What equipment are you thinking about?

[Berg Ryman]

As I continually think of irons for 2025, a new set has entered that chat, and it's an outside choice... but that's staying under the hat for now.

[Josh Parker]

21 minutes ago, Berg Ryman said:

As I continually think of irons for 2025, a new set has entered that chat, and it's an outside choice... but that's staying under the hat for now.

tease....  haha

[Swood1994]

Entering the off season has me thinking of what clubs are safe in the bag and what isn't. 2025 will likely consist of a new set of wedges just for the sake of some fresh grooves. I'm between SM10 Vokeys or the TM MG4, plenty of time to decide. I had thoughts of a LAB putter, but old faithful had an impressive showing in the last 4 rounds of the season which has swayed me to stick with it. The newest addition of the AI Smoke TD is there to stay that thing is a beast, will be looking to upgrade the shaft on that to something of the likes of the Ventus Blue Velocore + 6S. Mizuno Irons are also a mainstay for the foreseeable future. It would take a lot to unseat those!

[The TXBexar]

46 minutes ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

the thing is it is the only club I was never fit for. I know what somewhat works but if I were to win it I would definitely go get fit.

See, now you have to go for it and win it so you can get it tuned to you and become an amazing driver off the Tee!

[Dan Yates]

Well, three weeks ago, after a particularly frustrating run of not driving the ball well, despite increasing my club head speed 5 mph, fixing my address position and AoA, swing path, and at least statistically showing improvement in ball striking and dispersion over the course of the summer, I decided to sell my TM Stealth 2 9.0* driver with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7s shaft (44.5” total length) for a (nearly) new TM Qi10 LS 10.5* with the stock Mitsubishi Tensei Blue Limited 65g stiff shaft.  (I fully realize the savage irony, following my full throated defense of getting fitted for clubs…) In my defense, I got a REALLY good deal on it I couldn’t pass up, and it’s in mint condition.

Lots of rationalizing thoughts: my misses tend to be high right overly handsy loop hooks, or straight up pull-hooks, or a blocked push.  After reading about the new Qi10 series this summer I bought a 4 hybrid at a pro-shop on vacation they were offering for 20% off.  It quickly become my favorite club.  Reasoning that reducing spin should reduce the exaggerated effect of mishits, and reading testing that showed the Qi10 drivers lost very little distance on specific mishits I tend to make, I thought I would give them a try.  I went to a Dicks nearby and tried all three versions, and they all had benefits, but the LS gave me spin rates between 1700-1800, and the 10.5* had better launch characteristics for my swing, and better carry numbers.

I have been playing a Mitsubishi’s Tensei Blue stiff shaft in my 3-wood for two years because of the slightly more active mid-shaft section and how that feels to me, and it’s mid-launch profile helped me gain a better, higher launch while largely maintaining control and my preferred draw shot shape, but it still let’s me launch it with a fade, high or low if I want to.  I reasoned the newer version would be similar based on reviews.

9* Stealth 2 avg total yardage was between 243-248 across the summer according to ARCCOS and I was losing a lot of distance on mishits.  In the three rounds I’ve played the Qi10 LS my total yardage avg is 261.5, and if I remove the new-club extreme mishits, it jumps to 272.  On Saturday, my last three drives were all fairway: 284, 283, and 286.  The last was a perfectly shaped fade in the left to right wind that carried the fairway bunker and left me 97y to the pin.

Every spring TaylorMade does a product demo and fitting event at a course about 25 minutes from here.  I’m going to bring the driver and hybrid and test them against other shafts, and who knows, maybe pick up a 3-wood.

[Berg Ryman]

40 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

tease....  haha

Leave them wanting more, I'll be a bit more open here that it isn't from the "Big 5" OEMs at this point, nor is it the brand of iron currently in the bag for me.

[Josh Parker]

1 minute ago, Berg Ryman said:

Leave them wanting more, I'll be a bit more open here that it isn't from the "Big 5" OEMs at this point, nor is it the brand of iron currently in the bag for me.

Nice!  Decided to go with the PXG after all these awesome reviews.... 

[The TXBexar]

6 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

Nice!  Decided to go with the PXG after all these awesome reviews.... 

Was going to say, that either means the new PXG irons set, or the new Vice irons that they've come out with this year!

[RickM71]

I've been following early leaks on the Mizuno JPX 925 forged irons. They should be coming out in January. I love my 923 forged so I doubt any of the upgrades are enough for me to switch. 

I'm more curious about whether there will be a 925 Tour and what that will look like. I very briefly had a set of 923 Tours that I hit well, but they had steel shafts which my body heavily rejected the next day. The 923 Forged short irons aren't much different from the Tours, but that won't stop me from thinking about the 925 tours with graphite shafts, assuming they will be coming out. 

I also came across a used Odyssey toe up putter I felt like trying. I may put together a collection of ugly putters.  I must be a glutton for punishment as the only thing worse than having an ugly putter is missing putts with that ugly putter. 

[TheBirdieMasterLOL]

5 hours ago, Swood1994 said:

Entering the off season has me thinking of what clubs are safe in the bag and what isn't. 2025 will likely consist of a new set of wedges just for the sake of some fresh grooves. I'm between SM10 Vokeys or the TM MG4, plenty of time to decide. I had thoughts of a LAB putter, but old faithful had an impressive showing in the last 4 rounds of the season which has swayed me to stick with it. The newest addition of the AI Smoke TD is there to stay that thing is a beast, will be looking to upgrade the shaft on that to something of the likes of the Ventus Blue Velocore + 6S. Mizuno Irons are also a mainstay for the foreseeable future. It would take a lot to unseat those!

I've tried both, and would definitely recommend the Vokeys. 

[Swood1994]

2 hours ago, TheBirdieMasterLOL said:

I've tried both, and would definitely recommend the Vokeys. 

I play SM8's now so that is my first choice, but I've heard really good things about the MG4's and they seem to rank high on the Most wanted tests each year. I'm sure you can't go wrong with either!

[RickM71]

Got my used Odyssey Big Seven Toe Up putter today. In better condition than I expected but no clue how to find a headcover that will fit this thing, given the way the shaft connects. Initial testing in my basement is positive, and hope to get on the local par 3 with the family tomorrow and test it out. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have much trouble adjusting to the shaft configuration. 

My dad was telling me the microhinge inserts have some long term issues as the little nubs get worn over time and lead to some inconsistency. Not sure if that's true or just a theoretical risk. 

Also got notice that my exputt should be delivered tomorrow. Looking forward to getting some putting work in over this winter. 

[Josh Parker]

3 hours ago, RickM71 said:

Got my used Odyssey Big Seven Toe Up putter today. In better condition than I expected but no clue how to find a headcover that will fit this thing, given the way the shaft connects. Initial testing in my basement is positive, and hope to get on the local par 3 with the family tomorrow and test it out. I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have much trouble adjusting to the shaft configuration. 

My dad was telling me the microhinge inserts have some long term issues as the little nubs get worn over time and lead to some inconsistency. Not sure if that's true or just a theoretical risk. 

Also got notice that my exputt should be delivered tomorrow. Looking forward to getting some putting work in over this winter. 

This is sweet!  

[Rob Person]

I'm always thinking about clubs! Having very little experience between brands doesn't help, and having limited access (and budget) to them is also a hindrance.

I'm still really wanting to try hybrid irons, and it seems a number of companies are jumping on this setup recently.  Excited to see what 2025 has to offer 

[cksurfdude]

Thinking about a new GPS watch.

Have totally lost confidence in the Golf Buddy Aim12 - had the Aim 10 and upgraded to get new features, and despite asking them to remap my course and downloading the update, I'm still getting "off" numbers compared to sprinkler heads and a printed yardage book.

It's especially apparent on approaches .. which is where I really want a close enough not 10-20 yards different #. Unfortunately lost an old LRF earlier this year but also gonna check it out against a GPS app. 

Gotta go thru the reviews on the Garmin's.

[Fongle]

Thinking about changing the shafts on my wedges. More than happy with how they perform on feel shots and around the green, but they feel too soft and inconsistent on full shots, and i prefer a full 52 or 56 over finessing a PW, especially on rock hard QLD Greens in summer when I need to maximise angle of descent for stopping power. 

 

[Green4Spinach]

On 10/21/2024 at 5:01 PM, cksurfdude said:

Thinking about a new GPS watch.

Have totally lost confidence in the Golf Buddy Aim12 - had the Aim 10 and upgraded to get new features, and despite asking them to remap my course and downloading the update, I'm still getting "off" numbers compared to sprinkler heads and a printed yardage book.

It's especially apparent on approaches .. which is where I really want a close enough not 10-20 yards different #. Unfortunately lost an old LRF earlier this year but also gonna check it out against a GPS app. 

Gotta go thru the reviews on the Garmin's.

I do love my Shot Scope X5 but it is my first golf watch and I have no way of comparing it to any other GPS watch.

[Green4Spinach]

I just acquired a Rife Two Bar Hybrid as a practice putter for my putting mat. It has two sets of weights and I have installed the heavier set (by 15 grams) for a head weight of 360g. I so like this putter I feel it deserves its chance on the greens. Feels very stable compared to my gamer Odyssey. So I am going to look for a new grip for it. Any thoughts on what kind of grip will suit this Rife?

[Green4Spinach]

3 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

I do love my Shot Scope X5 but it is my first golf watch and I have no way of comparing it to any other GPS watch.

@cksurfdude I should add that three of my golfing friends have acquired X5s as a result of seeing mine.

[cksurfdude]

7 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

@cksurfdude I should add that three of my golfing friends have acquired X5s as a result of seeing mine.

Thanks for that, but... Funny coincidence I had three versions of ShotScope watches, last being the X5. I just was not making use of any of the shot tracking features....

[Green4Spinach]

On 10/23/2024 at 10:42 AM, Green4Spinach said:

I just acquired a Rife Two Bar Hybrid as a practice putter for my putting mat. It has two sets of weights and I have installed the heavier set (by 15 grams) for a head weight of 360g. I so like this putter I feel it deserves its chance on the greens. Feels very stable compared to my gamer Odyssey. So I am going to look for a new grip for it. Any thoughts on what kind of grip will suit this Rife?

I tried a number of different putter grips on both my Odyssey White Hot #7 and the Rife Two Bar Hybrid, including a Gravity Grip, Lamkin SinkFit, and the Golf Pride Pro Only but my preferred grip was the SuperStroke Zenergy Flatso 3.0. I decided to get a new grip for both putters. So now that both will have the same grip, the interesting choice will simply be which putter to use on the green and which one stays home on the practice putting mat. 

Having made the putter grip choice, I decided to go the whole hog and get new grips for all my other clubs. Grip of choice for non-putter clubs ended up being the Lamkin ST+2 hybrid with the Calibrate strip for all clubs except the wedges, for which I decided against the Calibrate - the thinking here was that I was not sure about the Calibrate rib when manipulating the face of a wedge.

If you like my choices, celebrate all that future potential with me. If you don't like my choices, I can't do anything to change, short of buying a whole new set of grips all over again. 

[Green4Spinach]

19 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Thanks for that, but... Funny coincidence I had three versions of ShotScope watches, last being the X5. I just was not making use of any of the shot tracking features....

@cksurfdude I would have to point out that shot tracking with Shot Scope was pretty much what sealed the deal for all my friends 

[Yorkie07]

21 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

Thanks for that, but... Funny coincidence I had three versions of ShotScope watches, last being the X5. I just was not making use of any of the shot tracking features....

I've been researching GPS watches and currently deciding between the ShotScope x5 and the Voice Caddie T11. Leaning T11 right now but wondering if others have thoughts. 

[RickM71]

43 minutes ago, Yorkie07 said:

I've been researching GPS watches and currently deciding between the ShotScope x5 and the Voice Caddie T11. Leaning T11 right now but wondering if others have thoughts. 

I have a shot scope v5 and it works pretty well. I find the yardages are as accurate as any other GPS devices around me and the shot tracking picks up my club almost all of the time. Occasionally it will miss a shot, so I always still use a paper scorecard and review my round on a computer when I get home. I find the accuracy of the putt and hole tracking are not always that precise, so I sometimes have to adjust those after the round. I find that my strokes gained data for putting csn fluctuate quite a bit based on how far each putt is, which is why I go back and correct it. I find the strokes gained data extremely helpful in realizing just how bad my putting is. 

I had not heard of the Voice Caddie T11 but just looked it up and read a few reviews. It says it has shot tracking, but I can't tell if it also tracks which club was hit and whether it has all of the club analysis that shot scope offers. 

The T11 has green heat maps which is a fantastic feature that I would love, especially as it looks like there is no ongoing subscription fee (unless I missed that). I've been looking into some type of subscription service for next summer for green heat maps, but having it directly on my watch, would be a huge plus. 

The reviews of the T11 seem mixed on how well it works, with the main criticism being the wind function didn't work, and that the green reading was sometimes reversed. I'm assuming these issues will get fixed or be easy to live with - I'm not sure the wind function is anything I'd trust anyway. 

If the T11 has club tracking and data analysis then the two seem similar with the t11 having the big advantage of green heat maps and also the swing rhythm function. If the T11 does not have individual club tracking and data analysis, then they really aren't the same and you'd just have to pick which purpose you plan to use it for. 

[bama no 1]

3 hours ago, RickM71 said:

I have a shot scope v5 and it works pretty well. I find the yardages are as accurate as any other GPS devices around me and the shot tracking picks up my club almost all of the time. Occasionally it will miss a shot, so I always still use a paper scorecard and review my round on a computer when I get home. I find the accuracy of the putt and hole tracking are not always that precise, so I sometimes have to adjust those after the round. I find that my strokes gained data for putting csn fluctuate quite a bit based on how far each putt is, which is why I go back and correct it. I find the strokes gained data extremely helpful in realizing just how bad my putting is. 

I had not heard of the Voice Caddie T11 but just looked it up and read a few reviews. It says it has shot tracking, but I can't tell if it also tracks which club was hit and whether it has all of the club analysis that shot scope offers. 

The T11 has green heat maps which is a fantastic feature that I would love, especially as it looks like there is no ongoing subscription fee (unless I missed that). I've been looking into some type of subscription service for next summer for green heat maps, but having it directly on my watch, would be a huge plus. 

The reviews of the T11 seem mixed on how well it works, with the main criticism being the wind function didn't work, and that the green reading was sometimes reversed. I'm assuming these issues will get fixed or be easy to live with - I'm not sure the wind function is anything I'd trust anyway. 

If the T11 has club tracking and data analysis then the two seem similar with the t11 having the big advantage of green heat maps and also the swing rhythm function. If the T11 does not have individual club tracking and data analysis, then they really aren't the same and you'd just have to pick which purpose you plan to use it for. 

I would be hard pressed to buy a tracking system. virtually every summary includes statements that it missed some data.

[RickM71]

19 minutes ago, bama no 1 said:

I would be hard pressed to buy a tracking system. virtually every summary includes statements that it missed some data.

With the Shot Scope v5, it shows what club you just hit. If it doesn't register the shot, you just tap the wrist band with the tag. I usually don't bother, but when you hole out, you confirm how many putts you hit, clicking it over the actual hole so it knows where the flag was located. It then shows how many shots you had for the hole. If it doesn't match my score, I can usually figure out it didn't track a chip. I then mark on the paper scorecard my shots for the hole and add any missing shots on my computer after the round. It happens maybe once a round. I also usually have to correct penalties for balls hit in the water, etc. 

It does take a little effort, but it was useful for me to collect the data this summer to see what parts of my game are costing me strokes. 

[JJBack]

I bought my current set of clubs ~12 years ago when I first got into golf. I took some time off when my wife and I started having kids, but as I’m getting back into it, I’ve been thinking about starting to slowly update my bag. I’ve been looking at the Takomo and Sub70 irons. I like the price point of the Takomo’s, but I live ~2 hours away from Sycamore, IL so I like that I could go straight to Sub70 and have them get me dialed in. 

Edited Friday at 12:01 AM by JJBack

[bama no 1]

38 minutes ago, RickM71 said:

With the Shot Scope v5, it shows what club you just hit. If it doesn't register the shot, you just tap the wrist band with the tag. I usually don't bother, but when you hole out, you confirm how many putts you hit, clicking it over the actual hole so it knows where the flag was located. It then shows how many shots you had for the hole. If it doesn't match my score, I can usually figure out it didn't track a chip. I then mark on the paper scorecard my shots for the hole and add any missing shots on my computer after the round. It happens maybe once a round. I also usually have to correct penalties for balls hit in the water, etc. 

It does take a little effort, but it was useful for me to collect the data this summer to see what parts of my game are costing me strokes. 

I guess i'm not into specific information concerning golf shots.  I pretty much know how im doing in a round when i just mark fairways hit, GIR, putts on the scorecard. i will track data as part of a test but thats about it.

[Green4Spinach]

5 hours ago, bama no 1 said:

I would be hard pressed to buy a tracking system. virtually every summary includes statements that it missed some data.

It's all about perspective. On every round, I probably need to do a manual update for one or two shots. For some people, and it sounds like you would be one of them, this would be a deal breaker. I have another view. My typical round at my club's 18 hole course is around 95. This means that Shot Scope has automagically registered, say, 93 of my shots in that round. I have a visual record of every shot I have played on a course since buying the watch in March. And I have data on my actual performance with each club on the course.

The real sweetener for me is Strokes Gained data. I am a 26 handicap player, having started golf 11 months ago. I benchmark my Strokes Gained data against 20 handicappers. According to Shot Scope, I am 1 stroke better than a 20 index on driving, and 3-4 strokes better on short game, but my approach play and putting is a lot worse.

This means I know where to focus my attention on improving my golf. My coach has watched me use my own Strokes Gained data and last week told me that three other students of his have now bought X5s based on his recommendation - all driven by my use.

Shot Scope might be automagical but it is not perfect - the missed shot in a round, the occasional faff to upload data from a round. But I cannot imagine playing without my X5.

[bama no 1]

6 hours ago, Green4Spinach said:

It's all about perspective. On every round, I probably need to do a manual update for one or two shots. For some people, and it sounds like you would be one of them, this would be a deal breaker. I have another view. My typical round at my club's 18 hole course is around 95. This means that Shot Scope has automagically registered, say, 93 of my shots in that round. I have a visual record of every shot I have played on a course since buying the watch in March. And I have data on my actual performance with each club on the course.

The real sweetener for me is Strokes Gained data. I am a 26 handicap player, having started golf 11 months ago. I benchmark my Strokes Gained data against 20 handicappers. According to Shot Scope, I am 1 stroke better than a 20 index on driving, and 3-4 strokes better on short game, but my approach play and putting is a lot worse.

This means I know where to focus my attention on improving my golf. My coach has watched me use my own Strokes Gained data and last week told me that three other students of his have now bought X5s based on his recommendation - all driven by my use.

Shot Scope might be automagical but it is not perfect - the missed shot in a round, the occasional faff to upload data from a round. But I cannot imagine playing without my X5.

yeah that would be a deal breaker for me.  Since i would have to recall each shot made and correct the info, that serves no useful purpose for me.  I might as well build my own excel spreadsheet and track the data since i would be doing that anyway.

but in the long run for me, i know where i need to improve fairways, hit, GIR, reduce 3 putts.  in other words all aspects of the game.