Went out this morning, 2c no wind and icy surface. On the first green I hit a broken off spike with 1 putt then saw another broken off one on my line. Found 6 in total on the first green! How the hell do people not notice that. All in all lucky to get out today but tomorrow is very questionable at the moment.
Golf Thread
- Thread starter Andr3w
- Start date
Got out this morning and broke par for the first time ever finished 1 under. No here's for the caveats 
- Only 13 holes open
- Temp greens on all
Still though I can't complain - the new irons working a treat. I started off with a bogey too.
- Only 13 holes open
- Temp greens on all
Still though I can't complain - the new irons working a treat. I started off with a bogey too.
Managed to squeeze in 10 holes this morning before the heavens opened. Started on the 9th, big driving hole. First swing of the day, fear factor was high. Arrow straight. Why can't it be like that all the time! Horrifically wet underfoot though. Really bored of winter golf now. I need firm fairways back again.
I think the end of January is where it really does become tiresome playing in wet conditions. Probably a good 6 weeks before it gets anything back like to normal sadly.
Thought it would be a good idea to play the round today even with the rain and wind, 45mph gusts and for the first 13-ish holes it was pretty constant rain... It wasn't a good idea 
Played pretty badly, some I can blame on the weather but not all. Thankfully for the last few holes the rain stopped and even got some sun, still played badly but hey at least I could take the rain jacket off.
Rain gear actually did a solid job, I've got a waterproof jacket and some 'water resistant' trousers, not perfect but good enough really.
Looks like tomorrows game at Royal Ascot is gonna be a wet one too, yay.
Played pretty badly, some I can blame on the weather but not all. Thankfully for the last few holes the rain stopped and even got some sun, still played badly but hey at least I could take the rain jacket off.
Rain gear actually did a solid job, I've got a waterproof jacket and some 'water resistant' trousers, not perfect but good enough really.
Looks like tomorrows game at Royal Ascot is gonna be a wet one too, yay.
Finally bought myself a proper driver 
Titleist TSR2, Almost brand new condition - £180! Thought it was time I started using a proper driver, after most of last summer using a Mini Driver. Range session yesterday, was getting fairly reliable ~275 carry from it, could push higher but sacrificed a lot of accuracy. More practice needed I think - but feels good for now.
Titleist TSR2, Almost brand new condition - £180! Thought it was time I started using a proper driver, after most of last summer using a Mini Driver. Range session yesterday, was getting fairly reliable ~275 carry from it, could push higher but sacrificed a lot of accuracy. More practice needed I think - but feels good for now.
Soldato
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Haven't managed to get out over the past few days due to weather and work but a little over a week ago I went and played Forest of Arden - Arden Championship course.
Got to say one of the best courses I've played and the difference between the front 9 and back was night and day.
The back 9 is a dear park and played like a links course. Simply stunning
Handicap 11.0 so was given 13 shots. Finished with an 87 which I'm please with as never played it before. Definitely one to play in the warmer days
Got to say one of the best courses I've played and the difference between the front 9 and back was night and day.
The back 9 is a dear park and played like a links course. Simply stunning
Handicap 11.0 so was given 13 shots. Finished with an 87 which I'm please with as never played it before. Definitely one to play in the warmer days
Not long got back from my Titleist fitting, decided not to play golf afterwards in the end so just drove straight home.
I quite enjoyed the process, not sure how it compares to say a fitting in a generic store where you've got different driver heads etc as in the end I just tried two heads and then tweaked shaft/sleeve/weight to dial it in. Maybe I need to get myself to a more generic fitting just for the lols
So my current driver, never fitted for, is a Callaway Mavrik Max (Draw biased version) and it's a 10.5 degree head but I've got it set to -1 degree loft as it seemed to spin waaaay too much. It's also in a stiff Project X HZRDUS Silver shaft, again not fit for but a hangover from my original Spalding driver that just felt like it flexed way too much.
Anyway, started out using the GT2 head which I kinda expected to end on really being the more forgiveness one and he started with a stiff shaft (he said to match closer to mine the Tensei Blue was closer than the Project X HZRDUS Black) but he went for a 9 degree head. That was too low launch/spin but instead of going for a 10.5 degree head he use the sleeve to crank it the 9 degree head up to 10.5 degrees. That was a bit better.
Then switched the GT3 head in the same shaft/setting and that was better again so looked at shafts and he suggested regular flex in the same Tensei Blue and which felt good, it was actually super consistent on those first 6 shots but with a caveat that it wanted to go right, nothing major and expected for my swing but everything was a fade. Tried that shaft in the GT2 but the GT3 just seemed to work better so we stuck with that.
Next up was the Project X Denali Red regular shaft, apparently this is a 'softer tip' or something, more twist essentially I think he was saying, and that just plain didn't work So then we went the other way and tried the Project X HZRDUS Black in regular. This was a bit interesting it had a wider dispersion than the Tensei Blue but felt really nice, he asked at this point to really try to focus on releasing the club/squaring the face even getting that left pull which I could do but switching back to the Tensei Blue I just couldn't get it to go left at all if that makes sense.
Anyway, tried a few more things but basically the spec ended up the GT3 9 degree head set in A4 with the Project X HZRDUS Black. There was an element of liking the Tensei Blue as it was such a consistent fade but part of wanting a new driver is to have something that reacts more to my swing if that makes sense? The HZRDUS could be made to go left but had that right tendency with my 'stock swing' whilst the Tensei seemed impossible to go left with. If I had a comp to play the Tensei wins but going forward I think the HZRDUS is more neutral/controllable...
Overall though really enjoyed the process and trying small tweaks, shocked how much even small things changed everything, the switch from Regular Tensei Blue to Regular Project X Denali was huge, in a bad way, but way more than I really expected.
Of course now I want to try the Elyte and G440 with different shafts
I quite enjoyed the process, not sure how it compares to say a fitting in a generic store where you've got different driver heads etc as in the end I just tried two heads and then tweaked shaft/sleeve/weight to dial it in. Maybe I need to get myself to a more generic fitting just for the lols
So my current driver, never fitted for, is a Callaway Mavrik Max (Draw biased version) and it's a 10.5 degree head but I've got it set to -1 degree loft as it seemed to spin waaaay too much. It's also in a stiff Project X HZRDUS Silver shaft, again not fit for but a hangover from my original Spalding driver that just felt like it flexed way too much.
Anyway, started out using the GT2 head which I kinda expected to end on really being the more forgiveness one and he started with a stiff shaft (he said to match closer to mine the Tensei Blue was closer than the Project X HZRDUS Black) but he went for a 9 degree head. That was too low launch/spin but instead of going for a 10.5 degree head he use the sleeve to crank it the 9 degree head up to 10.5 degrees. That was a bit better.
Then switched the GT3 head in the same shaft/setting and that was better again so looked at shafts and he suggested regular flex in the same Tensei Blue and which felt good, it was actually super consistent on those first 6 shots but with a caveat that it wanted to go right, nothing major and expected for my swing but everything was a fade. Tried that shaft in the GT2 but the GT3 just seemed to work better so we stuck with that.
Next up was the Project X Denali Red regular shaft, apparently this is a 'softer tip' or something, more twist essentially I think he was saying, and that just plain didn't work
So then we went the other way and tried the Project X HZRDUS Black in regular. This was a bit interesting it had a wider dispersion than the Tensei Blue but felt really nice, he asked at this point to really try to focus on releasing the club/squaring the face even getting that left pull which I could do but switching back to the Tensei Blue I just couldn't get it to go left at all if that makes sense. Anyway, tried a few more things but basically the spec ended up the GT3 9 degree head set in A4 with the Project X HZRDUS Black. There was an element of liking the Tensei Blue as it was such a consistent fade but part of wanting a new driver is to have something that reacts more to my swing if that makes sense? The HZRDUS could be made to go left but had that right tendency with my 'stock swing' whilst the Tensei seemed impossible to go left with. If I had a comp to play the Tensei wins but going forward I think the HZRDUS is more neutral/controllable...
Overall though really enjoyed the process and trying small tweaks, shocked how much even small things changed everything, the switch from Regular Tensei Blue to Regular Project X Denali was huge, in a bad way, but way more than I really expected.
Of course now I want to try the Elyte and G440 with different shafts
Nice write up, did you see any significant gains compared to your current driver? Or was it more about getting the spin down and having more consistency?
I did a set with my driver first, was kinda planning to do another set at the end but lost track of time so that didn't happen, from that set I think it was ~186 carry average, 3100rpm spin (+/- 550 ish), rolling to just over 200 according to the trackman. Bit shorter averages than I've seen on the GCQuad indoors which were around 192 carry but not a million miles away.
On a bit of a tangent I swear I swing better/faster out on the course as I 'know' I've carried it >210, but I guess that's also a 'good one'.
The final GT3 setup was I think carrying about ~198, spinning 2300 iirc and rolling out to 220. So on those numbers a very healthy increase in distance and all the '+/-' numbers were showing a tighter consistency.
One of the last bits I did, or he requested, was 'hard swings' so rather than the kinda measured swings to the point trying to get consistency I pushed it a bit and clubhead speed which had been around 88-91 for most shots (all combos, including my existing driver) I hit at least one at 96.4 clubhead which carried 220, pretty straight too. Did feel with that setup that I could go at it a bit more 'freely' without having to try to force the face/delivery, with my existing one if I close the face 'too much' it's a huge pull.
It'd be real interesting to game that tbh, dunno anywhere that does demo clubs though
I mentioned the Elyte and G440 because last week I tried those two and the Qi35/DS-Adapt in the sim at the local shop. Those weren't fittings and I went for the 10.5 model driver with stiff shaft which is probably the wrong setup it seems, but comparable to my existing one. Elyte gave me ~10 yards extra whilst the G440 was only a bit better distance wise but felt really nice on mishits.
I do know of the G430 10k, and I believe whilst the G440 is out for the SFT/MAX/LST setups the G430 10k is still going to be current/in-production alongside that for a while, I think. So definitely one to look for, especially as the bit that felt so good about the G440 Max should be if anything even better in the 10k, based purely off the 10k 'thing'
Yeah I got a fitting last year and the AI smoke came out on top with the ping 10k very close albeit about £60 more expensive, wasn't ready to purchase at the time and then got injured but I've now acquired the AI smoke when the prices dropped recently and will put it through its paces soon hopefully
Soldato
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All this chat is really making me want a new driver 
Hoping to get out for my first full 18 since before Christmas on Sunday if the weather holds out!
Hoping to get out for my first full 18 since before Christmas on Sunday if the weather holds out!
got a 5H off ebay to give it a go, been looking for a particular 7W or 4H but those are non-existent in the shaft I was wanting in the case of the 7W and the 4H prices are a bit steep.
Got a cheap 5H which arrived today, not sure if it ever came with a S flex Kuro Kage or it was a replacement shaft or upcharge but that is what it has.
Will take it out to the course or range in the next few days to see what kind of distance I get from it. If it can replace my 5 or 6 iron then I'll be happy with that as those ones I struggle with a bit.
If it doesn't fit the bill I can sell it on most likely for what I paid for it.
Got a cheap 5H which arrived today, not sure if it ever came with a S flex Kuro Kage or it was a replacement shaft or upcharge but that is what it has.
Will take it out to the course or range in the next few days to see what kind of distance I get from it. If it can replace my 5 or 6 iron then I'll be happy with that as those ones I struggle with a bit.
If it doesn't fit the bill I can sell it on most likely for what I paid for it.
Always remember - it's winter, it's cold, it probably range balls your hitting so your loosing 10-15 yards over summer weather and proper golf balls.
All this chat is really making me want a new driver
Hoping to get out for my first full 18 since before Christmas on Sunday if the weather holds out!
probably won't help you....
Picked up yesterday
Start doing the car draws!
Nice - Just picked up my GT2 with Blue Tensei stiff 55 gram yesterday...
I'm lucky that my local pro I've know for years (25+) has demo Titleist stuff so I could try in the sim, then take on the course for a couple of rounds.
Hopefully get in the sim later tonight for a few hits at the local place.... Just need some weather that's not rain, 30mph+ wind and freezing cold to try out in the real world
Sold my Srixon driver so between that and winnings last year - cost is about £200 to upgrade to new driver.
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