GolfSpy_BEN

The baffler

Interesting result. If the Rogue ST TD LS ever lets me down, I have a starting point for it’s replacement.

Thomas Crow

I ordered a polo and a hoodie! Between this thread and the fact it seems every YouTube golfer is wearing Rhoback, I am excited to give it a try! Thanks to all the members for their feedback.

Welcome to the forum! Have a look around and enjoy your time here, we’re a friendly group.

Good Morning All, No golf today, so for those lucky souls who do get out, play well and have a day! We are spending the day with Kim’s grandparents. They are having a new bed delivered and she has volunteered us to help. Which is cool because they are surrogate grandparents for me, as all of mine have long since passed. A day spent with family is a day well spent. Have a great Saturday folks!

It’s still early, but if I remain the only one to vote @chisag, @CFreddie, and @Jnoble89 and they win, that means I get all the prizes right?

Initial thoughts from the first range session: These clubs generate good ball speed. The TD fairways do not have alignment aids on the crown of the club. Where as it appears that the Paradym/Paradym X fairway woods still have the Callaway Chevron as an alignment aid: I suppose the assumption is that the TD is geared toward lower handicap players, who are able to center strike the ball without the aid of a visual cue. I don’t need the chevron to find the center of the face, but I’ve always liked the aesthetic of the visual cue, so I’m a little bummed they have done away with it. Lastly, before we get into the first testing session, I have to agree with the Paradym Driver testing cohort. The head cover is not great. Which is a shame, given the quality of the materials. I think I would like it better without the patent leather strip. Also the area around the chevron has the appearance of wax on a car that hasn’t been buffed off. On to the numbers! I went to the Southwest Golf Ranch for the use of their Top Tracer Range launch monitors, but also because rain looked imminent for most of the day and I didn’t savvy scrambling to shelter with bag and Rapsodo MLM in tow, if the skies opened up mid session. My session was regimented thusly: I hit 20 balls for a warm up, using a gap wedge, 8i, 5i, and driver. I then hit 5 balls with each club in the following order: PXG 0211 3 hybrid: Paradym TD 5 wood: PXG 0211 3 wood: Paradym TD 3+ wood: The fight between these clubs was over before it started as the Paradym FWs were consistently longer. The ball speeds were better and the results were anything but unexpected. So that being said, this test will transition from comparative to solely focusing on how well I can get these clubs dialed in for my game. I’m excited by the potential of these clubs! I then played a virtual round at: Gleneagles, The King’s Course Perthshire, Scotland The Paradym FWs helped contribute to my lowest virtual round on record. To say I was on fire on the back nine, would be mildly understating the obvious. Highlights from the round included a 5 wood from 210 out that I put 7 foot from the pin and a 257 yd 3 wood on a long par 5 that left me with a 50 yd approach shot that I stuck close to the pin to set up another relatively easy birdie. These clubs are similar to every other new club I’ve owned in that they will require a breaking in period where I acclimate to how they like to be played, but lord are they buttery smooth when struck properly.

Welcome to the forum! Through shear dumb luck, I picked up the 3+ - 13.5 degree and 5 - 18 degree. I wrote about the experience in the “what have you bought lately” thread. You may find it helpful. I am also doing an unofficial review of the Callaway Paradym Fairway woods that could be of interest to you. If you have any questions about the forum, feel free to ask, most folks around here are pretty friendly.

Following on both IG and twitter, though admittedly I don’t spend much time on either platform.

I can’t, in good conscience, claim broke 70 for a virtual round, as there is no putting but rather CTTP that decide the result of the holes. However, this was my best virtual round to date, so the satisfaction of the achievement will suffice. Thanks for the reply.

So does breaking 70 in a top tracer range virtual round count?

Good Morning All, Not much on the agenda today. SWMBO and the kids are going to a movie matinee, so I think I’ll sneak out to the golf ranch and begin testing the new fairways. Have a stupendous Friday!

While I agree with you in principle, trade-in values are always skewed toward the retailer, in this particular case before taxes the irons cost 962.50, so getting 938 was about as close as I’ll ever get to receiving full value. But yes, they are all definitely thieving bastards.

Callaway Triple Diamond Fairway Woods - Unofficial MGS Forum Review by Ben Joest Introduction Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends, we're so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside. Like the screen name suggests, my name is Ben Joest. I reside just up the hill from gentle flowing waters of the Little Miami River in South Lebanon, Ohio. I have a lovely wife and 3 children aged 10, 8, & 4. My 2 oldest have taken an interest in the game and have joined me for a few trips to the driving range as well as a couple of walking rounds at one of the local munis. The impetus for this review is my desire for more distance and consistency in my long clubs. My handicap this season is currently sitting at 6.2. My short term goal is to break par and I have a long goal of being scratch. I have been gaming a PXG 0211 15 degree 3 wood with a fixed head and riptide stiff shaft, as well as a PXG 0211 19 degree 3 hybrid with a fixed head and a riptide stiff shaft. These are definitely PXGs value option, they are fairly easy to hit but they aren’t especially long and there is no adjustability. I have procured a 3+ wood that is 13.5 degrees with a Kali x-stiff shaft. I have also grabbed a 5 wood that is 18 degrees with a HZRDUS stiff shaft. The first thing that had to happen was switching the stock standard grips with Golf Pride midsize MCC +4 grips Those familiar with my work will know that swinging a standard gripped club to me feels like strangling a pencil. My initial plan for testing these clubs will involve side by side comparisons between the PXGs and the Paradyms, using a combination of top tracer range and my Rapsodo MLM, as well as actual rounds played on the course. I am excited to see what these woods can bring to my game and can’t wait to get started! First Impressions (5 out of 5) As these were clubs that I sought out and bought, rather than volunteering to test, my first impressions are tied to a couple of YouTube videos by Michael Newton and the guys from 2nd Swing. He was evaluating the Paradym fairway woods, the Taylor Made Stealth 2 fairway woods and the Ping G430 fairway woods. This was followed up by a testing video from 2nd Swing that compared the Paradym 3 wood to the Triple Diamond 3 wood. Without psychically seeing or touching the clubs, I found them to be visually appealing and, as I am as susceptible to the power of suggestion as the next guy, impressed by the results they were seeing on their launch monitors. As an aside, I find Michael Newton’s club reviews to be succinct and thorough, even if he is annoyingly handsome and charming. At any rate, the YouTube videos did their job and got me out to the local Golf Galaxy, to inspect these majestic clubs for myself. First sight/handling did not disappoint and was everything I had hoped for. I have included Callaway's marketing materials from their website for informational purposes: INTRODUCING PARADYM TRIPLE DIAMOND FAIRWAY WOODS UP TO 7 YARDS LONGER WITH BATWING TECHNOLOGY A total Paradym shift in distance, the Triple Diamond model is our most compact fairway wood shape with a deeper face at address. This offering is best suited for stronger players who are looking for a penetrating ball flight with lower spin. SPEED & STABILITY FROM JAILBREAK WITH BATWING TECHNOLOGY The A.I. Designed Jailbreak Batwing structure is pushed to the perimeter to stiffen the body, while allowing the face to flex for high ball speeds. * *Up To 7 Yards Longer claim based on player testing of Rogue ST Max 3 wood vs. Paradym 3 wood. OPTIMAL LAUNCH WITH ENHANCED SPEED FROM THE TUNGSTEN SPEED CARTRIDGE By incorporating up to 21g of high-density tungsten, we can push the center of gravity (CG) low and forward. The result is optimal launch and spin, with enhanced speed for maximum distance. OPTIMIZED SPEED, LAUNCH, AND SPIN FROM NEW A.I. DESIGNED HIGH-STRENGTH FACE CUP We’ve applied an all new A.I. face optimization to include speed, launch, and spin. The unique face pattern is customized for each model and paired with our high-strength C300 maraging steel face cup. This promotes impressive speed and consistency across the face. PENETRATING FLIGHT WITH LOW SPIN PARADYM SHIFT CONSTRUCTION The Paradym Triple Diamond is designed with a deeper face and compact, player preferred shape. The Triaxial Carbon crown aids in creating a low and forward CG. This produces a penetrating ball flight with low spin. And an adjustable hosel allows golfers to further dial in trajectory. *All of marketing claims and materials courtesy of CallawayGolf.com As is true of most large golf OEMs, the Paradym Triple Diamond fairway woods aren’t lacking for the latest & greatest technology or bold claims regarding ball flight and distance. My interest lies in whether these clubs will allow the following for my game: · Improved distance from all lies and the tee boxes where I would play a fairway wood. Ideal total distance would be in the neighborhood of 225 yards for the 5 wood and 250 yards for the 3 wood. Anything greater would be a welcome problem of adding a club to bridge the gap between the 7 wood to the 5 wood. Anything less, would lead to further consideration of my current gamers, a PXG 0211 15° 3 wood and an 0211 19° 3 hybrid. · The ability to hit a variety of shots i.e. fades, draws, low flight, high flight · Consistent carry and lateral dispersion · How forgiving can a club that isn’t designed for forgiveness be? More precisely, how punitive are the mishits? Aesthetics (4 out of 5) Simply put, these woods are gorgeous. The dark blue used in the carbon wrap is sedate and visually calming at address. On the sole of the club the use of blue, white, gold and black blends together well and produces a timeless, classic feel. When holding the clubs at address, one thing noticeably missing from these clubs is an alignment cue, which is traditionally a chevron. The presumed reasoning would be that lower handicap players wouldn’t need an alignment aid to find center face of the club. And while, I don’t need it, I find it aesthetically pleasing. One other minor quibble would be the head cover that comes with the club. I don’t like it. Specifically the use of blue patent leather accents and the weird finish of the blue leather on the face behind the chevron. It reminds me of wax that hasn’t been buffed off a car fender. Which is a shame given the quality of the materials used. The head cover is well made, but just awful to look at. I took away 1 point. From address, these clubs just feel powerful. Add in a grip change from the stock Golf Pride standard grips to the Golf Pride MCC +4 Midsize grips that I prefer, and I feel like I could put a hole through a brick wall at 30 paces. The Numbers (5 out of 5) I took the Paradyms, as well as the current gamers, out to the range for a series of testing sessions. In my first range session, I was looking to find whether they could outperform my gamers, as well as showing a baseline set of numbers for comparison purposes with future range sessions. Here are the results: On my second trip to the range, I wanted to give each club an extended session to compare to the initial results and start to figure out where they fit into the bag regarding gapping. The results were overwhelmingly positive: Given the distance jumps, I may have to rethink my gapping below the five wood, as currently the next club would be my 7 wood that carries 199 and goes 207 total. That is a 24 yard gap between the 5 and the 7. This also plays into a deeper thought I have had on my 5i and replacing it with a utility iron that is lofted close to the 7, as it stands my 6i will go, on average 192, so the gap between the 6i and 7w is manageable. Overall, here are tables of my range results: On the Course (5 out of 5) During the time of testing, I played 3 rounds on 3 different courses. Each course offered the Paradym FW’s a fresh set of challenges. The Paradym’s passed each of these tests with flying colors. During the first round, I was still unsure of what I had, so the fairways were used on the 2nd shots of the par 5s and the 5 wood was used on the tee shot of a fairly short par 4 that required an accurate 200-215 yard shot to hit a tight window for the dog leg right. Starting with the 2nd 18 I had these clubs in play, my familiarity with each led me to trust them implicitly with whatever the course threw at me. The highlights included a 265 yd 5 wood off the tee on the Par 4 3rd hole that left me 30 yards to the pin. I also found myself in need of 275 yard approach on Par 5 13th, after an errant tee shot left me on the 12th fairway with a fairly tight window to the 13th green. The ball wound up pin high2, just off the green, in the second cut left of the hole. Just a rocket of a shot. (Ed. Note: Looking back now, this is the exact moment that I decided these fairway woods were never leaving the bag.) The 3rd 18 played with these clubs, is when I discovered how reliable of a fairway finder the 3 wood could be off the tee. In the lead up to this round, I had been thinking about my Ping G425 Max driver and wondering about a head adjustment, and what it might offer to my tee game. Because I can’t leave well enough alone, I made the adjustment and brought the club along with me to the course’s driving range for my warm-up session. I hit a couple of shots with my gamer, a Rogue ST TD LS and the Ping. I liked the ball shape I was seeing with the Ping, so I swapped them out and the Rogue in the car. For the first 7 holes of this course, Driver only comes out of the bag twice, so though the 2 tee shots I hit were a little shorter than normal, but I attributed it to needing to loosen up a bit more and carried on as normal. It was on the 8th tee, that it became apparent I had made a mistake. The 8th is a wide open par 5 that I normally drive really well. I have had a couple of 300+ yard drives on this hole, making it a reachable par 5. On this particular day, my tee shot went 211 yards and right. Not good. On the Par 4 9th, I flushed one right down the middle and hit it about as well as I am capable of, it went 248 yards. Again, not good enough. By the 12th tee, I had had enough and hit my partners driver. While it wasn’t the cleanest of strikes, it still went 276 yards. Moral of the story: Don’t switch out drivers the morning of a round based on 3 swings on the range. Beyond the aggravation of my tee game to this point, it did offer me a golden opportunity to see what I had, off the tee with the Paradym 3 wood. It is fair to say, that the 3 wood answered the bell. · Par 4 13th, 248 yards middle of fairway. · Par 5 15th, 246 yards middle of fairway. · Par 4 16th, 259 yards middle of fairway. · Par 4 18th, 236 yards right edge of fairway. Coupled with these shots I had prior to the Driver divorce: · Par 5 4th, 207-yard approach with the 5 wood to get on in 2. · Par 4 6th, 232 yards middle of the fairway for the 5 wood off the tee. · Par 5 11th, 250-yard second shot by the 5 after the driver only went 215 yards off the tee, setting up an easy 43-yard pitch for the 3rd shot and a 2-putt par. The Good, The Bad, The In-between (5 out of 5) The Good: These clubs go. Period. End of story. The ball speeds that these clubs have averaged has been impressive. Coupled with the flight I have seen on off-center hits, leads me to believe that despite the Triple Diamond designation, there is a noticeable amount of forgiveness at play. The Bad: The headcover. Honestly, the headcover has grown on me since my first impressions, I now think I will keep them. It says volumes about these clubs, that my bad item has nothing to do with the performance of these clubs. The In-between: At $350.00 a club, I wonder how many folks will wait for the Callaway Pre-Owned site to start selling these, before they try them out. It is a significant investment to add these to the bag, so thanks to the golf gods for that little bit of serendipity that allowed me to give these a whirl during their current product cycle. Play It or Trade It (5 out of 5) You can take these woods out of my bag when I am dead, but only then to bury them with me. These are far and away my favorite woods I have ever owned. I must go all the way back to a Titleist 983 3 wood that had a steel shaft, to find a fairway wood I have ever felt even remotely close to the level of affection I have for these woods. They are effortless distance combined with workability, the likes of which I have never experienced. Kudos to Callaway for creating the perfect fairway woods. Conclusion If you are in the market for fairway woods, you could do a lot, lot, lot, lot worse than the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond fairway metal woods. They offer an impressive combination of style and performance. I give my unequivocal endorsement to this product and would recommend all manner of golfer give them a try. Final Score (29 out of 30)

Date 06/23/2023 Course Name The Grizzly golf and social lodge Gross Score 79 Course Handicap 5 Gross Strokes over/under par 8 Net Score to Par 3 Net Score 74 Net Birdies or better 2 Longest Drive 305 39/40 +8 79 I’ve played better, I’ve played worse. A thoroughly average round. Everything was just okay, the 2 double bogies could easily have been pars. The damnable misery of this game. On a brighter note, I tied my low putts for a round with 30. The combination of a Odyssey Tour Line Eleven and a Garsen Ultimate grip is proving to be formidable. The more I play it, the more I like it.

So…this happened. As mentioned in the what equipment are you thinking about thread, I went to demo the Callaway Paradym TD fairway woods. I liked what I saw on the trackman, so I decided to pull the trigger. Now for the best part of the story. I had brought along my Mizuno JPX 923 HMP irons that I don’t play anymore. I asked what the trade in would be, hoping to offset some of the $700.00 these woods were going to run me. The helpful sales associate at Golf Galaxy tells me that Callaway is running a promotion that doubles the trade in value of 1 item towards the purchase of new Callaway club/clubs. So that means the $469 I was getting for the Mizunos became $938. So on the way to the register I grabbed 2 midsize GP +4s, a dozen TP-5, and a palm glove. All said and done, I left the store with all that, 2 new fairway woods, and an $82 gift card.

Good Morning All, Busy morning running the kids here and there. Afternoon will culminate in 18 holes. So I got that going for me, which is nice.

Never played these. What are they comparable to?

With the premier league off for the summer, my focus shifts domestically. What a great season the local lads are having! It has been a pleasure and a joy following this team lately.

I use the free version of the grint for gps and score keeping. Although, I like using a range finder for approach yardages, the gps is handy for figuring out carry’s off the tee and yardages on doglegs, etc.

Alignment sticks, a plastic clothes hanger, driver head cover, and a Rapsodo MLM. For putting, I keep a tape measure in the bag i need to add a can of foot spray and probably remove the clothes hanger, as I can’t remember what drill I put it in for years ago

Good Morning All, No golf today, as we are taking the kids to Kings Island, a local theme park, for a day of roller coasters and general family fun. Time permitting, I may hit a bucket at the range later, so we’ll see. Have a truly magnificent hump day!

Congrats to the testers! I look forward to all the unique things you all plan to do, to put this app through it’s paces.

As I am on Stay-cation this week, I have been booking tee times that fit in to what SWMBO and the kids want to do this week. I booked as a single for Monday morning 7:40am. The twosome I was to be paired with either didn't show or was later than 5 minutes, so the starter sent me off. There was a foursome ahead of me, but they played fast and I never caught them. I was in no great hurry, because a round played solo can be quite peaceful. I played my first shot and kept score off of it, but I also played another ball on most of the holes, purposefully hitting it to other areas so I could work on things while getting my round in. The group behind me must of shot north of 100, because even taking my time, they never had to wait on me. It was a nice round. I have another round booked for Thursday afternoon at 4:30pm, where I am a single playing with a twosome. It's anybody's guess how that will go, but I hope it goes well.