a Nike and originally thought why get another putter that is virtually the same style? But of course the SIK face with DLT technology is very different so I am looking forward to comparing the roll it puts on the ball. One thing I can promise. I will be completely honest in my assessments. I will be glowing over what I love but I won't sugar coat what I don't. That's what MGS is all about and you guys deserve it. UNBOXING After 5 bags coming out of the box, I figured I would post a video of just after I unboxed my bee-you-teefull Cobra Ultra Light Pro Cart Bag: Unboxing Clubs Me: You want Pictures? You: I think I'm entitled. Me: YOU WANT PICTURES! You: I WANT THE PICTURES!!! Me: OK. Aerojet Max Driver 4.5/5 Looks, Sound, Feel This is a tough one for me. Let my start by saying I went through 3 very comprehensive driver fittings this last Spring and found a perfect fit for my swing both aesthetically and performance based with the Stealth2 HD that included a $350 Venus Velocore Red shaft. So the Aerojet Max even with it’s outstanding stock shaft had it’s work cut out. That said, it was very impressive. The shape is a little too long from face to rear for my tastes but it didn’t take too long for me to get used to the look. The color and visuals at address is excellent. I am old school and prefer a dense thud, not an explosive metallic sound preferred by many younger players. I think Cobra did an amazing job of splitting the difference as it isn’t very explosive but not muted either. I could certainly live with the sound and feel. 4/5 On Course Performance It didn’t take long playing the AJ on the course to find out it can be as long or longer than any driver I demoed in my fittings. I have hit quite a few long tee shots maybe 5yds longer than my gamer. But my shorter drives are little shorter than my gamer so on average it isn’t quite as long. And for whatever reason I tend to hit this driver right more than I would like. Mostly a push. A little ironic as I am playing the Max version with a built in draw bias. I did install a heavier 16gm weight in the rear which brings it a closer to neutral flight and there was no fade, just a push but it happens at least once or twice a round. Not surprising really as it produces less spin than ideal for my swing, which is always great for distance but not so much for control. 4/5 Play It or Trade It The Aerojet just misses the cut for me but it is an impressive driver and younger players used to larger heads that can instill confidence and a more modern sound may absolutely love it. I imagine this driver can be seriously long in the hands of someone that can take advantage of the lower spin. 12.5/15 Overall Aerojet Driver There is just so much to like about this driver. The stock Kai’Li Blue shaft is about as good as it gets for a no uncharge shaft. Those that prefer a longer face to rear look, should have the Aerojet Max at the top of their demo list. And the moveable weights along with the adjustable loft sleeve provide an excellent ability to fine tune your performance. Aerojet Fairway Woods 5/5 Looks, Sound, Feel What we have here is the classic Goldilocks scenario. It can be really difficult to find a fairway wood that isn’t too large or too small, a face too shallow or too deep and a sound and feel that you can live with when you miss a shot (we can put up with most anything when we hit it well ) For me all of the above is juuuuuuuust right. 5/5 On Course Performance I am the only tester to be playing the non Max version as my miss tends to be left. I have been playing TaylorMade fairway woods for quite a few years now and they have been the longest and most accurate off the tee for me. But I never felt completely comfortable from the fairway. They are after all called “fairway woods” not “teeing off woods”. I have never hit a better fairway wood off the fairway or out of light rough. I have more confidence attacking a par 5 in two when there is serious trouble on one side, knowing I won’t have an egregious miss. The 5 wood is my staple from the fairway now, but I have run across several situations where a higher flying 7 wood was ideal. The stock Kai’ Li Blue is just amazing in these woods fitting my swing perfectly and I can’t imagine an aftermarket shaft performing any better. 5/5 Play It or Trade It These AJ fairway woods are just a hair shorter off the tee compared to my Sim2’s but longer from the fairway and much more accurate. A couple yards makes no difference at all off the tee, but can mean the difference between being on a par 5 with my 2nd shot or in the bunker/coming up a little short. While no fairway wood is “easy to hit” and all require good swings and contact, these are the best combination of length, trajectory, distance and forgiveness I have ever played. 15/15 Overall I really dislike giving a “perfect” score to any club but I just can’t find anywhere to deduct any points from my Aerojet Fairway 5 and 7 woods. My recommendations almost always carry an “if you are looking for …” kinda comment but these fairway woods should be demoed by everyone, even if you are happy with your current fairway woods because as all us equipment nuts truly believe, ya never know unless you try. King Tec #3 Hybrid 4/5 Looks, Sound, Feel If the AJ driver was tough to review, the King Tec Hybrid might even be more difficult. Look is a little more shallow and longer looking heel to toe than I prefer but certainly not objectionable. Sound and feel are again, just a little less dense than ideal for me (can you tell I am very particular?) But pretty darned good and not something that would keep me from playing one. Looking at the sole, something I have never cared about, I certainly noticed the weighting that can really fine tune this club. 5/5 On Course Performance Sometimes your very first shot with a club can color your opinion and that was the case with my 19* King Tec. WoW! Excellent trajectory, good spin but a little longer than I expected and dead on line. I really needed to manipulate this hybrid in the Wood/Hybrid only challenge using it for anything from 135ish to 200 yds. Ironically I had very few full hybrids and with partial shots it was just deadly accurate. I needed to fade it twice and it worked well on both shots. Equally as good off the tee and the fairway. Easy to hit high or low. As someone used to liking a little kick through impact I never really even noticed the stock MCA MMT Hybrid 70 shaft so it works really well with this head. It just did it’s job and that is about all you can ask from a hybrid shaft. 4.5/5 Play It or Trade It How does the King Tec hybrid get a 4.5 and not go in my bag? This is on me. I ordered the wrong hybrid. In my defense I didn’t know it was going to be a little longer than my previous hybrids and I should have ordered the #4 at 21* of loft and a 3/4” shorter shaft. I play a 22* hybrid that fits that gap perfectly while the #3 19 KT is just too long for my bag. I feel like Homer Simpson “DOAH!” 13.5/15 Overall The King Tec with so much adjustability is a very impressive hybrid and if my 22* gamer misbehaves, I will be looking to pick up a #4 21* King Tec. who am I fooling? I will be looking anyway. Oh Yea, Best. Stock. Headcover. Ever. King Vintage Sport-60 4/5 Looks, Sound, Feel I prefer a tour satin stainless steel look in putters but the black Sport-60 finish is well done. Additionally I just don’t like alignment aids on my putter. Dots, lines or anything else so a 1 point deduction for color and the alignment line. (I did remove the paint fill) I have played with very similar designed putters in the past including a Cameron Newport 2.5 and a Nike B1/07 that I used to prepare for the arrival of my Cobra. I am a fan of roll technology, especially on non tour caliber greens that are slower and a little bumpy late in the day. The SIK face really produces a great roll and won me over after just 2 rounds. The balance and flow neck hosel is a good match for a gate stroke and the feeling is not overly soft or crisp but right in the middle and I really enjoy it. The sound is dense and solid. 5/5 On Course Performance Putting isn’t rocket science and those that know me have heard me say many times I am a Zen style putter. I just let my subconscious take in the line and speed and then with a clear mind and absent of thought, I hit my putt. Putting has always been a strength in my game and I have never changed anything with my putting stroke from the first time I picked up a putter. On course performance has been outstanding for both speed and line and I have to give some credit to the SIK face. The shape and look is similar to putters I have used previously so I was comfortable using it by my second round. 5/5 Play It Or Trade It For me, maybe the biggest surprise of this entire challenge is the Sport-60 will stay in my bag. I don’t change putters often so I was not looking for a new putter and I was certainly not looking to change putters. But the over all feel, look and the excellent roll from the SIK face has earned the right to be my gamer. Grass changes on the greens in the winter here in Phoenix and it will be interesting to see if it putts roll just as well after the change but I have a feeling it will handle the winter greens equally well. 14/15 Over All If I liked the black color and an alignment aid I would give this putter a 15. But personal preference enters into it and a 14 ain’t shabby. Other than that, I only have positives to say about the Sport-60. Looks great behind the ball, has just about perfect balance and the SIK face produces as good a roll as any face I have ever played. I also the fact that it is on sale for $149 is an amazing bargain. King Tour Irons (KT’s) 4.5/5 Looks, Sound, Feel The shape of the face and the size of the head are just about perfect to my eye. Top line and sole width is also really nice. I also love the satin tour finish as opposed to last years shiny chrome. I don’t care too much what the cavity looks like if a club performs, but I am not immune to pleasing aesthetics and the KT’s are much cleaner with a more pleasing and subtle look than the MIM’s. When hit dead center the MIM Tours have the best feel of any iron I have hit. Ever. And that is a lot of forged irons over the years, maybe close to 80 sets. But a little thin or towards the toe and they don’t feel so good. While the KT’s don’t feel quite as mesmerizing as the MIM’s when hit dead center, they feel very sweet and as good as any other forged irons I have played. Where they differ is not hitting the dead center still feels really good with the KT’s. 1025 Carbon Steel that has been forged 5 times will do that. To be fair, I am very picky about the look of my irons at address, so that said the trouble in paradise for me comes from the hosel grid and how it blends into the head. Cobra has been doing this better than everyone else with the last 4 versions of their Players Irons, culminating in the very best hosel grind I have ever seen with the MIM Tour irons. 5/5 On Course Performance The KT’s simply do everything you have the skill to demand from them. They are very accurate, produce a pleasing trajectory with plenty of spin to hold hard, fast desert greens. I don’t normally play fades or big draws with my irons, but when needed after a poor tee shot the KT’s performed flawlessly. Hitting them high or low is easily produced on command. Unlike some, I don’t judge an iron by it’s turf interaction since the ball is already gone before the leading edge touches the ground. The turf here in Phoenix is similar to what you see in the Open Championship with hard fairways so we just don’t see divots peeled out of the fairway like many courses in the states. That said, the KT's get through the ground very well and playing a soft CC fairway is a treat as they peel out a divot like a surgeons scalpel. There just isn’t anything negative I can say about the KT’s performance. 5/5 Play It Or Trade It For the time being, the KT’s will stay in my bag. I need more time with them after re-shafting them with Steelfiber i80’s. But the good news for Cobra is if I decide they aren’t staying in my bag, it is only because of how much I love their MIM Tour irons. That said the KT’s are still some of the best looking, feeling and performing irons I have played in the past 40 years. 14.5/15 King Tour Irons 14.5 out of 15 is still kinda like a MLB pitcher throwing a no hitter as opposed to a perfect game. With the same hosel grind and transition as the MIM Tours, the King Tours would have received a 15 out of 15. Evidently Rickie Fowler agrees with me: SnakeBite Wedges 1/5 Looks, Sound, Feel Let me start by saying I am pretty picky about how my clubs look and if I don’t like the look of a club at address, I am just not gonna play it. And if some of the design attributes are the opposite of my personal preferences I won’t even demo it. The SnakeBite wedges fall into both categories for me. I prefer a dead straight leading edge and the SB’s have a rounded leading edge. I like a classic teardrop shape and the SB’s are more rounded. And I just could not get used to the unusual look of full face grooves. So these wedges had everything going against them before I even hit my first shot. And then the feel was unpleasant, very crisp and “clacky” causing me to think I may have hit the hosel. I think the Black QPQ finish played a big part and removing that layer with an overnight dunking in white vinegar improved the feel but it remained much crisper than I prefer. 2.5/5 On Course Performance Cobra claims “The SNAKEBITE Wedge features our most aggressive grooves to date designed to maximize spin” and oh boy did they! I do like a lot of spin around the greens but I also want the ability to have my shot roll out when called for. My first shot with the 58* was a downhill lie to a short sided pin with the green sloping away from me. My only chance was to land it in the fringe and have it bounce onto the green and trickle past the hole leaving something like a 6 foot come back putt. I executed the shot just as I planned and was shocked to see the ball stick in the fringe like a cloth dryer ball hitting velcro. In all my years of playing golf, I have never experienced that kind of spin on the fringe. It took me several rounds to adjust but even then I feel like it limited my short game options. Full shots didn’t balloon, but often still came up short due to maximum spin. The Tour Chrome 50* degree performed better for me than the 58* and while still producing a healthy amount of spin, it was no more or less than other wedges I have played. But looking down at the rounded leading edge with a very tight lie did not fill me with confidence. 1/5 Play It Or Trade It At this point I am sure none of you are shocked that these wedges will not be staying in my bag and in fact I am a little giddy about putting my MG3’s back in the bag as they are the best wedges I have played to date. So it really never was a fair fight. 4.5/15 SnakeBite Wedges Thankfully most of my fellow competitors love their SnakeBite wedges so I don’t feel too bad about such a negative and brutally honest review. Especially since the fairway woods, irons and putter have made their way into my bag against some long odds. But you can't win 'em all. Ultralight Pro Cart Golf Bag Looks are subjective of course but I enjoy the colors and shape of this cart bag. It is not too big or too small but just the right size. With seven different color options there is something for everyone. I honestly was not expecting a new bag to become my regular bag. I already have 5 golf bags and they cover my needs. That said, they all also have trade offs. I use my ZIP remote controlled cart for about 8 months of the year and it is sometimes a little tricky getting bags to balance on the base as it seems everyone has a different configuration to lock into the base. Like my Sun Mountain Sync locks into the Sun Mountain push cart base but wobbles on my ZIP. I bought a MGI bag that solved the problem with the bag bottom and base locking together like Lego’s. But the materials are cheap and the bag developed a tear where my driver went in and out of the bag and the hard plastic edge cut into my shafts finish before I realized it was happening. Bummer. Much to my surprise the Cobra Ultralight Pro Cart has the same square base slot as my MGI bag and locks into my ZIP remote controlled cart! This feature alone immediately put it in contention to be my everyday bag. With summer temperatures in Phoenix typically 105* and above and setting records for consecutive days over 110* this year a functional cooler is an absolute must. Many bags cooler sections are just sub par, pun intended. The Cobra has the best cooler compartment I have ever used. Large enough to easily holds two 40oz water bottles and lined with an insulation material that keeps my bottles cool to the touch. These two features alone would put this bag at the top of my list if the standard features are functional. And functional they certainly are! There is plenty of storage space with big and little pockets to take care of all my bag needs including lined pockets and zippered pockets. They are all easy to get to and are laid out very well. Many 14 way dividers get club grips tangled and sometimes difficult to remove and the Cobra bag is no exception. That said, clubs get tangled less than all my other 14 way divider bags so it is about as good as I could hope for. Finally the range finder pocket is awesome and so much more convenient than the case attached to the bag and dangling around during the round. Again all odds and something I was not expecting as I have used different summer and winter bags, the Cobra Ultralight Pro Cart bag is now my year round bag. A huge thanks to Cobra and MGS for selecting me to participate in this 50th Anniversary Special. It was even better than I envisioned and I made quite a few new friends along the way. If you weren't keeping count I am now playing with a Cobra bag, Aerojet #5 and #7 fairway woods, 4-Pw King Tour irons and the Sport-60 SIK face putter. Who doesn't love Christmas in July?