#CobraCONNECT Challenge 3

[palvord]

1 hour ago, edingc said:

Say I know a guy who was interested in purchasing a set of Cobra wedges. Would the versatile grind suffice for average to soft conditions, including wet conditions? This guy takes mostly shallow divots, miss is more thin than fat, and will use the 52 degree for full shots, while the 56 degree will be for mostly touch and feel shots, flighting up/down, including chipping and pitching around the green.

Or would the widelow grind be better for the 56 degree?

Should have asked this during wedge week, but this guy is now in the market. 

As a leftie, the only option available for me was the versatile grind. I will miss thin as much as I miss fat and had no issues with moving the club through various course conditions.

 

[Nunfa0]

1 hour ago, edingc said:

Thanks. Good feedback to know. Temptations, temptations.

I totally agree with @Bucky CC, the King Black Wedges are seriously good and well worth getting. I have had no issues with them and no loss of distance at all. They also spin very nicely too

[Nunfa0]

Right I shall sit down tonight, crack open a nice beer and put my final thoughts out for all to see

[GB13]

3 minutes ago, Nunfa0 said:

Right I shall sit down tonight, crack open a nice beer and put my final thoughts out for all to see

[MaxEntropy]

10 minutes ago, Nunfa0 said:

Right I shall sit down tonight, crack open a nice beer and put my final thoughts out for all to see

Don't cry, it'll be alright.... 

[GB13]

16 minutes ago, MaxEntropy said:

Don't cry, it'll be alright.... 

No, it won’t. 

[JohnSmalls]

I’m not crying. You’re crying. %*^# these onions.  

[Nunfa0]

So here we are, the end of a journey that began with a little post from @GolfSpy STUDque on the 22nd of March. It has been epic to say the least and sooo rewarding I just don't know where to start.

 

Anyway, I began this little contest by setting a bench mark for the Cobras to chase and I have to admit I set it high

 

I thought there wasn't much chance of me making an improvement but I had 8 weeks to try. I am very happy to say that the Cobras have exceeded my expectations in every way.

The driver is accurate and long, the three wood is a rocket from the tee and the fairway, the hybrid is now my favorite and most trusted club, the irons are incredibly forgiving and accurate and the wedges are just wonderful. Not only did I drop my Arccos handicap by 2.4 but my real handicap has dropped by 2.6 as well . The only section that I didn't improve in was sand and I put that down to hitting the ball in less bunkers. I managed to set some nice personal bests along the way as well...

Cobra have made a brilliant set of clubs that have won a place in my bag with no difficulty and Arccos has won me over as well

Ok , time for a few thank yous. First off thanks have to MGS and Cobra for picking me. We had some fun and games getting everything sorted but we got there. @GolfSpy STUDque was super patient with all of us and kept us under control as well as controlling the forum with the other mods. How you guys do it is beyond me.

Special thanks to Chad DeHart from Cobra for sorting out the Arccos set up for us and a massive thanks to Rachel Rees for sorting out a couple of issues I had with the clubs. The whole process has been easy and stress free, you guys rock!!

As for my other competitors, @bardle, @Bucky CC, @palvord and @robertson153 all of you are amazing! It has been an honor and privilege to share this journey with you. The quality of the golf and the posts has been beyond compare. It has made this an easy contest to get motivated for and has made this brilliant fun.

And to you guys, the members of this happy, silly, brilliant place. Thank you for following us, encouraging us, laughing with us, laughing at us and keeping us honest. I would love to name you all but this would end up being the longest post ever.

This has been a lot of work and yes it's a big commitment, but if you ever get the chance to do it grab it with both hands. Yes there are ups and downs but its all worth it.

Right time to end this emotional drivel. I will not say goodbye to this thread because there must be many more questions to be asked, keep firing them at us guys!!  So till they come in it's Au revoir from me.

 

[JohnSmalls]

@Nunfa0 well played. It’s been a blast following and sharing a little banter with you.  Speaking of which... Haka, haaaaka, haka haka haka! 

[JohnSmalls]

Another question for you guys, if there was only one club that you could keep from the entire set, which one would it be?

[Nunfa0]

1 minute ago, JohnSmalls said:

Another question for you guys, if there was only one club that you could keep from the entire set, which one would it be?

Easy, Hybrid

[Nunfa0]

3 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

@Nunfa0 well played. It’s been a blast following and sharing a little banter with you.  Speaking of which... Haka, haaaaka, haka haka haka! 

I think @Bucky CC has killed off any chance of that...

[palvord]

5 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

Another question for you guys, if there was only one club that you could keep from the entire set, which one would it be?

Easy choice for me, 3 wood. (with my 56* wedge as a close second)

[Bucky CC]

24 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

Another question for you guys, if there was only one club that you could keep from the entire set, which one would it be?

I would say 3 wood.  I fell in love with this club during our fairway and hybrid week when I hit 3 wood off of almost every single tee and multiple times from the fairway and rough.  I could easily see myself going Henrik Stenson with this club and keeping it for 10+ years.

[Wedgie]

Nunfa, you mentioned some “issues” with your clubs that Cobra straightened out. Can you tell us what they were?


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[bardle]

Before I start, I just want to thank the moderators, Cobra, and Arccos for putting this together. I've done my best to live up to their expectations and I truly can't say enough about how well put together this challenge was and how thankful I am to have been chosen to represent the forum. A big thank you to my other competitors as well for keeping things interesting and providing some really incredible reviews of the equipment. Of course, I have to thank my teammate @Wedgie for supporting me no matter what! 

I started this thread with some baseline numbers that were pretty representative of how I was playing: 

I ended up improving in a pretty big way and came out to a 19.7 overall handicap, here are the rest of the numbers: 

I'm VERY happy with my improvement.

I'm sure no one here is surprised that the only stat that did not improve is my driving...I just can't figure it out. I'm beginning to think its a forgiveness thing and that I just do not have a consistent enough swing to make it work with this driver. I've tried everything possible. Higher loft, lower loft, draw setting, weight front and back, nothing seems to give me any kind of consistency or confidence. 

Other than that, I love every single club in the bag and of course, the bag itself. There was so much hype about the one lengths being problematic or not giving me good distance, short irons being too long, etc... I am here to tell you that is all a load of crap. They work, they just work. I've shown you distance, and accuracy. 

Checking my stats in Arccos now against my baseline stats:

• My long iron GIR % is up 10.3% (175 yds - 230 yds)
• My short iron GIR % is up 3.4% 
  • But my % of misses short of the green has dropped 26.6%!!!
• Wedge GIR % is up 31.2%!!! (inside 135 yards)

Suffice it to say I am in love with the wedge and irons. I kinda like hitting those 275 yard bombs with the 3 wood too.

Pretty good improvement to have not taken a lesson. Also this improvement is only over 13 rounds. Which is a pretty typical amount for me over an 8 week period. Its actually more than I would normally get by about 5 rounds. 

Here are my personal bests: My favorite is the 0 eagles achievement, kinda mean but also funny...I think...

 

Again I just want to thank all the forum members for participating and keeping this thread alive, without you guys we would have been all kinds of bored talking to each other. I sincerely hope you've all enjoyed putting up with me and my sometimes ranting / lengthy reviews. Please continue to ask questions...in the meantime I'll continue to outdrive people with my 5 iron (Who needs that stupid driver anyway). 

[bardle]

37 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

Another question for you guys, if there was only one club that you could keep from the entire set, which one would it be?

3 wood, 5 iron, 54º, the PW is crazy accurate though...Why must you make me choose! 

[JohnSmalls]

3 hours ago, bardle said:

3 wood, 5 iron, 54º, the PW is crazy accurate though...Why must you make me choose! 

Rules are rules...

[palvord]

I beg your indulgence as this wrap up is going to contain a few Shakespeare references. As a former English teacher, some of the lines help me with this part of the process.

 

 

Parting is such sweet sorrow... (Romeo And Juliet, Act 2, scene 2, 184)

I've struggled to put down properly the correct emotions and stats to wrap up this challenge and review. I'm going to try and be clear and concise, but do apologize if I ramble.

 

I guess the best place to start is with my overwhelming feelings of gratitude and appreciation. Thank you MyGolfSpy, Cobra, and Arccos for this opportunity. It has been an incredible privilege and honor to participate in the challenge. I hope that I served the needs of the forum.

Thank you, @GolfSpy STUDque. I am thoroughly impressed with your hard work and dedication to helping us and the forum members throughout this challenge. You helped guide and advise us competitors time and again to create a fantastic product for the forum. I cannot begin to imagine the amount of effort that went into this. Thank you for your effort.

Thank you, @yungkory for being my partner in the 4 club challenge. I'm sorry that I didn't help in anyway give us a chance to win, but I appreciate you being willing to join me in the competition.

Thank you, @Nunfa0 @Bucky CC @bardle and @robertson153. The banter and support has made this something that I never dreaded or felt was real work. You all inspired me to create content that benefited the forum, and to try and shoot better scores.  

I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks. (Twelfth Night, Act 3, scene 3, 14-15)

 

 

Well. I guess it's time to talk about my play.

At the beginning of the challenge, my Arccos handicaps were:

 

And at the end of the challenge, my Arrcos handicaps are:

Sooooo.... What happened?

As I mentioned throughout the challenge, my scoring was not improving the same way as my fellow competitors. I've really tried to be honest with myself about what changed in my golf game throughout the challenge to cause my Arccos handicaps to change. (Please note, my USGA handicap is the same as at the beginning of the challenge, 14.5.)

Was it the clubs?

NO.

Very much no.

The best hypothesis that I have is that I stopped practicing during the challenge. I chose to spend my time and money playing rather than practicing these last 8 weeks, and that clearly was a mistake.

I do not regret for a second that choice, as I have learned that I need more practice than play if I want to truly improve. As a competitive person, I strongly dislike that I had to learn by coming in last place in nearly every challenge week, but sometimes I'm too stubborn for my own good.

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. (Hamlet, Act 2, scene 2, 250-251)

While I did not set the golf course ablaze with amazing overall scores, I did have quite a few personal bests throughout the challenge.

I am most proud that I finally had a round with more than one chip and down. Too bad I saved it for 3 days ago, not when the actual chipping week took place...

 

This above all, to thine own self be true. (Hamlet, Act 1, scene 2, 78)

So where do I go from here?

The driving range of course! Did you see those handicaps?

I'm so grateful for the last few months and what they have revealed about my golf game. I know that I need to focus on my work off the tee as it will hopefully set up the rest of my handicaps to fall. I am excited about the work to come. Getting better at golf takes work. Real work.

How poor are they that have not patience! What wound did ever heal but by degrees? (Othello, Act 2, scene 3, 273-274)

 

I know that I am one lucky and privileged S.O.B.  

Again, thank you. It sometimes can really hurt being the caboose, but this has been such a fun time, and a privilege to participate in this challenge.

 

Whether we shall meet again I know not. Therefore our lasting farewell take. For ever and for ever farewell. If we do meet again, why, we shall smile. If not, why then this parting was well made. (Julius Caesar, Act 5, scene 1, 116-120)

 

 

   

 

 

 

[Nunfa0]

8 hours ago, Wedgie said:

Nunfa, you mentioned some “issues” with your clubs that Cobra straightened out. Can you tell us what they were?


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Ummm the first set of clubs I received may or may not have been right handed. It was all sorted within 24 hours and I received the correct clubs 5 days later Rachel was amazing

[JohnSmalls]

35 minutes ago, Nunfa0 said:

Ummm the first set of clubs I received may or may not have been right handed. It was all sorted within 24 hours and I received the correct clubs 5 days later Rachel was amazing

So what you're saying is you get another week of Cobra Connect Challenge because you had to start a week later than everyone else?

[Wedgie]

So what you're saying is you get another week of Cobra Connect Challenge because you had to start a week later than everyone else?

He should be playing right handed anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Nunfa0]

13 minutes ago, JohnSmalls said:

So what you're saying is you get another week of Cobra Connect Challenge because you had to start a week later than everyone else?

Nope. Stud, being the genius he is, got me to order my clubs about a week and a half before everyone else so I got mine about the same time as the rest

[STUDque]

48 minutes ago, Nunfa0 said:

Ummm the first set of clubs I received may or may not have been right handed. It was all sorted within 24 hours and I received the correct clubs 5 days later Rachel was amazing

I was waiting for you to bring this up. Kudos for setting it aside. 

How'd the righty like the oopsie set? You may not be able to haka but I think we'd all love to see a catwalk strut. 

[Nunfa0]

1 minute ago, Wedgie said:

 

He should be playing right handed anyway.


Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

You are correct, everything else I do is right handed. So if my father hadn't given me his old clubs I would have ended up right handed

[Nunfa0]

3 minutes ago, GolfSpy STUDque said:

I was waiting for you to bring this up. Kudos for setting it aside. 

How'd the righty like the oopsie set? You may not be able to haka but I think we'd all love to see a catwalk strut. 

He loves them and used them the first weekend he had them to win a Matchplay game that helped our team win the final

[MaxEntropy]

@bardle - I couldn't help but notice your putting handicap was the biggest single improvement. Any thoughts on why? Better approach/chipping proximity? 

[Wedgie]

[mention=80481]bardle[/mention] - I couldn't help but notice your putting handicap was the biggest single improvement. Any thoughts on why? Better approach/chipping proximity? 

It’s the putter his wife and I got him.


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[Nunfa0]

On 8/6/2019 at 5:07 AM, MaxEntropy said:

Awesome! Can't wait to see if @Nunfa0 is correct in his assessment of Shotscope vs Arccos. 

I forgot to say congrats on the win and I can't wait to see what you think

[Nunfa0]

On 8/5/2019 at 1:44 PM, robertson153 said:

I’m gonna make a separate post for this. As you know we had to use caddie for every shot. We could play as many rounds as we wanted to. If we disagreed with caddie we could hit whatever club we choose, with a 1/3 stroke penalty for every time. I disagreed 6 times, and shot my all time low, beating my old record by 1 shot. Gross score was a 75, net was 77 after six 1/3 disagreements. At least 3 of the strokes were because caddie was telling me to hit 4 iron on 140-145 yard shots . Rating of 71.10 and slope of 129.


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Brilliant round @robertson153, congrats on the win for the caddie week. Would have said this soon but I was feeling too emotional about the end of our contest