Hoganman1

You're probably right, but I find a lot of ProV1s at my club and they go in my bag unless they're scuffed or look like they've been there for awhile. I bought a dozen Wilson balls three years ago because a friend recommended them. Cannot even remember the name but they were not very good around the greens.

Nope. I played my friend's 3W several times during a round, did a little research and went to Dick's that night. It was a gamble for sure, but it worked. I actually bought my Ping G400 driver the same way. It has added about ten yards and is very accurate. I know fittings are great, but I tend to demo and then fit myself.

After struggling with fairway woods off the deck for a couple of years I've found something that works (at least for me). A friend suggested I try his a few weeks ago and the results were amazing. The Mavrik Max fairways have a flat bottom which helps me make better contact off the turf and launch even the 15* very high. If you're inconsistent with your fairways I suggest you get a demo and give the Mavrik Max a try.

I've been struggling with playing a three wood (and sometimes a five wood) off the fairway for several years. I bought a four wood, but still struggled. I started playing my four iron unless my lie was perfect. A couple of weeks ago one of my golf buddies introduced me to the Callaway Mavrik Max. It was amazing. I immediately bought the three and the five. I think the success comes from the fact that the Cally is designed with a flat bottom. I'm a sweeper of my woods and the flat bottom really helps me. If you are a sweeper too I suggest you look for a fairway wood with a flat bottom . I'm sure there are many brands out there, but the Mavrik Max is a great place to start

While I totally agree that one cannot buy a game, I think one can improve by finding the right equipment for their style of play. I've been struggling with my fairway woods for some time. I even went to higher lofted 3 and 5 woods which helped, but didn't totally solve the problem.. Recently, a friend suggested I try his Callaway Mavrik Max 3 and 5 fairways. The results were quite amazing. I'm a sweeper and the flat bottom of the Mavriks works much better for my swing. I realize what works for me won't necessarily work for some one else. Also, cnosil is correct that getting a proper fitting and lessons are very important too. Let's face it. If every new driver that is introduced every year will get one thirty more yards, we'd all be hitting it 600 yards.

I too am a recovering golf clubaholic. I promised myself 2020 would be different, but to no avail. So far I've bought a new driver and new fairway metals (3 and 5). However, my game is in a pretty good place right now and some of that is due to the new equipment. Here's hoping I'm set for awhile. Having said that, I still go to the equipment threads on all of these golf sites every day.

My Top Ten favorites I've Played: The Old Course (St. Andrews) Pinehurst #2 Oakland Hills Lahinch The Ocean Course (Kiawah) East Lake Quail Hollow Sugarloaf (Atlanta) Linville Golf Club Bay Hill

We just had a family weekend at Lake Lure NC. I didn't even take my clubs, but I played "soccer golf" with two of my granddaughters. We played on the nine hole Donald Ross designed course that' was built nearly 100 years ago. It was in very poor condition, but the layout is amazing. It's only 2925 yards from the tips. However, I'm sure it plays longer due to the elevation changes. I hope to take my sticks the next time and give it a go. I love Donald Ross courses. As I said, it was in very poor shape, but I'm willing to overlook that just to play another Ross design.

I retired almost five years ago. I play a lot of of golf, but there are many others things I enjoy doing like reading, watching movies and working in my yard. I also enjoy spending time with my six grandkids. I worried that I wouldn't be able to adjust, but like a lot of you; I wonder how I found the time to actually work before I retired.

I was having trouble with my three wood off the deck until I tried my friend's Callaway Mavrik Max. I actually hit it better that the Taylormade 2017 M2 three high launch (16.5*). So i bought the three and the five. I've only played twice but my success rate was very high. As we move into cooler weather I'll have more fairway woods into our long par fours. Hopefully, they continue to perform well.

I had to make some changes after trying my friend's new fairway woods. I traded the TM 2017 M2 three and five for Callaway Mavirk Max three and five woods. I also swapped out my Odyssey White Hot Tour #1 putter for an old White Steel #1 I had in my garage. The Mizuno JPX 850 irons, the Ping G400 driver and the Cleveland CG 15 56* are still in the bag (for now).

My issue is occasionally cold topping the shot. Of course, I can usually recover except when there is a forced carry. Also, downhill lies are a problem. I think you're right. "It's not the arrow; it's the archer". I just need to work harder at the range and hit my four iron until I can fix it.

I really struggle with fairway woods off the deck. It's the weakest part of my game. I'm not very long off the tee and my group plays a 6250 yard set of tees. There are several par fours where I need a fairway wood for my approach. I know it's probably my technique in that I have always been a sweeper. I'm fine when I tee up the ball but very inconsistent off the grass. I know that today's fairways are different and one is supposed to hit down on the ball. Some even recommend taking a divot. I currently play a TM 2017 M2 16.5* HL Three and an 18* Five. I plan to start working at the range to improve my technique , but I wonder if there are other brands of fairways out there that might help me.

Your opinion matters whether you are an architect or not. You bring up some good points. I just prefer having tree lined fairways on parkland courses. Olympia Fields is a good example. The two best players in the field were only four under par while -30 won the week before. Did the trees make that big of a difference? Probably not, but they were a factor for sure. As far as the "native grass areas" are concerned, they cause slow play at our course. There is a native area about 180 to 200 yards out on the right side of our first fairway. Guess where a large percentage of our members hit their first drive. A lost ball on the first hole will surely create a back-up resulting in a 4+ hour round.

Myrtle Beach is a golf Disney World. There are many great courses most of which have been named here. I used to go twice a year. I now play most of my seaside golf in Charleston. I would never try to talk you out of going to Myrtle Beach, but Charleston has some great tracks too.

There's a trend I see more and more these days. Courses seem to be removing trees and adding long fescue grass to some of our classic old courses. I'm not a fan of this. The course I play here in Charlotte was a Donald Ross re-design of an AJ Tillinghouse course. It's been re-modeled several times and I feel sure Mr. Ross wouldn't recognize it. We've had several "architects of record" and the current one apparently hates trees. Our superintendent is fabulous and keeps the place in tip top condition so it's still fun to play, but I miss the trees and really don't like the thigh high native areas. Most of the old timers like me agree. The younger members we have are mostly recreational golfers. Give them good greens and a cooler full of beer and they're happy. I know nothing is going to change, but. thanks for letting me vent. What are your thoughts?

It is a small world. Hope he does well. He's an East Carolina grad. I told him he was moving to Crimson Tide country and he might have to retire his ECU Pirate golf shirts.

I hope you can make it to a Masters, an Open Championship and a US Open too. Assuming I do in fact make it to St. Andrews in 2022 my Fan Slam will have taken 52 years to complete. Keep trying. Hopefully, your quest will go faster than mine. PS One of our assistant pros just got a head pro job in Birmingham. I'm not sure which club, but his name is Elliott Jones. He's a great guy and a good teacher.

As I've said before, two majors gets you into my imaginary Fan Hall of Fame. I hope you do make it to The Masters. It's really special and quite a different experience. My dream is to play there, but I'm 70; so that window may already be closed. I've actually played all the other courses that have hosted majors I've attended. Also, I was fortunate enough to play The Old Course where they'll host the 2022 Open Championship. As I said in my op, we've paid our first installment on attending at St. Andrews. Hopefully, it will happen as planned.

My apologies. I thought this post would "catch fire" and be a fun exercise. Obviously, I miscalculated.

Practice rounds certainly count. Also, your geographic location makes it tougher to get to The Masters. I haven't been in five years. Back in the 70s and 80s you could show up at the gate Monday through Wednesday, give them five to ten bucks and you were in for the day. Tiger changed all that. Now there's a lottery every year. I got practice round tickets through the lottery every year for the first few years, but it's much harder now. Scalpers have a field day in that they can get almost whatever they want for practice round tickets. Tournament tickets are very closely monitored and the committee really frowns on people selling their badges to scalpers. Anyway, you have two majors and that qualifies you for my Golf Fan Hall of Fame.

Do any of you have a career golf fan Grand Slam? Meaning have you attended at least one each of the four major championships. I've attended all but The Open. I've been to four US Opens (one at Oakland Hills in Michigan and three at Pinehurst here in NC). I've seen three PGAs (one at Atlanta Athletic Club, one at Kiawah and one here in Charlotte at Quail Hollow). I've lost count of Masters I've attended but it's over 20. My first Masters was in 1970. It was relatively easy to get tickets up until the late 90s and Augusta is only three hours away. My future plans include another PGA next Spring at Kiawah and finally, The Open Championship at The Old Course in 2022. Let me know how many you have attended and if you think you'll ever get The Slam.

Driver- Ping G400 Fairways- Taylormade 2017 M2 Three, Five and Seven (21* five high launch) Irons- Mizuno JPX 850 Forged 4-GW Sand Wedge- Cleveland CG15 Putter - Odyssey White Hot Tour

Hello Fellow Spies. I'm not new to the site, but this the first time I've posted to this thread. I usually go to other threads to read and comment. I've been playing for 55 years. I didn't really take it seriously until around 1975 when I was in my mid 20s. I live in Charlotte and play at Myers Park Club. I joined there in 1983. My current index is 8.9 thanks to some recent good rounds. I usually fluctuate between 9 and 12 from Summer to Winter. I truly love the game and play two or three times a week year round. I've been retired for five years. Golf is my main hobby along with gardening, reading and movies. I realize at age 70, I'm playing the back nine of life. Hopefully, I can keep going as long as this old body will let me. I moved up a set of tees to 6250 yards when I turned 65. Most of the guys in my regular group are fairly healthy too. We all know moving up to 6000 yards is coming in a few years. Thanks for reading my story (if you did). I look forward to reading all your posts in the future. PS I forgot to mention that I'm a recovering club nut. I'm try to not buy anything but balls and gloves for the rest of the year.

I was fitted for a set of JPX 580 forged five years ago. I really liked them. In 2016 I suffered a pinched nerve in my neck and a torn right rotator cuff. I convinced myself that I needed to switch to "super game improvement" irons to compensate for the injuries and my age. Maybe that helped then, but my health has improved and I've gone back to the Mizunos. My game has almost instantly improved. Like many of you, I'm sold on Mizuno. While I'm happy with the 850 forged, I will take a look at the newer models.