Played with them today for the first time....so easy to hit...On the first two par 5s I played, I was on the fringe of the green in two - one with the 4 hybrid, one with the 5. Definitely recommend them.

And the M2 Tour irons feel really nice...I don't know how to describe it...soft, maybe? Like the ball stays on the club longer, or something.

Used Titleist 915 D3 w/ stock Diamana D+ stiff flex. I am immediately looking at a new shaft to match it with and then I can carry it over into the 917 D3 which I will no doubt get at some point.

Numbers looked good on the launch monitor. Spin was averaging in the 2500rpm range but pairing it with a better shaft I should be able to reduce.

Always take numbers from launch monitors with a grain of salt though. I was averaging 285y carry with 300-315y including roll. I have never had a drive roll 40 yards in my life.

My swing speed was lower than the last time I was on a monitor. I was averaging 111 mph this time.

lol 111 mph. i hate you. :/



sincerely,

84 mph

I played with Scott last week a couple of times...he has an aggressive, well-balanced swing...so I can certainly see his swing speed at 111.

Goofy stance sometimes, tho.

I guess in my advanced age I lost a couple of mph (was 115-116 about a year ago). Multiple hand and shoulder injuries will do that I guess.

I'm just looking for a driver unicorn. I will get there some day.

Because we all know it's the arrow and not the Indian.

You're bombing your 3-wood past my driver, and I'm not a short hitter. Stick with that!

While I somewhat agree, if I can find a combo that gets me near 300y along with a few lessons I think it totally changes the game for me. If I can get wedges in my hands my scores should drop fairly quick.

True...we shoulda had a rubber match last week...

First chance to swing the new driver. This is the straightest I have ever hit a driver. One of the ways you can dial in a Titleist shaft is to increase the lie up to 1.5*. With my irons being +2* on the lie this is exactly what I needed.

First hole is a 500y par 5. I had 209y to the green. Can't wait to match a shaft with this thing to really see what I can do. I think I have decided to get a mid launching shaft though. With the lower launching ones I think I am losing distance.

Got my SLDR 3w and RBZ Stage2 Tour 4hy in from Callaway preowned today. Great prices, and their "average" condition is far better than I expected. The RBZ has some face scuffs. The SLDR is amazing, with the face, shaft, and sole in excellent condition. The only issue was an aftermarket grip, but an easy replacement.

We'll see how they hit tomorrow.

You can upgrade the grip when you buy from them. I think my golf pride multi-compound was $9 more and didn't slow the order down. They have several to choose from.

I have grips at home is what I meant.

I saw someone link this simulator somewhere on this forum, I'm a terrible golfer but thinking of getting one inside for a cold weather city as a hobby this winter (..to become a much better golfer, hopefully). It seems like the kind of thing not worth being cheap about, but can someone give me the cliff notes on options for simulators? Are there ones fit for smaller room sizes? (I noticed this one needs minimum 18' x 12' which would be cutting it pretty close if I tried to put it in a bedroom, could always do some remodeling or build a shed for it I suppose, but having it in the main house would be much preferred-- how am I ever going to get better if I can't hit a casual wedge in my boxers?)

Flightscope has an indoor mode that requires less distance.



Flightscope and Trackman are radar units, so while they may have some smoke and mirrors for short areas, they are really intended for areas where they can measure more of the ball flight. Also, I do not believe they can read putts, so that makes using them with a simulator a challenge (as opposed to a driving range sw).

May be better off with a GC2 or SkyTrak which are photographic units that read/track the ball rather then the club.

I Got out and hit my new clubs. SLDR 3w noticeably longer than my previous 3w. May adjust the loft +.5 or +1. Will also close the face a bit which should help me.

The RBZ S2 4H Tour was the star of the show though. Before I hit it, I flushed some 5i shots to a pin ~182yds downrange. My best strikes with the 4H were carrying over the back of that green, probably 195yds carry. Easy to hit, looks great at address. The big thing for me was the forgiveness. My last 5 shots off the deck, at least 3 were a little mis hit, but they still went straight ~180yds carry

Starting at $50,000

JFC just build an addition for it.

This is great info, I didn't know there was a difference between photographic units and radar units. Radar clearly better, right? Do they both do things like track club head speed, spin, etc?

Is putting any good on these things? It seems like it might be kind of silly

Sure, but 1. an addition takes time and if I don't build an addition I can start using it right away and 2. I haven't actually bought a house to stick it in so I can pretty easily just "slightly favor a place that already has room for a golf simulator."

Hard to say which is better radar or photographic. Radar has been around a lot longer, so there is that, but I would imaging the 'best' would be a future product that combined both.

Right now, seems like a 100% cost decision to me.

Putting works pretty decent on the SkyTrak but it has some issues picking up really short putts, especially if you are trying to hit a little 8'er downhill and barely tap it. But that seems understandable since the alternative would likely be it picking up 'shots when you are just moving around or waggling.

There is Golfzon now as well. Don't really know much about it but I saw So Yeon Ryu playing in it a few days ago. Must be good right

http://www.golfzonsimulator.com/golf-simulator/

Hey,

In 2006 I got my first and only set of golf clubs - Big Bertha irons from Lob through 4, a 3 hybrid (maybe got a bit later), and Callaway X (or something like that) driver.

I played a lot from about 2006-2009 but since then have played very little - maybe 3-4 rounds/year on average. When I played a lot I was averaging about 100 and now it's gotten a bit worse and (even) less consistent.

I'm anticipating playing a bunch this summer and next and am wondering if it's worth investing in any new equipment.

I guess the question is whether there have been major advances in forgiveness/distance over the last decade or if I'd be better off putting that money towards range balls/practicing.

Driver?
Irons?
Wedges?
Important apps/tech/gadgets?
Spikeless shoes - I ordered a pair of Nike spikeless because my shoes sucked aesthetically and dealing with spikes is annoying

You can get so much good gear these days slightly used for cheaper than ****. My suggestions:

Driver - Get a TaylorMade R15 - they can be had for around $100 or so these days.

Irons - Look at some Pings, maybe the G30s which is a generation older. Guessing you could find those for $300.

Wedges - All of the wedges these days are pretty similar I would look for whatever you can get for the cheapest.

Apps/tech/gadgets - Plenty of apps out there that are free. I use GolfShot, others use game golf. All are good and serve their purpose.

Spikes - I think I'm gonna get a pair of spikeless the next time I buy new shoes. I agree, with how much I play, I hate replacing them.

Other thoughts would be to just go out to the range a bunch and get your swing under you. Once you have a feel then a series of 5 30 minute lessons from a pro would be good. There are always good package deals from assistant pros these days.

Good luck and let us know how your progress is going.

I'd focus more on the setup, and less on the simulator/launch monitor. The Trackman and Flightscopes are mostly marketed to club professionals for lessons, and club fittings. For someone who's new to the game & just leisurely looking to improve in the winter, something like trackman is going to be massive overkill, esp if your just looking to play a simulator mostly. I'd say just get a sweet setup going in your house, nice big room for it, big monitor screen, top notch golf mat etc etc etc, then just get something like a Skytrak for 2k. Then maybe one day if your a scratch player looking to improve, then go ahead and fire 20k+ at a trackman and it might be worth it.

Thanks for the recs - will look into these!

Oh, so should I actually go in for a fitting?

My current clubs are stiff flex and steel in irons and graphite in woods. Does that sound good (I'm 30 and am above average strength)?

Also, forgot to ask - what about putter suggestions?

Thanks!

Don't worry about a fitting yet. Just get your driver swing speed before picking the shaft flex.

Putter just go with what feels good in the store. That is about as individualistic as you get.