2020 Official Member Review: Ben Hogan Golf ComPany-VKTR+, UiHi and GS53 FW

[golfish! 643]

5 hours ago, Siamese Moose said:

As gbtrsc said, based on the club length the frequency for an R ought to be more like 275. However, I should add that this was tested with the grip ON. I haven't tested with this grip model before, so it's quite possible that there's a lot of damping going on. I don't want to pull the grip until after I've used the club a bit, but I will go back and test with the grip off sometime soon. I should have realized that before my original post, but it's been a while since I used the frequency analyzer. My brain is rusty.

To finish on a positive note, my COVID test came back NEGATIVE. Yay! Plus, since I never had a fever I do not need to further isolate (per Ohio guidelines). It took 33 hours from when they took my sample to when the email arrived. I'm a retired analytical chemist, so I understand testing protocols and schedules. I'm really impressed by that speed!

 I'll test the club soon, maybe at the range tomorrow. Today is out, as the rain is hammering down right now in Cincinnati.

Icic so the grip can dampen the frequency and give you a lower reading. Interesting. 

3 hours ago, scooterhd2 said:

My first preference is to shorten the shaft. That is what would generally help to find the center. 

But that is also going to stiffen the shaft and reduce the clubhead speed. Should also produce lower launch. With the ball flight that I am seeing and the numbers from the launch monitor, shortening the current shaft is really the last thing I want to do.

I need something that launches higher, and more speed would help. That's where a graphite shaft at 95 grams or so should have some increased speed over a 110 gram steel shaft, and something with a more active tip would launch a touch higher. With those benefits, going shorter would be a possibility.

Icic so in general you want a lighter shaft to give you more speed. 

[goaliewales14 1,297]

GS53 Fairway Wood

Unboxing is done and now time for the testing!!  I went my local PGA SS to hit off the simulator. 

The first thing I noticed when hitting the GS53 was that it doesn't have "pop" when it's hit.  Even when it's stuck out the middle, there is just a dull hit.  It makes it seem like there's just no speed coming off the face.

The other thing I noticed was that it was hard to keep the ball from going left.  This is a common problem with woods and hybrids for me.  That is one of the reasons I like to turn down the loft on SIM 3W.  The GS53 did appear to have a significant offset once I set up to the ball that may have been a contributing factor.

Let's get into some data!  Please note all of these shots were off the deck.

I hate to say this, but the GS53 was destroyed in this head-to-head round when compared to the SIM.  The longest of each hits had a difference of 30 yards!  On average the SIM was 20 yards longer than the GS53.  The shortest hit of the SIM still out drove the best hit of GS53.  Also just a reminder that I dialed back the settings I normally have my SIM at to make this a fair comparison on loft.  

I will say the GS53 is a good club, but based off this initial test, it will be hard to see this club going into my bag.  The GS53 is going on average as far as my 20* driving iron so the gapping wouldn't work.  More testing to come!

[twyatt700 431]

It’s finally here!! Just in time for my in laws to be here for 4 days which means no escape to the range
It sure is pretty though


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[twyatt700 431]

First impressions are the grip is lacking and it’s a lot slimmer than I was expecting! The length seems a bit long for a 3i and not sure about the shaft. Curious to see how it performs. But I may have to sneak a different shaft in there


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[golfish! 643]

It finally arrived! Will be playing a morning round tomorrow with some extra practice so will provide some first impressions along with actual play data tomorrow! 

 

 

 

[twyatt700 431]

I don’t know has the performance will stack up with all these clubs but they all look so premium! BH at least has that going for them! Even if I can hit the UiHi I may just keep it in the bag as a vanity club!


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[twyatt700 431]

GS53 Fairway Wood

Unboxing is done and now time for the testing!!  I went my local PGA SS to hit off the simulator. 
The first thing I noticed when hitting the GS53 was that it doesn't have "pop" when it's hit.  Even when it's stuck out the middle, there is just a dull hit.  It makes it seem like there's just no speed coming off the face.
The other thing I noticed was that it was hard to keep the ball from going left.  This is a common problem with woods and hybrids for me.  That is one of the reasons I like to turn down the loft on SIM 3W.  The GS53 did appear to have a significant offset once I set up to the ball that may have been a contributing factor.
Let's get into some data!  Please note all of these shots were off the deck.

I hate to say this, but the GS53 was destroyed in this head-to-head round when compared to the SIM.  The longest of each hits had a difference of 30 yards!  On average the SIM was 20 yards longer than the GS53.  The shortest hit of the SIM still out drove the best hit of GS53.  Also just a reminder that I dialed back the settings I normally have my SIM at to make this a fair comparison on loft.  
I will say the GS53 is a good club, but based off this initial test, it will be hard to see this club going into my bag.  The GS53 is going on average as far as my 20* driving iron so the gapping wouldn't work.  More testing to come!

I mean that’s pretty definitive


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[Nolan220 486]

Just looking at how the club matches up to the look of my gamer which is a TM 2009 rescue club at 19degree the BH is at 18 has a wider face but more compact body. Also the face on the BH seems more closed, need to look into if that is by design. 

[ChitownM2 259]

Went to the range tonight to get some numbers on my VKTR+ hybrid and.....temporarily closed.

Was hoping to get in some practice with the club before my round tomorrow morning but it looks like I will be going in cold since the course's range is also closed for the season.  More to report tomorrow!

[jb0330 222]

Ran over to the driving range today and got some first hits in the UiHi. It is a lot a LOT lighter than I thought it was going to be. I agree with the other testers that it’s a little too long for my skill set to find the middle on the club often. I tried to use the Shot Vision app to get some numbers knowing it wouldn’t be accurate but from the videos I’ve watched on it, it was at least constant with those numbers. It was not today and I am not sure if that was the lighting or what.
<br />
As you can see it was all over the place. I will say that I wasn’t striking them pure every time but it wasn’t this far off. On good hit ball flight was lower than my hybrid which is what I am looking for. Based off the yardage markers at the range I was hitting it close to 230 with a lot of roll. Going to try and upload a slow motion and normal speed with UiHi and normal with my Hybrid.


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[golfish! 643]

So I forgot to attach the 3W tag for my shotscope to the club before taking it out for the first time on Thanksgiving morning. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depends on how you look at it) I was not hitting it well on the range and did not have the confidence to put it in play. Dispersion on shots was all over the place and I was having trouble finding the center. Could be the longer length as compared to my 3H or the difference in the shaft flex ( I play a stiff flex on my 3H as compared to the R flex I received on my 3W) or just that I have not gotten used to the club yet. I hit it one time off the tee during my round and cold topped it so I put it away for the rest of the round. Was playing $2 nassau with my friends so I could not be out there testing a new club! I did spend some time on the range after to see if I could get some comparison with my 3H. Based on numbers given by my launch monitor, I was getting average 190 carry on my 3H compared to 180 on the Hogan 3W. Again probably because I am not confident with this club yet and swinging it slower to get better contact. I did notice that when I choked down on the club a bit I got better impact with higher carry numbers. The R flex of the club definitely feels more whippy/floppy than my 3H. I will keep trying to get better with the stock setup for a bit longer before re-shafting to a stiff flex if I don't see any improvement. Purpose of the 3W for me is to get consistently longer carry than my 3H so we will see. 

Also for any of the other 3W testers, did your club have what looks like a dent in the area seen in the picture below? It is right on the crease of the bottom portion of the speed slot where the chrome paint meets the black paint. This was before hitting the club. It looks to be just cosmetic and should not affect performance but still would be a concern if I were purchasing the club for myself.

I will be playing a round tomorrow with the 3W tag attached to the club with some extra warm up prior so hopefully will get to share some course results in the next update.