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amanda
12th August 2004, 02:34 PM
Hi all,

I've recently discovered a distance gap between my 3w & 4i/9w - this wasn't a problem before as I never really had to hit that distance but it's confronting me more & more often these days as I'm hitting it a little further.

I met up with Terence today at lunch and demo'd a few things - Ashton 3 wood and a Wishon 321Li hybrid 1 iron. Now, these weren't the specs I was after, but I was more interested in how each of the clubs felt to hit.

The Ashton is bloody amazing - every 3w shot was nice and high (for me - my 3w usually doesn't get more than 4-5m off the ground - the Ashton had the 3w flight you typically see from male players), super straight and further than I usually hit my 3w by a good 10m (carry). I was super-surprised as my SMT Solitare 3w has become a slicing machine off the tee & fairway in the past 3 months - I've just been aiming way left to compensate. I thought it was my swing - now I find out it's the club.

Here is the weird thing - the Ashton is a Nippon graphite mens R flex (80gms), while my Solitare is an Accuflex A flex (55gms). Terence had a go hitting my 3w and try as much as he could to hook the thing - it kept slicing to buggery. The theory we came up with is that now I'm swinging faster than I did when I originally bought the club in January this year (thanks to some lessons) and now the shaft is too soft. Now I know that typically a shaft that is too stiff results in shots going right or the slice, but how come I can hit a Reg flex straight? Could it be something to do with the weight?

Anyway - the hybrid iron wasn't for me - the head was too heavy.

So I'm going for a 3w & 5w with 70g shafts in mens R flex.

I'm confused - but happy :D

Fishman Dan
12th August 2004, 03:02 PM
I was super-surprised as my SMT Solitare 3w has become a slicing machine .....


I thought it was my swing - now I find out it's the club.

A good craftsman (or person...).... :wink: :?

Good luck with the club..

amanda
12th August 2004, 03:05 PM
A good craftsman (or person...)....

That's the strange thing Fishy as Terence had both of them made up. :?:

CobraSS
12th August 2004, 03:30 PM
A good craftsman never blames his/her tools.
:P

burger
12th August 2004, 03:32 PM
Why not reshaft the solitare?
stu

AndyP
12th August 2004, 03:49 PM
Why not reshaft the solitare?
stu
It's obvious that amanda is a ho. (Of golf equipment, of course) :P

amanda
12th August 2004, 05:38 PM
Why not reshaft the solitare?
stu

I was thinking of this- however, the bottom edge of the solitare doesn't sit entirely flat on the ground - if you're looking at the club face on, only about 1cm of the bottom edge. Now, this is ok out of the light rough, but after discovering how to hit more fairways, I can't hit the thing off the fairway!

The Ashton seems to be able to get the ball up quicker.

And I'm a ho :wink:

Jarro
12th August 2004, 05:55 PM
well done Amanda :smt023

as long as it works for you.. don't listen to all that crap about a tradesman blaming their tools :roll:

Ona
12th August 2004, 06:34 PM
more :smt050 for the ashtons

amanda do the fairways have the mirror face?

amanda
12th August 2004, 07:50 PM
Onabreak - not as mirror-like as the driver - but still very very shiny.

Jono
12th August 2004, 08:14 PM
Hi Amanda,

So Terence got to you too, huh? :lol:

I think I'll be getting my Ashtons about the same time you get yours. I'm going the whole Ashton hog ... Driver, 3W and the 5W. Perhaps we can compare notes after we get them.

For those who have never seen Ashton woods before:

www.ashtongolf.com

The reason I like the fairway woods is that they are shallow face with low center of gravity, but not overly so (like the early Adams Tightlies). Also, they have a very clean look as well, which I like.

I think you made the right choice. The Solitaire looked a bit too deep faced for a fairway wood to me. Hard to hit off the turf.

Anyway, I hope we get our Ashtons before the Shellharbour game.

amanda
12th August 2004, 09:08 PM
Hey Jono,

I was originally thinking of the Wishon 321Li hybrid iron but he also suggested the Ashtons.

Shellharbour is in 4 weeks - we should definitely have them by then - I was told about a fortnight.

Are you getting the same shaft that T has in his?

Jono
13th August 2004, 12:08 PM
I'm going to put ICON V2 (same shaft as the one in my Spectrum at the moment) in the driver and #3 and UST IROD in the #5. (BTW, Terence hates the IROD :D )

Wishon hybrids are weighted like long irons, so needs to be treated as such (ie. trimmed to long iron length). So, if you are after a 1,2, or 3 iron but wanted added forgiveness, Wishon hybrids are perfect. However, if you are more after a fairway wood then the Ashton is better choice.

The Ashtons certainly look good, don't they? :wink:

amanda
17th August 2004, 01:43 PM
Jono - they arrived today! I had a choice of 14.5, 15 and 15.5 3 wood heads and went with the highest one since my driver is already 14.

They will be ready next week :D - I'll try and leave some cushion on my handicap so that I can be the burglar at Shellharbour :wink:

Jono
17th August 2004, 07:30 PM
Jono - they arrived today!

I know ... I have them right in front of me now ... :wink:

I picked the heads up from Terence this evening after work. I have the shafts ready too. Now for some epoxy ... :lol:

I'll try to put them together this week and get them ready for the weekend. Can't wait ...

I've decided to go for Nippon NS Pro lightweight steel shafts in the fairway woods ... which BTW were hand picked for me to be 1 degree stronger (ie. 14* and 18*). Try doing THAT with OEMs ... :lol:

BrisVegas
17th August 2004, 07:39 PM
For those who have never seen Ashton woods before:

www.ashtongolf.com


Cheers Jono! Good looking clubs. Hope you two are happy advocates for them! 8)

amanda
17th August 2004, 08:33 PM
I picked the heads up from Terence this evening after work. I have the shafts ready too. Now for some epoxy ... :lol:

You are just too clever! I'm letting Terence build mine - I don't have all of the gadgets required.


I'll try to put them together this week and get them ready for the weekend. Can't wait ...

I've decided to go for Nippon NS Pro lightweight steel shafts in the fairway woods ... which BTW were hand picked for me to be 1 degree stronger (ie. 14* and 18*). Try doing THAT with OEMs ... :lol:

Hang on - weren't you putting an IconV2 into the 3w and an IROD into the 5w?[/quote]

Jono
17th August 2004, 10:57 PM
You are just too clever! I'm letting Terence build mine - I don't have all of the gadgets required.


Let me rephrase ... I'll be putting the clubs together WITH a clubmaker's help ... :lol: I want to get the shafts spined and everything.



Hang on - weren't you putting an IconV2 into the 3w and an IROD into the 5w?

Yeah, but Terence has convinced me to go with the Nippon steel shafts, at slightly shorter lengths. Good old distance vs accuracy thing ...

BTW, has the headcover arrived yet?

amanda
18th August 2004, 07:50 AM
You are just too clever! I'm letting Terence build mine - I don't have all of the gadgets required.


Let me rephrase ... I'll be putting the clubs together WITH a clubmaker's help ... :lol: I want to get the shafts spined and everything.

I'm hoping that Terence will handle all of that - I'd better email him to check!





Hang on - weren't you putting an IconV2 into the 3w and an IROD into the 5w?

Yeah, but Terence has convinced me to go with the Nippon steel shafts, at slightly shorter lengths. Good old distance vs accuracy thing ...

BTW, has the headcover arrived yet?

I was originally thinking of steel also as it's a heck of a lot cheaper than graphite - but I was hitting the Nippon graphite so well I just stuck with that. Can I have a demo of your woods when we head down to Shellharbour?

As for the headcover - nope :? But mail is always slow to my place - when I bought my putter of macleod it took 6 days to get to me from Brisbane! If it arrives by Thursday, then it's still within the 4-7 day shipping window.