mr.paintmaker

I owned a small boutique putter company and fit numerous golfers from amateurs to a few pros.  
Toe hang is the most mis-understood spec in putters.
First off toe hang can help or hurt you, I think everyone understands that.
However, how it helps or how it hurts is different for every person.  If you are missing right more toe hang could hurt you or it could help you.
How to be a good putter.
1. Read the greens properly
2. Aim your putter properly
3. Return the club to your target line
4. Hit it the desired speed to take the break you see
----
See it's very simple.   The last three people I helped had the same issue.  The were missing too many putts left, their AIM was pretty good(used lasers and a mirror to determine) yet all three hit some good putts, but their putts were 50% left of center, 35% center and 15% right of center.  Each one of these folks responded to toe hang differently.  One guy went into a putter with almost 6 o'clock toe hang.  His shots went to 20% left of center, 70% center and 10% still right of center.  Another went into a putter with about a 4:30 toe hang and was similar.  The last we are still working on.  We are having trouble finding a putter he can align properly on short and long putts and make a good stroke with.  What he aligns well his stroke cannot return the face back properly often enough to suit me.
Everyone responds to putter shape and how the shaft is attached in a different way as far as aligning as well.  No it is not just about eye dominance, but that can definitely play a factor.  As I have gotten older I can no longer aim a putter with a plumber's neck hosel correctly anymore.  I have tried and tried as the old "anser" style is the most pleasing for me to look down on, but the first thing after learning to read greens properly is to aim your putter on that line.
===
Want to learn to read greens properly?  Grab a stimpmeter or a similar type of v groove device.  Find a putt, put a tee in the ground, vary the angle of the stimp to get the ball to finish 1' past the hole or however far past you think your proper speed should be.  Once you have that, find the start line at that angle to make the putt go into the center of the hole.   You can use that across a putting green to get better at reading putts with proper speed and re-training your brain.  Chances are you have learned how to read based on your improper stroke and have to retrain yourself for a putter you can aim correctly and return to position correctly more often than not.

I finally got my Vega VW-06 wedges from Club Champion, so here are some pics, and a link to their site for a LITTLE more information about them.
I was fitted to these after trying almost all of the new wedges on the market. I needed to bring my flight down, keep/increase spin, improve forgiveness/dispersion, and fill the gaps below the 45* PW better. I bought the 54* and 58* for now since I use these two for everything from full shots, to chips. I’m going to replace the 50* at some point, but since it’s only used for full shots, I’m going to see how these do first. If I don’t get a Vega, the TM MG2 will be the choice as it ran a VERY close second.
Here are the pics. The reason the VW-06 was chosen by my fitter was based on versatility (grind that allows the face to be open and not have the leading edge off the ground), and weight location being a little bit higher. There’s a bit of a grind at the front edge that’s tough to see in the pics, but the rest of the grinds on the trailing edge, and the heel relief are easy to see.
Pretty wedges. Straight-forward, no extra fluff in the design going on. Simple. They feel incredible!

 

I switched from the Srixon Z-Star to the Srixon Q-Star Tour which has been a great ball for me for the price savings.

updated opinion 

I saw Tony's tweet yesterday about how Titleist and Foremost are running away with the Ball Lab results for quality. I really want to make a comment about how 'if Tour players are ok playing lower-quality balls, then it must be good enough for me,' but I know that the Tour player shipments are getting extra inspection. For example, and apologies that I can't pull the source anymore because it disappears after 24 hours, but Srixon re-posted a story on Instagram that showed boxes and boxes of Z-Star XVs that were all stamped "Tour Inspected," so presumably they're not going to get the same percentage of "bad" balls that Tony is finding. 
I love the XV and I love the MTB-X, but I can't help but wonder if the consistency in my game of late is because I was given a couple dozen ProV1x balls and I really just haven't had any squirrely shots, other than the ones I know I mis-hit. (Or am I just in a stretch of playing well and I wouldn't have any issue with XVs either? Who knows...)

The ones that feel right in your hands.
Im a golf pride snob and use nothing else. I change between ndmc/mcc and the new z grip with the occasional tour wrap

Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Simple, inexpensive, consistent feel and performance.

The link below is the tool you'll need.
https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-air-powered-golf-grip-removerinstaller/p/gw0103/
Of the OEMs, Ping does a great job taping and gripping. This making it easy to remove and replace quickly with air. I haven't read all 14 pages but safety doesn't seem to be mentioned.
Removing a grip with air, the tube/cylinder is designed to prevent explosion of the grip. The goal is to apply air pressure to just remove the seal of the rubber to the tape. Much too, pop or boom and too little your just making a lot of noise. Once the seal is broken, half of the grips blow off and the other half require a twist/force to come off. Some factors to consider, that will be unknown until the grip is off ... type of tape, how much tape, type of grip, age of the grip ...
Tape - masking v. double sided, double sided when activated will provide very good adhesion to the grip, masking tape will not. This was started as a Pure grip conversation, no tape required but other grips can be put on without tape. Challenge breaking the seal. If done correctly, the tape should go the length of the grip, if not the grip can adhere to the shaft. Harder to break that seal compared to the tape and grip.
Grip - most rubber grips can be removed. The multi-compound or engineered (Winn or SuperStroke) grips can pop or separate. Corded grips are bombs, I seldom try to safe or remove by air. 
Hopefully this is helpful.

The link below is the tool you'll need.
https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-air-powered-golf-grip-removerinstaller/p/gw0103/
Of the OEMs, Ping does a great job taping and gripping. This making it easy to remove and replace quickly with air. I haven't read all 14 pages but safety doesn't seem to be mentioned.
Removing a grip with air, the tube/cylinder is designed to prevent explosion of the grip. The goal is to apply air pressure to just remove the seal of the rubber to the tape. Much too, pop or boom and too little your just making a lot of noise. Once the seal is broken, half of the grips blow off and the other half require a twist/force to come off. Some factors to consider, that will be unknown until the grip is off ... type of tape, how much tape, type of grip, age of the grip ...
Tape - masking v. double sided, double sided when activated will provide very good adhesion to the grip, masking tape will not. This was started as a Pure grip conversation, no tape required but other grips can be put on without tape. Challenge breaking the seal. If done correctly, the tape should go the length of the grip, if not the grip can adhere to the shaft. Harder to break that seal compared to the tape and grip.
Grip - most rubber grips can be removed. The multi-compound or engineered (Winn or SuperStroke) grips can pop or separate. Corded grips are bombs, I seldom try to safe or remove by air. 
Hopefully this is helpful.

The link below is the tool you'll need.
https://www.golfworks.com/the-golfworks-air-powered-golf-grip-removerinstaller/p/gw0103/
Of the OEMs, Ping does a great job taping and gripping. This making it easy to remove and replace quickly with air. I haven't read all 14 pages but safety doesn't seem to be mentioned.
Removing a grip with air, the tube/cylinder is designed to prevent explosion of the grip. The goal is to apply air pressure to just remove the seal of the rubber to the tape. Much too, pop or boom and too little your just making a lot of noise. Once the seal is broken, half of the grips blow off and the other half require a twist/force to come off. Some factors to consider, that will be unknown until the grip is off ... type of tape, how much tape, type of grip, age of the grip ...
Tape - masking v. double sided, double sided when activated will provide very good adhesion to the grip, masking tape will not. This was started as a Pure grip conversation, no tape required but other grips can be put on without tape. Challenge breaking the seal. If done correctly, the tape should go the length of the grip, if not the grip can adhere to the shaft. Harder to break that seal compared to the tape and grip.
Grip - most rubber grips can be removed. The multi-compound or engineered (Winn or SuperStroke) grips can pop or separate. Corded grips are bombs, I seldom try to safe or remove by air. 
Hopefully this is helpful.

I never would have bought used clubs before, but I just picked up a set of used Ben Hogan Icons on Ebay, after running though their demo program,  trying to finally replace my original set of irons that I've used my entire adult life. 
I'm also in the demo program for Sub 70 :  639 CB and TAIII -  loving the TAIII   I want to get these but with the 60 day no questions asked program from Sub 70 I don't know if there is enough light left at night to get out to play after work so I may wait until next spring to order these and let the new for me Hogan Icons finish out this fall.  
I'm trying to decide on the black Sub 70 TAIII forged black irons or the raw finish: Sub 70 TAIII forged raw irons 
What I've noticed is that the mishits on the blades are actually better than my mishits on the cavity backs,  based on driving range sessions using my Swing Caddie sc300i

I have seen my share of tour van videos and worked with tour pros. I've never seen them use air. I can turn around a set in 10 minutes with air. To use solvent ... 30+ and a lot of clean up. They can be a bit anal about how things are done. 
Most like 3 wraps under a 58R Tour velvet or velvet cord. NO more NO less

I've never been in a tour van - or on tour but I did stay in a Holiday Inn. My guess would be that the clubs are regripped before they get to the tour event unless something unusual happened. 

I have seen my share of tour van videos and worked with tour pros. I've never seen them use air. I can turn around a set in 10 minutes with air. To use solvent ... 30+ and a lot of clean up. They can be a bit anal about how things are done. 
Most like 3 wraps under a 58R Tour velvet or velvet cord. NO more NO less

I work at 2nd Swing.  I know for a fact that all our locations and headquarters use air compressors to install grips.  It's much faster, cleaner and works just as well if not better than the old way.  Plus changing grips is a breeze and much faster if you're looking to try out multiple grips.  I'd be surprised if the Tour Vans didn't use air compressors, and offered the old-fashioned way if a player requested it.

Get yourself one of these to place in your vise. You can't beat it for $4. 
https://www.golfworks.com/rubber-shaft-clamp/p/gw0142/

I’ve been meaning to do a WITB this year, but by the time I got around to taking pics, some new boxes showed up..and well you know 😬
But after a lot of trial and and actually not much error I have arrived at the setup that will take me through the rest of the year. 
 
Driver: Titleist TSi1 9.0 Aldila Ascent 40g R 
FW: Titleist TSi2 16.5 GD IZ6 60 G 
Hybrid Titleist TSi1 20 & 23 Aldila 80G 
Iron 2021 Titleist T300 5-P MCA Red 65g R
Wedge: Vokey SM8 50.10F 54.12D 58.12D
Putter: Scotty Cameron Special Select Newport 2 35”
 










 
Yep, I know what they say about having an all 1 OEM bag.  That you are hurting yourself somewhere if you do.   Well that may ultimately be true.  But I also feel If you are confident and like what’s in your bag, that is just as Important and possibly more so than any technical difference.  
 
So this is what I’m rolling with. One substitution that could be made. I have a U505 coming that could replace the 16.5 Fairway wood. 

The pictures in this thread are going to give me nightmares. 
 
For all you sickos that are into this vice:
https://instagram.com/leadtapechronicles?utm_medium=copy_link

You guys have probably seen me post in other threads so sorry for the repeat. Many people in underground component golf brand world don't realize that Wishon was an apprentice of Ralph Maltby back in the 80's.

Wishon then went on to run Dynacraft. And eventually broke off to start Wishon Golf.

Wishon was also a drummer for the Steve Miller band!

These are some really nice looking irons! Can't wait for the release of the TSW wedges. I'm also really interested in the KE4 TC 3 wood or STF2 3 wood.

the more I practice, the luckier I seem to get..

I’ve written on several posts that I’ve been interested in building a new set of irons this season. As it’s progressed, I pulled the trigger last week and went with a 4-GW setup with Nippon Modus 3 120 shafts in a stiff flex. The trial period was with the 7 iron and it’s been consistently positive. I’ve tried hitting a variety of shots in several different conditions. Wind, no wind, rain, cold and sun. The trial period was very successful and as a result, these are my new irons. 
I am well aware that Maltby irons are not wetting the whistle of every golfer. I’ll be blunt and say, you’re not my audience.  
This was a very fun project and the heads are complemented by ferrules from BB&F Co.  The ferrules arrived in a drawstring pouch which was cool. Above all, quality of the product is fantastic. At approximately $3-$4/each, it doesn’t break the bank to add a nice touch.
 
Here are some photos of the set and as the season progresses, I’ll be able to add to this thread. If you’re interested in a players distance club that you can build yourself, I am here to answer whatever questions you have. 
 
 





 
 

I haphazardly made the switch from my all-time favorite shafts (950GH) to graphite shafts. I picked by weight, so Accras in the 95 gram shaft category. I have noticed they are a bit tip stout for my liking and now have been on a quest to find the closest graphite iron shaft to the 950GH. Its hard to use any sort of info produced by each shaft manufacturer for any sort of comparison purposes. So what I did was take the titleist shaft comparison tool because at least it is based on measurements all taken by Titleist
What you will see here is if you just happen to think Recoil 95s will be comparable because they are in the same weight class as the 950GH, if you look at the profiles, they are drastically different in Tip Frequency measurement. The Recoils are much more tip stiff than the 950GH. The closest that i have found so far that will be similar in profile to the 950GH is the Tensei AV Blue AM2. Now, the weights are different, so they are not exactly the same, but they are the closest i could find in a graphite shaft with comparable butt and tip frequency. 

I've been playing the modus 105s for the last 3 years. Really just love that shaft. Right now I'm doing the forum test for the Wilson D7 Forged irons, I got them with the Recoil 110's. For me they feel and perform near identical. Same load /release and action. I played the 105's in stiff and got the Recoils in their F4(stiff flex). Great shafts both. 

Just for hits and giggles I took a couple sleeves of the Tour Speed out Monday in a scramble event.   Wasn't expecting too much, but from the very first putt...I thought..."Oh Shit, what have Titleist Done?  They may have created a problem here"   
I'm not gong to say it performs exactly like the Pro V I play.  But I'll be damned if I had watched some of the shots I hit intothe green with my wedges and been able to tell a difference.   I holed out a chip from about 40 feet, that stopped spun a bit to the left then tricled in.    Put a 75 yard GW to within 6 inches for birdie on another hole and I think a unrepaired ball mark may have kept it from rolling in the hole.    Every other shot off the wedges performed just as I would have hoped.
Full shots in with irons stopped within 5 to 8 feet of their ball mark.
And the biggest surprise of all and a pleasant one was the sound and feel off the putter. Possibly the best sounding ball of a putter I have ever played.  I've gotten so used to the firmness of the VX and sound, that this took me by surprise and was a very very pleasing sound.
 

Compression does matter but not necessarily for distance.  Compression can cost you ball speed at all swing speeds, but that doesn't necessarily mean you lose distance.  Distance is a combination of ball speed, launch, and backspin regardless of the clubhead speed applied to the ball.  Higher ball speed is better but not necessarily at the expense of ideal launch and backspin characteristics.  
It is all about what fits you best.  For me, I apply too much spin on every shot (driver to wedge... the putter is good though) so I am experimenting with lower spin alternatives and some of those are lower compression balls.  I haven't been able to test it on a launch monitor yet, but I think there is a good chance I have better ball flight with the AVX than I would the the Pro V1X.  The lower spin and launch should give me better distance and still have plenty of spin.  Again, that is just me, others may benefit from the higher compression, higher launch and higher spin.  
At the end if the day, if you are trying to get your driver down the fairway 300 yards, it doesn't matter if when you get there you ball speed was a little lower because you hit a low compression ball.

Start at the end and work backwards.  Compare urethane vs. surlyn on the green.  Spend a bit of time putting to see what works.  Then try chipping from the fringe and short wedges to see about spin.  If you don't find a fav, then go and wail away off the tee.