Drewtaylor21's Golf Journey (Swing Changes, WITB, Results)

[Obee]

Love my DF!!

[Hawkeye77]

Love my DF!!

 

Glad to hear it!

 

Drew, Obee's review is here - I can't believe I missed it, because I've been waiting for his fitting/playing review.

 

http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/1316290-directed-force-putters/page__st__90

[drewtaylor21]

Love my DF!!

 

Glad to hear it!

 

Drew, Obee's review is here - I can't believe I missed it, because I've been waiting for his fitting/playing review.

 

http://www.golfwrx.c...rs/page__st__90

 

I did see that, but thanks for linking that! He's another name I trust on this site, and between him, Monte, Schnee, and Heath (among others), I'm ready to pull the trigger. Just need to figure out how I'm going to do the fitting!

 

Obee, any further comments on the putter now that you've had it for a bit?

[Obee]

Love my DF!!

 

Glad to hear it!

 

Drew, Obee's review is here - I can't believe I missed it, because I've been waiting for his fitting/playing review.

 

http://www.golfwrx.c...rs/page__st__90

 

I did see that, but thanks for linking that! He's another name I trust on this site, and between him, Monte, Schnee, and Heath (among others), I'm ready to pull the trigger. Just need to figure out how I'm going to do the fitting!

 

Obee, any further comments on the putter now that you've had it for a bit?

 

Don't have much time to write right now, but I will say this: the putter definitely is not hot. It is extremely easy to use on fast greens. Fast, tickleish downhill putts are so easy to control with this thing it's amazing.

 

[drewtaylor21]

Off-season bag updates continued!

 

This baby arrived today:

 

 

 

I'd put the PING Ketsch Mid in the bag for the last couple months and had some good days and bad days with it. Just never quite felt 100% right, so I've been putting with my TaylorMade DLL at home the last week or two. It's the old standby and always feels good. Anyway, the PING has now been sold, and I used the proceeds + some Christmas $$ to get the Directed Force. BTW, turnaround time from order to delivery was just a week!

 

I was thinking I'd have to do the online fitting, but I contacted Bill Presse via Facebook just to see if he was planning to be in town anytime soon and he informed me that DF actually has a local fitter here in Vegas. John at Spanish Trail CC did my fitting and hooked me up with their CC member price on the putter, which was nice. The fitting is pretty straightforward, DF has a fitting putter that has adjustable length and lie angle, and you just set up like you normally would and the putter adjusts to you. They lock the adjustable parts in, and then measure your specs. I started at 34.5" and 71* and then we double-checked things and I was at 35" and 70* which felt a bit better. These are the specs that I ended up ordering. The fitting putter is pretty heavy, and doesn't feel the same as the actual putter, but I hit a few putts with it. John also had a demo putter that was set at 34" and 69*, so I toyed with that on the practice green for a while just to see what the fuss was about. John also showed me a drill that seems unique to the DF design that I think I'll use.

 

The one-ball drill: put a ball on the back of the horseshoe end (lol) and then hit another ball to about 10 feet. The goal is to not let the ball on the back of the putter fluctuate "north" or "south" on the putter. Basically makes you stay honest to swinging along the lie angle of the putter and letting the putter do the work. John mentioned this to me a few times, that he's found once you get used to letting the putter swing, the design really works well. I found that to be very true while I was using the demo putter. I have a tendency to get a little "hitty" with putts, so this is something that I think will be really good for me to work on.

 

Here is the one-ball drill followed by a regular putt from 9 feet:

 

Initial thoughts: Honestly I was hoping the putter would feel a bit more revolutionary. When I swing it, I can't really feel the lie angle balancing making any difference in face stability. With that said, I do notice I'm hitting the ball online more consistently, and my usual miss (pull) seems to have disappeared, at least in the early going. As others have mentioned, this is not a hot putter face. However, I don't feel like I need to really go after it at all to get a putt to the hole. Just a minor adjustment for speed. I'm not sure what I think about the Press Grip yet. I like the slight forward press, but I don't love the small size or "sideways" angle of the grip. We'll see if that's just another thing I can adjust to or if it ends up being an issue. Finally, the thing I will most need to get used to is alignment. It's odd having the puttershaft directly behind the ball instead of on the heel-side of the putter, so I initially find myself lining up with the ball a little on the toe side. The putter face is also about an inch or so to the ball side of the shaft, which is new (odd) for me. My instinct is to move ball position forward, but when I keep it where it should be, the putter does swing nicely. All in all, nothing too crazy, just some adjustments that I'll need to make. It'll be very interesting to get this on some familiar greens and see how it performs once I adjust to the "new" factor.

 

The putter also comes with a very nice headcover with a magnetic closure, nice touch!

[drewtaylor21]

FWIW, I mentioned this in the KSig thread, but myself, RobRey85 and another buddy of ours will be doing some ball testing this coming weekend. ProV1x, B330, Srixon Z-StarXV, Snell MTB, and KSig. We'll be hitting 50-yard wedge, full 8 iron, and driver, and recording all data with Flightscope. I'm interested in seeing if the KSig is all it's rumored to be, as well as really trying to nail down the best ball for my game. I think the group info will be helpful as well, as Rob is about an 8 cap and our friend Mike is about a 3 cap, so we have a decent range of abilities being represented. Looking forward to writing up the data for you guys!

 

I'll also be doing a Cool Clubs driver fitting on Jan 12th down in Irvine. Hoping to get some swings with the M1/M2 (new and old), Epic (or perhaps GBB eh Tai?), and Cobra King LTD. I'll be updating the thread with results there as well! Fun stuff coming up...

[Hstead]

I think the real magic of the DF is on the course, on putts inside of 8 feet. I used to both push and pull putts when I missed, some days worse than others, and the push was my predominant miss. I would say I have reduced my pushes and pulls by 15 to 1, easily maybe more. I feel like I have only missed maybe 4 or 5 putts the past few months due to me pushing or pulling it. I miss because of speed or misreads, but the ball starts where I want it to probably 99% of the time.

 

As for the Ksig, I will be anxious to see what you find. I haven't been able to play them in great weather, only a few times above 55 degrees. I have played them in strong winds and I don't find it hard to flight down like J13 did. I also don't feel like I launch it any higher than other balls I have played. I have played in 20+ winds at least three times with it and felt like I had the same control of it as I did a ProvX or a Tour B330. My favorite shot is a knock down too, I hit a ton of them and love playing in the wind. If this ball didn't go through the wind for me it would be shart canned quickly as that is my favorite shot. I haven't seen them curve more for me with irons and if anything it is straighter off the driver for me. I don't like the B330s because I feel it curves too much off of the driver.

 

Look forward to see what you get with the FS as that is a lot better than what J13 or I think we see with the naked eye.

[kyle75]

I will have to try the one ball drill with my DF putter, thanks for showing it. Once you drain a few putts, you'll get used to the grip.

[PepsiDuck]

Open question to all regarding the DF...are there "proper" stroke mechanics that will work optimally with the putter the way it is designed? E.g., Stan Utley elbows out arc stroke, Mike Shannon elbows in, Pelz SBST, etc...

[Hstead]

Open question to all regarding the DF...are there "proper" stroke mechanics that will work optimally with the putter the way it is designed? E.g., Stan Utley elbows out arc stroke, Mike Shannon elbows in, Pelz SBST, etc...

 

I chased a perfect stroke for over 6 years, had every training aid and putting device known to man. And I sucked at making putts. I finally went to see David Orr and he put me on the SAM. I had a nearly perfect stroke, from years of practicing a perfect stroke. But it didn't make putts.

 

I focused on mechanics constantly and it got me no where fast. The more I missed, the harder I worked on making my stroke perfect. I tried it all, SBST, Perfect Arc, Utley, you name it. None of it made putts for me.

 

Orr finally got me to understand that you cannot think about mechanics and be a good putter. I now let me eyes move and follow the ball to the hole. I think of nothing now but the ball going in the cup. So I couldn't tell you if my stroke looks like Billy Mayfairs or Tigers, I could care less now. My buddies now tease me about never missing inside 10 feet with this DF.

 

So long story short, don;t make the mistake I made for 6 years and chase some "SBST, Arc, etc etc" stroke and just go look at the hole and hit the ball there and free up your mind.

 

End of rant lol.

[drewtaylor21]

I think the real magic of the DF is on the course, on putts inside of 8 feet. I used to both push and pull putts when I missed, some days worse than others, and the push was my predominant miss. I would say I have reduced my pushes and pulls by 15 to 1, easily maybe more. I feel like I have only missed maybe 4 or 5 putts the past few months due to me pushing or pulling it. I miss because of speed or misreads, but the ball starts where I want it to probably 99% of the time.

 

As for the Ksig, I will be anxious to see what you find. I haven't been able to play them in great weather, only a few times above 55 degrees. I have played them in strong winds and I don't find it hard to flight down like J13 did. I also don't feel like I launch it any higher than other balls I have played. I have played in 20+ winds at least three times with it and felt like I had the same control of it as I did a ProvX or a Tour B330. My favorite shot is a knock down too, I hit a ton of them and love playing in the wind. If this ball didn't go through the wind for me it would be shart canned quickly as that is my favorite shot. I haven't seen them curve more for me with irons and if anything it is straighter off the driver for me. I don't like the B330s because I feel it curves too much off of the driver.

 

Look forward to see what you get with the FS as that is a lot better than what J13 or I think we see with the naked eye.

 

Thanks Heath, I'm planning to get out to a practice green that I'm familiar with tomorrow, so I am excited to see how it performs in the real world. Even just messing with it more in the garage tonight, I still don't feel any "magic" in the lie angle balancing, but I find it very easy to have a consistent face and path through the ball. I could see that being a definite difference-maker on putts from 3-15 feet.

 

I'm very excited about the ball test! We frequently have high winds here in Vegas, so I need a ball that performs in all conditions, so I'm happy to hear you had a different experience from J13. We'll see what we find out here on Sunday!

 

 

Open question to all regarding the DF...are there "proper" stroke mechanics that will work optimally with the putter the way it is designed? E.g., Stan Utley elbows out arc stroke, Mike Shannon elbows in, Pelz SBST, etc...

 

I'm certainly no expert on the DF, but from what I've learned so far, I don't think the mechanics of the stroke matter much as long as you are consistently setting up with the same lie angle that you were fit into, and can swing the putter back and through. My fitter made a point of telling me the putter must be soled flat, not toe up or heel up.

[pusb365]

Looking forward to seeing the ball testing results. Any chance you could throw the Taylormade TPx into the mix?

 

And as for the drivers you're looking at all are very solid options! I've been playing an XR Pro all season but have had a King Ltd Pro for the last month or so and an M1 (first version) for a couple of weeks. I think the M1 is going to take the spot in the bag but there's not much in it. M1 definitely longer and Cobra definitely more forgiving, for me anyway (though I was surprised at the forgiveness of the M1)

[CSagan]

Open question to all regarding the DF...are there "proper" stroke mechanics that will work optimally with the putter the way it is designed? E.g., Stan Utley elbows out arc stroke, Mike Shannon elbows in, Pelz SBST, etc...

 

I chased a perfect stroke for over 6 years, had every training aid and putting device known to man. And I sucked at making putts. I finally went to see David Orr and he put me on the SAM. I had a nearly perfect stroke, from years of practicing a perfect stroke. But it didn't make putts.

 

I focused on mechanics constantly and it got me no where fast. The more I missed, the harder I worked on making my stroke perfect. I tried it all, SBST, Perfect Arc, Utley, you name it. None of it made putts for me.

 

Orr finally got me to understand that you cannot think about mechanics and be a good putter. I now let me eyes move and follow the ball to the hole. I think of nothing now but the ball going in the cup. So I couldn't tell you if my stroke looks like Billy Mayfairs or Tigers, I could care less now. My buddies now tease me about never missing inside 10 feet with this DF.

 

So long story short, don;t make the mistake I made for 6 years and chase some "SBST, Arc, etc etc" stroke and just go look at the hole and hit the ball there and free up your mind.

 

End of rant lol.

 

Ha. I'm reading your putting struggles and thinking gee what a headcase. I'm normally pretty good putter and haven't thought mechanics on it since 2001 when I switched to cross handed. But your putter thinking is about like my swing thoughts but without the perfect swing part.

 

That putter is funny looking, dunno if my buddies would allow it. Still get it about wearing a tour tempo earpiece on the range one time.

 

 

[MK7Golf21]

I never have taken a putting lesson or studied anything about it mainly because I see it as such a simple movement and I have access to one of the best putting instructors in the country. Im a pretty good putter so its served me well not to think about it too much. Only thing I need is a feel for the speed of the green.

[robrey85]

Looking forward to seeing the ball testing results. Any chance you could throw the Taylormade TPx into the mix?

 

And as for the drivers you're looking at all are very solid options! I've been playing an XR Pro all season but have had a King Ltd Pro for the last month or so and an M1 (first version) for a couple of weeks. I think the M1 is going to take the spot in the bag but there's not much in it. M1 definitely longer and Cobra definitely more forgiving, for me anyway (though I was surprised at the forgiveness of the M1)

 

Hey man, unfortunately the spreadsheet has already been made for the balls and everything has been planned.

 

I never have taken a putting lesson or studied anything about it mainly because I see it as such a simple movement and I have access to one of the best putting instructors in the country. Im a pretty good putter so its served me well not to think about it too much. Only thing I need is a feel for the speed of the green.

 

The best thing that helped my putting was reading, "The Putting Prescription" by Dr. Craig Farnsworth. It's my go to book for drills and reference.

[Jim Waldron]

Open question to all regarding the DF...are there "proper" stroke mechanics that will work optimally with the putter the way it is designed? E.g., Stan Utley elbows out arc stroke, Mike Shannon elbows in, Pelz SBST, etc...

 

I chased a perfect stroke for over 6 years, had every training aid and putting device known to man. And I sucked at making putts. I finally went to see David Orr and he put me on the SAM. I had a nearly perfect stroke, from years of practicing a perfect stroke. But it didn't make putts.

 

I focused on mechanics constantly and it got me no where fast. The more I missed, the harder I worked on making my stroke perfect. I tried it all, SBST, Perfect Arc, Utley, you name it. None of it made putts for me.

 

Orr finally got me to understand that you cannot think about mechanics and be a good putter. I now let me eyes move and follow the ball to the hole. I think of nothing now but the ball going in the cup. So I couldn't tell you if my stroke looks like Billy Mayfairs or Tigers, I could care less now. My buddies now tease me about never missing inside 10 feet with this DF.

 

So long story short, don;t make the mistake I made for 6 years and chase some "SBST, Arc, etc etc" stroke and just go look at the hole and hit the ball there and free up your mind.

 

End of rant lol.

 

 

Heath - your strategy for putting will work for all of your long game and short game shots as well. Thinking mechanics is a recipe for disaster on all golf shots.

 

You certainly want to learn and practice your way to better mechanics (off the golf course) so that you form dominant habits. But then you release those habits - which flow from your subconscious mind effortlessly - to play good golf.

[drewtaylor21]

Looking forward to seeing the ball testing results. Any chance you could throw the Taylormade TPx into the mix?

 

And as for the drivers you're looking at all are very solid options! I've been playing an XR Pro all season but have had a King Ltd Pro for the last month or so and an M1 (first version) for a couple of weeks. I think the M1 is going to take the spot in the bag but there's not much in it. M1 definitely longer and Cobra definitely more forgiving, for me anyway (though I was surprised at the forgiveness of the M1)

 

Thanks! As Rob mentioned, we've already got everything set up and it'd be a bit of a hassle to make any changes at this point. Additionally, I don't have any new TPx balls to use, and the way its looking right now, the 5 balls we are testing already are going to take at least 3 hours to test and record data. Not too thrilled about extending that time. With that said, I'm hearing a lot of very good things about the new TP line, so perhaps later this spring I might put the TPx up against whatever ball wins for me this Sunday. We'll see :)

[robrey85]

Looking forward to seeing the ball testing results. Any chance you could throw the Taylormade TPx into the mix?

 

And as for the drivers you're looking at all are very solid options! I've been playing an XR Pro all season but have had a King Ltd Pro for the last month or so and an M1 (first version) for a couple of weeks. I think the M1 is going to take the spot in the bag but there's not much in it. M1 definitely longer and Cobra definitely more forgiving, for me anyway (though I was surprised at the forgiveness of the M1)

 

Thanks! As Rob mentioned, we've already got everything set up and it'd be a bit of a hassle to make any changes at this point. Additionally, I don't have any new TPx balls to use, and the way its looking right now, the 5 balls we are testing already are going to take at least 3 hours to test and record data. Not too thrilled about extending that time. With that said, I'm hearing a lot of very good things about the new TP line, so perhaps later this spring I might put the TPx up against whatever ball wins for me this Sunday. We'll see :)

 

If you do that, make sure to put in the new higher compression core Chrome Soft X! My inner WRX is curious to know how that ball will perform.

[pinhigh27]

sorry if this has been mentioned before. so as I understand, DF putters are weighted according to lie angle. What happens if I change my setup and a new lie angle is more appropriate? Are the weights in the head able to be adjusted to whatever the lie is bent to, or would I need a new putter?

[PepsiDuck]

sorry if this has been mentioned before. so as I understand, DF putters are weighted according to lie angle. What happens if I change my setup and a new lie angle is more appropriate? Are the weights in the head able to be adjusted to whatever the lie is bent to, or would I need a new putter?

 

This is my biggest concern with the DF. Once it's shipped, it cannot be adjusted; hence my question about setup, mechanics, etc. You pretty much have to commit to setting up and putting a certain way. My understanding is that any change to your baseline setup or stroke will render the DF useless since the lie angle is set at the factory.

[drewtaylor21]

sorry if this has been mentioned before. so as I understand, DF putters are weighted according to lie angle. What happens if I change my setup and a new lie angle is more appropriate? Are the weights in the head able to be adjusted to whatever the lie is bent to, or would I need a new putter?

 

This is my biggest concern with the DF. Once it's shipped, it cannot be adjusted; hence my question about setup, mechanics, etc. You pretty much have to commit to setting up and putting a certain way. My understanding is that any change to your baseline setup or stroke will render the DF useless since the lie angle is set at the factory.

 

My understanding as well. Not a putter for tinkerers! The WRX nightmare perhaps, but also might be a very good thing for a lot of people.... :rofl:

[Jacob Mac]

Did you compare the DF putter to an evnroll?

[Schnee]

The DF can be reweighted for a different lie angle if I'm not mistaken. But I believe you have to send it to them.

[PepsiDuck]

The DF can be reweighted for a different lie angle if I'm not mistaken. But I believe you have to send it to them.

 

Can they adjust length and lie?

[iteachgolf]

The DF can be reweighted for a different lie angle if I'm not mistaken. But I believe you have to send it to them.

 

Can they adjust length and lie?

 

It's a putter. You can adjust the length and lie of any putter. The only thing different from them is the weighting. So if that can be changed then anything can be adjusted

[drewtaylor21]

The DF can be reweighted for a different lie angle if I'm not mistaken. But I believe you have to send it to them.

 

Can they adjust length and lie?

 

It's a putter. You can adjust the length and lie of any putter. The only thing different from them is the weighting. So if that can be changed then anything can be adjusted

 

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can adjust the lie of these putters without sending them back. From what it looks like to me, they thread the shaft into the putter head at a set angle and glue it in place. Trying to bend the lie looks like it would break something....

 

 

 

Regardless, I'm sure Bill Presse would be happy to answer any questions if you contact him Pepsi. I reached out via Facebook message and he got back to me within a couple hours (Directed Force main page)

[drewtaylor21]

Did you compare the DF putter to an evnroll?

 

No, I looked into Evnroll as well, and I'd be interested to try one, but I think DF has the more applicable technology to me and my game (face and path control). Distance control is not usually an issue for me, and that seems to be the area that people would see the most benefit with Evnroll and their grooves.

[iteachgolf]

The DF can be reweighted for a different lie angle if I'm not mistaken. But I believe you have to send it to them.

 

Can they adjust length and lie?

 

It's a putter. You can adjust the length and lie of any putter. The only thing different from them is the weighting. So if that can be changed then anything can be adjusted

 

I could be wrong, but I don't think you can adjust the lie of these putters without sending them back. From what it looks like to me, they thread the shaft into the putter head at a set angle and glue it in place. Trying to bend the lie looks like it would break something....

 

 

 

Regardless, I'm sure Bill Presse would be happy to answer any questions if you contact him Pepsi. I reached out via Facebook message and he got back to me within a couple hours (Directed Force main page)

 

I meant that if they offer different lie angles they can adjust it. Ping also tells you to send it to them to adjust lie angle. But I've never had an issue doing it myself.

[Gamble Gamble]

Open question to all regarding the DF...are there "proper" stroke mechanics that will work optimally with the putter the way it is designed? E.g., Stan Utley elbows out arc stroke, Mike Shannon elbows in, Pelz SBST, etc...

So long story short, don;t make the mistake I made for 6 years and chase some "SBST, Arc, etc etc" stroke and just go look at the hole and hit the ball there and free up your mind.

 

End of rant lol.

 

Exactly this. When I'm putting my best my only thought is "how hard do I have to hit this to get it 6 inches past the hole"

[drewtaylor21]

I've mentioned a couple times now that I've made some nice changes/improvements in my short game, so I wanted to share what those consisted of. Pretty simple, IMO, but here's the breakdown:

 

[media=]

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I find it works perfectly for chips, both in the rough and from tight lies around the greens. Whenever I focused on using the bounce I would always have to modify my technique out of greenside rough to get a steeper AoA, so it's nice to have just one short game technique that I don't need to adjust based on the lie. Additionally, I've bounced around from feel to feel with the bounce method for the last two years or so, needing a new feel every 2-4 weeks. I'd get a little bladey or chunky, find a new feel and get back on track. I've used this "extended shaft" visual for about a month now and haven't had to change a thing. Consistently great contact. Hope this is helpful for someone!

 

The Directed Force is definitely proving to be a solid putter. The more I use it the more I'm liking it a lot. I think my expectations were perhaps a bit unrealistic. I thought I would feel more face stability during the putting stroke, and while there is some of that, the difference maker to me seems to be more that the path stays very stable. It almost seems to me that the size and design of the head makes it easier to see peripherally and allows me to swing along my intended target line much easier instead of cutting left like I have a tendency to do. It isn't what I was expecting, but nonetheless it works! I got out to a practice green this morning and hit some putts and I'm 99% sure this will be going in the bag.

 

Full disclosure for those considering buying, I'd be a little annoyed if I paid $400 + $30 for the online fitting. My fitting was free, I got a discount on the putter, and had some house money to play with going in, so I'm happy. Value is certainly in the eye of the consumer, and it's no doubt a very good putter, but it's not worth $450 IMO. YMMV. If you have the chance to get fit in person, or better yet, demo one for a day, it's definitely worth looking into. It's not magical though, and you still have to set up correctly and put a good stroke on the ball to get the benefits. In another month or two when I'm playing more, if I find I'm making significantly more putts, that opinion could change and I'll certainly update things here, just wanted to give an honest assessment for those reading.