ZJBogey2

I'll pick up a logo ball at new courses typically for my collection. First year in men's league and at my home course (we get a 10% discount), I'll pick up balls every once and awhile, and some apparel items if there is a decent sale. I recently picked up a pair of prior year FootJoys on sale. We have some opportunities to get extra ProShop credit that I'll use at the end of the season sale for a club or bag most likely.

Played 18 Sunday. Hitting Driver on 7 holes (had to manage the course), I hit 4 fairways, 1 rough right, 1 rough left, and 1 OB. The OB swing was just lazy and a low shank left. Distance was averaging 265-270. On a side note, my brother in law was playing with an old RAM from a Sports Authority set and was piping it 320+ (former college baseball player). So much for improved tech! Work League was cancelled yesterday because of weather, but I was able to hit a few balls before the rain really started to come down...check out these numbers on my SC200... I'm not putting much stock in these numbers because I wasn't hitting it 290+, but it was flying 270+ based on my laser. It said my 3W was going 270+ but it was closer to ~250. The ball flight was generally straight, with a slight fade left (wind was blowing pretty good L to R). I'm still getting accustom to the feel and the sound. I prefer the sound and feel of the ball off my TM M2, but I'll take this distance and ball flight everyday. I didn't hit the M2 yesterday for comparison, but I'd say the distance gains and improved ball flight are a combination of both the club, and my swing improving with practice! I have some time on the simulator tomorrow and 18 on Sunday to put it to the test some more.

Thanks for the post Plaid! I'd also like to think I have some potential in this game. Shoot, in my 80+ member men's league, I've already won a CTP in 4 rounds (entire field). I'd say in large part, my issues have gone from "technical" with the swing, to now having a proper understanding what my swing plane is, and being able to address and recognize issues when they pop up. I know if I'm going right that it is either me coming over the top or my head moving too much through my downswing. As soon as I figure out how, I'll post a swing video clip for reference. Right now my issue is staying focused and consistent (the mental side). For example, my last two tournament rounds, guys have said you sure dont seem like a 25 handicap. There will be that one hole where I shoot an 8-9 that balloons the scorecard. The other side of my mental game is when Im playing with others I get tense, nervous, or whatnot and let it impact my game. When it is just me and my wife on the course, in all honesty I shoot in that 15-18 range. Now it's being able to keep that balance of looseness and focus. In my professional world, I work in banking/financial analysis so Im sure my results reporting will be analytical by nature. As far as reporting results and a "game changer", without getting to far ahead and into my stage 2...there is a NOTICEABLE difference in ball flight with this club. Not overselling, but it has been pretty hard for me to get it to slice regardless of adjustable weights (more on that to come as I get more time with the club). Quick comparisons on my SC200 with my TM M2 (just one range session), there is a distance gain there, with 3-4 MPH more in swing speed, and a much tighter dispersion. Could have just been a good day...well see. I haven't loved the sound and feel compared to the TM to date but that could be an acquired taste perhaps. I'd take the tighter dispersion Im seeing versus the sound at impact. Thanks for the welcome, this is a great community with a wealth of knowledge!

I think they did a great job with the weave and tying the blue accents in throughout the club. It is a sharp looking blue. If you held the club up to a $450-500 competitor, you wouldn't be able to tell a difference from a looks standpoint.

My Stage 1 is up! Check it out!

I've been playing the Tour and Tour X (white matte) my last couple rounds, along side the TP5 and TP5X as I try and find what ball works the best for my game. Haven't noticed a big difference from the Maxfli to the TMs. Will be switching to the Maxfli Tour X once I'm out of the TMs. On a side note, I've noticed a handful of guys in my men's league also gaming the Maxflis. When we were talking about them, all said it was from MGS reviews.

I'll have my Stage 1 up mid-week. After a few range sessions and putting the club in the bag this weekend for 36 holes, my feelings are still mixed. More deets coming soon!

Stage Two - The Review 7/3/19 Tour Edge Exotics EXS Driver – Official MGS Forum Review by @ZJBogey2 Intro This Driver has been put through the ringer the last 6 weeks or so. Outside of hitting my previous TM M2 on the range a handful of times for comparison, this EXS Big Stick has been in my bag for each round I’ve played (roughly 10). I’ve tested it on the range, in the hitting bays, and of course on the course. I’ve taken it out of the bag just to hit it when I would normally play it safer off the tee and I’ve hit it on the range more than I probably should have…my short game and lack of practice can bear witness to that. If I had to put a number on total strokes with this bad boy, it would have to be close to 250-300. I’ve toyed with the loft settings and weight distribution (not to the extent of a mad scientist Bryson or club maker savant @03TRDBlack). The biggest thing with this review is the price point vs performance, and any tradeoffs. **disclaimer, I had some cool videos/pictures on my brother-in-laws GoPro, but he hasn’t been able to get them to me. Looks (9 out of 10 points) I think the look of the club is wonderful. I would compare it to the Kia sports car you see drive by, and you do a double take thinking it might have been a “higher” class ride. If I saw the club on the rack at the store, it would pop and catch my eye. The combination of the blue and carbon fiber ties together nicely with a good balance. It’s not obnoxious, but not dull. The general shape seemed a little larger to me than what I was accustom to me and the slightly closed face at address took a bit getting used to for me. I kept second guessing my alignment and grip before just finally accepting it. The alignment aid is simple but does the trick. Thinking to other Drivers on the market, in my opinion, it’s not as obnoxious as the Epics, more laid back looking than a TM M2-6, but has more life than a G410. I’m taking off one point because a small chip in the paint/carbon fiber on the top was noticeable and not sure how it got there. Probably from one of my many mishits, but I hadn’t ever experienced this with prior drivers/woods. Sound & Feel (5 out of 10 points) The sound of the club is the largest detractor to me. I just couldn’t get use to the “tingy” or “clunky” sound. It reminded me of a “dead” baseball bat. Even on my best shots, 280+ down the middle of the fairway (granted few and far between), I never loved the sound. Others in my groups would also notice the sound. Similar to the sound, the feel was always kind of meh and dull. I never really felt like I struck the ball well (even when I did). It was kind of a muted but harsh sound. My personal preference is that smooth, pop of a fresh baseball bat sound where there is no doubt a bomb was just unleashed. The sound and feel was generally consistent though, and felt and sounded the same rather I shanked it, sliced it, power hooked it, or hit a Volvik Long Drive torpedo. For me, it did have an impact on my game but the more rounds I played, the less pronounced that impact was. The sound made me think I hit it 230-240 so that was a mental hurdle I had to get over. Despite the sound and feel, the performance did not drop off. Basic Characteristics (18 out of 20 points) ● Trajectory – Significantly higher than my gamer M2. Even adjusting the loft settings, it was higher than I expected. Sticking with the baseball reference, the trajectory gave me the feeling of a warning track fly ball that would get hung up in the sky. ● Workability – I’m a 20+ handicap…I don’t work the ball. The only workability my ball gets is on the mishits trying to avoid a cart path or tree limb. ● Accuracy – This is what stands out to me the most. Mishits, average hits, perfect strikes…I was consistent hitting my target. First few range sessions, I thought I was hitting it well, 275, 280, bombs for me and relatively straight…yeah yeah yeah, just the range this won’t translate. Well, as I brought it out on the course I noticed significant improvement in my accuracy. I started getting more frustrated when I didn’t hit a fairway because I started becoming accustom to hitting them with this bad boy. I had a real tough time making the ball go right and slice….thats the biggest win right there. ● Distance – On the course, I thought it was always consistently longer than what I normally felt I would be hitting…however when in the hitting bays, and diving into the numbers, it was on average 15 yards shorter than my M2. For me those 15 yards aren’t a big deal to me and I would take the accuracy improvement and I saw over the distance of my old gamer. The distance was also consistent where my confidence grew and I knew exactly where it was going to land (as long as it was in play and not in the woods). ● Forgiveness – Very forgiving club. My mishits would lose some distance as expected, but the line would be close to what I was intending. This club will stay in my arsenal of too many clubs primarily for this reason. Good day or bad day, I know what Im going to get. ● Adjustability – Nothing special to what is available on other clubs. The movable weights did seem to have a lower quality feel to them and I felt like I could easily strip them. This would get the lowest grade in the section. ● Pressure – I played in a Member/Member club event this past weekend. My partner was a 5 HC. Two holes to go, we are up one and playing in a modified alternate shot format for these two holes. My partner miscalculated and hit his in the water so pressure was on me to hit a playable ball. Normally, I would club down to a 3 or 7W and just get it in play…but this driver, with the forgiveness and accuracy, I stepped up not wanting to let him down, having full confidence in the EXS. ● I was extremely pleased with the accuracy, consistency, and forgiveness. Going back to the price point, you are getting. ● The biggest detractor of this club for me is the sound and feel. It’s all mental but a difficult hurdle to get past. On-Course Performance (27 out of 30 points) I’ve posted some of my distance stats and fairways hit in previous posts. My average distance using the EXS is 277 (low of 250 with one at 320, an anomaly!). Fairways hit are at 59%, if I expanded that to the next cut, I imagine it would be about 80% with most misses left (I cant stress how different this is for me because historically, it’s always been right). If I compared this to my M2 I bet the low/high range are a wider spread, with misses right and a sub 50% accuracy rate. Typically, it was leaving me with a wedge in hand but more importantly it was leaving me with a decent, playable lie. This wasn’t the biggest test MGS has, but I couldn’t be more thrilled that I was selected because I discovered a club I might not have otherwise. This club performs, and performs well. Adding in the price point, it blows it out of the park. I’ve recommended it to at least 20 people through my men’s league and friends. If you’re worried about pony up $500+ for a driver, then this is the club for you. If you don’t care about price and want a solid performing, accurate, forgiving club without sacrificing much distance…this club is for you. Wrapping up this test, I can honestly say I will be giving Tour Edge a look anytime Im in the market for getting a new club to whack around the course with. I would suggest some improvement to the feel and quality of the weights in future iterations given they just felt a little cheap. At the price point, I wouldn’t change much. This club improved my score by 4 or 5 strokes most rounds just by the confidence I had in the accuracy and forgiveness to help me keep the ball in play. Some of that can also be attributed to an increased focus on just improving overall but the club helped no doubt. Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points) I’m basing this on the compliments I received when partners saw or swung the club. They loved the look of it. On top of that, the price is as good of a value as you’ll find. Play it or Trade it? (14 out of 20 points) This one is tough for me. I loved the results and performance the club gave me but I never could quite adjust and get use to the sound of the club. I keep going back to the thought that it just sounds like a dead baseball bat (results don’t reflect that!). That is a mental hurdle Im not quite sure I can jump and don’t want extra thoughts in my mind while swinging. Objective qualities perform with anything out there, but that subjectivity of the sound is going to vary by golfer. I’ll keep the driver around but we’ll be friends with benefits AKA I’ll keep my options open and trying other big sticks. If I try out a few more over the summer and don’t have the same performance results, this one is absolutely sticking. The golfer that would benefit most from this product is the cost conscious golfer that wants to have the tech of a larger brand. Where budget isn’t a factor, other clubs will have more fitting options that would probably end up steering folks that way but this wasn’t a big sticking point for me. Conclusion The more expensive the club, doesn’t necessarily correlate to the performance of the club. This club confirms that for me and opened my eyes to the options out there. If you’re looking for something fairly priced with above average performance this club has to in the running and given some swings. Forgiveness, accuracy, consistency are the things I noticed swing after swing, round after round. The final number is about what I was expecting, in that B range. A solid performer! Final Score: (83 out of 100 points)

Stage 1 - Zach - 5/22/19 Intro: I started reading MGS regularly this past fall. This will be my first official MGS testing. Thank you MGS and Tour Edge for providing this great opportunity! This test stood out to me because of the price point being a value driver and my higher handicap. I want to provide real feedback for those higher handicaps that didn’t want to spend an arm and a leg for “new” tech. My name is Zach aka @ ZJBogey2, 32 years young, and I play in the mile high city of Denver, CO, stretching down south to Castle Rock (6,224 feet above sea level). Yes, as I learned in youth baseball, the ball flies considerably further at altitude. I’ve been playing putt putt for 25+ years and playing real golf for 5 years now. I grew up near some great public golf courses but never played…I take that back, one summer as a youngster I would try and smack some balls around the neighborhood park. I grew up playing just about every other sport at competitive levels, and was fortunate enough to receive a football scholarship for college. The first time golfing was at my sister in-laws wedding, and I was upset my wife made me play. I didn’t kept score but it would have been 130+. I wasn’t obsessed immediately and would play occasionally, but the last 2 years I’ve become fully immersed in the golf world. I’m quick to remind my wife that it’s entirely her fault! My 2.5 year old son is also addicted. We have a putting green in the backyard, basement hitting area, and PGA Tour Live/Golf Channel on 90% of the time (10% whatever Disney movie is the weekly flavor). Hopefully adding a SkyTrak this winter. It will be interesting to watch my son grow up around the game and see what path he chooses. Prior to this year I was your average weekend golfer and played in a friendly work league. I’m self taught with tips from friends and family. This year I decided to join the local men’s league so I’ve added tournament golf to my weekly round. What use to be 10-15 rounds a summer is now more like 30-40 rounds. I also discovered YouTube and watch countless videos on every golf instructional topic imaginable. As a former collegiate athlete, I am competitive by nature. I love the game because of the unique challenges each round. I love practicing and the drive to get better so a range session is just as fun for me. Personal Golf Stats: My handicap was 22, but now after some bad tournament starts rose to 25.2. The goal this summer is to get it below 20. Most guys I play with in the men’s league are better than me. My work league, I’m middle of the pack. Swing tempo is on the faster end and continually remind myself to slow down. Driver swing speed hovers around 95-98, might push 100 on occasion as I’ve been taking lessons focusing on swing path and not coming over the top. Here is a swing video: Typical ball is high with a slight fade with a typical miss being slice right. I get lazy and come over the top trying to overpower things. It would be tough to say I have a true strength compared to most. For those in 20+ handicap range, my iron play was my “strength” and I was terrified of Driver. I took some lessons this year solely hitting my 7/8 irons and now my strength is the driver/woods off the tee. I’m starting to get the irons back though after some increased focus. I’ll carry my driver 260+. Putting is average, mostly two putts. I’ve also discovered some consistency in my chipping gaining confidence around the green. Current gamer is TaylorMade M2. I wasn’t fit for it, going to Golf Galaxy off the used rack. I’ve loved it for 12 rounds this year. My #1 priority with the driver is hit fairway taking penalty areas out of play, I’ll take chances, reaching the P5 in 2, but I’ve tried to focus on better course management to get my handicap down. Typical club into par 4s is a 9I (145). First Impressions: I won’t regurgitate the OEM claims (click here). The claims by the OEM I’ll be paying attention to and putting to the test over the next few months include: Flight Tuning System RollFace Technology SlipStream™ Sole For some more info from MGS check out these links: https://mygolfspy.com/first-look-tour-edge-exotics-exs-driver/ https://mygolfspy.com/pga-show-first-look-tour-edge-exotics-exs-driver/ https://mygolfspy.com/2019-tour-edge-exs-driver/ The box was sitting in my living room and my brother in-law asked what’s Tour Edge? That was my initial thought as I was reading MGS. I remember seeing some signage at the local shops but hadn’t ever taken a look or hit a club. Cheap driver, cheap results right? I’ve always been drawn to the bigger brands. After reading up on drivers the last few months, I’m willing to look past brands. Specs: 10.5 Loft / Mitsubishi CK Blue 60 Stiff Shaft / .25” long (45.75”) / Midsize Grip. There weren’t significant shaft options to choose from. I’m 6’4, a bigger/athletic build, so the stiff shaft and slight increase in shaft length really helped. Grip options were meh, I’ll be putting a GP Align eventually. At first look, I was impressed with the aesthetics. It is a great looking driver, maybe I’m bias but I love the blue accents (my favorite color). It doesn’t look like a “value” priced driver that’s for sure. Over the next handful of months, I will be testing the EXS on the range, on the course, with my SC200, and launch monitors at my local facilities as often as possible. I’ll throw on an Arccos to track stats as well. I fully intend to focus on evaluating the Tour Edge Claims and providing candid feedback to the MGS community, especially those higher handicappers where I can relate. I’ve had it on the course twice and a few range sessions with promising results. The launch monitors and SC200 are ready to show me some data and validate the OEM claims. It hasn’t earned a spot in my bag permanently yet, but it has a chance…more to come! Follow me on Instagram (@jones_zs) and Twitter (@Joneszs). I’ll be sure to post pics/videos of my rounds/swings there too. If there is anything specific you want to know or want me to test...don't hold back!

Uncrustables for the win!!! Through it in the bag before I leave the house, its thawed out and ready to eat by the time I feel the stomach rumble.

Haotong Li -7

Huge Marvel fan. I almost bought some of these when I got the email from Volvik a few weeks back but at $6.25 a ball that is a little steep.

Thanks! Look forward to seeing your full build. I'm deciding between doing the Return Net and Side Barriers or more of a cage type structure in the unfinished basement or garage. Basement has 9 ft ceilings and the garage is slightly higher but either way haven't add an issue swinging a Driver downstairs and I'm 6'4. I'd prefer the basement to avoid the cold in the winter and avoid rearranging all the shelving, ect but we'll see.

Do you have a picture of your set up? I am looking into setting something up in my garage or basement. Looking to get it done slowly over the summer and ready in time for fall/winter when the weather turns.

I'm also a high handicapper and joined a mens league this year. We have played two events so far (both 4man/2 best ball formats to get to know folks and knock of the rust). I highly recommend joining. I have already met some great guys. It is a different environment than just playing with a buddy on the weekend but it has already started helping my game! I highly recommend finding a club nearby.

Fantasy Golf League is something I need in my life!

I am going to Cancun in a few weeks and staying at Moon Palace Golf & Spa Resort. They have a 27 hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course and Golf Riviera Cancun. Are there any other recommendations of courses to play in the area?

Second men’s league event of the year was Saturday...another 4man/2 best ball format to get to know other members and knock of the winter rust. It was an absolutely beautiful day with temps in the mid-high 60s and sunny, almost no wind too. Once again, I had a great group to play with and enjoyed getting to know each of them. Our team placed 3rd in net score. It was a great team effort with each of the 4 of us contributing across the board. I shot a 109, compared to a 117 the first event so some progress! A few blow up holes are the difference right now between a decent score and these monstrous numbers. I have to get the irons in a decent spot to keep the ball in play on the par 3s and that alone will shave MULTIPLE shots. I’ve never been confident off the tee but I hit the driver the best I have hit it in my 6 years golfing, hitting fairway or the first cut in good spots on just about every drive (6 of 7) I pulled it out. Even bombed a few 290+ (altitude/down hill) but strong for me. I hit the fairway with my 7W on another 4 of 5 (Ping G410 is so strong! Ill need to post a unofficial review soon). I also chipped extremely well for myself, not really ever chunking it or leaving it short of the green which is a WIN for me! Watching the YouTube videos is paying off! For the most part, only 2 putts as well. I rarely hit the driver on the range. Last summer, I dont think I even pulled it out more than a handful of times. I would say irons have always been the best part of my game. I’ve been taking some lessons on getting my swing plane right, where we are primarily just using a 7i. During the lessons, I get a decent little draw and good ball flight. Really focusing on weight distribution in the backswing, not coming over the top and keeping the head still/behind the ball, not swaying forward with good balance. Had a lesson Friday afternoon, and felt great coming out of it. But on Saturday, I couldn’t hit my approach/iron shots to save my life. I couldn’t figure it out. Just find it odd/funny, that I don’t practice my driver/woods all that much and have been taking lessons with my irons to have that be the worst part of my game right now! I played the next day (Easter), and same results. I hit my driver great and chipping was about as comfortable as I can remember. I messed around with my putter grip to see if that helped improve some inconsistencies and it showed some promise. But once again, my irons were absolutely atrocious. The bunkers also continue to be a weak point as well which is on the practice docket the next two weeks. Any tips??? The next tournament is the first low gross/low net of the year and I’m ready to get back under 100!

This is awesome! Thanks for sharing!

Alright, the first event is in the books! My goals for the day were to have fun and to just not have the highest score (74 or so guys in the event). It was the opening tournament, a 4 man best 2 ball format, playing from the forward tees to just make it a fun and interesting day. It was a beautiful Saturday morning with no wind and a few clouds in the sky. You couldnt have asked for a better April day in CO. Got to the course early to check in, have a bite to eat, and hit some range balls. I was really feeling great and didnt think my nerves were too high.... Until playing golf actually started. I played my worst round in the past 3 years and shot a 115...just two days before I played the course and shot a 94. I didnt feel that I was overly nervous but I couldnt hit a fairway off the tee. When I did hit a fairway and placed the ball where I wanted, I couldnt hit an approach shot. Playing from the forward tees got me too, I wasnt use to the normal course management and was in my head too much about what to hit. Around the green and putting was meh as well. The low and high of the day came after a 10 (+6) on the 10th but then rebounded and followed that up with 2 straight pars. The guys in my group were great and encouraging. Was great getting to know each of their unique stories. I was surprised one of them even exchanged numbers with me after the round to play in the future. I look forward to meeting more folks as the summer goes on. Despite the discouraging start, already signed up for the next event and ready to improve.

Interesting that you guys @CarbonPutters and @putting4birds mention CO being expensive for golf. I'm a newer golfer (6 years or so) and have only played in CO ( and a few vacation resorts) so I dont have a frame of reference on pricing. I havent played Applewood but those greens at South Suburban can get you! I mostly play the Denver/Aurora city courses and down in Castle Rock.

I got my SC200 I ordered from eBay yesterday. I only had the chance to hit a few balls (about 10) in the basement but overall it is what I expected on the cover. I was able to set it up right away and it captured all my swings and seemed pretty accurate. One had to be way off though because it had me hitting my AW 155 when it is closer to 125-130. One concern I have is being at altitude, how much that is going to affect the numbers. Ill test that at the range soon. My one complaint is the adjustable lofts aren't in 0.5 increments. All my lofts are 25.5, 29.5, ect. Trying to decide if it is better to round up or down. I also havent found a way to add my lob wedge (58, 62) but that could be just from lack of use so far. I also wish it had side spin so I had an idea of if it is off line when indoors but I knew that was a shortfall prior to purchasing. I'm hoping to get out to the range today and put it to more use though and can provide a more in depth review as I see it.

Bjerregaard -9

I had a somewhat similar experience my last round out. There was a twosome in front of me and I was out alone. I tee'd off probably 20 minutes after the twosome. I caught them after 3 or 4 holes and I purposely slowed down to try and make sure they didnt think I was rushing them. No one was behind me, so I hit a couple extra puts and chips each hole to practice since I wasnt in a hurry. They never gave me an opportunity to play through but I didnt care since the pace wasnt that bad. Eventually they caught a foursome in front of them on a par 3 and I ended up joining them on the par 3 and for the last couple of holes. Great guys.

I'll be playing at sea level next month in Cancun...going to be an adjustment when my distances are off a whole club or two!