Another elongated reporting period due to wet weather and other duties.
Last Saturday was a Stableford at Redland Bay. Followed by Brisbane Vets rounds at Virginia last Monday, and Brisbane GC yesterday. For scores of 30, 34 and 32 respectively.
Driver 1: Callaway Big Bertha 2016 10.5* with PL Red Reg
Driver 2: Ping Anser 9.5* with PL Red Stiff
Fairway: Ping G Series 3 Wood
Hybrid: Callaway BB Apex 815 18*
Irons: Callaway Apex/Apex Pro Combo 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Ping G5i Craz-E CS C-B 38"
Neither of these drivers had been in the bag for 2 and for 4 years respectively. No real reason, just overlooked in the crowd I guess.
Both performed pretty well. Me not so much. I was a bit hot and cold with my Driver swing. Trying too hard. But when it worked, it was pretty impressive. I am getting there with my swing rebuild, it will take time. When I was swinging well I hit some pretty impressive drives. There is 20m+ in it for me if I can nail it.
And that flows into my other clubs. For example, I nailed a driver with the BB on the par 5 16th at Virginia (523m), then a 3 wood to be inside 50m for my 3rd. The 3 wood measured 225m, which is past my normal Driver length. And that is on a damp course (preferred lies) with limited run.
And ditto my irons. I am constantly having to re-adjust my club selection distances 1 to 2 clubs different depending on conditions. I enjoyed the Apex Combo. I have struggled wit the Apex Pros in the past but was striking them pretty cleanly in these rounds.
My short game was solid but my putting was so, so. I did not convert nearly as many as usual. I struggled with my set up a bit with the Craz-E. I found I was standing a little too upright at times and gripping too high. It wasn't as natural a fit as some of my other Putters.
Stats for the 3 rounds;
FIR 62% 50% 53%
GIR 22% 17% 22%
Putts 32 31 34
I finally managed to get another 3 rounds in for my next bag. Last Wednesday I played Redland Bay, Monday was the Vets at Wantima CC and back to Reddie Bay yesterday. I managed scores of 35, 27 and 39. This was another resurrection bag;
Driver 1: Taylormade SIM2 9* with PL Red Stiff
Driver 2: Taylormade SLDR 460 10.5* with Kiyoshi Oban White (R1) Stiff/Taylormade SLDR 430 12* with Motore Speeder VC7.3 Stiff
Fairway: Taylormade SLDR 3 Wood
Hybrid: Taylormade SIM #3 19*
Irons: Taylormade RSi1 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: STX 5.5 2 CS C-B 38"
I have not really got the best out of the SIM2 in previous rounds with it. So I did some tinkering with the set up and changed the shaft and that seemed to work for me. It performed pretty well all 3 rounds, still not earth shattering, but more like other recent release Drivers. I did manage to sneak a few out there, and against my usual playing group I was noticeably longer than they. The SLDRs were a little mixed. Which is probably not a great surprise to those that have used them. But it wasn't so much the forgiveness factor, but my struggles to hit them where I aimed them that was the stumbling point. My bad shots were big pully draws right. Then followed often by a block left. But when I struck them well, they were impressive. I was also surprised how forgiving they were on high Toe hits.
I enjoyed the RSi1s. They launch nice and high and are pumped so extra distance was a plus. I particularly got on well with the 4i, managing some great recovery and approach shots with it.
My short game was mixed. I putted solidly, but was a little sporadic with makes. However I clicked a little yesterday and made a few good ones, including an 80' Birdie (1 of 3 Birds in the round).
Stats for the week (or so)
FIR 62% 64% 31%
GIR 17% 17% 33%
Putts 28 35 29
Another 3 rounds completed. Last Saturday at Reddie Bay, Monday at Wynnum and back to Redland Bay for a Wednesday round. My scoring was pretty ordinary due to some intermittent swing struggles. The bad pull returned and I was fighting it too often. Which lead to a lot of blocked left shots. The scores were equally mediocre at 30, 29 & 30 points respectively.
Driver 1: PXG 0211 10.5* with PX Evenflow Riptide CB 5.5 50g Reg/ PL Red Reg/PL Blue Stiff
Driver 2: Srixon Z0-355 10.5* with Miyazaki Mizore Tour 6S/PL Blue Reg
Fairway: PXG 0341 3 Wood
Hybrid: Srixon Z-355 #3 19*
Irons: Srixon Z-355 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS C-B 38"
The PXG is a new arrival. I will compare it later to the other PXGs I have, but for these rounds I decided to compare it to a similar model from another brand i.e. a GI model for the average golfer. Overall there wasn't a lot between them. The Srixon won by a small margin on the data overall. And I would probably slightly prefer it on looks and feel as well. The PXG looks slightly more closed and has a noticeably different sound to my other PXGs. This is a budget model so no high expectations. I tried a few different shafts in it, but none felt quite right over the 3 rounds.
The Z-355 irons were solid and look good. The feel is slightly muted, but they do feel good if you catch the sweet spot. I wasn't swing them well enough to do them justice, but they did perform very well when I did. Highlights were 4 irons to 10/15 feet on two different 190m par 3s.
The short game was off a bit. Putted well, was solid inside 6 feet, but I made very little outside that distance.
Stats for the week;
FIR: 50% 69% 71%
GIR: 22% 33% 17%
Putts: 31 36 32
A month on and only a few comp rounds played. A water logged course and non comp events on renovated greens have kept me to just 3 actual handicapped rounds. The first was a Black Marker, then a single stab., before the Rain event. And one single stab last week on a now much drier course. I had a shocker for the Black Marker, I could not hit the ball cleanly all day and I struggled to not raise the bat by the end. I backed up the next day and was 8 shots better, but still below par. A return to form after the rain. My ball striking was much better, and my long game was the best it had been for a while. Particularly my long irons which have always been a weakness. It was my short game that was rusty and very mixed, either very bad or very good. Renovated greens made putting a bit of a lottery.
Driver 1: Ping G30 10.5* with Aldila NVS 55 Stiff/G30 LS Tec 10.5* with Alta Blue CB Reg
Driver 2: Callaway BB 2014 10.5* with PL Red Reg/PL Blue Stiff
Fairway: Cleveland HB Launcher 3 Wood
Hybrid: Ping G30 #2 17*
Irons: Taylormade RSi2 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Scotty Cameron Futura 7M C-B 38"/Yes Sandy Mid 12
I discovered the G30 neck was cracked on the first tee in the first round, so it got rotated out for the LS. The Ping and the Callaway were very similar and there was little between them in term of distance and accuracy. The LS was a little more workable, but otherwise very comparable clubs from the same year.
I really enjoyed the RSi2s, though I could not hit them, or any club for that matter in that first round. I came good in the later rounds and was particularly strong with the 4/5i, and very solid right through the set.
The short game was very mixed though. I putted well in patches, but the reco greens limited my success.
Stats for the week;
Scores 24, 32, 36pts
FIR: 43% 64% 71%
GIR: 11% 22% 33%
Putts: 33 29 34
Long time no post here. A combination of reasons; fatigue, Game Golf upload availability, Funerals and other family stuff. The biggest frustration has not being able to upload and analyse rounds/data. It has been available spasmodically, but more often I have to wait and upload multiple rounds when it is available. Hopefully they will finish the platform rebuild shortly (I have been told about 2 weeks to go) and I can get back to normal, plus recover a lot of data that I want to verify my numbers too, particularly Drivers.
Changing a bag make up in GG is a PITA at the best of times, each club has to be loaded/found and tagged. I have therefore moved to a different approach and have only made minor changes, if any each round, most of the time. I have used the time to do multi round Driver comparisons and look forward to reviewing that data when it is available.
There have been standout clubs for me in this time. I have a growing collection of Ryoma Drivers and I am really getting along with them. In fact I have six more heads to shaft up and try. No particular standout so far. The G Types are slightly more forgiving and higher launchers. The Ds also very friendly and slight lower launching. They are all very long. In fact, I seem to have gained back quite a few years of lost distance with them.
About a month ago I swapped out the 3 Wood for a Adams A12 Pro 16* and wow! some much more reliable, longer and more workable than anything I have used in this slot for a long time.
Add to that the purchase of a TM SIM2 DHY #3 a few weeks prior and my long game has been converted big time. Love this club and its versatility.
I have also been playing around with my ball choice. I tried the TM Tour Responses and didn't mind them. I found the Titleist Tour Speeds very long off the Driver, but variable with the Irons. I am back to a Chrome Soft Soccer Ball until I find something else that appeals.
The Game Golf site is back in action as promised, and more importantly, the File Transfer is working again. I had nearly 20 rounds to upload, correct and save, which took some time. Back to "normal" this week. I played Caboolture with the Vets on Monday and got absolutely soaked for 29 points in the slosh. The BOM couldn't predict Christmas!
Yesterday was a single Stab back at Reddie Bay for 40 points, which was only good for 7th in A Grade.
I have been working my way through my Ryoma Driver collection and really enjoying better and longer Drives on average. And working on using that better off the tee position to improve my average scoring. I am slowly getting there and yesterday's round saw some real improvement. My biggest weakness recently has been my iron play. Just not consistent enough to have any real confidence with them.
Yesterday's bag;
Driver 1: Ryoma 2016 Maxima Type D 10.5* with a GD AD MR - D Reg
Driver 2: Ryoma Maxima D1 - Type G 10.5* with an Aldila NVs 65 Stiff
Fairway: Adams A12 Pro #1 16* Hybrid
Hybrid: Taylormade SIM DHY #3 19* with Diamana Ltd Black 75g Stiff
Irons: Mizuno JPX-850 2 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Affinity Touchstar Mallet CS CB 38"4
Ball: Srixon Soft feel Yellow
It wasn't my best recent Driving performance, accuracy wise, but I was long all day. The 2016 Maxima won the day in some pretty breezy conditions.
The JPX are new. This was only my 2nd round with them, and the first since I had MOI matched the set. My first round with them back in August was ugly, I had no idea where the face was and struck the ball accordingly. Yesterday was polar opposite, Barely a poor strike all day, I was hitting them out of the middle and long. I had wondered after the first round whether the Shafts were the problem? (C Taper 120 Stiffs), but yesterday dispelled that theory, they felt great. Amazing what adding around 1.5" to a shaft can do to playability!
And my short game was pretty solid as well. I made 12 pars in the round and had a number of birdie opportunities, but the putts would not drop.
You probably have never heard of the Putter. It is a cheap US brand and there is nothing special in its construction. But is has great alignment aids, is nicely balanced and had a nice milled face finish. I have extended it to 38" and counter balanced it. It is a pleasure to use and so easy to line up correctly. And it is very good on long putts. No 3 putts yesterday, despite a number of 30+ foot first putts.
Yesterday's Stats;
FIR 56%
GIR 39%
Putts 31
Last edited by Daves; 13th October 2022 at 11:01 AM.
I have put two more rounds in since my last report. Saturday was a Monthly Medal Stroke at Reddie Bay and today was a Single Stab at Virginia. Scores of 87/76 and 35 points respectively.
Not a lot of changes in the bag as yet. Still working my way through the Ryomas and settling my game with some small swing and routine changes.
Saturdays/Mondays bags
Driver 1: Ryoma 2016 Maxima Type D 10.5* with a GD AD MR - D Reg
Driver 2: Ryoma Maxima D1 - Type V 10.5* with a GD MX-V 65S/Ryoma Maxima D1 - Type V 9.5* with GD AD MX-V 55SR
Fairway: Adams A12 Pro #1 16* Hybrid
Hybrid: Taylormade SIM DHY #3 19* with Diamana Ltd Black 75g Stiff
Irons: Mizuno JPX-850 2 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Affinity Touchstar Mallet CS CB 38"4
Ball: Srixon Soft feel Yellow
Stats
FIR 50% 79%
GIR 28% 28%
Putts 32 29
I have struggled with the V Types. They are seriously low spin and even with some back weighting I am struggling to get them launched properly. I need to get to the range and work in it. The JPX continue to impress now that I have personalised them for my swing. I putted well and my short game has been solid, but the vagaries of renovated greens continues to figures in the results.
Today was my first round in nearly two weeks of wet weather. The course was in pretty good nick, considering . The Greens were well grassed following renovations at the beginning of the month, but a bit fluffy and slow. Lots of short putts, through the break charges and lip outs. My driving was poor for much of the front nine. I managed to stabilise it over the last couple oh holes, but it was mostly scrambling golf. I drove better on the back nine, but it took me till the 15th to make a par. I then parred the last 4 (PBbP) to finish 86/74.
Driver 1: Ryoma Maxima D1 - D Type 10.5* with PL Axis Blue Reg
Driver 2: Tsaylormade Stealth Plus 10.5* with HZDRUS Red Smoke RDX Reg
Fairway: Adams A12 Pro #1 16* Hybrid
Hybrid: Taylormade SIM DHY #3 19* with Diamana Ltd Black 75g Stiff
Irons: Mizuno JPX-850 2 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Affinity Touchstar Mallet CS CB 38"4
Ball: Srixon Soft feel Yellow
Still not a fan of the Stealth. The feel is very muted and plasticky, and feedback almost zero. It performed OK, but it was no standout. It was no longer than the poorly hit Ryoma, and well short of my recent Driving length and control.
Stats for the day;
FIR; 57%
GIR: 22%
Putts: 31
Friend of mine put his Stealth head to head with the G430 at a recent demo day.
World's apart.
He's just ordered the G430.
Desert Golfer
Near two months on and not of lot of bag changes made due to a number of factors. Game Golf upload App continues to be flunkly. I have been getting rounds uploaded eventually, but it is a PITA , that is growing old. It is also a PITA to have to go back and change the bag set up for each round review, so I haven't bother making many changes at all. Just the odd Putter and Driver swap.
Current bagl
Driver 1: Ryoma Maxima D1 - G Type 11.5* with GD AD MR G R2
Driver 2: Ryoma 2016 Maxima Type D 10.5* with GD MR D Reg
Fairway: Adams A12 Pro #1 16* Hybrid
Hybrid: Taylormade SIM DHY #3 19* with Diamana Ltd Black 75g Stiff
Irons: Cobra S3 Pro Combo 4 - PW
Wedges Titleist Vokey 50* & 54*
Putter: Yes Stacey 12 CS C-B 38"
Ball: Srixon Soft feel Yellow
I am finding the Ryoma Drivers are superior to anything else in my collection. Longer, straighter, more forgiving and very workable. Playing them regularly has let me really work on my swing with them and I am loving the extra distance and control. I have 10 full Ryoma Drivers in the collection. A Mix of D, G & V types. The GD stock shafts are great matches. I also have another 6 heads, mostly D Types that I have not yet shafted up. Any Lefties wanting to try these, give me a yell.
I have had the S3 Combos in the bag for a while now and I love them. Absolutely my favorite iron set of all.
The Adam A12 Pro is a weapon. Better than any 3 wood i have bagged.
Ditto the SIM DHY, love it.
Informative as always
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If it aint for sale the right price has just not been offered
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