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Showing content with the highest reputation on 04/05/2019 in all areas

  1. I don't know if many of you follow Tony (@GolfSpyT) on twitter but he's been blowing it up with the golf ball test. Needless to say, this test is going to really help in golf ball selection and prove that there are some SIGNIFICANT differences in golf balls out there. I, for one, find this test more useful for my game than the most wanted putter or driver. Look at the iron test...this is average carry and dispersion (sorry, I'm trying to figure out how to embed his charts on twitter): https://twitter.com/GolfSpyT/status/1114139033238736897 You have one golf ball carrying 189...and another 203.5!! 14 yard difference...that's an entire club! In other tweets, he mentions: The fastest golf ball off the driver (115mph swing speed) is the Snell MTB X. There's also a 5.5mph difference in golf balls among fast driver speeds (115mph)...that's a huge difference in carry yardage given all the other launch variables are consistent. Some of the golf balls are flying 40yds offline off the driver...and this is a robot swinging the club. Even with a perfect swing, your golf ball could cause you to miss the fairway...tell me if that doesn't mess with your head. Also, he's mentioned a lot about playing just one ball and sticking to it. While I never really thought about it, after seeing the charts he's posted, I'm ready to make a 6 dozen purchase of whatever ball fits my game and play it only from here on out. Case in point: I used to switch from TP5X in the spring/summer/fall months to a Snell MTB Black in the winter time but then when I would switch back to the TP5X, all my approach shots were flying the green. All my carry yardages, especially on the irons, had to be retrained. Thanks MGS...and thanks Tony for posting these snippets on twitter.
    15 points
  2. Gotta say, this was a very profound statement. I'm long-ish too, but I've been struggling to find my identity on the course. Too often, I pull Iron, Hybrid, 3 Wood, ANYTHING BUT DRIVER trying to out think the course and play to the corners instead of over them. Since I'm reviewing a driver anyway, I forced myself out of my comfort zone yesterday and hit driver 12 times. Wouldn't you know it, I'm in no more trouble than when I play the finesse game, plus I'm way closer to the hole if I miss. The game is much easier (and more fun) with shorter second shots. ......plus, it doesn't hurt that the G410 Plus is a straight beast. Here's some highlights: Edit: I guess I should point out that my ball flight is not a draw. So those shots where I cut dogleg left carried a bunch of risk with the tree lines.
    14 points
  3. Wrapped up the trip today withca round at Troon North. What an experience. One of the most beautiful courses ive ever played. Heres a few pics that I also posted in another thread.
    9 points
  4. So the hydropearl finish is doing just fine but I have another issue. I'm noticing cracking on the face along the apparent edge of the internal cavity. In other words, the face may be starting to cave in. It's the worst in my 6 iron followed by the 4 and 7. The rest of the set doesn't display this issue. Score one for Ping's 1-800 customer service though because they're going to replace the whole set at no cost. Just shipped the sticks away yesterday so I should have the new ones back in a week's time.
    7 points
  5. Just played Troon North Pinacle today. What a treat. Views I've never seen on a course. It's pretty visually intimadating at first. But once the outing realize the fairways are very generous, it's not that bad. We had a bit of wind playing in the afternoon but it just added to the challenge. Here's a couple pics.
    7 points
  6. Ping G410 Plus Driver Review - Stage 1 Hello to all my fellow MGS’s who visit the Official Product Testers sub forum for some no-nonsense, candid Intel about all the new products that promise to rock our golf world. For me personally, this sub forum and the product reviews written by the staff are what made MyGolfSpy my choice as the golf forum to spend time being part of. First off, a HUGE Thank You to MGS and PING who, along with other manufacturers, make these product testing opportunities possible! What a fantastic way to engage us mere mortal, non-professional golfers, and get feedback from a wide cross-section of players. Seriously, the whole “product tester” thing is crazy cool and I am both honored and excited to have been selected for the Ping G410 Driver testing!! I would also like to give a quick shout out and Thank You to George at Desert Hills GC, Yuma, AZ for offering to do my club fitting. When I told him the situation (being selected by MGS as a product tester), he scheduled me right in so I could get the data back for the order. If you are ever in Yuma, AZ, play a round at Desert Hills and say hi to George and Drew - great guys doing a fantastic job running that course. My Background So, just who is this @fixyurdivot dude? My name is Bill, now 58 and I started golfing about age 7 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. My Dad absolutely loved the game and introduced me to it. A used set of junior Chi-Chi Rodriguez clubs and a plaid golf bag became the tools of my trade. On Saturdays, myself and a couple of other neighborhood friends would get dropped off at a course where we’d get lessons and then play a small par 3 until late afternoon when someone would pick us up. A year later, I was playing in Junior Golf of America (JGA) and spending Saturday’s chewing up courses around south Florida which included Doral CC, Jackie Gleason Inverrary and Bonaventure GC. I never won a single event but the memories are still with me. I continued to play the game all my life – with bursts of focused effort/interest followed by periods of lackadaisical play. While in the Air Force, I once again got the bug and played quite a bit. I shot my lowest round ever (74) at Mather AFB in Sacramento, CA. Upon getting my Mechanical Engineering degree, my wife and I relocated to WA where I went to work for Boeing. I soon joined a work golf league and played pretty regularly – up until the last 5 or so years of my 30 years with them when travel, workload, and responsibilities made finding time a challenge. In 2016 I opted for early retirement and we moved to the golf capital of the world – Montana! Now I must confess that fly fishing is my #1 passion and I handle a 5 weight much better than a 5i, but golf is a really, really close second and I soon found myself playing the local courses. Combine that with our “snowbird” travel from Nov-Mar here in Yuma, AZ, where I play 3 times a week, and my fly rods are feeling left out. My Golf Game My current game has been pretty steady and I typically shoot in the 80’s. I don’t keep an official handicap, but my math has me at 13 presently. My best official handicap (11) was in the early 90’s. Inconsistency tends to be my nemesis – shooting a 38 on one side and a 47 on the other. Staying clear of “blow-up” holes when having a good round going is also problematic and most often it’s a drive gone OB that was the cause. I would say iron play is my strength as is my chipping. I have a pretty compact swing (not a huge rotation), not a really long hitter, and my typical driver ball flight is straight to slight fade. Another challenge I have is keeping swing tempo down. I’ve really been focusing on that the last couple of years and made BIG improvements, but I still get in trouble with that. I find myself playing courses much smarter these days then years ago. I lay up a bit more rather than trying to reach a par 5 in two – and to be honest, I’m still hitting as far, or further than a decade ago. While I still take aggressive lines off the tee, particularly when I’m driving well, I pay more attention to course conditions when choosing to do so. The “swing for the fence” mentality has slowly changed to a “manage the course” approach. I also find the "swing easy, hit well and far" approach to work for me. What’s in my bag? Well, let’s just get right to it – I still play PingEye 2 irons. I purchased these new in 1988 and have been playing them ever since. Up until last year, I gamed a Callaway Great Big Bertha, 8.5 degree driver. What can I say; I’m German-Irish stubborn, frugal, and not easily hooked by slick marketing and bling. It was only after repeated suggestions (ok, harsh teasing) from friends, that I needed to move into the current century in golf technology, that I purchased my current Callaway Razr-Fit driver in January 2018. I was fitted for the driver and it was among three I tested at the Kartsen Golf Facility at ASU. I immediately saw significant improvement in driving distance, accuracy, and forgiveness – silently asking myself why the hell I did not make that upgrade years earlier. Bill's Antique Clubs: So, this opportunity to test PING's newest driver technology is really interesting in my case. Having just made a logarithmic shift in driver technology, 1990 to 2014 circa, how much more could I possibly be missing? I am hitting the Razr-Fit very well and have confidence with it. The G410 Plus has a steep hill to climb. Will it reduce those OB score killers? Will its selectable “draw/fade” weight option, or 8 position shaft tuning feature allow me to get more draw ball flight? Will it yield faster club head speeds and carry distance? We shall see…. we shall see. First Impressions To be brutally honest, I do not find the G410 to be the sexiest looking driver. In fact, to me, it has a Chevy Truck vs. Lamborghini look to it. More utilitarian than posh, it has a brutish appearance that simply says “I’m ready for work”. The black, matte finish crown has no contrasting sheen areas, no logos, and no ball alignment mark. The “Turbulators” (small raised humps) on the crown are carried over from the G400 for improved aerodynamics – faster club head speed. At 455 cc in size, the G410 looks pretty compact compared to many of its competitors. This is a plus for my taste as I really dislike the “VW Bug on a stick” look. In comparison to my current driver, which is also smaller in look for a 458cc size, the G410 gets a thumbs up. At address, it looks great to my eye. The head cover is of nice quality and well made; sporting the PING logo and G410 designation. The graphics on the Alta CB shaft picks up the red accent on the driver head quite nicely and looks great. The Spec Sheet: The sole of the driver, interestingly enough, provides a bit more glitz with the PING name in bold chrome letters along with the G410 moniker. The leading edge of the sole has a black mirror chrome appearance which transitions into a v-shaped wear area. The forged face is fairly nondescript having a milled finish with contrasting white and light grey groove marks. It's as if PING is saying “it’s not the bling on the outside, but what’s under the hood that really matters”... and I'd be the first to tell you I'm good with that. Ping’s first “moveable weight” system for ball flight control is likewise kept demure with only a thin, red pin stripe following the arc of the weight track along the trailing edge of the head. The weight can be moved from the center “neutral” to either a forward “fade” or rear “draw” position. This feature is the principal difference between the "Plus" and "SFT" - the latter having a fixed periphery weight designed to prevent fade/slice ball strikes. On the surface, these seem a bit "gimmicky" to me. I'm really curious just how this feature will affect ball flight. I still tend to push more than pull shots and would love to see this feature work as advertised. This is something I will be evaluating and reporting on. My Fitting My fitting took place at the range and using the ES14 launch monitor. George had all of the available driver lofts and the four shafts. Both my Callaway GBB and my current Callaway Razr-Fit are 8.5 degree loft. Because I tend to still hit these pretty high, I told George I think the 9 degree would be a good baseline for me - he agreed. I started off warming up with my 6i and he used that to get some initial impressions of my swing and speed. He suggested the Alta CB Red in stiff, standard length. I hit the first half dozen or so shots well, fairly straight, and out just past the 200 yard marker. I then had a couple of hard pulls left. He switched me to the regular stiffness shaft and I again hit the first handful pretty straight and to about the same distance, but with higher trajectory. We then change from the neutral (0) to the (-) position - which changes loft from 9 to 8 degrees. I started seeing a bit more fade and contact marks out towards the toe. We changed back to the stiff shaft and with the same (-) setting. I was back to hitting more to center, with lower trajectory. He felt I could probably make either the regular or stiff work, but that I would likely see more accentuated pull and fade with the regular when I really lean into the shot. I asked about the other available shafts; (Project X Even-Flow, Tour, and Alta Distanza) and he said that except for the Distanza the others were more tailored for a player with much faster swing speed. What's Next OK Mr. G410 you’ve peaked my interest, but this is range time, not game time. What are you bringing to the course? Next up are some initial rounds with the Razr-Fit left at home – providing no emergency backup . Hopefully I can squeeze in another day at the range using their LM for some further fine tuning of the loft/lie and some head to head data against my Razr-Fit. We will then be heading back home to Montana where I have scheduled some time later this spring with a club fitter in Bozeman that has a ForeSight GC Quad launch monitor. My plan is to repeat the comparison with my current driver, but also get ball flight data using game balls. As the snow and frost clears, more rounds will be played ultimately seeing if PING's new “top gun” is better than my $60.00 Razr-Fit. Stay tuned for updates and Stage 2. Thank you so much for taking the time to read!
    7 points
  7. STAGE-1 TESTER INTRODUCTION for: Official MGS 2019 PING G410 SFT Driver Review SUBMITTED BY: PING Apologist #9 Greetings Fellow Spies! My name is Robert and I am here to share my initial thoughts about one of PING’s newest driver models for 2019; The PING G410 SFT (Straight Flight Tech). First, I must thank everyone at MGS and the fine folks at PING Golf for entrusting me to test & evaluate the performance of this newest driver. It is a true honor and one that I take very, very seriously. I hope that my experiences with it will help you determine whether or not it lives up to the maker’s claims and if it will be worthy of your hard-earned dollars to consider buying for yourself. Stay tuned as I hope to answer both of those questions over the next several weeks. A bit about myself as a “golfer”. I live, work & play here in Southwestern Idaho, and though I’ve golfed here and there over the span of 30 years, I’ve never really considered golf as a serious hobby. But just over a year-and-a-half ago, I got the bug and started the journey with club purchases, constant upgrades and endless tinkering. Now I consider golf to be my “primary” hobby with fly fishing being a close second. My golf skill-set at this point is still mostly self-taught and I sit at a rather high and unfortunate 21 handicap. I’d much rather go out and play than practice most days, and this mentality probably holds me back quite significantly. My game strengths are chipping, wedge play, short irons and I love hitting my 3 and 5 woods. However, hitting driver is still an adventure for me. Even though I currently game the G400 SFT which is supposed to correct a slice (and why I chose it), my general shot shape is still a fade and my miss is the bad slice right. About 50% of my drives are “good” and travel 230-240-yds with a slight cut...Here's a "good-un"... Just like many, I really need to be able to make driver more of a consistent asset and not a continued enigma since I tend to use it a lot. I hit it on most par-4s & almost all par-5’s. I do not possess enough distance with my longer irons for those 160-190 yard shots (my true weakness) to avoid hitting driver from most tees. My 3 & 5-woods will save me usually when I need a 190-220 shot and sometimes I can get to some par-5’s in two with one of those clubs, but not too often. Plus, driver is just plain fun to hit! I need and want one that helps me have consistent distance and most of all, goes straight! After MGS declared the G400 LST as the Most-Wanted Driver of 2018 (https://mygolfspy.com/2018-most-wanted-driver), I knew I had to get into a 400…and pronto! That’s just what I did last August, and all though I didn’t fit into the (then) vaunted LST, the SFT model was a better suited to me and it remains my current gamer. So when PING announced the pending release of the new G410 line late last year, I was honestly a bit surprised. To me it seemed that the G400 series was cooking along just fine and really hadn’t been out long enough to be in need of any sort of upgrade. PING is constantly noted for their engineering prowess, and they too are also known for not just willy-nilly releasing new gear out to market “just because”. My first question I had for them when introducing this new line-up was “Why?” Was there something wrong with the G400’s?! Was an improvement needed so quickly???!! Their mantra has always been that a replacement line of golf clubs must have some true data to back up the fact that they really outperform the one they are intended to replace. This current paradox shall be the primary crux of my evaluation and I am very curious if this “improved” design does indeed give enough added benefits that are good enough to kick my beloved G400 out of the bag... But let’s be honest here. Ping hasn’t truly embraced the “adjustability” trend, especially with their driver, however this newest offering seems to have finally addressed that; especially considering other clubs in this same generation (like their newest G410 hybrids) now offer removable shafts and an adjustable hosel, where the same clubs from the 400 series did not. For driver they now have 8-way adjustability up from 4-way options before which did not include any loft settings. This is a leap in PING’s thinking, but is it too late and too redundant? Well, here is what PING states about the G410 SFT (https://ping.com/clubs/drivers/g410-sft “The G410 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) provides maximum fade and slice correction while delivering all the performance benefits of the G410 Plus such as a high MOI and faster ball speed. A fixed weight on the extreme perimeter and 50% more heel-side CG than G400 ensures straighter ball flights. A lighter D1 swingweight helps square the face at impact.” And this is what they had to say about the G400 SFT (https://ping.com/clubs/drivers/g400-sft “The G400 SFT (Straight Flight) is custom-engineered with more heel-side tungsten weighting and a lighter swingweight to help square the face and generate right-to-left shot bend (right-handed golfers). The multi-material design combines reduced drag and a thinner, stronger, faster T9S+ forged face to increase speed and distance. With a combined MOI over 9,000 and a deep CG, improved accuracy leads to tighter dispersion.” Are the G410 drivers better than the G400’s? Both descriptions sound very, very similar with the only exception being that the 410 has “50% more heel-side CG” than the 400 which you can easily (I hope) see below. Standard-issued swing weights are similar (both D1) and they both claim “faster” ball speed which is this year’s buzz term from everybody this year, or so it seems…. We shall see and I intend to find out if that 50% is the “shiznay” or just so much smoke. Just a day after I was awarded this honor, I set an appointment for a fitting. While my current driver was fitted to me, it was done so without the aid of a launch monitor. This time was to be my first foray into a hitting bay with a fitter. It was ugly. Swing speed was lower than I thought (only 90 at best) and I couldn’t seem to hit one straight to save my life. Add to that, they didn’t have a demo SFT head, so had to hit the “Plus” head with the weight in the “Draw-Bias” position which I don’t believe has the same “umph” for the draw-bias an actual SFT head does. Anyhow, I tried several shafts, and though the slices continued to rack up on the monitor, I settled for the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange in stiff. Regular flex just felt weird and I didn’t see much in the way of improvement, so I stuck to stiff which also will allow a more accurate “apples-to-apples” comparison between it and my 400. I had it cut down by ½” from the 45.75” norm which actually makes it a D0 swing weight according to my official PING "Birth Certificate". And I had the standard size GP Tour Velvet grip put on which suits me just fine... As for testing, I will put this 410 in direct competition with my 400, which may wind up being a bit of a battle... So, I will be gathering side-by-side data on the range with my basic launch monitor, shot scope app, in hitting bays with launch monitors and then game them and see if there are any differences at all between their performance. Most of all, I want to know if the added 50% of heel-side CG will help me have a more consistent and straight ball flight that is noticeably better than my 400... Strap in Spies and please send me any questions or testing ideas you’d like to see done. I will be happy to also share my "first-impressions" with you, just ask. I am here at your service. Please be looking for my Phase-II coming soon. Thanks for reading! Cheers all!
    7 points
  8. Ping G410 Plus Driver - Stage 1 Review - jlukes Well it has been almost 2 whole years since I participated in official MGS forum testing and I have to admit, it feels great to be back in the fold! I have previously tested the Sun Mountain 3.5LS Stand Bag (which I still use), Evnroll ER2 putter (which I am taking to my grave with me), and Mizuno JPX 900 Tour irons (the only reason I am not still gaming these is that through fitness and lessons I increased my swing speed to the point where I needed to change shafts). What you should notice is that I do not apply to test everything and anything, and when I do apply to test something, it is a product that I am sincerely interested in doing a thorough long-term review for. I am going to use some of the background from previous forum reviews because a lot of that information hasn’t changed! My name is Joe and I am from Central NJ. I have been playing golf for about 23 years (since I was 12) and I am about a 4.1 handicap at the moment. I started hitting balls when I was much younger - my grandfather cut down an old 9 iron and 5 wood and gave them to me so I could hit balls in my backyard. I remember my first 9 holes being when I was about 11 years old - I shot 63 with my dad. I started playing in County tournaments when I was about 13 years old and played varsity golf in High School. My first job when I was at the local driving range/mini golf, and all through High School I worked at golf course taking care of the carts, running bags, and eventually became the starter. I have always enjoyed being around the game of golf in any capacity and I have found that it is truly a game for life. My son is just over 2 and he is already addicted to the game. I hope that he continues to see what a fun game this is and it becomes something we can bond over for years to come. When it comes to my golf game, I would say I have quite a few strengths. I am a long hitter (Carry my driver > 270 yards), I have an okay wedge game, and I am a good putter. Time is my enemy when it comes to golf; not being able to practice and play as much as I’d like (more than once a week or so) prevents me from being consistent. I have rounds where I am pounding it off the tee, but I can’t hit a GIR, and then I have rounds where I am a little wonky off the tee, but my short game saves me. Everything finally came together for me in November 2016 when I shot a personal best of -1 71, beating my previous best of +2 74. I am the type of golfer that can be extremely competitive, but I also love fun, no-pressure rounds with my buddies. A lot of the guys I golf with are not as good as me, but I do not care in the least. I enjoy playing with all skill levels and I have no problem giving advice and helping someone with their game if asked (and only if asked). I enjoy walking the course as much as possible and nothing frustrates me more than long rounds. I see no reason why an average round should take over 4 hours, no matter what the golfers’ skill levels are. If you want to know a bit more about my swing, I have a swing overhaul thread I have been chronicling here: It has been an interesting spring as I work to keep the momentum up from my winter lesson programs and I will update that thread with updates on my swing changes as the season goes on. But for the sake of this review, you should know that my driver swing speed is around 113-116 MPH and I play a bit of a draw. I have an upwards angle of attack and my miss is primarily a hook. Here is a video of my driver swing from the end of February For me, driver is my weapon. I play aggressive off the tee because if there is anything that modern analytics and “strokes gained” has taught us, it is that distance is king and that taking advantage of my ability to hit it long is key to me scoring low. I pull driver every opportunity I have. I am no more accurate with my fairway wood or hybrid, so there is no reason for me to sacrifice distance by laying up off the tee unless a hole absolutely calls for a lay up. I try to get on or close to all Par 5s in two, and I try to get myself as close as possible on all Par 4s so that I can be hitting a wedge into the green if the yardage dictates. I wasn’t always a great driver of the ball. I used to have quite a negative attack angle which resulted in low launch and high spin. No amount of head and shaft changes (much to my dismay) could correct a bad attack angle, so in 2014 I went through a swing change and learned to hit up on my driver. Once I got a positive angle of attack locked in, I noticed I gained 15+ yards of carry on my drives! I have been through quite a few drivers since high school - some were great, others were mistakes (due to lack of knowledge about fitting and purchasing on a whim) TaylorMade 320 TaylorMade r5 TaylorMade r11 TaylorMade RBZ Tour Cobra Amp Cell Callaway Big Bertha Alpha (fitted) Cobra Bio Cell+ Srixon 545 TaylorMade M1 (fitted) TaylorMade M2 (2017) (fitted) Cobra F8+ (fitted) Titleist TS2 (fitted) When the Ping 410 Plus testing was unveiled, I knew it was a testing that I wanted to put my name in the hat for. Ping received such outstanding reviews on their G400 line and I knew that that the G410 had to be something special in order to follow the G400. With that being said, I have never gamed a Ping club before. I do have a few old Ping putters, but I never really even given an extensive look to Ping Metalwoods and Irons. Thankfully, I was selected for this great testing opportunity and I get to see what Ping is all about! There are a number of selling points/claims that I will be keeping an eye on throughout testing: Turbulators - do they really increase swing speed? Adjustability - Well the G410 Plus is the most adjustable driver Ping has ever made. Does the weight track (3 fixed positions) actually work? Hosel Adjustment - The G410 Plus features a brand new adjustable hosel from Ping, one that now includes “flat” settings. Do they make a difference? I will put these three elements, as well as the general performance of the G410 Plus to the test over the coming months with the hope of providing the best information for the MGS forum. At the time of being selected for this review, I was gaming a Titleist TS2 driver that I was fit for at Club Champion. I truly believe that fitting is necessary to maximize what a golf club can do for a player. I chose the TS2 during my fitting because it provided me with the best combination of distance and accuracy. The Cobra F9 and Epic Flash SZ were longer, but I had trouble with both distance and lateral dispersions. When I was selected for G410+ testing, I immediately went to my local range, who happens to be a Top 100 Ping fitter, and got a basic fitting for the G410+. Unlike other OEMs, Ping does not offer a wide selection of no-upcharge shaft options. The only two shaft options that were really even under consideration for me were the Evenflow Black and the Ping Tour. However, I know from past fittings that I do not get along with the Evenflow series, so it came down to the Ping Tour. We set up the G410+ in a 9-degree head a Ping Tour 65X shaft and it was clear right away that it was the combination I would submit to Ping for testing. I asked Ping that it play 45" at a D3 swing weight. After I received my club I tested the swing weight and length at a shop and wasn't surprised to see Ping delivered on the nose. During the testing period I will be testing the G410 on the range, on the course, and on launch monitors. While I will be touching on how the club fits me, I will try to remain focused on validating the performance claims from Ping to see if the G410 stacks up with the rest of the drivers on the market. I want my review to be as interactive as possible, so please ask me as many questions on this testing thread and I will attempt to address them all. You won’t have to wait for my Stage 2 to head how things are going. All testers will be actively participating in the thread to provide updates as we go - so we can continue the conversation from day to day. So I mentioned that the TS2 was my gamer going into this testing, but if you are a regular on the forum, you would have noticed that as of this Stage 1 (April 3rd), I have sold my TS2. Without divulging too much right now, my 3 range sessions and 2 rounds were enough for me to know that the G410 Plus was going to be better for me going forward. Furthermore, I believe a good testing write-up should be about the individual club in the test and not about a club going head to head with another club. So does the Ping G410 Plus carry the torch that was lit by the G400 series? Early results are positive and I look forward to sharing the rest of my thoughts with the MGS community as the testing progresses.
    7 points
  9. I guess the title pretty much says it all. I'm very excited because my course opened for the season today and I get to golf again. All is right with the world again.
    6 points
  10. The wind was sideways, I think, but the hole goes massively downhill right after the bunker. Just have to catch the slope right for the extra roll. SS hovers between 113-115. Solid contact is always my struggle.
    6 points
  11. Hybrid replacement. The swing changes I have gone through make a hybrid no bueno for my new swing and just could get over not having that club in the bag. I need something I can choke down and hit 230 and something I can launch high and hit hard 250ish. This was my instructors suggestion and he is normally right so why the heck not give it a try. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    6 points
  12. The greens I play at my club are small as compared to more modern designs. Our greens were designed back in the early to mid-50's. How small? I don't really know. Just small. Many guys I know that come over and play struggle with GIR. Our greens are typically longer front to back as opposed to left and right. Several are roundish. But they all tend to slope off in one or two directions. Generally, it's best to just play to the center while allowing for front or back positions. Becoming adept with your approach is critical as there's not a lot of margin for error with such small greens. It's made me a better player I think. (some days anyway) Defiantly agreeing with CarlH. I don't keep stats on my game much anymore. I usually recount them after a round and make a quick analysis at that time - but even then I don't dwell on it. Walking off the 18th green I pretty much know what worked or didn't work that day. Such is golf. Getting to single digit hcp takes time. Practice and playing. A lot usually. Some people never get there for one reason or another. Patrick if I were you I wouldn't burden myself chasing a hcp number. Your available golf season is already very short. But it's the hand you've been dealt. I can certainly see you dropping from 15 to maybe 11-12 rather easily. That's not bad and incrementally doable I'd imagine. As most any player with a hcp below about 8 will tell you. The easy part is over. The lower you go (or try) the harder it becomes. Instead of sawing off 2-3-4-5 points or more as in your high hcp days you'll find that reducing your hcp by even 1 more has gotten a lot harder.
    5 points
  13. Now that weather is breaking I’ve been able to get out and work on the shallowing of the club from my lesson a couple weeks ago. Things are starting to go good with short irons I think
    5 points
  14. With the deal... It's almost free! Can't pass up almost free! [emoji38] Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk
    5 points
  15. MattF

    Shot Scope V2.0

    Chanin is going to bloody kill me, but I just ordered mine.
    5 points
  16. Waazzupppp

    Sub70 golf

    I don't know about the fairway wood, but this is going in the bag as soon as they have them! AMAZING BLADES! Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk
    5 points
  17. Green doing some cooking today on my post swings!!! Last saw a 144 in week 7, basically late December so 10+ weeks later have a new high score!!! To all those just starting or going through a plateau, keep fighting through itll come eventually. Sent from my SM-G950U using MyGolfSpy mobile app
    5 points
  18. GC70

    Pics from the course

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    5 points
  19. Mojave Resort Golf Club in Laughlin, NV. Almost like a hidden gem. Loved the layout but couldn’t get away from 25-30mph winds which made for a tough day. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
    5 points
  20. In Phoenix for a couple days and got a chance to play a sporty little excutive course with AZSTU324 today. Great time and to say my first experience with desert golf was an adventure would be accurate. Stu has one powerful move and hits the ball higher than anybody I've ever seen. And long too!!
    5 points
  21. A few reasons I wanted to start this thread: I've had a handful of conversations with @GolfSpy STUDque about how Game Golf/Arccos calculate putting stats. I've seen other guys on this forum averaging over 2 putts per hole; I am well under that, but wondered how much my course (rather than my skill) was a factor in that. I'm working on my own game. To get to single figures, I need to hit more greens in regulation. To what degree does green size affect that? Finally, my home course (where I play almost all my golf) is short, barely over 6,000 yards from the back tees. I trying to figure out how much (if any) that lack of distance is compensated for by other challenges. I had a hunch that the greens on my home course were fairly small. I don't play a ton of golf at other courses, but when I have, I've been amazed at the size of the greens elsewhere. Turns out, my instincts were sound. Took a moment this morning to measure the green size at my course using Google Maps. It's pretty easy: open your course in satellite view; right click on one edge of the green, choose "Measure distance," and the click the other side of the green. Then keep moving the line around to get length and width on each green. Throw it all in a spreadsheet. Maybe subtract 10–15% because the greens are ellipses, not rectangles. Obviously, this is far from exact but it's close enough to get us in the ballpark. Putting all that together, the greens at our course average about 3,300 square feet. Our biggest green is right around 5,000 sqft; the smallest is barely over 2,000 (which helps me understand why that hole is so hard). For comparison's sake (and this is the only time anyone will compare our course to Pebble), the greens at Pebble Beach are the smallest on Tour, at 3,500 sqft. Apparently, the average green on Tour is closer to 6,000 sqft, which comports well with this article (from a course superintendent perspective) that greens should average about 6,000 sqft for maintenance reasons. For my part, this is information I have to take into account when evaluating my stats. A low single-digit handicap (my long-term goal) hits half his greens in regulation; that might end up being different for me. My putting stats are likely polished by our small greens: I average about 1.75 putts, but I'm missing about 85% of GIR. I 3-putt on 10% of holes, but I imagine that number would be worse on more "normal" greens. And Game Golf has normally hated my short game play; it might be that I'm seeing something of a course penalty there. Anyway, how big are the greens you all play? How much do the green sizes affect your stats and your scores?
    4 points
  22. Also, I saw on Twitter everyone remarking on that small blue circle at the further mark and say, that's the ball. Well, look back a couple yards back at a reddish dot just right of center on the image... that's where my eyes went to.
    4 points
  23. revkev

    MGS Golf Ball Test

    I haven’t been following the tweets but will. I have repeatedly played the mantra of pick one ball, any ball and play it and it only during the season. While I still believe all balls are good as in consistent, I also believe all balls are different. It looks like I’m going to be proven right for once. :) Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
    4 points
  24. Kenny B

    Green size and stats

    I had never measured our greens. Thanks for the tip on how to do so. What I found out was that it was very difficult to measure greens at my course. As best as I can determine, the average green size is about 7000 sqft. The biggest greens tend to be par 3's at about 9500 sqft; the par 3 #12 is a little over 10000 sqft (this is the hole I aced 2 years ago). A lot of greens seem to be around 6000. Other than a couple of roundish greens, most are odd-shaped, some with drop-off slopes near the back of greens. Several are very long and narrow in an hourglass shape which making GIR difficult; #11 is 120 ft x 48 ft. Many greens have slopes off both sides, either above the green so downhill chips or below the green 6-12 feet so can't see the putting surface. I checked back on my stats in The Grint which I kept starting last September. I will be using The Grint from now on instead of GHIN. The tees I play at my course are about 6100y. Score = 82.4 Fairways hit = 62% GIR = 26% Putt/round = 30.4 with just under one 3-putt/round Everyone has valid points. I'm in the @CarlH and @PlaidJacket camp about the short game. I'm not saying that better distance and ball striking are not as equally important. I'm working on that too, but my journey to single digit was possible by a lot of hard work on my short game. I know that I am not going to all of a sudden gain 25 yards off the tee, although with the SuperSpeed training, I might gain some. I'm not going to hit every approach shot perfect, in fact I am pretty sure that I will mishit a lot of them just like I do now. I'll work on it. However, my scores live and die with the quality of my short game on any given day. When I can get up and down, I score in the 70's; when I don't I score in the 80's. How low into the 70's or high into the 80's is a combination of ball striking and short game prowess (or lack thereof).
    4 points
  25. I've been following these posts as well. Really informative and really interesting. I'm also happy that MGS took the time to make sure they're getting this right because if the correlations Tony is teasing are true, this is gonna blow the lid off of everything.
    4 points
  26. Just spent time reading all of the tweets Tony posted related to the ball testing...my jaw is still glued to my desk, especially from the last chart posted--yards offline 25+. I cannot wait to read the report. Thanks for bringing my attention to these tweets @txgolfjunkie
    4 points
  27. This is the absolute truth. My handicap varies seasonally (its pretty high now for me at 8), and it'll get to 4 or 5 by mid-summer. To actually improve beyond that has me thinking of tenths of a stroke here or there. Maybe I need to gain 10 or 15 yards off the tee (I did get a new driver), or hit just one more green, get up and down one more time, little things. This makes perfect sense to me. I'd also bet that your GIRs are up, your total score is down. You're much more likely to 2-putt from long distance than you are to get up and down from 5 feet further, but off the green.
    4 points
  28. CarlH

    Green size and stats

    I'm going to disagree with this comment. In fact, a 10 handicapper only averages about 30% GIR and at scratch it's about 65%. So yes, if you hit more greens in regulation your handicap should drop, but I would suggest that the fastest way to get to single digit handicaps is to increase your short game skills, chipping/pitching closer to the hole and one putting more often. In the case of my own game (I've been an 8-10 handicapper until recently and have slipped to a 10-12), I know for a fact that chipping and putting is costing me far more strokes per round than my long game. Poor chips that leave me too far from the pin, missed shorter putts, etc. I've played courses with all sorts of size greens. Smaller greens are much harder to hit in regulation and to stay on when you do hit them than larger greens, but you will 3 putt far more often on larger greens. Obviously, the key to any green regardless of size is to get it closer to the hole, either by your approach shot or your chip. Birdies are tough to make when you're 30 feet from the pin. My home course has medium to large greens, often tiered with sometimes severe breaks and sometimes subtle. The other better course in the nearby area has very large greens that don't have near as much break. 2 putting those larger greens is often a task in itself!
    4 points
  29. JohnSmalls

    Shot Scope V2.0

    @MattF just think about all of the strokes you will save from all of the data you gain. You'll get home sooner and sooner. What's there to be mad about?
    4 points
  30. And here's what I thought to be a really interesting note on why we must practice practice practice what we've been shown... "We forget 40% of what we learn immediately upon leaving the learning environment and without proper review, we lose almost 90% in one week without proper review cycles. (Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve)" -- This was in an email newsletter from the founder of the "Coach Now" app.
    4 points
  31. MattF

    Shot Scope V2.0

    Nice sentiment fellas, but I don't think that'll fly. I've always said it's better to beg forgiveness than ask permission! What's another Amazon box anyway, she should be used to them turning up weekly by now.
    4 points
  32. Ha ha blame it on the group here ... We all made you do it!
    4 points
  33. TSauer

    The Masters

    One. Day. Closer. Here's an interesting one for you all. The building of Augusta National almost didn't even happen due to the burden of WW2. They had planned for 1,800 members when they constructed it, but when the first Masters was played in 1934, the club only had 76 members. The club could not even afford to pay the first winner, Horton Smith, or any other top finishers until 17 members chipped in for the purse.
    4 points
  34. JAGolfore

    Sub70 golf

    Hey head over to @GolfSub70 and check out what they are giving away on instagram and twitter!
    4 points
  35. Got to check out the Valero Texas Open today for the first time. My dad has been volunteering there for years, but Thursday seems a pretty good day to go if you don't want to fight crowds. I've been interviewing and sending out resumes. Gonna try to get a round in this next week. Thanks for being awesome y'all.
    4 points
  36. cnosil

    Sub70 golf

    Was at MGS doing some more iron testing and saw the sub70 fairway woods leaning against the wall. The pictures here don't do the club justice, it is a beautiful looking fairway wood. Looking forward to getting an opportunity to seeing how it performs.
    4 points
  37. One of Kirke's swings made the highlight reel for the Little Linksters swing contest. His shows up at 3:30. Lots of very, very impressive kids in this video. https://t.co/uME0TERH8I The winners are announced on Masters' Sunday.
    4 points
  38. Well hello! Looks even better in person!! [emoji102] Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
    4 points
  39. Don't forget about feel there brother--- For me it is how it fits my eye but especially about the feel. For me insert putters have no feel that is why mostly I putt with old school styled putters.
    4 points
  40. Well tomorrow will be a fun day. I will be going to Club Champion to get some numbers on the G410 Plus, test out the different adjustable positions, and even try to new shafts to see how Ping's proprietary shaft holds up to the big boys. The best part about it? I will have a writeup in this thread about my experience - no more waiting until Stage 2 !
    4 points
  41. So I actually received my E12 Speeds last week and have been able to put a couple of rounds on them. Instead of waiting 3 or so weeks for my full review, I will drop some quick reviews along the way to keep you up to speed (pun intended). My initial on course experience with these really didn't go all that well. I teed one up in our weekly Thursday 9 hole scramble. Our 1st hole was #3, a 558 yard par 5 with a tight tee shot, uphill over native area/water. Swing and low bullet right into the bank on the other side. Not a great way to start. Thankfully, we had a 74 year old on our team that got to hit from the other side. My next shot was a 5 wood from 225... again, low screamer with a hard duck hook. All I can say is both shots felt really, really bad. We get up to the green and are putting for eagle. I knock it inches from the hole and we ended up with birdie. Fast forward through the rest of the round where my use of the E12 Speed was a calamity of terrible shots. Crazy low, harsh feeling balls that really made me wonder if it was my swing or the ball or what?? So after 4 holes, I swapped to my Vice balls and instantly, my game was back. I finished the final 5 holes looking like I knew how to play golf. This really left me shaking my head. Could this ball be that bad a fit for me? I've never had a ball react like this based on the ball itself. Lots of questions... time to find some answers. I went out over the weekend and focused on the driving range. Trying to continue to get my swing back in form... last night after work, I played 9 holes with the E12 Speed and it was completely different. The ball came off the face as expected, irons shots got up ion the air... it wasn't completely the ball. Whew! That said, this ball still feels more firm than I like but it's not old school Top Flite hard. Irons shots seem to fly about 1/2 club short. Drives are slightly shorter but not too much, couple 5 or 6 yards at most. One really nice shot was a 5 wood on that #3 hole I previously mentioned... I hit the dang thing 235, high and straight. That's about 20 yards farther than I expect to hit my 5 wood. Also, this is not a perfectly straight ball. It will turn both left and right... but I could tell it didn't turn as much. So the cut 5 wood I hit on 6 that would have been across the path and into the deep rough, stayed short of the path and safely in play. I'm going to put these into play again tonight in the 9 hole scramble. Keep checking back for more updates and please share your thoughts and let me know what else you'd like to see from me! A few pics from last night: Just washing my balls... Tee shots on #1. You can barely see the Vice ball in the middle a few yards ahead. Both were well struck shots. My lie on #3 when I hit the 5 wood. Post 9 holes ball condition. A little more beat up than I expected. No trees or cart paths hit. 2 approach shots on #9 from 167. Both balls landed in basically the same spot and this was the result.
    4 points
  42. juspoole

    Pics from the course

    Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
    4 points
  43. CarlH

    Valero Texas Open

    Talk about a stacked leaderboard! But we'll see what it looks like after tomorrow's round.
    3 points
  44. For measuring the green area on Google Earth, I click the little ruler icon, and then select the Polygon tab. Then you can define the perimeter of the green by clicking any number of points, and Google will tell you both the perimeter and the area. Its moderately accurate for irregularly shaped areas.
    3 points
  45. @BIG STU, You and @ole grayare not the only rednecks around... LOL We all have a little redneck in us whether or not some want to admit it.. Me I admit it.. I even had me a true Hound dog.. ." Stabbin Cabin", "Shaggin wagon", #uck Truck. they are all good.. LOL..
    3 points
  46. Seems like we're seeing some of the same durability things... Interesting.
    3 points
  47. I took the Bridgestone e12 speeds to the course this past weekend. The first thing I did was hit the practice putting green. Spent about 30 minutes chipping to the same target, from the same spot and attempting to use the same exact swing for each shot. My initial thought is the e12 speed does not “bite” as much as balls I usually play. The shots seemed to roll out 5%-10% further than my typical gamer balls I was also chipping with. Of course all of them were Urethane cover balls. The next day I got out and played. Due to the tightness of the course I decided to save my testing until the last hole. I played the last hole, a par 5, with an e12 and B330, making a little contest of it since no one was behind me. I smashed the B330 with a slight fade and pulled the e12 into the bunker above. The distance was extremely similar, the e12 might be a touch longer since they were nearly side by side on opposite sides of the fairway and the B330 felt better hit. As you can see above the B330 had a little tree trouble and after missing the 90% of the tree that’s air, the ball ricochet to about 115 yards. I hit the e12 stellar from the fairway bunker with a hybrid to 55 yards and knocked both shots on the green. The putts were both downhill with lots of break so I was happy to tap both in for pars and a tie in the contest. It was a little difficult to compare how much spin each shot produced since the e12 was hit with a half swing but I was still decently pleased with its performance. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
    3 points
  48. Introduction Having “applied” time and again for product testing with My Golf Spy I was beyond excited when selected as a member of the Bridgestone E12 testing crew. A few years ago I can across a Bridgestone E6 on the course and started playing with it and played very well! I went out and bought a bunch and was gaming them for 2 years, then one day at a golf outing started playing a Titleist Velocity and just as before played better then expected so have been gaming them since. I became very passionate about golf in winter of 2015 which has led me down an incredible winding path from playing with my grandfather (our family golf patriarch), to going to Hawaii for PGA tour events, to volunteering at LPGA events, and to now being a collegiate golf coach. Golf is an incredible game that is never the same no matter how much you play and rewards you for hard work and perseverance. I have a handicap that has dropped progressively every year from 20-16-14-11, last year I had my first round in the 70s and feel I am constantly knocking on that door. Have spent my whole life in Maryland and have played a lot of different courses but have a rotation of 3 that I play often. The similar trait between each of these courses is length off of the tee is going to give you the best opportunity to score low. They have very few dog legs, wide open fairways and short rough, which allows you to get away with inaccurate tee shots. When it comes to golf balls, low spin rate and increased distance are major factors. My miss is a slice so any golf ball that can limit that side spin is going to help. I also have a high launch with my irons so a ton of spin is not necessary going into greens because my ball normally ends up not far from its land point. For my personal golfing data I use myRoundPro from Taylormade and I have the highest strokes gained with driving and gain +1.2 strokes per round with my driver. I struggle with approach shots, hitting only 37% of greens in regulation. First Impressions Bridgestone speaks highly of the e12 because of what they call the Active Acceleration Mantle design. The new design allows the interior of the ball to remain soft to reduce spin but the Mantle layer is hard to boost distance. They should fly farther and straighter than your average ball because of this design. First thought when I opened the box and saw the e12 I recognized they didn’t have the interesting dimple within a dimple like the e6 did. I am not sure why but I always loved that dimple within a dimple look. Below the e12 is on the left and e6 is on the right. In your hand the ridges of the e12 just feel much more prominent then that of the e6, which makes me wonder if there will be different spin characteristics. Second thing I noticed was the logo design of just the “B”. I definitely think this is any improvement on writing out Bridgestone Golf but I do not think it has the classic look of Callaway or Titleist. I do personally love the B3, I think this is a subtle cool way of giving their design a different feel then others. The final observation I made was the sight line on the side of the ball. Easily an epic improvement over the absurdly large marking of the e6 but I feel it does not have the cleanliness of others. The lettering is a bit to small and seems very pinched, for some this won’t be an issue for me I like lining up the line on my ball with my intended putt line and will see how I feel on the greens. Everything this ball is supposed to do sets up perfectly to enhance my game, to start off testing I am going to dive right in and play my first round with the ball and see what happens. After that I am going to do head to head testing with other balls from other manufacturers, is there any brand my fellow Spies would want to see it played against? Get yours today and follow along with us!! Bridgestone e12 Speed
    3 points
  49. This is looking promising _________________________________________________________ And now, the main event: Combined Stage 1 and 2, written by STUDque, 30 August 2019 BLUF SPOILER ALERT: The Ping G410+ is the BEST driver I’ve ever hit. Period. This review could start and end with that but what good is a claim without proof? Keep Reading. About Me Maybe not like Phil, but I hit bombs. Or at least, now I do. I’ve always had the luxury of distance off the tee but could rarely harness the power. I’ve tried a lot of drivers with a lot of different shafts and way too many adjustment tool configurations. Enter G410+ Specs Adam asked the forum staff to run through a TruGolfFit fitting and provide feedback…after I had already submitted my order for G410+. This process made me both happy and sad. Happy because the tool recommended G410+ as my top driver but sad because it selected a different shaft. Feedback from an iron fitting I had last summer indicated I was hitting the ball too low with too much spin. The solution was a higher launching, lower spinning shaft. I did not get fit for this driver but I applied that concept to my selection when I chose the Tensei CK Orange and a 10.5* head. The Tensei was the highest launching option available to me in X flex. The different shaft recommendation from TGF brought nerves while awaiting delivery but, after the range and a few rounds, my concerns relaxed. I’m not saying TGF is wrong (since I never did get to try the EvenFlow Black), but I am saying that the Tensei is a good fit for me. Looks (10 out of 10 points) I love me some turbulators. The decision to move away from the dragonfly was a wise one. I didn’t hate the dragonfly look, but I didn’t exactly love it either. Going back to smaller turbulators with some slight shape changes in the head really do it for me. The ball is framed nicely without the need for a painted alignment aid. The bottom graphics and badging look slick in red and black to bring the whole look together. In my opinion, Ping has totally nailed the look. Sound & Feel (9 out of 10 points) The Most Wanted tests have shown us that sound and feel, while totally subjective, actually play a role in the user’s opinion of the club. This leaves the door open for people to dislike the G410+ because this driver is loud. KABLAMOOOOOO. Not too far from a shotgun sound. People know when you’ve hit and especially when you’ve really caught it. On misses, it doesn’t sound like a different pitch, thud, whatever; it just changes in volume. The better you’ve struck it, the louder it is. I’ve uploaded portions of my session at Top Golf so you can hear it for yourself. 4 points for sound because I’m sure it’s not for everyone // Feel is top notch for both quality of life and quality of feedback. Impact feels fantastic but you still manage to gleam feedback as to where on the face you made contact. Due to the intense forgiveness, you wouldn’t know from the ball flight so the feel provides the little secret only you know. 5 points for feel, unmatched. Basic Characteristics (20 out of 20 points) Initially, the ball flight was on the high side at stock settings (weight in the middle and loft at a neutral 10.5*). I tinkered a bit with my swing before deciding to bust out the adjustment tool. After trying multiple options during a range session, I settled on the small “-” and the weight in the draw position. This has been my sweet spot and it hasn’t been changed since. Now, my ball flight is a mid-high and it’s cutting right through the wind but still high enough to clear most trees. Around mid-summer, I fought a wipey fade pretty bad with all my clubs. This prompted some aggressive practice at putting a draw back into my game. While my swing isn’t always delivering, the club certainly is. A proper draw swing yields a powerful draw flight for some extra roll out and placement. I’ve given this some effort in the past with previous drivers and was only able to produce a severe hook, not a draw. G410+ is giving me just enough to turn it over without hitting it off the planet. The incredible forgiveness has resulted in superb accuracy which, in turn, has resulted in optimal performance in pressure situations. In case you didn’t follow, I competed in a stroke play amateur tournament this summer and finished T-1 in my flight (lost in playoff) thanks to some great driving. The boom stick put me in Position A1 on almost every hole I pulled it. As I mentioned in feel, you can really feel the strike location even if the ball flight doesn’t reflect it. THIS is the biggest factor in forgiveness to me. Nothing like hitting it off the heel but still flying 250 down the middle. It can be your dirty little secret J Arccos captured some pretty staggering results driver over driver. I realized a 44 yard, 17% increase from a driver smart distance of 256 all the way up to my new smart distance of 300 yards on the nose. There is a LOT of data logged for both clubs so this is no fluke, G410+ is the real deal. Don’t get me wrong, I had potential for 300+ in my last driver and every one before that, but the newfound consistency allows me to swing away with confidence and power. I’m cranking driver over 300yards about half of the time I pull driver. Since I often need less-than-driver, this equates to 4-5 per round. This would be fine if the drives were 301, 302, etc….but they’re getting out to 315, 320, and further with a longest of 331. That long end of the distance is NOT something I used to have. KABOOM is right! I couldn’t be happier with the basic characteristics of the G410+. This baby has so much to offer to so many players. Would you like to be straight and long? Golf is the most fun it’s ever been for me thanks to this amazing wonder stick. On-Course Performance (30 out of 30 points) This has been a fantastic experience. The i500 review from last year was a lot of fun, but there’s nothing like letting driver rip all summer. On course, this baby performed amazingly. I can count on my hand the number of poor shots I’ve hit with it. This is the same number of drives that are the Indian’s fault. Moreso, there’s a number of drives that were also the Indian’s fault but the arrow saved the day. On course, I’m able to attack in a way I’ve never done before. With this, comes a learning curve of selecting new targets and discovering the proper lines around the course. That learning period brought some errors into play as well but I’m overall more dangerous on the tee. Prior to this test, length wasn’t really holding me back from reaching Par 5’s in two…it was the accuracy AND length. This summer, I’ve landed safely in GUR three times and converted one of them into an eagle. That’s three more than I had all of last year or the year before combined. Pretty staggering. This straight length is giving me more chances at reaching these Par 5’s and being able to convert is a great feeling. I can’t say I’d change anything at all. Maybe a new paint scheme for the next series just to keep people buying them but the performance is absolutely there. Ping has totally nailed this one. For many of my golfing years, I hadn’t really looked much at Ping due to the funky look they put on a lot of their clubs. Recent years have opened my eyes to the sheer performance quality (and improved looks) of their lines from top to bottom. I already looked at them as a legit player in the iron category but it’s great to see the performance carries all the way up to the big guy. Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points) The whole package has been delivered. In addition to the performance qualities, the little creature comforts are fantastic as well. The tool is easy to use and looks nice, plus the headcover is top shelf. I’m typically a custom HC guy but I elected to use the stock HC for this test. It slides on/off easily, carries a nice look, and has shown no signs of wear. It’s also really nice that the usual corners have been cut into curves for an easier-to-wield offering. One thing I’ll ding the driver on here is the weight. I don’t like the fact that it comes out and needs to be placed when deciding to move it. I get that this is (or should be) a one-time adjustment but I believe the slider would’ve been a better choice. There’s bound to be players that prefer the weight between Draw and Neutral or Neutral and Fade. 2 points off for that. Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points) What do you think? Absolutely, PLAY IT. I love this driver to the moon and back and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ll let other people give it a swing, but I don’t intend on letting it out of my sight. The G410+ has transformed my game and I’m so thankful for this opportunity to test it. Whatever price it’s listed at, it’s worth it. Conclusion Yes indeed, Ping G410+ is the best driver I’ve ever hit. I did get the chance to demo other current-year drivers and still feel this way. Top to bottom, it’s the best and you should give it a swing to see if it fits your game. It’s got a deadly combination of distance and accuracy with just enough adjustability to create a setup suitable to most players’ games. Couple this with a robust no-upcharge shaft offering and you’ve got yourself a winner. Give it a try! Final Score: (97 out of 100 points) Epilogue: I was a big fan of the texturizing on the face. If you run your fingernail over it, it'll catch & rattle like teeny tiny iron grooves. I can't say for certain, but it feels as if this roughness contributes to the forgiveness of the club. Finally, a swing/contact/sound/flight video. This was at the Top Golf at National Harbor, DC. The net at the back is 200 yards away but I can't say how tall exactly it is. Most of the shots were hitting the 4th & 5th section up and boinging back into play. Very happy with the explosiveness and piercing flight. According to the Top Golf data gatherer, exit speed hovered around 165mph for most shots. Thanks for reading!
    3 points
  50. Stage 1 First and foremost, thank you MGS Mods for selecting me to be an official tester for the G410 SFT. My name is Tony, I just turned 72 and even though I started playing after I retired, I am obsessed with this game. Prior to retirement I always thought golf was a silly game – after all, how hard could it be to get that LITTLE white ball into that BIG hole. Numerous times on the way home we would pass several fairways at our Club’s golf course and on those cold, or rainy days we would invariably see someone out there playing. My son and I would laugh and talk about those crazy guys out there – what could they be doing or thinking, playing golf in the cold or rain! And then it happened for some unknown reason my wife and I decided to start playing golf. It took one game for me to catch the bug and become obsessed with the game! We’re fortunate to live adjacent to a combined Marina and Golf Club with an Arthur Hills 18-hole Links course in northwest Ohio. It is a picturesque course adjacent to Lake Erie, with strong headwinds and it is also a qualifying course for the U.S.Open. These past few years have been a long journey. After being fit for G20’s, I took lessons from the head pro which was interesting to say the least, as he was telling me to do several things at once. It reminded me of that Einstein story of taking up golf where he threw 5 balls back at the instructor and said catch, the instructor responded I can’t do that – yes exactly! With those lessons in the back of my mind I went off to the driving range. The irons weren’t too bad, but my drives had a beautiful slice that from an aerial view would have made a fishing hook proud. Enter instructor 2 at a Muni. We worked on a lot of things, but he always focused on Position, Grip and Alignment. Several lessons later: the driver had become more of a fade with a too frequent slice, the irons were ok, and the chipping was a big improvement (due to lots of practice in the backyard). At this point my index is still in the 30’s because when the driver is working, the irons aren’t and vice versa. Exit this instructor as he decided to move to South Carolina. I found a new instructor, who immediately recognized a couple of issues and I started working on the improvements, including spine angle and a stronger grip. Now it’s a consistent draw. Not so bad since most of our penalty areas (aka water hazards) are on the left (remember I’m a lefty). In the meantime, my driver evolved into a GBB with an Aldilla SR flex shaft. With lots of work at the range, reading and playing as much as possible, my index dropped last summer to a 22 and I did break 90. Oh, and as a side note I was an Official Tester for W/S C300’s – thank you Mods! This past Fall, we got to play at our course until late November – my index did bump up slightly but only because there’s something about shivering in cold weather that’s not conducive to golf. Overall game evaluation 1-10 with 10 being best/most consistent Driver = 5 Irons = 7 Wedges = 9 Putter = 6 This past Winter I spent my time reading even more and watching instructional videos and when weather allowed, a few trips to a heated driving range. Since I was working on my swing, I intentionally slowed it down to around 76-80 mph (using my SC200) to focus on accuracy. With the slower SS I was getting a much narrower dispersion. I didn’t pay much attention to distance since it was cold, generally windy and the range was using their “winter” balls. Next step will be working on SS. Then the MGS Official Testing for the G410 SFT happened and I was lucky enough to be selected. My reason for applying was threefold: #1 gain more consistency resulting in a narrower dispersion, #2 distance, and #3 sound. Note: with my G20 I could tell by the sound when I had a mishit. On our course, the first two priorities take the penalty areas out of play for me, along with the potential for higher % GIR’s. First impression: With the GBB and SR flex shaft as background, and a prior fitting with the Ping G and SR shaft (which I didn't buy), I ordered the driver with 10.5* loft and the Alta CB 55 shaft in SR flex which is about 10 grams lighter than the Aldilla. The G410 also came with Tour Velvet grips. I’m a big fan of MCC+4 and with my XL glove size, I decided to order it with the orange option which is their jumbo grip. The driver arrived very quickly, especially given the “less than common” configuration of a lefty head and a SR shaft. The grip initially felt too large – but I did have a pair of FJ rain gloves on when I tried it. Putting one normal golf glove it felt fine. However, at some point I'll replace with the MCC+4. The head is what I expected with a satin finish on top. What was a nice surprise is how good the bottom looks with the red “streaks”. I never noticed that in the stores. It looks so good in the bag – I hate to put the cover over the driver. The head cover, however, is good looking and a nice improvement over previous Ping covers. The one thing that was a slight surprise, but only because I didn’t pay attention to the online description is that the weight on the SFT is fixed. In the scheme of things that’s not a big issue for me. However, if you want a sliding weight, you’ll have to move to the G410 Plus. The connector is easily adjustable, and the instructions are clear and concise. If you happen to lose the instructions – no worries the connector is clearly marked and has eight settings. Of course, the club did come with a wrench, however, I doubt I’ll be adjusting it once it gets set at the Fitter’s. Next steps; Get to a fitter to set the correct loft adjustment. My guess is that it’ll be either set at neutral or .06* configuration. While I’m at the Fitter, I’m bringing my GBB as well to do a “head to head” comparison. It’ll be my Ping vs. Callaway challenge so stay turned for that. Additionally, with 2 lesson certificates that my wife gave me for Christmas – I’m going to use one to further improve my drives. My expectations are that the 410 SFT gets me 7-10 additional yds. plus, a much narrower dispersion and looking for that 5 to move to at least a 7 or 8. . Let the battle of my drivers begin!
    3 points
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