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chershey

 
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Everything posted by chershey

  1. Played 18 yesterday at Dunes West in Charleston, SC. After shooting 2 over through 13, I had a mental lapse and had a triple and a double on the next two holes, mostly because of poor sand shots. Ended up 7 over but could of been much better. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  2. The best thing you can do is find a fitter that has a variety of shafts to try out on the launch monitor and see what gives you the best results. It doesn't have to be premium (I've found that out through too much trial and error). I have a fitter that will let you borrow the shafts and try them out for a few days so you can make sure you are getting good results on the course. I have 4 shafts I purchased for my current Callaway driver that I'm waiting to sell so I can see which one gives me the best results in the new EPIC driver if I decide to go that route. I'm also planning on trying some of the shaft options that come with it to compare. A good fitter can help you with all of that. The nice thing about the M1 you already have is that you can make adjustments to the loft and weights to get a really good fit with a shaft that fits your swing.
  3. Terrific reviews everyone! You've definitely given me the itch to try these out. I wish one of my local stores had them for demo. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  4. Lions vs Packers. Go Lions! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  5. Great stage 2 Foz and jlukes. Sounds like a quality putter. Looking forward to the rest of the Stage 2s. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  6. I remember reading in another review that you can order the putter with or without the counterbalance and with any of their head weights available if you give them a call. Very customizable but they all come with the counterbalanced grip if you order it standard. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  7. SuperDave, I just read through it and think you did a fine job. I'm interested about the difference in how close you were to the ball with this grip as well and whether the length and lie angles were the same. I tend to putt better with my hands closer into my body and, as a result, usually need to get my putters bent flat so they will lie correctly and I like them a little shorter. If the forward grip promotes this type of putting stance it might be for me.
  8. This was taken during the Summer, and yes, I used to have grass in my backyard before we got these dogs. That's what they've been able to do from being outside a couple of hours a day.
  9. Come on Callaway! Let's get the official Big Bertha EPIC announcement out there and get some test clubs out to the fitters. I keep reading about how great these seem to perform and I must hit them now. I'm pretty sure it's going to add about 25 yards to my tee shots, just based on what I'm reading anyway. haha
  10. We're enjoying an amazing Christmas episode of the Care Bears right now. It's riveting! Gotta keep the 4 year old occupied sometimes so I can keep up with the golf forums. On the bright side, she does enjoy watching golf tournaments with me but doesn't understand why they don't just hit the ball in the hole on every shot. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  11. Great start guys! I can't wait to see how they perform. As someone who's been searching for the "right putter" for the last 20 years or so, I'm definitely intrigued by this one. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy
  12. I recently picked up a used Callaway XR16 Sub Zero and plan on posting a full review on it some time next week as I've only had one round with it, but I will say that I hit 8 of 10 fairways with it and the average distance was 15 yards longer than my Ping G LS Tec due to lower spin. I'm playing 3 rounds with it in the Myrtle Beach area this weekend so will be able get a really good feel for it after that. All of that being said, I ran into the Callaway rep at my local fitter a couple of days ago and he had the new GBB Epic Sub Zero driver there. I didn't get to hit but I liked the look from address and now it will be on my mind constantly until it's release date in late January. It looked "EPIC"! He also gave me a couple of the new Chrome Soft X balls that are coming out in January to test and I'm going to try them out this weekend. The new forged Callaway wedges looked nice as well. Lots of thing to consider for early next year!
  13. For me, they seemed equal to but not better than my current long irons, with the exception of feel where they beat out my long irons by a fair margin. I also would of needed to get them re-shafted with the same shafts as the rest of my irons, so I just stuck with what I have. The Hogan's are great, but I hit what I have very well already. No reason for me to switch.
  14. Yep, a friend of mine has the Ogio Grom and really likes it. He's not a fan of the zipperless ball pocket because he doesn't trust that balls won't fall out, but he likes everything else. I was considering going the same route, but after reading a few reviews on the Projekt bag, I decided to give it a try. Now that I've gotten it, I'm happy I made the choice. I had the issue with the legs but their warranty dept was amazing and the new bag is great. The material it's made out of is one thing I really like about this bag. It seems like it will last a long time and it looks great. Only time will tell how the bag holds up but I'm happy in the short time I've had it.
  15. Yes, they covered all the shipping. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app
  16. To give you guys an update on the Kozmak golf bag, I sent in the bag with the broken legs, and they received it today. I got an email stating they were unable to fix it but they are sending me a new bag with updated stand legs that don't have the same issue. Now that's a company that stands behind their product! Great customer service! It really is an awesome carry bag if anybody is looking for one right now. Great for either walking or the cart. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy mobile app
  17. Yes, their customer service has been great so far. Very friendly and helpful. They are going to repair the bag and get it back to me quickly. Like I said, it's a great bag. Probably the best looking bag I've ever purchased and the material seems like high quality. I have no complaints beyond the issue with the legs. Seems like a good company that cares about their products.
  18. I just meant on a regular golf cart. When I walk, I like to carry the bag so I haven't tried it on a pull/push cart. Yeah, it is a beautiful bag otherwise. What bums me out the most is that it was rated a 10 for durability in the Most Wanted Stand Bag so I had high expectations. Hopefully, they'll fix it.
  19. So, after reading the most wanted stand bag reviews, and a few other sites I decided to purchased the Projekt Kozmak stand bag that was the runner-up in the most wanted stand bag article because I wanted a bag from someone that didn't make golf clubs to keep my bag neutral, if that makes sense. Anyway, I've had it for almost a month and really have enjoyed it. I've walked a couple of rounds with it and have used it a ton on a cart. It seems like quality and looks great. Unfortunately I've ran into an issue and get to test out their warranty department. As you can see below the rubber feet on the stands have a slight issue. It looks like the material is weak around the area on the bottom of the stands and they crack easily. I've taped the feet back on but I'm really hoping that Projekt will do something to fix of replace them. I will keep you updated. I wanted to post this in case anyone else was looking into this bag.
  20. Just to give you my initial impressions from using them on the course and the range, they are great long irons. The biggest issue I have right now is that I'm hitting my Apex CF16 long irons great right now and I'm having a hard time differentiating them from the performance of the Hogan's. The Hogan's win hands down on looks and feel, but they may have a difficult time breaking up my already established Apex set. I'll know a lot more by the time I'm ready for the full review and have some numbers I recorded on my ES14 launch monitor to compare between my irons and the Hogan's. These irons are definitely intriguing though.
  21. Once again I'd like to thank MGS for the opportunity to test the Ben Hogan Ft Worth Hi Long irons. I've really enjoyed the testing period thus far and have given these irons every opportunity to win me over. Did they do the job? Well you'll have to read on to find out. As I stated in my Stage 1, I'm Chad from South Carolina and I've been playing golf since I was kid and my handicap is around an 8. I love the game and wish I could play every day, but I also love spending time with my wife, 3 and 9 year old and they take up a lot of my time. If you mix that in with the whole annoying work thing, I really only get to play around once a week, but I keep my game sharp by going to the range almost every day at lunch. For this test, I pitted these irons up against my current long irons. I game the Callaway Apex CF16/Pro combo set, and the long irons these would replace are the Apex CF16 4(21.5*), 5(24*), and 6(27.5*) irons with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts. In choosing the lofts, I went with the 28, 25, and 21 degree irons, all of which are slightly off from my current set. I did this because I was hoping to slightly decrease the gap between my 6 and 7 iron so I went with a slightly weaker loft in the 5 and 6 iron replacements. I went slightly stronger in the 21 degree with hopes of bringing the flight down slightly as I hit the 4 iron fairly high already and I'd hit this more off tee than anywhere else. For the shafts I went with the KBS tour V stiff shafts hoping they would feel and play similarly to my DGs. I also have an 18 and 23 degree Callaway Alpha 815 hybrid to compare the performance of the Hogan's against. As I said in my Stage 1 review the one thing I can say about these irons is that they are some serious lookers, but looks are only skin (or gloriously beautiful steel) deep. The real question is, “how do they perform?” Performance at the Range I began my relationship with these irons by seeing how they could handle a little range time and hit them up against my Apex irons. I go to the driving range 4 or 5 days a week so I had plenty of time to put them through a thorough gamut of tests. My range time began by just getting used to them. They don't feel as heavy as my current irons, most likely because of the shafts, so I struggled slightly with my tempo when first trying them out, but then I fell into a groove with and really started to appreciate what they could do. Accuracy- After I dialed them in, I started to feel like I could pick a spot on the range and hit directly to that spot. My miss with them was normally left, but in all fairness my miss with my Apex irons is also left, so it wasn't a huge change. I started going back and forth between every one of the Hogan irons and my Apex irons and honestly saw similar results with both. I was hitting both sets very close to my targets the majority of time which is really all I can ask for. Distance- For this category I had a little help judging how far I was hitting the ball by using my trusty ES14 launch monitor using the setup you see below: What I saw was almost identical distances and ball speeds from both sets. Visually, the Hogan's launched slightly higher but not by a considerable amount. It also seemed like the Hogan's were spinning a bit more which is helpful for stopping the ball on the green but also must be taken into consideration when hitting into the wind. The distances were good, as are the distances from my Apex irons, but it was exactly what I would expect for irons at these lofts, no better or worse. I averaged 185 carry with the Apex 5 iron and 183 carry with the 25 degree Hogan for instance. My hybrids on the other hand play much longer than the lofts they are stamped with. My hybrids also seem to flight higher than the Hogan irons as well, but I do have a much easier time hitting low punch shots into the wind with the Hogan and Callaway irons than I can with the hybrids. Forgiveness- Looking down at these blade (albeit large blade) like irons can be a bit intimidating at first. They definitely have a thinner topline than my current set, but then you put a smooth swing on them and look up in shock at how easy to they seem to be to hit high and straight. When I'm not striking the ball well, my mishits tend to be low on the face and these did an outstanding job of still flying long and straight with minimal distance loss. I also feel like my current set does a good job of this as well which is one of the reasons I play them. Once, I found the middle of the clubface with these babies, I longed for that feeling of amazingness that I'll better describe further on in the review. Overall, these pack a ton of forgiveness in very small package. They still don't equal the forgiveness of my hybrids but they aren't far off either and, as I've said, they are much more playable for different kinds of shots than the hybrids. Control- I found that I could hit multiple types of shots with these irons. I could hit them high or low, and cuts or draws seemed easy. I'm also able to do this with my Apex irons but it seemed a little easier with the Hogan's Range Score: 9 (Out of 10 points) Performance on the Course Accuracy – Once I got these to the course, it was really time to put them to the test. I'll start by discussing the performance of the tee. I like to use my 4 iron or hybrids on tight holes to hit the fairway and give me a short to mid iron in to the green. The Hogan's performed admirably here. I used the 21 and 25 degree off several tees and was able to lace it down the middle more often than not. The 21 degree resulted in a few bad shots when I lost focus but those shots usually where more of a loss of distance than a miss left or right. These performed just as well as my current set of irons and even my hybrids off the tee. Moving on to shots off the ground, the 25 and 28 degree performed terrifically. I struck them well from a variety of lies and the turf interaction was terrific, maybe even a little better than my Apex irons. For some odd reason, I struggled a bit with the 21 degree on these type of shots. The shaft almost seemed a little too long to me, and it was killing some of my confidence in the club. I ended up thinning some shots. I don't have this same issue with my Apex 4 iron. I also did hit some good shots off the turf with the 21 degree but not enough to give me confidence in it. I'd rather play my 23 degree hybrid off most lies than the 21 degree Hogan as the hybrid carries a similar distance and is more forgiving. Distance- This is an easy section for me to review because I track all my rounds with my Game Golf live GPS system. This gives me a fairly accurate idea of how far I hit all of my clubs. Based on what I've seen, these irons fly almost exactly as far as my current set. When I was at my normal 6 iron Apex CF16 distance, I would pull out the 28 degree Hogan Hi iron and give it a solid swing and it didn't let me down. I have no complaints about the distance. I've used utility irons like the Callaway Apex UT irons before and they always seem to be hot off the face and go further, plus spin less, than I expected. No worries about that here. They go how far they are supposed to, which I like. Consistency- This for me is purely down to strike. When I strike these in the center they seem to go the distance I would expect every time. When I strike on parts of the face, that tour pros have never hit, they go 10 yards or more less. As I've mentioned, these are very forgiving, though, and give me similar consistency to my Apex irons. Shot Shaping- This is where these really shined for me over my current set. I felt like they were much easier to work. My normal shot is a draw and I was able to hit those with ease, but I was also able to pull off the fade or cut shot, and I really struggle to do that with my Apex long irons. These worked really well and made me feel like a “player!” Carry vs Roll- I expected these irons to have very little roll out because of their high flying attributes and they didn't let me down, unless I struck them thin of course. The 21 degree had a few mishits that rolled for a mile but the 25 and 28 degree flew high, landed softly, and stopped. I like those type of shots since it's easier for me to control my carry distances than total distance. They spin a little more than my Apex irons so they did great in this category as well. Course Score: 25 (Out of 30 points) Looks I think you already know my feelings in this department. These are some of the sexiest long irons I've had the fortune to gaze upon in a long time. They made the rest of the irons in my bag look like they forgot to put their makeup on and made me consider an entire set of Hogan irons based just on this category alone. I love the smooth lines, thin topline, minimal graphics, and classic looks. They look to me like a blade with a little bit extra on the back side. As the classic song goes, “Baby got back!” Nothing wrong with that. Looks Score: 20 (Out of 20 points) Sound and Feel This is another category where these shined. After I hit the first shot pure, I just wanted to hit more. They feel and sound like warm melted glorious butter. My Apex irons feel much better than a pure distance iron, like the XRs, but the difference between the Hogans and Apex irons was pretty dramatic. Mishits still felt like mishits which is what I would want out of a club like this. They weren't quite as harsh as a pure blade (which I've owned in the past), but you can definitely tell when you've missed the sweet spot. Sound and Feel Score: 20 (Out of 20 points) Likelihood of Purchase This is a tough one. I really enjoyed these irons and wouldn't mind putting them in the bag, but I also feel like these would fit in best with a full set of Hogan irons. I honestly really like what I'm getting out of my current irons so it would be difficult for me to make a change. If I had a set of blades, or difficult to hit long irons, I would upgrade to these in a second, but it's really difficult for me to make a change right now when I have a great relationship going with the Callaway's. I really would like to try these in a slightly heavier shaft, like the DG S300 as well to give them a fair comparison to my current set. LOP Score: 15 (Out of 20 points) Conclusion So, as I've said, these irons have a lot going for them. I've used them at around 20 range sessions and during 6 rounds of golf and I've hit a lot of great shots with them. They are beautiful and look good in the bag, but I'm struggling a little compensating for the weight differences between my Apex irons and these and I'm also very comfortable with how I hit the Apex CF16 long irons. The 4 iron in the Apex seems easier to hit than the Hogan 21 degree but I do think I could adjust to that. I think I'll give them some more time on the course to make my final decisions, but they really need the other Hogan irons to complement their beauty in the bag. One more shot just to remind you of how good these look: Total Score: 89 Please feel free to ask me any questions about any part of my testing or the clubs themselves. I'll try to answer as soon as I'm able.
  22. Hi, I'm Chad from South Carolina, and I would like to start by saying I'm honored to be chosen as a tester for the new Ben Hogan Ft Worth Hi irons. Thanks to MGS for the opportunity. Now, on to telling you a little bit about myself. My golfing experience started as a kid, around 5 or 6, going out with my Dad, who's been a single digit handicap for as long as I can remember, and just riding along, hitting shots every once a while, while my Dad lied and told me I was hitting the ball great, as most of us Dads do at that age. I really enjoyed several parts of the game, especially hitting a driver as far as I could (isn't that what it's all about), and participated in the youth golf programs at the course every summer until I was around 12. After that, I'd play occasionally, but I had too many other interests, such as baseball (and girls, can't forget about them) to get serious about it. I came from a very small town in Northern Michigan and our school didn't have a golf team. I had few friends that liked playing and every once in a while we'd go out and just have a good time, not really caring about how badly we shot. The best part of my game was my driving, although I was pretty wild, but I had that grip and rip it mentality and would often hit the ball as far as my Dad and even sometimes a little past him, which I think irked him a bit. When I hit my early 20s, I started to get a little more serious about the game. That's also around the time I started becoming serious about high end golf equipment, vs the Sam's Club specials I had been playing, although those Knight clubs were pretty sweet. I started playing and practicing as much as I could and got my handicap down to respectable 12, then I joined the Air Force. After basic training and my tech school, I began to play again and felt like I had never hit a golf ball before in my life but I stuck with it, playing the base course I was stationed at in South Carolina about 5 days a week. My golf game got better and better and I finally got my handicap down to single digits and was at one point a 6 handicap. I stayed at this level for a long time and was enjoying my golf game, especially when I made the decision to stop losing my temper after a bad shot once I hit my 30s. Then, I reached 35 and found the love of my life whom I married shortly after (thanks eharmony). She had a 3 year old son at the time and we initiated the birthing process (you like how I said that?) to produce a beautiful little girl in 2012. My golfing time became very limited for the next couple of years and my handicap started to soar to new heights. Rounds in the 90s became the norm. Towards the start of 2015 things started to calm down quite a bit and I decided to start getting serious about the game again. I started hitting balls several days a week at a course near work on my lunch break and practiced my short game. I started getting more chances to play again. I also started getting hardcore about my fitness once I turned 40 last year and that helped my game tremendously, especially my club head speed. Now I feel much more confident in my game and trust that when I go out the good shots will greatly outnumber the bad. I'm also working on getting the kids involved in golf so they can go out with me occasionally and I don't feel bad asking my wife if I can play. So, that's my golfing experience in a nutshell. Golf is one of those things that is always on my mind. I'll be in a conversation with someone and find myself having trouble focusing because I'm thinking about my golf game. I just need to have friends that only talk about golf and I'll be golden. What I hope to get out of these Ben Hogan Ft Worth Hi Irons is more consistency in my long irons, better feel than my current set, and the ability to hit different types of shots. I hit my current Apex CF16 irons fairly well but I do struggle with distance control at times and I'm hoping these sweet looking Hogan long irons will do the job. Also the CF16 irons don't feel anywhere close to as good as the Apex Pro 16 short irons in my set. They feel much better than a pure distance cavity back like the XR irons but they do not give you that buttery pure, forged feel that all golfers long for. The Apex Pro 16 irons also only like one shot shape, straight. While this is great in most situations, I do like to work my irons from time to time and I think the Hogan's may help with this. I'm really looking forward to testing them and finding out. The Questions ● Handicap/average score? I normally shoot around 80 and don't sway too far away from it. ● Strengths of your game? I hit a lot of fairways which helps me a lot. I strike my driver very well and usually play smart on the shorter holes hitting an iron or hybrid of the tee. I believe getting off the tee well keeps me from having those dreaded blow up holes. ● Weakness of your game? Putting, pure and simple. I'm a mess. I've been through 20 different putters these last two years and I'm continuously trying new grips and set ups. I miss more short putts than anyone I know and give a lot of birdies away because of it. I chip well but I can't make the follow on putt which kills my short game. Most of the problems here are in my head. ● Typical ball flight? I hit the ball fairly high and usually try to play low flight shafts to keep the ball down. While I hit my driver very accurately, I know I produce too much spin and I'm working on that. I also spin my irons too much, often spinning the ball back on greens, but I'm improving in this category as well. ● Typical miss? My typical miss is my least favorite, and that's the left shot. I hate missing left. I have my irons bent flat to combat this and I'm about to switch to a Ping G LS Tec driver that's fade biased to help with this miss with the driver. ● Current comparable equipment? I play the Callaway Apex 16 combo set and the long irons are the Apex CF16 which I will be comparing the Hogan irons against. ● Swing tempo? When I'm playing well, I have a slow backswing with and aggressive transition. This seems to set me up well and keep me on the right plane. ● Driver swing speed? I've worked hard on this one and was recently tested at 108 which is much higher than I was 6 months ago. Grip and rip it I say. ● What makes you love the game? I love the integrity of the game, I love the feeling of a pure shot, I love the calmness of being outdoors on a beautiful day doing something I love. I also love playing, and sometimes trash talking with friends. I also love the history of the game and how it's grown into what it is today. ● How long have you been golfing? I've been golfing for approximately 35 years, but I've only been serious about improving for about the last 18 so eventually I'll be decent I hope. J ● What kind of golfer are you? I'm a golfer that plays as often as I get chance to and is continuously working on improving. ● What's your story? I believe I covered that in the intro. I'm just a life-long golfer that loves, loves the game. ● What is in your bag? Cobra King LTD 9* w/Matrix Ozik Black Tie X-Stiff (Soon to be replaced by a Ping G LS Tec w/Tour 65 X-STiff loft setting tbd) Cobra King LTD 14.5* w/Matrix Ozik Red Tie Stiff Callaway 815 Alpha Hybrid 18* w/Speeder 865 X-Stiff Callaway 815 Alpha Hybrid 23* w/Speeder 865 X-Stiff Callaway Apex CF16/Pro 16 combo set 4-PW 1* Flat w/Dynamic Gold S300 Callaway MD3 S-Grind 51* w/Dynamic Gold S300 Callaway PM Grind Wedge 56* w/KBS Tour V Wedge Flex Spider Limited Itsy Bitsy 34" w/Superstroke 2.0 Nike RZN Black Projekt Kozmak Golf Bag ● How did you choose them? I read countless reviews until I figured out what I would like to try and then hit them all in different golf stores. Once I figured the best specs for them, I pulled the trigger. ● What region do you play out of? I live in South Carolina and mostly play courses in the Southeast but I do take occasional trips to play. I really enjoy playing golf when I make back to my home state of Michigan because we have some great courses up there. ● Are you a tinkerer or a set and forget it type? I am way too much of tinkerer. I'm like tinkerer on steroids. I can't stop. I never seem to be happy with my equipment or every aspect of my swing. I'm always trying to find things that will help me improve to the point where I sometimes don't give myself the time to get used to what I have. Someone please help. My name is Chad and I'm a tinkerer-aholic. J Here's a few pics to give you an idea of how the Ft Worth Hi Irons look and how they look in the bag. First impressions are that they are beautiful but well see how they perform. They arrived in very normal looking box. But when you opened them up the magic began. Very blade like looks with classic lines. I think they are hiding the forgiveness well. I went with the KBS Tour V Stiff shafts and the Hogan OEM grips that I think look great. The V-Sole looks interesting. I can't wait to see the turf interaction. They look so great in the bag. The only issue is that they are making my Callaway irons look bad. If I keep these in the bag after testing, I can definitely see myself changing my short irons out with some of the Hogan irons and wedges. They just look so nice! Well, that it for Stage 1. Feel free to ask any questions. I think it's going to be a lot of fun putting these in play. I'll have a lot more pictures in Stage 2 of how they look next to my Apex CF16 irons and a good review on their initial performance.
  23. I really like watching the Mark Crossfield VLogs. Their humorous and I like watching him try to play mind games against the competition. The Rick Shield videos are also good, but sometimes they seem to take golf a lot more serious than in Mark's videos. You can tell how much it bothers Rick when he hits a bad shot. I also like to watch Buzza golf and their VLogs.
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