the golf thread

[OneBuckeye]

So I misplaced my old 588 56 degree wedge. I also could use a new driver currently hitting a Cleveland 400 launcher.

I am contemplating this on golfsmith.com

Diablo Octane Driver (Hit this last year and liked it the best)
Diablo Edge Hybrid 4 24 degree. I need something I can put on the green from 200-210. I am currently trying to do that with my 16.5 degree fairway wood or my 4 iron with mixed results.
New 588 Satin Cleveland Milled face 52 and 56 degree wedges

$400

So I am thinking of taking my bag from

Clev Launcher 400
Mizuno 4 wood - 16.5
Ping Irons 3-PW
56 Cleveland (lost)
60 Cleveland

To

Diablo Octane
Mizuno 4 wood - 16.5
Diablo Edge Hybrid 24
Ping Irons 4-PW
52 Cleveland
56 Cleveland
60 Cleveland

Thoughts?

Other directions I could go.

Buy Multiple hybrids get rid of 4 wood and get a 14degree 3 wood

Would be nice to get all the wedges plus a forged 48 degree wedge and 9 iron.

Problem: I am only looking to spend about 400 to 500 $

I shoot in the 80-90 range.

 

[DA-Bucks]

OneBuckeye: Thoughts?

The driver move sounds decent and the added wedges. The Gap Wedge will be an awesome addition to your bag, you'll get rid of the approximate 11 degree space you have between your Ping PW and SW.

I wouldn't get a 14 degree 3 wood. First if you do that you'll have a huge distance gap b/w your 3 wood and the hybrid. The 3 wood would be much harder to take off the turf than the 4 wood. In fact, I love your set as set up with the 4 wood. It's good distance spacing and let's face it, how many times are you faced with having to hit more than a 4 wood into a green? In reality I think you're sacrificing a lot with a 3 wood to only gain 10-15 yards off the tee.

I'm also not a fan of the 48 degree PW move. Your current PW is likely about 45 degrees, your 9 is about 40. So if you remove the PW for 48 degree forged you have a distance gap with on of the most crucial approach clubs. 48 is also too narrow to be a gap wedge.

Personally, I'd get the gap wedge, but make sure it's a 51 degree. That way your set would go 45,51, 56, 60. That's nice spacing as opposed to 45, 52, 56, 60.

 

[OneBuckeye]

Interesting take on the 51 degree wedge. Below are the lofts for my irons. Cleveland doesn't make a 51 degree (at least it's not on golfsmith) I think a 52 would make more sense than a 50.

Club Loft Lie Length
1 15.5? 59.0? 39.75"
2 18.0? 59.5? 39.25"
3 20.5? 60.5? 38.75"
4 24.0? 61.0? 38.25"
5 27.0? 62.0? 37.75"
6 30.5? 62.5? 37.25"
7 34.5? 63.5? 36.75"
8 38.5? 64.0? 36.25"
9 42.5? 65.0? 35.75"
W 47.0? 65.0? 35.50

 

[GomerBucks]

Well... I am not quite at the level to discuss clubs the way you fellas are, but Saturday at the Driving range, I worked an issue out with my swing and am now crushing drives straight and long... It was a magical moment for me.. .I had always previously been the guy to leave my Calloway Diablo driver in the bag in favor of my 3 wood at the tee box because I felt I could hit it better.

I not only straightened out my drives, but I added a good 50 yds to them...

Happy.. That is all..

 

[DA-Bucks]

Interesting take on the 51 degree wedge. Below are the lofts for my irons. Cleveland doesn't make a 51 degree (at least it's not on golfsmith) I think a 52 would make more sense than a 50.

Club Loft Lie Length
1 15.5? 59.0? 39.75"
2 18.0? 59.5? 39.25"
3 20.5? 60.5? 38.75"
4 24.0? 61.0? 38.25"
5 27.0? 62.0? 37.75"
6 30.5? 62.5? 37.25"
7 34.5? 63.5? 36.75"
8 38.5? 64.0? 36.25"
9 42.5? 65.0? 35.75"
W 47.0? 65.0? 35.50

Are you sure those are your lofts and lies? Sorry to ask (if you're certain), but make sure that they're your exact model of Loft and Lie. 47 is common for a wedge, I just thought Ping typically made their clubs a little stronger on the loft. If you are not certain have a golf club repair specialist measure it for you.

A Ping loft and lie will differ from say a titleist loft and lie. Anyways, if you have a 47 degree, stick with a 52.

Btw, you can always bend a forged wedge a couple degrees for either loft/lie. So if you find a 51 or 53 fit your needs better, just ask a golf club repair specialist to bend it for you.

Btw, I am a former golf pro and used to repair clubs all the time.

 

[OneBuckeye]

Are you sure those are your lofts and lies? Sorry to ask (if you're certain), but make sure that they're your exact model of Loft and Lie. 47 is common for a wedge, I just thought Ping typically made their clubs a little stronger on the loft. If you are not certain have a golf club repair specialist measure it for you.

A Ping loft and lie will differ from say a titleist loft and lie. Anyways, if you have a 47 degree, stick with a 52.

Btw, you can always bend a forged wedge a couple degrees for either loft/lie. So if you find a 51 or 53 fit your needs better, just ask a golf club repair specialist to bend it for you.

Btw, I am a former golf pro and used to repair clubs all the time.

Yup i'm sure i got those from Pings website. tTey are old isi irons. I should probably be looking to replace them in the future too...

 

[matt_thatsme]

I have to echo Da-Bucks sentiment. However, I would add that you need to find out what your distances are on your wedges too. You want to have a rather evenly spaced distance gap between the wedges. My wedge set is:

PW - 47 deg.
GW - 51 deg.
SW - 55 deg.
GW - 59 deg.

The PW is standard LLL; however, I had the other three wedges bent to where I wanted them by a local pro-shop. There is about a 10 yard gap in between each of my wedges except the PW-GW, which is closer to 15 yards.

 

[buckeyebri]

I have had problems getting out and playing this year for a number of reasons, so my round on Sunday should not be of any surprise. It was filled mostly with pars and double bogeys with two bogeys tossed in for good measure. I made some great putts along the way and was all over the hole most of the day, so I felt good about that.

I am still not getting as much length on my driver and other woods as I had hoped for this year, especially with all of the time I have spent in the weight room and conditioning this last year. On the flip side, I have had to learn to tame my PW down as I am hitting it about 15 yards longer than last year.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Ok, I've got a question... and it looks like the right people in this thread are here to answer it for me.

I'm currently playing TM R7 TP irons with Nippon Steel 999GH Regular Flex. I hit those clubs just fine. Never a problem with ball flight. Easy enough to shape my shots left or right when I want to...

Driver is the problem. I'm playing a TM R7 Quad 10.5 degree. I picked that club a few years ago as I had always had issues with getting the ball in the air off the tee. It's set up for no left - right bias and for a regular trajectory. Problem these days, however, is that I'm skying the damn ball. I have to be giving up a lot of distance with how damn high it's going. I'm regularly between 235 - 245 off the tee but I have to guess that I'm giving up 15-20 because its just flying off the tee. Don't get me wrong, it looks beautiful in the air, it just falls way shorter than I would hope... Oh, and I'm not getting much if any roll (even with the dry ground we've got). I may as well have a gap wedge the way the ball rolls in the fairway.

The driver is stock shaft. Regular flex with a firm tip. My alignment is such that the ball is even with my front toe. I've tried moving it back in my stance and that doesn't seem to help. That could bee 100% psychological as I'm just used to seeing the alignment when I'm over a tee.

So, my question is this:

If I love my driver (which I do), would I be best served with picking one up with lower loft? 9.5? 8? but has the same shaft? Or do I pick up a set of heavier weights to drop them in the ass end of the head? Or do I continue to try to work the ball further back in my stance so I'm not getting the ball on so much of the upswing?

Or... am I just crazy and I should live with a 235-245 yard drive that I can fairly reliably move left or right at will?

Thanks in advance. And if it matters, I'm regularly around a 90 shooter. I did hit a 42 the other day for 9 but had to bail so I could take the kids horse back riding. Don't ding me on that... it was after playing 18 already that day...

 

[calibuck]

Sparc,
Just a few thoughts. You're long enough off the tee shot, but where are you? If you're in rough, control is the issue, not length. It's easier to play one club longer from the fairway than one less in the rough (better angle to green, etc). The 10.5 should yield a closer dispersion to the mean (middle of fairway). Of course you give up distance, but keep your 9.5 around, as once you groove your swing plane, substitute it and gain back the distance.....my advice is worth what you pay for it...:tongue2:

Had retired, and playing 5 times a week, and scores were going into the 90's, not the other way. Everyone was helpful, and tried to implement them all, but got worse (driver was going hard right, about as long as a well struck 7-iron).

Went to Hawaii on vacation, wife set me up with a lesson, and we spent very little time on technique. More of a balance and tempo thing, and based on the "Golf in the Kingdom" mental game. Basically, had too many thoughts going through my head. He worked on 'doing what feels natural', and went back to what I did well and comfortable. Results were that the ball straightened out and went farther than before.....now in same zip code as regular foursome's drives, and have kept my crisper irons, as well as improved putting (he actually had me sinking putts with my eyes closed).

The mental game - played between the ears - is improved, and not fussing so much with the many details of the golf game.....so, just enjoy it, if it fits your swing and temperment, tempo and balance are ultimately more important than a degree or two of loft, and let it rip.


:gobucks3::gobucks4: and I'm glad the gal on the Golf Channel went to MSU rather than Meatchicken....

 

[OneBuckeye]

I would think you have the wrong kickpoint in your shaft. Changing your driver/shaft is easier than changing your swing. I would give this a shot first as well as experiment with lofts. You can go to a golf galaxy or something similar and they can tell you how fast you are swinging and what the launch angle is, this should help you choose the right club.

http://golf.about.com/od/faqs/f/bend_profile.htm

Question: Does a Golf Shaft's Bend Profile Influence Trajectory? How Much?
(Editor's Note: This question used to revolve around kickpoint, as in, "does kickpoint influence trajectory?" But as we learned in the FAQ "What is kickpoint?", kickpoint is a term that is being replaced by "bend profile" as shaft designers take their designs in new directions.)
Answer: Whether a shaft affects the trajectory of the shot is more determined by the clubhead's center of gravity and by the golfer's downswing technique than it is by the design of the shaft on its own.
Most important of these is the golfer's downswing moves. If the golfer is able to hold the wrist-cock angle until mid- to late in the downswing, this will allow two shafts of different bend profile design to show a little difference in the height of the shot with the same clubhead. But if the golfer unhinges the wrist-cock very early in the downswing, such a swing move will negate the ability of any two shafts to demonstrate a visible difference in the trajectory of the shot.

For golfers with a mid- to late release, the actual difference in trajectory will be greater in the shafts of woods than it will be in irons. This is because of the effect of the clubhead's center of gravity, namely how far back from the face the CG is positioned in the clubhead. The farther back the CG from the face, the higher the shot can fly for any given loft and shaft design. The closer the CG is to the face, the lower the shot will fly for any given loft and shaft design.

When you look at the shape of woodheads vs. ironheads, it is easy to see that all woodheads are made in a shape which has far more depth from face to back. In turn, this always means the CG is farther back from the face in the woods than it is in the typically "thinner" body shape of ironheads.

Thus, when a golfer with a later release compares a "low flight" shaft design to a "high flight" shaft design in the same woodhead, the trajectory difference should be clearly visible. But when the same golfer uses a high- and low-flight shaft in the same ironhead, the height difference in the shots will be much less.

 

[sparcboxbuck]

Sparc,
Just a few thoughts. You're long enough off the tee shot, but where are you? If you're in rough, control is the issue, not length. It's easier to play one club longer from the fairway than one less in the rough (better angle to green, etc). The 10.5 should yield a closer dispersion to the mean (middle of fairway). Of course you give up distance, but keep your 9.5 around, as once you groove your swing plane, substitute it and gain back the distance.....my advice is worth what you pay for it...:tongue2:

Thanks for your thoughts! Strange enough, off the tee I'm dead center or have a slight draw. At times, when I miss, I'm a severe duck hook. Hardly ever push it right. Only goes right if I'm hitting off the toe, and that's not gonna change by changing my loft! LOL!

thanks again!

 

[sparcboxbuck]

I would think you have the wrong kickpoint in your shaft. Changing your driver/shaft is easier than changing your swing. I would give this a shot first as well as experiment with lofts. You can go to a golf galaxy or something similar and they can tell you how fast you are swinging and what the launch angle is, this should help you choose the right club.

http://golf.about.com/od/faqs/f/bend_profile.htm

That's a very interesting read. I have a very late release point.

 

[THEWOOD]

I would definitely think its a shaft issue....what is the standard shaft in that club?

 

[THEWOOD]

and any idea what your swing speed currently is with driver?