KevB_44

Curious as to how your fitting went and what more precisely you were fit into if you wouldn't mind sharing....

Why do you need to plant that seed in my head.....???? LOL

I changed the tip and started playing the Ventus TR Black in mine vs the Ping 2.0 Black. (I like the black profiles). Not a huge adjustment as I think the shafts are at least similar. I would say that where with the Ping shaft, I would see the ball flight go left and I had to be cognizant and diligent to avoid that, I can really bring some heat with the Ventus and everything has tightened up. Most everything is dead straight or 5 yards left or right (I need to work a bit to fade it). This driver is a laser pointer with the Ventus attached to it.

I'm not sure what your situation or points of consideration are, but I went there and did this.... A couple notes: It is a specialty club for me and i don't use it a ton simply because I don't find myself in a situation requiring it often (but it is fun at the range) I have the 3 iron and it is long--220+ so it competes with the 5 wood If I am not hitting my fairway woods well (which sometimes happens and I need to "recalibrate" this gets more action. I also do like to have options at the top end--flight required, lie, and how well I am hitting what.... I got mine with the Project X-RDX Red. It flies higher than I expected (i think it was designed this way) so I do have it lofted down and am considering reshafting I don't get along with hybrids and this fits that spot well as the 5 iron is my 200 club and this thing or the 5 wood is next I wanted a lower flight, more roll club and if i am fortunate to control the trajectory it will roll well (more than the 5 wood) I don't know that I have successfully hit and stuck a green with it--i know i hit and skipped off the back a couple times and I have been off line in a bunker a couple times, but that was not really what I wanted it for A playing partner of mine has tried it a few times on 200 yard Par 3s but preferred his hybrid. He doesn't hit his long irons well and doesn't have the same speed and distance so he was a no thanks.

I should also say that after the first couple times out with the Ping, I thought I made a mistake and it wasn't for me. I take it back... I really like the Titleist and it has been good---the look, the feel, the sound, and the distance, but for me it could be demanding and a few times I just would hesitate and hit my driving iron or a 3 or 5 wood figuring i would just have to make it up on the next shot--better to be in play than looking for a ball under a tree. I am hoping with the G430 10K Max, I might have the power and the accuracy to avoid "negotiating" at the tee on some days.

I couldn't take it anymore so I had to indulge.... I have been playing TSr 3 and I have enjoyed it---man when I was on, this thing went for miles. I am less accomplished than most that I play with, but I would routinely out drive them all. It sounded great. It looked great. At one point last summer, I don't think I was more than 10 feet off the fairway ...but every now and then, I would get into a funk... and when I got into a funk, I had to work hard to get out of it. I felt guilty when I started thinking about a Ping just to get a little more consistency, but I felt like I could really benefit from it if I could find it. I picked up a G430 10K Max and the very first time I hit it I thought I must have broken it. It sounded awful, it felt weird., but it went high and it went straight..... for a week or two in the cold and rain, I struggled going left (a bit of a hook) and getting a feel. I think I was struggling to go from the TSr to the Ping. Fast forward to the weekend.... I think I have gotten accustomed to a different sound. The feel does not match the Titleist, but all of a sudden, I am seeing the straightest flight I have ever seen. Previously, my best drives had shape to them--typically a bit of a fade and my worst would slice. Now I see a high straight flight or a tight fade or even a slight draw. The straighter flight is now resulting in drives every bit as long as what I would do with the TSr and I'm pretty sure that a few at the range were some of the longest I have ever hit. I have the 9 degree with the Ping Tour 2.0 Black which is the lowest launching shaft. I like what I am seeing and will be getting my Ventus TR Black shaft refitted with a Ping adaptor. Bottom line--i think it is only going to get better and I have quickly learned to accept the sound and gotten accustomed to the feel mostly because I am liking what I see in terms of performance. I know when I was on with the TSr, I was happy, but when I went wayward, I went way wayward. With this thing, I don't think I have hit anything that would qualify as a slice and I have hooked a few. My average has been good, and now I am seeing my good stuff looking very promising. I am looking forward to getting back in the groove and getting the Ventus TR in there and see how it compares to the Tour 2.0 Black.

I picked up an iCrossover last year and have found it quite useful. I have tried too many times to play a hybrid and just can't.... I don't know what it is.... I had a stretch for a month where I was decent, but nah.... Moved on to the iCrossover and I have not looked back. I have the 3 iCrossover and I still turned it down a degree because I was hitting it higher than I wanted. I do want to reshaft it one day as I think the Project X Red may be a contributing factor and I like something a bit more robust. The shaft sleeve is pretty pricey. It is a bit of a specialty club for me so it doesn't get a lot of usage. I hit my 3 and 5 woods well and high so I wanted the iCrossover to be in the same distance range but with more of a stinger/penetrating flight. I like the distance and accuracy, but I probably have only dropped it on a green a couple times because in that situation I am typically hitting a 5 Wood or a 5 iron. I should try it more often off of the tee in tight situations. I usually go 3 wood unless windy. I do like it and I like it much more than any hybrid that I have ever tried to make work for sure!

I still love learning ve them. I feel super confident pulling the zx4 and knowing the distance I will get and they flay high and straight. please note that I do have them set up 1 degree weak which helped the blending. the zx5s have power too but a bit more feel and are a bit workable at least for me.

I think that is likely the case so i am curious as to what you discover. I was losing distance due to the 30F temps no matter the ball, but the longer the club the larger the differential I noticed (in consistent conditions). I suspect it is directly related to the compression and the club head speed. I don't recall hitting a fairway in my testing but noted a larger drop in distance on my 5 iron shots than when playing say my 50 degree wedge (where surprisingly i was able to hit shots consistently enough to through a blanket over them). For instance--a long Par 3---landed the Tour BX on the green from about 190 but i was a good 10 yards short with the prototype. I'm sure my inconsistency and/or wind was also a factor, but there was a trend of the prototype being a nit shorter so....

Looks like @jbern confirmed what my experience was perhaps from a different angle and in comparison to some different balls---shorter with the driver/ similar performance elsewhere/ less compressed feel. I'm not familiar with the Maxfli, but I did expect the results I experienced in comparison to the Tour B X for sure. Perhaps it's me or perhaps the conditions didn't expose it for me, but I didn't note as much of a feel difference with the putter as @jbern indicated.

@jbern--I almost got those 659CBs before I got my Srixons. I had Sub70 699 Pros and wanted to upgrade and went the Srixon route which I don't regret--love them, but always thought those 659CBs would be nice. I assume you enjoy them.

Yes. I agree. I would love to get my hands on these prototypes and compare. (Bridgestone are you reading?) I do believe the X and XS fit me better so it was a little unfair of a comparison in my experiment, but they seem like great balls that I could use.

I have finally gotten a chance to get out and do a proper test and prepare some feedback regarding my experience with the prototype Bridgestone Tour B RX and RXS. The first and most important part of my feedback is to recognize forum member @Rob Person who has been all over this topic and was kind enough to share some prototypes with me after seeing my comments in the thread. Thanks Rob! About my game I will start by saying I am best described as a very average golfer that can hammer full shots. I lack a finesse game and need to work on it and establish more deliberate practice effort to this important aspect. I get streaky and lucky at times, but need to develop technique and understand the right shot that is required in close. I do well from the tee and really most full shots---driver, fairways, long irons, and anything more than a 3/4 swing is where I am comfortable. I haven't done a lot on a simulator and generally don't care much for hitting off of mats so I don't know swing speeds etc but depending on a lot of things generally--driver is 280 or better, 3W 250, 3i 220, 5i 200, 7i 175 and so on.... I had been playing Vice Pro and Pro Plus balls and had been pretty happy with them. I had occasionally played a few Tour b X or XS's that I had picked up a felt liked the feel and mostly the performance. A while back my wife offered to pick up some balls for me as she knew I was planning on grabbing a box before a weekend outing and I wanted to use some high-vis balls. I gave her a few options to grab and she came home with Tour B X's (several boxes because the guy at the store gave her a special deal because she was nice enough to stop in and make a purchase and had no idea what she was buying other than what was on the list---lol). I have played and been happy with the Tour B X's ever since. My Test Method As the weather has not been great and I think most folks have gone dormant for the winter, the courses are really open and available. I struggle to find a partner so I have been playing around a bit playing two balls trying different shots or playing one ball "irons only" etc. For this exercise, I played the course the way I normally would but used 3 balls---Tour B X (control), Vice Pro (as I still had some), and the prototype Tour B RX that Rob sent me using the best ball of the three on each hole. My Test Discoveries It was cold, wet, and dreary but as I was using my standard ball as a control sample I am able to fairly compare what I was seeing. Long Game Excluding any obvious mis-hits on my part, the standard Tour B X off the tee was the best performer from a distance perspective. The Tour B X felt more firm and explosive off the face and just appeared faster and more penetrating in flight. On average I would suggest that with the driver I saw about a 8-10 yard performance advantage on the Tour B X. That advantage was not as great on other clubs however---for instance I used the 5 iron a few times and the gap tightened a bit to on average 5 yards or less. On a couple occasions I did put the Prototype on top of the X or just past it undoubtedly strike quality is a factor. I can play any of the balls here and be happy, but the Tour B X had a decided advantage. Short Game While I admit I lose a lot of shots here and really have a bit of inconsistency, I didn't see a lot of difference between any of the balls. I wanted to keep track on my score card which ball I most often putted after a short game stroke, but lost discipline along the way, but would guess that I may have had the Prototype ball come out on top. Unfortunately I can't really ascertain if there was a direct relationship to the ball or simply due to chance. Other The only other attribute that I can really comment on is durability. I noted that both Bridgestone balls appeared to be more durable. The Vice ball did not hold up as well in wedge play as i noted the cover getting scuffed seemingly more easily or often and I don't think this would have anything to do with my play. Conclusion I could play any of these balls, but from what I experienced I would say that the Tour B X is best for me and likely due to it being a better fit and/or a higher compression that is providing a preferred feel or distance. Bridgestone makes a high quality ball and I think it boils down to personal preference. This was fun and I enjoyed this opportunity!

It was 39F at the start but little wind and warmed up as the sun got to work. Weird round when I look back it: I hit the green on every par3 which I can’t recall doing all summer, but unfortunately 2 putted them all for pars. I birdied the Par 5s but probably because I got free relief from the bunkers which were flooded. If they weren’t I likely wouldn’t have had such a strong second shot Then the Par 4s…. Bogey or Double bogey on each because I hit an awful tee shot, chunked or pulled the approach, or failed on or around the green….. (or some combination). it was peaceful out nevertheless

This is nice. Love it. Will do over the long weekend coming up. Might even commit to a "watch list" tab on the spread sheet. I couldn't help but notice.... 110g driver shaft (!!!!) wow--sledgehammer style.