Overrated/Underrated OEM's & Equipment

[Kor.A.Door]

Others have said it as well, If you are looking into FWD's you need to swing something from Tour Edge, I currently use xcg-6, I also have an xcg-5, I broke my first xcg-5 out of anger and replaced it with the 6, the I found another 5 on the bay for cheap. Anyway, the drivers seem to be average, but the face on the fwd is hot, give it a swing.

[mbrodeur86]

Others have said it as well, If you are looking into FWD's you need to swing something from Tour Edge, I currently use xcg-6, I also have an xcg-5, I broke my first xcg-5 out of anger and replaced it with the 6, the I found another 5 on the bay for cheap. Anyway, the drivers seem to be average, but the face on the fwd is hot, give it a swing.

100% agree. I bought a Callaway big Bertha 3 wood and it could not beat my cb4 tour. I also use the xcg 7 beta as well as an xcg6 3 hybrid and they are legit. Paired them with a Snell MTB and I can reach all the par 5's on my home course. I could never before.

 

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[Peterpc2828]

100% agree. I bought a Callaway big Bertha 3 wood and it could not beat my cb4 tour. I also use the xcg 7 beta as well as an xcg6 3 hybrid and they are legit. Paired them with a Snell MTB and I can reach all the par 5's on my home course. I could never before.

 

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I had a exotics 3 wood a while ago and regretted getting rid of it, you guys have inspired me I am going to try out the hybrid. Thanks.

 

 

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[revkev]

I've hit an exotics fairway wood once, didn't catch it and put it on the fringe from 230. I don't have a clue why I haven't bought one.

 

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[mbrodeur86]

We need more reviews on their equipment because in my opinion it is as good as anything out there. I keep hoping that Crossfield or Shields finally gives them their proper due.

 

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[McaseyM]

Foz, i agree about Cobra, i hit the cobra King CBs at a demo day with c-tapers and they felt sooooooo good

 

 

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[Kor.A.Door]

I had a exotics 3 wood a while ago and regretted getting rid of it, you guys have inspired me I am going to try out the hybrid. Thanks.

 

 

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The hybrids are good as well, I have the xcg6 3h and 4h. You can find these for a good price on the bay, I have found that the Xcg5, and the xcg6 to have the hottest faces, and you can find those new or almost new for less than 100 bucks,

[McaseyM]

I game a tour edge Cb4 4 wood I picked up off of craigslist for 20 bucks. Beat up my cobra AMP 3 wood which was my money club.

Tour Edge makes some damn fine stuff and previous season equipment for very cheap, their new stuff is pretty damn pricey though.

 

 

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[ggammon2]

Just recently bought tour edge hybrid because thread and now agree, very underrated. Best hybrid I have ever owned, which includes TM, Adams, and Titleist.

 

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[Peterpc2828]

Just recently bought tour edge hybrid because thread and now agree, very underrated. Best hybrid I have ever owned, which includes TM, Adams, and Titleist.

 

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Which hybrid did you get?

 

 

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[Undershooter]

  here we go again

 

 

 

Well I hit both the M1 and M2 on a LM yesterday and the numbers were good for both. I'm a little surprised that I think I like the M1 better but not sure. Gonna take alot for me to end up buying something to replace the ole Razr Fit Xtreme.

[Mr_Theoo]

here we go again

 

 

 

Well I hit both the M1 and M2 on a LM yesterday and the numbers were good for both. I'm a little surprised that I think I like the M1 better but not sure. Gonna take alot for me to end up buying something to replace the ole Razr Fit Xtreme.

I've pretty much given up trying to replace my SLDR, it seems like anytime I come close it starts performing better lol

[Undershooter]

I've pretty much given up trying to replace my SLDR, it seems like anytime I come close it starts performing better lol

Well getting fit at The Kingdom helps haha. I don't think I would be wanting to change either. 

[Mr_Theoo]

Well getting fit at The Kingdom helps haha. I don't think I would be wanting to change either.

Lol yea. Guess I'll need to go back out there again for my next driver lol

[Undershooter]

Lol yea. Guess I'll need to go back out there again for my next driver lol

I'll come with!

[PlaidJacket]

I wasn't fit at the Kingdom or any kingdom for that matter. I have a 2014 OTR SLDR and can't get rid of it. I've tried twice! Still my best performing driver of all time. I grew into it or it grew on me.

[jlew2144]

At this point I can't tell if he works for Dick's and needs to help move product, or is just here to stir up some ish.

 

I will say this...because of his persistence I now know far too much about the SLDR C

[Mr_Theoo]

At this point I can't tell if he works for Dick's and needs to help move product, or is just here to stir up some ish.

 

I will say this...because of his persistence I now know far too much about the SLDR C

 

I was in golfsmith the other day and looked at these in passing. They only had a few so either these are hot sellers now or they're phased out

[Undershooter]

I was in golfsmith the other day and looked at these in passing. They only had a few so either these are hot sellers now or they're phased out

Going with the latter but who knows.

[jlew2144]

Going with the latter but who knows.

We will soon find out...wait for it....wait for it....

[ggammon2]

Which hybrid did you get?

 

 

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Xcg-7

 

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[GolfSpy Barbajo]

Time to resurrect this one for the end of the year....

 

 

As Peter Wolf once asked...."Don't touch the knobs 'cause I think we're gonna have some fun with this one..."

 

 

It's time once again for a semi-annual Overrated/Underrated Equipment/OEM survey.  The goal is to find out what OEM's and what products you think aren't getting the love they should (underrated) and which ones are sliding by on reputation, not performance (overrated).

 

I"m leaving out putters because it's so personal, but if you want to add those in, feel free.

 

Copy and paste, and then fill out your nominations, and tell us why....

 

 

Irons

 

Overrated:

 

 

Underrated:

 

 

Drivers

 

Overrated:

 

 

Underrated:

 

 

FW/Hybrids

 

Overrated:

 

 

Underrated:

 

 

Wedges

 

Overrated:

 

 

Underrated:

 

 

Balls

 

Overrated:

 

 

Underrated:

[McaseyM]

wish i could play and trial enough of these to actually put some thoughts up here

[Joey East Coast]

Had a bit of a layoff from the forum over the summer with home renovations, but here are some insights since I last posted in this thread.

 

Irons

 

Overrated: Taylormade - The driver/wood technology is quality, but the irons these days are lacking in R&D

Underrated: Tour Edge - I would tell anyone looking for a budget friendly iron set to buy some E8's or HP25's

 

 

Drivers

 

Overrated: Cobra - I love cobra, but their drivers also seem like an after-thought and feel so harsh

Underrated: Cleveland/Srixon - Not the most forward-thinking brands, but reliable for the price tag  

 

 

FW/Hybrids

 

Overrated: Titleist - Minimal forgiveness, probably not geared for guys like me

Underrated: Mizuno - JPX900 hybrids are next level and the stock shaft is amazing

 

 

Wedges

 

Overrated: Ping - What direction are they going with the Glide series?

Underrated: Ray Cook - The M1 Hollow Core wedges feel great and perform at a budget price. 

 

 

Balls

 

Overrated: Anything over $30/dozen. I feel like golf ball brands are status symbols anymore.

Underrated: Anything $20/dozen and under. People out here trying to break 100 talking about ball quality...

 

[Orange Hog]

I've tested and gamed a ton of gear over the past two years so here are my thoughts...

 

Irons

Overrated: PXG.  I've gamed both the 0311 and 0311T versions and while yes they do feel nice they absolutely underwhelmed me for their respective price tags.  Way too many irons on the market today that can hold their own or even outperform the PXG's, so these just didn't hold up.

 

Underrated: Srixon Z series irons (I'd say both the 45 and 65 series).  I've put these head to head with the lion share of irons this year and they are truly the all-around package - feel, performance, forgiveness, looks, and so on.

 

Drivers

Overrated: Cobra F6+ - don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Cobra and am excited to try out the F7 line of woods.  That said, though, the F6+ was a massive let down this year and I wanted sooooo badly to love that thing.  Performance was pretty decent but the sliding track didn't jive well with what I wanted from it and the sound was horrible.

 

Underrated: Bridgestone JGR - the lack of retail presence hurts Bridgestone a lot and I think many dismiss the existence of their woods.  The JGR was a treat to hit.  Every bit as long as some other big dogs out there today (I compared mine head to head with the M2), looks great and offers really good forgiveness all around.

 

FW/Hybrids

Overrated: Titleist - I demo'd the FW and gamed the hybrids for a while and was exceptionally underwhelmed for the equity of the brand.  While they sound and look great, and also offer a good bit of adjustability, the performance was lack luster to say the least.

 

Underrated: Tour Edge Exotics (hybrids) - I think the brand suffers sometimes from a stigma of being a "cheap" product but their hybrids are the best I've ever hit.  I'm also going to throw in the Cobra F6 Baffler into this bucket.  Looks awesome, silly easy to hit and the rails are an outstanding feature.

 

Wedges

Overrated: Callaway MD3 - I gamed the MD3's for a while and simply could never get any kind of feel from them.  They were harsh and were very spotty.  The PM grind in particular was a huge disaster in my bag.  I know some love it and that's awesome but I never could get used to the lack of feel and odd looks behind the ball of this one.

 

Underrated: Vokey SM6 K Grind - yes, I'm getting specific here.  The K Grind is amazing!!  By far the easiest wedge I've ever hit from a myriad of lies.

 

Balls

Overrated: Titleist ProV1 - I've personally got nothing against the brand.  I think their golf ball is good quality but I've always struggled to pay $4 for a ball.  There are so many other options out there today that will product similar or even better results at a much lower price point.  I'm also going to throw the Callaway ChromeSoft in this bucket.  I played the first iteration and recently tried the newest version.  Not a fan and I hate the claim that they are the "ball that changed the ball".

 

Underrated: Srixon Z-Star - sometimes fall a little lower on the rung to brands like Titleist and Bridgestone but they can hold their own and the price is very reasonable.  I like the soft feel around the greens, amount of spin you get on approach shots and the distance off the tee.  Very solid ball all around.

[Birdiehunter17]

Based on things I have demoed this year.

 

Irons

 

Underrated-- Srixon z765. Everyone talks about the 565, but for me the 765 were the class of the Srixon line this year.

 

Overrated- Mizuno JPX 900 Tour. I didn't think they felt great at all. For a "tour" club I expected a more compact head.

 

Drivers

 

Underrated- Nike Vapor Fly Flex 440- if I was in the market for a new driver this would have been it. Super low spin and for me it just flew like crazy. Had to get use to the sound, but a great driver

 

Overrated- Callaway GBG- I game the 2015 GBGDBD and the new versions just didn't do it for me this year. very generic feeling

 

Fairway Woods-

 

Underrated- 2 stood out to me. The Wilson F5 and TE Exotics EX9. The Wilson was long and straight very consistent, a solid club. The EX9 was the WOW club for me. I felt like I was carrying as long as my driver off the turf. 

 

Overrated- The Callaway XR16. It just didn't fit me. I think it is a good club, but not worth the hype.

 

Hybrids-

 

Underrated- Callaway Apex Hybrids. Now the shape and play is not for everyone, but I am now gamming these, finally found a good deal. Long consistent ball flight. Even my misses flew great,

 

Overrated- Cobra, the whole line. Really missed the mark for me. I use to love the baffler, but their line this year left something to be desired.

[Rtracymog]

Overrated drivers: M2 and Ping SFT. When I was fitting people to the M2 that missed right, I couldn't straighten them out. It seemed to be pretty fade biased, but maybe that's why so many tour guys like it. The Ping SFT (whether it's G30 or G) just spun a ton. It straightened things out, but it didn't go anywhere.

Underrated: Mizuno EZ, Cally GBB and Wilson F5. Despite the simplicity and lack of shaft options, the EZ was fairly long and could fix a right or left miss. The GBB can fix a pretty bad right miss while keeping spin manageable. The F5 is in my bag and, while the sound isn't my favorite, that thing is long with very little spin.

Overrated FWY: Tour Edge E9

People just struggled to get the distance out of these compared to older models.

Underrated: King LTD These things are stupid long.

Overrated Hybrids: Ping G and Tour Edge Ex9. The Pings spin too much. Tour Edge offered some great combo pricing options with the Exd, but I could never justify it for people because those things went no where.

Underrated: Ex9 tour The tour version of the this club is a beast. Long with a penetrating flight.

Overrated irons M2, Wilson C200, 716 AP2 A lot of guys struggled to get enough height and spin to hold greens with the M2. The C200 just didn't have the pop I thought it would. Personally, I liked the look and feel of the 714 much better than the 716.

Underrated irons Tour Edge Exi, Wilson V4, Mizuno MP 25 The Exi had a thin enough sole to seem "playerish" but there was a lot of tech and help there for the guys that wanted something smaller, but needed some help. For some reason the MP 25 and C-Taper combo blew a lot of people away. They just fit together great. The V4s feel amazing and they are sneaky long without have crazy lofts. I've been very accurate with these this year.

Overrated wedges: PXG, PM grind and Miura Without the same elastomer that's in the irons, the PXG wedges are just like everyone else's, but way too expensive. The Miuras feel nice, but I don't see a performance difference that justifies the cost. The PM grind is too big and ugly for me to swing or have confidence in.

Underrated: Cobra King, Wilson PMP and SM6 The Wide low grind for the King wedge could be a game changer for people who like to nip it clean, but play courses with thick rough and soft sand. The PMP wedges have treated me great. I love the tour grind and how easily I can get underneath the ball. The CG placement of the Vokeys this year is amazing (See older models of Fourteen wedges). The extra weight at the top of the high lofted clubs really brings the flight down and adds spin.

 

 

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[Philly Golf Guy]

Irons

 

Overrated: Callaway Apex CF. The original rendition was eons better and while these have their share of a fan base, every 2015 iron blows it away in terms of feel, looks and performance.

 

 

Underrated: TM PSi. Their best iron since the SpeedBlade IMO. A great profile with a lot more forgiveness than expected. I'll likely get a set when the price starts coming down.

 

 

Drivers

 

Overrated: Ping G. It's like hitting a golf ball with a metal bat and for me, was a slice machine. And I never slice.... But really, the adjustment mechanism was very unruly and I didn't experience the forgiveness that it was hyped for.

 

 

Underrated: F6. A very nice driver in all respects that never gained the ground it should have.

 

 

FW/Hybrids:

 

Overrated: Ping G. I'm obviously not a fan of the line and most of what I found with the driver was true for the fairway woods as well.

 

 

Underrated: Apex. IMO, one of the better hybrids to come out in terms of a forgiving iron replacement.

 

 

Wedges

 

Overrated: Callaway MD3. I game one and it's decent only. Compared to the PM MD, the MD3 has a hollow feel at impact, goes considerably less distance than other wedges of the same loft and is not very good out of the rough for me. I do like it on bump and runs though.

 

 

Underrated: Mizuno, and they have been for years.

 

 

Balls: I'll pass on this one because I typically buy a year or two old.

[ole gray]

It would depend on your definition of "tons of spin" - if you have any LM data then we could analyse the results. My guess is probably spin loft - i.e. the product of your dynamic loft to your angle of attack. 

 

When you folks are speaking of too much spin, are you referring to up spin (ballooning) or side spin like some of the top tier balls do for higher cappers?

[Philly Golf Guy]

Underrated: King LTD These things are stupid long.

 

 

 

Good call on the LTD and I agree.  I'm still wondering why I ever let go of the 3W; it was one of the longer 3W's I've hit and forgiving off the tee.  Struggled off the deck with it a little which was why I ultimately moved on, but I might have to give it another go.