ncwoz's WITB

[ncwoz]

2 hours ago, edingc said:

I think a road trip to Sycamore, IL and Sub70 is in your future...

And let's hope it's sooner rather than later!!

[DarthGator007]

I bought a set of Ping Eye 2s as my first "big money" set, back in 98 and to this day they are still the best irons I've ever owned. I truly regret getting rid of them and should have just kept them around. 

[connerp93]

On 6/1/2019 at 1:45 PM, ncwoz said:

Well folks, debated not posting but figured I've gotta start somewhere! It's a bit of a hodge podge, but here's my current load out:

Driver: TaylorMade R9 SupterTri (Fujikura MotoreF1 65 shaft)

3W: Callaway X2 Hot (Aldila Tour Green 75 Tx shaft)

Irons (PW-2): Ping Eye 2

Wedges (52 & 60): Mack Daddy 2's

Putter: Ping Cushin

Being that my wife and I still have college loans breathing down our necks I'm on a bit of a budget. This in mind, I'm wondering if anyone has advice on what would be most worth upgrading next? There's not really a club in here I can't stand, and don't want to go buy something that will only be a marginal difference from what I've got. Hit me with what you think!

I can appreciate this, my wife and I were in the same boat a few years back. I agree with the others that a new set of grips can refresh the feel and keep you moving. But when it comes time, the 20 year old irons are probably the place I'd improve. Technology has improved so incredibly much in irons since then and you'll be guaranteed to see benefit from a newer set. You can pick up sets that are 3 or 4 years old for a couple hundred bucks that could be a great fit for you! Good luck mate!

[Chizzle]

A lot of good advice.  Just curious what you think or what aspect do you feel you need improvement?  I totally agree with the people saying get a newer (not new) driver.  M1 and newer.  The technology gap is silly.  I switched from a R1 to flash sub zero and gained on average 20-30 yards.  Just for reference, I bought my driver used on callaway preowned website and they have other brand's clubs too.  As for your 150 yrds and in, the shaft may have a thing with it but to put it blunt it's more about your ability and the types of shots you have available in your bag right now.  I agree with everyone and think your irons are plenty.  

If you're thinking you want new or newer clubs just because its "time", I would stay with your current set up until you have the means to get what you REALLY want.  If you feel you need more distance or forgiveness, then it's time to start doing homework.  If it's more about strike, your shot shape, or scoring i think you should use the money for lessons.  New clubs dont fix shanks, chunks, skulls, yanked hook balls, slice way out, or poor course management.  

[ncwoz]

3 hours ago, Chizzle said:

A lot of good advice.  Just curious what you think or what aspect do you feel you need improvement?  I totally agree with the people saying get a newer (not new) driver.  M1 and newer.  The technology gap is silly.  I switched from a R1 to flash sub zero and gained on average 20-30 yards.  Just for reference, I bought my driver used on callaway preowned website and they have other brand's clubs too.  As for your 150 yrds and in, the shaft may have a thing with it but to put it blunt it's more about your ability and the types of shots you have available in your bag right now.  I agree with everyone and think your irons are plenty.  

If you're thinking you want new or newer clubs just because its "time", I would stay with your current set up until you have the means to get what you REALLY want.  If you feel you need more distance or forgiveness, then it's time to start doing homework.  If it's more about strike, your shot shape, or scoring i think you should use the money for lessons.  New clubs dont fix shanks, chunks, skulls, yanked hook balls, slice way out, or poor course management.  

Great question, I'm not totally sure to be honest. I feel pretty good about my putting, but other than that I'm not sure there's any one part of my game that's miles behind the others. Course management is probably the cheapest to improve though!

I do completely agree with you on only upgrading to something I really want. Even if it's not one of the big dog OEMs, I'm happy to be patient with what I've got now until I can get my hands on clubs that I'm really interested in.

[ncwoz]

Shoot, I didn't realize how long it's been since I updated my WITB! I guess I'm still a poor(ish) recent(ish) college grad; at least enough so that my wife and my budget still has put some limits on what I'm willing to spend on golf. However, through MGS I've been able to make a few updates to my bag! Through MGS testing opportunities, and learning about club fitting and alternate club manufacturers to the "typical" OEM's, I've been able to see much more change than I otherwise would have been able to. The changes have been very helpful in my handicap dropping from about 19 going into this spring, to a hair over 10 now that our season is wrapping up.

First update was last fall, with the flat stick. I was selected for the Evnroll ER2B test, and it quickly secured it's place in my bag over the Ping Cushin. Over the last year I've only grown to appreciate it more, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon!

Second update was from this past summer, again from an MGS testing opportunity. The Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro 18° hybrid (with Evenflow Black 6.5 shaft) earned its spot over my previous Ping Eye2 2 iron. The EXS Pro has been MUCH more versatile. The 2 iron I used occasionally off the tee, but more often as a punch out club. The EXS Pro has become a reliable tee shot club, and has also given me more confidence going after par 5's in two.

My most recent change is in my irons. Per some of the recommendations from this thread, I decided to upgrade them next as the Ping Eye2's are lagging almost 3 decades of technology behind (although I recognize they're still a really solid head considering their age). I'd been looking primarily at some Maltby and Sub70 options for the last year or so, and finally pulled the trigger on a set of 4-PW TS-1 heads, with KBS $-Taper 120g shafts. After just one range session, I'm already excited to use these guys on the course next season. I'm hoping my dispersions will be tighter, and I'll be able to improve my approach game accuracy and consistency. And they don't look too shabby if I do say so myself!

I'm not sure exactly when it will be, but I think Driver is the most pressing need to upgrade next. I also have an additional spot open in my bag now that my irons only go up to 4 iron. That will be getting filled by a Christmas present, more updates to come on that in the next few weeks!

[BNewton51]

On 6/1/2019 at 2:45 PM, ncwoz said:

Well folks, debated not posting but figured I've gotta start somewhere! It's a bit of a hodge podge, but here's my current load out:

Driver: TaylorMade R9 SupterTri (Fujikura MotoreF1 65 shaft)

3W: Callaway X2 Hot (Aldila Tour Green 75 Tx shaft)

Irons (PW-2): Ping Eye 2

Wedges (52 & 60): Mack Daddy 2's

Putter: Ping Cushin

Being that my wife and I still have college loans breathing down our necks I'm on a bit of a budget. This in mind, I'm wondering if anyone has advice on what would be most worth upgrading next? There's not really a club in here I can't stand, and don't want to go buy something that will only be a marginal difference from what I've got. Hit me with what you think!

My first bit of advice would be search out a site like 2nd swing or another second hand club reseller.  Lots of people get hoodwinked into buying clubs brand new when a million and one of us are out here who buy and trade our clubs in regularly.  Most times, you can find an essentially brand new set of clubs for a fraction of their brand new retail price.  Trust me, I stop buying brand new clubs unless they are an absolute must have (Drivers are the ONLY club I buy new).   Please note, not separately mentioning the 3 wood or any fairway woods as the same logic as drivers applies, though I find Driver would be the first thing to look at before you look at those.  

Secondly, I would tell you that the biggest bang for your buck right now would be to look at Driver (the tech today has far surpassed the R9 - though that's still a great stick) and your wedges.  For the Driver, as long as you get something in the last two years release cycle I think you're gonna see some obvious distance gains there and forgiveness.  I personally prefer the SIM and I do like the Callaway Drivers but you can get some great deals on a TS2-3 driver right now that are pretty amazing sticks in themselves.  As far as your Wedges go... they tend to wear out the most because people use them more than any other club in the bag throughout the course of their rounds.  There are a number of good wedges out there at a very decent price!  

Iron wise, the Ping Eye 2 irons are pretty damn tough to beat man.  Even today, I would argue that those clubs play as nice as anything.  Though you might find some issues if you ever enter a tournament because of compliance on grooves (that's not the norm because none of us are playing for the big bucks so you don't have PGA tour guys out there checking  your equipment). Even saying that, I'd probably tell you of your current bag, those would be the last items I'd be looking to upgrade at this point.  But again when you do, check the resellers for the best deals on whatever brand you prefer.  

Putter wise... To me putters are highly personal.  So you can't really recommend someone to do whatever with them.  If the putter still sinks putts, then I see absolutely no reason as to why I'd consider changing it just yet.  That would be the last to get changed out if it were me on a budget. 

Just my honest opinions brotha.  You can certainly choose to do different, but that would be my approach.  Frankly, these forums are a wealth of knowledge so I'll even enjoy hearing what others say in these posts as well.  

Whatever you choose, hit'em well and good luck with those student loans!  We all got'em and hate them just as much! 

[jkpigott]

I concur with those saying don't change for change sake.

Two possibilities from my view - wedges and driver. Would look at new sharp grooves to help save strokes around the green. Good pricing now for Cleveland RTX 4s ($99) with fair amount of bounce options.

On the driver, might look at G410 and Cobra and I would suggest a fitting for either.  Think G410 is around $399 now and will likely drop once G425 comes out. Nice thing with Ping, you can still order the prior years' version of driver once new models come out. I really like my F9 as well. Great ball speed all across the face. They were down to $250 this year after SZ and SZE was released. Same might happen with SZ once Rad Sped released.

[RollingGreens]

On 11/24/2020 at 9:33 AM, ncwoz said:

Shoot, I didn't realize how long it's been since I updated my WITB! I guess I'm still a poor(ish) recent(ish) college grad; at least enough so that my wife and my budget still has put some limits on what I'm willing to spend on golf. However, through MGS I've been able to make a few updates to my bag! Through MGS testing opportunities, and learning about club fitting and alternate club manufacturers to the "typical" OEM's, I've been able to see much more change than I otherwise would have been able to. The changes have been very helpful in my handicap dropping from about 19 going into this spring, to a hair over 10 now that our season is wrapping up.

First update was last fall, with the flat stick. I was selected for the Evnroll ER2B test, and it quickly secured it's place in my bag over the Ping Cushin. Over the last year I've only grown to appreciate it more, and it's not going anywhere anytime soon!

Second update was from this past summer, again from an MGS testing opportunity. The Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro 18° hybrid (with Evenflow Black 6.5 shaft) earned its spot over my previous Ping Eye2 2 iron. The EXS Pro has been MUCH more versatile. The 2 iron I used occasionally off the tee, but more often as a punch out club. The EXS Pro has become a reliable tee shot club, and has also given me more confidence going after par 5's in two.

My most recent change is in my irons. Per some of the recommendations from this thread, I decided to upgrade them next as the Ping Eye2's are lagging almost 3 decades of technology behind (although I recognize they're still a really solid head considering their age). I'd been looking primarily at some Maltby and Sub70 options for the last year or so, and finally pulled the trigger on a set of 4-PW TS-1 heads, with KBS $-Taper 120g shafts. After just one range session, I'm already excited to use these guys on the course next season. I'm hoping my dispersions will be tighter, and I'll be able to improve my approach game accuracy and consistency. And they don't look too shabby if I do say so myself!

I'm not sure exactly when it will be, but I think Driver is the most pressing need to upgrade next. I also have an additional spot open in my bag now that my irons only go up to 4 iron. That will be getting filled by a Christmas present, more updates to come on that in the next few weeks!

Being on the loan budget myself itself great to see the grinding of upgrading a bag. Best of luck going forward 

[ncwoz]

Winter is cold and boring...so I made some bag upgrades!

First one was the 'ole boom stick. A local shop was running a promotion a few months back where you got the cost of the fitting back in a gift card. Got fit to this setup, then waited a month or so until the 2021 releases started dropping so I could get last year's stuff on clearance. Picked up a Cobra Speedzone 9° with a 70g HZRDUS Smoke Green shaft. During the fitting this setup was super stable and felt like I could get after a swing if necessary without too much lost control. I tended to get pretty erratic with my R9, so I'm looking forward to some hopefully straighter driving this season. Here's some pics!

As an aside, I also learned during the fitting that I was hitting almost 4° down with my driver. Turns out that doesn't help distance lol. So I've tweaked my driver setup a bit and am working to get at least level, if not hitting upwards on the ball.

More updates to come this week, then we'll probably have the 2021 bagged locked in!

[ejgaudette]

29 minutes ago, ncwoz said:

Winter is cold and boring...so I made some bag upgrades!

First one was the 'ole boom stick. A local shop was running a promotion a few months back where you got the cost of the fitting back in a gift card. Got fit to this setup, then waited a month or so until the 2021 releases started dropping so I could get last year's stuff on clearance. Picked up a Cobra Speedzone 9° with a 70g HZRDUS Smoke Green shaft. During the fitting this setup was super stable and felt like I could get after a swing if necessary without too much lost control. I tended to get pretty erratic with my R9, so I'm looking forward to some hopefully straighter driving this season. Here's some pics!

As an aside, I also learned during the fitting that I was hitting almost 4° down with my driver. Turns out that doesn't help distance lol. So I've tweaked my driver setup a bit and am working to get at least level, if not hitting upwards on the ball.

More updates to come this week, then we'll probably have the 2021 bagged locked in!

Have the SZ Extreme and have really enjoyed it. I also actually just picked up a 60g Smoke Green that I should be getting shortly hope it works too. Like the white with the green shaft setup, my old college colors, unfortunately mine is yellow.

[ncwoz]

Another (relatively) recent bag upgrade. My in-laws spoiled the heck outta me this Christmas, got me two Maltby TSW wedges! 50° with 6° of bounce and 54° with 10° with Dynamic Gold R300 shafts and Lamkin Crossline Midsize grips.

I think I'm really going to like the sole design, it feels like it's pretty wide but still has relief on the toe and heel. Between chipping around in my living room and hitting some balls off mats at the range, I'm really liking them so far. Before the season starts up I think I'm going to snag a 58° to round off the set!

[fixyurdivot]

On 6/1/2019 at 12:45 PM, ncwoz said:

Well folks, debated not posting but figured I've gotta start somewhere! It's a bit of a hodge podge, but here's my current load out:

Driver: TaylorMade R9 SupterTri (Fujikura MotoreF1 65 shaft)

3W: Callaway X2 Hot (Aldila Tour Green 75 Tx shaft)

Irons (PW-2): Ping Eye 2

Wedges (52 & 60): Mack Daddy 2's

Putter: Ping Cushin

Being that my wife and I still have college loans breathing down our necks I'm on a bit of a budget. This in mind, I'm wondering if anyone has advice on what would be most worth upgrading next? There's not really a club in here I can't stand, and don't want to go buy something that will only be a marginal difference from what I've got. Hit me with what you think!

I guess to start off with, what portion of your game do you feel needs the most attention?  From your bag and my personal experience, I'll make the leap that it's your irons.

I played my PE2's for over 30 years.  The only reason I upgraded is because nearly everyone I talked to said the latest technology in irons offer improvement.  The skeptical side of me resisted for awhile but, the combination of having retired and having lots more time to play, along with my having stumbled onto MGS and reading reviews and candid feedback on all of the various products, ended up pushing me over the edge.  In a nutshell, the advances in iron designs does offer performance improvement over the PE2's.

If you have not had an iron fitting, I would highly recommend that first. Many of the big names offer specials that will not bust the budget.  Having opted to use Truespec, I would not recommend them simply because I feel they tailor their service to high end consumers and do not offer a good many of the OEM shaft options to test.  Bring in your PE2 to serve as baseline and you will quickly see the improved shift in performance.  Hit as many of the current product irons you can to sift out the type head and shaft that seems to work best for you. 

You can then use this information to look for used sets that better meet your current budget.  Coming from PE2 circa, the great thing is that you could opt for the previous release of a club model (i.e.; Z585 vs. ZX5, or G400 vs. G425, etc.) and still get performance benefits.  You could just buy a used set of heads and then get the preferred shafts from a club builder.  If your patient and diligent in your search, some really budget friendly options can be found.

But investing in a good iron fitting is, IMHO, the best investment you can make.

[RollingGreens]

Looks like your bag is rounding out nicely! Hoping it brings you improved success on the course

[ncwoz]

2 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

I guess to start off with, what portion of your game do you feel needs the most attention?  From your bag and my personal experience, I'll make the leap that it's your irons.

I played my PE2's for over 30 years.  The only reason I upgraded is because nearly everyone I talked to said the latest technology in irons offer improvement.  The skeptical side of me resisted for awhile but, the combination of having retired and having lots more time to play, along with my having stumbled onto MGS and reading reviews and candid feedback on all of the various products, ended up pushing me over the edge.  In a nutshell, the advances in iron designs does offer performance improvement over the PE2's.

If you have not had an iron fitting, I would highly recommend that first. Many of the big names offer specials that will not bust the budget.  Having opted to use Truespec, I would not recommend them simply because I feel they tailor their service to high end consumers and do not offer a good many of the OEM shaft options to test.  Bring in your PE2 to serve as baseline and you will quickly see the improved shift in performance.  Hit as many of the current product irons you can to sift out the type head and shaft that seems to work best for you. 

You can then use this information to look for used sets that better meet your current budget.  Coming from PE2 circa, the great thing is that you could opt for the previous release of a club model (i.e.; Z585 vs. ZX5, or G400 vs. G425, etc.) and still get performance benefits.  You could just buy a used set of heads and then get the preferred shafts from a club builder.  If your patient and diligent in your search, some really budget friendly options can be found.

But investing in a good iron fitting is, IMHO, the best investment you can make.

Yessir! Already took your advice and got myself some new Maltby irons, can't wait to get a full season with them!

[ncwoz]

On 2/14/2021 at 11:21 AM, ncwoz said:

Another (relatively) recent bag upgrade. My in-laws spoiled the heck outta me this Christmas, got me two Maltby TSW wedges! 50° with 6° of bounce and 54° with 10° with Dynamic Gold R300 shafts and Lamkin Crossline Midsize grips.

I think I'm really going to like the sole design, it feels like it's pretty wide but still has relief on the toe and heel. Between chipping around in my living room and hitting some balls off mats at the range, I'm really liking them so far. Before the season starts up I think I'm going to snag a 58° to round off the set!

58° TSW wedge came in the other day to round out the bag!

I'm also putting my hybrid potentially on the chopping block - I recently picked up a Tour Edge Exotics CB Pro Tungsten 3 iron from @edingc, as well as a UiHi Ben Hogan 3 iron that I'll be testing out. I'm mostly looking for this spot in my bag to be a reliable tee-shot club, so we'll see what direction I go!

[dwilliams]

A classic setup indeed — keep it!

[ncwoz]

2022 WITB update

Similar setup to where I wrapped up last year, but with a couple small tweaks. Feel the best I've felt about my bag in general, and I've been playing really well to match up with that as well. Here's where I've stood since the start of the season:

Driver: 9° Cobra Speedzone (HZRDUS Smoke Green 70g X-Stiff shaft)

The driver has been as good as it's ever been lately. I made some swing changes that have helped me minimize the penalties and improved my strike, and the club has continued to perform great. Don't see it going anywhere anytime soon.

2 Hybrid: 18° Tour Edge Exotics EXS Pro (Evenflow Black 6.5)

This has been a club I've fallen back on when the driver gets unruly, so the fact that I haven't needed to use it much is a good sign for my game. It's occasionally gone spinny off the tee lately, but it's generally been solid still. Don't use it off the deck often, but when I do it's reliable. This club is somewhat on the block for the off-season, but I don't see any changes coming until the fall. Might not change at all, or could be as simple as a shaft change but time will tell.

3/Driving Iron: 18° Hogan UiHi Iron (MMT Utility TX 105g shaft)

First real tweak of the season. @edingc helped me re-shaft this from the KBS Tour V 100 stiff to a Mitsubishi MMT Utility TX 105g, and I've absolutely been loving it. Practically any hole that gets narrow, this guy has stepped up. It's the longest club I feel comfortable moving right to left, and if I need to I can flight it down as well. The shaft change has been a game-changer so far.

Irons: 4-GW Titleist T100 irons (Nippon Modus 120 X-Stiff shafts)

The irons have continued to play really well too. Because of the sourcing craziness we had during the test we had to go with the Modus 120X's instead of 130X's, but that hasn't been hurting too much and the heads are money. I've played the best from the rough I ever have because of the much better consistency of spin. I made the commitment and sold my previous Maltby TS-1 gamer set to my buddy because I knew these weren't going anywhere anytime soon. An off-season project will mostly likely be getting the 130X's swapped in.

Wedges: 54° & 58° Maltby TSW Forged (Dynamic Gold S300)

Have still been enjoying the wedges. Might need to take a look at replacing them from a wear perspective at the end of the season. My only complaint is the bright finish occasionally glares in the sunlight, and if the LW had full face grooves that'd be sweet, but most likely I'll reload with the same heads when the time comes.

Putter: Evnroll ER2B

Putter has been really solid as well. I have rolled a couple mallets I've enjoyed, but not enough to make me seriously consider them.

Ball: MAXFLI Tour X

Another small tweak, I've been loving the MAXFLI Tour X ball this year. It's been LONG off the driver, solid spin off the irons and wedges. Really pleased, and also love how affordable it is.

Bag: Ping Hoofer Lite

Last change so far, and it was long overdue! I got a new bag over the winter, and am glad I did. It's light but still plenty of storage. Only complaint is I haven't figured out how to lock the legs in the stowed when I'm using my push cart. As I walk through the round it'll slowly start extending the legs and they'll start hitting the wheels. Worst case I'll bun-jee chord it, but a little annoyed there isn't a solution built into the bag.