Dave's Bag Lotto and Club Reviews

[Daves]

The rain stayed away, but this turned to be a 4BBB, so bag will have to carry over till Wednesday.

Thanks Al. Now to see if I can play to 8!

Today's bag selection. Hopefully the rain will stay away till tonight.

Driver: Callaway BB 2016
Fairway: Cleveland Launcher
Hybrid: Callaway BB 815 18*,
Irons: Cobra AMP 5- PW, Bio Cell + 4i
Wedges: Yururi 49, 53 & 56*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS 37"
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Daves]

Driver: Callaway BB 2016
Fairway: Cleveland Launcher
Hybrid: Callaway BB 815 18*,
Irons: Cobra AMP 5- PW, Bio Cell + 4i
Wedges: Yururi 49, 53 & 56*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS 37"
Ball: Topflite Gamer
Buggy: ClicGear M8

Monthly Mug round today. I started well, but stumbled a little at the turn with a lost ball costing me a couple of shots. Tried to gain back the shot lost on the back, but struggled for a while off the tee, trying to force the shot (and pace of play!).

Having found the 816 DDB very to my liking, I was disappointed to find the GBB a bit of hard work. It just wanted to go right on me initially. And it took my a while to get some control over it. In the end I moved the sliding weight into the furthest Fade position, and moved the Adapter to -1 Neutral, which should be where the face is at its most open. Finally, I changed the shaft over to a stiffer tipped version. This seemed to tame it, and straighten the flight to something manageable. But I did manage to still over power a couple right when I rushed it a bit. I generally find the 460 Callaways very easy to hit, X Hot, X2, XR, and Berthas have been easy drivers to use. But I am not getting on that well with this model so far!

I really like the AMPs. Super easy to hit, and quite long, even allowing for the strong lofts. And I can really step on them when I need to. The Dynalites are high launch, but not overly spinny for me. I don't lose any distance, quite the opposite. I can launch a shot high and it will flight out really well. The only downside was I underestimated the launch on one shot and caught some tree branches that hadn't even occurred to me as being in play.

[Daves]

A TM bag tomorrow. Hopefully the Westerlies will blow themselves out early. The R11s are new arrivals. The Tour 90s seem to be stiffer than labelled? 22 CPMs higher than the Tour 90 Regs in the Adams Super S?? It will be interesting to see how they go tomorrow. I had to slow the swing considerably today to get them to come out alright.

Driver: TM AeroBurner 10.5* with PL Red S
Fairway: AeroBurner 15* with Matrix S
Hybrid: AeroBurner 19* with Aldila Tour Green S
Irons: R11 with KBS Tour 90 stiff, 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi 49, 53 & 56*
Putter: TM Spider S
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[backintheswing]

Do you have a loft and lie machine Dave?

[Daves]

Do you have a loft and lie machine Dave?

Yep, but it isn't set up to bend anything as yet. I just use it to measure at this stage.

[Daves]

A TM bag tomorrow. Hopefully the Westerlies will blow themselves out early. The R11s are new arrivals. The Tour 90s seem to be stiffer than labelled? 22 CPMs higher than the Tour 90 Regs in the Adams Super S?? It will be interesting to see how they go tomorrow. I had to slow the swing considerably today to get them to come out alright.

Driver: TM AeroBurner 10.5* with PL Red S
Fairway: AeroBurner 15* with Matrix S
Hybrid: AeroBurner 19* with Aldila Tour Green S
Irons: R11 with KBS Tour 90 stiff, 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi 49, 53 & 56*
Putter: TM Spider S
Ball: Topflite Gamer
Buggy: ClicGear M8

Some reasonable ball striking yesterday, though my final score didn't really reflect it.

I struggled a bit with the AeroBurner Driver, it wanted to go left on me, which hasn't been my previous experience. After struggling to stop the Callaway BB going right on my last week, I suspect I have lost my aim lines a bit, as I haven't had the issue before with the AeroBurner. For whatever reason, I ended up missing too many fairways by too much, and was having to knock too many sideways back into play. Lots of well constructed recovery bogeys doesn't help when you only have 8 shots to play with.

I hit the AeroBurner 3 wood and Hybrid solidly, no dramas there.

I was also suffering the lefts a bit with the R11s, but that seemed to be to do with the shafts, which seem closer to X Flex than S. I was able to allow for it and actually hit a reasonably number of GIR, despite fighting the flight a bit. As mentioned in my last post, I found I had to slow my swing right down and be very deliberate in my swing to get them coming out OK.

I lengthened the Spider S out to 37" to match my Yes Putters etc. I am finding I like a more upright posture with my putting. I was putting quite well with it, but had no luck on the slow greens, and ended up having lots of tap in 2nd putts.

[Foburger]

Dave, love this thread, keep it coming.

[Daves]

Dave, love this thread, keep it coming.

Thanks for the feedback Foburger, it is appreciated. The same to others that have given me encouragement. It closing in on 2 years since I started the bag rotations, and I think I have learnt heaps on the journey, and I am really enjoying it a lot. Hopefully it has been useful for others as well.

[CeeAy]

Ultimately Yes, I am a Ho! I have over 80 Drivers to choose from (ignoring additional shaft options for most of them) and try to get through as many as I can. The 12 LS does get more rotations than any other, and is my favorite Driver of them all (G30s and Cobras are probably the closest). I have 4 LS heads by the way! I do try to stick as much as I can to rotating through as much of my collection as I can. Plus I have new stuff arriving fairly regularly! And I also tinker a lot with set ups, shaftage etc.

80 Drivers??? Wow!You've got more drivers than I've had hot dinners! Enjoyed reading through the thread.

[Daves]

Tomorrow's bag selection;

Driver: Ping G30 LS Tec 10.5*
Fairway: Cleveland Classic XL 15*
Hybrid: TM SLDR 17.5*
Irons: Adams A4 with Matrix Studios 5 - PW, 4i TM Burner 2.0
Wedges: Yururi 49, 53 & 56*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12, 36""
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Daves]

Tomorrow's bag selection;

Driver: Ping G30 LS Tec 10.5*
Fairway: Cleveland Classic XL 15*
Hybrid: TM SLDR 17.5*
Irons: Adams A4 with Matrix Studios 5 - PW, 4i TM Burner 2.0
Wedges: Yururi 49, 53 & 56*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12, 36""
Ball: TM TP 2015
Buggy: ClicGear M8

The Comp ended up being another 4BBB, but as I managed to score on all holes, I will record the round this time. It was quite bemusing really. We were group of three, so I was Swinger on both cards. I had 34 points, the 2 4BBB score were both 37 points!

I hardly missed a fairway all day. The lefts and rights of recent rounds weren't an issue at all! The G30s are such easy clubs to hit for me. I find the SF even easier, though it is a 12*, so that probably helps a little as well. The Tour Blue shaft today. I prefer the Prolaunchs, but it worked OK. Perhaps a tad shorter than the PLs, but hard to say after my recent Driver striking.

The Cleveland Classic XL is another very easy to hit club, though you have to get past the closed face.

My irons were a tad off today, nothing bad, just wasn't striking them as good as I expect. I think it was me more than the clubs, as I have found the A4s very good to use in the past.

I putted well, with little luck. The greens were much quicker than they have been, but they aren't quite smooth enough to putt confidently on. Lots of minor unrepaired ball marks, sprig marks etc. I even had the ball hit an unseen stone on the last that kept a birdie putt out! But managed to keep it to 30 putts, and only one 3 putt.

I hadn't use the TM TP for a while. You forget how good they are, I love their feel off the face. And spin and distance are both very good for my game.

A few rounds under the belt now with the M8. I definitely prefer it to the 3.5+. It pushes a lot better over rough/uneven ground. And it isn't quite as wide, so easier to manoeuvre. It still has some of the same shortcomings as the 3.5+, but not quite as many. I have manufactured some sand bucket hangers from Wire, but it is still inferior to the systems on other buggies. The Cooler bag is a fiddly, annoying thing to fit. You have to fit it before the bag goes on, otherwise it is almost impossible to get the Velcro strap on. And I find neither ClicGear is a particularly easy fit in the boot, a Flip N Go is way more compact. Most of the Accessories for the 3.5+ fit it, but not the Cooler Bag or the Shoe Brush. The Steering Knob is just as effective though. And the clip for the Umbrella holder, when not is use, is much more sensibly located, and more effective in keeping it in place than the 3.5+s. I still prefer the Smoothy Micros for windy/rainy days though, much better Umbrella Holder, and more weight make it much easier to live with in poor conditions.

[Daves]

Tomorrow's bag selection for the Black Marker Challenge;

Driver: Titleist 913 D3 9.5* with Black Tie FM3
Fairway: Titleist 910 F 15*
Hybrid: Titleist 913Hd 18*
Irons:Titleist 712 AP1 4 - 6, 710 AP2 7 - PW
Wedges: Yururi 53, 56 & 61*
Putter: SC Kombi
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Daves]

Today's bag selection;

Driver: Cobra Bio Cell with Matrix Red Tie reg
Fairway: Cobra Speed LD 15.5*
Hybrid: Cobra Baffler Pro 18*
Irons:Cobra Fly Z Pro Combo 4 -PW
Wedges: Yururi 53, 56 & 61*
Putter: SC Kombi
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Daves]

Tomorrow's bag selection for the Black Marker Challenge;

Driver: Titleist 913 D3 9.5* with Black Tie FM3
Fairway: Titleist 910 F 15*
Hybrid: Titleist 913Hd 18*
Irons:Titleist 712 AP1 4 - 6, 710 AP2 7 - PW
Wedges: Yururi 53, 56 & 61*
Putter: SC Kombi
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

Some pretty ordinary golf yesterday, scoring wise, after a very solid start. It was kinda strange because most of my strikes were out of the middle, but some were pushes left, and then it would be a pull right. Which saw my game slowly deteriorate as I had to scramble from ugly positions/lies, or was just plain dead in the trees. Even more frustrating was hitting a push or a pull 2nd shot from the middle of the fairway and walking off with a bogey or double. I did scramble hard at times and made some really good recovery pars, but they were too few and far between unfortunately.

The 913 D3 felt really good, I was catching it right out of the middle, but I missed too many fairways with my swing problems.

Ditto the AP1/2s, I was hitting them very solid, and almost all were right on distance, but either left or right of target, and in the poo more often than not.

I hit some exceptional putts with the Kombi early on, and my stroke was feeling very natural, but the scoring pressure eventually saw a few little pulls and pushes sneak in. Still, I kept it to 31 putts, which with the really tough pin positions was still very good putting.

[Daves]

Today's bag selection;

Driver: Cobra Bio Cell with Matrix Red Tie reg
Fairway: Cobra Speed LD 15.5*
Hybrid: Cobra Baffler Pro 18*
Irons:Cobra Fly Z Pro Combo 4 -PW
Wedges: Yururi 53, 56 & 61*
Putter: SC Kombi
Ball: TM TP 2015
Buggy: ClicGear M8

Some more of the same poor scoring I am afraid. Though Driver was pretty good. I only missed a couple of fairways with the Bio Cell, and I was hitting it pretty long, but when I did miss, I was dead up against a tree both times.

My first run with the Fly Z was very frustrating. Ever strike was a dead centre hit, but was either a pull or a push. I started to work out a few things toward the end, but was also pretty much over it by then. I might have to actually go and do some practice at opportunity!

[Daves]

Tomorrow's bag selection;

Driver: Mizuno JPX 850 with PL Blue Reg
Fairway: Adams Insight XTD Pro 14.5*
Hybrid: Adams 9031 Pro Black 18*
Irons:Mizuno MP 59/53 Combo 4 - 9i,
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 46*, Mizuno JPX 50*, Hopkins CJ-1 56* & Cleveland 588 60*
Putter: Seemore FGP Mallet
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Daves]

Tomorrow's bag selection;

Driver: Mizuno JPX 850 with PL Blue Reg
Fairway: Adams Insight XTD Pro 14.5*
Hybrid: Adams 9031 Pro Black 18*
Irons:Mizuno MP 59/53 Combo 4 - 9i,
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 46*, Mizuno JPX 50*, Hopkins CJ-1 56* & Cleveland 588 60*
Putter: Seemore Big FGP Mallet
Ball: TM TP 2015
Buggy: Flip n Go

Another ordinary round scoring wise. I did seem to have shot direction much more under control, but I still need to work on tightening up my aim/alignment. Strong westerly winds made the going fairly tough.

The low spin of the JPX was helpful in the windy conditions. I hit it reasonably well and got good distance, but it seemed to be my luck on the day that if I missed fairway, I ended up dead behind a tree each time.

I struggled with the XTD Pro a little. The stock shaft is a bit of a noodle and I didn't have a lot of confidence on where the club face was pointing at impact. I hit a very solid drive down the last, which put me in range on the shortish par 5. Normally I would lay up to a wedge distance, but decided to try and get there. But hit an ugly block out of the toe, trying to give the XTD a little extra. It felt like the clubhead was lagging badly towards impact.

No such problems with the Adams Black, love this Hybrid and I hit it exceptionally well.

The Mizzys were solid, though the XPs extra spin was noticeable at times in the wind. I had a couple of shots back up a long way on the greens. I have a set of 54s on the way. They have S300 DGs in them, so it will be interesting to compare spin/flight.

A mish mash of wedges today. They went OK, but I didn't make too many up and downs. They might take some time to adjust to the different feel, lofts and spin. The Hopkins is interesting. I bought it (and a few others) because it has a Steefiber i125 in it. I like the feel of the shaft, and it went well in the sand. I recently picked up some Callaway X Tour wedges with i110s as well, so lots of testing to come.

I putted reasonably with the Big FGP, but conditions weren't the best. Lots of wind and debris, made finesse putting a real lottery at times.

I hadn't used the Flip n Go for a while, simply because I hadn't set it up they way I like. So I did a bit of work on it prior, added a sand bucket hook, velcro for the gloves and fixed the GPS holder. It is a really compact buggy, much smaller than a ClicGear, and folds down much smaller as well. It uses similar clip points and threads to the ClicGears, so some of the accessories are interchangeable e.g. Umbrella Holder, Steering Knob, Sand Bottle etc. It is also a much smaller buggy to use, and has a small footprint over all. Your bag sits much lower and the handle angles tend to be more upright. A very easy buggy to push, and despite is smaller, lighter profile it rides better over uneven ground than a 3.5+. Dollar wise it is a no brainer, $179 at GCO every day of the week, occasional even cheaper. There is a 3 wheel version as well, the Tri Lite. A mate has one and is very happy with it.

[Daves]

Monthly Medal round tomorrow. Bag selection as follows;

Driver: Ping i25 with PL Red Stiff
Fairway: Adams F11 Ti
Hybrid: Cobra Baffler Pro 18*
Irons: Ping i5 4 - PW
Wedges: Callaway X Tour 52* & 60*, Hopkins CJ - 1 56*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS 37"
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Daves]

Monthly Medal round tomorrow. Bag selection as follows;

Driver: Ping i25 with PL Red Stiff
Fairway: Adams F11 Ti
Hybrid: Cobra Baffler Pro 18*
Irons: Ping i5 4 - PW
Wedges: Callaway X Tour 52* & 60*, Hopkins CJ - 1 56*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS 37"
Ball: TM TP 2015
Buggy: ClicGear M8

I managed to score OK in the end, but had a very poor start, from the middle of the fairway! A shotgun start, saw us off the tee furthest from the Clubhouse. Everyone else was in a cart, but I walked it, half an hour later I got there! I hit a very good tee shot, long and dead centre of the fairway. Then had to wait for 15 minutes whilst everyone else frigged around hitting the 2nd, 3rd and 4th shots. Less than 80m to the pin, I managed to rush it and hit a fat, ugly wedge shot about half way there! Then 3 putted for a double!.

Same story for the next 4 holes, so I was 6 over through the 1st four!. I staggered along for another few holes, then birdied the 3rd hole with a textbook tee to green game. A few more staggers, but then started hitting fairways and greens regularly, and I had a fair few birdie putts, but only managed to sink one more. Whilst the score wasn't great, I was happy with the way I got it back on track, and started hitting the ball very well by the end of the day.

With my recent lack of directional control, I decided to throttle back and swing easy, just focusing on contact. It took a little adjusting to the slower tempo, but I started to get some rhythm after a while, and then the better ball striking started to creep in. Ironically, I was now hitting my shots longer, so there was a bit of distance control adjustment needed as well! It will be interesting to see if I can maintain it?

I am not sure why it took me so long to get back to the i25? My records tell me it was a year ago that it last made the bag! I was stripping it most of the day, and nearly all my strikes were out of the centre.

The i5s are old favourites, so it didn't take long to get comfortable with them. They are still one of the better irons sets made imo.

I am still getting on top of my wedge game with the wedge rotations I am making. Different bounces (and grinds I guess) seem to be main issue(s), especially with the tighter winter lies. Some experimenting needed here with some different set ups.

[DNQ22]

Good reading mate, thanks for sharing.

[Josh_Atterbury]

Dave your thread is always a great read.
How do you find the fly z irons?I currently game rocketbladez but think I am outgrowing them.
Im planning on attending a demo night when I can, but am keen to hear about your experience as the biocell driver worked out well.

Sent from my SM-G900FD using Tapatalk

[Daves]

Dave your thread is always a great read.
How do you find the fly z irons?I currently game rocketbladez but think I am outgrowing them.
Im planning on attending a demo night when I can, but am keen to hear about your experience as the biocell driver worked out well.

Sent from my SM-G900FD using Tapatalk

Hi Josh,

I have only played one round with the Fly Z Pro Combos so far, but they seemed pretty good. Whether they are a match for my favourite set, the Cobra S3 Pro Combos is yet to be determined. Being a blade/cavity back mix, they are moderately forgiving, but nothing like say my Bio Cell + set. They are also not strong lofts, but as long as you adjust your club selection accordingly, they are still consistent distance wise.

They do require reasonably consistent ball striking though to get the best out of them. If you aren't quite so consistent, you will probably find something like the Bio Cells/Bio Cell + or Fly Zs easier to live with. MOI matching will also help in regard to improving your ball striking, happy to help out there in need. You are also welcome to borrow a set to try.

[Daves]

My first round of golf in a fortnight today! Bag selection as follows;

Driver: Adams 9064LS Aldila RIP Stiff
Fairway: Adams Tight Lies 16*
Hybrid: Adams 9031 Pro Black 18*
Irons: Adams CB2 5- PW, CB3 4i
Wedges: Yururi Raw Genki 53*, 57* & 61*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS 37"
Ball: TBD
Buggy: TBD

[Ferrins]

What was your 52nd iron set choice?

[Dotty]

The anticipation is killing me.

Have you decided on today's ball and buggy yet?