Dave's Bag Lotto and Club Reviews

[Daves]

My next round was single Stableford at Reddie Bay. The swing continued to flail and I struggled again to score. End result was 14/12= 26pts with 4 wipes.

Driver: Cobra King F9 10.5* with HZRDUS Smoke Black 60 6.0
Fairway: Callaway Epic 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams A12 Pro 18*
Irons: Ping 1E 4 - PW
Wedges Speedblade 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Nike Ignite 4 SC C-B 38"

I started topping everything, my timing and alignment were totally out of wack.I tamed it a few times during the round only for it to return soon after. I hit a reasonable number of fairways, but could not convert most of the time. And managed nothing on the greens (32 putts).

[Daves]

My next round was a Vets round at Ashgrove. WE had about 65mm of rin the the weekend prior and had a 30+ knot Westerly blowing, just to make it interesting. I actually played very well in the conditions for the most part, with a hiccup in the middle that lead to a couple of wipes. End result was 16/15 for 31 pts. Only three players broke their handicap on the day.

Driver: Ping G30 SFT 12* with Alta Blue Reg
Fairway: Titleist 910 Fd 3 Wood
Hybrid: PXG 0371 19*
Irons: Ping S56 4 - PW
Wedges Speedblade 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Futura 7M C-B 38"

I was hitting my Driver OK, but still not too my best. But I managed to stay out of trouble for the most part.

It was my iron play that was the standout. My striking was the best it had been in weeks.

The greens were the limitation, un-mown, wet and shaggy. 32 putts was the end result.

[Daves]

A quiet week due to visitors, my next round wasn't till Saturday, a single stroke at Reddie Bay. I started very solidly and played really well foe 12 holes, but stumbled my way home. 18/14 = 32 points with two wipes over the closing holes.

Driver: Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo 10.5* with Miyazaki c Kua 5S
Fairway: Titleist 917 F2 16.5* 3 Wood
Hybrid: Taylormade M4 #4 22*
Irons: Nike VR Red Forged Split Cavity 4 - PW
Wedges Speedblade 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Rife Barbados C-B 38"

I only missed two fairways all day, but ended up stone dead both times. The HB is very easy to hit and can be sneaky long at times.

My iron play was OK, but nowhere near my last round. It was my short game that sustained my score for the most part (27 putts).

[Daves]

Yesterday we played the first round of the Vets Champs at Oxley. It was stroke off the back tees. I started pretty solidly and maintained a solid scoring run over the back nine to play to handicap at the turn. But I stumbled a few times on the front nine coming home to finish with a 93/80 to finish mid field.

Driver: Adams Fast 12 LS 9.5* with Aldila NVS 55
Fairway: Cobra LD F/St 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cobra King F8 #3 19*
Irons: Titleist 714 CB 4 - PW
Wedges Speedblade 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: MacGregor by Bobby Grace V Foil Mk5 37"

I was pretty solid with the Fast 12, though it took me a while to get my shot for the day dialled, basically a heely cut. Though I did hit a boomer draw down the 7th, only to find myself in the middle of a sandy divot.

My irons play was a bit hit and miss. I was solid with the 4i, it was my go to club for most of the day.

The Oxley greens were really patchy, lots of bare spots and plenty of patchy areas and inconsistent pace. I putted well in patches, but it was too easy to 3 putt if you didn't get the first one close. None on seemed to tame the pace variability.

[Daves]

Wednesday's round was a single stab/4BBB combo at Reddie Bay. Another round that I would like to forget. Though I was in it for quite while. The Golf Gods have put a curse on me it seems! I was just holding my own through the first nine when my first unplayable lie derailed me. I fought back, but then had a few more stumbles and lost all interest pretty quickly. The final score was horrible 14/9 = 23

Driver: Callaway 2014 BB 10.5* with PL Blue Stiff
Fairway: Cleveland HB Launcher 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cleveland HB Launcher #3 19*
Irons: Mizuno MP54 4 - PW
Wedges Speedblade 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Taylormade TP Collection Berwick C-B 38"

It took me a few holes to get my alignment with the Big Bertha, but it was generally on target for most of the round till I lost the plot. And I was able to get good distance when I wanted it.

The HB Launchers arrived last week and this was their first outing. I was very impressed with both.

The MP54s went OK, but my waning confidence with my swing/game took its toll. It was the PW I did the damage with. Two bladed approaches and another perfectly hit that sailed over the green cost me 5 shots by themselves.

And I could not get my short game going, it was thereabouts but I made nothing with the putter all day (33).

[Daves]

Yesterday's round was the first round of our Club Champs. We had a late tee time and even with Marshalls we still finished in the gloom, 5 hrs and 20m later. I ground out a solid result, but it wasn't great golf at times. I finished with 44/44 = 88/75 to still be in the hunt in B grade.

Driver: Ping G400 LSR 10.5 with Ping Tour Reg
Fairway: Callaway Epic 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro 9031 Black 18*
Irons: Cobra King Forged TEC Black 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Natalie CS C-B 38"

It wasn't my best driving performance, but I was nevertheless solid for most of the day. Lots of fairways hit and my misses were mostly minor. The Ping was in the bag because they are so easy to hit. If you are struggling with your swing, it is hard to beat them for the forgiveness etc.

I was solid with the Forged TECs, without ever quite getting in the groove. They feel good and give me confidence standing over them. The Recoil shafts feel great.

My short game was OK, but I never quite got the putter going. I was very solid with my distance , but made little with the Putter. Still 30 putts was OK in the conditions.

[BobsYourUncle]

Club champs rounds are often really slow. Is yours handicapped or scratch?

[Daves]

Club champs rounds are often really slow. Is yours handicapped or scratch?

Both. 3 Grades; -5 - 12, 13 - 20, 21 - 54 (there were 3 females in the field yesterday). Gross and net champs in each grade. Plus Seniors as well.

[PeteyD]

I got round in 4 hours. First group though teeing off in the fog. I have work to do to get into the match play ....

[Daves]

I got round in 4 hours. First group though teeing off in the fog. I have work to do to get into the match play ....

5h for Wednesday's Stroke round. I am expecting another 5.30+ round this Saturday.

[Daves]

Monday was a Vets round at Mt Warren Park. I had not played it for a few years and had heard that they had done a lot of work on the course. It was our new Super's previous engagement and his signature was obvious in a lot of places.

I started quite solidly and was 11 points through the first 5 and unlucky to not be more. But things turned steadily down hill from there, and I only managed another 12pts over remaining 13 holes. What I thought was a good drive down the 6th, ended up running through the EOF into the pist. Everything gradually unwound from there as the gusty Westerly well and truly kicked in. A drive down centre left on the last was never found, just to rub it in right to the finish.

Driver: Titleist 915 D3 10.5* with PL Blue Stiff
Fairway: Cleveland HB Launcher 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cleveland HB Launcher #3 19*
Irons: Titleist AP2 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Stephanie C-B 38"

I was driving the ball well over the opening holes and very happy with the 915. But as the scoring stalled and I tried to hit it harder, the swing went down hill fast and I lost all confidence.

A similar story with the (original) AP2. I had not bagged them for a quite a while, but they had been my gamers and one of my first iron set purchases after I retired.

Similar story with the short game. It was very warm early, but I struggled to make anything with the putter. I had a chip in on the 5th hit the bottom of the upside cup (no noodle) and bounce back out of the hole. After that I gradually lost interest.

[Daves]

Back out yesterday for our Monthly Mug stroke round. I was solid for most of the day without ever getting it going. Just slow grinding golf as I worked on sorting my swing issues and waited on the tee (5h+ round) . I ended up with 44/46 = 90/77.

My inconsistent swing (and striking) has been plaguing me for a while and I have struggled for the answer. A tip from The Shark resonated with me and the results so far are very promising. His tip; "maintain the V" sounds basic, but it is something you tend to forget about. The early results were promising. I really need to get to the range again, but that is not going to happen before Round 2 of the Champs.

Driver: Srixon 565 10.5* with PL Blue Reg
Fairway: Cobra Fly Z 3 Wood
Hybrid: Taylormade M6 #3 198*
Irons: Cleveland CG Black 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: SC Futura 5 CB C-B 38"

I was pretty solid with the 565 and was quite impressed with it. I have had it for a while, but this was only my 3rd round with it. A shaft change seemed to help. I swapped out the lightweight Miyazaki for my standard PL Blue shaft, and the results were better than previous rounds with it. The golf gods still haven't forgiven me though, I had another 4 dead up against a tree outcomes in this round.

My iron striking was my most noticeable improvement. I was hitting the middle much more often than I have for a while and that gradually built confidence. Not enough to get the round going, but enough to hold on when luck was against me.

My short game was mixed and I made a few putts (31).

[Daves]

Yesterday's round was the 2nd round of our Club Champs. There was a bit of rain around and we got hit with a 15 minute storm at the midway point. It was grinding golf all day for me. Never got out of 2nd gear and my putting kept me in it. I finished 43/45 = 88/75 to hold onto 2nd place in B Grade.

Driver: Taylormade M4 Tour 9.5* with Kuro Kage Black Reg
Fairway: Mizuno ST180 3 Wood
Hybrid: Callaway BB Alpha 815 18*
Irons: Taylormade M2 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Taylormade Spider Mallet 74 CS C-B 38"

I barely missed a fairway with the M4 Tour, and then only when I tried to do too much with it. It is easy to hit little baby cuts pretty much where I wanted if I just kept it simple. Not super long, but long enough. The damp conditions put a limit on run out anyway.

I am still feeling my way with my swing mods. My striking has improved markedly across the bag, but I am still working on my direction and shape with the scoring clubs. I did not hit many greens yesterday, but I was mostly thereabouts. I sailed a few 8 irons long, but I also hit a couple close.

Ditto on the short game. I am happier with my striking and direction, but I have not yet quite got my touch back to where it was. The putter was warm and pretty solid. I did hit a couple of weak pulls, so I need to work on that, but otherwise I was very solid inside 10 feet. 28 putts was the tally. I am trying to implements some tips from the Black Knight, one of the more under rated master putters of the game.

[markTHEblake]

You might get into the Guinness book of records if you could win a 4 round event with 4 sets of clubs.

[Daves]

You might get into the Guinness book of records if you could win a 4 round event with 4 sets of clubs.

Go me!

Today's round was the 2nd round of the Brissy Vets Club Champs and was held at Carbrook. It is just under a year since my last round at Carbrook and the course continues to be noticeably improved each time I have played it in recent years. Lots of good work has been done improving presentation, condition etc and the greens continue to be some of best in SEQ, though weed Couch encroachment is starting to become a bit of an issue.

I started very solidly on the back nine, and ground out the front nine to finish with 41/45 = 86/73.

Driver: Cleveland Classic Tour 9.5* with Miyazaki Tour Black 61S
Fairway: Cleveland HB Launcher 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cleveland HB Launcher #3 19*
Irons: Taylormade Burner 2-0 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS C-B 38"

I was pretty solid with the Classic Driver, only missing fairways when I tried too hard. If I picked a safe spot and just hit it there, I was very accurate. It wasn't super long, but conditions were lush and there wasn't a lot of run anyway. I am big fan of the classic Driver Series and own several variants. They look and feel great and the Miyazaki shafts do the job nicely.

I enjoyed the Burners a lot. I used the 4i off the tee on a few of the tighter holes and it mostly went very well. My swing mods continue to bed in and my ball striking is on the up. I was thereabout most of the day and can't recall a poorly struck iron shot all day.

My short game was good and my putting was solid (30). Carbrook greens will find you out quickly if you aren't solid with the short(ish) stick.

[Daves]

On Friday I played the Black & White Marker Challenge at Reddie Bay. This would give me an early look at the set up for the 3rd round of the Club Champs on Saturday. It was another grinding round, the golf was solid but I felt like I was just hanging in there. I had a putt for par on the last for 36 points, but I missed it and the next for a 17/17 = 34 point finish. We started in glorious Qld winter weather, but knew that gusty Westerlies were forecast to kick in during the round. Which they did, but we missed the worst of it.

Driver: Bridgestone J715 10.5* with PL Blue Stiff
Fairway: Bridgestone J15 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cleveland HB Launcher #3 19*
Irons: Tourstage X Blades 701 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Scotty Cameron Kombi S C-B 38"

I was solid with the J715. I only strayed when I tried to hit a draw with it. Straight or Necky cuts were the way to go with it. It wasn't super long, but plenty long enough and it it was low spin which was made it easy to keep the flight down in the breeze.

I really enjoyed the X Blades, the feel off the face is as good as it get. My iron striking continues to improve and I was hitting them well. My GIR % was above average and my misses were mostly close.

My short game was OK and my putting felt solid, but I made relatively little all day. They just would not go in (32 putts).

[Daves]

Back out yesterday for the 3rd round of the Club Champs. Conditions weren't great. The dust Haze was thick and blotted out the sun and the Westerlies were due to kick in early in the round. The early groups got the best of the condition. The club had decided to seed the leaders for the 3rd round as well (normally only the final round), so playing early wasn't an option for me. The wind just kept getting stronger and was bordering on unplayable toward the end. I heard one of the A graders seeking a ruling on a ball moving during the swing and saw my just marked ball blow of the exposed 16th green before I could pick it up. Lots of putts got "bent" in the wind. I started very well, parring the first three holes. I went off the boil a bit as the pace of play slowed (we had the a Grade leaders in front), but was hanging in there. Then I tripled the 7th after a 10 minute wait to hit my 2nd. The wind was a real factor now and were were all struggling. I parred 8, then doubled 9/10 & 11. Then I almost chipped in for bird on 12, then parred 13 as well. Had a ball incident on 14 (had to take a penalty drop, only to find my original ball buried in someones wheel tracks seconds later) which lead to triple. Then two of my playing group had a spat. It had been brewing all day and they had both been twats all day (normal for both!). It seemed to help relax me and I came home very solidly in the conditions. In the end my score looked ordinary 45/45 = 90/77, but there were 9 pars in there and it was the best score of the seeded group. I caught up to with in a shot of the 2nd round leader, but we both got overtaken by an early morning player. So I am 3 back going into the final round and looking forward to it.

Driver: PXG 0811X 10.5* with PL Blue Stiff
Fairway: Cleveland HB Launcher 3 Wood
Hybrid: PXG 0371 #3 19*
Irons: Taylormade 2014 TP MC 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Scotty Cameron Futura 7M C-B 38"

I was generally solid with the PXG. Though I had the opposite problem to the previous day, with my tendency more to the right than the left. The PXG is very low spin which was ideal in the very gusty conditions. And it was running out very long. I have found it pretty long on each outing,, but there was probably also an element of the conditions in the length as well.

I was striking the MCs very well, but the conditions made it tough to hit greens. I relied heavily on my short game and it held up most of the time, but the wind took its toll on anything not perfectly hit. The difference was my putting, I was making putts inside 10 feet and getting down in two when I didn't. Normally not a big issue but in the wind it made the difference when it was needed.

[markTHEblake]

So I am 3 back going into the final round and looking forward to it.

congratulations on putting yourself in there. This is when you get to find out how good you are, embrace it!

[PeteyD]

Morning definitely had it better, wind only picking up towards the end of the round. Impressive effort in the conditions Dave.

[MAZA68]

Go the Daves

[Daves]

congratulations on putting yourself in there. This is when you get to find out how good you are, embrace it!

Thanks. Yep, been there before and really looking forward to it.

Morning definitely had it better, wind only picking up towards the end of the round. Impressive effort in the conditions Dave.

That doesn't diminish the quality of your Nett 67 that won the day. That was some seriously good golf. Well done.

I was a little disappointed initially until I saw the A Grade leader had an 82 and still leads the gross. Neither Scratch Marker in the group in front broke 80.

[Lucasto23]

Sound slime great play in that weather Daves, good luck for Saturday

[Daves]

Sound slime great play in that weather Daves, good luck for Saturday

Thank Lucas.

Yesterday I headed north to Bribie Island, one of SEQs better courses and it was in great nick. I was quite happy with most of my ball striking, but I couldn't get that to transfer to the scoreboard. In the end I managed to put together 15/17= 32 points with 2 wipes. 37 points won the day, so it was there for the taking if I could have sunk some putts.

Driver: Nike Vapor Fly Pro 10.5* with Kuro Kage Black Reg
Fairway: Nike Vapor Fly 3 Wood
Hybrid: Adams Idea Tour Prototype 18*
Irons: Titleist 712 AP14 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Nike Oz 4 Mallet CS C-B 38"

I was hitting the Vapor Pro very solidly. My misses were mostly marginal and only came from trying to do too much and/or poor setup/alignment that I should have backed out. And it was noticeably long.This was only my 2nd outing with the Pro, the last was 3 years ago! It will be back in the bag again much sooner next time!

I started a bit scratchy with the irons, but then started to really middle them. I hit a lot of greens in reg, but only converted one to a bird all day. The best two iron shots on the day were both with the 4 iron!

My short game was mostly OK, but I just didn't convert. We all struggled to sink putts, and I had 4 lipouts for good measure. The greens very very good, but so many subtle breaks and swales made it tough to find the hole.

[Daves]

Wednesday's round was a Par event at Reddie Bay. I can't recall the last time we played one of these. The old fart don't like the scoring system, which I have always found weird, because they have way more wipes than birdies.

My games was off on the day and my scoring reflected that. Everything was going left, but not in the usual way. The strikes were coming out of the middle, and they were starting basically on line, but I was hitting big fades, or alternatively pushes. I eventually got it under control, but it was all too late. -5/-2 = -7

Driver: Cobra King F9 10.5* with HZDRUS Smoke Black 60S
Fairway: Cobra Baffler T Rail 3 Wood
Hybrid: Cobra F6 3/4 19*
Irons: Cobra King Forged TEC Steel 5- PW, Titleist U510 4i
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Rife Barbados C-B 38"

I continue to struggle to aim the F9. Admittedly, I had some swing issues, but the strikes were mostly pure. I don't know if it is the address look that gets me off line, or is it in my set up?. I did hit a couple of really good drives to finish, where I just set up square to a target guide and avoided looking up to target. And when you catch it well, it is quite long. I will hesitate to say very long because the recent windy conditions make that hard to judge at the moment. I want to love the F9 and it does feel good off the face, but I have yet to hit it consistently well after 4 outings.

I was pushing or fading everything with the irons for much of the round as well. My short game was OK, but I made nothing with the Putter (32) till the last 4 holes.

[Daves]

So that took me up to yesterday's round, which was the final round of our Club Championships. I started in 3rd position, 3 shots back in the B Grade final. I had done some work to sort my swing in the lead up. I had identified that I had shortened up my back swing (a bad habit of mine) and this was leading to the out to in swing and resultant fades. The pushes being the in to out attempt to correct. I started very solidly and was hitting them straight and solidly. But made nothing early to get a roll going. The pace was OK early, though we had two "Statues" in our final group that took for ever to address the ball, then stood over it for an eternity before they swung (curse the PGA Tour!).

Then we came to an abrupt stop at the 5th Tee, where the field had backed up and then a 15 minute wait to hit. None of our Tees shot were good, but I made a good recovery back to the fairway and should have been able to close out a par or bogey. But got impatient after waiting forever for one of the "Statues" to hit multiples shots, and fluffed a couple of wedges for a double. Settled it down again, but then struck the same situation at the 8 and compounded a bad lie into a quad that should never have been worse than bogey. I settled after that and played some real quality grinding golf to the end (7 x5 , 2 x 4) on the back nine, but it wasn't enough to do the job. I finished 48/43 = 91/77 to tie for 2nd, but lose that on a count back to an early morning sprinter.

Driver: Epon AF 101 9.5* with PL Red Stiff
Fairway: Cleveland Launcher 3 Wood
Hybrid: Callaway BB 815 18*
Irons: Cleveland 588TT 4 - PW
Wedges Mizuno JPX 50*, 53* & 57*
Putter: Yes Natalie Mallet CS C-B 38"

I was pretty solid with the Epon for most of the day. My only bad drive was on the mentioned 5th. I was hitting it very straight and sneaking it out there when needed.

And I was hitting the 588TTs very well for the most part. The 4i in particular, was very solid and I was getting very solid distances with my strikes.

My short game was mostly solid, but as the winner said to me, I putted very well, but made nothing all day (32 putts).