Return to Golf, the equipment questions

[307golf]

Returning to golf after a 15 year break, with 15 year old equipment.

I did a fitting with GolfTEC as I'd never hit on a launch monitor and had no idea where I stood.  I'm fairly high swing speed (around 110) with very consistent ball speed of 160-165.  I spin the ball quite a lot, with 7i and Driver (nearly 4k with driver).

 

My Titleist 735 cm irons are currently wearing x100 shafts and while the Ping i530 felt a bit more solid, I don't know that there's a ton to gain there.

 

Driver wise, the triple diamond Callaway AI smoke dropped my spin to 2000-2500 very consistently and added 35-40 yards total distance (which seems absurd).  Old driver was the Cobra L4V x with a Aldila Protopype 60x.  I have another head with the Accuflex something or another shaft that's honestly more of a man than I am (very stiff, very low launch) but I might try that one again to see if the shaft can drop the spin a bunch.   Launch, spin, descent were all way too high with the current driver, which I would have told you was the absolute strength of my game (still is) but now may be my biggest needed change...

 

All of my old wedges are now "illegal" due to the groove change so I probably have to make some changes there.  Previous Callaway Jaws with the Mack Daddy grooves (I think, but might be wrong).

 

My long putter, previous anchored at the xiphoid process (chest) is obviously now a no-no as well due to the new rules on putting...

 

So, a couple of questions:

 

The Callaway driver looked great on the LM but I couldn't hit it outside.  Call me old fashioned, but I need to see the actual ball fly through actual air in order to drop $600 on a driver.  Plus, I absolutely hate the look of the club.  Even coming from another ugly driver, the AI smoke triple diamond thing (how can a person keep a straight face with such a long and absurd name) is hideous.  I don't consider myself that sensitive to look, but for such a hefty price tag, I don't want to have to keep a paper bag on it...

 

I'll need new wedges.  Like the Mizuno T24, and ping s159.  The Mizuno come standard with s400, which seems great.  Other brands go to a light shaft in wedges, seems a bit of an opposing philosophy...  So, lighter shafts or heavier shafts in wedges?  Is there a GolfWRX concensus?

 

Putter has been cut down to 40" and I'm putting with separated hands but a non anchored stroke, seems to be OK.

 

Irons I'm thinking I'll stick with the old ones since they conform to the current groove rules, have the correct shaft, and are in reasonably good shape.

 

Ball, seems like that tech might have improved?  I have 4-5 boxes of "new" balls that are all 15 years old.  Callaway HX 56, Nike One Black, V1x's...  All circa 2010.  

 

Based on LM data, less spin is my #1 goal, so Titleist left dash?

 

Anyway, thanks for the look and to help get me up to speed after a bit of a break from the game.

 

 

Edited June 27, 2024 by 307golf

[mjo23]

Did u try other drivers? I would say the Callaway is a no-go if you don’t like the look of it, too many other options. Being happy with the looks is important IMO.

 

I’ve had sessions on LM’s where everything looked great, and then it was terrible on the course. But i’ve also had thorough fittings on a LM that translated perfectly to the course - it largely depends on if the fitter is trying to inflate your numbers or actually give you an accurate depiction of your numbers; given the 40 yard gain, something seems a bit off - new clubs shouldn’t be THAT much of an upgrade

 

There’s no right or wrong answer regarding lighter or heavier in wedge shafts, people do both, but the most common route is definitely slightly heavier, or equal weight (often times the same shaft model), to your iron shaft

[307golf]

I did rather like the look and feel of the TM driver, but it was a bit shorter and I was losing it to the right a bit, which seems weird.  I didn't feel like an indoor LM environment was giving me a good feel for my usual swing, but that might just be the fact that I'm not used to it.

 

My current driver is also 44.75" and I was using much longer options at the fitting.  

 

The spin #'s were the biggest takeaway, and seemed like a consistent pattern.

[spinnywedge]

Take a look at other companies' low spin drivers. Performance will probably be similar, but find a look you like. I'm usually not a fan of the Callaway shapes either. Now that most irons have lighter stock shafts, most have dropped the weight on the wedge shafts to 115-120 - still heavier by a little. I definitely recommend trying out some new balls.

[307golf]

24 minutes ago, spinnywedge said:

Take a look at other companies' low spin drivers. Performance will probably be similar, but find a look you like. I'm usually not a fan of the Callaway shapes either. Now that most irons have lighter stock shafts, most have dropped the weight on the wedge shafts to 115-120 - still heavier by a little. I definitely recommend trying out some new balls.

Yeah, the main value I took from the session was that I can be confident in selecting low spin with almost anything and at least be in the ballpark.

[rooski]

56 minutes ago, mjo23 said:

it largely depends on if the fitter is trying to inflate your numbers or actually give you an accurate depiction of your numbers; given the 40 yard gain, something seems a bit off - new clubs shouldn’t be THAT much of an upgrade

 

I mean he started the post by saying the driver change dropped his spin from over 4,000 to 2,300 so that's about exactly how much yardage gain he should expect, that's like going from a 5 wood to a driver

Edited June 27, 2024 by rooski

[mjo23]

33 minutes ago, rooski said:

 

I mean he started the post by saying the driver change dropped his spin from over 4,000 to 2,300 so that's about exactly how much yardage gain he should expect, that's like going from a 5 wood to a driver

Yeah maybe i’m wrong and the distance gain isn’t unusual. I’m no LM or spin rate expert. Just in my personal experience with spinny drivers in the past, I can usually still get solid distance but it’s pretty much all carry, high apex, no roll out (and poor consistency as a result). So obviously not as much total distance as a driver with optimal spin rates, but 40yards still seems like a lot

Edited June 27, 2024 by mjo23

[PedronNiall]

It's summer. Find local clubs hosting demo days and get fit outdoors if your mind won't let you accept the numbers.

 

The reduction in spin probably isn't just the head but also a shaft profile fitting your swing a bit better. The combination of that and a modern head could easily see you gaining that kind of total yardage. 

 

Iron wise there can be more consistency & forgiveness found in a number of modern heads but all depends on what you want. Given that you don't really seem to have a preference I'd again recommend a demo day to try out a few different items. 

 

What I'd maybe do before that is find a local retailer that has the Wilson Golf Fit AI iron kit to see what it recommends as well so you'll have an idea of what shafts you might want to try if you go the demo route. Mizuno has something similar but it's only available at their fittings and doesn't provide nearly as much data. 

 

 

 

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

1 hour ago, PedronNiall said:

It's summer. Find local clubs hosting demo days and get fit outdoors if your mind won't let you accept the numbers.

 

The reduction in spin probably isn't just the head but also a shaft profile fitting your swing a bit better. The combination of that and a modern head could easily see you gaining that kind of total yardage. 

 

Iron wise there can be more consistency & forgiveness found in a number of modern heads but all depends on what you want. Given that you don't really seem to have a preference I'd again recommend a demo day to try out a few different items. 

 

What I'd maybe do before that is find a local retailer that has the Wilson Golf Fit AI iron kit to see what it recommends as well so you'll have an idea of what shafts you might want to try if you go the demo route...

Huh...  Never heard of this before. It captures more parameters than Mizzy's Shaft Analyzer?  (Which I've still yet to try.)  Dang.

 

OP, definitely try some others if you can't get along with the looks and name of these new clubs.  I'd steer you to TSR 3 or 4, or the new GTs.  Classic looking woods that also perform.  TM's QiLS will also take spin off, if the critics are to be believed.  I'm impressed you were still getting 160-165 on 110, with 4k of spin.  I'd imagine speed went up to 165-170 as well with the lower spinning head.

 

Wedges, try outside, and somewhere with similar conditions to those you usually play in.  I used X100 in wedges and irons before, but I've no idea if that was optimal.

 

Welcome back!

[307golf]

110 clubhead speed is a guess based on ball speed.  Spin averaged between 3500 and 4k.  With the Callaway driver, spin was 2200-2500 range.  I even switched fairly quickly back and forth just to make sure there wasn't any "bending" of the data going on at the computer to make the new clubs look better.

[mantan]

Wait....someone is coming back to the game after a long break??  What's going on here?

 

<tongue firmly in cheek>

 

 

Edited June 28, 2024 by mantan

[Ghostdunc27]

8 hours ago, 307golf said:

Returning to golf after a 15 year break, with 15 year old equipment.

I did a fitting with GolfTEC as I'd never hit on a launch monitor and had no idea where I stood.  I'm fairly high swing speed (around 110) with very consistent ball speed of 160-165.  I spin the ball quite a lot, with 7i and Driver (nearly 4k with driver).

 

My Titleist 735 cm irons are currently wearing x100 shafts and while the Ping i530 felt a bit more solid, I don't know that there's a ton to gain there.

 

Driver wise, the triple diamond Callaway AI smoke dropped my spin to 2000-2500 very consistently and added 35-40 yards total distance (which seems absurd).  Old driver was the Cobra L4V x with a Aldila Protopype 60x.  I have another head with the Accuflex something or another shaft that's honestly more of a man than I am (very stiff, very low launch) but I might try that one again to see if the shaft can drop the spin a bunch.   Launch, spin, descent were all way too high with the current driver, which I would have told you was the absolute strength of my game (still is) but now may be my biggest needed change...

 

All of my old wedges are now "illegal" due to the groove change so I probably have to make some changes there.  Previous Callaway Jaws with the Mack Daddy grooves (I think, but might be wrong).

 

My long putter, previous anchored at the xiphoid process (chest) is obviously now a no-no as well due to the new rules on putting...

 

So, a couple of questions:

 

The Callaway driver looked great on the LM but I couldn't hit it outside.  Call me old fashioned, but I need to see the actual ball fly through actual air in order to drop $600 on a driver.  Plus, I absolutely hate the look of the club.  Even coming from another ugly driver, the AI smoke triple diamond thing (how can a person keep a straight face with such a long and absurd name) is hideous.  I don't consider myself that sensitive to look, but for such a hefty price tag, I don't want to have to keep a paper bag on it...

 

I'll need new wedges.  Like the Mizuno T24, and ping s159.  The Mizuno come standard with s400, which seems great.  Other brands go to a light shaft in wedges, seems a bit of an opposing philosophy...  So, lighter shafts or heavier shafts in wedges?  Is there a GolfWRX concensus?

 

Putter has been cut down to 40" and I'm putting with separated hands but a non anchored stroke, seems to be OK.

 

Irons I'm thinking I'll stick with the old ones since they conform to the current groove rules, have the correct shaft, and are in reasonably good shape.

 

Ball, seems like that tech might have improved?  I have 4-5 boxes of "new" balls that are all 15 years old.  Callaway HX 56, Nike One Black, V1x's...  All circa 2010.  

 

Based on LM data, less spin is my #1 goal, so Titleist left dash?

 

Anyway, thanks for the look and to help get me up to speed after a bit of a break from the game.

 

 

This is slightly creepy. I’m returning from golf after 15 years and also played 735 cm. I would say take your time on the equipment stuff. I’m committing to getting my handicap back down to within 3 of what it used to be before I buy new stuff. I also plan to attend several demo days. There will be new drivers launching in fall and winter as well. 
 

One thing I would say right off the bat is if you had that much spin difference from old Cobra to Callaway, you must have had a shaft that was a very bad fit for you in the Cobra. There were good low spinning shafts 15 years ago but they weren’t as easy to find. 

[307golf]

11 hours ago, Ghostdunc27 said:

This is slightly creepy. I’m returning from golf after 15 years and also played 735 cm. I would say take your time on the equipment stuff. I’m committing to getting my handicap back down to within 3 of what it used to be before I buy new stuff. I also plan to attend several demo days. There will be new drivers launching in fall and winter as well. 
 

One thing I would say right off the bat is if you had that much spin difference from old Cobra to Callaway, you must have had a shaft that was a very bad fit for you in the Cobra. There were good low spinning shafts 15 years ago but they weren’t as easy to find. 

The L4V with a protopype was the "Holy Grail" for WRX drivers in that era.  It has served me very well and is the best part of my game.  Ignorance is bliss I suppose...  I also wonder if playing at altitude might necessitate a bit more spin due to the thinner air?

 

I wouldn't be looking to make any changes except that:

 

1.  Rule changes have made my equipment "non conforming".  Technically the putter isn't non conforming but the way I used it was deemed outside of the new rules.

2.  I'd never been on a LM before and didn't know what I was missing.  They were not nearly as common and utilized when I left the game.

3.  I'm interested in a business idea related to golf performance so I wanted to see how the tech has changed the game from a consumer/player perspective.

 

I played down to a +2 previously.  Not sure what to expect as I come back into the game.  I was/am not a gear whore in golf (flyfishing, bowhunting, etc, are another story...).  I tend to "set it and forget it" mostly when it comes to golf since I'm well aware that I am the limiting factor.

[discover-it]

I'm in the same boat. Stopped playing 12 years ago when other hobbies, work, and family stuff got in the way. I just didn't have the time to spend 4-5 hours on the course in single doses.

I caught the bug again during The Masters this year...hard, and have been sifting through all of the equipment changes. Taking it slow, tho. My first focus is to update my irons (Ping i15) which I bought right before I stopped playing. I've lost some distance, so looking at the available tech to try and get some of it back.

I also had bought a new set of Vokey SM oil can wedges. I'll keep using those...they are still mint (don't care about the rule change until I decide to play a tourney).

Balls...I'm going to lose use all of my old balls while I'm still getting up to speed.

Good luck with the driver search. 

[GoldenAges]

I'm pretty sure the pre-2010 wedges are grandfathered in. I remember people stocking up on them before the rule change. Wedges may be the only equipment you have thats not obsolete. After 10 years away I realized my trusty Scotty Cameron putter was obsolete. Todays putters are heavier and work better with todays golf balls.

[JAM01]

TSR4 or Cobra LTDx ls

Wedges - so many good ones. Cleveland might be best bang for the buck or Vokey SM9

ball- left dash, chrome tour x

putter - mallet or blade?