The "this is how my bag has to be" thread.

[Kale_m]

10 hours ago, OnTheBag said:

Agreed.  They are just hard to find nowadays.

Stealth 2+ 5w and turn it down to 16

 

problem solved 

[mvvraz]

35 minutes ago, Sean124 said:

“Ventus Black just work for you, so stop trying new driver/fairway shafts.”

My heart: get that Tour AD shaft, this time it will be different and it feel sooo right

 

Everything else: Ventus. 

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

2 hours ago, Sean124 said:

“Ventus Black just work for you, so stop trying new driver/fairway shafts.”

I feel similarly, but this 1k Black is making me rethink that.  For me, it's just as smooth in feel and anti-left as Ventus Black, but it's a lot cheaper.  At least from Titleist anyway.  It's been awhile since I've demo'd the VB though.

 

Granted, you hit the ball a lot harder than I do.  Curious if you've tried and how your compare and contrast went.

 

(Had a surprising comparison moment yesterday with a Orange Hyb shaft I picked up here and already had a Titleist tip, and the 1k Black 95 this 4 hybrid came with.  The Orange is good, but still left-prone.  I was satisifed nonetheless, until I plugged the 1k black back in and had a Keanu, "Whoa!", response.  Almost makes me want to find an 85 for this 2H i have and resell the Orange.)

 

[OnTheBag]

2 hours ago, Kale_m said:

Stealth 2+ 5w and turn it down to 16

 

problem solved 

The PING 5w have the same adjustability.  Any of the 17.5° can be turned down to 16 or 16.5 now.  Makes things much easier than the persimmon days.

[Forged5]

Great thread!

 

I should know better...always been like this... but never ever get fitted for a driver in a sim. Learned not to trust numbers in a sim for the big stick.

Literally has me 20-30 yards shorter than on course.

My spin is just too low and the numbers I get indoors are never what I get on course. Ever.

Heard the same form others so I'm not alone. 

 

Every other club is fine. Excellent I'd say. But never a driver.

 

 

Edited September 19, 2023 by Forged5

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

Honestly, I'm not a guy that makes huge changes to the bag. The ones I have now I'll game for at LEAST 10 years. Only the driver would likely get changed; and only after it is unusable due to wear. 😄

[kintap]

All clubs need the same grip (typically z-cord) except putter.  All wedges must match. (model not bounce/grind) All adjustable clubs turned down to open the face. Putter must be center shaft. Shaft is a timing mechanism, not magic. I’ve played the Aldila Tour Green / Rogue Black profile in all drivers / FW and hybrids since I began golfing again as an adult.  I’m done looking, they’ll be in all of my clubs.  I hit them well and trust them.

Edited September 19, 2023 by kintap

[mshills]

20 hours ago, Mookieb10 said:

- That LAB DF putter looks awful, but rolls the ball, on line and end over end, better than anything ever. You need to go to a fitter who can bend it to your proper lie angle and then play it 100% of the time and never play another putter. 

 

Thank you, 100% this statement.  Self, deal with the looks!  The elegant 8802 isn't so elegant on your third putt from 18 feet, is it?  Besides, that Lab DF doesn't look that bad...at address...after you get used to it...and you can learn to manage the pizza box headcover in your carry bag.  Self, if you second-guess any of this, remember watching the ball roll end-to-end on its intended target line...remember that feeling!?

 

Other reminders to myself...I do not get paid to play golf or to advertise equipment, so it is totally fine to have a Titleist bag full of Ping and PXG clubs and two sleeves of Srixon balls.  Self, you don't need to buy (another) bag to "match" or buy clubs to match the bag! 😄

 

Make sure your wedges have sufficient bounce, and listen here!  Don't put a 58 back in play!!  If the shot cannot be attempted with your 55 degree, it is a shot you should not attempt.  You can putt.  Don't be greedy.  Get the ball on the green.  Go make a putt.

 

Grips (other than putter) must be identical.  Accept no compromise!

 

Clubheads must be spotless.  I'm an ex-caddy and won't tolerate anything less.

 

No clutter in the bag.  You don't need something "just in case."

Edited September 19, 2023 by mshills

[ApostateDrive]

5 minutes ago, mshills said:

Clubheads must be spotless.  I'm an ex-caddy and won't tolerate anything less.

 

I live where it's either humid and disgusting, raining heavily, or under feet of snow, so most of my golfing happens during raining heavily seasons. The dirt and wet grass that just wedges itself into every crevice of my fairway woods/hybrid heads drives me absolutely insane.

[mshills]

8 minutes ago, ApostateDrive said:

 

I live where it's either humid and disgusting, raining heavily, or under feet of snow, so most of my golfing happens during raining heavily seasons. The dirt and wet grass that just wedges itself into every crevice of my fairway woods/hybrid heads drives me absolutely insane.

 

Right!  Another anal guy. 😄 Totally with you on this one, I'll clean a club after a shot while I'm walking to my next shot until there is no remaining trace of flora or terra firma.  The microfiber towels are better at this than cotton in my experience.

[_chris]

51 minutes ago, OnTheBag said:

The PING 5w have the same adjustability.  Any of the 17.5° can be turned down to 16 or 16.5 now.  Makes things much easier than the persimmon days.

The problem with doing that is that it will open the face. Depending on your shot shape, this can cause you issues. Titlist still produces a 4 wood in the TSR line and has since four or five lines ago. I don't see them getting rid of it.

 

For me it's

-You hit a 4 wood almost as long as your driver, you do not need anything lower than 16.5 degrees, no matter how cool you think it will make you, you don't hit them well. 

-You can't hit driving irons, stop trying. You hit regular long irons better, stick with that. 

-You hit a 3h better than a 5w and you don't need a 7W, no matter what MGS says. 

 

But I'm dumb and will keep tinkering. 

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

18 minutes ago, mshills said:

 

Right!  Another anal guy. 😄 Totally with you on this one, I'll clean a club after a shot while I'm walking to my next shot until there is no remaining trace of flora or terra firma.  The microfiber towels are better at this than cotton in my experience.

 

Cleaning the club of moisture laden grass and dirt helps to prevent pitting when trace metallic materials in the dirt react with the metal face. It's just good maintenance. 😄

[Puttersaurus Rex]

My bag:

 

-Brand agnostic - love the confused looks when I pull a Ping driver out of a Callaway headcover (it fits better)

-Appropriate bounce in wedges

-Modus 125 wedge shaft in wedges

-Realistic bag where forgiveness and percentage of clean hits are priorities

-Customize putter to fit your stroke - waste of time if it doesn't swing well

-Don't be afraid to tinker as needed

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

So whilst viewing and thinking this is what I came up with:

 

- You are good enough to hit every club in this bag; keep working at it and analyze/adapt

- The Iron Covers are absolutely necessary! 😄

- There is no such thing as too much orange on your golf equipment list (Bag, Golf Balls, Glove, Iron Covers and Grips.... excluding clothing 😄 )

- When people say "you shouldn't be hitting" a particular club; hit it more.....

- You probably need to get rid of your 60 Degree Wedge; or at the very least practice with it more or you're still going to suck while using it

 

I have some other mental notes that aren't bag related.....

 

- Stop being so damn self conscious with your process even if you think it looks quirky; nobody cares and if they do you don't care...

- Stop worrying about people in the group behind you; you just waited 5 minutes for the group ahead, the group that rolled up behind you a minute ago can wait an additional 45 seconds; your game is not about them no matter how much they think it is.....

- Stop trying to prove you're better than every other golfer you play a round with; you're better than some but you're not better than all, and when you think about it as much as you do you're not better than anybody!

- Don't worry! Be Happy! 😁

Edited September 20, 2023 by Mikey_HACKilroy

[kthomas]

Don't think I have any hard and fast rules. However, I rarely replace any clubs. I'm a "minimalist golfer", in that my bag usually has 5 to 9 clubs in it.

 

I'm also pretty brand agnostic. My 6 club Sunday bag setup that I brought with me on my TX trip has clubs from Ping, Callaway, Cobra and Mizuno. 

 

I love gear as much as the next guy, but a bad swing is a bad swing. I prefer to focus on playing golf and fixing myself and my swing before trying to fix an issue with new gear.

[jah7838]

For me, it's a 10.5* driver head that's low spin, and turned open.  Driver shaft needs to be in the high 60s in weight at minimum, but a 70g driver shaft is better for me.  

 

No 3 wood.  4/5 wood around 17* with a Mid launch shaft.  

 

The 3 and 4 iron spots are hybrids.  I can hit a 4 iron, but my best shot are with my Adams Super 9031 23* hybrid.  Current 3 iron spot is the 21* Callaway UW.  High launch is good for me.  I can take spin off if I need to.  

 

Wedges need bounce...All of my current wedges are 2 degrees stronger in loft that I want to play, and I bend them weak to achieve my gapping and give me the extra bounce.  

[H-TownBomber]

Need a driver under 8. And a heavy shaft.

I keep a fairway in the bag cause I am too self-conscious not to, but I suck at hitting them and pull them out of the bag once every five rounds and its always the wrong call. 

3-PW of a thinner blade looking iron, but no real blades, cause my toe side miss is horrific with a true blade. 

Always carry 50,54,60. Simply because the more full wedges the better, I suck at half swings. (chunk city)

Also only a blade putter, My stroke is not straight enough for a face balanced putter and it too straight for something like an odyssey 9..

Also, STOP BUYING CLUBS!

[Sean124]

4 hours ago, Jayjay_theweim_guy said:

I feel similarly, but this 1k Black is making me rethink that.  For me, it's just as smooth in feel and anti-left as Ventus Black, but it's a lot cheaper.  At least from Titleist anyway.  It's been awhile since I've demo'd the VB though.

 

Granted, you hit the ball a lot harder than I do.  Curious if you've tried and how your compare and contrast went.

 

(Had a surprising comparison moment yesterday with a Orange Hyb shaft I picked up here and already had a Titleist tip, and the 1k Black 95 this 4 hybrid came with.  The Orange is good, but still left-prone.  I was satisifed nonetheless, until I plugged the 1k black back in and had a Keanu, "Whoa!", response.  Almost makes me want to find an 85 for this 2H i have and resell the Orange.)

 

I’ve hit the X but not TX in the 1K Black. I’d probably like the TX. 

[Mookieb10]

On 9/18/2023 at 4:39 PM, ApostateDrive said:

 

Curious about turning down a 5 wood. What does that accomplish over buying a standard 3 wood?

As it relates to my game, I’ve found the small equipment changes make large differences. In this instance, I play my 3w at 43” and my 5w at 42”. Furthermore, the sole reason I order tour issue woods is so that I know the exact lofts. My 5w is a Sim Ti at 18.6*… when I turn it down to 17.1*, I hit it much more consistently than a bonded Stealth 3Hl at 16* and Slightly more consistently than a Sim Ti 3w at 15.2*. 
 

The only reason I chase after that 3w is because with that Sim Ti at 15.2*, when I really catch is clean, it does go further than a 5w, but I only have a couple shots per year where I really need that extra 15-20 yards. 

[@_the_crook]

9 hours ago, Kai Slater said:

We hit that old Dunlop driver from Walmart like a cannon. 

friend of mine had the fairway woods, black heads w gold colored graphite shafts.

he was semi-useless hitting those but the clubs were pretty.

 

 

 

[NoTalentLefty]

No saying no

[Tyler724]

6 hours ago, _chris said:

For me it's

-You hit a 4 wood almost as long as your driver, you do not need anything lower than 16.5 degrees, no matter how cool you think it will make you, you don't hit them well. 

-You can't hit driving irons, stop trying. You hit regular long irons better, stick with that. 

-You hit a 3h better than a 5w and you don't need a 7W, no matter what MGS says. 

 

Agree with all of this for my game also. Well said. I’ll add that I need to stick with Vokey wedges. They just feel right and work for me and I always end up back with them when I try something different. 

[95124hacker]

Specs that work for ME are:

 

1. Low spin driver heads, 9* loft, no weight tracks, slight draw bias ok

2. Low launch driver shafts, 60-69 grams

3. 3W is a risk-reward club only off the deck

4. 17*-18* hybrid is a must

5. 4-PW with graphite shafts, 90-100 grams

6. 52* & 58* mid bounce wedges, steel shafts

7. 64* wedge is a “case of emergency, break glass” club

8. Center shafted mallet, with face insert

9. Any “X” multi-piece urethane ball

[NRJyzr]

On 9/18/2023 at 8:21 PM, gvogel said:

that's a 4-wood.  And there is nothing wrong with 4-woods!

 

On 9/18/2023 at 10:59 PM, OnTheBag said:

Agreed.  They are just hard to find nowadays.

 

They been loft-creeped out of existence, for the most part.

 

[gvogel]

46 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

 

They been loft-creeped out of existence, for the most part.

 

I still play a Ping G25 4-wood that came at 3-wood length.  It is non-adjustable, but mine sits just fine.  When I can get that one high enough, I'll just play my G25 5-wood, which is money.

[GHIN n Juice]

I’m destined to play reg flex shafts.  Yes, Mr. Fitter I know my swing speed says stiff.  Yes, I am also surprised every time I get fitted that the regular flex shaft is longer with tighter dispersion.  Yes, my balls are in a jar in the bottom of my golf bag.

[NRJyzr]

37 minutes ago, GHIN n Juice said:

I’m destined to play reg flex shafts.  Yes, Mr. Fitter I know my swing speed says stiff.  Yes, I am also surprised every time I get fitted that the regular flex shaft is longer with tighter dispersion.  Yes, my balls are in a jar in the bottom of my golf bag.

 

I would suggest you're fortunate.  I've long had to play shafts above my swingspeed, as well as shorter club lengths and with heavier shafts, than the so-called "standard."  It's made driver and fairway wood acquisition a bit less straightforward.

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by NRJyzr

[Kai Slater]

46 minutes ago, GHIN n Juice said:

I’m destined to play reg flex shafts.  Yes, Mr. Fitter I know my swing speed says stiff.  Yes, I am also surprised every time I get fitted that the regular flex shaft is longer with tighter dispersion.  Yes, my balls are in a jar in the bottom of my golf bag.

There is no shame in playing with the Regular flex; no judgement here and I won't think any less of you for it.  I had to also get over it as a long-time Regular flexer who had to come out amongst the 98% of WRX'ers who use a XXXXX flex telephone pole.....😄

 

Another thing I wanted to include in my previous post is that I now only use golf clubs that I feel confidence in, not caring if they are a part of a "set" or "match" the others.  I've taken the Bernhard Langer approach to this idea.  The only clubs in my bag are those that I fully like the weight, the feel, and the look of.  I no longer try to force myself into a particular club just because "I want to like it" or "everyone says this is supposed to be the best club for....."

Edited September 20, 2023 by Kai Slater

[mvvraz]

1 minute ago, Kai Slater said:

There is no shame in playing with the Regular flex; no judgement here and I won't think any less of you for it.  I had to also get over it as a long-time Regular flexer who had to come out amongst the 98% of WRX'ers who use a XXXXX flex telephone pole.....

 

Another think I wanted to include in my previous post is that I now only use golf clubs that I feel confidence in, not caring if they are a part of a "set" or "match" the others.  I've taken the Bernhard Langer approach to this idea.  The only clubs in my bag are those that I fully like the weight, the feel, and the look of.  I no longer try to force myself into a particular club just because "I want to like it" or "everyone says this is supposed to be the best club for....."

I swear almost everyone is play a solid 1 or 2 stiffer flexes than they should. Bro you don't spend 4 days in the gym and you don't drive the ball 340 relax

[BlkNGld]

On 9/18/2023 at 8:59 PM, OnTheBag said:

Agreed.  They are just hard to find nowadays.

The current avoid bruising ego version is called 3HL 🙂