Sam's 2022 WITB (See latest reply for 4/30/2023 update)

[SamGreeman13]

Now that the irons have come and I have played a few rounds, it's time for my WITB

 

 

 

 

 

Driver

-TaylorMade M5 9*

-Project X HZRDUS Black RDX Smoke 6.0 70g

 

 

 

3 Wood

-TaylorMade SIM Max 15* 3 Wood

-Fujikura Ventus Blue FW 6 S

 

 

 

Driving Iron

-TaylorMade P790 UDI 2 Iron 17*

-Project X HZRDUS Black RDX Smoke 6.0 90g HY

 

 

 

Irons

-Mizuno Pro 225 4-PW (0.5* Upright)

-Project X 6.0 120g

 

 

 

Gap Wedge

-Titleist Vokey SM8 50.08 F Grind

 

 

 

Sand Wedge

-Callaway Jaws MD4 54.10 S Grind

 

 

 

Lob Wedge

-Titleist Vokey SM8 58.08 M Grind

 

 

 

Putter

-Odyssey 2-Ball Ten Triple Track S 36.5"

-Odyssey Stroke Lab Shaft

 

 

 

 

Came into this year with a HCP of 16, and it is down to 11.4. Hoping to get into single figures by the end of the year. Posting a lot of scores in the 80-85 range, still yet to break 80. Strength of my game is in putting, I gain probably 3-4 strokes each round (vs 12 hcp) putting. Hoping to replace wedges sometime this year, not getting any spin really. As far as distances go, club head speed with driver is around 110 mph, an average drive is probably 265, 7 iron speed is 92-93 mph, typically a 167 carry. I'm all over the place with golf balls, but I like the softer balls like ProV1/TP5.

Edited May 1, 2023 by SamGreeman13

[rhines89]

Good work so far, numbers are good you’ll keep improving quickly. 

[teeithigh33]

Nice bag and nice progress. Hope you break 80!

[SamGreeman13]

Update June/July 2022

New Putter

-Scotty Cameron 2020 Special Select Newport 2.0 35"

While the 2 Ball Ten had been working well, I was having trouble with pace control with it being such a big mallet so I went and splurged on a Scotty.

 

New Swing Grips

-Golf Pride MCC Teams Midsize

When I ordered the irons, I ordered them with MCC Midsize +4 grips, which felt really big, like I was swinging a baseball bat. I switched to MCC Standard with 2 extra wraps of tape, but I didn't feel much difference with the tapes, aside from making the grips feel harder. Now, I have put on Midsize grips to all 13 swing clubs.

[SamGreeman13]

2023 has officially started and things have been changing in by bag so it's time to update y'all

 

Driver

-Titleist TSR3 10^o D2 Setting

-Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 75 X

Got fit for this driver in late 2022, right after the season ended. My delivery with driver was/is fairly neutral (pretty much 0 AoA when I got fit, but working on getting up) so I was looking for a driver that wouldn't spin so much without the fear of hitting a high toe 900 rpm spin ball. After using this club for 6 months, I am extremely comfortable with this club. I had never hit a Titleist driver before this, and I don't think I will ever change out of Titleist. The sound and feel of pure titanium is so good to me. I swing at about 110-115 mph with the driver and typically carry it in the 255-270 ballpark because I typically don't hit up on the driver enough, but I have been seeing improvements. Another great part of this driver is I typically hit driver off the deck into par 5's because it's a shot that I am weirdly good at...?

 

 

3 Wood

-Titleist TSi3 15^o D2 Setting

-Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 75 X

I did not get fit for this club, I got it out of necessity because the SIM Max 3 wood had its face start to cave in. I was looking for another lower spin option, and originally I got the TSi3 with a HZRDUS RDX Black 70 S shaft, but I didn't seem to have much control with it, so I went to the 80 gram version, and it was a lot better. Recently, I found myself hitting toe chunks with it (AKA near-skies) and the nerdy part of my brain concluded that the shaft was too soft and was drooping too much at impact so I switched to the same shaft that's in my driver, and that's been the best of the three shafts so far.

 

 

50 degree

-Titleist Vokey SM9 50.08F

Only reason for this change was the grooves on the old one were getting dull.

 

 

54 degree

-MIzuno S22 54.12S

Got this one last summer, wanted a little more bounce and the ability to manipulate the face around the green (or feel like I have the ability to do so...my short game folds like a lawn chair any time I don't have a straightforward shot). This is probably the club I use the most, as I use it for full shots and almost all chips and short pitches and bunker shots. It is doing it's job, but not much more.

 

 

60 degree

-Mizuno T22 60.10C

I switched from 58 to 60 last summer because I never found myself hitting full shots with my lob wedge. I would always seem to slide right under it and pop it up, so I figured I would go with more loft for the couple times I use it per round to get out of trouble, and again, it definitely does its job.

 

I also splurged on some FJ's:

 

I work at a golf course and it has many perks. Playing for free, and since I pick the range...

 

 

Outlook for this year

So far, all my rounds have looked the same. Mid-to-high 80s, a single digit hcp from tee to green (assuming my GIR shot hits the green) but when I miss a green, things fall apart. Putting hasn't helped me out much either, averaging probably 35-40 putts per round. My hcp got down as low as 10.4 at the end of last year, but it's up to 11.5 as of today. As far as the clubs I didn't address in this update; irons aren't going anywhere until my overall game improves enough to warrant a change. I'm happy with the 225, they offer just enough forgiveness for me while also being very sleek at address. In a perfect world, I would go from 6.0 to 6.5 on shafts since I've gotten a lot stronger and swing the club a lot faster now. Putter is another thing that I don't want to change anytime soon. Yes, my putting is hot carl, but it's more of a me problem. The one club that I DEFINITELY want to change is the TaylorMade P790 UDI. I haven't hit a shot with it during a round all year. The third longest club in my bag is one that I don't really know what I need. My 3 wood is a 235-240 club, and 4 iron is 200-205 (I will list all of my stock yardages below). I want a reliable 220 club that I can manipulate flight with (hit high and low) as well being able to be hit from the fairway. I feel like it's either going to be a Callaway UW or a 3 hybrid, but I don't really live to close to a PGA superstore where I could test them out. Regardless, I'm hoping that the short game locks in more as I figure out which shots to hit in different scenarios, and hopefully I will get into single digits by the end of this year.

 

Stock yardages

Driver: 265-275

3 Wood: 235-240

2 Iron: 210-225

4 Iron: 202

5 Iron: 189

6 Iron: 178

7 Iron: 170

8 Iron: 156

9 Iron: 145

PW: 127

50: 109

54: 97