MattM97's WITB: 2024 Ball Testing, Bag Prep and Training.

[BallerNate]

12 hours ago, MattM97 said:

The iron fitting journey it done, I hope. Did a quick and dirty fit at PXG Canada, literally just went in an hit the 0317CB irons quickly. Wasn't a perfect setup but got to see what was going on, the unfortunate side was with PXG they don't bend their heads they come pre-bent so the 0317CB in LH were just standard lie so a few things were off.

 

But I just hit and the fitter was looking for anything that was really off, outside of the impact location which would probably clean up with a lie bend. Ball speed was looking nice, launch was nice, still my usual high ball flight but not crazy high or low spin, nice decent angle to hold greens and the most enjoyable part was how soft they felt.

 

The distance on them was looking quite short in the sim but the fitter let me know it's reads a bit odd and to add 5-8% to the distance. I was trying to do some quick math in my head, instead I just asked to hit a few shots with the 0311P with proper lie to see the difference and it was honestly just 5 yards difference so no real worry for me, maybe bend the 0317CBs 1° strong and we will be set.

 

So here is how the irons are looking to lay out right now:

 

4i - 0311XP

5-6i - 0311P

7-PW - 0317CB

 

Just waiting for the fitter to get back to me with the new build sheet, then will order this week the irons, maybe the 3W in another week or two and we'll have a set bag until the next time I feel my bag isn't set.

Nice, sounds like a sweet setup!

 

I’ve never hit a PXG club, but have never heard anyone say their products aren’t extremely good.

 

What shafts will you be getting in them?

[MattM97]

37 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Nice, sounds like a sweet setup!

 

I’ve never hit a PXG club, but have never heard anyone say their products aren’t extremely good.

 

What shafts will you be getting in them?

 

Was my first time hitting them as well, very surprised. The 0311XP and 0311P for what they are sound and feel very solid. But compare it to the 0317CB that's not even fair. They're like as soft or softer than the ZX7 irons. 

 

Shaft will be: Dynamic Gold Tour 120 X100. I can never have a shaft with a short name apparently. I forget if we're 1/2" long again or standard. Distance and impact was similar I think just went long for comfort. 

[MattM97]

Went into TXG this afternoon to order up my irons, the addition of the CB irons helped drop the price a bit. Was told 4-6 weeks but PXG is in their good books at the moment so could be sooner but will see. Now to complain for the next 4-6 weeks until my new irons arrive. 

 

My 3W I will order in a week or two after paying off the irons a bit on the CC and try and move a few more items. 

[Longballjock]

Glad you have found a set that is working for your needs, keep us posted and hope you play well with them.

[MattM97]

10 hours ago, Longballjock said:

Glad you have found a set that is working for your needs, keep us posted and hope you play well with them.

 

Appreciate it, really excited for these new irons, my swing is also really coming around right now. I'm really feeling what my coach wants me to do, still not doing everything but the general motion is much better now. Also since December I've lost about 40lbs and I think my body has finally adapted and starting to move better without a ton of effort, still have a lot more weight to lose but it's a really good sign for my golf game and general health too. 

[BallerNate]

On 6/30/2023 at 11:26 AM, MattM97 said:

 

Appreciate it, really excited for these new irons, my swing is also really coming around right now. I'm really feeling what my coach wants me to do, still not doing everything but the general motion is much better now. Also since December I've lost about 40lbs and I think my body has finally adapted and starting to move better without a ton of effort, still have a lot more weight to lose but it's a really good sign for my golf game and general health too. 

40 lbs down is amazing man…Congrats!!

 

Great to hear how your body and and game are progressing, and look forward to hearing how it goes with the new Irons too.

[MattM97]

3 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

40 lbs down is amazing man…Congrats!!

 

Great to hear how your body and and game are progressing, and look forward to hearing how it goes with the new Irons too.

 

Thanks man, some days I don't realize how much it really is cause I kinda just see the same body in the mirror daily but some days I realize it more and more. But still a long way to go, I just know how much it will help the golf game and my quality of life. Now only if my dating life would improve like my golf game lol.

[MattM97]

PXG sent an order tracker end of last week, got a notification they are built and have shipped, on their way to TXG for spec check and then into my hands so as long as customs doesn't take long should have them maybe next week.

 

In other news I've completely forgotten how to and lost all feeling with my driver, hooray. It's lovely when I can hit my driver 200 yards or 300+ when I lose feel.

[Amarsuperstar]

Great stuff, Matt, I'm just reading through the whole thread. Appreciate you documenting your journey. Curious about your outdoor fitting with TXG- In one of those posts you mention that the fitter referenced how crappy the balls were and that it would change with your ball of choice. I thought one of the big parts of the TXG fittings at The Pulpit was that they could use your premium ball of choice? 

[MattM97]

57 minutes ago, Amarsuperstar said:

Great stuff, Matt, I'm just reading through the whole thread. Appreciate you documenting your journey. Curious about your outdoor fitting with TXG- In one of those posts you mention that the fitter referenced how crappy the balls were and that it would change with your ball of choice. I thought one of the big parts of the TXG fittings at The Pulpit was that they could use your premium ball of choice? 

 

Glad you're enjoying it, nice to know I'm just not writing a self diary at times lol.

 

Um maybe at some point, they would have to figure out how sort the balls since you're just hitting onto the range with everyone else, or maybe the club just upgrades to better range balls. Now to be fair balls are just 1 minor thing the club is building and growing and I assume balls will be updated at one point. But just 1 minor thing I noticed while I was there.

 

The other thing is there was I guess a lesson range on the other end of the range where people were. On Google maps right now from the very back of the range I was at to the front of the lesson range is 300 yards, I was further up at maybe 275-285 yards and was uphill so the 300 yards I was hitting the driver for a few swings I could have been hitting towards them but the odd of me hitting a 30yard wide range off the tee is just hysterical but I kinda aimed more towards a hill. So that could be a reason why. 

 

Indoors it's a different story obviously can ask them to hit a certain ball or bring your own. But outdoors I'm not too worried, turf interaction was the bigger factor for me and if the same ball across the board it's easy to figure out if there is a major difference. 

[MattM97]

Still waiting on the irons, just ordered my 3W directly from Callaway said only 5 days on the site so f it let's just do that didn't have anything crazy on the setup I believe just upright.

 

Other stuff, wedge game is looking nice, driver I'm lost on, haven't played a proper 18 holes in forever it feels.

[MattM97]

Picked up the irons today, excited to get them going, figure out distances and what not. 

 

[BallerNate]

6 hours ago, MattM97 said:

Picked up the irons today, excited to get them going, figure out distances and what not. 

 

Nice man…beauties!!

 

Look forward to hearing how they hit for sure!!

[MattM97]

Was in the simulator this morning, not feeling the greatest and body especially my shoulder was not happy this morning but wanted to get some swings in to get used to the heavier and stiffer shafts. 

 

Wasn't the best swings but was seeing about an 8-12 yard gap in my irons which I'm fine with, distance seemed a bit short with the CB's but I figure they will need to be bent a bit stronger but all numbers were down. So will see on the course tomorrow and Monday how they perform. 

[MattM97]

Another thing that has been frustrating with me lately is driver, it's just inconsistent and short. Few shots in the simulator and it's obvious I'm hitting down on it, then try and fix and and hitting too up and sweepy on it. Also sucks my shoulder is tight and sore lately so hard to get it in a proper path going so I'm also swiping across the ball. But some fixes and feels got some decent drives, the carry is lacking but I know it's something I have to deal with until the shoulder feels better. 

 

I did square one up but was more a pull but had much better spin, this was a bit too much but would anyone complain about those numbers and flight? 

 

[MattM97]

Was hoping to get back out this past weekend but weather wasn't cooperating and had a bit of heat exhaustion so into the simulator we went to test the irons. I definitely need to get more feel with these irons, I can really compress the ball with these but my habits with my old irons I need to break. I also need to further dial in the distances and need to get loft and lie checked on these soon just to keep gapping in check. 

 

The other thing is the driver, yes I posted above a solid session but this last session was awful, now I did absolutely cook my shoulders working so might not have been the best but everything else was half decent. I have a feeling the shaft/setup isn't idea, when I got fitted I was fatter, weaker and had a so-so swing. Now I'm lighter, stronger with a so-so swing so thinking something stiffer and potentially heavier. 

 

I have been looking for some shafts online, I know I say get fit but I just don't want to drop the cash on a driver right now. I did find a Tensei CK Pro Orange locally at a good price just need to get a Cobra tip put on and give it a try. Reason I'm trying this shaft out, it's what I have in my hybrid and I can time/feel this shaft really well just figured it could work in the driver and not too expensive. 

 

This is definitely going to put a new driver on the list for this off season, in the mean time I'll have to do some more lessons with my coach, maybe find a consistent feel with my driver as the swing feel is different every time. Why is this club so annoying? It's a make or break for my score. 

 

Edit: Still waiting on my 3W, no idea why Callaway is taking so long but says should ship by the 14th at the latest. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by MattM97

[MattM97]

Picked up that Tensei shaft just need to get a Cobra tip put on it.

 

My 3W finally says "Being Processed" so hopefully it ships soon.

[MattM97]

This is the thread that never end, yes it goes on and on my friends....

 

Sorry if that's now stuck in your head but lets look into what's going on with my bag. 

 

Driver: as this has been a recent issue for me I saw on the Cobra LTDxLS thread that rather than having a 3g and 10g weight in the sole to bump up them to both 10g, kill the spin a bit more and make it more stable. Well I just slapped 7g of lead tape over the 3g weight since it's cheaper and took it to the sim. Definitely makes the head feel heavier but I also can feel the head in my swing way better. My swing speed also went from a 112-115mph without the extra 7g to 117-119mph with the extra weight so I'll take that CHS bump and better feel. Still plan on touching up the technique with my coach but have a temp bandage. 

 

 

3W: Tracking says out for delivery so finally it's here. 

 

Hybrid: Never really planned to replace this but as mentioned at my fitting the fitter said if I come across a G425 or G430 hybrid head give it a try and see if I like it better. So I found a G425 on the BST at an amazing price so will see how that slots in or if the G410 keeps the spot.

[MattM97]

Finally 3-5 business days turned into 3-5 weeks for this order but the new 3W is here and ready to be hit. 

 

 

I'm kinda curious how well a Paradym driver would fit me but that's an expensive thought. 

[BallerNate]

15 hours ago, MattM97 said:

Finally 3-5 business days turned into 3-5 weeks for this order but the new 3W is here and ready to be hit. 

 

 

I'm kinda curious how well a Paradym driver would fit me but that's an expensive thought. 

Beauty! Good luck with the new 3W and look forward to hearing all about it!

[MattM97]

1 hour ago, BallerNate said:

Beauty! Good luck with the new 3W and look forward to hearing all about it!

 

Thanks I was hitting absolute missiles with it during the fitting but funny enough mine got better again so once I get the feel for this should be a dangerous option for my game. 

[MattM97]

Alright lets recap with what's going on with the bag since there have been changes.

 

Driver: that additional weight has made a huge difference with how the driver feels, I don't lose the head anymore in the swing but I also gotta really go after it but it's much better now. I was talking to the fitter I work with about something else and just did a bag rundown, he agreed with my recent physical changes a new shaft could make the driver even better but that's an off season thing, will see if anything else happens. But I also have that Tensei CK Pro Orange being worked on and will try that out. I do think I had my longest drive ever at 360 total so yeah just need to put a good swing on the club.

 

3W: holy hell this is hot, it's a freaking missile off the tee. I'm still getting a feel for the shaft which is much smoother than my last one, just need to time it better. But this I also talked to the fitter about, he said we could look at adjusting the adapter or slapping some lead tape to bump the spin up again so it's less missile and more high arching dart. I did have a tee shot with this go 345 but I was on an elevated tee and wind at my back but still that's just insane and I didn't hit the fairway.

 

Hybrid: I didn't mention it but snagged a G425 hybrid head here at a great price, was planning on getting into the sim and testing but will just toss it right into the bag now and bring my old G410 head if I'm not feeling this over the weekend.

 

Irons: I am still enjoying these a ton, just easier to swing but I do need to get the lofts checked for proper gapping.

 

Wedges & Putter: No changes.

 

Oh and something completely stupid and unrelated I just won a TSI3 driver head on eBay so I guess I need to find a shaft for it and just have some fun testing but probably won't last long.

[BallerNate]

On 8/23/2023 at 10:39 PM, MattM97 said:

Alright lets recap with what's going on with the bag since there have been changes.

 

Driver: that additional weight has made a huge difference with how the driver feels, I don't lose the head anymore in the swing but I also gotta really go after it but it's much better now. I was talking to the fitter I work with about something else and just did a bag rundown, he agreed with my recent physical changes a new shaft could make the driver even better but that's an off season thing, will see if anything else happens. But I also have that Tensei CK Pro Orange being worked on and will try that out. I do think I had my longest drive ever at 360 total so yeah just need to put a good swing on the club.

 

3W: holy hell this is hot, it's a freaking missile off the tee. I'm still getting a feel for the shaft which is much smoother than my last one, just need to time it better. But this I also talked to the fitter about, he said we could look at adjusting the adapter or slapping some lead tape to bump the spin up again so it's less missile and more high arching dart. I did have a tee shot with this go 345 but I was on an elevated tee and wind at my back but still that's just insane and I didn't hit the fairway.

 

Hybrid: I didn't mention it but snagged a G425 hybrid head here at a great price, was planning on getting into the sim and testing but will just toss it right into the bag now and bring my old G410 head if I'm not feeling this over the weekend.

 

Irons: I am still enjoying these a ton, just easier to swing but I do need to get the lofts checked for proper gapping.

 

Wedges & Putter: No changes.

 

Oh and something completely stupid and unrelated I just won a TSI3 driver head on eBay so I guess I need to find a shaft for it and just have some fun testing but probably won't last long.

360 yd Drives…jeez man, do we have to get you drug tested, Lol!!

 

Sounds like you’ve got a weapon there in the Driver spot…exciting stuff!!

[MattM97]

1 hour ago, BallerNate said:

360 yd Drives…jeez man, do we have to get you drug tested, Lol!!

 

Sounds like you’ve got a weapon there in the Driver spot…exciting stuff!!

 

I caught the down slope on that one lol. If I'm on I'm looking at 300-325 average. 

 

The driver is still super bi polar but I need a lesson I'm feeling off with my swing again. 

[MattM97]

Small bag update:

 

Hybrid: I haven't gotten on the simulator yet but the G425 is in the bag just on the fact that it fades for me, as much as I liked seeing a very nice baby draw falling left to right is a sweet sight having 1 club in my bag that draws when the rest fades is a bit of an issue on certain shots but it could be handy on certain courses if I have a lot of shots where a draw is needed for a lefty.

 

Driver: Picked up a TSi3 head, just looking for a shaft(s) for it to tinker with, just a bit easier finding Titleist shafts than Cobra shafts. I doubt this driver will take over but who knows how I get along with it. I don't hit mine bad, it's like dead center often my face angle is just open and no driver can save that but just want to have some fun.

 

Plan to get back on the lessons, hopefully dial everything in a bit and see if the fall golf season can end on a high note.

[MattM97]

Had my first lesson today in a while, just some frustration on the course since I don't have eyes on my swing just by feel. I know there are some things wrong but hard to really pinpoint it myself. As expected my swing was off just a handful of swings in an I hear "yeah your swing plane is off" basically casting my hands and body is fighting myself. 

 

Out comes the alignment rod holder and we just rep a more inside take away and in to out path and guess what things clean up. Then we focus on setup as my hands dip too low and I set up the ball heel side so more fixes but they help. After a while the irons are just swinging easy and even a slight draw at times. 

 

Now onto the driver and this was bad so lots of work for us, lots of the same thing but extra focuses. Finally last resort drill/feel I felt something, got back behind the ball and started seeing  better contact, better flight and less stress. Just have to remember the setup queues and the tee box drill, will look super goofy but if I can go 280-320 off the tee then "ah-hyuck!". Need to order an alignment rod holder and grab a pool noodle and just pound reps in the sim for like 2 hours. 

 

Club update, nothing really I did swap grips on my Kevin Burns, had a RoseMark 1.52 Neo but it has just been feeling too thick especially after a stance adjustment, so GP Green Star Cord with an extra wrap went on it and will roll some putts and see how it feels with that. I roll that putter well but feel was off at times and I hope this improves it more me both stroke and sound. 

[BallerNate]

17 hours ago, MattM97 said:

Had my first lesson today in a while, just some frustration on the course since I don't have eyes on my swing just by feel. I know there are some things wrong but hard to really pinpoint it myself. As expected my swing was off just a handful of swings in an I hear "yeah your swing plane is off" basically casting my hands and body is fighting myself. 

 

Out comes the alignment rod holder and we just rep a more inside take away and in to out path and guess what things clean up. Then we focus on setup as my hands dip too low and I set up the ball heel side so more fixes but they help. After a while the irons are just swinging easy and even a slight draw at times. 

 

Now onto the driver and this was bad so lots of work for us, lots of the same thing but extra focuses. Finally last resort drill/feel I felt something, got back behind the ball and started seeing  better contact, better flight and less stress. Just have to remember the setup queues and the tee box drill, will look super goofy but if I can go 280-320 off the tee then "ah-hyuck!". Need to order an alignment rod holder and grab a pool noodle and just pound reps in the sim for like 2 hours. 

 

Club update, nothing really I did swap grips on my Kevin Burns, had a RoseMark 1.52 Neo but it has just been feeling too thick especially after a stance adjustment, so GP Green Star Cord with an extra wrap went on it and will roll some putts and see how it feels with that. I roll that putter well but feel was off at times and I hope this improves it more me both stroke and sound. 

Nice, good to hear the lesson helped you get back on track.

 

Golf is so freaking hard man…but it’s just so beautiful and addictive at the same time!!

[MattM97]

18 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Nice, good to hear the lesson helped you get back on track.

 

Golf is so freaking hard man…but it’s just so beautiful and addictive at the same time!!

 

Yeah it's funny I can pick up feelings and most positions really quick from being an athlete but also being an athlete my body is banged to hell so some positions are harder to get into at times.

 

If I had more access to coaching when I practice probably be half decent for a weekend hack but not possible lol. But we're on the right path to get better.

[Phabs]

5 hours ago, MattM97 said:

 

Yeah it's funny I can pick up feelings and most positions really quick from being an athlete but also being an athlete my body is banged to hell so some positions are harder to get into at times.

 

If I had more access to coaching when I practice probably be half decent for a weekend hack but not possible lol. But we're on the right path to get better.

Im sure you already are but if you don’t have a foam roller… get one.  It’s helped me a ton loosening up prior to a round. 

Edited September 9, 2023 by Phabs

[MattM97]

33 minutes ago, Phabs said:

Im sure you already are but if you don’t have a foam roller… get one.  It’s helped me a ton loosening up prior to a round. 

 

I do have one just some days can't get loose. Like my right glute is bugging me again and it's a muscle activation issue so lots of gym time for that. 

 

Also need to pick up the shoulder mobility again, can feel the soreness from proper positioning in the swing.