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mdumble21

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Everything posted by mdumble21

  1. My 3 wood is an absolute weapon! It's more accurate than my driver, and I only lose about 20m using it. I like having it as my sleeper weapon in the bag, and I can hit it longer than some people hit driver!
  2. On the Forte Golf website, you can get the 2-ball trial packs for free, but you will have to pay postage unfortunately.
  3. To be honest, I prefer the look of the MD4s over the MD3s (the green puts me off). The only main difference between the two is probably the extra grooves on the MD4s (Groove-in-Groove technology). Apart from that, I've got no idea. If you can get the MD3s for $50 less at GG, then you may as well go for them.
  4. MD4's better than MD3, but the Forged is better than both.
  5. The player: Current gamer - Titleist Pro V1X & Vice Pro Handicap or Ave score - 6.7 7 iron carry distance with current ball - 165yd Trajectory - mid/high Putter - Taylormade TP Soto The ball: 2017/18 Taylormade TP5 Distance - better Trajectory - high Spin - hop & stop Feel - soft Durability (1 round) - like new Rating - Gamer Analysis Since the TP5/X series came out last year, I've been a bit sceptical of its performance versus the Pro V1, with most of my scepticism stemming from a very poor experience with the previous generation Taylormade TP balls which I hated with a passion (felt way too hard). Whenever I try out any new ball, I tend to buy a sleeve (cost roughly AU$20) and play with them for a few rounds. Recently, I saw a sleeve of TP5s for $15 and thought "why not?". I played 2 rounds (1x 18, 1x 9 holes) with them, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The feeling off irons, wedges & putter was great, although not quite to the level of the Pro V1 (which was my biggest criticism of the previous TM tour balls). In terms of distance, I reckon I was probably gaining about 5yd off driver and this was particularly evident into the wind. Couple this with the decent amounts of spin off irons and wedges, and you have a very competent golf ball. And to top it all off, TP5s are currently on sale for AU$55, about AU$20 less than Pro V1. I'll be definitely gaming these in the near future.
  6. I had the same issue with my latest round - used PW to warm up then swapped in for a 3 wood on the first tee. Also having syncing issues as well - I've played 5 rounds (1 of 18 holes, 4 of 9) with the watch so far, but it's only recognised 2 of them.
  7. Whilst I am a young buck, I do regularly play with people in their 60s-80s who have gone through multiple surgeries for hips, etc. Quite a few of them have got titanium hips as a result, which has apparently made their love lives a little "interesting".
  8. I just got a replacement sand wedge - old one was about 3 years old and heavily abused! Got a new MD4 with the awesome red grip! First time out of the bunkers was awesome amounts of spin! I'm going to get an MD4 lob wedge next! Driver is still giving me lots of pain right now - going to try and work out the kinks in my swing first before making an equipment change. Struggling to not hit push-cuts, and I miss my old high bomb-draws!
  9. Back in 2017, I got sent a 2-ball trial pack by Forte for a few of their models - Apex 6, SS3, Tour Performance S & their Prototype (now the Tour Trajectory). The Apex 6 performed extremely well on the course - long enough off the tee, spun heaps off approach shots & chips, but felt very firm off the club face. Tour Performance S was brilliant - awesome around the greens, off the tee, and felt great. SS3 was okay, but it's meant for someone needing a distance ball (think Srixon Distance). My grandfather enjoyed the ball though. It's great that all these "guerilla" ball companies (Peter Finch coined the term) have started producing some awesome balls - Snell MTB, Vice Pro, etc. This means that you don't have to pay premium for a Pro V1-esque ball!
  10. Shot Scope V2 Stage Two Review {20/8/2018} By mdumble21 (Matt Dumble) Well, it's been 2 months since I got the Shot Scope V2 watch, and so far it's been an interesting relationship. I've played 6 rounds with the watch over this period of time. Normally I'd play 2-3 times a week, but the weather's been atrocious (it's winter over here) and I work half the time, so I've been struggling to find the time to play. Whenever I do find the time to play and test out the watch, I've been focusing on 3 main things - how the watch feels on my wrist, its ease of use and how it compares to my GPS unit. Looks & Feel (5 out of 10 points) When I first saw the Shot Scope V2 watch in the plastic flesh, I was a little unimpressed with its overall look and size. I was expecting something closer in size to a Garmin GPS running watch (which I own and use on a frequent basis), whereas the V2 watch was about 20% bigger. In terms of feel, the watch felt as big as it looked. Where the Garmin watch had a shape that tried to conform to your wrist, the V2 increased size and stiff (in comparison) band made it difficult to fit to my (quite thin) wrist. Hopefully in the future, the watch will become smaller as the technology produces smaller chips, etc. The overall bulk and look of the watch would make it a nuisance to wear on a daily basis - I don't usually wear a watch anyway. Build quality is somewhere that the V2 goes gain some points, as I have yet to see any cracks or scratches anywhere on the watch over the past 2 months. Whilst I do think that the watch will get a bit dinged up over time, it won't be happening for a while. Setup (9 out of 10 points) I found the Shot Scope V2 watch to be quite easy to initially set-up. Whilst it wasn't straightforward, the instructional guide made it extremely easy to set-up your Shot Scope account, My Bag, as well as syncing your watch with your favourite courses. The only problem I had with the set-up was when I lost the Quick Guide out on my first round with the watch. Fortunately the Shot Scope Set-Up and FAQ were easy to understand and answered any of my questions. Installation on my laptop was fairly easy, although it did struggle to download as it's an iMac rather than a traditional laptop (I've had that problem with other apps so I don't mind it). Downloading it onto my iPhone was much easier and very quick. On-Course (8 out of 20 points) Out on the course, I found that the watch didn't really affect my swing, although it would occasionally put me off as I never worn a watch whilst playing golf before. Most of the time the V2 didn't really impact my game, apart from when I had to do the Pin Collect. Pin Collect is the system that Shot Scope uses to measure your putting stats, and in order to accurately enter your putts and the location of the hole. There were quite a few occasions where I simply forgot to enter my putting data and would have to edit it on the computer post-round. I can see this being an issue if you are playing with certain kinds of golfers, as they will view the action as you wasting time on the course. Whilst the above problems can be annoyances, I can easily see me getting used to them over time and I will have to incorporate them into my usual golf routine. There are 3 modes that you can activate in the Shot Scope V2: GPS - Just gives you distances to the green, bunkers and hazards Pro - Only tracks your club distances GPS + Pro - Gives you distances and tracks your club distances as well I've only used the GPS and GPS+Pro modes as I was comparing the distance accuracy of the watch versus my GPS unit. Overall, I found these modes quite easy to use, with the only problem being that the watch took a little bit longer to find tracking satellites than my GPS unit, but only by a minute at most. In terms of a comparison, there are a few differences between my GPS and the V2 watch: My GPS gave a detailed map of the hole, whereas the GPS only gave me numbers for the green, bunkers and hazards. The GPS is bulkier than the watch (obviously), meaning I have to pull it out of my bag rather than just glancing at my wrist. The GPS had access to more courses, particularly in Australia as well as having a few specialty courses already uploaded (e.g. Augusta and Le Golf National) However, both the GPS and the V2 had the option to ask for additional courses via their respective websites so this isn't really a deal breaker. One thing to note is that my home course is a 9 hole course with 2 separate tee boxes on every hole, which is fine for if I use the V2 watch's GPS mode. However, one of the holes has 2 separate greens (for the 5th and 14th holes respectively) making it look like the letter Y from above. Neither my GPS unit or the V2 watch recognise the 14th hole as a separate hole, which isn't a problem on GPS mode as there are distance markings on sprinkler heads. Unfortunately, in order for me to properly record an 18 hole round at my home course, I'd have to record 2 separate rounds (one for each 9), as well as edit in the stats for the 14th hole when I finish which is fairly inconvenient. Accuracy (9 out of 10 points) In order to measure the accuracy of the V2 watch, I've compared it with my GPS unit, as well as a friend's rangefinder. In terms of accuracy, the V2 watch produces numbers that match my GPS unit, and are similar to the ones given by a rangefinder. In the case of the rangefinder, it was giving numbers for the pin position, rather than the front and back of the green like for the other two. Dashboard Interface (7 out of 10 points) I found the Dashboard interface to be interesting to say the least. The set-up for both the desktop and my mobile was extremely easy and straightforward. The desktop app did work well for a while, but it soon starting not being to recognise me plugging my watch in to upload any new rounds. This was becoming a big problem for me, as at one stage I had 3 rounds of data on my watch that hadn't been uploaded correctly. Luckily for me, the mobile app got around this problem by simply using a Bluetooth interface rather than the physical cable. The Dashboard on the mobile app was better than the desktop one as you could accurately view and change your information. This precision became in particularly handy whenever I needed to enter in the correct pin position for my putting data (this happened a few times). Whilst the desktop app is quite immersive, it would be better off with the editing feature as it's something that a lot of customers would use. Apart from that little issue, the Dashboard presented any and all of my data in an easy-to-understand fashion and with some brief explanations when needed. Data Usefulness (12 out of 20 points) Diving deeper into the various features of the Dashboard, it quickly became obvious that you needed to be quite knowledgeable of how the stats were calculated in order to understand them properly. I found the charts and graphics to be a bit overwhelming in some cases - this isn't really a criticism, but rather something to keep in mind when you properly analyse your data. One thing I did notice is that the majority of my club distances were out by a measure of 10m (11yd), which I quickly worked out was due to the fact that I play a lot of hilly golf courses resulting in lower average distances. Whilst the watch is great for measuring distances, it still doesn't take into account a 10 degree incline, for example. Apart from that, my club gapping seemed to be fairly accurate, with 10m gaps between the irons. Whilst the Dashboard feature was well-presented, and gave brief explanations on the stats, I don't think it's something I would be using on a routinely basis. I'm simply not that much of a stats guy, so viewing the sheer volume of data that the V2 watch produces very quickly goes over my head. Play it or Trade it? (7 out of 20 points) The Shot Scope V2 watch is a device that I see being used by the kind of golfer who knows what his stats are, and how he can use them to his advantage. Unfortunately, I'm not one of those golfers. Whilst I do see the benefits of knowing my Greens in Regulations and number of putts per round, the sheer volume of data and stats produced by the watch through its Dashboard interface can easily go over your head. As a result of this, I would likely trade the V2 watch for something else. Not because it's a bad device (because it's not!), but rather because it's not something I can see myself using on a round-to-round basis. Conclusion The Shot Scope V2 watch is a fantastic device that enables the average golfer to gather helpful information on not only their club distances, but their accuracy and misses as well. Whilst the V2 watch is a great device, it isn't without its flaws. The overall size of the watch is a tad bulky; the GPS tags can be a bit difficult to secure to your clubs (and you could risk damaging your grips if you try and remove them); the Dashboard interface can be overwhelming to the average hacker; and you may need to change your routine in order to properly use the watch whilst out on the course. Despite all this, the V2 watch is quite accurate, and the Dashboard interface can be helpful if you know what you're doing. Therefore, I would recommend the V2 watch to the golfer who can properly use the Dashboard to improve their overall game (unlike myself, who simply gets overwhelmed by the data overload). Final Score: 57 out of 100
  11. MyGolfSpy Shot Scope V2 Stage 1 What's my story? I'm a 28 year-old from Perth, Australia. I've been playing this great game of ours on a consistent basis since 2012. My dad introduced (and coached) me to golf when I was at primary (elementary for you Americans) and high school, at the local par 3 golf course. I started playing properly in 2012 when I began playing regularly with some work colleagues. I love the game of golf purely because one day you could be playing absolutely crap, and the next you could be beating your all-time best score. It's a game where you're more playing against yourself than others or even the course itself, and it's a game for anyone - be they young, old, man or woman or unspecified gender. The Golf Questions I play off a 6 handicap, with my average score being roughly 80. I tend to hit driver about 270-280yd and 7-iron about 160-170yd. For the most part, I base those numbers off what I've seen on the course (ignoring wind, ground conditions and other factors of course). And in terms of tracking performance, I normally have a rough mental idea of what went wrong/right during my round. Whenever something does go catastrophically wrong (i.e. poor putting/chipping), I'll usually spend a good portion of my next range session focusing on this aspect. However, because I work FIFO (Fly In, Fly Out) at a mine site for every second week, I don't have as much time to focus on my golf. The main weakness of my game is my short game & bunker play, which I don't always practice. Occasionally, my driving will give me grief as well, with my miss tending to be a push right off the tee. My main strengths are my ball-striking and iron play, which are things I do tend to focus on during practice sessions. Whilst I'm not the most tech-savvy guy around, I do know my way around computers. I grew up using Windows software as a kid, and I use computers a lot in my current line of work. My current club set-up is: Titleist 915 D3 driver - had this in the bag for 1.5 years now, and I'm thinking of upgrading! Callaway Epic Sub Zero 3 wood - enjoy the feel off the face, and how easy it is to shape off the deck & tee box Callaway Apex 20 Degree Hybrid - swap between this and my 3 iron for different course set-ups. PING i200s (4-PW, Yellow dot) - tested these for MyGolfSpy last year and haven't looked back! Titleist Vokey SM6 50 degree wedge - replaces my 5 year-old Callaway MD2 wedge Callaway MD4 & MD2 wedges - 56 (MD4) & 60 degree (MD2) Taylormade TP Collection Soto - great feeling putter that often gets mistaken for a Scotty Newport! First Impressions In terms of first impressions, I liked the functionality of the packaging as it did indeed tell me what the Shot Scope was capable of with regards to its compatibility with Apple, Android and its library of worldwide golf courses. I hate packaging that has too many facts and graphics on them, whereas I found the Shot Scope's packaging to be smart and not overwhelming. Initial set-up and registration were easy thanks to the handy User Guide included in the package (which I've now lost, but more on that later), and it only took me an hour to get the online registration, my preferences, and the club tags fitted. After I completed my profile on the Shot Scope app and website, I did notice two things that did bug me a bit. The first of these was the size of the Shot Scope watch itself. When I put the watch on for the first time, I did notice that it was a bit big for my wrist, and that the wristband was a little bulky. I know people who use GPS watches that are the size of an Apple iWatch (and smaller), whereas the Shot Scope is roughly double that size - which could possibly be attributed to the additional club tracking chips and software. Whilst the size of the watch will take a bit of time to get used to, I know that the next generation or so will streamline this design in the future. The Shot Scope system uses assigned tags (labelled D, 3W, H1, H2, 3i-9i, PW, GW, SW, LW, P(utter), X1-4) for particular clubs in your bag. During the registration process, you come across My Bag in the dashboard, where you simply identify the club that a particular club tag goes to. When I put the tags onto their assigned clubs, I noticed that the screws they use to hold onto the top of the club were bigger than the holes they go into. Whilst this means that it's going to be hard for the tag to come loose mid-swing, I fear that the top of the grip could be ruined if you try and pull the tag off. This situation could arise from simply re-gripping the club or when you need to buy a new club. I firmly believe that the Shot Scope will be a helpful tool for an amateur golfer like me. I've been using a dedicated GPS unit (not a watch) for a few years now, which has been working well most of the time. Whilst a GPS unit would give me relevant distances, the Shot Scope can give me post-round club data (i.e. club distances), whereas previously I'd be getting calculating distances in my head. Once I get a decent idea of my club distances using a combination of the tracking data and my personal experiences, I can use this information to better plot my way around a golf course. Whilst Stage 1 has focused mainly on my first impressions of the Shot Scope product, I will be using Stage 2 to see how it compares with my GPS unit on the course. At the time of writing this article, I've only used the Shot Scope once for 9 holes at my home course, so by the time that I've uploaded Stage 2, I should be used to the gadget. During my review, I will be focusing on the ease of use of this product. Considering the fact that I'll be using this watch during a round of golf, how much more time will it add to the round? How convenient is it? Will the post-round data be useful? And considering its size, will I be aware of its presence during a game? These will be the questions, and more, that I will be addressing throughout my Stage 2 review. If any fellow Spies have any questions you'd like me to answer in my Stage 2, please feel free to write them down in the comments section below.
  12. I'm currently playing both, but found the srixon better around the greens (just). Couldn't really tell the difference between the 2 off the tee. For anyone wanting a slightly cheaper ($55-60/dozen in Australia, versus $75 for Pro V1X), the Srixon Z-Star (both variants) is certainly worth considering.
  13. Srixon Soft Feel - Soft, my ass!!!!
  14. Considering that the last few posts have been all doom, gloom, ice, snow & hail, I'll try and even the odds. The temperature was ~42 degrees Celsius, with almost no cloud cover, and winds of 20mph+. Just think of Death Valley but with a lot more greenery!
  15. I just bought myself a new 50 degree Vokey SM6 wedge to replace my tired old Callaway MD2. I've had my MD2 since late 2013 but sadly she's gone to greener pastures!
  16. I'm 27, and a Geologist working in the Pilbara.
  17. The only use for Noodles is to hit them at people you don't like - simple as that.
  18. The Wilson Staff C300 range does kinda make me feel like getting a new driver. If I didn't have my i200s, the C300 Forged would be on my wishlist!!
  19. I've only been playing golf since 2012 and I've only been using better quality balls (e.g. Srixon Soft Feel and above). Based off my experience (or lack of it), the worst ball in my opinion (and for the money) was the TM Tour Performance (the TP5's predecessor). They always felt like rocks to me, and I could get a dozen Pro V1s for only $5 more, or I could go for a dozen Callaway Hex Chromes for $10 less! I don't mind the majority of TM balls (I do like the TP5), but the Tour Performance (both variants) felt like it should've been better.
  20. I'm currently working, and will be working outside in 40 degree Celsius heat until Friday when I fly home. I've got a 2 day stroke event on this coming weekend.
  21. I'm in the same boat, minus the workout because there isn't a winter season here. We just play golf all year round! If you want to increase your clubhead speed in a cold start (e.g. 6am tee time with no warm-up), I tend to loosen my shoulders a lot before swinging a club. If you can get the muscles to temperature, then the big guns will fire. Try copying what cricket bowlers/baseball pitchers do prior to a game.
  22. I tried out the F8+ driver last Friday, and I loved the feel and looks with the black head. It's certainly a driver I'll be considering to get in the coming months to replace my 915. The other main contender is the Mizuno ST-180, which I was pretty accurate with on the range and I love the blue head.
  23. That's more-or-less what I do every 4-5 months as there are some damn good balls out there!! Over the past few years, I've been using balls from 7 manufacturers - Wilson Staff FG Tour, Taylormade TP5/X, Titleist Pro V1/X, Vice Pro, Srixon Z-Star/XV, Callaway ChromeSoft, & Forte Tour Performance S. Of the 7, my favourites have been the Vice, Srixon & Wilson Staff, but I did enjoy all of them, and I encourage everyone to go for balls from manufacturers you might not regard as good ball manufacturers (e.g. I've found TM's balls over the last few years have been lacking in feel, until the TP5 showed up!) as you might surprise yourself.
  24. mdumble21

    F8

    I'm in the same boat. The Cobra looks stealthy, and the Mizuno just looks fabulous (I'm a sucker for blue drivers) whereas the G400's been a favourite of mine for a while now due to the performance you can get from it.
  25. The player: Current gamer - Vice Pro Handicap - 9.3 7 iron carry distance with current ball - 170yd Trajectory - high Putter - Taylormade Rosca Daytona 1 The ball: Forte Tour Performance S (2016/17) Distance - same Trajectory - high Spin - hop & stop Feel - soft Durability (1 round) - like new Rating - Gamer Notes or writeup: I picked up a trial pack of the Tour Performance S (TPS) from the manufacturer over Facebook, and I've played 2 rounds with the first ball before losing it on top of a maintenance shed! I had read some positive reviews on this ball before trying it out for myself, and I found the reviews to be fairly reflective of the ball itself. In terms of feel, the TPS was similar to a Wilson Staff FG Tour ball with the performance being very similar to it as well. Considering that this ball costs AU$40/dozen (US$30, I think), it punches well above its weight. On a sidenote, I love the fact that all of these online golf ball manufacturers (Forte, Vice, Snell, etc.) have brought out such fantastic products, as it might force the larger ball manufacturers (Titleist, Bridgestone, Wilson, Srixon, etc.) to produce better quality products and maybe drop their prices a bit in order to maintain their chunk of the market place.
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