MEstep

2023 was my coming back to golf year so there were many purchases made... My first purchase was a set of Footjoy shoes since I know that I would be doing a lot of walking to chase my ball from rough to rough as I worked my way down each hole. I found a free Sun Mountain 14-way bag on FB market that I cleaned up and carried most of the year. Throw in the multiple number of balls that I picked up along the way. I really liked the matte red ones as my red Oakley lenses pick them up easily. I don't know if I would call it a true "purchase" or not but I do go ball shopping a lot while I'm hitting out of the thick rough or the trees. I guess its a perk of being an inconsistent player... I was using a set of borrowed clubs from my friend who had a nice set just collecting dust. My previous set of clubs was from when I was in high school (early 2000's) and was a cheap set from Wally-word. When he saw a picture of them I think it was a "What are those?" moments and he lent me his set. As I got more into golf my wife decided it was time to get my own set and sent me to get some for my Anniversary gift. I got fitted for a set of PXG 0211's with the MMT stiff shafts. There was a big difference in the consistency of my shots after getting these. No I'm not perfect I still have my few in the tall stuff but man getting fit is totally the way to go. I recommend it to anyone who is buying clubs. Takes a lot of frustration out of the game. My next purchase was a new bag. My free FB find came with a hole in one of the pockets that was right next to where I put my putter. With my putter having the oversized grip each time I put it back into the bag (sometimes more forcefully than others due to my bad putting) the pocket would rip a little. It got to the point where it was just getting annoying to keep looking at. So I purchased a Maxfli 21 Honors 14+. I liked it because it wasn't a crazy price, I loved the Volt yellow color and it had most of the features of the expensive bags. I know that most will say that I should have gotten x or y bag instead. That I put a bandaid on the situation, but with the coupon, the points that I already had for store credit, and the warranty I feel like I got the best deal for that bag. My last purchase for the 2023 year was a new Gen5 0311xf driver. I had been saving up and just as I was ready PXG had them on sale. Which was perfect timing. I went back over to the store and got fitted into the correct shaft for my swing. I'm not bombing it but I can attest that my dispersion is much tighter now. The driver technology has come a long way since when my old gamer (Titleist 907r) was made. All in all it was a huge year for me in purchasing. This year my goal is to continue to focus on getting more consistent and start stinging more than 2 good shots together. If I make any purchases in 2024 it might be a 3w or wedges but, honestly I doubt it. I would love to be able to get a sim setup so that I can play more often. I have used a Garmin r10 into a net with an iPad and as simple as that setup is it just works well. Time will tell what 2024 brings.

As I am getting back into golf I’ve “tested” lots of things out. I got fitted for irons and a new driver at PXG. Great experience and even better value for my money. Need to continue to practice with the driver but man I am enjoying it as of now. i’ve tested out a couple putters. Lucky I have a buddy who’s a much more avid golfer and has more equipment than anyone needs so I can compare side by side. The most recent side by side by side I guess you’d say has been do to me attempting to help him remove grips from two putters without cutting them. I tested his Sub70 007, PXG mallet (don’t know the model off the top of my head) and my Odyssey O-Works 7. My testing was done in my basement on my putting mat so my results may vary…. Even without alignment aids I felt that I was able to lineup the 007 better the the other two. Also I’m sure some on here have a better explanation to it but there seemed to be more control over the face with the 007. I did not like the grip he has on the PXG but it was an aftermarket Flatcat so that is not a knock on PXG. Between the Ody and the PXG I would say the grip is the only difference. They would be tied for 2nd with the 007 coming in 1st in my opinion. Again my testing was done on my basement putting mat. I will have to get him to let me conduct my experiment on a green or two before making my ultimate decision. Best thing is he’s a good dude and will absolutely let me do it in the name of science and possibly no more 3 putts.

Slow is smooth. Smooth is Fast and Smooth is Straight. By this I obviously mean I don't always follow it....

We've got a father son tiger combo going on at my house. The yellow one was mine when I was a kid (late 90's) and is now my son's. I had to upgrade to the adult tiger. I've also got an Odyssey football cover on my Tank-7. After stepping away from coaching High School FB for the past 15 years I figured I would remind myself of what else I could be doing instead. It is a great reminder that golf needs to be fun and that I need to practice what I taught my players. Control what you can control, don't let one bad thing dictate your day, and do everything with the upmost integrity.

They don't help me see the ball in flight but I have stumbled upon (because my wife thinks she's funny...) this ball and lens color combo. Oakley Field Prizm - red tint with a Callaway Matte Red ball. I know: Matte balls don't spin, don't perform like my [fill in the blank ball]. Everyone who doubts me about that combo I just hand them my sunglasses and tell them to just look. They see that glowing Matte Red ball in the rough (yes rough because I have a slice and I rarely hit from the fairway hence my funny wife) and agree with me. I will take all the flak for playing that "ugly red ball" but I find mine. Side note - Pro V1 Yellow Balls show (ironically I found it when I was looking for a sliced ball into the woods) up almost as well. Played in a scramble a few weeks back and for the first time in my life I used only one ball. I can thank my Field Prizm lenses on a couple shots. P.S. Don't tell my wife any of this... I don't want her to know she was right about me needing the "easy to find balls."

If you have a PXG store to get fitted check them out. I just got a set of 0211's with graphite shafts and love them. I played some hand-me-down Bridgestone cavity backs before. They were good, but if I had the money to spend at the start I wish I would have started with the 0211's. They are a game changer. My fitting fee was credited to the price of my clubs.