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jwlong410

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Posts posted by jwlong410

  1. The other challenge I had with my P700s was the club gapping. So here's an example, my average distances per Arccos...

    After messing with lengths & lofts, but without hitting the full set in a fitting I ended up with some big & weird gaps. Having a 20-yard gap between your 7/8 is a problem IMO. Perhaps one that could get addressed with tweaking some lofts, but I think it's also driven by the model change and the resulting lack or presence of speedfoam, etc. I actually thought about keeping the 4-iron as a driving iron like tool and just getting a 5-PW in my next iron set. I don't know.

    I personally feel like this is the potential trap of trying to build a combo set where you're just not sure where everything is going to line up once you play with them. I'm sure this could happen if you just bought a full set of irons, but I think the loft/lie/model combinations may make it more likely.

    Screenshot_20221213-222726.png

  2. 6 hours ago, cnosil said:

    Based on your responses I'd focus on players category:

    • Titleist T100, T100S, 620 CB
    • Cobra Forged Tec
    • Wilson Staff CB (I always love these when I hit them)
    • Mizuno 223
    • etc.

     

    I really want to hit the Wilson's! I have hit the 223 a few times and it feels pretty incredible. These all make sense to me in terms of places to start, thanks!

     

    5 hours ago, THEZIPR23 said:

    Make sure to add the ZX7's to your list. Most underrated iron out there. 

    The one interesting thing about the Vapor Pros is they have a super thin sole, which it turns out, I really like. The turf interaction is probably a big draw for me. I'd say my miss is slightly fat so something that gets in/out of the turf well helps me a lot. Sounds like the Srixon irons are on the thinner side of the spectrum so definitely have my attention as well.

     

    4 hours ago, Samsonite said:

    Loving this thread - great questions/answers happening.  

    .....

    Let us know if you decide, or what you hit when you get into a fitting!

    I will! I'm thinking I'm going to hold off until the JPX 923s are available as the JPX Tours are in some ways a natural evolution from the Nikes (e.g., that's the transition Koepka made).

     

    4 hours ago, chisag said:

     

    ... Irons mentioned by others are in the Players Iron category which should be a good fit for you in-between GI and Players Distance irons. I would add the MIM Tours, PXG 0311T's, P7MC and Ping i230 to the irons mentioned by cnosil (not forged tecs) and zipr. Just so many really good Players Irons out there right now and personal preference will most likely be the deciding factor. 

    ... I will add an anecdotal MB experience. Played my Z Forged MB's a few weeks ago and shot a 70 when I had been struggling. I didn't really miss a shot that day other than a slight miss that is hard to quantify, just saying it was a rare day and every shot wasn't dead solid perfect. That said the other 99% of the rounds I have played with my Z Forged there were several shots that cost me and why I always use Players irons that give me the best of both worlds. I think many have a really good day with MB's and think that is their "norm" which is as true as their worst day with their MB's being a "norm". We all miss the center some days a little and some days a lot and exactly why so many on the PGA and virtually all of the great ball strikers on the LPGA use Players Irons and not MB's (with 2 or 3 exceptions). But if Lydia Ko, Nelly Korda and Jin Young Ko who hit 63 greens consecutively in competition don't play MB's, 99.9% of AM's certainly shouldn't be playing them. Unless like BigStu and others that play vintage equipment or just love playing MB's if scoring isn't a concern. 

    Yes to all of this. I do worry a little about the P7MC's being a little too blade-like and not a big enough difference from the Nikes to be worth making the investment, but a fitting will answer that question. To your point about the MBs - I 100% agree. I tell me buddy all the time that I know I'm not good enough to be playing blades, but I also think the negatives of the blades are less penal to my game as it exists today than the P790s were (for whatever reason).

     

    4 hours ago, chisag said:

     

    ... I did this quite a few years ago and highly recommend others do it as well. But chart a round with irons played on every hole and it will be a real eye opener. Most of us just don't use our irons anywhere near as much as we think and since many are $1200 these days it will be a useful exercise. I sometimes only use an iron 2 times on the front 9!! On my home course:
     

    Yes! Arccos is great for this as well. Really puts it into perspective. I tend to only practice with 8 - Wedges and then sometimes struggle on Par 3 tee shots though heh.

     

    2 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

    Include the ZX5/ZX7 combo in that recommendation ^^^.  Dare I say that a good many out there should be giving combo sets a hard look - for sure if one can put pride on the shelf.

    I like the idea of a combo set. I explicitly suggested a combo set to my fitter when I bought the TaylorMades as outlined in that initial post. I still like the idea of it, but I think I'd do it differently. Last time I split my clubs at the 7/8 which, IMO is too much in the middle. I think this time I'd probably split it around the 5/6 maybe. Obviously a fitting would tell you the best place, but getting a full set fit is not easy. So if you only hit 7-irons, or other irons with tape, how do you know where to best split? Hard to do really well IMO.

    My thought is - if there's a clear gap where spin and/or peak height becomes inconsistent, that's a good place to start looking at comboing. So I'll consider it. After my nightmare of losing a club right at the split though, I am a bit wary. There's definitely some benefit in consistency of feel. Maybe I was just dumb to split 760s/790s because the feel between those two sets was so different. I don't know. I have all the thoughts.

  3. 9 minutes ago, cnosil said:

    The first thing  I would do is identify what  you are hoping to achieve with new irons.  From there you can go get fit or go to stores append hit everything you can get you hands on.  Not to be to critical, but you say you hit the Nike’s better than the fitter irons but provide no supporting evidence that that is the case.  It could also be that you adapted your swing to the Nike’s and they may not actually be a good fit.  The mind and body do what is necessary to hit the golf ball and you have learned a swing that is functional.   No one can answer what configuration is best for you unless we can see some launch monitor data or are watching you hit balls.  As for what clubs to recommend, what is your budget?   How receptive are you to Game improvement type clubs or do you simply want muscle back forged blades?  I’d personally lean toward GI to provide the most forgiveness you can get.  Unfortunately more questions than answers at this point.  

    Great questions! I have so many htoughts in my head but left a bunch out of this post. Adding some thoughts here below:

    What  you are hoping to achieve with new irons?
    I think for me it's really 2 things. Distance consistency (vs. hitting it as far as possible. With my P790 7-iron I was hitting it 175 on average - I don't need to hit a 7-iron that far) AND some more forgiveness than the Nike blades. Basically I feel like a happy medium between the blades and the Player's Distance irons.

    You say you hit the Nike’s better than the fitter irons but provide no supporting evidence that that is the case.

    Totally fair. I don't have launch monitor data but I do use Arccos and my SG: Approach has improved with the blades. That said, there is some co-mingling of swing changes in there for sure, but in general the numbers are better by a not insignificant margin.

    As for what clubs to recommend, what is your budget?

    Don't want budget to be a significant driver of this. I have some shop credit to offset the purchase depending on price :).

    How receptive are you to Game improvement type clubs or do you simply want muscle back forged blades?

    I am open to anything. I generally prefer (from a looks/feel) perspective something smaller with less offset and forged - but I'm not adamant that it MUST be that. My concern re: GI or even Player's Distance irons is two-fold. First the Player's Distance irons I've owned have felt clicky & hot to me at times (e.g., a 7-iron that goes 195 instead of 175). Second, I worry about the stronger lofts and the impact on spin & playability (i.e., will I be able to hold greens, etc. etc.).

     

    I recognize without all the data it could be a tough spot to start from - just curious for where other's heads would be if they were in my position. I do plan on getting fitted and talking through this with my fitter, but wanted to see what everyone thought...

  4. About 2.5 years ago I went and got fitted for new irons as I had been playing the same ones for quite some time (see thread on that purchase below). At the time I was a 16ish handicap and the clubs served me well as I significantly upped my play:

    However, since then there have been some significant changes to my game and I ultimately decided to sell my set. Briefly, here are the key factors impacting the decision:
    1. I lost my 8-iron and ended up replacing it with a P770 (instead of finding a P760) because buying a used P760 & reshafting it would've been 2x as expensive as a new 770.

    2. My handicap has come down dramatically (16ish -> 8.4) and I'm generally playing much better golf.

    3, I bought an old set of Nike blades to hit around, so I had a set to use after getting rid of my Taylormades.

    The last one is the key here. I was custom-fitted for my combo set (extra 1" long, specific shaft setup, larger grips, lofts adjusted, etc. etc.) but I found my stock Nike Vapor Pros with standard S300s (stock length) playing and feeling better than the more forgiving setup. I'm 6'5" with large hands but the all stock setup on the very not forgiving blades is performing better than the irons custom-fit to me.

    So here's the conundrum - if I was interested in potentially buying new irons (Vapor Pros came out in 2015!) where would you start? What models would be the ones you'd be most eager to hit? And would your default assumption be that something closer to stock might be right or something closer to what I was originally fit for?

     

    Obligatory photo of the Nike blades included because they are chef's kiss gorgeous.

    pxl_20220708_222207585-1.jpg

  5. On 3/13/2021 at 10:56 AM, ArtM said:

    i was so psyched when I bought them, then, the absolutely the worst shoes ever for me.  3 holes and both feet blistered.  I finished my round shoeless!

    This was the advice Harry gave me (if you haven't returned your already!):
     

     

  6. 5 hours ago, Kenny B said:

    I don't have those shoes, but have you tried Kentwool socks?

    https://www.kentwool.com/pages/about-us

    "Kentwool socks are worn by dozens of PGA and LPGA Tour professionals, who trust Kentwool socks to perform over a long and grueling season. 
    Kentwool socks are the only socks that carry a Blister-Free Guarantee. And like all of Kentwool's products, they are manufactured in the U.S.A."

    I only wear Kentwool socks... all year long, for the last 6 years.  

    Interesting. I haven't heard of these before. They're a bit pricey but maybe worth a shot...

  7. Hey all - I recently got a pair of these as a birthday gift (https://www.adidas.com/us/tour360-xt-sl-2.0-spikeless-golf-shoes/EG4871.html). They're gorgeous shoes and with the boost footbed are really comfortable except for one MAJOR issue.

    I've worn them for a few rounds (45 holes total) and each time they've given me terrible blisters on my heels (both feet). I walk, so a blister here or there isn't unexpected nor the end of the world, but after 6 or 7 holes these are basically unwearable.

    Anyone else have any experience with this? 

  8. On 11/16/2020 at 10:36 AM, RickyBobby_PR said:

    The black is the same as the blue but has a slightly stiffer tip. 
     

    there’s nothing wrong with using same shaft in driver and fairway. Could be same weight or could be lighter.

    what works better for in the driver will vary by person. I’ve had same weight and flex in both clubs and had no issues. PX also said you could use the same and recommended a 10g weight difference 

    I got fitted into EvenFlow White on both Driver and 3W (and love both) but interestingly my driver is 10g heavier (85) than my 3W (75). Seems like this is the opposite of conventional wisdom/normal recommendations so I thought it was interesting.

    I guess it puts some wonky swingweights at the top of my bag 🤷‍♂️

  9. I've switched to this ball as a result of the study Tony did and I have no plans to switch back. I had bounced around playing ProV1s, ProV1xs, BXs and BXSs - I have a high swing speed (109-115) and am generally a high spin player so I know I need to be in a firmer ball, but value control on my short irons and wedges. So it's been a balancing act of trying to find the right fit for me game.

    The -ProV1x is the perfect fit for my game. With the spinny/high launch balls I would spin back 9 Irons and less up to 20 feet or more (pending green undulations obviously). With low launch/low spin balls I'd have trouble controlling distance and getting balls to react how I'd like them to.

    With the higher launch of the Left Dash I don't need as much spin to control my approaches into the green. Instead of spinning everything back I've gotten to more of a one hop & stop or one hop & spin back a few feet which is ideal (for me anyway). Anyway - really thrilled to be able to put this ball into play and I don't see any changes coming on that front. To that end - anyone want a fresh box of Bridgetone BXS (non-Tiger) balls?! 🤣

  10. On 11/17/2020 at 12:50 PM, Shank Aaron said:

    Ok, here goes the G425 first take review. I will post up the TSi2 review later.

     

    I want to start off by making it clear that my experience as of right now with either of these is on a GC Quad, and I made it a point not to record any data. My goal in that was to make sure my first swings with these two drivers would be strictly about feel, aesthetics, sound, and an overall first impression. I will be playing both drivers for a full 18 this weekend, and will have another sim session to record data after that. So, here goes.

     

    Me- 

    15 handicap

    110-115 mph swing speed

    2020 Avg driver distance (total via Arccos sensors)- 287 yards

    *NOTE*- prior to starting the testing I had already went through my full bag warm up routine, and hit about 15 drives with my Mavrik gamer. 

     

    The Club-

    Ping G410 LST 10.5* neutral weight, neutral adapter settings- Fujikura Atmos Tour Spec Black stiff 70 playing to 44.75" 

    Ball- New, out of the sleeve Pro V1X's

     

    Ping G425

    Just at address I personally love the looks. Muted and subdued matte black really appeals to me in its simplicity. The first few practice swings made me notice the weight of the head. It's just heavy enough that you notice it on the release, but just light enough that I dont feel it as a chore to swing it. It's a really nice feeling club swinging at air. Time to make it rain. I spent the first 10 swings just getting used to the club and getting solid contact, roughly 75% of my usual swing. The sound is close to the same sound I got from other 400 series drivers, but the G425 is just a tad pingy. Not in a bad way, mind you. The sound is the usual muted twack you're used to from the G410, but theres just the slight hint of a soft ringing at the end. Now, up to this point everything I've written out is basically the same points of view you would expect from the 400 series drivers. Here is where the G425, at least in my opinion, takes a very hard left at the fork. 

     

    The feel off the face is unreal. All of you know what I'm talking about with your irons. When you hit the ball so sqaurely off the face that it feels like time has stopped, the ball melted, and you know you did it perfectly. My problem with previous 400 series drivers was that as good as they felt, and as forgiving as they were, I couldn't hit them as far as I could other drivers. I dont really trust distance readings from simulators, but if any of those numbers that popped up are true, this driver will be in every distance conversation in 2021. What impressed me the most were the feel of the mishits. Heel, toe, low, none of those strikes "felt" punishing in my hands and the balls still had nominal impact points on the sim screen. Like a guard dog begging to get off the leash and protect his turf, it just felt like it wanted to hit the ball as far as my ability would allow it. I really hope this will translate to the course and open air. If this driver gives me the proven forgiveness of a Ping AND gives me the distance I want? TAKE MY MONEY! 

     

    I will get to work writing the TSi2 review later today. Apparently, they don't pay me to sit here and write club reviews. I've had my job backwards this entire time..... 

    Out of curiosity - why do you play ProV1X? I have a very different swing but very similar metrics to you (~112 head speed, I used to average 3700 RPM). I switched to a TS4 (I think a TSi4 seems like it might be ideal for you AND me) and that cut about 900 RPM off my drives. I also switched to the ProV1x Left Dash (-ProV1X) which has cut another couple hundred RPM off. The Left Dash gives me the high ball flight I like but spin more akin to an AVX (less than a traditional ProV1) and that's been really huge for me.

    You might also notice a big difference in approach shots. I used to spin back wedges and even like a 9I 15 feet or so, not it's more like a one hop and stop or shorter spin back which is massive.

  11. I love this one club fitting question. I mentioned this to Harry on Twitter, but I ended up asking to hit 7 (Demo) for many sets (I think I hit 4 brands, 8 models) and then 9 AND 5 off the wall (taped up) for the top 4 models to build my set. I ended up going with a split set P760s and P790s, and wouldn't have landed on that without hitting the 9 as well as the 7 and 5. The other option was T100 & T200 for what it's worth.

  12. On 10/14/2020 at 5:54 PM, idontnoh said:

    Just bought a TS4 and was browsing when I saw this thread. The Evenflow White is amazing and I can't wait to find some time to take my TS4 onto the course. 

    It's working out ok for me (ignore the crappy PW - I had a really fluffy lie in the first cut)!

    Screenshot_20201015-231934.png

  13. 10 hours ago, silver & black said:

    If it is a scuff mark, I use tooth paste. If it is scratched through, it will need painted.

    Yeah, it's a scratch for sure. I've seen some folks have said car touch up paint or even nail polish. Not sure what to do 😟

  14. Hey all - I was battling the driver yips a week or two ago and it resulted in many frustrating range sessions. On one swing a dirty ball and crappy swing resulted in some damage. Not worried about the face scratches but would love to fix the paint issue. Any ideas/recommendations?

    IMG_20200909_182415.jpg

  15. 25 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

    I don't necessarily disagree with everyone's posts, but the TourStriker Smart Ball doesn't get enough credit.  Relatively cheap, highly portable, and fantastic for developing an in sync swing...really helps you to learn to swing with your big muscles and control the club face with pivot versus hands and arms.

    Building on this - I wish one of the coaches I've worked with in the past had the PlaneMate. I bought one myself and it's been a massive change in my swing path. Since many amateurs have issues with coming over the top and getting the club into the slot on the downswing, the PlaneMate would likely get a lot of use.

    https://www.tourstriker.com/product/planemate/

    Also, the video protocols from Martin Chuck and David Woods that go with it are a great example of how to simplify technical concepts into something any golfer can understand.

  16. I just ordered a new Driver & 3W with the White.  The combination of the TS4 and the EF White @ 85 grams was incredible - knocked 1000 RPM off my current setup. Only needed a 6.0 since the shaft is heavier and the tip stiffer than most. Specs below (but driver will actually be 0.5" short):

     

    Screenshot_20200627-234944.png

  17. On 5/29/2020 at 3:10 PM, juspoole said:

    Yeah I’m right with you guys, swing wise. Congrats on the weight loss. Would love to drop 15-20 lbs.
    Going to work hard on swing path in the coming weeks. Any drills you’ve had success with or mental thoughts?


    Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

    Get a PlaneMate from Tourstriker. You HAVE TO go through the protocols. It feels silly to hit little 10-20 yard shots for the first few days but after a week or two your swing will be better than ever.

    It's helped me with swing plane more than I ever thought possible.

    PS - I have a similar swing and issue to you (~110 mph) and went with TS4 w/ Evenflow white. My spin came down over 1000 RPM with the TS4. Good luck with your new driver!

  18. 2 hours ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

    So the distance gains came from several factors. Improved ball speed and launch characteristics especially spin. That’s a good improvement 

    Killing spin was a huge part of it, probably the majority of the gains. I do think that I was getting better ball speed and flights on off-center hits. When I caught it really good, the TS4 was maybe ~6% better than my current driver. When I mishit it, it was maybe ~15% better (from spin reduction and better ball speed on off-center hits).

     

    2 hours ago, juspoole said:

    Certainly understand.  I usually go with pre owned to save a few bucks myself.  I had the TS3 for a while and it was fair, but always seemed to line up a bit closed to my eye.  Hitting the MavRik SZ better than I have anything ever so far.  Part of that is the Ventus shaft as well to be fair.

    Best of luck with the TS4!

    The Evenflow White shaft was a huge part of it, I think. I hit it with a bunch of shafts and the Evenflow felt incredible and the ball came off like a rocket every time. I wouldn't have even consider buying it with the HZRDUS or Diamana shafts I hit it with. It's amazing how the right shaft/head combination can make such a massive difference.

  19. 17 minutes ago, juspoole said:

    Those are pretty good numbers, but for me I'd still want to know if the club was truly best suited to my game.  

    Since you had a 910 still in the bag, it seems like you are stronger than most at putting aside the shiny object.  I think if you are confident in the TS4 - go for it.  However, it seems like you are questioning it a bit.  If you tackle those answers now with a fitting, you won't be looking back a year from now and still thinking what if......

    So I ended up going and hitting a few other drivers (not a fitting, but hit them all with the low spin, low launch shafts to match the EvenFlow White in the TS4). I absolutely hated the feel of the Cobra (it felt... clanky?!). The Ping G410 LST was ok, dispersion was good but it wasn't as long and it didn't have the same "buttery" feel as the TS4. The only one that made me thing about it was the ST200G. I liked that driver a lot, and the adjustability made it interesting. I had comparable distance on that one to the TS4 and a little worse dispersion. I suspect that one could be a viable option for me, but the TS4 was $150 cheaper.

    The only drivers I didn't hit that I was curious about was the SIM and the Mavrik Sub Zero. That said, I'm not wure the weighting of the SIM heads make a ton of sense for my swing and the Mavrik Sub Zero would be $150 more than the TS4. So all in all, I feel pretty good about moving forward at this point. Getting comparable/better numbers for $349 instead of $499 makes it a much easier decision for me.

  20. 15 minutes ago, RickyBobby_PR said:

    What was your ball speed and angle of attack with the two drivers?

    Angle of attack was consistently in the -1° to +2° range. I averaged 0.4° with the 910D3 and 1.2° with the TS4.

    Ball speed was 155.7 with 910D3, 160.4 with TS4 (club speed was 109.5 with 910D3, 109.0 with TS4).

  21. Ok, here were the final results:

    910D3: 251 Carry, 267 Total, 3378 RPM, 155.7 mph

    TS4: 278 Carry, 302 Total, 2390 RPM, 160.4 mph

    Overall I gained 35 yards of total distance and 27 yards of carry with the TS4. In terms of dispersion, they were comparable in terms of horizontal distribution, but the TS4 was more consistent in terms of length. All my TS4 swings were between 288 and 314 total yardage. My 910D3 ranged from 257 to 296 total yardage (carry dispersion was similar but the TS4 was rolling out further because of the less spin and better landing angle).

     

     

    I also learned that I was hitting 3 clubs the same distance. My 4I, 816H2 Hybrid, and 3-Wood all carry ~225 yards. The 3-Wood rolls out to 245, the hybrid to 235, and the 4I to 233.

    So I also hit a TS3 @ 13.5° as more of a driving 3W. That carried 243 and rolled out to 264 (basically the same as my current driver) so I'm probably going to look at that as a safer option off the tee and for long Par 5s. Then I'll need to decide which of the other three clubs gets pulled, but there's a distinct chance I end up with two "3 Woods" in the bag.

  22. 7 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

    That is good news, but it actually happened about a month ago.  

    The good news out of all of this is that the price for all of Titleist's TS drivers came down $100 and I just noticed this week 🙏

     

    Honestly, not sure how I missed that 🤦.

  23. 1 hour ago, cnosil said:


    Did you hit your driver on their launch monitor? Comparisons need to be made head to head. Launch monitors are great tools but unless you know exactly how they are setup you really can’t compare clubs.

    Yep, I agree. That's why I'm going back for a direct comparison! For what it's worth, the visual backed up the data. With my driver I was landing it short of the last green at the range (~275) and with the TS4 I was landing it on and over that same green.

    All of this is why I wanted to schedule and do a proper fitting. The original swings were really just enough to make me fully commit to a proper fitting and buying a new driver (if the numbers bore out what I felt/experienced on those swings).

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