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Everyone is buying new stuff. I want new stuff!

Arrived....... Just three days before the Club Championship......so I gotta wait until next week to put them in the bag. But I cheated.....went out yesterday evening and played in the Wednesday Night Shootout..,,just 9 holes, but it was fun! As expected, the irons are 1/2 club longer and fly higher! #CobraCONNECT using the King Cobra F8’s. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

For those who don't know what a SLDR-C looks like, here's a picture. I've heard, not sure where exactly, that with an after market shaft they are perhaps the greatest driver ever made.

This is the SLDR’s SLDR. The SLDR-ier-est of them all. If you try to tell me different, you don’t know SLDR.

So should I start an over/under thread on golf electronic devices?

I know sticking to one brand goes against the MGS way, but I really enjoy it. I'm from Chicago and it's fun celebrating a classic brand based out of my city that really makes great stuff. They lack the credit they deserve and I don't mind the fact that just about all of it can be found at a great price. So here's what I'm working with: Driver: Wilson Cortex 9.5* with Graphite Design G-60 Red X-stiff Fairway: Wilson FG Tour F5 17* with Axivcore Black X-stiff (at 16*) Hybrid: Wilson M3 21* with Aldila Phenom 85 Stiff (at 20*) Utility: Wilson V4 Utility 4 iron with Aldila Green 105S Irons: Wilson FG Tour V6 5-GW, S300 AMT Wedges: Wilson PMP 55, 59 KBS Hi-rev 2.0 Putter: Wilson Staff 8802 milled Next moves: Wilson Staff Model Wedges once I can get them in custom shafts. The stock are too light. I also need the new utility but haven’t been able to test it yet. Also, my bag is from Shapland Bags. They're an up and coming name in the golf industry that everyone needs to check out. Their bags are phenomenal. Let me know what you think! Thanks, Peter

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Back with the training again today. It was definitely a day of mixed feelings. The good news: after taking the entire summer off I finally matched my top green club speed again. I was also within 1mph of my best blue and red swings. And the bad news. After 507 days of training together I regret to inform everyone that my SwingSpeed Radar is no longer with us. The next swing after 144mph I tried to give it one last gargantuan effort to set an all time personal best. Unfortunately this is what happened: If I had to predict I would say that my swing that broke the radar was otherwordly. The device decided that rather than show me such a massive speed it would crack it's own screen to save me from myself and the massive ego that would follow. Thank you old friend.

... I have said over and over again, I do not understand why anyone would try and learn the most difficult game to play and make it even harder on themselves. This will probably be on my tombstone: Every golfer should play the most forgiving clubs they can effectively play. ... The only reason not to play SGI irons is your game has progressed to where the trajectory, spin and accuracy is better with a less forgiving club that allows you to hit shots that get you closer to the pin. Hitting the ball high and straight is by far the best way to learn the game and for many the best way to play the game. Properly sequencing your swing, returning the head to the ball with a repeatable face angle and hitting the ball on the same spot on the iron face is difficult for single digit players and damm near impossible for beginners and high index golfers. So positive feedback is essential for most beginners and the most forgiving clubs will give you the best chance of hitting positive shots. ... Once you become more proficient with your swing and face contact, you may find controlling your trajectory is better with a GI or even a Players Iron. You may find a lower trajectory is more conducive to hitting the ball closer to the pin and a variety of conditions. Then again, you may already have a good trajectory and the ability to move the ball to an effective degree with SGI irons. I played with a Club Champion from NJ that played the most forgiving irons Ping offered. He said he played a tree lined course with little to no wind. But playing with us in Texas, he really struggled in the constant strong winds and hard fast fairways because he did not flight his ball or hit shots with less spin. But back home in NJ he had no such problems and won his CC Mens Tournament many times with SGI ions. ... Attempting to hit much more demanding clubs because they will fine tune your focus and stop you from making reckless swings is a mental problem, not a training aid. Of course much about golf is a mental problem, so if this works for you then obviously you should do exactly that. But for the vast majority, hitting better shots with better swings is the best way to improve and you can do that with a full set of hybrids. So learn to play the game with the most forgiving irons you can play. Then IF you need to change irons to facilitate improvement in ball flight and spin, try a more demanding iron to see if it is beneficial for your game.

No kidding. I have a whopping nine holes on my irons and already am pining for something new. Peer pressure is real!

Couldn't resist these new FJ light weight spikeless shoes. they feel REALLY good. Also bought of bunch of new MCC+4 grips. Will start installing them next week. Spring has got to be around the corner...maybe. FYI I need to expand my shoe rack.

Don’t forget MASS in the whole equation! The weight of the driver head has a distinct effect on distance, direction, etc. Watch TXG’s latest video on the Epic Flash vs Mavrik where they comment on this. I’m a FIRM believer in the physics equation where force=mass x acceleration If one can swing a slightly heavier head at the same speed, the greater mass will result in greater force upon the ball! This is NEVER talked about in golf, only speed. Yeah, I know, at a certain point the added weight slows down the speed of the swing... Point is, maximize the weight to the point where the speed is maxed as well. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

I just read the entire thread. Honestly, there's lots of great insight that's been posted above. The question, to me, is a bit general, so the answer is "yes, in certain circumstances." If your problem is making contact with the ground slightly early, then a wider sole will certainly help mitigate this issue. I play Cobra F8s, they have a bit of a wider sole, and I'm certain that I get away with the ever-so-slightly fat shot. But if I enter the ground an inch behind the ball, I'm still laying the sod over it. I don't know if an ultra-wide sole club like the Launcher HB provide even more relief from the fat shot. I'd imagine they do, but I'd also think that there's a limit to the relief they can provide. Maybe they let you get away with hitting an inch behind it but not two inches. I know you're asking if wide soles let you "avoid really fixing your swing," but it's easy to read that as they "keep you from fixing your swing," and that's an incorrect statement. You didn't make that statement, but it's also not a huge leap to get to that point. If you play wide soled irons and you're worried about where you're impacting the ground, you can spray paint a line on the ground perpendicular to your target and hit the ball from it. If your divot is behind the line, you hit it fat, even if you got away with it. Shout out to Adam Young for that drill. Swinging over the top will not, in and of itself, lead to fat shots. Some very good players have an over the top swing. Like Craig and Kevin Stadler. You're changing multiple variables here (taking lessons and changing clubs). Making multiple changes can be the fastest way to improve, but it does make it difficult to conclusively determine whether the improvement is due to the lessons or the clubs. But what's more important to you - getting better faster, or knowing exactly why you're getting better? I can't answer that for you, but I know that all I care about is getting better, and I want to do it sooner rather than later. The "why" is secondary to me. Thinking too much about my golf swing gets me in trouble. It might be really important to you. The statement: Is a statement that many people here are going to take issue with, because it's certainly possible to improve swing path playing GI/SGI irons. Too many times we've heard people say that the best way to get better is to play clubs that are more difficult to hit, and the data doesn't back it up.

Since it was sunny today, just a little chilly, my wife and I decided to play. We also walked 18, unusual for her. We were paired with two 30-something brothers, one was a birthday boy today. Big hitters! The birthday boy had brand new Srixon Z765 irons with the barcode still on one shaft; steel shafts except for a graphite shaft driving iron. It was a treat to watch; he was very good with them. The driving iron flew my best driver shot... impressive. He was not as impressive with his TM M2 driver. I was even on the front nine with 2 birdies and 2 bogeys going into #9... double!! Crap! I was +4 on the back nine going into #18... yep! double again!! Just an 80, but I hit the ball well except for one shot on each if those two holes.

But have you tried the SLDR - C ????

... Seems like we have had several posts like this from first time posters here. Hmmmmmm ...

Nooooooo!!!!!

Please No.

SIM Max 10.5°. Oops [emoji6]

Golfballs.com AlignXL Alignment Aid – Official MGS Forum Review by B.Boston The Review 02/13/2020 Hey spies! It’s time for me to sum up some of my thoughts on the golfballs.com AlignXL customization for you! If you couldn’t tell from my username, I live in the Boston area and it is decidedly NOT the golf season. While I haven’t been on a real golf course since Black Friday I have been swinging by the simulator to stay as fresh as I can (hey, come on… it was supposed to be 45 degrees out). I typically play the Pro V1x as I have been for many years. I do occasionally try other premium balls if I find one that looks to be in decent shape and haven’t found anything to take its place. I decided on the regular Pro V1 for this test because I feel they are much closer now in performance than ever before and I wanted to give them another shot. I have never really used a line on the ball outside of the built-in alignment aids. With that out of the way its time to get into the details! The golf balls arrived very quickly from golfballs.com upon notice of shipment. I came home from work just a few days later to find a nicely branded shipping box on my doorstep and a dozen beauties waiting inside. They came in the normal Titleist box and outside of knowing they were going to have the AlignXL stripe on them you wouldn’t know. I opened the lid to find a nice handwritten note from the Marketing Director of golfballs.com (very nice touch!). At the macro level the quality is very good. I looked at each of the dozen and from an arms length I saw no imperfections, nothing out of place, and the printing on the AlignXL was sharp and precise. At the microscopic level I’d say the printing is good, while the Titleist script is exceptional, and probably the gold standard for what I’ve seen on balls (That might be the strangest statement I’ve ever written.) The custom text was clear with just the slightest fuzziness on the edges. The lines themselves were straight, with maybe a few areas here and there that were slightly splotchy or fuzzy. If you hold them up to your eye, from a normal playing position down by your feet the text and line looked crisp, clean, and saturated. Very impressive considering the customization options available! But at the end of the day, what good are pretty balls if they don’t help me score better? (Never mind, THAT was the strangest statement I’ve ever written). In order to see if the alignment aid was going to help me sink more putts, I set up my practice mat on multiple occasions and rotated between the AlignXL ball, a standard Pro V1 Alignment aid, or randomly dropping the ball. Now I only had the 5-7 feet to putt on, so I used the “perfect putt” as my main metric for performance on my PuttOut. I also took the balls to play a few rounds on the simulator to put the printing through a torture test and see how well it would hold up the the abuse of multiple rounds. On the plus side, no balls were lost during testing, which may be the only positive thing about winter in New England! AlignXL Ball: *Note how the line almost appears solid on a well struck putt. Standard Ball: Here is what the ball looked like after two full rounds in the simulator, which is more abuse than it will likely go through on the actual course thanks the woods, ponds, streams, and creeks that are hungry for these little white orbs we like to hit with sticks. Let’s get on to the scoring! Looks & Durability (12 out of 15 points) Not too much to mention here that I haven’t already gone over. From normal playing distance these balls look great. Once we get in a little close there are a few inconsistencies in the printing that I would love to see improved upon, but it’s nothing that would keep me from playing these. The durability has proven to be very good considering the short life expectancy of golf balls. Even if you were to be a top-flight golfer and were allergic to losing ball, you would be replacing this ball before the AlignXL marking became unusable. I’ll also note that I had no issues hitting putts or short chips (don’t tell me wife) around the house if the line wasn’t perfectly lined up. So, in the event that I need to putt or chip from the fringe or fairway I don’t see any issues from the line. Off-Course Testing (15 out of 15 points) I’ve done a lot of putting with these and my regular Pro V’s to see if I would putt better with or without the alignment aid. For a while I wasn’t seeing any significant difference between make or miss but I wasn’t happy because the mat I have has lines on it guiding you to the target.I needed a better test so I used a rug in the boys room which has a short length and is good for putting. I set up my PuttOut cup about 10 feet away and rolled 20 putts each with the AlignXL ball and a regular Pro V1 with the build in aid, and 20 more with the ball and no aid showing. Here are the results: Anecdotally I’ll add that with the AlignXL ball I felt I was heading towards the center of the cup much more than with the other two balls. I cannot wait to get these out on the course! On-Course Performance (35 out of 40 points) DISCLAIMER: It’s winter here. I’ll be back to update this review and the thread once the season begins! What you’ll read below is my expectations on the course. After testing these balls, I do expect them to help me hole more putts. I’m interested to see the impact on long or big breaking putts, as that was impossible to do here inside. I will also be using these balls on the tee, either pointing slightly to the right of my target or perpendicular to the target which seem to work for me. I’m hopeful that these will help me make one or two more putts a round, which would make them a no brainer of a purchase. I’ll be using Arccos so I’ll be able to share some good data with you guys after I get a few rounds under my belt. Miscellaneous (9 out of 10 points) Not much to complain about here. I normally purchase my balls when Titleist is doing their buy 3 get 1 free promotion in the Spring. I see that there are some other offers like that available now, but I was not able to confirm if they did that last year or not. Titleist usually does free personalization during that period too, which would be a double bonus if golfballs.com matched, but I’d be willing to fork over the customization cost on these balls. I knocked one point off because I did reach out to golfballs.com with a few questions and received no response to date. Game Bag or Shag Bag? (17 out of 20 points) These are 100% going to be the first balls I reach for this Spring. From the testing I believe these will help me shoot lower scores on the course. The only sticking point I see is the $6/dozen upcharge, along with the $5.95 shipping. I’ll have to draw some sharpie lines and compare to see if the cost is worth it. But there’s no doubt that I prefer a line on the ball. If there were a promotion and it was around $3/dozen I feel that would be a good price to stock up on them. Conclusion So… you skipped down the bottom to see what all the fuss was about? I don’t blame you… I can get wordy. These balls are awesome, the 180* and thick line make it super easy to line up and see how well you have struck your putt. If you want to improve your putting and have never used a line or use a sharpie currently and want something that feels a little more refined… give these a shot! I fully expect them to help my game. Final Score: 88 – Not one, but two perfect putts up!

Hey all, Pretty new to the site. Figured this was a good spot to start my first post. Have been golfing since I was 12 and started out with some wal-mart special. Worked until I was 21. Started really getting into golf when I got out of the military at 24. Have had my irons since then but recently got a fitting and will be swapping them out for TM P790's cant wait. Used to have all the local Massachusetts sports teams towels but...Lost the celtics (I blame the alcohol) and my bruins one I used as a marker to show my uncle I could out drive him (was playing in a foursome behind me) and someone snagged it! So now just stuck with the patriots and red sox. But currently whats in the bag! Driver: -Titleist TS2 9.5 HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60G Hybrids: -Adams golf VST Super Idea 2H & 4H Matrix Kujoh S-Flex (love these hybrids and are cheap will be tough to part with down the road) Irons (soon to be AXED): -Cleveland 588MT 4-PW (traction 85 shafts????) not sure but they definitely don't fit my swing speed which is why I am upgrading...I am sure someone can correct me on this shaft. Wedges (brand spanking new): -Cleveland CBX2 50/54/58 Nippon Modus 125 Drive for show put for dough: -Odyssey O-Works 1W (love this putter) I am no professional photographer but hopefully you enjoy the photos!

It's good to know that the maximum swing speed for my radar is 144. I'll try to remember that.

From my experiences, picking the ball off the turf with thin or wide sole clubs results in similar shots when trying to hit a straight ball. It's more difficult to move the ball one way or the other with the wider sole clubs. Depending on the turf, a wide sole club may be more beneficial in soft conditions and Bermuda grass if the shot is a little fat. However, I think it's easier to hit a fat shot off a tight lie with wide sole clubs, but that's my opinion based on my experience. I agree with @chisag that most rough I've experienced (I've played all over the country) is not that difficult because the majority of golfers can't handle thick rough. From the typical rough I've seen, wide sole clubs and hybrids work fine and likely better for beginners and high handicappers. The ball will sit a little higher off the ground which means that the ball will get up in the air, even on a poor strike. If the player is good enough, the thin sole clubs... struck properly, offer the chance for better control when the rough is thicker.

So... you slept with them?

Well it figured, I’ve been hitting the ball really well last week+ and continued this morning until 5th hold and a deluge started along with 15-20 mph winds. At an out of Villages course so rented cart with no sides or club protection and of course no umbrella. Breakfast with Bacon Boyz was awesome!! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I love watches and wear one daily. Only problem is my taste exceeds my budget; Mechanical watches aren’t cheap. Skeletons, open hearts, or clear back cases are great so you can see the inner workings.

I am at Sunset Beach several times per year and play every time I am there. My personal take on best courses when limited to Sunset Beach / Calabash area; Thistle and Leopard's Chase (1 of the 'Big Cat' courses). There are several others (still in the area) that are good and you should attempt to play them as time allows. If you limit yourself to the courses east/south of US 17 then all 3 of the Sea Trail courses are pretty good, with my preference being Jones. All of the other 3 Big Cat courses (Panther, Tiger and Lion) are worth playing. Sand Piper Bay, Oyster Bay and The Pearl are there and also worth playing. Be aware that The Pearl just closed 9 of its 36 holes (January, I think) and is now a 27-hole facility. That being said, it is worth noting that the Thistle and Sand Piper Bay are also 27-hole facilities as well. As all of the courses I just mentioned are on the beach-side of US 17, they are within 10 to 15 minute drive of the beach. If you are willing to drive up to 30 minutes, your selection is MUCH greater and this post gets much larger.

I eased my way around Desert Hills yesterday following the episode with my back muscles this past Saturday. I had spent a little time late Wednesday doing some shoulder turn drills and it wasn't creating additional discomfort, so I decided to give it a go. My hesitation to swing full out showed in a number of shots pushed right but, all things considered, I'll take the 43/46 and the fact that I did not need more Ibuprofen last night as a win.

So here I am quoting myself.... To make a long and painful experience relatively short, my wife originally ordered this cart on Walmart.com on December 2. Something was messed up and the order had to be cancelled/reissued three times and we never saw the cart. My very patient wife called Walmart somewhere around 800 times trying to escalate and find out what was going on. I even emailed Big Max to try to sort out where the problem was - Walmart or Big Max. The guy at Big Max informed me that they have never processed an order through Walmart and it sounded to me like he wasn't even sure Walmart was an authorized supplier, so I'm pretty sure it was a Walmart problem. When it became clear we were never going to see the cart, my wife started seeing if anyone would price-match the original sale price of $150. By this point, prices had returned to $200-$220 range depending on where you looked. Dick's did the best - they told my wife to monitor prices and would match anything she saw currently advertised, then made sure they emailed her an extra $20 coupon. She ordered on Sunday and the cart showed up yesterday. Walmart ended up giving us $50 credit to be used in-store or online, so I suppose you could argue we ended up with a better deal, but man, it was a painful experience. Merry belated Christmas to me! The good news is the weather is not exactly conducive to golf right now so it's not like I can use it just yet.

The issue I’ve had at Club Champion is that they don’t have varying lengths in the same shaft, or enough to really test to find the right length, and the company reps that do demo days CERTAINLY don’t either. Finding the right length with irons and wedges is a lot easier. It’s great to talk about “get fitted”, but the reality is we don’t have the options pros do to find that perfect length. Maybe at the Kingdom, or Callaway Performance Center, etc have them. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yes. The shaft I wanted was $130. So I was trying to go a less expensive route. I got the entire club pretty inexpensive considering. So I’m going to make someone a good deal on the head compared to the going rate

@Golfspy_CG2 was an awesome fitting. Went in for wedges and came out looking at irons and wedges. Was very surprised by the results and the overview of my swing. Can’t wait to hit the links this spring and see if what I’ve been working on has paid off.

@russtopherb these were my first “big boy” set. Love these irons they have changed my game completely and have been with me through sub 100 sub 90 and sub 80. Great set for sure.

I love my Ogio!!!! Better quality fabric than Sun Mountain, IMHO, and the fabric used to cover the dividers is definitely thicker. One can even reach-in to the bottom of the bags where the grips sit to get anything out that might have fallen. So many pockets, and it’s not as “wide/bulky” looking as the C130 to me. I recommend it highly! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Same in the northeast. I spent today rounding up animals 2 by 2 and tomorrow I build the arc. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Proper sequencing. Followed by training to be faster. they have several videos on speed

Can't believe you didn't buckle them up in the back. You can't be too safe.

SuperSpeed is in a class by itself. It's like the Energizer bunny...

I've read all of your posts and all the replies. The answer is simply...NO, forgiving clubs will NOT stymie your improving. Simple as that.

First time with a C130 but I really like it. Tons of storage and I find it to be very stable. There are these 2 straps on the back that you can use to strap it to the cart or to your pull cart so it doesn't slide around. Those are brilliant....I always hate riding in a cart and your bag tips left and right and spins around...these stop all of that.

Less important - how forgiving the clubs are More important - How well the clubs fit you Like Rickybobby mentioned...starting out with clubs that don't fit your swing can actually cause swing flaws because you are compensating for clubs that don't fit. Start with the basics and make sure the length, lie angles, swing weight and shaft stiffness are a good fit for your swing. Once those basics are taken care of it will make it easier to find the center of the face. As for the debate about forgiveness...I"m in the camp of more is better.

This was my favorite shaft for a number of years. It was the stock shaft in Callaway's FT-1 almost 20 years ago. As I traded up to newer models I used the after market version. I don't know why I got away from it other than the fact that newer shafts were offered in the drivers I bought. Recently, I bought a Taylormade M6, but didn't particularly like the Atmos shaft. On a lark, I found my old NVS in the garage, added a TM adapter and it's really performing well. Who knows if it will last but for now, it's working. Is anyone else still using this shaft or any other old favorite from decades ago?

But she really chokes down on that club Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy

If you can, try to get someone to capture video of you making swings and mark each one with where you thought your "feel" was .. when you review it can help you correlate the "feel vs real". I've been taking a series of lessons where they always video you; at first I didn't even wanna watch it (ughleeeee!) but now I'm understanding the insights and visual reinforcements the vid clips can give you.

This was actually a factor when I bought my Apple Watch. I wanted to use Arccos without phone-in-pocket but didn't know if I could comfortably play with a watch on my wrist. So, I wore a cheapo watch for a few rounds to see if it affected play. Wouldn't you know it, I got along just fine. With some swings, it actually helped improve wrist position. Bought the Apple Watch and love it in daily wear. Haven't made it out for a good Arccos round just yet but their latest update has me excited. With ShotScope shrinking, I wouldn't be surprised we start seeing more and more people wearing wrist accessories during their rounds. Can't say I'll ever be the type to wear fancy schmancy watches though. Love the look but 1) I can't (read shouldn't) afford them and 2) don't trust myself not to ding them up. Even still, I'd never wear those on the course.

Was going to, but did not have far to go...... Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy Cobra F8(10.5*) w/Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue Regular; 3-4W(14.5*) & 5-6W(17.0*)w/Mitsubishi Tensei CK Blue Regular; Tour Edge CBX119 22* Hybrid; Ben Hogan PTx 5-PW w/Recoil 460 graphite shafts; Ben Hogan TKt Gw(49*) SW(53*) LW(57*) all w/UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES regular shafts. Lamkin grips with Arccoss tracking sensors. Putter: Evnroll ER-6 33”. Bag: Cobra Ultralite Cart Bag(Peacoat/Silver).

Still open... under Legends Golf umbrella.

I traded a Betti that I wasn’t using at all. I find them on Facebook. There is a group called Lefty Buy/sell/trade.

Yes. But only if it would bring the cat daddy back into the discussion.