edingc's 2022 WITB

[tchat07]

Very interested to see what kind of success you have at the top end of the bag with the hybrids. I plan to get a fitting for that area of my bag and was leaning more toward woods vs hybrids. Seeing your thoughts there has me a little more open to hybrids and not just having woods because that's how it normally is.

Sent from my SM-G950U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[edingc]

Picked up a gently used 2016 model Cobra KING Utility to give me some more flexibility at the top end of the bag. Paired the head with a MMT 105 TX Utility shaft to match the profile of the irons.

I don't expect this club to get a lot of use at my home course, but there are a handful of more open, links-style courses that I like to play where this will likely make an appearance as a tee club. In those situations, I'll drop the Sub70 4 iron to make room and loft the Epic Flash hybrid up to 22 or 23 degrees so that I still have a 200-ish yard club for approaches into greens.

[edingc]

Couple additions/changes since my last update:

Both hybrids have been shafted with MMT 80TX hybrid shafts. The feel isn't quite the same as the tapered tip MMT iron shafts, but I'm really liking the "smooth stoutness" that they bring to the hybrids. They still launch plenty high but I feel like I have a little better control:

I'm really happy with everything in my bag at the moment, so I started looking around at headcovers. The stock Super Hybrid cover was already starting to fall apart, so I opted to match everything with some sweet blue/white/red Callaway "vintage" covers. They fit great and look awesome in the bag. Best part? They cost something like $35 for all three:

[edingc]

edingc's WITB - 2022 Edition

Another semi-lengthy WITB bag as the 2022 season draws near. There has not been nearly as much turnover in my bag this offseason as last, but I still made a few changes.

Driver - Callaway Epic Max LS (9°, set to 8°), 45.75", Dumina AutoFlex SF505X

You can find a pretty lengthy review of my experience with the mythical AutoFlex over in my unofficial review:

This combination returns in 2022 as I hope to continue to improve from the tee box. I still suffer too many penalties off the tee box, so naturally this spot of the bag is also open to change as I continue my quest to lower my handicap.

2 Hybrid - Callaway Super Hybrid (17°, set to 16°), 41.5", Mitsubishi MMT 80HY TX

This club primarily sees tee duties off one specific hole at my home course, but this offseason I've focused on improving my off-the-deck swing with it as well. A change from my last WITB post is that this club now has the Mitsubishi MMT shaft in it, continuing the trend from my irons below.

4 Hybrid - Callaway Epic Flash (21°, set to 20°), 40", Mitsubishi MMT 80HY TX

The Epic Flash is sneaky long and just wants to hit the ball straight. Like the Super Hybrid, this also now has a Mitsubishi MMT hybrid shaft.

4 Utility - 2020 Cobra KING (22.5°, set to 21°), 38.5", UST Mamiya Recoil 110 F5

This was an addition late to the bag late season. I've found it much more forgiving than the set 4 iron, and the adjustable loft is a nice thing as well.

5-GW - Sub70 699 Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Mitsubishi MMT Taper 105 TX

Small change from last year, when I gamed 4-6 regular 699s in a combination set with the 699 Pros. I ended up not liking the offset difference between the regular 699s and 699s Pros. I caught a great Black Friday deal on a used 699 Pro set and scavenged heads from it to make the swap.

I absolutely love these irons and the graphite shafts have been awesome on my joints. I practice a ton off of mats in the winter and have had nearly zero wrist or shoulder pain this winter.

54°, 58° - Cobra MIM Black, Mitsubishi MMT Taper Wedge 105 TX

No individual picture, but these wedges are going on year three in the bag. While I love the MIMs, these are also likely to be replaced in the near future.

Putter - L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3°

This was an excellent purchase and I netted about a two stroke improvement in my putts per round last year despite hitting roughly the same amount of greens.

Estimated Gapping

• Driver: +++
• 2 HY: 235 yards
• 4 HY: 225 yards
• 4: 215 yards
• 5: 210 yards
• 6: 198 yards
• 7: 186 yards
• 8: 174 yards
• 9: 162 yards
• PW: 150 yards
• AW: 138 yards
• 54: 126 yards
• 58: 114 yards

Future Plans

I am hoping to go for a full bag fitting sometime in early July, more just to have fun than out of need, but I'll be curious to see how the early season goes. I'm definitely open to changing anything and everything in the bag, except for putter. Wedges are the most likely change (or at least will be refreshed with new MIMs), but I wouldn't be surprised if a new Epic Super Hybrid makes an appearance at some point during the season.

[yungkory]

What's all that white stuff on the ground

[edingc]

57 minutes ago, yungkory said:

What's all that white stuff on the ground

Massive sand trap... 

[hartrick11]

Recognizing that all mileage varies, now that you have played the 105tx for a while can you talk about them compared to other iron shafts you have tried? I have a 125tx utility in my 3i that is a bit too much for me so am thinking about 105tx in my next iron set. I did see that you came from C taper lites so that scares me a bit when I will be coming from $ taper 130 and have always played heavy shafts, but it also looks like you have stout wood shafts so I am guessing your swing may have changed a bit over the years?

I am guessing that 125 stiff or tx soft stepped is likely my answer but the 105 is so much easier to get and I would rather save the hundreds of dollars by avoiding a fully customized component build if possible. My local golf mart didn’t have the 105tx to try so I am sourcing as much outside information as possible. Thx!

[edingc]

17 minutes ago, hartrick11 said:

Recognizing that all mileage varies, now that you have played the 105tx for a while can you talk about them compared to other iron shafts you have tried? I have a 125tx utility in my 3i that is a bit too much for me so am thinking about 105tx in my next iron set. I did see that you came from C taper lites so that scares me a bit when I will be coming from $ taper 130 and have always played heavy shafts, but it also looks like you have stout wood shafts so I am guessing your swing may have changed a bit over the years?

I am guessing that 125 stiff or tx soft stepped is likely my answer but the 105 is so much easier to get and I would rather save the hundreds of dollars by avoiding a fully customized component build if possible. My local golf mart didn’t have the 105tx to try so I am sourcing as much outside information as possible. Thx!

First and foremost, I primarily ended up with graphite because of my winter practice off of mats. The previous two winters I visited a heated range about once a week from November to March and had various issues with sore wrists and shoulder pain. This is the first winter I've been all graphite. Combined with having my own home hitting area with a Fiberbuilt FlightDeck, I've had little to no soreness or pain despite practicing more often.

All that being said, yes, I came from C-Taper Lites (primarily the 110 models in stiff) after the outcomes of two separate Trackman iron fittings from different companies in 2019 and 2020. During both fittings I saw noticeably better results from the CTLs than anything else at the time. I looked back and my max 7 iron swing speed was roughly 84-87 MPH during both fittings.

You are correct that my swing has changed a bit since those fittings as I've continued to take lessons and pushed myself in the gym. I've had a few lessons this past winter and have been pushing closer to 95 MPH cruising speed on Trackman with a 7 iron at times. On my Mevo+ I've seen 100+ a handful of times as well.

I ended up with the MMTs specifically in 105 TX because I was looking for something tip stiff with a fairly high bend point, which seems to be the general profile of the CTLs. I also was looking for something in the 110-115 gram range. During the 2019 fitting, I had good results with SteelFiber i110s which led me to believe I was in the right sweet spot for weight. 

After that, it was a trial and error process. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but I was able to order the 4 iron shaft separate from the 5-9 shafts. I ordered the 4 first, installed it straight in and figured I could soft-step if necessary. That turned out not to be the case. I then ordered the rest of the shafts and the matching wedge-specific shafts as well.

Overall spin is a probably a little lower than ideal with the Sub70 699 Pros, but I also tend to close the face a bit and hit lower spinning draws in the first place. I do get enough height, however, and paired with a higher-spin ball I usually get hop-and-stop performance into greens. 

Late last season I ordered my Cobra Utility with the Recoil 110 F5 and that's a nice feeling shaft as well, and it produces a slight bit more spin. I would be interested in trying those in a full set, too, but I see the price has recently gone up a little into SteelFiber territory.

Regardless, I don't see myself going back to steel anytime in the future.

[russtopherb]

44 minutes ago, edingc said:

First and foremost, I primarily ended up with graphite because of my winter practice off of mats. The previous two winters I visited a heated range about once a week from November to March and had various issues with sore wrists and shoulder pain. This is the first winter I've been all graphite. Combined with having my own home hitting area with a Fiberbuilt FlightDeck, I've had little to no soreness or pain despite practicing more often.

...

Regardless, I don't see myself going back to steel anytime in the future.

Same here, graphite shafts have completely eliminated joint pain and my tennis elbow. I am still hesitant to practice off mats to be honest, but I haven't had any concerns practicing a lot otherwise. The additional cost for graphite is well worth the reduced wear & tear on my body. 

Nice looking bag to start 2022!

[LeftyMatt89]

What an awesome WITB with thorough thought of each club. Thanks for sharing. I think I’m in the same boat with your decision in 2021 to get rid of your fairway wood. I only hit mine once every 3/4 rounds. It’s probably a useless club at my home course and would be better to have a club I would actually use. Definitely have my wheels turning in my head right now. 

[hartrick11]

1 hour ago, edingc said:

First and foremost, I primarily ended up with graphite because of my winter practice off of mats. The previous two winters I visited a heated range about once a week from November to March and had various issues with sore wrists and shoulder pain. This is the first winter I've been all graphite. Combined with having my own home hitting area with a Fiberbuilt FlightDeck, I've had little to no soreness or pain despite practicing more often.

All that being said, yes, I came from C-Taper Lites (primarily the 110 models in stiff) after the outcomes of two separate Trackman iron fittings from different companies in 2019 and 2020. During both fittings I saw noticeably better results from the CTLs than anything else at the time. I looked back and my max 7 iron swing speed was roughly 84-87 MPH during both fittings.

You are correct that my swing has changed a bit since those fittings as I've continued to take lessons and pushed myself in the gym. I've had a few lessons this past winter and have been pushing closer to 95 MPH cruising speed on Trackman with a 7 iron at times. On my Mevo+ I've seen 100+ a handful of times as well.

I ended up with the MMTs specifically in 105 TX because I was looking for something tip stiff with a fairly high bend point, which seems to be the general profile of the CTLs. I also was looking for something in the 110-115 gram range. During the 2019 fitting, I had good results with SteelFiber i110s which led me to believe I was in the right sweet spot for weight. 

After that, it was a trial and error process. I'm not sure if this is still the case, but I was able to order the 4 iron shaft separate from the 5-9 shafts. I ordered the 4 first, installed it straight in and figured I could soft-step if necessary. That turned out not to be the case. I then ordered the rest of the shafts and the matching wedge-specific shafts as well.

Overall spin is a probably a little lower than ideal with the Sub70 699 Pros, but I also tend to close the face a bit and hit lower spinning draws in the first place. I do get enough height, however, and paired with a higher-spin ball I usually get hop-and-stop performance into greens. 

Late last season I ordered my Cobra Utility with the Recoil 110 F5 and that's a nice feeling shaft as well, and it produces a slight bit more spin. I would be interested in trying those in a full set, too, but I see the price has recently gone up a little into SteelFiber territory.

Regardless, I don't see myself going back to steel anytime in the future.

Thanks for the color! One other question since you built them - did you find that swing weights were a fair bit higher than with the CTL?

My gamer $ Taper seems to be out of stock/backordered pretty much everywhere so I may just take a chance on a 105TX set given my experience with the 125tx and the reviews I have been able to read. When it comes to irons I am not much of a club ho but if I can blame it on the supply chain...

[edingc]

1 hour ago, hartrick11 said:

Thanks for the color! One other question since you built them - did you find that swing weights were a fair bit higher than with the CTL?

My gamer $ Taper seems to be out of stock/backordered pretty much everywhere so I may just take a chance on a 105TX set given my experience with the 125tx and the reviews I have been able to read. When it comes to irons I am not much of a club ho but if I can blame it on the supply chain...

The MMTs swingweighted like steel for me in the Sub70s at standard steel playing lengths. I usually cut shaft to exact length not counting grip cap, and with the little additional weight from the brass shim and the larger BB&F ferrule they are D4-D5 across the set once gripped. That's actually where I had my Maltby PTMs with the CTLs. I've found that swingweight to jive well with my swing more so than the standard D0-D2 range that many manufacturers have.

EDIT - One more thing to note - I was not able to find tip weights that fit the MMTs. They have a very, very small tip opening. The thinnest weights I could find on the internet (from Billy Bob's) were still far too thick. I ended up not needing them, but if your heads are light, you might be looking at lead tape as your only weighting option.

[edingc]

2 hours ago, LeftyMatt89 said:

What an awesome WITB with thorough thought of each club. Thanks for sharing. I think I’m in the same boat with your decision in 2021 to get rid of your fairway wood. I only hit mine once every 3/4 rounds. It’s probably a useless club at my home course and would be better to have a club I would actually use. Definitely have my wheels turning in my head right now. 

Appreciate the comments. I really wanted to make sure there was a reason to be carrying each club in my bag. While the Super Hybrid doesn't get as much use as other clubs, it's been great when I need to drop back from driver a little bit (which isn't all that often, but happens). My home course is fairly short (several par 4s in the 300-yard range) so if I'm not hitting driver I'm usually hitting something even shorter than the Super Hybrid.

2 hours ago, russtopherb said:

Same here, graphite shafts have completely eliminated joint pain and my tennis elbow. I am still hesitant to practice off mats to be honest, but I haven't had any concerns practicing a lot otherwise. The additional cost for graphite is well worth the reduced wear & tear on my body. 

Nice looking bag to start 2022!

Thanks! Yes, the MMTs were a little expensive but I offset the cost by buying the Sub70s used and pulling shafts/doing clubwork myself. They are worth every bit that I paid. The steel shaft/mat combo was bound to inflict some long term pain.

[RollingGreens]

The auto flex is the true unicorn. I wish I could demo one to see the gains before purchasing. I can only imagine the comments you get when everyone sees it in your bag at the course 

[edingc]

2022 Late Season WITB Update

As usual, there has been a bit of turnover in my bag since the last update. 

Driver: Callaway Epic Max LS (9°), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X

The driver is still the weakest part of my game, but this is a good setup for me. The Motore X is a retrofit from my Club Champion fitting in March. When my mechanics are on, I am able to get this out over 300 total.

17° Hybrid: Callaway Super Hybrid, 41.5", Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 80 TX

No change here. This club is used for one or two shots per round only. I've debated about replacing this with a 4 wood or similar.

21° Hybrid: Callaway Epic Flash, 40", Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 80 TX

Also no change here. This is one of my favorite clubs, though as my swing has gotten better I use it less and less as I don't need the distance as much anymore.

4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", UST Mamiya Recoil 110 F5

No change! I'm going to reshaft this with a SteelFiber i110 or i95 this offseason to keep it in line with my irons. I use this mostly as a tee club but it is versatile enough to hit from the deck.

5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff

The dark horse winner of my March Club Champion fitting. RIP to Hogan! These clubs are awesome. I think the long irons are the easiest I've ever hit, and I love the consistent four degree gaps and the gapping and distance consistency I get as a result.

50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge

Thanks, MGS! These were this year's testing opportunity. I really get along well with the high bounce V grind. Definitely check out my review if you are interested in hearing more about these.

Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3°

No change and there won't be for a long, long time. I love this putter, which is as close to automatic as you can get.

Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up
Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow
Tracked By: Shot Scope H4
Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync
Riding On: CaddyTek Caddylite EZ V8

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

37 minutes ago, edingc said:

2022 Late Season WITB Update

As usual, there has been a bit of turnover in my bag since the last update. 

Driver: Callaway Epic Max LS (9°), 45.75", Fujikura Motore X F1 6X

The driver is still the weakest part of my game, but this is a good setup for me. The Motore X is a retrofit from my Club Champion fitting in March. When my mechanics are on, I am able to get this out over 300 total.

17° Hybrid: Callaway Super Hybrid, 41.5", Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 80 TX

No change here. This club is used for one or two shots per round only. I've debated about replacing this with a 4 wood or similar.

21° Hybrid: Callaway Epic Flash, 40", Mitsubishi MMT Hybrid 80 TX

Also no change here. This is one of my favorite clubs, though as my swing has gotten better I use it less and less as I don't need the distance as much anymore.

4 Utility: Cobra KING Utility (2020 Model), 38.5", UST Mamiya Recoil 110 F5

No change! I'm going to reshaft this with a SteelFiber i110 or i95 this offseason to keep it in line with my irons. I use this mostly as a tee club but it is versatile enough to hit from the deck.

5-PW: Ben Hogan PTx Pro, 37" 7 Iron, Aerotech SteelFiber i125cw Stiff

The dark horse winner of my March Club Champion fitting. RIP to Hogan! These clubs are awesome. I think the long irons are the easiest I've ever hit, and I love the consistent four degree gaps and the gapping and distance consistency I get as a result.

50°, 54°, 58°: Edel SMS, V Grind, Nippon Modus 125 Wedge

Thanks, MGS! These were this year's testing opportunity. I really get along well with the high bounce V grind. Definitely check out my review if you are interested in hearing more about these.

Putter: L.A.B. Golf DF 2.1, 36", 68°, Black with Custom Sightlines, BGT Stability Tour, L.A.B. Press II 3°

No change and there won't be for a long, long time. I love this putter, which is as close to automatic as you can get.

Grips: Star Sidewinder, Undersized with Custom Tape Build-Up
Ball: Snell MTB-X Optic Yellow
Tracked By: Shot Scope H4
Bag: Personalized 2020 Sun Mountain Sync
Riding On: CaddyTek Caddylite EZ V8

Nice bag. Don’t sleep on the rogue sr ls 4w. That replaced my super during a fitting and got a deal from the Callaway trade in bonus