GolfSpy Barbajo

It was fun watching you work your way through the bag - pretty fancy shooting! And thanks for letting me play from the Old Man tees - let's do it again!

Played Red Tail on Sunday - the fairways were in pretty rough shape due to the weather and some seeding problems. Played Shaker 3 weeks ago and it was in excellent condition. And you could always talk me in to a trip out west to Crumpin Fox....

How would this group feel about playing in August - maybe Red Tail or Shaker Hills? Maybe mid-August?

The other option would be Ho-Gregors, but I'm not sure that would be PC

Every golf season is the same for me - try gaming new stuff that we've done feature articles on until mid- or late-July, and then go back to my 2002 vintage MacGregor VIP 1025 CB/MB's that were purchased on eBay. I had them reshafted (with old Hogan Apex 4's) and adjusted 1.5 degrees flat - so they're what @BIG STU would call MacHogan's. Have generally had good luck on eBay, but then again I look for oddball/older stuff. The most recent purchase was a Callaway X Hot 2Deep 2 wood - had one several years ago and traded it in and regretted it the very next day. Finally found a replacement. Love that club.

I never gamed the SCOR's, but did game the TK15's - which I loved. Another one of those clubs that make me ask what the hell I was thinking when I got rid of them... I'd say the V-soles are very similar, but the CG is considerably higher. Terry designed these for regular golfers, so I'd say they're more forgiving than the TK's. Which I liked. A lot. Did I mention that?

Fan of the D7 Forged as well. If you get a chance, try Wilson's Staff Model Utility irons to fill in the gap between your 5 iron and three wood. the 21 and 24 degree irons are sweet, and very easy to hit.

I think you'll find the Edison's will help, but not necessarily cure, that particular issue. Hitting a wedge is such a glancing blow anyway, and fluffy lies high on the face make it even moreso. The added high mass does help...to the point that instead of dumping it in the trap in front of the green, you may very well carry the trap, So you got that going for your. Which is nice...

I'm working on a project with the KBS TGI 80's - I'll let you know how it works out.

Lots and lots of grooves to shed moisture, dirt and grass.

Finding the Edisons easier to hit on full shots - maybe it's the weighting, maybe it's the sole, but since taking a couple of rounds to adapt, I can't say I've hit anything terrible "fat" recently, and the divots are nice little patches as opposed to big chunks of turf. Can't really explain why I find them easier to hit other than the higher CG and greater hi-low MOI. the ZipCores are noticeably better than the RTX-4 in this respect, but I would say the Edisons are even more forgiving. That higher CG also helps with spin. Worked with the V-sole better during my round yesterday. It's hard to explain, but the bounce is just plain weird with Edison - the V-sole is fairly pronounced so it takes some practice to figure out how to hit different shots. I'm finding it relatively easy to hit decent flops with the 57, and the 53 is my go-to wedge for 20 to 40 yard spinners. They hop a couple of times and come to a screeching halt. I guess the best answer is the sole is different enough - bounce-wise - to require some time to adapt. Felt like I was getting the hang of it yesterday. Not sure that's a terribly specific answer, but it's the best I got...

Actually did play a mixed set Sunday - Edison 49 and 53, Cleveland 60. Seemed to work okay.

Old man??? What old man??? Found this chart online: Kinda fits for me - found with the Clevelands, being too upright for me, my misses would be more left than anything. Also found the right lie has made for more consistent overall ball striking, especially since my irons are 1.5 flat as well. Going from a bit flat to standard lie may have been part of the full shot problem.

ZipCore is 52-56-60, all standard bounce - it was the sample set they sent for the release article. That makeup didn't really fit my gamers loftwise, but I don't think I would have chosen a different bounce option in any case. Now that I think on it, one of the reasons I prefer the Edison's on full shots is the fact they're 1.5 degrees flat, while the Cleveland's are standard lie. The devil is always in the details. I do like the shaft - haven't really had enough work with it on full shots to give an evaluation, though. It's obviously a good bit heavier than the KBS 105, but the KBS does spin adequately for me on full shots. More work is needed on that... More disclosure - while the Clevelands are samples sent for the first look article, I did buy the Edison wedges.

So I've had a set of Edison wedges for about three weeks now, and have been alternating between using those and the new Cleveland ZipCore wedges. Have a few impressions to share on the Edison's - and the ZipCores, for that matter. First the Edison wedges: My set makeup is 49-53-57, as determined by Edison's WedgeFit section on their website. Had mine built 1.5 degrees flat with midsize grips and KBS Tour 105 shafts in stiff. I've probably played 4 rounds with them - enough to reach a few conclusions: 1. Feel is exceptional - I know it's not an indicator of performance, but you know it when you hit is perfectly and you know it when you don't. They do provide the feedback you need. 2. When you don't hit it perfect, you aren't overly punished. That's the real story with Edison - they're pretty forgiving. There's plenty of weight high on the face (my "miss"), and with other wedges there's a noticeable loss of both distance and spin. You'll still lose some distancer and spin with Edison, but not nearly as much. It's basically the difference between the front of the green and the front bunker. 3. These do create spin. Hit a low spinner Sunday from about 40 yards that actually felt a bit thin, but it hopped twice and then stopped dead, about 12 feet from the pin. Of course, I missed the putt. Damn wedge! 4. When it comes to full shots, I prefer these over the Cleveland's - very consistent and solid. Partial shots around the green the Edison V-sole takes some getting used to. There's no real "bounce" on them, so you do have to learn how to manipulate the club for each shot you're trying to hit. Cleveland also has a V-sole, but it's not as pronounced as Edison, making the wedge more conventional. If that's what you're used to, it may take you a while to get used to the Edison. I know a lot of Score and original Hogan TK-15 wedge users have reported similar experiences. 5. Not sure what to make of Edison's new Money-Back guaranty policy. They'll custom-build you a set of wedges, and you can play them for as long as you need to - Terry Koehler says 4 to 6 rounds should be enough - and if you see an improvement, keep them. If you don't like them, send them back and he'll refund your money. The website says the limit is 45 days, but Terry says 4 to 6 rounds, however long that takes. I'm sure there will be a little give and take, but if you're intrigued by the wedges, it's not a bad proposition at all - if you're willing to take that leap of faith. The good news is Koehler isn't some newbie to the industry - he's been around a while and does have a bit of street cred in certain circles. He has a lot of friends in the business, as well as some enemies, and he's pretty outspoken and irreverent, which can rub people the wrong way. But he does make a pretty good wedge. 6. My plan to keep them in the bag and relearn how to use the V-sole. My best short game came while playing the Hogan TK-15's, but as I recall it did take a while to get the hang of that sole around the green. It'll give me something to do for the rest of the summer. Cleveland ZipCore Impressions: 1. Feel, performance are noticeably different from the RTX-4, at least for me. RTX-4 is a really good wedge, but the feel was always a bit harsh for me. Whatever it is about ZipCore, Cleveland improved the feel considerably. 2. Full shots - acceptable, but not as acceptable as the Edison's. That could be a combination of things - maybe the shaft, maybe the CG - but the Edison's performed better on full shots. Again, I did like the ZipCore's much more than RTX-4 on full shots. 3. Around the green - ZipCore really shines. Plenty of spin, easy to manipulate the face, can hit 'em high, low, with spin or with run fairly easily. 4. It might just be the finish, but the face on the ZipCore just looks larger than the RTX face. I'm sure it's an illusion, but it was pretty startling the first time I tried them. 5. Satin finish is nice, but I'm really looking forward to the black finish they're planning for later this year. 6. Cleveland's thing is groove technology. They do Rotex milling, they have microgrooves, and they push the boundaries when it comes to depth, spacing and sharpness. There's definitely more groove tech here than with the Edison wedges, and it's noticeable on partial shots, chips and pitches. Any questions on the Edisons or the Clevelands, fire away...