# So what's in your bag and why?



## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Mine has seen a number of changes this year, and in some respects shows what custom fit can and can't get right. And it's not always the fitter's fault.

I've gone down the road of custom fit for quite a number of years. What started out as swing speed measurement to ensure I had the right shaft flex has long since moved onto launch angle, spin rate, ball speed, kick point & dispersion along with the swing speed.

Perhaps its better for me to start with what I had in the bag at the beginning of the year and why. A Titliest 910D2 with a stiff shaft. It had replaced a Ping G15 Reg shaft that worked well but I'd been sold on the hype and I, foolishly, bought the 910 of Ebay. The distance, when hit well, was a revelation but on occasion it could land in the next county off to the right. The 3 wood was Ping, as was the #2 hybrid and a very old, get out of jail, Taylormade #4 hybrid. 

The irons were Ping S57's, including the Ping Tour S wedges. They'd replaced Callaway Xtour forged late in 2011 and a Vokey gap wedge. The Tour S wedges were the first to go, being replaced with new Vokeys.

The spring saw the visit of the Taylormade truck, and a fitting session for TM Mc/MB irons, RBZ driver, 3 wood and hybrid(s).

The session itself didn't go well with me feeling like I'd taken the wrong swing down there, and in truth at this point I should have walked away. I was forcing the swing, and the swing speed was at the top end for me - more like what it was 10yrs ago. It comes to all of us and its better if we acknowledge that old father time is pulling on our coat tails.

So let's fast forward to the tail end of the season. After getting more and more frustrated I booked a session on the practice ground, and it's a huge practice ground, with one of our Assistants and the Flightscope. We took all my gear down there along with various drivers, irons and shafts to try on both.

The session confirmed that the spring session had been a disaster, and with my experience I was stupid to leave it so long. Defintely a Doh! moment.

First change in the bag, after the wedges, was a Ping i15 driver with a very good (reg) shaft. From 3 or 4 FIR we were back up to 9 or 10, and more importantly the ones that miss are barely off the edge.

Next came the irons. The TM's are gone and have been replaced with the new Titliest 712cb's, but again I've gone for a custom fit shaft. It's the Nippon NS 1150gh stiff. The weight in the shaft is at both the grip and tip ends and in truth its more like halfway between stiff and regular. Early results, especially with the long irons, is very good.

The Taylormade RBZ 3 wood, stiff shaft, stays in the bag along with the RBZ #4 hybrid. Both give a decent straight hit with an excellent dispersion.

The Odyssey putter, see sig, has been with me for a number of years and will be there a lot longer.

So what's in your bag, what made you choose it and have you got a wish list?


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

I'm sticking with my current set for a while. Granted they are, by today's standards, old technology, I'm considered old even though I don't act my age. I'm going to just re-grip the set, it is time, throw away that lousy putter, the ping GI5, which the original owner named EL Diablo, put in the original blade putter. The club are great its just me. Now, I tried the new A12os driver got a higher loft yet was light in the swing giving a faster swing speed. Those are in my future that just might be in spring of the year 20xx.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I've tried a million and one things in the past few years, but I didn't hit anything as well as I hit the Ping G series clubs. From the standpoint of woprking the ball, the i series was good, but with my game on inactive status until certain medical issues are fixed, I think the G series is going to stay put. 

I previously sold my G15 set to my regular playing partner. I picked up a set of G10 irons dirt cheap and honestly, they feel a bit softer to me than the G15. I still use the i15 driver, 3 wqood and hybrids.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Since we are discussing what's in the bag, is a chipping wedge and illegal club? Not sure why It popped in my brain cell. maybe its my lack of fresh air here in the cold zone.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

If you mean one of those clubs that's about 7 iron loft and used around the green for chip and run shots, no, they aren't illegal. As long as you keep to the 14 club limit, you should be fine.

I've always wondered what would happen if you tried to hit a full shot with one of those things.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

broken tee said:


> Since we are discussing what's in the bag, is a chipping wedge and illegal club? Not sure why It popped in my brain cell. maybe its my lack of fresh air here in the cold zone.


A chipping club is legal as long as it conforms to the rules. The reason that chippers are sometimes questioned is because some are made to be used both left and right handed. The only club which is allowed to have 2 striking faces is the putter. A chipper with 2 faces is a breach of Rule 4-1a.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

Thank you Rick: I did look in that section. the only thing I found was Broken damaged, modified now I'm not sure if I really understood what I read.

Reread 4-1a which lead me to appendix II, in brief a club must have one face with the exception of the putter


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I've known some two faced people. Does that mean they aren't allowed to play golf? PLEASE say "YES" Rick...


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

DennisM said:


> I've known some two faced people. Does that mean they aren't allowed to play golf? PLEASE say "YES" Rick...


Depends on which face they bring to the golf course. :cheeky4:

To answer Hobbit's question, what's in my bag is in my sig, and the setup is because it's what works for me. No lob wedge, and a dedicated 54 degree SW for bunkers, but otherwise it's a fairly standard bag. It won't be changing, simply because I don't get to play golf enough any more for it to matter. About all that will happen is I'll get them regripped each year when I go back to Colorado for a summer vacation.


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## broken tee (Jan 13, 2008)

DennisM said:


> I've known some two faced people. Does that mean they aren't allowed to play golf? PLEASE say "YES" Rick...



there I've said it; "YES! Rick"


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

My sig is what's in my bag and it wont be changing any time soon I just haven't been playing enough. I played 9 on the weekend and that was the first time I had played in about 9 months. The only new thing I need is a new glove, I had a blow out on the weekend.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Surtees said:


> wont be changing any time soon I just haven't been playing enough.


Not exactly the same here. I'm about to start playing again and I hope to play more than once a week or less like I was. I made a commitment to enjoy myself more by making an investment.

Call it New Years Resolutions. Call it coming to my senses... Whatever you call it, I've had enough bad health issues happen to me recently to realize I might intend to live forever, but there's an outside chance I could be wrong. If I want to live longer, I'd better start taking better care of myself.

So, in an effort to exercise more and enjoy myself more, I decided to give myself more of a fighting chance by getting properly fitted and ordered some new PING clubs.

I spent over an hour with a guy at Edwin Watts. He's been the PING Regional Fitting Award Winner for the past couple years and he measured almost everything but my hat size. I hit all sorts of specs he put together, 7 irons from standard to 2" long, from standard lie to various upright lies, girps from standard to oversize. In the end, we came down to a spec that fits me and I ordered a set of irons to be made. It's really interesting how different the spec is to what the pro said I should use years ago when he ordered me some Callaway irons.

The pictures and video of me were really revealing, even to me. Seeing my swing with my standard length clubs was pretty depressing. As soon as he ran some video with a 1.5" long club, (a 7 iron the length of my current 4 iron), all of a sudden I looked like I knew something about the game. The swing monitor said I picked up a full club of distance and hit the ball 4 yards closer to the center of the fairway with a slight draw instead of my usual 5 yard fade.

What I'll be getting are G20 irons, 5-SW, 1.5" long, 3* upright, regular flex steel shaft, midsize grips. They were ordered yesterday and if I understood him correctly, they should be here by the weekend.

These irons are going to feel heavier than what I've been using. Typically, standard PING irons are D0. These will be about D5. At first, it felt weird, but as soon as I saw the video, it was obvious I went from swinging with my hands and arms with a standard club to using the big muscles and swinging much more smoothly with the heavier club. I just couldn't flap it around and unless I try to rush my swing, all of a sudden I have this appearance of a slower, more elegant movement. I won't compare myself to Ernie Els, my favorite golfer, but the difference in what I saw went in that direction, yet my clubhead speed was actually faster.

What is to follow the first half dozen rounds will be adjustments to my driver, 3 wood and hybrids.

The next step was based on survival. I've always played in long pants. Last night I bought some new shorts to play golf in. If I'm going to walk as it gets warmer here, I need shorts. I wear shorts around the house all week, but they have gotten pretty old and to play at the course where I work, I'd prefer to look better than I would if I wore the old shorts. I figure if I'm going to walk, I'd better not die on the course. That wouldn't look very professional and the boss would probably be mad at me if a hearse drove on his fairways.

Just for the fun of it, I'm going to ask him if I can tie my dog Hogan to the pull cart and take him with me for 9 holes. We have customers who bring their dogs to ride in the carts, but they are customers, not employees. How much more could I enjoy golf than by having my best little buddy with me?


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

The new clubs are supposed to arrive sometime tomorrow at the Edwin Watts store. I'll pick them up as soon as I hear they have arrived.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Got them and I'm pleasantly surprised the swingweight doesn't feel as heavy as I anticipated. I hope to get in 9 holes early tomorrow.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

The new clubs are going to take a lot of working with. While they didn't feel as heavy as I thought they might be and I did hit some good shots with them. The swingweight preys on my mind and it's hard to get them around after I start to tire. 

I understand how this is what my fitting SHOULD be according to my size, but I'm not sure it's what it should be according to my age. The swingweight is D7, awful heavy feeing for someone 63 years old. 

It's one thing to stand more upright instead of being as bent over as I was. At 6'7" tall, I totally understand what the fitter is getting at when he points to the photos of me and then points to the classic positions of famous pros, showing me how improved my posture is.

I need to find a happy medium where I can stand up straighter, but with a swingweight I can handle.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

D7 sounds pretty heavy Dennis but you've got to remember you're not just big, you're really big. And you're not old by any stretch of the imagination. 

Yes they'll feel strange, very strange. It's taken me 2 months to get used to my new irons, which have very different shafts to what I'm used to - a 1 over par gross today suggests that even if they feel a little different, they're right for me...

Stick with it and just accept that different doesn't mean wrong.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I'm going to try playing with them some more, but I don't have much hope. I'm tired from the weight of these things and it's cool and pleasant outside. How am I going to feel in the middle of summer when it's 100 degrees and 80 % humidity?


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## Surtees (Sep 11, 2007)

Nice to hear you got some fitted sticks Dennis, once you get used to them I bet you'll love them, and Bob has the rights on old around here......


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Bob might own being old here, but I'm his Southeast Associate in that case. 

I played 18 with Scott and Nicole yesterday. Scott is our Head Greenskeeper and Nicole is another one of the Shop Managers, like what I do on Sundays. Nicole has a very good eye and she said when I choked down, my swing looked much better than when I gripped the club at the end and tried to get all that swingweight around me. 

I hit some decent shots with the new irons, but full shots when I choked down about an inch felt much better, seemed better controlled and went the same distance. I think there is a happy medium between being fitted according to what is right for my size and correctly for the combination of my size versus my physical ability at my age.

And there might not be enough ibuprofen in the world to recover from how sore I am today.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

Well, at 66, I'm no spring chicken myself.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

People say we're only as old as we feel, but my wife says you're only as old as you'll admit to. In that case, I'm going to reconsider whether I'm 63 or not. I saw this really attractice 26 yr old girl the other day... 

I took the clubs back to Edwin Watts today and told them I want them cut down 3/4"... I pick them up tomorrow and hope to play 9 tomorrow afternoon. The tournament is 18 holes at 1 PM Friday, so guess what? It's supposed to rain.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I got them back today and while I didn't get to play today, just waggling them, they felt much better. I'm playing in the tournament tomorrow sort of cold, having not hit them until we play. Fortunately, they decided we have enough to make it a 3 person scramble format, so a few bad shots here or there won't stand out so badly.

I did get an interesting present today. I went to McDonalds with Manny, the Assistant Pro, to help pick up lunch for the maintenance guys. While he cleaned off the front seat for me to get in, he mentioned that he had a present for me. He reached in the back seat and produced a very old Scotty Cameron putter.

This thing looks like a steel headed Acushnet Bullseye Flanged model. In the back of the head behind the center of the face, there's a cut out section about an inch long, making it heel and toe weighted if you really wanted to be technical about it.

There is something about it that looks right to me and it's heavy, just like I like my putter to be. It belonged to Manny's father, who got tired of it and gave it to Manny's brother. His brother didn't like it and gave it to Manny. Manny has a new Cameron and probably would never use this putter, but he knows my taste.

I brought it home and putted for 10 minutes on the bedroom carpet. Knowing what the carpet does and how fast it is, the old Scotty passed the bedroom test easily and it's in my bag for the tourney tomorrow.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

Good luck tomorrow Dennis:thumbsup:


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Thanks... Unfortunately, we got rained out after 3 holes. We were 2 under with the easier holes on the front nine coming up. We're trying to reschedule for next Tuesday because that's the afternoon the most people can come back to play.

The few shots I hit with the new irons were OK. I wasn't very loose, but I could feel the big difference in swingweight. Oddly, the wedges still seem heavy to me, but when I hit them, it was early in the round, I wasn't loose and the rain was being pushed in by sort of a chilly breeze, so I need a little more normal circumstances before I decide if something more needs to be done to them.

I think in the long run, they should be OK as they are now.


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## Fourputt (Nov 18, 2006)

It's pretty typical for wedges to be heavier than there other clubs, or at least irons normally get heavier as they get shorter.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I know Rick, but if you could feel this as you take away the club in your backswing, it feels way heavier than the rest of the set. Like I said, I hope it was just because I wasn't loose.

I'm supposed to play again tomorrow afternoon, but the weather isn't promising then either. We'll have to see what happens.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Even cut down by half, leaving them 3/4" extra long, the new Pings are still uncomfortably heavy. I have to decide what to do with them, whether to sell them as is or cut them down to standard size, in which case the 3* upright lie might hinder their sale.

In the meantime, I'm playing with another set of regular length clubs. I really don't know what I want to do, but whatever it is, it has to lead to having fun playing golf.


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## Spike (Apr 4, 2014)

I have been playing with a minimal set for a while now.I go 5w,4h,8i,aw,putter. I know I'm allowed more but I really enjoy having just a few tools for the job. If I focus on just a handful of clubs I really start to get more consistent. I have shot my best scores this way and I love walking with a Sunday bag. 5 clubs is more than enough for me to play my best.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

I need to take a picture of the Mizunos I've been messing with. I got an old set with graphite shafts to try the lengthening experiment again, but they were old enough that the weight of the shafts was no real advantage over current steel shafts. I was so impressed with the feel that I replaced them with a nearly new set of JPX 825 irons, then filled in the set with a driver, 3 wood and hybrids.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

Here are the Mizunos...

I started out with a set of MX1000 irons with graphite shafts. As I related above, I experimented with the length of them, but left them at 1/4" longer in the end. What happened that was more dramatic was that I learned what incredible feel Mizuno irons have, even the cast clubs. That got me searching for a new set of their irons.

Now, let me digress for a moment... I don't know if any of you have done business with Callaway Preowned on the web or by phone. They are excellent people to work with and what you receive is almost always in better condition than you expect. The thing is, the Callaway equipment they sell is generally sold at a fairly high price, but other brands they have taken in on trade are sold very cheaply. The set of Mizuno MX1000 irons I got, 6-gap wedge, with graphite shafts in excellent condition, were only $165. I highly recommend them if you want something at a good price. I have reached a point where I check their site a few times a week to see if I can buy something they are selling cheap and that I can sell for a profit.

I picked up the set of JPX825 irons with regular flex steel shafts for only $305. They were in like new condition. Since then I've bought a selection of wedges for about $35 each, some hybrids on ebay for $70 each and a couple drivers for $60 in one case and $100 in the other.

Currently, I have the newer JPX825 driver in the bag. Along with it, there's a JPX800 3 wood with an older Exxar shaft from a 4 wood I tried before. The shaft in the 3 wood was tip stiff and totally ineffective for me. (Thanks for not telling me Ebay seller!) It cost $15 to change the two shafts and now, with the softer shaft, it's a perfect club for all the shorter than driver tee shots I need at Killian Greens.

The other driver is about 7 years old, a model MP600. It was the first driver with moveable weights like the new Bertha or Taylormade SLDR. Before the MP600, clubs only had screw in weights you could vary. It's not as long as the JPX driver, but I'm nore accurate with it. I'm experimenting with the JPX to see if I can learn to hit it better since I lengthened it 1/2 inch. It slows down my timing enough and looks good so far.


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## Big Hobbit (Nov 2, 2010)

They look beau-ti-ful!!:thumbsup:

I really like Mizzies but every time I go for a fitting the spin rate on trackman is way too high. The ball flight just ballons up.


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## 373 (Jun 9, 2006)

That has to be a shaft problem, something that's not suited to your swing. Mine have the True Temper R300, one of the standard shafts. While I hit the ball high, it's no higher than I see myself hitting the ball with any other club I've tried. I do seem to hit it farther with the Mizunos though. If I had actually been fitted for them, I might have a different trajectory and distances.

The thing I enjoy most is the feel of them. The 825 irons are cast, but they feel as soft as any forged iron I've ever tried.


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