The Golf Thread - 2016!

The Golf Thread - 2016!

Author
Discussion

Dan_1981

17,353 posts

198 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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Played the Marriott Hollins Hall near Bradford twice over the weekend

Nice course - lovely views. Tough though.

Feeding the big dog all the time just didn't work. hehe

Left with a disappointing 25 & a pretty awful 21.

HaplessBoyLard

1,546 posts

187 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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SS2. said:
Using GC2 rather than TrackMan this time, we focused on the Mizuno MP5 & JPX 900 Tour again and, as before, the numbers were far better for the JPX than the MP5 - slightly longer (avg ~180 yards carry with a 6 iron), more consistent, more forgiving.
Where was the extra distance coming from compared to the MP5? Are the lofts the same? Spin rates?

I'm not questioning your decision, I'm genuinely interested. I'm turning into a bit of a golfing gear junkie and like comparing clubs and trying to understand why they perform the way they do.

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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HaplessBoyLard said:
Where was the extra distance coming from compared to the MP5? Are the lofts the same? Spin rates?
I should have taken a snap or two of the results screens - I'll see if I can do this when I'm in next week.

Both clubs were 30 degree loft, launch angles between the MP5 and JPX were comparable, peak shot height was slightly higher with the JPX, spin rates were very similar from what I can recall. The biggest difference I remember was a marginally faster clubhead speed with the JPX (~2mph-3mph) which, in turn, resulted in greater ball speed immediately after impact.

bodhi

10,333 posts

228 months

Monday 12th September 2016
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SS2. said:
The monthly medal was rained off Saturday morning so I nipped over to American Golf and took advantage of one of their custom fitting sessions.

Have to say, I was very impressed with the guy doing the fitting - very knowledgable, no hard sell, no brand loyalty one way or another, just concentrating on getting me the right shaft / head / grip combination.

Using GC2 rather than TrackMan this time, we focused on the Mizuno MP5 & JPX 900 Tour again and, as before, the numbers were far better for the JPX than the MP5 - slightly longer (avg ~180 yards carry with a 6 iron), more consistent, more forgiving.

The shaft he was close to recommending was the same one as had been suggested during the earlier fitting session - the KBS Tour Stiff. However, we kept making minor tweaks and, after another 30 or so hits with various shaft options, we both agreed that the Project X Rifle 5.5 probably just about edged it.

Grips. My weak shot tends to be a slight drag to the left so we went with the Golf Pride MCC Plus4 - this emulates an additional 4 wraps of tape under the right hand which is supposed to help keep the right hand from getting a bit too dominant.

Icing on the cake was the £150 trade-in they offered on an 18 year old set of Pings - didn't think I'd get more than £60 for them.

So, the order has been placed and the new bats should be here in about 5 days - really looking forward to seeing what they're like on the course.

And top marks to AG - have to say the [completely free] hour I spent in their fitting bay was superb.
Bloody hell didn't realise you were coming from a set of Pings, both Mizunos must be like butter knives after those smile Glad it all worked out on the purchase, we'll expect a full review next weekend smile

Your experience with AG seems to mirror mine, bloke doing the fitting didn't seem too bothered in selling me stuff I didn't want, just took the time to make sure I had the clubs set up as I wanted. He's done a fantastic job too - my old 3 wood used to be a bit erratic thanks to the shaft being a bit soft, but this one, in conjunction with the fatter grip is 100 times more accurate - like yourself my bad shot used to be a pull/hook, but the worst I get now is a slight draw. Ball flight is a massive improvement too - the old VRS 3 wood used to baloon a tad, and was a nightmare in windy conditions - this one stays much lower, yet flies further.

Took it out in another comp on Sunday - used the big dog on the par 5's, 1 iron for a couple of narrow par 4's, and the new 3 wood everywhere else. Broke 80 for the second comp running, shooting 78 for 37 points. Could have been so much more having 21 points on the front 9 after a 1 over 36, but pulled a couple of irons on the back 9 leaving myself horrible chips, and missed a couple of silly putts for 16 points on the way back. Came 4th as well, just out of the prizes frown

Hit some lovely fairway woods though, including a couple of 200 yard bullets out of deep rough with the 5 wood, and my proudest one - a 3 wood out of light rough having to flatten my backswing to avoid a tree, and still managed to keep it straight.

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Tuesday 13th September 2016
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bodhi said:
Bloody hell didn't realise you were coming from a set of Pings, both Mizunos must be like butter knives after those smile
They're i3 Blades and, whilst not as silky smooth as a pure strike with the Mizunos, they're pretty good when flushed - certainly done me proud over the past 17 or so years and I'll be a little sad to see them go.

bodhi said:
Broke 80 for the second comp running, shooting 78 for 37 points. Could have been so much more having 21 points on the front 9 after a 1 over 36, but pulled a couple of irons on the back 9 leaving myself horrible chips, and missed a couple of silly putts for 16 points on the way back.
A tidy round nonetheless - sounds like solid play, shame about the loose ones.

It reads a bit like the mirror image of my medal round on Sunday, though - everything for me (swing, putter, mindset) seemed elsewhere on the front and I ended up 7 over. Recovered well beyond the turn and managed to sneak back in 2 under (mostly 3 wood off the tee, the driver stayed in the bag).

With the course playing so long after Saturday's rain, +5 was good enough for 2nd gross and nabbed a few quid for 3rd nett.

Edited by SS2. on Tuesday 13th September 08:08

Rosscow

Original Poster:

8,723 posts

162 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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Boys, if anyone is interested I may be selling my Garmin S5 golf watch. Let me know if interested!

Only selling as I'm probably going to get the new Apple Watch so will use that instead, silly to have 2 GPS watches....

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
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They've arrived. Looks like being a dry afternoon so chances are I'll be sneaking off an hour or two early to put them through their paces.. smile



Edited by SS2. on Tuesday 20th September 12:51

bodhi

10,333 posts

228 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
SS2. said:
They've arrived. Looks like being a dry afternoon so chances are I'll be sneaking off an hour or two early to put them through their paces.. smile



Edited by SS2. on Tuesday 20th September 12:51
Look lovely, although they appear to be missing some metal at the back? wink

I was having a look at some at my local Mizuno fitting centre, if I was in the market for new irons I could be very tempted, but I have no plans to get rid of the Nike Blades just yet. Be sure to let us know how you get on smile

Had a message left on my phone on Sunday from American Golf - the chap who was doing the fitting for my fairway woods has managed to find a Diamana shaft with the Nike hosel fitting already attached, so has given me that to try. Looking forward to it, as the Diamanas in my fairway woods have made the Huro Kage in my Covert feel awfully soft, despite being Stiff.

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Tuesday 20th September 2016
quotequote all
bodhi said:
Look lovely, although they appear to be missing some metal at the back? wink
A tiny one - little more than a dent. wink

None of us are getting any younger, you know.. hehe

bodhi said:
Be sure to let us know how you get on smile
Will do.

bodhi said:
Had a message left on my phone on Sunday from American Golf - the chap who was doing the fitting for my fairway woods has managed to find a Diamana shaft with the Nike hosel fitting already attached, so has given me that to try.
That's a result - hope it works well.

SS2.

14,455 posts

237 months

Wednesday 21st September 2016
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OK, managed to sneak 14 holes with the new bats last night and initial impressions were excellent -

  • much softer feel of the face than the Pings (to be expected, going back to a forged head from a cast);
  • better ball flight, much more penetrating, especially with 4, 5, 6 & 7 irons;
  • higher ball flight with long irons, probably slightly less so with the shorties;
  • carry is maybe 1/2 a club longer on the short irons, possibly a full club longer on 5-7, maybe slightly more than that with the 4 iron;
  • caught a couple a groove or two lower off the face and still got all but 5 yards carry compared with a decent strike - very forgiving;
  • they cut through the rough much better than the Pings;
  • and new grooves certainly stop the ball quick !
A marked difference from what I'd become accustomed to over the past 17 or so years but, on last night's showing, I think I'm going to like these.. smile

Rosscow

Original Poster:

8,723 posts

162 months

Monday 26th September 2016
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A better round from me yesterday, 33 points with 3 blobs. Chipping and putting was really good.

Still average at best off the tee but better than my recent efforts. It was very windy so generally pleased.

JamesNotJim

755 posts

185 months

Monday 26th September 2016
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Shot a +2 round on Saturday. Which was only good enough for 8th! (still not got over that, was utterly shocked when the results came in) and after a night shift, 2 hours sleep did it again in the sunday shop comp. That was good enough for second.
Bit happier with sundays round, hit far too many shanks on the range warming up and could barely concentrate during the round due to being shattered (and the fear of shanking every iron shot).
Only a few qualifiers left to try and sneak back down to 4 after 2 months of hozzle rockets. Need another 0.4 off.

cheddar

4,637 posts

173 months

Monday 26th September 2016
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Farewell Arnold

Great man


Blackpuddin

16,411 posts

204 months

Wednesday 28th September 2016
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Any suggestions for a nice set of clubs to replace my old Ping Eye 2s? I'm a 17 handicapper who doesn't trust a club to get the distance it's supposed to and hence I duff shots through overhitting.
When I hit them right I get decent distance and seem to have a natural draw. Would love to try some 'buttery' clubs, with the bonus feature of nice fresh grooves! Not that interested in the techy stuff about launch angles, spin rates, tectonic drift etc. Just interested to hear about clubs that have a real feeling of bottom-end heft about them as I think this will slow my swing down and give me more trust/confidence.
There's an American Golf 20 miles from me, interested to see on this forum that they do part-ex on old clubs and that they are not quite as pushy as I thought they might be. Plus I like the idea of being fitted. That would be a first for me.

DuncanM

6,109 posts

278 months

Wednesday 28th September 2016
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cheddar said:
Farewell Arnold

Great man
Great Man indeed, absolute class act, and will be missed.

StescoG66

2,108 posts

142 months

Wednesday 28th September 2016
quotequote all
Blackpuddin said:
Any suggestions for a nice set of clubs to replace my old Ping Eye 2s? I'm a 17 handicapper who doesn't trust a club to get the distance it's supposed to and hence I duff shots through overhitting.
When I hit them right I get decent distance and seem to have a natural draw. Would love to try some 'buttery' clubs, with the bonus feature of nice fresh grooves! Not that interested in the techy stuff about launch angles, spin rates, tectonic drift etc. Just interested to hear about clubs that have a real feeling of bottom-end heft about them as I think this will slow my swing down and give me more trust/confidence.
There's an American Golf 20 miles from me, interested to see on this forum that they do part-ex on old clubs and that they are not quite as pushy as I thought they might be. Plus I like the idea of being fitted. That would be a first for me.
Mizuno. All day long in my opinion

Blackpuddin

16,411 posts

204 months

Wednesday 28th September 2016
quotequote all
StescoG66 said:
Blackpuddin said:
Any suggestions for a nice set of clubs to replace my old Ping Eye 2s? I'm a 17 handicapper who doesn't trust a club to get the distance it's supposed to and hence I duff shots through overhitting.
When I hit them right I get decent distance and seem to have a natural draw. Would love to try some 'buttery' clubs, with the bonus feature of nice fresh grooves! Not that interested in the techy stuff about launch angles, spin rates, tectonic drift etc. Just interested to hear about clubs that have a real feeling of bottom-end heft about them as I think this will slow my swing down and give me more trust/confidence.
There's an American Golf 20 miles from me, interested to see on this forum that they do part-ex on old clubs and that they are not quite as pushy as I thought they might be. Plus I like the idea of being fitted. That would be a first for me.
Mizuno. All day long in my opinion
Any particular ones?

GregK2

1,651 posts

145 months

Wednesday 28th September 2016
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Mark Crossfield does pretty good club review videos. Mizuno JPX Range is for higher handicappers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQf1VtoJ6RA

StescoG66

2,108 posts

142 months

Thursday 29th September 2016
quotequote all
Blackpuddin said:
StescoG66 said:
Blackpuddin said:
Any suggestions for a nice set of clubs to replace my old Ping Eye 2s? I'm a 17 handicapper who doesn't trust a club to get the distance it's supposed to and hence I duff shots through overhitting.
When I hit them right I get decent distance and seem to have a natural draw. Would love to try some 'buttery' clubs, with the bonus feature of nice fresh grooves! Not that interested in the techy stuff about launch angles, spin rates, tectonic drift etc. Just interested to hear about clubs that have a real feeling of bottom-end heft about them as I think this will slow my swing down and give me more trust/confidence.
There's an American Golf 20 miles from me, interested to see on this forum that they do part-ex on old clubs and that they are not quite as pushy as I thought they might be. Plus I like the idea of being fitted. That would be a first for me.
Mizuno. All day long in my opinion
Any particular ones?
Where to start. Currently have JPX850 forged and love them, but the MP5 are equally gorgeous.

Blackpuddin

16,411 posts

204 months

Thursday 29th September 2016
quotequote all
StescoG66 said:
Blackpuddin said:
StescoG66 said:
Blackpuddin said:
Any suggestions for a nice set of clubs to replace my old Ping Eye 2s? I'm a 17 handicapper who doesn't trust a club to get the distance it's supposed to and hence I duff shots through overhitting.
When I hit them right I get decent distance and seem to have a natural draw. Would love to try some 'buttery' clubs, with the bonus feature of nice fresh grooves! Not that interested in the techy stuff about launch angles, spin rates, tectonic drift etc. Just interested to hear about clubs that have a real feeling of bottom-end heft about them as I think this will slow my swing down and give me more trust/confidence.
There's an American Golf 20 miles from me, interested to see on this forum that they do part-ex on old clubs and that they are not quite as pushy as I thought they might be. Plus I like the idea of being fitted. That would be a first for me.
Mizuno. All day long in my opinion
Any particular ones?
Where to start. Currently have JPX850 forged and love them, but the MP5 are equally gorgeous.
Not sure I'm good enough for MP5s, aren't they for low handicappers? They all seem to have stiff shafts which I thought were for fast swingers. I'm trying to slow my swing down a bit.