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benrd5420

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About benrd5420

  • Birthday 04/04/1981

Contact Methods

  • Twitter
    @drbenjamindavis
  • Instagram
    Bensinthedesert

Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Mesa, AZ
  • Referred By:
    nobody

Player Profile

  • Age
    40-49
  • Swing Speed
    91-100 mph
  • Handicap
    9.8
  • Frequency of Play/Practice
    Multiple times per week
  • Player Type
    Casual
  • Biggest Strength
    Short Game
  • Biggest Weakness
    Driver/Off the Tee
  • Fitted for Clubs
    Yes

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benrd5420's Achievements

  1. I agree with basically all the posts here. I did an experiment over the summer slowly cutting my driver down (trying not to go too short and regret it). I did it with an older shaft, than matched my gamer later (similar profiles, older vs newer version). In the end I was down to a 44.25", and it had changed my game. The stock 45.5" definitely gave me higher swing speed, but was inconsistent on strike. When I caught it clean, it gave me the best numbers, but that was 1 in 5 at best. The rest of the hits had diminishing returns depending on strike location. With the shorter shaft I am getting less speed, but finding the middle much more consistently which has led to better smash factor and dispersion. While I may have lost 15 or so yards on a centered strike, I am much more likely to be in the fairway. Less looking in the woods, chipping out, or being blocked out on my shot into a green has definitely translated to better scores, even if am a little further out. I know strokes gained data would dispute this, but for me it's been a game changer.
  2. @ JJames, I just posted my first go through with the review. Hopefully it is helpful.
  3. Fingers crossed! Cut line: -1 Spieth will be +1 after two rounds
  4. MyGolfSpy Community! First and foremost a big Thank You to MyGolfSpy for letting me participate in this review. As an avid consumer of all things golf gear related, I have read so many of these reviews in the past, and hope that as positively to this awesome group as many before me have. As was previously noted, there were a few hiccups in getting things up and going. Without going into detail, it has delayed the review for many of my colleagues, but I wanted to get something out for those who are watching for info on these shafts. Also, I would be remiss from posting this today if I didn't point out that these are the iron shafts that Rose Zhang plays and just won her LPGA debut with!!! A little about me: Like many of you I am a golf obsessed junkie who is firmly believes that my perfect golf game is just one gear purchase away, I just have not made that purchase… yet. Just over a year ago I made a move from Arizona to Ohio, and it has definitely taken its toll on my handicap. When leaving Arizona I was hovering just above an 8, and now sit firmly at a 13. I can give plenty of excuses for that, but the truth is I am just not able to practice as much as I did in Arizona. This is as much due to being the father of a 2-year-old and a 1-year-old. On average now I am playing 1 to 2 times per week, with a guaranteed 9 hole round each Wednesday in a work league, with hopes to make it out on the weekend for 18. I am not a particularly long player, which you will see in my tables below. My driver swing speed hovers just below 100mph. Since this review focuses on iron shafts, I will call myself an average iron player, probably better than my handicap shows, but not an elite ball striker by any means. Basis for Comparison: As someone with a doctorate, I have done my fair share of information gathering and research. I love getting as much data as I can, and wanted to be able to give you all the best basis for comparison I could. In order to do this, I purchased a set of Bridgestone JGR CB irons with Nippon 950gh (original, not NEO). For those who are aware of this iron, it is a true sleeper. Great feeling, nice look at address, save the Gap Wedge, and easy to hit. I was wanting to use the 950gh as a control of sorts, as I feel many people have had a chance to swing this shaft in the past. It’s easy to find either in a demo matrix, or on the Used Club shelf, so felt it would be a good place for people to reference from. Additionally, at the time I was using a set of Callaway X Forged CB’s with the MMT 85 taper tip shafts. Since they were in the same weight category, I though they would also offer an opportunity for good comparison. Also, for most people looking in the 80-90gram category, I think it is safe to assume that graphite options are in play. Data Collection: Living in NE Ohio we have a few options for year-round play, but one of the best is a place called 1899. They offer Trackman Bays for either virtual play, or range sessions, use Titleist ProV1x RCT balls, and are convenient in location to me. For the comparison table and images below, I was able to pull directly from the Trackman Reports for this information. As an amateur data analyst, I will admit that the data collection points likely could have been more numerous (multiple sessions with each shaft), but for now this information is what I have. In future additional posts I may include further sessions. For both sessions I wanted to have 5 good shots per club to represent the data. No club took more than 8 shots to get that. I wanted it to be representative of a mid-handicap consistency, so really only took out shots that were fat, or just plain bad swings. Finally, I have taken the clubs outdoors for a few rounds to see how they feel in nature. This is, of course, much more in the arms/hands/swings of the beholder. First Impressions: When the shafts first arrived at my home, I naturally opened them right away. While I always appreciated the off-white minimal branding of the original line of NS Pro irons, the green logo on these shafts look great too. They don’t pop so much that they are distracting if you prefer logo up, but also look distinct when you seem someone playing them. So here is something I feel is worth noting, but also will probably follow with some ‘duh’ style comments. These shafts felt very light in hand. I know that is the point, and so on, but I think that the visual of a set of 3-P shafts in my hand did not add up to the feeling I had holding them. Overall though, shafts look great. When it was apparent that do to this test I was going to have to build them up myself, I was excited to do so. I add this in only as a caveat: I am a hobbyist club builder, and while I have some of the tools of the trade, there were limitations to my ability to creat the ‘perfect build’. My first thought was I was going to be interested to see how the weight affected how I would need to swing weight them. I play my irons 1/2” long, and in order to swing weight them to D2, it proved not that difficult, and I was able to get them situated quickly through some dry fitting. I will post some photos of the finished product to this post. Performance- Feel: I am going to start with the feel of the irons, so I can add a lot of technical data to the end of this post. In short, the felt wonderful. I have always found Nippon shafts to be comfortable to swing. In comparison to the 950gh, they were more lively but still stable. I could easily feel the head in my backswing, which I like. Despite their lighter weight, they did not feel whippy or loose in any way. Comparing them to the 950gh and the MMT 85, they were distinct. I know the NEO series are supposed to have improved feel over the original 950gh, and that held true for me. Compared to the 950 they felt smooth, but familiar. They feel like they are part of the same line, just less heft. In comparison to the MMT, the biggest difference for me is that the MMT has a more defined ‘kick’. I can really feel the club release in my hands, and didn’t get that same feeling from the 850’s. I like that feeling, but I know some people prefer not to feel that, so take that for what it’s worth. Performance- Data: For the purposes of doing a 1 to 1 comparison, I only have hard data points for the 950 vs 850. The different club head/loft seemed to introduce more variables that made sense, and probably makes it less of a usable comparison. I thought I would see an increase in club head speed with the 850, which did not hold true. Some of that, to be sure, is on me and how I am swinging that day, but in the end there was not a discernable or marked difference in club head speeds between the 950 and 850neo. As one would expect, this translated to very similar ball speeds as well. With the exception of the 4iron (which was not working for me with the 850), there is only one occasion where the delta between Club Speed and Ball Speed were larger than .5 mph. But, there was a very marked difference in the two, and that was in spin. As you will see in the table, with the exception of the 6iron (and again the 4i), the spin jumped up noticeably on all clubs. This ended up giving me lower distances pretty much throughout. This increase in speed could be a performance enhancer, or detractor, depending on the player. Were I using a more modern game improvement or distance iron, I could really see these shafts adding a helpful amount of spin to hold greens with longer clubs, and be more consistent in distances. For someone who is maybe using them with more traditional lofts, I could see them being too spinny, and probably bring distance down too far. To bring together the Feel and Data: I did notice that with the longer irons I had to allow for a more deliberate swing. If I tried to go after one, it likely ended up getting away from and not finding the target line. I usually consider myself to be moderate in transition, but I could really feel and see the difference in outcomes when I over swung. Outdoor Testing: I know this is getting long, so I will be brief here. Since moving from Arizona to Ohio, among the big things I have learned to have to contend with differently is wind. The wind where I live is not only stronger, but more consistent. I have noticed more wind effect on my shots here than I ever did in Arizona. That said, what I saw on Trackman played out on the course. Similar launch windows as I was used to seeing with the 950 or MMT, but spinning much higher. After about 10 holes of adjusting my distances, this was very playable. Hit a little more club but don’t fear it will hit and run off the back. I know that ‘spin’ is often a four-letter word on these forums, but I found that the added spin made them very playable. The big question will be if I can get them out on a windier day. My fear is that the added spin may be harder to adjust to, but we will see. More to come I am sure, as I am not done playing around with these. Feel free to ask questions, or butcher me for my Trackman numbers@ Data: Nippon 950gh Dispersion: 850neo Dispersion:
  5. I have a Tensei Blue and an Evenflow Blue if you are interested in purchasing.
  6. Spin and ball speed were better on the TS3 with the RipTide...BUT, direction was tougher to get consistent results. This is likely because it was a 10.5 degree, turned down to 9.75. That means, but Titleist standards, it was pretty open. So like the junkie-fiend gear person I am I sold the TS3 10.5 and got an 8.5 on the way (not to mention made $50 on the deal, and the new comes with a Project X HZRDUS Black Handcrafted. The plan is to turn the 8.5 up to close the face down a bit, and see what happens. I will keep you in the loop!
  7. This has been one of the best forums/chats I have found yet regarding the Rip Tide, so thank you all. Trying out two drivers still, and just put a Titleist tip on the Rip Tide black tonight to hopefully try in the TS3 tomorrow. The other combo I am trying is Cobra F9 with the Smoke Yellow with the heavy Ricki Fowler weights. I have tried both combos with the Tensei Blue, and while they feel good, spin is still really high. Part of it is likely delivery, as I am less up in my strike then I would like, but hoping these offer lower spin options for me.
  8. I have a set of the PTx Pro Black , with the Ft. Worth HI in 4/5/6 irons. Can't say enough about the Hi's. Seriously as good or better than any hollow body for filled club out there. The irons are great too, especially for the price!
  9. I am fairly sure it is pretty close to Even Flow Blue in that it should play mid launch, mid spin.
  10. Sending you a PM, definitely interested.
  11. Golf is seeing a resurgence in my life. Having grown up around golf, and played sparingly through my twenties, the game has once again become an important part of my life. For me golf has become a refuge of self-improvement. Unlike almost any aspect of our lives, getting better as a player is something we are 100% in control of. Work, friendships, relationships, and almost anything else requires the help of others in order to be successful, but improving my game (and in turn myself) is something I am solely in control of. Working in a place that embraces innovation and technology and how it can impact our lives, along with the work I did in getting a doctorate, have led me to fully embrace the work that MyGolfSpy does. Social media and so much of the world we create for ourselves only serve to confirm our own biases, but using good repeatable data only confirms the truth. This is what MyGolfSpy gives to the golfing community, truth through data and experience. I would love to be able to contribute to this amazing community that you have built, as I continue my journey of self and game improvement through golf.
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