GolfSpy SAM
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Posts posted by GolfSpy SAM
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INTRODUCTION
Check out THIS post for my intro!
UNBOXING
Okay, ladies and gentlemen: the boxes have arrived. I'll give a little commentary, but mostly I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, and be sure to take 3 minutes to watch the little video there at the end - should be good for at least one laugh
So, I got notice that instead of arriving next Monday, somehow my clubs were on the truck headed to my house for delivery TODAY. Like a dog waiting for its owner to appear, I stared at every car that drove by, waiting for the FedEx truck to arrive. And when it did, I ran downstairs to greet the driver at the door. My heart sank almost immediately, as he was carrying two VERY beat-up-looking boxes. There's NO. WAY. these were going to arrive broken, right? The driver apologized, scanned them and entered them as "crushed", just in case anything went wrong when I opened.
Thankfully, upon opening, everything was in perfect shape - the small styrofoam blocks did their job and fully protected the heads, and the shafts show zero sign of wear and/or tear. Phew!
As a special surprise, Caley threw in the X01 driving iron - I had mentioned that I currently play the Cobra Forged Tec driving iron, and I guess that was enough for them to confidently throw it in an extra box my way. It's stunning to look at, and with the Recoil Dart shaft (my Cobra has the KBS $ Tour shaft which is not my favorite), I'm very excited to give this thing a go.
I couldn't stop taking pictures of the irons - I'm really in awe of how beautiful and simple the design is. Following are some more "glamour" shots.
I'm not sure I've ever had as much fun with an unboxing as I did with these - each one just made me feel giddy to get them on the course. The clubs are considerably smaller than my 2020 TaylorMade Sim Max irons (comparison with the 6-irons and the PW's below), especially in the longer irons. That being said, the top-lines are surprisingly substantial - and that's not a knock on them AT ALL. I shudder a little when I see something ... butter knife-y, so these things instill exactly the right amount of confidence. They're thinner than the Sim's, but not so much so that I'm confused about where my handicap sits
That about does it - I seriously can't wait to get these out to a range, and on the course. I'm not going to waste any time getting these into play - I sadly don't get to play until next week, but I'll be hitting the range this weekend for a run-through, and will report back in in the main thread when I do.
Thanks for looking!
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Absolutely stoked to lose. Badly. Just on the off-chance my luck improves, here are my picks:
What the Cut Number Will Be: +1
What the Highest Round of the Week Will Be: 86 (amateurs (or Sandy Lyle?): do your worst).
I want that TSR3 driver to just silence that niggling thought in my brain.
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11 hours ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:
Yeah, it's definitely the transition to the downswing, which I know is not uncommon. I don't have a long back swing at all, on most iron shots think, 10:00 to 10:30 a clock. At times, I will intentionally shorten it up to maybe 9:00 or 9:15'ish and find that I make such solid contact, I don't' really lose any distance at all and get a much crisper sound and stronger ball flight. That works so well, I of course go back to 11:0 or so and think I can hit it even farther. OH DOH
Yeah, I'm on Season 3 now, but have been warned by a reliable source, they kind of go off the rails during this season and is not as much fun to listen to. On Episode 2 now and I think I can see it coming
I wish I had some advice that would be guaranteed to work. If you havent already, read the entire thread, there is A LOT of great info and suggestions from several people.
Oh and think I feel being i the same slack chat with @GolfSpy TCB @GolfSpy BOS @GolfSpy SAM @GolfSpy_BNG @GolfSpy_APH and hearing about their rounds in the 70's. I'm just here to help the BellCurve
Oh my god. I've never felt better about myself.
For the record, my all-time low is 81. I am FOR SURE trying to break 80, and the minute it happens, I will be deleting this post and just editing it to say "Gey, buddy, you'll get there."
- Golfspy_CG2, cksurfdude and BobBC78
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1 hour ago, KC Golf said:
The Mezz 1 Max looks pretty awesome. I wish it was a little cheaper and I would buy it right away. Unfortunately, I don’t know any one who has one, so I can’t try it out.
I think I may have to buy one for 2024…
Definitely get fitted (free) and then keep an eye out on their outlet. Some pretty amazing deals, and they're VERY minorly "non-spec"
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Duration: 00:59:03
Bob Vokey's favorite wedge ever produced, a wild weekend at Pebble
Beach and the PIF & PGA saga continues
Chris and Tony are
back to catch you up before heading out to Scottsdale for our Official
Golf Ball Test. Hot takes included.
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58 minutes ago, jbern said:
That orange color looks very nice and the matching head over is a nice touch too! How do you like the color? It looks like the shaft angles out of the grip slightly. Is that an optical illusion or were you fit for that?
That's part of the selling point of the DF and the Mezz line - they have a built-in forward-press. The shaft comes out of the head at a slight angle forward, and the grip (their proprietary "Press Grip") allows the shaft to come in at an angle all the way through the tip of the grip, allowing the grip (and therefore your hands) to be straight up and down, while the shaft leans - as someone who had never "pressed" the club before putting, I find this to be an incredible feature, as all I have to do is set the putter behind the ball and the shaft is automatically "pressed", enhancing the roll of the ball.
If you're around today for the community call, Sam Hahn (L.A.B. CEO) will be joining us to answer any/all questions!
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1 hour ago, TSauer said:
The wife and I went up this evening and played 9 holes, and for whatever reason my putting just felt off. Here’s what the evening looked like:
- 26’ - 2 putt - missed short
- 18’ - 2 putt - missed right/long
- 3’ - 1 putt
- 6’ - 1 putt
- 8’ - 1 putt
- 23’ - 2 putt - missed short
- 12’ - 2 putt - missed left
- 18’ - 2 putt - missed short
- Gimme chip
None of my two putts even had a chance on the first putt, it was not a good night on the dance floor.
...and yet 14 putts on 9 holes
I totally get your frustration, especially on leaving them short, but... Not one of your 2-putts was a length that would be expected to be a make. I have to remind myself of this sometimes, especially when I make everything inside 10' all day.
Just... In case that helps
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16 hours ago, phitaumatthew said:
@GolfSpy SAM I'm down. So want to say 8/11 in the morning around 10? And I can arrange everything. I'll try for Hanson, Wilson, Harding and Alhambra?
Perfect. See if you can book 3 or 4, maybe we can get some people to join - and if not, we should be able to cancel them before-hand. That work?
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5 minutes ago, Syks7 said:
I'd love to play, but I'm out of town from August 5th through 23rd
You're DEAD to me!
I'm guessing we could play more than once, so let's try to get something on the books for 8/11, and then John can join us then next time, maybe? We should also try to get a round over at Rustic at some point - just an absolute joy to play out there.
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@Syks7, what say you?
I'm for sure down! Fridays work great for me, as long as it's in the 9:30 (or after) zone, as I have kid-drop-off duty in the morning at about 8am, up in Santa Clarita. I'm down for pretty much anything that we can get a time at - Knollwood's a good one, Hansen Dam is great, Balboa/Encino/Woodley all work, too, as well as the Wilson/Harding/Alhambra (Alhambra's a shockingly good time - short course).
Let's figure it out!
I'm out of town the first Friday in August, but other than that, let me know what everyone's availability is.
Also, not sure who else is in the LA area, but I've got a few buddies who aren't (yet) on the forum, so could always grab one of them to join, too.
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2 hours ago, McGolf said:
COll grip however, the stock grips are designed to put a tilt into the putter. Did you find it better or worse than the original. + for style points
The Link doesn't really have the same forward-leaning shaft (pre-built shaft lean) that the Mezz/DF have, so this isn't much of an issue, if any at all. The putter doesn't come with a Press Grip option, in fact - thought I could be wrong about that.
From the website:
"GRIP OPTIONSLINK.1 is available with a wide variety of grip options, including our new Simple Rubber and Simple Cord putter grips. Our new Grip Master Black Leather Grip Midsize grip is also available, as well as the Garsen Quad."
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16 hours ago, Donn lost in San Diego said:
I want to celebrate the life of the late Vice Admiral Edward S. Briggs, 1926 - 2022. A few years ago, on the range at Oaks North, in Rancho Bernardo (San Diego), I met him. About 91 yrs old, cloth green and white plaid oval bag, circa 1950s. Retired U.S. Navy Admiral. After every shot, he would stare it down, look with the intensity of Nicklaus, make a face, plan an adjustment, and slowly get ready for the next. I asked who he was, was told Admiral Briggs, he enlisted in the Navy in 1944 shortly before turning 18. My father, also born in 1926, had done the same, served in the Pacific theater toward the end of WW2. (If you were born in 1926, you turn 18 in 1944, and you go to war.) So I introduced myself and said it was a rare coincidence, he and my father both getting the parental waiver to enlist just before turning 18, preferring to go into the Navy instead of being drafted into the Army. I watched him hit balls straighter than I did, not quite as far, but for 91, he looked like 61. Saw him there a few more times, learned he was well known for involvement with junior golf. I was curious, after the virus, if he could possibly still be alive. I found his Obit, he died Nov. 2022, age 96. It turns out, he was Minnesota state high school champ at age 17 in 1944. He enlisted Oct. 1944. The Navy sent him to Annapolis before the war even ended. A year later, he was the Maryland Intercollegiate champ. He stayed in the Navy, rose to Vice Admiral, retired in the 1980s. For all I know, my father and my oldest brother might have served with him or under his command. I salute his life. I don't know if he was still golfing til the end, but his example is my motivation to play and enjoy and appreciate life to the end.
Amazing - thank you so much for sharing! I wonder if my dad served under him (in some capacity) - he served on a destroyer between Korea and Vietnam, so missed most of the trouble, but the timeline works out - he was born '39 and if V.A. Briggs was already rising through the ranks, it's entirely possible. I'll have to ask him - thanks again for the story!
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Date 07/07/2023 Course Name Vista Valencia Golf Course Gross Score 69 Course Handicap 10 Gross Strokes over/under par 8 Net Score to Par -2 Net Score 59 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 266 Oh man - I'm really close. Goal was to break 80 this year - today's 8-over round means (if it were at a par-72 course), I'd be at 80 on the number. So that's good. Going bogey-bogey-bogey on the last 3 holes hurts my pride a little
Highlights: hit a 60° from 35 yards that checked hard and lipped out - tapped in for par. Had a zero-putt par (tee shot over green, chip back from downhill lie ran to the fringe, putted in from 12' for par, lol). Had a natural birdie on a par-3 that landed about 25' past the hole and then spun back to 4'.
Still too many (3, by my count) duffed shots inside 80 yards - just absolute momentum killers. Good news is in two of those instances I hit a great recovery and made the par putt.
27 putts - including 8 1-putts. My short game has improved a lot (I think that's why the duffs hurt so much), and I'm giving myself a lot of close looks.
Perfect weather, and I got paired up with a couple of ex-cops with some incredible stories, so all in all, a great day.
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On 7/3/2023 at 10:04 AM, IndyBonzo said:
@GolfSpy SAM I have a TS3 7 iron in a KBS Tour 120S shaft if you would like to try it. I bought a tester in the PX LZ shaft I am going to keep in the bag, so I have the extra 7I after committing to the set of TS3s from eBay. Just let me know by DM and I can ship it to you.
That's so thoughtful, but I think I'm okay for right now - the 120s would be way more shaft than I need, and I'm not yet sure on what's shaking out for my next set - could be that I just fully commit to these, in which case I'd get them spec'd with either the Nippon 105s or the KBS Tour Lite's. A lot of it rests on upcoming bonus discussions at work, and/or selling some extraneous stuff to see where I sit money-wise.
But thank you, again, for thinking of me, and if anything changes on my end, I'll for sure hit you up!
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Date 07/01/2023 Course Name Woodley Lakes Gross Score 83 Course Handicap 11 Gross Strokes over/under par 11 Net Score to Par 0 Net Score 72 Net Birdies or better 6 Longest Drive 296 Closest I've played to breaking 80, and if you take away the NINE(!!) on the 10th, and give me a bogey (which is how I played the hole after hitting two into the garbage), I actually shoot 79, which... Is heartbreaking, lol.
That being said, it was one of those days where everything comes together. Couple of bomb drives (well, for ME) (294 and 296), some really solid iron play, a 20+ foot putt for birdie, 28 total putts, and a HILARIOUS 237-yard 5-iron (thanks to a tremendous roll-out).
Plus, I finally got to meet up with @Syks7 and get a look at his Link.1. Unfortunately, we didn't play together, as the timing didn't match up exactly, but we did get to grab a drink afterwards, which made it that much better.
Awesome day, all things considered!
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10 minutes ago, GolfSpy TCB said:
Date 06/29/2023 Course Name w Gross Score 0 Course Handicap 0 Gross Strokes over/under par 0 Net Score to Par 0 Net Score 0 Net Birdies or better 0 Longest Drive 0 This feels like you didn't have much of a round...;)
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49 minutes ago, Cam73 said:
I'm a beginner who powerlifts, but I'm sure there are other beginners coming from sports like baseball that could use advice as well. Virtually all beginner irons are hollow body distance-focused clubs. They're marketed as the most forgiving etc. For people like me who don't need distance, but still need forgiveness on mis-hits, where should I be looking? With my swing speed if I draw the ball too much or get a flyer lie, I could go 30-40y long with those distance irons. I've also been told "just swing slower" before but usually those people can't comprehend how difficult it would be to dial 15-20mph off club speed. My current solution has been to use a set of these distance irons 4-pw and then just pretend it's a 3-9iron set and stick an extra wedge in as my "pw" For reference, my 80% "fairway finder" driver swing sits between 115-120mph and I've gotten up to 128-130 mph when trying to swing fast. Thanks
I'd recommend taking a look at Maltby clubs (they sell them through www.golfworks.com), in particular the TS-3 line. They're a forged cavity-back body that isn't super jacked in loft (32* 7-iron), but they're incredibly forgiving and beautiful to look at. They go 4-GW (Gap Wedge being 48), with 4* increments. If you go through the Custom Shop section of the website, you can build them with whatever shafts work well for you (presumably x-stiff 120? Just a guess), and a full set will run you right around $800. There are ways to save money, for sure - you could order the heads only and build them yourself, if you're into that, and have access to the shafts you prefer - the heads themselves are only $55 each.
They are shockingly forgiving, but very, very player friendly - they're considered a "Super Game Improvement" iron (so, comparable to the TaylorMade Stealth, or Cobra Aeroject) without the crazy lofts.
While you're at the site, take a look at their "playability factor" charts, where you can see all the top head models ranked on their Playability Factor (effectively, how easy they are to hit). (https://www.golfworks.com/head-mpf-ratings/)
Good luck, and let us know what you end up in!
Also, welcome to the forum! Glad you've joined us!
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8 minutes ago, Syks7 said:
Solid list from @GolfSpy SAM the only thing aill correct is that Rustic is Gil Hanse, Geoff Shackleford, and Jim Wagner -- same guys responsible for LACC remodel, Southern Hills remodel and a host of others. They all take a big page out of George C Thomas and William Bells book. If you're going to play one. Rustic is my rec.
RIGHT! I knew something was off there - he did the redesign at Soule Park, too (I knew they were by the same guy, just thought it was Bell (as are most courses out here, lol).
There you go! If you play one, play Rustic
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Hah! Ooooooh you're in troubbbbbble!!!!
I live in Santa Clarita - about 45 minutes north of LA, and before that was down in LA proper, so I have a bit of info for you
Alright, so, this is obviously going to be a subjective list, and I'm sure @Syks7 can add to it, as well as anyone else in the LA area (there's a few of us around here).
My favorite course is Rustic Canyon, which is in Moorpark (northwest of the City) - it's a genuinely beautiful, fun course - links style. William Bell design. $59 weekday, $84 weekend (that's if you can find a time within two weeks. If you want to book 2-4 weeks out, they charge an additional $20 to reserve the time in advance). Really can't recommend this one enough - absolute gem.
I have a LOT of people who've recommended Oak Quarry - it's down in Riverside (about 45-60 min south), but it is (by all accounts) worth the drive - weekday rounds are $100-ish, weekends 150-ish..
Rancho Park is kind of a must-play - it's in the City, hosted the LA Open for years (Arnie won there) - downside is it's VERY busy, but it's public, so a tee time can often be had. Worst case, I used to just roll up on a day off and hang out until I was paired with someone who'd lost a partner. It's usually kept in pretty good condition, and was, at least at one point when I was playing there regularly, often said to be "the busiest golf course in the States" based on # of rounds played per year.
Soule Park is in Ojai, and I honestly can't recommend this one enough - if you have the time for a BEAUTIFUL drive, as well as a little time to hang out in the town (it's really delightful), Soule Park is a REALLY fun course, with stunning views, and very reasonably priced ($39/$49 to walk (weekday/weekend)). This is another William Bell design.
Angeles National is by all accounts (I haven't gotten out there yet) stunning. Nicklaus Design Group did this one - it's about 20 miles north of LA. Along with Oak Quarry, priciest of this group ($100 weekdays, $150-ish weekends)
Lastly, I'll recommend Sand Canyon Country Club, which is up by me - almost never busy, incredibly beautiful course made up of 3 9-hole layouts, and often if you play whatever two they route you to, you can usually play the third one because it's almost never backed up and they're pretty laissez-faire about it. Weekdays it's $70 and includes the cart (and you'll want it - some VERY steep inclines up to some elevated tee boxes), and weekends are $90.
I'm not sure if anyone here is a member anywhere (I'm sure there are at least a few, but I'm trying to suss them out myself so I can get some rounds in somewhere "fancy"
), but if so, they'll probably be members at a place like Lakeside (right next to Universal City), Wilshire Country Club, or maybe Hillcrest (right next to Rancho Park, which always makes me laugh - one's available to play, one's available to drool over while you play the "poor man's" one ).
Let me know when you're in town, and maybe we can meet up, especially if you decide to do Rustic or Sand Canyons. (I'm 20 min from SC, and about 45 from RC).
Good luck!
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Duration: 00:58:17
L.A.C.C.'s embarrassing ticket turnout, the leaderboard of the year, and possibly Titleist's best irons yet. This week's episode is jam-packed with some catch-up from a week off in California. Looking for something particular in today's show?
00:00 NPG 148
05:52
U.S. Open Recap
11:54 Mailbag
12:27
Titleist T-Series Teaser
14:31
Loft Jacking
19:21
Stitch Golf Polos
22:10
Tech Talk
31:14 🎙 Is Azinger Really that bad?
36:56
The Aftershow -
On 6/20/2023 at 3:59 AM, KevB_44 said:
I went ZX5 PW-8, ZX5 7-5. I then added a 50* Cleveland Zipcore to serve as my gap wedge.
Isn't that just a whole set of ZX5's? Lol - I'm guessing 5's from 8-PW, and 4's from 5-7?
The Mark II's are just phenomenal clubs - got to hit the 5's at a fitting and it was just...special.
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On 6/20/2023 at 10:04 AM, Invader Zim 315 said:
Should be tossing up my weekend summary this evening.
TL;DR - I like this driver.
I love the use of "TLDR" after the one sentence update. Lol - genuinely made me laugh.
- IndyBonzo, cksurfdude, GolfSpy_BEN and 2 others
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30 minutes ago, phitaumatthew said:
Thanks for all this, Sam! Really appreciate the insight and feedback.
If I ever end up joining, you're certainly coming out for a round. And I tend to play most Fridays too, but give me a minute to get my handicap down as I'm just now getting back in after many years away so I don't want to embarrass myself!
Hah! All are welcome - I'm a proud 12-ish, but was 20+ 18 months ago and had some breakthroughs, so I'm very aware of the struggle
of course, now I want single digits. And then to break par. And then to be on the senior tour, lol. The journey never ends.
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7 hours ago, phitaumatthew said:
Totally agree with you, @SteverossTried to message you but weirdly it says I can't. Maybe I'm not approved there yet. Do you happen to know what the initiation and monthly is there? I'm assuming 100k and then 1500 a month....
Hey hey! Welcome to the forum! The messaging thing is a protective thing to avoid spammers - you need a minimum number of posts (apologies for not knowing off the top of my head, but it may be 50-ish - good news is this thread already gets you up to 5/6, so it won't take long) in order to use that feature.
Lakeside has always been a dream of mine - I'm up in Santa Clarita, so if you decide to join and want to impress all the muckity-mucks by bringing a MGS staffer, well... You know who to call, lol.
Regardless, let us know what you decide. I can say there are a couple of nice spots up here (Valencia CC and The Oaks), neither of which I'm a member at, so the only reciprocation I can offer is a beer after the round
And if you ever wanna grab 18 at a local spot, I try to play most Fridays, so let me know!
Great to have more LA-area members!
Caley Golf Irons & Driving Iron - 2023 Forum Review
in Forum Testing Reviews
Posted
Super excited to get back into testing mode, especially with this stunning set of irons. @Shlax - your intro has set the bar impossibly high - incredible job! Even if you are Canadian. (RIVALS GO!)
Really excited to see how these irons treat everyone, especially with @Caley being somewhat unheralded around these parts - those of us who've been watching James Robinson for a while have heard the name and have been itching to get these in-hand.
Any questions, ask away - it's what we're here for!