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Best parameters to use to compare clubs


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Looking for a bit of advise on comparing different sets of clubs.  I have at least 4 sets of irons I am thinking about playing this spring (I am a club addict as well as being compulsive : )  I am going to take the PW and 7 iron from each set and hit them at an indoor golf center on Thursday and was wondering what parameters I might use to best compare them regarding which is best suited for me (which I hit the best).  I'm 72 and struggling with my swing due to having bad back problems (three different surgeons have advised me to get fusion surgery).  I have a number of different sets to choose from and I'm wondering what to look at to help me choose the set best suited to my swing at this point.  The sets I have are:  Sub 70 699 pro, PXG 0211, Callaway Rogue OS, Orlimar Stratos, all with senior flex shafts.  I realize that many of you are going to say I need to give more info. but I'm just interested in a general idea in terms of the clubs.  As of now I am thinking I'll hit each club 5 times and look at the mean score of carry, ball speed and smash factor.  What would you recommend?  One factor I have to consider is the speed at which the screen changes at the place I am going to.  A friend of mine is going to jot down the numbers as we go so I can't have very many parameters to look at.  If I knew more about swing monitors and computers I could probably get all the numbers as mean scores but I don't, so this is what I've got : )  

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33 minutes ago, wanabe said:

Looking for a bit of advise on comparing different sets of clubs.  I have at least 4 sets of irons I am thinking about playing this spring (I am a club addict as well as being compulsive : )  I am going to take the PW and 7 iron from each set and hit them at an indoor golf center on Thursday and was wondering what parameters I might use to best compare them regarding which is best suited for me (which I hit the best).  I'm 72 and struggling with my swing due to having bad back problems (three different surgeons have advised me to get fusion surgery).  I have a number of different sets to choose from and I'm wondering what to look at to help me choose the set best suited to my swing at this point.  The sets I have are:  Sub 70 699 pro, PXG 0211, Callaway Rogue OS, Orlimar Stratos, all with senior flex shafts.  I realize that many of you are going to say I need to give more info. but I'm just interested in a general idea in terms of the clubs.  As of now I am thinking I'll hit each club 5 times and look at the mean score of carry, ball speed and smash factor.  What would you recommend?  One factor I have to consider is the speed at which the screen changes at the place I am going to.  A friend of mine is going to jot down the numbers as we go so I can't have very many parameters to look at.  If I knew more about swing monitors and computers I could probably get all the numbers as mean scores but I don't, so this is what I've got : )  

You should really look at:

  • where you hit the ball on the face
  • club speed
  • ball speed  (smash factor is just ball speed/club speed)
  • launch angle
  • carry distance
  • dispersion (left/right and long/short
  • descent angle
  • spin (if it is accurately captured)
  • peak height
  • you should also look at standard deviation for each of these

You could potentially limit those if you want to focus more on distance values vs. consistency/dispersion values.

 

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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What cnosil said. 

14 of the following:

Ping G430 Max 10.5 degree

Callaway 2023 Big Bertha 3 wood set to 17 degrees

Cobra F9 Speedback 7/8 wood set at 23.5 degrees

Callaway Epic Max 11 wood

Ping Eye 2 BeCu 2-SW

Mizuno 923 JPX HM HL 6-GW

Hogan sand wedge 56 degree bent to 53

Maltby M Series+ 54 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 Eye2 58 degree

Ping Glide 3.0 60 degree

Evnroll ER2

Ping Sigma 2 Anser

Cheap Top Flite mallet putter from Dick's, currently holding down first place in the bag

TaylorMade Mini Spider

Bridgestone XS

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Outside the box a little but given you have 4 sets, what's to say you have to use a full set of one? If the Sub70 pw works the best use that, if the pxg 7 iron she best use that. As long as the gapping is what you are looking for and you are comfortable with the numbers you are seeing it could be a fun bag to have.

⛳🛄 as of Nov 6, 2023 (Past WITB
Driver:  :callaway-small: Paradym TD w/ GD ADDI 6X Driver Shootout! 

Wood:    :cobra-small: F7 3 wood 14.5* w/ Motore F1 Shaft

Irons:   :titleist-small: T Series - T200 5 Iron
                                          T150 6-9 Iron
                                          T100 PW/GW

Wedge:  Toura Golf - A Spec 53,37,61 degree 

Putter:  Screenshot 2023-06-02 13.10.30.png Mezz Max!

Balls:     Vice Pro Plus Drip (Blue/Orange)

 

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Thanks fellas. 

Cnosil, as I noted in my post, I (my buddy actually) won't have much time to copy down parameters, which is why I was asking to pare down the parameters to a manageable few.  As I am sure many of you have been on a monitor, you know how quickly the screen changes.  I am just wondering if you think there are, say 3 that are most important relative to indicating which set I hit best.  

Golfspy_AHO, interesting idea.  I had the sub 70 set cut down a 1/2 inch and I do hit them reasonably well but due to their shortness I think I'm losing distance.  My back has gotten quite a bit worse since I purchased them last year so at this point I'm looking for any help I can get.  I only recently picked up the Olimar set to see how I liked the hybrid style of irons set and actually I kind of like it but they seem heavy and the shaft doesn't seem very responsive (Olimar probably doesn't put the best graphite shaft in them but I figured at the price I couldn't go too far wrong).  Hence, you can see it is quite a mixed bag of clubs but I suppose I could try to put a mixed bag together, however, that still leaves me the question, which one's?  

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I'm going to be doing this exercise right after I get done trying to figure out the best shaft (it's about the distance for me) for my driver.

I'll be comparing a PXG 0211 set I built this winter with a set of Callaway Mavrick Max I built very late in the season last year, with a set of Ping 700's I built last year as well.  I've done the 8 iron and PW comparison between the PXG's and a set of Titleist AP1 716's and the Titleist set lost and is going to have to find a new home.

If you've got someone to take notes for you I'd snag as much of the data cnosil mentioned as possible.

Good luck, I for one will be interested in the updates I hope you'll provide.

Ping G430 Max 10.5*

Ping G430 SFT 3 wood and Ping G430 HL 7 wood SR flex

Ping G430 4,5,6,7 hybrids  SR flex

Cleveland Launcher XL Halo 8,9,P,G, SW irons   A Flex

Cleveland Smart Sole S wedge  A Flex

Cobra Nova putter

 

 

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8 hours ago, wanabe said:

Thanks fellas. 

Cnosil, as I noted in my post, I (my buddy actually) won't have much time to copy down parameters, which is why I was asking to pare down the parameters to a manageable few.  As I am sure many of you have been on a monitor, you know how quickly the screen changes.  I am just wondering if you think there are, say 3 that are most important relative to indicating which set I hit best.  

 

I also said you could limit if you specified what you prioritizing?   Is farther better, is dispersion better,  it ability to stop the ball on the better?   What type of launch monitor and are you getting both club and ball data?  

Perhaps you could video your session so you could get the numbers at a later time or you could ask how to see all the data that you captured.  

Driver:  :ping-small: G400 Max 9* w/ KBS Tour Driven
Fairway: :titelist-small: TS3 15*  w/Project X Hzardous Smoke
Hybrids:  :titelist-small: 915H 21* w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype
                :titelist-small: 915H  24*  w/KBS Tour Graphite Hybrid Prototype        
Irons:      :honma:TR20V 6-11 w/Vizard TR20-85 Graphite
Wedge:  :titleist-small: 54/12D, 60/8M w/:Accra iWedge 90 Graphite
Putter:   :taylormade-small:TM-180

Testing:   SPGC_logo.jpg

Backups:  :odyssey-small: Milled Collection RSX 2, :seemore-small: mFGP2, :cameron-small: Futura 5W

Member:  MGS Hitsquad since 2017697979773_DSCN2368(Custom).JPG.a1a25f5e430d9eebae93c5d652cbd4b9.JPG

 

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just my 2 cents and that's about all its worth. 

 

Anytime someone or I should me start looking for new clubs dispersion should be the #1A and feel #1B things to look at. The whole purpose of golf is to get as close to the hole as possible. After that then you can pick and choose what you think is best for you. 

For me its carry distance. once the ball hits the ground all bets are off on where it goes. 

Swing path is a big one which will tell more abut your swing and the back issues you are currently having. everyones swing is different but we all need to be at the same point of contact regardless of how you got there. A person can get lost in the weeds on this one.

 What Consil said are good options to choose from. Pick 2-3 and have fun. Don't be in hurry. Like someone said what's wrong with mix N match. 

Sub 70 949 D 9* HZRUDS 60G 6.5 smoke RDX shaft. 

Sub 70 949X 4 wood ALDILA ABV 65-S shaft

Sub 70 699 Pro 4-AW 

Sub 70 3 utility 19*

Callaway 56 and 58 wedge. 

OG White Hot #1 putter

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On 4/2/2022 at 4:12 PM, cnosil said:

You should really look at:

  • where you hit the ball on the face
  • club speed
  • ball speed  (smash factor is just ball speed/club speed)
  • launch angle
  • carry distance
  • dispersion (left/right and long/short
  • descent angle
  • spin (if it is accurately captured)
  • peak height
  • you should also look at standard deviation for each of these

You could potentially limit those if you want to focus more on distance values vs. consistency/dispersion values.

 

With 4 sets to test and someone manually capturing data, I would focus on these.  You should be able to eliminate one, perhaps two clubs. I would then repeat the remaining that day/session to see how consistent (or not) the numbers hold up.  I say repeat that session because we can all bring different swings everyday. Also, you might consider the 6i (vs. 7i) as many fitters feel this is more representative of how the entire set performs.  

If the LM unit you're using does not have the ability to show clubface at impact data, get some strike tape or at least some foot powder spray, and take a picture of each 5 shot contact area.

Good luck and have fun.

:ping-small: G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver 

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w

:ping-small: G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w

:srixon-small:  ZX5 Irons 4-AW 

:ping-small: Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW   (removed from double secret probation 😍)

:EVNROLL: ER5v Putter  (Evnroll ER5v Official Review)

:odyssey-small: AI-One Milled Seven T CH (Currently Under Product Test)

 

 

 

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On 4/3/2022 at 7:24 AM, wanabe said:

Thanks fellas. 

Cnosil, as I noted in my post, I (my buddy actually) won't have much time to copy down parameters, which is why I was asking to pare down the parameters to a manageable few.  

You could take pictures with a phone of the metrics display instead of the ol jot down method.

Mavrik Max Driver

M2 5W

818 hybrids

Steelhead XR Irons

ZipCore wedges

SeeMore PR M7X

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I recently was custom fitted on a trackman for irons. This was a two hour process and it was enlightening. The first thing they did was to have me hit several different head brands and types with swing weight and shaft stiffness similar to my old setup. The staff was primarily concerned with distance dispersion as left/right is more about your swing. They also wanted to generate a heat map of where I struck the club face. They were more concerned with the tightness of the grouping rather than the spot I struck on the face. Once we found the best head I hit several different shafts to dial in the strike to the center club face. There were several other factors like others have listed but these seemed to be the most important. 
 

TLDR distance dispersion for club head and where I struck on the face for shaft fit. 

Edited by TampaLuke78
Spelling

Srixon Z785 irons M4 Driver

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Strike location above all others for me.  I like starting there.

  • 99422724_Screenshot2021-12-24001914.jpg.e67bdb8f7e6eea7baa71ca677594bbde.jpgEpic Max LS 11.5° (10.5°+1) w/ Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 6 stiff
  • 99422724_Screenshot2021-12-24001914.jpg.e67bdb8f7e6eea7baa71ca677594bbde.jpgEpic Flash 3 Wood 17° (15°+2) w/ Project X Even Flow Green 60 stiff
  • 943183396_Screenshot2021-12-24001914.jpg.391f8ed5e36869c949eb3a241d2a750d.jpgSuper Hybrid 21° (20°+1) w/ Mitsubishi Tensei CK Orange 80 stiff
  • 518011180_Screenshot2021-12-24001914.jpg.f52e8c7ce28e9a854c65b04b28450163.jpgRogue Hybrid 5 (24°) w/ Aldila Synergy 60 HYB Graphite stiff
  •   Screenshot 2021-12-24 002411.jpg2021 P790 Irons 5-AW (1° flat, weakened lofts) w/ Aerotech Steelfiber i95 cw regular
  • 467311891_Screenshot2021-12-24002654.jpg.3c87f11fa77f127a10ed922bdcbbcc69.jpgCBX2 Wedges 54°, 58° w/ True Temper DG 115 Wedge flex
  • 467311891_Screenshot2021-12-24002654.jpg.3c87f11fa77f127a10ed922bdcbbcc69.jpgOdyssey White Hot OG #1 Stroke Lab, 33 in
  • 1360869533_Screenshot2021-12-24002835.jpg.38d6fb8915a5bd0b37b4bbec950f4c64.jpgPro V1
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Good mornin on this funky Saturday in southeast WI.  Boobers, here is my update (having now done this I realize I should do it multiple time as was suggested but for now this is what I've got), the Stratos came in last in all categories and while it ended up being very close, the PXG irons came out on top.  I used ball speed and carry as my primary parameters.  So, Riverboat, your post regarding how strong PXG 0211 irons are rang true.  GolfSpy_APH, your suggestion regarding creating a mixed set might actually be relevant in that the Sub 70 iron was the longest 7 iron and I hit it near the top in every category even though I had this set built 1/2 inch short.  This makes me thing that based on the short 7 being near the top but the short 9 near the bottom, maybe a single length set would be an interesting way for me to go.  One more thought, I went outside and hit balls last Tuesday before hitting indoors and the ground was so saturated that I was splattered with mud by the time I finished the bucket.  I had the Stratos set (hybrid irons set) and found that the large head didn't get stuck in the ground/mud but rather, slid on top making me think that although they came out at the bottom indoors they might have done much better in these early spring wet conditions.  All in all, if nothing else, this was fun and gave me a number of things to think about. 

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You should pick the irons that give you the smallest dispersion circle on the monitor. The next thing to check is that the rollout (related to spin, height, and landing angle) isn't too far and that carry distance is close front to back. 

The goal of irons is to land them on the green. The smaller the circle, the easier it should be to aim on the course and keep it on the green. You can select wedges, hybrids, and fairway woods to fill in the distance gaps on either side.  

:ping-small: G425 MAX Driver & 5W

:cobra-small: Baffler Rail-H 3H-4H

:Sub70: 699 Pro Utility V2 - 4i

:callaway-small: APEX CF19 6-AW

INDI Wedges 52, 56, 60 

 :edel-golf-1: EAS 2.0

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14 minutes ago, BMart519 said:

The goal of irons is to land them on the green. The smaller the circle, the easier it should be to aim on the course and keep it on the green. You can select wedges, hybrids, and fairway woods to fill in the distance gaps on either side

I would add distance control which is what you discuss above this in terms of dispersion. Many focus on distance not with irons it’s more in the distance control and that they go the same distance everytime 

Driver: PXG 0811 X+ Proto w/UST Helium 5F4

Wood: TaylorMade M5 5W w/Accra TZ5 +1/2”, TaylorMade Sim 3W w/Aldila rogue white

Hybrid: PXG Gen2 22* w/AD hybrid

Irons: PXG Gen3 0311T w/Nippon modus 120

Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 50*, Tiger grind 56/60

Putter: Scotty Caemeron Super Rat1

Ball: Titleist Prov1

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On 4/2/2022 at 6:12 PM, cnosil said:

You should really look at:

  • where you hit the ball on the face
  • club speed
  • ball speed  (smash factor is just ball speed/club speed)
  • launch angle
  • carry distance
  • dispersion (left/right and long/short
  • descent angle
  • spin (if it is accurately captured)
  • peak height
  • you should also look at standard deviation for each of these

You could potentially limit those if you want to focus more on distance values vs. consistency/dispersion values.

 

I agree with this, I think dispersion is probably most important out of the numbers you can get because distance is not too important on irons.

:cobra-small:Radspeed 10.5*

 :titleist-small:TS 15* 3 Wood

:mizuno-small:CLK 19* Hybrid

:mizuno-small:JPX 900 Forged P-4 Irons

:titleist-small:SM7 52*&56* Wedges

:titleist-small:SM6 60* Wedge

:taylormade-small:Ghost Spider Putter

:bridgestone-small:Tour B XS

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 4/2/2022 at 5:12 PM, cnosil said:

You should really look at:

  • where you hit the ball on the face
  • club speed
  • ball speed  (smash factor is just ball speed/club speed)
  • launch angle
  • carry distance
  • dispersion (left/right and long/short
  • descent angle
  • spin (if it is accurately captured)
  • peak height
  • you should also look at standard deviation for each of these

You could potentially limit those if you want to focus more on distance values vs. consistency/dispersion values.

 

Nailed it. When I was shopping for irons dispersion was one of my main focuses. Throughout my bag I am a very low spinner, so I wanted to find something that had a steep descent angle since my spin often isn't enough to hold a green on it's own. Ball speed and carry distance mattered but not as much as dispersion. I'd sacrifice a little speed and distance for a tighter, more predictable dispersion. Good luck!

WITB

Driver: Ping G30 10.5 Stiff

Fairway wood: Titleist 917F2 16.5 Stiff 

Irons: Callaway Apex CF16 Steel Fiber i95 Stiff (5-PW)

Wedges: Vokey 52, 56

Putter: Odyssey White Hot #1

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I'm kind of in the same boat, age and health problems. I've switched on and off for the last couple of years between all irons and adding a couple of hybrids into the mix. I have since come to conclusion that playing an all hybrid set has more benefits than an iron set. With the irons, hitting down on the ball and taking divots would jar my back and wrists. Now with groin issues (hernia), I haven't played for the last 3 weeks because I'm trying not to impact that area prior to surgery. I realize folks can play with a hernia, but the way my luck runs, better not tempt fate. Anyway, back to clubs........Playing hybrids allows my swing to not dig down at the ball as much or at all compared to the irons. The times I've played with the mix of irons and hybrids, the hybrids felt much better and produced the shots I was looking for. I have never laid the sod over with a hybrid. I just ordered the Orlimars and with their slightly stronger than normal lofts (7 is 30*), they should offer some distance gains. I also looked at the Forgan Golf hybrid set, but looking down at a PW the size of a FW was kind of a turn off, but their lofts were the same as the Orlimars. Just my 2 cents on the subject, hope you find what's best for you........   

Edited by ballhawk
spelling

Total Callaway bag - except putter

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