Dave's Bag Lotto and Club Reviews

[CeeAy]

Thanks Dave - looking forward to the rest of the write up. It’s nice to read an opinion that covers more than the last year or two’s equipment. It shows there’s lots of great stuff out there regardless of age / manufacturer.

Cheers

[Daves]

Thanks Dave - looking forward to the rest of the write up. It’s nice to read an opinion that covers more than the last year or two’s equipment. It shows there’s lots of great stuff out there regardless of age / manufacturer.

Cheers

Thank CeeAy. I have the luxury of having a lot of Game Golf data (535 rounds so far) to be able to compare clubs statistically, as well as from a feel/look perspective. There is no doubt that the newer Drivers are on average noticeably more forgiving. But they hit the wall quite a while ago now on outright performance capability. The longest Driver I have hit is a TM Burner Superfast 2.0 (2011) but I hit relatively few fairways with it (it wanted to go left). The M6 I used yesterday wasn't as long, but I hit nearly every fairway with it, and the misses were minor.

Fairways

Truth be told I don't use a Fairway club that often these days. I can go several rounds without using it. Currently it only tends to get pulled out if I am in a position to have a go on a long par 4 or a par 5. It is something that has me thinking, because I don't have any particular aversion to using a fairway club. And of late, with some technique improvement, I have been hitting them very well, often as long as my Drivers. My old favorite 3 wood is a Cobra LD Speed F , the "Tonk" club. I once played Bribie Island with it and no Driver and won the day (it was an Ozgolf Champs pre round). I tend to like Cobra 3 Woods, otherwise any of the modern 3 woods work pretty well. I don't use a 5 wood, though I have a couple. Nothing against them, I just find a 18/20* Hybrid more useful for me.

Hybrids

I like Hybrids and usually carry one. At times I have bagged two or more, but more recently it has just been one 18 to 20 degrees (I carry a 4i most rounds). Most of the new Hybrids seem to work pretty well. But I also have some old Favorites including the Cobra Baffler Pros and just about any Adams Hybrid model (Gold and A12 Pro would be my picks). To that I would add the Callaway BB 815 Alphas and the TM SLDRs.

Putters

I am a Mallet/CB fan. I am more towards to straight back and through stroke so a face balanced Mallet, preferably Centre Shafted, will do the job for me. I find rotating Putters helps my game. It makes me more aware of my set up etc and tends to stop me failing into bad habits through familiarity. The Putter I love the look and feel of most its probably my MacGregor by Bobby Grace V Foil CS Mallet. To me this is beautiful piece of design with great alignment/sight lines and terrific face feel. I am also partial to the Scotty Cameron Kombi design (I have 2) and most Yes Mallet Putters. I adjust most of my putters to suit my specs and preferences. Lengthened to around 38"and Counter Balanced 1) takes some strain off my back 2) Seems to fit my stance naturally 3) gives me grip position options and 4) seems to give me the best sight line set up. Add to that a fixed routine and putting tends to become easier. And that flows back into the short game.

[AndyP]

Thank CeeAy. I have the luxury of having a lot of Game Golf data (535 rounds so far) to be able to compare clubs statistically, as well as from a feel/look perspective. There is no doubt that the newer Drivers are on average noticeably more forgiving. But they hit the wall quite a while ago now on outright performance capability. The longest Driver I have hit is a TM Burner Superfast 2.0 (2011) but I hit relatively few fairways with it (it wanted to go left). The M6 I used yesterday wasn't as long, but I hit nearly every fairway with it, and the misses were minor.

benno_r keeps telling me that I should get a modern driver; not because of the length for good hits, but for the length of those that are off centre. Your statement supports that. How new are you talking about? I'm probably not going to spend more than $200 on a driver.

[3Puttpete]

benno_r keeps telling me that I should get a modern driver; not because of the length for good hits, but for the length of those that are off centre. Your statement supports that. How new are you talking about? I'm probably not going to spend more than $200 on a driver.

For that money it’ll be 15 years newer than yours

[thecollective]

benno_r keeps telling me that I should get a modern driver; not because of the length for good hits, but for the length of those that are off centre. Your statement supports that. How new are you talking about? I'm probably not going to spend more than $200 on a driver.

M4 on GCO, might be over $200 but not by much.

They had a 20% sale a few weeks ago, if you can't wait use ytp019 for 10%. If that does not work use checkout5

[Daves]

benno_r keeps telling me that I should get a modern driver; not because of the length for good hits, but for the length of those that are off centre. Your statement supports that. How new are you talking about? I'm probably not going to spend more than $200 on a driver.

3 to 4 models or so back will get you much the same Tech for most;

Ping from G30 on

TM from M1/M2, M3/M4 introduced Twist Face

Cobra from F6/F7

Callaway from 2014 on (all the 2014+ Big Bertha models and XRs on)

Titleist from 910 on

Mizuno JPX-850 on

Nike Vapor series (the last they made)

Cleveland from the Classic/Classic XL on

Srixon from 2014 on.

[Daves]

Saturday was a Monthly medal round. I started OK and was grinding hard to keep scores to par of bogey at worst. But I stumbled over the last few holes of each nine to finish 9 shots over. I even managed three 3 jabs back to back, which is something I have not done before.

Driver: TM M4 Tour 9.5* with MR Kuro Kage Black Reg
Fairway:TM M3 3 Wood
Hybrid: Mutant golf Lil_Kra-Z 19*
Irons: Srixon Z765/565 Combo 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Natalie CS CB 38"

My second time out with the TM M4 Tour and I am still getting used to it. It requires a bit of management as the face is wide open, but I was generally happy with the results. The tendency is to hit little pull cuts that were mostly fairway finders. But you can fall into slapping it and loosing distance and control. Hit through it and it is quite long, but with that small move left. I can draw it but it takes patience and application, it isn't a "natural shot" with it. Having said that I hit plenty of fairways and was generally well in front of the rest of the group on the day.

My weakness on the day was not hitting greens and then making too few Up & Downs to recover. I was hitting the Srixons OK, but too often I was rushing the shot and losing my control. It wasn't even mishits, it was pulls that flew the green. Or I caught tree limbs I didn't even think were in play when choosing my shot. My short game was OK, but never really rose to any heights. The greens were quicker thn they have been and required some adjustments I struggled to make on the day.

[Daves]

Monday's round was a Vets round at Oxley. I was interested to see how the course was holding up as I had been told it was Tee up last week, and the course was said to be in poor condition late last year due to lack of water. It seems that they got a good amount of rain from the storms a couple of weeks ago and this has brought the course back quite well. It is obvious they have been struggling to get the mowers on to certain areas and there were a number of washed out bunkers still to be brought back into play.

There are major changes in the wind for the Oxley Course apparently. Boundary Road is going to be rebuilt and there will be resumptions. I was told the club is going to sell the Western parcel of the course, and I presume that includes the clubhouse. These things do tend to take a long time to come to fruition though.

In terms of my play it was another round that got away from me, 31points with 3 wipes. Including a 2nd ball eagle on the 7th after putting my first drive OOB.

Driver: Cobra F Max 10.5* with Cobra Superlite Reg
Fairway:Cobra F Max 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro Gold Proto 18*

Irons: Cobra King F8 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Futura 7M C-B 38"

The F Max is a super friendly, easy to hit Driver, that looks good as well. But it does have a closed face that can get in your head. It isn't wildly closed, but it is enough to notice. Generally, as long as I tried to hit it relatively straight, it went straight where I aimed it. However, if I got a bit ambitious and tried to work it hard, I tended to struggle with my line control. I found I then either stood up on it and hit a big push, or pulled it too far right.

The F8s were solid as long as I didn't rush the shot. I parred three of the four pars 3s and wiped the other. That sort of summed up my day.

I struggled with my short game. The greens were un-mown and the green fringes were fairly lush, wet and somewhat overgrown in places. My favored bump and run chip shots did not play out well for me in the conditions. And the speed of the greens was quite variable. I putted quite well in the conditions, and only had 28 official putts. But there were a few from the fringes from where the run up shot stopped short on me.

[Daves]

Wednesday's round was a single Stableford at Redland Bay. Another one that got away. I ended up with 32pts with two wipes, after solid starts on both nines. I had nine pars, 7 bogies. It was only two holes that blew out my score, both due to impatient irons shots.

Driver: TM M6 10.5* with Fujikura ATMOS 5S
Fairway:TM 2017 M1 3 Wood
Hybrid: TM M2 #3 19*
Irons: TM R11 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: TM TP Collection Berwick CB Mallet 38"

The M6 was super solid. It is a super easy Driver to hit and very friendly on off centre hits. Though most were coming right out of the middle for me. Only three FIR misses and all were minor misses where I over did the shape. Generally it went where I aimed it. It isn't super long, but long enough to keep me in front of the group all day.

The R11s were solid and felt good. I have always liked the looks of this model, they are easy on the eye. I was hitting them OK generally, but as mentioned impatience lead to couple of fumbles on what should have been relatively easy shots in.

I made a lot of U & Ds, which is where the usual strength in my game lies, but I should have made more. I was using a higher spin ball (Chrome soft X) and was coming up a tad short at times with my chips. But on other occasions I was able to pitch close and stop it, so it was mixed results with it.

[CeeAy]

Awesome stuff Dave - a really informative read, appreciate you taking the time do do it!

[AndyP]

Thanks for the driver tips, guys. I'll start looking around, but I'm never in a hurry with these sorts of things.

[Daves]

Yesterday was another Single Stab at Reddie Bay. I started OK, played steady golf, birdied the 6th, but then lost a wheel. Simple mental/execution errors due to impatience. I hit a great drive into the wind on the 7th to be in a prime position with just a wedge in. Then rushed my shot and transition, hit it fat and dunked it for a wipe. I bounced straight back on 8 with a Reg par, then dunked my ball twice on the 9th for another wipe. Again steady progress on the back nine. I wasn't playing anywhere near my best, but kept grinding points. Then another poorly executed shot on the 15, after a great par reg on our index 1 14th prior. In the end I had 31pts with 3 wipes and had let another one slip away.

Driver: Adams Super LS 10.5* with PL Blue Reg
Fairway:Adams Super S 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams A12 Pro #2 18*
Irons: Adams CB3 with Matrix Program 8.1 Stiff 4 - PW
Wedges CB3 49*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: Adams A12 OS Mallet CS CB 38"

The Super LS Driver was very solid all day. Only a couple of poor swings spoiled some very good driving for most of the round. It wasn't super long, but it was out there where I needed it and it was very straight. This was one of the very first speed slot Drivers. Adams being the main pioneer of the technology which lead to TM buying Adams a couple of years later.

The CB3 are a favorite set and they performed to expectations. I hit well above my average GIRs, and again only some poor transition swings spoilt an otherwise very good result.

My short game was OK, but I didn't convert very much all day. I was super solid with the putter, but other than the Birdie Putt, I made nothing all day. 34 putts and not a single 3 jab tell the story. Lots of putts running across the edges without dropping. It was the same for the whole group all day.

[Daves]

Monday's round was with the Brisbane Vets at Indooroopilly. We played the Blue Gold combination. I struggled off the tee for most of the day with a bad case of the pull rights. No hooks, just pulls. I managed to scramble hard and ended up with 32 points (16/16) with a wipe on each nine.

Driver: Callaway BB 2016 10.5* with PL Red Reg
Fairway:Callaway BB 2016 3 Wood
Hybrid: Callaway XR Pro #2 18*
Irons: Callaway Apex 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS CB 38"

As mentioned, it was a Pullathon! Ironically, my first drive was a Push left. After that I managed 8 hard pulls out of the next 13 drives. It was all swing related, but I was interested to note that my Game Golf stats for the BB 2016 show all my misses are to the right, which is way out of kilter to my average Driver Stats. So there might also be something about the look at address that gets into my head?. I am not sure what though as it doesn't look overly close or anything?? It has also highlighted to me that there are left and right biased Drivers in the collection and perhaps there is a case of horses for courses in my club selection sometimes?

I was actually pretty strong with the Apexs and hit a lot of greens, a surprising number given my poor off tee position most of the time. I did also hit couple of pulls with them, though nothing overly wide of the mark. But one did result in one of my two wipes though.

A quick mention of the XR Pro Hybrid. It is a weapon and was instrumental in my getting well back into play a couple of times after a bad pull off the tee.

The short game was OK, but not great. I thought I putted well, but still managed 34 putts for the round.

[Daves]

Yesterday I played in our Black Marker Challenge. I didn't think I would be playing as it was teaming down rain when I left home. But when I got to the course 10ks away, it was basically dry and there had been no rain for at least a few hours there. We got through the round without even a shower, not even a sprinkle. However overnight we have had 140+ mm and everything is now totally soaked.

My round was very frustrating, a mix of really good and really bad. I struggled badly with the Driver at times and had to scramble hard. Eventually I buckled and 2 wipes late in the round ended any hope of a good score. I finished with 30pts (17/13).

Driver: Srixon Z-355 with Miyazaki Mizore Tour 6S
Fairway:Srixon Z-355 3 Wood
Hybrid: Srixon Z-355 #3 19*
Irons: Srixon Z-355 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: Scotty Cameron Golo Select CB 38"

My first drives on each nine were absolute shockers. All Arms, no Rotation push cuts, wide left. I managed to scramble back in each case and had a short putt for bogey two pointers and managed to miss both. That hit my confidence with the Driver and I was pretty variable. But frustratingly I hit some very good drives, ironically more often than not on the harder Driving holes. Really hard to meaningful review the Z-355 because my swing so variable.

With the irons on the other hand I was actually swing pretty well. I hit some pure shots with the 4i in particular, but all lofts were very solid. And my short game with the short irons was extra hot. I hit chips to inside 5 feet, more often inside 3 feet or less several times during the round. Only to miss the putt conversion too many times. It was just poor execution and impatience; basically not following my well established routine. Ironically even then I only had 31 putts because I was getting so close with my up & down attempts every time. My worse chip all day was to 7 feet, ironically I made that putt! So was my day!

[Daves]

My Monday round was a Vets round at Brisbane GC. It was super steamy, 90+% humidity, that reached 100% when torrential rain hit as we played the last few holes. I started well, birdied the first and was reasonably steady score wise for the round, but never quite got it going ball striking wise. I finished with 33points (18/15), with no wipes.

Driver: Cobra King F8 10.5* with Aldila NV 2 KXV 60S
Fairway:Cobra Fly Z 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cobra F8 #3 19*
Irons: Cobra King Forged TEC 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Futura 7M CB 38"

I am still struggling with my Driver swing. I am gradually getting it fixed but it isn't nearly as reliable as it was just a few weeks ago. The lack of confidence is hindering me distance and accuracy wise. The F8 is relatively easy to hit and quite friendly which helps, but I have found I have had to throttle back a bit and just focus on keeping it in play and that worked reasonably well for most of the round.

The Fly Z 3 wood was very solid. I love the look of this one, with its sort of Ceramic White finish.

The Forged TECs were also solid. I hit a good number of greens and was swinging OK with them.

It was my U & D game that was a little lacking at times, Partly because of some tighter lies than I have been playing, and partly because the Greens had been scarified and sanded and I wasn't quite with the pace of them at times. I did make a few good U & Ds and I putted solidly (6 one putts).

[Daves]

Yesterday's round was a single Stableford at Reddie Bay. It was another humid scorcher. It is hard to keep the fluids up in these conditions. I started solidly and ground out a solid 19 points on the back nine. But I lost my touch and any luck I had on the 2nd nine and had accumulated only 5 points through the first six, and that was with a single wipe on the 1st. I ground out 3 x 2 points over the closing 3 holes for a 19/11 = 30 point total.

Driver: Cobra Max 10.5* with Matrix White Tie 55 Stiff
Fairway:Cobra Max 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cobra Max #3 19*
Irons: Cobra Fly Z 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Golo 5 DB CB 38"

I continue to struggle to get my Driver swing back on track, but progress is being made. The closed face and offset of the Max Driver added an extra challenge but generally it wasn't a major issue. I was trying to avoid going right and did this successfully. Which meant my bad shots were straight pushes left. The Max is unsurprisingly super friendly. The classic high toe mishit goes long, high and straight. you lose very little with this miss.I find I can hit baby cuts very easily with Drivers like the Max, but ironically struggle to turn over a draw. Towards the end of the round I hit a couple of classic draws with the Max and the distances were solid as well.

I was pretty solid with the Fly Zs. These irons feel great and have a nice look at address. But they still have plenty of help across the face on mishits.

My short game was a little mixed, though I will put that down mainly to the conditions. Our course has had over 240mms of rain over the past week, though it was surprisingly dry considering. But the greens had been scarified and the mowing hadn't been totally caught up so lies and bounces were quite variable. The putter was solid (5 one putts).

[Daves]

Yesterday's round was a single stab at Reddie Bay. The rebuild of the swing continues and it went pretty well in this round. I hit the ball well for the most part and was very steady scoring wise till towards the end. I ended up with 34 points (18/16) with two wipes.

Driver: Titleist 909 D2 10.5* with PL Red Stiff
Fairway:Titieist 909 F2 3 Wood
Hybrid: Titleist 910H 19*
Irons: Titleist 716 AP2 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Red X 35"

The 909 was an interesting bag selection. I had not used it in comp for some 4 years. It was one of my first Driver purchases after I retired. It shows up well against much newer Drivers. The 909 was released in 2008, we have seen another 6 new model series since then. The Game Golf stats for it are quite good. I thought it might also be a "truth" club for how my swing fix was going. Any mishits away from the face centre should have been more obvious than with the much more forgiving latter models. I never really got to find out though as I hit it solidly all day and my misses were only slight. I did notice it spun up a bit at times, particularly if I over hit a cut style shot. It did have solid distance though, and whilst not the longest I have hit lately, it was certainly in the top end of the field and well ahead of my playing colleagues.

The 909 F2 was very solid also. I am not sure it is very forgiving on a mishit, but I did not find out as I nailed it each time I used it and got solid distance out of it. It felt very solid on impact.

My iron striking was also fairly solid and my GIR % was well over my long term average. I still need to work on proximity to target, but generally I was pretty solid off the short stuff and reasonably consistent on my distance control.

My short game was a bit mixed. Our greens had been Verticut during the week and were bit slow and uneven in spots. I struggled to get my chips as close as I normally do. I just wasn't getting the same first bounce check I usually do. My putting was OK for the most part, but like everyone else I seemed to leave lot of online putts short, in the jaws.

[markTHEblake]

Do you try varied driver lofts much, how does that work out for you? I alternate between 2 drivers, one is a significantly low baller, and its never good for the first round or two when I change.

[Daves]

Do you try varied driver lofts much, how does that work out for you? I alternate between 2 drivers, one is a significantly low baller, and its never good for the first round or two when I change.

Sometimes. I find that forgiveness tends to diminish a little as loft decreases. And so does spin, which can be a positive or negative depending on the brand model and your swing characteristics. I do have a few twin sets e.g. 10.5* and a 9.5* in the same Driver, even an 8.5* in one case. The numbers suggest that the lower lofts are a little bit longer. Typically that would appear to be due to the lower flight and spin i.e runout.

My experience is similar to yours in that they tend to take a little longer to adjust too. I don't hit a high ball, so lower loft isn't something I need per se to fit my swing. Lower lofts tend to be good for hitting Knuckle balls. With lowering adjustable Drivers I sometimes find it a bit different to a fixed model as the face angle can change noticeably. I have never done a fitting type session with a Launch Monitor to see the number differences, but my feel is that it is there for some models, not so much on others.

[Daves]

Yesterday I played a Monthly Medal round at Redland Bay. My golf was pretty mixed. I ground out a round, but lost the plot a bit a couple of times. Too intent on the 4 ball match than my individual round (we won the day on the last!) In the end it was back to back 43s for an 86/75 (after correcting for the handicap calc error).

Driver: Callaway Razr Fit 9.5* with PL Blue Stiff
Fairway:Cleveland Launcher Comp 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams A12 Pro 18*
Irons: TM Speedblade 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: Nike Ignite 4 CS CB 38"

My success with the Titty 909 inspire me to bag the Razr Fit (last time in June 2016). And it did not disappoint. I wasn't swinging particularly well, my first few drives were pulls right, but once I settled I hit it really well . It felt great and my playing colleagues commented on how good it sounded. It was sneaky long at times and it did not spin up like the 909 if I put a poor swing on it.

I continue to enjoy the Speedblades. My GIR stats yesterday weren't wonderful, but they had to work hard at times and my misses were thereabouts most of the time. Shot of the day was a 4i draw into the wind from 175m to inside 3 feet for a kick in bird on the 12th. Closely followed by an 8 iron chip to a similar distance on the 10th for an U & D par. Ironically, I missed (flew) the green from 110m on the 11th and that sequence sort of bench-marked my day. Good, good, bad....

My short game was hot a times. I made 5 U & Ds for par and another couple for bogey. I putted solidly with the Nike without ever feeling totally confident with it. Having said that its stats to day are pretty solid at a 29.5 putts average.

[Daves]

My Monday round was with the Brisbane Vets at Keppera. It started OK but then deteriorated into one of those rounds we all dread. I had been expecting it for a while! In the end I managed a whole 22 points with 5 wipes. And I didn't even come close to winning the NAGA on the day! The course was probably in the best condition I have seen it, but there was still lots of bare spots from the previous dry conditions. And the bunkers had not all been renovated yet after the last rain.

Driver: Titleist 910 D3 9.5* with Diamana A'hina 72 Stiff
Fairway:Cleveland Launcher Comp 3 Wood
Hybrid: Titleist 913Hd 18*
Irons: Titleist 710 AP2 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Kombi 37"

A very mixed day results wise with the 910, but that was all me. I had a chronic case of the pulls. My left (trailing) Hip wasn't playing ball and it was slide, attempt to recover, big pull right. And they were coming out of the middle, which meant they were going deep into the Bundah! On the occasions that I did swing properly, they were going long and straight with a nice high ball flight. So it was a very frustrating day.

As the uncertainly of swing crept through the rest of my bag, and I tried to fix the swing, I started to hit some poorly struck irons shots. Yet in between I hit some pearlers! I just did not know what was coming next. And just to finish off my day I lost my ball on the last hole in the un-mown (right) rough after another huge pull right.

Nothing positive to say on the short game either. I made nothing with the putter, mainly because I was never close enough to have a real chance.

[Daves]

We have had over 450mm of rain in the last two weeks. So far this year, Redland Bay has had more rain than we receive in all of 2019. So the course was still somewhat wet and the Mowers had not been able to get onto much of the rough. Lost balls and tough shots out of the long, thick rough were the order of the day if you missed the Fairway. Bunkers were full of water and out of play, though I never went near one all day. I started OK, stumbled,recovered and in the end ground out a round of 33 points (15 / 18 ).

Driver: Titleist 913 D3 9.5* with Nunchuk
Fairway:Titleist 910F 3 Wood
Hybrid: Titleist 910H 17*
Irons: Titleist 710CB with Nippon 105T 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Golo 5 Dual Balance 38"

My swing was a bit rusty, but I did manage to drive the ball OK most of the time. There was absolutely no run, so accuracy had to be the order of the day. The 913 was very solid, felt good and went pretty straight most of the time. As long as I didn't overstep my ability and try to do more with it than just get it in play.

I enjoyed the CBs. My striking was average, so stats were nothing special. But I did hit a beautiful 7i to 15cm on the 11th for a kick in.

My short game was OK, but it did need to be. Chipping out of the long, wet close rough add a few levels of difficulty at times. The greens were pretty good considering. They rolled OK, though they were a touch slow, understandably. And my putting mostly back it up (29).

[Daves]

On Monday the Vets played at Virginia. Knowing the course, I had misgiving, but turned up anyway. I should have listened to the voice in my head!

The course was very wet and there was obvious signed of extensive flooding and residual inundation. The mowers had not been able to get onto a lot of the course. The course was considerably shortened. The par 5 first, into a 120m par 3. And the par 4 6th into similar length par3. The 15th is being reconstructed, so was out of play. So another par 3 substitute (28th) that was in atrocious condition. To top it off, 3 fairways (1, 13, 18 ) were being remade and we had to play over 100m of fairway wide chook poo soil on each. I still have not shaken the stench completely!

I started OK, but then struggled badly off the tee. I was hitting them straight left or straight right, very few down the middle. In the end I accumulated 33 points, but that was inflated due to a reduced par against unchanged Scr rating inflating everyone's handicap on the day.

Driver: TM M6 10.5 with ATMOS 5 Stiff
Fairway:TM M4 Wood
Hybrid: TM 2017 M119*
Irons: TM 2017 M2 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: TM Spider Mallet 74 CS CB 38"

I was mostly striking the M6 OK, but was unable to control my lines. I hit my first fairway, but very few there after. Distance was OK, but that only meant it as further into trouble.

This meant the M2s had a lot of work to do. and they stood up pretty well. I enjoyed hitting them and hit more greens than I managed FIR on the day. They are long and I get a good high, but controllable ball flight with them. Shot of the day was a flighted 170m 5 iron into the 8th green to give me a chance of Birdie.

Unfortunately, I was unable to overcome the conditions with my short game. The bounce around the fringes was extremely inconsistent and the greens were horrible. They seem to had done a savage verticut on them and it was nothing but deep tram tracks and bumpy surfaces all day. Putting was a lottery.

[Daves]

Yesterday's round was a single Stableford at Redland Bay.The ground crew had put in a big effort with the mowers and the bunkers been restored in record time. The course is looking very good, and the rough, though now mown, is still very thick and a chlalenge to hit out of (and finds ball therein).

I started OK, and ground out a solid if uneventful first nine. But my 2nd nine deteriorated badly as my left hip started to protest and became uncooperative! In the end I managed 29 points (17/12).

Driver: Cobra ZL Encore 10.5* with PL Blue reg
Fairway:Cobra LD F Speed 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cobra AMP #3 19*
Irons: Cobra Fly Z M2 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Golo Select CB 38"

I enjoyed the ZL Encore, it is pretty easy Driver to hit and it is quite straight. I one missed one fairway on the first nine, but that changed as the hip stopped turning and I started to slide on the back nine. My misses were pretty much all straight left (slide, drop in side trying to recover, but bottom of swing now 4/6" behind set up position). The Encore is very solid, quite friendly and distance wise thereabout with most newer drivers. It stand up very well in current company. I also have a ZL model that is very similar in results and feel.

The Hip slide problem was evident through the bag, even my old faithful F Speed was going straight left.

The Fly Z went OK, but were left with a lot to do at times. I noted a number of fliers out of rough lies and few that popped as well.

My short game was pretty solid and held up through slide slide. I made 7 U & Ds and the feel off the face with recovery chips shots gave me confidence to play the shots I needed. My putting was good (29), I struggled to make anything outside 5 feet, but missed nothing inside that distance.

[Daves]

Friday's round was a Black Marker Challenge at Reddie Bay. I started OK, ground my way through early going . Birdied the 6th then wiped the 7th, and staggered to 18 points at the turn. Started the back nine with a wipe, but then ground out 18 points over the remaining 8 to finish with 36 for the round. I was a little disappointed with the result, a little carelessness has seen a short putt missed and a few putts left hanging over the front of the hole. So I was somewhat surprised to find out later that my score held up and I won the day. The pins were extra tough and the rough is brutal at the moment, I guess that told on the field.

Driver: Ping G Series SF TEC 12* with PL Blue reg
Fairway:Ping G Series 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams Idea Tour Prototype 18*
Irons: Srixon Z765 4 - PW
Wedges TM RSi 1 50*, Yururi 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS CB 38"

The Ping was in the bag to hopefully help me get my driving back on track, and it mostly worked a treat. I moved as much load as I could off my bad hip onto my leading hip and I started hitting the ball where I aimed it, and out of the middle. I did have a couple of hiccups where the slide returned, but I mostly kept them at bay.

My iron striking was a little mixed. I was trying to hold onto my angles as much as I could. When it worked it was beautiful, but it also threw up some thins and half skulls. I really shouldn't be trying to fix a swing during round, but hey you do what you can.

My short game was a little mixed, but when it was good, it was very good. I struggled a little early to feel the ball off the face, but gradually got there. My putting was very good at times, I made a few really good longer putts. But I spoilt it with a few shorter misses that are usually my bread and butter.