TENBUCK

You obviously are a BIG proponent of shaft fitting, and if it works for you great. Your probably in an area where you are blessed with fitters that are good and have done multiple fittings that you either observed or known people who were successful with getting fir with a custom shaft. You made failed to read that I'm about 2 hours away from a fitter meaning a big box store, or even CC. By the way I've done a fitting with CC a few years ago, and lets just say, I wasn't too impressed with their recommendation, fitting process, and final outcome. I'll give you a an example. When your there at CC and you hit somewhere between 200+ balls in the span of 2-3 hours, you really aren't putting your best swing on ball number 150 as you would on ball#3. I was fit into a Padderson shaft, which of course they recommended to be spined. If you look at Padderson's recommendations, you would see that they don't recommend spinning because there is no spine on their shaft because of the way it's constructed. So who do you believe? I listened to CC, and I was out $35 for the service. Did it make a difference, IDK! So anyway, re-shafting my driver with a custom shaft, grip, spining and separate freight charge because it had to be sent to Chicago to be spined, I was out almost $300. Lesson learned! If you are in a competitive setting when you play, by all mean get the last bit help you can IF you have access to a good fitter like you have. Again, I don't have that luxury, been through the fitting routine already and seen "MY" results, we have our money games that I play in, I'm happy with my way of getting fit for a shaft considering my rrestrictions, and life is good (so far).

Unless you get fit every single time you buy a driver and have the ability to test every single offering that the OEM(or fitter has) has you probably won't get the "optimal"(?) shaft for that particular head. In my situation, the nearest fitter is about 2 hours away, so I usually go with the recommended shaft that Ping has after talking to one of their engineers. They have been very accommodating to requests like that. My SS is between 80-85, I like a high ball flight, I use several different balls but all are urethans covered and my best game in from 100 yard in. Ping has given me options and so far they've been very good. Now am I at my "optimal", I kind of doubt that, but realistically and monetarily, I think the standard Ping shafts work out well. Now that doesn't mean that Titleist, Taylormade, Callaway, etc., are the same, but Ping drivers and my choices of their standard shafts have been good for me.

Some guys like custom shafts instead of the OEM shafts and that's good. When I got the Ping G400 MAX, I tried a few custom shafts but really none were better for me at least than the standard Alta shaft. With the custom shafts "I" felt I had to work harder to produce almost the same results that I got with the Alta. That doesn't mean I don't like to interchange shafts. Although I have the Alta in my driver, I sometimes interchange it with the Ping Tour 65 shaft. I get better distance out of that shaft but my dispersion is worse. So if you buy a driver with a custom shaft and it works for you great, since my last 2 drivers have been Ping, I find that their standard shafts fit me well and I usually stick with it.

I had 2 Wilson Duo balls crack. I sent Wilson an e-mail describing the issue and even offered to send them the balls but so far I haven't heard a thing. That was over a month ago. I'll still play their Professional, but so long Duo!! I don't what their deal is in not responding, but Wilson trying to make a decent comeback into the market place, the last thing you need is poor CS.

I'd go with the Duo-Professional and the AVX. I play them both and like the Professional better.

Still on topic but what does the aftermarket(custom) shaft give you that the stock doesn't? I'm sure those that are in the low/middle single digits want to squeeze that extra yard out, but for me being a 13 cap, I just want to be in the shorts grass and if someone blows by me 5-10 yards that's fine, hopefully my iron or short game will be better than his.

Not taking anything away from custom shafts, but I tried going that route a few years ago and I was all over the place even with a fitting. I'm not looking to get that last extra 5 yards in carry or lower my spin for a 40 yard roll, I just want the ball in the short grass so I can have a good second shot. For some custom shafts will work out, that great, for me, the club OEM's have engineers as to give a good balance between distance and spin, I'll go with their recommendations.

Tried the new Tour BRX, and it was OK. What got me was that the looks of it are not the same as previous designs, the dimple in a dimple. It's no where near what it was in the B330 series, so I really can't call this a dimple in a dimple pattern. The ball performed OK, had some good spin on wedge shots, but overall a good ball. I just wish their marketing was a little better at describing the ball as it is.

I don't care if it's profiles, frequencies or LARSX, it should be standardized, but I don't think that will ever happen.

I get it, it's the marketing, like I said. With all of the different shafts out there, past, present and future with varying names to go along with them, somewhere along the line there has to be some identical shafts out there from different manufacturers. I total understand different materials that go into a shaft and different processes as well as resin, but it's still amazing.

Why can't there be a universal flex rating by all manufacturers so that a A-L-M-S-XS be the same with all? I'm sure some of it has to do with marketing, but to the consumer it would be of benefit and to the manufacturer. I might like a TT but willing to try a Fuji if the specs were closely identical.

Tried a set of the original PTx irons, really liked them, don't know why I got rid of them, just like shiny new things I guess.

I forgot to add, when you have a fitter telling you how important to have your clubs spined, you agree, and then you find out that the club you're getting has no spine because of its construction, you kind of doubt their whole process and what they should have or not have done. Again, this is probably not representative of the whole CC, but it was my experience and that's the only thing I have to go by when someone say CC.

I agree with you to a point. When you say "the vast majority of fitters especially the good ones", how do we as customers know that our fitter is good? @Golfspy_CG2 say that his fitter has 30 years of experience, which is fantastic that he has a relationship with a fitter that good, I didn't. You can take probably 10 fitters some good, some meh, and some that are tops and you'll probably get several different answers about being measured. I for one would like to know what my "specs" are when I got fitted. I read a quote from a master fitter who said"The shaft matching a golfer's swing I'd say is 80 percent of the fitting process, with length, loft, lie and grip making up the other 20 percent."

I did not have a good experience but that could be the store I went too. First odd they didn't measure me for anything, looked at my swing or lie angle. I took about a half dozen swings and they started to get me into exotic shafts (which I really didn't want to get unto) mainly because of the cost. I wanted to try different heads but they also said that I wasn't a good candidate for some of the heads, why (??). This was supposed to be a 3 hour session, and it lasted about 1 1/2 hours and by the time I was finished my arms were dragging. I must have taken about 100 swings, I had a small break, but still I was dragging. I decided I wanted to keep the driver as is because I didn't see any results markedly better than what I had. On to irons. Playing CF16, we went through several shafts, and the one that THEY said was better was a Paderson Kinnetic shaft. To replace my whole set of irons shafts (8) with grips and installation was a little over $1200. They were charging me 100 per shaft. I went on the Golfwroks site and the same shaft costs $69.00. I decided to have a single iron replaced with the recommended shaft. Bottom line, for shaft, installation cost, grip, grip installation and spinning (highly recommended) was another $35, plus shipping because it had to be sent to Chicago for the repairs. I later learned that the Paderson shaft has no spine because of it's construction! The bill was over $200 + tax. Lesson learned. Oh the 5i with the shaft, it didn't work out, just a little too whippy for my swing. I was told I could bring it back and they would put me in another shaft, NO THANKS! I have heard good things about CC, obviously this store didn't meet those standards.

A wedge that doesn't get too much press is the TM MG2 wedge. Just a fantastic wedge all around. I'm looking for a 58* and will probably look at the SM8.

Congratulations to MGS!! I haven't posted THere is a while, but I fully agree with PMookie. All of those "free" clubs/trips come at a cost, or if you're part of the friends and family plan.

Still play my 1998 SC SS LN. Just feels good when you aim, and putt with it.

I belong to several forums and Golf WRX. I've learned that some WRX guys are of a brash nature. Mostly I get long with them because I'm fairly passive. There are other forums THat really are nothing but a selling tool for the OEM. As some of my buddies call it, friends and family forum, and for a good reason. Been a member here at MGS for a while but really haven't posted much for one reason or another. Like the layout, conversation and topics and the people seem to be genuine.

Zach Johnson -13