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Urethane or not?


Gaw

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I have a bit of a dilemma. 
I’ve been buying last years Bridgestone Tour B XS for the last few months at £28 a dozen but the place I buy them from has run out of last years model. 
I can’t stomach paying £40 a dozen when I’m still so erratic with driver in hand. But I do hit it a reasonable distance. I carry around 260 at the moment and I’d say roughly 60% find fairways and the other can be as far as two fairways away. 
It would be easy to go with a straighter flying distance 2 piece distance ball but the issue I have is that my iron play is strong. So a urethane cover with approach shots has been almost game changing for me at times. 
Which ball do I go for next? I don’t want to pay more than £30 a dozen as I can still lose half a dozen a round if I’m on a real bad one. 
I was considering the Kirkland but worry some reviews state it spins too much which will make driver worse. I also played with the e12 contact for a while but I lost some distance swinging 100+ mph. 
Srixon AD333 is also tempting as it seems to spin well for a 2 piece ball. 
 

Any recommendations are welcome as I’m running out of my Bridgestones. 
 

Thanks in advance

Gary

struggling to shoot in the 80s.

Callaway Rogue Driver 10.5 Stiff

Taylormade Sim2 3 Wood & 5 Wood

Callaway Apex 3 Hybrid

Cobra Baffler 4 Hybrid 

Taylormade Sim2 Max irons 6-PW

Callaway Mack Daddy 48, 54 & 60 wedges

Odyssey Stroke Lab Triple Track 2 Ball Putter

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Check out the DTC companies like Vice and Snell. If you order in bulk you can get the price down to under $30 a dozen. Also Srixon has their buy 2 get 1 promotion running right now and that gets the price down to about $28 per dozen as well.

Take Dead Aim

Driver: PXG 0211 10.5* 

Fairway: Titleist 917 F3 15*

Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Boxer Gold 18*

Irons: MacGregor MT-86 Pro

Wedges: Vokey 50/54/58

Putter: SeeMore X2 Costa del Mar

Ball: Srixon Z-Star

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5 minutes ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

Check out the DTC companies like Vice and Snell. If you order in bulk you can get the price down to under $30 a dozen. Also Srixon has their buy 2 get 1 promotion running right now and that gets the price down to about $28 per dozen as well.

Thanks Buddy

Not sure we get the 2for1's here in the UK that you guys get in the US.

I'll definitely give the DTC outfits a proper look.

Thanks again!

Gary

struggling to shoot in the 80s.

Callaway Rogue Driver 10.5 Stiff

Taylormade Sim2 3 Wood & 5 Wood

Callaway Apex 3 Hybrid

Cobra Baffler 4 Hybrid 

Taylormade Sim2 Max irons 6-PW

Callaway Mack Daddy 48, 54 & 60 wedges

Odyssey Stroke Lab Triple Track 2 Ball Putter

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I am similar to you - I still lose too many balls and don't like to pay $4 per ball at the rate I lose them, but I also believe the performance difference is real, especially around the greens. I have mostly played Srixon Z-Stars over the last couple years as they usually have the 2-for-1 a couple times a year (Christmas and Fathers' Day). When I needed more balls last year, I ordered some TP5 and TP5x stamped "practice" (apparently they are the same but failed some QC check) and had good luck with them. There are also "lost ball" sites that can get you a lot of bang for your buck, but you need to understand their grading systems and have realistic expectations about what you are receiving.

Driver:  :callaway-small:Epic Speed 9* (set -1) MMT 70X
3W:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR Recoil 760ES
3H, 4H: :bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR 19*, 23* Recoil 780ES
4-AW:bridgestone-small: Tour B JGR HF2 Modus3 Tour 105
SW: :cleveland-small: RTX Zipcore Black Satin 54*
LW:Sub70: TAIII Black 58*
Putter:ping-small: Scottsdale TR Senita
Bag: BigMax Dri Active Lite
Ball:taylormade-small: TP5x or :titleist-small: AVX (yellow)
Pushcart: BigMax iQ+

Testing Complete, Final Review PostedSub70 TAIII Forged Wedges

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Not sure the price in your part of the world but check out the Maxfli Tour or Tour X. They play as close to the ProV1 (Tour) or ProV1x (Tour X) as any ball you can get. In the USA they are 4 dozen for $104.

Great price and Great ball. (You might find a Dick's Sporting Goods coupon to save another $20).

Tour Edge C721 Driver, Integra 45g L flex shaft

BombTech 2 HW 16*

BombTech 5 W

Maltby KE4-Max 5 - PW, Recoil Dart 65 A flex shaft

Maltby TSW-DRM 50*/54* wedges, Recoil Dart 75 R flex/spinner shaft

Bettinardi Studio Stock #5 putter

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6 hours ago, Gaw said:

Thanks Buddy

Not sure we get the 2for1's here in the UK that you guys get in the US.

I'll definitely give the DTC outfits a proper look.

Thanks again!

One thing worth noting is that the Tour BXS is one of the highest-spinning balls on the market. This means it's more likely to go offline than a lower-spinning ball, but it will also give you much more greenside control. I think it could be tough for you to find a good comparison to the BXS, but you might take a look at OnCore's Elixr, which has a current promotion as well, though obviously I don't know about international availability. (Their Vero X1 is noticeably lower-spinning on driver while still maintaining pretty decent greenside performance, but it's more expensive than the Elixr.) The Vice Pro Plus also jumps to mind as a cheaper, spinnier option, though it'll be quite a bit firmer than the BXS, if that matters to you. I've heard good things about the SEED golf balls, but haven't been able to get my hands on any to try them...

Pretty much all of the cheap-er urethane options are still going to be either reasonably more expensive and/or lower spin (Srixon Q-Star Tour, Taylormade Tour Response, Titleist Tour Speed, etc). But like I said, the BXS is one of the spinniest balls out there, unless you go to a Mizuno or Kirkland or something...

Driver: :srixon-small: ZX5 LS MkII 9.5* (@ 9.0*) with 46.5" Ventus Blue 6X
3-wood: :taylormade-small: SIM 15* with Diamana Limited 75S
5-wood: :cobra-small: RADspeed 18.5* with Motore X F3 60S
2i: :srixon-small: ZX with SteelFiber i95 Stiff

4hy: :titleist-small: TS3 23* with Tensei AV Blue 70 S
4i-7i :srixon-small: ZX7, 8i-PW Z-Forged, Modus3 Tour 120 S
50*, 55* :cleveland-small: RTX 6 Modus3 Tour 125
60* :cleveland-small: RTX Full Face ZipCore DG Spinner S400
Putter: :callaway-small: Toulon Chicago with a :garsen: Quad Tour or :cleveland-small: HB SOFT Milled 10.5S with UST All-in

Ball: :callaway-small: Chrome Tour (but I might still have some :titleist-small: Left Dashes hanging around)
Bag: :srixon-small: Ltd Edition Tartan, blue/green/yellow

Using :ShotScope: to keep track of my shots

Tested:
:wilson_staff_small: D7 Forged 3i-PW, KBS Tour-V 110S - Official Review
:titelist-small: Blind Ball Test (Ball #3 vs Ball #4) - Unofficial Review
:ShotScope:
 V3 GPS Watch + Tags - Official Review
:OnCore:
 Vero X2 - Official Review

The Stack System - Official Review

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1 hour ago, Larryw said:

Not sure the price in your part of the world but check out the Maxfli Tour or Tour X. They play as close to the ProV1 (Tour) or ProV1x (Tour X) as any ball you can get. In the USA they are 4 dozen for $104.

Great price and Great ball. (You might find a Dick's Sporting Goods coupon to save another $20).

Thanks Larry

Unfortunately you can’t get the Maxfli balls in the UK and Dick’s don’t provide any international shipping. 
appreciate the advice though. 

Gary

struggling to shoot in the 80s.

Callaway Rogue Driver 10.5 Stiff

Taylormade Sim2 3 Wood & 5 Wood

Callaway Apex 3 Hybrid

Cobra Baffler 4 Hybrid 

Taylormade Sim2 Max irons 6-PW

Callaway Mack Daddy 48, 54 & 60 wedges

Odyssey Stroke Lab Triple Track 2 Ball Putter

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11 minutes ago, GregGarner said:

One thing worth noting is that the Tour BXS is one of the highest-spinning balls on the market. This means it's more likely to go offline than a lower-spinning ball, but it will also give you much more greenside control. I think it could be tough for you to find a good comparison to the BXS, but you might take a look at OnCore's Elixr, which has a current promotion as well, though obviously I don't know about international availability. (Their Vero X1 is noticeably lower-spinning on driver while still maintaining pretty decent greenside performance, but it's more expensive than the Elixr.) The Vice Pro Plus also jumps to mind as a cheaper, spinnier option, though it'll be quite a bit firmer than the BXS, if that matters to you. I've heard good things about the SEED golf balls, but haven't been able to get my hands on any to try them...

Pretty much all of the cheap-er urethane options are still going to be either reasonably more expensive and/or lower spin (Srixon Q-Star Tour, Taylormade Tour Response, Titleist Tour Speed, etc). But like I said, the BXS is one of the spinniest balls out there, unless you go to a Mizuno or Kirkland or something...

Thanks Gregg

I wasn’t aware it was one of the highest spinning balls available but I know they are awesome with my irons. I can’t remember the last time I failed to hold a green (unless from deep rough or a thin strike). 
Thinking I may have to buy a few sleeves/boxes of different balls and play a round with each. 
Once I get my driver under control I will make the jump to the more expensive balls but for now I need a compromise. It’s nearly there but not quite. 
I play cheaper 2piece balls in winter anyway as our local course doesn’t cut the rough often and it’s easy to lose balls even in the first cut. So I need something for the summer months. 
Thanks again

Gary

struggling to shoot in the 80s.

Callaway Rogue Driver 10.5 Stiff

Taylormade Sim2 3 Wood & 5 Wood

Callaway Apex 3 Hybrid

Cobra Baffler 4 Hybrid 

Taylormade Sim2 Max irons 6-PW

Callaway Mack Daddy 48, 54 & 60 wedges

Odyssey Stroke Lab Triple Track 2 Ball Putter

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A lot of good suggestions so far.  Ball manufacturers do make mid-premium balls with urethane covers.  Taylormade Makes the Tour Response ball with a urethane cover, Srixon their Q*Star Tour ball has a urethane cover.  Best thing to do is buy a sleeve of as you mentioned and try them out.

 

MDGolfHacker

TSssWhat's In This Lefty's Bag?

Driver: :titleist-small: TSR2 11° Project X HZRDUS Black 4G 60g 5.5 Flex

Fairway Woods: :cobra-small: F8 3W Project X Even Flow Blue 75g shaft

Fairway Woods: 

Hybrid: :titelist-small: TSR2  18° Graphite Design Tour AD DI-85 Shaft

Irons: :titelist-small: 2021 T200's 4-GW AMT RED shafts Regular Flex

Wedge: :cleveland-small: Tour Satin RTX 4 Wedges in 52° and 56° 2 Dot

Putter: :nevercompromise-small: Gray Matter TDP 2.2 32.75"

Bag: :1590477705_SunMountain: Three 5

Ball:  :titelist-small:  PRO V1 / :srixon-small: Z*Star

RangeFinder:918457628_PrecisionPro: In search of new range finder

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I believe MGS had pretty extensive coverage on a noputts given podcast about the urethane being the primary difference maker in ball quality. I really like the Wilson triad. They’re moderately priced. I find a lot of different urethane 3 piece balls to be great. Nothing as good as titleist but completely acceptable for a hack like me

Titleist 718 ap1

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Sometimes I can buy Pro V1 rejects for half price.  A mix of imperfect finishes with some less than tolerance rounds, I think.  They don't disclose why.  But I am in San Diego, near Torrey Pines golf course, and west coast home to Titleist. 

Driver: PXG 0211, A flex Evnflo Riptide (2021). And an old Callaway 454 TI (2004) on regular flex.

3 W: Callaway Steelhead Xr A flex Tensei CK 55 gram. The rest are Regular flex.

5 W : Titleist TSi 1 on Aldila Ascent regular flex.

Driving Iron: Mizuno MP 18 MMC 3 18 degree, on Mamiya Recoil reg flex.

4 iron:  Mizuno Fly-Hi, 24 degree hybrid iron, GFF, even tho it is a hollow body iron.

6,7,8,9,wedge: Ping I 500, on Recoil reg flex shafts.

Gap wedges: 52 x 9 Mizuno forged S5, wedge shaft; 60 x 6 Mizuno forged T7, wedge shaft.

Sand: Old original Hogan Sure Out on Apex original shaft, probably 56 / 12.

Chipper:  (yep I carry a chipper) old Don Martin "Up n In" bronze? copper? 🙂

Putter: Just switched Jan 2024 to a Odyssey Stroke lab "R" Ball with the 2 piece, multi material shaft.🙃

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4 hours ago, MDGolfHacker said:

A lot of good suggestions so far.  Ball manufacturers do make mid-premium balls with urethane covers.  Taylormade Makes the Tour Response ball with a urethane cover, Srixon their Q*Star Tour ball has a urethane cover.  Best thing to do is buy a sleeve of as you mentioned and try them out.

 

MDGolfHacker

Two balls I will throw back in the woods, TM Response and anything Srixon, not a thing about them I like

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15 hours ago, Gaw said:

I have a bit of a dilemma. 
I’ve been buying last years Bridgestone Tour B XS for the last few months at £28 a dozen but the place I buy them from has run out of last years model. 
I can’t stomach paying £40 a dozen when I’m still so erratic with driver in hand. But I do hit it a reasonable distance. I carry around 260 at the moment and I’d say roughly 60% find fairways and the other can be as far as two fairways away. 
It would be easy to go with a straighter flying distance 2 piece distance ball but the issue I have is that my iron play is strong. So a urethane cover with approach shots has been almost game changing for me at times. 
Which ball do I go for next? I don’t want to pay more than £30 a dozen as I can still lose half a dozen a round if I’m on a real bad one. 
I was considering the Kirkland but worry some reviews state it spins too much which will make driver worse. I also played with the e12 contact for a while but I lost some distance swinging 100+ mph. 
Srixon AD333 is also tempting as it seems to spin well for a 2 piece ball. 
 

Any recommendations are welcome as I’m running out of my Bridgestones. 
 

Thanks in advance

Try the seed SD X1. The best ball I've played and a fraction the price of its top competitors.

 

If you get the on subscription its even cheaper.

 

I've played them all year and wont be going back.

 

https://seedgolf.com/products/seed-sd-x1-the-pro-x1-subscription

Edited by Fran83

Fran Gibson

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The Srixon Q star has been awesome! I play in Texas with lots of firm conditions. Q Star handles really well in these conditions. Great amount of spin and distance off the tee. I like it better than Titleists True Feel (tier down of the Pro V1). If your driver swing speed is above 100 mph, I think you should give the Q Star a try.

Edited by Aikmac

Titleist D3 915 10.5 

Taylormade M2 16.5

Mizuno MP15 3 - PW

Taylormade MG 50 and 56

Scotty Cameron Circa 62 No1.

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I agree with GregGamer, I inherently fight the slice. I have started using the new Elixer and my fades  have reduced drastically. I still get a few slice but it is only going to the right side of the Fairway and not into the other Fairway. Cost $29 here in USA.  I am finding the correct Fairway on a regular basis now.

16 hours ago, Gaw said:

I have a bit of a dilemma. 
I’ve been buying last years Bridgestone Tour B XS for the last few months at £28 a dozen but the place I buy them from has run out of last years model. 
I can’t stomach paying £40 a dozen when I’m still so erratic with driver in hand. But I do hit it a reasonable distance. I carry around 260 at the moment and I’d say roughly 60% find fairways and the other can be as far as two fairways away. 
It would be easy to go with a straighter flying distance 2 piece distance ball but the issue I have is that my iron play is strong. So a urethane cover with approach shots has been almost game changing for me at times. 
Which ball do I go for next? I don’t want to pay more than £30 a dozen as I can still lose half a dozen a round if I’m on a real bad one. 
I was considering the Kirkland but worry some reviews state it spins too much which will make driver worse. I also played with the e12 contact for a while but I lost some distance swinging 100+ mph. 
Srixon AD333 is also tempting as it seems to spin well for a 2 piece ball. 
 

Any recommendations are welcome as I’m running out of my Bridgestones. 
 

Thanks in advance

 

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I’m one of those people that tend to find far more than I lose as I am willing to check the water or rough while I’m waiting for slow players to move out of the way. However, I would recommend you look online at Craigslist or E-Bay or a UK equivalent of those. You may find someone local that sells used premium balls for a third or a quarter of what they cost new.  While looking for a used set of clubs for friends and family to use when they visit, I saw several local people here in Myrtle Beach selling a variety of brands of balls they find, including ProV1s and TP5s and ChromeSofts for $1 per ball.

Driver, 5W, 4H, 5H, 6I - 9I, PW, AW:  Callaway Rogue ST Max

Wedges:  Cleveland RTX Zipcore 58* Satin Low, 54* Black High, 50* Raw Mid

Putter:  Odyssey White Hot OG 7S 

Balls:  Pro-V1 from March - October

           Supersoft from November - February

Cart: Sun Mountain Speed Cart circa 2004

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Here’s the truth. It doesn’t matter what ball you play unless you’re a plus handicapper. My index is currently 3.5 and I prefer Top Flites, but I generally play whatever I find, mostly water balls. It makes no difference. You’re paying for marketing and status. 

Not afraid to play hickory, vintage Hogans, or Top-Flites.

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17 hours ago, Gaw said:

......Which ball do I go for next? I don’t want to pay more than £30 a dozen as I can still lose half a dozen a round if I’m on a real bad one. 


Get the Maxfli Tour

They are $35 per dozen but they often have 2 dozen for $60 ($2.50 per ball) OR get the 4 dozen pack for $105 ($2.19 per ball)

Here's the Best of for 2022 https://mygolfspy.com/the-best-golf-balls-of-2022/

Here's the Ball Lab review https://mygolfspy.com/ball-lab-maxfli-tour-review/

1742026561_maxflitour.png.4c746c35b032556240cd443d0da85c3d.png

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Here is another option:

The Only 2-piece Premium Urethane Ball In Golf 

Ball_Performance_Chart-01_2_480x480.png?

  • Cover - Thin and soft urethane cover
  • Construction - 2-piece
  • Core - High energy performance Nex-Gen core 90 compression core 
  • Dimple - 332 dimple construction for ideal flight stability
  • Performance - The Saintnine U PRO is a great ball from tee-to-green. Golfers of all levels will easily generate distance with a high trajectory ball flight without sacrificing feel and spin - no matter what the conditions
  • Player Profile - Designed for golfers of all skill sets who want to maximize performance. The Urethane cover creates a premium feel and spin control. Constructed to create maximum distance to spin ratio

 

Saint Nine Golf. 

 

I seem to have lost a little distance off the tee with the 2 Piece U-Pro...but it might work for you.  The 3 piece U-Pro Tour is also Urethane...but it is a 3 piece ball.  It plays...and travels as far as...the Pro V-1...at least for my swing.

Driver - Sub 70 849D - Fujikura Pro 62 Tour Spec

4 Wood - Sub 70 949X - Sub 70 Project X

7 Wood - Sub 70 949X - Sub 70 Project X

5 iron - Sub 70 699 Pro U V2 23*

6-AW - Sub 70 699 Pro V2

SW - Sub 70 TAIII 2023 Limited Edition Forged 54*

LW - Sub 70 TAIII 2023 Limited  Forged 58*

Putter - PXG Bat Attack

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I would go the Srixon route.  AD ball is great, I just played Carnoustie with them a few weeks ago and they held up really well.  I got good hold with the ball into and with the wind.  I am with you 50$/doz. Is too much for ball’s especially if you can drop a few in a round.  

B_LinksGolf "Any day golfing is better than a day in the office"

What's in the Bag:

Driver: Callaway Rogue ST 3diamond LS: Tensei raw blue 65g stiff

3w/5w: Callaway Rogue ST LS: Tensei raw blue 65g stiff

4i-6i: Callaway '24 Apex CB/Modus 3 130 X-stiff

7i-10i: Callaway '24 Apex MB/Modus 3 130 X-stiff

Wedges: Callaway Jaws Raw (matte black) 50ºs-grind/54ºs-grind/58ºz-grind

Putter: Callaway AI-one Jailbird mini DB 35"

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I've been using Trust Bixon X and Bison XL. I've lost fewer balls and the performance has been equal to or better than all the higher priced premium balls. From the tee all the way thru the green. Distance is there as well. They are DTC. Not sure if it is  allowed in this forum, but here is their website info.

https://trustgolfball-usa.com/ghp/8DZPv

Edited by Charlie0617
Forgot site info
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I started playing the Vice Pro, but with your swing speed you might want to try the Vice Pro Plus. Both of those are under $35 a box. I also tried the last generation of the TM Tour Response but TM raised the price to $45 a dozen for the newest model, no thanks. Too rich for this guy's slice. I also just picked up a box of the new Cut DC at my local Walmart. I'm thinking it was like $25 for the box. I'm excited to try them out! Ten bucks less a box than the Vice Pro, yes please. If they perform as well as the Vice, Cut may have just earned a new customer. And it sounds like you are a pretty solid golfer so please don't use water balls or refurbished. Find what you like at the price point you need and stick with it. Vice has been a solid option for me for the last 2 seasons. Good luck and enjoy the chase! 

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I have been using Vice for a while as they always have good deals if you buy in bulk (I'm also based in the UK).

 

If you're not sure which is best for you, they also sell a variety pack for ~£20 so you can try a couple of each type before committing to buying one type in bulk. 

Edited by tob_bar

Ping G400 Max, Cobra F8 Fairway, Wilson Staff D300 irons, Vokey SM7 wedges

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@Gaw  The obvious answer is try some different ones and just see what works for you.

I used the Kirkland for a while and found them great for the price, so may be worth a try 

Also, maybe check out the Inesis Tour 900, at around £30 doz inc postage if you cant get to a store, comparable price to non urethane offerings in stores. I now use these in yellow (I can see them much better).

 

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Have you looked at Lostgolfballs.com? $25/dozen for mint balls. I've never received anything that did not look and perform like 100% new. Idk if they ship to UK. There may be something similar closer to you. 

Driver: :cobra-small: Cobra RADSpeed XB 10.5° Motore X F3

Fairway: :cobra-small: Cobra 3/F Baffler Rail F 15.5°

Hybrid: :cobra-small: Cobra RAD Speed 24° 5 Hybrid

Irons: :cobra-small: Cobra Aero Jet 5 - PW, GW

Wedges: :vokey-small: Spin Milled 56°, 60°

Putter: :odyssey-small: White Hot Stroke Lab OG #7

Bag: 1622150773421.jpg.867df9e5987ee9b79cc36f4c70090b01.jpg Big Max 14.0 Hybrid

Ball: :titleist-small: Titleist Velocity

Shoes: :footjoy-small: FJ Flex

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