Callaway Paradym Drivers - 2023 Forum Review

[funkyjudge]

On 6/26/2023 at 7:39 PM, Invader Zim 315 said:

Invader Zim Update – 06.26.2023

I’ll spare you all too many details and try to just have more photos here, but got two fantastic rounds in at Bethpage Black and Hamilton Farm this weekend and wanted to give a Paradym Update

Round 1 (06/23/2023) – Bethpage Black

The Black plays 7,500 from the tips, and while sometimes I have referred to myself as a bit of a masochist, my group and I settled on the slightly less miserable yet still very intimidating 6,700-yard middle tees.

As you’ll see, the round, and my drives, were a tale of 2 Nines

Front Nine

·         Hole 1: 260 – Left fescue (double bogey)
·         Hole 4: 276 – OB Left (double bogey)
·         Hole 5: 230 – Hit the one single tree sticking out above the right side bunkering and fell straight down, would have been realllllly good otherwise (bogey)

I was super quick for the first several holes.  A yank left on 1 into the thick fescue led to a double, and OB left on the par 5 fourth led to another. All in all, I truly think the issues were my fault and my swing just wasn’t there on this front nine.  I shot +10 on the front nine.

Back Nine

·         Hole 10: 275 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 11: 287 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 15: 277 – Left fairway (par)
·         Hole 16: 272 – Right fairway (par)
·         Hole 18: 278 – Left rough (par) – I was aimed there though as it was a right pin and I wanted to avoid the right greenside bunkers

On the back, I recognized that I just didn’t have the swing to go for the 300 yard big ball on this day, and just started to go stock.  270 is plenty of distance, and golf is a lot more fun from the fairway.

 

Round Summary:  I think I was so excited to be playing BLACK that I swung too hard and got quick early in the round.  I caught a little fire on the back and in the end shot an 81 (even par on the back), which is equivalent to a 5.2 Index. This actually was my first time ever shooting par on 9 holes.

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Round 2 (06/25/2023) – Hamilton Farm

 

First time playing here and WOW, this place was truly special, and I was humbled to be able to play it. Again, the driver wasn’t my best friend on this day, but it didn’t kill me either.  I hate to see a couple of 230 yard drives, but again that’s golf (shoutout “Not a Scratch Golfer” on YouTube for the mental assistance).

·         Hole 2: 272 – Left rough (Par)
·         Hole 4: 232 – Right rough (Par) – I literally almost missed this ball low heel, so I was honestly impressed it got out there 230+
·         Hole 5: 335 (!!) – Fairway (Par) – Caught a speed slot and ran down the hill
·         Hole 6: 236 – Left Rough (Bogey) – Literal dropkick
·         Hole 9: 250 – Left Fescue (Double)
·         Hole 10: 272 – Right Fairway (Par)
·         Hole 11: 229 – Right Fescue (Bogey)
·         Hole 13: 251 – Fairway (Par)
·         Hole 14: 262 – Right Rough (Par)
·         Hole 16: 225 – OB Right (Double bogey)
·         Hole 18: 292 – Center cut Fairway (Birdie)

 

Round Summary: I’ll be honest, today it wasn’t my driver that helped me score, it was my flatstick and short game.  I hit probably 5 putts more than 10 feet for either par or birdie.  But again, I had some BAD mishits with the Paradym that still got out there.  230 could have been 150.  Add in a 335 yard drive and a 290 drive on 18 (with -1 yards of rollout after a rainstorm), I still feel like this will remain my driver.

What Gives Me Confidence - Pressure shot: 18th hole, with the match on the line, I pulled driver and hit the center cut, 52* wedge from 117 to about 16 inches.  Birdie and win(can see my white ball mark on that 18th green below)

 

Some Paradym Close Ups:

 

Ryan,

You are a very fortunate man to have played both Bethpage Black and Hamilton Farm last week! Having played both courses, although it has been a dozen years since I set foot on either of them, I can also say that those two scores are very good for both courses, and shooting even par on the back nine at “The Black” is a remarkable accomplishment, regardless of the tees that you played.

I have been playing a Paradym X driver and 18* Paradym X hybrid for about a month, and have shot some of my best rounds of the year since making the switch. I have also hit my first two 300+ yard drives in a few years with the Paradym X driver (HZRDUS Black Gen 4 6.0 shaft installed). Just yesterday, I hit two 270-275 yard drives into the wind AND IN THE FAIRWAYS with that driver. Needless to say, this 74 year old is very happy with the Callaway Paradym X driver!

Edited June 30, 2023 by funkyjudge
Typo

[StrokerAce]

A little over halfway through the testing period and I’ve had 4-5 rounds and about the same amount of range sessions so I thought it would be a good time for an update 

first some pics and something I didn’t expect and am a little disappointed with 

 

as you can see the ferrule is coming up the shaft. Probably not a big deal but having not played it a full season it’s a shame to see 

the crown still looking good and it’s glossy but not blinding 

 

I clean it after each round and the sole is still shiny 

 

really impressed with the face  it has held up well and looks brand new still no clue what the 4 indentation marks are for 

 

I am very careful with my clubs and always use the headcover so I don’t know how those 2 scratches by “draw” and the small white one happened  durability of the paint will be something to consider 

 

League 9 yesterday and front 9 is pretty short so only used driver once but it worked out fine 

The fairway is kinda narrow so this was more of a punch than a big swing 

This is quickly becoming my favorite club in the bag..

more to come!!

[Javs]

3 hours ago, azstu324 said:

I just wanted to throw in a quick note to anybody wondering about how aggressive the blue color is. 

This was actually a thought, maybe even concern that I had when the driver was first released and even going into this testing. 

I'll say that 99% of the time, the head looks glossy black with the flat black face and front crown accent. Only under certain lighting conditions does the navy turquoise actually show.. and I'm way cool with that! 

 

Great description of the color of the driver head. Fully agree and find it really cool. Especially after you bomb it over a 327 yard Par 4 and your buddies want to see the driver you are hitting!

[Invader Zim 315]

1 hour ago, StrokerAce said:

as you can see the ferrule is coming up the shaft. Probably not a big deal but having not played it a full season it’s a shame to see 

Wow, pretty shocking.  I haven't had that problem thankfully but that is so soon to see that movement

[azstu324]

2 hours ago, StrokerAce said:

as you can see the ferrule is coming up the shaft. Probably not a big deal but having not played it a full season it’s a shame to see 

Just for safe measures did you try twisting the grip in one hand and holding the head in the other? Better to know it's just the ferrule and not the head creeping its way loose. 

Would hate to see it go from Paradym to ParaDAMN

[cksurfdude]

Happy Independence Day holiday, and hopefully extended weekend for you, from my buddy X and I..!!

Hit two really nice drives today - we started on #3 today which has a bit of a downhill assist on the landing area andgot the ball out to 250 (!!!) .. which I'm pretty sure it's a PB and led to my first par on that hole; then a very solid 230 on #8 (green pictured above) where I just missed the downhill l-r break par putt.

We only played 7 holes so only used the driver one other time and I totally mis-hit it, very thin, but ball *still* rolled out to the top of the crest of a hill that you need to carry to get a good second shot - which led to another par!

[azstu324]

Hey y'all! 

Sorry if I've been kinda MIA. We got back from our trip to Monterey that was absolutely fantastic! I had posted about my round at Pacific Grove Golf Links earlier, and quite honestly have been somewhat reluctant to talk about my round at Poppy Hills. Poppy is a course that you REALLY need your driver to behave on or you'll end up suffering.. well.. the driver did not show up that day and my irons were mediocre at best so what was a highly anticipated round, ended up being kind of a flop. 

Pics from the round at least . Poppy Hills was pristine! 

I'm not sure if it was just the hyped up nerves or if I just completely forgot all of my lines in the moment, but I just couldn't get the TD to behave. It's been a good while since I've played a round where I wasn't hitting a decent % of fairways. Since I made the switch to OttoPhlex in the PXG Gen5 late last year, I've been absolutely killing it in driver stats and it's become a club that I can really rely on. To be completely candid, I'm still trying to find my groove with the Paradym TD. Not that it's horrible by any means. It has a LOT of great qualities and I'm still quite confident that it can outperform the PXG. I'm just trying to find that magic groove where I can feel like I'm on auto-pilot like the Gen5. 

Tomorrow I'm heading out for an early 5:45 a.m. round. I'm hoping that we'll be the only ones out there so I can do a head to head with the Paradym TD and PXG 0311. I've fully committed to the TD since we started this and haven't so much as picked up the PXG in over a month. Tomorrow will really be a test of whether or not the TD will be worthy of taking over the top spot in my bag. So far I've got the TD edging out the 0311 in the feel category, and they're about neck and neck when it comes to sound. They sound different from each other but I like them both a lot. The PXG however leads the charge in consistency so far. While the distance is probably better with the TD, I'll take consistency over an extra 10 yds any day. 

Now, what I'm hoping to uncover is that groove where consistency and distance align and then the TD wins overall.

Tomorrow's showdown 

 

Lastly, I'm really hoping to get into a launch monitor next week for some #'s comparing the 2 drivers. At that time I should have enough course and dry ball data to start wrapping things up. 

[TylorJudd]

8 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Hey y'all! 

Sorry if I've been kinda MIA. We got back from our trip to Monterey that was absolutely fantastic! I had posted about my round at Pacific Grove Golf Links earlier, and quite honestly have been somewhat reluctant to talk about my round at Poppy Hills. Poppy is a course that you REALLY need your driver to behave on or you'll end up suffering.. well.. the driver did not show up that day and my irons were mediocre at best so what was a highly anticipated round, ended up being kind of a flop. 

Pics from the round at least . Poppy Hills was pristine! 

I'm not sure if it was just the hyped up nerves or if I just completely forgot all of my lines in the moment, but I just couldn't get the TD to behave. It's been a good while since I've played a round where I wasn't hitting a decent % of fairways. Since I made the switch to OttoPhlex in the PXG Gen5 late last year, I've been absolutely killing it in driver stats and it's become a club that I can really rely on. To be completely candid, I'm still trying to find my groove with the Paradym TD. Not that it's horrible by any means. It has a LOT of great qualities and I'm still quite confident that it can outperform the PXG. I'm just trying to find that magic groove where I can feel like I'm on auto-pilot like the Gen5. 

Tomorrow I'm heading out for an early 5:45 a.m. round. I'm hoping that we'll be the only ones out there so I can do a head to head with the Paradym TD and PXG 0311. I've fully committed to the TD since we started this and haven't so much as picked up the PXG in over a month. Tomorrow will really be a test of whether or not the TD will be worthy of taking over the top spot in my bag. So far I've got the TD edging out the 0311 in the feel category, and they're about neck and neck when it comes to sound. They sound different from each other but I like them both a lot. The PXG however leads the charge in consistency so far. While the distance is probably better with the TD, I'll take consistency over an extra 10 yds any day. 

Now, what I'm hoping to uncover is that groove where consistency and distance align and then the TD wins overall.

Tomorrow's showdown 

 

Lastly, I'm really hoping to get into a launch monitor next week for some #'s comparing the 2 drivers. At that time I should have enough course and dry ball data to start wrapping things up. 

Have you tried putting the 14g in the back slot and moving the 2g up front? I had a hard time with mine until I did that, especially depending on the shaft

[TylorJudd]

On 6/30/2023 at 11:49 AM, StrokerAce said:

A little over halfway through the testing period and I’ve had 4-5 rounds and about the same amount of range sessions so I thought it would be a good time for an update 

first some pics and something I didn’t expect and am a little disappointed with 

 

as you can see the ferrule is coming up the shaft. Probably not a big deal but having not played it a full season it’s a shame to see 

the crown still looking good and it’s glossy but not blinding 

 

I clean it after each round and the sole is still shiny 

 

really impressed with the face  it has held up well and looks brand new still no clue what the 4 indentation marks are for 

 

I am very careful with my clubs and always use the headcover so I don’t know how those 2 scratches by “draw” and the small white one happened  durability of the paint will be something to consider 

 

League 9 yesterday and front 9 is pretty short so only used driver once but it worked out fine 

The fairway is kinda narrow so this was more of a punch than a big swing 

This is quickly becoming my favorite club in the bag..

more to come!!

My ferrule came up the shaft as well, ended up breaking the shaft by twisting. I thought it wasn't a big deal either until it was. Maybe et it looked at, Callaway sent a new shaft in 3 business days

[StrokerAce]

Just now, TylorJudd said:

My ferrule came up the shaft as well, ended up breaking the shaft by twisting. I thought it wasn't a big deal either until it was. Maybe et it looked at, Callaway sent a new shaft in 3 business days

Thanks; as a tester we're not supposed to contact the OEM directly. I'll speak with the mod about it.

Appreciate the suggestion!

[GolfSpy_APH]

2 hours ago, StrokerAce said:

Thanks; as a tester we're not supposed to contact the OEM directly. I'll speak with the mod about it.

Appreciate the suggestion!

I have had ferrule creep on almost every Callaway driver I've owned. No idea why and never on any others. 

Send Bryan a note and he can get in contact with them.

[funkyjudge]

12 minutes ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

I have had ferrule creep on almost every Callaway driver I've owned. No idea why and never on any others. 

Send Bryan a note and he can get in contact with them.

I have also had some slight “ferrule creep” on my last two Callaway drivers (Rogue ST Max and Paradym X).

[fixyurdivot]

11 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Hey y'all! 

Sorry if I've been kinda MIA. We got back from our trip to Monterey that was absolutely fantastic! I had posted about my round at Pacific Grove Golf Links earlier, and quite honestly have been somewhat reluctant to talk about my round at Poppy Hills. Poppy is a course that you REALLY need your driver to behave on or you'll end up suffering.. well.. the driver did not show up that day and my irons were mediocre at best so what was a highly anticipated round, ended up being kind of a flop. 

Pics from the round at least . Poppy Hills was pristine! 

I'm not sure if it was just the hyped up nerves or if I just completely forgot all of my lines in the moment, but I just couldn't get the TD to behave. It's been a good while since I've played a round where I wasn't hitting a decent % of fairways. Since I made the switch to OttoPhlex in the PXG Gen5 late last year, I've been absolutely killing it in driver stats and it's become a club that I can really rely on. To be completely candid, I'm still trying to find my groove with the Paradym TD. Not that it's horrible by any means. It has a LOT of great qualities and I'm still quite confident that it can outperform the PXG. I'm just trying to find that magic groove where I can feel like I'm on auto-pilot like the Gen5. 

Tomorrow I'm heading out for an early 5:45 a.m. round. I'm hoping that we'll be the only ones out there so I can do a head to head with the Paradym TD and PXG 0311. I've fully committed to the TD since we started this and haven't so much as picked up the PXG in over a month. Tomorrow will really be a test of whether or not the TD will be worthy of taking over the top spot in my bag. So far I've got the TD edging out the 0311 in the feel category, and they're about neck and neck when it comes to sound. They sound different from each other but I like them both a lot. The PXG however leads the charge in consistency so far. While the distance is probably better with the TD, I'll take consistency over an extra 10 yds any day. 

Now, what I'm hoping to uncover is that groove where consistency and distance align and then the TD wins overall.

Tomorrow's showdown 

 

Lastly, I'm really hoping to get into a launch monitor next week for some #'s comparing the 2 drivers. At that time I should have enough course and dry ball data to start wrapping things up. 

Looks like fun, love the putter cover . That the PXG is making your decision difficult is of no surprise based on the numerous comments from folks I've met who love their drivers. 

[cksurfdude]

12 hours ago, azstu324 said:

So far I've got the TD edging out the 0311 in the feel category, and they're about neck and neck when it comes to sound.

At the opposite end of the Paradym lineup .. for me, while the X head has a nice feel to it I still like the way the 0311XF impacts the ball; however.. I think I'm gonna say I can't say the sound of one is "better" than the other .. the main distinction in my ear is the X is much more muted vs the PXG. So they're both nice

 

12 hours ago, azstu324 said:

The PXG however leads the charge in consistency so far.

And at the opposite end of the player ability lineup .. I'm seeing much more consistent tee shots with the Paradym-X!

 

[azstu324]

8 hours ago, TylorJudd said:

Have you tried putting the 14g in the back slot and moving the 2g up front? I had a hard time with mine until I did that, especially depending on the shaft

Yeah I have and it's definitely made some difference. I actually just finished my round and things went much better. I started with the TD and my trusty Garafalloy PLB (OttoPhlex) and just laced one down the right side of the fairway. The 2nd hole, I hit low heel but pulled it a little so ended up putting it right in the middle of the fairway with a slight fade. Most of the round were really nice playable drives. TBH, I had forgotten that I brought my PXG 0311 and that I had the PX Cypher shaft to plug in if needed. Also, we ended up with a group right behind us so I didn't really get to play around with the side by side testing.

Ended up shooting 78 (+6).

I also totally forgot to mark yardages for most of the round.. except for this hole. Was left with a GW over the pond. Just missed the green but was able to make birdie. 

Here is a pic of a tee shot that ended up about 50 yds from the green. Dead center and HELLA long! Yeah that's AZ punched turf. Getting ready for new grass. Lipped out my birdie to make par. 

Overall though, today was a much more enjoyable day behind the wheel. Something that I REALLY need to do is get to a range or LM where I can just swing the club until my arms fall off and find a good groove. I know it's there and I know that it shouldn't be hard to find a good repeatable swing. The long, straight shots that I have hit have felt effortless and like I really didn't need to work for it.

Overall though, really good day with the TD, and the rest of the bag

 

 

[azstu324]

5 hours ago, fixyurdivot said:

love the putter cover

Yeah I actually made it from a pair of my kids shoes. Thought about making some more and selling them for a side hustle. 

[knightsofnii]

Congrats guys!

I didn't realize this test had been kicked off.  

[cksurfdude]

15 hours ago, knightsofnii said:

Congrats guys!

I didn't realize this test had been kicked off.  

Thanks!! ..and, fyi, we're actually getting closer to publishing our final reviews .. within another week hopefully...

[StrokerAce]

After a pretty good session on the trackman outdoor range I thought I'd be good to go...

 

Not sure if it was the heat or my swing or what the issue was but I hit some clunkers. 
The good thing is: they were still playable and my dispersion is 'tighter' and I'm not hitting those big-off-the-planet-spinners that end up in folks backyards.
The bad: my regular/expected distance wasn't there during this round.

     

I hit a few good ones too...

      

 

...but I'm still getting used to the big stick. As long as I can keep it playable, even if it's shorter than what I'm used to during the transition, I can work with that.

 

[StrokerAce]

Certainly funny on the range how you can pound them out there without a care in the world. Put a fairway in front of me and tell me not to hit it OB and I tense up and become "careful".... guess I just need to let er rip!

[Invader Zim 315]

Good morning all, happy Monday.

I knew it would be crucial to get a couple more rounds in before final reviews, and I played around with a few variables , including playing a new golf ball, something I never do.

Let's just say I may have gone for my lowest score ever...

Review to come this evening!

[Javs]

On 7/7/2023 at 1:14 PM, StrokerAce said:

Certainly funny on the range how you can pound them out there without a care in the world. Put a fairway in front of me and tell me not to hit it OB and I tense up and become "careful".... guess I just need to let er rip!

Great point! Personally, I find swinging free and without fear brings the best results. When you try to steer it into a fairway the body tenses up and bad things happen! Free swinging at 100 percent produces my best results.

[Hobert]

On 7/7/2023 at 2:14 PM, StrokerAce said:

Certainly funny on the range how you can pound them out there without a care in the world. Put a fairway in front of me and tell me not to hit it OB and I tense up and become "careful".... guess I just need to let er rip!

This is so me as well!

[cksurfdude]

On 7/7/2023 at 2:14 PM, StrokerAce said:

Certainly funny on the range how you can pound them out there without a care in the world. Put a fairway in front of me and tell me not to hit it OB and I tense up and become "careful".... guess I just need to let er rip!

Got home from a 2 1/2 day clinic with Monte Scheinblum where this morning was the on-course playing part .. one of the guys (out of only 3!) was very clearly a very good golfer, eg. low single digit, and his first tee shot looked pretty darn solid and far and *straight* to me! .. but he and Monte had a brief discussion about same thing...

..so he adjusted his setup and aim on the tee box and swung away .. looked back at us and said, 'I think I hit that at least 20-30 yards or more further than normal!'...

..and fyi he was playing a Paradym TD

[Invader Zim 315]

Invader Zim Update – 07.10.2023

I’m going to structure this one a little bit differently - I'm just going to be a selfish dude and walk you, hole for hole, through my best round ever.  Please don't hate me, it was my Mom's idea. 

I went away from my typical ProV1x and switched to the lower spinning Vice Pro Plus for zero reason at all. I was just tired of losing Titleist balls. In the end, as I mentioned, this was my best round ever score wise (73, +2).  If you want a TL;DR about the Paradym, it’s this: The greatest compliment I can give to this driver is that it makes me feel extremely comfortable. I know that if I just swing, it will probably be on the planet, and it will go pretty far too.

*Also a big shoutout to WorldGolfer, who agreed to let me use his blog pictures of the course as part of this update

 

Bethpage Green Course Review or Callaway Paradym Review? – 07/09/2023
Course Details: Par 71, 6,378 yards from the Blue Tees

----------

Hole 1: Par 4 (354 Yards)

The opening hole plays very much like the first on Black (and runs alongside it), just more forgiving. It is a super downhill, slight dogleg to the right.  I took on the right side with a fade and was rewarded with my biggest ball of the day.  I had a 32 yard pitch to ~5 feet, and made an opening birdie.

Drive 1: 326 Yards (Fairway)
Hole Result: Birdie
Gross Score thru 1: -1

----------

Birdied the second, followed by 4 straight bogies. 

Gross score thru 6: +2

----------

Hole 7: Par 5 (507 Yards)

The seventh is a WIDE open par 5, although there is OB right.  I aimed for the left edge of the fairway and that’s where I went with a little draw, tumbling into the left rough. No harm done.  This could have gone much further if it was a fairway hit, and you might be able to make out that I blocked myself out from going for the green in 2 (trees guarding the left side). I’m not upset with the hole result though! 8-iron, 60* to 6 feet gave me the birdie look.

Drive 2: 273 Yards (Left Rough)
Hole Result: Birdie
Gross Score thru 7: +1

 

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Hole 9: Par 5 (560 Yards)

After a par on 8, The ninth is another Par 5, a bit longer than the last and the 1 Handicap.  It doglegs quite severely to the left, so isn’t really gettable in 2.  This was probably my worst drive of the day, a low, hooky drive that tumbled into the left rough with no spin.  This is a low spin driver – coupled with a lower spin ball in the Vice Pro Plus (compared to ProV1x) I knew this was a possibility.  Still went 260, and I followed it with 7-iron back into the fairway, GW, 2-putt par.

Drive 3: 259 Yards (Left Rough)
Hole Result: Par
Gross Score thru 9: +1

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Pars on 10, 11 and 12

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Hole 13: Par 5 (572 Yards)

13 is the last and the longest of the Par 5s. Just like the other two, this hole doglegs to the left.  I wanted to be a little aggressive and looked to take it over the trees on the left, but caught it toe-side.  As a result, the drive pushed out to the right a little bit to start, with gear effect bringing it back.  This ended up being a tight little draw around the corner and into the left-center fairway.  This would have been a short drive, but it was downhill.  A 4 hybrid and gap wedge to 25 feet made for a pretty simple 2-putt par.

Drive 4: 262 Yards (Fairway)
Hole Result: Par
Gross Score thru 13: +1

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Par on 14, Birdie on 15

Gross Score thru 15: Even

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Hole 16: Par 4 (358 Yards)

Okay, okay, enough of those par 5s!  It was at this exact moment, after birding a 210 yard par 3 (albeit, 25 yards downhill) that I realized I was even par.  2 seconds later, I decided that I wanted to go for a round in the RED.  I proceeded to swing out of my shoes and almost miss the golf ball low heel.  Alas! A testament to the Paradym’s forgiveness!  A low bleeder to the right just tricked into the right rough, 102 yards from the pin.  I proceeded to push my 56* right of the green and failed to get up and down.  +1 for the round.  The golf gods knew I was working too hard.  

Drive 5: 261 Yards (Right Rough)
Hole Result: Bogey
Gross Score thru 16: +1

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Hole 17: Par 4 (418 Yards)

Disappointed, but not deterred, I knew I needed to make some magic happen on 17.  For my money, this is easily the hardest hole on the golf course for someone who draws the ball like me:

-          Massive dogleg to the right? Check 
-          OB all down the right? Check 
-          Water left? Check! 
-          Pissed off Ryan? Double Check! 

Regardless, I pulled the big dog and said "Hey, let’s test this thing’s workability."  I took my best Arnie Palmer helicopter swing, and hit one of the best big, high fades of my life to the center cut. I promptly pushed my 56* right again, and failed to get up and down. +2. 

Oh and yes, Arnie hit a draw apparently, but I didn't know that at the time.

Drive 6: 298 Yards (Fairway)
Hole Result: Bogey
Gross Score thru 17: +2

----------

Hole 18: Par 4 (398 Yards)

I'll be honest, at this point I was a little heartbroken.  I let the mental part of the game get to me the last two holes.  How does one cope? Smash a driver on the 18th, of course!  I pushed it badly, but the hole is super open, and since it goes to the right it was basically a shortcut.  I made a two-putt par to finish with a +2, 73.

Drive 7: 275 Yards (Right Rough)
Hole Result: Par
Gross Score: +2

 

 

 

-------

Bonus Content!

Well, thank you for following along!  If you made it this far, I'll reward you with some bonus content: Actual photos of the golf club you came to see (with Bethpage Black as a backdrop)  

I actually played Black on Saturday, but my watch wasn't charged (I shot an 85, use your imagination about the driver play!)

 

 

[azstu324]

Today is the day I've been waiting for! With my PGATSS under renovation, it's been really hard to have some concentrated 1 on 1 time with the TD. Whenever I've hit it, it's it's been strictly in play and I haven't had a chance to just hit a hundred or so balls to really work a nice groove. Whenever you get a new club, or clubs I think it's really important to spend some "get to know each other" time and I haven't really done that with the TD. 

Saturday night I finally got to a range and just got in some good repetition that was much needed for this testing. 

Well back to today's round. Today is the first day that I finally felt like I found the groove that I was looking for with the TD. Shot one of the best scores in a while at Dobson Ranch Golf course and this was playing from the tips. Needless to say distance was needed, and certainly was not an issue today. Not only was the distance great but disbursement and overall shot shape/trajectory was really really tight on most of the holes. Looks, feel, and sound don't mean a dang thing unless you have some really solid numbers and repeatable results and that was exactly what happened today. Not gonna lie, it's always nice to get paired up with some decent playing youngsters and constantly out drive and out position them on nearly every hole. 

11/15 fairways with some really killer positioning throughout the round. This might be the start of something magical

[Invader Zim 315]

9 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Today is the day I've been waiting for! With my PGATSS under renovation, it's been really hard to have some concentrated 1 on 1 time with the TD. Whenever I've hit it, it's it's been strictly in play and I haven't had a chance to just hit a hundred or so balls to really work a nice groove. Whenever you get a new club, or clubs I think it's really important to spend some "get to know each other" time and I haven't really done that with the TD. 

Saturday night I finally got to a range and just got in some good repetition that was much needed for this testing. 

Well back to today's round. Today is the first day that I finally felt like I found the groove that I was looking for with the TD. Shot one of the best scores in a while at Dobson ranch Golf course and this was playing from the tips. Needless to say distance was needed, and certainly not an issue today. Not only was the distance great but disbursement and overall s*** shape/trajectory was really really tight on most of the holes. Looks, feel, and sound don't mean a dang thing unless you have some really solid numbers. It's always nice to get paired up with some decent playing youngsters and constantly out drive and out position them on nearly every hole. 

11/15 fairways with some really killer positioning throughout the round. This might be the start of something magical

11/15, that is one heck of a day driving the golf ball for us mere mortals!! That’s amazing stuff, Stu!

[cksurfdude]

13 hours ago, azstu324 said:

Whenever you get a new club, or clubs I think it's really important to spend some "get to know each other" time

Yes!!! ..^that^ is a great description.

As some of you may know hitting driver is a relatively new phenomenon for me, having struggled with it in the past to the point where I didn't carry one nor even bother to try and practice with one.

And while I cannot give the "X" all the credit - as I've been taking lessons, practicing a lot and forcing myself to hit driver every time I can on the course - so as I use it more and more I'm getting a little bit more comfortable with it and a little bit better off the tee.

For example: last year at the playing lesson portion of the Monte Scheinblum clinic I tried to hit driver 14 times - I probably lost 12 balls.

This year, same course but for 9 holes - hit driver 7 times, lost 1 ball due to a swing fault (turned the body too early, swung left, ball went left into trouble) and the other 6 were either ok or playable.

Sorry but no high nasty bomb stories to tell

...but the X is definitely giving me more confidence to swing away off the tee .. and (well as long as I can get my stuff together on the other parts of my game) .. helping me play better golf..!

[cksurfdude]

15 hours ago, Invader Zim 315 said:

..my best round ever score wise (73, +2). 

If you want a TL;DR about the Paradym, it’s this: The greatest compliment I can give to this driver is that it makes me feel extremely comfortable. I know that if I just swing, it will probably be on the planet, and it will go pretty far too.

Wow CONGRATS!! on that new PB!!

And love that summary about the driver - while at the other end of the player spectrum, I could say something very similar about my experience with the X ... the difference for me being "pretty far" is a very relative term, my friends! ... but for me it's definitely helping me get the ball "out there" for a scrawny old dude when I hit it well.

[azstu324]

1 hour ago, cksurfdude said:

Sorry but no high nasty bomb stories to tell

Hey this is an individual journey that means something different for each person and I celebrate everyone's version of "high nasty bombs". 

My dad is 73. When he rips a nice high 240 yd drive, it's all high fives, fist bumps, and bro hugs and I'm just as excited to see him do that as he is when I send a missile. 

That's the beauty of this game!