dang3rtown

Hey Spies! I'm putting together my stage 2 review and would love to get some feedback from you as to; any specific questions you would like answered, points of focus, pictures, video, etc. Thanks!

No doubt, Mizuno has been the "free agent club of choice" by PGA pros this season but... Koepka might be a slightly different story. The word is, Mizuno actually built the JPX900 with his game in mind and may have been part of a plan to sign him to an equipment contract. Interesting stuff!

Thank you sir! I mostly use a Sony RX 100 Mark II. Not full frame but close. I hope to up the ante in stage 2.

I've always tended to hit the ball pretty high, with these clubs, my ball flight is probably a little higher than with my Hogans. I'm not sure if it's the shafts or the clubs though. Too many variables to say one way or another. On my Hogans I have KBS Tour 110s in stiff flex. but the clubs are a smaller, forged head. I have Trackman data for both sets of clubs I will try and make sense of when I post stage 2!

This will be addressed in stage 2 but on the whole, the length and lie is spot on as are the grip sizes.

Stage 3: The Final Chapter... Hi again gang! Thanks for sticking with the review process, I have now spent an entire summer of golf with the Ping i200 irons and I feel confident in delivering a summary/final judgement. They're in the bag. In the end, the i200s were just incredibly consistent. I may have lost a little bit of distance but the number of bad shots I hit went down and the number of good shots I hit absolutely went up. I love the look of the clubs and my experience playing Ping products and learning about the company actually inspired me to pick up a Ping G driver, a putter and their Hoofer bag as well. I guess in the end, my philosophy is one of pragmatism; performance matters more than looks or loyalty and Ping embodies that as a golf equipment manufacturer. Previously, I had been playing Hogan Ft Worth 15s and I felt that as a single digit handicapper and good ball striker I could make the best use of those clubs. I was absolutely wrong. When I looked at the data, I just hit so many bad shots because, surprise, forged, quasi-blade irons are much less forgiving. My handicap has dropped 1.1 strokes and I just have so much more confidence hitting iron shots, particularly my longer irons, 5i, 4i & 3i. So in summation, need some clubs? I would also like to thank the My Golf Spy staff for giving me the opportunity to test and my fellow testers; Shankster, Bones, Mdumble21 and opsimpson, you all did a great job and it was a blast working with you! Hope we get to do this again soon and if you need me, look for the guy on the course with the full Ping bag!

Ping i200 – Official MGS Forum Review by dang3rtown Player Biography The Author poses for a golf type picture. (Note, lack of glove and weird grip) Bio WITB - My current gamers are Hogan Ft Worth 15s and TK15 Wedges. I have them in 4* gaps from 24* through 52*. These are forged clubs with little offset but they do feature perimeter weighting and a V-sole which provides great turf interaction. Shafts are KBS Tour 90 Stiff flex and grips are stock Hogan branded Lamkin Ace 3Gens. So, what do these clubs say about me as a golfer? Well, there are two reasons I picked them up and they reflect the two sides of my golfing coin (or is that ball marker?). The number one reason I game the Hogans is performance. They fit my game and swing well. I demoed these clubs on a pros recommendation, having never heard of them and immediately fell in love. I hit them incredibly well right off the bat and they inspired confidence. I was confident that they were forgiving enough to not be perfect with but also confident that if I need to hit a fade, draw, high low, etc. I can do it well if I hit the shot right. The other reason I picked up the Hogans was the look. They have the classic look of a blade from the 60's. They're just pretty and the aesthetic, romantic golfer in me fell for that like a ton of bricks. Yes, I am a sucker for pretty clubs. Would I play beautiful clubs that don't work for me? No but I would think really hard about it! I think I'm similar to a lot of golfers in that I'm always chasing a better game. I tinker with my swing, my equipment and my strategy. With the Hogans, they were the right combination of serious club yet, forgiving, that I felt I could quit tinkering with the clubs for a bit and just focus on the swing. Now I should mention that irons are the strongest part of my game. I've always hit them, high, long and with a lot of spin. Possibly because I hit irons well, I've never been a big fan of cast clubs. I tend to hit them too high and they just feel clunky to me. I'm sure a part of it is ego, thinking of cast irons as a staple of a lesser player's equipment. Looks also factor into my traditional disregard for cast irons, they're so big and bulky! They always seem to have plastic stickers of some sort with neon colors and faux graphite. In my mind, cast is correlated with an inferior product. Performance at the Range Accuracy – I have noticed that these are very accurate clubs. Your shot will go where you are aimed and it will consistently go the same distance. Shots are highly replicable. Distance – My distance was down noticeably with the i200s compared to my Hogans. Comparing Trackman sessions, it was a significant decrease although there may be some mitigating factors to consider. Overall, these were 1/2 to 1 club shorter than comparable lofts in my Hogans. Trajectory Characteristics – The i200s had very similar launch characteristics to my current clubs. No issues at all with getting the ball in the air. Forgiveness – The i200s were clearly superior to my Hogans on mishits. I noticed significantly less distance loss on off center hits, particularly toe strikes, they would feel off and “hollow” but still achieved very good distance. Control – Yes, to a point. The i200s don't generate as much spin as my Hogans which impacts my ability to control flight. That being said, you can absolutely shape a shot with these. Draw and fade control are excellent, height was more difficult to control, these things don't want to fly low. Range Score: (Out of 10 points) 8/10 The inverted triangle is the elastomer insert. Color matching to the metal is very good. Performance on the Course Accuracy – As noted in the range section, these are very accurate irons. If I have a straight line to the cup, there's no one to blame but myself if my shot is off. How well did you hit your target? - Again, these are very consistent irons both for direction and distance. Once you have a feel for yardages, you can expect extremely consistent results. As for partial shots, I rarely make partial shots with PW-3i (I use my 52* gap wedge for almost every partial swing chip shot). The exceptions to this are bump and runs from just off the green where I use my 8i or if I'm punching a shot under a tree with my 3i. In both those instances, I've really liked the bounce on the sole. It's forgiving and I trust it not “grab” and chunk the shot. How is the spin? My main issue with these clubs is the lack of spin. I tend to put a ton of spin on balls but the i200s just don't quite get there. Looking at Trackman data, I had an additional 1,000RPM on my Hogan PW compared to the i200 and on average I backed the Hogans up by 1.5m compared to .2m with the i200. Consistency – Are you able to control the distance consistently with your wedges? Yes, if the i200s are anything, they are consistent. Are you able to hit a variety of shots with these irons? Yes, I may not have the absolute control of a blade but the i200s are capable of producing any shot you have the skill to make. How is turf interaction in a variety of conditions? - I found the sole to be generally very good! In most conditions you find on the course, it performs well. I was particularly impressed with how well it played out of both long and wet grass. Turf conditions that tend to “grab” the club head are managed very well by the i200. How is the sand performance? I only hit a few, fairway bunker shots with the i200. I am not good at fairway bunker shots. Judging the i200 on my fairway bunker performance would be akin to using Ray Charles to judge the performance of sun glasses. Course Score: (Out of 40 points) 31/40 Detail shot of neck, notice the small dot, this is the performance tuning insert. Performance Notes How did it perform? In general, the i200 is an excellent set of irons. They are extremely consistent, forgiving, have good turf interaction and workable. Were you pleased with how the clubs performed? Yes, surprisingly so! Please compare and contrast it to what you are currently playing? Compared to my Hogans it comes down to Consistency vs Absolute performance. I can hit the Hogans farther, I can work a ball better with them. I can hit the i200s more consistently. Which is better for my game, for the future, for a tournament? What factors were you pleased with? The consistency and the forgiveness. How did it compare to your current gamers? With the i200s, I know what I'm going to get on every shot. Their performance ceiling is perhaps lower but the performance basement is a lot higher if you catch my drift. Right now, if I were in a tournament, I would probably game the i200s. Did you notice better production on the range or on the course more? These definitely showed their worth more on the course than the range. They aren't the longest, they can't pull off the most tricks but if you want to score, consistency is key. Could you use it in both settings? Yes, absolutely! What factors did you find lacking? Spin, ball control. What improvements would you like to see? This is tough, I think the i200 is an excellent example of a bridge between a players and a game improvement iron. It is what it is and it does a great job. This is a set that has optimized the balance between forgiveness and performance and I think they nailed it. What would you do away with? Nothing Detail of milling on face. This milling pattern is only present on the 8i and up. 7i-3i have much less texture on face. Subjective - Looks General shape. In general, the heads are a bit bigger than I like. Other than that, they are good looking sticks. The aesthetic is simple, streamlined, serious. One of the biggest issues I have had with Pings and other “GI” irons is an overabundance of flair. I hate clubs that look like they belong on the toy aisle at Target. These irons are not toys. These are big boy irons and I like it. Offset. Offset has never been aesthetically unappealing to me but the cut away on the neck looks a little goofy. Maybe it saves weight? I know this is traditional on Ping's irons but unless it really drives performance, I would axe it, give me a clean, rounded neck! Graphics. I really appreciated Ping not going overboard on the graphics! This is a clean, streamlined look. These look like a good player's iron, not something with a sticked slapped on. Other unique details. How does it come together visually? This looks like a player's iron. It's just metal and black logo, the way God and Tom Morris intended. Now, it doesn't look plain, it looks sleek, like an airstream trailer or brand new Benz. It radiates performance. How does it compare to other products in its category? Looks wise? It beats the crap out of them. On looks alone, I would game these over the neon green Epic Irons even if cost me two strokes a round! I can't think of another cast iron that comes close to the i200s. Comparing them to similar forged, cavity back irons such as Srixon's Z765 et al, they hold their own. Looks Score: (Out of 15 points) 13/15 Standard Ping grips with "Power Loft" spec stamp on shaft. Sound and Feel Describe how the product sounds and feels When I hit a ball perfectly with the i200s, they are nearly silent, like the swish of a basketball hitting only net. It feels like a perfect practice swing, no impact, no real sound, just smooth, straight through, no friction. A pure shot with the i200 boarders on too easy, I want some feed back, I want to feel the violence I have inflicted upon that ball. Mishits are a different story. I get a clack and a jolt in my hands. Not the sting of a blade but a dull, thud, reminding you that you're better off with these than the mirror polished blades you think you can game. Overall, every sound these clubs make is somewhat muted. Maybe it's the plastic bits in there (elastomer?), maybe it's just the construction. These felt quiet to me. The sound I love, a thick crack of a pure blade shot followed by the hiss of ball spin was not found here. The i200 is not that club, at least, not in my hands. Sound and Feel Score: (Out of 15 points) 8/15 Pings in a Ping bag. This is what these clubs will look like after approximately 700+ holes of golf, being cleaned when necessary. They hold up rather well. Likelihood of Purchase How likely would you be to purchase this product? If I were smart? Pretty likely. The i200 ended up being a good fit for my game. They're a good looking set of clubs, I score better with them but I don't love them. Something about the feel, the sound isn't what I want… but I should. These are objectively, a much better fit for me. LOP Score: (Out of 20 points) 15/20 Another look in the bag from the player's perspective. Subjective Notes So, overall the Ping i200 irons are what I would design if A) I knew anything about design and B ) was tasked with making an awesome looking cast club. They are a handsome bunch of sticks! From near or far, the are the belles of the ball. I wish the sound and feel equaled or even neared their looks. These are the ninja spies of golf clubs. If your primary motivation in club buying are irons that can be hit late at night without waking the neighbors, these are your match! Now, there's nothing really, “wrong” with that, I just like a bit more feedback. 7i at address with a new Taylor Made TP5X as accessory Questions & Answers. The majority of the forum questions seem to be either comparing these clubs to other iron sets that are out now or have been answered by the other reviewers. I can add a couple insights however. First, the fitting process on Ping's website worked very well. The grip size, lie angle, length of shaft; all spot on. These clubs fit as well as anything sized up for me in person. The build on the clubs is next level as well. This is factory perfection. Ping assembles everything in the USA and you can tell, their quality control is as good as anything I have ever seen. Finally, in addition to my Hogans, I also compared these to my very first set of clubs… Ping Eye 2's from the actual 1980's, complete with grandfathered in grooves and leather wrapped grips. I'll give you the tl;dr version first: Ping i200s > Ping Eye 2s. The longer version is, this was not a close contest. This wasn't even really a contest. This was The Harlem Globetrotters vs The Washington Generals. Compared to the i200s, the Eye 2s felt clunky and heavy, the turf interaction was terrible and the distance was significantly shorter. The only thing the Eye2 Excelled at was hitting dead straight moon shots one to two club lengths shorter than the i200s. If you have a choice, pick the i200s. If you don't have a choice, pick the i200s anyway. Conclusion Oh boy! Still with me? Great, let me walk you through my Ping i200 testing experience. The day a long box showed up at my door, I took these to the range. It was in the middle of a heat wave and at 4pm when I showed up, the temp was heading north of 105*. I purchased a bottle of water, a tall boy of Sierra Nevada and a jumbo bucket of 250 balls. I brought out the new sticks, my Hogans and my old Ping Eye 2s. I had grand ambitions. I made it through approximately 50 balls before quitting. I hit the clubs ok, not great but it was too hot to breathe, the club was slipping in my hand from sweat. My passion for testing was thwarted by the sun. Take 2. The next evening I made it out for a session in more reasonable climes. I hit hundreds of balls and started, I thought, to get a feel for the clubs. I wasn't crushing the ball but bad shots were few and far between. I had booked a Trackman session for later in the week and looked forward to seeing the data. Day of the Trackman: The nice folks at the Haggin Oaks Super Store have all kinds of fun toys, including a few Trackman bays. I put the i200s through their paces and was shocked at the results… I had lost a ton of distance. I lost 5-8 yards on my scoring irons, and up to 27 yards less distance on my long irons! Less spin, less hight, less club speed. I could hardly believe the results. To say I was disappointed would be the understatement of the century. Over the next two months, I played approximately 40 rounds of golf, had at least a dozen range sessions and other practice sessions. I believe I went maybe three or four days without hitting a club between receiving the clubs and the writing of this review. Over that time, I really got to know the clubs and realized a few things about my Trackman fiasco. The number one thing, the i200s have a very different sweet spot compared to my Hogans. With the Hogans, I make my best contact in, towards the heel of the club. With the i200s, you really need to hit them square in the center of the face. Just changing my setup slightly made a world of difference. Another key for me was adapting to the difference in shaft flex. My old clubs were S, the i200s, XS. It made a difference! I had been tinkering a bit with my swing prior to the test and I think all in all, I had a bad day at the range. I'm going to go ahead and share the data but take it with a grain of salt. My current yardages, which I have been logging with GPS I have a lot of confidence in. 9i - 150-160yds 8i - 165-175 7i - 175-185 6i - 185-200 5i - 200-220 4i - 220-235 3i - 235-250 This is still down slightly from my other set but plenty of distance and what I'm really blown away with is how good and easy to hit the long irons are. If there is one absolute, standout highlight of the i200s, it's the 5, 4 & 3 irons! With my Hogans, hitting that 24* club was a bit of a gamble. With the i200s, I find myself deferring to long irons over my 3w or 5w if I have any doubts. If you're thinking about a mixed set, I would absolutely recommend putting the i200 long sticks in your bag. All in all, my attitude has completely changed on the i200s. I cannot deny how much better of a golfer they make me. These are practical, performance clubs. I'm sold, these are in the bag. In fact, I went out and picked up an actual Ping bag (the Hoofer, based on MGS bag test. Holy crap, they were right! This bag is awesome! Never doubt MGS product testing!) and I may have picked up a Ping G driver on sale… Ping has converted me. I'm scoring better than I have in years and remember how I was worried about the, “feel” of the club? Well, the best feeling is winning. Total Score: 75/100 i200s, in the bag. P.S. Almost forgot an important detail. I opted to have my i200s made in the "Power Spec" lofts. Essentially, Power Spec means there is more variation in loft from club to club than you might otherwise see. Instead of standard increments, The long and short irons follow fairly consistent lofts increments while the middle irons, 7i-5i have extremely strong lofts. It was my hope that I would keep ball flight down and gain a bit of distance. In practice, I completely forgot I even had it and did not notice any difference in ball flight. Chart detailing Power Spec lofts in comparison to my standard, 4* gapped Hogan lofts Trackman data comparing i200 to Hogans. Again, please take this with a grain of salt, there were multiple factors which contributed to what I believe are a poor data set for the i200s. Later sessions showed a marked improvement in distance for the i200s. Also, I am clearly not good at making spread sheets. What does my swing look like? Here you go!

Dang3rtown's i200 - Stage 1 Review Hello there fellow spies and lay readers from around the globe! This is dang3rtown aka Jesse, presenting stage one of three, Ping i200 iron review. I would like everyone to know how incredibly grateful I am not only to be chosen but to be a part of such a wonderful online community. I have been a member of many online forums over the years and top to bottom, this is the friendliest, most welcoming and well informed forum on teh interwebs! Because of the high standard you have set, I'm feeling a lot of pressure to deliver a great review that will be both entertaining and informative. Wish me luck, here goes! *Editor's Note: The answers to the following questions have been deemed, “too boring for human consumption” and may cause drowsiness, slurred speech and if read by expectant mothers, may lead to birth defects in children. For your own safety, we must recommend skipping directly to the part with pictures. The Questions Handicap/average score? According to he NCGA, my current handicap index is a 6.2 and trending downward. I played around a “0” from 1998 until 2001 but took a lot of time off, working on getting back there! Strengths of your game? I'm a good ball striker. Tee to green I can hang with just about anyone. I put a lot of compression on the ball and am under the impression that I can, “work” it. This is not always apparent to observers or my playing partners. Weakness of your game? Play out of bunkers and hitting the driver. This is painfully apparent to observers, my playing partners and windows bordering the fairways of my home course. Typical ball flight? Medium high, lots of spin, baby fade. Typical miss? My main miss is a push right. Combine this with my fade and things can get ugly, fast! Starts right and then fades right is not a great combination! Current comparable equipment? I'm gaming the Hogan Ft Worth 15 irons right now. The Hogan irons are available in every loft from 20* to 64*. When assembling a set, you pick lofts that suit your game and space them out in 4* increments. Because I have no issues getting the ball in the air, I went with the low trajectory lofts, 24* for my 5i through 44* for my pitching wedge. I have KBS Tour 105, stiff flex shafts and stock Hogan, firm grips. I LOVE these irons. They are a soft, forged steel and sit right between a true blade and a cavity back (technically, they are a cavity back). They have a v-sole which makes for great turf interaction and there is an appreciable bounce even on the lower lofts. Swing tempo? I have a slow, smooth takeaway, almost a pause at the top and an aggressive downswing. Very similar to Hideki Matsuyama. Driver swing speed? I had a trackman session a few weeks ago and was swinging the big dog at 105-110mph all day. I have made a few tweaks since then and may be swinging slightly faster now. What makes you love the game? I love to compete, I love to walk, I love everything about the game. I fulfills my competitive and meditative sides at the same time. It just checks so many boxes for me. It's a walk in the park, a mental and physical challenge, it's competition and relaxation. I think we can all relate to why golf is so special, it's a really, really good walk! How long have you been golfing? I don't recall my first time golfing. My first memories are of going to the range with my father. He had borrowed a clunky VHS camera from the university (he was/is a professor) and had me take video of his swing for analysis back at home. I remember he would hit the shot, then turn to the camera and describe the ball flight for future reference. I began hitting balls at the range somewhat regularly when I was seven or eight years old and imagine I played my first “round” of golf around the age of nine or ten? I played often from then until a few years after high school followed by a long stretch where golf was on the back burner. Finally, after a nearly fifteen years, the golf bug came back with a vengeance. What kind of golfer are you? I'm serious about golf. I practice all aspects of my game regularly. It is in my nature to work towards being good at things. I walk the course and carry my bag, I don't drink while playing and I typically play as a single. That being said, I have a very positive attitude on the course, I don't get mad at poorly struck shots but I get excited by good ones! I am happy to play with scratch golfers or thirty handicap hacks as long as they also have a good attitude. As long as I'm golfing, I'm happy! What's your story? I grew up the son of a university professor. As a youngster, we moved around a lot until he found a tenure track position and we settled in Davis, California. I'm going to give you the TLDR version of everything since then; played semi pro rugby in New Zealand, got injured a bunch. Fell in love with strength training. Got a degree in kinesiology/Parks and Rec, trained athletes, opened a gym, had a baby, started playing a ton of golf again. What region do you play out of? I live in Sacramento, California and play all over the central valley! *Actual Review Stuff* Enough of the boring stuff, let's talk about the goods! A whole box full of the goods aka Ping i200 irons!!! On the morning of May 1st, I had a notification from beloved, forum treasure, “Shankster” indicating the we had, “won the world”. Believing this to be some sort of reference to the movie, “Titanic”, I was confused but happy for Shanks. I may not have seen the movie but I tell you what, that James Cameron is one fine director. Now, because I am not a smart person (just ask my wife!), it took me approximately one hour to realize I had been selected as a tester. I would like to think that I contained my enthusiasm rather well. This video evidence indicates otherwise. The next day, I went through Ping's online fitting process. I tried to look at it just now and I can't seem to locate it on the site so I don't know if it has been removed or is just very difficult to locate. In either case, the online fitting process was fairly straightforward. All you need it a measuring tape and knowledge of your current play. Measurements include wrist to floor length, hand size and height. Based on this, Ping is able to determine your shaft length, lie angle and grip size. If you know much about Ping, you know this isn't anything new. They have been producing clubs to fit every body geometry since way before it was cool. The other questions they ask (typical ball flight, swing speed, handicap, etc.) determine what type of shaft you should pair with your heads. I was a bit surprised to find that an X-Stiff shaft was recommended. I have always played stiff shafts and the thought of going to an X-stiff, without demoing them was a bit scary! I considered asking for the shafts I normally play but decided that in the spirit of testing integrity, I should go with whatever the computer said was best. (note, in addition to x-stiff, it also matched me with Nippon Pro Modus 3 from a pretty solid selection of third party shaft options, both steel and graphite) Trust the process. The other option I went with was the, “Power Loft” specs. Power Loft is an alternative loft sequence. It's very interesting how Ping does this. Instead of just strengthening the lofts by a degree or so all the way through, sort of, “scoop the mids” to use an audio reference. For the 3i and the wedges, there is only a .5* difference. For the 4i, 5i & 9i there is a 1* difference but for the middle of the pack, the 6i, 7i & 8i we get a full 1.5* stronger loft. From what i hear, typically, the power spec is geared toward the game improvement player who wants a bit more distance. I also heard that some good ball strikers go with these loft specs to keep ball flight down. Truthfully, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me but what the heck! I'm testing, let's go for it! Power Spec lofts please!!! Pretty neat. My first impression of the clubs was just how clean they were. They were just flawless. The finish is satin like. Not glossy chrome but not matte either. They are smooth to the touch, smoother than gloss would be, where your hand sticks a bit. It had just enough texture to where your hand just slides across the sole. The club face felt downright tacky to the touch. The milled grooves are sticky. I compared it to the grooves on my Hogans and found them to be similar so perhaps all these new milled faces are comparable. Going back to the finish, at this point I'm not sure how I feel about it. The brushed, satin like coating has just enough texture that I can hear it brushing when it touches another object. When these clubs heads rattle against one another, I can kind of hear the friction as opposed to my forged Hogans which clack together with a satisfying thud (disclaimer, the sound of clubs hitting golf balls is well researched and engineered, the sound of club rattle is probably going way overboard). I noticed this as I held the heads to gather for a photo and it was a bit off putting, like a mild version of nails on a chalk board. Look at these beauties! Feel aside, these are very aesthetically pleasing clubs. The evoke mid century, streamline moderne styling, think Airstream trailer. I love the minimalism, the lack of graphics, just the subtle black paint fills on an otherwise unvarnished steel head. The large, for Ping, black hosel is a beautiful contrast and gives the club a much sleeker silhouette than the clunky look of may earlier Pings. The stock ping grips are very nice. I received the Ping 5L grips. Ping currently offers two, OEM grips, the 5L and the 5L Cord which is your standard, cord grip. Both feature a firm upper and soft lower, similar to the new line of Golf Pride grips. If you have a grip preference, go for it but I have to say, these are nice and if you wore a blindfold, you wouldn't know the difference between these and your 3rd party grip of choice. View as seen by Bubba Watson In the bag Group address Thanks for reading stage one, for stage two, I have some great insights to share, track man data, video and other goodies! Please, ask me lots of questions! I love talking about my experience with these clubs and I hope I can better inform you if this is a club you're interested in! Thanks again, Jesse

My current stable of guitars: LP gold top, standard made in the mid aughts, a custom made ax based on a fender Jag, a 1982 American fender television. I also have a Martin acoustic, not sure which one, cedar top, mahogany neck but composite sides and fret board. Sounds great and didn't cost too much. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Basically, Ping's grove tech causes miss hits to travel as far as good hits, perfect lag putting. Evnroll's tech not only evens out the distance between good hits and off hits but it actually causes the ball to track back toward the intended line of the putt.

Bottom line, if you're out there to have fun, do what it takes to have fun. If you're playing in a tournament, you follow the rules or you don't play in tournaments.

After breaking in the new patio this weekend with an epic grill session, I will officially be withdrawing from new brew Thursday for a least one week while I recover... Best of luck gentlemen!

Agreed! I have to say, with most high end putter manufacturers; Edel, Bettinardi, Scotty, etc. the difference between putters appears to be subjective at best. They all make gorgeous putters that are crafted to exacting standards but... I wouldn't call them innovative. It's the same designs with new materials, a new insert, more tungsten... Now Evnroll and MLA are actually doing some cool stuff that hasn't been done before! Evnroll's face technology, the MLA alignment tech! That's cool! It seems to be supported by science, and in testing, at least Evnroll seems to be showing well. Even if neither is a true game changer, at least they're looking outside the box and I like that. So, who wants to try and slap an MLA alignment graphic on top of an Evnroll putter and see if it's possible to miss a putt with all that technology!

Track 7 can release! I got this, the Sukah NE style IPA, the 2 Tracks NE style double and the Poor Pitiful Me, west coast style IPA. The Sukah is classic NE style, very fruity, lots of pineapple and mango flavors. Lots of body, not too boozy. I would estimate the bitterness at around 60 IBUs. Really good stuff. Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I am a man of leisure. Career wise, I own a gym and have competed in power lifting, olympic style weightlifting and general fitness competitions. I usually coach one class a day and work out/lift weights for another two. It's a job but it's what I would be doing anyways. I also do the usual, "California" things. I surf, paddle board, free dive/spear fishing and sail. I don't do as much ocean sports now because I moved to Sacramento and it's a sold hour plus drive to the ocean. At home, I am a coffee fanatic, I brew beer, I have dabbled in distilling spirits, I am a crappy but enthusiastic wood worker (I try to build furniture, it is not suitable for humans), I do fancy cooking, play music (was once in a band that toured the US, Europe and Japan!) and collect vinyl records that I never actually play.

I would get these clubs and with the remaining money, I would add THIS to my bag. Should make for a very good three or four rounds.

Took a nice Sunday bike ride with the wife, baby and dog. Recharging with a refreshing Cucumber Kolsch from High Water Breweing before I head out for a quick 18! Excellent golfability! Like, thirst quenching, crisp! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Got a growler fill at Track 7, "Contact Low" NE style hazy IPA! Delish! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I've been playing pretty well this week (made eagle on a 5 yesterday evening!) but for some reason, I just seem to have lost the ability to hit my 7i! I mean, I'm really not hitting it. Just the 7i, nothing else. I'm starting to think it's a mild version of the shanks or something. Overtime I hit it, big fat slice that just hangs there. I've tried going with a comically strong grip, going extremely inside out in my swing and nothing works! I think I'm going crazy!

It's only illegal if they catch you! J/K, distilling for personal use is perfectly legal.

Wait til you see my distillery!

Today's brew: Beans: Uganda - Mount Elgon, Sipi Falls Grind: 19 on the Encore burr grinder (medium, just a hair on the fine side) Brew: Chemex Recipe: 30sec bloom at 2:1 then even pour over to a 16:1 ratio Water temp: 200* Cup: Awesome shark design Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

I do apply for almost everything. I have two reasons for this. One, only testing stuff you think you'll like is a form of bias. Go in with an open mind. Irons are too, "GI" you don't, "get along" with brand X? You've never tried this stuff, how do you know? Maybe it will work great for you, maybe that will inspire another person similar to you to give it a shot! On the other hand, if you go in with the attitude of, "I'm gonna love this!" That isn't exactly an unbiased opinion either! So, my second reason for applying often is, I really like reviewing things. I love equipment, I love testing it out, I love sharing what I found with other people. The review process itself is fun! In fact, the only reason I haven't applied for much recently is because I was selected for the Ping irons and I want to focus on giving them a proper review. Now, I'm not taking a dig at anyone who tests left often for the reasons I stated above. Those are all excellent reasons, they just aren't reasons for me! Happy testing! Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

Adapted from an ACL rehab drill my brother uses!