Bag Revamp
The bag revamp is finally complete! A mix of shiny new clubs and fine-tuned older ones gives me loads of confidence in my equipment for the upcoming season. Check out the new additions:
TSR2 Driver: 9-degree loft, Hazardous Smoke Stiff Shaft.
TSi2 3 Wood: 15-degree loft, Hazardous Blue Stiff Shaft.
3 new Titleist Vokey Wedges: 50-degree (F grind), 54-degree (D grind), 58-degree (D grind)
Scotty Cameron Phantom Putter: (A sweet birthday present!)
These replace my TS2 10.5-degree driver, TS2 19-degree hybrid, Cleveland CBX2 50 and 56-degree wedges, and Cleveland Smart Sole Chipper.
Grips
I also re-gripped the entire bag with Golf Pride New Decade Multi Compound MCC Teams Grips (Black, Dark Red, and White). I ordered from Adore Golf Grips – fantastic service, 10/10. The grips feel fantastic, and I'm hoping the consistent feel will improve my technique and touch on the course.
Loft and Lie Check
While getting the grips done, I had my iron lofts and lies checked. I bought them secondhand over two years ago and hadn't done this before. Surprisingly, my static lofts had weakened slightly throughout the set:
5 iron: 2 degrees
7 iron: 3 degrees
8 iron: 2 degrees
9 iron: 2 degrees
It's not a huge difference, but as I focus on reducing dynamic loft and increasing swing speed, this adjustment should lead to more consistent distance gapping – especially between my 6 and 7 irons where the gap was 6 degrees. My lies were mostly fine, only needing tweaks of 1 degree here and there to return to my fitted 1-degree upright (Ping Blue Dot).
Wedge Matrix
I've been practicing with my new wedges to create a full yardage matrix. Ryan previously provided me with a Wedge Matrix document, and I used my PRGR launch monitor to gather initial data. (I'll switch to a more precise monitor for more accurate numbers later). All distances are carry.
I still need "half" shot numbers to complete the matrix. Overall, my gapping looks reasonable. More frequent use of a rangefinder during practice and rounds will help solidify the distances and hopefully gain me some strokes.
Next Up…
The Winter Matchplay quarter-finals are Sunday (weather permitting)! We're up against two higher-handicap players (giving away about 5 shots total). I'm excited to get out there and compete.
I was with Callaway wedges for years. Last year I went back to Vokeys and I forgot how nice they feel around the greens. Also wild that the lofts changed. Never thought of that
I can’t believe how much your clubs had moved in loft! That’s half a club in some cases. You should see much more consistent carry distances now. Nice feeling to go into the season with some new toys as well 😁 Good luck for the big match on Sunday👍 Sure you’ll smash it 👊🏽