an909

Here are some photos of the putter: I also have the forged satin chrome version and the Hagen model "Gentle Ben" version.

Here's their website: http://www.qualgolf.com/

Has anyone heard of Tour Concept golf shafts? I was looking at a picture of Fred Couples' golf bag at the '04 Masters, and I noticed he was playing a shaft described as Tour Concept (X-flex). Is this a tour version of the TX-90 from True Temper?

I've had this putter since the eighties, but haven't played with it in over fifteen years. Rather than trade it in at my local golfshop, I'd like to see if any TSG'er would like to add this to their rotation. The putter is a milled version of the regular Designed by heel-shafted flange putters introduced by Cleveland Golf in 1986. It has a black finish, milling marks on the face, and a paddle grip engraved with Ben Crenshaw's signature. According to Dalton Daves' book, "Putters of Distinction", this model was created by Roger Cleveland with assistance from a young Scott Cameron. I haven't been able to find an estimate for pricing this putter, but the blue book value for the regular Designed by Cleveland /Crenshaw putters is around $100. I am interested in trades for Tour Vokeys, Tour RACs, or C2 wedges. PM me with any offer you would like to have considered, or to have pictures forwarded to you. If someone would like to host, I have four pictures (face/sole, topline, flange, and grip) or a PDF containing all four pictures.

I played Mizunos for years (MP-29, TP-19, T-Zoid...) and loved the feel. Recently I started playing the Titleist 690.cb, and I was very impressed. Impact felt very soft, but I attribute that to the cavity-back design. What really impressed me was the positive effect of the aggressive grind on the leading edge. Most of the older Mizuno forgings had very little bounce, and a softer leading edge, which would allow the club to dig a bit if you really trapped the ball. For my swing, right now, the Titleist 690.cb performs beautifully. Since I do not have my clubs ground to spec, I have to really research the design of a club before I make a purchase. In this case, I opted for improved performance over slightly better feel.

I've noticed the posts countering the claim that Shingo is overrated. My only response is that Jumbo Ozaki was to best golfer on the Japanese Tour, but that never translated to the world stage. Shigeki Maruyama was one of the best players Japan ever produced, and he has yet to bring home any hardware in a significant world class event. Whether it is fair, or not, players are judged by the way they can dominate on a world stage. That is why the best players are leaving their home tours to ply their trade on the PGA Tour. Until Shingo becomes a real force in major events, plenty of folks will only know him because he wears the cowboy hat.

This may require a trip in the "Way-Back" machine, but what about Hal Sutton. He turned pro in 1981 and was supposed to be the next Nicklaus, following in the wake of Weiskopf and Miller. Now, he's had a decent career with 14 Tour wins and the PGA Championship, but he's no world-beater. Talk about unfulfilled promise, Sutton exemplifies that sentiment. I reserve this type of criticism for players near the end of their career. The book is still open on players like Justin Leonard and some of the "Young Guns" on the PGA Tour right now, so it is unfair to assess there careers yet.

Kenny Perry actually played that model for a time. It came out around 1995, right before the Bubble came out.

Thanks for everyone's advise. I feel more comfortable with the decision to reshaft with the NV now. Bushkin, I'm definitely gonna try your suggestion on a retail Mid that I have. Your comments are always priceless and have the added benefit of being dead-on.

I have a retail 3FW Rescue Mid TP with a S400 shaft (approx. 132 grams). I understand that the TP series of Rescue Mids accept a .355 tip shaft, but how would installing an Aldila NV 105S Hybrid shaft affect the swingweight and playability, especially if I maintain the current length of the club?

I went back to the 1997 Masters issue of Golf Classic and confirmed that the irons are the same design as those played by Frank Nobilo while he was under contract with Mizuno. Unfortunately, the description of the model is in Japanese. If anyone can translate, I could send them a scanned image (.pdf) of the page. I believe these are custom irons made using the style of the TN-87's and MP-29's as a base. I remember Darren Clarke was playing a custom set of MP33's a couple of years ago. He described them in the February 2002 issue of Golf Digest as being specially ground to suit his eye. I noticed that the number stamping was the same as the irons we're discussing (http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/mybag/...2clarkebag.html). The book Faldo: A Swing for Life has several clear photos of Nick's TP-19's, and the number stampings are not the "shadow" style of the retail version of the TP-19, rather, they are the solid style of custom Mizuno's.

The stampings are similar to the TP-19 that Faldo used for some time, but the notch on the toe was not a design feature of that model. They are dead ringers for the TN-87 irons. I'd ask Joe Kwok to look at your pictures for confirmation, but I think they are the TN-87 forging with different stampings. By the way, was there a model stamping on the hosel? I couldn't tell from the pictures. If your friend wants to sell them, please let me know. My TP-19's were just stolen and I'm looking for a replacement.

It's from November 2001. I've checked his website, but it never seems to get updated. The 2003 Masters Edition of Golf Classic confirms that he has PX 7.0 shafts in his irons, and the Titleist - Bob Vokey print ads from late 2003 make note of the fact that he uses PX 7.0 shafts in his wedges. Until the July issue of Golf Classic is released, I won't be able to confirm his shaft specs. Does anyone receive the Darrell Survey report???

From his comments in Golf Digest, "My iron shafts are Rifle 7.0 (Project X) from Royal Precision." http://www.golfdigest.com/equipment/mybag/...111philbag.html

Thi is going to sound strange, but they are available for a great price at GolfDiscount.Com. My bag was stolen late last week so I ordered a replacement from them. The price was $379.00, no tax, ground shipping included.

I am very interested in your club. What is the swing weight? Do you have any pictures? Also, what method of payment do you accept.

If you look closely, you can usually find a driver or fairway wood with the face shimmed to square it up at address. With a little patience, anyone can find their preferred configuration.

I'm sure many of you have browsed the Callaway Pre-Owned site for the Pro Spec equipment. Well, I have to tell you that Callaway is one class act. I just received the a Callaway Steelhead III 4+ with an Aldila 85S Prototype shaft, and it is terrific. The thing has great balance and sports a nifty D-5 swingweight. It also feels much more solid and has a deeper sound at impact than other Steelhead III's that I have played. I would encourage anyone interested in owning a genuine piece of tour equipment to take a look at the Callaway pre-owned site. The prices are great ($170 for my club, including shipping) and the equipment is under warranty by Callaway (unheard of for other Tour equipment). The equipment ships out of Texas via FedEx home delivery, so it'll get to just about anywhere in the U.S. within 5 days. I'd love to hear from anyone else who has dealt with Callaway Pre-Owned to learn if they have had similar experiences.

I have compiled a pretty good personal library of golf instruction books. I am interested to learn what some of your favorites are. I know everyone will mention Hogan's The Modern Fundamentals of Golf and Nicklaus' Golf My Way, but I am interested in learning about any hidden gems out there.

I used to use the Lamkin leather grips during the mid-90's. They were pretty easy to install, but time-consuming. It took me a couple of tries to get used to the overlap required for that puffy seam. Also, it took some practice to get the grips to a consistent length because the rubber underlisting could be stretched out an extra couple of inches if you weren't careful. This could affect the overall thickness of the grip from club to club. I also noticed that leather strips weren't exactly uniform in either length or thickness. The main problem wasn't with their installation, but the care they required afterwards. After just a few rounds, especially in damp conditions, the grips always felt slimy. They needed to be treated with a special cleanser to return their tackiness. I always felt that I had to grip the club with a bit more pressure if I hadn't applied the solution to them. I came to realize that, although they looked pretty cool, they were more trouble than they were worth. There's a reason most everyone stopped playing with leather grips. One more thing to consider: Leather grips weigh a heck of a lot more than rubber or composite grips. Be prepared for a drastic swingweight change, especially to a graphite-shafted driver. Remember, leather grips consist of the build-up tape, double-sided tape, rubber underlisting, double-sided tape over the underlisting, and, finally, the leather wrap. Plus, they are usually 1/2" to 1" longer than standard grips. H-E-A-V-Y!!!