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Wilson moved from an office complex near OHare to One Prudential Plaza right in downtown Chicago. Got to visit this afternoon to interview Tim Clarke for an upcoming blog piece. The new digs are first class and very new-age corporate. There are a ton of meeting rooms and very few private offices to promote interaction. And there’s a real “sports” vibe to the whole place that was lacking in their former long time office space. That last picture is typical of some of the artwork. It was made out of red golf tees. There was another one that said Game On that was made out of red and white painted whistles. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT: PGA CHAMPIONSHIP When the favorite wins a major, the excitement must be found around the fringes. #SpyStaffSlam was on the thoughts of many as 266 of you chose Brooks to win the PGA Championship and had a shot at glory. Thanks to Brooks Koepka for creating an interesting viewing experience on Sunday but in the end, he prevailed the the relief of 3 lucky spies. As a group, we got better at following directions as 72% of us managed to submit Tier 5 selections. One day, I dream for 100% completion. Reading is fundamental people! Those Tier 5 players were a big factor this PGA Championship as 4 players in the top 8 and ties were from Tier 5 and EIGHT appeared on the leader-board before a single Tier 3 player. There were many ways to glory for Tiers 2-5 but the one way to win was with Koepka. Our perfect entry would've been Koepka, Cantlay, Snedeker, Lowry, MWallace for a total of $3,538,495. Greater than $3M is a consistent high-water mark in these challenges where you've got a good chance to win. Our Pal "Chalk" actually faired quite well thanks to Brooks. With Koepka, Kuchar, Poulter, Hoffman, Homa, Chalk raked in $2,290,545 and finished in 106th place. Not as bad as usual Without further ado, your top 10: 10) @tbs0001 $2,721,450 Koepka, Cantlay, Snedeker, Hoffman, None 9) @TSauer $2,724,550 Koepka, Cantlay, Glover, ZJohnson, Kevin Na @ice487 $2,749,900 Koepka, Cantlay, KMitchell, Bjerregard, Hossler 7) @Badams69 $2,783,800 Koepka, Casey, CSmith, Bjerregard, MWallace 6) @[email protected] $2,822,995 Koepka, Cantlay, Poulter, Lowry, Schaffele 5) @Theheel $2,826,095 Koepka, Scott, SW Kim, Ben An, MWallace 4) @GeekingGolf $2,925,100 Koepka, Cantlay, Poulter, Hoffman, Kang Drumrolllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll........ Third Prize: Dozen Wilson Golf Balls @MattJPB $2,932,700 Koepka, Cantlay, Glover, Bjerregard, Kokrak Second Prize: D7 Driver @King Cobra $2,999,030 Koepka, Scott, Wise, Bjerregard, MWallace GRAND PRIZE: CUSTOM WILSON IRONS SET @Undershooter $3,277,200 Koepka, Cantlay, Poulter, Bjerregard, MWallace Congrats to the winners! Be on the lookout for a PM from me with more instructions to fulfill your prize. For those curious, the full/final standings can be found here: #SpyStaffSlam Scoring Sheet

Just when I thought the bag was locked in

Welcome to Stage 2 of my review of the Ping SFT! Unlike other reviews, stories or articles, I’m going to give you my conclusion first and then tell you why. Am I happy with the 410 SFT – NO I’m not. I am THRILLED with it! There is nothing I don’t like about it. https://vimeo.com/337165176 So, a bit of background, for those of you that didn’t read my stage 1. I started my driver experience a few years ago with a G20 which was the result of my Club’s fitting day. That driver went through literally tens of thousands of hits on both the driving range and the course. Many hits later and coupled with lessons, I still had a nagging slice. Even more lessons later (I’m a slow learner), combined with a GBB which has lots of opportunities to eliminate the slice with an adjustable hosel and a sliding weight, the result was now a push fade. Oh and in between I had a lesson with a recommendation to use a stronger grip. Yup that takes care of the push fade and moves it into the pull hook category. This is great - I now know that I can “work” the ball. Too bad I can only do it by accident! But wait, after reading many tomes on shaft’s, with my low to mid 80’s SS I figured out that I needed a senior flex shaft. So now out goes the Hzrdus X Green stock shaft and in comes an Aldilla senior flex. Yes, I know that I need some expert advice – but that’s the commonsense thing you do only after things don’t work out – right? Ok, so here I am – late winter 2019 at the driving range with the Aldilla shaft in that GBB and they are mostly pull hooks. Not getting much distance but then it is winter = very cold and old range balls. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it. And now a marvelous opportunity comes along from MGS to be a tester for the 410. (Note Mod’s have I told you how much I like you ). What’s not to like after all it’s always the arrow not the Indian right? This time I decide to go to a real fitter – too bad he’s booked until May 1st. So, with SS in hand I go to the Ping site and follow their onsite fitting tool. The result is a 410 SFT with a Soft Flex (aka Senior), standard length shaft. Ok, I was good with that so off goes the spec to Golfspy Stroker. Order me up a SFT, standard length CB-55 shaft with the Jumbo GP Velvet Grip. Talk about speedy customer service – it only took a few days to arrive. Opps sorry Stroker did I forget to mention I’m a lefty - no problem Ping’s superior customer service came through, as they overnighted the new lefty SRT to me. So on to the evaluation: Let’s start with looks: Score = 9 out of 10 Perhaps it’s because I spent so much time with a beaten-up G20, I’m very comfortable with the matte finish. But then it’s not something I pay attention to as I’m standing over the ball. Overall pretty standard Ping driver look with the “Turbulors” on top but with a striking series of red stripes on the bottom. As reported in my Stage 1, the stripes look good enough that you don’t want to put a cover over them. The only thing better would be if they had red flames instead of stripes on the bottom. The cover is a nice upgrade from previous years, incorporating the Ping 410 logo with red stripes and it slips on and off easily. I’m glad they did away with the old “sock” type of covers from years ago that were more difficult to take on and off. Sound and Feel: Score = 9 out of 10 Before I got to the fitter, I had a chance to use the driver both at a range and on the course. I also took my GBB along on several occasions as a comparison. I quickly realized that even without the fitter dialing it in for me this club was going straighter than my GBB and my G20. The one thing I really didn’t like about my GBB (outside of the pull hooks) was the sound – more dull than the sharp crisp sound I had with my G20. The sound of the SFT is a bit clunkier if you hit it off the toe but overall a much better sound experience. I can tell, without looking up how I hit the ball – which as a side note helps me keep my head down. I am hitting - the ball well. Is it the SFT or am I getting better? Not sure and who cares . Basic Characteristics: Score = 18 out of 20 Thankfully, it’s now May 1st, so onto the fitter and none too soon because a big complaint is that I’m not getting the distance that I thought I would. This is my first real fitting session (I’m not counting Club fitting days) and initially it was a bit unusual because I’m hitting in front of an audience (a few “guests had stopped by). The result is I’m spraying the ball all over the place (see Trackman graph below). Very Embarrassing! Finally, they leave, and I calm down and I’m driving the ball relatively straight. The first thing the fitter said to me is ‘you’re going to really make me work for this aren’t you’. He then proceeds to put me into a Ping 400 Max and Ping 410 Plus as a comparison to make sure I didn’t make a mistake ordering the SFT vs. the Plus. Neither 400 or 410 Plus worked well for me and then he puts me into a Regular Flex CB-55 shaft on the SFT and I immediately pick up 14 yards of carry at 2 mph less of SS and a close dispersion. He also stated that because of my swing (which he termed “violent”), I need a slightly shorter shaft, so for $72 I ordered a 45 1/4” Regular Flex and as a result I should expect slightly more yardage gain. Obviously, I need continued work on my swing especially on the “Attack Angle”, but the following trackman graph is very telling. I only included the SR Flex shaft = dark green, the regular flex shaft = turquoise and final loft adjustment to the regular flex shaft = brown. I didn’t include the other combinations as they weren’t relevant and would make the graph tougher to read. Additionally, there is a fair amount of dot overlap – however, the turquoise and brown dots are still representative. Obviously, the (somewhat faint) horizontal line represents center line and yardages. The brown dots were the result of the SFT set at 6* loft, which is what I’m sticking with since those drives are closest to the center 0 yds to approximately 15 yds right (draw). Again, based on the numbers: Attack Angle, Face Angle, etc. I still have some work to do on my swing. However, regardless of the that, I am still more consistent and longer with the R Flex than I was with the SR Flex. And longer than my GBB and G20. Note: My on-course results are averaging 200 + yds. My score of 18/20 is based on the following; The sound: it’s more of a thwack vs. a thud of the GBB. Since not quite as crisp as my G20, but still nice. Trajectory is high – but then that’s the result of both the shaft and the loft adjustments by the fitter and it’s working for me. Accuracy: If I had to give marks for just this as a category it’d be 20/20. It is right on the money. I am nailing the fairways right down the middle or close to it! Adjustability: It’s currently dialed in by the fitter for optimization. Could I easily adjust it? Of course, but why would I want to since the fitter has it dialed in. However, keep in mind that the SFT doesn’t have a sliding weight, on the other hand I don’t think I need one. On-Course Performance: Score = 40 out of 40 I don’t have access to ARCCOS or another measuring device so I’m including 2 pic’s of the GPS app for our course. As a point of reference, this hole #10 at our Club is a 462 yd par 5,– so the first night with the new R Flex shorter shaft, I drove it approx. 207 yds smack dab in the middle of the fairway. (A special note to Mods reading this, I’d like to be an Official Tester for ARCCOS . This SRT, especially for high handicappers like myself, makes one want to do a happy dance! This driver inspires my confidence and as a result I’m scoring better – that says it all! I have a high level of confidence that when I walk up to the tee I’m going to launch the ball straight and high. At this point, with really less than a month in (because of the shaft change), I would advise Ping not to change a thing when it comes to the actual club. Let me say this again: this SFT is straighter and longer than my GBB and G20. I see more GIR’s in my future. On the other hand, I do feel that the online fitting tool steered me to the wrong shaft – the Senior Flex vs. a Regular Flex (cut down). I’m now even more convinced of the importance of a real fitting – not just a fitting day at the course or a casual tryout in a big box store. Play it or Trade it? Score 20 out of 20 You’ll have to pry this driver out of my hands before you get it back! I won’t even let my men’s league partner (who’s also a lefty) try it. I’m not going to give it up for anything! Overall Score 96 out of 100

Last night my son was inducted into National Junior Honor Society. He worked hard this year for this and very proud of him for this accomplishment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Finally! Sent from my Pixel 3 using MyGolfSpy mobile app

Getting ready for another installment of the Golf Trip of a Lifetime. My cousin Paul (known here as @3PuttPaul) and I are heading to St. Andrews this weekend, We leave Boston Saturday night and arrive in Edinburgh Sunday morning. We're staying at The New Inn in St. Andrews - it's about a half mile or so from the golf complex. Here's the itinerary: Sunday - June 26: Afternoon golf at an undisclosed location with Gavin Dear and +1 from ShotScope Monday: 12:20 tee time at the Castle Course Tuesday: Early tee time at the New Course, afternoon at Jubilee Wednesday: 11:20 at Jubilee - 2nd tee time to be arranged at other St. Andrews Course Thursday: Open - in case we get on the Old Course via ballot. If we get on another day, we'll reschedule golf to this day. Friday: 10AM at Lundin Links - considered a hidden gem in the area - checked the website, it's right on the ocean, looks awesome! Saturday: 7AM at Kingsbarn - if we're not golfed out, we'll find someplace for an afternoon round. We have some flexibility on Monday-Thursday - with unlimited St. Andrews golf for the first three days of the week. We'll be on the Old Course ballot every day, and since the sun doesn't go down till around 10PM at that time of year, we'll try to cram as much golf in as we can. We chose to trade accommodations for more and better golf - so the New Inn isn't right near the course, but it is near the water and looks to be an interesting place. Pub and restaurant downstairs with modest rooms upstairs. We'll post pictures here and on social media, so hope you can follow along. It's gonna be a hoot! As for weapons for the trip, here's what I'm looking at bringing: Driver: Honma 747/Sub 70 639D/Tour Edge EXS (2 of the 3) FW: Either Wilson D7 or Srixon F-85 strong 3 Hybrids: Callaway Apex 19, PXG 22 Irons: Srixon Z-85 combo set Wedges: Cleveland 50 (bent to 49), Hogan Riviera 56/60 Also bringing Cobra adjustable utility iron (VERY useful in Scotland) Putter: Odyssey Stroke Lab and maybe Edel Willamette or Bettinardi Baby Ben, just to keep the Odyssey on its toes. Balls: Srixon Z Star XV/Bridgestone Tour B X The trip was put together by Jack Sallis of Halcyon Travel from England. I met Jack at the PGA Show - we're interested to see how this goes. Maybe, just maybe, we can put together a MyGolfSpy trip next spring/early summer if enough of you would be interested. Lemme know either here or via PM if you are...

Thanks to MyGolfSpy and Wilson Staff for putting on a great contest! I've loved their irons for years so this is fitting. Those Staff Blades tho.....

Got to hit some balls in the simulator at work today. Before you ask, I work in a software company which has many floors of a mid-rise building. We have a shared gym which on top of a bunch of nice equipment has a hitting bay and one simulator. Not sure which type of Sim it is... uses overhead tracking and infrared grids in front of you before the screen. Was running E6 software. This was my longest of the day, 105.something swing speed with their Titleist 917 D2 and Rogue MAX 65 S. Nice feeling driver BTW. I was hoping for more gains at this point, but I certainly got up to that speed easier. And think I found something that was blocking my hips from rotating. I think my stance was too wide, as I was stuck around 100mph for a while until I tried a slightly narrower stance. I’m interested to try that out while doing my training session tomorrow to hopefully post some new big numbers! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Congrats gentlemen! I finally broke top 10, I’m starting to get the hang of this thing. [emoji1787][emoji1787]

I think every competitor should have to submit a traditional dance of their ancestors. And yes, if all y'all do that, I'll submit a Muppet dance since y'all kindly pointed out, I must be related to them. Regards, Team #everyonewilldance

That was your ball you gave me to try!!

Yep, apparently I'm quite the beast now!

Since assassin and 153 are both me, does this mean I have double the chances of you jumping on board? Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

My guess is they're in the 130 to 150 million, but that's just a guess based on 2014 #'s of around 125 million. Tim Clarke did tell me they're seeing considerable success this year with the D7 and they've far exceeded what they expected to sell with the Staff Model blades. They've already outsold projections...

Agree with you on that front. Earlier is better to account for possible situations. I think we're mostly fine doing the draft on a weeknight so you'll probably be ok on the scheduling. Just for due diligence, I looked into other platforms again but the biggest they get is 20. Unless something changes, we'll be back with Fantrax. Hoping all this user feedback they're taking translates into a much improved platform.

Happy #1: My baby is done with high school - last day of classes for Seniors was Friday. Saturday was prom. My wife and I worked the after prom party so we got to bed at 5 AM Sunday morning. I woke up, did a little bit of yard work, then camped in front of the PGA for the rest of the day. I was really kind of hoping DJ would have been able to finish stronger and post a number, but not at all upset about BK winning. Happy #2: Oldest daughter took off Saturday to study in Paris for 6 weeks. She loves her host family so far.

Say thanks to Dad with our Fathers Day sale! Save $40 on the NX7 Pro and save $30 on the NX7. www.precisionprogolf.com

Planning to play 18 on Thursday and Saturday this week. Hopefully I'll have some more golf related comments soon. Until then...

Had a pretty miserable round this morning (49/48), but when my swing is right this thing is great. (I hit a whopping 4/15 fairways so I'll save you the headache of listening to my woes!). Best drive of the day came on No. 13, a 323-yard par 4. 236 yards of mostly carry, striped down the middle of a spongy, wet fairway. GAME Golf still shows this round as a general improvement for my driving, and my average distance has increased some, too, despite the number of trees I found today. So that's the positive I'll be taking from this round. I have my follow up "fitting" in two hours and hope to have some more stuff to discuss soon.

That's a bit personal for a golf forum

No, half, if you can't even keep your nickname straight, how on Earth will you be able to stay focused for an entire round of golf. Regard, Team #heckler

I haven't bought the latest release of anything in a number of years. Still gaming everything in my bag except wedges and putter from at least 5 years ago. I refuse to play that game. Like the golf ball market, they are going to push people toward direct-to-consumer club manufacturers like Sub 70 and Hogan.

Played in stroke play tourny down at Shadow Hills CC in Junction City, OR. Super nice facility with some holes that require very accurate te shots. Shot 85 with. I was pleased with my game minus 3 holes that I played +7. Un-real...My 85 was good enough for 2nd gross in my flight. 84 took the to spot. Still cant find my game post-op.Cant seem to find the groove and stay in it. Tee box is hurting me the most. I find fairways, I find greens. I miss fairways,I find sand, water, OB, trees. doubles. and triples. On the positive...Putted reasonably well and my iron game was decent. The greens yesterday were fast which I prefer.. It was nice rolling in 3 footers as they were smooth and held their line.

Let's be straight on this - I am standing on the right side of the ball [emoji23] Actually the SFT was the recommendation by the Ping online fitting tool. That was one thing it did get right as the fitter did have me try the Plus. For whatever reason I didn't get the same performance as with the SFT. Just as an aside, my primary objective with both my lessons and clubs is accuracy first then distance. Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

Awesome! I recognize some names this go! Congrats everyone!

Oh nice, a regular on the forum got the win! Congrats ! Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

I've played 5 rounds since switching from the Chrome Soft to the Pro V1x. Using GPS my average drive with the chrome soft was 225 yrds. With the Pro V1x my average went to 248 (60 drives). That is carry plus roll but all on the same course with same course conditions.

Don't take this wrong but.... who'd want them? Standard range balls are rather $hitty when new. And even $hitter after being used for a while. FYI - I have available two 55 gallon drums full of old used range balls. I'll have to pay to have them hauled off.

Had to get in one more range session before put the finishing touches on my Stage 2.

Looking and sounding great. Cannot wait for the stage 2's fellas. Really good reviews so far. Nice job!

I’m just here.

Next time just say “nah, I’m good.” I can’t add anything because all these guys hit the bullet points. Sorry you were stuck with such a DB. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Or are you waiting patiently like the rest of us for @Nunfa0's infamous haka?

I took today off to play 18 this morning, but I probably should have just gone to work with the way I played. 49/48 for a 97. Miserable play all around. Practice green was really quick this morning, the actual greens no so much, so round started with leaving everything short and ended with blowing everything by the hole by a mile. 39 putts. Had multiple chips that went nowhere. Skulled a handful of wedges and irons. Pulled everything left with my 54 degree, which I usually am accurate with. Two-way miss with the driver, either a pull left or a high, weak fade short and right. Can't do that on my home course because it's all tree-lined. On a high note I am now quite adept at the 5 iron stinger with draw to get out from behind and around trees. Must have hit at least five of those today. Tried to enjoy the walk this morning, but this was a tough pill to swallow after having two really good range sessions in a row. Oh well.

Good word! theres definitely a John Wayne saunter in DJ's initial move when he starts walking. I wonder if he got 'fitted' for it

worth every penny.... https://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/24634-2018-official-forum-member-review-precision-pro-nx7

Great thread! I'm happy because school gets out this week. As an administrator, I work all summer, but the pace is slower, and I can come in a little early so I can leave early enough to get in nine holes every day. I have a new house on the 12th hole of my home course, and my first grader is starting to love the game. Life is good! Srixon Z765 Driver Ping G400 17.5 & 20.5 Cobra F9 ONE 4 Hybrid Bridgestone JGR Forged 6-AW Ping Glide 2.0 54 & 58 Ping Sigma 2 Fetch Putter

First and foremost, never let a rude ******* force you to re-think your etiquette habits. When its the good guys that repeatedly ask you to move, then its time to re-think your habits. On the other hand, we're all different in what we prefer. I have my own quirks, places where I prefer to have people not stand, and I'll politely ask people to move at times. Close to the extension of my intended line, I'd rather not have you there, at least not with 4 or 5 yards. Sometimes I'll catch a little movement out of the corner of my eye, and ask the person to move a bit. As long as the request is made politely, I'm happy to honor anyone else's preferences too.

Absolutely, once I got past the adjustment period, my putting has definately improved. At first, my main issues were, alignment, and an outside to inside putting stroke. I fixed my alignment by adding a couple extra lines to my golf ball, which framed the putter better at address, so I wasn't relying on aligning a line to another line. I'll take a picture of it, and it will explain it so much better than I just did. As for the out to in stroke, turns out, I just need to stand a little farther away from the ball. No complicated fix there, just change my setup a little, and then just rock my shoulders. The armlock technique is definately one I'd recommend to try at least once. In all honesty, if you don't end up sticking with it, it can be used as a great training aid if you have too wristy of a stroke. After my initial comfort adjustment period, fixing my alignment, and stroke path, I can honestly say, I'm putting better than I ever have. I've really noticed improved speed control, and I'm making a LOT more 3-10 footers.

Yep. It’s a crock of you know what if you ask me. I am surprised the die hard blade fans aren’t kicking and screaming that they aren’t 1020 steel. I just don’t get it. It is impossible to grow the game for the majority of golfers if you keep hiking the prices up. If I was looking to get someone into the game I don’t know how I could tell them that it is cool to spend more than $2000 on some sticks and they might not even like it. Sure there are used options and cheaper clubs, but this is getting a little out of hand. My guess is $600 drivers, $350+ fairway woods, $250 Hybrids, and $200 per iron next year from a majority of the brands.

Dunno if they'll let me do a combo set but maybe the V6s in the 3-6i and Staff Blades in the 7i-pw. It was between that or getting my brother fit for a set and then letting him choose.

It’s not like it is crushing the 400 statistically, it’s just slightly better. Slightly better than one of the best ever. It’s not going to make current owner rush out and buy one. But the new buyer will reap all the new improvement

Hogan can customize your irons to your specs - swingweight, lie, length, etc. Their shaft options cover a pretty wide range - you would probably be able to see which of their offerings best fits you in a fitting. You can also try a couple of irons, bent to your specs, for two weeks for about $20. It's a little different, but if you're confident in the fitting, it's an option.

If you are looking for what’s best for your game, go get fit without any biases towards brands. Get the fitters recommendation and then decide. While you can choose brands before getting fit, it is best to be open to everything. I have been surprised by a fitting more than once.

Looking foward to it as well! I'm rolling with my B-team this week, so you have a pretty good shot at beating me.

Can't believe how controversial the ball test became. I thought it was very enlightening. I played the chrome soft, loved the three piece but hated the new 4 layered version. Been looking for a replacement the whole year. I always thought I wanted to play a softer ball with my 92MPH swing. Boy was I wrong, this test led me to the Pro V1x and couldn't be happier. Went from a 85 compression ball to a 110. My drives have increase 23 yards and more predictability around the greens. keep up the good work MGS. Haters will always be haters and winners will always be with MGS.

member guest booty. Gift cards and an announcement of 30% of bags and I snagged this little beaut. $120 off tag price.

Good company’s have great Customer Service, obviously TMAG does. I had similar experience with Odyssey. Feels good! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy