Discussion
Didn't manage to get a pic of my current sticks when I was at the range on Saturday as it was kids hour and didn't seem the best time to be getting the camera out. So instead, I present my other bag, full of old classics I take out once in a while just to appreciate how far things have come. The irons aren't that different from my current ones - other than they go all the way up to a 1 iron, but the woods can be challenging.
The Driver especially, needs a very slow a deliberate swing - however it's impressive how far it goes when you catch it. With all the run out, it isn't too far behind a modern one.
I'm sorely tempted to try to find some balatas for the next time I take them out, however I suspect they won't be in great condition these days.
Also thought I'd bring out the putter collection:
They are from L to R
TaylorMade Ardmore 3
Scotty Cameron Newport Oil Can
Yonex Super ADX Your Forged (used that for 20 years)
Scotty Cameron Studio Del Mar
Ben Hogan Apex II
The Driver especially, needs a very slow a deliberate swing - however it's impressive how far it goes when you catch it. With all the run out, it isn't too far behind a modern one.
I'm sorely tempted to try to find some balatas for the next time I take them out, however I suspect they won't be in great condition these days.
Also thought I'd bring out the putter collection:
They are from L to R
TaylorMade Ardmore 3
Scotty Cameron Newport Oil Can
Yonex Super ADX Your Forged (used that for 20 years)
Scotty Cameron Studio Del Mar
Ben Hogan Apex II
bodhi said:
Didn't manage to get a pic of my current sticks when I was at the range on Saturday as it was kids hour and didn't seem the best time to be getting the camera out. So instead, I present my other bag, full of old classics I take out once in a while just to appreciate how far things have come. The irons aren't that different from my current ones - other than they go all the way up to a 1 iron, but the woods can be challenging.
The Driver especially, needs a very slow a deliberate swing - however it's impressive how far it goes when you catch it. With all the run out, it isn't too far behind a modern one.
I'm sorely tempted to try to find some balatas for the next time I take them out, however I suspect they won't be in great condition these days.
Also thought I'd bring out the putter collection:
They are from L to R
TaylorMade Ardmore 3
Scotty Cameron Newport Oil Can
Yonex Super ADX Your Forged (used that for 20 years)
Scotty Cameron Studio Del Mar
Ben Hogan Apex II
My club does a hickory comp once a year which I might enter next year...love the hogan!The Driver especially, needs a very slow a deliberate swing - however it's impressive how far it goes when you catch it. With all the run out, it isn't too far behind a modern one.
I'm sorely tempted to try to find some balatas for the next time I take them out, however I suspect they won't be in great condition these days.
Also thought I'd bring out the putter collection:
They are from L to R
TaylorMade Ardmore 3
Scotty Cameron Newport Oil Can
Yonex Super ADX Your Forged (used that for 20 years)
Scotty Cameron Studio Del Mar
Ben Hogan Apex II
Can't believe I don't currently have a scotty, would love a teryllium or button back but not at todays prices...did however make a nostalgic buy this afternoon while rooting around american golf, popped to replay golf Windlesham....right Aladdins cave!!
Edited by rallye101 on Tuesday 10th January 19:02
Tycho said:
Stan the Bat said:
Tycho said:
s94wht said:
kiethton said:
Thats great on flat courses but all the undulations on mine (even in the fairways) make taking your hand off a huge risk as the trolley will either fall over, or veer off in a random direction due to a mound/gravity
Mine did fall over backwards a couple of times which gave me a bit of a chuckle as it just lay there, helpless 
Rojibo said:
Tycho said:
I'd like an electric trolley but the prices are crazy even for the basic ones and it is difficult enough getting a smaller Motocaddy Cube in an MX5 that I don't think an electric one would fit.
I manage to fit my Motocaddy M1 in the front boot of my GT4 with the wheels off. The footprint is pretty small with the wheels off you’d be surprised. Out of interest, which trolley do you have?
rallye101 said:
bodhi said:
Didn't manage to get a pic of my current sticks when I was at the range on Saturday as it was kids hour and didn't seem the best time to be getting the camera out. So instead, I present my other bag, full of old classics I take out once in a while just to appreciate how far things have come. The irons aren't that different from my current ones - other than they go all the way up to a 1 iron, but the woods can be challenging.
The Driver especially, needs a very slow a deliberate swing - however it's impressive how far it goes when you catch it. With all the run out, it isn't too far behind a modern one.
I'm sorely tempted to try to find some balatas for the next time I take them out, however I suspect they won't be in great condition these days.
Also thought I'd bring out the putter collection:
They are from L to R
TaylorMade Ardmore 3
Scotty Cameron Newport Oil Can
Yonex Super ADX Your Forged (used that for 20 years)
Scotty Cameron Studio Del Mar
Ben Hogan Apex II
My club does a hickory comp once a year which I might enter next year...love the hogan!The Driver especially, needs a very slow a deliberate swing - however it's impressive how far it goes when you catch it. With all the run out, it isn't too far behind a modern one.
I'm sorely tempted to try to find some balatas for the next time I take them out, however I suspect they won't be in great condition these days.
Also thought I'd bring out the putter collection:
They are from L to R
TaylorMade Ardmore 3
Scotty Cameron Newport Oil Can
Yonex Super ADX Your Forged (used that for 20 years)
Scotty Cameron Studio Del Mar
Ben Hogan Apex II
Can't believe I don't currently have a scotty, would love a teryllium or button back but not at todays prices...did however make a nostalgic buy this afternoon while rooting around american golf, popped to replay golf Windlesham....right Aladdins cave!!
Edited by rallye101 on Tuesday 10th January 19:02
Rosscow said:
Hammersia said:
"It is estimated that this (picking up, strapping and putting down a bag) occurs approximately 50 TIMES during a 9-hole stretch" lol no way. Maybe 20 - 25 times.
If I play our front 9 to par, hitting every green in regulation, I would have picked up my bag 26 times. And that's a measly par of 34 with 3 par 3's.So 40+ is probably extremely normal for anyone that isn't a very low single figure golfer!
I'm sure the report has it's errors (the calorie difference for example), but you can't say carrying 15kg + on your back for 3 or more hours can be good for it or not make any difference IMO.
People go to a lot of lengths to gain that extra 1mph in club head speed these days - so putting unnecessary strain on your back seems counter-productive.
You're far more likely to be affected by a muscle twinge in the act of putting the bag on your shoulders than be affected by gradual, slight and predictable fatigue from carrying. And in that example, if, (as I see with the members of my club) you start down the buggy route you just get more and more unfit and injury prone.
One of our members using a buggy slipped in getting off it and cracked his knee last week for heavens sake. Have you seen the physical state of typical Americans using buggies?
A good yomp carrying a golf bag around 18 holes is excellent exercise.
Hammersia said:
A good yomp carrying a golf bag around 18 holes is excellent exercise.
It's really not. It's better than nothing for sure, but the straining polo shirts and bursting belts seen every summer on golf courses around the land put the lie to that. Golf is a gentle walk with lots of rest stops (and, often, a pint or two in the clubhouse after). That is in no way, at all, "excellent exercise".Challo said:
I was going to pop over there soon as I want to trade in my old irons. They have lots online but can you try clubs out?
I didn't see a bay there but more than likely (they are shutting for x3 weeks after the 16th for a re-fit so head down sharpish), I asked to see x2 3 woods, picked the tidier head as the shafts going to be pulled anyway and was out the doordeckster said:
It's really not. It's better than nothing for sure, but the straining polo shirts and bursting belts seen every summer on golf courses around the land put the lie to that. Golf is a gentle walk with lots of rest stops (and, often, a pint or two in the clubhouse after). That is in no way, at all, "excellent exercise".
One round of golf a week, which is what a lot of people manage if they’re lucky, isn’t going to offset the 5 days at work, sat on their arse eating crap that a lot of people do. 1400 calories burnt in 3-4 hours is a great side benefit to golf, and unless you’re walking a completely flat course it certainly gets the heart going a little faster pushing 30kg of bag and trolley up a few hills.
deckster said:
Hammersia said:
A good yomp carrying a golf bag around 18 holes is excellent exercise.
It's really not. It's better than nothing for sure, but the straining polo shirts and bursting belts seen every summer on golf courses around the land put the lie to that. Golf is a gentle walk with lots of rest stops (and, often, a pint or two in the clubhouse after). That is in no way, at all, "excellent exercise".
Not sure I'd agree golf was typically a "gentle walk" unless play is particularly slow that day - normally at our place there is a lot of marching to avoid holding up the people behind (and for some, to get to the 19th quicker). Either way, you'll typically do over 12,000 steps and walk for 4 or 5 miles or so, and I struggle to see any way you can't define that as "good exercise".
Thing is it's not just the walk either - there's the swing itself. You end up using just about every muscle in your body by the time you get to the finish - even a range session gets picked up my by Fitbit as exercise, especially if I'm working on the Driver.
Thing is it's not just the walk either - there's the swing itself. You end up using just about every muscle in your body by the time you get to the finish - even a range session gets picked up my by Fitbit as exercise, especially if I'm working on the Driver.
Perhaps I need to qualify my comment 
As you get older, golf is indeed a truly excellent way of keeping yourself active and I daresay those in their 70s and older who regularly get out are in the highest percentiles of fit people for their age.
However I am really aiming my comment at the hordes of younger (sub-50) golfers who are a bit overweight, bit of a gut on them, but who are also very capable of briskly walking around a golf course carrying a full set of clubs. But because they can do this, and the professed opinion that golf is "excellent exercise", they think they can get away without doing any other exercise (and hence get a bit of gut on them etc. etc.). Whereas the reality is that a couple of rounds of golf a week definitely aren't enough to really get a sweat on and improve (or even maintain) aerobic fitness and muscle tone. It's good for you, but it's not "excellent exercise".
For the avoidance of doubt, I am firmly in my described camp and observe the effects of regular golf and no other exercise in the mirror every day. It ain't pretty.
As you get older, golf is indeed a truly excellent way of keeping yourself active and I daresay those in their 70s and older who regularly get out are in the highest percentiles of fit people for their age.
However I am really aiming my comment at the hordes of younger (sub-50) golfers who are a bit overweight, bit of a gut on them, but who are also very capable of briskly walking around a golf course carrying a full set of clubs. But because they can do this, and the professed opinion that golf is "excellent exercise", they think they can get away without doing any other exercise (and hence get a bit of gut on them etc. etc.). Whereas the reality is that a couple of rounds of golf a week definitely aren't enough to really get a sweat on and improve (or even maintain) aerobic fitness and muscle tone. It's good for you, but it's not "excellent exercise".
For the avoidance of doubt, I am firmly in my described camp and observe the effects of regular golf and no other exercise in the mirror every day. It ain't pretty.
RayDonovan said:
Anyone tempted with the new Callaway, TM or Ping releases we've seen over the last week or so?
I'm sticking with my driver (Rogue ST Max) but going to get fitted for a G430 Hybrid when they're available - need a 4 iron replacement for 200 yards..
I bought a G425 Max driver at a discount about 5 weeks ago. Given that any improvements brought forward by the G430 will be indiscernible to an amateur like myself, especially at £500, I think I made the right choice.I'm sticking with my driver (Rogue ST Max) but going to get fitted for a G430 Hybrid when they're available - need a 4 iron replacement for 200 yards..
As for the hybrid I would highly recommend the G425 (I have had a 4H for over a year and this week ordered a 5H to match). Great clubs and can be picked up for £190 with loads of shaft options.
rallye101 said:
I didn't see a bay there but more than likely (they are shutting for x3 weeks after the 16th for a re-fit so head down sharpish), I asked to see x2 3 woods, picked the tidier head as the shafts going to be pulled anyway and was out the door
Cheers for the heads up, I’ll try and pop over this weekend. I normally buy / sell on eBay but with all the fees I wonder if trading in for something else there might be worth it. Yesterday evening, on a whim, I decided to go and do an iron fitting. Here's a long and probably boring description of how it went down...
I'd thought about doing a fitting for a while, but I'd never been sure if it was the right thing to do. Some background:
In the end, I decided to go and pay the £50 for the fitting, just to get my specs, and then if I decided to, down the line, I could use them to buy some decent second hand clubs. Alternatively, if I didn't see a massive improvement using newer tech, I would know that I needed to work on myself instead.
With that in mind, I decided to go for the fitting with literally no expectations; to expect to not see any difference whatsoever. I didn't want to go in expecting to see a difference and therefore end up convincing myself that the clubs were better than reality.
After a brief chat with the fitter, explaining the above, I hit about 10-15 shots with my current 7 iron so he could take a look. The majority of them were slightly hooked, which has generally been my miss for the last few months.
Once I'd done this, he asked what I thought about my ball flight, height-wise. I said that while I had no idea what it should look like - these are the only clubs I'd ever hit - I'd often thought it should be higher. He agreed, and said that that was what he would try and fit me for.
With that, he pulls out some club. I have no idea what it was - I made a point going in not to see what the clubs were after the fact, so I knew that any marketing I had read etc wouldn't affect my decision.
Well... here's where the fun started...
Immediately upon striking the ball, the launch angle and ball height was so much improved. I couldn't believe it. I was doing nothing different and yet I was looking like a better golfer immediately. I was honestly stunned. Shots were still going left, but it was a start. He then selects a different club, which I believe was the same but with a flatter lie angle... and I damn near had to pick up my jaw off the floor.
Ball flight, much straighter. Higher. Less effort required. Less thought required when stood over the ball. Everything just felt much more natural. I honestly could NOT believe it!
We then obviously tried out a few more clubs. I know the next was the Ping G425, which I really liked. An improvement on the first mystery club, I preferred the smaller appearance and thinner top edge behind the ball, and the sound it made on a decent strike. Shots were improved yet again.
Stealth irons were up next, and I didn't like them, appearance-wise, quite as much, but the numbers in terms of landing angle and peak height were slightly improved. Felt much of a muchness, really.
One of the most interesting things IMO was the club after that, which I later found out was Mizuno's offering. When he first handed it to me, he asked me what I thought, and I replied that it looked "chunkier" behind the ball, and I could also see the trailing edge of the sole peeping out from behind the top edge at address. I couldn't hit this at all - every shot bar a couple were caught fat. In my head, I thought it was maybe just fatigue setting in, but the fitter said that he thought it was the slightly fatter sole. I was sceptical, but he then handed me a Titleist club and I could immediately strike the ball again. I had no idea that something so subtle could make such a difference!
I have heard such good things about Mizuno irons that had I decided to just order some second-hand, they would've been one of the clubs at the top of my list. It's here that I learned the true value of being able to try the options before you buy. They just didn't work for me at all.
In order of performance, best to worst for me, the top three were
1) Stealth
2) The Titleist offering
3) Ping G425
with the Stealth and the Titleists being basically the same but for the dispersion being more consistent in terms of miss left vs miss right distance with the Stealth. I said that behind the ball and on good strikes I preferred the Pings, but then went back to them and suddenly couldn't strike them so well! So it's the Stealth for me.
I'll be ordering them some time in the future once I've paid out for some maintenance work on my car. I'm not sure if any new Stealth HD release will mean the original Stealth irons go on sale sometime soon?
Interestingly, none of the clubs tested offered me that much extra distance on what I have at the moment, which I'm sure is down to my swing. The fitter said I should work on increasing or decreasing dynamic loft, not sure which - but basically, I shouldn't have quite so much shaft lean at impact. My specs were 1 deg flat and 1 deg weak, and he said that if I work on my swing and start hitting the ball TOO high, he can bend them to remove that 1 deg weak.
To cut a (very) long story much shorter, I am now a full believer in fittings! Having entered a sceptic, I left with a real appreciation for just how much the equipment can make a difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure not every iteration of a club shows huge gain (and the fitter said as much), but at this point, when I know I will get the use out of them, I figure I might as well go new on this occasion rather than now risk buying second-hand. I'll keep the clubs for at least 4 or 5 years.
Shoutout to Matt at AFGolf Cambridge for being very open and honest throughout the session, and for letting me hit a few drives as well just to check that the specs on that weren't drastically wrong.
I'd thought about doing a fitting for a while, but I'd never been sure if it was the right thing to do. Some background:
- I've only been playing about 18 months
- I'm using an old RAM beginner set from about 10 years ago.
- Sometimes I can hit the ball well, sometimes not.
- I have had a handful of lessons.
In the end, I decided to go and pay the £50 for the fitting, just to get my specs, and then if I decided to, down the line, I could use them to buy some decent second hand clubs. Alternatively, if I didn't see a massive improvement using newer tech, I would know that I needed to work on myself instead.
With that in mind, I decided to go for the fitting with literally no expectations; to expect to not see any difference whatsoever. I didn't want to go in expecting to see a difference and therefore end up convincing myself that the clubs were better than reality.
After a brief chat with the fitter, explaining the above, I hit about 10-15 shots with my current 7 iron so he could take a look. The majority of them were slightly hooked, which has generally been my miss for the last few months.
Once I'd done this, he asked what I thought about my ball flight, height-wise. I said that while I had no idea what it should look like - these are the only clubs I'd ever hit - I'd often thought it should be higher. He agreed, and said that that was what he would try and fit me for.
With that, he pulls out some club. I have no idea what it was - I made a point going in not to see what the clubs were after the fact, so I knew that any marketing I had read etc wouldn't affect my decision.
Well... here's where the fun started...
Immediately upon striking the ball, the launch angle and ball height was so much improved. I couldn't believe it. I was doing nothing different and yet I was looking like a better golfer immediately. I was honestly stunned. Shots were still going left, but it was a start. He then selects a different club, which I believe was the same but with a flatter lie angle... and I damn near had to pick up my jaw off the floor.
Ball flight, much straighter. Higher. Less effort required. Less thought required when stood over the ball. Everything just felt much more natural. I honestly could NOT believe it!
We then obviously tried out a few more clubs. I know the next was the Ping G425, which I really liked. An improvement on the first mystery club, I preferred the smaller appearance and thinner top edge behind the ball, and the sound it made on a decent strike. Shots were improved yet again.
Stealth irons were up next, and I didn't like them, appearance-wise, quite as much, but the numbers in terms of landing angle and peak height were slightly improved. Felt much of a muchness, really.
One of the most interesting things IMO was the club after that, which I later found out was Mizuno's offering. When he first handed it to me, he asked me what I thought, and I replied that it looked "chunkier" behind the ball, and I could also see the trailing edge of the sole peeping out from behind the top edge at address. I couldn't hit this at all - every shot bar a couple were caught fat. In my head, I thought it was maybe just fatigue setting in, but the fitter said that he thought it was the slightly fatter sole. I was sceptical, but he then handed me a Titleist club and I could immediately strike the ball again. I had no idea that something so subtle could make such a difference!
I have heard such good things about Mizuno irons that had I decided to just order some second-hand, they would've been one of the clubs at the top of my list. It's here that I learned the true value of being able to try the options before you buy. They just didn't work for me at all.
In order of performance, best to worst for me, the top three were
1) Stealth
2) The Titleist offering
3) Ping G425
with the Stealth and the Titleists being basically the same but for the dispersion being more consistent in terms of miss left vs miss right distance with the Stealth. I said that behind the ball and on good strikes I preferred the Pings, but then went back to them and suddenly couldn't strike them so well! So it's the Stealth for me.
I'll be ordering them some time in the future once I've paid out for some maintenance work on my car. I'm not sure if any new Stealth HD release will mean the original Stealth irons go on sale sometime soon?
Interestingly, none of the clubs tested offered me that much extra distance on what I have at the moment, which I'm sure is down to my swing. The fitter said I should work on increasing or decreasing dynamic loft, not sure which - but basically, I shouldn't have quite so much shaft lean at impact. My specs were 1 deg flat and 1 deg weak, and he said that if I work on my swing and start hitting the ball TOO high, he can bend them to remove that 1 deg weak.
To cut a (very) long story much shorter, I am now a full believer in fittings! Having entered a sceptic, I left with a real appreciation for just how much the equipment can make a difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure not every iteration of a club shows huge gain (and the fitter said as much), but at this point, when I know I will get the use out of them, I figure I might as well go new on this occasion rather than now risk buying second-hand. I'll keep the clubs for at least 4 or 5 years.
Shoutout to Matt at AFGolf Cambridge for being very open and honest throughout the session, and for letting me hit a few drives as well just to check that the specs on that weren't drastically wrong.
rallye101 said:
My club does a hickory comp once a year which I might enter next year...love the hogan!
Can't believe I don't currently have a scotty, would love a teryllium or button back but not at todays prices...did however make a nostalgic buy this afternoon while rooting around american golf, popped to replay golf Windlesham....right Aladdins cave!!
I've got a brand new Scotty Cameron Champions Choice Newport 2 Button Back still in all the plastic if you were interested, it's brand new, i'd be happy to part with it for cash or a combination of cash + TM Stealth driver?Can't believe I don't currently have a scotty, would love a teryllium or button back but not at todays prices...did however make a nostalgic buy this afternoon while rooting around american golf, popped to replay golf Windlesham....right Aladdins cave!!
Edited by rallye101 on Tuesday 10th January 19:02
I was planning to start a collection, but i get moaned at for having golf bats scattered about the house & it's no longer worth the aggro!
I've also got a TEI3 sans head cover that needs refurbishing.
s94wht said:
Yesterday evening, on a whim, I decided to go and do an iron fitting. Here's a long and probably boring description of how it went down...
I'd thought about doing a fitting for a while, but I'd never been sure if it was the right thing to do. Some background:
In the end, I decided to go and pay the £50 for the fitting, just to get my specs, and then if I decided to, down the line, I could use them to buy some decent second hand clubs. Alternatively, if I didn't see a massive improvement using newer tech, I would know that I needed to work on myself instead.
With that in mind, I decided to go for the fitting with literally no expectations; to expect to not see any difference whatsoever. I didn't want to go in expecting to see a difference and therefore end up convincing myself that the clubs were better than reality.
After a brief chat with the fitter, explaining the above, I hit about 10-15 shots with my current 7 iron so he could take a look. The majority of them were slightly hooked, which has generally been my miss for the last few months.
Once I'd done this, he asked what I thought about my ball flight, height-wise. I said that while I had no idea what it should look like - these are the only clubs I'd ever hit - I'd often thought it should be higher. He agreed, and said that that was what he would try and fit me for.
With that, he pulls out some club. I have no idea what it was - I made a point going in not to see what the clubs were after the fact, so I knew that any marketing I had read etc wouldn't affect my decision.
Well... here's where the fun started...
Immediately upon striking the ball, the launch angle and ball height was so much improved. I couldn't believe it. I was doing nothing different and yet I was looking like a better golfer immediately. I was honestly stunned. Shots were still going left, but it was a start. He then selects a different club, which I believe was the same but with a flatter lie angle... and I damn near had to pick up my jaw off the floor.
Ball flight, much straighter. Higher. Less effort required. Less thought required when stood over the ball. Everything just felt much more natural. I honestly could NOT believe it!
We then obviously tried out a few more clubs. I know the next was the Ping G425, which I really liked. An improvement on the first mystery club, I preferred the smaller appearance and thinner top edge behind the ball, and the sound it made on a decent strike. Shots were improved yet again.
Stealth irons were up next, and I didn't like them, appearance-wise, quite as much, but the numbers in terms of landing angle and peak height were slightly improved. Felt much of a muchness, really.
One of the most interesting things IMO was the club after that, which I later found out was Mizuno's offering. When he first handed it to me, he asked me what I thought, and I replied that it looked "chunkier" behind the ball, and I could also see the trailing edge of the sole peeping out from behind the top edge at address. I couldn't hit this at all - every shot bar a couple were caught fat. In my head, I thought it was maybe just fatigue setting in, but the fitter said that he thought it was the slightly fatter sole. I was sceptical, but he then handed me a Titleist club and I could immediately strike the ball again. I had no idea that something so subtle could make such a difference!
I have heard such good things about Mizuno irons that had I decided to just order some second-hand, they would've been one of the clubs at the top of my list. It's here that I learned the true value of being able to try the options before you buy. They just didn't work for me at all.
In order of performance, best to worst for me, the top three were
1) Stealth
2) The Titleist offering
3) Ping G425
with the Stealth and the Titleists being basically the same but for the dispersion being more consistent in terms of miss left vs miss right distance with the Stealth. I said that behind the ball and on good strikes I preferred the Pings, but then went back to them and suddenly couldn't strike them so well! So it's the Stealth for me.
I'll be ordering them some time in the future once I've paid out for some maintenance work on my car. I'm not sure if any new Stealth HD release will mean the original Stealth irons go on sale sometime soon?
Interestingly, none of the clubs tested offered me that much extra distance on what I have at the moment, which I'm sure is down to my swing. The fitter said I should work on increasing or decreasing dynamic loft, not sure which - but basically, I shouldn't have quite so much shaft lean at impact. My specs were 1 deg flat and 1 deg weak, and he said that if I work on my swing and start hitting the ball TOO high, he can bend them to remove that 1 deg weak.
To cut a (very) long story much shorter, I am now a full believer in fittings! Having entered a sceptic, I left with a real appreciation for just how much the equipment can make a difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure not every iteration of a club shows huge gain (and the fitter said as much), but at this point, when I know I will get the use out of them, I figure I might as well go new on this occasion rather than now risk buying second-hand. I'll keep the clubs for at least 4 or 5 years.
Shoutout to Matt at AFGolf Cambridge for being very open and honest throughout the session, and for letting me hit a few drives as well just to check that the specs on that weren't drastically wrong.
Great result that, knowing the founder of AF golf and some of the staff there now from a prior working life I'll say he's a good guy so glad its being kept amongst his teamI'd thought about doing a fitting for a while, but I'd never been sure if it was the right thing to do. Some background:
- I've only been playing about 18 months
- I'm using an old RAM beginner set from about 10 years ago.
- Sometimes I can hit the ball well, sometimes not.
- I have had a handful of lessons.
In the end, I decided to go and pay the £50 for the fitting, just to get my specs, and then if I decided to, down the line, I could use them to buy some decent second hand clubs. Alternatively, if I didn't see a massive improvement using newer tech, I would know that I needed to work on myself instead.
With that in mind, I decided to go for the fitting with literally no expectations; to expect to not see any difference whatsoever. I didn't want to go in expecting to see a difference and therefore end up convincing myself that the clubs were better than reality.
After a brief chat with the fitter, explaining the above, I hit about 10-15 shots with my current 7 iron so he could take a look. The majority of them were slightly hooked, which has generally been my miss for the last few months.
Once I'd done this, he asked what I thought about my ball flight, height-wise. I said that while I had no idea what it should look like - these are the only clubs I'd ever hit - I'd often thought it should be higher. He agreed, and said that that was what he would try and fit me for.
With that, he pulls out some club. I have no idea what it was - I made a point going in not to see what the clubs were after the fact, so I knew that any marketing I had read etc wouldn't affect my decision.
Well... here's where the fun started...
Immediately upon striking the ball, the launch angle and ball height was so much improved. I couldn't believe it. I was doing nothing different and yet I was looking like a better golfer immediately. I was honestly stunned. Shots were still going left, but it was a start. He then selects a different club, which I believe was the same but with a flatter lie angle... and I damn near had to pick up my jaw off the floor.
Ball flight, much straighter. Higher. Less effort required. Less thought required when stood over the ball. Everything just felt much more natural. I honestly could NOT believe it!
We then obviously tried out a few more clubs. I know the next was the Ping G425, which I really liked. An improvement on the first mystery club, I preferred the smaller appearance and thinner top edge behind the ball, and the sound it made on a decent strike. Shots were improved yet again.
Stealth irons were up next, and I didn't like them, appearance-wise, quite as much, but the numbers in terms of landing angle and peak height were slightly improved. Felt much of a muchness, really.
One of the most interesting things IMO was the club after that, which I later found out was Mizuno's offering. When he first handed it to me, he asked me what I thought, and I replied that it looked "chunkier" behind the ball, and I could also see the trailing edge of the sole peeping out from behind the top edge at address. I couldn't hit this at all - every shot bar a couple were caught fat. In my head, I thought it was maybe just fatigue setting in, but the fitter said that he thought it was the slightly fatter sole. I was sceptical, but he then handed me a Titleist club and I could immediately strike the ball again. I had no idea that something so subtle could make such a difference!
I have heard such good things about Mizuno irons that had I decided to just order some second-hand, they would've been one of the clubs at the top of my list. It's here that I learned the true value of being able to try the options before you buy. They just didn't work for me at all.
In order of performance, best to worst for me, the top three were
1) Stealth
2) The Titleist offering
3) Ping G425
with the Stealth and the Titleists being basically the same but for the dispersion being more consistent in terms of miss left vs miss right distance with the Stealth. I said that behind the ball and on good strikes I preferred the Pings, but then went back to them and suddenly couldn't strike them so well! So it's the Stealth for me.
I'll be ordering them some time in the future once I've paid out for some maintenance work on my car. I'm not sure if any new Stealth HD release will mean the original Stealth irons go on sale sometime soon?
Interestingly, none of the clubs tested offered me that much extra distance on what I have at the moment, which I'm sure is down to my swing. The fitter said I should work on increasing or decreasing dynamic loft, not sure which - but basically, I shouldn't have quite so much shaft lean at impact. My specs were 1 deg flat and 1 deg weak, and he said that if I work on my swing and start hitting the ball TOO high, he can bend them to remove that 1 deg weak.
To cut a (very) long story much shorter, I am now a full believer in fittings! Having entered a sceptic, I left with a real appreciation for just how much the equipment can make a difference. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure not every iteration of a club shows huge gain (and the fitter said as much), but at this point, when I know I will get the use out of them, I figure I might as well go new on this occasion rather than now risk buying second-hand. I'll keep the clubs for at least 4 or 5 years.
Shoutout to Matt at AFGolf Cambridge for being very open and honest throughout the session, and for letting me hit a few drives as well just to check that the specs on that weren't drastically wrong.
Current WITB:
Driver: TM Sim Max 2 D
Fairway: Titleist TSI 2 4 wood (it can be adjusted up/down)
Hybrid: PXG 0211 3 iron equivalent
Irons: TM DHY 2 iron (i swap this in & out of the bag with the hybrid usually)
Titleist T200 4-PW (2021 versions)
Wedges: Vokey SM8 52,56,60, the 60 is the least used as i like to manipulate a 56.
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X12
Driver: TM Sim Max 2 D
Fairway: Titleist TSI 2 4 wood (it can be adjusted up/down)
Hybrid: PXG 0211 3 iron equivalent
Irons: TM DHY 2 iron (i swap this in & out of the bag with the hybrid usually)
Titleist T200 4-PW (2021 versions)
Wedges: Vokey SM8 52,56,60, the 60 is the least used as i like to manipulate a 56.
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom X12
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