WTF did you buy today?

[DougE]

I couldn't find the posting I made from last season, regarding the custom 4 iron I had built by Titleist to my specs. I thought an AP1-718 with a lightweight 65g Recoil graphite shaft would be a great alternative to a 22* hybrid. I had been hitting my 5i so well at that time, so thought maybe a 4i would work well too. It was an experiment I tried, which in the end, did not work the way I had hoped. I spec'ed it out with too light of a shaft and within a week or so, I had soured on it. I sold it on Ebay, used, for more than I paid for it new, only about a month later. (I had some credits and coupons when I bought new, so it cost me much less out of pocket than it should have.) In the end, I moved on and learned to live with the gap I had between my AP3 5i and 818H 19* hybrid.

Well, with so much time to think about clubs over the winter and not enough time actually playing, my mind wandered back to a 4i option. I looked on Ebay for the helluva it and there was a virtually new AP3-718 (same model as my 5 & 6 irons) with an 85 gram KuroKage TiNi shaft available. It was from a set that someone had purchased who could not hit the 4i so they removed it and put in a hybrid instead. In any case, I started thinking that it might work better than my last experiment, since I like the look of the smaller AP3 head far better than the bulky Game-Improvement-look of an AP1, and the shaft is more in line with what I should have ordered last time. The seller on Ebay had a Buy it Now price of $125 for the AP3. With that shaft, new, it would be about $167.00. So the price wasn't bad. It really looks virtually new in the pics. I'm sure he tried it a few times before deciding it was not for him. My problem was, he wanted $19 for shipping. That's $144 total. A bit more that I was willing to risk to try this 4i experiment a 2nd time. I offered him 90 bucks. He took it! So I'm all in this time around for $109 including shipping. I'm pretty confident if this one doesn't work out, I'll get more for it on Ebay than I paid. But, I am more hopeful that it WILL work out.

[DougE]

A bunch of stuff:

3 Golf Pride Z-GRIP Cord grips (for hybrid, 3w and driver)
1 Golf Pride MCC New Decade Red grip (for new 4 iron)
Scotty Cameron Pivot Tool, Black (to match my red one)
3 more Golf Polo Shirts (plus two FJ polos last week, mentioned above)
2016 Scotty Cameron Replacement Head Cover for my Newport 2
Swingyde Trainer

I get bored in the winter. I tend to shop.

[gpickin]

Golf is an expensive hobby, when I am not playing, i'm buying golf stuff, when I am playing, i'm playing... no matter what, it costs

[jasonfish11]

If you think golf is expensive don't take up fishing, specially saltwater.

[DougE]

Or offshore yacht racing.

[jasonfish11]

Or offshore yacht racing.

pretty sure any "hobby" the word "yacht" in it will be expensive compared to golf.

[bkuehn1952]

I am thinking about buying a new golf glove. My current one is relatively new and I have a spare. Decisions, decisions.

I buy the MG Golf ones where you actually get two. The "Tech" ones with the spandex in the knuckles. I have not pulled the trigger yet so technically I shouldn't be posting yet.

[DougE]

I am thinking about buying a new golf glove. My current one is relatively new and I have a spare. Decisions, decisions.

I buy the MG Golf ones where you actually get two. The "Tech" ones with the spandex in the knuckles. I have not pulled the trigger yet so technically I shouldn't be posting yet.

Go for it!

We will all support your decision.

[jasonfish11]

I am thinking about buying a new golf glove. My current one is relatively new and I have a spare. Decisions, decisions.

I buy the MG Golf ones where you actually get two. The "Tech" ones with the spandex in the knuckles. I have not pulled the trigger yet so technically I shouldn't be posting yet.

Last time I bought them they are no longer 2 for 1. They just cut the price in half and you buy them individually now. Maybe they went back.

[DougE]

Is it weird that I can spend hours window shopping on the Footjoy website? I love that place. Being a self-proclaimed golf fashionista clothing afficianado addict, it's like going to a fantasy world for me. I have a wishlist of about $7K worth of new Footjoy stuff, and that only includes 4 pairs of new golf shoes.

During today's fantasy visit, I only actually spent 40 bucks on a simple pair of FJ Slides (sandals). There was once a time in my life when I would have bought everything on the list in one visit. I had a sickness back then. I was a compulsive clothing shopper. (I also had a decent income and could almost afford it. Those were the days.) Some called me a real clothes horse. Others just figured I was a little light in the loafers, as they say. Speaking of loafers, Cole Hahn's were my favorites. I had many pairs.

[bkuehn1952]

Is it weird that I can spend hours window shopping on the Footjoy website?

[bkuehn1952]

I was going to say get out and play, but I see you have been posting on the Grint. Decent play , too.

[DougE]

Yes, I've been trying to wean myself off SG360, but I don't like the Grint nearly as much, so it hasn't been easy. I committed to the Grint and upgraded to the Pro version, so I'm gonna force myself to use it. Hopefully I'll get more accustomed to it and find that it can offer me much more than I realize. So far, I'm unimpressed and a bit frustrated with its limitations.

[MattF]

Well, I bought a driver. I spent a couple of hours at The Golf Guys in Fort Myers yesterday morning hitting drivers. We tested the PXG Gen 2, M5, M6, G410 LST, Mizuno 190, TS2 and the Epic Flash. I asked about the F9 but the fitter said it can't be adjusted where I need it to be, so we didn't try it.

The winner, which was a complete surprise to me, was the M5. It kept the spin down more than the others. We then tried shafts and eventually went with a Tensei CK 60g stiff as this helped mitigate side spin more than any other shaft we tried.

I traded a couple of other clubs and walked out with a new driver.

[DougE]

That's got "Twist-Face" technology, doesn't it? Does it feel any different than a typical rounded "gear effect" style face upon striking the ball? What loft is the new driver?

More importantly, what color CK series is the shaft? I have a very similar Tensei AV Blue 55 Series (58g) Stiff flex in my Titleist TS2 driver. I like it. The actual spec on your CK series is likely a few grams more than the series number on the shaft. Depending on the color, the CK 60 series stiff shaft weighs in at 66 or 67 grams, though the high-launch, more twistie (torque) red one is only 63 grams. I doubt you are playing a red one. That'd be more for guys who have trouble getting the ball high up in the air. It's a higher spin shaft.

As most everyone here knows, I am not a fan of TM in general, but admit, their drivers seem to be better than just about any out there. In fact, most of their equipment is great. My problem isn't with the quality or technology of their gear. It's with the way they conduct business by muscling their dealers. But that's a whole other story. Congrats on your new driver. I am curious about the loft of the head and color series of the shaft. Let me know.

[MattF]

Thanks Doug. The loft is 10.5°, we tried a 9° head but it was a no go. I actually do have the red CK shaft, 66g. It's not launching sky high, actually about 15 or 16°. I didn't notice any difference with the twist face than any of the other drivers.

I will say that the PXG Gen 2 feels and sounds very solid on the ball strike, but we just couldn't get the spin down, which was a shame because it really was my favourite out of the bunch, but I had to go with what worked for me.

[Duke of Hazards]

Nice! Would've been cool to try the F9. What did you think of the Ping? I'm planning on an upgrade this year.

(currently gaming a 2012 Ping Anser playing at 9*, Mitsubishi Diamana 'Ahina 70s shaft). My ball flight is high, so I think my launch angle is okay, but I don't know what my spin numbers are. My playing partner says my drives sometimes tend to balloon, but I don't know if that's true or not.

[gpickin]

I loved the way the F9 felt and sounded when I did some in store testing, but spin was an issue
I hated the way the M5 felt and sounded but spin was much better.
I love my Krank right now, but I'm going to do a full fitting in the next few weeks, so I'll see how that goes.

I'm going to document it, for anyone who wants to hear my ramblings on it.

[MattF]

Duke, the Ping and the PXG were my two favourite before testing and TBH, were still my favourite after testing, but I can't argue with the fitting no matter what I wanted.

It'll be interesting to see what you come up with Gavin.

[gpickin]

I played in charity tournament yesterday, and got some free balls from the hole in one closest to the pin hole.
I wonder if the people knew what they were doing when they named their company.

Dixon Golf.

Say it out loud, "I can't wait to play with my Dixon Balls."
Do you think they knew it when they named it or just pure luck?

[DougE]

I had an opportunity to work with Dixon Golf in a promotional capacity for the Maryland area. I thought about it, but my allegiance to Titleist got in the way. The job required going all over to benefit tournaments with a Dixon booth, giving away free golf balls and promoting the brand. There were a bunch of perks and the money was better than you might think (on a per event basis). They offered me the territory. The best perk was the ability to play all the courses and country clubs you worked tournaments at, but that wasn't enough to get me exited about selling an environmentally friendly golf ball.

[CeeBee]

I’ve found and played those Dixon golf balls. I thought they were pretty good.

[gpickin]

They weren't bad.
I was surprised that they were recyclable but not ones that broke down in the environment (biodegradable), so you still have to find them all, and then recycle them

The way I play, i think biodegradable might be better for me.

[gpickin]

I had an opportunity to work with Dixon Golf in a promotional capacity for the Maryland area. I thought about it, but my allegiance to Titleist got in the way. The job required going all over to benefit tournaments with a Dixon booth, giving away free golf balls and promoting the brand. There were a bunch of perks and the money was better than you might think (on a per event basis). They offered me the territory. The best perk was the ability to play all the courses and country clubs you worked tournaments at, but that wasn't enough to get me exited about selling an environmentally friendly golf ball.

Interesting.
I thought about taking on some golf deals with respect to the Golf Kern thing... but as long as they didn't restrict alliances
I think most will

[GBOGEY]

Can’t believe it but took the big leap today. Bought a new putter for my birthday. Yes, I went for the Scotty. Got to make some putts now.