Why do you play the clubs you play?

[chisag]

... Isn't the club building journey a ton of fun? Like most I started out re-gripping. Then swing weight scale, spine finder, shaft puller and finally a Loft Lie machine. Started with a Goldsmith model and progressed to a Mitchell Tour I picked up used. Being able to do all your own work certainly makes Ho'ing much more palatable. It is nice to do things for good friends that don't expect it and offer to pay, although I never accept any payment for work done, just the cost of materials. 

... I decided to get my LL machine after receiving a custom set of irons from a major OEM when I joined them when I was with the IPGA. Nice staff bag with my name on it for teaching and the irons were very nice, although it was easy to see the offset was different in the middle irons. I checked at Goldsmith using their LL machine and my 8 and 7 irons were 1* apart in loft and 5 of the 8 irons were off spec for loft. Supposed to be 2* upright and the lies were all over the place. I bought a LL machine that day since it was right in the middle of Friends and Family sale. 

[BIG STU]

... Isn't the club building journey a ton of fun? Like most I started out re-gripping. Then swing weight scale, spine finder, shaft puller and finally a Loft Lie machine. Started with a Goldsmith model and progressed to a Mitchell Tour I picked up used. Being able to do all your own work certainly makes Ho'ing much more palatable. It is nice to do things for good friends that don't expect it and offer to pay, although I never accept any payment for work done, just the cost of materials. 

 

... I decided to get my LL machine after receiving a custom set of irons from a major OEM when I joined them when I was with the IPGA. Nice staff bag with my name on it for teaching and the irons were very nice, although it was easy to see the offset was different in the middle irons. I checked at Goldsmith using their LL machine and my 8 and 7 irons were 1* apart in loft and 5 of the 8 irons were off spec for loft. Supposed to be 2* upright and the lies were all over the place. I bought a LL machine that day since it was right in the middle of Friends and Family sale. 

I agree with you on checking my own stuff then I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it is right if I do it. I used to run a shop myself but we got out of it in 09. I have a little shop set up behind the house. Like you I do stuff for friends and do not charge except for materials. Being the club ho I am I usually trade out for old clubs etc.

 

Man let me tell you about one screwed up set of clubs I worked on just today.

 

Some time back I did a trade deal for several sets of classic Macgergor irons ( I am a Mac collector) One of those were a re chromed set of 1959 FC-4000s. Now they are beautiful but not restored correctly. Someone in the process sandblasted the ceramic faces off. They are nice though with the original pinned Pro Pel shafts and ferrules. They also have Neuman leather wrap grips. Basically I have had them put up for over a year. I had been debating whether to play them in one of my vintage rounds. I finally decided to take them out and play them tomorrow. I always knew from sight that they were extremely flat for me. WOW were they ever. every club was at least 5* flat from their standard. Lofts man o man they were all screwed up not jacked but delofted by anywhere from 2 to 4 *. Some of the mid irons had only 1* spread between clubs. I could not believe what I was seeing. I actually re checked manually with my fixture and old school protractor before I bent anything. One of the most screwed up set of irons I ever worked on. Even the 2 3 and 4 irons were delofted. But I have them set to specs now looking forward to playing them tomorrow afternoon after Church.

 

BTW my machine is an old Silvestri which is a good machine and kinda an odd ball in the club world. There were only a few made before the owner and inventor had health problems and shut down. The only other operator of those machines was Ari at Scratch Golf and he had 2 of them. I have bent clubs and checked them against a Mitchell and everything else and it has always held true. Besides because I am so paticular I double check myself with my fixture and protractor. Man it took me over 2 hours today to straighten out that screwed up set of Macs

[HighFade]

Money. If I weren't limited by my wallet, I'd be a cub ho. But I have a set and don't really mess with it.

 

Mizzuno JPX irons are very good, so they're not going anywhere

 

Callaway Diablo 3&5 woods. I have never found another FW wood that is as solid as these. Been playing them for 8 years or so

Driver is where I am promiscuous. Worst mistake I ever made was getting rid of the custom fit SLDR.

[downlowkey]

The forged portion of the bag:

First and foremost I'm the guy on a never ending feel hunt. And in my experience a raw finish is the proper foundation for unadulterated feedback. From there it has to look fantastic at address. And any time a new contender meeting the first two criteria arises, I immediately get a little jolt of electricity running up my arms. So I make a mental note and put it on the club procurement list. Finally I'll put 'em through a turf interaction test and most likely be disappointed. I've been gaming 2 sets of gunmetal Clevelands (Ta1 and Ta3) for awhile but I'm close to pulling the trigger on a different setup that I won't mention yet (don't want any extra competition in the online marketplace). In a departure from most scratchers I also prefer wedges on the lighter end of the spectrum because in my opinion you can spin them more when you're inside full shot range.

 

Metal woods:

Here the raw finish obviously isn't an option but it still has to look perfect at address. From there it needs to sound good (for me quiet thrush clickers are preferable to high tinny pingers). Finally it has to have the right combo of overall balance and CG so that I can feel the face and subsequently comfortably release it. I do like to work the woods both ways which means I also stay away from the wide body high-MOI stuff in favor of the smaller heads that also offer more options from less than ideal lies. Currently gaming a TM M1 430 9.5*, Cobra s9-1 Pro 15*, Nickent 3DX Ironwood 17*.

 

I love to tinker, particularly on the putter end of the bag but I'm not the least bit impetuous or prone to seduction by marketing. And most of the time, any new stuff I test just cements my feeling that the right equipment is already in the bag. Before the M1 joined the stable over the Winter I was gaming a Callaway FT Tour 10.5* that may yet steal back the starting QB job.

 

 

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[bsed31]

I had written this super long post about my journey to find the right clubs to fit my game, accidentally hit "back" and lost the entire thing. So I will say this:

 

Get fit. 

 

Getting fit was the overall message of my intended post. Obviously you want equipment that you enjoy looking at, but the bag needs to fit the game so there should be some kind of balance. I started playing in March 2012 and went through three sets of irons that year before finally getting fit in March 2013. Getting fit revealed a lot about my swing and gave me knowledge that I could use in the future when making equipment changes. One thing I've never done however is a driver or putter fitting. Don't think I'll ever do a putter fitting, but I will probably do a driver fitting at some point this season.

 

So, my bag is based on my fitting...and the fact that I will never again play irons that are not Mizuno 

[MDGolfHacker]

I had written this super long post about my journey to find the right clubs to fit my game, accidentally hit "back" and lost the entire thing....

 

So, my bag is based on my fitting...and the fact that I will never again play irons that are not Mizuno

Been there. I've lost more long posts by doing the same thing! Frustrating to say the least, lol. Welcome to the Mizuno fold! Been playing Mizzy's for a total of 7 out of the last 10 years. Love the feel. This year though, I'm considering irons other than Mizunos, apex cf16s, Titleist AP2s and Srixons. Gotta get out and try them out and see what works best for me.

 

MDGolfHacker

[bsed31]

This year though, I'm considering irons other than Mizunos, apex cf16s, Titleist AP2s and Srixons. Gotta get out and try them out and see what works best for me.

 

A 765/965 combo set would sure be nice! Those caught my eye for sure, but for now I will remain Mizzy loyal!

[chisag]

BTW my machine is an old Silvestri which is a good machine and kinda an odd ball in the club world. There were only a few made before the owner and inventor had health problems and shut down. The only other operator of those machines was Ari at Scratch Golf and he had 2 of them. I have bent clubs and checked them against a Mitchell and everything else and it has always held true. Besides because I am so paticular I double check myself with my fixture and protractor. Man it took me over 2 hours today to straighten out that screwed up set of Macs

 

 

... Good stuff! If it is good enough for Ari, it is certainly good enough. We have been friends since he was a member of another forum and he sent me his very first prototype wedge for review. Imo it had quite a few problems, I wouldn't even hit it and reluctantly sent it back to him. Several months later another prototype arrived and he had addressed every issue I had with the original. I absolutely loved it and had him build me a 60* with a different grind, but Ari talked me into his EGG grind (that nobody else was doing at the time) and it became my favorite club. Played quite a few rounds with Ari and Patrick and never knew an OEM where the main execs are golf fanatics. They played everywhere they went and are two of the nicest guys I have ever known. Sad day when Scratch had to close it's doors. 

[chisag]

... For those interested in a fitting but aren't ready to go full out, the Mizuno Optimizer is amazingly accurate for iron shaft selection. Mizuno wanted me to review a set of MP59's and set me up with the rep to go through a full fitting. I had already fitted myself for some MP63's and was playing KB Tour stiff flex, 1/2" long, soft stepped once. To my surprise the Optimizer came up with those exact same specs. I was very impressed with a device that only needed 3 swings to produce my exact specs. Here is an Optimizer explanatory 3 minute video from Youtube:

 

[bsed31]

... For those interested in a fitting but aren't ready to go full out, the Mizuno Optimizer is amazingly accurate for iron shaft selection. Mizuno wanted me to review a set of MP59's and set me up with the rep to go through a full fitting. I had already fitted myself for some MP63's and was playing KB Tour stiff flex, 1/2" long, soft stepped once. To my surprise the Optimizer came up with those exact same specs. I was very impressed with a device that only needed 3 swings to produce my exact specs. Here is an Optimizer explanatory 3 minute video from Youtube:

 

 

+1 for sure. Amazing little piece of tech. I first experienced it at the Connecticut golf show in 2013 and reps are almost always willing to do a very short demo with you for free. 

[cnosil]

The info on the mizuno shaft optimizer is great info. While I am not playing muzunos I am playing the shaft that it recommended for me.

[EMacK1961]

Currently, I have Pin Hawk SL (single length). Bobby Lopez, (PGA) who I've been working with on technique, built the set for me due to my ongoing back trouble. I find that the single length is making the game simple for me. I can be on the one plane for the majority of my clubs. The clubs allow me to play two days in a row. Before these clubs, I couldn't do that. It has given me a new lease on life

 

 

 

 

 

[MDGolfHacker]

The info on the mizuno shaft optimizer is great info. While I am not playing muzunos I am playing the shaft that it recommended for me.

As much as I've gone to quiet a few demo days, I still haven't swung one of those. Need to do that and see if my current shafts are working for me or fighting me.

 

MDGolfHacker

[Denvertim]

Great Topic,

After a couple years of playing used clubs, my instructor gave me a target . Once I got to that target score he said that it was time to be fitted.

I tried everything but found I loved the Callaway XR irons. I hit a couple other good but it all came down to feel and repeatably.

 

So 5 Iron thru Appoach wedge are Callaway XR

I also got in the set 2 Hybrids 3 and 4 Callaway XR

 

My driver used to be the Taylormade R1 but got fitted to a Callaway XR 16 with a Kuge shaft. 

Wedges used to be cleaveland but when I replaced them i got sw 54 and a 60 (rebent to 58) from Callaway Pre-Owned demo clubs

 

So One day looked in my bag and realized I had become a Callaway fan lol

[dang3rtown]

Choosing a club comes down to three, very important criteria for me, in order; can I afford it, does it look cool, can I play it.

My current driver is a 2009 Taylormade burner I picked up used for $50. I'm gaming this club because it's in good condition and serviceable as a driver. I want a better club but it works and it has been at the back of the upgrade quench's for a while now.

I have been steadily adding cobra f6 hybrids & fairway woods to my quiver. Why? I found one on clearance at the Haggin Oaks super store. It looked super cool (it has metal things you can unscrew!), the price was great (I think I paid $85 for a new 4-5 hybrid on clearance) and it was really easy to hit. Score! After I got that, I picked up an f6 baffler and just got another f6 3-4 hybrid to fill the gap between them. Now, my clubs match, which I like, they didn't break the bank and I can hit the beer loving s*** out of them. Boxes checked.

Irons. I recently picked up a demo set of Hogan ft Worth 15's. These were in like new condition from global golf. Paid $389 for 5 though PW. From the day I saw these, I was sporting about 60 degrees of loft... in my pants. Even though I loved the look, I initially had no plans of ever getting them. I figured they were like other, older Hogan blades; impossible for mortals to hit. Well, I ended up grabbing a couple to demo on a whim (I demo clubs a lot because the Haggin Oaks super store will let you hit range balls for free if you are demoing clubs). Holy s***! Very easy to hit, felt great, felt right. I knew I had to get my hands on some. I went back inside and the sales guy told me they had filed for bankruptcy the day before. Bummer. Well, I found a good deal on line and here I am!

My only non-hogan wedge is a Vokey Sm6 56/10 which I purchased because I read Vokey wedges are good. All wedges feel more or less identical to me. When people see the Vokey in my bag, they know I'm a badass, so it's totally worth it.

I also have a putter. It is a Slotline knockoff of a ping anser that I got in 1994 or so. It has been a very consistent putter for me, always bad. In HS, I played on the golf team and was easily the worst at putting (the best was a guy whose name rhymes with "Trick Motney"). I have never liked putting and refuse to practice it. I did recently regrip it with a gigantic super stroke grip. This makes it look like a very expensive putter from a distance which is the effect i am going for. I will not waste my money on stupid putters.

[Brjpool]

I play ping G20 because they were what I was fit for. Unfortunately I went to golf tec. I did have a fitter that I felt did a good job for me but I only swung a 5 iron and a driver. After that it was determined I was a green dot with an extra inch added to the shaft and 1/16th inch bigger grip.

 

That was two years ago after only playing for a couple years. Knowing what I know now I have started the process of trying to do a brand agnostic fitting for each club and slowly replace the clubs in my bag.

 

 

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[steppertech]

I am primarily of the 'find something that works and go with it' mentality.

 

My first set back when I took up the game 20-odd years ago was an Adams starter set. Used them for about a year while learning about the game and trying to find a swing.

Due to family and RL commitments, golf got put aside for a number of years. I finally pulled out the set 3 years ago and started taking lessons. Used them for about a year while trying to develop some sort of a repeatable swing. During that year I demoed some Hybrids at stores and from instructors before settling on the Adams Idea Pros. Bought a used 3 and 4 hybrid and closeted the 3, 5 and 7W that came with the Adams starter set. Learned the value of the short game and added some Mizuno wedges.

 

At the start of my second year I lost the 8-iron from the Adams set (left it at a driving range and it was not turned in) and tried to play through the gap while looking for a replacement set of irons - Figured since my set was 20 years old I could find something with newer technology. I demoed about a dozen club sets at stores before settling on a discounted demo set of Taylormade RSI2's. I did use the hitting bays when testing, watching the ball flight and such but, not knowing what I know now, I was not paying attention to the numbers, more of what produced decent ball flight, felt comfortable in my hands and had a decent price point. Still have them and am still enjoying the results I get with them. 

 

The wedges have been replaced with Cleveland 588's. I had found one of them on a course and turned it in. Happened to go back to the same course a month later and the owner apparently had not returned to pick it up as it was in the used club bin. Was able to borrow it for the round and even though it was much more used/abused than my wedges, I had better results with it. As the technology had been out for a little while I was able to get reasonably priced new ones off Ebay.

 

The original Adams driver got replaced by a Cobra Bio Cell that was donated to me by one of my instructors (here, I don't use this anymore and I cannot stand to see you use that older driver. It looks hideous. Please don't bring it to your lessons anymore). It serves me well and I have not seriously tried looking for a replacement. 

 

I toyed with putters during the first year back in the game, trying just about anything in stores, purchasing some used(cheap), before settling on a Odyssey White Hot counter-balanced model. Have been using it for two years now and have upgraded the grip to one of the over-sized versions. Still continue to peruse the stores and playing with the new toys but have not found anything that piqued my senses more than what I currently have.

 

With all that I have worked down to a 14 handicap and through the first part of last year was reasonably happy with my game. Knee problems reduced the amount of golf toward the end of the year but surgery is done, rehab is ongoing and I should be back out on the course by the end of spring. 

 

My goal is to start looking for upgrades next year. Before that happens I want to get comfortable again with my swing and a few more lessons. Next year I will be looking to get fit for a set of irons. Brand name is not important.

[alfred480]

I go by a combination of looks feel and performance with some relativity to price too.

 

For example, a new M1 driver or Epic driver was squeezing a few more yards than the Nike Vapor Flex the Nike was $170 and the M1/Epic is over $600 (canadian) Also, the Nike feel and dispersion was better so I went with that.

 

same thing for the 3W and hybrid.

 

The irons however are very looks and feel orientated, which is why I went with Cobra King MB/CB black colour, love a thin topline, and the buttery feel.  Don't really care for forgiveness as much as consistent dispersion front to back and ability to flight high or low if I want. But because I love the performance, feel and looks I didn't mind spending the money for these.

 

Wedges I keep a mid bounce50,54 with a high bounce 58 wedge. I have great chipping ability and pretty creative so the bounce is for the bunker shots makes it easier to hit out of any sand.

 

Putter is strictly whatever lets me putt the ball on the intended line.

[revkev]

I don't know how I missed this thread.

 

Driver and irons were recommended by my teacher.

 

I tested SCOR wedges for MGS and then picked up a couple of more on my own to fill out that part of the bag. I can't imagine using another wedge.

 

Likewise I tested EVNRoll putter and love it. The putter before came out of a bargain basket but it was modified in a fitting.

 

I tried a friends SLDR hybrid for a few weeks when he was injured, loved it and picked up a 4 and 5 from global golf.

 

Likewise with my fairway wood but it's about to be replaced.

 

 

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[JDHolmes]

Personally, i buy a lot of gear. I've played Ping irons since my first set in 1976. I need to be fit because of my height. Drivers, putters and wedges I buy frequently and currently have M1, G30, Cobra LTD, bio cell and five a bit older. Putters, about 15. I nust bought F6 Cobra irons cause i wanted something new and liked what i read here

 

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