Old Justice

I’ve been playing golf for forty odd years now and love comparing techniques and equipment from bygone eras. I’ve never been a tester before but would love the opportunity. I am an accredited professional engineer specialising in NDT (non-destructive testing) so as such, looking into fine detail and being able to distinguish the processes, manufacturing and materials of clubs is second nature. I also write detailed and scrupulous reports and create and use novel techniques to test metals as part of my job. I also am infatuated with my Rapsodo MLM2PRO, much to the bemusement of my ever patient wife, and am often deep diving into the results produced to eke out that fraction of a percent advantage through equipment combinations. Also, I’d love the opportunity to represent the minority of Brits who frequent this glorious site!

Thanks Bud, will update when I give it a go when the ground in England resurfaces above the water. Blooming rain, you’d think we’d be used to it

Thanks for the info! That sounds like a great idea, and as England is pretty much under water at the moment (my course is heathland on the famed Surrey sand belt so considered ultra rain resistant - yet has been closed for the last three days), a visit to a PXG fitter sounds perfect. I only hope it doesn’t thrash the Darkspeed or my wife might kill me

Just bought the Cobra Darkspeed and love the distance, but am thinking of taking a chance of swapping out the stock stiff shaft (lin-q) for a Velocore, but they are pricey. Anybody have good/bad experience or advice to share?

I was asking myself this question and was thinking “what makes it the best shot ever” for me it was the pressure of executing the shot I visualised in a play off for club champs. What I find fascinating are questions like: What was the situation, and did it contribute to why the shot was your best? How was your state of mind and how did you control it? What was your pre shot routine, or did you not have one? What if any swing thoughts did you have? What did it feel like as you started and through your swing, struck the ball, finished your swing, and watched the resulting shot? How did others react to it, or affect them? Do you try and replicate the feeling, if so how? Be great to hear others experiences with this!

Interesting, sub 70 is a better known DTC brand for sure over here, but Haywood looks like it might be in a more premium bracket, the materials, manufacturing and finishing (apologies, as well as a golf nerd, I’m a NDT and metallurgical engineer by profession), as well as the shaft selection looks to put these in a class above. Although in Sub 70’s defence, I haven’t tried either, but have heard good things.

Great news if you could get a base on the mainland, if they feel half as good as they look they will be world class. I’m mates with a few local pro’s, I wonder if they are aware of you yet?

Just a bit far for me, but thanks for the suggestion

Just saw the testing request for Haywood golf clubs. I’ve been checking out their website and can’t believe how good these clubs look. Only problem is here in Blighty no-one has herd of them. Everyone I have shown them to has commented on how nice they look, but we can’t get them here at the mo so does anyone have any info or experience on how these feel and perform?

Thanks for the reply, really interesting stats on how launch is affected. I have an MLM2PRO and will start monitoring the data, I also use a track man range and get a lot of figures from there. Launch and apex are definitely higher with the Darkspeed, as is carry distance. I also expect that when the fairways firm up over here there will be a lot of run as the ball feels like it’s going to still land hot. Thanks again for your info, and bes5 9& luck 8n your game

I,ve just purchased the new Darkspeed 9.0 degree driver from cobra. I used the LTDx previously and a low ball flight so jacked it from 9.0 to 10.5 degrees and it made no difference to my height of shot. When playing in the Darkspeed I experimented with 8.0 degrees of loft and actually found the ball flight to increase. I play off of 2, have a swing speed of circa 103mph and a ball speed of circa 155 mph with a spin rate of around 2500 rpm. I’m wondering if the biggest difference is in the shaft (Same length, both stiff, but tensei AV raw in the LTDX and Lin-q M40x white in the Darkspeed) I have mixed and matched the heads/shafts but the results are very similar. I’m very happy with the Flight improvement (and subsequent slight yardage improvement) with the Darkspeed, but was wondering if anyone had a similar experience?

Ok, so when I was. Junior at a very prestigious golf club in surrey, England, we had a junior organiser who was a real stickler for the old traditional ways of golf and could be very intimidating to us young guys, particularly my best friend who was a bit of a rogue. This junior organiser made vice captain and was very full of himself about his impending captaincy and very forthcoming regarding the draconian methods he would employ. The tradition at our club was for the previous captain at the end of his year to putt out on the 18th green and for the incoming captain to retrieve the ball from the hole and tee off on the first to symbolise the start of their captaincy. Can you imagine the surprise on the large crowd gathered around the 18th green when our nemesis put his hand in the hole to retrieve the ball the outgoing captain had successfully holed, only to pull out not only the ball, but a huge lump of human excrement that had been deposited there earlier that morning by my erstwhile chum. The modest ripple of applause turned to squeals of anguish and gasps of horror in the most amusing way…