IndyArcher

Well, it's been a long road back from my moto accident the day after I was notified of receiving the clubs. The ribs are largely healed with the exception of one which remains dislocated. The good news is, it doesn't hurt. The clavicle is not showing signs of reuniting which is a bit disappointing. Doc now says maybe 6-12 months with a possibility that the two long pieces may never rejoin; HOWEVER, I was given the green light to swing the clubs as long as it isn't causing pain. SOOOooooo... I have now been out three times in the last couple of weeks. Really no pain from the fractures, but a little shoulder pain that may just be from using largely dormant joints. I played one round with a few extra clubs in my bag just so I could go head-to-head, comparing shots between the 3DPT and my previous/current King Tour. I carried two 5 irons, two 8 irons and two Pitching Wedges and two Gap Wedges which are frequent go-to's on the course I typically play. I was not competing with anyone, so the fact that I was well above my 14 club allowance wasn't a problem for the guy I was playing with. The balance of the irons were 3DPT. There are basically 6 aspects of the clubs for which I was hoping to reach some conclusions. Having no opportunity to even swing a club since April 19th, my game has definitely suffered some, and my first hole (par 5) left me with a surprisingly good drive, but 3 follow-up shots with a 3w, 5i and 9i that were abysmal. Feel: Great feel. I just can't get over the fact that these are 3D printed. Sweet shots were just that! I do find that, when comparing a flush shot between the 3DPT and the KT, I do slightly prefer the feel/sound of the King Tours. Now part of that could be that I am simply used to those clubs and I still have very little experience with the 3DPT's. It's just hard for me to get past how much I like the KT's. Up until now they are undoubtedly my favorite club I've played. Still, the 3DPT essentially has a forged feel with a non-forged body. It really is astounding. I do have to admit that as the ball moved out toward the toe, especially, it take take on a slightly harsher feel to my hands than the KT. Forgiveness: This one is undeniable for me. I am a fair long iron hitter at best, but used the 5i several times during the comparison. Aside from the first hole, I made at least okay contact with the 5i's. The 3DPT was clearly more consistent for me, especially when getting out closer to the toe. I didn't see as much of a difference with the 8/P/G, but those are my better striking clubs typically anyway. Look: This boils down to one thing: what part of the club is most important to you? The grid pattern on the back is just cool. You simply could not replicate that without 3D printing. The whole lattice look is amazing. The finish on the clubs is beautiful, and this is absolutely my favorite club for simply eye candy. BUT, and this is where it gets more personal, I am a top-line freak. I just LOVE the look of a thin top line when addressing the ball. The KT is already thicker than what I really care for, but the 3DPT is a bit thicker yet. You can see from the pictures that I posted on page 2 that the top edge seems a bit more squared as well (at least to my eye) which probably adds to that appearance as well. It's not that I couldn't get used to it, and I very much enjoy the clubs as is, but I would definitely love a little thinner line for a players club. Launch: This was unexpected to me, and maybe I just have read the wrong posts from people with different experiences. It also could easily be a factor of the different shafts (steelfiber i95s in the 3DPT vs the MMT 105s in the KT) between the two clubs. I would have liked to have had them built with the same MMT's, but they weren't an option when I selected, and I've been wanting to try the i95s anyway. Nonetheless, I do find that my currently configuration doesn't seem to have the same laugh height as my KT's. The distance is definitely equal to slightly longer, but I just can't seem to get the same high trajectory that I do with the KT's. Distance: 3DPT is clearly the winner here, especially with the long irons. In my current state I seem to have lost anywhere from 5-30 yards depending on the club. The 4-6 and probably the 7 as well, definitely helps me make up some of that deficiency, and I really love that. I am by no means a long hitter. My 5 iron carry prior to injury is about 185. With the 3DPT I was getting 175 to 180 which actually thrilled me all things considered. The KT was leaving me 170-175 on a good shot. So I would say that at least with the 5 I was seeing as much as 10 yards additional carry. Run out was something totally different, and probably relates to the last area of evaluation below. Not only was I carry more with the 3DPT, but it was rolling quite a bit more as well. I had two holes where I hit the 5 well, landing just at or on the front edge of the green, but then having the ball roll another 25-30 yards across the green and off the back. I can adjust to that, but it was a different experience from the KT which seems to stop pretty quickly for me, even with longer irons, at least when hit well from the fairway. Spin: This one has been almost beaten to death in other places, but I'll speak my piece as well. For some reason I still doubted some of the other reviews of those playing the club, but I do find much of the general consensus to be true. Again, part of this could be the shafts compared to what I have been using. Overall, I find the 3DPT to be harder to get the stopping power that I am accustomed to with the KT. The 8i is a great club to note here. Even in hard conditions, when I am hitting my 8 KT from a fairway, with a good strike I have little rollout with my ball from 150 or so. With the 3DPT 8i, when I hit the ball well, I get good flight and expected carry, but the ball just doesn't seem to stick like I am used to. It's not horrible by any stretch, but it gets notably more roll. For my recent rounds I have most played my typical Vice Pro+ which stops well for me. This same characteristic was even more pronounced in the Gap wedge. I use my GW a LOT for shots around the green. It is probably my favorite club of all, and definitely my most accurate. From 20-30 yards I can get a couple of skips and a quick stop with my KT gap wedge, and from full shotsI typically get a little backward roll on flat greens that are relatively soft. I find that the 3DPT GW plays with a little less predictability for me. I wasn't getting the 2-skip and stop action with that club for some reason, and even with more full shots I was still getting just a little roll out. Again, I don't want to put too much of that on the club. With my injury, my lack of play and the change in shafts, much of that could just be me being out of sorts. But it did seem that there was an observable spin difference between the two. Now I want to be clear on this: Had I not have been playing the KT's for the last year, the 3DPT would have simply blown me away. They give me consistent flight, good distances and a great feel! So, COBRA, please bear me: This is an AMAZING club and what you've done with 3D printing is beyond my comprehension. My only thing is that you have SUCH a winner in the KT that it's going to be difficult to put something in my hands that serves me better than that club which I can describe as nothing short of brilliant! I am going to keep playing the 3DPT to see if some opinions change with additional rounds and as my body adjusts to more gold activity. I truly love the new club and it could well be that I find even more to appreciate as I get more play under the belt!

Very nicely said and not an obit at all. It’s always better to give people their flowers while they’re still living!

Change CAN BE good. There are endless examples where change has been bad as well. And sometimes change is a mixed bag, being good for some and bad for others. Apple moving from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook has been great for investors but bad for those who relished the sheer creative genius of Jobs. My other passion of three decades has been archery. The greatest online community sold out to VerticalScope some time ago. IMO that forum is a shell of what it once was, at least in terms of quality and community. As for WRX, I can simply trust that all the parties involved want what is best for the community. They have built a top-tier community and I am sure they want to maintain that. On the other hand, if it goes a different direction then people will vote with their feet. It sounds to me as though that’s precisely what they desire to prevent. Best wishes moving forward with the new team and may the change be a net gain for all of us.

As long as your "Don't control me" doesn't force me to deal with your choices, I have zero problem with that. The problem with that attitude that I see in many is that "Don't control me!" often means, "Shut up and deal with it if my actions force something on you!"