Grand Stranded

Good post. One of my friends has some talent. He can hit the ball pretty far, but his ego was way to big for his 20+ hcp. Our pro finally got him to try a set of the Launchers last year, and his improvement was amazing. He went down to a 14-15 in a couple of months. He also bought a square strike wedge we teased him about at first, but he’s really good with that now also.

The Cleveland version was an excellent seller two years running. its a great set of irons actually. I just found them too high spin, and they cost me distance. I see a bunch of guys down here play them.

Even though I’m not sure they are the right set of irons for me, I was really happy to see the Wilson Launch Pad irons featured in a First Look article here today. Not because of their design, in fact, I can’t remember seeing such a blatant copy of another company’s product, in this case the Launcher HB. Take away the company logos, and you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart. Even the names are similar, Launch Pad and Launcher. Obviously, there’s not a lot of innovation going on here either. I mentioned Cleveland, they’ve been making this same set for years, and have carved out a nice little niche doing it. Tour Edge has done it also, and their model is selling at a lower price then Cleveland. So you might be asking, why was I so happy to hear about these Launch Pad irons if I don’t think they’ll be right for me, and they seem exactly like a model that’s been around for years? Simple. It’s the price point. As mentioned, Cleveland has been very successful with this line, and the consumer is now paying for that. Their new Turbo line is retailing at $899 for a 7 club set. The Tour Edge are cheaper, I’m sure, but their name doesn’t have the cache needed to compete in my opinion. They are looked at as a second tier company, and are not as readily available in stores. The Wilson name easily carries the same weight as does Cleveland when it comes to irons however. In fact their history blows most companies away. That’s great, but all things being equal, I think most would go with Cleveland when buying this type of set, only because they’ve been doing it longer. All things aren’t equal however. The Wilson’s will retail at least $100 cheaper per set, maybe more. They also seem to have a better stock shaft in both the steel and graphite versions. So props to Wilson. Good luck with these, I hope you sell so many, Cleveland has to lower their price to compete. Hopefully other companies take note, lower their prices to try to carve out a bigger share of the market also. Do I think that will happen? Probably not, but I’ll try my best to support companies like Wilson who are willing to battle for more share at a lower price whenever I can.

I went back and looked at the post I left. I think it’s safe to say I owe @GSwag an apology. The best excuse I can give him is that sometimes the written word doesn’t always come off the way it was intended. A couple of well placed emojis or lols could’ve helped. That said, he did come off a bit, let’s say, edgy? But whatever, I shouldn’t have said anything. Either way I hope he sees this, and I think it’s pretty cool he has a friend like you to vouch for him.

I resemble Er... resent that remark!!! EDIT wow I may have spoken to soon. I just realized I’m responding to posts you and @ole gray left three years ago....

LMAO Heres how fancy I get with my “drawers”... I was in Costco the other day with my brother in law (I’m up on Long Island for the holidays visiting my family, and that’s how bored I am not being able to play golf), and I decide to buy underwear. Kirkland brand white crew necks 6 in a package, $16. and they didn’t have the tightness whiteish I buy,. No way I’m paying that much. I go home, look online and my go to Hanes or FTL are about $23 a pkg. At this point I’m like “wow, what happened to the price of cotton?” Long story short, my niece tells me to try KMart. I go online Hanes package of 7 tops or bottoms $7,50 per. 15% off and free shipping over $35. Ended up with 3 packages of each, a 10 pack of sweat socks for $44.Plus a bunch of free Michael Jordan trading cards, lol. That $44 will buy you about one and a half pair of Tommy Johns, buddy.

Same here. Elbow pain is what made me switch, and I gained height and distance also. I actually play a little more often then you, but practice a lot less, LOL.

I'm surprised to read this about Billy Mayfair. Not that I know him at all, but here's a story that might make you feel a little differently about him. Back when Bethpage Black held its first US Open, I was standing behind the first green the morning of the Wednesday practice round. If you've ever played the Black, you know you walk off the green and down into a tunnel which takes you to the other side of Round Swamp Rd. Well Mayfair and his playing partners sign a few items after they finished putting, and proceed toward the tunnel. Billy's caddy is handing him a bottle of water and we hear a young kid call out "can you sign my hat?" Now all Mayfair has to do is take one more step and he's gone from view. Instead, he stopped, put down the water bottle, and walked back 20 yards to sign the kid's hat. He didn't have to do that, but he did, and I always remembered and followed his career because of that incident. BTW All the players seemed very nice, especially Faldo, Cink, and Sergio, who was super nice, which made me a fan of his also. (that was the Open where the NY fans rode him mercilessly for milking the grip of his club.)

Yes, I agree, plus Autumn is my favorite time of the year to play. By that time of year I'm hopefully pretty tuned in, and the cooler weather is a welcome relief from the SC summer. I love playing in weather where you can still wear shorts, but need a light pullover in the morning or late afternoon. When I lived up north all year, I couldn't wait for those early spring days though. After being cooped up all winter, I was just happy to get back out playing. Now, living down south most of the year it seems like we have 3 seasons. A long hot summer, brief fall like conditions, then transition to what feels like a few months of "early spring" weather. I miss late September, October golf up north.

Down here in Myrtle Beach, It's all year round as far as posting goes, even though we get our share of frost delays and cold weather days. I'll be heading up to Long Island this Sunday and will stay up there until after Christmas. I'm hoping to get a few rounds in at Bethpage and some courses out east, but they'll be in the inactive posting period I assume. Lots of temporary greens, and alternate tee box areas.

I had just about given up on places like this after dabbling in 3 others. One was run by a person who seemed all about pushing a book and was always looking to argue with anyone who didn't echo his opinions. Always had to have the last word with everyone. After a while the only reason I posted was to ruffle his (and his minions) feathers, and I'm usually not that guy. Another place turned me off with their fan boy approach to a certain OEM. Most of the regulars seemed to be part of a click who all worshiped at the altar of a staff member who loved to talk about his prodigious distance and how far he hit every club he tested. I enjoyed the place for a while, but when I started questioning the reviews of their "house brand OEM" and the pricing of new clubs, I touched a nerve, and soon realized I wasn't a fit there. The site I liked the least is probably the biggest and best known. Plenty of information, but after a while I tired of some of the egos. I rarely posted, because the people who did so the most didn't seem very friendly. It was like they judged others by how low their hcap was or how far they hit a ball. They were either arguing or bragging about their 125 mph swing speeds and 280 yard 3 woods hit inside ten feet of a tucked pin. I love it here, and found it while looking for a review. When I read the thread about that particular club, I was struck by the respectful and friendly way everyone interacted. Remember the Cleveland Launcher HB thread @ole gray & @MattF? It's the way I like to be with people, so I was intrigued. I lurked for a month or so, then dove in. I haven't regretted it, and haven't logged into another golf site since. I think you fellas will be stuck with me for a long time. Everyone seems to get along, the vibe is relaxed, and the better players don't look down on the mid and higher caps. The staff seems very nice, there is a great mix of posters, and like someone mentioned, the old guard was very welcoming. When I'm here I feel like I've been placed as a single into a great foursome. Easy conversations about golf and whatever else is on your mind with very nice people. Thanks for having me!!!

We play a dogfight every week also, 40 guys. Unfortunately, everyone isn't honest, lol. You learn who isn't and watch rhem. Believe me word gets around within a group. You're right to protect the field, and call him on the ball. If he got upset at being called on that, too bad. (plus you guys should announce the ball and marking before you play. If you change brand or model at some point, announce that too. eg "I'm playing a Pro V with a red dot" and "I am now playing a Chrome Soft with two blue dots." As far as the close to the pin, when we play and a ball is inside the distance on the sheet, we leave a coin alongside our ball, then putt. In order to win a CTP you can't three putt, so we don't measure and write it down until everyone has putted out. Maybe that's what annoyed them?

@cnosil I just edited the end of my post to answer your question about wedges and shafts. I appreciate you taking the time to ask and offer advice.

Thanks. Yes, I realize I can't buy a game, but I do have a ton of shop credit I accumulated in club sponsored events this year. As my game was improving, I did very well in the net division before I leveled out. The problem is, I have to use it or lose it by the end of this year. So if I buy a set of irons, I will also keep the Rogue X, but glook to get something in a different "category(?)". I just took my first lesson two weeks ago. My "home made" swing has taken me as far as it can. As I've begun to take this game seriously, I've watched the better players at my club. They work on their short games constantly, and plot their way around a course much better then I do. I've mentioned in another thread here that a few have told me I already have the game to be in single digits, my two biggest weaknesses are my wedge game, and my course management. One guy told me he could get me there just by riding in the cart and clubbing me. The others agreed. I watch them, ask questions and try to learn. They are always willing to help, because they know I haven't been playing too long, and have worked pretty hard to get to the point I am now. As far as gapping, I compared the two sets A wedge to a 54* Cleveland, and it was just what I wanted. I'd then have to see if a 58* or 60* would take the last spot. The shafts were trial and error, I had no set preference.

You and I might just meet up in that "bunny hole" lol. I'm seriously considering getting a second set. In fact I just started a thread asking advice on the Mizuno HMs as opposed to the Apex 19's.

@Rtracymog I'm a lefty, so my options are limited when it comes to both demoing and models of clubs. I sort of get lost with the "pro" designation companies put on clubs. Wouldn't those be more like the Apex pros? I'm assuming they are a lot more demanding then the HM's or Apex, so it's a category I've never tried.

I've hit both, but only on an indoor sim at a PGA store. Hard to tell much of a difference off mats. I'm 65 years old, playing off a 13. Playing just below sea level, my 7 iron is my 145 club, but I'm playing very strongly lofted irons. My problem with the Rogue X's I'm playing are the strong lofts mess up the bottom of my bag (56* is my most lofted wedge) and the dispersion isn't the best. They go far, but lack the accuracy my CF 16's did. Those were the last steel shafted irons I played, and when I switched to graphite, I figured I'd change to a more SGI iron also. To be honest, I don't think I needed that, and the smaller head appealed more to my eye. I don't want to give up too much distance, but my short game isn't the best, and missing a green by more then a few yards usually results in a two putt bogey, so accuracy is more important to me. My question is which of the these two would be best for me going forward? My goal is single digits, and I'm thinking the Rogue X's aren't the club to get me to that goal, plus I want a quality "better player" set that will last a few years. The non forged 919 with Recoil 460 ESX and the Apex CF 19's with Catalyst 60 reg (5.0) are the two I've narrowed it down to. With pro shop credit (has to be used by Dec 31) that can be used toward Callaway products, both will end up costing about the same, so price isn't a factor. Which way would you guys go? Is there another iron that you think might be better for someone like me then these two? I'm open to any and all suggestions....

That's a lot of yardage to give up. I find it hard to believe you couldn't find a better performing iron that is as consistent.

I bought a “like new” 2018 San Diego for $180 on CPO Monday. It should arrive on Friday. I’ve tried it numerous times before, and really liked it. I wasn’t paying full freight though. I like Callaway’s products, but 6 months after release they’re on CPO in new condition. The Flash line, the Apex 19s and the new stroke labs have been available for two months and are 30% off with Black Friday deals. That stroke lab weighting talk is way too techy for me. Putters have to look good to my eye and feel soft off the face. As long as they do, I trust my stroke.

Me too !!!

B-b-b-but I need a fairway wood, lol....

I bought a brand new Tracy “head only” on EBay a year ago for $12.50. I brought it to an excellent club fitter, builder in my area. The shaft is not a common one, because of the bend, but he ordered one for about $15, I think. The grip cost me $10, After he measured me for the proper length, he assembled the putter. Then he clipped a small laser to the top of the head, had me hit a few putts, and adjusted the lie angle. After what he charged for labor, I had a brand new, custom built and fitted putter for $50. The C groove technology of the YES! Putters is really great. It’s a shame the company went out of business, but it wasn’t due to the quality of their product. They were too small to compete against the OEMs at that time, and companies that could, like Odyssey, were bought by the Callaway’s of the industry. Maybe today they could’ve been successful as a boutique brand charging $400 a pop, but at around $150, they couldn’t make it work. BTW as I said the Tracy is great, and I love mine. Retief Goosen used to win the US Open, but for my money, the Dianna was the best putter they ever made.

Yeah, I remember us talking about this, you live in the Villages if I remember correctly. You’re right about the winters, I was surprised how cold and damp they get down here. Florida is on my radar, I just love the development I’m in. I’m in Barefoot we have 4 great courses, and I love the groups I play in.

From your mouth to Gods ears, Rev.

We’re two birds of a feather, lol. We both had the Steelhead X-ray irons and hybrids, and I told you to try the 5. I switched to the Roguex and here you are... try the x hybrids btw, they’re rocket launchers. Now it’s my turn to follow you. I just put the Flash 10.5* in the bag and I love it. I had one a few weeks that was 9* with a different shaft. I couldn’t hit it, and exchanged it thru their playability program. This one is much better! what should we try next buddy???