The One Club That Stood Out

[BCULAW]

Piggy backing on the “worst equipment” thread, I thought it might be fun to discuss the one club or piece of equipment that left the strongest first impression on you.

What is the one club you’ve hit that, after hitting it, you believed was head and shoulder better than anything else you had ever tried?

For me, it was a TaylorMade r510 TP with a Fujikura Six x-stiff.

I was interested in equipment before I tried this combo, but had mainly played off the rack clubs, and never any upgraded, premium shafts. I had also never ventured into the realm of extra stiff driver shafts, and was hesitant to move into the oversized heads that had started to come out around that time. If I recall, I was using either a Titleist 975 LFE or a TM 300, and couldn’t understand why anyone would want anything bigger (or more expensive).

The local shop was doing an outdoor fitting for a local pro on the 10th tee of our course. I was pals with the fitter and he let me swing a couple on a launch monitor. I was afraid that the extra stiff shaft was going to embarrass me. When I hit it, though, I was amazed on so many levels.

First, the head sounded SO much different than the other drivers I had hit. Powerful, but not overly loud. The shaft felt incredibly lively - almost like a spring or a catapult, and the ball just WENT!! I only hit 2-3 balls, but I remember that, for the first significant time in my golfing life, I realized that there was a whole realm of equipment that was DIFFERENT than what I was playing, and so much better in terms of performance, aesthetics, and overall user enjoyment.

Im pretty sure that was THE club that left the strongest impression on me. It also probably turned me from an equipment fan into the gear geek I am today.

Honorable mention to the Titleist 680 irons, which was the first set of blade irons I was brave enough to try. After one round with my buddy’s set, I knew I wanted to play them. It just raised iron play to more enjoyable experience for me - they were so exacting, demanding, precise, and rewarding, that I got hooked and wanted more. I’ve been playing mostly blades of some sort ever since.

Anyone else with a similar “WOW” moment?

[LPCP]

I was expecting you to say the Titleist 983! I stumbled upon an old thread the other day and your reviews of the 983E you were playing at the time pushed me over the edge and now I've got one on the way. I played the 983K back in the day and nostalgia got the best of me.

[BCULAW]

Ha Ha!!! I’ve had a lot of great equipment experiences! That 983E was such a great one! I spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars to drive the ball poorly. There was a hole on my course - #17 at Heritage Harbor in Lutz, Florida - that required about a 240 yard carry off the tee. I couldn’t carry it!!!! I could hit a 4 iron 215, but couldn’t carry a driver 240!?!?

I remember throwing away a good round because of a short drive on 17, and going straight to the local Golf Galaxy after the round to find ANOTHER new driver. I hit everything I could find and they all produced the same results.

That old 983E was about the only club left to try. It was like $9 and had a worn grip. I hit the first shot dead on the screws and it WENT! Then another and another! I think I walked out of the store with that driver for less than $15 with a new grip and immediately sold like $500 worth of drivers with exotic shafts! I bagged that thing for a LONG time after, too. Not sure whether it was the smaller head, or the shaft (which I think was an old gradually pro lite stuff), but I could actually elevate it and make the required carry. It was sneaky long, too.

Fun times! Thanks for the memory!!

[rocketmutt]

For me it was probably when I picked up a set of used terrific shape MP-14's. Like your experience above with the 680's, they really rewarded well struck shots and demanded more from every swing. Profile was very pleasing to the eye and the feel is amazing. Well struck long irons are things to dream of when hitting a blade for me. Solid explosive trajectory and the feel is something to die for.

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Mizuno MP4 feel is/was great.

Taylormade V-steel (7w) feel is fantastic.

Loved both my Ping G20 and G400 drivers.

Honma TW-forged driving iron was the best-feeling driving iron I've hit (but I later got rid of it).

 

But the one club that stood out? That would be the TM R-9 4w I have that is still in the bag. I've hit some horrible shots recently with it, but in the past that was my go-to club. I hit so many different shots with that. Low bullets off wet lies into tight greens, high floaters, bullet fades off the tee, high draws off the tee....damn, where the hell has my swing gone!?

[MattyO1984]

It’s a set of clubs as opposed to a specific club and it was when I got my Titleist 714 AP2’s. I had the original AP2’s and I thought they were great, I really enjoyed them but they were well used and after 6 years it was time to upgrade.

 

First time out I can remember hitting a 7 iron second shot to a back pin and the ball just took off. I hit it a decent distance but I was completely taken aback. The ball flew the green and then some. I will never forget that moment and then also playing a team match play with them once I had gotten used to how far they were going. I was playing a guy who was a short hitter. There is a par 3 at my home course which measures 220 yards. It was playing back into the wind. The guy I was playing was a good player but a short hitter - 4 handicap. He had the honour and hit driver hole high. I hit 5 iron hole high and inside him. Our captain who was out watching but not playing due to injury and who has been a plus handicapper in years gone by asked if it was a 3 iron that he hit. I showed him the sole of my club and his jaw nearly dropped. He was amazed that I was able to get a 5 iron up there and to be fair, two or three months prior to that I would have been amazed as well. They were definitely a game changer for me.

[BCULAW]

Man, I hear you! If you read the post above about the 983E, I had almost the same experience with a set of MP14s. I was alternating sets of current model, very high end irons and came across a set of MP14s in the local used bin for $100. I fell HARD for them, and still use them on and off throughout the season. To me, the best attribute is the ease of use in the long irons, which I found to be far easier to elevate (and hit far) than the modern blades. People rave about the 33s, but the 14s are the cream of the crop in my book.

[HanginDong]

Hitting my dads 680 mbs for the first time after only being exposed to game improvement irons when I was younger. Not necessarily the club itself just the feel of flushing a forged iron for the first time as I’m sure most of you know is pure enlightenment. I’ve been using forged players/CBs ever since.

[1qwik6]

for me it is my current set of irons. Ping i210s. I have always played some sort of GI iron off the shelf and when i got fitted for these it light years better.

[NoTalentLefty]

Ping Karsten IIIa irons

Taylormade Pittsburgh Persimmon

Nicklaus N1 Cast irons

Golfsmith Persimmon 3 Wood

Ping G15 3 and 5 wood

Titleist 718 AP1 Irons

Callaway Epic Flash Driver

Callaway Epic Flash 3 Wood

Callaway Epic Flash 3,4,5 hybrids

Callaway Big Bertha 6 hybrid

Callaway Mavrik irons

 

All the above clubs have stood out over my 45 year golf experience. Didn’t include Putters but have to say Ram Zebra rates very high.

 

[Joelsim]

64* Callaway Mack Daddy wedge, had the MD3 and loved it, and I now love the MD4. When it’s worn out I will get the latest model again.

Magical club, but used sparingly, and never, ever for full shots - that’d be like using a Lamborghini for the school run.

[minhjn]

Honestly, it's probably the belly putter. I've never putted better and I knew after a few putts on the practice green that this was the best way for me until it got banned

Second answer is switching to GI irons after reading @MtlJeff's low cap GI iron thread many years ago. I knew after my first round with the those Ping G15 irons that I'd never go back to players cavities or blades. Still playing shovels to this day

[Drivingrangehero]

Sonartec Hybrid and 3 wood for me.

Grafaloy blue shaft x-flex was great in its time too!

[Vater]

Once used a friend's dad's Honmas (the super expensive ones - I don't think she knew what she was letting me borrow...) at a range and they were perfect for me. Never held one again, never thought of buying them. Probably because of the price. I don't have restrictions on what to spend on sticks, but I'm still the guy buying a used M2 and AP1s on clearance...

[nitram]

Callaway FT-9TA driver, Tour Edge Exotics CB2 Fairways, and Zodia wedges.

[chamgel2]

Ping Anser Hybrid.... easily the best hybrid I’ve ever hit....

[DavePelz4]

Alien Wedge. When it was delivered I remembered not to drink while watching infomercials.

[Kentendo]

The 510 TP was just so good. I was rocking the TM 360 with bubble shaft and a Callaway Big Bertha Hawkeye back then, and those 500 series drivers just killed them. The 510 TP and 580XD were just completely "next level".

The club for me was the PING I3. I had played Eye2+ and ISI-K's for several years and made the switch to some Cleveland TA3 form forged. They felt great, but I missed the PINGS. I went to a PING demo day and was sold on the I3 Osize after the first swing. It was everything I wanted with the size of the Eye2's combined with the thinner sole of the ISI. They made a different sound because of the new custom tuning port that was more like a "cluck". It was love at first sight and I ordered a 3 to SW set with JZ stiff and cushin inserts. I've tried to kick them out of the bag because I'm a club ho at heart, but I can't find anything I hit or like better than the I3's.

I found an exact matching set a few years ago on eBay in like new condition and snagged them. I put them in play this year and will wear them out before making a switch.

[BCULAW]

Zodia wedges! Haven’t heard those mentioned in a LONG time! Didn’t they have just ridiculously sharp grooves? I recall they were all the rage several years back!! Looked great!

[BCULAW]

I don’t know what it was about those i3s, but, between the sole width and bounce, they felt PERFECT through the turf. Very distinct feel, smooth but seemed like you could feel every blade of grass as you passed over it. My brother still plays them, and I could be persuaded as well! Great stuff!

[averysdad]

I’ll probably be on an island with this one...but the TM R11 driver....the interesting color, the sound, the feel and for me it was my first real fitting and man we had dialed in. And for me at the time it was stupid long. My swing has regressed since then due to an extreme lack of practice but nothing but great memories with that stick!

[SwooshLT]

R510 non-tp ......330cc and I just melted this club! I still look around to this day for one

[hagimihale]

V-steel 3W with a YS7+ shaft. It was a paint break model (I didn't know what that meant at the time).

I just know I crushed that thing. 250+ carry off the tee with a baby draw all day long. I stopped hitting driver on most holes, I was so accurate with that thing.

It was great off the deck and I started going after par 5s whenever possible.

Lent it to a friend who ruined it. Still miss that club...

[nitram]

They were shredders, for sure.

[cardoustie]

Tisi Tec 5 wood ... biggest

510tp driver ... silver medal

honorable mentions::

rapture OG driver

i3 o-size irons

vokey SM2 wedges

[Chappie]

I'll go a bit off the wall with my pick.

So, up through 2011/2012ish I was playing the best golf of my life. Young, had plenty of free time and didn't spend my money on anything other than golf and guitars. So, I had a pretty dialed in swing. I hit pretty much everything well or rather, comfortably, except for hybrids. I played a 2 iron forever because I hated hybrids, and I think between 2009 and 2011 I went through 6 of them trying to find something that would give me all of the hybrid benefits, but I just could not do it. I would either hit huge hooks or they'd get stuck in the air or I couldn't get comfortable at address, which made me inconsistent (looking at you, Adams PNT). There just never was a "comfortable" hybrid. Then I found the Callaway Diablo Edge Tour. That thing changed my entire life from the moment I laid eyes on it. I remember getting out of one of my college classes, having a few hours to kill and going down to the local golf galaxy, seeing it and immediately being intrigued. It just looked so different than anything else I had had to that point. I bought one there and then, found an Altus, threw it in there and bagged it for two years. Got rid of it for the RBZ Stage 2, which I definitely hit well but I think had more to do with the shaft being properly fit for me than the club being better, and I've gamed that ever since. But recently I got fed up with it after a bad round and said screw it, I'm finding another one. Hoping it'll be here this week.

[IL2AZ]

PXG Gen 2 hybrid is absolutely fantastic. I would add the Bridgestone Tour B X-CB irons to the list, as well. They were in the used rack at Vans golf shop, took them to the simulator and couldn't believe how soft yet dense they felt and how consistent the carry distance was. Purchased them on the spot and they haven't left the bag since.

[seth514]

My junior year in college ('97-98) my grandparents were psyched I started to golf again after a hiatus after high school. So I convinced them I needed a brand new set of MP-14's. Even though I could barely hit them, I was hooked.

[cthoend]

Back in 2002 I picked up a set of Project X shafts, and had them installed in a set of MP-33s. To this day some of the best, most pure shots I have ever hit were with that set of clubs. I moved on from the Mizunos, but still play Project X shafts in my irons.

[aquapig]

910 D2 driver.

Grabbed this club in the pro shop to demo, and after the front 9 I had already decided I was buying it.

A decade later and nothing could beat it. It was accurate, felt great, sounded perfect and just found fairways. It was the first driver I felt I could control and had total confidence in.

I had my bag stolen last year, so I was forced to rebuild. My first thought was another 910, but then I thought new technology and a fitting would really help.

I ended up finding the ST190. For me, it was a longer and slightly more forgiving version of the 910.