SMartin

Hi Everyone!
I’m new within the last week to the forum and looking forward to getting more involved and using the forum as a source to keep up with all things golf.
1.    How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
I got my first golf clubs when I was around 10 and have dabbled here and there ever since. Until recently, I haven’t played much since high school (2008) so I am for sure a high handicapper with my average score around 100.
2.    What do you love about golf?
Like I said, I hadn’t played much since 2008 and really didn’t think much about golf at all, but a few months ago I played a round of golf at a bachelor party and it reminded me what a great activity golf can be for spending time outside with friends.
On a more intrapersonal level, I love how golf is a game of self-control. Small changes in distribution of your weight, placement of your hands, or alignment of your feet can impact your performance in a big way. I’ve always been a detail-oriented person and working on those small details of the game bring me a lot of joy, or sorrow depending on if they’re causing me to lose balls all over the course.
3.    What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?
My uncle is a golf nerd and when I finally decided to follow his advice and get new clubs, he mentioned checking out MyGolfSpy Buyer’s guides as a good starting point for research.
4.    Where are you from? What is your home course?
I live in the Scottsdale/North Phoenix area. I really don’t have a home course. Like I said, I’m just recently getting into golf seriously so right now I’m trying to find my bearings with the plethora of courses around the greater Phoenix area.
5.    What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?
I have to say that growing up in the valley I really didn’t appreciate that I lived in golf mecca, but I’ve started to realize how fortunate I am to have so many quality golf courses are within a 30-minute drive in any direction of where I live.
As for the worst part, some of those courses are crazy expensive to play unless you are willing to brave the Phoenix summer heat.
6.    What do you do for a living?
I work in artificial intelligence development in the healthcare industry.
7.    How’d you pick your username?
Musicalmedicine has been my go-to username for years now. I bet you would never guess that I play a musical instrument and work in the medical field…
 

Super excited about a new set of clubs I picked up on Facebook Marketplace. Made friends with a local reseller and plan to keep him in my back pocket for small needs here and there. 
 
Anyway, grabbed a set of Mizuno JPX 900 HM irons with R Flex Steel Shafts, JPX 923 GW, and Ping Sigma G Tyne putter. Huge upgrade from my ‘83 Titleist Accuflo Plus irons. At the range today noticed a significant improvement in distance and consistency. Putter was butter. Lastly, grabbed CBX Zipcore SW that has been the easiest wedge I have ever put in my hands. It is almost idiot proof how forgiving it is. 

This group of clubs should easily make me a solid mid-handicapper. Can’t wait to hit the links with these. Wonder if I should put my hat in on some local tournaments?

Greetings from Phoenix AZ 🌵🏜️! 
 
    1.    How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
    ⁃    I’ve been playing golf since I was 6 years old and continued throughout college. I have always been a range rat so I don’t get on the course enough to have an established handicap. but would say I would average 75. My “inRange” handicap is 1.7 if that counts for anything. 
    2.    What do you love about golf?
    ⁃    I love that golf is a multigenerational sport that can be played by anyone at any age but is also extremely difficult to master. 
    3.    What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Do you already know any other Spies?
    ⁃    I wanted to join a community that “speaks” golf and I don’t know any other spies at the moment. 
    4.    Where are you from? What is your home course?
    ⁃    I’m from Northern Virginia and now live in Phoenix. My home course is Legacy Golf Club but I practice mostly at Dobson Ranch. 
    5.    What are the best and worst things about golf in your region?
    ⁃    Perfect playing conditions from February to May but expensive green fees. At least you can practice short game for free! Cheap golf in the summer but it gets to 110 by noon. New golf attractions are coming to the area giving us new forms of golf entertainment . Grass Clippings Rolling Hills has Night time golf and the range/practice area closes at Midnight. Pop Stroke is a really fun date night spot. 
    6.    What do you do for a living?
    ⁃    I work in Quality Assurance for a Custom Home Builder
    7.    How’d you pick your user name?
    ⁃    I chose the username 'Silky' because it reflects my smooth golf swing, and it also pays homage to my Thai heritage. 
 
WITB:
Driver: Callaway Rouge Triple Diamond 9.0 (@8.0) - Graphite Design AD - UB6X
3W: Callaway Paradym 16.5 HL (@15.5) - Mitsubishi Kai’li 70S
5W: Callaway Rouge LS - Graphite Design AD -DI 7X
(Rotational) 2H: Titleist U505 - Graphite Design AD -DI HY 95X
Irons 4-PW: Srixon ZX5 MK ll - Nippon Modus Pro3 - 105S
Wedges: Vokey SM9 50.10F, 54.10S, 60.12D
Putter: Odyssey Toulon Design Atlanta
Ball: Chrome Tour X 
 
 

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
started golfing about 3 years ago when a couple guys from work invited me out. I probably play more than they do now. Haha. Lately been averaging around 80. Don’t really know handicap but my guess is like 19-20?
What do you love about golf? Im a pretty competitive person and I love the challenge of getting better at something new. I also like being just as good if not better than those I play with.  If I play with more skilled players I would totally up the effort. But most of all golf has been a way to connect with buddies and really decompress from busy and stressful life.
What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Looking for guidance and support along the way. I don’t really know anyone with a ton of golf knowledge and I am eager to learn more.

Do you already know any other Spies? Nope
Where are you from? What is your home course? Originally from Georgia but currently In Santa Rosa, CA. The NorthBay area. No home but generally play an executive course in Sebastopol, CA.
What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? Best about the course up here is the variety. Within an hours drive I can play near the ocean, in the desert, wide open space, fancy courses, and even amongst the redwoods. It’s amazing. Worse thing is price and the torrential rain recently has made many courses terrible. Maintenance has not been great.
What do you do for a living? In the medical field as a clinical pharmacist.
How’d you pick your user name? Easy… it’s my name
WITB
Mizuno JPX 900 irons
Mizuno JPX 923 GW
Cleveland CBX Zipcore  54 Wedge
Ping Sigma G Tyne Putter
Titleist 975J Driver (Taking suggestions for upgrade and any woods/hybrids to add to the bag)

I usually wear a 9, but these FJs were bigger than I was expecting and ended up returning them.

Still on the hunt for shoes, I decided to try TRUE Linkswear that I've had my eye on for awhile. Taking advantage of their Second Chance Program to get a pair of True Lux Tours 43% off. Per their sizing and measurement recommendations I actually went with 9.5s. Pretty impressed that they come with a shoe bag/towel, and no obvious blemishes/issues. Heel feels snug and well supported, so just need to go try them out this weekend!

BONUS: NLU yardage book to hold a golf notebook from Rite in the Rain. Wanted a lower tech option of keeping scores without holding on to a bunch of scorecards.

$350 for irons and $50 for putter. I felt it was a great price.

You’re not buggin. I had to go back and edit the post. It was a typo. And thanks. All same DG shafts.  Pretty sure they were shaft pulls but don’t mind since I got the set for about $350 in above average condition. Thinking I may need to go stiff anyway so they may not stay for long. 

Super excited about a new set of clubs I picked up on Facebook Marketplace. Made friends with a local reseller and plan to keep him in my back pocket for small needs here and there. 
 
Anyway, grabbed a set of Mizuno JPX 900 HM irons with R Flex Steel Shafts, JPX 923 GW, and Ping Sigma G Tyne putter. Huge upgrade from my ‘83 Titleist Accuflo Plus irons. At the range today noticed a significant improvement in distance and consistency. Putter was butter. Lastly, grabbed CBX Zipcore SW that has been the easiest wedge I have ever put in my hands. It is almost idiot proof how forgiving it is. 

This group of clubs should easily make me a solid mid-handicapper. Can’t wait to hit the links with these. Wonder if I should put my hat in on some local tournaments?

Spent some time at a new range with the TopTracer App. Awesome app that gives you live info about performance. Upgraded my clubs so this was perfect to help get to know them and work on getting comfortable with new clubs. I feel like I am going to warm up quick to these JPX 921 & 923s

$350 for irons and $50 for putter. I felt it was a great price.

You’re not buggin. I had to go back and edit the post. It was a typo. And thanks. All same DG shafts.  Pretty sure they were shaft pulls but don’t mind since I got the set for about $350 in above average condition. Thinking I may need to go stiff anyway so they may not stay for long. 

Thanks for catching that. Yes 900s not 921s. 
 
The guy I got them off of replaced the shafts himself and used different ferrules. I’ll be on the look out for a club head flying through the air. Haha! 

Super excited about a new set of clubs I picked up on Facebook Marketplace. Made friends with a local reseller and plan to keep him in my back pocket for small needs here and there. 
 
Anyway, grabbed a set of Mizuno JPX 900 HM irons with R Flex Steel Shafts, JPX 923 GW, and Ping Sigma G Tyne putter. Huge upgrade from my ‘83 Titleist Accuflo Plus irons. At the range today noticed a significant improvement in distance and consistency. Putter was butter. Lastly, grabbed CBX Zipcore SW that has been the easiest wedge I have ever put in my hands. It is almost idiot proof how forgiving it is. 

This group of clubs should easily make me a solid mid-handicapper. Can’t wait to hit the links with these. Wonder if I should put my hat in on some local tournaments?

Super excited about a new set of clubs I picked up on Facebook Marketplace. Made friends with a local reseller and plan to keep him in my back pocket for small needs here and there. 
 
Anyway, grabbed a set of Mizuno JPX 900 HM irons with R Flex Steel Shafts, JPX 923 GW, and Ping Sigma G Tyne putter. Huge upgrade from my ‘83 Titleist Accuflo Plus irons. At the range today noticed a significant improvement in distance and consistency. Putter was butter. Lastly, grabbed CBX Zipcore SW that has been the easiest wedge I have ever put in my hands. It is almost idiot proof how forgiving it is. 

This group of clubs should easily make me a solid mid-handicapper. Can’t wait to hit the links with these. Wonder if I should put my hat in on some local tournaments?

How long have you been playing golf? What’s your handicap or normal score?
started golfing about 3 years ago when a couple guys from work invited me out. I probably play more than they do now. Haha. Lately been averaging around 80. Don’t really know handicap but my guess is like 19-20?
What do you love about golf? Im a pretty competitive person and I love the challenge of getting better at something new. I also like being just as good if not better than those I play with.  If I play with more skilled players I would totally up the effort. But most of all golf has been a way to connect with buddies and really decompress from busy and stressful life.
What brings you to MyGolfSpy? Looking for guidance and support along the way. I don’t really know anyone with a ton of golf knowledge and I am eager to learn more.

Do you already know any other Spies? Nope
Where are you from? What is your home course? Originally from Georgia but currently In Santa Rosa, CA. The NorthBay area. No home but generally play an executive course in Sebastopol, CA.
What are the best and worst things about golf in your region? Best about the course up here is the variety. Within an hours drive I can play near the ocean, in the desert, wide open space, fancy courses, and even amongst the redwoods. It’s amazing. Worse thing is price and the torrential rain recently has made many courses terrible. Maintenance has not been great.
What do you do for a living? In the medical field as a clinical pharmacist.
How’d you pick your user name? Easy… it’s my name
WITB
Mizuno JPX 900 irons
Mizuno JPX 923 GW
Cleveland CBX Zipcore  54 Wedge
Ping Sigma G Tyne Putter
Titleist 975J Driver (Taking suggestions for upgrade and any woods/hybrids to add to the bag)

Super excited about a new set of clubs I picked up on Facebook Marketplace. Made friends with a local reseller and plan to keep him in my back pocket for small needs here and there. 
 
Anyway, grabbed a set of Mizuno JPX 900 HM irons with R Flex Steel Shafts, JPX 923 GW, and Ping Sigma G Tyne putter. Huge upgrade from my ‘83 Titleist Accuflo Plus irons. At the range today noticed a significant improvement in distance and consistency. Putter was butter. Lastly, grabbed CBX Zipcore SW that has been the easiest wedge I have ever put in my hands. It is almost idiot proof how forgiving it is. 

This group of clubs should easily make me a solid mid-handicapper. Can’t wait to hit the links with these. Wonder if I should put my hat in on some local tournaments?

You’re not buggin. I had to go back and edit the post. It was a typo. And thanks. All same DG shafts.  Pretty sure they were shaft pulls but don’t mind since I got the set for about $350 in above average condition. Thinking I may need to go stiff anyway so they may not stay for long. 

Some of you guys are hoarders 🤩
 
Bob toski set - learned on them probably need to go somewhere lol
Taylor Made RAC
Mizuno JPX Hot Metal

Super excited about a new set of clubs I picked up on Facebook Marketplace. Made friends with a local reseller and plan to keep him in my back pocket for small needs here and there. 
 
Anyway, grabbed a set of Mizuno JPX 900 HM irons with R Flex Steel Shafts, JPX 923 GW, and Ping Sigma G Tyne putter. Huge upgrade from my ‘83 Titleist Accuflo Plus irons. At the range today noticed a significant improvement in distance and consistency. Putter was butter. Lastly, grabbed CBX Zipcore SW that has been the easiest wedge I have ever put in my hands. It is almost idiot proof how forgiving it is. 

This group of clubs should easily make me a solid mid-handicapper. Can’t wait to hit the links with these. Wonder if I should put my hat in on some local tournaments?

You’re not buggin. I had to go back and edit the post. It was a typo. And thanks. All same DG shafts.  Pretty sure they were shaft pulls but don’t mind since I got the set for about $350 in above average condition. Thinking I may need to go stiff anyway so they may not stay for long. 

Thanks for catching that. Yes 900s not 921s. 
 
The guy I got them off of replaced the shafts himself and used different ferrules. I’ll be on the look out for a club head flying through the air. Haha! 

1st- got a set of US kids golf clubs for Christmas when I was 14.  Quickly outgrew the US kids less than a year later and got a set of Tour edge iron/hybrid combo set. These did not last long lol.  3rd set-wilson staff oversized irons. I was starting high school golf and these were a gift from my grandmother. She took me to the golf shop and let me pick them out. This set is the set that truly got me in love with the game. They were surprisingly pure and felt great.  4th- Cleveland TA6s.  Played the staffs a while but outgrew the shafts and the oversized head. The Clevelands were good. Played them throughout my high school career.  5th- Cleveland CG4 tour. I liked Cleveland and was going to play college golf so I decided to go for a more players style. Did my research and bought these used. They were pretty sweet. Incredible workability and felt nice when solid but let you know when you miss even slightly.  6th- My current set(until tomorrow) is titliest VG3s. If you haven't heard of these I can tell you they are the beat irons I've ever owned. I stopped playing for 10 years after college. Picked the game back up and got these on ebay from Japan. Hadnt heard of them until i looked them up. They are basically Japanese AP1/AP2s but 1 piece endo forged. Soft as a mizuno but shockingly forgiving. They are huge in Japan and have a cult following in the US.  7th- I have a set of mizuno 223s arriving(hopefully tonight). I love a soft forged feel and have always wanted mizunos. Finally gonna try them. TBD on results! If they are as good as the VG3s with more pop then they are gonna be awesome.   
I also bought a set of 714 AP2s at the same time as the VG3s to directly compare but it wasn't even close as far as performance. So I quickly sold the APs. 
 
I feel like I missed a set or two but this is definitely the DNA of my golf game. Im excited to add the mizunos to that shortly!

Every round we play, and even when we have a bad round, we still usually hit a few shots that we actually tried to do.
 
I had a 210 yd lie in the bark, under a big tree, with little trees in front of me, on the #1 hdcp hole.
 
So I saw that I had a small window if I could hit a low rising cut of about 20 yards. But I had to take a smooth swing as I wore the old spike less ecco's, and the sparse bark on the hard dirt offered no sure footing.
 
So out comes the 16* 3-wood, and I line up my feet to the opening, and aim the face at the pin.
 
I make a smooth firm swing and absolutely nailed it.
I ran out from behind the trees, just in time to see the ball land on the green and give me a 25' shot at a birdie, which I missed, but was still thrilled with the par.
 
Those are the shots that keep us coming back for sure...

You’re not buggin. I had to go back and edit the post. It was a typo. And thanks. All same DG shafts.  Pretty sure they were shaft pulls but don’t mind since I got the set for about $350 in above average condition. Thinking I may need to go stiff anyway so they may not stay for long. 

$350 for irons and $50 for putter. I felt it was a great price.