Grand Stranded

This game is so amazing. It’s the only one I can think of where a player of your level can be as frustrated as one at mine.

Fujikara Atmos 5 which is 10g heavier than the 2 Cypher shafts.

For those of you who have followed my recent 3 wood adventures (2 broken Cypher shafts on 2 different clubs in consecutive rounds), I’ve basically thrown in the towel and will be going with an oldie but goodie this season. I placed a $68 best offer on a new 2016 M2 3HL 16.5* on eBay today and it was accepted. Not exactly cutting edge tech, but it’s a cult favorite probably second only to the V Steel and maybe the RBZ among Taylormade FWs, so there’s that. It’s also the last TM club I’ve played (had a 15* back when they came out 7 years ago). As I’ve said before, I’m not a good FW player, so I’m not looking for a game changer here. I’ll probably use this no more than once or twice a round, so if it can give me reasonable distance and a high ball flight, which it should at 16.5*, it will serve it’s purpose.

In an effort to pick up a little SS I picked up a Rogue ST Max 3 wood with a 40g Cypher shaft on CPO recently. I haven’t been playing a lot, but after about my 3rd swing the shaft snapped about 3 inches below the grip. I called Callaway looking to replace it, but no luck. I had to return it instead. I then picked up an Epic Max with the same shaft on eBay. Saturday on my very first swing the shaft snapped again in the exact same spot. Again, returning for a refund. Does this mean I’m doing something wrong? I’m not great with FWs, but this is crazy. Is this a me issue, (both swings had decent results and the shaft snapped on my follow through, not on contact) or is the shaft too weak for me?

Amazing how every person who has replied are misinterpreting what you meant to convey. I wonder why that’s happening?

You’re being tone deaf here. There’s a difference between telling you not to play in a league that has rules you don’t agree with, and telling you not to play golf.

Trust me when I tell you, I’d be the last person to defend a lot of the things that go on in golf leagues, but in this case I agree with what they’re telling you, and here’s why. if you went to a course by yourself or with others and wanted to move up to the very forward tee nobody would say a word. It’s your dime. When you play in a league however you’re playing by a set of rules that were explained and you agreed to. Those rules are there to “protect” the field. it’s not about one person, it’s about the group. With any golf league you play in, there will be people complaining about someone or something. The longer you play in them the more you’ll come to appreciate the time and effort the person who runs your league puts in. He’ll never make everyone happy, he puts up with a lot, and he does a job most would never want to do. Think of it this way. You wouldn’t join a mens baseball league and expect to ba able to hit off a tee because you were a beginner, would you? That might be a silly analogy, so just accept the extra strokes you’re getting to play a course that might be too long for you. Use those strokes to your advantage and win some money. EDIT I just realized I quoted you by mistake. This post was meant for the poster you’re replying to, @panhndl

There’s a 5 course group down here which is always booked solid, both with tourists and locals. As a matter of fact the last year I heard about it they booked more rounds in a 12 month span than anywhere else in the country. The starter would always warn groups on the first tee to play up one tee from the distance they would back home due to low elevation, the air density and course condition usually being soft. Rarely did the tourists listen. Finally a couple of years ago they changed the colore of the tee markers. Let’s say people thought they were playing whites at 6100 yds. They moved the whites to where the greens were previously and it played at 5800 now. Nobody (except the locals) knew, and they never got a single complaint. People are stubborn. We laugh all the time when paired with someone outside the area. We always tell them to hit an extra club. They never do. They come up short by that distance all day and complain “my swing is off today. I usually hit my 7i 160.” Yeah okay. I told you when we started it would only go 145 today you jacka**.

Have you tried a Distanza in your G425? i’ve written about it before in either the Otto thread or this one, but the results were amazing to both me and (I believe) the fitter who let me try it. I gained over 20 yards, which is incredible for someone who can barely reach 85. Every time I put it against another head or shaft combo I get the same reply… “I can’t beat that. Stay with what you have.” The closest to it is the Rogue ST Max with an Aldila NVS Orange 45g shaft, but it comes in second. I’m keeping it as a backup though, because even though it’s a little shorter, and I can’t put a draw on it as easily as with the Ping, it is a dart thrower.

Yeah, I guess it would, or come pretty close. I played the 17* today for the first time, and it worked well. If I’m being honest though I would love to have one more club in between it and my driver. I was thinking about a Titleist 4W, but with tax it would cost almost $400. No way I’m spending that for a FW. EDIT I made a $134 best offer tonight on a new Epic Max 15* with the same shaft on eBay. The seller accepted. That’s the best deal I think I’m going to get on a new recent model FW, and the extra forgiveness will probably help me. I’ll be out about $25 cash, but get back my $75 Callaway rewards on CPO. Not a great day, but it could’ve been worse I guess.

Ugh… just when I thought my bag was set, the shaft on my Rogue ST Max 3W snapped just below the grip today. I called CPO, and since they don’t have another one in the same configuration they gave me two options. I can buy a shaft at a local PGASS or Dick’s have them install it (which they will pay for) or send the club back and get a refund. The problem is it only cost me $110 and then another $80 in reward points. I chose to send it back, but now after seeing what it would cost to buy another new one, I’m having second thoughts. I’m thinking of just getting the shaft replaced. Thoughts? What would you guys do? The funny thing is, I might be better off without a 3W at all. I rarely use it off the tee, and I stink with it off the deck.

This 17* hybrid came yesterday, and after 2 range sessions, my G425 5W and my Hy-wood are heading off to greener pastures I’ll admit that I was a little leery about whether I had the SS to play a 2H, and whether the XF version might have been a better choice. It turns out I stumbled onto a monster. I can’t hit a bad shot with this thing. The ball flight is a lot higher than I expected, and it is ending up just short of my 3W when I hit it off turf. I never had to adjust a setting, and after 50 or so balls, I couldn’t be more pleased. The club was brand new, and the price was unreal. It turned out their outlet had some sort of sale going on, and the Gen5 are now a lot more expensive on their eBay site. Buying blind doesn’t always work out, but this time I got very lucky.

Oh I realize that, lol. I’m talking maybe a $50 or so price drop? It’s another club I don’t really need right now, but I really like my 21* TSi2, so the idea of a matching 5H makes sense to me. That sounds very well thought out, but I know myself all too well. Once I start “thinking” about getting a club, I’m better off just getting it, because I always do it anyway within a week or two.

I just saw Amazon has the ‘21 0211 hybrids for $89 w/ free shipping. They only have the 28* 6 hybrid in LH though, and I play 5-GW with my irons. At this price though, I’m thinking of just getting it, and keeping it for when the time comes I will need it. With the price of clubs now, it’s hard to pass this up, and how much tech do you need in a 6H? This one comes with an adapter and a decent shaft. What more can they do with a 28* hybrid? I’ve been thinking about getting a TSi2 5H if they lower the price, so I might pull the trigger on this.

I just got what feels like a great bargain on PXGs eBay outlet. It’s a 17* Gen5 0311 hybrid in Excellent condition for $105 and free shipping. In the notes section of the listing it said “original item”. I called the PXG rep I know up on Long Island, and he told me that means it’s a new, unused return. The only issue is it has a midsize grip. I like to play the standard size tour velvet 360, so that will be a cheap fix. I struggle hitting FWs off the deck, but I’ve always considered hybrids a strength of my game, so what I’m hoping for here is a club that will be my distance club off grass, and be a little easier to control with a shorter shaft than my 3w. I don’t expect it to be a scoring club, low, hot runners will be acceptable, anything more will be a bonus. If I’m playing a course where I need to carry water or waste areas, I’ll swap in my 5w. At the end of the day, it will be a fun club to fool around with. If it works out, great. If not, considering what I paid I can’t see myself losing any money trading or selling this club.

$199? That’s about 3 rounds when I’m on Long Island. I pay $140 a month and $30 cart fee at my club in Myrtle Beach. I only played 60 rounds down here last year. I don’t want to do the math and see how much that comes to each time I tee it up…

MERRY CHRISTMAS from a frigid Long Island! I wish you all a wonderful Holiday, along with your family. For those of you with little children in the house, enjoy. They make the day extra special, and these years will go by very quickly!

We’ll see. I’ve “loved” a bunch of putters after fittings or when rolling them in stores. The problem is when it’s crunch time I love having that Yes! Tracy in my hands. I’m like you… I love a blade putter, and a face balanced one like the Tracy is a unicorn type putter for a lefty. @MattF you rolled one for a long time also, right?

My Yes! Tracy putter has a challenger on the way. I did something today I never would have done without trading two clubs in on a 90 day playability. I traded back my Launcher XL 21* and Rogue ST 23* hybrids (the Launcher is a great club, my TSi2 just gaps better, the Rogue 5H is meh.. my 5i is just as good) and got back $449 in credit. I blew just about the entire wad on a Scotty Cameron Phantom X 5.5 putter with a custom Matador mid size grip (I’m not a fan of the Pistelero). The sucker came to $429, which makes it the most expensive putter I’ve ever bought. This was a move I’ve been wanting to make for a while… every time I roll the 5.5 I love it more. I think I finally found a mallet I like.

Well the two man team event couldn’t have gone better today, and I had a nice surprise at the end! My partner was great today. It seemed like every time I needed him he was there. He got two strokes on 3 holes, and bogeyed every one for net birds, and his steady play enabled me to take chances i otherwise wouldn’t have. We both played very well, and our net 65 was good enough to lose a tiebreaker for first, and our team split $100. That would’ve been a really good day, but here’s where the “bonus” came in. It turned out a player dropped out late last night, so I was selected in the blind draw to be the “odd player’s” partner. When the winners of that first place tiebreaker were announced, it was him and myself! That earned me another $60 bringing my total for the day to a nice $110. Yay me!!! Today was also my third consecutive good round after an annoyingly long dry spell. Things are definitely getting better with my game. Hopefully I can put one more good one in the books Tuesday before I head up north.

Tomorrow is going to be fun. We’re playing a two man best ball and for one of the rare occasions with this group an A will be paired with a B player. My partner is one of my favorite people to play with. He’s by far the oldest guy in the group, but he’s a character. Back in the day he was a player (I saw the tail end of that when I moved down here 13 years ago) and he still has his moments. Tomorrow will be a big ask for him though because the knucklehead who runs this put him on the same 5850 yard tees as the other B players, who are all 15-20 years younger than him. He texted me when the pairings came out and said he was going to apologize to me for getting stuck with him, but he decided instead he’ll whip me like a rented mule if I don’t carry his a** instead. Worst thing that will happen is we have a great time together, and who knows? We might end up ham and egging it out there well enough to surprise some people.

Backed up Saturday’s nice round with another one today. I didn’t really do anything exceptional, nor did I place in the money, but I shot a very solid 86 on what was a very long tough course (at least for me) at 6300 yards. I’m hoping to get two more in on Saturday and Tuesday before I head up north for Christmas. I probably won’t get to play again until after my daughter has her twins. She’s due around the 10th of February, but supposedly twins come early? I’m really excited about finally becoming a grandparent, and starting out right away with both a boy and a girl is going to be great. I can’t wait!

I played surprisingly well Saturday. 3 bad holes due to 2 bad swings and a lapse in concentration on a 1.5’ putt I missed were the only real miscues in what was an encouraging day otherwise. I chunked a tee shot on a par 3 into the water on #4, but then re-teed instead of dropping in front of the hazard (because I’m stubborn). I hit it to 10’ but missed the putt, took a 5. Then, after striping my new 5 hybrid all day, I tempted fate by telling my cart mate what a great move it was getting one. The very next hole I dead shanked it into water, (I didn’t think it was possible to shank a 5 hybrid, but I was able to figure out how very quickly) and had to make a 10 footer for a triple(). Then the brain cramp on 17 where I missed the 18” tap in, which ended up costing me $20. I shot a 84 net 71 and collected $50 when all was said and done. I lost a tiebreaker for 2nd and missed 1st place in net by a shot. That’s golf though… it evens out. We always look back and harp on the miscues, rather than think about the “saves” and the good shots. So, it wasn’t perfect, but after not touching a club for 2 weeks, I can’t complain. I needed the break. My mental outlook was so much better, and I enjoyed the round, rather than enduring it. That’s what was happening with me for quite a while. I wasn’t having a good time out there. This game is a challenge, but it’s also supposed to be fun.. For a while there it wasn’t.

After a much needed two week “mental break” where I didn’t even touch a club, I’m going to play in a 40 man low gross/ low net league event tomorrow. Hopefully I can break 90…

I have to be honest Kenny. Until @cksurfdude replied to this post, I had no idea what you were talking about here..