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JohnSmalls

 
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    JohnSmalls reacted to GolfSpy TCB in Nippon Modus 115 Iron Shafts   
    Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 – Official MGS Forum Review by Tim Root

    As most of us on this forum are, I am an avid golfer, always looking for ways to improve my game.  In my Golf Lifetime, equipment manufacturing companies have done a tremendous job convincing me that if I play this ball like my favorite PGA Professional, or that driver like the winner of last week’s tournament, or buy this training device as endorsed by the “world’s greatest” teacher… all I have to do is show up to the course loaded with equipment (though not as previously loaded with cash) to shoot below par.  And to a certain extent, there is a lot of merit in finding the right piece of equipment to fit my game – but I won’t find it by watching tv commercials or looking at what the pro’s play… I will find it – as Ben Hogan would say… “in the dirt” (not to say I haven’t taken the bait more times than I care to admit). 

    As far as equipment is concerned, probably the last thing on my list for potential game improvement was the shaft… and more specifically, iron shafts.  Driver heads, iron sets, putters, wedges, balls, even grips are more likely to garner my excitement than an iron shaft.  Not to mention tees promising 4 more yards 😉.
     
    FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
    So when I saw that MyGolfSpy was looking for participants to test iron shafts, my first impulse was to pass on this one… hoping the next opportunity to test would be a sexy piece of golf equipment to put in my bag and marvel at how amazing it looks… while searching for my ball in the woods.  Now, “common sense” and “my golf game” don’t often collide in the same sentence – but in reconsidering this opportunity, I started to research iron shafts, and how important they are to maximize performance in what I consider to be the single largest opportunity for improvement in my game… approach. 
    I spent the last 8 months playing T200 irons fitted with Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Graphite shafts and honestly never felt I synced with them.  The club swung very monochrome when I was used to a full color palate.  I couldn’t feel the head, contact felt “clacky”, and even balls that seemed to fly on the intended target path and distance weren’t at all satisfying.  Initially I blamed the “game improvement” T200 completely for this.  Even though the T200’s are forged, they do have that pesky plate on the back, and it was hard not to overcome my mental thought of them having “plastic” as part of the DNA.
    But the reality is – while that true forged head feel I had grown accustomed to with my old Mizuno MP-33’s and not quite so old MP-68’s was not as evident with the T200s – the bland feel was more to do with the shafts, not the heads.  I didn’t know this until I had these Modus3 Tour 115’s installed in the T200’s. 
    The N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 shafts actually seemed to address several of the concerns I have with my “gamer” shafts.
    From the Nipponshaft.com website:

     

    Trajectory control?  Spin Control?  Directly transmit power to clubhead and ball?  Lighter weight… but not too light described as a “golden spec”?  Yes, Please!!  I threw my name in the hat, and as good fortune would have it… I was chosen to be a tester.
    First Impressions: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
     
    AESTHETICS:



    They look great installed, don’t they?
    These shafts look sleek, hot and fast.  The red graphics across the chrome silver shaft remind me of the Deltawing Racer from years back.

    Again, it is hard to understand or convey how a shaft’s looks make me more confident over a shot… but that box is checked with these Tour 115’s. 
    Aesthetics: 5 out of 5 Stars
     
    DATA:
    Statistical analysis is a conundrum for me.  To my own detriment most likely, I put a lot more weight in “feel” and on the course results than I do into data analysis.  I am only just starting to gain understanding on launch monitor data and what it means beyond carry distances.  Though other testers will have better data and analysis than I have, I will offer a few data points from my Mevo+Pro (caveat – the LM data below is based on short range into net shots – total of 30 feet from LM to net).  
    I recorded these samples just a few days apart using the same 7 iron head, first with the graphite shaft, and then with the new Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 shaft for comparison purposes. 

     
    Shot Patterns from Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Shafts:


     
    Compared to the N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 Shafts


    Aside from the obvious (I’m old and out of shape, similar to my mental acuity, my swing is weak and slow), a few things jump out at me – even not fully understanding what the LM Data is telling me.
    Consistently (though poor) swing between shafts – evidenced by fairly tight variances in swing speed, smash factor, club path, face path and face to target.  Eliminating some of the concerns I had about swinging better or worse from one day to the next. Carry distance was essentially the same between the shafts – which in itself could be included in point #1, but with point #3, I believe it deserves it’s own bullet. Height is about 7 yards lower in flight on average, Flight Time is the same, even with the lower ball flight. If I didn’t mention it before, the stability and consistency I was “feeling” with the Modus Tour 115 shafts is evident in the dispersion pattern in the samples above.  This is the confidence builder stat for me. Data that I’m not sure how to decipher: AoA was increased in Modus3 sample, which may have resulted in a lower Dynamic Loft (and lower ball flight).  Also, spin was a bit lower with the Modus shaft.  I should also mention, that the results from the LM data are extremely indicative of the results I have seen across all my irons with the Nippon shafts in range sessions and on the course. This may be anecdotal, but when I changed to the Tour 115’s my scoring average started improving.  In the 20 rounds I have played with the Tour 115’s, my average score has dropped by 2.15 strokes and my handicap reflects the improvement as well:

    Statistics: 5 out of 5 Stars
     
    ON THE COURSE:

    Because I’m a feel and results player (whether that is good or bad is up for debate), equipment satisfaction is derived from my swing feeling like it has life.  Knowing where my club head is throughout my swing, feeling it kick through the ball, being consistently in my expected flight window, going the distances I expect, and reacting on the ground the way I want it to.  With my iron shots, I’m looking for a boring flight (meaning not a pop-up, but more of a frozen rope), holds its line when struck correctly, hits the green with a hop and stop.  I struggled with my previous shafts on all those aspects.  The graphite shafts felt like a board through my swing – no “action”, with high trajectory shots that were inconsistent distances (both short and long) and line, and rolled out on the green.
    However, the moment I installed the Modus3 Tour 115’s on the T200’s, all that changed.
    Though the club feels noticeably heavier, that isn’t a detriment… if anything, I prefer the weighty feel.  I can feel the club head throughout my swing and can feel the shaft working for me as it loads for impact, kicking through the ball.  The trajectory is low and boring hitting my window, the distances are consistent and my shots seem to be holding their line better, probably due to a better trajectory and spin profile… which also gives me the ground reaction of “hop and stop” I want to see.  How much of that is confidence in the shaft to make a good swing, and how much is actual performance of the shaft… don’t know… don’t care…   RESULTS are king.
    Course Performance: 5 out of 5 Stars
     
    TAKE AWAY:
    I fully admit I was predisposed to liking these shafts.  Being disgruntled with my pre-Modus3 setup, I was looking for a change.  But I wasn’t expecting that change to come solely in the form of a shaft.  And I certainly wasn’t expecting to LOVE my T200’s the way I do right now.  Granted, they aren’t butter like a Mizuno Blade, but with a better shaft fit for me – they provide every bit of feedback on my swing I need to execute good golf shots.  These Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 shafts are ALIVE, and brought those T200 heads back to life too.  What more can I ask?

    As irony would have it, I recently received the long ago ordered Mizuno Pro 221’s, so I will try to contrast and compare as much as possible in post-review comments (though two totally different heads makes it very subjective).  However, I can say it is VERY difficult to put down these T200’s … even with those shiny new blades looking at me (which is a HUGE statement for a tinkerer like me).  One thing I want to better understand is where the 115g weight fits with my swing compared to the 105g that I have in the Mizunos.  I really enjoy the extra weight compared to the graphite shafts previously installed in my T200’s, but will I get better performance from shaving off 10g?  With a slower swing speed such as mine, maybe… but if it means giving up the ‘action’ and ‘feel’ I am experiencing in these 115’s… the benefits would need to be pretty significant for me to consider it.
    Take Away: 5 out of 5 Stars
     
    PLAY OR TRADE:
    My comments above have given a pretty clear indication on this, but let me double down…  these shafts are staying in my Gamers (T200’s) – without a doubt.  In fact, when I am ready for my next new set of irons (being a member of the Club Ho’s Anonymous thread… that could come sooner than later) I will be purchasing heads only, as I have the shaft that works for my game right now.   
    Play it or Trade It: 5 out of 5 Stars
     
    CONCLUSION:
    The Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 115 Shafts meet or exceed every expectation I had for them. 
    Compared to my previously installed Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Graphite shafts, the Tour 115’s offer a better weight profile for my swing; lower trajectory for better control with no loss of distance; tighter dispersion on both distance and direction; and gives me the ability to feel my clubhead throughout the swing.  The Tour 115 shafts excel in stability through impact, and gives me confidence to make swings for shaping my shots when needed.  Where my previous shafts seemed to be a one trick pony, I rate the Tour 115’s as a team of stallions in my bag.
    My shot making, and as a result my scoring, has improved since installing these shafts.  I would recommend these shafts to anyone looking to upgrade their irons.
    Final Score: 29.5 out of 30 Stars
  2. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to DStar in Nippon Modus 115 Iron Shafts   
    Nippon Modus³ Tour 115 shaft Official MyGolfSpy review by Steve Davies (DStar) - 14th June 2022
     
    Here's a link to my original introduction: 
    https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/34-nippon-modus-115-iron-shafts/?do=findComment&comment=7900
    Introduction:
    Firstly, a huge thanks to MSG and Nippon for giving me the opportunity to test and review the Modus³ Tour shafts.
    I’m 48, happily married with 2 amazing girls and I live in a lovely little town called Malvern in the heart of England. It’s a town made famous by its water, Morgan Motors and The Hills, 13 miles of stunning countryside. 
    I’m a CNC programmer by trade so have a keen eye for quality and finish which I shall be running the shafts under.
    I’m now playing off 12 after starting on 24 last year so my game is coming on well but inconsistency is my main problem. I’m practising as much as I can and would love to get to single figures by the end of this year - that’s my goal. 
    I’m quite a physical player, high swing speed and like to attack the pin - maybe I should play the percentages more but I just can’t help it!
    First Impressions: 5 out of 5
    Unboxing golf shafts is not going to be the most exciting thing in the world. We see shafts every time we play so there’s nothing ‘new’ about a chrome tube. 
    That said, I was a little excited as I’ve only had used shafts in the past as I have only bought used irons off eBay. 
    As part of my pack I also received a nice Nippon goody bag with a couple of tee shirts, caps and ball marker which bumped the score to a solid 5! 


     
    Aesthetics: 5 out of 5
    As I am a manufacturing engineer by trade, machining high quality components to very tight tolerances, I have a very keen eye for quality. Access to some very accurate measuring equipment helped in checking the physical quality. 
    Initial measuring of the shafts found that they were very accurately produced, weight - length & tip diameter all very accurate.
    The Nippon Modus³ shafts did not disappoint in this area. 
    The finish and quality of the shafts is excellent. Weight, length and tip diameter were all exceptionally consistent. There were no sharp edges, poor graphics or damage to the shafts. 

    The bright red logos were all in perfect alignment from the tip of the shaft. Nice, clear printing on the butt end showed the specifics for each individual shaft including length, batch number and manufacturing date.

     
    The numbers: 4.5 out of 5
    The main aim of the test is to see how these shafts perform against the claims of the manufacturer and to see if the performance claims are true or just marketing gumph.
    Nippon say:
    “A fusion of flexible control and powerful straight-line performance made possible by a decade of commitment”
    “The predictable medium trajectory and mid-low spin results in performance that closely matches your intentions, encourages confident shots and maximises the potential of both you and your club”
    My current Dymanic Gold S300 are, from what I have read, a low launch - low spin shaft.
    I have only used these so cannot comment whether, or not, that is true. I know, from testing on the GC2, that I have a bunch of figures as a start point and we will see how the figures for the Nippon Modus³ compare.
    I know all manufacturers have different takes on spin, launch etc and there is no industry standard to work from so it cannot be a direct comparison. 
    What I was looking for was a higher launch, more spin and tighter dispersion.
    Here are the figures from my testing: 
     

     
    From my data it shows that the launch is slightly higher on the short irons and carry is slightly down on the old shafts but the spin is quite a bit higher. The ball speed is much more consistent across the new shafts too. 
    The flight of the ball does seem to start a little lower but peak height seems higher and the ball is definitely stopping quicker on the greens which leads me to believe that there is a steeper angle of attack.
    I’m not too familiar with how to extrapolate all of the data from the GC2 but dispersion was also much tighter.
    Although I was looking for a higher launch, the fact that these do launch lower but come in steeper is a real game changer for me as I have been struggling to hold the greens which had altered how I was playing.
    I find I’m now much more confident in attacking pins as I have more faith that the ball will hold.
    The slight drop in distance is, I believe, down to the extra spin and is something I have no issues with. 

    Out on the course: 5 out of 5
     
    On the course I can only report good things about the shafts. My scoring has been better and my confidence higher since I’ve started to get used to the new shafts. 
    It may be, in part, due to going to a shaft with an X-flex which may suit my swing better but these work! 
    The reduced weight (approx 12g per club), compared to my old shafts, has made a real difference in my ability to know where the clubhead is during my swing and I feel I’m getting to the ball better, the doubt has gone and I feel I can be more attacking in my shot choice. 
    I’ve even been able to shape - at will - a few shots which is something I’ve never felt I could do with the S300.
    The ability to hold the ball on the green has made a massive difference to my game. We’ve got fast, hard greens at my course (running about 10 at the moment and they’ll get faster as summer progresses) so being able to go for the green is fantastic.
    Here’s a downhill/down wind, 190y 6 iron:

    Not a chance of doing this with my old setup!!
     
    The good, the bad and the indifferent: 5 out of 5
    As you may be able to tell, I don’t have anything bad to say about the Nippon Modus³ Tour 115 shafts. 
    They look great, perform really well and have made a big difference to my game.
    If I was to be picky I could say that the launch is lower than expected but the end result is something I was looking for, hence the 0.5 point reduction on the numbers score.


    Play it or trade it: 5 out of 5
    These shafts are staying in the bag for sure, the improvement in my game has been nothing short of huge and I now have confidence to go for the pin and my playing partners have commented on how much better I am hitting the ball. 
    If you're looking for a new steel shaft to give more spin and confidence I would highly recommend giving the Nippon Modus³ Tour a try.
     
    Final score: 29.5 out of 30
     
    Conclusion: 
    It's been a bit of an eye opener for me as I'd never been fitted or really tried anything other that the clubs I've purchased off eBay based on my own assumptions of what I thought I needed. I can now see the benefit of trying different shafts and, going forward, I will be looking at fitting the rest of my bag properly.
    I'll be trying the Nippon wedge shafts as soon as possible as I love the feel of the iron shafts and think it could be advantageous to have that feeling through all of my irons, especially the scoring clubs. 
     
    I’d like to say a massive thanks to MyGolfSpy & Nippon for being able to test and review these new shafts. 
    These opportunities are really fantastic for us average golfers and shows why MGS is such a valuable and reliable resource for us all. 
     
     
     
  3. Love
    JohnSmalls reacted to Nunfa0 in Nippon Modus 115 Iron Shafts   
    In case you haven't seen it, here is my intro for this...
    https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/34-nippon-modus-115-iron-shafts/?do=findComment&comment=8092
    Early Impressions.
    These shafts are clean and simple but exude class. To me they look like they mean business.




    I can't tell you what it was like to build them, my club pro did the hard work for me but what a beautiful job he did!!



    I can definitely feel the added weight compared to the old shafts but they do feel stable. I will add more once I have used them in anger.... But if the play as good as they look I will be in heaven 😍😍🥰
    First Impressions 5 out of 5 stars
    Aesthetics
    I could wax lyrical about the looks of these but I think my comments in my first impressions say enough. In short I like these a lot!!.
    Aesthetics 5 out of 5 stars
    Data and on the course performance
    Well, I had grand plans of firing up Arccos and being able to down load a pile data here for you all but life and the weather has gotten in the way.

    But what I can give you are some snippets to whet your appetites.
    These shafts launch high. I hit them along side my gamers with the AMT White shafts and there was a definite difference. 
    Here is my T100s wedge with the AMTs...
    And here is the Cobra Wedge with the Modus shaft...
    The two strikes felt the same yet the Modus just flies so much higher!! Even the 4 iron gets up and goes...
    That leads nicely into distance. I was using these irons last year with the KBS C-Taper Lites and I was getting Ok distance. I was surprised that I lost no distance when I changed to the T100s, even though the T100s are higher lofted and more of a players iron. My average for a 9 iron was 120 metres or 131 yards. So when I came to a shot last weekend of 137 metres (149 yards) I decided to give the 9 iron a go just because I didn't want to go long. Boy was I surprised when I hit the ball 6 inches past the hole!! The same thing happened with my 7 iron, average of 140 metres (153 Yards) and I hit it 154 metres (168 yards) on the fly. These shafts for me have unleashed the true potential of the Cobra heads. I am at least a club longer with all of my irons and yet they still stop with the extra height.
    Spin wise I have been getting a lot of spin on the greens but we are officially in winter so the greens are soft too. I do worry that, with the extra height, these could spin up too much into a stiff breeze and just kill the distance gains.
    The other side affect of the shafts is that my ball flight is straighter. I had to adjust on the course and not aim for as much draw. I think this comes from where these shafts kick but I'm not complaining!!
    Data 5 out of 5 stars
    On the Course 5 out of 5 stars
    Takeaway
    These shafts are heavy but this makes them stable for me, they launch like missiles but have the distance to go with it and the spin seems to be controlled. But (and it's a big but) these are not for every one. I have a rhythmic swing with just enough speed to warrant stiff shafts and I think if I had a little less speed these shafts would not be a good fit.
     
    If you are a person who needs light shafts, struggles with hitting the ball too high or has elbow or wrist injuries then I don't think these shafts are for you. Try them for sure but I think the 105s might be a better fit. 
    So for me these are great shafts over all but maybe just a touch too heavy and launch just a touch too high for our windy conditions.
    Takeaway 4 out of 5 stars.
    Play or Trade
    Well this is where the rubber hits the road, so to speak. Am I going to race out and throw these shafts in my T100s?
    After reading the rest of this review you would think its an emphatic yes.... but you would be wrong.

    I think the combination of the stunning T100S heads and these shafts would launch the ball so high and create so much spin that they would be almost unplayable for me. Also I found swinging the extra weight in all of them to be tiring and I was have been feeling it at the end of rounds. So that leaves me with a conundrum, I like these shafts a lot but, for me, they need to be in power heads for them to truly work and that's not where I want my game to be. So they will be in my back up set and I may pull them out during the winter from time to time but they will not be replacing my current gamers. You could say that I am keeping them but really just to be admired from a distance and pulled out when I'm feeling brave

    Play Or Trade 2 and a half stars out of 5
    Conclusion.
    Nippon have done a fantastic job with these shafts and they fit into the range perfectly. In the right hands they will be absolute weapons. I recommend trying these during a fitting for sure but don't expect miracles. For me they are really good but not the best fit which is why they are staying on the sidelines.
    Final Score  26.5 out of 30 Stars.
    Thank you again to Nippon and MGS for allowing me to put these shafts to the test and thank you to my fellow spies for reading my thoughts. I hope it helps you with your search for the set of clubs you have been dreaming of...
    Cheers, John 
  4. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to LeftyMatt89 in Full Bag Reviews: Cobra Connect 5   
    Full Bag Review Cobra Connect 5
     

     
    First of all, thank you very much to MGS and Cobra for this opportunity. I know everyone was looking forward to the competition however due to supply chain issues, we will do our best to give thorough reviews of how everything performed. I was the only ONE Length tester so I will give my honest feedback and potential suggestions that may have made the overall review slightly better for me. I provided a lot of this feedback throughout the chatter thread but will include a concise review here to have it all consolidated. 
     
    While I have participated with a lot of you in the pre-chatter thread, I wanted to give a little better introduction. I am a 31 and currently work in IT in Summerville, SC. There are so many awesome places to play golf our here in the Charleston area. I was a college baseball player and started playing golf about 7 years ago. Since moving to South Carolina three years ago, I have improved from an 18 handicap to single digits. For our pre-rounds in Arccos my handicap was a 9. The pre-rankings are a very telling sign of my game below:
     

     
    My strength roots in my baseball playing days with being able to swing golf clubs relatively fast. My driving stats ranged from a plus one round to an 8 handicap due to inconsistency (OB and in the junk) of my long game. I think my other strength I have worked really hard on is my putting. Specifically, the change came when I started to use a line for shorter putts to only focus on speed. My weakness is my short game and approach. Specifically 100-150, which for me is my PW down. For reference with my baseline my PW was 47 degrees. I tend to miss too many greens and struggle with missing in the right place at my home course to set myself up for easier up and downs. I was very hopeful having ONE Length would simplify my swing and help with consistently shooting lower scores. 
     

     
    Now on to why you are all reading through this. I played multiple rounds and my handicap with the Cobra clubs was 5.8 strokes worse overall from my baseline stats. The primary area was approach and short game accounting for -6.2 strokes gained. Luckily my driving had a slight increase of .4 and my putting was above average while I used the clubs. I think one of my biggest mistakes was trying to make the clubs more traditional by getting the irons bent weak. I read recently Bryson has stronger lofts to get the irons to launch in the right window and I should have trusted Cobra and kept the stock lofts on the irons. 
     

     
    The bag is very nice. I did not get the color I originally asked for but really enjoy the black and grey color way. The material of the bag is very nice and it is much lighter than my normal bag I use. I found the 5 way divider to be an improvement from my 14 way stand bag. I walk the majority of the time and having less dividers actually kept the bag chatter to a minimum. Also, with less dividers I found the club tangle to be at a minimum. As far as other features, the little area to stick a glove is convenient, especially in South Carolina’s humid summers. I got a few nice bag comments and the individuals were impressed with a “muted” version of a Cobra product. Usually they see bright colors and the black and grey color had the individuals impressed with the bag. The best features in my opinion are the leg mechanism and the inside clip I used for my range finder. Overall, I am very pleased with the bag and am impressed with the bag quality. 
    Bag – 100/100
     

    Next onto the wedges. Once the MGS wedge test came out, it made a lot of sense to see the inconsistencies I was seeing with partial and touch shots with the wedges. I play primarily in the morning and depending on how wet the ball was I would get some fliers (low spin, high launch) shots. I found the wedges around the green to spin more than the Zipcore wedges I currently game. It simplified my chipping and gave me confidence on sand shots. I struggled mightily with the wedges and I believe it had nothing to do with the wedges but more to do with the ONE Length concept. I found it hard to swing a 56 and 60 degree wedge like a six iron. I hit some very very fat shots with the wedges being entirely too steep. Where I found the most success was choking down (I know this defeats the purpose of ONE Length). Because I needed to grip down significantly to get solid contact, I struggled with the gapping from the set gap wedge to the 56 degree wedge. I truly think Cobra has a great wedge product this year with the Snakebite grooves and may get some normal ones to replace my current Zipcore. The score below is representative of how poorly I performed with the wedge overall in a ONE Length configuration. I believe if the wedges were normal length I would have scored them significantly higher because the wedges did have a lot of bite with chipping around the green. 
    Wedges - 65/100





    I know this may be a big disappointment to the readers here, but I had major struggles with the ONE Length set. I was so intrigued being a club junkie from the moment I read Cobra was offering ONE Length options. I thought, man it would be so simple to grove one swing and just worry about putting and driving the ball. I want to be as honest as possible and share I had struggles with the concept. Mainly the worst of my experience was with 9 iron down controlling distance and getting pure strikes. I know in my baseline, irons did not seem to be the strength of my game, but I think I am a decent ball striker with my 8-4 iron, and the struggles lie in getting consistency with my PW, 9 and wedges. The 5,6,7 irons were very easy to hit and went very straight. I believe the RadSpeed irons are very solid game improvement irons with visible tech that inspires confidence. When I struck the ball pure, it would go very high and straight. There is something to the Radspeed irons in wanting to go straight instead of a fade or a draw. It made the long irons predictable and was easier to aim at the middle of the green. I found the hybrid to be a rocket launcher and confidence inspiring with the shorter length. Throughout this test, I kept thinking of an interesting bag configuration would be ONE Length 4-7 iron and then variable length the remainder of the bag. There may be some gapping issues, but maybe the gap would be addressed through a combo set with forged scoring irons to allow for bending the lofts. This concept would help with consistency with the longer end of the bag and may be something I would consider if I have a tough day with my normal irons to do a combo ONE Length/Variable Length set. I am not going to be a ONE Length converter after this but have a few lefty buddies very eager to try the experiment. If they have different stories, I will for sure have them join and post of their experiences. 
    ONE Length Irons/Hybrid - 60/100
     

    The Radspeed Fairway woods were absolute rocket launchers. I know 100% the 7 wood is staying in the bag and the only reason the 3 wood is not staying is because it goes too far and does not have practical usage at my home course. I currently have a TSi2 16.5 fairway with an AD XC 8X shaft. I was a little worried the shafts in the fairway woods would be too soft and not heavy enough. I will say the Motore F1 70x shaft is a great shaft especially in a fairway. Cobra did an outstanding job making this a no upcharge shaft. I truly think Cobra differentiates themselves with premium no up charge shafts in all of their clubs. Cobra is definitely onto something with the rails on their fairway woods, the woods seem to glide through the turf on even less than good contact to still produce great ball flights. The rails gave me confidence I would be able to hit the ball pure into Par 5s. The 7 wood is a weapon for shorter par 4s and second shots into par 5s. The 7 wood flies very high and lands softly with predictable small draw pattern. If I were to have any nit about the fairway woods, it would be they seem to sit slightly closed to my eye, even in the most open setting but the results on the course offset any tricks my eyes were playing for me. Cobra did an outstanding job with the Radspeed fairway wood and rivals all previous fairways I have tried (original SIM, TS2, TSi2, G410).  The Radspeed fairway wood gets a perfect score in my book.
    Fairway Woods – 100/100
     

    My first impression of the driver is it looks huge by the ball. I have used a TSi3 and TSi2 this year and find the Radspeed XB looks huge compared to both of those drivers. What this translated to was an increase in confidence behind the ball. The problem I had with the driver is 100% not on the driver itself and more to do with the shaft and my swing. On well struck balls, the Cobra driver was sitting right next to my optimized TSi2 with a Ventus Black 6TX. The issue with the Cobra driver was the shaft was slightly too soft and I would turn it over too much resulting in over draws and hooks. I like to play a soft fade in my driver and found my ability to hit this shot shape very difficult and it was not the head but probably the shaft. If I were to give the Cobra a fair shake and change the tip to the Ventus Black I have in my Titleist driver, I have no doubts I would get similar performance. The driver sounds great and my normal playing partners kept saying it sounds way better than my normal driver. I found the driver head to be on par with forgiveness compared to a TSi2 and more forgiving than the TSi3. I hit some bombs with the Cobra, I think my longest was a 327 yard drive, it was off the fairway but I had a clean shot into the green. With winter coming and golfing in 37* weather, the Radspeed XB with the Motore shaft may actually be a better fit. I may not have the same swing speed all bundled up and maybe the Cobra driver will offer a better winter alternative instead of trying to over swing with stiff muscles in the winter. The Radspeed XB is a very forgiving driver that inspires confidence behind the ball. 
    Driver – 85/100
     
    Overall Score – 410/500
    Top Performer: Cobra knocked it out of the park with their woods this year. Both the fairway woods and driver are top notch. Cobra can be had at slightly less retail than some competitors and their woods will be on the top of my list for fits in the future. I am 100% putting the 7 wood in the bag and will potentially look to get a different shaft for the driver to see if it can knock out my current gamer. 
     
    Thank you MGS and Cobra for the opportunity to participate and provide honest feedback on my experience. 
     
  5. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to CWilson216 in Final Reviews: Duca del Cosma Shoes   
    Good Evening and Hello All!
    What an opportunity to test a shoe (Italian) trying to make their mark in the USA. I don't know about the other three testers, however I have a little anxiety over testing shoe. My name is Cory, I live in Ohio and I am first time tester and relatively new "Golfer".
    I have always been drawn to this game /sport. Since the being as young as I can remember and my grandpa taking me the local course named Hickory Flats. Now, before I continue with my grandfather and my golf life or lack there of, let me say this. Hickory Flats is not flat, as a matter of fact, its THEE destination for kids on snow days from school. Sledding those hills and dodging the many tree's, fun stuff! Not sure where the name hickory comes from, as I have never seen so many pines. I loved to drive the golf cart in watch grandpa hit balls here there, however we mainly scooped balls from the numerous ponds. The cart was a 3-wheel electric cart and he paid to have it stored there. Some memories I haven't thought of much until writing this. 
    I've only played in numerous golf outings over the years, mainly through my connections with the fire departments who put them on. Until this year, I had never actually recorded a score for 18 hole's. I decided late last year during the pandemic that I wanted to finally take golf serious and try to play and enjoy it every day that I could. I bought new clubs, started some lessons and I am playing almost twice a week. Currently, the Grint has my Index at 20.8. My father always told me if I could play once a week I had potential, so we will see! Speaking of him, we have been playing this summer about once a week, and a funny story about grandpa from above.......dad said he doesn't think he ever purchased a golf ball 😂🤷🏻‍♂️. My best score is an 84 and I am consistently in the 90's now. I have a driver swing speed of 95-100 currently and hoping it keeps climbing as I play more. My goal for a shoe is comfort first and foremost. If we can't be comfortable. we can't enjoy ourselves. Next would be performance, does it keep me planted. I would then rate based on weather and durability. 
    I am extremely excited from this and truly hope I can bring a fresh and insightful review to everyone. As I said, I am not sure if I am anxious, nervous or just scared to do this for the first time, but I promise to give it my all. Sorry for the late introduction, its been an extremely hectic this past week with work, work and more work, plus a golf trip Mon/Tue. If only these had arrived prior. The Shoe, Duca del Cosma Elpaso looks to be a traditional styled spike-less shoe and boasts the award of Golf Monthly's Editors choice. We shall see as I am building my shoe collection but just recently purchase a few high scoring shoes in this years MGS Buyers Guide.
    The shoe's arrived this evening and are still in the shipping box. I will tackle some first impressions tomorrow, maybe break them in a little Friday and Saturday and then put through an initial test walking 18 with @MattF on course I've never played. So the first "test" should be interesting. I plan to bring a back up.... but will I need them 😬  Attached are photo's from the manufacturers website and one of myself. Yes, I can at least dress/look the part, still working on the playing thing. 



     
    FIRST IMPRESSIONS:
    The shoes arrived within a few days via UPS within a few days of picking a size. Sizing consists of full size only, with no half sizes. In my experience this typically leads to a shoe sometimes not fitting ideally and always in between sizes (in which they always say go up). Based on Duca's sizing chart and all of my measurements, size 9 was where I ended up. I normally wear a 10 or 10.5 in other shoes FYI. 
    The packaging of the shoes was first class. Exactly what you would expect from a shoe in this price range. Nicely boxed, a carry bag, spare (brown) shoe laces and nice welcoming letter on the inside of the lid, thanking you for your purchase and welcoming you to the Duca Del Cosma Family. A very nice touch. The first look and touch of the shoe and you can tell its quality. They do have an odd shape / appearance to what I'm used to wearing, but I like a traditional looking golf shoe and these scream tradition and class. Spikes / sole are also a bit odd, but I believe they were designed this way on purpose.

     
    Initial try on and fit was very mixed. They fit extremely tight in the toe box even though I had plenty of room between big toe and the end of the shoe. Comparing to my current shoes, they were exactly the same size when matching them together. It is definitely a shape / material issue. I walked around the firehouse with them on for 30 min or so and had two short practice sessions with them on in my garage simulator before the first round. First round was a Sunday morning/afternoon at Kent States home course, Windmill Lakes in Ravenna with @MattF.  I was informed the course doesn't drain well and on this day I brought my push cart to walk and really test these shoes. It was cart path only so I was thankful for that decision. So just walking around the course etc....Stability is an A+ but comfort is definitely lacking. I brought my Adidas Tour 360's with me just incase I had problems and originally left them in the truck thinking I could change at the turn, then I remembered my cart bag has shoe pockets built in (Thanks Ping) and I brought the Adidas along and thank goodness I did. I felt blisters potentially starting and decided on the 5th hole after our tee shots that I should set down and take a look. Sure enough blisters, so I decided to change shoes right then. Immediately my Adidas felt cushioned clouds and I was surprised how comfortable they felt and the relief my feet begged for. On the 6th tee, I bandaged my blisters and played the rest of the round in the Adidas. 


     
     
    Fast forward to today for a brief update and a glimmer of hope. We discussed going a size up, but I didn't think it would matter. I felt at that point they would just be too big and the potential of blisters would increase with slipping of the heel. The testers also discussed privately the need for break in as these are handmade with quality leather. So that's what I did. I continued to wear in the garage for practice, wore to the range and even some around the yard. Yesterday I played 18 in them (albeit in a cart) but I made it the entire round and did start to enjoy them. So I will continue to test and report back soon, off to the course I go for another round with the Duca del Cosma ElPaso's

     
    Looks (7 out of 10 points) 
    Looks are very subjective and personable to each of us. I like the look of a traditional shoe which is why I chose the Elpaso. The shape of the shoe takes some getting used to. I am not sure if it's the brown piping or just the overall design and “boxiness” of them. The white leather is absolutely stunning and the piping is well done as well. The gold top eyelets look great and I wished they had used them for all of the eyelets instead of blue which I feel distracts from the shoe. Overall, the shoes have a different look when compared to other “name” brand shoes. This is afterall an Italian golf shoe which I feel might lend itself better to the Euro Tour and players across the pond when it comes to looks alone.
    Fit and Comfort (5 out of 10 points)
    This is a tough category because the shoes fit me very tight, but I am not sure there is room to go up a size. There is decent space between my big toe and the tip of the shoe, no less than other shoes I wear. Sizing was not as I expected, I ordered a 9 and I normally where 10-10.5. Duca has a sizing chart and I measured numerous times to make sure I was not wrong. Which brings me to the con of no half sizes. I am not sure it would make the difference as it would allow more room in the toe box, but could lead to additional slipping and my heels won’t appreciate that. I saw no option for different widths either. I am assuming this will hold true across all models. If I could change one thing it would be a slightly larger toe area. However, as you will read later, maybe I just need to suck it up and play my best 🙂
    Worth noting is the weight of the shoes compared to my only other pair of spikeless (Tour 360's). The Duca's are roughly 4.5oz heavier per each shoe, resulting in just over a half pound total difference. It doesn't seem like much, but with both pairs in each hand the DDC's are noticeably heavier.
    Comfort I feel is the most important topic of this category and the shoe lacks here. Not only do they fit tight, but it almost feels like I am walking on a board. There is very little cushioning to the shoe. This was immediately noticeable when I felt my blisters starting the first round and switching to my Tour360’s. Quite honestly I was surprised how much more comfortable they were and it felt like walking on a cloud. Definitely an eye opener and something I haven’t figured out if it's a good or bad thing...read on to performace!

    Basic Features (16 out of 20 points)
    This is a category I feel the shoe could slip in (no pun intended) however it doesn’t deserve to. Shoes do not need tons of features to stand apart from others. As golfers we really just need about four features for a shoe to be successful and this shoe checks all but one. I feel we need: Comfort (addressed above) Stability, traction and waterproofing. Everything else is important personally, but not essential. 
    The waterproofing is done in a few different ways. First is they use the “more resistant” grain side of the leather. I am not sure how this translates to the other side but I will take their word. The second is using a hydrophobic treatment prior to tanning the leather. This one makes much more sense to me. The last piece to the puzzle is the membrane of the shoe. I am going to directly list information from Duca del Cosma website to explain:
    A membrane is like a wall separating liquids and gas. Liquids can't enter, but vapor may escape, making our shoes waterproof while also being breathable.
    For the interior finishing of Duca del Cosma shoes, we use a microfiber material with a membrane and waterproof tape sealing. We focus on testing waterproofness and functionality to ensure your feet remain constantly dry, while still being able to “breathe”. The upper leather has been treated in regular intervals to ensure humidity runs off and does not soak in, so that it maintains its suppleness. We guarantee our shoes are waterproof under normal wearing circumstances and up to 1.75" on the shoe from the ground
    I didn’t stand in puddles for extended periods of time, but I did trounce in a few and noticed no water getting into the shoe. I also wore them for a few early morning rounds and water from the dew and sprinklers were no match. As far as drying, I never really noticed them feeling wet, so it must be quick. 
    There is no fancy lacing system on these shoes. Two pairs of laces were included and the shoes stayed taught each and every round. My feet always felt locked in and never felt overly uncomfortably warm from a breathability standpoint. I do tend to have hot / sweaty feet but I never noticed my feet feeling warmer than other shoes.
    Ah, the soles of the shoes. Very interesting looking indeed but they work. I was concerned with the lack of space between the nubs to allow areas to bite. By looking at the sole one would think the shoe might just be flat on the surface and not actually grip. I was wrong….the traction is superb and I never once felt like I would slip, spin out during my swing or lose traction on harder surfaces. The rubber of the sole grips well and doesn’t seem to be wearing much at all. 
    These shoes are designed to be worn to and from the course. However, I feel they are a little much for my taste off the course. There is no offense to Duca del Cosma or this man, but I have never seen this guy at any of the clubhouses I frequent 😉

     
    On-Course / LM Performance (28 out of 30 points)
    This category is where the shoes shine I believe. I am not sure they were designed this way or why they work the way they seem to, but I just felt confident swinging in these. I never lost traction, always felt connected to the ground and the stability was amazing.
    This shoe really seemed to promote footwork and from the moment I wore them in the garage on my hitting mat, I knew there was something different about them. At this point I can only suggest it is the open area in the midsection of the sole which allows your foot to roll or transition in your swing. I felt like the rolling onto my lead side was just a more natural feeling. I am no golf expert by any means, but I know when your weight shifts forward properly, it promotes MUCH better ball striking and the Elpaso’s seems to promote this shift by allowing your feet to roll. So this might be the proper time to mention I shot my best round wearing these shoes two weeks ago. I shot an 84 (42/42) and I should have broken 80 that day. I wish I would have tried my other shoes against these on the Mevo+ but I am not sure I am consistent enough to confidently post any findings from a test like that.

    Miscellaneous (8 out of 10 points)
    Shipping was fast and I feel no matter which coast you’re on you will have your shoes in less than five days. We had to have our size submitted on a Sunday and the shoes arrived that Wednesday...impressive. As mentioned in the first impressions, the packaging is fantastic and a carry bag is a nice touch. The note on the lid of the box makes one feel special and just lets you know they care and appreciate your business.
    I received no comments from playing buddies as I don’t think most know about this company or are willing to spend the money for a shoe like this. Maybe when I break 80 I will tell them it was the shoes HAHA.
    Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20 points)
    The Elpaso’s are a play it for me at this point. While I am not in love with the look when wearing them, I can’t argue with how confident I feel when standing over the ball. Before breaking them in more and after the blisters I was a hard trade it, but I’ve made a flip. The asking price I believe is high for U.S customers. This model won’t appeal to everyone and the retail price tag is hefty ($230) . I believe the golfer who has a passion for being different, willing to try something new, looking for a shoe that just might promote better footwork and has an expendable golf budget will be happy with these. 
    If the shoes came in other sizes (½) and one or two additional colors, it would make it easier to recommend. I don’t need my shoes to match my clothes, but the Elpasos definitely look classier with certain styles and colors of clothing.
    Conclusion
    I am sure quite a few skipped down to this section but I hope some of you took the time to read my first review. This was a struggle (I’ve written this twice) but a very enjoyable process. The shoes are tight fitting but I feel they are designed this way. The break in period is long and I am not sure they are fully broken in after 10 or so rounds. My advice is to take your time and wear as much as possible before hitting the course. Comfort is definitely missing (might get better) but only more rounds will tell. I shot my best round wearing these. If the performance continues it will be hard to argue versus the looks and comfort. My feet stayed dry and were not overly warm.
    I own more comfortable shoes for sure, but the feel when swinging in the Duca del Cosma Elpaso’s just feels natural and right. I like to be different and these shoes scream “look at this guy” or “what are you wearing? ''. I also have a large mustache, wear loud colors and now some flashy shoes 😉

    Final Score: (81 out of 100 points)
  6. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to fozcycle in Final Reviews: Duca del Cosma Shoes   
    In 1959, the City of Frankfort, Kentucky opened a new park called Juniper Hills,  located just west of the city.  Juniper Hills included a Par 72, 18 Hole rolling terrain golf course and an Olympic size swimming pool.  My Grandfather and his buddies joined the club and began playing every week.  I was only 8 yrs old, but my Grandfather decided I was old enough to be his caddy.  So I began my golfing career pulling a Bagboy pull-cart filled with Powerbilt golf clubs up and down the rolling terrain of Juniper Hills.  As a caddy, I learned the rules of golf and how the game was played.  My first set of clubs were a hodgepodge set of old hickory shafted clubs, leftovers from my Grandfather’s old clubs.  Ones that he took to Africa when he was building a sawmill to harvest mahogany wood for office furniture in 1948-49.  He was a Civil Engineer.  They carved out some land in the jungles of the Gold Coast(now Ghana) for a 9 hole course and played it for their recreation. Sadly, today I only have the putter left, so it hangs on the wall above my desk at home.  I progressed from the hickory sticks to used Powerbilts that were my Grandfather’s.  At age 10, I got my first set of cleats(steel spikes of course).  I felt like I was king of the world when I walked around the clubhouse area going clickety-clack, clickety-clack.  I spent my summers at Juniper Hills, just a mile from my home, caddying in the mornings then either hawking lost balls, putting for pennies or playing in the hot Summer afternoons.  I witnessed a Hole in one at age 13 when one of my friends aced the 140 yard Par 3 #6.  For my High School Graduation, my Grandfather gave me a new set of Powerbilt irons. I got my Ace in August, 1985 at Pine Ridge Country Club in Winnfield, LA.  When I moved to Florida in 1987, I was a 10 Handicap, gaming Nicklaus Muirfield irons.  Unfortunately, I was either working, or playing with my 4yr old daughter so I did not get much time to retain my handicap and watched it slip to an 18.  Fast forward through the years to now, I have been playing with a 6” steel plate, 13 screws & an inch of my left hip bone in my left wrist (ice skating accident in 1998).  The inch of my left hip was to make both arms the same length again.  Because of the injury, my handicap ballooned to the mid 20’s for several years, so I moved to graphite irons to reduce as much vibration as possible.  I was able to get my handicap back down to 13 for a few months in 2011, but that did not last.  For the past several years, I have been bouncing between 14 and 22.  I also have two Ligaments damaged in my Left Ankle(too many ankle sprains).  The Dr’s offered surgery but I declined because I was not ready to stay off of it for 4 months.  I am an Accountant(Ky State Univ. 1977) that retired in Jan 2017 and played 4 days a week wearing an ankle brace.  I got tired of the brace and decided to play without it.  My drives usually range from 185 to 205, with an occasional 220 and my 6i is my 150 yard club.  I am 70 years old, with an 14 Handicap, and play golf 3 to 4 times every week.
     
    • I played at Pebble Creek Golf Club, located in New Tampa, just 7 miles from my home until it was closed on July 31st.  I shot my best round there on the day it closed, 37/38:75.  I have been running the Saturday Game at Pebble Creek for 12 years.  We average between 30 - 50 players each week in our Stableford Points game.  Twice a year we have a 2 day tourney.  Annually, I book a 12 to 24 man Buddy Trip to the Kissimmee FL area. It’s a lot of work, but a lot of fun. We are now playing at Plantation Palms GC, same owner but way different club with many undulations around the elevated greens.
     
    • I have previously reviewed Cobra Bio Cell, Cobra F6 irons and Cobra F8 Full Bag Challenge for My Golf Spy.  All were excellent sticks for a mid to high Handicaper.  I have also reviewed Tour Edge CBX119 hybrid and Cleveland Zipcore wedge. Currently testing the Titleist ball blind test.
    • My Bag is as follows:  Vice Cruiser cart Bag, PXG 0211 Driver(Evenflo Riptide regular set to 11.5*), Cobra F8 3-4 Wood(16.0*) & 5-6 Wood(20*) with Mitsubishi tense ck blue shafts, Cobra King F8 3 Hybrid with Mitsubishi tense ck blue shaft, Wilson D-7 irons 5-PW 2* flat with Recoil 460 regular shafts). The wedges are Cleveland Zipcore 50/54/58*, Putter is Evnroll ER2 33” w/355 gram head. 
    • My current ball has been the Maxfli CG Tour, Srixon Q Star Tour & Titleist Pro V1x.
    I am an avid Tampa Bay sports fan, or should I say “CHAMPA Bay”!

    As for shoes, I have around 14 pair, Foot Joy(7 pr) Puma(3 pr) Ecco(2 pr) Addidas and Etonic.
    I will be testing the Tomcat shoe by Duca del Cosma.
     


    First Impressions
     
    This week, I am at Hilton Head Island for my annual visit with my family.  So I booked a solo round at one of my fav courses, Palmetto Hall Robert Cupp course. I was placed with a couple that had moved to HHI from Ohio right before the pandemic hit.  When I walked up to the first tee, Stephanie said, “…where did you get those shoes? They are really nice…” I then got the opportunity to describe the shoes and where they come from.  I was wearing my  Duca del Cosma Tomcat golf shoes.

    What kind of shoe is Duca del Cosma? If you go to their website you will see what they are….
     
    Duca del Cosma was established in 2004 by Baldovino Mattiazzo and Antje Elle. Italian-born Baldovino is a designer from Venice who graduated as one of the best students from the Sarteco fashion School in Florence. Antje was born in Germany and graduated from the renowned Munich School for Fashion Graphic Design.Baldovino and Antje, both passionate golf players, strongly believed that the golf world needed a breath of fresh air: a sophisticated and fashionable touch. An ideal brand name immediately came to mind: “Duca del Cosma”, Italian for Duke of Cosma. Cosma is a traditional Venetian name and has been in use in Baldovino’s family for many generations. Duca del Cosma, a new brand, was born.
    We at Duca del Cosma are passionate about developing unique golf and contemporary lifestyle collections that combine comfort, fashionable stylishness and sports functionality. Our collections are inspired by the Italian way of living and produced with great attention to detail.
     
    With that said, Duca del Cosma became successful in Europe and decided to venture into the United States of America.
     
    The package arrived in a brown box. Upon opening, I saw a red shoe box with cushioned air bags around it.   
     

     
     

       
    Inside the shoebox lid, a personal message…..

     
     
     
     

     
     

     
     
    As you know from my introduction, I have played golf most of my life.  Retired now for almost 5 years, I try to play 3 or 4 times a week.  Currently, I have about 16 pair of golf shoes, ranging from Addidas(1),  Ecco(2), Etonic(1) Footjoy(7), Nike(2) & Puma(3).  I am very conscious of my feet and try to make sure that my shoes are very comfortable.
     
     
    Grading
     
    Looks ( 9 out of 10 points) 
     
    Athletic look, with long, adjustable shoe string ties. Color is dark blue with red and white accents. Soul is solid red color.  
     
    Fit & Comfort( 10  out of 10 points)
     
    I wear size 8 1/2 US or a 42 in European. I have a narrow foot so the long shoe ties help keep the shoe tight. The shoe is heavy when you pick it up, but does not feel heavy when wearing.  The shoe fit my entire foot, heel to toe.  It has a high back so your heel does not slip as some shoes do. Very comfortable after 18 holes. I could easily wear these all day when playing 36 holes and be very comfortable.  

    Basic Features ( 18 out of 20 points)
     
    As stated earlier, I play four times a week.  I also play in very wet conditions this time of the year(July-Oct).  I do not have a good place to practice but figure 18 holes, four times a week will give me a good idea how the shoe fits and handles the course.
     
    Here is a brief description of the wedges attributes:
     
    Waterproofing:  the shoe has a waterproof membrane that keeps moisture out while allowing the shoe to breathe. August & September are the wet months for Central Florida. The Tomcat trudged through swampy conditions and kept me feet dry.  The sole is made from recycled materials and has a 1.75” waterproof from the ground. The Lacing system is long allowing for tight control of the entire foot. The shoes also came with a second pair of laces(Blue).  
     

     
     
     
    As stated previously, these shoes were comfortable enough to be worn off the course. I wore them from my house to the course and back several times and my feet were comfortable.  

    On-Course Performance (28 out of 30 points)
     
    I have tried several shoes without spikes and found most of them okay, if the ground is dry and there are no leaves to slip on. I must say, right off the bat, these spikeless golf shoes are the real deal.  They grip the ground and allow you to turn. With the high heel on the shoe, my feet were very stable when I made my swing. I wore these four times in a week....they recovered nicely after each round.  


    Miscellaneous ( 8 out of 10 points)
    Even though my size, 8 1/2 US fit the size 9, they need to include 1/2 sizes for the US market.  I do think their $200+ price tag is a bit pricey for the US market, as most golfers can get good shoes for under $150.  I know, from 15+ pair of golf shoes.
     
    Play it or Trade it? ( 20 out of 20 points)
    I was very impressed by the Duca del Cosma Tomcat and believe they have a place in the US market. I absolutely will play them.
     
    Conclusion
    If you value the comfort of your feet during a round of golf, the Duca del Cosma shoe should be on your feet.
     
    Final Score: (92 out of 100 points)

  7. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to MsFitz in Final Reviews: Duca del Cosma Shoes   
    Hi all! I’m very excited to be one of the testers of these beautiful shoes. Before I get them, I want to introduce myself. My name is Linda. I am retired and living the golf dream life in sunny Northern California. 
        I have lived on the Lincoln Hills Orchard course in Lincoln for two years, so have been able to rekindle my golf game that was somewhat on hold the past 20+ years. It’s my happy place! I’m fortunate to be able to play 4-5 times a week or more on a variety of nice courses. I belong to our ladies club, am the current net club Champion. I also won the Helen Lengfield last October. I’m just a little competitive 😃
    I’m about a 23 index, shooting from a low of 85 up into the low 100’s. But I’m taking lessons and hoping to get into the 80’s more often in the near future. I’ve been working on course management and my short game. 
        I currently have over a dozen pairs of shoes, mostly FootJoys, but some Skechers (shoes and sandals) and one pair of Sandbaggers. I saw the Duca Del Cosma’s on Facebook and love the style. I look for comfort (#1), secure (for scrambling up & down hills and out of sand traps) and style - so really looking forward to getting these. 
    I’ll let you know more when I get them! 
    And that’s me on the left, our group just won the Captain’s cup 🤑

    Intro con’t
    One thing I didn’t mention in my initial intro is that our courses are really not walkable, nor as we allowed to walk most of the tournaments I play in, so I have a cart and jump in and out (I hate slow play). My #1 priority is stability…both while swinging, and while jumping in and out of the cart. And of course, great looks! And these have them in spades. This pair is not flashy, though DDC has plenty of pairs that are, and I recently purchased the beautiful Mint as I liked these so much.
    The shoes come with interchangeable laces, and I use the brown to offset the white. It’s very classy in my opinion.They’re also extremely water resistant, which I do play when it’s wet.
     
    First Impressions
    When I first received the box, I was impressed with the strength. Might sound silly but I’ve gotten some non-DDC where the boxes have been squished - not good. But these were packaged like the first class shoes they are:

    Grading
    Looks
    Don’t they look great?! I’ve had so many compliments from both friends and people I meet on the course. They are classic, elegant, and there’s just something about them. They just look beautifully made - and with the 30+ I’ve played them, they are very well made. 10 points

    Fit and Comfort (## out of 10 points)
    I was a little concerned about the sizes knowing Italian shoes tend to run small. But after measuring my foot the way the website specifies, the 7.5 was just about perfect.
    The Isabel (and the Mint I just bought) are for wider feet. The leather is a little stiff on the Isabel but not so much I felt it uncomfortable. I did have a blister on my heel after the first round and some minor pain on my big toe callus after playing two days in a row. Heavier socks did the trick. These aren’t Skechers in terms of feeling like there’s a lot of foam around your foot but for me they are just fine, and offer much more stability on the course.
    8 points

     
    Basic Features (## out of 20 points)
    The model I tried is not waterproof, but extremely water resistant. I never felt my feet were wet at any time, and I have taken them into areas of standing water. It’s one reason I wear them for all my tournaments.
    Performance has been excellent. I have never felt like I was going to slip - and at my age, you don’t want to fall!
    The soft spikes performed just fine, and I’ve had no unusual wear or tear.  20 points
     

    They're wet, but my feet are dry!
    On-Course / LM Performance (## out of 30 points)
    For what it’s worth, my index has gone down three points! I’ve had three rounds in the mid-80’s (I had never broken 90 until earlier this year). I’ve won several tournaments wearing them. I do believe they’ve helped, and I didn’t expect that. Have to give them 30 points for that.
    Don't mine look nice?

     
    Miscellaneous (## out of 10 points)
    After I’d played in these for a couple of weeks, I decided to order another pair. Unfortunately, I didn’t pay attention to the sizing, and they were too narrow. I asked to send them back - about killed me as I loved the style. Customer service was excellent. I received a UPS slip and full instructions on how to send back. My money was refunded as soon as they received the shoes. Thumbs up on Customer Service! 10 points

    Play it or Trade it? (## out of 20 points)
    At the higher price point, I probably wouldn’t buy many pairs. HOWEVER, I will buy again and probably always have a pair as I’ve had so much success with them…and they have a GREAT sale right now.  I jumped at getting another beautiful pair for half price. These are not for everyone. But they are for people who appreciate style and quality, and are willing to pay a slightly higher price.
    My new pair!

    Points 18

    Conclusion
    Interestingly, my index has gone DOWN three points to 19.8 since I’ve been playing with these shoes. No, it’s not all the shoes, but I do appreciate both the stability and style, and face it, when you like what you’re wearing, you feel better too!
    Final Score: (## out of 100 points)
    Winner, winner! Me winning low net in my flight at the WGANC Eclectic at PeachTree. Just one of several!

     
    96 points from this senior woman golfer. Thanks so much for letting me test drive these great shoes!
     
     
     
     
     
     

  8. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to Dragon3 in Final Reviews: Duca del Cosma Shoes   
    Duca Del Cosma Shoe - Vinci - Official MGS Forum Review by @Dragon3
    Intro: 
    Hi All!  I'm thrilled to be able to lend my expertise and passion for the game.  I'm a golfer who enjoys playing but also watching and analyzing the sport, products, business, history, etc.  It's all encompassing.  I'm a wealth of knowledge and experience and bring a unique perspective and spin on things.  I'm good at reading the greens.   And I have made contributions through other similar venues. 
    While I always had an interest, in my twenties, I knew it would be an investment.  I actually got my start when I stepped in for my brother for a charitable golf tournament. I was told I was better than him and the rest is history.  The biggest complement I ever received was that I had "natural ability" from Brandt Snedeker.  While I remain competitive, I do wish that I could afford to get to the course more often.  But the time and quality is always well spent.  And if I can't get in a round of -9 or -18, preferably, you'll see me practicing at the driving range, putting and chipping.  I've never had a professional handicap even though I have been golfing for many years.  I also like to combine golf in my travels, to golf a new course.  That has been hampered so to speak.   My average score is 108-111 and fluctuates. Perfecting the shot was always more important to me than the score.  I'm not sure about my swing tempo.  Hopefully it's 3:1.  My driver swing speed has been clocked between 90-103. My typical ball flight is low to mid.  My misses are the slice and inconsistent pitching.  Putting is my strength.  My drives can be a strength and weakness.  My chipping has gotten better.
    You can say I'm fashion forward and have an eye for both ladies and men fashions. So this is a nice fit for me.  As for shoes, I still have my Puma IGNITE given to me at the launch I attended.  I also have Callaway's Solaire that I purchased based on the features. I have yet to break these in.  Since, I walk the course comfort and durability are at the top of my priority list . I actually don't have any preconceived expectations.  Since there are limited options for ladies, ranging from clubs, bags, apparel, accessories, etc. I make my contributions and inquiries known when asked upon and whenever  the opportunity affords itself.  While it is getting better, there's always more that can be done in this space.  And when you're petite, there are additional challenges and limited options.
    Hope you gain some insight.
     




    First Impressions
    It’s all in the presentation. And if first impressions are anything, it’s hands down quality at its finest. I took a short video to capture the unveiling.  Golf meets high end fashion, so to speak. Belissima!  Loved the color and design.  The roundness of the front took a slight adjustment in aesthetics and eventually grew on me. It is modern and fashionable, while adhering to the traditional. You don’t have to compromise on comfort, style nor grip.   From my experience with Italian apparel and shoes they run a bit smaller, which is generally great for me. And performed a comparison with my Puma IGNITE and you could witness that the Vinci was noticeably smaller.  Since it’s a nappa leather and neoprene, it might feel tight within the toe area or squished based upon the socks worn and/or season of the year.  And if you feel a slight looseness in the heel, I generally would use Compeed or Band-Aid blister care for added comfort.  While it was not required this time, as I had time to break in prior to hitting the course to avoid any pain or discomfort.  Your feet will thank you too!  While it may have been recommended to size up, a whole size would probably have been too big.  This shoe was definitely suited for me “the fashion-conscious golfer.”  Always looking for versatility while not compromising on innovation nor aesthetics. “The Airplay VII is a new outsole designed by Duca del Cosma for stability to make the perfect swing while enjoying the spotlight on and off the course.   Its innovative design combines form and function, perfect both on and off the course. Lightweight, flexible, super comfortable and fun to wear in in a two-tone design with oversized nubs.”
    MORE TO COME.

    FullSizeRender.mov Grading   Looks (10/10) Based on general shape, colors/design, overall look, and appearance in relation to others, there’s nothing I would change. Traditional but yet modern.  The roundness of the toe area eventually grew on me. Fit and Comfort (9/10)
    I slipped on with a Sketchers ped sock initially and also without and indeed they still were quite comfortable.  It was slightly more snug in the toe area based on the sizing and what I am accustomed, which was to be expected, while the other areas and heel felt completely secure with the laces all laced up.  The insole provided the right amount of support. It felt airy and lightweight, flexible and super comfortable. 
    Duca del Cosma shoes come in whole and 1/2 sizes based on style availability and seemed more options for larger sizes or it could just be that the smaller sizes go fast.  The Vinci was described as a regular fit.  Other styles included wide width, etc.  So would recommend that you check the details if considering a purchase, as the fit will determine sizing appropriateness. While form fitting, It conformed to my foot perfectly and added overall comfort through the round.   Basic Features (19/20)
    I tested the waterproofing aspect in the yard. I walked in puddles of water. The shoes kept my feet dry.  It proved waterproof and breathable throughout. Nothing out of the norm that I experienced. I didn’t have the heart to truly get them all muddy because they are white after all.
    ARNEFLEX® insole features a waterproof sock system was totally effective at keeping my feet dry during the heat on a daily basis. I don't experience as much feet moisture, so I can't really attest to.  Quite breathable. Antibacterial shock absorption.
    Velvet and basic white lacing were provided for the Vinci. I was slightly disappointed, as the description stated matching animal print laces and these were basic white laces and not as luxurious.  A minor sticking point. The lacing offered the additional comfort as intended and no slippage.
    While they felt slightly heavier than my other shoes no discomfort. I felt great traction. Traction was great on course, cart paths, steps, hills and bunker shots. I didn’t notice any wear on traction.  A spikeless shoe tech offered was perfect, as I've only experienced spikeless. Definitely could be worn off course which is a plus.   On-Course/LM Performance (29/30)
    The Vinci offered the appropriate stability.  I felt great traction.     “The Airplay VII is a new outsole designed by Duca del Cosma for stability to make the perfect swing..." and it really delivered during actual swing motions. In bunker sand or thick grass, traction was consistently solid. A slightly elevated heel seem to complement the swing motion.  Miscellaneous (10/10)
    Packaging and presentation are hands down exceptional! I took a video to capture the unveiling. Shipment was rather quick and that is always a plus. FullSizeRender.mov Play it or Trade it? (20/20)
    The shoes are on the higher end of the price points but remember these are fine Italian leather golf shoes. A premium brand in packaging.  Style and comfort offered and delivered.  Check them out even if a bit curious and you just might find something that clicks.   Conclusion
    A worthwhile investment yes! As a lover of shoes in general, there’s something for everyone.  And definitely some other styles that I would love to add to my collection if sky's the limit. Definitely not your average golf shoe that sets them apart. Haute Couture meets the golfing establishment.  It's perfect and offers versatility for both on and off the course. Fun and Fancy Free.   Final Score (97/100)  
  9. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to null in Full Bag Reviews: Cobra Connect 5   
    jlukes' 2021 Cobra Full Bag Review

    Well 2021 sure has been a year we will all remember, and one of the reasons I will remember it is because I had the honor to review Cobra’s offerings throughout the bag.  While the challenge portion of the Cobra Connect Challenge did not come to fruition, it didn’t prevent me from diving into the clubs I received in order to provide a proper review of everything for the MyGolfSpy Forum Community.
    A little bit about me for those who I haven’t interacted with before or are new readers to the MGS  Forum.  My name is Joe, I am 37 and from central New Jersey.  As of writing this review I am a 4.8 handicap.  I grew up playing multiple sports, but ended up playing Varsity Golf in high school.  Now that I am in my mid (err, late) 30s I am married with a job, two kids and a busy life.  Thankfully my wife knows how important golf is to me and I still get to the range once a week and play at least every other week. The strength of my game is putting, followed by my driving.  My wedge game and approach shots have greatly improved since last year.
    I was completely fitted for my gamer bag by True Spec NYC.  I went through this fitting in June 2019 and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my golfing career.  
    My bag going into the Cobra review:
    Driver - Ping G410 LST 9* w/ VA Nemesys 65X
    Arccos Smart Distance: 294 yards
    This setup has been so steady for me.  I originally was a forum tester for the G410 Plus Driver and it was phenomenal.  The following year I did some speed training and gained about 5mph of clubhead speed and with that I needed to move into a lower spinning head.  The LST head has been incredible.  The spin isn’t too low and it provides consistency across the head which really helps keep the spin in a manageable range. 
    Fairway Wood - Ping G425 LST 14.5* w/ GD AD DI 75X
    Arccos Smart Distance: 270 yards
    I had been gaming my favorite fairway wood of all time, the G410 LST 3 Wood until earlier this summer when I unfortunately noticed that the face was beginning to cave in.  Ping customer support was fantastic and I had a replacement within 2 weeks in a G425 LST head.  Thankfully there does not appear to be much performance difference between the 410 and 425 heads.  I am comfortable playing it off tight fairways as well as off the tee.  
    Hybrid - Titleist 818H2 20* w/ GD AD DI 85X
    Arccos Smart Distance: 236 yards
    The oldest club in my bag and for good reason.  It is the first hybrid I feel comfortable hitting just about any shot with.  Low cut, high cut, bomb draw, high and straight.  You name it and I feel I can execute with this club.
    4 Iron - Mizuno MP20 HMB w/ GD Tour AD 95X
    Arccos Smart Distance: 217 yards
    I moved to a slightly more distance oriented 4 iron to help give me a better gap between my hybrid and 5 iron.  The Mizuno HMB is a beautiful iron that has manageable offset, a nice topline and not an overly large sole.  I feel comfortable hitting this club off the deck and off the tee and it fills the exact gap that I need.
    5-PW - Mizuno JPX Tour 919 w/ Oban CT 115X(-)
    Arccos Smart Distances: 5(202y), 6(188y), 7(175y), 8(164y), 9(152y) PW(138y)
    Just a fantastic iron for me.  The thin sole is key for my shallow angle of attack and the shaft gives me confidence on every shot because it just blends perfectly with my swing.
    Wedges - Vokey SM7 50F, 54S, 60D w/ Modus 125 Wedge
    Arccos Smart Distances: 50(123y), 54 (107y), 60 (77y)
    As you can see by the yardages, by 60* is not really used for full shots. It is my swiss army knife around the greens from the fairway, rough and bunkers when I need a bit more carry then runout.  Otherwise, I use the 54 around the greens for most of my pitches and chips.  My 50 is used for full shots and for chips/pitches where I want to play more roll out.  The D grind on my 60 is maybe my favorite wedge grind of all time.  It is high bounce, but the shaping of the grind makes it extremely versatile from just about any lie. 
    Putter: Evnroll 1.2V
    A slight change from my ER2.  The 1.2 was made with Evnroll’s CustomER program and has the long plumbers neck, no site line, and a lighter headweight.  Just absolutely everything I’ve wanted in a putter.
     
    Now that you know a little about me and my golf game, let’s get to the review of the Cobra clubs!

     
     
    Driver - Cobra Radspeed 9* w/ PX HZRDUS Blue 60 6.5
    Arccos Smart Distance: 287y


    During my fitting, the fitting cart did not have an XB 9* head.  Having played with the traditional Radspeed for 3 months, I can say that I would at least want to hit the XB 9* head to see if it could provide a bit more spin than the standard Radspeed.  And that is exactly my only issue I had with the Radspeed driver - it is very low spin.  When struck on the screws, the Radspeed can go toe to toe with just about any driver out there.  However, it does so through a combination of ball speed and low spin.  Very low spin.  I spin my G410 LST around 2200-2400 RPM and I struggled to keep the Radspeed over 2000.  On the course, this led to really big drives, but it also led to more low spin hooks than I have hit in the last two years. If you catch the RadSpeed high on the face, and even more so high and off the toe, the spin struggles to stay above 1700 RPMs.  This would be a fantastic driver for someone that is looking to knock spin off their driver, but is not good for someone looking for a bit more stability.  I did try the standard Radspeed and  XB 10.5* during my fitting, but unfortunately Cobra decided to make the 10.5* heads of both drivers more upright than the 9* head.  A puzzling decision for me, because it really alienates the better player who wants a bit more spin, but doesn’t want a head that looks more closed or is more draw biased.  Again, it comes down to fitting.  The Radspeed driver is a great head, but it is definitely on the low end of the spin spectrum and thus should be left for those who need help dropping spin. 
     
    3 Wood - Cobra Radspeed 14.5 w/ PX HZRDUS Blue 70 6.5
    Arccos Smart Distance: 260y

    I want to note right away that my 3W came with two paint defects on the crown.  I could see them through the plastic and unfortunately they aren’t something that I could remove.  They aren’t scratches, but imperfections in the actual paint job.  If I was a paying customer, I would have contacted Cobra and requested a replacement head.  Being that the clubs were given to me as part of a review and the imperfections did not impact performance I did not escalate these to Cobra.

    As for the performance of the club, this was the surprise of the review for me.  I was apprehensive that anything could be as good and as comfortable as my G425 LST 3W.  I finished the review pondering if the Cobra Radspeed 3W had earned a spot in the bag going forward.  Ultimately, the Ping won out for me, but man the Cobra 3W is fantastic.  The head is a wonderful shape and with the loft turned down to 13.5* it sits a tad open and looks absolutely perfect at address.  The head is not overly big, but it’s definitely a little more compact than some of the other standard fairway woods on the market.  The sound and feel is muted and, while feel and sound is subjective, I think it is one of the best sound fairway woods on the market.  I had no problem launching the 3W off the fairway or off the tee.  The only reason I didn't put the Radspeed 3W in the bag long term is that it simply did not give me the distance I needed off the tee.  I believe the main reason for this is that it spun a little higher than my Ping when hit higher on the face.  So when teed up, the Ping becomes a straight bomber, while the Cobra is still admirable but just doesn’t have that extra gear. 
    My brother in law (former assistant pro and low single digit golfer now), has been in search of a 3W he feels comfortable with for the last 5 years.  He is a low-spin player and struggles finding a 3W that can give him the launch and spin that he needs.  He has now hit the 3W at the range with me a few times and he played his first round with it in his bag on Saturday.  During that round I watched him hit a 3W like I’ve never seen him do before.  He was actually elevating the ball off the deck and off the tee and he was extremely pleased with the flight.  I will update the review discussion thread with his long term thoughts going forward.      
    7 Wood - Cobra Radspeed 21* w/ PX HZRDUS Blue 70 6.5
    Arccos Smart Distance: 225y



    I went with the 7 wood over a hybrid because the Radspeed hybrid was too draw biased for me (and the King Tec Hybrid was not available at the time of our orders being placed).  Unfortunately, the 7 Wood head was not part of the standard Cobra fitting cart, so I had to go into this a little blind.  It is also worth noting that I did request an 80g shaft for the 7 Wood, but that was not available so I had to go with a lighter than preferred shaft.  My initial impression of the 7 Wood? WHOA! That’s a lot of loft.  Looking down at it in the address position there is a lot of loft staring back.  It’s pretty crazy to see because it has the same loft as my Tileist hybrid, but for some reason (perhaps because it is a fairway wood head), the loft just looks so much more drastic.  From a performance standpoint, the 7 Wood launches HIGH.  Very high. It has a much different launch window than a hybrid of the same loft (understandably so as the 7 Wood has a center of gravity that is lower and more rearward than a hybrid).  This high ball flight made it a very desirable ball flight when attacking greens as the ball came down on a steep descent angle.  
    The 7 Wood was easy to hit off the fairway and the tee, though I did not find it as versatile as a hybrid when hitting out of some shaggier lies and fairway bunkers. I did struggle with manipulating ball flight with the 7 Wood.  I did not have the ease of hitting different flight windows that I have with my hybrid.  Same goes for shaping the ball left to right. Overall, I think the 7 Wood is a great option for someone who needs a gap filler between their 3 wood and irons, but is not comfortable hitting hybrids.  I would also recommend this club to anyone who struggles maximizing carry with their fairway woods.
    4 Iron - Cobra King Utility 22* w/ Tensei White Pro 100TX HY
    Arccos Smart Distance: 219y





    An absolutely bomber off the tee.  Really great flight and distance was fantastic.  If someone is looking for a driver iron, the King Utility should be at the top of your list.  The loft adjustments are a nice touch.  I am unaware of any other driving/utility iron on the market that offers adjustability.  Where I did struggle with this club was off the fairway.  As I mentioned previously, I have a fairly shallow angle of attack with the irons.  The wider sole of the King Utility really isn’t a good fit for someone with a shallow angle of attack.  If you have a steep attack angle and are looking for something to give you a bit more pop in the long irons, then the King Utility would be a fantastic option to try.  
    5-PW - Cobra King Tour MIM w/ DG AMT Tour White X100
    Arccos Smart Distances: 5(198y), 6(185y), 7(171y), 8(162y), 9(148y), P(136y)





    I am not going to rehash what most of you already know - due to supply issues I was sent my 5th choice in iron shafts, which was basically the only iron shaft available and not one that I would ever be fit into.  That being said, this is a review of the irons and not a review of the fit.  I really enjoyed the King Tour MIM iron heads.  Their styling was very clean and classic.  The sole is a very middle-of-the-road width which makes it a good fit for just about everybody.  While the sole was thicker than my fitted irons, I had no issues with turf interaction with my shallow angle of attack.  I found the irons very forgiving - especially low on the fact.  My miss with these tended to be very low on the face and many times I looked up and was pleasantly surprised to see the ball still in a high flight window and going further than the strike warranted.  Kudos to Cobra for packing some forgiveness into such an attractive looking iron.  
    One of the big marketing points of the Tour MIM irons is the Metal Injection Molding process and the feel it creates.  While the iron is not forged, Cobra claims that the MIM process creates a feel similar or better to a forget iron.  My opinion?  It feels great, but it doesn’t feel like my Mizunos.  The MIMs, when struck well, produce a satisfying sound.  However, there is still a hint of a higher pitched click within the strike that differentiates itself from the JPX Tours and other forged irons (Srixons) that I have played.
    I have given the King Tour MIM irons to my brother in law to get his thoughts as well.  He is a former assistant pro, low single digit handicap, and currently plays Ping iBlade irons.  I will be updating the review discussion thread as he tryings out the irons for the remainder of our golf season.   
    Wedges - Cobra King MIM 50V, 54V, 60WL w/ DG S200
    Arccos Smart Distances: 50(120y), 54(103y), 60(72y)








    So the first thing everyone will notice in the pictures is that my wedges have a raw look.  This was done by soaking them in white vinegar and then scrubbing them with a scotch brite pad.  This process is used to remove the black finish on just about any black wedge and it worked just as well with the Cobras.
    As for the wedges themselves, they were fantastic.  I found spin to be acceptable from the different conditions and lies, and the soles that I chose did exactly what Cobra advertised.  I was able to hit nippy spinners from the fairway, high shots out of the rough that landed softly out of the rough, and was able to get out of a variety of bunker conditions.  I really don’t have anything negative to say about these wedges.  Like any wedge, it is important to pick a loft setup that fills your gaps and a grind/bounce setup that gives you versatility to hit a variety of approach shots from around the green.
     
    I think the Cobra wedges are the most underrated wedges in golf.  They have the finish, bounce, grind and loft combinations of any of the more popular wedge brands and they do so with a slightly lower price.  If you are in the market for new wedges, you should definitely give the Cobra King MIM wedges a look.
    Cobra Ultralight Stand Bag


    \\
    As part of the review, we were sent the stand bags as well.  What I look for in a stand bag is something that works well on a push cart and that is relatively comfortable to carry.  I also have grown accustomed to certain features that my future bags must have.  Unfortunately, while the Cobra bag is comfortable and performs well on a push cart and motorized cart, it lacks a lot of features that other bags have.  The main feature that the bag doesn’t have is a dedicated putter slot.  I get that it comes down to weight savings, but I would sacrifice another couple of ounces to have a dedicated putter slot over having to put my putter in a section with other clubs.  The Cobra Ultralight bag also lacks a bit on the storage end.  There are fewer pockets than I am used to, and does not have a dedicated rangefinder pouch/pocket. The stand mechanism is built into the base of the bag, which all stand bags should have moving forward (sun mountain and other brands still use a foot mechanism to activate the stand and this is a pain to use on a push cart).  My conclusion is that unless you want a Cobra bag, there are other bags in the market at this price point that provide greater utility.    
     
    Overall, I would say the entire current Cobra product line from top to bottom is extremely solid.  Cobra often gets overlooked when compared to the other big OEMs in the industry, but I think consumers are doing themselves a disservice to not include Cobra in the list of options they try at a demo day or a fitting.    

     
  10. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to ChiefMikeOfficer in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    "Final" Review (you know I'll be back for more -- the season is winding down up here in Wisconsin, but we still have a month left plus indoor sims and a heated outdoor range, so it's not over-over)
    For the overall score, I wish there was a 4.5 -- averages across the scored categories points closer to 5, but there are a few things holding me back from calling these irons a full 5/5. 
    Reminder of the set that I’m testing:
    T100S 4-PW, Nippon Modus 120X (Core test set)
    T200 Utility Build 3 iron, Graphite Design Tour AD-IZ 95X (Bonus addition – had the choice between this or the T100S 3 iron)
    TL;DR Summary/Conclusion (Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐(and a half))
    The bag setup with T200 Utility plus T100S irons is awesome. I feel very confident over the ball. With the added distance, I’m more willing to lay back in the fairway vs. hitting riskier drivers. Even though lofts are stronger, it doesn’t show in terms of ball flight or spin (something that I think is very impressive) – my individual irons fly farther, fly higher, and stop faster, which makes me feel like I can hit any shot inside of 225, and the T200 3 iron gives me confidence even outside of that. If your swing is strong enough to hit a player’s iron (not quite blade, just something smaller), I’d highly recommend this set.
    Looks (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    General Feedback: When it comes to the finish of an iron, I’ve always preferred a matte or brushed finish – something less shiny, less reflective. The T100S fits my eye very well in that category (although to be honest, I actually do prefer the “Pearl Brush” finish of my Mizunos – a lighter, softer color).
     I love the way the back looks – the design of their “muscle channel” and placement of the T100S logo are very appealing. Face is pretty standard. From above…the soles look slick (and make it look like you can play, or at least think you can play), but as I noted in my intro post, there’s something about the numbering that I don’t like (and haven’t liked on other Titleist irons) – that’s super unimportant, so no points docked for that.
     In play: At address, these are awesome. Their marketing says they “refined optics for a cleaner, more confident look”, and they nailed it. Very clean look, thin topline, comparable to other players’ irons that I’ve played. These things inspire confidence.
     T200 3 iron: Similar feedback. This has a smaller profile than I expected, which I really like. It does not have the same matte finish – it’s the shiny, reflective steel finish that I don’t really like (minor, but notable). The muscle plate looks kinda cool, but it feels kinda cheap (like plastic) – although maybe that was necessary to make it perform the way it does.  

    Top to bottom, that's the T200 3 iron and T100S 4-PW. In these next couple photos, I'm trying to show the look of the Titleist vs. my current gamers -- T200 3 iron vs. Srixon U85 2 iron; T100S 6 iron vs. JPX919 Forged 6 iron; T100S 7 iron vs. JPX919 Tour 7 iron. Visualize it from left-to-right (in the photos, top-to-bottom) -- the longer clubs are on the top of the photos, and it's always the Titleist as the left/top club: 


    IMO, the T200 3 iron looks so much smaller than the U85 (not just because of 3 vs. 2); the 7 irons look almost identical; the 6 irons actually look closer than I expected. Titleist seems to have slightly less offset. 
    Feel (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    Initial feedback was that these felt a little heavier than what I’m used to. They do have slightly heavier shafts (by a couple grams) than what I played in my Mizunos, so that could be a factor. Feels fairly easy to control the clubhead, solid shots feel crisp, toe hits get immediate feedback in the hands. I meant to shank one to see how that feels 😂 but that just wasn’t in the cards. Shafts feel great too, but they’re fitted to me, so I’m shying away from too much feedback there.
    T200 is similar, with solid shots feeling even better (maybe I need to convince myself to go to bigger clubs? 🤔).
    Basic Characteristics 
    Relative to my current gamer, the T200 is 2* weaker than my Srixon U85 2 iron; the T100S 4-6 are the same loft as my JPX919 Forged, and the 7-PW are 2* stronger than my JPX919 Tour. So…logic says the utility should be shorter and higher, 4-6 shouldn’t see much difference, and the 7-PW should be longer with more rollout, right? Not so much… My feedback based on my main launch monitor session is here: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/19-test-in-progress-titleist-t-series-irons/?do=findComment&comment=6455
    Distance (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    The 3 iron hits bombs 💣🤯. Based on both range and on-course performance, I’d say it’s about 10 yards longer than the U85 (some of that might be the shaft, but still never expected that…). It looks nicer too. It took a bit to get used to, but it did get more consistent over time – went from hitting big hooks for the first couple weeks and thinking there’s no way I’m keeping it, to striking it well and hitting the center of fairways (the combination of distance and accuracy was very helpful when the driver and 3wood were going sideways). I do have a lingering question on whether this was the right call – the shaft selection was great for a long iron, so I’m happy with that part, but I do sit here and wonder if the T100S 3 iron or the T200 2 iron would have been the better call (as noted in another post, after seeing the performance of the 3 iron, I might look into getting the 2 iron or a U505 1 iron with similar build).
    The long-mid irons are a bit longer than the JPX, at least in terms of carry distance. Ball speed was comparable; the T100S launched higher, had a higher apex, and landed at a steeper angle. Both clubs were roughly the same total distance at the range, just different carry distances (the T100S had 3-5 yards longer average carry difference across the 3 head-to-head comparisons). Dispersion was a bit tighter with the T100S as well.
    The shorter irons – dispersion got tighter with both sets (as expected), and the two were pretty comparable in that category. As expected, the T100S were longer in both carry and total distance. But now the surprising part: despite being 2* stronger and having a shaft that I expected to influence lower ball flight, the T100S: launched higher, had a higher apex, and landed steeper than the JPX919 Tour. The only exception was the Pitching Wedge: I didn’t have the best session with the PW on the monitor, and the sample set was smaller – however, it did have the highest single ball of the set.
    Forgiveness (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    For the T100S in general, mishits were forgiving, but not that forgiving (T200 was actually similar, but a little more forgiving). They flew straight and still looked nice, just dropped well short of a solid shot – that’s something I expect from a Players’ iron, so no big deal. The bigger concern was when the opposite happened: every once in a while (both on the range and on the course), a monster would come out – no attempt to hit it further, no different feel from another stock solid shot, similar ball flight and height, it just kept flying. That’s not something I really saw with the Mizunos, and I think I’ll need to keep monitoring this to see if it truly is just that I struck those shots better vs. something else.
    Some of the monitor data I was working with:

    Note that this is with the outliers removed. The thing that gives me pause with this is how big of a gap there is between smoked-> solid -> toey on a stock swing (not intentionally trying to get more out of it), especially in the longer irons. 
    On-Course Performance (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    The best thing about the T200/T100S bag setup: it gave me a lot more versatility in shot selection, or at least gave me more confidence to hit different shots (especially tee shots to set up a hole differently). On certain holes on my typical courses, even though the hole didn’t set up well for a driver/3-wood, I’d give it a rip anyway to try to get a shorter club in my hand for the approach. With my Srixon/Mizuno setup, the alternative was a 2-iron off the tee and something like a 5-iron in (doable, but not preferred) – now with the T200 3 iron off the tee and the T100S for the approach, a solid tee shot on that same hole would put me closer to 7-iron range, which is a higher percentage / higher confidence shot for me. I started hitting the 3-iron where I’d typically play something longer, and the approaches actually worked out well, plus I was getting better looks (fairways with better angles, just a bit further back). Adding to the benefit here, the T100S 4 iron is also a great option off the tee on a short or mid-length Par 4, with mishits still flying pretty well over 200 and solid strikes being more in the 230 range.
    Par 3 confidence is very high, and just having a shorter iron in hand for approach shots improves my confidence as well. My first couple times out with the irons, I was pulling 9 irons from 160-165 and getting them close (previous 9 iron distance was 150-155 – I think an excitement factor had me trying to hit it further). In more recent rounds, it has felt similar, and I’ve backed off of them a bit without losing much of the distance from those first couple rounds. I’m still pulling at least one club less than what I would have pulled with my Mizunos in nearly all cases (in a few exception cases, I’m going with the same club).

    These are very workable too. On the course, I’ve worked them in both directions and done so reasonably accurately (comparable to the JPX Tour; feel easier to curve than JPX Forged). Flighting the ball feels fairly easy too – at least one of my rounds was in high winds, and I was able to work the ball through the wind with quite a bit of success (that was a 9 hole -1 with quite a few of the iron shots not being full/stock).
    Distance control (trying to hit a specific number, not full swings)…I think it’s there, I just don’t have it down yet. With the added distance, it has been a little more difficult for me to take something off of a mid- or short-iron and have it fly the distance I’m expecting. I’ve done it successfully a couple times, but also hit a few that I expected to land next to the hole that fell short of the green (e.g. at least twice I took a PW from 130, which is more than I have in my 50* but needs to be ~15-20 off of this PW, and I haven’t quite figured out that 130 swing yet and only hit those ones ~120). I think it will come with time and practice. An example is here, which is actually a mishit 4-iron (displaying what I mentioned above) followed by a "take something off of it" PW that was not hit poorly (at impact, I thought I was going to have a 15ft birdie putt): 

    *On full shots as mentioned in the last section, that monster does rear its head every once in a while, but only on full shots so far.
    Aside from the ball flying too far, my main miss is what we call “playing for the Yankees” (Tommy Boy, anyone?). A few shots went absurdly left to the point of making me question the lie angles (I’m well aware that I hit poor shots, but these were next-level left). It came out a few times in my rounds with these clubs, but I’m not actually concerned with it – the last few rounds haven’t had anything wild like that, and it was likely a combination of things, with club specs possibly influencing the outcome a bit.
    Scores have been mixed, but that’s consistent with this year for me. I have a couple very good scores with these irons, and a couple disappointing rounds. However, the struggles were swing-related, not equipment-related – I was missing greens with my 9 iron and PW, but in the exact same way I was missing with my (non-Titleist) 50* and 55* wedges. My most recent round was a scramble, so iron play was limited (lots of drivers and wedges), but I felt very confident whenever they were in my hands – stuck a couple close ones with longer irons on par 5s.
    My history with Titleist irons is not super positive, but also outdated. I struggled with the demos that I did many years ago. I held onto that perception and doubted the claims I saw about their lines of irons over the years. I silently questioned my friends’ decisions when they chose Titleist over a couple other select brands, thinking they made the wrong decision. It’s not that I thought they were poor quality clubs – I thought they were just too hard to hit, and that my friends and I needed to get better before considering them. After this test, I’m coming around – I don’t regret playing Mizuno for all of these years, but I do think it would have been worth considering Titleist (in my last couple fittings, I didn’t even try them).
    Play it or Trade it?
    These are 100% staying in the bag, at least through the end of this season and start of next season. I need to make a few swing tweaks, and a couple are underway – I think those will actually improve the performance of these and discourage a change, but we'll see. I have little advice on how to improve the T100S from a looks or performance angle – long, high, stop quickly, it’s the full package. The T200…all of the performance metrics are great, the back plate just feels a bit flimsy – something that feels more secure would be nice.
    To be honest, the pricing is a little steep, especially when dealing with custom options. The stock price for my test setup is $1300 for T100S 4-PW plus $249 for the T200 3 iron, which is pretty well in line with the industry for this type of club (maybe a bit high, but not bad) – after the shaft upgrades (excluding grip), it’s $1400 plus $369. The $369 price tag is the one thing that’s making me hesitant to pull the trigger on that 1- or 2-iron to supplement the 3 (and a $120 upcharge feels steep for a shaft that’s marketed as “Featured” for the club). Comparing to the newest line of my gamers, Mizuno’s JPX921 are $1127 for Tour or $1225 for Forged for the same 4-PW, with my shaft as a no-charge upgrade – however, I don’t think they have a comparable 3 iron/utility, so I’m not sure how that would compare.
    I think the T100S can outperform the competition, but is it worth the upcharge? For an elite amateur, absolutely; for an OK amateur like me, maybe (I’ve enjoyed the experience and would be OK paying the extra couple hundred bucks for slightly better performance). For someone below the elite level that might be working on a budget, I’m not as convinced – might be able to find something comparable that’s cheaper.
    My advice for Titleist for this and future releases: find a way to narrow the gap with Mizuno’s custom pricing, which is something that has kept me with the brand for my last couple fitted sets – with Mizuno, my Nippons are $0 upcharge vs. $15/club with Titleist; for C-Taper or $-Taper, it’s $0 vs. $25/club; if you’re into graphite, Recoil 95 are $0 vs. $32/club. It feels like both companies have the initial angle of “get the clubs in the consumer’s hands”, but Mizuno seems to take it a step further by adding “with the build that’s best for them at the same price”, while Titleist will charge $100-$225 more for that. I didn’t have to pay any of that, so I’m very happy, but if I was out getting fitted, this would be a factor.
    *******************************************************************************************************************************************************
    First Impressions:
    First, a big thank you to  for letting us customize the build of these irons, and for securing me some shafts that are apparently very high demand right now (supposedly a big shortage, very difficult to obtain, some companies even taking them off of their upgrade lists). Initially I thought I'd need to go with stock or no-charge-upgrade shafts -- they would've worked well enough, but it would have thrown off comparisons to my current custom-fit set -- no reason the standard PX or LZ 6.5 wouldn't work for me, it's just not the "best" fit. After the fitting and the custom order (plus the bonus that the T100/T100S testers can get a long iron as T200), I ended up with: 
    3-iron: T200, Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 95X 4-PW: T100S, Nippon Modus Tour 120X (same shaft I use in my Mizunos, only X instead of S...honestly, I think I was fit into S in the past because they were off-season fittings -- this time the fitter said X was a no-brainer).  All have Golf Pride MCC Align grips (also an appreciated upgrade -- if we went stock, I have a stockpile of grips in the basement that I would've switched into). All standard length/lie/loft (the T100S are 2 degrees strong to start; usually I'm 1-2 degrees upright, but it looks like Titleist starts a bit more upright than Mizuno, so standard makes sense). 
    The clubs were all originally scheduled to show up last Thursday. But, you know, shipping issues 😷  Mine came in two packages, both looking like they were shipped at the same time from the same location using the same carrier, and both were roughly the same size (although one significantly heavier, for good reason). They took two completely different paths across the country -- end result is that the T200 showed up last Wednesday; the T100S didn't make it until this past Tuesday. That means the T200 has been in the bag for 45 holes so far (36 scramble, 9 normal), while the T100S are only at 9. Everything was packed very well, very secure, no issues upon arrival. 
    So first, the T200: fair warning, I have not played with any of the recent Titleist irons, so I didn't my first reaction to this was "wow, that's smaller than I expected". I'm using this to replace a Srixon U85 2 iron, which is a beast for an iron, so the small profile was a little shocking at first, but I like the look. I'll be honest, this isn't a club I plan to hit often -- the main use is tee shots on target par 4s and approaches on some par 5s, otherwise it stays in the bag covered by one of my foreign dictators for show (switch between Putin and Kim Jong Un utility covers, both homemade). I did hit some on-course practice shots with it, and my first impression is "good, maybe great, but needs more work". From a looks standpoint, I love it - I miss the days of using small 2- and 3-irons, and I really like looking at the smaller profile. However, as I age and play less often (kids, ya know), I'm currently debating whether the bigger iron is best. The shots I've hit with it so far have been OK -- miss is hooky, which I've found to be true with just about all graphite-shafted long irons (including hybrids), but hit a few good shots so far. I need to use it more and/or take some range sessions to give it a fair shot. On the potentially negative side of things, the back plate feels fragile, almost plastic - likely necessary for weight reasons, just feels like it could break easily (my concern is more with travel/similar jostling; my buddy said something about "if you hit a ball with the back of the club it might break", but why would anyone do that?). 
    The T100S: first impression? Love them. The look at address is exactly what I'm looking for. Distance and forgiveness are both TBD, but early signs point positive. In the first 9, the flight seemed comparable to my Mizunos, if not higher. Solid shots traveled far; mishits (predominantly toey) fell short but were pretty straight (2 drew right on target but just fell 10-15 yds short). Hit two knockdowns because of wind -- they felt easy, and both hit the green in very good position. Based on the initial round, I think I just need to swing a little better, and if I do, I expect to gain 5-10 yards over my JPX919 combo set. As you may have seen in my Comments posts, that first 9 holes is in the books at 1-under 35. In that round, I did hit my longest 4 iron on record by 14 yards -- 265 yards (flat, downwind), which is awesome, but unfortunately the fairway ran out at around 240, so I had to navigate some trees for the approach (apparently should've hit a ~6 iron -- gotta get used to these beasts).
    So what don't I like? Two things, and they're both purely cosmetic (and I recognize they are very petty). I do prefer the less shiny/glossy look of the JPX over the shiny chrome Titleists. Also, there's something about the numbers on the sole that I just don't like -- not sure if it's font, size, depth, color, contrast with the sole, some combination of those things, or something completely different. I've noticed this with friends' Titleist irons in the past, and I can't quite put my finger on what I don't like, but I felt the same about these ones. 
    Now, for some photos -- sorry for the shoddiness here, but my phone camera died at the worst possible time (been having problems for months, but starting the day before the T100S arrived, the main camera is completely inoperable). So, starting out, here's an attempt at an unboxing photo using the phone's selfie-cam (which, as a reminder, were rushed because I had ~30 minutes between package pickup and tee time): 

    (apologies for the mess, and for the unintentional product placement 😅 ). Switching from Selfie Cam to my nearly 15-year-old Canon Digital Elph...
    Now, a comparison pic -- this is the T200 3 iron vs. a Srixon U85 2 iron, the T100S 6 iron vs. JPX919 Forged, and the T100S 7 iron vs. JPX919 Tour: 

    Size seems to fall between the Tour and Forged. The 3-iron is significantly smaller than the U85, which, as I noted above, might be a good thing or might end up hurting. In this photo, you should be able to see the "negatives" I noted above -- totally up to personal preference, and some of you might like the Titleist design better, but I prefer the Mizuno from this angle. From address, it's a totally different story, and that's all that really matters in terms of cosmetics, so I'm not going to let this affect the overall review ("oh cool, Mizuno did their sole numbers in white in a different font? I bet that makes the ball fly straighter" 🤥). 
    In the bag: 
    (considering this is a Titleist review, maybe I should've put my '18 Ryder Cup American Flag Vokeys back in the bag for this? 😂 )

     

     
    I'm looking forward to the next few trials-- coming up, I have Tuesday night golf league and a likely Wednesday evening range session, which should give me a chance to hone in on things like launch/spin/distance numbers compared to my past gamers (they use TopTracer, but it's with range balls, so it's all relative). I'm going to try to get out to the range or something similar before Tuesday, but family holiday weekend plans might not let that happen...
    Any specific questions? Tag me in the Comments section - I'd be glad to answer them!
    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Jumping on the Intro Train! 
    The Basics: Mike, 37, 2.8 Index, currently in Madison, WI. I’m married with two kids, Devon (almost 3) and Bryce (4.5 months).

    Golf has always been an obsession. I have way too much golf equipment in the house (e.g. 3+ sets of wedges, old clubs I can’t part with, more balls+ball markers+headcovers than I could possibly use in one season). I love trying new things, especially when it comes to golf gadgets and clubs (somehow never satisfied with what I have…), and I’m always looking to try out up-and-coming / smaller brands.
    I’m a long-time reader of MGS, at least the main site, but didn’t know much about the forum until somewhat recently. I finally joined the forum in 2018 because I was enticed by the Cobra Connect Challenge article on the main MGS website, but now love the community and try to participate actively whenever I can (it goes in waves). I also stumbled on the MGS Fantasy Sports leagues a couple years back, and was lucky enough to take home the prized Golden Ticket from the 2020 Football season, which is how I was able to secure this testing opportunity.

    There were at least two other tests that I wanted to do but passed on them for specific reasons (Epic Speed felt too similar to my gamer; for Rapsodo, I don’t have an iOS device, and seriously considered bumming an old device off of a friend to do it) – it started to feel like I was holding out too long, but in the end, I’m glad I waited. When I won, I created a “hopeful” list of four test categories and specific things in each category, telling myself I’d sign up for the first one that comes up – based on the product releases we’ve seen this year, this specific test falls roughly in the #2 spot of my overall list (other things high on the hope list included Cobra drivers, personal launch monitors, and just about anything Exotics).  
    My Golf Journey – The Younger Years: I started playing at a young age, when my dad would take us out to putt while he played, then shifted back to teeing off from the 150 yd marker, then back to various tee boxes. I started taking the game more seriously after getting cut from the HS team in 7th grade, determined to make sure that doesn’t happen again. Around 9th grade, we joined a decent 9-holer right down the road from our house and stashed our clubs there, so my brother and I would ride our bikes to the course just about every day in the summer. We practiced and played a lot. I took lessons fairly regularly. I played aggressively, hit bombs, and made a lot of birdies, especially at the rinky dink courses we were playing. But I never got “good”. Being a “good golfer” is relative – it was more “pretty good for a junior golfer in an area that only has a few good players” good, not actually good at the game.
    Reflecting back, my swing can be described as “basic motions guided by lessons combined with athleticism” – I didn’t understand anything about what was actually happening throughout the swing (controlling the face, swing planes, how to hit a wedge compared to a full iron, etc.), just roughly the path the club should take. This meant that if things went sideways (and they could go really sideways), I had no idea how to correct it, and no idea where the next shot would go – those bombs and birdies were offset by a bunch of bogeys and doubles. Also, I was a headcase. I never took accountability for poor play. Missed cuts / middle of the road finishes were because “they got lucky” or “I got a lot of bad breaks” (I’m sure it had nothing to do with the 5 bogeys I made from inside 100 yards again 🤷‍♂️). And to top it all off, I didn’t focus on how to attack the course, instead focusing on how difficult certain holes or courses were (influenced by my dad and HS coach talking those things up) – with that mentality, you’re doomed before you even hit a shot (why would I ever step up to a tee box and think “I need to get through this one with a bogey”? – that’s now completely out of my game).
    I put up some decent scores and thought I was hot sh…stuff. I compared my scores to some college teams, and decided I was going to go D-III and compete for the top spot on a team. Man, was that humbling. We played a tough Ross design with lightning greens and a hole that I still consider one of the toughest I’ve played. On day 1, it didn’t help that I was hitting the ball like Roy McAvoy leading up to the US Open

    but I finished that round dead last. I was able to climb my way up to the 10th spot on a 12-man team by the end of tryouts, stuck it out on the practice squad for two years, then broke into the top 5 for the last two years (ended up being a “middle-of-the-road golfer on a middle-of-the-road D-III team”). My highlight was sneaking into the Top 10 at Regionals my senior year, but really no other finishes to write home about. The experiences I had on the college team also completely changed how I approach the game from both a mental and strategic perspective, largely thanks to one teammate that didn’t hesitate to give you a reality check (saying things like “you’re not good enough to get that angry” and “that wasn’t a bad kick, you hit a draw to a left-sloping fairway and it kicked left”).
    The More Modern Times
    Then I took an unfortunate break, which I regret a bit. I went to grad school at FSU, which had a full-year golf season and I could play a solid course for $10 pretty much whenever I wanted. I played that course exactly 1 time in my 2.5 years there (and only the front 9). Moved to Madison in ’08 for a full-time job in Healthcare IT, and started to pick the game back up, but it was (is) a demanding job, so it was tough to get out as much as I wanted. I made some friends in the area that also like to play, found some leagues to join, and set up games whenever we could. We starting taking some golf-specific trips to try to tackle the Top 100 Public lists, and put together a solid, consistent scramble team for some fun tournaments in the area. Over those years, I put some of the new perspectives into play, took some lessons with GolfTEC, and enjoy the game much more than I did while trying to be competitive.
    Today, I’m a 3 handicap that can shoot anywhere from a few under to bogey golf depending on what’s hot or cold that day. Overall, I’m a better golfer than I was when I was younger, but for very different reasons (still trying to piece together how I pulled off some of the things I did back then and wish I could still do some of them, but I actually understand more about the golf swing and finally learned how to hit a wedge!). I dabble in tournaments from time to time, but not so much to compete – I do want to be competitive, but I pick my tournaments based on the host courses (e.g. I’ll play the City Am if there are one or two nicer private tracks in the rotation that year; last year I tried my hand at a State Am qualifier because the Championship was at Milwaukee Country Club, and although I didn’t make it there, I was able to pick the qualifier at Oconomowoc Country Club, which is one of only two Ross designs in Wisconsin). I play whenever I can, but in the end, family comes first – I plot out my golf schedule around the kids (for the most part), which has limited play this year. I get out most Tuesday evenings in an Old Man League at a local muni, hit the range after toddler bedtime from time to time, and take time off of work to play while the kids are at daycare (aside from certain charity scrambles, weekend golf doesn’t happen often these days). But don’t worry, COVID helped me save up plenty of PTO that I plan to use to make sure I have enough time to give this test a fair shot.
    Specs/Stats/Fun Stuff:
    My current irons are a combo of Mizuno JPX 919 Forged (4-6 irons) and Tour (7-PW) with Nippon Pro Modus 120 S flex. I’ve bounced between Mizuno and Ping since high school, never really considering Titleist in the iron category until recently (although I have had success with many of their other clubs, including woods, hybrids, and wedges). The only time I tried Titleist irons seriously was back in ~2000 when I was picking out a set to replace my first full-size set – the beautiful Cleveland VAS (I still have them in the basement, 2-LW, somehow with the original grips still intact). I think I demo’d the DCI 990 or 990B, but ended up picking Ping i3 Blades, and when those had to go on the bench (fun story, maybe I’ll tell it sometime, but this is getting long), I won a tournament with borrowed Mizunos that set off an 18 year back/forth between the two brands for me. I’m excited to try something new.
    Career Low: 68 (Casual), 70 (Tournament), 67 (Handicap Card – it was a Combo, but it looked cool while it was there)
    Albatrosses: 0 (Official), 1 (Unofficial) – scramble with preferred lies, used both my tee shot and second shot. Launched drive over trees on a hard dog-leg, holed a gap wedge from the go grass.
    Aces: 0. Still chasing that dream.
    Drives that went not only into the next fairway but across that fairway and OB on the other side: 3 in competition (2 in college, 1 in our City tournament a few years ago 🤫 )
    Broken Clubs: 1 (anger, 2003), 2 (accidental / regular play)
    All-Time Favorite Clubs (not limited to one per category): Mizuno T-Zoid Pro irons; TaylorMade VSteel and Yonex 200 3 Woods; Cobra Speed Pro, Callaway FT-3 Fusion, and Titleist 975D (yes I still have it, and yes it's still awesome) Drivers; Original Rife Pro 2 Bar and TaylorMade Rossa Monza putters
    Current driver swing: roughly 110-112mph (remember when I said I used to hit bombs? Not so much anymore – back in the college days I registered ~122mph one of the few times I actually got it measured).
    7 iron distance (used the 7 for fitting): 170-175 yards, which is in line with how far I used to hit it.
    Strength: Apparently Driving based on Arccos data, although the last 1-2 months have been abysmal compared to average (I would've said approach shots without the data). Weakness: Putting, and it's not even close. 

    Fitting: My fitting felt uneventful, so I’m hoping stories from others will be more entertaining or insightful. I ended up in standard loft/lie/length (slightly surprising considering I’ve always been 1-2 degrees upright, but Titleist’s starting lie angles are in the right spot for me), and the Nippon Pro Modus 120 (but this time in X flex! No idea why I’ve been fitted into S every time in the past…which my fitter acknowledged, even though one of his fitters previously fit me into a lightweight S flex 🤦‍♂️). 
    Goals for this Test: With the T110S, I’m chasing distance. This felt like the perfect balance for me – Players iron size and shape with added distance so I can feel good about myself. Based on initial data, I'm actually expecting an extra 8-12 yards out of these vs. my current set. My fitter/coach thinks that distance is going to come with too low of spins, but I was intent on trying the longer model, so I’m hoping I can prove him wrong. I'm also hoping to close the gap at the top of my irons, and hoping the added distance will lead to closer approaches on longer holes. 
    Pre-test Arccos data – approach shots adjusted for clubs I'll be using as part of the test. I will try to figure out if I can reset it to compare to the net new set, or maybe it's an excuse to play 10 rounds to wipe out the old data. Note the long vs. short distribution: that Ross course in college groomed me into under-clubbing a bit -- short was tough but manageable, but long was dead on just about every hole, so I'm usually playing short of the flag:


    Good luck to the other testers – looking forward to getting my hands on these beasts!
  11. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to ncwoz in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    Titleist T100 - Official MGS Forum Review by ncwoz
    Final Review (Part 4)
    Now that I've been able to play the Titleist T100 irons for the last month and change, I feel comfortable posting my final review. For those who are just skimming and looking for a quick summary: for anyone looking for an iron that packs surprising forgiveness into a compact, great looking iron, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't consider the T100 line.
    For anyone wanting to know some more details, read on!
    Just for reference - I'll be grading these irons relative to what they "should" be. For example, I'm not comparing the forgiveness of these irons to a super game improvement iron. I'm trusting the reader will have a rough idea of which level of iron their skill matches up with.
    Looks (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    I absolutely love the look of these irons. As I mentioned in my first impressions below, the only thing I wasn't initially so sure about was the look of the short irons. I take it all back! Having some time to acclimate to the new look, I recently took out my Maltby TS-1 gamers (which I think already look really good) and the Titleist blow them away.
    Looks are super subjective, so please check out some of the pictures below to help form your own opinion. To me, the top line is thin but not so much to shake my confidence (probably because I've still had success with mishits - check out my comments on the performance below). The blade length is relatively short, and my eye really appreciates the "sharp-ish" toe and the hosel transition. The offset is exactly where I'd want it - minimal in the shorter irons, and slightly increasing going into the longer irons. Enough to inspire some confidence, but not so much to be off-putting at all. Well done Titleist, these irons look gorgeous.
    Feel (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    As one would expect from a player's iron, there is certainly feedback on your strike location. For this style of iron I think that is a positive characteristic. On off-center strikes the feedback isn't as crisp, but doesn't rattle your hands either. On-center strikes feel really really good as well. They don't necessarily explode off the face like you might expect from an iron with a little more meat, but to me that's a good thing. Centered strikes have an addicting muted and solid "thud". I'm nitpicking here, but I have felt some slightly softer heads before. The T100 still feels amazing, but to give it all 5 stars I think I'd need it to feel just a smidge softer at impact.
    Forgiveness (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    Forgiveness in an iron head is something I wish I didn't have to consider - but I definitely need it! I had a stretch of really poor ball striking for my first ~week with these irons (turns out a sound setup is important!) and was living out of the toe. Even with my atrocious ball striking over that time, I was still able to score decently and that was because of the forgiveness of these irons. Again, if you're not a relatively confident ball striker these probably aren't for you, but I was shocked at how forgiving these are relative to their compact shape. I'm currently a 7 handicap and have my fair share of poor strikes. And the forgiveness was noticed both for the overall distance and spin - I've had a few instances where I struck it very poorly, lost 5 or so yards but still had enough to get onto the green. And spin was still sufficient to stop the ball in time, resulting in some shots that ended up much better than I deserved.
    Distance (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    Rating these irons purely for total distance probably isn't fair, nor is that why someone should play these irons. They have relatively traditional lofts, so it wouldn't be hard to find another head that you could get more yards out of. That being said, I didn't feel like I was giving anything up by playing these irons.
    However, getting the same distance from shot to shot is what I was especially concerned with. It's probably impossible to completely eliminate fliers, but with my other set of irons I would find myself clubbing down 2 full clubs from the rough almost more often than being able to play the yardage. Earlier this summer, I hit a 9 iron from 180 yards and managed to still fly the green. That's not a whole lot of fun when you have a potential ~25 yard variance you need to play for.
    The distance control with these irons is probably my single most favorite trait. Flier lies or not, they retain spin beautifully and consistently. Rarely have I found myself surprised by how far a ball ended up going, and typically when it's happened I've realized that I didn't judge the wind correctly. Even into the mid and long irons, I've seen sufficient spin to stop the ball within a yard or two of the pitch mark.
    On-Course Performance (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    Not much new information here - on the course the T100 have inspired confidence, even with hazards or other difficult situations. I've felt comfortable shaping shots (as much as I would, it's not something I do super often), and the spin retention out of various lies has been remarkable. I've been very pleasantly surprised with the forgiveness Titleist was able to incorporate into these heads, and all of these performance characteristics have given me a ton of confidence standing over the ball that the club will do exactly what I put into it.
    Overall (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    Personally, I'm of the belief that across the industry there are really great options across all the established manufacturers. I've also had positive experiences from smaller manufacturers like Maltby, so I was honestly expecting to find a marginal difference between the clubs I've been able to hit and the T100 set. But I was honestly blown away. I was expecting there to be some area of compromise in the looks or performance, and experienced nothing of the sort. These irons are absolutely killer, and I could not endorse them any more. On top of that, Titleist has provided stellar service to the testers, which is just a cherry on top. For anyone in the market for a new set of irons, add these to your list of potential sets. If anyone has any more questions, please feel free to reach out to me and I'll do my best to answer them for you. This is a no-brainer 5 star rating for me. These will be hitting my bag, and that's despite Nippon Modus not having availability for the shaft I was fit for. With how good these have already been, I can't wait to get the shafts in there that should only further accentuate these iron heads. 
    Thanks again to Titleist (and the moderators!) for providing such an awesome testing experience, even with all the supply chain and shipping challenges going on! I really appreciate the opportunity to test another product for the forum, and hope some of you find this review helpful.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    First impressions (Part 3)
    Now that I have the irons in hand, I'd like to share my first impressions.
    First of all, Titleist had to do a little audible on the shaft for me. Apparently there is a world-wide shortage of Modus 130g X stiff shafts, so the most similar profile they had was the Modus 120 X stiff. I'm hopeful that at some point I'll be able to get the Modus 130's in to see how the clubs work in their fitted state, but from my first few swings I think the 120's are actually not too far from my previous gamers.
    And the show must go on! Here's the full set:

    I went with 4-Gap wedge in the set, mostly because I almost never use my current 50° for anything other than full swings. I'm excited to see if having the set gap wedge in the T100's gives me some more reliability than my Maltby TSW.
    Here are a few comparison pictures I have between the two, Maltby on the left and T100 on the right:
    Gap wedge
         
    Pitching wedge
         
    8 iron
         
    4 iron
         
    Personally (emphasized because I strongly believe looks are subjective - golf or otherwise 😉) I love how the T100s look from 4 iron to 8 iron. They are pretty short and have a thin top-line, but not so much that I'm scared away. I also really like the contrast of the shiny chrome with the more dull face, and how the grooves "stick out" to my eye. If I had to nitpick, the only thing I don't love about the T100's is the transition from the hosel to the top-line in the shorter irons. Again, I'm definitely nitpicking here mostly because it's a review that will hopefully help others out, and I know that's probably a more desirable trait for some as well. Time will tell if that continues to stick out in my mind, or if I'll grow to like it as I get more accustomed to playing the irons.
    Regarding their performance: I don't want to give away too much before I get more time with them, but so far I have been pleasantly surprised with the forgiveness on off-center strikes and have thoroughly enjoyed the sweet spot strikes I've had so far. Follow along in the comment thread for more regular updates as I continue to get more familiar with the Titleist T100's!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    My fitting, and what I'm looking for the T100's to do (Part 2)
    Before the irons come in, I wanted to get a quick write-up of my fitting experience, fitted specs, as well as the differences I'm hoping to see from my current gamers.
    First off, my current gamers: for the 2021 season I've been gaming a set of Maltby TS-1 heads with KBS $-taper 120g shafts from P-4i. I was fit to that shaft (with a similar-ish head) by a local fitter in late 2020. I was coming from a hand-me-down set of Ping Eye 2's with super light shafts, and I think that partially played into the $-tapers performing the best for me at the time. My swing speed is on the higher end (~90mph with a 7iron), but the fitter put me in some of the heavier shafts that "should have" fit me and it was just too strange feeling from what I was used to.
    For those unfamiliar with the Maltby offering, here are a few pictures I took shortly after the set was built up for me:
            
    Fast forward to my T100 fitting, and I had almost a full season of the $-tapers under my belt. This time around, when I had the heavier more stout shafts in, it felt much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm still no rebar swinging swashbuckler. My fitter threw in some Dynamic Golf X7's (3g heavier than X100's, and generally stiffer to my understanding) and I felt like I was swinging a 45 pound barbell 😂.
    After trying most of the more common shaft offerings in that weight and stiffness range, the Modus 130 X began really standing out. The Modus was giving me 5-10mph better ball speeds, with solid dispersion and really good feel to boot. A no brainer! Here's a snapshot of the carry distances of the T100/Modus 130 combo compared to my Maltby:

    (One thing to note for the club nerds out there: I was fit using a T100 7 iron head, but compared that to my Maltby 8 iron. The T100 7 iron loft is 34°, while the Maltby 8 iron loft is 36°)
    I was getting slightly higher ball speeds, spin, and carry distance with the T100's, with slightly better dispersion (albeit a smaller sample size). These numbers have me optimistic that the T100's will be really good performers. This also leads nicely into the primary performance characteristics I'll be watching for the T100's. My primary performance characteristics I'll be tracking are:
    1. Consistency of total carry distance
    2. Spin retention
    3. Forgiveness
    Why? Well, to my the most important thing an iron can be is consistent in its carry distance. At my speed, I'm not worried too much about distance, but I do need to have a degree of confidence at the range of distances a club is going to carry. So far, the TS-1's have been solid for me in this category.
    Spin retention is something I've learned to appreciate while playing the TS-1's. Over the last year I've learned to respect flier lies, and even yet the TS-1's can get away from me at times. Check out this 9 iron I hit a few weeks back:

    I know no iron is impervious to some spin loss out of the rough, but I'm hoping to see more consistent performance out of flier lies with these irons.
    And lastly, some forgiveness will be important as well. My ball striking has improved pretty significantly over the last two years, but I'm still no stripe show. I know this head isn't designed to be the most forgiving, but I'll be keeping some tabs on just how much distance is lost by off-center strikes.
    If you have any questions about my game (or anything else!) I can answer for you, don't hesitate to reach out! Once the clubs come in, I'll continue to keep everyone in the loop!
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    Intro (Part 1)
    Hey y'all - I'm back again! The MyGolfSpy community has been an awesome place for me to connect with some new people over my favorite hobby, and if testing wasn't even a part of what we do here I would still be around here just as much as I already am. However, MGS testing has also given me some remarkable opportunities to test some really awesome products as well. In 2019 I participated in my first forum test, for the Evnroll ER2B (link to that review here), and last year I was able to test out the Tour Edge EXS Pro Hybrid (link here), and both clubs are still in my bag! Feel free to check either of those posts out for a more thorough background of my personal and golfing background, but I'll try to keep my background to a minimum and focus on what's new with me in the past year here in this post.
    The last year has mostly consisted of three main things: lifting, golf and my wife's and my first house.
    Once the golf season wrapped up last fall, I was sort of sitting around without much to do. You can only do so many dry swings in the living room (and believe me, I did a ton!), so I decided to jump pretty hard into lifting. I was able to build my strength pretty considerably, and do think I was able to see a bump in my golf game & speed because of the added strength.
    On the course, I've been able to make some pretty big improvements as well. As of last year at this time my handicap was 15.8, and I've been able to work it down to 7.3 right now. I took a few lessons over the winter months, and really committed to getting to the heated bays and making sure to video record my swing to try and accelerate my progress. I fully endorse and really recommend anyone out there to both take lessons and also record your swing. Multiple times in both settings I found myself trying to "fix" a mistake I thought I had, only to find out my "fix" was only exacerbating the real problem.
    And last big topic of this year for me has been our new home. We are very blessed to have been able to find and afford a new home to live in, but we're also very much realizing how much work home-ownership can be. We have a pretty long list of to-do's on the house, and it has already monopolized my lifting and golf time the last month and a half. My game has really started to suffer the last ~3 weeks, and for the first time in a long time I found myself completely lost. Just the other day, I decided I needed to just record my swing and see where we were - and what do you know! All sorts of old habits found their way back. Here's a video of an 8 iron swing I took at the range the other day:
    Conversely, here's a swing I recorded in February. This is much more exemplary of where my swing has been at for the bulk of this season:
    Now that I have some better feedback on where my technique has slipped, I feel much better about my ability to get back to where my swing was just a few weeks ago. Fortunately, we've gotten a lot of the moving and initial work done at the house, so I'm excited to be able to ramp back up my practice and play the back end of the summer and into the fall!
    Another big change in my game over the last year has been my new iron set. I'll go a little more specifically into specs of my current gamers, as well as my fitting experience for the T100's, in a future post, but my new set has certainly been a big improvement from my previous irons. I had an ill-fitted set of Ping Eye 2's with stock shafts which spun to high heaven, and the improved consistency I've seen from my Maltby TS-1's this year has been remarkable. I've been getting along with the clubs very well this year, so I'm anxious to get the new T100's in my hands and really see how the two compare!
  12. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to Tarheelvolvo in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    Titleist T200- Official MGS Forum Review by Tarheelvolvo (@Golfspy_THV)
    Final Review
    With numerous range sessions, a very fun comparison session, and a few rounds in the books, I feel confident reviews these iron from Titleist. For a quick TL;DR: These irons have amazing consistency, distance, and dispersion when fitted appropriately and should definitely be considered for low-high cappers that do NOT have an issue getting the ball up in the air. 
    For anyone wanting to know some more details, read on!
    Just for reference - I'll be grading these irons relative to what they "should" be. For example, I'm not comparing the forgiveness of these irons to a super game improvement iron. I'm trusting the reader will have a rough idea of which level of iron their skill matches up with.
    Looks (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

    These irons look fantastic! Kudos to Titleist for creating the appearance of a blade-like tour iron with a lot of game improvement tech packed inside. The cap on the back really creates a clean look and the topline profile at address inspires confidence when swinging. 
    The sole is designed appropriately for the majority of players out there who already have a decent swing and don't dig or have issues getting the ball up. A good taper, and sole rounding help the club float just a tiny bit for when you have a fat shot. Far less than a SGI club, but that's not the intended audience for these clubs. 
    The offset is minimal, but still noticeable, and won't give you mental fits when trying to swing and overthink compensating the offset (ask me how I know...lol). Trust the design and you're in great shape!
    A nice touch, and this is a minimal thing, is the numbering on the sole. It's clear, easily legible, and having the degree markings on the P (43) and G (48) wedges is really helpful when looking to fill out your bag with additional wedges. 
    Check out the plethora of pictures I took of the clubs below and see for yourself. These are stunners! 
    Feel (⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    The head feels solid and appropriately weighted throughout the swing. There is a bit of heft compared with other offerings from Mizuno and Srixon - Taylormade P790 felt about the same - however, I like a little weight in heads as it tends to slow down my swing just a touch and create more consistency for me. 
    Ball speed was excellent and top among the comparison I ran between T200, P790, JPX 921 Forged, and ZX5. However, it didn't feel like the ball "jumped" off the face by any means, it was just marginally higher. 
    One small gripe and the reason it doesn't get 5* is the sound when you hit it thin. On the Pro side, you get instant auditory feedback if you hit it a couple grooves too high/low, on the Con side, the cap tends to make the sound resonate just a touch and give the club a metallic "clack" sound when you do hit it a bit thin. It's a small annoyance and some players may like that feedback, while others may find it a bit of a nuisance. 
    Otherwise, the feel is great and I could immediately tell if I hit it a touch thin or fat just by the feel in my hands and the sound at contact. 
    Forgiveness (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

    These irons certainly have forgiveness and the tech packed inside reminds you of that every time you have a mis-hit! However, the forgiveness isn't as good as some other irons on the market. Just take a look at the Trackman data above. The Blue dots are the T200 7i strikes. Keep in mind that the T200 was fitted for me while the others were demo clubs, so a close setup, but not really "fitted" for me like the T200's are, and some had tighter groupings than others. 
    With that said, the Mizuno 921 Forged irons (purple dots) had the tightest grouping and accuracy plus consistency would give it the nod for forgiveness in this comparison for me. 
    Overall, they have plenty of forgiveness, just maybe not the best on the market, hence the 4* rating. 
    And for those curious, the breakdown went like this:
    Blue = T200
    Grey = P790
    Purple = 921 Forged
    Red = Wilson D7 (current clubs)
    Dark Green = ZX5
    Light green was a mix of them all when I was goofing around, haha.
     
    Distance (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    As other testers have noted, these irons are not the longest, however they are longer than most competitors (see chart above). Two big takeaways for me on this are:
    1) Ball Speed on well struck balls was tops among the competitive set, which translates well to distance unless...
    2) They have a more spin. More spin means less distance, on average, so even balls coming off the club face faster don't travel as far. BUT, keep in mind the player these irons are designed for and their intended purpose. They are not trying to be distance champs, but the best all-around irons for the majority of players. I personally like the extra spin so my ball will stop on the green instead of rolling out. That's why they get a 5 from me!
    On-Course Performance (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    Each time I have played with these irons, my scores, on average, have been 3-4 strokes lower than my current irons (D7's). The good distance, solid spin, accuracy, forgiveness, and great construction have really helped my game improve significantly. 
    The strokes gained speak for themselves and as I have said previously, these irons are designed as great all-around performers and they have that in spades. 
    Overall (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)
    There are many great options in the same category the T200 plays in. One could argue it is the most competitive segment of irons due to the broad appeal irons in this category have, from a Tour player (more than a couple have T200's in their tour bag) to a -15 handicap...although I doubt many will still be a -15 if they play with these irons consistently! With so many great offerings, I was expecting middle of the road data, where it only excels at one thing and does the others decently enough to get by, however I have been thoroughly impressed with the performance of these irons.
    Their distance (not top, but very respectable), spin (top, for green holding power!), forgiveness, accuracy, consistency, looks, and feel are all very well done and combine to create a fantastic iron that shows up when you need it. 
    If you are in the market for some great performers, definitely add the T200 to your list and you will not be disappointed. 
    Play or Trade? Definitely playing these bad boys for awhile to come as I drop my handicap, my scores improve, and my enjoyment of the game increases!
    Lastly, a shoutout to Titleist for helping all us testers navigate the shaft issues that have plagued many OEM's. I ended up with Webb Simpsons shafts (that's the story I'm sticking to...sorry Webb!) DG Tour Issue X100 and was very appreciative of them putting a regular joe tester ahead of a pro - apparently @Golfspy_CG2 has the full story, but he's keeping mum 😉 
    I hope you all found this review helpful and if you have any questions, please comment here or send me a DM!
    --------
    First Impressions
    Packaging & Shipping:
    These irons are gorgeous! Was super pumped when they arrived and immediately noticed the little details they employ to ensure safe shipping. Well packaged and study box, appropriate padding materials to protect shaft and grips, individually wrapped heads - in shrink wrap as well as a bubble wrap "sleeve" - and cardboard iron dividers so that clubs won't bump into each other during transit. A+ work by Titleist and I would feel comfortable ordering any other products online knowing their shipping standards




    Quick note about those fancy shafts! Originally requested plain DG X100 shafts, but due to shortages there were none to be found. Titleist asked for backup choices, which I gave them, but even those were out of stock...sometimes it sucks to be a tall, fast swinger. However, as luck would have it, they had some of these Tour Issue beauties in the player sponsor area, so some poor tour pro wasn't able to get new clubs and given the time frame it wouldn't have been any of the tour players who were in the championship, so I'm telling everyone I have Webb Simpsons shafts 🤣 Sorry Webb! 
    Specs
    For those interested, these are the specs my irons were built to. Note that I am 6'4" tall with ~95mph 7i swing speed.

     
    Comparison
    I immediately started to compare these irons to my current gamers - Wilson D7's from 2018. A couple interesting notes:
    1) As I have played more, and previously mentioned, the D7's were no longer optimal for my game. Could a tour pro take them and school me? Absolutely! But a Tour Pro could take a baseball bat, shovel, hoe, and a rake and still take me to school. Point is, they have served their purpose and time to move to a better iron more suited to my game now which means less offset, different constructions, and turf interaction


    2) Titleist measures length very differently than other OEM's - Wilson included. In the below pics, you can see that they are identical in length, however the D7's are +.25" and the Titleist are +1.25"


    3) The size of the T200 is fantastic. Regardless of what your girlfriend or wife says, size does matter! While packing a lot of the same technology as the D7's, the T200's do it better and in a more compact size that looks better at address and gives you confidence. Sorry about the Band-Aid on my thumb...in my excitement to rip open the box I got a papercut, lol!


    Hard to see, but best photo I could take showing the clubface is actually larger on the D7 - it's the club behind the T200 and you can see it sticking out.

    4) Soles are also very different on the two irons. The D7 is built for someone who digs more into the turf and needs help having it "float" along the turf, more so than a T200 player. Honestly, the D7's are a better comparison with the T300, so read that review if you curious on the differences there. Here's a pic looking at the soles a bit more closely and hopefully the camera highlights the differences for you a bit more

    Beauty Shots
    Let's be honest, looking at pretty clubs is why we're all here 😉



    Here is a shot of them in my bag at our first range sessions:

    Range Session & Playing
    Right off the bat, I could tell that these irons were a great fit for my game. They hit just as long as my old D7's - to within ~5yds, which is helpful so I don't have to rethink my club selection on the course - but have a MUCH tighter grouping. Still waiting for the trackman to become available and give you guys fun charts and stats on the T200 as well as D7...and maybe some other clubs, if they are available. 
    Was able to sneak in a round last Friday and already saw a 3 stroke improvement over the same course played 3 weeks prior with the D7's, and that was with just a single range session under my belt. Hoping to see continued improvement and strokes gained as I learn how to hit these new irons better!
    --------
    Fitting
    Went through the fitting process at my local shop and did a recap in a different thread, but thought I would share here as well. First up, the contenders:

    Based on my current gamers - Wilson D7's - being in the SGI category, I thought the T300 might be the best choice purely based on the type of player it was aimed at. However, after we setup the trackman and I realized my SS is 95mph+ w/ a 7i, it became apparent that I would overpower an SGI or many GI irons. With all of that said, there was still a need for forgiveness - heck, even the tour pros want a little forgiveness! 
    Wasn't able to get photos of all the fun dispersion and data charts in Trackman, so I will do my best to describe the process and the resultant data that led to my selection.
    Swing Speed:
    Based solely on my SS, the T300 was eliminated from the get-go. Reason being that at the speeds I am swinging I am almost overpowering the benefits that a SGI/GI iron brings based on their construction - especially with the face design. Also, as an interesting side note, I am currently overpowering my D7's, which I didn't realize until the fitting, but when you start to swing certain clubs too fast you end up losing the dispersion and forgiveness benefits! Which, in hindsight, makes total sense because I would swing a 7i one time and it would be a draw and 195 yds, then swing it another time and it would be fade and 180yds...just too much inconsistency - some of which is the user, but the club has some ownership in these issues as well. 
    So all that to say the T200 and T100/s are better fits based solely on my SS.
    Ball Flight/Forgiveness:
    Then we started to look at ball flight and forgiveness - note, not dispersion yet - to see which head might be the best choice and then make a proper shaft selection. 
    I have no issues with getting the ball into the air. My -2* AoA plays well with most irons, so I don't need help in that category. Additionally, I strike the ball pretty square which is nice to find out, and opens up some options with clubheads. So, looking at the remaining contenders, T200 & T100/s, the Trackman data showed the T100/s clubheads as a bit lower launching for me, which isn't so much a problem, but combined with the slight decrease in forgiveness for mishits, the 100's were also eliminated
    Dispersion & Shaft Selection:
    That left the T200 as the perfect choice for my SS, forgiveness requirements, and ball striking abilities. Then it became a choice of shafts. Titleist, being the amazing company they are, told us testers that any shaft would be available to pick free of charge as long as it didn't cause shipping delays. 
    One of the issues I currently have is that the D7's heaviest/stiffest free shaft option was a KBS Tour 105 S-flex. For the target demo, that would be a bit too heavy and maybe even too stiff. However, with the T200, I had LOTS of options and took full advantage of finding the right balance of price (don't want to be needlessly greedy and get an upcharge shaft just because) and functionality. We tried the DG 120 S, AMT Tour White X, X100, X7, Project X/LZ 6.5 & 7.0, and Modus 3 Tour 130. I won't bore you guys with the details because in my hands they all "felt" about the same, but the data doesn't lie. My tightest 5-shot group was achieved with the ole reliable DG X100. The next closest was the AMT Tour White X-flex and then the X7. Note that none of the above shafts caused massive mishits or largely noticeable higher/lower ball flight because they were all about the same weight. 
    Spin also told an interesting story. X7 and Modus 3 were too low spin for my game since I don't put a tremendous amount of spin on the ball at contact. Likewise, the LZ's and DG 120's put a bit too much spin on the ball and did launch it a touch higher, causing lost yardage. So, the X100's were the perfect all-around choice!
    Hopefully this helps a few of you members out there who are in a similar spot!
    --------
    Intro
    My name is John-Scott and most folks call me JS. I'm the newest manager of the MGS forum, which is a great honor, and sometimes a great headache 🙃 I'm 38 and live in Richmond, VA with my family of 5 - Wife, Myself, 8yr old (G), 5yr old (B), and 18mo old (G). Covid has been an interesting time in my house, ha!
    I started golfing with my father when I was about 10 or 11, mainly just riding around in the golf cart. There are two vivid memories I have though - one is the time I had a pack of tic-tacs in the cart and we went to putt and on the way back I hear this rattling noise and it seems to be coming from the tree next to the cart...well, a daggum squirrel snuck into the cart and stole my pack of tic-tacs! At 11yrs old, this is hilarious and devastating.

    The second memory is when I swung the club so hard I spun around twice and then fell down. My father thought this was hilarious, of course, but it started me on my journey to always swing for the fences! 

    After that, I marginally kept up with the game, playing when I had time or didn't have other sports commitments and picked it back up in earnest during college, playing with buddies and having fun on the course. Starting a few years ago, though, I began to take the game more seriously and have slowly started to refine my bag selection to get updated equipment - my main set of irons were DCI clones before I was selected to test the Wilson D7's in 2019. However, these never felt quite right to me and I had consistency issues...with an SGI club...which seems counterintuitive, until I went to a Driver fitting last year.
    During my driver fitting in the fall of 2020, that's when I started to pay attention to swing speed #'s and it was a lightbulb moment! I quickly realized that my fond memory all those years ago has stayed with me and I'm still swinging for the fences! Right now, my driver SS is ~120mph. The representation below is fairly accurate, haha. 
     
    At any rate, I found out that I was simply overpowering the D7's and the shaft I had on them, because it wasn't heavy enough...and I wasn't really the target audience for those clubs. Which has lead us to today! 
    I'm really looking forward to testing out a iron that fits me properly - 7i SS is ~95mph - and seeing how it impacts my game. Will the consistency issues drop? What about mishits and turf interaction? I also want to compare the T200's to a number of popular models out there using my local shop's Trackman so I can give you guys all the data you could hope for!



  13. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to Nolan220 in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    ****FINAL REVIEW****
    Looks ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    For the T300 which is a Game Improvement (GI) iron isn't as sleek looking as the older brothers (or sisters) in T-Series line. But I would argue the slight design change made all the the difference. The new T300 design fits well with the rest of the GI  irons out there but I feel like less is more it is little toned down from the older version with a nice black and chrome comparison that really fit well together. I am a big GI iron guy but like most of the other golfers out there feel the Players Irons and distance irons look a lot better in the simple sleek design but the T300 looks great with a nice balance of sleek and GI traits. This is the reason I gave it five star has a great balance with a GI and sleek iron design. 
    Feel ⭐⭐⭐⭐
    I really like the feel of this club, even on miss hits or non perfect center hits ( I know you all think I hit every ball perfect like a young Tiger Woods but no I am just a man a normal mortal like the rest of you.) it still feels like a good shot and will be expanding on this more in the next section forgiveness, but the miss hits aren't terrible either. For a GI iron I would feel that I hit it on the toe and knew it would be 40 yards to the right but it would just off the green. During my golf trip I had a shot like this hit the toe felt it right away but the ball still landed on the right side of the green. If I do hit it flush the iron makes a nice sound that you know right away you hit it clean. I wouldn't put them on the Mizuno JPX900 HM sound and feel but I think that they are right up there for me, my Mizuno would be 1 and T300 1A they are really close and to be honest you can't go wrong and this is in no way a negative point for the T300 more as a positive, but for that only gave it four stars.
    Forgiveness ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    http://31.media.tumblr.com/355b13889390c677b2bb0e7436d33211/tumblr_mjy0w4JnM81r7oaheo1_500.gif
    These irons are great in the forgiveness category, like I said above if I miss hit on the toe of the club I that ball mostly ended 40 yards to the right of the target. But with the T300 the miss hits would still put me in a decent spot wouldn't kill my chance at the hole. Playing the rounds any mishit would still put me in a okay position where I was still had an opportunity to PAR the hole and that all the really matters. 
    Distance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    The distance is great with these irons it was almost like a half of a club longer, around 5-10yards. At the course I play a lot there is a par 3 135 140 yards and its been an 8i for me all day, I mostly always par the hole and 95% of the time im on the green, Its not a simple par 3 but the shape of the hole fits my swing. Anyway T300 8i .. over the green ... WTF so I was playing by myself and no one behind me so I grab the 9i and put it on the green and actually a little longer then I would have thought. I noticed this in every round I played so I had to readjust my club yardages after couple of rounds and pretty much been fine. I know every new club says the new club will give you more distance and most of the time I never experienced it but I was shocked with this one .. there is a definitely increase in distance. 
    On-Course Performance ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    The irons are great, I played some really good rounds and made some really great shots, I went with the 4i and in a thick rough with trees in the way about 185ish out hit a nice fade on to the green, I had no idea I could make that with any iron in the rough I was in let alone a 4i that I haven't played in years. On the golf trip I was just on we played a tough course and I had a couple shots that I put the ball with couple of feet of the pin. One shot hit the pin and rolled a foot away. I love the mizunos but there really isn't anyway I can take these irons out of the bag. I may take the 4i out but as of right now I have been moving the hybrids and woods around to keep the 4i in. The T300s also give a higher ball flight and I do play a low spin ball but I do have a problem with hitting the green and the ball keep going with these irons I felt like I was sticking the ball on the green without any real chance of the ball rolling off the green. So definitely keep these in the bag for the foreseeable future. 
    Overall ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
    I give the overall rating 5 stars the only real issue was the feel and that is more based on my opinion on the Mizunos and wouldn't say it was a negative on the T300s more of my preference and would give it a 4.5 on feel then a 4. I can't say enough good things about these irons I never owned a set of Titleist but after this test I would recommend anyone looking for irons to add them to your list to test. Like I said in above these are staying in the bag, I love the launch, ball flight, distance, look and feel.  To be honest after playing 3-4 rounds with these irons the test was over I could of wrapped this up in Sept but after going on the golf trip and playing some tough courses I never played before and making some great shots it solidified the 5 star rating.  
     
     
    Intro 
    Well well well look who is back in the MGS forum testing. Want to thank MGS Forum Mods and Titleist for giving us this amazing opportunity, MGS knocked it out the park this year with the testing every product is amazing. 

    I will keep it short I know 16K sign ups didn't come here to read the intro of a 18 handicap, but here we are. I messed around with golf in my younger years but always had other sports a head of it. Once I was in college I started to play a lot and then kind of cooled off for a bit when I was first in the working force out of college. I would always come back to play and I always was so happy after I was done. So finally I quit all the other sports I was playing and start to focus on golf around 3-4 years ago. I went on a golf trip with my buddy and that was it I was full time in getting better and lower the old handicap. Well then I decided to get married and have a bunch of kids and what do you know they don't really care about my dream of becoming a semi-good golfer. So the game took a little hit but I still get out there a plenty to get some work in (and by work I mean I just rip driver all day long, JK but need to use the gif below). I started in MGS in 2019 I believe when I saw an instagram add and I was like this is interesting. I lurked around for a bit on the Forum never posted and then I started to interact with everyone and its been great. I recently tested the Align XL golfball from Golfballs.com and the Ben Hogan VKTR hybrid. 

    Current set up I play mizuno JPX 900 hot metals with Project X lz graphite shafts, I love these irons the sound and feel is amazing. I recently switch to graphite and really enjoyed them. I was picked to test the T300 which I feel would be the best for my game. I am going with the Tensei blue shafts which is what I was fitted into. I also tested the T200 at the fitting and they are a thing of beauty and while I did hit them well, I believe for my game right now I need little more forgiveness. I tend to play the ball left to right naturally but have worked on being able to go right to left but still a work in progress. I tend to play at least 9 holes a week and/or hit the range on a normal month and hope to increase that with this test. 
    For this test I am looking to see some added forgiveness and maybe a slight increase in distances. At the fitting I was obsoletely hammering the 6i like 15-20 yards more so we will see if that is the case. During the fitting the fitter noticed I go left to right with every shot so decided to do a one degree up right which will be a first for me. Well that is it about me so lets giddy up. 
     
    First Impressions
    I received the T300s last week and they're a thing of beauty! Box was nice a secured and all clubs were in packed perfectly. First impressions the the clubs, craftsmanship and the packing all great. On the range, first swing the clubs felt great, just had this confidence that you know it was going to be a good range session. One thing I notice these are really forgiving clubs, I am not an expert but I can't remember any irons I owed that were this forgiving. Couple of mis hits and I was still in the area and pretty close to the yardage that I was aiming for. Pretty simple the mishit wouldn't of took me out of the hole if I was playing one. The other thing I noticed the ball flight was great ball just kept to rise in the night sky and the ball seems to fly off the face. Even during the fitting and also confirmed at the range I was getting more distance didn't have the data since it was the range but when I tested these against the JPX900 HM it was looking around 5-10 yards longer. Definitely impressed with the first couple of range sessions and have 18 lined up this weekend and another 9 on Monday.  



  14. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to MDGolfHacker in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    Alright, alright, alright! My official review of the T200's has come to and end but don't think I won't be talking about these irons in the coming months!  I will be the first to tell you that I am a BIG MIZUNO fan!  Ever since I first hit the MP-32's, I never wanted any other iron manufacturer in my bag.  I've made a few detours throughout the years with a Callaway set and the Cobra F8's, but I always came back to Mizuno's being in the bag with the latest MP-20's gracing my bag prior to this testing. Well, I can honestly say that a Mizuno club will no longer be in the bag for the foreseeable future as the T200's have earned a permanent spot in my bag!  Read on for the rest of my thoughts on what Titleist has done with the T200's!
    Looks (4.9 out of 5 points) 
    I like clean backs and I can not lie😂... The T200's have a fairly clean looking backside on the iron, as much as can be done with creating an iron that incorporates multi-materials in the head, especially the D18 density tungsten weighting. It has an almost blade-like look to it from address. Here's a comparison of the back with the Tommy Armour Silver Scot Blades, the MP-20 and the T200's.  It'a very clean looking club

     
    Feel (4.7 out of 5 points)
    They say nothing feels like a Mizuno, but Titleist comes close.  It had a very solid feel to it and it masks off center shots fairly well but you can still tell when you don't hit the center. You don't lose a much distance when you miss that sweet spot.  Speaking of sweet spot, it's much bigger than the Mizuno's.  I will also tell you that my favorite club to hit out of the set was the 4 iron.  It FEELS SOLID when you make contact with it!  I liked hitting so much, that I found I would alter my approach to a hole just so I can incorporate hitting the 4 iron😄😂😅.  I really enjoyed hitting the T-200s throughout this test, so much so, as I eluded to earlier, that it has officially kicked out the MP-20's from my bag!
    Basic Characteristics (5 out of 5 points)
    The fit and finish of the Titleist T200 is top notch.  There wasn't a blemish or flaw that I could detect with the T200's.  I have come to expect quality when using Titleist products and the T200's did not disappoint!
    Comparing the T200's with the MP-20's I found that I was anywhere from a 1/2 club to a club longer. The T200's had a slightly higher trajectory but still managed to have a penetrating flight in the windiest of days that I played. I found that the T200s were a bit more accurate than the MP-20s as well.  The Tungsten weighting does it job as I can feel the extra weight in the club head in the swing where with the MP-20's, I tended to lose the club at times during the swing. What really impressed me the most is that I didn't have to think about swinging the T200s as I knew if put a good swing on it, it will do what I envisioned.
    On-Course / LM Performance (5 out of 5 points)
    I felt that the T200's on course performance is what I expected it to be.  I hit some fantastic approach shots with the irons and very accurate shots when I was in trouble off the tee.  Titleist truly made a great club that will benefit not only mid and high handicappers, but even low handicappers as well.  Titleist really has a a winner in the T200's. The turf interaction is fantastic with just enough bounce to keep me out of trouble.  Even faced with a few less than ideal situations, the T200s were able to allow me to get the iron on the ball and hit a great recovery shot! I can't say that I would change too much with club as it did allow me to shave off a stroke off me weekly score.

    Miscellaneous (5 out of 5 points)
    The very first day I had the T200's in the bag, one of my playing partners who is a low single HC, literally zeroed on the T200's from his cart and asked if he could hit it (he forgot I'm a lefty and was disappointed that he couldn't, LOL).  The T200's are a great looking club, feels solid when you hit it, does go a few extra yards as advertised and has the Titleist name backing it!  What else can you ask for in a club?!

    Play it or Trade it? (5 out of 5 points)
    As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, I am a big Mizuno fan and the T200's kicked the MP-20's out of the bag.  That's a big statement for me to switch to the T200's 😀
     
    Conclusion
    Do yourself a favor and at least try the T200's.  They are a wonderful set of irons that will definitely not disappoint you! With solid looks, great feel and the Titleist name, what else can you ask for in an iron??
     
    Final Score: (29.6 out of 30 points)
     
    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
     
    Click here to view the box opening video - Titleist Box opening
    Fitting Part 2:
    You can find out which shaft I went with here: https://forum.mygolfspy.com/tests/19-testers-announced-titleist-t-series-irons/?do=findComment&comment=5419
    Fitting:
    As I eluded to earlier in my intro below, I decided to go all in on the fitting. @GolfSpy_THV needed the specs pretty fast but I wanted to make sure that I got the best fitting possible. In the past, I've gone with the specs I've had for years. Which, is dumb because I've somehow gotten old.

    Funny thing is, apparently everyone in the world also wanted to have a fitting within the great state of Maryland too!  After calling 4 of the closest fitters to me, a great friend of mine recommended 2nd Swing in Columbia Maryland to get fit, in particular a club fitter named Kevin Kraft. The stars aligned as there was a 3PM opening for him the next day so I booked it!
    When I arrived, I was pretty early. I was like a kid in the candy store!  But I had to focus as my close friend said to save my energy for the fitting and boy he was right! When I got into the fitting bay, I sensed this guy really knew his stuff when I saw a big cardboard check for winning the 2018 Pennsylvania Open in the amount of $8,000! 
    Additionally, Kevin also played in this year's US Senior Open and had a T56 finish! To say I was in good hands was an understatement.  If you're a Marylander or in the local DMV area, I'd highly recommend making the trip there to see him. Great guy! Now back to the fitting. I explained to Kevin why I was there and he asked if I was limited to the shaft choices, i.e. stock shafts versus upgraded shafts. I said no, not because I wanted the most exotic shaft made out of vibranium to put into the T-200 heads, but because I was curious as to what was truly the best shaft for my swing! I brought my Mizuno MP-20 7 iron in, which is my 150 yard club, for comparison. He checked the loft and lie and found that I was fit standard to the Mizunos. I then proceed to get on the launch monitor and hit about 10 balls with my Mizunos.  Just to refresh your memory, my MP-20s have PX-5.5 stiff shafts in them which I found out were low launching shafts and well, I'm not a high ball hitter, 😞 so definitely not a match made in heaven. He then proceeded to set me up in the first of what would be eventually 10 different shafts for the fitting!

    LOL...during this entire fitting process, he would ask how the the golf shaft felt and look at the numbers. My buddy was also there to take some pics as well. I heard a couple of oohs during some swings as well as dead silence, ha ha ha!!

    98 swings later, here's the screen capture of the Trackman stats for the dispersion and trajectory of all the shafts I hit.  I purposely made it black and white because I'm going to ask you, the reader to see if you can guess which shaft ended up being recommended for me and well, if I left the color in it, you would find out right away which I was fitted to 😄
     


     
    A few things I discovered while I was being fit. I actually DON'T carry the MP-20 7 iron 150 yards 😞 First bubble burst. The shaft that was recommended for me really doesn't fit my swing! That was bubble number 2! Once fitted for the right shaft, I gained distance, more ball speed and height! So, for the shaft detectives out there, can you guess which one of the following shaft profiles is the PX-5.5 in my MP-20s and which two were my final choices to go in the T-200 Titleist heads?

     
    Let me know your best guesses!  Use the color of the 7iron logo at the top left of each shaft test to let me know which shaft you think is the Mizuno MP-20 PX5.5 shaft and which two I narrowed my choices to!
     
    MDGolfHacker
    _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
    Background:
    I thought I'd get this party started with a little background of me.
    I've been on active with MyGolfSpy since 2016.  It's been a great golf forum of like minded golfers without the drama that pops up as seen on other forum sites.  I've been fortunate enough to test a few golf items which I still use to this day.  I'll post links to the last few items at the bottom of this page!
    MyGolf History 101:

    My story began when I was growing up in Maryland. The only sport I played was competitive tennis throughout middle and high school.

    Some of my friends golfed, but I never took an interest in the sport at all. When tournaments were shown on TV, I never wanted to watch it and viewed the sport as boring. 
    Fast forward quite a few years. I no longer actively played tennis as my job was taking up a lot of time. My girlfriend (now my wife), wanted to find a sport we both could do as a couple (we played tennis a few times but she got mad at me because I didn't hit the ball to her (kind of what the point of tennis is, LOL) so SHE decided we needed to invest in a sport new to both of us). Her brother was into golfing and suggested we take up golfing. I resisted as I had zero interest in the sport. I didn't have golf clubs, didn't know how to hold a club; didn't see the point of hitting this little white ball further down the fairway, didn't know how to putt, didn't know the rules and had no interest in the history of the game. Regardless, I was dragged to Willow Springs Golf Course in Maryland. It was an executive 18 course with no par 5's. 
    I had to rent clubs. Luckily, the pro shop had a single set for a lefty. Willow Springs didn't have the latest and greatest sets to rent; on the contrary, the set I was given was built circa 1965. The driver itself was no larger than today's 5 wood and had a BABY BLUE head on it (thought it was a strange color for the driver and not manly at all, but what did I know, I didn't golf) and the rest of the irons were a mishmash of blades hobbled together from probably 4 or 5 different sets. I was given a quick lesson by my now brother in law on how to hold the club and was told to swing away.
    Standing on that elevated tee box, I took the first swing of the start of my love for golf. A swing and a whiff! I was given a mulligan (didn't know what that was at the time) and made contact on my second swing! It went high, straight and far!

    That one shot is what hooked me on the game. It didn't matter that I hacked my way around the course the rest of the day (I lost count of the number of swings I took after 120 strokes, lol), what mattered that day was my love and interest of the game was born. 
    I started to watch the golf channel 24/7, started to see how fun golf could be. I picked up a starter set from Dicks Sporting Goods, and started to practice every day at the local range 5 minutes from my house. I should have taken lessons right at the beginning, but I didn't know better. I started trying to get out every weekend to golf, first with my girlfriend and her brother, then with co-workers.
    My handicap started from the high 20's to the mid-teens and finally dropped down to a low index of 7.8. I became a club junkie, attending every demo day every week of every month. I purchased several iron sets, drivers and putters. I even jokingly considered renting out storage space to put all the excess clubs and maybe install a loft and lie machine too, kind of make it a hangout spot for my golfer buddies, LOL.  I had the financial resources and more importantly, the time to devote to Golf. It was a great time as I golfed twice a week and sometimes more. I loved the comradery the game has brought to me, the deep history that I have learned to appreciate and the challenge of repeating something as simple as putter swing. I have really enjoyed being out on the course during the sunniest of days to the windiest and wettest of storms. Those that know me will say that I try and keep things light and funny, but determined and focused to shoot my best score.
     Since then I married my wife, had several job changes and had two children.

    I had to step back from the game to devote my efforts to my family. As a result, my golfing tricked to maybe once a month if I was lucky and a few select tournaments I always played in. My handicapped shot up and the daily hours I spent at the range all but dried up.
    The Present: 
    The kids are a bit older and have showed some interest in the game and I am once again working on my game to bring it down from the current 11.1 handicap to single digits. I have only played this game for 20 years but have felt the wide range of emotions this game elicits. I play in a weekly 9 hole league. I am unfortunately an average putter. I can go through some hot streaks but more often than not struggle for even those short 2 footers. I went back to the basics this year (think grip, stance, and body turn) and reviewed earlier golf school videos to figure out what was going wrong. A few weeks ago I made the comment that my game is coming along nicely and I expected to get back to my single digit handicap soon.  Well, the golf gods heard me and typical god mentality decided to smite my swing😠🤦‍♂️….😄😂🤣ha ha ha…It’s been out of kilter for the last two weeks, but I’m working on getting it back to where it should be.
    I currently play Mizuno MP-20's and love, love love the irons. It has a great feel and just looks awesome! I thought I hit them pretty well and had gone off of my previous specs for the shafts. The answer is no, I didn't get fitted for them per say. More on that later.  In addition to reviewing the T-200's, I'll also be comparing them to the Mizuno MP-20s. My average club speed for the MP-20 7 iron is around 75MPH and it's usually my 150 yard club so we'll see how the T-200's stack up.  If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
    Being selected, we were asked to get fitted or supply our specifications if we knew them to @GolfSpy_THV. I thought I had a good handle on my specs, but boy was I in for a surprise! 

    Tune in later this week as I chronicle my experiences of getting fitted for the T200s!
     
    Previous reviews:
    SkyCaddie LX-5 Watch: 
    Cleveland RTX 4 Wedges: 
     
     
    MDGolfHacker
     
  15. Love
    JohnSmalls reacted to Nunfa0 in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    ****FINAL REVIEW****
    This whole process is a little different for me. I am not deciding whether the clubs are staying in the bag or not, handing over my hard earned cash has already decided that. Instead I am looking at if I made the right decision in buying the T100S irons with a little T200 on the side....
    Looks 
    When I saw the first pictures of these clubs come out, I knew that Titleist had nailed the looks almost perfectly. This impression was confirmed when I got them in hand. The topline is slim and sexy, the back of the clubs is simple and no longer has a flashy, almost tacky look like the previous model. Don't get me wrong, the old model were great clubs but, to me, they just didn't have the shelf appeal of some of their rivals. Now everyone who looks at them in my bag is envious, so it's a resounding 5 stars from me.
    Feel 
    For me these clubs feel exceptional. Sure they aren't "buttery" but they are still so soft out of the centre. They also have a firm feel that I like, you really feel like you have struck the ball well. The other side of the coin is if you miss hit a shot you immediately can tell exactly which part of the face you used and that to me is a real positive. I has allowed me to adjust during a round, make a bad start into a reasonable score. The T200 4 iron feels firmer but powerful. The ball comes off the face like a rocket but it still feels softer than my old Cobra Forged Tecs from 2016. All of this combined brings me to give them 5 stars for feel.
    Forgiveness 
    Some people will disagree but to me these clubs are forgiving. I have hit plenty of shots that were thin or out of the toe or even very close to the hosel that have flown straight and true. Yes they come up a bit short but right on line. The bottom line is I don't have to be the worlds best ball striker to get the best out of these clubs and it's just as well because my bad swings can strike fear into any stout hearted golfer. 
    Distance 
    This category has been a great surprise for me. The clubs up till the 8 iron are about 2* weaker than my previous set and yet they are just as long if not longer. I was very happy to see this as I was prepared for a drop in distance with these irons but it looks like I don't have to adjust at all. I haven't hit enough shots yet to get accurate numbers but for instance my wedge used to be a 110 yard club, it's now a 120 yard. I had been struggling to hit my old 5 iron 180 yards but now its a 190 yard club and it just goes on like this through the whole set. 5 Stars
    On-Course Performance 
    These clubs are fantastic on course, as you can tell from my previous comments, and have shown me what I have been missing while playing GI Irons (see the CCC3 threads). the new sole design seems to suit my game. I really like the way they get through the turf and chipping with them is easier for me (much to my relief). My rounds with them have been very consistent, 82, 79 and 83 and my handicap has dropped by a shot since using them. It seems that all I have to do is put a good swing on then and everything is good in the world. 
    Now I will say here that if you are looking at these clubs, don't be afraid to try the T200s for the top of your set. I have never had a 4 iron that has been so easy to hit. In fact it is well on it's way to becoming my favorite club in the bag. The T200 4 and 5 are the same loft as the T100S irons so why not try the combo. And you're not losing anything when it comes to looks so do yourself a favor and give them a try.
    Pressure
    This is where these clubs have come into their own. Since getting them I have played three matchplay rounds, the first of which was the first time I had even swung the clubs. It took me 9 holes to get going but since then I haven't looked back. One example from that round was the first shot I hit with the 6 iron. I had pulled my drive and left myself around 174 yards, ball below my feet, needing a draw into a sloping green. Oh and did I mention it was a blind shot? I stood over it and hit it just how I envisioned it. My opponent almost looked like he gave up at that point. I went on to win 3 & 1. the other two games have been a 6 & 5 win and an 8 & 7 win. What made these wins even better is the first two were away from home. It has become a case of "Pressure? What pressure"
    Yet again 5 glowing hydrogen balls.
    Overall 
    Finally the answer to my question, did I buy the right irons?
    Well it's an emphatic YES!! from me. These clubs are exactly the combination of looks, feel and performance I was looking for and are worth every cent I paid. Thank you Titleist, you've made me a very happy golfer 😍
     
     
     
     
    Hello folks and welcome to the next part of my journey to replace my irons 😁

    My name is John and I have been on the forum since 2017. Some of you may know me from my Shot Scope review, Cobra Connect Challenge 3 or just hanging around the forum. If you are wondering my user name is pronounced "None For None" from an old cricket nickname. I live in the distant realm of New Zealand where Kiwis roam, Hobbits and Orcs were filmed and the ground shakes a lot. 

     I was drawn here while researching my last set of irons that I bought, the JPX900 Hot metals. I was just like a lot of people, I saw the bright lights of testing and immediately joined. Of course my first post was to try to get a test and funny enough I didn't get it but then I began to dig into the forum and became hooked.

    Since then it has been a glorious ride of fun, learning, vigorous debate and Gifs. Anyway I suppose I better give you some personal details...
    I am lefty who has been playing since I was about 7 but joined my golf course when I was 11. My father got me into golf after I showed an interest and some small ability. I have many fond memories of playing golf with my dad, watching the Majors each year with him and just being with him at the club. We lost dad 25 years ago now but I still feel his presence at the club and his memory is kept alive there. I am lucky enough to have my brother there too, he joined after he gave up playing Rugby League ( it's like Rugby but harder, faster and better in my opinion.)
     
    Speaking of Rugby League,

     
    I played when I was 8 and 9 years old until a lovely disease called perthes decided to pay me a visit. It caused my left hip to lose the rounded shape of the "ball" and needed surgery to fix it. This left me with a permanent limp and meant I couldn't play contact sport. This is why Dad started my golf addiction.
    Fast forward 37 years and i finally had to have a full replacement of my hip. This had a couple of effects, a lot less pain, my limp has diminished and my golf swing changed. Suddenly I can rotate a lot better and faster.

    Back when I joined MGS I listened to all of the advice and got fitted for the Mizunos. This put me in very light regular XP95 shafts and 2* upright lies. I kept the same set up for the Cobra F9s that I got to test. Those two sets served me well and got me back from a 15 handicap to a 9 and I thought I had found my "solution" so to speak. Then the shiny new hip decided that I no longer needed upright lies and I started to hook my irons. I bought a cheap set of 2016 Cobra Forged Tecs in standard lie, A: to try a flatter lie set up and B: to move away from game improvement irons. Well the experiment worked and I have been hitting the ball much better. The Forged Tecshave never really felt "right" so I decided to bite the bullet and get fitted again and buy a whole new Iron set.
    I have tried so many different irons I have almost lost count, I have had three fittings and had a lot of fun. The softest irons I hit were the Wilson CBs but really the distance loss was too big. Taylormade are only sold at one store here in NZ and fitter there just confused me with too many shaft options plus I didn't want to drop over $3000 on them. The Pings just don't agree with me. The Srixons were nice but just not quite right. Callaway were a bit "meh"
     
    Then we had a Titleist fitting day at the club. I went to it thinking about the T200s and hit them really well but the T100 irons caught my eye, I was surprised how easy they were to hit and how nice they felt. Not super soft but solid. Also he reconfirmed what had come out in the other fittings, I now need stiff shafts not the old regs!! At the end of the fitting he even let me try the Cncpt irons. They were rockets but not what I was looking for, Besides in NZ they are $850 per club.

    Just after the fitting day we had some trial sets of the T series irons arrive at the club and there just so happened to be a set of T100 lefties with the AMT white stiff shafts in them. I took them out for a wee hit, not expecting anything, and after nine holes I was deeply in love 😍. The consistency, flight and spin was a joy to behold. I thought "this is just too good to be true" but it just carried on. After 4 rounds with them I had made my decision, the T100 were for me 🤩. Or so I thought....
    I made another booking to finalize my fitting and order the clubs and sat back all excited, next thing there's an email from MGS saying "Look at this, Titleist are seeding the new T100 range on tour this week". 

    I thought I was back to square one but then I saw the pictures. They have the "It" factor that the previous model lacked. The looks of a blade with the benefits and forgiveness of CBs. I was 200% sold. Now I just have to do my final fitting and hand the cash over. I should be buying a set of the T100s irons (for just that little bit extra distance), 4 to 48* with the AMT white Stiff shafts. But you never know, maybe a combo set could be an option or maybe the T100 standard irons 4 to wedge. The world is my oyster so to speak.
    As soon as I've had my fitting I will update so once again this post is TBC.....
     
  16. Love
    JohnSmalls reacted to juspoole in Titleist T-Series Irons   
    Final Review
    After a little over a month of testing, I feel confident that I have put these irons through a full run through.  With 7 rounds and a lot of range sessions, I played as much as I could throughout the process to give you all the best feedback.  These irons were fantastic and a joy to hit. Crisp feel with dynamite looks in a forgiving player’s package.  I would give this 4.5 Stars if I could. 
    I’ll apologize now for how often I bring up my Mizunos during the test, but I felt they were a terrific comparison to the type of irons these are.   I did a bit of a hybrid with the new and old scoring system in an effort to be more thorough. 
    Reminder of my set make up (similar to @chiefmikeofficer)
    T200 Utility Build (Graphite Design AD IZ 85X)
    T100 – S   5 – GW (KBS Tour 130 X)
    Looks (5/5) 
    Describe the following:
    Coloring / Graphics
    ·        Subtle looks, but eye popping.  I do not remember having this many people come up to my bag and take a look at my irons. The finish does not scream out “look at me” but there is something about them, which draws attention. 
    ·        They really do remind me of the AP2’s of old, you can still see that DNA in there.  Also, as you saw the shape and size is very close to the split cavity Mizuno irons. 
    ·        Shape is exactly what I would look for, the top line is great and it flows so well overall.  During a few of my side by side experiments, the Mizuno irons looked clunky and nowhere near as pleasing as the T100-S.
    ·        I know it shouldn’t matter as long as you are playing the best equipment for your game, but as with the Mizuno’s, with Titleist, you are proud to answer the question “what irons do you play?”.  Take that for what it’s worth, but they definitely make an impression when you see them in the bag that you are a good player.  Performance on the course is up to you, but you will certainly look the part.  I had more glances and people ask about these irons than anything else I’ve played.  It’s just surprising because they are definitely not flashy.
    I wanted to add a few more recent photos so that you could see how they look after a bit of use and the wear patterns thus far.  Obviously only has been a short time
     
     

     
    Feel (4/5
    Describe how the iron sounds and feels
    How is the weight? Balance? Can you feel the clubhead in your swing?
    I feel a bit more weight in the club head in the Titleist than I do with the Mizunos.  I prefer this feeling overall, but with it being a change, there are still some adjustments to be made.  I can actually take a smoother swing and have the feeling that the club is doing the work. Feel off the face
    ·        The million dollar question when it comes to a forged iron.  I can tell you, I do get the feedback that I’m looking for as to whether I’ve made a good strike or not. That is certainly an important aspect.  However, the feel is a bit “dead” when I compare to Mizuno.  To give another reference, they feel extremely similar to the latest Callaway X Forged CB irons and Srixon ZX7 if anyone has tried out those. The T200 4 iron is a rocket launcher with a bit of a hollow feel but not awful.  A bit better than the Srixon ZX for feedback.
    Forgiveness (5/5)
    ·        Very good.  I think one reason that my scores have been very solid with these irons is that I am flying the ball to my yardage almost every time on mishits.   I can swing confidently even though the topline and looks are a players shape.  Honestly, a 15 handicap could play these with ease in my opinion if you want more feel.  The T200 definitely does provide more in this category, but it really just depends what you are looking for.  Do you want even more added distance and more forgiveness with a larger profile, or do you want just a tiny bit less of both, but added feel and a players shape?  You’ll have to decide on that one. 
     
    Distance (5/5)
    Nearly a club longer!  A little bit less than that on the shorter clubs, but on 8 iron down to 5 iron, I’ve noticed the difference.  The T200 can hit some bombs.  I know the averages were only about a club longer with this one, but if I had to had one 250, I feel like I could do it with this 4 iron.  Just crazy long. Ball Speed definitely has increased.  I would say by around 4 mph on average with many clubs.  Distance mirrors that to around a club longer.  Launch angle is a touch higher, but the total height and descent angle are much better numbers.  Dispersion however, has gotten a bit worse.  Just bringing a few more pulls and draws into the mix when I usually do not have to worry much about that miss.  On the flip side, I do not think that I’ve had a fade miss, so I’m still just missing on one side of the course, which is good. Pressure –
    Tough to answer – I still feel like I’m grooving my swing with these.  At this exact moment in time (September 30, 2021) it is probably a toss-up, but just give the slight edge to the mizunos because of accuracy.  However, that is changing more and more with each practice session and round with the Titleist.  Trajectory –
    I know I’ve gotten into this, but definitely noticed a higher ball flight.  I think this was due to both a less tip stiff shaft as well as all of the tungsten in this club.  If you have trouble getting the ball up in the air, I think the T series will assist with that. Accuracy –
    Still a work in progress.  I think a combination of the clubs being a tad more upright and the different shafts are taking a bit of getting used to.  I think it will correct itself.  It has honestly helped me to feel like a can take a smoother swing and still increase my distance, which I don’t hate.  Also, workability is not quite as easy as I find with the Mizunos.  Possibly from the extra tungsten?  I’m not sure.  But I do find it easier with my previous set.  
    On-Course / LM Performance (4.5 out of 5)
    ·        I would say that I hit a few less greens than normal, but on the flip side, it seemed like when I did groove a nice swing, I was giving myself a 12 foot or less birdie chance more often than I remember this summer.  I dropped from 11.8 to 11.2 on average over the last 6 rounds with each.  Granted I have been playing well during this time frame, but I had a couple real chances to break par and I cannot say that I’ve had that this summer.  I recently played in an annual outing that I’ve been playing in for the past 5 years.  I had my best score to date with the T100-S by several strokes and much was because of iron play.  Turf interaction was also very good, it seemed to glide through on divots if that makes sense. 
    Did it help improve your scores? By how much?
    ·        I must admit, part of the scoring coincides with adding a new putter to the bag and getting along well with it.  But, my highest score with these irons was a 77.  That definitely beats my mizunos, some of that has to do with off the tee performance and not having as many penalty shots lately.   
    ·        I played 9 holes with both sets and hit iron off the tee except for the par 5’s.  I ended up shooting even par with both.  However, I had a birdie and 3 putt bogey with the Titleist and overall would say, I had less club into every green by one or two clubs each time.  However, I feel like I control my old clubs slightly better because I hit a slight fade with them rather than a draw.  But I’m now to the point where my misses are still catching the green.  With the added distance across all of the irons, I still felt confident only hitting 4 iron from the tee.  This could help in future rounds and playing smarter and less risky shots off the tee.
    ·        Below are some stats from several irons.  Note that Ball Speed is up, as well as carry and angle of descent with each iron.  I might shy some low spin players from these, but a shaft could help with that and the height will still help you hold greens.
     

    Overall (4.5/5)
    ·        I think in the grand scheme of things, these irons allow me to play better.  More trust is still necessary as I move forward.  I have to believe that with a smooth swing, I will still be able to hit the distance that these irons have shown thus far.  On the course, I’ll still have the feeling that I need to swing out of my shoes to get my 6 iron 203 or whatever it may be.
    ·        I really enjoyed my previous irons more than anything I’ve had before by a mile.  These surpassed several aspects of them because they really are that good.  I will miss the feel of my Mizunos to some extent, but it quickly washes away when I see the towering ball flight, great top line and extra distance the Titleist T100-S provide without swinging out of my shoes. As I grow more comfortable with these irons, they will help me play better golf – simple as that. 
    I have hit some other irons like the ZX7 and the Apex TCB, which did remind me of these.  I think there are a lot of good options out there, but these seem to be a cut above with all factors in mind.
     
    Now, if I could tame my driver and have one less hazard per round, I’d be on to something.  Oh and a few less 3 putts would be nice, while we’re at it.
    Thanks again to MGS and Titleist for choosing me to participate in this test.
     
    First Impressions
    Wow are these things clean. The lines are great on them. One of my biggest pet peeves was the large topline on some of my Mizuno irons and these alleviate that.  I am in no way a photographer, so please excuse the poor lighting and quality. 



    Specs if anyone is curious - Not picture below but the 4 iron is a T200 with Graphite Design IZ 85 X flex shaft

    Feel
    Not quite as buttery soft as my Mizunos.  Not harsh by any means, but I don’t get quite as amazing of feel by really flushing one.  On the flipside, with a bit of a mishit, feels much better in the hands.  No worries in the cold this season for me (well still some worry, but not as bad).  Still getting used to them so more on this throughout the test.
    Looks
    Really like the satin finish of the T100-S, but if I’m honest, I think I prefer the chrome look of the T200 in the 4 iron a bit more.  More to come as I see them in the bag on a regular basis. The back has minimal look with a lot of technology packed in behind the scenes.  Topline is right where I want it to be.  The offset is very minimal and maybe even less so that my mizuno – will have to research that.  Also, the transition from shaft to club head is very smooth, the mizuno has a bit of extra meat right there while the Titleist is more flowing.
    The Titleist has the blade like look, but does not make me scared in the least at hitting them. You can see the top line of my mizuno 8 iron on the right looks rather bulky compared to the Titliest.  I think it gets it just right here on the Titleist.  Blade Length may be ever so slightly longer in comparison as well.

    Immediate Differences to my current Gamers
    Much higher ball flight!  The tungsten in these are no joke.  The flight is not spinny by any means, but gets through the air easily and stops pretty quickly.  Numbers on a trackman only tell you so much, but seeing the ball flight in person, it’s very noticeable how high I’m hitting these.  I’m not changing anything else in my swing and it’s just higher.  Also, small mishits are forgiven much better than the Mizunos so far and feel better like I said above.  I won’t go into this too much here, but have noticed that I’m hitting a bit more of a draw with these compared to the Mizunos.  Likely the swing, but planning on taking both out to the course and playing a hole with each to find out.
    Below is a straight on shot of the 5 irons of both sets.  The hosel looks shorter on the T100-S, but in person is about the same.  Honestly, they are very close in shape.  The main difference is under the hood and the cavity being larger on the T100-s compared to the smaller split cavity on the Mizuno.

    Below is the gap wedge compared to my current vokey SM6 Gap wedge. More of the traditional teardrop shape from the wedge, but the T100-S 48* is more pleasing that I would have imagined.  Top lines are pretty close to my eye, but sole is definitely a bit smaller over the Vokey.

    Comarison of the Srixon ZX and the T200 4 Iron.  No surprise here that the sole width is wider on the ZX.  Thus far, I'm finding the T200 4 iron forgiving and easy to get airborne.  Maybe not quite as easy to hit as the ZX, but still getting used to the clubs.

    Loft Comparison
    I could have went with the T100 and been pleased, but knowing where my lofts currently are for my mizuno’s, I thought it’d be an easier transition to go with these.  I was right and wrong

    The Fitting
    I knew about these irons from seeing pictures online on Instagram.  I watched the TXG video and a couple other Youtube videos to see initial impressions.  I even went to my local shop to take a look at the iron head because I knew I would be interested in trying them out for potential purchase this fall/winter.  Fast forward a week and I was chosen for the test!
    I’m accustomed now to seeing all of the data from Trackman, so I knew what I was looking for out of my 7-iron demo club.  (Off topic, but when did we go to a 7 iron instead of a 6 iron during a fitting? I guess with hybrids these days, a 7-iron is a closer representation of your middle iron in a set, but still am left wondering when that truly happened. )  I tried out 6 different shafts through a few days of testing. As Follows:
    KBS Tour X-Stiff
    Project X 6.5
    Project X 6.0
    KBS $ Taper X Stiff
    DG Tour X100
    DG AMT White X100 (Current Shaft)
    I’ve been to enough demo days and fittings that I had a good idea of the iron shaft that would work best.  The KBS Tour and the Project X 6.5 were neck and neck.  I could have picked either and been good.  At first I selected the KBS because it felt less stiff and I didn’t feel like I had to swing 98% every time.  I started to find a groove with that shaft and it continued when I went to Project X, but that was a point where I was swinging my best and quickest during the fitting at around 96 mph. 
    Unfortunately due to shut downs across the world, Titleist had issues sourcing the KBS shafts in time.   Thus, I went with my back up and very close second the Project X 6.5’s.  A bit more stout with a hair less feel than the KBS but numbers were terrific with this shaft.
     ******Update, my irons came in with the KBS Tour shafts.  I don't know what sorcery someone at Titleist had to pull to grab these, but thank you. They feel incredible.
    Also, I went with MCC Midsize grips as it feels best and what I have in most other clubs.  I tried the MCC +4 and have had those in my irons since 2017, but they’ve always felt a bit small. Glad we were able to get the grips that would work best.  Also the MCC hold up extremely well for me. I usually am getting several years of play with them with no issues.
    Next thing I noticed is that I was getting amazing ball speed numbers for my swing.  I had a few 7 irons over 130 mph ball speed on trackman.  When I was last fitted to my Mizunos – I was in the 125mph range, but that was with a 6 iron.  Even with that being said my distances stayed close for standard deviation.  Shots that I felt weren’t struck great, were still around 124 for ball speed and flying only about 5 yards short so I could see the forgiveness.
    Last thing that was crazy to me was that going in I thought I’d be hitting these fairly low due to the stronger lofts.  I’m hoping the trend continues on course, but I was getting average land angles of 51*.  To put that in perspective the fitter said anything 45 – 50 is good and PGA is 48 – 50.

     
    Stats from Current Gamers (MP 18 SC)


     
    Initial Post
    Thanks for somehow picking my name out of the incredibly large hat that made up the nearly 16,000 entries to this test. THANK YOU TO TITLEIST AND MGS for the opportunity!

    I’ve been active on MyGolfSpy since 2017 and this has been an incredible outlet for me to take a deep dive into all golf has to offer.  Sometimes I get the eye roll from my buddies for going into some crazy technical speak so it’s nice to be able to share my opinions and thoughts here. 
    I’m 34 and have been playing golf just over 20 years.  I turned to golf initially to spend more time with my grandparents since I’ve always been close to them and my grandpa even shot his age a few years back (84). Growing up, it was always a way to get away from the other sports I was playing competitively and while I wanted to play well – I could get over a bad round more easily than a bad game/match in another sport.
    I truly got addicted to golf in college and would get out as often as my limited bank account would allow.  I started to improve and went from shooting mid 80’s to shooting high 70’s.  My buddies joke that I knew all of the break on the carpet in our college house since I was always putting.
    I’ve fluctuated a bit over the years but have managed to stay anywhere from a 3 to a 7 handicap over the past 12 years.  My wife and I have been together nearly 10 years and have 3 amazing kids (Alaina 6, Olivia 5, and Lawson 3).  I’m trying to play golf with the kids, but they aren’t all that interested yet.  Which is ok because we don’t need a ball/club to the shin type situation.



    Current Game
    This year has had some ups and downs for me physically.  I tore my Achilles playing basketball in January but didn’t have surgery until February.  I was able to start golfing again about 2 months after surgery but wasn’t completely confident in swinging until May.  Luckily, my swing did not suffer that much and have gone from a 5.1 to a 2.7 at one point this summer. Hovering at a 3.5 right now, but can shoot anywhere from a 74 to 84 on a given day.  Before switching to work from home permanently, my golf rounds were down to around 15 per year.  Now, I’m able to add in more 9-hole rounds over lunch or go to the range to keep the swing loose.  I’ve actually only played one golf round over a weekend this year. 
    Biggest Questions Going into this test - 
    Can my iron game get noticeably better?
    My iron game is probably my biggest strength and I’ve noticed an improvement since I’ve had my Mizunos.  There definitely is room for improvement, but will these make that impact?  For reference I average 11.8 GIR and would say proximity is 35 feet on average when I do hit the green.

    Are Titleist Irons still as good?
    My first set of “players irons” were a pre-owned set of the 2010 AP2’s.  Made a huge difference for me in terms of GIR and dispersion. Also, I think they helped my ball striking going from a game improvement iron in the Cobra SSI Oversize to the AP2’s.

    Do they feel as good as Mizunos?
    With having my irons for 4 years now, I can say that nothing has felt like a Mizuno thus far.  Like many others on the forum, I always like to try the new stuff that comes out and nothing has contended with my Mizunos for a while.  This will be interesting to see if the Titleist can contend.

    Is the progressive bounce design noticeable?!
    You hear about the importance of bounce with wedges, but I’ve not heard of it in your irons.  Stay tuned…

  17. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to Thin2win in Final Reviews: BirdieBall Outdoor Putting Green   
    Hello boys and girls. Its time for another thoroughly in depth golf item review. Since joining these forums a few years ago I have really enjoyed testing and reviewing almost anything golf related. I've written up posts on, golf balls, clubs, putters, wedges, tees and a onewheel. 
    This summer has been a whirlwind for me and it is just starting to settle down. I've been in the process of selling/and buying a home, moving across a state and being homeless while between houses for 3 weeks. Yet still trying to get as much golf in as the wife will let me given everything else going on. The Birdie Ball test kit arrived at my new house before I even did!

    I am super excited to be selected to test out this new indoor/outdoor putting mat. I have owned a couple of the generic 8' mats with the elevated cups for basically ever. I have hours and hours of practice using them and a updated better version would be a welcome addition to my golf practice. Is this new mat that?
    So over the next few weeks, I'll be testing this mat indoors and out. I'll see what I think of the quality, the durability and if Birdie Ball has created a great putting mat, or just a great dog bed(notice Stevie, our Wirehaired Pointing Griffin, thinks it is a nearly optimal blend of cushion and scratchiness).

    Also for the first time in one of my tests, I am enrolling the help of my assistant Xander and he is very excited:

    There is a lot going on with this, as I was not expecting the outdoor targets and birdie balls to also test. Fortunately, my new house has a back yard that is almost 200' in length so I will get to test them out with some real swings. Any guesses on which club will clear the fence at 200'? Will any of them?
    But for the mat, my big concerns are if it rolls like a nicely manicured green at Augusta, or a early evening Poa annua green at Chambers Bay(sorry chambers bay). It also came with a warning to not let it exceed 180° F, and while every part of me wants to test that... I feel like I should leave that one alone... but maybe

    But the biggest question for me, does the Birdie Ball Mat make for a better practice tool than ye ole' felt ramp mat?

    Let the putting begin!
     
    Stage Two - The Review 9/10/2021
     
    Birdieball Matt – Official MGS Forum Review by Thin2Win (Christopher Stefaniw)
    Intro
    Testing a practice aid is different than testing an actual club, ball or other product. But for me, it still boils down to 2 big things:
    1)    Does it work for me?
    2)    Is it fun to use?
    If either of those ingredients are missing, I’m not going to use it. And I would guess that for most of you out there, you are in the same camp. It does need to work, and it does need to be fun. When I ask “does it work for me”, I’m really asking if I think using it is beneficial to my game. Even if it is just on a psychological level, that counts for me. 😃
    The “is it fun to use”, well that’s straight forward, regardless of results, I’m not going to keep using it if it isn’t “fun”. What is a training aid I use and keep using? PuttOut. Its simple, easy to use, is fun, and even if only in confidence, helps with putting.

    So as we dive into the details of my review, those 2 tenets are the focus for me.
    Ease of use
    The actual setup and use of this is straight forward. And other than attaching the bumpers(see below) it all went together quick, easy, and exactly how I thought.
    8 out of 10 points
     
    Quality of components and Basic Characteristics
    Here, I needed to adjust the review format a bit. There is normally a Quality of Component section, and a Basic Characteristic section. For my use and testing, I couldn’t come up with a way to split my review of those two up as they were so intertwined. So here, I merged them. Please see why below.
     Taking the mat out of the box you can feel the heft quality of it, its solid. We had the 3’6” x12’ version for testing, and it was not light. I’m not sure I would have been able to move the 6’x12’ version without help. It rolled out of the box… mostly flat. Definitely flatter than when you unroll the standard 8’ felt putting mats I’ve used. But not actually flat. It took most of a day for it to lay down all the way. Right off I started using it on some indoor hardwoods. Then I moved it to indoor carpet, next to indoor/outdoor cement and then finally I put it straight on my lawn. It looks cool, it takes up a good amount of space and I was very excited to start putting on it. As with most things, there were good and bad things. Unfortunately for me, the bad was bad and the good was limited. 
    Let’s start with The Good:
    ●      It’s a great hitting mat, I hit some chips off it last week, then moved to full swing shots this week. It is durable, it feels good, and the turf interaction is great. It was the highlight of my use with this mat. I’m not sure where they get these mats, but it feels and looks like a premium hitting mat that has been cut into a longer form.

    ●      The Mat rolls fast. Much faster than a felt putting mat, and I liked that. Faster than a standard weekday muni around here. More like a Sunday muni or a well kept private course speed. 10ish on the meter would be my feel for the speed. 
     
    The Bad
    ●      The rubber bumpers that are included don’t really work and suck to put on. Balls with any pace bounce right over them. I’m not sure what their primary design use was for, but I can’t imagine that it was for this application. More like they needed a bumper and went to the local hardware store, found a rubber seal for something else and thought, “this will work”. I moved the mat a handful of times throughout testing, after the 2nd move I stop using the bumpers because they don’t stay attached, and again, suck to put on.
    ●      The cups that came with it have never fit right. The plastic cup slides in from the bottom, but with my mat all the cups were slightly larger than the cutout holes. This creates a raised ridge around every cup. Any putt that was slowly heading towards the cup would deflect away. Also, the sticks that go into the cups are very short. Like, very short. I’m not tall, 5’7”, and the leaning over to reach the stick to pull it out was annoying to the point that I also stopped using them. It was much easier on my back to use my putter to knock the ball out of the hole than to use the provided stick. Also, on any of the harder surfaces (wood/cement) the ball would bounce out of the hole on most putts. Yes, they make an additional mat to put under this mat… but that is a different product to help make this product better.

    ●      The putting surface itself had uneven heights of material running the length of it that resulted in ridges that the ball would ricochet off. Putts need to go straight down it, not diagonal at all. Which limits the need for it to be as wide as it is. And as the ball slowed down, it would break like Poa Annua late on a summer afternoon. In other words, wherever it wanted. Combined with the ridges around the cups…. It was frustrating to use as a putting surface. My wife used it one night for about 3 minutes, turned to me and said “this is disappointing” and never used it again.
    10 out of 30 points
     
    On-Course Performance
    So as much as I had issues and was mostly annoyed with it. I still spent more time practicing my putting with it for the purposes of seeing if the ridges would ever go away or the grain would roll smooth on a different surface. And for me, any time spent practicing does pay off. And maybe the fact that putts had to be exactly on pace and line to go in made it even more effective than if the ball rolled straight and stayed in the hole. PuttOut is fun because of how hard it is, maybe this mat being so hard for me to use is what helped. But my putting has been dead on from anything inside 10’ for the last month with rounds of 75,73 and 75.
    30 out of 30 points
     
    Miscellaneous
    Also included with the mat were some Birdie Balls(100!!!) some impact hitting pads for them, and some outdoor targets.

    If you haven’t ever hit a BirdieBall, and you have an outdoor hitting area that you want to take full swings, watch the flight pattern, but not blow out the neighbor’s windows, then they are for you. They are the best limited flight golf ball I’ve ever used. Hitting into a net? Eh, just use a real ball.
     10 out of 10 points
     
    Keep it or Trade it?
    Yes!
    Right now, I don’t know. I have plenty of space at my place, so I have it setup. And I still roll a few putts on it most nights… But I also have the standard ramp style felt one beside it, and I end up using that more. The ball coming back to you, rolling straight, etc. Its just easier to use and you get more reps in with a ball return.
    Do I want it to be cool and have friends marvel at it and want to use it when they visit, yes… I’ll probably pass this off to one of the other spies who I have lined up and know need help with their putting( @fixyurdivot )but I’ll use it until then. But I won’t be sad to see it go when it does.
     10 out of 20 points
     
    Conclusion
    Its cool, practicing on it will help with putting because you are practicing. But it has issues with roll and component choices. For me, I don’t think it is an improvement over the ramp felt style mats. Using it reminds me of when I watched Mad Men. They had Jaguar as a customer, and Jags were sleek and stylish, and everyone wanted one. But then you go to drive it and it wouldn’t start.

    Final Score: (68 out of 100 points)
     
     
     
     

  18. Like
    JohnSmalls reacted to Nunfa0 in Final Reviews: Maxfli Tour/TourX   
    Well hello folks, it is I Nunfa0 (none for none), star of previous classic tests Shot Scope V2 and Cobra Connect Challenge 3 😎
    This time around I have been fortunate enough to be chosen to test the Maxfli Tour and TourX golf balls. This was an opportunity I jumped at because I was a big fan of the original Maxfli Revolution golf balls.
    Right, I am a 49 year old lefty golfer who plays out of Christchurch New Zealand. I have been playing golf for quite a while, in fact next year will be the 40th that I have been a member of the Templeton Golf Club.
    I am a 9 handicapper that drifts between shooting near par to shooting in the 90s. My swing has been described as long and rhythmical, I gave up swinging hard years ago.
     
    I generally have a high ball flight but I can hit the stinger when required (sometimes when I don't need it too). My miss is generally to the left with woods (slice) and to the right with irons (hook). I am usually a pretty good putter, good off the tee and my short irons are not bad. My weakness is chipping 😭.
    My average drive is sitting at 260 yards and 7 iron 161 yards.
    My current bag make up is F9 driver, 3 wood and 3 hybrid, 2016 Forged Tec irons, RTX Zipcore wedges and a rife putter (more details in my signature).

     
    My current ball is the Titleist ProV1x. I chose this ball for the driver distance, ball flight and stopping power around the greens. I also have to like the feel of the ball off the putter, There is nothing more irritating to me than a hard, clicky feeling when putting.
    I am looking for a ball that is low spin off the driver, feels great off the irons and spins around the green.
    This test should be a lot of fun and I can't wait to get my hands on these golf balls. I am planning to test the Maxflis around the green, launch them in from a hundred yards to test spin and play some rounds with them to see how they stack up against the Titleists. I might even do the Rick Sheils 10 shots from a bunker to test durability.
    So bring on the packages and lets get it on!!

     
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