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Took the day off of work, and I am sooooo glad I did! Walked 18 holes this morning and then did another nine this afternoon. Morning 18 - 41/38 = 79 (+7) - 7/15 FIR - 9/18 GIR (2 birdies, though one was a chip-in) - 34 Putts (2 3-putts, 13 2-putts, 2 1-putts, 1 chip-in) - 3:00 Round Time (Got caught behind a shotgun start group on 16, 17 and 18...) I finally broke 80! I really got off to a shaky start this morning, hit two not great six irons on the second hole, but before I knew it I was even after a birdie on No. 5. I doubled the par 3 sixth after finding the greenside bunker, and then hit an awful pull on No. 6 leading to another double bogey. Easily the worst holes of my day. Chipped-in on 12, which is such an awesome feeling. I'm most proud of my focus after getting cut in front of by the shotgun start. The owner didn't realize I was out on the course, so I played the last three holes in 50 minutes after playing the first 15 in just over two hours. I have The Grint app hide my score, and all I knew is that I was pretty low on the back. Hit a poor tee shot on No. 16 after waiting a while, but recovered and saved a bogey. Two pretty good drives and approaches on 17 and 18, followed by two awesome two putts from quite a ways away. Massive credit to Utley's chipping techniques and Rotella's mental techniques. They have been a huge help over the past couple of weeks. Afternoon 9 - 43 (+7) - 2/7 FIR - 2/9 GIR (0 birdies) - 16 Putts (7 2-putts, 2 1-putts) - 2:00 Round Time I really wanted to play 18 again this afternoon, but course was busy and I was behind a couple groups. Ho-hum round compared to the morning. I did not strike the ball well with any club at all. Hit some pretty massive slices with the driver, shanked a 4 iron off the tee on a par 3, hit a couple of chips fat. 'Tis golf, I guess! Didn't feel like my swing at all. All in all, a great day. Had a lot of fun and it's awesome to see my work throughout this season paying off. Our season is winding down, and I probably only have three or four more weekends to have good weather for 18 holes on Sunday mornings.

75 8/14 fir 11/18 gir 32 putts Couldn’t make a putt to save my life. Hit it ok not great but definitely passable. Did have 2 bad swings that resulted in a penalty stroke each. All in all still solid and trending in the right direction.

Today has been a trying day. First I backed into someone and caused a bunch of damage to my vehicle. I haven’t been in an accident since I started driving. So I was extremely embarrassed and shocked that I could possibly back into a parked car... [emoji15] Then 5 seconds after I asked my boys to stop rough housing they shattered a big slider window, and one of my sons is in the ER right now getting stitches on his hip/butt... thankfully it wasn’t his face or a major artery/vein. Definitely will be going inside at any signs of a thunderstorm from now on. Tell your kids you love them people! A reminder today for me that although his pain caused me pain, it could have been extremely worse.

39-39, 78 with 31 putts. I seem quite stuck at 5- just keep having an errant shot here and there

Wilson D7 Irons, Stage One: JohnSmalls (8/21/2019) Hi, I am John! I live and play most of my golf in upstate South Carolina at Spring Lake Country Club which is just south of Charlotte, NC. I grew up doing a variety of things from going on camping trips to playing just about everything that could be considered a game. My grandma enjoyed golf and her husband was an avid golfer along with being one of the first members at the club in my hometown. Sadly he passed away before I was born, but there was always golf equipment laying around my grandma’s house. Her brother, Joe was also an avid golfer and he gave me my first golf clubs when I was a very young boy. Ironically it was a junior Wilson set with a driver, fairway wood, 5, 7, 9, PW and a putter. I liked golf never enjoyed playing, because it wasn’t the cool sport and my first sports love was baseball. Nevertheless I played here and there through the grade school/high school years and kept up about once a year while in college. It wasn’t until 3 years ago that I played my first truly enjoyable round with one of my best friends that I began to fall in love with this crazy game. I was very pessimistic about my game and distance so I played game improvement/super game improvement irons for my first two+ years(Cobra Fly-Z and Nike Vapor Speed), but as my ball striking improved over the past year I wanted to try something new so I put my current dream forged players irons in the bag the Nike Vapor Pro Combos. With this past year of lessons and practice I feel like I have unlocked a better understanding of my swing, all of this has come with the Pro Combos in the bag which I have come to love. I currently shoot in the low to mid 90s and that is finally trending down after what is looking like a year of growing pains due to a substantial swing change. Irons were the better part of my game before the swing change and look like they are coming alive again. I have a slower back swing leading into a moderately aggressive downswing that averages between 84-86 7 iron swing speed, and tops out a touch over 89mph. My instructor tracks data using Flightscope hitting to an outdoor range with Srixon range balls. Consistently well struck 7-irons with my Pro Combos are in the 153-157 carry range with around 8000 spin. My typical miss comes off the toe side of center and usually ends up with a 10% loss on carry distance ranging in the high 130s to low 140s. Really bad ball striking days end up with an awful tempo leading to my latest attempt at a ditch digging contest and some nasty pull hooks. With all of this I have a relatively good idea what to expect from my irons depending on how I am hitting the ball and this has led to a much more consistent and finally improving game. “Wilson’s new D7 irons with RE-AKT technology brings distance when you need it and precision when you want it. Long irons feature three rows of Power Holes and a thinner, more responsive face for maximum distance. Fewer Power Holes combine with optimal weighting and extreme feel in the shorter irons for the most precise distance control. With straighter lines, a cleaner top line and improved weighting, D7 combines the look of a player's iron with the benefits of Super Game Improvement Technology. D7 helps golfers play their best.”-- If that sounds like marketing material…it is. That is quoted straight from Wilson's website. Wilson intrigues me. I thought of them as a big box low quality company when I first started playing. But slowly through MGS testing, I am convinced they really do produce high quality clubs and especially irons. Wilson is one of the old school players in the game and their history speaks for itself with 62 major wins coming with Wilson Staff irons. I was fit by Ken at Victory Custom Golf in Lake Wylie, SC. We spoke about the shafts available, and tested a number of KBS shafts (Wilson Staff preferred), DG 105, and a few Aerotech Steelfiber options. As I saw at the D7 demo day, I do not like KBS shafts. I really wanted to, but I don’t get along with them. Steelfibers weren’t much better for me. But the DG 105 was the goldilocks choice of the day. So Ken fit me for 4-PW,GW, -0.25” and 1* flat for the D7s and in Dynamic Gold AMT R300 (closest to the DG 105). I chose the stock Lamkin Crossline but in black. The shaft length is exactly the same as my Nikes except for the PW (Wilson is shorter). Honestly, I am concerned about the loft comparisons to my current irons, and the low spin design of the D7 head. See below: Personally, I am excited to have Wilson’s back in my bag; it feels like I have come full circle with equipment. Wilson shipped them with the heads individually wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap, even though the box was a little beaten up, the clubs look great! I had Ken check the specs to what was ordered and every club ended up .5* to 1* flatter than the spec sheet, so we think it was a difference in machines. What I am looking for?: -Similar carry distance and ball flight on mishits (no 10% loss) -Ability to hit the ball low with long irons from the trees -Iron shots to hold the green with 5,6,7 irons -Cut down wedges/short irons to maintain enough spin to hold greens -Increased GIR and scrambling percentages Will the D7s and RE-AKT be enough to kick my favorite Nikes from my bag?

Hi everyone! It's an honor for an old duffer like myself to be a member of such a fine community as this. Ive learned alot since I've been here just reading your posts about golf equipment and about golf in general. I hope to be able to keep up with the high quality of reviews. I would like to thank MyGOLFSPY and WILSON for the opportunity to test and review the new line of Wilson D7 Irons. And also thanks to my lovely wife for her years of patience with me as I've tried to hit that #%!* white ball around the course! So a little bit about myself. I'm a retired Chicago Police Sergeant with one amazing son and the aforementioned lovely wife! We have enjoyed traveling since I've retired and in our travels I've even been able to squeeze in a few rounds in the Azores and in Ireland. Currently I keep busy by golfing and working at Wrigley Field (Home of the 2016 World Series Champs) Even got one of these! Once I retired I thought golf would become easier what with all the extra time to practice and play. BOY WAS I WRONG! It seems the more I've been playing lately the worse my game has become! This year my handicap has gone up 2 points and once where I could expect to shoot in the upper 80s I've been struggling to keep it in the 90s! Somewhere along the way I developed a mean duck hook followed at times by a bigger hook (goose hook?)! Lately I've been getting rid of that ugly shot but it still pops up from time to time. They say understanding that you have a problem is the first step in recovery and I understand that my big problem is TOO much information in my head! I'm constantly watching this online instructor telling me to do one thing followed by another instructor telling me to do another. I've watched countless videos of different swings mechanics, every instruction show on the Golf Channel and bought numerous golf training aids from Golf Shirts to Power Package to special clubs. Orange Whip anyone! Currently I play once a week in a golf league with friends. But I try to get out to the range once or twice a week and try to work on my game.My misses are mostly left but I'm an equal opportunity golfer and I can miss right as well at times. Lately I've been trying to focus on impact and not worry too much about the swing, trying to keep my head clear of all the clutter I have put in there. Recently I purchased a set of Cobra King F7 irons which replaced a 10 yr old set of Adams and I've been satisfied with them but look forward to testing the Wilson D7’s to see if they can improve my game. I'll be taking them to a driving range a little way from me that actually has TopTracer Range (one of only 3 in Illinois). I've never been there before so Im looking forward to using that technology and sharing info on that location so other Chicago area golfers can benefit. After a few sessions there I'll take them out to the course and hopefully break 90! Despite the inconsistencies in my game Im still very passionate about golf and hope to be playing it for many years to come. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Right out of the box my first impression of the D7 was quite positive! It is a real good looking iron not unlike my current King Cobra F7’s. Both labeled as game improvement irons but the big difference is Wilson D7 lofts are 2 degrees less for each club compared to my Kings. Wilson D7’s also come with power holes (3 rows of power holes for longer irons, 2 rows for mid irons, and 1 row for PW and GW). Couple these with the super thin face these irons have and you are supposed to get greater ball speed for longer distances for both center and off center hits. I find it funny that I live just a few miles from Wilson headquarters and really did not know too much about the golf side of the company. I didn't know the rich history Wilson shared with the game of Golf. Wilson once was the golf club of champions from Arnold Palmer, Sam Snead, Billy Casper and Ben Hogan all played Wilson clubs! A quick search of the internet I also found a great article from MYGOLFSPYS own John Barba from 2014(wish I knew about this place back then!) that pretty much gives a rise and fall and rise again of Wilson Golf (A MUST READ!) Once overshadowed by the likes of Titelist, Taylormade and Ping, Wilson has upped its profile with Golf Channel’s Driver vs Driver show has Padraig Harrington, Kevin Streelman, and 2019 US Open winner Gary Woodland using Wilson clubs. Now with Wilson D7’s and more new clubs to come hopefully we will see a resurgence in the Wilson brand! Well that just about does it for Stage 1 if anyone has any questions please fire away and I will be happy to answer! I hope you enjoy the review, these clubs might not be for everyone but I think a large segment of mid to high handicappers will like trying these clubs out! So far I am very happy with the results and will share them in Stage 2.

... Crazy game huh? Sometimes I come home thinking I will take a week off I played so badly and my swing felt so foreign after shooting a 73. Other days I come home thinking I should have tried to qualify for a Champions Tour event after shooting a 73 but everything felt effortless and I just missed some putts. ... I am reminded of the comment (I can't remember who said it) that he was struggling badly with his swing so he took the rounds before playing off and just showed up Thursday with no practice and played. He won that week. He did it again the next week and won vowing to NEVER work on his swing again. The following Friday heading up th 18th fairway and missing the cut by 10 strokes he said he had no idea how to even start his backswing. He said it was then he realized the golf swing isn't something you own, you just borrow it for short periods of time.

Played two days ago and forgot to update the forum. I usually only have time for 9 as I play after work but anyways, here it goes. Drove the ball decent just need to minimize my misses as per usual. Iron play was decent, I blocked a shot or two but aside from that, striking everything solid. Wedge play was fairly decent. I really struggle with putting as this was the main struggle of my round. I should not have 2 3 putts in a 9 hole round. That and my big misses are what leads to a score exponentially higher than what it should be. I hope to break par once more this year as I know I can do it, I just need to put my game together and play my misses. Score: 40 (+4) FIR: 3/7 or 43% which is extremely average for me GIR: 5/9 or 55% Up and down to save par: 2/4 or 50% Putts: 18 with 2, 3 putts.

46/39 at Bridger Creek in Bozeman. Another Jekyll & Hyde round. On the front, I had 3 OB drives in succession . All three were literally within a foot of the marker... one a mere golf ball in diameter out... really! Two were fades that just ran far enough and one that ran straight through the hard dog leg on a drilled straight as an arrow drive (I was trying to cut the corner and didn't). I've had quite a few of these "tale of two nine's" rounds this year. Not sure what the heck causes that. Anyone else suffer these and figured out a remedy?

I was lucky enough to be a pre-release tester for Golf Pride with the new MicroSuede grip, been using it for the past couple weeks on my driver. Right now I use the Tour Wrap 2G, which I like for the tackiness. The MicroSuede is just as grippy, but not in a sticky/tacky grip way, the new material just provides a lot of traction, as well as a nice soft feel. The main draw for me in this grip is the moisture management. Even in the height of a NC summer day with 90% humidity, no amount of sweat seemed to matter. I did also spray the grip with water to simulate rain, and it still maintains the same level of traction. The Tour Wrap 2G on the other hand does tend to get a bit slippery with enough moisture, and in my experience the Tour Velvet variations do as well. As far as durability goes, kind of too soon to tell, but I re-grip every year and if it's keeping with the trend with Golf Pride grips, they should be just fine. If it does suddenly drop off a cliff and fall apart I will certainly update. I plan on putting this grip on through the entire bag now that they are in stores, I definitely recommend at least checking it out if your local store has one on display.

I think, I should just pencil in -5 right now and save the aggravation of doing the math.

Played again. Still Bad........... Great course however. Outside of Columbus Ohio about 40 minutes called The Virtues Golf Club. Last two rounds have been really bad 85's. The only thing getting me through is that I can play this terrible and muster a round in the mid 80's. Thought I was trending down, but maybe not. Hope everyone else is faring well and playing great.

Hey John. Was that video done in front of a mirror? Something looks odd (backwards) and I cannot put my finger on it . I wanted to add these into my recent, rather long winded, iron testing but could not find any. I really like the look of them and that Wilson is back in the game. Golf just isn't golf without them being part of the tapestry. Have fun and throw a few HR's in the evaluation - certainly that has to be a consideration going into the 2020 HRC and unseating Mr. @sirchunksalot

Wait - what - no video

Chicks dig stitches...when he gets older, the story will change to "I took on two robbers trying to steal my PS4 so let them have it!". Seriously though, glad they are both ok. As for the backing up thing, we've all done it. I backed up my minivan into a tree (while looking at the backup camera, lol). Had to get the last inch or two of parking). Now, just like my putts, I'm leaving everything short because I don't want to do it again....so if you see a minivan that's only 2/3 into a parking spot, chances are it might be me MDGolfHacker

Next time I wear my Puma hat and shirt I’ll snap a pic. I haven’t been on here much lately, 10 or so weeks of this challenge will do that to ya. I’ve been struggling lately with my driver, no big secret there, so today I had an impromptu lesson with just my driver. Turns out I was starting my hips to soon and causing me to leave the face open. 2 minutes later, launching them right down the middle. Funny how someone can look at 3-4 swings and tell you one little thing to do that improves everything. Now, can I transfer what I learned tonight to the tee box, we’ll just have to see. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Had one of those mysterious brown boxes at the house today. Is it too late to join the Cobra club? Thank you MGS mods and Cobra for the unbelievable prize! I cannot wait to get this bomber out on the course!

OK .. good news.... But first... A really big THANKS!!! to everyone on here (and there are two in particular) who has offered me encouragement along the way. Next... the disclaimers: - a short, relatively easy course - 9-hole Par 35; 2,624 yds from the Forward tees; 65.1 / 110 Finished @ +7 .. better than bogey golf!! (...which has been my continuing quest the past few seasons) 4 Pars .. 4 GIRs 3 Bogeys 2 Doubles No penalties (finished with the same ball I started with!) 1 x 2-chip 1 x 3-putt Didn't count fairways hit but was in, or was just on the side of, most of them - including one astoundingly lucky "tree wedge" on the one Par 5 where I pushed my tee shot right .. right into the tops of the trees .. and was looking for it to drop into trouble but instead it got thrown out into the MIDDLE of the fairway! Lost like 1/2 the distance on the shot but I will take that! (Note to self: make a contribution to the National Arbor Foundation.) Ended up with a bogey on that hole after I chunked my 100 yd approach and still had to chip on. One of the Doubles was not "bad" shots but the second and third shots there were just not good enough .. and then I 3-putted on top of that. Second Double was definitely attributable to three poor shots and ball still not on the green.... But today's round actually follows up a previous 'better than bogey golf' 9-hole round two days ago, where I finished a shorter, easier course @ +8, so I had to have this second one in the bag to "claim it" Whoo-hoo! Oh, PS: I don't know what 'switched on' recently but I've stayed calm out there, thought about and focused on my shots, and just kept the ball moving in the right direction. Maybe the bunch of lessons - technical and mental - I took earlier this year, and I mean literally waaay back in January and February, are finally starting to permeate in through my thick skull......

I don’t necessarily agree. While the shaft may supply the power thru loading/unloading it’s more of a tuning mechanism to optimize launch conditions. Getting the right loft so that launch is in the right window is more important. The shaft can then be used to tweak the launch and spin and feel. I don’t agree that any shaft can be plugged into any head. I’ve been to several fittings and something like the hzrdus yellow has worked in a few heads but didn’t work in a couple others. Same for iron shafts. Kbs $ taper worked in some heads while not so much in others.

I could live with being stuck at 5.

My Stage 1 is up! Hope you enjoy.

Where do we start? That was a lot of fun this week at the Illinois Mid-Amateur Championship at Stonebridge CC in Aurora, IL. The golf course design is very well done as most of the tee shots look narrower than they actually are. I did not have the opportunity to play a practice round this week, but thanks to google earth I had a good idea what to expect. Most of the fairways were 35+ yards wide with another 10-15 before any real trouble unless there was water on the hole. My first round I started on the 10th tee. I hit a poor wedge into this green but was able to get up and down. That gave me a nice boost and I started the day with 4 nice pars. We got to our first par 5 of the day and that lead to my first birdie. -1 throught 5. The next hole I was unable to make par from a divot in the rough and back to even. My 7th hole (16th on the course) is a great designed hole. 335 unreachable with how wet it was. I hit a good tee shot and even better wedge and got back to -1. Two more pars and I finish the front side at -1. We head to the 10th hole (1st) another par 5. Toady its a 3 shot hole, a good tee shot and wedge lead to another birdie, -2 through 10. The next hole a solid 3 wood and wedge and another birdie, -3 through 11. This is when the rain started. We had a two hour delay at this point. We come back out and I make couple of pars on 12 & 13, and we are rolling again. We get to our 14th hole (5th on the course). A solid par 4 with water all the way left. The green has a huge ridge running away from you and the pin was below that ridge. I hit a solid 4 wood to 104. Hit that wedge to a foot and we are -4 through 14. We can see that more rain is on the way and we are hoping for lighting at this point. Two more pars and I am -4 through 16 and 2nd place alone at this point. The 17th hole is a good par 3 with a tricky green. I hit into the wrong spot and rolled into the rough. A chip to 4' and a lip out lead to a poor bogey. Still have a good round going. The rain is picking up at this point. My umbrella broke in between holes and now my goal is to just keep my grips dry. We get to our final hole and I hit a very poor tee shot (worst of the week). I then punch out and try to lay up to make par the hard way. My lay up squirted right and into the rough. Never saw it bounce but never thought we wouldn't find it. After looking for 3 minutes (it goes fast) and its a lost ball. From there I hit the correct lay up and then onto the green and 2 putts for an 8 and an even par round of 72. I can't properly put into words my emotions at this point. Because of the earlier delay we have to go right out for our 2nd round. I was able to gather my thought for a i and made an opening par. The next 3 holes I hit good tee shots. Missed one green and had two 3 putts and I am 3 over through 4. Six holes earlier I was -4. I was able to make a birdie on the 5th hole (I birdied this hole every round). One more bogey and birdie and we finish the front nine at +2. Onto the back 9. I hit a good tee shot on 10 that ended up in a divot. A poor shot from there and I am now +3. I par 11 and 12. My 2nd worst drive of the event on 13 lead to another bogey. +4. I was able to bounce back on 14 with a birdie but gave it back on 17. I made par on the 18th hole to finish the day at +4. I was very disappointed with my score. I hit the ball much better than my +4 score for 36 holes. I made the cut (top 35) by 2 shots and had a very good chance of a top 20 finish with a good 3rd round. The top 20 are exempt to the 2020 event. So that was my goal going into the final round. The final round starts very well. A good tee shot, nice lay up and a wedge to 8'. I just missed that putt but had a stress free opening par. The 2nd hole much like the first. A good tee shot and wedge to 10'. Again just missed the putt but stress free par. The 3rd hole I pushed my iron and made a poor bogey after a very poor chip shot. +1 for the round. A par on #4 and we are off to my favorite hole. A good 4 wood off the tee and a wedge to 10' and I finally make a putt. Back to even through 5. The 6th hole is a 440 yard par 4. I hit a good tee shot and a solid 8 iron to the center of the green. 2 poor putts later and I make bogey. I hate three putting. The 7th hole longest par 4 on the course (470 yards). I hit another good tee shot. I have 188 yards into the wind. A solid 6 iron to the center of the green and I was please. But again 3 putts later another bogey. +2 after 7 and only missing one green. I am hitting the ball well and just need to keep doing that. The 8th hole is playing a lot shorter, a par 3 at 135 yards. I hit a very good PW to 8' and finally make that putt to get back to +1. Onto the 9th hole. I hit a good tee shot, good lay up to 71 yards and a wedge to 5'. Two birdies in a row and an even par front nine. I am please as I know I am hitting the ball well. I start the back nine with 2 solid pars and we head to the par 3 12th hole. Playing 175 yards into the wind over water. I caught my 7 iron a hair fat and the wind ate it up into the water. I know this is the club if I even thin it. I re-tee and hit it to 6'. I lip that putt out and make double +2 after 12 holes. I can still finish well. A solid par on 13 and we are off to the par 5 14th hole. Its playing into the wind and I hit a great tee shot. I have 237 yards to the flag slightly up hill to a green guarded in front by a bunker. I hit what I felt was a perfect cut 4 wood. I could see the wind hit it just as I thought. The ball hit a yard above the bunker and kicked back into it just under the lip. One more foot forward and I have an eagle putt. I did not have a good lie in the bunker. I tried to blast it out and the ball jumped up into the face and rolled back into my foot prints. A 2nd shot out rolled over the green and from there I was able to get up and down. A very poor bogey after 2 solid shots. I know I have 3 solid chances at birdie coming in if i hit the ball well. A good par on 15 & 16 and we head to the par 3 17th. 205 into the wind. I hit a 4 iron. Hit it very well and have 8' for birdie. It just slides by on the right and we are headed to 18 at +3. I know at this point in need an eagle to have a chance at top 20. Turns out that even would not be enough. The 18th hole was playing down wind. A 537 yard par 5 with water all the way right. I hit a perfect tee shot and have 224 yards to the flag. I hit a cut 4 iron to the front edge and have 25' for eagle. I hit my chip right by the right edge and have a tap in to finish my round at +2. I was happy to finish strong, but disappointed in my total score (+6) 222. I ended up at T-22 in a very solid field. There were past USGA champions in the field, if you look at some of the names this was truly a very good field. It would have been very nice to finish top 20, but it gives me something to work for next year. My stats are very telling. I need to learn how to putt. FIR - 73.8% (I will say the fairways were very generous). But if you missed you had trouble making par GIR - 72.2% (when you hit this many greens you will have lots of birdie chances. Man did I ever) Ave putts per round - 31.3 (this is about 3 putts too many per round). PPGIR - 1.79 [emoji36] Almost 2 putts per GIR. This must change if i want to compete. Just shows how important putting is. Total Birdies - 12 (4 per round) that is not a bad average Total Pars - 27 (exactly half the holes) Total Bogeys - 13 (5 from 3 putts) Total worse than Bogey - 2 ( 1 double, 1 triple) My take away is you have to eliminate your big mistake and putt better. It is simple to say if you do not 3 putt that's 5 strokes, but it is more than that. It is making more putts in the 8' - 15' range. I missed a lot of putt's there. This was my final big event for 2019. It is hard to believe that the season is over. I do have a fun event with my wife on Sunday that we look forward to each year. I have some time to reflect on the 2019 season and I will come back next week and write up my thoughts on how the season went. I already have plans to get back into the gym after labor day and try to come back in 2020 lighter, stronger and faster as I plan to use my super speed sticks all winter long. I want to thank MGS and the members here that have taken the time to follow along and read this all year long. I look forward to doing it again next year. Thank you.

Stage one is up! See if you guys can find the two abnormalities in my post.

Look what arrived yesterday! I almost bought the exact same pair of shoes about a month ago but held off in the hopes that I would finish near the top and get lucky with the Cobra/Puma prize. All of these look fantastic; they really 'blue' my mind with the choices. Admit it, that was a pretty good dad pun.

Got invited to play Fresh Meadow CC today and actually played well with a +2 74. I generally don’t putt well their for whatever reason and rolled it really well today. Made kick in birds on 3 and 12 which are handicap holes 1 and 2 on the track. On 3 I hit a six iron from the left rough that was almost jarred. Three more days of golf to go before I have to head back to work. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I understand that the FedEx Cup playoffs are for the players that played consistent golf throughout the year, but IMHO it can't be called the Tour Championship anymore. Not when Major champions Tiger Woods and Shane Lowry aren’t playing, and 11 non-winners are. Call it playing for the FedEx Cup, but it is NOT the Tour Championship.

Driver heads have varying levels of fade/draw bias which may "work" for everyone but certain players would be better served by 1 bias versus the other. Even more of an issue with high or normal spin heads versus lower spinning models. There are a few drivers that have the same stock Tensei and Project X shafts this year... Go test a few out and see if your trackman numbers are the same. I would bet the EPIC flash, M5, and G410 perform noticeably different for most people. Fitting only for shaft and ignoring head doesn't make sense.

Yes to the first part, no to the second

After two weeks of arranging a lift and a trailer to haul brush, I’ve finally cleared away 6 mature Maples from my house. Don’t let anyone tell you that cutting down trees is easy work...and as far as golf goes, they’re definitely not 90% air. The original builder and owners of the home we now live in loved trees. When we moved in, there were 16 mature maple, Linden and pine trees around the property. They severely limited sun and airflow and it was taking a toll on my shingles.

One of my daughters went through a sliding glass door from our kitchen to the deck (when I was married). She only suffered a "scratch" from it, thankfully. Things can always be worse. This too, will pass, Shankster.

Wowser what a day! Like you said it's a blessing that your son did not get hurt worse. Prayers with him for a quick recovery.

Whoa. That must have been excruciating. You’re right. I left or tried to leave a few minutes early to get home to take the kids to their open house. My car has backup sensors, camera and all. The sensors didn’t go off, and I relied on my old ways and used the mirror. The car was hidden by the DVD player screen and a head rest....

Sexy definition: sexually suggestive or stimulating : erotic ... You guys are clearly doing things with clubs that I want to know nothing about.

Thanks Rick. All of my kids were shocked. They didn’t realize how badly they could get hurt from a window. They know now.

Thanks @ncwoz, @yungkory and @THEZIPR23. I was so excited after my round this morning that I went a bought a new 3 wood.

Man, I’m not so sure. I’ve hit every driver on the market this year, did fittings (minimum of stock options) and saw HUGE differences. Is the CT maxed, COR as well? Probably, but we have the issue of MANUFACTURER’S TOLERANCES. Loft might be off by as much as two degrees. Weighting could be off by a few ounces, COR/CT of each head can vary (Schauffele), so I wouldn’t say they’re all equal. I saw a 4 mph gain in ball speed from the EXS vs my G400 LST. That’s a LOT for me at 112-113 mph! The M5 and M6 couldn’t stay on the planet. The G410 was so-so. Weighting in the heads is different due to if the crown is graphite, or of it’s titanium, and ball speeds high off the head will differ just because there is either graphite or titanium up there behind the strike. I was unable to get fitted and get ALL DRIVERS to show me the same numbers. Not even close, across the board. Look at the MGS testing. GREAT variances.... Yes, CT and COR are generally at the limits, but all drivers are not equal.......

Been a heck of a year for me to get back into golf. 14 clubs Bag Ball Distance device Glove Shoes Wildcard I'll save the forum the word fort it would require to explain, but new irons, new 3w, new putter, new bag, new shoes, new glove, new ball, so on and so forth. 2/14 club points 0/4 bag, ball, glove, shoes points 0/1 Distance Device (18Birdies GPS app) 1/1 Wildcard. Tees, ball marker, and underwear are all the same. 3/20 points.

I just checked.....I have 87 cents change in my bag as of today. OK, I admit that I didn't read the rules. I lost track of my points as the only thing I started the year out with and still use is the bag and my 3 wood. Driver, if you don't count a new shaft.

Had a good workout today

No mirrors involved. I promise I am taking my hacks from the right side of the ball . I'll see what kind of rocks I can find to throw in strictly for science. @sirchunksalot we are barely 2 months removed and the forum is gearing up to steal your crown!

John and Steve, loved those Stage 1's! Nice job. Steve, thanks for your service, I imagine that had to be a very interesting career in Chicago. I love the city, just haven't been there too often. I'll actually be a couple hours north of you next week, too bad I don't have an extra day, to come down and get a round in with you!

Not a lot of info to go on so it is almost impossible to provide a recommendation. I’ll assume you are a higher handicap and struggle to get the ball into the air. I would go 10.5 or more on the driver and as high as you can on the 3 wood.

You'll be surprised what a fitting can do for you. In the past I've spent more on a club that doesn't work than on my fitting. Note: I'm a high handicapper as well with a neg AOA and plenty of swing flaws. Also I was a tester for Ping 410 SFT this year. The shaft recommendation based on Ping's online fitting tool was a Senior Flex CB as I only have a SS in the low 80's. First thing he did was change me out to a shorter Reg Flex - resulting in an immediate improvement in dispersion and slight improvement in distance (only $72.). He also told me to take the 3W and 3H out of my bag. Put me into a higher launching 5W and 9W. Both of these resulted a huge improvement to my game. I haven't yet bought the irons recommended since my wife had a fitting as well and all new clubs. So hopefully I'll have new irons later this year. We have a forum member here @McGolf who is a fitter in central Ohio - you might want to talk to him

Well, the pressure washer idea didn't work too well. All I succeeded in doing was get a face full of dirt/mud. So, the stump will have to stay and get ground out.

That will settle the boys down for a day or 2 and then it’ll be back to normal. Kids are a blast, been thru my 2 now 4 teenage Gkids in the mix. They are a blast, enjoy them! The stitches will be a story for him to tell for at least 2 months. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Sorry to hear about your accident. _hit happens. It seems that those accidents happen when you lose focus. Your boys were really lucky. Glad they were OK... well except for the stitches. My wife told me about her brother back in the early 1960's. His vision was not that great and had to wear glasses, but didn't have them on. They had a pool in the back yard, and one of his brothers yelled "last one in is a rotten egg!" He ran right through a sliding glass door. She thinks he still holds the record at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane at 3800 stitches.

Heck no. It’s an interior one that goes from our dining room to the living room/sunroom. I was going to take it out eventually, and put a set of French doors in... Think I like the “flowing” look better.

I appreciate the discussion here. I disagree that driver has never been a scoring club. I’ve always thought the Locke quote was the product of someone who couldn’t draw the ball well and was jealous of those who did. Ask the people who had to compete against Jack Nicklaus if long and straight made him tough to compete against. Same held true of Bobby Jones. They were the longest,most consistent drivers of the ball in their eras. Having written that there was beyond a doubt more than one way to attack a course then - if you think of the big three what made it so intriguing was the difference between Arnie, Jack and Gary Player. Since sixcat is the architect in the group I’d like to know what he might propose to level the field and make distance simply an attribute among many others. I’m intrigued by the notion of shortening rather than lengthening courses. Like others here I’d like to see a variety of skills tested but not at our expense - I barely hit the ball far enough to enjoy the game now. I don’t need to loose the 15 yards I’ve busted my tail to get back the past year and a half, :( Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

FINAL PRE-DRAFT NOTES AND TIPS Hey everyone, it's your old pal @Berg Ryman here to leave you with some important notes and strats as we are now 36 hours away from draft night in America... or wherever you may be drafting from. Again, some of this will be old hat for the vets, some of this may be new to the rookies, but I hope everyone takes advantage of this info. 1) Click Here to be transported to the rules page for our league. There you will find our line-up structure and our scoring structure. Know them both. I'll also drop the line-up structure here in the post. 14 roster spots, starters first 1 QB 2 RB 2 WR 1 TE 1 Flex (RB/WR/TE) 1 Kicker 1 Defense/Special Teams 5 bench players 2) The draft starts at 9:00 p.m. EST. I would arrive to the draft 15 minutes early, throw some barbs in the chat, familiarize yourself with the draft , set-up your queue, etc. 3) If you will not or can not make the time, take today and pre-rank your players. By pre-ranking you will at least not force the computer to take whichever player they feel is best. Also attached to this... 4) If you will not or can not make the draft, please go into the draft room right now on Fantrax and set up your autopick settings. To do you, enter the draft room, click on where it says "Auto-Draft off" and select your settings. If you know you are not going to be there, select Always Auto Draft and then fill your queue with players you wish to target. Now, and this is important so I'm breaking it out here, you must choose whether or not to have the auto-draft fill active slots first, or just go in the order of your queue. For example, if you have fill active slots first, I could almost guarantee you that the computer will draft you a kicker and defense within the first 9 rounds. If you're cool with that, that's cool, but if you want to at least potentially fill your bench and get quality depth before going kicker and defense, you'll want to leave the fill active slots first box unchecked. 5) Now, some tips and strats for how to approach this draft The Zero Strats: So, there have been versions of the zero strats for years in FFB, but now they are classified as Zero RB and Zero WR, respectfully. The reason for these names is simple. You would eschew one of these positions early in the draft for an advantage at the other one. SO instead of bouncing back and forth between these two star positions, you heavily invest in one or the other, maybe missing stars in one, but hoping to land breakouts later on in the draft. The BPA: Sometimes though, you just take what falls to you, having a centralized draft strategy is nice, but it hardly ever goes to plan. You need to be able to adapt and adjust as things go and sometimes, that's just taking who you think the best player available is at the time. The Handcuff: Say you want to invest in an oft-injured player or someone holding out, you better know who the back-up is and you may want to get them on your roster, just in case. This is called landing the handcuff to your stud. It's a valuable strategy if you own say a Todd Gurley or a Zeke Elliott this season, and it's also a good way to fill out your bench if you wanna hold a guy who might go off. Take it from a guy who nabbed James Conner ahead of the LeVeon Bell owner in a different league last year. Also, phenomenal trade bait as well. The RBBC: The bane of all fantasy players existence, the Running Back By Committee. Some would say to avoid at all cost, some would say get the guy who fits your scoring system, some would say invest in the whole thing and work the match-ups. Your call as to how to approach the RBBC QB Depth: You listen to most experts and everyone is talking about how deep QB is. Sadly, it never seems that way in a drafts because sometimes people prioritize this position over others when other good solid options at the other positions remain on the board. MAybe that means you can get good value by waiting on a QB and scooping up more players to try and fill the quiver of arrows, or maybe you want to invest early in a star and get an advantage there. You'll see that this goes along with my next point... The TE Trinity: So, everyone is in agreement that Travis Kelce, George Kittle, and Zach Ertz are the top three Tight Ends, in whatever order you want to do it. People also agree that below them is a lesser trinity of Evan Engram, OJ Howard, and Hunter Henry. The problem is, the top guys are all likely gone before the middle of round 4 and the second tier is gone middle of round 6. So, you need to choose, invest early, or take a shot later with a guy who might not bring it week in-week out like these guys, but could key you a win with a good performance and the rest of your team's overall strength. K and D's: I don't like picking them before the last two rounds, but to each his own. Remember too, our defenses get 4 points for a win, so maybe that defense that doesn't get a ton of turnovers, but you expect to win 9-11 games may just be a good call in the end. 6) HAVE FUN DRAFTING! Seriously, draft day is Christmas morning for most fantasy players, here's hoping tomorrow night you don't get coal.