Ding-dong

cksurfdude · November 10, 2023

Been a while, I have been going through some driving issues. I lofted up to 11 degrees in an attempt to get some control.
Today I went back to 9 degrees , not my standard 8. So I think it’s improving I was getting a bit quick and my rotation sequence was off .. hopefully that’s improving !

sirchunksalot · November 9, 2023

I treated myself to a Callaway carry+ pencil bag. My current carry bag has a damaged pocket and is a bit heavy. So I got this new bag with its stumpy legs and shoved in loads of clubs and made it as heavy …

Winter carry set up is:

Driver, 5w, 4/5 hybrid ( dunno really it’s the yardage I need ) then 7 to 46 degree G430 irons, 50 degree wedge, 58 degree SW , putter.

might have some redundant clubs in the bag.. hopefully I can find out this afternoon

cksurfdude · October 28, 2023

Got out this morning for the roll up. Last night I played 9 holes, and was just slowing my take away. I had noticed on the R10 my face angle was a bit open but path was relatively consistent. So I slowed the take away and concentrated on not starting it with my hands.
It seemed to work and I played well, today I carried on in the same way and to be fair tee to green was good. The stableford score of 34 was acceptable, and I think my putter lost me 6 points ( we have had a few words and I think we will have a bit of break from each other ) .

I also was getting confident with shaping my tee shots and getting into optimum position for speed .. So I need to remember this, groove it, and sort the putter out.

sirchunksalot · October 25, 2023

Not stuck the grass in the base, but it’s stable enough.
Went bananas and had 3 simulator rounds +5,+13, E … then some range time.

Absolutely shattered now !
Prime objective was to stop my feet tearing up the lawn .. and it’s done that.

The artificial grass I have won’t last long but I had 3x2 so I can get another square from it before looking elsewhere.. or buying something more expensive.

As you can see it’s out of sight and stowed away .. Missus Ding Dong may notice it if her Dahlias keep flowering.. here’s to a frost!

cksurfdude · October 24, 2023

On 10/19/2023 at 2:40 PM, cksurfdude said:

Was toying with the idea of trying something similar - not totally enthused with my "multiplier" cost brand name golf mat...

Curious about the durability of the Astro turf so plz post an update after you've used it for a while.

All items are arriving, the grass came .. bit disappointing was a little threadbare not as the picture but I will use it all the same.

The rubber base came, that’s heavy duty but won’t stand up but can be rolled up .. I may change my thinking a bit on this one and how I set up the storage.
Impact pad arrived its 10-15mm think (1/3” - 1/2” ) so one layer has been cut to size. I have another layer.

Still waiting on the gorilla double sided tape.

I think I won’t fix to the base but I will attach grass and impact pad together and that can live in the garage and I will roll up the rubber mat and keep outside out of sight of Missus Ding Dong …

cksurfdude · October 19, 2023

1 hour ago, cksurfdude said:

Was toying with the idea of trying something similar - not totally enthused with my "multiplier" cost brand name golf mat...

Curious about the durability of the Astro turf so plz post an update after you've used it for a while.

Will do , being a bit of a skin flint I was going to rotate the mat around and I have purchased Birtees as well so no holes to aid longevity.
If I am honest I haven’t ever rubbed a mat bald ( don’t quote out of context)

cnosil · October 19, 2023

Daylight hours are getting more restrictive now, plus family life demands are getting increased, so course time is constrained.
I have set up the net in the garden, got the R10 sorted, but I am doing damage to the grass through my loose mat and spurk mat.

So I have been looking into driving range mats - put the word golf in front and everything just multiplies up.

To see if I can do it on a budget I have sourced a base .. only golf related cost with multiplyer

I have bought an off cut piece of Astro grass ( St Andrews allegedly), then a 10mx 0.5m roll of impact / shock padding and some double sided adhesive tape…

I will hopefully get 2 layers of impact padding down and then lay the 1.5 x 1.5 m of grass on top.

All sorted for 2/3 s of the cost of the cheapest combination I could find and I think that didn’t have the tax added.

Then it’s lunch hour sim rounds or range sessions!!

cksurfdude · October 14, 2023

To be honest I have done two huge weight drops. The first time I dropped 220+ lbs to 130-140lbs … I noticed my distance was off. There is a sweet spot, was my conclusion.

I have recently gone from 200lbs down to 130lbs ( increasing again ) but I confirmed there is a sweet spot. The joints are less stressed and the body swings or moves freely. However you need to have some weight to keep the balance is my feeling…

October 10, 2023

I don’t want to upset anyone but after a long time of generally understanding of others opinions I am back to where I got to 25 years ago.
I played TP18 blades, I struck the ball well, my short comings were with the putter. But as you all know a minor deviation from centre causes the recovery game to be used.

I moved to ping zing 2 irons, ironically I was just average, I can play any standard irons off the shelf, pretty much. Within a few weeks my handicap dropped significantly and I was cruising around at level par +/-2 strokes.
I never missed the feel of the Mizuno TP18s when it came to a centred strike, my view changed I realised, any thing centred feels good. However miss hits or off centres were not punished the recovery game or scrambling was not required so much and putting practice yielded huge beneficial results.

Now fast forward I have stepped out of mp20 irons ( these are easier than TP18s) and into G430s ( stay with me) … centre strikes still feel awesome and distance variation on poor strikes is less …

So it’s a case of play and enjoy but this feel discussion doesn’t justify upsetting your whole game ..

I know I have probably upset a few here so I will leave you all to debate my findings

September 25, 2023

My chipping has been a disaster, I was wondering if I had the “yips” hence looking at a Ping chipr. Also my course is very bare and hard so loft is a bit of a disaster.
I will practice the Phil M technique as I don’t want to give bag space away . My chipping used to be a really strong part of my game so I wonder if the confidence and setup has just gone.

MattF · September 22, 2023

Ping G430 irons, 5 to 45 with graphite shafts.

picked them up yesterday afternoon, played 11 holes before the incoming storm hit.

Definitely see potential here. The greens were well watered, but the back spin was entertainingly enormous ( I only play to see the ball back spin ) .

Yardages are just shifted a club, I have retro lofts. So it was a voyage of discovery yesterday afternoon. Also it was evident that they forgive you and the loss is small - which is what I was searching for, likewise perfect is not distinctly longer either.

Now I feel I can get to making the right shot decisions and not worry about whether I will hit it x or y distance , it will be x +/-5 yards irrespective of my input.

cksurfdude · September 21, 2023

I used the ball to refine my output as well.. I always needed a bit more spin, but also I wanted to alter my club face angle to max my ball speed.
I use Srixon AD 333 / Q Tour , Titleist Pro V1 / Tour Soft …. But the mainstay is the AD 333 , it just is better for me than all the rest ( and it’s so cheap, shooting low to mid 70s scores with what the snobs perceive to be a hacker’s ball = priceless)

September 17, 2023

I have ordered some, in retro lofts with the cb graphite shaft in regular. I tried i230, i525 as well. Fitter recommended i525, which I rejected ( see another thread where I am told , my experience of this type of club is wrong) .

I previously have played mp20 , hmb combination sets, PXG 0211 Dc , ping i15 and e irons … the last two sets were always best for me, they give me forgiveness on poor strikes and don’t have a massive difference on centre strikes.
So I will see how I get on, I am not so bothered by feel, centre strikes feel good on everything but I think distance control is key. I think it is easy to get carried away with aesthetics and forget what the irons need to do.

Josh Parker · September 17, 2023

I have stopped buying premium balls. I have a couple of boxes of pro v’s lying around due to some side deals. But when you go through the MGS report, the Srixon AD333 is half the price, may be 2-4yards shorter in carry ( roll out is another thing) but it is the wedge spin that is so close (200 rpm) , you cannot help but be persuaded that it’s actually the ball to use. So I do.

September 15, 2023

Okay, if it makes you all happy, I spray round the face .. the i525 is too good for me and I need a spade.

September 15, 2023

I didn’t want to have the risk on the i525, I have had PXG 0211dc and Mizuno hmb .. both have given me that flyer off a fairway - and yes both are forgiving for sure. My courses greens are small and your score goes down the toilet when the ball disappears into the rubbish behind the green. I went back to my i15s and my scores reduced massively simply because the front to back is controlled.

I don’t want a random hot face, a cavity back for me is the right thing, so yes I do have some trepidation about the 430s but all reviews are positive and even my own testing maintained a nice distance front to back .. so hopefully they deliver.

On the i15s I thought the i230 was slightly longer and it was okay.

brogies · September 15, 2023

I did a fitting yesterday. I tried all 3 heads , 230, 525, 430.
525 was recommended to me, based on yardage alone, forgiveness wasn’t a concern.

I am afraid I rejected the 525, rightly or wrongly, but my view was if this was like any other hollow body iron, it will offer some random front to back dispersion.

I went to the 430, distance went up, but let’s be honest here what’s written on the sole is ego complimentary . I feel like the 430 is the modern Zing 2 - bred to look a bit prettier and improve some more attributes. I played Zing 2 - I am an engineer, cosmetics are not a persuasive requirement.

So 230, distance was not as long as I wanted ( allegedly) , 525 were disregarded by my own personal perception and concerns.. this left 430 and I opted into retro lofts.

We will see where this goes, they have 3 years to prove themselves… longer if successful.

cksurfdude · September 6, 2023

Not been on for a while, but just an update. My driving has been poor, and it kind of spirals into worse. However the solution isn’t a lesson or get myself in this position etc .. I find my driving simply by being committed, just attacking the ball , then if it doesn’t go well, deal with it don’t lose the commitment. This has stood up well and to be honest my length and straightness is there, OP works nicely and I am still playing it.

brogies · September 6, 2023

I230 is on my radar but the Mizuno pro 223 has appeared as well. I played a round with a guy who explored all of the face and wasn’t penalised to any great extent.

cksurfdude · August 7, 2023

Weather here has been quite dreadful, and I have been on holiday touring Norfolk… sadly both my wife and son hate golf like I hate looking in old building and eating limp cheese sandwiches whilst paying silly money for the pleasure!

However yesterday I got to the range, I had arranged the bag with i15 irons 5-wedge, 4 crossover , Driver, 3 wood, 7wood and wedges 50, and 60 degrees.

I played 2 simulated rounds, as it makes me vary my clubs and shots etc.. is it beneficial, who really knows?

Suffice to say driving was a bit poor, it’s purely set up and positioning.
7 wood is too long at 225yards, 4 crossover is 205yards, then I step down 10 yards through each iron.
My simulated rounds were -10 and -11 .. I did 2 because the first looked a bit flukey. But I think the i15 give me consistency which I don’t get from my MP20s or 0211DC

But the i15s have steel shafts, and as I am an old fella, I came home with some wrist and elbow pain. So long range sessions on mats is probably not good.
I am thinking that I should possibly look at G430 or i230 in std or retro lofts with a graphite shaft…

G430 presents a conundrum, will it be like the 0211DC and be inconsistent front to back dispersion ?
The other question is i230 in 5-7 iron forgiving enough, i15 is fine, ( 4 iron I don’t think I was launching high enough, and I have the 4 crossover which I like)

I suspect I will have to go to the ping centre in the U.K. to get my answers !

But for now I will play the i15s, see how I get on and re-evaluate, if I am shooting below 80 regularly and no pain then I will just wear a hole in them.

Fred Mitchell · July 31, 2023

1 hour ago, Fred Mitchell said:

Has anyone tried the UST Gold A flex in 55 yet, not ultra light but the lower than usual claimed torque for a lighter shaft combined with a real sweet price is intriguing.

Yes in the 3 wood, I would say go for it, I think it could take a ping head or an aggressive transition.

josmi15 · July 28, 2023

Went to the range with my old Dad.

But he had a seven iron and I had my bag and the i15s I lent him 10yrs ago.
I thought I would compare to the PXG 0211 dc irons. The lofts of the i15s are more like my Mizuno blades but 1 degree stronger and shaft length 0.25 shorter .. the PXGs are 0,5” longer and 2 degrees stronger.

The i15s are old school cavity back, forgiving around the face. I definitely feel the PXG’s to be “ bouncy” around the face and forgiving. But I like the i15s for consistency… so I think I shall have a few rounds with them .

cksurfdude · July 23, 2023

Time was limited so I got out with the garmin thingy for a simulated round. I did okay, -3 , all okay, but yardages were a little on and off. Driver is always a bit away from reality, but that’s okay because then I get a pleasant surprise in reality. .

I hit a few clubs afterwards using the warm up function.

My 3 wood was delivering 136-138 mph of ball speed, my driver was 143 mph .. I think there is more there. But that step maybe okay , I really don’t know.

My 6 iron delivers 122mph of ball speed max .. I have a little too much variation in my speeds, I know my potential but I just cannot find a steady number as it were.

So a poor 6 drops my ball speed down by 8mph, despite using 0211 DC irons.

Initially I thought these irons are just hot, but I am thinking it’s just me, so this is my next job. I will drop my effort to find middle road .. it’s nice to know that I can step on one though, but I only do that successfully with 7 iron or less.

( yes the 0211dc are strong clubs, 1/2 “ longer in shaft length than average, and strong lofts, which I weakened by 2 degrees)

GolfSpy_BEN · July 20, 2023

I am afraid the blades are hanging back on the wall, after some bad results.

I find my swing is completely impacted by where or how far I stand from the ball. I might be a fraction off and before you know it that lacklustre toe strike that happily finds an inaccessible edge of a bunker or other rotten lie occurs.
So it’s back to the 0211DCs and some routine to get me in the right place and check I am in the right place, without harming the score card.

cksurfdude · July 12, 2023

I managed to break my 7 wood shaft last night… collateral damage I am afraid and me finally releasing my frustration!

I did seriously look at OP ing up as driver and 3wood are. The head weight is 224g and the shaft in it was a Diamana 60S .. so 64g shaft.

However after some serious contemplation I don’t think I get anything extra. I worried about height and spin… I could adjust the head being a 0341x gen 2. But then like a hybrid you select to fit in a yardage window. So seeing as I like everything about it I decided to stick and replace with like for like.

But it would be interesting to discuss what options would suit..

I was looking at low launch low torque or stiff tip

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