Who bought or is buying new clubs for 2008?

[Andrew Mitchell]

The last few years I've usually tinkered with my set replacing a club each year.  I've replaced my three and four irons with their rescue equivalents and last year bought a new driver to replace one which would have been illegal on 01/01/2008.

I've just bought a Scotty Cameron Red X putter to replace my trusty Ping Anser.  I've been using the Anser for over thirty years and feel that technology must have moved on since then.  The Scotty came second hand on ebay so if I revert to the Anser the wasted financial outlay won't be too bad

[Brent Hutto]

Knowing myself, I'd say almost certainly I'll buy one or more golf clubs in 2008. I also know myself well enough to predict that by the end of 2008 I'll be using pretty much the same set that I have now. I tend to convince myself that some new fairway wood or hybrid is going to be "just the thing" but after a dozen rounds it goes in the closet with all the other golf junk. There's already no 3 or 4 iron in my bag (hybrid instead) and I've dropped the 3-wood since the 5-wood goes almost as far. And I usually leave out at least one iron and one wedge to save weight.

I do intend to buy an under-three-pound stand bag in time for my trip to Dornoch this summer. But it'll have 10 or 11 of the same old clubs in it. Maybe I'll put a replacement set of cord grips on my wedges...that'll be "just the thing"!

[Brad Tufts]

I have a new D2 on order, should be here today: 8.5*, 65 g stiff Aldila By You shaft.  It will, in theory, replace a 905T I've had for two years.

Otherwise:

Titleist 904 3wood (bought in 2006), Aldila stiff NV-65, on probation.
Titliest 980 5wood (2004), UST stiff, the money club.
Titleist 585h 22* (2007), Aldila stiff NV-65, new as of 10/1/07.
Titleist 4-PW, 762 irons (2001), DG S300 steel shafts.
Cleveland 52* D Wedge (2003), DG wedge shaft.
Hogan Riviera 56* Chrome (2002), Hogan #4 shaft, an awesome classic-looking club, replaced with a new one last year, brand new for a quarter of orig. price.
Scotty Camerion TeI3 Newport (2000).  My bread and butter.  I bought a backup of this as well in 2005, same price on ebay as I paid (cost +10%) back in 2000.

Titleist ProV1x, until Callaway makes me play the HX Tour or something...

[JohnH]

Re shafted 3-pw and both sand wedges with Flighted Rifle 5.5, and put a UST V2 shaft in my driver.  Only new club for this season is the Titleist 906F4 3-metal, with the V2 shaft... Seriously considering a customized Tom Slighter putter, hear he is great to deal with and his work is top notch -- equal or better than Scotty.

[wsmorrison]

No new clubs for me, but one new shaft for my driver.  Last year, I bought a Taylor Made Burner TP with a 75g stiff Rombax shaft.  Well, all last year my elbow was hurting, but only when I hit driver.  I finally went in to get the thing tested and found out though it was labeled stiff, it was testing as double extra stiff!  I had that shaft removed and put in a pured old (not +) Graphite Design YS-6 stiff to match my fairway woods and it did the trick.  I may not be quite as long, but at least I know where it is going.  It seems to me that quality control on off the shelf clubs stinks; the indicated shaft stiffness is very suspect.  I've also been informed that swing speed is not enough of a determinant for the correct shaft.  Instead it is how you load the shaft.  I have a high swing speed but I am on the borderline between regular and stiff shafts, between 5.5 and 6.0.

Taylor Made Burner TP 10.5 with GD YS-6 stiff
George Izett 15* deep face fairway wood with GD YS-6 stiff
George Izett 22* deep face fairway wood with GD YS-6 stiff
1998 Ben Hogan Apex 3-E with Apex 4 shafts
52* George Izett wedge with Dynamic Gold R-300
60* George Izett wedge with Dynamic Gold R-300
Yes Tracy II putter cut to 33.5"

[Jerry Kluger]

I'm a Ping guy.  I like their irons because they look old when you buy them unlike many of the polished irons that are so pretty when you buy them.  Ping also makes most of their clubs in the US and it just bothers me when I see clubs that are made in China.  I have two sets of G5 irons - one steel and one graphite - going to sell the steel as I have found that as an old guy the shock of steel is not good for the elbows.

G5 Driver  10.5 - graffalloy blue pro launch

G5 16 and 19 hybrids

G5 4-PW, UW, SW

Titleist 60 degree spin milled wedge

Ping i crazee putter

[Mike_Cirba]

Since I really don't play any competitive golf any longer, I'm finding it difficult to rationalize spending $500 for a driver and another $1200 for irons when the 22 year old Taylor-Made blade irons I'm using right now have given me a lot of pleasure and pain over the years.

I understand people who do, but in some ways it's a bit of a Quixotic quest, at least to me.

[John Kavanaugh]

Since I really don't play any competitive golf any longer, I'm finding it difficult to rationalize spending $500 for a driver and another $1200 for irons when the 22 year old Taylor-Made blade irons I'm using right now have given me a lot of pleasure and pain over the years.

I understand people who do, but in some ways it's a bit of a Quixotic quest, at least to me.

I disagree about your comment on playing competitive golf.  You may not be competing but the courses you play are against each other.  I believe you have a responsibility when rating modern courses to play modern clubs. As someone who plays occasionally with hickory clubs I can assure you that architecture evolves around shot shapes made possilbe through modern equipment.

[J. David Hart]

ok JohnK I'll take a bite.  non -competetive golf, we are still playing againist "par"?,  Tell us a little more about this "hickory" thing. What differences, more specfically? I started to inject last evening that "hickory"
is what I would buy this year if the golf gods would allow. And maybe throw
in some '50s ish persimmon for week day thrills. But I wouldn't "play" any
different at all. Its my game that "plays" golf not the equipment. I just need "tools" that I feel good about. Heaven knows I can "chili dip" a niblick
as easy as a 60 degree lob wedge! Discuss, not disgust!

[Mike_Cirba]

John,

That's an interesting point but as long as I can periodically outdrive redanman (which I somehow did a few times this past winter) and keep up pretty close to Wayno, and still have fun trying to shape shots, I don't buy it.

Modern technology straightens out shots, so to argue that the intent of  modern architecture is to somehow more stringently require straigthness is really not a difficult understanding to achieve to drive appreciation of same.

[Mark Pearce]

Having been 13 st 10lbs last autumn (192lbs for those over there) I set myself the target of getting below 12 st (168lbs).  My reward to myself, if I manage it (I'm at 12st 5lbs now, so things are looking good) will be a new set of irons, custom fitted.  I'm trying not to get ahead of myself but like the look of Miura CB 202s and the Tayor Made ZBs.  I was also impressed last year hitting the Taylor Made RAC TPs.

I'll stick with my Taylor Made R7 Superquad, V-Steel 3 Wood and utility clubs.

[Mike_Cirba]

btw, I reserve the right to pickup a set of those sweet Taylor Made RX7's I rented in Florida any day I choose. 

It's nice and somewhat comforting to delude myself that a better game is just a future purchase away. 

[John Kavanaugh]

ok JohnK I'll take a bite.  non -competetive golf, we are still playing againist "par"?,  Tell us a little more about this "hickory" thing. What differences, more specfically? I started to inject last evening that "hickory"
is what I would buy this year if the golf gods would allow. And maybe throw
in some '50s ish persimmon for week day thrills. But I wouldn't "play" any
different at all. Its my game that "plays" golf not the equipment. I just need "tools" that I feel good about. Heaven knows I can "chili dip" a niblick
as easy as a 60 degree lob wedge! Discuss, not disgust!

With Hickory it is difficult to hit the ball as high which forces almost every approach to use the ground game.  You will also have trouble finding a wedge with much more loft than a 9 iron even though they do hit the ball much softer than a modern club.  You can get very cheap, very playable hickories on ebay.  It is a ton of fun on your own time, meaning don't play them on someone elses dime or when evaluating modern architecture.

[J. David Hart]

John K excuse me, You are working with some paramters I was not aware of. I feel "modern golf architecture is moving away (sadly) from what some
used to call a "shotmakers" game. In another dicussion reference to how
Hogan would react if he sprayed the ball like TW. Research hickory more,
its growing more than you may know of.  Some times in new golf architecture, I think we are trying to split hairs to much, but then again I
know I'm the wild card.  Who else is trying hickory???

[John Kavanaugh]

At one time Ran played a great deal with hickory, even though he moderned up for our one round together at Tobacco Road.  There are a large number of hickory players throughout the country.  Kingsley Club hosts a fantastic tournament each year.

[Garland Bayley]

I have 4 hybrids in my bag and my 1st iron is a 7, pretty be=ig change from a couple of years ago.

I no longer carry a 3 wood, can't get it in the air consistently enuf, so I bought a 5 wood and lengthen it.

Good. I see you took the Tom Wishon advice on that one.
 

[Garland Bayley]

... It seems to me that quality control on off the shelf clubs stinks; the indicated shaft stiffness is very suspect. ...

Wayne,

There is no standard on shaft stiffness. One companies X may be anothers R. It varies that much.
This information brought to you from Tom Wishon's In Search of the Perfect Golf Club.

[Garland Bayley]

Since I really don't play any competitive golf any longer, I'm finding it difficult to rationalize spending $500 for a driver and another $1200 for irons when the 22 year old Taylor-Made blade irons I'm using right now have given me a lot of pleasure and pain over the years.

I understand people who do, but in some ways it's a bit of a Quixotic quest, at least to me.

I disagree about your comment on playing competitive golf.  You may not be competing but the courses you play are against each other.  I believe you have a responsibility when rating modern courses to play modern clubs. As someone who plays occasionally with hickory clubs I can assure you that architecture evolves around shot shapes made possilbe through modern equipment.

John,

It's the ball, not the clubs! Metal woods can be manufactured to be much more consistent that the old wood woods. Other than that, especially with the irons, it doesn't make a hill of beans.

[John Kavanaugh]

Since I really don't play any competitive golf any longer, I'm finding it difficult to rationalize spending $500 for a driver and another $1200 for irons when the 22 year old Taylor-Made blade irons I'm using right now have given me a lot of pleasure and pain over the years.

I understand people who do, but in some ways it's a bit of a Quixotic quest, at least to me.

I disagree about your comment on playing competitive golf.  You may not be competing but the courses you play are against each other.  I believe you have a responsibility when rating modern courses to play modern clubs. As someone who plays occasionally with hickory clubs I can assure you that architecture evolves around shot shapes made possilbe through modern equipment.

John,

It's the ball, not the clubs! Metal woods can be manufactured to be much more consistent that the old wood woods. Other than that, especially with the irons, it doesn't make a hill of beans.

If you want to continue to break 80 as you near 50 going from blades to helper irons makes a hill of beans.

[Garland Bayley]

...
If you want to continue to break 80 as you near 50 going from blades to helper irons makes a hill of beans.

You have any proof to your claim? And, I don't mean the statistical sample size of one that one being yourself.

While you are at it, explain why the average handicap does not change given the billions of dollars on new equipment that gets spent.

[wsmorrison]

Wayne,

There is no standard on shaft stiffness. One companies X may be anothers R. It varies that much.
This information brought to you from Tom Wishon's In Search of the Perfect Golf Club.

Garland,

The problem is worse than that.  A single company can have shafts labeled as stiff when in fact they can range anywhere from R to XX

[Garland Bayley]

Wayne,

There is no standard on shaft stiffness. One companies X may be anothers R. It varies that much.
This information brought to you from Tom Wishon's In Search of the Perfect Golf Club.

Garland,

The problem is worse than that.  A single company can have shafts labeled as stiff when in fact they can range anywhere from R to XX

Certainly they are made to range that way based on where you cut the tip. However, I doubt the raw shafts vary that much. But, that is just my suspicion, not based on any actual data.

[Reef Wilson]

I finally made the connection that my tendinitis showed up shortly after regripping last year and sure enough even though it's only been 2 weeks since regripping again with some softer winn grips, it appears my tendinitis is gone! I can't believe it took me so long to make that connection. I had thought for most of the year I had just been practicing too much or something.

Other than that I am replacing wedges, going from 3 old Vokeys (52,56,60) to 2 Callaways (54,58) and so far it is a treat to have some fresh grooves which seem to give me more options in my short game.

Also recently picked up a slightly used Scotty Cameron Futura for cheap on ebay. It looks weird, but I always liked the feel when I tried them in stores and so far the honeymoon has been nice.

MP32s which were probably fitted too long for me were shortened 1/4" during the regrip and the Mizuno 3 metal stays the same.

Lastly my pal who is a true equipment nut is letting me try out a Cobra L4V driver which doesn't sound pretty but seems to get me to a lot more fairways than my R7.

[Steve_Lovett]

There are more Mizuno players in this group than I find out in the full world of golf. 

I play MP-33's, and I'm one of the only Mizuno players I know. 

I'm not inclined to switch, but I have three good friends who independantly recently started playing the Callaway X-forged.  They all seem to love the clubs.

[grandwazo]

Mizuno MP-57's to replace Titleist 680 cavity back irons that were about 4 years old.  The Mizumo's look pretty much the same as the Titleists. 

I put a new shaft in my r7 Super Quad in the hopes of picking up some distance.  I also got talked in to new shafts in my TaylorMade hybrids.  When you spend some time on one of those fitting machines it's hard to argue with the numbers they spit out. 

I also picked up one of the new Scotty Cameron Studio Select putters, very nice roll on the carpet in my bedroom.  Check out www.scottycameron.com to see how truly devoted to his putters Cameron is. 

Hopefully the weather up here turns decent soon and I can see what those "numbers" look like on the golf course.