[373]

To explain one thing... I have this unexplaineable inconsistency with a 3 wood. With the Ping set, I had a 17* hybrid and only lost 10-15 yards off what I would hit my 3 wood, but I'd hit the hybrid solidly 9 out of 10 times, the 3 wood maybe 5 out of 10.

Now, this old Callaway FT hybrid is 14* and I maintain the higher level of consistency, but hit it as far as a 3 wood now.

As a set of clubs for me, the low loft hybrid is worth a few shots a round to me. If I play the white tees, I need to hit it about 5 times off the tee and usually 3-4 times from the fairway. The consistency I get from it is worth about 4 shots a round.

 

[373]

If you saw my post in Played Today, where I mentioned that of all things, I played today, I was very unhappy with the driver I used. In short, the swingweight of the Callaway RAZR Fit is simply too heavy for me.

I have another driver I can use, not to mention I still have my Ping i15 driver. They are both between C8, (Ping), and D0, (Callaway Diablo Tour), plus I still have a RAZR X Black driver, but it has no grip on it, so I'm not sure what the swingweight is.

Tonight I looked into something I'd heard about. Callaway Preowned has a trade in system. It pays about 2/3rds of whatever you paid for a club if it's still in good shape, but considering what I've gotten via Craigslist or ebay lately, it's worth it.

I'm looking at an X Hot Tour, regular flex shaft, 10.5 degree loft. They are supposed to get back in touch with the swingweight tomorrow. If it's D0 or less, I'll trade in the RAZR Fit driver, a spare shaft and 3 X Jaws wedges to pay for all but $15 of the total. Shipping the clubs to Callaway Preowned will probably cost me another $15, so around $30 for a new driver, and this club is rated "Like New", doesn't sound at all bad. It will also be much newer technology than any of my other drivers. It's not adjustable, but is supposedly their newest model, similar to what a lot of the Callaway endorsed pros are using.

Yes, I live in hope that someday I'll have a driver I like again without having to go back to the Ping, which was a cruel master.

 

[373]

Callaway Preowned says the swingweight of the X Hot driver will be D0. I bought it and this morning, I packed up the trade in driver and wedges. The new driver arrives Thursday, which is great because I have to be home all day waiting for a new mattress. I had hoped to play Friday, so it's going to be an interesting day with mostly different clubs in my bag. I've been using the RAZR Tour irons for the past few months, not that I've been playing much.

For now, the Callaway RAZR X irons are back in my bag. They are the ones with the offset and deeper sole.They also have slightly overwrapped grips, so to make everything feel the same, I'll probably do the same with the drivers, the 3 wood I don't usually carry and the 2 hybrids.

Unless Sean Kicker recommends a change for a good reason, I don't think I'll change my set makeup. It should still be driver, 14 and 21 degree hybrids, 4-9 irons, PW, AW, SW and LW with whatever putter.

Depending on how things work out with my wife's car in the shop tomorrow, (during which time I won't have a car), I may or may not play. I'm going to experiment with an old RAZR X BlaCK driver just for the hell of it. With 3 drivers in the house, I hope to decide that one is best and sell the others. If there's some benefit to keeping another driver, like using the RAZR X Black with its shallow face for windy days, maybe I'll keep one.

Paralysis by analysis can be such fun. I'm going to figure all this out, but the search is such fun!

 

[373]

It's been a long time coming, but I think this is the best combination of clubs I've had in the bag for a while now. Don't bother count them. Yes, there are 2 extra wedges in there until I decide which gap and sand wedge I prefer.

All Callaway... X Hot driver, 10.5* set square for the moment. No 3 wood. A FT hybrid with only 14* is my substitute for the 3 wood. I hit it equally as far with a lot more consistency. A 21* RAZR Black hybrid is my long iron. The 4-PW are X-Hot irons with a lightweight (85 gram) steel shaft. They are all 1" extra long with midsize Lamkin grips, counterbalanced to swing D1. There's a gap wedge and sand wedge to match the irons, but I also have my 2002 Big Bertha wedges in there. I haven't gotten to play with the new set enough to decide which wedge set feels better. I need to go out and practice specific shots with them instead of just playing and letting wedge shots come as they may.

Those of you who remember my aborted attempt to have PING irons custom fitted might recall how I went round and round over the high swingweight and my inability over 4 months to get used to them before I sold them. If you thought I was crazy to try again, I wouldn't blame you, but all it took was someone to listen.

The RAZR X Tour irons are still in the closet. I still prefer the look of them over these offset irons, but this lightweight shaft and the great feel on the face from these irons is putting up a good fight for my affections. Maybe someday I'l do a total rebuild using those heads or maybe I'll just keep them for visitors who don't want to pay a ridiculous price to an airline for shipping their clubs.

Here's the rather unusual 14* hybrid. If I could find a 20* or 21* to match it, I'd use that instead of the RAZR X Black hybrid. It would be just a looks preference.

 

[Ernie Dimeo]

Yeah the images are pretty interesting!

 

[373]

Hey Ernie... The X Hot is a good feeling iron. I'm still going back and forth sometimes between the X Hot and my older, but more classic looking RAZR Tour irons. I don't seem to play any differently one way or the other. While the X Hot is thought of as a game improvement club, the RAZR Tour has an under cut cavity back and offers quite a lot of game improvement features itself. As I've said many times around here, I'm too old fashioned for my own good and I really like looking down at the RAZR Tour at address.

The most useful club in my bag is definitely the 14 degree hybrid. I don't know why I can't get along with a 3 wood, but it's been a lifelong problem. Considering how many times I would have to hit 3 wood at the course where I play most, replacing the 3 wood with a low loft hybrid I hit consistently haqs been the best thing I've done for my game in years.

 

[Spike]

That is a cool hybrid.

 

[373]

Mizuno set... JPX-EZ driver and 3 wood. JPX-825 irons, 4-GW. JPX Fli Hi hybrids. Japanese model PX sand wedge. Currently, the old Scotty putter is in the bag.

 

[Spike]

Nice sticks Dennis I like your bag a lot.

 

[Spike]

This is what I play every round. My bag is minimal and that's how I like it.:dunno:

 

[373]

I could probably play Killian Greens with a driver, 4 hybrid, 8 & 9 iron, SW and putter and not feel I was lacking a whole lot. There's a lot to be said for creativity.

 

[373]

Mizuno MP600 driver, JPX 17* hybrid instead of a 3 wood, JPX #4 hybrid, JPX850 4-Gap Wedge, Japanese model JPX 55* sand wedge, MP 60* lob wedge, SeeMore putter.

I'd have to go through a lot of this thread to see if I previously explained how I came to Mizuno, but to be brief, I bought a set of old graphite shaft Mizuno irons to try extending them to fit me and while the experiment didn't work because the old shafts were as heavy as current steel, the irons felt so good I started looking into the brand. I had JPX825 irons until this morning when these new irons arrived.

I was professionally fitted for these, but realizing the compromise of my age, they have limited the extension to 1" long, 1* upright, stiff shaft, soft stepped to make them between stiff and regular, 90 gram steel shafts, midsize grips. Mizuno uses a slightly lighter head for longer clubs, so they are only D2.

This time, I think it's going to work.

 

[373]

As it turned out, these new clubs didn't feel anywhere near as good as my older model 825 irons. I sold them. I'm sure glad I kept my 825 irons.

I'm trying something else now, an 825 Pro set with graphite shafts. With all the pain in my wrists and elbows, I hope graphite will make things more bearable.

I'd have preferred to find a set of the regular 825 irons with graphite shafts. The game improvement head has been beneficial to me. The Pro model looks more like a blade at address, but has quite deep cavities and a lot of game improvement built in. Since I'm trying a demo set, I need to get in as many shots as possible within the week I paid to rent them. If I like them, I can buy a used set at a nice price.

I tried the exact same club with stiff shafts back in March. They felt OK when I hit the ball on the face, but I was swinging badly then, not getting to play enough and I definitely need a regular flex anyway. Maybe I didn't take them seriously, but I gave them back.

Keep your fingers crossed.

 

[Spike]

I really like that 17* hybrid! Bags looking good.

 

[373]

I sold those irons and started a process of trying various demo sets from a local store. Basically, you pay for the set at a used price, but they don't put the charge through unless you buy the set. I tried some blades and game improvement sets from Mizuno , just to see how much I could deal with.

Every time, I went back to my JPX-825 irons. They simply feel better than anything else... until... A couple weeks ago I tried a set of a 1 year old model, the MP-H4. Part of it might be this set is 1/2" longer. It was ordered and refused for some reason by the guy who ordered them, so they were put in the demo sets. They have been used a bit, but are very clean looking and just happened to have Midsize grips. I immediately hit them well and found I was more able to control my trajectory with them. This time of year, it's very windy, so being able to hit the ball a bit under the wind, which I can't do well with the 825 set, is a benefit.

I used them 5 times, 9 holes each time, under varied conditions and liked them every time. I bought them early this week. I'll take a picture later, but for now, I'm using a Mizuno JPX-850 driver, going back and forth between a JPX-EZ 3 wood or the 17 degree hybrid, which I still prefer. I generally carry the 4 hybrid and 4-PW, but this set starts at 5 iron. I found a 4 iron to match, but it won't be here for a week. I use the MP wedges with the thin soles for the hard conditions where I play and I'm using a Rife Bimini putter with a ton of lead tape on it.

 

[373]

As an update since my last post in March of this year, I've tried almost every running number Mizuno makes with the exception of their true blades. I now go back and forth between my somewhat old JPX-825 irons and a set of a new running number, the MP-H5 irons. I hit the 825 set higher and the MP-H5 lower and slightly farther, but not with quite as much accuracy as the 825s. Summer in Miami is often sort of windy, so until last week when I realized things had gotten pretty still, I had the MP-H5 set in my bag. I just put the 825 set back in and I'll use it Friday.

I'm also trying to wqork with my old Taylormade R1 driver and Rocketballz 2 fairway wood. It's a 13 degree model I have set to high trajectory.

Lastly, my ugly old Callaway 2002 Bertha wedges simply won't go away. I've tried an embarrassing number of clubs in recent years, but I've never found a wedge I could use as effectively as these old Berthas. They're the best argument I've ever seen for iron club head covers.

 

[Stretch]

Hi guys,
Long time no post!
I do have some new goodies to show as I have been gone for so long.
Also curious what Dennis is gaming this year.
I found a sweet slightly used set of Miura MC102's. I think they were hit like 4 rounds.
Got the 4 - P with a P/S club that is a Gap wedge per say.

Will upload some pics tonight.

Its April and its SNOWING out up here!!! WHat up with that??? :dunno:

I want to go golfing!!!

 

[373]

WOW! Leave the screen door open and look who wanders in!!! hOW HAVE YOU BEEN BROTHER?

I'm still firmly entrenched with Mizunos. I'm playing the new model of the JPX-EZ driver, 3 wood and 4 hybrid with the MP-H5 irons and JPX gap, sand and lob wedge.

You know me though, no putter has a chance in hell of staying in the bag unless it makes everything it sees.

 

[Stretch]

Hey Bud! The door was open, I wiped my feet and I got a bottle of 1800!!

Good to be back! I have never played Mizunos but hear they are sweet.

I am always bouncing between my Copper IsI's, my Nickel Isi's and my Copper Eye 2's. Love the feel those metals give you. You have to try them to know what I am talking about.

I did start gaming some Miura's. Got me some MC102's. I like the CB301's as well but got such the deal on the 102's I couldtn't pass it up. I would like to add in some 301's to my collection some day.

Got some pics to share for you guys.

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Really nice looking irons if you have never seen them before.

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[Spike]

Sweet irons man. I like the pings even more!