Badams69

Plan is to buy a couple more sets of JDM irons. At least enough until I find one that fits me well. So far this past month I have picked up TourStage TS-202 and Yamaha Inpres XV sets. Each under $120 Next up is finding a set of cb Miura irons new enough to be playable but old enough to make the outlay no big deal. Then adding a bench grinder to start working on the skill or hobby of reconditioning clubs.

Thanks! Not sure sand blasting is an option as I don't have a setup for that. Put a 2nd round of citristip on it and it is slowly removing the finish inside the cavity. Gonna try something else I guess. Odd, I read most every forum thread and watched most every video prior to doing this, but this one item of a finish near the lettering wasn't much on the menu. Now my only concern is doing something that allow for rust not to take over. Automotive paint? Saw a vid of Meehan or someone spraying an old Callaway ERC or similar with it and that looked kind of close to what I see inside the cavity. Clubs! Wow - took a nice tiny bargain and turned it into a tiny money pit! Thanks for the tips!

Here is a photo of my actual irons AFTER. The pictures above were before and just for reference. Thanks

Cut will be 147 (+3) Low Am - Stewart Hagestad

Goals for 2024 personal goals: Improve strike location - far too unpredictable lately. Find swing vs achieve swing (and stick to it) - Been down too many rabbit holes, time to let a bit more of natural into the movement. With the goal of being able to trust it. Not that it will be perfect, but that I'll begin to have better correlation between expectation and execution. Can score with worse if I know what is likely coming out the barrel. Shoot par or better - intention is for 18 holes. Unfortunately I would settle for under par on just 9 holes as of this typing. Been too dang long!

Doesn't seem this exact choice would be the direction a person would go for a "step up" in club performance. As best I can tell, unless you are pushing low 70s, I would be unsure what you'd be changing from the Stealth irons to achieve. Do some golfers prefer other types of irons to these? Sure. Would many people play better golf with a club similar to the Stealth irons over their current setup? - I'd bet big money on that!!! Point is - this general type of club, and this club in particular, is one you will get outstanding production from. At some point if you are striking the middle more than ever before and simply want a different style of club, in hopes of achieving increase ability to execute the nuances of shot-making, then at this point you could look into a player iron or players distance type iron. With that said, one would be wise to have many grains of salt on hand for the countless times you will hear that this or that iron is not this or that. There is quite a bit of research indicating that the differences are far more miniscule than most are convinced of. Just know this - 99% of golfers are playing with a set of clubs that does not give them the exact best chance to score to their peak, there is always something more ideal. Many will argue against that, but it will most often be a fact that this won't come from the lips of golfers who are +(plus) handicappers! Also keep in mind many golfer who earn their living at this game have a bag of clubs that is more forgiving than several people posting online. Some of these posters have yet to break 80 this year or ever, but will tell you to set up a bag for "feel" "workability" "feedback" and the other buzzwords. Nothing wrong with any of these things ........... they just don't matter as much on the course as they seem to on a forum post. If you are looking to invest in your game - once you have a sufficient set of clubs (Stealth would qualify), then investment should be made into practice/learning/lessons/clinics/occasional session on a trackman , etc..... You'll be far happier with the return on investment!

This pic shows the type of paint inside the cavity. So obvious now that it is paint. Feels like I do after missing a putt only to glance back and notice the obvious break being opposite of what I thought.

As some of us are prone to do, I went down a road for the heck of it. I was determined to try the "paint fill" routine. Partly because my irons had some need for it, partly I just wanted to give it a go. Fearful that acetone would screw up the cavity of these clubs, I ignorantly applied citristrip liberally and let it sit. (as indicated in pic - showing extent not actual iron at this time) What I got was a halo or rainbow around the lettering inside the cavity. Which turns out to be some sort of gray metallic paint. Question is this - Do I attempt to repaint - which I wouldn't then know how to protect the lettering from getting filled in too much to be able to refill it later with black or other. Do I strip it completely for uniformity. If so - does this then bring increased risk of constant rusting issues. Thanks!

Your premise is sound and by all means nothing to criticize. I would simply point out that if MGS golf ball deep dives are to be relied upon, this is the case (being uncertain that any given ball might vary in performance) with most balls even from the same box. Some manufacturers more reliable than others. Those deep dives are precisely why I stopped playing Bridgestone. I will say that in my years (probably the past dozen or so) of playing quality use/refurbished ... I have not one time felt I had executed properly and the ball let me down. Just saying my reality does not, or has not matched some of the "data" that exists. Which in no way invalidates the data. I'm just pointing out it is not something I have experienced. And I like playing my meaningless rounds with balls that cost me about 1/3 or so of the retail price but seem to give me non fractional performance.

Used them as my predominant "gamer" for several years. While also periodically playing identical model new about 20% of the time. Have not experienced any difference that would deter me from buying from reputable source. Given we are talking exact same model of ball. Have read and seen tons of data that shows there is a difference, but in fairness there is also data that shows inconsistencies in brand new balls from same dozen as well. Most recently I have switched to VICE Pro+ and will most likely be sticking with those based on experienced - but NOT based on experience of used balls lack of performance. For one, I scoff at any golfer who pretends they notice a difference. Not that they don't perceive it, but more to the point ..... us as golfers are so inconsistent in all aspects it is near impossible to know from one shot to the next whether it was ball or stike or technique based. Not ridiculing anyone, just trying to shine a bit of perspective on the immense amount of variables involved to event know if the differences we perceive are attributable to any isolated aspect. Could be the ball, the golfers, the atmosphere, the anything.

Funny - that is the vids that prompted me to try it. Love Malaska!

Shallow , rotate, attack angle, launch angle, shaft lean ....... blah blah blah. All by-products of proper motion being taught as independent contortions. As if we can all freeze our motion in time. Yet hardly any "online instructors" who try to impress with these nuggets of knowledge (not that they are wrong that those are positives), ....hardly any of those types of presenters spend half of a percent of their time on face contact and face control. Pretend the hands are automatically gonna do what they should. Most don't discuss for a moment how to score better ...... just how to "hit" better. Don't spend any time discussing how seldom the swing they teach and stock shot they help build (again, not necessarily a bad thing) gets utilized by most. Especially someone who doesn't play well yet. Worse you play the less you use stock. Most beginners or higher hdcp need way more knowledge of their hands, more practice swinging in funky stances or from difference grip positions on the club. In my experience this helps free them up from the robotic stuff we discussed. Best drills I have used with almost all beginner team so far this season - 1) hitting from our knees 2) hit from one foot and then feet together 3) Hit six balls in a line with constant motion and leading with step in swinging direction of the club both back and through. Our worst productive times in practice? Working through the standard movement focusing on setup and other tried and true standard fundys.

Funny - I was just working with kids yesterday (coach school golf) about pre shot movement and looseness. Waggles and little bit of weight dancing. No doubt the youtube hyper focus on "LAG" and shallowing has a lot to do with what you are seeing. Comical at times watching videos that say we now know x or y ....... exposing their ignorance that they are chasing effects and NOT causation. Position chasing golf is horrible golf. Motion based golf = good golf! What you describe is also breeding ground for back problems galore!

One question I have for you is ..... do you notice this more in a certain subset of golfers? Better-ish players? Younger players?(under 35) Or do you simply mean across the spectrum? As for me personally I have not noticed this per se.(more hook biased results or "under" plane rather than "above"). Do think maybe something we have seen quite similarly is far more of the "big muscle" driven swing creeping in. Lots more wrist hinge and flow in days gone by. Zebco should have been making golf clubs. But the golfers I normally see are over 30 or school age. And I can tell you for sure the kids that don't watch golf and come out for the teams do exactly what all people have done forever, they whack it with the ole arms and cast hard as they can to begin with. One thing I do notice often though is the abhorrently robotic setups that seem to come from the golfer mills of the world. Not that they don't work, but boy oh boy do they look ugly. Seems these come from people going to places like GolfTec. Again - Not criticizing, just the ones I have seen look like they fear their shock collar going off if they get any body part out of the prescribed angle tolerances. Doesn't mean the teaching is wrong, the execution is just interesting to see out in the wild. Will keep these old eyes peeled for what you mentioned going forward though. Doubt it is your imagination.

Thanks for the response, after Stein Mart closed their stores (my go to for golf clothes for years), I forgot about Norman shirts. I probably should try a FJ here and there, others seem to like them.