Newest gear, is it really the silver bullet? (rhetorical question)

[HomerJSimpson]

How ridiculous - more like 6 WEEKS 😉😉

Sorted that.

Actually the talk of new wedges is an interesting one. Mine are about five years old now and the grooves are definitely worn and the face, leading edge and bottom all have dinks and chips. I know newer wedges provide far more stop but I've grown accustomed to how much spin and roll out I get with my trusty (sometimes) old wedges and wonder is it worth the cost of new and having to rework pitching distances and chip and run shots. How often do people change and would we actually benefit if we did it more regularly (perhaps every 3 years)

 

[chrisd]

Sorted that.

Actually the talk of new wedges is an interesting one. Mine are about five years old now and the grooves are definitely worn and the face, leading edge and bottom all have dinks and chips. I know newer wedges provide far more stop but I've grown accustomed to how much spin and roll out I get with my trusty (sometimes) old wedges and wonder is it worth the cost of new and having to rework pitching distances and chip and run shots. How often do people change and would we actually benefit if we did it more regularly (perhaps every 3 years)

I've just been watching videos on the Taylormade Big Foot wedges! The 60* may find it's way into the bag at some point

 

[anotherdouble]

I've just been watching videos on the Taylormade Big Foot wedges! The 60* may find it's way into the bag at some point

New it would take you long. You had better get in quick coz big bad Jon must be due an update soon👍

 

[chrisd]

New it would take you long. You had better get in quick coz big bad Jon must be due an update soon👍

True Chris, he's not slow at updates

 

[jim8flog]

With my last set of irons I was going to go to a combo set

I bought JPX 900 tours 7 iron loft 34 if I had gone for the combo there would have been 2 number 7s in the bag the JPX 900 7 iron loft 31 degrees.

The set they were replacing Taylormade Tour 2009 7 iron loft 35.

 

[patricks148]

i suppose stuff is way more forgiving than it used to be, even my blades are more forgiving than the CB i used some 5 years ago, driver and 3 woods the same far easier to hit, but handicaps hav't really dropped as far as i know in the last 30 years in the time stuff has become easier to hit

 

[garyinderry]

Played 11 holes with my mates Taylormade M5 driver last night and it's clear to me that the tech has moved on a fair bit from my 915 driver.

Ballflight is so strong. I really need to upgrade the driver.

 

[Grant85]

My first set of big guns when I started playing seriously 20 years ago consisted of a TM Firesole driver and TM 3 & 5 Burner woods with.... cue fanfare: buddle bur-bur bur-bur! Bubble Shafts.

Over the years I have of course changed my clubs many times but have always struggled with fairway woods. I have had Cobras, Callaways and other TMs but I could never hit them particularly well. Always straight but not always in the air, far too many topped and consequently lost all confidence in that department.

I flogged my latest on ebay (a lovely-looking blue head 3-4 Cobra F7) a while back and had been making do with a 4 rescue and a 7 wood since.

Yesterday I decided to put my Bubble Burner 5 wood in the bag, and as the kids say, O-M-G! Hit it like a pro and suddenly I was able to take on long approaches.

Three of them, one on the green and one pin high just off to the right and another in a greenside bunker in the 190-200 yard range (not Forum distances by the way as I was allowing for roll-out )

Anyway got me thinking, we are often very keen to run out and embrace the latest technology even when we're getting good results with what we've got already and perhaps we ought not to believe so much of the manufacturer spiel.

Before the onslaught.

I'm not suggesting that things have not come a long way - particularly with drivers - but I am now putting the 5’s brother or indeed sister, the 3 wood, in the bag for Monday and really looking forward to seeing what happens.

I have even scrubbed up the original grips (a sort of rubbery silicone mix) with Fairy liquid and a nail brush and they’ve come up like new.


View attachment 28062

Personally of the view that technology helps, but not as much as manufacturers would have you believe and not as much as some people kid themselves on that it does.

The most important thing is that the equipment you have broadly suits your game. And even more important that you are confident in it.

There is now a huge range of clubs available from stuff designed for high swing speed ball strikers, and stuff designed to help slower people get the ball in the air and get it round a course. And it's not always apparent what a particular club does. Especially as companies are quite happy for Joe Average to kid himself on that he is Rory McIlroy and drop £450 on the same Driver.

 

[Orikoru]

I'm not sure it's about having the latest stuff but more the right stuff for you. When new gear comes out obviously people will have their heads turned and want to try it out, but it may be the case that they don't gain anything and the 6 year old bats are still the best for their swing. Especially with things like fairway woods as mentioned in the OP, people often say if you find a fairway wood you can hit, never change it!

 

[Swinglowandslow]

My first set of big guns when I started playing seriously 20 years ago consisted of a TM Firesole driver and TM 3 & 5 Burner woods with.... cue fanfare: buddle bur-bur bur-bur! Bubble Shafts.

Over the years I have of course changed my clubs many times but have always struggled with fairway woods. I have had Cobras, Callaways and other TMs but I could never hit them particularly well. Always straight but not always in the air, far too many topped and consequently lost all confidence in that department.

I flogged my latest on ebay (a lovely-looking blue head 3-4 Cobra F7) a while back and had been making do with a 4 rescue and a 7 wood since.

Yesterday I decided to put my Bubble Burner 5 wood in the bag, and as the kids say, O-M-G! Hit it like a pro and suddenly I was able to take on long approaches.

Three of them, one on the green and one pin high just off to the right and another in a greenside bunker in the 190-200 yard range (not Forum distances by the way as I was allowing for roll-out )

Anyway got me thinking, we are often very keen to run out and embrace the latest technology even when we're getting good results with what we've got already and perhaps we ought not to believe so much of the manufacturer spiel.

Before the onslaught.

I'm not suggesting that things have not come a long way - particularly with drivers - but I am now putting the 5’s brother or indeed sister, the 3 wood, in the bag for Monday and really looking forward to seeing what happens.

I have even scrubbed up the original grips (a sort of rubbery silicone mix) with Fairy liquid and a nail brush and they’ve come up like new.


View attachment 28062

Yes, the old bubble shaft.
The most trustworthy club I have in the bag is my 7 wood bubble shaft
So easy to hit, and feels lovely in the hand.
I use a modern 3 and 4 wood, but somewhere in the loft are a couple more bubbleshafts for when these "desert" me😀

 

[JohnnyDee]

Yes, the old bubble shaft.
The most trustworthy club I have in the bag is my 7 wood bubble shaft
So easy to hit, and feels lovely in the hand.
I use a modern 3 and 4 wood, but somewhere in the loft are a couple more bubbleshafts for when these "desert" me😀

Yep, as soon as I addressed the ball so many positive memories came flooding back. For some reason I knew the ‘top’ wasn’t an option and off it went beautifully in the air with a nice penetrating flight.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Had an hour to kill at the club last night so for no other reason than to waste time I took my old Ping Anser 2 c1982 (which served me superbly as a junior and into my teens when I could play) and even though I had chopped it to 33 inches and the grip is wafer thin I putted really well with it. Lovely feel with Pro V's and expected it to feel hard off the face but every bit as smooth as I remember it. Tempted to get a brand new shaft, get the swing weight checked and a new grip and give it a whirl for a month

 

[Crow]

Had an hour to kill at the club last night so for no other reason than to waste time I took my old Ping Anser 2 c1982 (which served me superbly as a junior and into my teens when I could play) and even though I had chopped it to 33 inches and the grip is wafer thin I putted really well with it. Lovely feel with Pro V's and expected it to feel hard off the face but every bit as smooth as I remember it. Tempted to get a brand new shaft, get the swing weight checked and a new grip and give it a whirl for a month

Why mess up a putter with a lovely, smooth feel????
Just stick it in the bag.

 

[jim8flog]

Had an hour to kill at the club last night so for no other reason than to waste time I took my old Ping Anser 2 c1982 (which served me superbly as a junior and into my teens when I could play) and even though I had chopped it to 33 inches and the grip is wafer thin I putted really well with it. Lovely feel with Pro V's and expected it to feel hard off the face but every bit as smooth as I remember it. Tempted to get a brand new shaft, get the swing weight checked and a new grip and give it a whirl for a month

There is no need to get a new shaft if all you are doing is lengthening. Just put in a shaft extender (avoid the plastic ones) when fitting a new grip.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There is no need to get a new shaft if all you are doing is lengthening. Just put in a shaft extender (avoid the plastic ones) when fitting a new grip.

Agreed but the original Ping one does have some rust pitting on it and I just fancied a new shaft clear of marks so you can look down and your eyes not get distracted.

 

[Oddsocks]

2004 Big Bertha 7 iron - 33°
2019 Big Bertha 7 iron - 29°
I'd say they've moved on a bit........

But they have been forced to crank the lofts to keep the flights in check.

As clubs become higher launching, the lofts need to be cranked otherwise you’ll end up with a 7i that launches on a 9i flight.

 

[Oddsocks]

Sorted that.

Actually the talk of new wedges is an interesting one. Mine are about five years old now and the grooves are definitely worn and the face, leading edge and bottom all have dinks and chips. I know newer wedges provide far more stop but I've grown accustomed to how much spin and roll out I get with my trusty (sometimes) old wedges and wonder is it worth the cost of new and having to rework pitching distances and chip and run shots. How often do people change and would we actually benefit if we did it more regularly (perhaps every 3 years)

It’s funny how at no point do they mention the requirement for s consistent compressed strike for the stopping power to come into play.

Due to my AOA and strike consistency, I doubt that more than 10% of my wedge shots maximise the grooves on the wedges and stop, most land a release.

£200 on two new wedges with the same swing fault, or £30 on a lesson and £20 on range balls for a better all round technique....

 

[HomerJSimpson]

It’s funny how at no point do they mention the requirement for s consistent compressed strike for the stopping power to come into play.

Due to my AOA and strike consistency, I doubt that more than 10% of my wedge shots maximise the grooves on the wedges and stop, most land a release.

£200 on two new wedges with the same swing fault, or £30 on a lesson and £20 on range balls for a better all round technique....

It was more a rhetorical question regarding wedge spin and efficiency and whether several hundred pounds on new wedges would perhaps be better served than the equivalent on a top end putter or new driver. The linear method also favours more of a running shot as standard although I have worked hard on my landing distances for pitching and chipping (and roll) and can play a higher quicker stopping shot (lie dependent) if required so from my point of view I don't know that having to re-calibrate for new grooves (which I think irrespective of AoA will have some degree of effect) is a time effective and worthwhile exercise