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Chris - is it just me or are all the 303SS putters very sharp? Done of them seem to have the Newport rounded edges, more of a NPII blockier look to them.

I see you were ahead of the times with your Mitsu shaft! Could you talk me through your thought process when you were buying it - ie specs and reviews? And how you find it now?

Ari is absolutely raving about his Bridgestone/Tourstage J33P - exactly what you are looking for; 380cc, deep face, classic shape & available a solid prices.

I ended up with a Bridgestone/Tourstage AirMuscle spec'd out how I like; 19* DG X-100 D4 GP TV Cord 40.25" :love:

Overwhelming response for the MD - I will definitely give it a look! I have a TP 19* on the way and am also looking at the Nike T100 from Chris. Anyone have experience with the T100? As a matter of interest - would a 21* MD hit too close to my 3 iron?

can you please elaborate on why the MD is so good - I have heard a lot of positives but now real specifics!

Any more reviews out there? DaDriver I know you just picked up a 365!!

I am looking for a 19* club that will primarily be used for 2nd shots into greens. I find I am straight enough with the driver to hit it on pretty much any hole. I am looking at something to bit perfectly into the gap between my SS-03 14* and Nike 3 iron (22*) I have a few hang ups so just bare with me. I really detest offset, its not a performance issue, but more so it just doesnt fit my eye. I like a traditional looking club but then again thats kind of an oxymoron - traditional hybrid :whistle: I am open to anything and price really isnt an issue. Lets hear your opinions!

I have the 869 in a SS-03 and its a quality shaft, no doubt! But it is hookable, I would recommend going with an X

HELP :surprize: :love: :laugh:

PM sent!

TN-87 are a keeper for sure, arguably one of the best blades ever produced whereas the X-Blades are not even the best Tourstage produced (MR-23)

Mike - they are not dinged up at all - called rain drops :finger:

Nike in da bag! :laugh:

Nice pic Chris! I will be home on Thursday from college & hope to get pics snapped then (better than my last efforts too!)

The stats on the PGA tour can be very misleading. Let us just take the "average distance" one, it means very little in actual length, moreso it is used to rank the longest hitters... ie gives their position relative to the field but not the actual distance they can/do hit the ball. I remember back in '99 with a D, X-100 and Professional 90 Tiger had to rip it to get to 310. Now he can hit a 340 bomb with "ease" in the sense the distance itself is not a problem. Why? I believe its a combination on the Ignite, graphite shaft (Diamana) and the ball along with Tiger swinging for the fences far more often. So there is your "30" yard difference.... :spit: Personally I think he is about 20 yards longer just to new technology.

This is a 2 part post, first off is a review on my new driver. Head - R7 TP 9.5* square face Shaft - Accuflex Evolution NanoTech Stiff Length - 44" and D5 with weights installed 10 - 4 - 6 - 8 heel to toe (low fade I think) This is a really nice driver. Beside the 300 Tour its the only TM driver I have liked at address. It is not the classic a J340 would be but it does sit well behind the ball. I must say I find the deep face inspires confidence at address. I have played my last 6-8 drivers at 44" - it just works for me, no distance loss and feel so much more in control. I really like the fact with the TLC weights I had no problem getting a reasonable swing weight at this short length. Now onto a proper review of the club: Feel: This R7 has been to Chip Usher and recieved his patented "Custom Cotton" treatment. I have heard numerous reviews of Chip's work and he sure does live up to his reputation. I have also owned "solid" drivers, 983s, MARUs, etc and this R7 is actually just as solid feeling/sounding as any (provided the heavy weights are closer the face) Big plus for me, having a TM driver that looks/feels good. For a reference, it actually sounds more muted than my E but a little more explosive than my old MARU. Length: Although most modern drivers should have distance maxed out at this stage, I was hoping to pick up 5 - 10 yards due to the adjustability of this club. However while it is equally as long as my E, it is simply not longer. Downwind I find I fly it a couple yards further but into the wind the E is actually a little longer. This was a bit of balls to say the least.... Performance: With the club set up like this, I find that I can draw the ball without any fears of missing way left. I like that. It is not an idiot stick, but the weights do work! The hardest thing to get right was the trajectory and I finally settle on a high-ish flight, but quite flat so that is fine :cool: Workability is one negative about this club, I find I can hit a lot of really straight, solid drives but cant really work it on call. I have to struggle to shape the ball, I guess it goes against the premise of the weights - alas we cannot have everything! I feel I have delayed too long in mentioning this shaft, Accuflex Evolution. Now I have been lucky enough to try pretty much all top range Fujis/protos and this Evo is the best, most stable shaft I have ever used. It performs the same on every shot, is pretty much impossible to over power and fits my preferences perfectly ( 3* torque, 70grams, mid high kick) All in all, this driver is certainly as good as pretty much everythign I have tried BUT now we come to the 2nd part of my post..... I got fitted on a Launch Monitor for tha NV and I have a NV 65-X at 44" D4 in my 983. This driver has seen me through thick and thin & I always end up coming back to it! I hit it long, am able to hit a lot of fades/draws & alter trajectories on a whim. It perhaps is not as forgiving as the R7 but that is just about the only way the R7 outperforms it. What should I do? If I keep the R7, there is pretty much no point selling the E (would only get maybe $150 for it if that) and if I keep the E I can easy trade the R7 for a Rescue Mid TP and a 3 wood for my Dad. Opinions please!! :o

I found this to be a truly underwhelming shaft. Its light, plays true to flex I think, feels "smooth" but just doesnt do it for me. Almost plays like an "on spec" stock shaft. I prefer the feel of the 757 to it but I get better performance out of the 661 (for the record, after my stint with Speeder my next two shafts I love - NV 65-X and Accuflex Evolution)

:-)

Graeme had a R580 before this so I do think he likes a big head.

Help me find the right clubs for my Dad: He is a solid 6 handicap in Ireland which equates to ~ 4 in the US, plays golf at least twice a week and has been playing for 40+ years. His SS is approx 115 with his driver, and he plays with a very closed club face. For reference he is 2clubs longer than me with his irons BUT I am probably longer than him with the drive. I put this down to an ill-fitted club. Example: Yardage - 155: I will hit a little 7 or a solid 8, Kevin would be killing a wedge :surprize: However there is rarely much of a difference in our driving distances. I knock it out there approx 260 all the time whereas Kev hits about the same and then maybe once every couple rounds he hits it 280. This, I feel, is NOT due to bad ball striking as he is actual a quality golfer but moreso a result of an incorrect driver for him. He hits the ball very low and fights a hook. So basically we need a high lofted, low spin driver that is neutrally weighted with an X Flex shaft.... For the record he has a Biggest Big Bertha 9* with Stock Firm and a Persimmon 4 wood with DG S-300. I am looking at getting him a driver and a 3/4 wood, Lets hear your analysis/recommendations Patrick

I have been a long time advocate of custom fitting. In Ireland that means very little but with the online golf world open to me, I am truly overwhelmed with possibilities. This review is based on my Scratch wedges, but also encompasses many of my beliefs on the benefits of boards such as TSG and the customization benefits we can reap. Ari and I are very good friends and I was lucky enough to have 2 of the very first Scratch wedges, a 54* and a 58* in Satin. I have since moved on the Scratch Version 1.2 and they are really great. My current Scratch are Raw in finish and I have 3 of them. The specifics; My 49* is at D5, 54* is at D6 and 59* is at D8. They all have Lamkin Crossline Cords and are at the same length n lie with DG S-400s in them. The 49* is "basic" enough in that it is largely based upon a Vokey/588 design with a slightly different leading edge grind. I also have a cool stamping on this "PG49" in the "dancing Cameron" style that is so popular. It is a great wedge and I find myself using it more and more (who needs a nine iron eh?!) but I find the 54* and 59* is where Scratch really shine. My 54 is really special, I played with Jeff and Ari last year and I got to tell them exactly what I like in a wedge. We are literally talking about millimetres here. The topline taken in a little from the heel, the leading edge a little tighter, we are talking miniscule alterations but they do make an appreciable difference to me. My initial 54* was beautiful but this new one takes absolutely everything I could possibly want and turns it into my "go-to" wedge. I use it from pretty much any position and find the distance control to be totally consisent. My 59* is also something special.... Have you ever noticed most every lob wedge has too big a face? I am sure there is some reason for it, but to me they just seem too bulky. My 59* is different, first off its a 58* bent to 59* and I gave Jeff very exacting instructions as to how I wanted it shaped. It has the tear-drop Vokey/588 shape that is so prevalent in the lofts 52 - 56 but tends to lose its refinement in the higher degrees. Not so my wedge! It is elegant and frames the ball perfectly at address. This wedge inspires a lot of confidence, it seems more like a surgical instrument than a golf club. I like this idea & find it makes me more confident when faced with a difficult lob shot over a bunker. While most of this post has been taken up with "cosmetics" I feel I owe it to Scratch to highlight just how good their custom fitting is. After discussing my swing style/shot preferences with Ari he recommend X grind. I trusted him and found it suited me perfectly. When I played with him this summer I asked if he thought my grind works for me. He says quite simply "look at your wedge!" It was wearing perfectly, a little triangle apexing at the sweet spot & the sole had worn uniformly also. Why mess with perfection? This brings me on to my next "topic" and I think illustrates how beneficial a forum can be to your golf game. First off I would like to say no $1000 driver will pick you up 30 yards. What I do believe however, is that the right equipment for you will allow you to shot your low scores easier, and do so with more confidence. I have wedges stamped with my initials, a driver with a shaft no one has heard of, a 3 wood that is from a company I would never have heard about if not for the online boards, a set of blades forged by Miura. All of these clubs heighten my enjoyment of the game and I owe most all of it to TSG. Golf boards are a wonderful source on information, and in the right hands can be used to better your game. I for one think we need to take a deep breath and realize what we have got here. Enough of the egotistical posts, childish rants and conceited bitchiness. Let us all just get along, pool our info and discuss the game we love. Patrick (que soppy theme music!)

Here they are folks, the best looking, pure irons on the market today! I have put in a few rounds with these beauties and I have to say I am very impressed. Background: I have always had a "players" iron, be it blades or low offset CBs. The most extended irons in the bag have been MP-33s, 670s, TM300s and MR-23 CBs. I loved each of these in their own special way but my Nikes seem to be the most complete set. I do not believe you have to be a pro to use blades. I firmly stand behind the fact that you can do more with a blade & while they perhaps are not as forgiving, they inspire confidence which helps my game enormously. Set Up: I managed to score a very good deal on these Blades, got them heads only. Then I proceeded to get them blueprinted with DG X-100s *fell out of love with PX* to my specs, off a 38.5" 5 iron. They have the same grips I have used for an age, Lamkin Crossline Cords & swingweighted to D4. Appearance: Everyone on these boards is familiar with the Nike MB. I do not believe the Tour/Miura ones are all that different. I have a feeling the muscle is shaped differently but at address they are identical. I absolutely love the super thin topline, the lack of offset, and the more rounded, refined toe. They are the perfect set up in an iron for me - period. This particular set have not initials stamped and are a chrome finish which is refreshing after my stint on satin blades. Feel: I never loved a TM Miura iron but these do it for me. I adore the responsiveness of the face, the feedback I get from a pured shot. I used to prefer Endo by far but these are turning me to the Miura side. I HATE the terms "butter" for describing the feelings on an iron but these are sweet. I would rank them behind only 2 irons I have ever hit: Scratch Classic Blade and MR-23 CB. However that is as much personal taste as anything else. One thing I can say for sure, they feel far better than my MP-33s or 670s. I find some forgings to be a bit dead/soft and offer very little feedback. These however are a cut above mere mortal's forgings. They are soft and feel great on solid shots. Catch them a little thin and you get a "cast" feeling shot but anywhere on the toe you will know you hit it badly (from the feel, not performance) I have had many a discussion with Ari/Scratch as to how an iron should feel. My conclusion is that it should be soft yet solid much like these! :surprize: Performance: Different sets of irons will not amazingly hit the ball to 2 feet. However I was a bit apprehensive before I got these. Tour Blades with DG X-100s.... who am I kidding? Well I was amazed at the playability of these irons. I have 3 - 9 and they all flat out perform. Surprisingly enough I find them equally as long as my 670s with PX 6.5s which were a degree stronger AND have the "distance" shaft in the PXs. I attribute this to the X-100s flying a bit flatter for me. To illustrate the "forgiveness" of these irons I am going to give a concrete example. The 6th in Lahinch (Castle Course) is a 220 yard par 3. I teed up a 3 iron (wind was off the right and hurting a little) I knew I had to pure the 3 to get there. Good swing, solid contact, high draw - comes up may be 25 feet away, pin high. I decide to hit another to prove its no fluke. Good swing, get a bit "handsie" and hit it a bit thin out on the toe. I close my eyes and pray it gets over the water which is maybe a 165 yard carry.... Not only does it do that, it continues to fly and ends up on the front edge, maybe 8 yards short of my first one. This one example, coupled with my other rounds has proved to be that these irons are playable. Not idiot sticks, but you do not need to be Tiger to hit them well. As with most every blade, these have a nice piercing trajectory and will not get hit by most winds. The X-100s really complement the heads and enable me to hit a flat, mid-high trajectory that is ideal for the golf I play (Links) Workability is also a huge asset, I have to alter my set up very little to get a little draw/fade. This is a big plus for me as I dont like exaggerated changes. The easiest/stock shot for me at the moment is a 140 yard knock down 8 iron with a couple of yards draw, got that perfected right now :whistle: I think I will end the review here, I love these irons & I have already turned down offers for them! That is how good they are :love: :-) PS - I took pics but they turned out poorly, should have more tomorrow! PPS - now all I need is a 2 iron :D ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Edit: Just to clarify, Nike Miuras are simply Nike Blades that are off the Tour Van & have been forged my Miura.

Cool set of irons! I am kinda sorry I just got my Nike Miuras now... some one buy these :love:

Actually, it is a well known fact that Irish students cannot afford to drink it pubs so we drink at home!! :laugh: