BallerNate’s WITB

[BallerNate]

So it’s officially full off-season mode here in Canada. We had our first snowfall last night in my neck of the woods…ugh!! 🥶🥶

 

Today I tackled one of the projects I wanted to try out. Really liked the results with my AP2 714’s at the end of the season, so to bring some of their original beauty back I tried my first experiment with paint fill. Pretty happy with the results…really nice refresher!!
 

Here’s the before & after pictures: 

Edited November 22, 2022 by BallerNate

[MtlJeff]

Full blown winter mode here fo-sho @BallerNate....I'm killing the time by doing a winter ball extravaganza where i'm testing 6 different balls against each other in a winner-take-all trackman battle. 

 

Now since you're a ho extraordinaire. If I want to blow some money this year on something else.....What say you?

 

1) Another Deschamps putter (not needed, i love my original Deshamps, but another finish might be fun)

 

or

 

2) Haywood irons  (not needed, i have PXG blades and Sub70s 659's)

 

What should i waste money on? Only a fellow Ho can help here

[capking]

1 hour ago, BallerNate said:

So it’s officially full off-season mode here in Canada. We had our first snowfall last night in my neck of the woods…ugh!! 🥶🥶

 

Today I tackled one of the projects I wanted to try out. Really liked the results with my AP2 714’s at the end of the season, so to bring some of their original beauty back I tried my first experiment with paint fill. Pretty happy with the results…really nice refresher!!
 

Here’s the before & after pictures: 

 
Those irons don’t have a chance to be in there by the end of January 

[capking]

12 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

Full blown winter mode here fo-sho @BallerNate....I'm killing the time by doing a winter ball extravaganza where i'm testing 6 different balls against each other in a winner-take-all trackman battle. 

 

Now since you're a ho extraordinaire. If I want to blow some money this year on something else.....What say you?

 

1) Another Deschamps putter (not needed, i love my original Deshamps, but another finish might be fun)

 

or

 

2) Haywood irons  (not needed, i have PXG blades and Sub70s 659's)

 

What should i waste money on? Only a fellow Ho can help here

Vessel came out with a couple new colours for their Players 3 bags

[BallerNate]

11 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

Full blown winter mode here fo-sho @BallerNate....I'm killing the time by doing a winter ball extravaganza where i'm testing 6 different balls against each other in a winner-take-all trackman battle. 

 

Now since you're a ho extraordinaire. If I want to blow some money this year on something else.....What say you?

 

1) Another Deschamps putter (not needed, i love my original Deshamps, but another finish might be fun)

 

or

 

2) Haywood irons  (not needed, i have PXG blades and Sub70s 659's)

 

What should i waste money on? Only a fellow Ho can help here

The 6 ball challenge sounds awesome man! Do you have Trackman and a simulator at home, or do you have access to that through your home course?

 

LOL on what to waste money on next that you don't need!! True WRX conversation for sure!! 🤣

 

My answer to that depends on whether you have to hide your purchases from your wife or not (also true WRX conversation), Lol? For me I need to hide most of the stuff that I buy from wifey so she doesn't know the true depth of my addiction, so if you're like me than individual clubs are much easier to hide than full sets of Irons. That said, I have also hidden Iron sets, so that's not necessarily off limits. 😉

 

My vote would probably be for the new putter with the different finish, then you can have Home & Away putters and switch them up based on your outfits or your whims of the day, but I trust your judgement on your next frivolous First World purchase mon amis. 

[BallerNate]

11 hours ago, capking said:

 
Those irons don’t have a chance to be in there by the end of January 

Bahaha!! Indeed...my track record of instability doesn't bode well for any of the clubs in my bag, so I can't really argue with you or defend myself! 🙃🤣

 

I will say though, that I've flipped so many clubs and so many full bags over the last 2.5yrs that it's kind of like when you go to the All-you-can-eat buffet and gorge so much that you feel like throwing up by the end. It's just not as appealing anymore, and I feel gross and bloated, Lol!

 

I'll also say that these AP2's are probably my favorite Irons that I've owned so far, so I'm really trying to give them a legitimate chance before replacing them. We'll see though, I've definitely learned never to say never, and time will tell how it all shakes out.

[MtlJeff]

36 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

The 6 ball challenge sounds awesome man! Do you have Trackman and a simulator at home, or do you have access to that through your home course?

 

LOL on what to waste money on next that you don't need!! True WRX conversation for sure!! 🤣

 

My answer to that depends on whether you have to hide your purchases from your wife or not (also true WRX conversation), Lol? For me I need to hide most of the stuff that I buy from wifey so she doesn't know the true depth of my addiction, so if you're like me than individual clubs are much easier to hide than full sets of Irons. That said, I have also hidden Iron sets, so that's not necessarily off limits. 😉

 

My vote would probably be for the new putter with the different finish, then you can have Home & Away putters and switch them up based on your outfits or your whims of the day, but I trust your judgement on your next frivolous First World purchase mon amis. 

 

I have a golf room downstairs in my basement that's like probably like 50-60 square feet. That's where i keep all of my stuff, and my wife doesn't care about my golf stuff. She's a former competitive horseback rider who owns 2 horses which live on our property. The costs associated with them (which she pays for most of) dwarf golf. So she mostly supports my golf purchases with like a "what are those, new iron thingies?" and then just goes about her day

 

Fun thing about the golf room, i'm trying to really sell her on the idea that she cannot under any circumstances go in there. This is because we used to watch "criminal minds" together, and i want her to start worrying that i might be hiding something horrible in there. Of course i'm not. But i want to see if she'll ever fess up to going in there and searching for bloody knives or something.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards the putter too. It's so easy to swap out a putter. Changing irons midseason can hurt the game

[BallerNate]

7 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

 

I have a golf room downstairs in my basement that's like probably like 50-60 square feet. That's where i keep all of my stuff, and my wife doesn't care about my golf stuff. She's a former competitive horseback rider who owns 2 horses which live on our property. The costs associated with them (which she pays for most of) dwarf golf. So she mostly supports my golf purchases with like a "what are those, new iron thingies?" and then just goes about her day

 

Fun thing about the golf room, i'm trying to really sell her on the idea that she cannot under any circumstances go in there. This is because we used to watch "criminal minds" together, and i want her to start worrying that i might be hiding something horrible in there. Of course i'm not. But i want to see if she'll ever fess up to going in there and searching for bloody knives or something.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards the putter too. It's so easy to swap out a putter. Changing irons midseason can hurt the game

Nice…sounds like a fair trade!

 

Yeah, I will say that my wife is pretty reasonable and supportive too. I just went a little insane there for a while with buying and selling clubs, so I understand why she was concerned.

 

I support your frivolous unnecessary purchase 100% my man, no judgment here, Lol! Over the last month of the season I replaced my irons, Driving Iron, wedges, Fairway Wood, putter, and bag, so you’ve come to the right place for support for your Ho’ing, Lol!!

[Shanks2424]

On 11/21/2022 at 6:16 PM, BallerNate said:

So it’s officially full off-season mode here in Canada. We had our first snowfall last night in my neck of the woods…ugh!! 🥶🥶

 

Today I tackled one of the projects I wanted to try out. Really liked the results with my AP2 714’s at the end of the season, so to bring some of their original beauty back I tried my first experiment with paint fill. Pretty happy with the results…really nice refresher!!
 

Here’s the before & after pictures: 

Irons look amazing dude.

[BallerNate]

15 hours ago, Shanks2424 said:

Irons look amazing dude.

Thanks my man, definitely appreciate it! I'm really happy with the way they turned out, especially since it was my first time using paint fill.

 

I've been browsing the Black Friday Sales, and checked the sales at my local golf shop, and I'm really not seeing any Irons that appeal to my eye as much, or I think would clearly perform better than these 714 AP2's!

 

The new T100 and T100s are just so compact, and the top line is so razor thin, that they are pretty terrifying for me. The Mizzy Pro 223's are gorgeous, but they look pretty punishing too.

 

We'll see how it all shakes out, but this might be the first Winter that I can fight off temptation and carry over the same bag to the Spring of 2023...as always, time will tell. 😉

[MikeW2]

Well? Black Friday and cyber Monday have both come and gone without an update….I’m not sure if you held strong (possible but unlikely 😂) orrrr you finally come to grips with your addiction and are now struggling in the depths of shame (possible but WAYYY less likely 😂)

Edited December 1, 2022 by MikeW2
Typo

[Lemonde]

On 11/22/2022 at 9:01 AM, MtlJeff said:

 

I have a golf room downstairs in my basement that's like probably like 50-60 square feet. That's where i keep all of my stuff, and my wife doesn't care about my golf stuff. She's a former competitive horseback rider who owns 2 horses which live on our property. The costs associated with them (which she pays for most of) dwarf golf. So she mostly supports my golf purchases with like a "what are those, new iron thingies?" and then just goes about her day

 

Fun thing about the golf room, i'm trying to really sell her on the idea that she cannot under any circumstances go in there. This is because we used to watch "criminal minds" together, and i want her to start worrying that i might be hiding something horrible in there. Of course i'm not. But i want to see if she'll ever fess up to going in there and searching for bloody knives or something.

 

I'm kind of leaning towards the putter too. It's so easy to swap out a putter. Changing irons midseason can hurt the game

This is hilarious lol. 

[Shanks2424]

1 hour ago, MikeW2 said:

Well? Black Friday and cyber Monday have both come and gone without an update….I’m not sure if you held strong (possible but unlikely 😂) orrrr you finally come to grips with your addiction and are now struggling in the depths of shame (possible but WAYYY less likely 😂)

I think he is in the fetal position locked in the bathroom. 

 

 

[BallerNate]

7 hours ago, MikeW2 said:

Well? Black Friday and cyber Monday have both come and gone without an update….I’m not sure if you held strong (possible but unlikely 😂) orrrr you finally come to grips with your addiction and are now struggling in the depths of shame (possible but WAYYY less likely 😂)

Hahaha!! Believe it not, I held strong and only bought a new putter headcover and stocked up on balls. 😎

 

I did all the usual browsing and research, and checked out every possible sale…but I just didn’t really feel like any of the options were going to beat out what I have in the bag now.

 

Realistically, most of my bag was bought in the last 1-2 months of the season, so a lot of the clubs just haven’t been tested enough to replace them.

 

My bag has just been so volatile over the last 2-3yrs that it was hurting my game, so really trying to see if I can hang on over the Winter and start the season with as close to the same bag as possible to see what positive impact that could have on my game.

[BallerNate]

6 hours ago, Lemonde said:

This is hilarious lol. 

🤣🤣🤣 Indeed…so many layers to peel back!!

[BallerNate]

5 hours ago, Shanks2424 said:

I think he is in the fetal position locked in the bathroom. 

 

 

Haha!! No doubt, I’m in full rehab mode fighting the urges!! 😉🤣

[wam78]

I was a big fan of the 714 ap2’s when I played them.  Outstanding irons for sure.  I’m a lot like you in which not a ton of modern stuff is making me jump, especially irons.  I’m kind of an old soul when it comes to irons and putters.  I like simple and understated.

[MikeW2]

3 hours ago, BallerNate said:

Hahaha!! Believe it not, I held strong and only bought a new putter headcover and stocked up on balls. 😎

 

I did all the usual browsing and research, and checked out every possible sale…but I just didn’t really feel like any of the options were going to beat out what I have in the bag now.

 

Realistically, most of my bag was bought in the last 1-2 months of the season, so a lot of the clubs just haven’t been tested enough to replace them.

 

My bag has just been so volatile over the last 2-3yrs that it was hurting my game, so really trying to see if I can hang on over the Winter and start the season with as close to the same bag as possible to see what positive impact that could have on my game.

Good for you! Familiarity breeds confidence.

[BallerNate]

10 hours ago, wam78 said:

I was a big fan of the 714 ap2’s when I played them.  Outstanding irons for sure.  I’m a lot like you in which not a ton of modern stuff is making me jump, especially irons.  I’m kind of an old soul when it comes to irons and putters.  I like simple and understated.

Yeah, they’ve been really good so far sure, and they won’t be easy to beat out.

 

I don’t necessarily lean towards older Irons specifically, I’ll just play whatever works best for me.
 

I tried the Srixon ZX7 and ‘21 TaylorMade P790’s though, and these 714 AP2’s and previously’14 TM Tour Preferred MC/MB’s were a better fit for me, so that definitely makes me hesitant to drop over $1K to $1.5K + for something that may not even be better. 🤷🏽‍♂️

[wam78]

10 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Yeah, they’ve been really good so far sure, and they won’t be easy to beat out.

 

I don’t necessarily lean towards older Irons specifically, I’ll just play whatever works best for me.
 

I tried the Srixon ZX7 and ‘21 TaylorMade P790’s though, and these 714 AP2’s and previously’14 TM Tour Preferred MC/MB’s were a better fit for me, so that definitely makes me hesitant to drop over $1K to $1.5K + for something that may not even be better. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Same here.  I think a lot has to do with sole design and visuals behind the ball.  I’ve cycled through so many sets of irons and I always  find myself looking at what has worked in the past.

[BallerNate]

10 minutes ago, wam78 said:

Same here.  I think a lot has to do with sole design and visuals behind the ball.  I’ve cycled through so many sets of irons and I always  find myself looking at what has worked in the past.

Yup, whatever the reason is, makes the most sense to play what works best for you.

 

Just look at the Pros…Cantlay is still using 718 AP2’s, Berger is using ‘11 Tour Preferred, and most guys with Proto Irons are really just Blades with exact specs of Irons that they’ve been comfortable playing for the last 10-15+ years.

 

I’m sure manufacturers would never publicly admit it, but is technology really improving Irons? Maybe the hollow and foam filled stuff, but those clubs aren’t for me anyways.

[BallerNate]

11 hours ago, MikeW2 said:

Good for you! Familiarity breeds confidence.

Thanks Mike. Yeah man, I’m actually excited about carrying my current bag over to next season to see how it will help my game.

 

I think I’ve learned that I’d rather buy stuff during the season to test out, while I keep my existing stuff handy just in case the experiment doesn’t work out. Then I can just throw my old stuff back in the bag if I need to flip the new stuff or return it.

[MikeW2]

I tease you because I was you. What I decided to do many years ago was if a club performed for me I’d hang onto it. The 3W and 7W I finished the season with are each about 30 years old. Both have spent entire summers in timeout for deserting me but always manage to worm their way back in. Clubs that never worked out for me get flipped right away. Winter has become the season where purchasing is refined to accessories and putters.

[TreqJosh]

16 hours ago, BallerNate said:

bought a new putter headcover. 😎

 

Don't keep us hanging, man!!

[BallerNate]

15 hours ago, MikeW2 said:

I tease you because I was you. What I decided to do many years ago was if a club performed for me I’d hang onto it. The 3W and 7W I finished the season with are each about 30 years old. Both have spent entire summers in timeout for deserting me but always manage to worm their way back in. Clubs that never worked out for me get flipped right away. Winter has become the season where purchasing is refined to accessories and putters.

Definitely no offense taken ever Mike, you always crack me up man!

 

Your strategy makes a lot of sense. That’s pretty much what I’ve learned also from the school of hard knocks and an extreme amount of trial and error, Lol.

[BallerNate]

Due to popular demand (from @TreqJosh), I’ve got to feed the wolves and give the WRX junkies what they want to see! 😉😎

 

Here’s the putter headcover that I ordered during Black Friday sales to scratch the itch of having to buy something, while not blowing too much cash on something I don’t need, Lol.

 

I’ve got 3 distinctive separate custom headcover looks for next year…I’ll post all 3 someday when I’m bored during a snowstorm or something. 🥶🥶 

[BagofToast]

17 hours ago, BallerNate said:

Yup, whatever the reason is, makes the most sense to play what works best for you.

 

Just look at the Pros…Cantlay is still using 718 AP2’s, Berger is using ‘11 Tour Preferred, and most guys with Proto Irons are really just Blades with exact specs of Irons that they’ve been comfortable playing for the last 10-15+ years.

 

I’m sure manufacturers would never publicly admit it, but is technology really improving Irons? Maybe the hollow and foam filled stuff, but those clubs aren’t for me anyways.

With solid forgings there is only so much mass to move around, although I would like to believe that OEMs are getting better at figuring out where that mass is best used. 

[TreqJosh]

55 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Due to popular demand (from @TreqJosh), I’ve got to feed the wolves and give the WRX junkies what they want to see! 😉😎

 

Here’s the putter headcover that I ordered during Black Friday sales to scratch the itch of having to buy something, while not blowing too much cash on something I don’t need, Lol.

 

I’ve got 3 distinctive separate custom headcover looks for next year…I’ll post all 3 someday when I’m bored during a snowstorm or something. 🥶🥶 

ahhh, there’s my fix! 

Edited December 2, 2022 by TreqJosh

[MtlJeff]

There needs to be a Raptors headcover in there

[MikeW2]

3 minutes ago, MtlJeff said:

There needs to be a Raptors headcover in there

A Vince Carter or Tmac with that old school cartoon raptor could be a pretty cool cover.