BallerNate’s WITB

[BallerNate]

4 hours ago, MattM97 said:

 

Bet lol

Haha!! Yeah, that’s fair…I haven’t proven I can keep a bag consistent yet, Lol.

 

I’ll put a new 3-Wood in the bag though and will do my best to keep the bag consistent from there. We’ll see how it goes.

[MattM97]

3 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Haha!! Yeah, that’s fair…I haven’t proven I can keep a bag consistent yet, Lol.

 

I’ll put a new 3-Wood in the bag though and will do my best to keep the bag consistent from there. We’ll see how it goes.

 

As long as it's 1 club that you stated, just don't want to see a new iron set in 3 weeks.

 

At least you know you won't be changing drivers for a while.

[BallerNate]

9 hours ago, MattM97 said:

 

As long as it's 1 club that you stated, just don't want to see a new iron set in 3 weeks.

 

At least you know you won't be changing drivers for a while.

Haha…for sure!

 

No, I’m absolutely loving the ‘23 P770’s, and the Rogue ST Max is safe too.

 

I just can’t justify these new Driver prices when I already paid full price for the Rogue last season and it’s really freaking good.

 

My wife said she knew better than to buy me a Golf club since she knows I’m “particular”, but gave me the green light to buy my own new club for Father’s Day (which never happens). So new 3-Wood on the way, and hopefully keep the rest of the bag intact until the end of season sales! 🤞🏽🤞🏽

[BallerNate]

Interesting experience today at my local Golf shop.

 

Went in planning on buying a Stealth 2 Plus 3-Wood off the shelf or placing an order with TM. But after hitting it on the simulator and testing it with 5 different shafts (including my own Tensei CK Orange 65 S), it’s just not a fit for me unfortunately.

 

Feels good off the face, but just couldn’t get the thing to go straight or left whatsoever. Everything was a Fade or a Slice no matter how I adjusted it or what shaft I used.

 

Meanwhile my M5 Ti either goes straight or hits nice baby Fades with the weight slightly in the Draw setting. 
 

Oh well, the M5 Ti stays in the bag and I save some $$.

 

I guess I’ll either find another M5 Ti head that’s in better shape cosmetically, or I’ll pick up another SIM2 Ti if I come across one in good shape. We’ll see how it goes.

[MikeW2]

10 minutes ago, BallerNate said:

Interesting experience today at my local Golf shop.

Nate I’m not sure how old you are to remember a show called Cheers but whenever one guy walked into the bar everybody yelled his name…”NORM!” When I read the first line in your post all I could picture was you strolling into the store and everyone yelling “NATE!” and I enjoyed a little laugh for myself 😂

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, MikeW2 said:

Nate I’m not sure how old you are to remember a show called Cheers but whenever one guy walked into the bar everybody yelled his name…”NORM!” When I read the first line in your post all I could picture was you strolling into the store and everyone yelling “NATE!” and I enjoyed a little laugh for myself 😂

Bahaha!!

 

Yup, I definitely watched Cheers as a kid, and yes everyone at my local shop yells “NATE” when I walk in, Lol!!

 

The manager always tells me I should just get a job there, and they recognize my voice when I call too!! 🤣🤣

 

When you blow the kind of dough I have on equipment, it’s VIP treatment all the way! 💸💸💸

[BallerNate]

Fun day yesterday as my team and I Won the first official Tournament that I’ve ever Won…a 4-man Scramble that had 450 golfers!!

 

And the highlight of the day was a Chip-In for Eagle from 87 yards on the 10th Hole, which is my first Chip-In from over 50 yards!! It was a smooth and easy 60% swing with my P770 PW that landed exactly where I was aiming on the right side of the green and hit the downslope perfectly!!

 

In only my 3rd year of playing, I’m proud of my growth, and it’s exciting to have equipment that gives me a ton of confidence to execute shots like that!! 🔥🔥🏆🏆 

[mawasa]

That's awesome, congrats on the win and the hole-out!

 

Curious about the logistics of a 450-person scramble tournament. How the heck did that work? Haha

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, mawasa said:

That's awesome, congrats on the win and the hole-out!

 

Curious about the logistics of a 450-person scramble tournament. How the heck did that work? Haha

Thanks my man, much appreciated!

 

It was awesome to have 2 major landmarks like that and see the progress come together live on the course!

 

As far as the Tournament goes, the 450 Golfers were spread out between 3 different courses. So technically there were winners from each course, and then overall low teams.

 

So we were the low team for our specific course, but there were lower teams on the other courses. But really what happened on the other courses doesn't really concern me, because we don't know the conditions and how that course was playing etc. We handled our business on the course we were playing, so that's what it's all about!

[BagofToast]

Congratulations man! Always good to have equipment that you can believe in.

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, BagofToast said:

Congratulations man! Always good to have equipment that you can believe in.

Much appreciated my Dude!!

 

Yeah, I’m in uncharted waters for equipment. I actually have credits at 2 different Golf shops now and don’t have anything I need or want to buy, Lol!!

 

Those new MG4 wedges look gorgeous though, so maybe I’ll use my credits on pre-ordering some new wedges I don’t need! 🤣🤣

[BagofToast]

1 hour ago, BallerNate said:

Much appreciated my Dude!!

 

Yeah, I’m in uncharted waters for equipment. I actually have credits at 2 different Golf shops now and don’t have anything I need or want to buy, Lol!!

 

Those new MG4 wedges look gorgeous though, so maybe I’ll use my credits on pre-ordering some new wedges I don’t need! 🤣🤣

They do look nice, I'll get a set because I'm me lol. Just hope Rory switches to them so I can justify my decisions 🤣

[BallerNate]

13 hours ago, BagofToast said:

They do look nice, I'll get a set because I'm me lol. Just hope Rory switches to them so I can justify my decisions 🤣

Bahaha!! Yeah man, highly unlikely they won’t end up in my bag as well.

 

Especially if they don’t have the raw face, they’ll be in a ton of Pro and Amateur bags!

[ewaldbeukes]

On 5/29/2023 at 3:06 PM, BallerNate said:

First Tournament of the season yesterday (4 man Scramble). We finished Top 5 after being Top 3 most of the round. Unfortunately too many drinks on the Front 9 cost us on the Back 9, Lol!!

 

Now that my bag is battle tested, I’m ready to do my 2023 WITB!

 

Really like where my bag is at and I’m going to try to keep most of it intact until the end of the season. The clubs that are always the most at-risk in my bag are the Driver and 3W though, so we’ll see if they will stick.

 

BallerNate’s 2023 WITB:

 

Driver: Callaway Rogue ST Max (9* @ 11*)

Shaft: Hzrdus Black Smoke 6.0 60g 

 

3-Wood: TaylorMade M5 Titanium (15*)

Shaft: Tensei CK Orange 65 S (Upright setting)

 

Hybrid: Callaway Rogue ST Max OS (21*)

Shaft: Tensei AV Blue Raw 75 S (+0.5”, 1* Up)

 

Utility: Srixon ZX (23*)

Shaft: UST Mamiya Recoil 95 F4 (+0.5”, 1* Up)

 

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (5-PW)

Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.0 (+1”, 1* Up)

 

Wedges: Cleveland RTX Zipcore 52-10 & 58-10 Mid

Shafts: Dynamic Gold Spinner (+1.25”, 1* Up)

 

Putter: Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Double Wide (36”)

Grip: Lamkin Sinkfit Skinny Pistol

 

Ball: Noodle Long & Soft

 

Grips: Lamkin Crossline Midsize Black

 

Bag: 2022 Vessel/TaylorMade Lite Lux Grey Carry bag

 

Shoes: Nike Air Jordan 4 Golf Bred & Jordan Retro 6 G NRG 

Any reason your gaming 13 clubs? Extra wedge not mentioned?

[BallerNate]

1 hour ago, ewaldbeukes said:

Any reason your gaming 13 clubs? Extra wedge not mentioned?

Great question! I actually forget that I only carry 13 and could have an extra club in the bag, Lol.

 

Honestly it’s because I’ve tried every possible wedge configuration. But no matter what setup I had, I found there was always naturally 1 wedge that I would end up never using, or I would force myself to use it just for the sake of using it.

 

So I just chose to simplify my setup and go with 3 wedges. Last season I tested PW-54-60 for a while, and this season I’m doing PW-52-58 which I definitely prefer.

 

To be totally honest, there’s a lot of rounds that I don’t use my 3-Wood or Driving Iron at all, so I could easily drop to 11 clubs and be totally fine.

[ewaldbeukes]

22 hours ago, BallerNate said:

Great question! I actually forget that I only carry 13 and could have an extra club in the bag, Lol.

 

Honestly it’s because I’ve tried every possible wedge configuration. But no matter what setup I had, I found there was always naturally 1 wedge that I would end up never using, or I would force myself to use it just for the sake of using it.

 

So I just chose to simplify my setup and go with 3 wedges. Last season I tested PW-54-60 for a while, and this season I’m doing PW-52-58 which I definitely prefer.

 

To be totally honest, there’s a lot of rounds that I don’t use my 3-Wood or Driving Iron at all, so I could easily drop to 11 clubs and be totally fine.

Nice problem to have... makes the bag lighter and the decisions easier! 

 

I do hear you though, I have a 46, 50, 54, and 58 wedge setup and I definitely use the 50, 54 significantly less than the others (and mostly full shots and flighted wedges)...also considered dropping my hybrid for a ZX Utility to give me bit more distance over the 4 iron off the tee. Been playing my home course mainly of late and there is definitely a club or two not getting used.

 

What about something exotic like an extra putter for when your gamer doesn't behave?

[BallerNate]

12 hours ago, ewaldbeukes said:

Nice problem to have... makes the bag lighter and the decisions easier! 

 

I do hear you though, I have a 46, 50, 54, and 58 wedge setup and I definitely use the 50, 54 significantly less than the others (and mostly full shots and flighted wedges)...also considered dropping my hybrid for a ZX Utility to give me bit more distance over the 4 iron off the tee. Been playing my home course mainly of late and there is definitely a club or two not getting used.

 

What about something exotic like an extra putter for when your gamer doesn't behave?

Exactly. That's what it comes down to for me...why bother carrying an extra club if I have no real use for it.

 

Lol @ the extra putter!! 🤣🤣

 

Putting is actually one of the strongest parts of my game, and I absolutely LOVE my Odyssey Tri-Hot 5K Double Wide, so that's extremely safe for now.
 

The new TM Reserve putters are gorgeous though, so I could end up picking one up to mess around with...but will be very tough to beat my Odyssey!

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by BallerNate

[BallerNate]

For those of you who follow my WITB journey, you know that I regretted letting go of this club from the minute that I sold it.

 

I’ve tried so many 3W’s since then, and none have been up to the same level.

 

I’ve always had an eye on both the new and used market, but these are extremely hard to find.
 

So as soon as I saw this one, I snatched it up immediately!! Was shocked to open up the box this morning and see it was in such immaculate condition…bombs away!! 🚀🚀🚀 

[BagofToast]

1 hour ago, BallerNate said:

For those of you who follow my WITB journey, you know that I regretted letting go of this club from the minute that I sold it.

 

I’ve tried so many 3W’s since then, and none have been up to the same level.

 

I’ve always had an eye on both the new and used market, but these are extremely hard to find.
 

So as soon as I saw this one, I snatched it up immediately!! Was shocked to open up the box this morning and see it was in such immaculate condition…bombs away!! 🚀🚀🚀 

Funny you like that fairway so much as I didn’t care for them. Switched to them in the 3 and 5 and switched the 3w out pretty quickly and changed the 5w as soon as I found something better. This games funny lol. 

Edited June 29, 2023 by BagofToast

[BallerNate]

2 hours ago, BagofToast said:

Funny you like that fairway so much as I didn’t care for them. Switched to them in the 3 and 5 and switched the 3w out pretty quickly and changed the 5w as soon as I found something better. This games funny lol. 

Haha!!

 

No doubt, Golf and Golf equipment is a strange world for sure.

 

It’s so much about personal preference and individual fit.

 

Just came from a soaking wet Driving Range session, and the SIM2 Ti was every bit as good as I remember it!! Could’ve hit that thing all day in the rain…absolutely LOVE it!!

[mawasa]

On 6/29/2023 at 6:49 AM, BallerNate said:

For those of you who follow my WITB journey, you know that I regretted letting go of this club from the minute that I sold it.

 

I’ve tried so many 3W’s since then, and none have been up to the same level.

 

I’ve always had an eye on both the new and used market, but these are extremely hard to find.
 

So as soon as I saw this one, I snatched it up immediately!! Was shocked to open up the box this morning and see it was in such immaculate condition…bombs away!! 🚀🚀🚀 

 

That thing looks mint! Probably the best condition you're going to find a used one in. Usually, when I see them the white paint looks fairly abused. I have a similar relationship with an old five wood. Everytime I take it out of the bag I regret it and it ends up working its way back. Hope the new one has the same magic as your previous one. 

[BallerNate]

6 hours ago, mawasa said:

 

That thing looks mint! Probably the best condition you're going to find a used one in. Usually, when I see them the white paint looks fairly abused. I have a similar relationship with an old five wood. Everytime I take it out of the bag I regret it and it ends up working its way back. Hope the new one has the same magic as your previous one. 

Thanks my man!!

 

Yeah, I thought it looked very good when I saw it online, but when it arrived in the mail I was blown away!! Looks like it was probably only hit 2 or 3 times max!

 

But yeah, 100%…when you find a club that’s a great fit, it’s extremely tough to replace.

 

Took the SIM2 Ti to the range yesterday and it was absolutely spectacular…going to be very tough to kick it out of the bag this time around!! 😎👌🏽

 

 

 

[JA_357]

Its funny how that works out, but glad you found one in such great condition. When I hit the Sim2 3W I loathed it as well, not sure why as the Stealth isn't that different, but just could never get it to come out as nicely, particularly off the deck (more slices with Sim2, straight with the Stealth even on the same shaft). But when you find what works you have to stick with it - you couldn't convince me to drop any but one of my clubs from the bag - (54* vokey is just not doing it for me for some reason). So how long was it between club changes 🤣?

[MikeW2]

Look at my signature…my 5W and 7W are each about 30 years old. I’m not exaggerating to say in that timeframe I’ve auditioned about 200 different clubs for those two slots and always go back to them. I also have a 3W in the same model Callaway that I would swap with the 5W depending on what course I was playing but the shaft seems to have bent😔. Sure new and shiny is an enticing mistress when it comes to golf clubs especially when the advertising promises 15 more yards but it doesn’t always lead to better scores. When I was young and just starting out I would often play with an older gentleman at my club. Some of the other guys would tease him about his clubs ( they were relics) and others would tease him about how he always seemed to find places on the course even the grounds crew didn’t know existed but the guy always would shoot decent scores so when he was getting ribbed his standard response was “the scorecard only asks you for your total, nowhere on that thing do I have to write where I went or what I used to get that number.” Long story short, you have a club that you know works for you, hang onto that club no matter what, it’s likely to always work for you. We’re on page 22😂 of your WITB so we all know that you’re going to be tempted and at some point will stray from your beloved 3W but keep it somewhere safe and warm for the moment you return to your senses.

[BallerNate]

2 hours ago, JA_357 said:

Its funny how that works out, but glad you found one in such great condition. When I hit the Sim2 3W I loathed it as well, not sure why as the Stealth isn't that different, but just could never get it to come out as nicely, particularly off the deck (more slices with Sim2, straight with the Stealth even on the same shaft). But when you find what works you have to stick with it - you couldn't convince me to drop any but one of my clubs from the bag - (54* vokey is just not doing it for me for some reason). So how long was it between club changes 🤣?

Yeah, Golf equipment is so individually based and what one person loves, someone else can easily hate.

 

For me it was the opposite…hated the Stealth Plus 3W and couldn’t wait to get rid of it, Lol.

 

My 3-Wood spot has been a revolving door for sure. I’d have to get out a calculator to add up how many I’ve owned over the last 3 years, Lol.
 

The best one has been the SIM2 Ti for me by far though, so hopefully I’ll be able to keep it in the bag for a while.
 

The M5 Ti was really good as well, but the pre-existing cosmetic damage to the club just irked me everytime I looked at it, so it never really stood a chance.

[BallerNate]

2 hours ago, MikeW2 said:

Look at my signature…my 5W and 7W are each about 30 years old. I’m not exaggerating to say in that timeframe I’ve auditioned about 200 different clubs for those two slots and always go back to them. I also have a 3W in the same model Callaway that I would swap with the 5W depending on what course I was playing but the shaft seems to have bent😔. Sure new and shiny is an enticing mistress when it comes to golf clubs especially when the advertising promises 15 more yards but it doesn’t always lead to better scores. When I was young and just starting out I would often play with an older gentleman at my club. Some of the other guys would tease him about his clubs ( they were relics) and others would tease him about how he always seemed to find places on the course even the grounds crew didn’t know existed but the guy always would shoot decent scores so when he was getting ribbed his standard response was “the scorecard only asks you for your total, nowhere on that thing do I have to write where I went or what I used to get that number.” Long story short, you have a club that you know works for you, hang onto that club no matter what, it’s likely to always work for you. We’re on page 22😂 of your WITB so we all know that you’re going to be tempted and at some point will stray from your beloved 3W but keep it somewhere safe and warm for the moment you return to your senses.

Haha…great stories Mike, so good!

 

Yeah for sure, I actually have credits at 2 local Golf shops, so you know how that goes, Lol.

 

All the clubs in my bag now have gotten there through a lot of trial and error though, so I’ve definitely learned to not give up on clubs too quickly, and especially my current clubs will be very tough to beat.

[Shanks2424]

I AM THE SAME WAY I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A TITLEIST GUY FOR WOODS. THE M5 DRIVER I HAVE IN THE BAG IS THE LONGEST AND STRIGHTEST DRIVER I HAVE HAD. I KEEP TELLING MYSELF YOU DONT NEED TO TRADE IT FOR A TSI. I WILL BE PLAYING THE M5 FOR A WILE JUST NEED TO GET THE M5 3 WOOD SHAFT RIGHT. TH ONE I HAVE IN IT IS TOO SPINNY FOR ME.

Edited July 3, 2023 by Shanks2424

[BallerNate]

5 hours ago, Shanks2424 said:

I AM THE SAME WAY I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A TITLEIST GUY FOR WOODS. THE M5 DRIVER I HAVE IN THE BAG IS THE LONGEST AND STRIGHTEST DRIVER I HAVE HAD. I KEEP TELLING YMSELF YOU DONT NEED TO TRADE IT FOR A TSI. I WILL BE PLAYING THE M5 FOR A WILE JUST NEED TO GET THE M5 3 WOOD SHAFT RIGHT. TH ONE I HAVE IN IT IS TOO SPINNY FOR ME.

Yeah, the M5 line is really, really good.

 

The M5 3-Wood was fantastic, and my main golfing buddy who is the longest hitter I know uses an M5 Driver!

 

I would’ve happily gamed the M5 Ti 3-Wood for a long time if not for cosmetic damage to the club. Awesome clubs for sure.

[TM135]

On 6/23/2023 at 4:33 PM, BallerNate said:

Fun day yesterday as my team and I Won the first official Tournament that I’ve ever Won…a 4-man Scramble that had 450 golfers!!

 

And the highlight of the day was a Chip-In for Eagle from 87 yards on the 10th Hole, which is my first Chip-In from over 50 yards!! It was a smooth and easy 60% swing with my P770 PW that landed exactly where I was aiming on the right side of the green and hit the downslope perfectly!!

 

In only my 3rd year of playing, I’m proud of my growth, and it’s exciting to have equipment that gives me a ton of confidence to execute shots like that!! 🔥🔥🏆🏆 

770s are really good. Serious bag appeal 

[BallerNate]

3 hours ago, TM135 said:

770s are really good. Serious bag appeal 

Agreed man, absolutely loving them!

 

Feel, control, consistency, and looks are all A++…absolutely no complaints so far whatsoever!!