Dave's Bag Lotto and Club Reviews

[Daves]

I been a bit slack in my reporting, and have been otherwise engaged. But I have managed to get a few rounds in since my last report. The scoring was generally similar, with one good round of 39 points and the rest in the 33 to 36 points range.

Driver comparisons are interesting. Over a total of 7 rounds I used a 917 D2 twice, a G30 SF 3 times, and once each for a 2017 TM M2 and a Callaway Epic. I have been working on my swing, particularly with the Driver and it is slowly paying dividends. My first round with the D2 was ordinary, but after that I started hitting Driver more solidly, and with more control. My GG stats show The Epic as marginally longer then the M2, then comes the G30 and the D2 a couple of metres back. But if I drop out the first D2 round, it goes to the top of the heap and the lead with a 6m margin over the Epic. I have a Cobra F7 in the bag today to continue the comparison of the GI type Drivers.

I was a bit mixed with the irons. I used TM Rsi2 (4 times), and once each for 716 AP2, Callaway Apex and TM 2017 M2. My best stats were with the Rsi2s. Given that was over the last 2 rounds with them, I guess familiarity helped. I did notice that the AWT shafts in the AP2s limited my ability to loft the ball high when required (Reddie Bay has lots of trees!) Whereas the Rsi2 Program F15 shafts helped that type of shot a lot. My ball striking is improving steadily, but I am still tending to hit too many toey shots. So more work required.

My putting has been generally solid, but the results have been a little bit mixed with a range of 29 to 33 putts. I have so many lipout/spinouts on Reddie Bay greens, it is hard to pinpoint a reason. My bad putts is a rushed pull, but if I follow my routine and don't rush (I am still super quick, comparatively) I usually avoid that dominate hand/poor alignment problem.

[Daves]

Another 33 point round on /Wednesday (with 3 wipes). I was hitting the ball pretty well, but the Golf gods were not being kind.

Driver: Cobra King F7 10.5* with Prolaunch Blue Reg
Fairway: Cobra King F6 3 wood
Hybrid: Cobra King F6 19*
Irons: Cobra S3 Pro Combo 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Kombi

I have never really gelled with the F7 so far. And I am still struggling a little with the harsh "feel", you never really feel like you have nutted a drive with it. But I can't argue with the results I got. In the comparative GG data it ends up fractionally behind the Epic and equal with the M2, but with an equal longest driver stat. Despite the slightly closed look, it tended to be slightly left biased for me, though it wasn't difficult to work either way. It did favor a relatively neutral straight shot though in terms of flight and distance.

The F6 3 wood didn't get a run but the Hybrid sister did and was pretty solid.

It was a joy to have the S3s back in the bag. They are still my favorites and I love the feel of them. My ball striking also seems to improve when I have them in the bag.

My short game was generally solid, sometimes to solid! A few times I was all but dead near a tree but managed to get a good strike out of trouble, only to run too far into further trouble! I putted well without luck. 9 x 2 putts on the front nine tells the story, 4 of those spun out after looking down for all money.

The experimenting continues tomorrow, if the weather allows (doubtful at the moment).

[wizard_of_oz]

Sh*t Daves. How many sets do you currently own? What shaft did you put in the Epic driver? I game the same in a stock shaft and it's definitely longer than my previous drivers.

[Daves]

Sh*t Daves. How many sets do you currently own? What shaft did you put in the Epic driver? I game the same in a stock shaft and it's definitely longer than my previous drivers.

The Iron set count is over 70 nearly 80, the Driver (heads) count is double that. The rest in the middle somewhere. See my Avatar!

I try to use my standard shaft, a Prolaunch Blue ,whenever possible and that was what was in the Epic (and the Cobra and Titleist).

[wizard_of_oz]

Jeebus! You must have a warehouse to store all of your stuff. I go through stuff but only have two full sets, one gamer and one back up. Everything else gets on sold.

[dazza99]

Jeebus! You must have a warehouse to store all of your stuff. I go through stuff but only have two full sets, one gamer and one back up. Everything else gets on sold.

Dave has a 15 car garage.




With not a car in sight

[Daves]

Yesterday was a Monthly Medal and I managed to scramble my way around for a nett 66 to take the biscuits.

Driver: Nike Vapor Fly with Prolaunch Blue Reg
Fairway: Nike Vapor Fly 3 wood
Hybrid: Nike Vapor Fly 18*
Irons: Nike Vapor Fly 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Nike Method Matter M5-10

The Vapor Fly Driver was solid and I enjoyed using it. The rain made the conditions tough at times, but I hit it well for the most part. Distance was a little down (but still very solid) on my recent efforts, but I will attribute that to the wet conditions and lack of runout, as it felt competitive off the face to me.

Ditto the 3 Wood and Hybrid, both went pretty well for me.

I was solid with the Fly irons. My GIR was about average, but I was thereabouts most of the time
and I hit a few corkers. I am continuing to work on my swing setup and mechanics, and in particular I am starting to slowly develop my ability to hit the shot shapes I am after. I have struggled for a while to hit the fade/cut consistently, but am slowly getting there with setup tweaks.

My short game was pretty sharp and I backed it up with the putter (28 ) for the most part. And I was so close on another half dozen that I left hanging on the damp greens.

[Lucasto23]

Well done!!!!

[Ferrins]

👍

[Daves]

Another medal round, this time Wednesday's Monthly Mug event. I ended up scrambling hard again for the same gross score as Saturday, but with one shot less it meant it was a nett 67 this time. It looked liked I had the biscuits again too, 'til Peteyd beat me on a CB at the death! Wanker!

Driver: Cleveland Classic XL 10.5* with Miyazaki Kusula Blue Tour 61Sg
Fairway: Cleveland Classic XL 3 wood
Hybrid: Cleveland Classic 588MT 3i (19*)
Irons: Cleveland 588TT 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Cleveland Smart Square Blade

The XL was pretty solid, though I didn't put my best swings on it at times. When I did it was right up there. The GG stats tell me it was on par with the M2, so middle of the pack so far, but you can throw a blanket over the entire field at the moment. I did hit the longest drive so far, but it didn't finish on the fairway, so does it count?!

The TTs were super solid. I really like these irons a lot. I hit plenty of greens, and I was thereabout for much of the day. Which I needed to be, because my driving was a little erratic at times. Shot of the day was a 9i out of the trees on the 17th to inside 20 feet, for a super recovery par. The MT 3i fitted in perfectly too. Though I didn't need it off the tee, it could easily have been used as a Driver substitute on the shorter holes.

My short game was a little mixed, pretty solid for the most part, but just not as precise as it can be. I putted very solidly, but higher GIR meant longer first putts more often than not. I ended up with 31 putts, with no 3 stabs.

[PeteyD]

Bwahahahaha! Sucker. Mind you I left a birdie putt on the last (9) sitting on the edge of the hole ...

[Ferrins]

Nett Vardon Trophy potential there Dave.

[henno]

I had a 4-jab but also had a drive over 300m, so I am calling my day even.

[Daves]

Bwahahahaha! Sucker. Mind you I left a birdie putt on the last (9) sitting on the edge of the hole ...

Hacker!. I birdied the 9th, but ended up with a hidden mud ball on the 18th and finished with a PMO bogey.

[Daves]

Nett Vardon Trophy potential there Dave.

Tomorrow will be the test Chris. Memorial day off the backs again ,but with silly hard pin positions.

[Daves]

I had a 4-jab but also had a drive over 300m, so I am calling my day even.

I played with two low marker boomers who were hitting it way past me all day. I matched one and beat the other for birdies and only a couple of silly doubles stopped me from matching them off the stick.

[Ferrins]

Tomorrow will be the test Chris. Memorial day off the backs again ,but with silly hard pin positions.

Can I get into this field? Would need to be after 9am for tee off.

[Daves]

Can I get into this field? Would need to be after 9am for tee off.

I think it is a Member only event. I can't book you in, but you can check with the Pro Shop. It is a 12.00 midday shotgun start.

[Daves]

Another very solid round yesterday. One shot lower gross, but the same nett (41 points) with 1 shot less handicap to play with. And I got beaten on a CB again! I parred the first 5, and was 3 over through 11. Lost my way with Driver over the last 7 to add another 5 bogeys. End result will be that I will be playing (if we don't get rained out) with another shot less today i.e. 3 shots loss from last 3 rounds.

Driver: Adams Super S with PL Blue Reg
Fairway: Adams Speedline F11 Ti 3 wood
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Proto Gold 18*
Irons: Adams CB3 with Matrix 8.1 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS CB 38"

I started "Super" solid with the Super S and hit 6 of the first 7 fairways. But then tried to do too much with it in the windy wet conditions after that and lost the plot slightly. I managed to scramble pretty well, but the round could have been any thing if I had just focused on hitting FIR, as I was hitting my irons well.

The CB3 were sweet. I threw them in because of the rain forecast (graphite shafts are much easier to care for in the rain). I was striking them really well for the most part, and only a couple of balloony shots in the wind (my fault for back footing them and under estimating the wind strength) spoilt some pretty good ball striking.

Another very solid putting performance for 31 putts. I left 4 or 5 in the jaws on the slowish damp greens, and rarely struggled to manage a tap in 2 putt if the first missed.

[Ferrins]

I would let those clubs dry off and if you have a spare set then give them a run.

[PeteyD]

Managed around this morning with a little rain, but this arvo looks very wet.

[Daves]

Managed around this morning with a little rain, but this arvo looks very wet.

No one wanted to play, so I have had to pull the pin. It was starting to get a pretty wet, and there is at least another hour of solid rain to come.

[Daves]

A bit of a hiatus from Golf due to course renos and lots of rain. First round back on Wednesday, but we played a Gentsome. So no Handicap round till Friday, when I caught up to new BrisVegasite, RobNewy, at Nudgee. It was forecast to be a stinker, and whilst it was hot and humid, it never quite got to their 36 degree forecast. And a slight sea breeze helped take the edge off a little.

I started OK, scrambled a bit and somehow put together 18 points on the front. But my game fell apart on the back nine. 5 wipes for 9 points and 27 point total.

Driver: Titleist 917 D2 10.5* with PL Blue Reg
Fairway: Titleist 915 3 wood
Hybrid: TM SLDR TP 19*
Irons: Adams CB3 with Matrix 8.1 Stiff 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Golo 5 Dual Balance 38"

Not too much to say about the club selection, as my swing wasn't evenly remotely on or consistent for much of the round. I scrambled and putted well at times, but then I had to! 1 GIR and 27 putts sort of tells the story.

[Daves]

I was back out again yesterday at Reddie Bay for a SS. I played a lot better, but still not quite on song, but I managed to put together a fairly solid 36 points (19/17) with a wipe.

Driver: Ping G Series LS Tec 10.5* with Alta Blue 55 Reg
Fairway: Ping G Series 3 wood
Hybrid: Ping G Series 17*
Irons: Ping I20 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Sandy 12 Mid CB 38"

I was a little shaky early, but gradually got my mojo back and hit plenty of fairways. My Iron striking was also solid, though a couple of misdirected shots cost me at times. I now know how Bubba played that shot to win his first Masters! I hit a hooky high 8 iron on the 7th that missed the green right by 50 metres or so. Almost made the up and down too!, which was the story of my round for the most part. Lots of 2 putt GIR pars, mixed with scrambled bogies. The green were cored 10 days ago, so putting was a lottery, but I was pretty solid for the most part.

[Daves]

Another Single Stab on recovering greens yesterday. I was super solid for most of the round, but spoilt the finish with a wipe from the centre of the fairway for 38 points (21/17). Though it was luck (or lack there of) that did the damage. A Gap wedge from 80m cleared the front bunker and one the the guys said it was good. But then another said it was OOB! WTF?? Apparently it caught the bunker face downslope and took off some 40 metres OOB. Bugger!

Driver: Mizuno JPX-EZ 10.5* with Fujikura 757 Evo X Flex
Fairway: Mizuno JPX-850 3 wood
Hybrid: Mizuno JPX-EZ 19*
Irons: Mizuno M54 4 - PW
Wedges: Yururi Tour 49*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Seemore Big FGP CS Mallet 38"

The JPX-EZ went very well. But only after some tuning! I took it out on Tuesday for a practice round and it just did not feel right. It felt light and the contacts weren't crisp. I had another Driver along with me and a couple of drives with it told me it wasn't my swing that was the problem. A check on the MOI analyser when I got home confirmed the "lightness", it was about 5% under my MOI target. A quick shaft swap to a longer set up fixed that problem.

A few pulled drives (quick transition) spoilt an otherwise very good Driving performance. For the most part, I was able to place it pretty much where I wanted, shape it and all with very good length. The X Flex felt pretty good as well. Not at all boardy, but very stable and firm in the tip.

Looking at my Driver comparison data, the Mizuno coming up pretty well. Finishing second only to the 917 D2 and 3 to 5 metres in front of the M2, Epic, F7 and Ping G30/G Series.

The MP54s aren't particularly forgiving, but they feel great when you middle them. And they tend to make you focus a bit more on doing so! I was striking them pretty well for the most part and they were going where I aimed them. I had to allow a little for less than pure strikes coming up a little short, but I managed that pretty well. MY GIR stat was above my average, and there were quite a few more approach shots that were so close, they were very "effective".

This helped bolster my putting, with resultant off green putts muddying the stats. Offsetting that was a high GIR number, and recently cored green seeing a lot of 2 putt results. Helping also, my short game was pretty warm and included 3 sandies. 28 putts was pretty good result in the circumstances. I was original going to use my Mizuno Bettinardi C05 putter. But it proved pretty ineffective on the slow, bumpy greens in the practice round. I might need to add some length and weighty-ness to it! The heavy, longer Seemore proved itself as a very suitable substitute.

My