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Testers Wanted! Titleist SM10 and Stix Golf Clubs

cciciora13

 
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    2020 Official Member Review: Ben Hogan Golf ComPany-VKTR+, UiHi and GS53 FW

    in Forum Testing Reviews

    Posted

    On 10/30/2020 at 8:20 AM, goaliewales14 said:

    Ben Hogan GS53 Fairway Wood – Official MGS Forum Review by Goaliewales14 (Mike Wales)

    Intro

    Hey fellow spies!  Goalie here with another review!

    1371881865_RyannandI.jpg.ef132bed34ab85d758b4fe32a3bda94b.jpg

    I’d like to start off by thanking MGS and Ben Hogan to allow me to take part in this review!  For those who don’t know me, my name is Mike and I’ve been golfing for 6 years.  In those 6 years, I’ve dropped to a 14 handicap and shot my first 80 this year.  I also had a 9-hole round of +1 in an outing!

    This review is my first ever experience with any Ben Hogan clubs.  When signing up for this I chose the utility iron and 3 wood as my top 2.  I don’t use hybrids anymore as I typically hook them and I’m not able to move them like I want.  For the courses I play, a 3 wood is a position club off the tee.  I rarely will use it to go for a green as I’m looking for about 260-270 yards out of it.  My 20* driving iron goes about 240 and my driver about 290-300.  I would want this club to fill that gap.  I’m also looking for accuracy.  I’m using this club to find fairways when it’s too tight or to layup to a number on the shorter par 4’s. 

    First Impressions

    When I first unboxed this club, I was very pleasantly surprised.  I purposefully stayed off all reviews before the club arrived to make sure it was a true first impression.  The only picture I saw was the one on the Ben Hogan website.

    1955883476_ClubwithHeadcover.jpg.654b90a2ee8b76f8161830b80e96705b.jpg

    The headcover is a beautiful white leather with a small red line running diagonally across it.  It is a very light headcover when I compare it to the leather that I have with my PXG, but it will protect the club and look good doing it as long as you can keep that white clean. 

    The Ben Hogan website describes the look as classic, and I will definitely agree with that.  Their direct quote is, “Even the classic, elegant crown is free from any cosmetic distractions and the sole has been kept clean to ensure clean turf interaction.”  I will disagree with Ben Hogan that cosmetics on the crown distract the player.  If you look at most woods, there is something drawing your eye to the center of the club to help with alignment and strike.  I believe the GS53 could benefit from something like that.  I will also state most consumers look for some sort of visual technology as a reason why this club is better than the rest.  That can even be as simple as a carbon crown.  Hogan wants clean turf interaction, but if you look at Cobra, they have the baffler technology that helps that interaction.

    If you’d like to see the complete unboxing video, you view it below.

    https://youtu.be/T5zUSXmVSkE

     

    Grading

    Looks (6 out of 10 points)

    As I mentioned above, I’m really missing some visible technology, or even something as simple as an alignment mark on the crown.  You can see below that a lot of clubs in the GS53’s category all have that mark. 

    20201220_153233-2.jpg.8ed128bbdb3fca080e7684e89c4d77d9.jpg

    The GS53 is also smaller compared to the others in its category.  I do love that look as long as the forgiveness is there.  A lot of consumers would like a larger head to inspire that confidence.  It’s like when you look down at an iron that’s a blade vs. super game improvement.

     

    Sound & Feel (4 out of 10 points)

    Throughout this review I’ve mentioned that this club has no “pop” off the face.  You can hit a solid shot and have it sounds very very dull.  It almost sounds like something is wrong with the club.  One of the employees at the PGA SS hit it and wondered if the face was cracked because of how weird the sound is hitting this club.

    As I mentioned in the unboxing, the GS53 felt heavier than my Taylormade SIM.  Looking up that specifications for the GS53, it comes in standard at a D4 swing weight.  Taylormade comes it at D3, Ping at D1, and Marvik Max at D3.  This is the heaviest club I’ve hit in a fairway wood.  I would wonder if using a counter-balanced shaft to help offset that swing weight would be the way to go.  I really like the stock, Tensei shaft, but D4 seemed heavy.

     

    Basic Characteristics (8 out of 20 points)

    When I first heard I was going to be testing the GS53 3 wood I was very curious how this club would stack up against my Taylormade SIM.  I would argue that the SIM is the #1 3 wood on the market right now.  I did dial back my SIM to match lofts with the Hogan as I wanted a fair comparison.

    1256080253_1st3WHeadtoHead.jpg.png.f9d37cf1aa66ead1b841837700c70f02.png

    In that comparison, the SIM beat the Hogan by 20 yards on average.  Top distance vs top distance, the SIM won by 30 yards!  Then when I put my SIM at its fitted setting, I gain a few more yards and accuracy.

    675110310_SIM3W12-5.png.b3ad90c44b3ee78b8f058236ca6bf8c2.png

    After seeing this discrepancy, I sought out to find a better comparison among the major OEMs.

    1593514201_Hittingdata12-20.png.55703507dc921354bda8c8e40056187a.png

    The GS53, again, is the bottom of the leader board when it comes to distance due to extremely high spin numbers.  To be fair, Hogan’s website states, “They were engineered to provide incredible, dependable accuracy first and foremost.”  While you can see some of the hits above are offline to the left, all of those clubs offer adjustability to help that.  You can turn it down a few degrees while opening the face.  With the GS53 there is NO adjustability.  You can see in the first chart, I struggled getting close to the target line.  Every shot kept going left.  On mishits, I did not find the GS53 near as forgiving as the others I tested against it.  If you look at the Cobra Big Tour and Mavrik Max, those clubs have the extra CC’s to help max out that forgiveness.  The GS53 still maintains that players profile.

     

    On-Course / LM Performance (N/A out of 30 points)

    After seeing the performance on the launch monitors, I could not take this club to the course.

     

    Miscellaneous (10 out of 10 points)

    The speed of the shipment was great!  It took about 2 weeks, which most manufacturers are having supply issues due to COVID, that was an extremely quick turnaround.  The box was also probably in the best shape of any golf package I’ve received.

     

    Play it or Trade it? (0 out of 20 points)

    I would trade it.  As I mentioned, I couldn’t even take this club to the course due to the launch monitor performance.  I’m honestly struggling to find the category of player that this club fits.  I have spoken to multiple fitters regarding this club, and they are evening struggling to find the market.  If it were to compete in the game improvement/super game improvement category, majority of those consumers will be wanting a lighter weight club.  If you go to the players category, with this club reaching 4,000+ spin, that makes this club unplayable for that category.  Without adjustability, Ben Hogan is reducing that consumer base even further.

     

    Conclusion

    I was very excited to try this club since I’ve never had an experience with any Ben Hogan clubs.  After hitting the GS53, I would leave it on the shelf.  I struggled with consistency due to no adjustability.  The spin numbers were off the charts for a 3 wood being above 4,000.  Those spin numbers are also keeping the GS53 from getting close to any other 3 wood in terms of distance.  I wish I could say that this club doesn’t fit me, but if you’re XYZ type of player, it would be great!  Even after seeking insight from multiple fitters, everyone seems at a lose for whom this club would be best suited for on the course.

    Final Score: (28 out of 70 points)

    Interesting. I thought this would be a nice complement to my GS53 driver. Would love to give it a test 

    Switching Putting Grips For shorter/long putts

    in General Q&A

    Posted

    I have been playing around with left hand low putting technique, but have been having difficulties with speed control on the longer putts. I like that inside 15 ft, the left hand low method ensures no wrist movement and has been helping me keep the ball on the intended start line resulting in more one putts inside 15 ft. Is it a bad idea to switch back and forth between both for the long term? I must also say I havent had much practice with left hand low method besides 2 rounds and the carpet in my basement.

    Super Hybrid NEW Price Drop!!!

    in Archived BST

    Posted

    16 hours ago, chisag said:

    I will be updating this sale regularly as I pack and find stuff to sell. So keep checking back! Sorry but NO TRADES. As always I pay shipping!!!

    Cobra Xtreme Speedzone 9.0 Driver in near mint condition. Tour Length with upgraded 18gm weight. I will also include 3 other weights ($75) to fine tune this driver to any shaft or length! You pick your shaft:

    Aldila Rogue Black Tour 60 S-Flex  ($599 shaft alone new) ... $399  (My favorite shaft) 

    Tensei Pro Orange 60 R-Flex ... $399 (Great shaft for someone aggressive that has lost some swing speed)

    Tensei Orange 60 S-Flex ... $319  (Excellent shaft for a smooth singer) 

    Atmos Blue Tour Spec 6 S-Flex ... $319  


    Fast Twist Spikes from/for Foot Joy and others. Brand new:

    SoftSpike Pulsar 69 spikes ... $29
    Champ Stinger spikes 64 spikes ... $29
    $49 for both!!!


    849740042_XtremeSole.jpg.8d8563ec64b8a78a9a9d2f980a6a7422.jpg485456238_XtremeHead.jpg.481c61077aa1b6129a592f255fac3e2d.jpg1918568606_XtremeFace.jpg.0763f6418506d6df545121310524df74.jpg1222797175_XtremeWeights.jpg.a6c58ad9d4772d30fe85257ddd925a90.jpg79104294_XtremeShafts.jpg.41cc833bd76bddf28d10e1f496df749a.jpg

    1976406826_Xtremesoftspikes.JPG.a74f2c2a5b648fb714628cf420db1bbd.JPG273259530_ChampSoftSpikes.JPG.128f65d1be3241807dc3806815dbca66.JPG





     

    Awesome. Congrats on the move. I don't blame you for moving, can't move out fast enough.

    DIY Putting String or Retractable String?

    in Club Making/Repair & DIY Projects

    Posted

    This may seem like a dumb question, but has anyone made their own putting string? I'm assuming all you would need is a string and a couple of nails but I was wondering if you could make it retractable. Like use a retractable dog leash and add the string to that. Think of a cheaper option of this https://www.perfectpractice.golf/products/the-raindrop 

    Appreciate any and all help as I need all I can get to help get the ball in the hole

    Putter Shaft Differences

    in General Q&A

    Posted

    I was wondering what the difference is between a single bend no offset putter shaft and a double bend offset shaft? How would one determine which is better for them given their putting stroke ect. I've tried googling it and I still couldn't wrap my head around it.


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