78 replies to this topic

[SlowRain]

Excellent and gaming them

Ping Anser Driver - Low spin monster and feels awesome for me
Ping Anser FW's - Ditto...love the feel
Ping i20 irons - forgiving enough for me and not a bad feel to boot
Ping Tour Wedges - Pretty good...got them because my previous wedges were pretty much worn out
Scotty Cameron - Newport 2 2012 model - hadn't changed putters in years (brief flirt with Ping Nome) but did because I liked softer feel of the milled face

Okay...but kicked out of bag because of above.
Ping G20 Driver - Great club but the Anser delivered better numbers...by quite a bit.
Ping i20 FW woods - great stick but the Ansers were better!
Titleist AP2 (712) - Again...nice sticks but the i20's, at least for me, were a far better fit
Titleist 910 Driver - Nice stick...way to much spin for me.
Hybrids (several different kinds) - Tried many...liked none of them.

Tried...but something sucked
Adams XTD Fairways - great distance...quality was terrible with weights falling out...repaired...fell out again.
Ping Nome - Probably more personal than anything...didn't like the look or the performance (which might have been because I didn't like the look)
Ping i20 Driver - This one didn't do anything for me.
Titleist Velocity Ball - Certainly picked up more distance...especially when I was watching them roll off the back of the green when hitting a mid or long iron in.

[beaney]

The things I loved (and still gaming):
Taylormade R11 driver - love the look, forgiveness and distance that it gives me.
Wilson Staff FG Tour v2 irons - great feel, fantastic forgiveness, wonderful flight.........and you don't see many of them! Love them to bits.
Nike lunar control shoes - absolute revelation for me. So comfy, like the look and buying more for the future!
Gavin Green waterproofs - the price scared me, but with the bad weather we've had in the UK I have loved these.  Easy to play in, warm, and not a drip through them despite many 36 hole comps played in rain and wind.

The maybes:
Mizuno mp clk hybrid - like the look, not keen on the fubuki shaft.
Cobra trusty rusty gap wedge - performs ok, just not sold and not sure why!
Mizuno fli hi 18deg - loved the look, but flight wasn't great.
Cleveland dst hybrid - nice to hit but too low and far to fill the 3w to 4i gap.

Dislikes:
Ping G20 driver - had a g2 and was hopeful, but absolutely hated it. Look, feel and performance.
Callaway Razr hawk - just didn't like at all.
Titleist 910D3 driver - went to factory, got fitted, and despised it from the moment it arrived, despite loving the look of it!
Rbz 4h - went too far and seemed really draw biased.  Can't see the point of it going so far as it nearly went as far as 3w and therefore still left a gap between it and 4i.  Tried 5h to fill gap but went so high it was useless in the wind!

It's been eventful.......roll on 2013!

[AC in TX]

Good to great:

Ping G15 drivers (10.5*, 12*) - nice (thinking about TEE though)
Ping K15 3 wood - baby driver, long and straight (thinking about TEE though)
TEE XCG4 hybrid - easier than i15, rough cutter
Ping G20 hybrid - easier than G15, good for chipping
Mizuno JPX-800 irons - love them! just love them!
Ping eye2 + Sand Wedge - old reliable and fool proof
Cleveland Niblick - stroke saver
Scotty Cameron Del Mar - nice balance

Fair to midling:

Ping G15 irons (graphite) - OK but JPX's feel much nicer
Ping G15 irons (steel) - OK but JPX's feel much better

Not good for me:

Ping i15 hybrid - too easy for me to chili dip
Ping G15 hybrid - too upright for me

[MileHighClub]

Epic fail for me with TM Rocketballz Tour three wood.  Somehow bought the 17 yards longer hype.  Returned it after four rounds and some range sessions.

[Halebopp]

Great:

Ping i15 driver, 14 and 18.5 fairway woods with TFC700 stiff shafts. A smoking hot driver when you get it just right and fairway woods I can actually hit. Plus, it's really hard to hit the hooks with these.

Good:

Ping i15, 15.5 3-wood with UST Mamiya Axivcore Tour Red Stiff. A very good club that gave me a sure fire fade off the tee but when hit lazily, gave me a bad slice.

Decent:

Ping iWi Zing - a good putter but sometimes I miss a mallet.

Bad:

Selling my MP-62s. I should've kept them and just changed the shafts.

Everything else has come and gone, I'll take another look at my irons next summer.

[Sean2]

Very Good
Ping i20 Driver
Ping G20 irons
TM RBZ fairway woods
TM RBZ hybrid
Ping Nome putter

Good
Ping G20 fairway woods
Ping i20 hybrid
SC Notchback putter

[golf9596]

Well the Best:
TM R11s...multiple shafts...driver was a beast and played great...but it was not any better than my old Burner
RBZ Tour (x-stiff) 3 wood...tried the RBZ and RBZ Tour(stiff) they were good, but changed them out.
Scotty Cameron 1.5 (2012 model)...tried a number of others Golo, Kombi and Newport(2012 models)
Score wedges: 52/58...Best investment all year

Tried: Adams A12 w/c-tapers..just ok
          Titleist 712 CB..heads too light
          Ping i20s...inconsistent distance, CFS shafts not my fav...


2013:  looking at CMBs and a new driver (currently using TM TP Burner)

[JBent9610]

Adams Fast 12 LS w/ Fubuki - just as another poster put it, it's the best driver I have ever played. I thought my Evolver, FT Tour, and XL Tour were the longest drivers I was ever going to hit, but this thing is even longer. It's also forgiving and has a nice sound.

Callaway FT-Tour - this is probably the nicest sounding driver I have ever hit. It's also no slouch in the distance department either. Forgiveness is good enough, but probably not the most forgiving driver. I've put this in the bag a few times in place of the Fast 12, even though the Fast12 is longer.

Ping Eye2 Lob Wedge - besides a Ping Eye2+ lob wedge, this is what I would recommend to a beginner. Even though it's a higher loft, it's very forgiving and easy to hit.

Mizuno Comp EZ irons - I now regret not playing these until my last round of the year. Out of the ~30 rounds I played this year, I shot my lowest round with these. They have a nice thinnish topline, heavy head feel, and thin width sole with a sole grind that makes them easy to hit. They're more forgiving than I would have thought since they aren't huge shovels. It's like a sweeper's dream come true. These will be in the bag at the start of next season.


Adams XTD Super Hybrid 15° - this is still up in the air for me. In the honeymoon phase, it was a rocket launcher. The more I've played it, the more I've struggled with it. I don't carry any fairway woods because the longer club length makes it harder for me to get good contact. I decided to try this since it came with a Fubuki shaft that was working so well for me in the driver. After the "newness" wore off, I struggled with how light the shaft felt and would lose the feel for it in my backswing. The longer length (42") also started factoring in and I was struggling with it like I was with fairway woods. I now have a Nippon 1050 steel shaft to try in it next year. I'm not giving up on it just yet, as I've seen how far this thing can go, I just want to see if I can be more consistant with it and a heavier, shorter shaft.

[boulAAYYY]

GOOD

Anser 9.5/ speeder TS 6.2 1"tipped : this thing is a bomber. I add easily 6yds+ from my 909d2 w/ matrix HD6 (first driver to beat my old trusty combo)

Iron w/ c-taper s+ : so forgiving and workable at the same time

BAD

Superstroke grip

Edited by boulAAYYY, 16 November 2012 - 09:35 PM.

[freddyottawa]

Good

MX700 5 wood - Best 5 wood i've ever had, so easy to hit. Stock stiff shaft. Cost next to nothing.
MP-R12 - Took a couple a re-shafts to get these right, but they really work well for me now.
Odyssey White Ice #7 - Works like a charm, for now!
Bushnell V2 - Best Purchase of the year, i'd be lost without it now

Bad

MP630FT - Open face on a driver never works for me. I bought it anyway. Re-shafted it with a 7b3 just to compound the mistake.
MP-TI 3 wood - Never found any sort of consistency with this one.
Seemore FGP Original - Wayyy too light
Mizuno Line 90 - Wayyy to heavy
MP CLK 20 degree - I don't even like hybrids, a complete waste of money
Bettinardi BC3 - Too long, I had it for about a minute before I realized it was never going to work
Bettinardi BC1 - Never worked for me


On the Fence

JPX800 3 wood - I like it, i'm sure I will like it more with a different shaft in it. Could get replaced though.

Edited by freddyottawa, 16 November 2012 - 10:24 PM.

[Hattori Hanzo]

I guess I'm one of the lucky few who hasn't had anything backfire on him this year. Basically everything in the sig was added at the end of last year or this year, and it should all be sticking around for the long haul! (Except maybe the wedges, which are a little worn...)

[Rock Chalk Jayhawk]

The very best:
Ping s56 (blue dot, std length, x100 shafts - sweet Jesus I love these clubs. I guarantee I have them for a minimum of 10 years)
Garmin Approach S3 (this is my single favorite piece of technology this year, surpassing the new phone I will be buying next month)
Ping i20  20, 23 deg hybrids (First hybrids I ever tried. Ping has a real winner with these.  The 23 deg is one of my favorite clubs of all time)
Adidas Crossflex golf shoes (after a 1-2 round break in period, exceptionally comfortable. Almost no foot pain after a round. Make sure to get them at least 1/2 size larger than normal)

Next up:
Vokey black nickel SM4 60.04 wedge (I have never used anything but Vokey lob wedges. This club does everything I want around the green. It's not rated higher because I expected it to perform like a champ bc of the name- not a disappointment at all!)
Ping Hoofer bag (2012 model - not the best Ping bag I have ever owned, but better than my last one. I am too loyal/partial to the look of Ping bags to try another brand- maybe next year's model will be better)
FJ Sciflex golf glove (my last one lasted me over 3 months before I lost it!)

Middle of the pack:
RBZ 3 wood (I honestly only need a 3W off the tee, and this club is perfect for that. It is a bit difficult from anywhere else, though. I may be testing out the i20 and Nike Covert woods)
Ping Tour-S Rustique 52 deg (wedges of this loft are boring. They don't get the attention of the high lofts, and they aren't sexy like set irons or woods.  I don't play that many shots with this club, but it is indispensable)

Meh:
True Linkswear Tour shoes (damn, are they comfortable, but I can't putt properly in them-- too close to the ground)

Hell spawn whorebeast:
Ping Tour-S Rustique 58 deg (lasted 1 full round. the loft is EVIL. I literally shanked, skulled, or chunked every single pitch or full shot with this club)


After looking over this list, I think I will be looking at new items in the following areas: Driver, 3W, 56 deg wedge. Can't wait to test out the Covert woods!

Edited by Rock Chalk Jayhawk, 16 November 2012 - 10:45 PM.

[AmazinBlue]

New to me in 2012:
PING I20 irons C-taper Stiff shafts
RBZ Tour TP 3w, 5w
2 prs of shoes

Going away before 2013
PING I20 irons

New for 2013 will be
Bridgestone J40 CBs
Cobra S3 Pro forged irons
RBZ Tour TP driver
(The two sets of forged irons new are costing less than the one set of PINGs!

[Tread]

Best
Fujikura Shaft
Truelinks Stealth golf shoe

Bad
Ecco Biom Hydromax golf shoe

[pdaero]

Best - TVD 58* lob w/ S400. Simply perfect!
Changing swing/grip, which created more lag and effortless distance compared to how hard I had to work for it.

That's about it. No other purchases and definitely things that didn't work.

[JJensen]

GREAT -
Callaway RAZR Fit 8.5* - Attas Elements MK 6X
Titleist 910F 13.5* - Attas Elements MK 7X
Vokey SM3 54* and 58*
Scotty Cameron Fastback 1.5
Driveway Markers for Yardage Sticks

GOOD-
Cleveland Classic 290 9* - Rombax 6X07

Ehhh.. - (Went on a retro kick)
Titleist 904F 15* - Stock Speeder
Titleist 905S 9* - Epic T75S

BAD-
Trading my Scotty Pro Platinum for the Fastback...  should try to get that back....

Edited by JJensen, 17 November 2012 - 03:19 PM.

[17 yards further?]

Cobra s3 max irons- good for a while but way to high and hooking now, has a regular shaft in them so that's completely wrong
Titleist SM4- great club really nice
Callaway Razr X Black 3 wood- good club but again regular flex, love the club but hate the ballflight
Cobra ZL encore white shaft and grip and black head- Great club looks amazing and stiff shaft so it's straight and low!

Edited by 17 yards further?, 17 November 2012 - 01:58 PM.

[Mr.I302]

Great--Adams 9088 UL....long,straight,forgiving.
            Ping G15 3wd...easy to hit off the deck and just plain straight
            2Ball White Steel blade.....not a fan when they first came out but man I'm making everything
            Cleve DST hybrids

Bad---Adams first slot technology 3 wd can't remember the number but no good for me

[ayotte2]

Good purchases for the year.......

Ping i20 irons. 4-gap, CFS stiff shafts. I can't imagine replacing them in the near future.

Ping i20 hybrid. Stock stiff shaft. Took a little getting used to but wow, what an amazing club.

Adams 8.5* Fast 12 LS. Fubuki Alpha stiff shaft. This one club has changed my golfing life. I went from a max distance of around 265 (with my old Rapture V1) to a max distance of around 300. I'm struggling a bit with missing left with it but I'm sure I can work it out. Perhaps an X flex Fubuki might help with that. I read on here that the Fubuki Alpha is a bit "whippy".

Having my old Rapture 3 wood stock shaft re-shafted with a stiff Blueboard. Can't find a  better fairway wood for me. Just like getting a new one for $125 bucks! I love that club!

The verdict is still out purchase........

Odyssey White Ice putter. I haven't used it anywhere but my living room yet. Feels real nice but who knows?

Epic failure of the year...........

Srixon z star balls. Pure junk. Like hitting a ping pong ball.

All in all, I'm very satified with my purchases for 2012. I'm not in the market for anything next year but Pro V1's and maybe some Truelinks shoes.

[DickieThon]

Bad:

Adams Idea Pro Black hybrids w/ stock stiff shafts. Misses were so bad I wanted to throw them in a lake.

"Meh":

910Fd 3 wood. Great off the tee, useless off the deck.

Good:

MP Fli Hi 21* and S3 Pro MB 4 iron. More than made up for the hybrids- should have stuck with long irons all along.

906F 3 & 5 woods. Knocked the 910 and 64* wedge out of my bag.

RIPa 70x shaft for my driver- got it after I snapped the Voodoo I was using, and it's a much better fit for me.

[specimania]

Best
R11s tp with 7M3--beast and not going anywhere!
R11s 3w with a Marc kalil or the rbz tour with pjx. --- awesome!
712 cb irons were deadly for me

Bad
From what I tested the stock shafts in most tmag stuff. Prov balls are overrated

[ryancjordan]

Actually didn't buy much in 2012.  All my woods, my irons and my putter stayed the same.  I did make a few buys, but most went back.

Success:
-Taking my AP2 710 PW out for a Vokey 200 series.
-Switching from a PX 7C3 to a Oban Devotion 7

Fail:
-RBZ 3 Utility.  Head was WAY too big, just way way way too big.  I love my 910h and this was slightly longer sometimes, but was much less straight with a huge dispersion.  Not sure why they made the shafts so light on those things.
-60 degree wedge.  I thought about switching from 47/52/58 to 47/54/60 but the 60 degree, 4 degree of bounce SM4 I bought really doesn't do it for me.  My 58 degree TVD is still in the bag and I don't see it leaving for awhile.
-Switching my gap wedge to a DG spinner for awhile.  Took all the feel out of my shots and switched back pretty quickly.

[MileHighClub]

Fail- Scotty Cameron California Fastback.

[Jimbud]

Titleist 910 D2 Just a all round great driver.   I'd recommend it to just about any level player.  No negatives this season on club purchases

[Jimbud]

ryancjordan, on 20 November 2012 - 09:17 PM, said:

Actually didn't buy much in 2012.  All my woods, my irons and my putter stayed the same.  I did make a few buys, but most went back.

Success:
-Taking my AP2 710 PW out for a Vokey 200 series.
-Switching from a PX 7C3 to a Oban Devotion 7

Fail:
-RBZ 3 Utility.  Head was WAY too big, just way way way too big.  I love my 910h and this was slightly longer sometimes, but was much less straight with a huge dispersion.  Not sure why they made the shafts so light on those things.
-60 degree wedge.  I thought about switching from 47/52/58 to 47/54/60 but the 60 degree, 4 degree of bounce SM4 I bought really doesn't do it for me.  My 58 degree TVD is still in the bag and I don't see it leaving for awhile.
-Switching my gap wedge to a DG spinner for awhile.  Took all the feel out of my shots and switched back pretty quickly.

I agree, worst feeling steel shaft I've ever swung.

[mukster]

The Good:  Callaway Diablo Octane Black Tour driver
   Callaway Hex Tour Black Golf Balls
   Srixon Z Star XV Tour Yellow Golf Balls

That's all I bought so far this year, Sun Mountain Four 5 on the Xmas list.

Some of you ho's crack me up! (Yes, I'm talking to YOU golfjunki71!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

[memphishorn]

I actually updated my entire game bag except for the putter and the bag itself. Based on my cheapness all of these were pre owned except the Vokey 56*

New to me in 2012

Titleist 909 D2
TEE CB2 15*
TEE XCG-3 15*
Titleist 909h 21*
Titleist AP1 2008
Titleist Vokey 56.11 SM4 OC
Titleist Vokey 60.04 SM OC
Ping Scottsdale Anser BeNi
MacGregor DX Tourney Irons (1964/65)
MacGregor Jack Nicklaus Murfield Driver
White Burton Bag

Bought in 2012 and already gone

TEE Exotics CB1 9* Driver
Adams 9632 Driver

Some departed friends

Titleist 983K (sigh)
Steelhead Plus 3W and 5W (double sigh)
Titleist 585 21*
Titleist 585 24*
Ping Anser 4 Black SS
Ping Anser G2
Heal Stafted Bullseye

[Jack Pearsall]

GREAT:  Srixon zr uti 18* w/ a Project X 6.5 shaft. This driving iron is a really awesome club. Very long. Boring bullets that release. Easy to aim. Incredible balance.
Macgregor MT cupface 3 wood with Fujikura Quadra shaft. Sweet steel feel, very stout club that is a bargain. Careful, they made an offset version.

GOOD:  Srixon tri-speed tour golf balls. Nice flight, decent in wind, relatively long. Tend to scuff more easily than pricier balls. Poor boys' 3 peice ball. Stops well enough. Great alignment markings. Nice crisp feel off putter. It's no Penta or ProV or B330. 20 bucks a dozen. No longer made.

NOT GOOD/Disappointing: Stock Motore shaft on TEE cb4. 'Ahina shaft by Diamana in Titleist 910 series. Both were too boardy, didn't load for JP.
Miura wedge, totally overrated. It's a decent enough wedge, but...There was nothing to distinguiish this expensive club as elite except for the price. The mythology of Miura is just that, mythology. Bogus status for the needy posers. IJPHO.

Edited by Jack Pearsall, 21 November 2012 - 01:59 PM.

[sung1018]

Titleist 913D2: Love it
TEE CB5: Love it
Nike SQ2: New to me but found a used set of 4w/7w. Getting it reshafted today, Hope I love this too.
Titliest SM Vokeys: I am not sure of this. I used cleveland wedges for years but thought give it a try. Not 100% comfortable yet.
UST Axivcore Blue: New shaft in my hybrid. I needed little more height on my 19h. Tried that out and ending up reshafting my 24h as well.

[Mikey Town]

Best:
Puma Cell Fusion Pro 3 - Never thought something could be as comfortable as my old Adidas Tour 360 LTDs... These shoes proved me wrong!

Good:
Ping Anser Driver - Great upgrade from my old r7 460.  Will be in the bag for quite some time.
Ping i20 15* Fairway - Best fairway I've ever hit, off the tee or off the deck... period.
Vokey SM4 50* and 56* - Great feel, great looks, great control... these put check marks in all of the boxes that matter to me.
2010 Model Ogio Grom - Love that the Grom is more of a hybrid cart/stand bag.  It was exactly what I was looking for, but I wasn't sure about the new 14-way divider system.  I was able to find a NOS 2010 model (with the woode divider system) on the bay for $99.  Great deal... knowing what I know now, I would have easily paid double that price.  Fantastic bag!
Puma Monoline Glove - I moved to this glove from the FJ StaSof this year.  Fits better, breathes better, keeps my hand cooler... just a better glove, IMO.

Not As Good:
Ping i20 Driver - Don't get me wrong, it's a great club, and would still be in the bag if the Anser wasn't released.  The Anser just gave me better numbers, so the i20 was exchanged.


I don't buy equipment very often (my last driver and fairway was an r7 460 and a 906 f2), but this was a big upgrade year for me.  I've been lucky, and not much has had to go back to the store for return/exchange.