Journey to Scratch: Post #3

Tour of my bag!

If you have not already read the intro to this series then you will know that I am not just an enthusiast trying to take a deeper step in my game. I played college golf and was a low 80’s to high 70’s shooter. With that being said my bag might be further along than just some one playing golf for a few months. Nor do I just have a bunch of exposable income to buy the best things out there. I also have an attachment problem with a few items in my bag and wont be changing some of those things for a while. However since this will be a two year journey I will be very surprised if my bag is exactly the same as it is today.

I am going to share my set up, I won’t go in to crazy detail with shafts and grips but will let you know what I am playing with and how long I have had them. Every club is special to me so I remember the year I got them. Clearly a passion for golf right?

Woods:

Driver- (Nike Vapor) set at 9.5 degrees with a stiff shaft(Gifted in 2019)

7 Wood- (Taylor Made r7) Gifted in 2004 and got me through college.

Irons:

Mizuno MP5 forged Irons: Custom fit 4-PW.(Gifted in 2017)

Wedges:

Titilist “Oil Can” Wedges. 60, 56 and 52 degree wedges. (Purchased in 2008)

Putter:

Never Compromise mallet center shafted putter. (Gifted in 2001)

The Story of Each Club…

My driver still has pop and honestly until it breaks I have no attentions to replace that bad boy. I went to golf store 3 months ago to hit some new drivers. I hit the Taylormade Stealth 1, and Calloway Rouge ST. The reason why there are so many drivers to come out every year is for three reasons in my eyes. New tech, latest and greatest, and swing types. I have had some Taylormade woods in my days. I have always loved Taylormade, so I eyed the Stealth for a few months at this point and did not hit it very well. Took 10-15 shots and never really connected with one. The guy told me to try the Rouge because of my swing type. I played Calloway clubs in college and also a fan of their clubs. First shot I hit felt sweet and was getting ball speed in the 155 range which is not bad for a double digit handicap. Do I think simulators are tweaked for you to feel good to buy the club? Yes, however owning a launch monitor for about a two years at that point I knew it was pretty truthful. I hit it a few more time and knew that it was about the same thing that I have now and felt no need to switch. The pop on the new stuff does make the ball go a little further but I am not ready to dive in with a drive for $600 plus. My unbiased opinion is to wait a few years and get something gently used or try to find a model that is 1-3 years old new somewhere and grab that. If you have something older the chances it does not go as far because the new tech is pretty good. My pro tip would be to save up, and when ready go a few different days and if it is consistently over 15+ yards then go for it.

7 wood is a special club to for so many reasons. I started playing with a 7 wood from the very beginning. It has similar loft to a 2 hybrid or 3 iron. Some pros even carry a 7 wood in certain tournaments. It fits my swing and has alway been a fairway finder for me in the 230 range. With me mainly playing mountain course no longer than 7,000 yards I get by just fine.

Irons: My irons are very special to me. When I wanted to play more golf back in 2017 it was the only thing I asked for all year and my lovely wife delivered on my first father’s day. My Calloway cavity backs were good but I was ready to move back to a forged iron. I won’t get into types of irons here but I played forged for my senior season in college and was probably my best ball striking year. I was ready to get back to hitting the ball with full control. I will have these when my handicap is zero!

Wedges: They have been used hard for the years that I have had them. I play a 52 gap wedge, 56 sand wedge and 60 lob wedge. One summer in college I took my sand wedge to the driving range everyday to hit 100+ golf balls and did not miss very many greens that summer inside 100 yards. Last year I got a tool to re-grove the sand wedge from the pure volume of shots it has taken on. They do the job fine but I know having fresh wedges will be needed to dial back into true yardages with spin.

Putter; Without to0 much of story here, I was given this club by the man who taught me how to play golf. He was a scratch golfer and played with an identical putter. He was the best putter I have every played with on a regular basis. He gave me the same one he had because he could show me how his tricks. He also putted left handed which made it pretty easy to mimic his swing. Leading me to grasp the short grass the way he did.

Hope you enjoyed the tour and the inside look into my bag.

If you are reading this in hope to figure out what to do or buy as you take golf more serious my advice is to stay in budget for you clubs. These things can really get out of hand and not buying the newest thing on the market is the best. It is nice to have the newest toys but my 14 year old driver still can outdrive most people I play with, and keeps me in position pretty well.