Top and Bottom of bag, Pick 5

[ClayNotTon]

The bag has been set for too long, so time to switch it up! Mainly looking to do some re-arranging in between Driver and 4i, and PW down. Currently 3.4 index, 108-112 driver SS, previously more like 112-115
 

Current bag:

- Stealth 2 Plus 10.5 - set to 9, playing 45”

- Stealth 2 Plus 3W - set to 14, playing 42.5”

- Stealth 2 Plus 5W - set to 17, playing 42”

- P790 3i - 19.5 to match P770

- P770 4i (22.5)-PW (46)- this I am happiest with

- PXG Sugar Daddy II 52/58

Concerns:

P790 3i has been a tee club only for me this year, I’ve hit one 3W in ~20 rounds, PW to 52 seems to be an odd gapping for me.

 

Some things I have on hand to play around with and thoughts:

- 300 Mini/New BRNR - both at 13.5, played around with a few different shafts. Can’t hit the BRNR off the deck consistently enough, 300 spins too much off the tee. Would love to see more options in this area (Titleist 2W for ex)

- Stealth 2 Plus Rocket/4W/6W - I like the rocket for off the tee, can still get a usable amount of height off the deck. 4W feels more versatile than 5W in that I can still keep it from ballooning. I like being able to move the weight slider back on both compared to forward on standard 3/5. 6W is a no for me, I don’t like looking at that much loft in a wood and might as well hit something straight into air. 
- Stealth 2 Plus 3H - I don’t love the shape of this club, and I have a hook miss with it. Would look to fill 4/5W gap to 4i. I would probably try swapping my P770 4i for a P790 if I drop the 3i to get a little extra out of it

 

Thoughts:

 

- I like the Rocket and 4W to replace the 3W/5W. I played Rocket Stealth 1 and 2H previously. Although I think 3W/Rocket is most likely to be dropped from the bag

- I think the 3i is gone. I moved from PNW to SoCal during the winter. Even if it has been wetter than usual down here, I’ve had a few 3i hit green or just short and get a good 20-30yds of roll. 3HY I have a nasty hook miss even opening it a bit and only feel marginally better about the look of it compared to the 6W. 6W I am getting ~130ft apex which is a bit much, compared to ~85 with the 3i. However, thinking about testing a P-UDI 3i build with a something like a Black HB 9TX compared to my current Axiom 105X to see if could recover any height

- I’ve always played 3 wedges, previously 48-53-58 and 48-54-60. I think the 6 gap going from set to actual wedge is a bit too much. 46-51-56 could be on the table, but 56 at the top feels strange? Alternative being drop the 3W/rocket and be able to go 46/50/54/58 or 46/50/55/60? Keeping current PW in all those scenarios. Probably PXG wedges still, full face grooves in general have grown on me. Would also consider MG4 for two and Hi Toe for the top end. I haven’t gotten along with Vokeys since SM4 or so

 

TL:DR - Combine 3/5W into 4W, replace 3i with 3HY (possibly test 3 UDI), move from 6 to 4/5 degree wedge gappings

[shortgameneedswork]

2 hours ago, ClayNotTon said:

The bag has been set for too long, so time to switch it up! Mainly looking to do some re-arranging in between Driver and 4i, and PW down. Currently 3.4 index, 108-112 driver SS, previously more like 112-115
 

Current bag:

- Stealth 2 Plus 10.5 - set to 9, playing 45”

- Stealth 2 Plus 3W - set to 14, playing 42.5”

- Stealth 2 Plus 5W - set to 17, playing 42”

- P790 3i - 19.5 to match P770

- P770 4i (22.5)-PW (46)- this I am happiest with

- PXG Sugar Daddy II 52/58

Concerns:

P790 3i has been a tee club only for me this year, I’ve hit one 3W in ~20 rounds, PW to 52 seems to be an odd gapping for me.

 

Some things I have on hand to play around with and thoughts:

- 300 Mini/New BRNR - both at 13.5, played around with a few different shafts. Can’t hit the BRNR off the deck consistently enough, 300 spins too much off the tee. Would love to see more options in this area (Titleist 2W for ex)

- Stealth 2 Plus Rocket/4W/6W - I like the rocket for off the tee, can still get a usable amount of height off the deck. 4W feels more versatile than 5W in that I can still keep it from ballooning. I like being able to move the weight slider back on both compared to forward on standard 3/5. 6W is a no for me, I don’t like looking at that much loft in a wood and might as well hit something straight into air. 
- Stealth 2 Plus 3H - I don’t love the shape of this club, and I have a hook miss with it. Would look to fill 4/5W gap to 4i. I would probably try swapping my P770 4i for a P790 if I drop the 3i to get a little extra out of it

 

Thoughts:

 

- I like the Rocket and 4W to replace the 3W/5W. I played Rocket Stealth 1 and 2H previously. Although I think 3W/Rocket is most likely to be dropped from the bag

- I think the 3i is gone. I moved from PNW to SoCal during the winter. Even if it has been wetter than usual down here, I’ve had a few 3i hit green or just short and get a good 20-30yds of roll. 3HY I have a nasty hook miss even opening it a bit and only feel marginally better about the look of it compared to the 6W. 6W I am getting ~130ft apex which is a bit much, compared to ~85 with the 3i. However, thinking about testing a P-UDI 3i build with a something like a Black HB 9TX compared to my current Axiom 105X to see if could recover any height

- I’ve always played 3 wedges, previously 48-53-58 and 48-54-60. I think the 6 gap going from set to actual wedge is a bit too much. 46-51-56 could be on the table, but 56 at the top feels strange? Alternative being drop the 3W/rocket and be able to go 46/50/54/58 or 46/50/55/60? Keeping current PW in all those scenarios. Probably PXG wedges still, full face grooves in general have grown on me. Would also consider MG4 for two and Hi Toe for the top end. I haven’t gotten along with Vokeys since SM4 or so

 

TL:DR - Combine 3/5W into 4W, replace 3i with 3HY (possibly test 3 UDI), move from 6 to 4/5 degree wedge gappings

I think you are on the right track with the 4W possibly, so with regards to the 3i perhaps one of the higher launching driving irons? 

 

I have gotten along really well with the Mizuno FliHi, I have both a 2i and 3i that I will use depending on course. Both launch high enough. A U505 could also be a good option. I see they also make a P790 3i, so both that and that new P-UDI would be great options to try. 

[ClayNotTon]

9 hours ago, shortgameneedswork said:

I think you are on the right track with the 4W possibly, so with regards to the 3i perhaps one of the higher launching driving irons? 

 

I have gotten along really well with the Mizuno FliHi, I have both a 2i and 3i that I will use depending on course. Both launch high enough. A U505 could also be a good option. I see they also make a P790 3i, so both that and that new P-UDI would be great options to try. 

I’m going to try and see about trying a variety of other utility irons out at club champion this next week. I can usually get TM at cost, hence its over representation in my bag!

 

Another thought that I mentioned briefly before but have been thinking through more now is dropping the 3i and swapping my P770 4i (22.5) for a P790 4i (21) then leaving the woods alone. Although that’s not too much tinkering with the big sticks it would probably close that gap enough. I wish the Qi10 Max were adjustable where I could open them up a bit with -1 loft, would suit the 4i swap/3i drop about perfectly.

 

The mini drivers are due to be moved into a half set/for looks bag. If I play somewhere that is tight enough to need mini driver consistently off the tee, it’s usually not long enough to warrant it vs whatever my longest iron ends up being. Still tinkering with it though

[Dan Drake]

@ClayNotTon Very nice write up and questions.  And I think your TLDR is pretty much right on, but let's chew on this a bit more why don't we?  A few quick questions to get us started: 

 

You don't hit your 2nd longest club off the tee very much.  Can you tell us why not? 

You don't hit your 4th longest club off the turf very much, but you told us why.  I like your rationale here and your solution trying to find a head/shaft combo that gives you a little more help on these shots.   

How do you play your partial wedge shots?  Clock, gaps (Andrew Rice style), all one club, some other cool way that the rest of us have no idea about? 

Do you prefer woods vs. hybrids, assuming both are well fit? 

How long are you relative to the courses/tees that you normally play?  Or better yet, on a "normal" day, how many shots into greens in regulation do you have with PW or less?  

 

That should get us started with figuring out what might work best.  

[ClayNotTon]

Thanks @Dan Drake for the prodding, let me try and answer!

 

Quote

 

You don't hit your 2nd longest club off the tee very much.  Can you tell us why not? 

 

I think 3W off the tee matches my thoughts on mini driver off the tee I posted in another thread. If I need the accuracy of something less than driver, I typically don't need more distance than I can get out of my longest iron (currently the 3i). 3W does have the advantage of being able to sling a hook on a dog leg or be low in the wind. At this point in my golf life, I'm mostly okay with taking my medicine and not forcing a big sweeping hook to try and get around a dog leg and I'm definitely a fair weather golfer, not to say that wind/weather can always be avoided by any means.

 

Quote

How do you play your partial wedge shots?  Clock, gaps (Andrew Rice style), all one club, some other cool way that the rest of us have no idea about? 

Is avoid them like the plague a good answer? Kidding, not kidding. I will avoid 40-90yds as much as possible, preferring the full shot (DECADE adjacent). This influences the iron off the tee often. 40y to greenside is going to be my "middle" wedge for 85%+ of shots, around the green I'm more likely to go towards a bump (PW-6i can only come out depending on situation). "Top" wedge reserved for bunker or other "clearing obstacles" shots. 

Quote

Do you prefer woods vs. hybrids, assuming both are well fit? 

I don't like seeing too much loft from either. Prefer something to sit open. Both feel as if I can minimize the miss to just one side, left for hybrid, right for woods. If I could drop 20ft of apex and ~1k spin off the 6W I think it would go in without considering a hybrid. I've tried Black TR 7x and 8x in the 6W without really being able to bring it down. Find it still gets more of an iron swing (steep) than a wood swing like get out of 5W and up (sweep). I like the look of the clubhead better on the non-tour TM hybrids, but dislike lack of adjustability. In the 6W/7W 3H/4H range it's mostly a wash, lower lofts definitely woods. 
 

Quote

How long are you relative to the courses/tees that you normally play?

I like to play no shorter than 6600, no longer than 7200. I'm a ~280-290 carry and keep it playable with driver. I'm down a few MPH in my "gamer" swing, I can still kick it up 7-10MPH but ~315yds isn't too useful if it's in someone's back yard. I am usually joining as a solo, so will play what tees others are playing to a certain degree. I'm not playing the whites at a muni or the PGA tees at Torrey if I can help it however. Per earlier answer, I'm mostly avoiding less than full in. The ~25yd gap between 52 and 46 is pushing me back to layup further back which is the main reason for wanting to sneak another wedge in. 

 

Additional info not covered in original/in questions for context. Playing the 2023 Z Star Diamond, love it overall, not particularly looking to change it. 3.4 index, trending 3.1, peaked at a +1.7 previously. Would definitely be considered a ball striker and not a short game/putter, currently averaging 33.9 putts doing some adjusting to greens consistently running at 10.5+ and not damp.

[byoshio82]

15 hours ago, ClayNotTon said:

The bag has been set for too long, so time to switch it up! Mainly looking to do some re-arranging in between Driver and 4i, and PW down. Currently 3.4 index, 108-112 driver SS, previously more like 112-115
 

Current bag:

- Stealth 2 Plus 10.5 - set to 9, playing 45”

- Stealth 2 Plus 3W - set to 14, playing 42.5”

- Stealth 2 Plus 5W - set to 17, playing 42”

- P790 3i - 19.5 to match P770

- P770 4i (22.5)-PW (46)- this I am happiest with

- PXG Sugar Daddy II 52/58

Concerns:

P790 3i has been a tee club only for me this year, I’ve hit one 3W in ~20 rounds, PW to 52 seems to be an odd gapping for me.

 

Some things I have on hand to play around with and thoughts:

- 300 Mini/New BRNR - both at 13.5, played around with a few different shafts. Can’t hit the BRNR off the deck consistently enough, 300 spins too much off the tee. Would love to see more options in this area (Titleist 2W for ex)

- Stealth 2 Plus Rocket/4W/6W - I like the rocket for off the tee, can still get a usable amount of height off the deck. 4W feels more versatile than 5W in that I can still keep it from ballooning. I like being able to move the weight slider back on both compared to forward on standard 3/5. 6W is a no for me, I don’t like looking at that much loft in a wood and might as well hit something straight into air. 
- Stealth 2 Plus 3H - I don’t love the shape of this club, and I have a hook miss with it. Would look to fill 4/5W gap to 4i. I would probably try swapping my P770 4i for a P790 if I drop the 3i to get a little extra out of it

 

Thoughts:

 

- I like the Rocket and 4W to replace the 3W/5W. I played Rocket Stealth 1 and 2H previously. Although I think 3W/Rocket is most likely to be dropped from the bag

- I think the 3i is gone. I moved from PNW to SoCal during the winter. Even if it has been wetter than usual down here, I’ve had a few 3i hit green or just short and get a good 20-30yds of roll. 3HY I have a nasty hook miss even opening it a bit and only feel marginally better about the look of it compared to the 6W. 6W I am getting ~130ft apex which is a bit much, compared to ~85 with the 3i. However, thinking about testing a P-UDI 3i build with a something like a Black HB 9TX compared to my current Axiom 105X to see if could recover any height

- I’ve always played 3 wedges, previously 48-53-58 and 48-54-60. I think the 6 gap going from set to actual wedge is a bit too much. 46-51-56 could be on the table, but 56 at the top feels strange? Alternative being drop the 3W/rocket and be able to go 46/50/54/58 or 46/50/55/60? Keeping current PW in all those scenarios. Probably PXG wedges still, full face grooves in general have grown on me. Would also consider MG4 for two and Hi Toe for the top end. I haven’t gotten along with Vokeys since SM4 or so

 

TL:DR - Combine 3/5W into 4W, replace 3i with 3HY (possibly test 3 UDI), move from 6 to 4/5 degree wedge gappings

I’d go 4 wood, 7 wood, 4-PW, 50/54/58

[Mikey_HACKilroy]

17 hours ago, ClayNotTon said:

The bag has been set for too long, so time to switch it up! Mainly looking to do some re-arranging in between Driver and 4i, and PW down. Currently 3.4 index, 108-112 driver SS, previously more like 112-115
 

Current bag:

- Stealth 2 Plus 10.5 - set to 9, playing 45”

- Stealth 2 Plus 3W - set to 14, playing 42.5”

- Stealth 2 Plus 5W - set to 17, playing 42”

- P790 3i - 19.5 to match P770

- P770 4i (22.5)-PW (46)- this I am happiest with

- PXG Sugar Daddy II 52/58

Concerns:

P790 3i has been a tee club only for me this year, I’ve hit one 3W in ~20 rounds, PW to 52 seems to be an odd gapping for me.

 

Some things I have on hand to play around with and thoughts:

- 300 Mini/New BRNR - both at 13.5, played around with a few different shafts. Can’t hit the BRNR off the deck consistently enough, 300 spins too much off the tee. Would love to see more options in this area (Titleist 2W for ex)

- Stealth 2 Plus Rocket/4W/6W - I like the rocket for off the tee, can still get a usable amount of height off the deck. 4W feels more versatile than 5W in that I can still keep it from ballooning. I like being able to move the weight slider back on both compared to forward on standard 3/5. 6W is a no for me, I don’t like looking at that much loft in a wood and might as well hit something straight into air. 
- Stealth 2 Plus 3H - I don’t love the shape of this club, and I have a hook miss with it. Would look to fill 4/5W gap to 4i. I would probably try swapping my P770 4i for a P790 if I drop the 3i to get a little extra out of it

 

Thoughts:

 

- I like the Rocket and 4W to replace the 3W/5W. I played Rocket Stealth 1 and 2H previously. Although I think 3W/Rocket is most likely to be dropped from the bag

- I think the 3i is gone. I moved from PNW to SoCal during the winter. Even if it has been wetter than usual down here, I’ve had a few 3i hit green or just short and get a good 20-30yds of roll. 3HY I have a nasty hook miss even opening it a bit and only feel marginally better about the look of it compared to the 6W. 6W I am getting ~130ft apex which is a bit much, compared to ~85 with the 3i. However, thinking about testing a P-UDI 3i build with a something like a Black HB 9TX compared to my current Axiom 105X to see if could recover any height

- I’ve always played 3 wedges, previously 48-53-58 and 48-54-60. I think the 6 gap going from set to actual wedge is a bit too much. 46-51-56 could be on the table, but 56 at the top feels strange? Alternative being drop the 3W/rocket and be able to go 46/50/54/58 or 46/50/55/60? Keeping current PW in all those scenarios. Probably PXG wedges still, full face grooves in general have grown on me. Would also consider MG4 for two and Hi Toe for the top end. I haven’t gotten along with Vokeys since SM4 or so

 

TL:DR - Combine 3/5W into 4W, replace 3i with 3HY (possibly test 3 UDI), move from 6 to 4/5 degree wedge gappings

Are your wedges in good shape? 😄 

[ClayNotTon]

2 hours ago, Mikey_HACKilroy said:

Are your wedges in good shape? 😄 

The 52 looks like it’s been through a war zone, the 58 not much groove wear but it’s taken a few rock chips. I do have a fresh set that haven’t been hit yet, the wallet can often out run the mind 😉 they actually aren’t even gripped yet, so they will likely just be going back to my builder. If they weren’t  $300/club head and $115/shaft I’d consider a BST but if I’m thinking about getting three new ones got to ease the pain 😬

[HoosierHacker89]

I think solution here is add another wedge and remove that 3 wood. You don't hit it anyways why carry it. A 50/54 combo would see action ever round. 

[g_nw]

Some parallels with my game in there.

 

I’ve gotten along with D, 16.5* wood, utility iron, 4-p(46), 50-54-60… the 6* gap between 54-60 is no biggie bc there are generally no full shots with 54 or 60 and I retain more versatility around the greens w/ 60

-I like your approach of 16.5*-ish in stealth+ and optimizing launch/spin with garage weight for gapping

-I like your idea of p790 in 4i

-I like your idea of trying a utility iron — the DHY is not totally dissimilar to UDI, but it’s got incremental forgiveness and increased launch… doing a DHY rather than p790 could be interesting.

 

Putting myself in your shoes:

-PW@46, 50, 54, 60… I’ve played 50-54-60 in high toe and they are nice

-Leave woods alone but optimize gapping with the garage door weights (eg. right loft for your eye but distance controlled with launch and spin; and then gap to a longer wood with distance controlled with launch and spin)

-experiment with DHY vs. p790 4i… I’m convinced I could get a ton out of this spot in the bag given the forgiveness in play and the lofts… personally I would only consider the ventus shaft if choosing the lower launching p790… and the axiom if choosing the higher launching DHY… I don’t think I would need to drop shaft weight given the expected higher ball speed on a more forgiving head and needing to gap to 5i

 

Cheers dude, love experimenting!

[ClayNotTon]

1 hour ago, g_nw said:

the 6* gap between 54-60 is no biggie bc

I agree with this when it’s like to like. My 52 to 58 mostly feels fine. The 46 being the P770 PW and the 52 being the PXG I think is just exacerbating the issue.

 

Officially booked into Club Champion tomorrow to try various utility options, might try some options in 6/7W as well. On the fence with PXG vs MG4 for wedges. I don’t love the full face for lower loft wedges but have mostly gotten used to it. Edels look interesting to get some extra weight in the head, I wish Axiom came in 125S or a specific wedge shaft. 125X was a bit too much for wedges for my liking. I previously played KBS Tour Lite X in irons and Tour S in wedges

[HeftyLefty5]

I just switched to 4 wedge setup myself and couldn't be happier especially with modern PW lofts, my progression is 44PW, 48, 52, 56, 59. Took out a fairway wood to do this. The PW, 48, 52 are only full sing clubs the other two are not full swing clubs.

[g_nw]

2 hours ago, ClayNotTon said:

I agree with this when it’s like to like. My 52 to 58 mostly feels fine. The 46 being the P770 PW and the 52 being the PXG I think is just exacerbating the issue.

 

Officially booked into Club Champion tomorrow to try various utility options, might try some options in 6/7W as well. On the fence with PXG vs MG4 for wedges. I don’t love the full face for lower loft wedges but have mostly gotten used to it. Edels look interesting to get some extra weight in the head, I wish Axiom came in 125S or a specific wedge shaft. 125X was a bit too much for wedges for my liking. I previously played KBS Tour Lite X in irons and Tour S in wedges

 

Oh man, I wouldn’t recommend anyone use X in their wedges!

 

The nice thing about CC is that they’ll have several wedge shafts on hand. I use DG TI S400 shafts, which isn’t my favorite feeling profile but the weight and softness are obviously ideal for creative and partial/feel shots. I’ve wanted to look deeper into wedge shaft profiles but S400 certainly performs and there’s no arguing it’s the gold standard. I wonder if some of the 130g stiff KBS shafts might be an option. There’s no question that you can use an Axiom 125X in your gap wedge, if you tend to hit full shots with it. I intended to do this but wound up testing a matching black/onyx DG TI X100 in my gap wedge (I wish I went with Axiom 125X there!). By the way, the full face grooves aren’t available on the Hi Toe 50* so you’re good there if you want a matching set (but dislike the idea of full face grooves there). Plenty of people mix MG4 and Hi Toe though, which is all preference.

Edited May 6 by g_nw

[Sean124]

46-52-58 is fine for a good wedge player, but that’s not how you’re describing yourself 😜

 

I’d bend the 4-P a bit strong, something like 21.5-25-29-33-37-41-45, then go 50-55-60 with the wedges. 
 

Ditch the 3 iron and tinker with the 2 fairway wood spots. 

[ClayNotTon]

So I spent way too much time at CC and then later two more golf stores 🙈 this will be fairly long, you've been warned. I will have some numbers at the end

 

Starting Out

Got warmed up with my existing clubs, talked through mainly wanting to situate the top end of bag and consolidate clubs down as well as hit some different wedges to see if I want to stick with what I have or switch. Pretty much immediately the fitter asked why I was swinging so reserved. I was cruising around 147 MPH with the 5W but hitting most of the numbers _I_ wanted to see otherwise (240y carry, 250y total, 110ft+ apex on "stock" shot). Since rebuilding my swing, I would say I'm swinging at ~75% or so on woods/driver looking for accuracy mostly, as such I'm more accurate than I have ever been, but definitely down in SS as I talked about with maybe being a reason my 3i doesn't seem to have the stopping power it did previously. He wanted to see about 90% and try to fit that, as I was hitting the ball fairly well and thought it was a "waste" to have more speed in the tank and settle for those numbers (we'll ignore the first two where I topped it straight into the air and then hoseled it into the divider wall). Still on 5W at this point, I was able to get up to 159 MPH, partially through extra CHS, partially through catching things a bit differently. This was getting closer to 260y carry and 15-20y of rollout with apex in more of the 90-95ft range, dispersion a bit wider but not _terrible_ still. This is a bit more yardage than I really need out of this club IMO.

 

Testing Wood Shafts
At this point we started looking at some other shaft options. I'm on team never had truly custom fit clubs until the pandemic, and I probably buy more clubs per year now than I had total in the 15 years before that. When getting fit a few years ago I got fit into the HZRDUS Black profile. After some swing work and playing consistently I went to a "fitting", basically a test between my RDX Black and Ventus Black, and went full Ventus. I didn't try any other profiles, or would have even knew what to test. This time, I was _trying_ to let the fitter fit and chuck my thoughts out the door as best as possible, but I wasn't too excited about the direction things were going. Enter Ventus TR Red and Tour AD VF. When I was fit previously I was fairly steep on my woods which I still am with irons but this put me fairly into as much low spin as possible in shafts, hence the HZRDUS and Ventus Black. My delivery into the ball improved with both, I was getting a few degrees more launch angle with minimal extra spin. At this point I was bordering on X and TX in the Tour AD VF. Ended up picking the X as I fear going for something too stiff and not being able to game it at the end of a round, similar to my 105 vs 125 Axioms in irons. Tinkered with things here between my rocket through 5W and got talked into the Qi10 tests as well... more on that later. I was offered to try some TSR/AI Smoke/G430 but I was mostly happy with numbers we were getting and fitter agreed. Could not find something to help with 6W/7W other than me trying to hit stingers with it, so onto that end of things.

 

Gapping between Woods and Irons

The P-DHY does _not_ suit my eye, but I won't sit here and say it wasn't what I hit best in the 3i range (19-21*). I started with the P-UDI 3i and the same shaft as my current P790 3i (Axiom 105X) I was hitting it a bit worse than my current before moving into hybrid shafts instead of iron shafts. I seem to react really well to lighter shaft, heavier head. Started with the Ventus Black HB 9TX and my contact immediately improved but still low (~80ft) compared to what I _want_ which is a effectively something that follows the same height as the rest of my irons and can hold a green. Two shafts ended up giving me closer to that, LA GOLF A 85g 5 (X) and HZRDUS Smoke Red RDX 6.5 80g. Ultimately settled on the Smoke Red as the butt of the LA GOLF was a thick boy. I was able to get the P-UDI up to 95-100ft apex, 235y carry, 3500 spin, just shy of 150 MPH ball speed. Next, the P-DHY. As I said, I find this thing ugly but immediately was getting better numbers with it than the P-UDI hands down, still in the Smoke Red. ~115ft apex, 4000 spin, 240y carry, insanely good and consistent contact. But I'm just not sure that I can game it. Next up was the Tour hybrid and after staring at the DHY for long enough, the hybrid didn't look _as_ bad as I normally felt it did, bonus points for being able to easily open it up some. Opening it up some did not however keep me from sneaking a few toe shot big lefties in there. Honorable mentions and short feelings: Qi no, Qi max I like the look at address better being bonded is main complaint but maybe would be good to avoid _over_ tinkering, Srixon ZX Mk II Utility I actually really liked the look but perf was too similar to P-UDI for me, U505 no, T200 utility build was the best performing "iron".

 

Wedges

Let's touch on wedges before jumping into numbers and surprises. PXG still has a good 15% more spin for me than MG4/Hi Toe, Vokey, Zipcore, Edel (more on this later, maybe for another time) but maybe too much on full shots as I was getting into the 13k+ range. I said I wasn’t big on full face grooves, but the profile I have come to like apparently because I really liked the Hi Toe when I didn’t think I would. For now I’ve gotten my 52 bent down to 50 and I’m having a Hi Toe 54 built to sit between my current 58 before deciding one way or the other.

 

Surprises

It wouldn’t be a first GolfWRX post without it, I had no plans on replacing driver and walked out with a new one ready to be ordered. Remember the woods profile helping my delivery? This continued here as well. After stopping the guiding of the swing I was doing comparing AD VF 5X at 44.75” and extra weight in the back of the Qi10 LS I gained 4.2 degrees of launch angle and lost 300 spin compared to my gamer. Next, let’s talk Edel. Starting with wedges these were the second best by the numbers performer for me, a bit of extra weight in both heel and toe to compensate for lighter shaft and they felt phenomenal. Still prefer currently the shape of the PXG and Hi Toe. However, if I wasn’t absolutely smitten with my current irons, I would probably get SMS Pro with an SMS 4i and wedges to match. I could tinker with these for days, perhaps good perhaps bad. The only other irons I wanted to hit and did was Srixon. Similar combo set here with ZX7s/5 if went this direction. P770 are about as large as I would like to play. Believe I could play a more forged players iron, I played a few hand me down cavity back sets growing up over GIs but I don’t quite spend ~330 days on the golf course anymore. Final one, I got my putter re-gripped into a larger pistol grip. I would describe my putter grip as a cradle move. Trying to name it from googling similar to a “palm to palm” or “prayer” grip but with my hands overlapping 90% horizontally and 50% vertically? I started putting like this in high school and through college until now with a slight bit of claw in there. The larger grip allows my thumbs to be completely on the side of the grip and feels much more stable.

 

Numbers

Let’s dump some numbers and vibes to put together the top end of the bag.

| Club             | Ball Speed | Apex | Spin | Carry |
|------------------|------------|------|------|-------|
| Stealth 2 Rocket | 163        | 110  | 2800 | 277   |
| Stealth 2 3 Wood | 160        | 118  | 3300 | 267   |
| Stealth 2 4 Wood | 158        | 120  | 3500 | 260   |
| Stealth 2 5 Wood | 156        | 118  | 3750 | 251   |
| Qi Tour 3 Hybrid | 153        | 113  | 4000 | 242   |
| P UDI 3i         | 149        | 95   | 3200 | 245   |
| P DHY 3i         | 152        | 115  | 4100 | 245   |
| P790 3i          | 146        | 83   | 2900 | 228   |
| P770 4i          | 141        | 110  | 4300 | 226   |

All the woods were done in one click down (I believe that’s -0.75 loft and 1.5 open) primarily for the open club face. The hybrid was 2 clicks down, 39.5” Smoke Red 80HY 6.5, UDI and DHY same shaft at 38.75”. Rocket, 3W and 4W all at 42.5”, 5W at 42” all woods AD VF 7X. All numbers are 12/15 once settled into setups. My P790 3i being the worst of my final selection. The UDI and DHY accomplish almost the exact same distance and spread front to back with carry, with very different rollout numbers

 

Setups

I have a few thoughts. My 3i or UDI are gone, if I played The Open every tourney then the lower flight and spin of the UDI would be worth. I tried a P790 4i, KBS Tour Lite 105x which was the last shaft I played and I didn’t love it, probably keeping my 4i as longest iron could maybe give it a touch less loft but happy enough. Going to order both the Qi Tour 3 Hybrid and DHY for more on course/off grass testing. Ordered a 42.5 and 42” AD VF 7X so can swap around. Leaning towards Qi Tour 3 Hybrid and my Stealth 2+ 4W. Giving up 15-25y at the top end but keeping gapping better towards the iron. Dark horse max distance setup 4i-5W-Rocket. I think that setup could be interesting to let the driver play a little big longer but have the Rocket be the proper "straight and narrow" club. Peoples Club also has Qi Tour 4W in stock, which I might just have to get to match the driver. With some extra weight in the head, could possibly go down a shaft weight to match the driver build setup...

 

TL:DR

- Bent current 52 PXG to 50, getting 54 Hi Toe to test before going one way or the other
- 3 Hybrid or DHY and 4W looks like the best gapping/most useful

- I _happened_ to be enamored with a shaft more expensive than Ventus

- I went in happy with driver, came out with a new spec to (likely) order

- Re-gripped putter! That will surely stop blowing them by

[ClayNotTon]

Some weekend updates. My swing feels a bit more free after getting told not to hold back too much. I've always been an aggressive ball striker (read as "swinging out of my shoes"), so perhaps tuned things back a little bit too far in the last two years. I've been doing more "playing" golf rather than "golfing" if that makes sense? Maybe it's the tinkering, maybe it's not, but I've felt more want to go to the course and endlessly take in golf content now than since college/high school golf.

Driver
Qi10 LS was not agreeable on the course for driver, I tried two different builds with the AD VF. The combo knocked too much spin off for me which I was worried about as I had some down in the 1800s on the sim. Played a fairly windy 20mph day and felt like it was blowing everywhere. I might consider doing some testing with the non LS head as contact was noticeably better in the VF compared to my TR.

Between 4i and Driver

I've got a P-DHY in but with the Adila Ascent Black 100 HY X Flex shaft? This seems to be a made-for shaft that was used in the Stealth DHY/UDI. I had no interest at all in the stock shaft and this was what I could actually get fastest while I awaited the RDX Red hybrid shaft to go in there. Still really hitting it well, it's perhaps growing on me too much. I was able to take it over some trees on a dog leg Par 5 that I wouldn't have even considered with the P790 3i. Hit the Qi10 Tour 3 hybrid along with it in an RDX Black shaft that I had from previous hybrid endeavors, but it'll probably just be put on the bench. Stealth 2 Plus 4 Wood with the weight slider all the way at the back is a monster off the deck, 5/6 for dancing from 250-265. Only used once per round so far off the tee on the same hole to sling one around a corner in two rounds. Played one other round with it and it didn't even make it out of the bag, so not missing the 3W/5W for it, yet.

Wedges

I was able to get a 54 Hi Toe with just the stock KBS HI-REV to sit between my 58 and 52 bent down to 50 Sugar Daddy II. The feel was similar enough for chipping, but couldn't get it down for full shots and was getting them rolling up the face more so than my wedges. This is where the brain blast comes in, I already had another set of my PXG wedges as they were about to be replaced, although this time in the black, so I now have two 52s in my bag, one bent to 50 and one bent to 54. The color dichotomy helps distinguish, I need to replace my existing 52-now-50 anyway, so I should be able to get a true 50 before I pull the wrong one on accident.

Irons

I haven't made any changes here yet. As I said before, driver and irons I was fairly comfortable with going in and wasn't really looking to change. However, I did play on a windier day and those 110-130ft apexes were a bit rough. I've noticed as well on some sim practice my apex creeping up to 135ft which is a bit higher than I would like for stock shots. Probably going to look at ball->shaft weight before switching club heads themselves but I did order a 5i and 8i in Srixon ZX7 MKII and Edel SMS Pro. I've been tentatively against going to a players CB for "forgiveness" but figured if we are tinkering might as well consider throwing the hole bag out 😉 I've got a crazy thought about playing neither at stock loft and going 2 deg strong/weak to either embrace the full club stronger lofts but with a bit shorter shaft for more control (playing a 23/24 5i at 5i length as a 4i and stopping at 5i) or trying to retain the 3 total wedge-ability (47/48 PW, 34 7i, 24/25 4i at std length or maybe 1/4" short like old TM irons). If someone wants to talk me into/out of the crazy idea, feel free to save me some money. Maybe I've just spent too much time on the forums recently 🙈