What Have You Bought Lately? (CHA - Club Ho's Anonymous)

[CFreddie]

1 minute ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

Have been thinking my current wedge setup is great from the fairway and around the greens... but feel my greenside bunker game has suffered (used to be a strength in my game).  So I picked up a 56/14.... hoping the added bounce will bring some "bounce" back to my sand game. 

To add it into my bag... will need to make some room, so the 54 and 58 will come out.  That will leave me with my set pw (42*), set aw (47*), Vokey 50*, and this new 56*.  As of late, my 58 has been used less and less (at one point it was my all chips all the time club - but have been working on using more of the green run my ball to the hole... which gives me more consistent distance control than trying to gauge the spin with the 58 - so it has been relegated to the tight pin over trouble... a true lob wedge).  Hoping I can manage that lob/flop shot with the 56... but will have to see how the increased bounce impacts that shot... we'll see... the fun is the testing .  I'm pretty confident I will have better results from the sand with this, so it will get a fair shake in the bag. 

 

Interested to hear the results of this test - I'm finding myself use my 58 a lot more around greens (Jaws Raw, Z-Grind) and not sure I could ever go with less loft in a bunker.  

[Invader Zim 315]

4 minutes ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

Have been thinking my current wedge setup is great from the fairway and around the greens... but feel my greenside bunker game has suffered (used to be a strength in my game).  So I picked up a 56/14.... hoping the added bounce will bring some "bounce" back to my sand game. 

To add it into my bag... will need to make some room, so the 54 and 58 will come out.  That will leave me with my set pw (42*), set aw (47*), Vokey 50*, and this new 56*.  As of late, my 58 has been used less and less (at one point it was my all chips all the time club - but have been working on using more of the green run my ball to the hole... which gives me more consistent distance control than trying to gauge the spin with the 58 - so it has been relegated to the tight pin over trouble... a true lob wedge).  Hoping I can manage that lob/flop shot with the 56... but will have to see how the increased bounce impacts that shot... we'll see... the fun is the testing .  I'm pretty confident I will have better results from the sand with this, so it will get a fair shake in the bag. 

Have thought about getting the sm8s so many times given the $40 discount, but the sm9s just look sooooooo good

[tdroma98]

3 minutes ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

Have been thinking my current wedge setup is great from the fairway and around the greens... but feel my greenside bunker game has suffered (used to be a strength in my game).  So I picked up a 56/14.... hoping the added bounce will bring some "bounce" back to my sand game. 

To add it into my bag... will need to make some room, so the 54 and 58 will come out.  That will leave me with my set pw (42*), set aw (47*), Vokey 50*, and this new 56*.  As of late, my 58 has been used less and less (at one point it was my all chips all the time club - but have been working on using more of the green run my ball to the hole... which gives me more consistent distance control than trying to gauge the spin with the 58 - so it has been relegated to the tight pin over trouble... a true lob wedge).  Hoping I can manage that lob/flop shot with the 56... but will have to see how the increased bounce impacts that shot... we'll see... the fun is the testing .  I'm pretty confident I will have better results from the sand with this, so it will get a fair shake in the bag. 

You're taking both the 54 & 58 out?  Will you add back the 60 or add another rescue or driving iron? 
Interesting you found your sand game suffered when going to the 54.  Same issue I had, going from 56 to 54 as sand wedge.  I started using 60 from the sand and was more consistent. The 54 gave me the distance I lost with the 56 from 102 yds to 80 yds. Just changed to a 58 degree from the 60 degree and now getting used to chipping with 58.  

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

15 minutes ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

Have been thinking my current wedge setup is great from the fairway and around the greens... but feel my greenside bunker game has suffered (used to be a strength in my game).  So I picked up a 56/14.... hoping the added bounce will bring some "bounce" back to my sand game. 

To add it into my bag... will need to make some room, so the 54 and 58 will come out.  That will leave me with my set pw (42*), set aw (47*), Vokey 50*, and this new 56*.  As of late, my 58 has been used less and less (at one point it was my all chips all the time club - but have been working on using more of the green run my ball to the hole... which gives me more consistent distance control than trying to gauge the spin with the 58 - so it has been relegated to the tight pin over trouble... a true lob wedge).  Hoping I can manage that lob/flop shot with the 56... but will have to see how the increased bounce impacts that shot... we'll see... the fun is the testing .  I'm pretty confident I will have better results from the sand with this, so it will get a fair shake in the bag. 

Enjoy. Bounce is your friend out of bunkers. Both my 54 and 58 are on the mid to higher end and it makes it so much easier to get out of bunkers. 

[BKervin]

I just bought PXG fitted clubs - full set with bag!  Now I have to refigure how far I hit each one!  Oh, the growing pains of new clubs.  Hopefully I adjust quickly.  Seems like I keep picking the club that I hit too far or too short. UGH!

[invee123]

2 minutes ago, BKervin said:

I just bought PXG fitted clubs - full set with bag!  Now I have to refigure how far I hit each one!  Oh, the growing pains of new clubs.  Hopefully I adjust quickly.  Seems like I keep picking the club that I hit too far or too short. UGH!

My brother got fit for a set of 0311 Gen5 irons and a driver not too long ago and is a huge fan! Definitely takes a minute to get the yardages dialed since they are a little stronger lofted and more forgiving. I've gotten the change to swing those alongside my p770s and they ROCKET off the face!

[thechrisgibbs]

16 hours ago, Bang60 said:

Would the Mizuno 2 iron, been thinking of buying one going to make that happen soon…

The black finish of the fli-hi was very appealing. I stumbled upon this one with the Graphite Design shaft online and had to do it.
 

Well, I didn’t have to, but my wife bought a purse she felt guilty about, so she told me to buy a golf club. Who am I to not take her up on that offer when it happens?!

[ACalling]

14 hours ago, PMookie said:

All three new Ping clubs have finally arrived! G430 Max driver, G425 3w, and G425 3 hybrid!!! Now if it will dry out so I can go HIT them I’d really appreciate it!!!!

Thats awesome! I picked up the G400 driver a couple years ago and have since added the G400 3w and a G410 UI to the bag. Always have had great experience with PING clubs, especially with the long ball. Congrats and enjoy!

[GolfSpy TCB]

52 minutes ago, tdroma98 said:

You're taking both the 54 & 58 out?  Will you add back the 60 or add another rescue or driving iron? 
Interesting you found your sand game suffered when going to the 54.  Same issue I had, going from 56 to 54 as sand wedge.  I started using 60 from the sand and was more consistent. The 54 gave me the distance I lost with the 56 from 102 yds to 80 yds. Just changed to a 58 degree from the 60 degree and now getting used to chipping with 58.  

Yeah... it is a tough one.  I wanted to get some better gapping in my bag.  When I started thinking about how I use my wedges... including the PW and AW - the 58 is used least for the reasons I mentioned in my post.. really only use it when I have to lob and stop a shot.  the next least used is the SW and I have suffered with over half of the shots I use it for (greenside sand).  I could have gone to the 54/14, but thought... well, maybe I can open up my bag a little AND address my gapping with just one wedge between the 54 and the 58.  The proof will be in playing a few rounds without them... and seeing if I am missing having them in the bag.  I could drop the AW (which in popularity of shots used is next on the list to go), and add back the 58 (though not much loft difference than the 56... but significantly different in turf interaction with only 8* bounce) or I can look at adding a 60 if the loft gap is an issue. The one thing I like with the 56... and my other 5 wedges is... it gives me A LOT of options (probably too many haha).  

I have the 4 iron in my set as a "driving" iron, then move to my woods for anything a little longer or for needed loft.  Really the flywheel is the AW.  If that becomes a trusted club as a go to for a range of shots, then I need room for it.  if not... then I can add back in another wedge somewhere in the mix... but with the strong lofts of the Paradym irons... and a 42* pw... .that is a beg gap to get to the 50.... so maybe the answer is another Vokey (46) haha.  I have said it before and I'll say it again... if Vokey made a full set of irons, they would be in my bag in a heartbeat!!!

[Syks7]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

To add it into my bag... will need to make some room, so the 54 and 58 will come out.  That will leave me with my set pw (42*), set aw (47*), Vokey 50*, and this new 56*.  

Smart play.  I don't ever really full swing my wedges anymore beyond the 52.  I've got a 58/8 bent to 57 that I use for everything around the green.  

[GolfSpy TCB]

1 hour ago, BKervin said:

I just bought PXG fitted clubs - full set with bag!  Now I have to refigure how far I hit each one!  Oh, the growing pains of new clubs.  Hopefully I adjust quickly.  Seems like I keep picking the club that I hit too far or too short. UGH!

So are you finding you are hitting the PXG's farther than your previous set in general? That is a good problem to have  .  I'm a fan of the PXG line, beautiful and good performing clubs!

[Syks7]

2 hours ago, Invader Zim 315 said:

Glad to hear.  Definitely never been one to carry a lot of stuff, basically the same essentials as you.  And I'm keeping my old Sun Mountain so I have it for trips, etc.  But I think this will work great for my weekend rounds and whatnot.

Still have my Hybrid 14 for exactly that reason.  

[GolfSpy TCB]

1 minute ago, Syks7 said:

Smart play.  I don't ever really full swing my wedges anymore beyond the 52.  I've got a 58/8 bent to 57 that I use for everything around the green.  

That is exactly what I was thinking.  I've worked a lot over the past year to NOT swing anything more lofted than a pw at 100%.  That opens up a lot of flexibility with each of the "specialty" wedges... so I really don't need a 54 that flies x distance with a 100% swing... i have 3 other clubs I can hit that x distance with... so then it becomes a question of functionality for each club in the bag.  I believe I had effectively removed any club that was functional (to my standards) from the sand by gaming low bounce irons.  Fix -> add some bounce in the bag.  I'll cover the fairway distance I could get with the 54 with my 50... a nice little flighted 50% swing that one hops and stops (at  least that is the way I see it when I'm dreaming... lol. ).

[Syks7]

1 hour ago, BKervin said:

I just bought PXG fitted clubs - full set with bag!  Now I have to refigure how far I hit each one!  Oh, the growing pains of new clubs.  Hopefully I adjust quickly.  Seems like I keep picking the club that I hit too far or too short. UGH!

Have fun.  I've been very pleasantly surprised with the 0211 Driver I picked up on a whim last year.  Solid clubs all around.

[BKervin]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

So are you finding you are hitting the PXG's farther than your previous set in general? That is a good problem to have  .  I'm a fan of the PXG line, beautiful and good performing clubs!

I am hitting them farther - which is most of problem. Other than, operator error!! Hahaha

[chisag]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_TCB said:

That is exactly what I was thinking.  I've worked a lot over the past year to NOT swing anything more lofted than a pw at 100%.  That opens up a lot of flexibility with each of the "specialty" wedges... so I really don't need a 54 that flies x distance with a 100% swing... i have 3 other clubs I can hit that x distance with... so then it becomes a question of functionality for each club in the bag.  I believe I had effectively removed any club that was functional (to my standards) from the sand by gaming low bounce irons.  Fix -> add some bounce in the bag.  I'll cover the fairway distance I could get with the 54 with my 50... a nice little flighted 50% swing that one hops and stops (at  least that is the way I see it when I'm dreaming... lol. ).

 

... I applaud your experimenting. This is the best way to understand which wedges work for your game and most importantly why. It is easy enough to go back to a previous set up or find something in-between if the new set up doesn't work as well as you would like. I would add most just don't realize a "full swing" with a LW is really a 3/4 swing. It isn't a 75% swing but a 100% swing that is just a shorter backswing. Lower flight and more control because taking a "full swing" with a LW won't give you more distance, it just produces a higher flight. 

... Bounce and loft have to be fine tuned to your normal playing conditions. Bounce in the desert is pretty useless from the sand and around the green. Lies are so tight and most bunker have very little sand. I play bunker shots using my 58* with 8* of bounce and a straight face, not an open face because it will bounce off the firm sand and make contact with the ball. Back in the Midwest I played a 58* with 12* of bounce that worked well in the "normal" sand and really worked well around the greens were the rough was lush and easy to get the leading edge under the ball. 

... Like you, I experimented until I found a set up that worked best for my game. I would have never thought a 46-50-58 (4-8* gaps) would work when a 52* would create better gapping on paper (6-6* gaps). But I bump and run most shots from about 40yds and in and found the 52* created too much spin. The 50* gives me better control and I can play a bump and run with more or less spin. This all took lots of experimenting over a full year of playing. Good luck with your 56*! 

[GolfSpy TCB]

8 minutes ago, chisag said:

I would add most just don't realize a "full swing" with a LW is really a 3/4 swing. It isn't a 75% swing but a 100% swing that is just a shorter backswing. Lower flight and more control because taking a "full swing" won't give you more distance, it just produces a higher flight. 

^--- THIS!!!

and you make another really good point Chisag... (you've never heard that before I bet... just kidding - you make good points in your sleep haha).  Playing conditions are so different from region to region and even in some cases course to course.  The set up that works at my home course, may not be useful at all down the road.  I play a majority of my rounds at "Home" as most of us do... so I'm really tweaking my bag to a specific set of conditions.  What I really want to do is gain a better understanding of the variety of tools available (and in some cases am lucky enough to own), that is why the pros play practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday... partially to get familiar with the layout, but also to understand the grass, the fairways, the rough, the bunkers, the greens... and they build their bags accordingly for that week.  Now I don't have a team around me to help with that... but I am really enjoying being able to be technical about my bag and in particular my short game.  I went from an "8" to a "3" by working hard on 100 yards in.  amazing how the scorecard responds to some consistency with the short game.    

Anyway, the 56/14 will be different... will it be better?? not sure yet... but we'll see, and I'll be sure to post my testing process here on the forum!

 

[Chad Parmer]

I recently purchased a Tour Edge Pro 721 driver 9  degree.  I really like it! My brother in law hits it better than me   Lol. It has good pop, good accuracy and distance. It is a little noisy. But overall a good club. Great sale on them now as well. Think you can get one around 150 bucks at Rock Bottom. Definitely worth the money at that price point.  
KEEP EM STRAIGHT!! ️‍

[JCruz]

Most recent purchase was Titleist TSR2 Driver. Definitely plays better than the Ping 425 max I had previously. Sounds nicer and seems more forgiving, feels lighter as well! Sound might not matter to most, but I prefer that ting! over the knock I was getting on the 425.

Also got the matching 3 wood TSR2+ but I was having difficulty hitting it off the ground without a constant slice. Changed the setting to A2 for the last few weeks and it seems to have done just enough to straighten out the shots. Larger face and heavier head have made it longer than I expected haha been having to learn to hit my 5 iron on some holes because the TSR2+ goes past my previous wood distance.  Not a bad problem to have!

[fozcycle]

My Shot Scope X5 arrived today. Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow. 

[scotter032]

1 minute ago, fozcycle said:

My Shot Scope X5 arrived today. Can’t wait to try it out tomorrow. 

Want to hear the review on that bad boy also!!! I have a Garmin Tactix that's been good but not a total GOLF watch per se

[scotter032]

I just added this to my golf collection.... Excited to get shanking balls into my garage walls!!!

[Syks7]

4 hours ago, chisag said:

... I play bunker shots using my 58* with 8* of bounce and a straight face, not an open face because it will bounce off the firm sand and make contact with the ball. 

Maybe I heard this from you but this has been game changing to my sand and tight lie game.  Feel the sand with my feet and decide whether or not I open the club face or not.  I was doing the opposite to very poor effect before.  Lots of dirt patch disasters with an open club face.

[Shankster]

Me waiting for the Srixon Z-Star Diamonds to show up on the Fed Ex truck… never been so impatient for a box of golf balls.

 

[Bang60]

Practice yesterday was very rewarding because 2 weeks ago I started hitting a 9iron with a open face, by this I mean I moved my left hand to 11 on the clock face instead of 12 which I'll call a neutral grip. This gave a straighter ball flight with a left to right ball movement at the end of the ball flight, I found it very difficult to hit the right side of the green and this move solved that problem as the harder I tried to fade the more problems I created. So yesterday I tried this move griping at 11 with my 6iron and got the perfect fade ball flight at the flag, boy was I charged when I saw that even though I was just short of the green the ball bounced to the right as well. I'm a happy camper and want to thank azstu34 for changing my thinking on golf,

[Bang60]

Apologies @azstu324 for some reason I'm not able to edit my post above, thanks again.

[fozcycle]

First round today with a new grip on my old Nike Method Core Drone putter. I put an Evnroll Gravity Grip on it……found at Golf Galaxy for only $24.99. The Gravity Grip has a steel rod the runs down the spine of the shaft yielding a better balanced feel for the putter.  I have gamed a Gravity Grip on my Evnroll ER2 for a couple years and decided to try it on the Nike.

Putting was very stable, especially the long putts.

[Syks7]

2 hours ago, Shankster said:

Me waiting for the Srixon Z-Star Diamonds to show up on the Fed Ex truck… never been so impatient for a box of golf balls.

They're worth the wait.  I've really like them.  I've sampled across the top end of the Srixon ball spectrum and like this one the best.  Contrary to what the reviews say I find the Diamond to have a lower more penetrating flight than the other two but it still lands softly on the green and checks up -- particularly with wedges.  

[Shankster]

8 minutes ago, Syks7 said:

They're worth the wait.  I've really like them.  I've sampled across the top end of the Srixon ball spectrum and like this one the best.  Contrary to what the reviews say I find the Diamond to have a lower more penetrating flight than the other two but it still lands softly on the green and checks up -- particularly with wedges.  

They have arrived.  Took one out in the back yard.  They are a bit firmer off the wedge than I expected… but that might just be me missing the middle of my wedge.  They will get a good test tomorrow.  As long as the wind settles down a little, I am going to play from the middle tees and go for ever green I can off the tee.  
 

Driver used to be the dagger in my game, now it is Excalibur.  It is so fun smashing the heck out of a ball, looking up and seeing a fade that even Rahm would like out there.  Reminds me of an old Master P song, Make ‘em say…

[GolfSpy_BNG]

Well one of the two things I have been impatiently waiting for has arrived. The box was beat to heck but the contents were unharmed. Toulon Garage Daytona Beach. Cut it down to my normal length and put a Superstroke Tour Truck 2.0PT grip on it.