[What Is Your Next Planned Golf Equipment Purchase?]

Long term would be a launch monitor. That's a lot of money to get past the wifey though. . Short term might be an iron shaft change. I'm not loving the DG 105's I was fitted for on course. The courses around me are still pretty sloppy, so it's hard to tell for sure. My sample size with these shafts is pretty small.

[What's Your Favorite Iron Shaft?]

Right now I'm playing DG 105 s300. I don't think they are going to stay. My favorite of all time was the KBS tour 90. I think it's time to experiment with the tour lite, or maybe the c-taper.  

[Golf bags- stand or cart, and why?]

My bag is a hybrid. It's the Sun Mountain C-130S. It's a cart bag with legs. I carry a lot of stuff in my bag, so I like the size and storage of a cart bag. I also like the legs to keep my bag from falling over at the driving range. Another bonus is that the strap is on the correct side to carry the bag without my clubs flipping around. When I used a regular cart bag, I never used the carry strap. Even on the occasional long trek across the parking lot, I would just carry it in one hand. That sucks. Putting the strap on the wrong side of the bag makes it look like an afterthought and makes no sense. It's a very well made bag and has a 14 way top plus an additional putter well.

[What Is The Most You Would Pay For A Putter?]

I'm both a putter snob, and a very lousy putter. I have a small scotty cameron collection. I've paid up to 5 bills for a putter. Because I'm such a bad putter, I appreciate them more as pieces of art than as a golf club.

[What Are Your Hurdles/Excuses For Not Practicing?]

14 hours ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:

Your call yourself a Marine?  one foot snow?  Lame.

The cold is no issue. It's just tough finding the ball after you hit. LOL.   

[What Are Your Hurdles/Excuses For Not Practicing?]

The foot of snow sure isn't helping the cause.

[What is the most under appreciated brand in golf?]

On tour, it has to be Mizuno. They are the best irons made.

[What is your driver for 2024?]

PXG gen6 with riptide cb 60 s flex. Fitted last season. 

[Getting ridiculous]

I live pretty close to the Turning Stone Resort and Casino in central NY. The courses there are beautiful and immaculately maintained. They are also pretty expensive. I often end up buying things from their pro shop because they sell everything for the same price I could get them anywhere else. They have a deal where, when you spend over a certain amount, they start throwing in free rounds. That's the only time I play those courses. Most of the courses in my area, and there are many, are right around 50 bucks or a little less for 18 and a cart. We only play for bragging rights, so even if everything isn't perfect, it's a fair competition between friends.   

[What is your greatest golf memory?]

My first, and so far, only Ace. Luckily, I got mine early. It only took my 45th season playing this game.  

[What is your golf pet peeve?]

On this point, it seems I stand with pretty much everybody else. Slow play gets my goat. I'm sure it actually costs me strokes because I get so frustrated. It's compounded when they won't let you play through when there's no one in front of them.

[Thoughts on buying one year old clubs?]

Buying last year's clubs can be a great way to update the bag on the cheap. I've been doing that a long time. Back in the old days, I'd play clubs for a decade until they were well worn. Nowadays, since the technology race began, I update every few years. Most of the time, you can buy leftovers still in the plastic for a massive discount.

[Simulator Woes]

There is a nice place local to me called the Bunker in New Hartford, NY that has a bunch of trackman simulators. It's a really nice place. Food, and a bar. I recommend it highly. The bays are really big, so that's not an issue. Like some others that have stated before, the longer the club, the shorter it seems to read. Comparing to my actual "on course" numbers, it could be as much as 20 yards. I also seem to have a fade in the sim, yet I generally tend to draw the ball in real life, and my "on course" miss is usually left due to a pull, hook, or both. I've read that trackman is the gold standard in simulators, so I find it a little odd. Perhaps calibration issues? It's still nice to be able to swing the clubs during a NY winter.  

[Driving irons, what are your experiences good and bad]

I don't generate enough swing speed to use a UDI effectively. I'm a big believer in hybrids. I recently upgraded almost my entire bag. My last setup, my longest iron was a 7.  Now I'm carrying a 6. That's about as long as care to go with an iron, as my consistency seems to drop off quickly after that.  

[What makes a Golf Course a "Good" one?]

For me, condition means a lot. Cost is also a factor. With the guys I generally play with, layout is perhaps less important because we are playing against each other for bragging rights so, since we are all playing the same course, it's immaterial. A course in poor condition means you might hit a ball within a yard or two of your playing partner and you get a great lie, and he's in the spot they didn't bother to cut. This happens everywhere, but more so on a poorly maintained course.

[Do You Remember the First Time You Paid $100 (US or More) to Play Golf?]

I played a Japanese course in Okinawa that was really expensive. This was about 1996. We had a really nice Marine GC called Awase. As a SSgt, it cost me around 8 dollars. The Japanese nationals could only play it with an invite from active duty personnel. It's Japanese custom that if you invite someone,  you pay for them. I had invited a couple of Japanese nationals to play with myself and a buddy. They cost me somewhere around 50 bucks apiece because they were civilians. In turn, they invited us to a Japanese course and paid for us. I don't remember exactly,  but it was around 40,000 yen or 400 bucks a head.

[Sun Mountain C-130S bag. Any Input?]

I'm hunting for a new bag for next season. My current bag is about 15 years old and is starting to look pretty worn out. It's a Team Golf USMC cart bag and was a present from my kids. I'll keep it forever, for just that reason, but it's time for retirement. I'm thinking a hybrid bag would be the way to go. The legs would be great for range sessions. It doesn't have to be particularly light. I ride most of the time, and when I walk, I have a bag boy quad. I also like the idea of the strap being on the traditional side of the bag. I never understood why cart bags have it on the wrong side. It's a non-issue to push it to the side when accessing pockets. I find that if I have to make a long trek across a parking lot, I carry it one-handed so that I don't flip my clubs the wrong way. That's getting harder since I've gotten older. I'm hoping at least one of you have some experience with hybrid bags and can offer guidance. The C-130S is on my short list. 

[What Wedges Are You Currently Using?]

I have the stock set Gap wedge jpx923 forged, Mizuno S23 54/10, 58/8. 

[Does Golf Remain Fun?]

I've been playing since age 9. The upcoming season will be my 47th playing this game. While it can be frustrating at times, some days you just can't find your game, it's still the best way for me to fully unwind and put all my concentration into the game instead of all the other stressors of life. For me, that's fun. I don't really mind that I struggle more than I used to. 

[Used Golf Balls…Thumbs up or down?]

I play Vice Pro Plus. They are cheap enough that I really wouldn't consider buying used balls. I know lots of players that insist on the pro V1. I've played them. Usually gifted to me. They play well. Not worth the extra money IMHO, especially since they are a little bit shorter for me. 

[Set Wedge vs. Specialty Wedge]

It depends on what the intended purpose is. I use the set GW with my irons. I never use it for anything other than full shots. I use specialty wedges (54, 58) for sand and lob. As it pertains to Vokey particularly, I'm not really a fan. I know they are wildly popular, but I've gotten much better results with wedges that offer just a little bit of forgiveness. Presently, I'm playing Mizuno S23 wedges. I'm also very fond of Cleveland CBX wedges. Maybe they don't meet the cool factor, but whatever helps you get the ball in the hole.   

[2024 What is safe in your bag? What's on the chopping block?]

Driver, Irons, wedges, and putter are safe. My 3 wood is probably safe. I've struggled with 3 wood for the better part of 2 decades and finally found one I can hit reliably. Hybrids (I carry 3) are a possibility for replacement. I hit them well, particularly the 3, but I tend to get a little sloppy with dispersion. Instead of replacing them, I may opt for a shaft change. I'm swinging a little harder these days. The spinal fusion has healed well. I may have to go back to stiffer shafts.   

[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

I broke down and replaced my trusty 0311p gen3 irons with a new set of jpx923 forged. The bleeding didn't stop there. I ordered a new PXG gen6 driver. Just waiting for that one to show up at the house. 

[How many irons do I carry?]

Driver, 3w, 3hy, 4hy, 5hy, 6-g irons, 54 and 58 wedges. I find as I get older, I'm significantly more consistent with the hybrids than I am with the longer irons. On rare occasions, I'll take out the 5hy to play the 5i but my 4i is virtually unhit. I even have a matching 6hy that gets put in play when my 6i doesn't want to behave. 

[JPX921 Forged - Is it forgiving?]

I got fit into 923 forged this season and I bought them. I was previously using 0311p gen3. The Jpx 923 forged seem to be a little more consistent for distance. I seem to have lost a couple yards per club but my dispersion has improved. The distance loss might be shaft related. I went from kbs tour 90 to TT DG 105 as I always hit the KBS really high.