Orange Hog

I've seen some guys out on the golf course with their four-legged friend riding shotgun. Any time I've seen it the dogs have always been really well behaved so it's never been a bother to me personally. That said, I don't think you want the golf course turning into a full on dog park. Wondering what everyone's thoughts are around dogs on the golf course.

For the past 4-5 years I've been playing Steelfiber 95g shafts and really like them. I was a little opposed to going with graphite shafts until I got fitted and spent some time playing them and saw the benefits. When I put my ZX7 irons in the bag recently I decided to try the Modus 120 shafts in them. Really like the Modus line a lot. So far, so good. However, me and a buddy were chatting on the driving range the other day. He plays PX 6.0 shafts and has for years. He says that he's thinking of going with something lighter because when he comes out of the off season it takes him a while to get used to the weight of those PX shafts again. I'm lucky enough to play almost year round but I play less rounds during the winter and I also noticed the weight on those Modus 120 shafts for a while. Got me thinking about switching back to a Steelfiber shaft again.

I picked up an AF505 a while back and have been slowly tinkering with it. I'm relatively happy with my current set up (SIM 9* w/ VA Drago shaft). My driver it generally really consistent and the SIM has been super forgiving on mis-hits. That said, I tried out a friends AF/G410 combo while in Orlando a few months back and when we compared my set up to his I was seeing 3-4 mph club head speed gains and at least 10 yards more carry distance. So far in my own testing I can say that I'm not a fan of the longer shaft. Coming from a 44.5" shaft it looks freakishly long. I haven't been able to get spin numbers but I suspect it's probably spinning a bit high so I dialed down the loft -2 degrees and the launch has been much better. My normal shot shape is a draw and my miss is just turning it over too much. The right side generally isn't an issue for me. However, with the AF shaft I cannot turn this thing over to save my life. In fact the flight is the most boring little 3-5 yard fade ever, which I kinda love. Not surprising but my strike with the longer shaft has been a little off vs my shorter shaft set up. Not punishing but I know I can get more out of it. Also, the swing weight is on the higher side vs what Autoflex recommends (D0 to D1). So, I think my next step may be to butt trim the shaft a bit and try to kill two birds with one stone - improve strike consistency and get swing weight dialed in. I'm curious what others have been doing to get their AF set up dialed in.

I've been gaming the 699 Pro Black irons now for a couple months with several rounds, range sessions and balls hit in the garage under their belt. So far the finish has held up incredibly well. I just cannot say enough about how good these irons are. Since they went into the bag I've already posted 2 rounds in the 70's including my personal best round ever and have shaved 2 strokes off my handicap. Sound is really good and the feel is simply amazing. Even on mis-hits you get feedback but it's not a stinger through your hands. More importantly, I absolutely love how forgiving they are and how they flat our perform. Any movement off-line and distance loss is really minimal when struck off-center. In fact just the other day I had 190 into a par 5 for my 2nd shot. The green is pretty small and there's water in front and left. As soon as I hit it I knew it was going in the drink. To my surprise, though, the ball landed about 15 ft short of the pin. It was a totally crap strike on my part but, again, the distance loss was maybe a couple of yards. Yardage is very true and really consistent front-to-back. I never get any weird "jumpers" that go an extra 5-7 yards like some comparable irons. I can also flight them down if I need to hit a lower trajectory shot or a little knock-down punch. I really can't express how impressed I've been with these irons. If you're thinking about trying Sub70 don't hesitate. Try their demo program and see how they perform for you.

I bought my set of 699 Pros completely blind based on MGS review. They were on back order so I hit up Jason directly and he was incredibly helpful from the first email until my order shipped. Since I put them in the bag I’ve tied my personal best round and have seen my handicap drop from 12 to 10. Just can’t say enough good things about the customer service and the quality of their product. I even did a custom black paint fill on them to go full stealth mode! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Zach Johnson -11

Nice work thus far on the reviews, guys! I've had my GBB Epic in the bag now for a couple months and absolutely LOVE this driver. I do wish Callaway had just called it Great Big Bertha but, aside from the name, this thing is just a monster off the tee.

Pre-ordered a Black Odyssey O-Works 2W. Was really hoping they'd launch the 1W in all black but sadly they didn't for whatever silly reason so I'm going with the 2W. Love the feel of the O-Works insert but am not a fan of the Versa color scheme.

My final local tournament on the GC Am Tour is this weekend. Then I get a month off before I head to Palm Springs for the 4-day National tournament at Mission Hills.

Just gonna leave this here...

Srixon, Cobra and Bridgestone are the 3 brands I'd put up at the top of the underrated list. Before a few years ago I'd never heard of Srixon but it was love at first strike! Had the 45 series in the bag and updated to the 65 series this year. I've hit everything that's out there and these are by far my favorite irons I've ever had in the bag. Cobra makes a really good product across the board but they don't get much attention by the masses. The FlyZ+ irons were outstanding and the new F7 line is flat out awesome. Bridgestone also makes some fantastic golf clubs. Sadly they just don't invest in the US retail market to be competitive. And this new Tour B line of irons going only custom fit was a bad move IMO. The previous J15 line, especially the CB, were fantastic golf clubs. Just wish the company did more with the golf side of the business outside of balls.

I recently grabbed a couple of the shorter length ones and that wasn't a good choice when it comes to using them for golf. Should have gone with the slightly longer version to cover more of my thighs. That said, these are by far the most comfy undies out there.

The only time I take a cart... 1) if it's insanely hot outside 2) if the course is too hilly to walk 3) if I'm in a hurry and need to play fast Generally I get out and play about 5 holes every Saturday morning super early (6 AM) for a bit of practice and I always walk. The course is quiet and I'm out before the grounds keeping crews hit the course. It gives me time to relax, practice several different shots and get my mind off everything else.

Picked up one of these bad boys today...

I was in Costco over the weekend and didn't see them. Haven't seen them online either. Not sure what the timeline is but their CEO says they will return so I have to think it will be soon.

Will be interesting to see how it develops for sure, but you're spot on. Costco is way too big a company for Acushnet to take on and expect to intimidate them.

Sort of thinking about a Cobra F7 fairway wood. I've got the F6 Baffler and absolutely LOVE it but it only goes down to 16 degrees. Not sure that I need anything stronger to be honest but I'd like to at least try out the F7 and see how it stacks up.

Great story on the MGS home page addressing the Costco-Acushnet battle that is just getting started. I've always believed that Titleist stands for quality but I'll be honest, this move feels like they are trying to bully Costco like so many other small companies before them and it has started to make me not want to even consider playing a Titleist club or ball. Good for Costco to stand their ground and push back.

I was one of them. Had them on my driver, 7 iron and PW. Loved it on the wedge but hated it on the other clubs. Never could consistently square up the face with the driver. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It seems like they really are trying to make this a P90X type of program. The difference for me is seeing the results and legit feedback across the internet and not just in their ads. I remember when P90X came out. You saw people posting their results all over YouTube and blogs along with lots of comments and reviews (some good, some not). When you don't see that with Tathata it makes me nervous. I think I'd rather spend that money on a local PGA professional who I trust.

Decided that I'm going back to Steelfiber shafts in my Srixons. I had them in my 745s and when I upgraded to the 765s I decided to try out the KBS Tour V110. I've really enjoyed the KBS shafts but after playing 5 rounds back-to-back last week the fatigue got to me. Surprising what 15 grams difference can do over the course of that many consecutive rounds! I'm also going to a straight 765 set instead of blending the 965s in the 8, 9 and PW slots. Nothing wrong with that set up to be honest. I didn't really get anything from the 965s but I feel like the 765s offer me a bit more confidence.

I spent last week in Orlando with some friends and got in a lot of golf while I was down there. Decided to bring an extra driver shaft with me and had it cut down to play at 44.25" at PGA Superstore. That bad boy was my gamer all weekend over 4 rounds and it did not disappoint one bit. It is lighter, as expected, but I kind of like the lighter weight. I might tinker with some lead tape down the road but for now the feel is good. In terms of performance I didn't lose any distance from what I can tell. I was hitting it right along and sometimes past my buddies, who aren't short knockers by any means. Dispersion will take some time getting used to but I had a nice controlled fade with the shorter shaft all weekend. A few times it got loose left/right but that was me and not the driver. Going to hit the range and get in a few holes later this week with the shorter driver so we'll see how things go but for now I really like this combo a lot.

I owned an EVNROLL ER2 and was recently fitted for my Edel E-3, which is now firmly planted in the bag. I bought the ER2 after trying several of the EVNROLL putters at PGASS. There wasn't a fitting involved, really just what fit my eye because I think most of their line up (if not all of them) are face balanced. I really liked the feel and their "hype" about the quality of the roll you get from the putter is legit. What I didn't like was the head weight of the putter (385g). It always felt super head heavy and I would get "flippy" more often with the ER2 because of it. As for my Edel putter, I actually started a thread here on MGS to share the experience and my ongoing thoughts with this putter. Check it out HERE. The long and short for me is that you cannot adequately compare the EVNROLL to Edel simply because of the fitting process you go through with Edel. Someone made a comment that they only fit you for aim and that is absolutely not accurate. Yes, aim and alignment is a key part of the process but they also fit every other aspect of the putter to you, as well. Length, loft, lie angle, head shape, alignment aids and weighting. All of those things will deliver a putter that is built for your unique swing, allows your eye/brain to accurately align the putter to the target, and optimize distance control. Does the Edel put the same roll on the ball that the EVNROLL does? In my limited experience with the Edel it's too early to tell. I haven't noticed any difference but I'm sure there is some subtle difference because you're comparing a milled face to a pixel insert. The Edel is a bit softer because of the insert but offers a nice "in-between" that is kind of a hybrid between the feel of a milled putter and something like an Odyssey insert. If you were to ask me what I'd recommend I would tell you to go spend the money to get fit for an Edel and get a custom putter built uniquely for you. I've sold every putter I own (including the EVNROLL) and will game the Edel until the proverbial wheels fall off.

Thanks for the replies gents...very helpful info. I've been gaming my M2 since January 2016 and it's around 45.5 inches. Prior to that I gamed a Bridgestone J715 with the shaft cut down to around 43.75 inches. That thing was a fairway finding machine. However, when I demo'd the M2 I was getting around 10-15 yards more distance. I'd say comfortably I can nut the thing and be pretty consistent around 75% of the time. However, that other 25% it goes a bit left or right (not OB or anything but definitely missing the fairway). I've got a few spare shafts laying around and one in particular - UST VTS Silver 7S Tour SPX - has been begging me to cut it down an inch and give it a try in the M2. I think I'm going to tinker with it and see if dispersion tightens up a bit while maintaining my distance for the most part.

Question related to the swing weight impact by cutting the shaft... I currently play a mid-60 gram shaft but if I went to a mid-70 gram shaft and cut that one down approx. 1 to 1.5 inches would that help compensate for some of the swing weight reduction?