[How'd you play?]

- 42/52 = 94 / 93 ESC (+22)
- 7/15 FIR
- 6/18 GIR
- 41 Putts  (1 4-putt, 5 3-putts, 10 2-putts, 2 1-putts)

Uh, yeah. That was an ugly round on the greens, but so good almost everywhere else! I had something like six or seven putts lip-out on me this morning from inside four feet, including two on the four-putt from about three feet. Unreal. 

Honestly, struck the ball about as well as I have all year again on the front nine, just hit an erratic tee shot on No. 4 and then had a bad luck bounce that led to a double bogey. I played with some new strategy inspired by @edteergolf and really played "boring" golf for me. Hit GIR on No. 7, which almost never happens, after a good drive and hybrid, but then three-putted that hole and the following par three.

Was off to a solid start on the back, smashing a driving iron off the tee to put me in great shape in the middle of the fairway with 190 to pin on No. 11. But I pushed a 5-iron right and got knocked down by a tree, and then shanked my wedge even further right leading to my second triple bogey on that hole in as many rounds. 

Four-putted No. 13 after using Ed's strategy to hit the fairway and then GIR, 3-putted No. 14 after hitting GIR, and then the driver got erratic after being OK until that point. Unplayable lie on No. 15 after a heeled laser into the bank of the water hazard and I hit pretty much the only marked OB on the course on No. 18 with my drive ending up about three yards into the driving range area.

It's so weird to be striking the ball so well (for me) and just scoring poorly. Compared to last year (pre-lessons), I'm playing so much more consistent and feel like I'm actually in control of the golf ball. I just have had these weird stretches of really poor putting combined with a few bad holes to really blow up some scores.

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

11 hours ago, JohnSmalls said:

For those of you that didn’t choose one length.  Why? 

@GB13and @B.Boston share most of my sentiments as well.

Early/mid-season like it is, after spending a lot of time since November taking lessons and practicing, I'd like to compete with something similar to my current makeup. While the SpeedZone irons are more lofted than my Maltby PTMs, I hope that I can expect similar performance with hopefully more forgiveness.

If I could get my hands on one-lengths in October, and practice all winter, then I'd be game to try them.

Cowardice, mostly... 

[Nippon Modus 115 Wedge]

5 hours ago, yungkory said:

I love mine and feel like they complement the 105s very nicely. S300s that are typically used as the stock shaft for many OEMs just feel too harsh and heavy for me

Don't want to hijack this post, but I'm looking forward to trying the 105s during my Cobra fitting. Cobra offers the 115 wedge also.

4 hours ago, bens197 said:

I should have read further when selecting these. The wedge line was engineered specifically to be firmer in the hands. That right there tells me all I need when comparing them to the modus line.  

So you're finding that to be true? Good to know as well. My 54 wedge has a significantly firmer shaft in the hands than my irons, and while I'm used to it on full swings, there's not a whole lot of feel around the greens. For me, ideally, I think I'd want a similar feel to my irons in any full swing club and then a little softer in anything that's primarily going to be touch/feel shots.

[Cobra Xtreme Driver Review]

Great write up, @chisag. Thanks for doing this.

I'll be interested to see if I can find a combo with the Xtreme that fits my swing. I really need all of the forgiveness I can get, but I also tend to generate a lot of spin with my Epic Flash currently. I was think the standard SpeedZone with the weight forward might make those numbers better, but we'll see!

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

1 hour ago, fozcycle said:

 

You’re gonna be looking great when you start the Challenge.


Sent from my iPad using MyGolfSpy
Cobra King F8(10.5*) w/ Mitdubishi Tense ck Blue Regular; 3W & 5W Cobra King F8 w/ Mitsubishi Tense ck Blue Regular shafts; Tour Edge CBX119 22* Hybrid w/Project X Evenflo Regular shaft; Wilson Staff D-7 5-PW w/UST Mamiya Recoil 460 Regular graphite shafts; Cobra King F8 Gw(50*)SW(54*)LW(58*)all w/UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ES regular shafts.Putter: Tommy Armour Impact No. 3; Bag: Cobra Ultralight Cart bag, Peaccoat Blue.

 

Just need the game to match!

[How'd you play?]

Saturday Morning

- 40/41 = 81 (+9)
- 10/15 FIR
- 7/18 GIR (1 birdie)
- 33 Putts  (1 3-putt, 13 2-putts, 4 1-putts)

As my driver goes, typically so does my rounds. Not particularly long with anything, but I kept the ball in the fairway and putted really well for me. Just one or two shots away from sliding into the 70s, and I birdied No. 3, which is the first time I've done that in two years of playing here (510-yard par 5, waste area in front of green. Went driver, hybrid, wedge to about 10 feet and hit the left-to-right putt.)

Had to chip out from behind a few trees and that cost me the strokes for a really nice round.

Sunday Morning

- 41/48 = 89 / 87 ESC (+17)
- 4/15 FIR
- 8/18 GIR
- 37 Putts  (4 3-putts, 11 2-putts, 3 1-putts)

As my driver goes, so goes my rounds... hahahaha. Just didn't play well at all this morning compared to the last four or five times out. Still, for as bad as I played, I rolled in a 15 footer for par on No. 9 and made the turn with a 41. Nearly birdied No. 10 by smashing a drive so far left that it was beyond most of the trouble and bumped an 8-iron off the front mound of the green and let it trickle up to within 10 feet.

Wheels came off on holes 11-13. Triple-bogeyed No. 11 after topping a 5-iron out of a poor lie, followed by tree trouble, poor approach and a three-putt. No. 12 made a poor choice to chip from the fringe rather than putt and bogeyed. No. 13 hooked two drives OB hard left and ended up sending my third tee shot behind a tree on the right side before limping away with a quadruple bogey.

I did figure out the swing from 14 on, but a few mistakes and some poor putting didn't help me at all down the stretch. After a day of just horrendous driving, however, it was very redeeming to pipe one about 265 down the middle of the fairway on No. 18. The shortest club I've had into the green on No. 18 all year has been 9-iron, and today I was able to hit a smooth gap wedge pin high from where my drive landed.

I have one more round on Tuesday morning before another lesson, hoping that I can put together some more positives heading into that.

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

The Cobra/Puma swag I ordered came yesterday. Good looking stuff! And comfy, too.

 

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

29 minutes ago, Bucky CC said:

First hole in one ever thanks to my Cobra King F9 Black 50° wedge.  120 yard shot that landed just past the hole and spun back in.  You guys are in for a real treat with these Cobra clubs!

Whoever gets the first hole in one during the challenge has my complete support!

Extra special to get it to stay on the pool noodle. Will be a great and unique story in the future! Awesome!

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

38 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I'd have to lose about 30 lbs to get to Bryson level. 

@edingc I'm sorry to hear about the putter sensor coming in already DOA. Do you have a timeline on when they might send another? I had to order another one a while back, it was still detected by the system but wouldn't record a putt for anything. I manually recorded putts for a long time and it was a little bit of a pain. I finally ordered the SuperStroke sensor and absolutely love it. 

I sent off a note to customer service this morning. I'm hoping to hear more Monday.

The app is adamant about needing that putter sensor.

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

I would love to say I had a chance to take Arccos for a spin this morning to start establishing a baseline, but unfortunately two of the sensors arrived DOA. And most unfortunately, one of the dead sensors was the putter sensor. Arccos won't track anything without the putter sensor.

I have some old data from ShotScope and GAME Golf to refer back to, but I can point to the following in my game:

Strengths

- Distance with the mid- and short-irons. I'm not particularly long off the tee, but if I'm in the fairway there's a good chance I can get it on the green.
- Very short game is usually OK.

Weaknesses

- Driver, both distance and accuracy. A great strike can put me 270+ with roll, but I tend to miss low on the heel and often give up a lot of yards. An "average" carry, hit somewhat straight and more toward the center of the face is going to be 235-ish.
- Putting. It's been better this year than in the past, but unless I'm inside 10-15 feet there's a large chance I can make a three-putt.

4 hours ago, Bucky CC said:

So who's going all in on the Bryson challenge this summer?  Put on as much weight as you can to hit it as far as humanly possible.  Anyone can dress in orange like Rickie, but can you put on 30 pounds to smash it like Hulk?

 

It's not Bryson level, but between a couple Fit for Golf programs and a straight powerlifting routine this past winter, I've put on about 20 pounds since Christmas. I wish I could say that's all pure muscle, but alas...

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

And, away we go...

[What/How Did You Practice Today?]

Got out at lunch for a range session again, the second this week but only the third since March 15. Typically, I would hit the range every day at lunch during summer. We go back to the office in July so I hope to do more of this since I'll be much closer to a range.

Progress is slow, but I'm getting closer. Absolutely striped about 10 straight out of the middle of the face on the driver today. Working on finding the right combination of feeling where my pressure is at address and during the swing, turning into my hip and putting a good swing on the ball. Sometimes I get everything right, too often not. Pretty much either sweet spot or low heel these days.

I do need to get into the habit of more mindful practice because it's too easy to just grab a large bucket and whack balls. While it's cathartic, especially since I haven't been able to do it much this year due to COVID, things can start to go sideways quickly and then I get all out of whack. I really need to step back and picture each shot because that helps me so much.

I also really love having the Flightscope Mevo, but sometimes data is a little overwhelming. You can get into a cycle of just trying to hit numbers (ball speed, in my case), and it's easy to be frustrated. Range balls are so inconsistent, so a lot of times you'll make a great strike and then be disappointed in the numbers. And then I end up overswinging trying to hit a target number. **sigh**

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

38 minutes ago, yungkory said:

B A N D W A G O N !!!

@edingc are you going to be consulting the team as to which color SZ woods you're going to bag?

I did my homework and found that you disliked the yellow colorway in the past. Still the case?

1 hour ago, dlow206 said:

A little bit late to the party.

Team @edingc here

Much appreciated! 

In the meantime, anyone have questions specific to my/our games, current clubs, etc.? I'm scheduled to be fit next week Tuesday, June 16, at a Top 50 Clubfitter. I'm really looking forward to it because my fittings in the past have left a lot to be desired.

 

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

17 minutes ago, MaxEntropy said:

Right now, I'm waffling about bit. @B.Boston is out because, well, Boston (although the Red Sox were my AL team in the 80's and early 90's)

@daviddvm is certainly in the running because he had the nads to go one length.

@edingc is still in the running because we seem to have similar games (although he could seal it if he showed up for the Ohio Meet-up on June 28).

@Headhammer still has a chance because he seems like a quiet assassin.

@GB13 seems like likable kid and will likely get to play more golf than anybody else (but nowhere near what @fozcycle accomplished two years ago).

I am perfectly OK accepting bribes - Venmo and Paypal both work for me.

Let's hear your pitch, gentlemen!

Just looked it up and it's almost five hours to Pine Hills. I'd love to, but the wife might kill me if I tell her that I need to leave the house at 4 AM and won't be back until after dinner on a Sunday. Looks like a lot of fun and big group though!

56 minutes ago, Heavye1026 said:

I seriously can't wait to see who comes out on top of this.  Some of the smack talk has me cracking up already.  Good luck to all the competitors, my money is on @edingc . I mean how can you compete with a DiCaprio meme cheers-ing to second place?  He's got this in the bag.

[edingc's 2022 WITB]

2 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

That divot tool is something special! Where did you find that?

Looks like it will be a good backup bag for you after the Cobra gear arrives.

Anything you think will put up a fight against the Speedzone stuff?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! The divot tool is available from a Michigan-themed company called High Five Threads: https://www.highfivethreads.com/products/michigan-divot-tool

I'm guessing it's similar around Boston, but there are tons of Michigan-themed stores here that do t-shirts and other merchandise.

It'll be interesting to see how the Epic Flash stacks up to the SpeedZone. I'm not sure the rest of the clubs are in the same league. The SpeedZone irons intrigue me a lot because I'm getting to be a better ball striker with my irons and the Maltbys actually work pretty darn well at the moment. Will I trade presumably even more forgiveness for feel? I can tell exactly where I hit the face on the Maltbys.

Comparison of the PTM leading-edge relief and the Cobra soles are something I'm eager to keep an eye on as well. Currently love the turf interaction of the PTMs.

I need to check out the wedge grinds. I don't do well with sharp leading edges. These Maltbys have a nice soft leading edge, looks like maybe the Cobra versatile grind is what I'm going to want to match.

[edingc's 2022 WITB]

Final bag update prior to #COBRACONNECT. I'm pretty happy with the current setup, minus some gapping issues at the bottom of the bag, where I should go 52/58 instead of 54/60.

• Driver: Callaway Epic Flash 10.5, turned to 9.5, weight and shaft adapter in draw position, HZRDUS Yellow 6.0 cut to 44.5" finished length, Black Star Sidewinder
• 3 Wood: Mizuno GT 180, turned to 16 degrees, weight in back, MRC Tensei White Stiff, Stock Mizuno/Golf Pride Tour Velvet
• 19 Degree Driving Iron: Tour Edge Exotics CB Pro Tungsten, UST Mayima Recoil 670 F4, Tour Edge/Lamkin R.E.L..
• 22 Degree Hybrid: Cobra F8, AeroTech SteelFiber i95 Stiff, Black Star Sidewinder
• Irons (5-GW): Maltby PTM Chrome, KBS C-Taper Lite 110 Stiff, Red Star Sidewinder grips
• 54/60 Degree Wedges: Maltby M-Series+, KBS 610 Stiff (54°), KBS Hi-Rev 2.0 Regular (60°), Lamkin Crossline
• Putter: TaylorMade Spider X, 33", KBS CT Tour Putter, Golf Pride Tour Only Red Star
• Training Aid/Warm Up Club: 48" SKLZ Gold Flex

Plus, some additional goodies:

• Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync
• Golf Towels: Custom state flag towels of Michigan, Wyoming and New Mexico
• Glove: MG Golf DynaGrip Elite
• Tees: Flex-Head G3
• Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow, Two dots surrounding number and alignment done with Check-Go Pro
• Divot Tool: Michigan Di-Cut Stainless Tool
• Ball Marker: 1988 Topps Coins Alan Trammell
• Shoes: Puma IGNITE PWRADAPT DISC and Puma IGNITE PWRDAPT CAGED

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

4 minutes ago, yungkory said:

Jump on the team! We can change the name. We all tested the Flash for the forum last year so you might as well stay with the family.

 

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

2 minutes ago, newballcoach said:

I think I'm officially on team @edingc Right now I only play one fairway wood (3HL) and I play it once or twice per round MAYBE. I think I'd find a lot more mileage out of a 5 wood and hybrids. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with. 

Much appreciated! 

[2020 Forum Member Review - SuperSpeed Training System]

On 6/8/2020 at 8:26 PM, tchat07 said:

I "joined" as an unofficial tester in the 18 group and was able to do 3 times a week but when summer came around I flat stopped. So for me I am doing 2 times now just to keep it consistent to make sure i stick with it through the summer. Physically it also feels better for me because i remember doing lots of protocols during my first go round and being completely gassed.

I'll echo your experience - I initially was doing the protocols three times a week, but completely stopped last summer as I just got too busy and lazy. This year I started with three per week during the winter, but now that summer has arrived I'm down to twice a week again. It's the best I can do when I'm juggling yard/house work, gardening, playing golf three times a week, working out three times a week, etc. During the winter I have a lot more "free" time on my hands.

On 6/9/2020 at 8:54 AM, tchat07 said:

It's exactly as@sirchunksalot said the plateaus are almost part of it. The real frustrating part is when your numbers drop a little bit, which will happen. The key is all about consistency and sticking with it. Nothing better then when the jump pops up. The fact that you are seeing on course changes makes a huge difference. It took me a very long time to start seeing that.

Additionally, I've found there can be a ton of variation depending on how well rested you are or what you've done prior to the workouts. There are days where I feel very fast and I can really push the numbers up there, but then there are others where no matter how fast I feel, the numbers just aren't there.

 

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

12 minutes ago, B.Boston said:

This year I moved to having a 52, 56, and 60 SM7 from my old 54 and 58 on the old Vokeys. I also still have the 50* AP2 Gap Wedge.

I’m thinking of still using this set up as the GW on the Forged Tec is 49 or even having it bent to 48. Then I’ll have 4* of change at the low end of the bag.

In previous years I would use the 58 for almost everything near the green with the occasional GW or 54 thrown in there. But I’m committed to playing better around the green and using the green to nestle shots up closer to the hole.

According to Arccos this year I’ve already used the 52* 22 times versus the 60* 24 times and the 56* 15 times. Last year that probably would have been 90% with the 58*.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

After looking at all of options over the past few days, I think a 52/56/60 combo will be what I end up with as well. The SpeedZone gap wedge is 48 degrees, so keeping four degree gaps at the bottom of the bag makes the most sense.

15 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

Is anyone thinking about going MIM on the wedges?

@GB13, @B.Boston and @Headhammer will all be gaming MIMs. KING Black for me, KING One for @daviddvm.

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

5 minutes ago, Nunfa0 said:

The big question for @edingc is tour length SZ or SZ Extreme? Does he want total adjustability or partial? 

I'm anxious to get back on a Trackman and find out. When I was fit for for the HZRDUS Yellow in the Epic Flash last summer, I was slightly negative with my attack angle and averaged right around 100 MPH. I'm hoping to find that I'm more neutral, if not up, now and faster. But we'll find out! My miss is low heel, so the SZ Extreme seems like it may be the better choice, at least when I'm just eyeballing it.

[2020 Official Member Review: Ben Hogan Icon & PTX Pro/Icon Combo Irons]

3 minutes ago, bens197 said:

I hate being "actually" but I would check out Kevin Paule on Instagram @kp_golf86.  He is a Hogan staffer and treated his Icon black set with white vinegar.  48 hour bath and then some steel wool and they now look raw.  He made a post on May 16th about the process.  

Dude, that's sweet! I don't mind being wrong at all. I might have to give that a go on my M-Series+ wedges. The finish definitely wears down to a steel-ish color, I just figured with the way the DBM was "implanted" into the metal it wouldn't come off at all. 

[2020 Official Member Review: Ben Hogan Icon & PTX Pro/Icon Combo Irons]

9 hours ago, downlowkey said:

We were generously offered the option between the traditional nickel chrome and Diamond Black Metal (DBM) finishes.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve bagged any chrome and the DBM is supposed to be extra durable (read: stay-fresh grooves). I still almost went with the nickel because they look so darn classy. But if for some reason the DBM ends up being a turnoff (very doubtful), a simple extended soak in vinegar will actually leave a raw finish.

I‘m not planning anything crazy... but don’t try to tell me this raw finish ICON doesn’t look downright dangerous. And I’ve also really enjoyed the patina on my last 2 sets of raw finish gamers.

If it's the same DBM finish that Cobra and Maltby uses, I'm not sure the vinegar will even touch it. That stuff is bulletproof!

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

4 hours ago, Nunfa0 said:

Nice, I went for the tour length F9 and it is the best driver I have had. Long and a fairway finder.

I will be interested to see what combo you guys go for at the top of the bag, driver, fairway and hybrids or no hybrids or no fairways. The options are endless but the results will be awesome!!

Glad to see another vote for the Tour-length!

I'm debating about a no fairway wood lineup. I think I could go with the 17 and 19 degree hybrids before transitioning to the SZ 5-iron at 21 degrees. I would definitely be interested in try a 5W though, to see if they are as easy to hit as everyone says.

[#COBRACONNECT Challenge 4]

8 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

A lot of attention has been put on the irons here.  Mostly by some wayward Moderator

But I think it's safe to say.  All 5 of you will have the big star of the show.  The SpeedZone driver is flat out awesome looking. 

I think the infinity face makes it possibly the best looking driver on the market.  
And I keep hearing nothing but raves for the SZ Extreme.  From players of all levels. 
 

This is going to be a special challenge for sure. 

 

7 hours ago, B.Boston said:

Ah yes... the Matte finish on both of those is stealthy and powerful looking. To date I’ve only hit the Speedzone once on a simulator and I do have to say the driver felt amazing. I’m very much looking forward to hitting some bombs with that thing. I’m 90% sure I’ll be going tour length too after playing my G30 at 44.5 for the last several years.

And here’s a photo of Speedzone with some PGA Tour player just in case someone hasn’t seen the driver yet. Plus I felt like this thread was lacking in pictures.

I was convinced I would do the yellow colorway, but the matte top on the white option screams "stealth bomber." 

Tour-length is my likely choice as well. Since I chopped my Epic Flash down to around that length a few weeks ago, my driving has improved considerably.

That rear end just looks fast.