Dizz aka J.W. WITB for 2018 (Added new WITB pics on 6/16/2018!!)

[Dizz]

Classic set up , what's your swing speed?

 

 

Good question-- I don't know right at this exact minute because I took almost two years off from playing. However before that my ball speed with the driver topped out at 170... and toward the end my average was more like 162-165.

[Dizz]

I love the 716T-MB #4 iron so much I decided to order the same specs in a #2 iron.... so now I am up to 11 clubs...

 

2016 M2 (9.5)- 661X @ 45.5"

716 T-MB (2 & 4), 716 MB (5-PW)- S400

Vokey SM6 RAW (58.12K @ 57)- S400

Terrylium Newport 2 @ 35"

[Dizz]

I decided to get rid of the T-MB #4 iron and going to get the MB 4 iron and add a 716 CB #2 iron...

 

BUT I did order a 917D2... which I am excited about for sure... I played a buddy's 917D3 over the weekend, it was 8.5 with a Black DI-8X and I hit it a little low but I used to always use the D2 head when I was a Titleist staff member.

 

So I ordered:

 

917D2 8.5- Fuikura 661X @ 44.5", D2 swingweight

 

I am pumped!

 

I think I'm gonna add the 716CB 2 & MB 4 iron with PX LZ or S400... haven't decided yet and another SM6 wedge... 52 degree and then just be done.

[Dizz]

If I do decide to add an additional wedge I will bend my current 58 degree K grind from 57 to 58 or 59. Its an awesome bunker club and from the rough but I didn't chip and pitch from tight lies as well as I thought I would. My old tour issue 56 degree K grind which had 10 degrees of bounce and it was unbelievably good from tight lies so I was hoping this would be just as good but so far its not quite as good. So my plan is to bend it to 58 or 59 and use it solely as a lob wedge.

[oldhamer25]

I think you are going to like that 917. I have the D3 and really like it over the 915 I had for the past two years and yes that was one of the 915s you had at one point.

[Dizz]

Held off on the MB 4 iron for now and just ordered the driver and a 716 CB 2 iron. I cannot decide what wedge I want to order to go between my PW and 58.12K that's currently bent to 57 degrees... it makes sense to get another raw SM6 in the 52-54 degree range but I feel like there could be more versatile options in another brand. Other than my 56 degree raw tour only K grind that I had a ton of success with I also LOVED my original PING EYE2 SW, it came standard at ~57 degrees and it might be my favorite club of all time. I re-shafted it with an S400, covered the cavity in lead tape and cut it to 35.5"... that thing was in my bag for almost a decade. In fact I used to get made of for that thing and get the odd look here and there when I was using my Mizuno MP-14 irons 2-PW then my EYE2 SW.... LOL... from a tiny forged MP-14 with little to no offset to a cast EYE2 head that was huge in comparison. Then again the same looks when I was using 690CB irons, a Vokey 50 degree wedge, the EYE2 SW and then back to a Vokey 60 degree club. But I used that club for damn near every shot inside 100 yards- from pitching and chipping around the green to every lie in between but especially tight lies... it was incredible. It was also my perfect 100 yard club and I used to routinely try to lay up to 80-100 yards because I was so confident in the 3/4 and full swings with it! The only reason I retired it was when the sweet spot actually caved in. It had about a quarter size spot that actually dented in....

 

I think I am going to add one to the stable now after typing my love affair out to my once popular GolfWRX WITB that no one reads anymore... now I think I am just typing/talking to myself... LOL. No one responds and its got multiple one star feedback votes. Anyway, eBay here I come...................

[Dizz]

I think you are going to like that 917. I have the D3 and really like it over the 915 I had for the past two years and yes that was one of the 915s you had at one point.

 

How's your game these days man? Do you have anything of mine still left in your possession? I remember for a few years you used to pick up all my good stuff!!

[oldhamer25]

Need it to stop raining or wind blowing 20+, but it is spring time in Kansas. I think the last piece I have is a 915 f 18* with Rombax P95x. Sold the 714 AP2S with pxi's and miss them ever so often.

[tyro]

We're here JW! Nice to see you back and assembling some sweet sticks as usual. Titleist bag...no surprise!!!

[swizbeatz]

I still read, its not as easy to ask questions or feedback from someone who readily admits they aren't playing golf.

[bjive]

Great thread, have taken a bit of inspiration and simplified my bag as well.

Interesting hearing your thoughts about the new sm6 k-grind compared to you old TVD, do you remember the bounce of the TVD?

[Don Miguel]

The PING EYE2 SW! I too had the MP-14 & PING EYE2 SW combo. I went back and forth between an EYE2 LW a Cleveland 588 60*. The SW never left the bag.

 

You are giving me ideas...

[tigerfan23]

Dizz U still alive????

[Dizz]

I still read, its not as easy to ask questions or feedback from someone who readily admits they aren't playing golf. I think some people didn't appreciate the issues you created before disappearing a few years back as well, hence the 1 star votes.

 

My comment was just a joke, I wouldn't expect anyone to care.

[Dizz]

We're here JW! Nice to see you back and assembling some sweet sticks as usual. Titleist bag...no surprise!!!

 

Right.... all Titleist... I'm paying for my clubs now and I'm still using Titleist. I've basically used Titleist irons for every round except maybe 20-30 rounds in the last 20 years. I started playing Titleist irons in high school in the year 2000 and pretty much used them exclusively since... I did use a set of PING Anser irons for about a season. But that set of Anser irons was the only non-Titleist set that stayed in my bag for longer than 2-3 rounds.

 

What's in your bag these days tyro?

[Dizz]

Great thread, have taken a bit of inspiration and simplified my bag as well.

Interesting hearing your thoughts about the new sm6 k-grind compared to you old TVD, do you remember the bounce of the TVD?

 

Well it was a tour only raw finished head-- Bob Vokey himself and his right hand man Aaron Dill actually built and ground that club for me personally after watching me hit a few chips, pitches and full swings at the WGC event at FIrestone CC in Akron. It was a really cool experience but getting fit by those guys and then having them hand grind them for me really helped with the turf interaction. After I had back surgery and really struggled to get around, let alone play golf I got rid of all my clubs and really wish I would have kept that one. The raw head had 10 degrees of bounce and it was bent one degree strong so it supposedly made it to 9 degrees... the K grind has 11 degrees so I can't imagine the two degrees makes that much difference. I also haven't been able to practice with the new one that much so I am gonna give it some more time before I ditch it. I did hit some good shots with it, especially the full and 3/4 shots on the course. I just didn't hit all the pitches and chips with it as crisp as I remember hitting the old one. I bought it and had my initials put on it from Vokey so that it would be pointless to sell... so I will keep working with it and figure it out. It could also be that I hadn't played for almost two years so those short shots are usually the last to come back...

 

Dizz U still alive????

 

KG.... my dude.... how is everything? Shoot me a PM with your number... we need to catch up.

[Dizz]

Clubs will be here in 2 days so the bag is done for awhile... although I will probably add an additional wedge soon. The gap from 716MB PW to 58 degree Vokey is quite big but it hasn't been a big deal too many times. I'm able to hit quite a few finesse shots with the 716 PW without problem but I would like to add something in the 51-54 degree range.

 

So here I am:

 

917D2 8.5- Fujikura 661X @ 44.5", GP Victory Cord, D2

716CB (2), 716MB (5-PW)- S400, GP Victory Cord, D3

Vokey TVD SM6 Raw (58.12K @ 57 degrees)- S400, GP Victory Cord, D5

Cameron TeI3 Newport 2

[Dizz]

Walked 18 holes this morning and it was the first round with the new Scotty Cameron Napa-- but of course the pic I took of it will not upload. I absolutely love the way it looks and feels-- the feedback is incredible. The only thing I struggled with was distance control, the slight miss-hits were punished more than I am used to but that was to be expected. Most importantly I am starting to really enjoy the game again... especially the finer points of the equipment world. The look, sound, feel from my new Titleist irons with S400's is as pure as it gets (in my opinion, of course) and is the reason I keep getting up early and coming back to play again the next day. There is nothing better, in my opinion than a nice forged muscle back iron with the correct Dynamic Gold shaft for your game. Today was a little different than yesterday... I made 6 birdies today and shot one under par 70. Whereas yesterday I made 16 pars, 1 bogey and 1 eagle to shoot the same score of one-under par 70. The tale of two completely different rounds... hitting 16 GIR versus 10 GIR. I really hit 3 awful chip shots today but also made several 10-20 foot putts for birdies that usually don't go down. I am also driving it as good as I ever have... the 917D2 with 661 is producing really nice mid-high but low spinning shots that look perfect to my eye. For whatever reason I was never comfortable hitting a driver that launched in the 13-14+ launch range... it just never felt correct to me. I fit clubs for a living for a number of years, even for some of the world's best players so I obviously know the correct windows you should be launching and spinning the ball. However for me I am most comfortable and drive it the best when I was launching my driver in the 10-12 degree range with spin around 2200-2500. My go-to shot is a little 2 yard push fade that launches at 10-10.5 and spins around 2400... so far I've been able to do exactly that with my new D2.

 

So guys what do you think about my new sticks? What wedge would you guys add? I know I've talked about it before but wanted to see what you guys think...

 

I'm thinking either another TVD Raw SM6 at either 52.08F or 54.08M but I have concerns about both. The 52F I don't know if it will be versatile enough around the greens or even a long bunker shot. The 54M I wonder if I will be able to hit it far enough for it to even make sense adding to my bag. I will definitely be bending my current 58.12K back to 58 or maybe even 59. But the last thing I want to happen is deciding to get the 54M and I can't hit it much further than 100 yards in the air and even when I do it spins so much that there is almost no sense to hit that shot. I really would like it to fly at least 110 yards for it to hit my gaps correctly.

 

Also thought about trying that Limited Edition copper underlay Vokey with a raw finish... it comes available in 54M.

 

Give me your thoughts...

 

Here are the new pics from yesterday & today:

 

 

 

 

 

[green.tea]

Great couple of rounds! Glad to hear the "enjoyment" is coming back. It's a great game.

[Beastmode Broker]

not sure I'd mess w anything w those rounds man :stop:

bag looks great BTW !

[oldhamer25]

I went with a 50* f grind, but it is pretty much for full shots. Next I have a 54* v grind and I use it for a lot of different shots. Last I have 58 k grind and use it mainly for shots that need to get up quick and down quicker. I guess for you it just depends on if you only want two wedges (not counting pw) or three.

[JJK947]

Nice to see you back playing Dizz, and no surprise it's with Titleist clubs.

 

I am going 50F, 54M off the 716 MB pitching wedge, personally. You could probably get away with the 52F for your minimalist bag. The new design of the gap wedges in the SM6 is awesome, just feels more solid on full and 3/4 shots with more mass behind the ball. Also, the narrower/deeper grooves in the lower lofts does seem to work really well for keeping spin consistent for a variety of lies on fuller shots. For that reason, the 54 might work for you in the SM6 grooves. I've had better luck controlling the spin on longer shots with the SM6 than the past couple vokeys in the 54 loft.

 

Didn't like the T-mb's after all? Any fairway woods going to end up in the bag at some point, or trying to keep it a one headcover bag?

[Dizz]

Great couple of rounds! Glad to hear the "enjoyment" is coming back. It's a great game.

 

Thank you! But the scores are a little deceiving because this is just a local 9-hole municipal course that is pretty easy. I actually grew up playing there and its also where the local City Championship is held every year because its the only course located within the city limits, Lol. I started playing the event when I was 14 and continued playing every summer even through college until I turned pro... I actually chose to play this event over several other much, much bigger events because I had so much fun. Its a par 36 for local, everyday play but during the tournament we play it as a par 71 by playing one side from the white tees and the next 9 from the blue tees all the way back. They turn the 8th hole (from the white tees) into a BRUTAL par 3 instead of a goofy par 4 by moving them up to the women's tee box which turns it from a 320 yard par 4 to a 220 yard par 3. There is a pond in front of the tee and a creek that runs all the way in front of the green which must be carried to reach the putting surface. The green on that hole is the steepest slope I have ever seen on a golf course-- in fact its so steep that every year when the maintenance crew double cuts and rolls the greens for the City Championship they no longer do that for the 8th hole because the hole becomes pretty much unplayable. In fact, the last year they actually double cut and rolled it we had a very good local player go into that hole 3-under and leave with a 12 after hitting the green in regulation. He took 10 putts because the ball kept rolling to the front of the green-- there were two other players that made 10's on that hole as well... and I believe something like 4 players in a field of like 60-70 players that 2 putted. It was a dumb hole from the white tees because it requires a 290-300 yard carry to hit the green as a white-tee par 4 and its very risky because anything that missed the green but was greenside was an impossible up & down because of the slope so pretty much every player hit a 4, 5 or 6 iron from the tee and wedged it on the green. Now its a really, really touch par 3 that plays anywhere from 195-220 that is pretty much ALL carry. However the rest of the course is pretty much WIDE OPEN with both of the par 5's being easily reachable and if you hit a big one on an aggressive line you can hit a short iron at times. I would say those two par-5's (so four total holes) are pretty much as close to being a "gimme" birdie as there is in the game of golf. Its such a fun course and a fun event plus Saturday & Sunday mornings there are usually some decent skins games to play in.

 

I decided to get a pass there because its only a couple miles from both my home and work so my plan was to play as much as I could in the morning before work or late evenings when I got off. I figured it would be good exercise too and its worked out really well so far because I've actually been able to finish 18 holes walking before work at 9 AM several mornings.

 

As you said, the most important thing is: I am having fun again.

[Dizz]

not sure I'd mess w anything w those rounds man :stop:

bag looks great BTW !

 

Well-- as you can see from my post above, I am playing a pretty easy course. Plus I only have nine wrenches in the bag and I think at the very least I need a wedge to put in-between my 47 degree PW and my 58 degree SW... don't you?

[Dizz]

I went with a 50* f grind, but it is pretty much for full shots. Next I have a 54* v grind and I use it for a lot of different shots. Last I have 58 k grind and use it mainly for shots that need to get up quick and down quicker. I guess for you it just depends on if you only want two wedges (not counting pw) or three.

 

Do you have the new limited edition V-Grind that is fairly new from the custom Vokey program?

[Dizz]

Nice to see you back playing Dizz, and no surprise it's with Titleist clubs.

 

I am going 50F, 54M off the 716 MB pitching wedge, personally. You could probably get away with the 52F for your minimalist bag. The new design of the gap wedges in the SM6 is awesome, just feels more solid on full and 3/4 shots with more mass behind the ball. Also, the narrower/deeper grooves in the lower lofts does seem to work really well for keeping spin consistent for a variety of lies on fuller shots. For that reason, the 54 might work for you in the SM6 grooves. I've had better luck controlling the spin on longer shots with the SM6 than the past couple vokeys in the 54 loft.

 

Didn't like the T-mb's after all? Any fairway woods going to end up in the bag at some point, or trying to keep it a one headcover bag?

 

I don't know what happened with the T-MB 4 iron but it just didn't get along with me from the ground. I could hit it off the tee OK but I just didn't like it... plus I hated that you could see the back cavity of the club from address but I could have easily gotten over that if the club performed. I don't know if it was just a mental block or what but I hit the 4 iron thin several times... turned around and dropped a ball and absolutely flushed my 716MB 5 iron. So, I dropped another and another... and same thing I flushed them both. Then my buddy who was playing with me that day handed me his 690.CB 2 iron and I absolutely smoked that one too. I even hit about 15 balls with it after the round trying to figure something out and honestly I just didn't like it and no reason to force something for no reason.

 

You know, I think I might end up trying a Titleist 816H1 17 degree... I saw you can get the Fujikura Motore Speeder 8.8TS as a no-upcharge option. That shaft was my go-to shaft in hybrids before my break and it was always such a pain to buy a club and then install that shaft to get what I wanted... But now I can get that I want without a hassle or spending a ton of extra money. The only other hybrid I will even think about adding is the PING Anser 17 degree as its truly the best hybrid ever made-- especially so for the better player looking for a good looking hybrid that's got fantastic ball speed but CRAZY LOW launch and spin. I mean, Phil Mickelson trusted this to be one of his two "metals" in his bag when he won The Open in 2013 (he played the X-Hot Pro 3Deep 13 & Anser 17-- no driver) and still uses it on and off even as recent as an event in 2017. I mean think about that for a minute-- Phil uses an off-the-rack Anser hybrid (albeit with a Kuro Kage shaft) even though Callaway has made him hundreds and hundreds of Callaway hybrids trying to get one in his bag. I mean they have even made prototype one-off heads that they had to apply for patents on trying to get him to use a Callaway hybrid and he uses a 5 year old off-the-rack hybrid... seriously, think about that. The problem is they are getting scarce out there... two summers ago I had no problem getting them. In fact, I bought 4 brand new Anser 17's all for under $90 and shafted them with several different shafts-- 8.8TS X, VTS Black 85X, Kuro Kage 90X & kept one of them with the stock PING TFC 800 shaft and it was fantastic as well. I sold them all when I got rid of all my clubs but if I would have kept a set around one of them surely would have made the cut. The one shafted with the 8.8 was longer than any 3 wood I've owned that's not named Tour Edge with 13 degree of loft no less. I remember one time I was playing a practice round at a new course and I hit both driver and that specific hybrid side by side to see which one played better on that hole and I remember being shocked to find it within 10 yards of my well-hit driver!

 

You know, that was a good question-- but if I was adding a fairway wood... I would have no clue where to even start. I've always loved tinkering with 3 woods-- my old PING rep got in trouble with his boss once because he PUD or free ordered me like 6 or 7 different super exotic 3 woods in one season... Lol. After I cracked the face on a Sonartec SS-03 with X-100 about 12 years ago that spot has been a never ending hole ever since...

[green.tea]

Not every course needs to be Pinehurst to have a good time. Some of my most favorite rounds have actually come at a little 9-hole hole course where I grew up that is only a Par 31.

[oldhamer25]

I went with a 50* f grind, but it is pretty much for full shots. Next I have a 54* v grind and I use it for a lot of different shots. Last I have 58 k grind and use it mainly for shots that need to get up quick and down quicker. I guess for you it just depends on if you only want two wedges (not counting pw) or three.

 

Do you have the new limited edition V-Grind that is fairly new from the custom Vokey program?

Yes and so far I have really liked it. Need to get out and work on partial shots with it. I feel you on the tmb review. I did a 4 to 6 iron set with my cb's and just never got along with them off the ground. I have a 3 iron still and it is pretty much a tee club for some holes at my club. Just put the worst swing on the ball with them.

[JJK947]

Nice to see you back playing Dizz, and no surprise it's with Titleist clubs.

 

I am going 50F, 54M off the 716 MB pitching wedge, personally. You could probably get away with the 52F for your minimalist bag. The new design of the gap wedges in the SM6 is awesome, just feels more solid on full and 3/4 shots with more mass behind the ball. Also, the narrower/deeper grooves in the lower lofts does seem to work really well for keeping spin consistent for a variety of lies on fuller shots. For that reason, the 54 might work for you in the SM6 grooves. I've had better luck controlling the spin on longer shots with the SM6 than the past couple vokeys in the 54 loft.

 

Didn't like the T-mb's after all? Any fairway woods going to end up in the bag at some point, or trying to keep it a one headcover bag?

 

I don't know what happened with the T-MB 4 iron but it just didn't get along with me from the ground. I could hit it off the tee OK but I just didn't like it... plus I hated that you could see the back cavity of the club from address but I could have easily gotten over that if the club performed. I don't know if it was just a mental block or what but I hit the 4 iron thin several times... turned around and dropped a ball and absolutely flushed my 716MB 5 iron. So, I dropped another and another... and same thing I flushed them both. Then my buddy who was playing with me that day handed me his 690.CB 2 iron and I absolutely smoked that one too. I even hit about 15 balls with it after the round trying to figure something out and honestly I just didn't like it and no reason to force something for no reason.

 

You know, I think I might end up trying a Titleist 816H1 17 degree... I saw you can get the Fujikura Motore Speeder 8.8TS as a no-upcharge option. That shaft was my go-to shaft in hybrids before my break and it was always such a pain to buy a club and then install that shaft to get what I wanted... But now I can get that I want without a hassle or spending a ton of extra money. The only other hybrid I will even think about adding is the PING Anser 17 degree as its truly the best hybrid ever made-- especially so for the better player looking for a good looking hybrid that's got fantastic ball speed but CRAZY LOW launch and spin. I mean, Phil Mickelson trusted this to be one of his two "metals" in his bag when he won The Open in 2013 (he played the X-Hot Pro 3Deep 13 & Anser 17-- no driver) and still uses it on and off even as recent as an event in 2017. I mean think about that for a minute-- Phil uses an off-the-rack Anser hybrid (albeit with a Kuro Kage shaft) even though Callaway has made him hundreds and hundreds of Callaway hybrids trying to get one in his bag. I mean they have even made prototype one-off heads that they had to apply for patents on trying to get him to use a Callaway hybrid and he uses a 5 year old off-the-rack hybrid... seriously, think about that. The problem is they are getting scarce out there... two summers ago I had no problem getting them. In fact, I bought 4 brand new Anser 17's all for under $90 and shafted them with several different shafts-- 8.8TS X, VTS Black 85X, Kuro Kage 90X & kept one of them with the stock PING TFC 800 shaft and it was fantastic as well. I sold them all when I got rid of all my clubs but if I would have kept a set around one of them surely would have made the cut. The one shafted with the 8.8 was longer than any 3 wood I've owned that's not named Tour Edge with 13 degree of loft no less. I remember one time I was playing a practice round at a new course and I hit both driver and that specific hybrid side by side to see which one played better on that hole and I remember being shocked to find it within 10 yards of my well-hit driver!

 

You know, that was a good question-- but if I was adding a fairway wood... I would have no clue where to even start. I've always loved tinkering with 3 woods-- my old PING rep got in trouble with his boss once because he PUD or free ordered me like 6 or 7 different super exotic 3 woods in one season... Lol. After I cracked the face on a Sonartec SS-03 with X-100 about 12 years ago that spot has been a never ending hole ever since...

 

I think PING would be happy to read that paragraph. You might have just convinced me to buy an Anser 17.

 

It's funny, the shafts that you were using before your break are still very relevant. The flavor of the week, so to speak, has come and gone the last couple years but I've still got a Speeder 6.3 TS with a TM tip waiting for something to use it in. I put it up against the Tour Rogue, Atmos Black, Tour AD GP, etc. and it just still performs and feels good. Was also playing the stock Whiteboards in the 915 woods until just recently, they're just solid.

 

The Tmb have been really good for me, especially on slightly thin contact. But the MB's are some of the best irons I've seen or owned, love the blunted leading edge and the thin topline. Mizuno will always get my vote for feel, just a personal preference but for looks and performance the 716MB is probably the best blade I've hit.

 

Nice bag and I think you'll have a tough time beating what you've got. Kind of jealous looking at the full line of blades there but I've gotten a little too used to cheating in the long irons the last year or so. Looking forward to seeing what you get to fill the last couple spots.

[FAbb]

After I cracked the face on a Sonartec SS-03 with X-100 about 12 years ago that spot has been a never ending hole ever since...

 

I've still got a 15 degree SS-03 with a Fuji 660TR in my garage. I played that club forever. Even after the crown got scratched to he!l by an alignment stick getting up in the headcover. I've been rotating that slot ever since I decided to retire it.