GolfSpy SAM

Josh Parker · January 9

9 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

You sure know how to rub it in... knowing I can't swing a club for weeks until my doc says it's OK.

If it's ANY consolation (and for sure sorry to hear the above - didn't realize!), this club isn't available for mere mortals to swing for a few weeks anyway

Rob Person · January 9

1 minute ago, Kenny B said:

Why is it always windy on garbage collection day? Our bins as well as our neighbor's were a block away!! Our wrought iron patio furniture sits on interlocking plastic tiles covered by a carpet; furniture blew over and tiles went everywhere. Gusts may be higher than 55 mph.

Here, this will help. Just gaze longingly at it and all your troubles will melt away....

chisag · January 9

Morning all! (Squeaking it in under the wire: 11:49am )

Lusting after the new Qi10 Max - not sure why this one has me so aflutter - really didn't care for either Stealth iteration, but ... man oh man this thing is lurvely.

Oh well. A ho's gotta ho, right? I just thought I needed to admit my inadequacies here and get on with my day

Sincerely,
Doubting My PXG

ZJeb67 · January 9

Just a heads-up - if you have signed up on RunYourPools with a name DIFFERENT than your MGS screen-name, please let me know in a PM who you are - going to be tough to try and match up who's who otherwise.

Thanks!

CFreddie · January 9

Let's GO!

Shrek74 · January 8

I know the Hywood got a lot of love here, so I'm VERY curious to see how they follow those up. Agree that this would be a front-runner for me to try out as far as FW woods go - definitely in search of a 3/5 (maybe 7, too) to fill out the bottom of my bag.

Shrek74 · January 8

22 hours ago, CFreddie said:

Ok, those wedges are freaking sweet as well! Love the MGS etching!!!

Any insight into the grind / bounce? Didn’t see much on the website, besides a simple table of specs.

You know, that's a great question, and unfortunately, I don't have any more info than the website gives. When I was fit into the Indi's, I was fit into their ATK in 52-60, as my attack angle is steeper and that's their bounce/grind for a steeper player, and so far I haven't had any issues adjusting to these, even if the front edge does seem sharper. I'm certainly capable of sticking it into the ground with ANY wedge, but I definitely haven't felt overly penalized in any way with the Argolf wedges, so take that for what it's worth

Rob Person · January 8

3 hours ago, Shrek74 said:

As always, you're a goof. But that's what makes it fun.

Those do look really sharp, and that laser MGS on the wedges is so cool. I wonder if that is available when ordering normally or if it's just a one-off for this test. That ball marker is also super cool.

I look forward to hearing how they work, especially with that sharper leading edge.

I believe they do offer custom engraving, but as far as I know, it was just a special perk set up by Jamie for this test. It's such a classy touch.

And spoiler alert: the leading edge CAN dig, but only when I put a bad swing on it - they're a GREAT set of wedges, and someone's going to be very, very happy testing these out.

GaDawg · January 8

I can't get over how beautiful Kirk's swing is - I think I've found my new swing crush. That tempo got me like

Posted January 7 · January 7

5 minutes ago, Javs said:

Outstanding pictures!

Thanks, man! Hard to take a bad one out there

GolfSpy_APH · January 7

21 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Looks great. But white scares me!

Don't be scared. It can work for you, too.

Posted January 7 · January 7

Date	01/04/2024
Course Name	Celebrity Course - Indian Wells Golf Resort
Gross Score	84
Course Handicap	10
Gross Strokes over/under par	12
Net Score to Par	2
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	291
SIM Round?

Oh man, what an absolute gem of a course this was. This was the third course in three days that we played, and by far the most complete and stunning. Every hole felt like an oasis of its own - I've truly never played a more beautiful course (which is saying something, because the day before we played Escena which was INSANELY beautiful).

I managed an 84, but that includes two doubles and a triple - all three of which were because I tried to do something dumb, lol.

Over the three days, managed to putt pretty well (especially Day 1), and chipped incredibly well - to the point where one of my buddies just outright complained that I'd gotten "too good" at chipping, lol. I mean, I disagree, but it was just a great few days of golf.

The biggest surprise of the whole trip was just how well I drove the ball, especially considering some of the tight fairways we played on. I just kind of found a groove and managed to keep it going for most of the trip.

I'll be putting together a little "highlight" reel of our trip, so be on the lookout for that. In the meantime, I'm attaching some shots from all three courses just so you can see some of the beauty we were witnessing.

I cannot recommend highly enough a trip to Palm Springs for any of you, but especially this time of year when everything is just absolutely pristine.

Also, back to Celebrity for a second: I've never been treated better at any course. They're operated by Troon, and it genuinely felt like we walked into a private club where we were the founding members. Trackman at the range, unbelievable pro shop, and everywhere we went, every. single. person seemed to be only interested in making us feel like kings.

(Eagle Falls, day 1 of trip)

(Escena, Day 2 of trip)

(Celebrity Course at IWGR, Day 3)

EasyPutter · January 7

Unboxing video and first impressions up!

Sneak peak at the video, in case you don't want to go ALL the way back (ahem, one page) to the beginning to find it

Full first impressions and stuff located here:

Rob Person · January 7

On 1/6/2024 at 8:26 AM, MN.LeftyGolfer said:

Minnesota golf is great, but weather can play a major factor in determining how long our season will be. So far this year, we've had an uncharacteristically warm winter with highs in the lower 40s during the day and lows below freezing at night. So what does every reasonable Minnesotan do if there's no snow in December? They make a tee time.

We were playing just before Christmas on a warm 42 degree day. The sun was shining, while the ponds had just enough ice to create a frozen glaze. There was not yet enough layers of ice for pond hockey, but there was just enough for the idiots to feel confident enough to walk on...

We were on hole 10 and and my buddy fleeced a long drive right into what would have normally been wet. Instead, the ball could be seen on an ice sheet peppered with lost golf balls that anyone with common sense had left there for fear of falling through. Well that day, I was playing with one of those idiots who decided to go out on the ice... He finagled his way to his ball and ultimately took his second shot on the par four. To everyone's surprise... my buddy holes out from about 80 yards on the ice for Eagle. We were stunned and it was easily the best golf shot I had ever seen in person. A summer 6 turns into a winter 2 on the scoresheet because my buddy had the cahoones to go after his ball!

Afterwards, we were lamenting that none of us caught that moment on camera while heading to the next tee box. The guys on the next tee over overheard our gripes mixed in with our celebrations and yelled over, "We caught that on video! We were hoping you would fall through!" He survived hole 10 from the thin ice for what easily became his best moment as a golfer. He went on to beat us all that day in stroke play, but we all got the last laugh as he tempted fate again on hole 18 and ultimately wasn't so lucky; he fell through up to his knees and had to drive home with wet pants.

All in all, it was a fun day. But I still wouldn't advise going out on thin ice to find your ball, even if that means you have the potential for an eagle....

This is classic! Post the vid if you get a chance - I'd love to see that shot!

Preeway · January 7

Spent three days in Palm Springs last week, and it's just a nice reminder of JUST. HOW. GOOD. this DF is. I lipped out 4 birdie putts on the last day there, and on the first day made several from outside 10', to the consternation of my buddies. The only real blip was the 2nd day, where I just couldn't seem to get the pace right - I think I still only had 1 three putt, but it didn't feel like a great day putting. I will say that the work I've put in this past year on bettering my chipping/pitching has REALLY paid off, as my confidence with the putter means I feel super confident that anywhere within an 8-foot circle gives me a legit chance of getting up and down.

Here's to getting those mid-irons a lot closer for '24

berkeleybob · January 5

Hey Kids! We're back for another episode of GolfSpy SAM Opens Stuff and Makes A Goof Of Himself!

(Mud on jacket from trying to "hero" a ball that was sitting on top of some plant growth in a pond. It didn't work )

For those who don't know me, I'm Matt, and I'm a Golfaholic (hello, Matt). I'm 45, I've got an incredible (and incredibly patient) family, and I try to get out once a week for either a full round or a legit practice session, sometimes both. It helps, living in SoCal, where a "cold" day is still usually in the mid-50s. I know, I know, it's incredible that I'm so tough as to be able to golf in such horrid conditions. I accept your pity.

I've got a set of Indi wedges in the bag (48/52/56/60) currently, and genuinely love them, but the opportunity to test out some fresh new wedges will never be turned down by someone like myself (see above "holic" comment)

The last year or so I've been putting a lot of stress on improving my short-game - specifically the goal of when missing the green with an approach, being able to get up and down as often as possible. My putting is definitely a highlight of my game, so giving myself opportunities inside of 10 feet has been a huge help to lowering my handicap (currently an 8.6). I thought trying a different wedge set-up might be a good challenge, especially as I mostly use the 48/56 in my current set, with the 60 getting pretty infrequent usage.

Take a look at a little video of the unboxing I put together:

FIRST IMPRESSIONS (19 / 20):

First Impressions are VERY solid: craftsmanship is top-notch, I'm a little bit in love with the grip - midsize, EXTREMELY tacky and comfortable. I don't think I can go any further without mentioning the KILLER laser inscription of the MGS logo. It just looks SO cool! Below are some pics taken immediately after receiving them. Love the red, white and blue ferrules, and the added hat was a super nice touch.

I typically deliver my wedges with a pretty steep attack angle, so I'm curious how these will work for me, especially now in the winter months, as this is definitely the 'softest' that the fairways get out in this part of the country - we do tend to get some rain this time of year, and often times it can come in absolute buckets, so I'll be curious to see how they perform, especially in comparison to something like the Indi wedges which have a considerably larger footprint. I'll do some comparison photos in upcoming posts.

The only reason these aren't a 20 out of 20, for me, is that leading edge looks a TAD sharp for my delivery - but time will tell if that's any issue at all!

AESTHETICS (20 out of 20):

Really can't say enough about the look of these things - the milling concentric milling lines on the back add an incredible bag-appeal, the ferrules are gorgeous in-hand, and the MGS logo just absolutely knocks this thing out of the park. I had several people comment over my recent Palm Springs trip about just how great-looking these things are.

Sound and feel so far are EXCELLENT - there's no doubt these are forged - a satisfying thunk on perfectly hit shots, with a slight 'tick' sound if out of the toe (my typical miss with a wedge). Spin so far has been fantastic - not surprising, really, given new wedges, but still nice to see

Argolf claims the looks are inspired by the F-18 (hence the name) fighter plane, and I can't disagree - the look is athletic and aggressive and refined. I'm a big fan.

Final review: March 19, 2024

This was a pretty delightful experience, and one that I haven't quite had the chance to write about before: what would happen if you were THOROUGHLY happy with something in your bag, and then got to test a rival product?

When I tested the L.A.B. DF 2.1, I was lost at sea with my putter(s). I genuinely disliked putting, and had no real anchor to come back to and say "well, I know I do THIS well," and so reviewing that was like experiencing love for the first time. "Ohhhhh...so THIS is what it's like!"

But with these, the deck was stacked against them. I have a full compliment of Indi wedges: 48, 52, 56 and 60. To say that they have won their spot in my bag is an understatement: the TROUNCED my previous wedges (granted, K-Sig, but still), and I have grown to genuinely love everything about them and the way they perform. So Argolf giving me the chance to play with the 52/58 was a welcome breath of fresh air. How would these inherently different (and differently designed) wedges perform for me?

Build and Components (9 out of 10)

As touched on above, the build of these things is incredible. They're genuinely pretty clubs - and the MGS logo obviously adds a bit of polish that sends them to the next level. The grips I've grown to REALLY like - so much that I'm considering re-gripping my Indis with similar style grips.

(Apologies for the orientation, but it's late and my computer is absolutely not allowing me to upload it right-side up, which it is IS on my computer, lol. I'm an old man - grr!)

They're midsize, and seem to have slightly less taper than standard grips. They're soft, yet firm (if that makes ANY sense) and they're incredibly comfortable. Total homerun, in my book.

The red/white/blue ferrules are another one of those small touches that go a really long way. They're simple, beautiful, and let you know where these were designed (France - even if they do have the same colorways as the good old U.S. of A ).

They're shafted with KBS Tour 105 Stiffs (just slightly heavier than my KBS Tour Lite (100g) shafts in my irons, so a really nice fit), which really allowed me to feel the weight of the heads, but also to feel the club load on full shots. Big fan of the shaft, which is a nice surprise because I play the DG 120's in my Indi's, so I was slightly worried they'd feel too light - no such issue. One thing of note, though: the 52-degree wedge was 1/2" shorter than my gamer - not sure if that's just the default length, or perhaps my Indi's a touch long (to better match my irons at 1/4" long) - either way, it was a small but noticeable difference.

Another fun thing I found really liking was the micro-milling on the face between the grooves - and also on the toe. I found they reminded me of fingerprints - as if these wedges were one of a kind, which was pretty rad. Although I did not play in any VERY wet conditions, I was able to get them out early AM and found that there was significantly less spin drop-off than I've experienced with non-micro-milled wedges.

Feel and Sound (9 out of 10)

If you've hit a quality wedge (and I'm talking Vokey or MG3/4, etc.), and you've hit it well, you'll know the feeling of FEELING the ball spin on good contact. That's what these felt like - and in fact, they spun slightly more than my Indi's (minimally, mind you, but still noticeably), which took a little getting used to. I'm used to a slight check and then release, and these tended to just check and ... stay checked Had I decided these were 100% my jam, that would have been an easy thing to adjust to, but it was still pretty amazing to see, especially on those 30-40 yard shots.

I can't say I noticed any particularly noteworthy sound, per se - perhaps SLIGHTLY clickier on well-struck shots, but I put that down more to the amount of mass that's behind the Indi's compared to these. I will also wholeheartedly admit I'm not a sound connoisseur, so please forgive me for not being able to describe it in fuller detail.

Performance (18 out of 20)

I played with these over 8 rounds, three of which were in Palm Springs on a boys' trip, the other five scattered over late-December through early March. Sometimes I would ONLY put the 52/58 in the bag, and take out all but my 48-degree Indi, and I found that while I did miss my favorite wedge (the Indi 56), the Argolf 58 did an admirable job of being flexible enough around the green to cover duty for both the 56 and 60 that I normally game. To be fair, I don't typically hit the 60 more than a few times a round - my 56 really is the heavy-hitter in my bag, and it's the club I've grown to find the most versatile for my game.

As you can see below, the differences in the actual shape/size of the Argolf vs. the Indi is pretty stark. While I LOVE the full-faced grooves of the Indi, and I find the sole (especially of the 56) to be easy to manipulate (open or closed, as necessary), I was pretty shocked at just how. much. bigger the Indi's are compared to the Argolf.

.

(Argolf on the left, Indi right) (Indi on the left, Argolf right)

(Indi on the left, Argolf on the right)

As you can see, the Indi dwarfs the Argolf in nearly every measurement. Despite being significantly smaller, I never felt like it was "svelte" or "too small." In fact, behind the ball, it's super inviting.

.

Opening the face never felt like it was going to dig excessively, though I will say that's really my only "gripe" (if you can call it that), is that I did find these had the propensity to dig slightly for me. Now, I need to make it very clear here that I have what my Indi fitter considered a "very" steep angle of attack with my wedges - sometimes as much as 7-8 degrees downward, so ANY club that isn't designed not to dig is going to present as a bit of a challenge. So with that caveat out of the way, digging a few times over 5 rounds is really not anything to be overly concerned with.

So how did they perform? On-course, I found almost zero detriment to my short-game, provided that I played the correct amount of release. If I forgot how much these tended to check, then I ended up leaving myself longer putts than necessary.

On our first day in Palm Springs, I had a 40 hard shot land, check, slam into the stick and stop 2 inches from the cup for a tap-in par. I had a 15 yard chip lip out - that one hurt, as I desperately needed that one to win the hole, lol, but I was still able to push with another tap-in par.

On the third day there, and as my confidence grew, I was able to use the 58 incredibly successfully from several tough spots - deep bunkers, tricky rough with a bunker between me and the pin, a few 80-90 yard full shots - all executed as well as I can hit a shot. I never once felt like these clubs were getting in the way, and definitely toyed with the idea of a simplified wedge set-up.

Keep it or Trade It? (18 out of 20)

Well, if you've read this far, you'll probably have gleaned from the review that I'm not keeping them in the bag, despite them performing incredibly well. But that's more a testament to how much I love the Indi set-up I have than anything else. I have, for a while now, played around with the idea of going something along the lines of 48-53-58 in my wedges, and drop the 60 entirely. This was a really fun way to test that idea, and it was nearly successful enough for me to make the switch.

But when it came down to it, standing over the Indi's versus standing over the Argolf, I ALWAYS chose the Indi's. Could be the full-face grooves, or the larger, more inviting footprint; it could just be that I've gotten very comfortable with them and really trust how they're going to perform.

Regardless, I think the Argolf F-18s are a KILLER wedge - just not for me at this moment in my game.

Final Verdict

Scoring out of 100 I would give these wedges a 94. I mean...even just writing this up, I'm giddy at the idea of someone else getting to give these things a go - they're legit great, and I can imagine that if these fit your game, you're going to LOVE them. I certainly loved the opportunity to put something different to a test, and REALLY dug the "competition" aspect of putting them up against my beloved gamers. If anything, it made me appreciate my Indi's that much more, which is saying something.

So let us know in the comments: do you want to test these yourself? While you won't get the ballmarker with my name on it, you WILL get everything else (I didn't even wear the hat other than when the box first came ) that was shipped with the wedges - so what do you have to lose?

As always, a HUGE thank you to the Forum for providing this opportunity, and to Argolf for creating something truly unique - I'm super excited to see these in the hands of another one of our awesome members!

cnosil · December 31, 2023

54 minutes ago, cnosil said:

Tiger refused a reported $900 million offer.

Here is an article about the players that were relagated: https://golf.com/news/liv-golf-qualifying-tournament-promotion-relegation-curiosities/

Good article - except for the fact that the author is convinced no A-list player will join LIV. Lol. I mean...I guess Rahm could be considered an A+ list player, so maybe he's still correct?

With all the talk that Cantlay has been "taking control" over negotiations within the Player Committee, I'd be surprised if he left to join LIV, but...at this point, who knows? At least we get 4 more months of uncertainty while we wait to see what happens with the merger /s/ ( "/s/" = "sarcasm was used heavily in the previous sentence.)

Preeway · December 30, 2023

On 12/28/2023 at 5:49 PM, rkj427 said:

Great call today, although I had to jump off earlier than I expected too.

Reason being son, daughter-in-law, and grandson came over for dinner and I actually was making a Prime Rib Roast while the call was on-going.

One question I wanted to ask Matt, @GolfSpy SAM on the call was: "Was it unseasonably cold out there in California?"

I noticed he was wearing a jacket indoors, and I was too today, but here is was mid 40's at best, and very damp due to the rainy weather we are currently having.

Just tossing a little wise-crack his way.

First of all, let's be very, very clear: I'm a p*ssy and if it's anything under 70, I'm cold.

Secondly, it was an Unrl hoodie my wife got me for Christmas that is the most comfortable thing I own, so I'm NEVER TAKING IT OFF.

Third, my house is always cold - it gets down into the 40s at night, but unless it's 90 out, the house stays cold - so I'm always wearing something warm. Be grateful I wasn't in my Babushka outfit - @Getoffmylawn can tell you all about it.

Fourth, and most importantly, wise-cracks are always welcome.

Love these Thursday calls! I can't wait to show you all my new and improved golf ball dispenser that looks NOTHING like a toilet. I have three prototypes made, ready for testing.

Syks7 · December 28, 2023

YESSSS. So glad the cat is officially out of the bag! I'm lucky enough to have spoken to Sam about the 3.0 and his giddiness (in the interview) about the ball scoop is exactly the same as it was when I queried him on it, too - it's infectious to hear someone that excited about something that (as he also says) ultimately doesn't matter THAT much, lol.

Like @Syks7, I'm trying to figure out if there's ANY way it's in the budget to make this a must-get - then again, it's not BETTER than the 2.1, so maybe I'll just stay happy with the "greatest putter on the planet," and let sleeping dogs lie.

But I really, REALLY want that new 3.0, lol.

KOG · December 28, 2023

21 minutes ago, azstu324 said:

Yeah I agree. Distance is too subjective of a category to place weighting on. I would probably replace distance with "consistency" and then these would have scored 5/5.. but that's just me

They're also considerably less-jacked than MOST other SGI irons, as well as the fact that he even with all the wind, he said "I'm getting all the distance I would expect", so ... unclear what he was expecting, lol.

All that being said, the biggest surprise for me was the 'hard' feel he was experiencing. I have ZERO experience with those irons, mind you, but having played TM Sim Max irons in the past, there's nothing 'soft'-feeling out of the toe/heel of those, either. Definitely not denigrating his review there, just not sure what SGI iron feels "good" on low/off-center strikes, lol.

Let's get him a set of TS3/4s and watch his brain break.

Shrek74 · December 27, 2023

1 hour ago, azstu324 said:

Drumroll...

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Heading there now! Big fan of what he's doing on his channel - especially all the K-Sig content he's managed to pump out. Nice work, man!

EDIT: Watched - awesome vid! Nice work

Josh Parker · December 21, 2023

4 hours ago, GolfSpy_BEN said:

Good morning all,

The first morning without a coffee maker (I’m picking up its replacement today) required me to stop and grab a cup from the gas station next to Noah’s pre-school. Took the first sip and … just awful. Thank the sweet little baby Jesus this is only temporary.

Have a grand Thursday

In the spirit of this post, I present you with this gift.

Rob Person · December 21, 2023

Morning all! Last day of work before a few days off full of family silliness and merriment (cookies for santa, gingerbread house, perhaps some boozy nog, if I'm lucky, etc.), and then I only have two days of work next week, and then I'm off again until the 2nd week of Jan (taking a "well deserved" boys trip to Palm Springs Jan 2-4), so this feels like the start of a REALLY long break, which is pretty abnormal for my schedule.

Hoping everyone's keeping warm, safe, happy and dreaming of all the good golf that's about to happen in 2024.

In case I miss you over the Holidays, have a great one, and we'll see you back here for 2024!

Rob Person · December 21, 2023

5 minutes ago, Shankster said:

Feels like I’ve been gone for years. Jon Rahm to LIV, at least 9 different Callaway drivers, pretty sure I missed a drop of the left dot Pro V1’s, Tiger has returned, Rickie Fowler still has not won… it’s only been 18 months since I have been keeping up. I am sure I missed many things that happened in the golf world.

Either way, I am enjoying a nice morning cup of coffee, and a donut.

To assist in your catching up

aguybadatgolf · December 21, 2023

43 minutes ago, Dead Solid Bogey said:

Consider moving to Texas… There is a growing movement down here to make murdering your husband illegal….. Not that legalities would stop a certain somebody that I know.

So Texas is the only state currently where it's LEGAL to murder your husband? Excuse me if I 'forget' to mention this fact to my wife

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