PlaidJacket

Back on Jan 25 I mentioned I was going to consider buying a new Driver. Either the 2015 Cobra Fly-z or Fly-Z+. Today the clubs/shafts came in and I got on the LM at my local dealer fitter guy. I hit a number of shot with both clubs. The FZ+ was set at 11* loft with the flip weight forward and fitted with a Adila Tour ADX-65g 4.5t-R shaft. The Fly-Z was set at 10.5* loft with standard weight that comes with it set in the rear. The FZ only sits in the rear on this model. I don't know what the removable weights weigh for either club. The shaft I tested for the FZ is a Aldila Tour ADX-65g 3.6t-S shaft. I'm comparing these clubs and their performance to my SLDR which generally speaking I hit very well most days. So why change everyone asks? Because I want to and because I liked the review and data MGS did last year in the Most Wanted Driver. My comments are not technical at all. Here is what I experienced today... First off I liked the looks of the FZ+ slightly better than the FZ. The FZ+ has a slightly deeper face where the FZ has a more elongated head with less "pear" shape to it. I could like either club but today I'd choose the FZ+ on looks alone.With the FZ+ I gained about on average 12-15 yards. Some of my better shots with a gain of 20-22 yds. I'll take that anyday. With the FZ I was slightly less with around 10 yards average gain. Shot dispersion with both clubs was rather tight. In the middle mostly in about an 8-10 yard circle. Hard to beat I think and very pleased. The FZ+ is 1/2 shorter than the FZ. The FZ being 45" and the FZ+ 44.5". The FZ+ felt better hitting shots and quite frankly I could tell it was shorter than the FZ before we measured them. I know you're curious how far the LM was saying I hit these shots. My longest drive with the FZ+ was 244yds and about the same with the FZ. I don't really believe those numbers/distances too much. So do I believe my shot dispersions? Sort of maybe... because I generally play in the fairway but more to the left side due to my easy draw. Tomorrow I'm taking both clubs and will play both during my warm-up and during my round. I'll measure my distances. I average 248-250 with my SLDR during the green grass season. Here in the winter with dormant Bermuda I get much more roll averaging more like 265yds. I'll take the tool with me tomorrow and might switch shafts around and play with the forward vs rear weight position on the FZ+. Today I'm leaning to the Fly-Z+. I have two rounds to play over next few days so I should be able to get a good feel for both clubs. I might take them over to another club this next week and do some more testing at their performance center. They have Trackman with out door hitting. I like using a LM much more when you can hit outdoors.

Only water during my rounds. Sometimes a cold beer afterwards. Besides... at $3 a pop its expensive. Unless you're Jason Day.

I haven't bought anything yet. However, I'm traveling down the road to a new Cobra driver. I'm looking at either the 2015 Fly-Z or Fly-Z+. Today I'm posting a comment and initial sad experience and a happy ending. The other day I walking into the Pro Shop at my club where they had a display of drivers marked down. With this collection were both drivers I'm interested in. I picked them up and turned to one of the guys behind the counter and asked if I could take them out to test. I was quickly met with a terse... NO! I asked why and he said because they are new and not demos. I said "they are both covered in plastic" or "you can add a layer of tape across the face". Nope. They weren't going to do it. I commented that I'm a potential buyer that the club/pro shop is not user friendly and walked out to the practice tee. In my long history of playing golf and buying clubs pro shops used to always tape a face and let a guy go hit one. Granted this was before fitting carts came around and my club doesn't have a Cobra fitting cart. Later after I warmed up I stopped back by the shop to check on my tee time again and one of the assistants walked up quickly and had some tape in his hand offering to now let me go hit them. I declined. Happy Ending Later that day I contacted a small local golf retailer to discuss my potential Cobra driver purchase/fitting. He didn't have what I wanted in stock but jumped on my discussion and proceeded to order the two heads and a variety of shafts we can test out. He said when they come in he'll call and we can begin testing the drivers out. (indoors-Trackman) He also said I could take them outdoors and test them out. This guy at the retail shop is jumping through hoops while my club is telling me to go fly a kite. I have to admit that my club is poorly run/managed and I knew that. But now I'm thinking I'll not drop a dime in their shop anymore. At least not till they change their attitude.

I played well yesterday. But my post is not about me today. It's about a young women I played with yesterday.... I didn't have a tee time yesterday so I just went out to the course to practice a bit and see if I could pick up a game. While hitting balls for a bit I noticed a couple doing the same. I see them out at the club all the time and met them once last summer. They play all the time. So, I walked over and asked if they'd mind if I joined them. Which I did. They are probably in their early to mid 30's I'd guess. We got to the first tee and me and her husband were both playing the Men's regular (wht.) tee. We hit first. As I walked away after hitting my shot I noticed his wife stepping up to the men's tee too. I thought hmmm? Interesting. Sure enough that's where she plays. She tee'd it up and ripped it down the middle. Beautiful swing. So, away we went all the while a was watching her swing/play. After about 3-4 holes I asked her if she'd played college golf. She smiled and said no. I'd then made a comment like I guessed she's been playing a long time. Again, she smiled and chuckled and said, "no I just started back in June". No way! She was humble. Anyway... I watched her play all afternoon and couldn't believe the quality of shots she hit. I swear I don't think I've ever seen a "beginner" play like that before. She didn't score all that well I sure. But that's not the point. This gal had pure natural ability and athleticism. Many times our drives were very close to each other. She could flat rip it. She hit the ball with authority. I asked her if she'd been taking lessons and she said no. Never! But she and her husband do watch golf on TV a lot. Ha. I mean.... beginners don't hit the ball like that. Many times I could just tell and hear that she was compressing the ball. Amazing. After our round I told her how impressed I was with what I'd witnessed today. I mildly suggested she consider going to see my coach/instructor for a few tips. I swear... this young woman could be a top player in our area and at our club this summer with just a very little bit of coaching. I look forward to playing with them again soon.

I'm pretty sure Nifty was speaking tongue in cheek. Referring to state laws. Not USGA rules.

Played horrible today. Shot an 81 but it was a whipping. 6 fwys, 6 grns, 35 putts. Ouch!! I hardly ever 3-putt but had three today. One birdie that I stiffed on a par three. It was bogie galore all day it seemed. Fairly breezy/windy conditions that wasn't really a big factor in my round. Just didn't strike that ball all that well. Bright side: I did manage to shake a few buck off the other guys in my foursome. Ha! Today was probably the final round I'm able to record for the year. Me and some guys are going to play New Years Eve but I doubt I'll be able to get it into GHIN in time. Looking forward to great golf in 2016. Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone.

Yes. Many times Sportsfan. I've seen it mostly on muni's but every now and then around a club I used to belong too. It was on a par 3 two tier green and a couple of times some idiot would plant the cup right on the upslope/downslope. It was totally ridiculous and usually promptly reset. Also on this same green some worker would occasionally stick the pin about 8" onto the green. This particular hole has a carry over water with about three feet of grass before the actual putting surface. A front pin is already hard enough without shenanigans.

I actually played a little better this weekend. Shot back to back 78's Friday and Saturday. I've been wanting to get my handicap down to mid-5's by year end but that ain't gonna happen. I have two more rounds scheduled this coming Friday and Saturday and then probably one more New Years Eve. I may at least dip just below 5 at best. Then it's on to 2016.

I'm not going to bore anyone with my rehash about playing music on the course. However, for the most part I agree with iLikeGolf. If you're interested do a few searches in the forums and you'll find my thoughts.

Rev you better get to work. You're going the wrong way. Ha. Me too. I'm kind of stuck. I'm going to have to find time to get out more during the day and practice a little bit. The evenings are shot.

I'm going to keep track of you bajo. You and me have the same handicap. I think we're about the same age too. I'll be 61 in Feb. Let's see who can go lowest in 2016. I don't expect too much more from my game this year. Course conditions will become increasing more difficult here during the winter with dormant Bermuda Fws and hard greens. Might be kind of fun as a challenge. I'm keeping an eye on Kenny too.

I received my revision this morning and I'm still at 6.1. (I knew it was coming) I've been playing poorly as of late. Yesterday for example I only hit 3 fairways out of 14 and shot 81. I've been going down hill lately with the driver. Other recent rounds have been better but not great. I think I've finally hit rock-bottom.

The Caddie I had I put up with. He was a nice enough guy but he always wanted to provide a lesson or two along the way. I finally told him to zip-it with the lessons on the second day. Just carry the bag and provide course advise. He did and we got along fine. Bandon sure is a cool place though.

Yeah Kenny. Our caddies double bagged which was fine. But with tip we still paid $100 each! Bandon was a great experience I thought. I'd probably go back some day but I still have quite a few other places to get checked off my list. We're thinking of going to Kohler this next September. If we do we're going to slip over to Erin Hills also. Kohler's a pricey proposition as well. I've still never played around the Monterey area or down around San Diego. So many courses and so little time. Sometimes the frugal side of me says to skip some of these expensive venues. Like you I've played many great courses that were pretty pricey. Afterwards, sometimes I think, "that's it?". I played many other non-famous but noted courses and thought they were great and perhaps just as good if not better in some ways. Since I'm kind of Jacking the thread I'll add.... when I travel I usually don't walk. Bandon aside.

Next time I go to Bandon I'm bringing a fake doctors note of some kind. I walked 3 courses when I was there including the par 3 which had just opened. You'd better be in good shape to walk several days there. The ground is hard as can be and hard on your feet. I wore two different pair of golf shoes both with flat soles. No spikes. I blame it on Bandon (which is an awesome place) for me getting plantar fasciitis in my right foot. LOL Also next time I go I'm taking Kenny with me so I can get that $50 deal on a caddy. My caddy was $100 !! including a tip. Ouch.

I've been lazy recently riding in a cart. My right hip/groin has been a little sore the past few weeks. I've been working too much recently and sitting in a damn chair at the computer. That kind of lifestyle is a killer in more ways than one. At any age. I told the guys in my Saturday game the other day I'd be walking again this next weekend. The weather has been fantastic.

Well, Theoo... put in a 29 for yours. It may not be much but at least it dropped 1. I think you've had a 30 showing as long as I've been here. Keep looking at it and reminding yourself that you can go lower my friend.

And you are still my marker. I'm trying to get to 5ish by year end. It ain't easy. Especially like yesterday when out of nowhere I make a triple and a double. Both on par fours. Grrrrrrr

I'd like to make a suggestion to everyone. In your MGS profile (MY Settings) there is a place to input your current handicap. A lot of people do. I'd like to further suggest that everyone update their handicap after each revision. I just did mine. In Texas our GHIN is revised on the 1st and 15th of each month. I understand your local USGA Association might only update monthly. Why does it matter? It doesn't really. But, knowing a member's handicap allows for estimating their skill level or current playing ability. I use mine as a visual reminder of where I am and where I want to be. I'm trying to get down to a 5.5 by year end. The update I just posted today shows a 6.1 down from 6.2. Zzzzzzzz. Getting close unless I get in my way.

Yesterday I once again used the full grip method. With my irons. I switched back and forth a few times with my driver using full finger and my ole standard over-lap. I hit better shots with the over-lap when driving the ball. No big hooks. So... as my experiment continues I'll use full finger with my irons and over-lap with the driver. As they say... whatever works.

I was talking to a friend last night about my discovery of the 8-finger (full finger) griping method. This guy is a scratch player and has been for decades. To my surprise he informed me of another guy I know that's a 0-2 handicap who plays with a full grip method. I never knew. My friend went on to tell me that he himself sometimes uses a full finger when he needs to get a little extra out of an iron. Interesting note though.... he said he uses a reverse overlap grip. Here's the thing. I recall a few times over my career seeing a guy or two using the full finger and until recently thought to myself that this guy must not have had any instruction. I mean; who would grip a club like that? That's not what a real golfer does. Well, Jack Nicklaus is a "real golfer" and he says it doesn't matter what grip you use as long as you can deliver the club head to the ball properly. I think I'll go with Jack and the 10-finger, full finger, 8-finger, what-ever finger for the time being. Seems to be working for me.

Yesterday I played 18 in my usual Saturday game. Scored well (77) with a double on 18. UGH! I used the Full-Fingered grip all day and struck my irons great. Solid and crisp. But... I'm not so sure about it with my driver. I did manage 50% fairways (7). Of the 7 I missed two of them were ugly low hooks. The others were off the FW either left or right by no more than 5 yds. This week I'll practice some with the driver experimenting with the FFG and my normal overlap. To be honest I think I'm sticking with FFG. I'm noticing much more solid striking and better ball flight and increased distance. Since this is only the second opportunity I've had to use this gripping technique I'll add that the jury is still out. But, so far the results are very promising. It's kind of crazy to say but I feel like I've discovered some sort of secret. The FFG actually feels quite natural to me. I'm much more optimistic about my game than I have been in months. Is it possible that something as simple as changing the way I hold the club going to become a game changer? Maybe.

I was hoping to provide an update from my change to the 10-finger...ehem, full-fingered grip. I had to quit today after 4. I'd played 81 holes the past few days and my right hip was sore. I just couldn't turn well. I'll put something up soon after I've rested a bit. I think the full-fingered grip just might be for me. To start with I don't have large hands. Average. The other day I noticed increased distance and more consistent flush ball striking. Both are winners for anyone's game. Certainly mine.

I've just returned from a golf outing and made a discovery. I think. On the final day while on the practice tee I for some reason decided to hit some balls with a 10 finger grip. Wow! I had been struggling some during the week with my ball striking. I think I'm switching to a 10 finger. I've played my entire career with an overlap. That's just how I was introduced to the game. Pros don't use a 10 I thought so why should I? Well, very few anyway. Hogwash. I discovered some of the most flush ball striking I've ever seen and felt. Much more compression. And... I've gained distance. Additionally I've not suffered any odd hooks or anything. All this is not to say that I've found the "secret" but it sure seems to be working for me. I'm heading out shortly to join my regular Saturday game. I'm excited to try this out again. I'll let everyone know how it worked out with more information regarding distance, ball flight, etc. Do any of you guys use a 10-finger grip?

I usually grab an extra scorecard. Maybe some pencils and tees if they have logos. I like to collect other stuff. I have a collection of flags from 5-6 courses that have significance. I also collect bag tags, poker chips, and balls. When my group takes our annual golf trip I'm usually the one that pretty much puts the thing together. Therefore I have a folder of information from each trip. If we should decide to go to the same place again I've already assembled all the necessary information and don't have to reinvent the wheel.