[What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)]

First piece of post-fitting purchases arrived yesterday: Fujikura Motore X F1 6X. Snagged it brand new on eBay <$90. Showed up yesterday, swapped the Cobra tip for a Callaway and ready to roll!

Speed seems to still be there, too. 

[Weight Loss Thread]

On 3/7/2022 at 7:51 AM, edingc said:

Been a bit irregular posting. I was 184.0 this morning, so down 1.6 from when I "started." 

Going to be a better week! I can feel it.

Haven't posted a lot, mostly because the first two months after "starting" to cut back were kind of a waste. Two Sundays ago I told myself I need to at least get below 180, so the last couple of weeks I've been recommitted, so to speak.

179.0 (-6.6 pounds from starting weight)

I've just been making better decisions and having smaller portions for my breakfast/lunch meal and no snacking elsewhere during the day.

[FS: Driving Irons! Sub70 699 4 Iron, Cobra KING (2016) 3 Utility - $65/each/delivered]

I have two driving irons available for sale. Looking for $65/each/delivered via PayPal.

Sub70 699 4 Iron, Mitsubishi MMT 105TX, Star Sidewinder Grip

This is a standard 699 iron head (not the separate Utility they sell!) with a standard MMT 105TX 4 iron shaft. Head was purchased from Sub70s used section and put on the MMT shaft. Light use. BB&F Co. ferrule. Black Star Sidewinder 360 grip put on with air. The grip is slightly worn but has some life left.

Measures ~38.5” inches ungripped and is about D5 swingweight with the Star grip, which has a large grip cap that adds about 1/4” to overall length.

Cobra KING (2016) 3 Utility, Mitsubishi MMT 105TX Utility, Ungripped

I purchased this head from someone on WRX who did not disclose a small crease in the chrome on the sole. After some range use, the chrome has started to peel off the sole in one spot. It does not affect the playability of the club but is a little unsightly. It is shafted with a MMT 105TX Utility shaft that is left long so you can cut to whatever length you desire.

Currently measures 39.5” inches ungripped. Shaft graphics are set with the head at 18.5 degrees. 

[SOLD!: Dumina AutoFlex SF505X Driver Shaft with Callaway Adapter - $525/delivered]

Sold! Mods you can lock this up.

[SOLD!: Dumina AutoFlex SF505X Driver Shaft with Callaway Adapter - $525/delivered]

Dumina AutoFlex SF505X Driver Shaft with Callaway Adapter

The AutoFlex is now available following my last fitting at Club Champion. It is simply not a great fit for me now that I've added some driver speed and violence to my transition. 

Purchased from and built by Joe Corsi through the AutoFlex users Facebook group. Played for most of last season. Plays 45.75" to 46" depending on measuring technique in my Epic Max LS.

My grip was put on with air so there is no residue, and the shaft is ready to be gripped and played (it will ship with no grip). It will ship in the protective sleeve that came from the factory.

One issue: The adjustable cogs will fall off the end of the adapter. For some reason they slide right over the ring that is supposed to retain them. I will ship with an extra Callaway screw to hold them on. This issue does not affect play, but if you switch settings or remove the head you have to be careful not to lose the cogs. The last picture shows what I'm describing.

SOLD!

[Weather in your neck of the woods?]

Rain/snow mixture. We've been sloppy and wet so far this spring. I don't see my range or course opening at least for another two weeks at this point. More rain forecast for most of next week...

The practice green and short game areas are open at least, but it's so soggy that anything beyond chipping and putting is pretty much impossible. 

[edingc's 2022 Club Champion Full Bag Fitting Experience and Mini Review]

49 minutes ago, Middler said:

I’d advocate for fittings with the clear caveat above, way too often left out on this forum by many (not all).

The second paragraph is a little disturbing to me - how many players know enough to resist being “steered” - not many among the whole of players. My next fitting will not be with CC for this reason (probably Manufacturer or TrueSpec IMO).

Thanks for taking the time to write and share your views.

To be fair, I did classify myself as a "tinkerer," and that may have led down the road to some more exotic shaft choices. And I'm limited in graphite, so some of the options are more expensive than others naturally. But LAGP seemed to be a favorite, as well as the P770. 

It's important to advocate for yourself during a fitting. That's what I'm taking away from this experience - whether than means setting the budget upfront, brands, etc. And again, I'm definitely open to going back. For example, at no point did I get prodded to try another driver head. I could have asked and tried some, and probably should have, but that wasn't the important part of the day for me.

[edingc's 2022 Club Champion Full Bag Fitting Experience and Mini Review]

20 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

I really enjoyed the write-up Cody and it's good to hear you had a positive experience with CC. Now I'm really looking forward to seeing if you can find a good deal on a set of the Hogan's. 

It's amazing to see where you were when you joined the forum and how you've progressed in the time since. You've put in a lot of work and seeing the results is awesome! 

Thanks, Jason! I appreciate the kind words.

I did go back in MyTrackman to look at the Epic Flash fitting I did with Jake. At that time my club speed topped out around 100 MPH with ball speeds around 140 on average. It's been a fun ride getting to this point and can't wait to try to continue to improve.

 

[Sluggo wants new irons!]

After hitting the P770s yesterday for quite a while, excellent choice! Enjoy the new sticks.

[edingc's 2022 Club Champion Full Bag Fitting Experience and Mini Review]

20 hours ago, Lacassem said:

Solid write up. Glad you were able to do what you set to do and agree, going in with knowledge is huge and an agenda doesn’t hurt either! Love the MotoreX

The Ventus Black 7X was a close second but the Motore really stood out. Found a picture of the best shot I hit and topped out at 171.5 MPH ball speed and just over 300 carry.

19 hours ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

First, that’s awesome you seem to have had an awesome fit and great time.  I don’t think I would have ever put those Hogans up to that test!  

Second…. So we both went from Speedzone’s to Epic Max LS with Motore X shafts! But the weakling f3 for me. Haha must be a good driver.  

Cant wait for the first round updates! 

Jake thought the Rogue Max LS may be a bit better but they're close.

My driver swing has gotten pretty grooved at +4 to +6 AoA. The F1 fits that great, I know the F3 is a great shaft as well!

18 hours ago, CarlH said:

This is very similar to my experience with CC.  Very solid and informative write up.

I definitely can see how people can walk out with $5,000 less in their pockets. List price the Motore X F1 is $225 now. CC price was going to be closer to $350 after taxes and adapter installation, with no grip. Grips4Less will build one with a grip for $250, and since they were the stock offering in Cobra, they are plentiful on the second hand market.

11 hours ago, ncwoz said:

Very nice!! How would you compare CC to Leading Edge over in Okemos?

Apparently Leading Edge is under different owners than when I was fit for Cobra Connect. Tough to directly compare, they are very close to my recollection. I think CC has more to offer than LE in choices, cost is similar. CC was a lot closer, too!

9 hours ago, ejgaudette said:

Awesome review and great to see you were able to try and learn a lot. I wish we had a place like this close to myself. 

Its a testament to your progress and I hope you are able to find a good deal on some Hogans given how well the preformed. Looking forward to hearing about the bombs you will be hitting.

Thanks! Appreciate you reading. It was a lot of fun and certainly puts the other local fitting options to shame (at a little more expensive of a cost, of course!).

7 hours ago, revkev said:

When I hit it, it’s a thing of beauty but there are way too many times when it’s not.

I middled a few and still was seeing over 3,000 spin with a +4 AoA. As soon as he plugged in the Ventus my next shot dropped to sub 2,400. The AutoFlex is a good shaft, but as my speed has gone up my transition has gotten more violent. Not as good with the AF.

7 hours ago, russtopherb said:

Cody, thanks for taking the time to write all of this up in such great detail! Really informative about the fitting process and what your thoughts & goals were heading into your session. 

Thanks! There are so many posts about Club Champion that I wanted to go in with an open mind and see what it was all about.

5 hours ago, bens197 said:

Honestly I am not surprised to read such a great review.

@edingc you’re easily in the top 5 of authors / review writers on this forum.  Not much else to say that has not already been said.  

 

The PTx heads really are something special.  Good luck in the pursuit…

Means a lot, truly. Thank you! I enjoyed the time and even Jake mentioned how sneaky good the PTx Pros are. 

3 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Bummer. Not that they would have beat out the Hogans but when you have an opportunity to try the best irons I have played, it would have been nice to compare even if just out of curiosity. But finding something you really love in a fitting is an awesome feeling. Great review! 

That ones on me. We spent half of the three hours on irons, and I should have made one last lap of the wall. I'm sure they are great clubs, too. Nothing I hit was horrible by any means!

3 hours ago, yungkory said:

Soooooooooooo you wanna let me borrow that Autoflex or wuh?

Sick write up and it's nice to see your work paying off in SPEED GAINZ

It's available!

2 hours ago, Nolan220 said:

I had a similar experience with CC I was pretty up front with what I was trying to get accomplished and the Fitter was great. Also used the same fitter for when I needed the specs for the T300s I told him what I needed and he even said come back when you get them so we can check them out free of charge .. he said I already paid for the fitting so just let him know when I could come in and make sure everything was good. 

I think Jake would have preferred to sell me something (that is the point of his business), but he was great about making me feel welcome and definitely offered to have me back in at anytime. 

1 hour ago, GaDawg said:

Really loved the write up and pictures provided. The Hogan heads looked really nice, but I don't know about that MOD1 iron/wedge.

May I ask why you wanted the graphite shafts, especially with your swing speed? Not making judgement, just wondering your thoughts.

Looking forward to future post on your club changes, etc.

The MOD1 was quite ugly but feel really nice. He said he's never sold a set though.

I hit a lot of balls off of mats from October to April (still too wet/cold to play routinely here). The last two years I fought shoulder, elbow and wrist pain after mat sessions. I switched to graphite and all of those aches and pains went away. I know there are some stellar steel shafts out there (some with vibration dampening), but the graphite is a nice insurance policy so to speak.

 

[Dude, I'm getting a Mevo+!]

2 hours ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

One other question - and I get it is not your go to radar - but using the Mevo+ for speed training  do you have to set it behind your intended target line 8 feet like you typically do? Or can it be set right by where the ball would be?  Thank!

I set it 8 feet behind me on the target line. 

At some point I will have to try it out again.

[Dude, I'm getting a Mevo+!]

19 minutes ago, WaffleHouseTour said:

Ok - you've had a month - long term report?  Consistent, or at least a consistent difference?  Ie for speed training are getting consistent results and you strive for improvement from that number?

Second question - have you decided the pro pack is worth the $1k add on expense?

If I didn't already have the blue radar, but only had the Mevo+, I'd use the Mevo+ for speed training. But... given that I already have the blue radar I haven't even bothered to try the Mevo+ speed feature again. So I can't speak much more about that functionality.

Honestly, it takes too long to connect to the FS Golf App since a recent update for me to reach for it over the blue radar. While I'm sure the Mevo+ is more accurate, the convenience factor of the blue radar, which is instant on, is way better.

I think the Pro Pack is worth the expense. I've been on Trackman twice since getting the Pro Pack and the numbers are really, really close. Close enough to really help me with my practice. I tend too get to in-to-out with a shut face and now I have immediate feedback on that when I'm practice. Well worth the money (note I had the existing user discount) in my opinion since I otherwise do not get that kind of feedback on path and face outside of lessons/fittings.

[edingc's 2022 Club Champion Full Bag Fitting Experience and Mini Review]

45 minutes ago, MattWillGolf said:

This is great comprehensive review on all counts. I appreciate the insight on the process and the tips you offered on how to educate yourself prior to any fitting. It points to why I’m a bit apprehensive on club fittings as my knowledge of club components is rather limited, especially compared to yours. I’d call this required reading for anyone interested a fitting.

Thanks for the comments. I don't want to scare anyone away from a fitting. I think they're a lot of fun and worth it for those of us who enjoy golf as a hobby. I could have spent all day in there hitting balls. But I think the very nature of CC can be a bit overwhelming if you don't have a good background of what you're looking for to begin with.

44 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Great writeup.  I think it really does show that with the right knowledge Club Champion can be a great place to go get a fitting.  

Certainly not many other options around this area for so many fitting options. I think if you have a solid game plan regarding what you want to spend and buy and also what your own limitations are, that's important. I wouldn't want to go into a fitting "just along for the ride."

46 minutes ago, LeftyMatt89 said:

Great write up. Honestly with all the different opinions on club champion I liked your perspective with goals and ideas of what you wanted to try. I think you were super successful and should be an awesome year with the new sticks. 

Thanks! Excited for the Motore X and am hopeful I can score a set a Hogan's here shortly.

[edingc's 2022 Club Champion Full Bag Fitting Experience and Mini Review]

edingc's 2022 Club Champion Full Bag Fitting Experience and Mini Review

Since this is a very long (2,000+ word) post with pictures, I’ve added my fitting results and mini review of the Club Champion fitting process right up top:

TL;DR (Fitting Results) - Dumina AutoFlex SF505X will be replaced with Fujikura Motore X F1 6X in my Callaway Epic Max LS head. Top four irons, in order, were Ben Hogan PTx Pro, Srixon ZX7, Callaway Apex Pro and TaylorMade P770. FlightScope Mevo+ doesn’t lie and is damn close to Trackman.

TL;DR (Club Champion Review) - Do your homework and be open/honest with your fitter. I would not want to go into a Club Champion without a clear purpose, or without an understanding of how they do business. Definitely worth the trip for gearheads. I’d hesitate to recommend a fitting at CC for someone who doesn’t have either a very deep pocketbook or a good foundation of golf club fitting knowledge. 

I had the opportunity this afternoon to go for a full bag (minus putter) fitting at my local Club Champion location. While I’m mostly satisfied with my bag heading into the 2022 season, I had several reasons for my visit:

• Chance to look at and hit the full line of 2022 releases.
• Check out as many graphite iron shafts and driver shafts as possible.
• Potentially find a more “player’s style” iron that jives with my swing.

While I’ve been around the forums for a while, I’m an upper single-digits handicapper as a quick refresher for anyone finding this post. I joined the forums in late 2018 as roughly a 25-30 handicap. Over the past several seasons, I have been working hard to improve my game through lessons and lots of practice and play. I’ve been lucky enough to play more than 75 rounds each season for the past two years.

I’m not shy about switching equipment. My dedicated WITB thread in my signature shows the evolution of my bag from the time I joined MGS until now. Between a couple of really awesome testing opportunities and long Michigan winters, I’ve turned every area of my bag over several times in the past three years.

Despite Club Champion’s somewhat spotty reputation, there is nowhere else locally with such a broad selection of equipment to try. My fitter, Jake, also previously worked for another local golf shop. He fit me for a putter in 2018 and a driver in 2019, so I had the benefit of some prior experience guiding my choice of fitters.

I’ll break this post into two pieces: my fitting experience and a small review on Club Champion. It seems everyone wants to know if they are “worth it” or not.

My Fitting Experience

I had a 1 PM appointment, so I worked a half day from home, hit a few balls in the garage to get in somewhat of a groove and then hopped in the car for the 20 minute ride to Club Champion.

I got to CC about 20 minutes early. Jake was ready for me about 10 minutes early. In retrospect, I should have used this time to stretch and warm-up with my Rypstick like I do on course. Something to remember for next time.

There were two goals of today’s fitting in my mind. One, to try the latest and greatest player’s style irons with more “traditional” lofts than my Sub70 699 Pros. Two, to evaluate the Dumina AutoFlex SF505X, which I purchased last season and did an unofficial review of on MGS. I hit the weights hard this offseason and have noticed the AutoFlex being inefficient and spinney when not hit perfectly. Also, while I’ve enjoyed the Sub70 699 Pros, I don’t hit the ball quite high enough or with enough spin. I have been fighting a left miss that can get pretty miserable when I’m not purposely trying to feel a “big fade” swing.

We started by baselining my 6 and 8 irons from the 699 Pros. As I have been seeing lately, I struggled with big sweeping hooks, lack of spin and peak heights that ideally should have been 10-20 feet higher. Admittedly, I routinely deal with a bit of anxiety and the first 15-20 swings were probably less than perfect, but the pattern was there. Speed-wise I was seeing about 95 MPH out of my 6 iron. That number stayed pretty consistent throughout my fitting, reaching somewhere around 98 MPH at peak.

From there we worked toward trying to improve upon both my left miss and the lack of height and spin. Jake started me with a TaylorMade P770 head as he said they tend to launch the ball quite high despite the lofts. I worked through the P770 for a while, trying an Accra i110 Tour shaft, an LAGP model, KBS TGI 110 and then SteelFiber fc115s in x-stiff. I did start getting into a groove and had better swings as we went, but it wasn’t until Jake pulled out stiff SteelFiber i125s that we found something good to work with. They felt really nice to me, my delivery improved quite a bit and as a result my launch and spin was much better. At that point I felt comfortable telling Jake that I’d like to cycle through different heads with the i125s. 

I hit several different heads I would consider to be “player’s-ish” and have some quick thoughts:

• TaylorMade P770 - Sharp looks. Very familiar feeling coming from the 699 Pros. Ball speed was excellent even on mishits. Spin was “playable,” but still a little low.
• Srixon ZX7 - Incredible feeling irons. Very muted and heavy, you can tell they are definitely solid compared to what I have in the 699s or the P770s. Ball speed was excellent, right up there with all of the “techier” irons. Better spin than the P770s.
• Mizuno Pro 223 - Another excellent feeling and looking iron. But nothing about the numbers wowed us.
• PXG 0311T Gen4 - I really wanted to like these but couldn’t get a good swing on the ball. They did not feel particularly good on the mishits.
• Wilson Staff CB - Beautiful irons. But no better than the ZX7s, and a slightly less satisfying feeling on a flush hit.
• Callaway Apex Pro - Better feel than the P770 and extremely quick. Again, “playable” but not ideal spin.
• Ben Hogan PTx Pro - The shocker of them all. Nice blend between a forged-ish feel with some tech. Ball speed was near the top, spin was the most ideal of all of the heads and it was extremely accurate as a result. Only gave up a yard or two carry loft-for-loft against the other heads.

I ended up so enamored with the Hogan’s that I hit quite a few balls with them. So much that I didn’t even get a chance to hit the Cobra MIM Tours, but otherwise I covered almost all of what I wanted to hit.

My top three irons ended up being Hogan PTx Pro, Srixon ZX7 and Callaway Apex Pro.

We then moved on to lie measurement using the lie board, impact location and dynamic lie angle on Trackman. We settled on somewhere around 60 degrees in the 6 iron, which is basically two flat for most manufacturers and one degree flatter from my last fitting.

Knowing I would likely purchase new irons at some point soon based on this fitting, I then asked Jake to retrofit me into my Callaway Epic Max LS head. I bought this head last year to pair with the AutoFlex, and I really didn’t want to find a new driver head if possible.

Baselining the AutoFlex it became very apparent that my offseason workouts have increased my club head speed. I registered a few swings at 116+ MPH, which is probably 7-9 MPH faster than when I purchased the shaft last spring.

As I had assumed, the AutoFlex was a poor match for my current swing. I struggled to get spin under 3,000 RPM even on well struck balls. My “bad” swings resulted in 4,000+ spin and a high weak flight landing at about 250 yards.

I told Jake I wanted to start with the Fujikura Ventus line and work from there. We started with the Ventus TR 6X, moved to the Blue 6X and finally made it to the Black 7X. All three showed dramatic improvements in spin rate and distance, but the Black 7X was the best in my opinion.

I suggested the Fujikura Motore X F1 and Jake agreed it would likely be a good fit as well. I’m glad we tried it as I immediately reeled off a few 285+ yard carry shots. We tried a few shafts after that, from Accra, LAGP and the new Fujikura Speeder line, but came back to the Motore X F1 and found similar success. Most importantly, my “misses” were now carrying 270+ and closer to the centerline.

I already have this one en route from eBay .

I was sufficiently tired by this point. I hit my Epic Flash 4 hybrid, Cobra 4 Utility and Callaway Super Hybrid to confirm they all were decent fits for me. They are. No changes needed here for now.

We discussed wedge options and agreed something mid-bounce throughout the wedges would be ideal with my delivery and playing conditions. Jake recommended either keeping the i125s throughout the wedges or going with a stiff KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 which comes in the same 125 gram weight. I did hit the Edel wedges which looked nice, but the winner of ugliest but great feeling club goes to the MOD1 iron/wedge:

I am browsing for the PTx Pros now, and I probably will go through with a purchase if I can find the right used set. Unfortunately, Ben Hogan will not sell heads only. I’ll be trolling eBay or other used club sites unless I want to pay full retail and pull the shafts.

Mini Club Champion Review

I had a pre-existing relationship with my fitter, who I fit with before, and he also knows my instructor well. For me, being comfortable with him was a big benefit.

I clearly outlined the top priority of my fitting were my irons and then the second priority was driver shaft. Jake stuck to that script well. I also wanted to stay in graphite iron shafts, which limited my options, but also made it easier to find a shaft I really liked from what seems like an infinite selection on the wall.

I am not scared of spending money on golf, but I am also frugal. To be honest, I cringed a little when we started with the P770s because of the cost of both new and used sets. I had scoured eBay/2nd Swing/Callaway Pre-Owned over the past few days and found new sets of ZX7s and good condition Apex Pros that were more in my price range. I suspect I would have not gotten to try the Hogan’s by default, but after finding the SteelFibers I literally walked the wall of heads and grabbed everything I wanted to try.

I think it is imperative to have a basic understanding of golf equipment before going to Club Champion. I understand their business model, and I feel like I may have been steered towards certain shafts or brands had I not specifically requested things during my fitting. It helps I understand my tendencies and was able to suggest heads and shafts (especially during the driver fitting) that would jive well with my delivery.

I happily paid the $325 for the fitting as I know I would not have gotten this experience anywhere else within 30 minutes. I’d be looking at nearly 3 hours in a car to find anything similar. I did nearly purchase the Motore X F1 through Jake, but chose to instead think on it and found an excellent deal online. While I never told Jake outright that I would not be purchasing anything today, he understood what my goals and reasoning for visiting were. He did not seem too surprised when I walked out with nothing more than the fitting.

Overall, I am very pleased with my experience and will definitely consider going back to Club Champion the next time I am wanting a quality fitting.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

16 hours ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

Lots of thoughts running through my head after going to the NE Golf show today…

1.  The LTDx and Rogue Max LS are sweeet.  While I don’t think they’ll likely be any better than my Epic Max LS it felt good to whack some balls today off the center of the club head.  The Tensei AV White was nice in both of them.

2.  The Mizuno Pro 225’s felt mouthwateringly smooth.  Got to get a quick fit from the Mizuno rep using the shaft optimizer.  Top recommendation was the Project X IO.  A little more lightweight than the Modus 120x I’m using, but not that overly different in profile.  The whole package felt great.  Definitely a club I want to spend some more time with.

3.  For not really hitting a ball since November, the swing didn’t feel all out of sorts once I got a little warmed up!

I was impressed by the compactness of the 225s. I was at the golf shop last night helping my mother-in-law find some new irons (Tour Edge E522 Ironwoods ended up being the winner for her), and browsed all of the irons. Honestly, the 225s are much smaller than I figured they'd be. I don't think I'd trade the 699 Pros for them, but if I was in the market for that style of iron and wasn't going to go DTC, 225 would be top of my list.

Impact position looking dialed! 

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Going to be cold and snowy again this weekend so enjoyed the 45-ish degree temps in the garage last night for a long last session prior to my fitting next week.

Good session overall and really found success with a feeling of my left side staying "against a wall" or "still" during my backswing. Feel isn't real, so for me that got me rotating better instead of a slight sway that gets worse with wedges or longer clubs. Middle irons I seem to get away with it.

I really started to go after it with the driver and I'm pretty sure this was a new ball speed record for me...

I may have overshot my winter goal weight by 3-5 pounds, but every bit of eating and weightlifting has been worth it. Can't wait for the weather to improve enough that I can get speed work in again as well.

[Unofficial Review: Titleist Pro V1/V1x RCT Radar Optimized Golf Balls]

7 hours ago, Micah T said:

Good stuff @edingc! I’ve been using the rct ball all winter at an indoor studio using trackman, but I just stumbled on this thread. My take is that the trackman accurately captures spin about 95% with the rct ball. Like you, I find that at my 2 iron ball speed and up the accuracy declines, and I’ll start to see italicized spin numbers. As far as durability; both myself and my buddy that I split the membership with both have new irons( i59’s for me and p790/770 for him) so we split the first ball after about 2 weeks, and used a new ball every 3-5 sessions( each session was 2-3 hrs) My opinion? Worth it for anyone using a Doppler-based(radar) launch monitor.

Glad to hear. Definitely worth the money, in my opinion.

I got a little more life out of my balls (one of mine is now a few months old), but when I play sim rounds (rather than FlightScope range), I switch to a newer ball. I really should get some indoor outdoor carpet for my garage to help prolong the life even further - the covers get chewed up when they occasionally touch concrete.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

15 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

SRIXON SRIXON SRIXON just a thought....

Also on my list! Really, anything that has some tungsten or other forgiveness packed into the toe/cavity. If I end up wanting to go to a true cavity, I'll just wait for the new Sub70 releases.

Keeping in mind cost and ability to find gently used sets is also on my mind. I will for sure be sticking with graphite so I will most likely need to reshaft whatever I settle on. Can get the Cobras with Recoil 110s and the Apex Pros with MMTs, so they are naturally floating higher up my list.

On 3/22/2022 at 9:08 PM, ejgaudette said:

I am sure you will document this thoroughly and we are all looking forward to hear how it goes. Hope it goes well.

I'll be sure to do a quick write up and grab some pictures!

On 3/22/2022 at 11:34 PM, Getoffmylawn said:

Enjoy the process!  Although, I’ll be the first to bet you end up in the same MMTs you’re gaming now.  Those are GREAT shafts.

I do love what I have currently. I'll elaborate a bit more in whatever write up I do, but I could use a touch more spin which should help reign in the distance just slightly on my longer irons.

I am also hoping he will be able to throw my current set on their loft/lie machine and get them checked. I've recently noticed a really wide gap between my 9 and 8 and figure a winter of mat work has probably thrown stuff off just a little bit.

[What equipment are you thinking about?]

I finally decided to schedule a full bag fitting at Club Champion for next week. I was going to wait until later in the year, but I keep eyeing things and figured I should go get fit. I'll be working with the same fitter who fit me for my old Spider Tour in 2018 and the Epic Flash I reviewed on here in 2019.

In no particular order of interest:

• Irons, specifically slightly smaller more players-style irons. Mizuno 223, TaylorMade P770, Hogan PTx Pro, Cobra MIM Tour, Callaway Apex Pro, for example.
• Graphite iron shafts. 
• Driver shafts. Not that I'm keen to move on from the AutoFlex but I've really just never hit a lot. 

Just going to try to enjoy my time.

[Unofficial Review: Dumina AutoFlex SF505X Driver Shaft]

9 hours ago, Albanyfx said:

You are playing your autoflex at 45.5.  So you trimmed 1 or 2in? If the shaft is 45untrimmed, so final play length also be 47?

The playing length of mine is 45.75" (46" to the very end of the grip cap). I believe 1.75" is the correct amount to account for the head and adapter. So the raw length of the shaft is likely 44", meaning about 1" was cut. Note that I ordered this shaft to the playing length and did not do the club work myself, so I'm not 100 percent certain.

An untrimmed shaft would likely be 46.5"-47" playing length in most heads, yes.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

25 minutes ago, GolfSpy MPR said:

I gotta load up E6 and give that a try. Does E6 allow for two players to play against each other online?

Not sure. I know it supports multiple players in a single game, and AI players, but online play is not something I've considered. I wouldn't be able to do so with my current setup because I do not have a second network connection on my iOS device. The wifi is connected to the Mevo+ and so I'd need a cellular connection to make that work correctly.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

First day outside at the practice facility for the year! Finally! Going to be a bit before the range opens as it's way too wet at the moment, but I was able to chip, putt and hit a mixture of 25-45 yard pitches off some soggy turf for about an hour.

I was really, really pleased with my pitching, which has always been a weak spot for me. It seems a lot of my full swing work is bleeding into my pitching motion, which is making it a lot more consistent. I also have finally committed to a chipping technique and had some really positive results there as well. 

So ready for better weather and the bulk of my season to start. I played three simulator rounds this past weekend, breaking 80 (auto-putting) from the tips at Bay Hill, Aviara and The Belfry, but sim golf doesn't come close to actually playing outdoors.

[Sub70 golf]

56 minutes ago, Hobert said:

Agreed. The CB version may already be on the list for my next set of clubs after I play the 699s for a few years.

Love the look. I was a little disappointed to discover there was no tungsten in the toe of them, however. I believe they will have a .355 taper tip option, however, so that's a huge plus.

Going to be hard to want to move on from my 699 Pros. They put up incredible ball speed and distance even on mishits.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Took the time to actually setup the Mevo+/E6 sim yesterday with a small TV in the garage. Glad I did. It's a whole different experience having to hit balls "under pressure." In fairness, I didn't warm up at all and the first 9 holes I played was mostly just feeling out my swing yesterday.

Played Bay Hill first from the back tees, which at ~7,200 yards was quite the workout for my mid irons. Think I shot an 86 with auto putting turned out. Then played Aviara from the back at ~7,000 and, being fully warmed up, played much better with a 75. Helped that Aviara has some significant elevation changes that make it play shorter than listed.

Driver was great all day, but I really struggled with my tempo with my irons. A lot of rushed swings, presumably me not experiencing much of anything resembling actual golf since October. After I finished Aviara I switched back to the FlightScope range and found out I had started to overcorrect my lesson changes from Monday a bit and my face was too open (not necessarily a bad thing with my tendencies), so I finished my practice with about 10 7 irons trying to feel a little less cut during the swing with decent results.

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

On 3/10/2022 at 9:01 AM, ejgaudette said:

Been checking out Matt Blois's new Youtube channel yesterday and had a realization when I found the video below. This over swinging really describes me, I always thought of it as making a 'big' turn but it make sense why I have always then struggled with the sequence and the only way I can build speed is through pulling on the club because my arms are out of sync so I can't start the downswing with my lower body, it will throw me way out of sequence. 

Since this is something I can work on in the house without a ball I started yesterday and will be committing right now to practicing 30 back swings a day were I work on this drill to get the depth while staying in a position to be in sequence. Working on one thing at a time. Will work on this until it feels more normal before then ensuring that the downswing sequence where I can start with the legs. This will likely be a long and painful change as I have over swung for my whole career. But, hey why not go toward better right?

 

 

Matt has been killing it with his new channel. I don't watch much YouTube these days but his stuff has been great. And the learning to swing right-handed series is awesome if you want to build something from the ground up.

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_BOS said:

Rain and maybe snow today… but yesterday was nice out so I went out for some more “knock the rust off” swings in the yard.  They are starting to feel pretty good.  Planemate work with the wedge has definitely helped me keep my rhythm and some of my form too.  Next week is going to be warm for March, so maybe I’ll get to sneak out and overpay to hit some crappy balls that have been sitting out all winter.

I had an epiphany the other day about the Planemate and how much it helped me without me even realizing it. While it turned my over-the-top move to a way-too-under move, the fact that it was able to do that without even hitting balls is amazing. Such a good swing reinforcer.

Cold/snow today, 40s tomorrow and maybe 60s this week. Seeing a few emails from courses that are hoping to open this week. The time is coming!