Blader-X

I actually just went through this for the last year. I had carried 3 wedges in addition to the PW. I then went down to a 52/58 combo starting early last year and up until recently. I did so wanting to put extra hybrids into play. Only thing is, my scores didn't correlate with that. I found that I couldn't be as creative as I wanted with only the two wedges. I also did not like the lack of spin I was getting with just the 58 by itself. Now this could be I didn't have the proper wedges but I since I've gone back to the 3 wedges my short game has returned and is even better than before. Maybe I'm just used to having a 60, mental or otherwise but I've taken out the PW and now have a 50/55/60 combo with the Epons. I've mentioned enough on this site my love for them so I'll just stick to this topic. So my results are just like rangships except my where he found success taking out a wedge, my success returned bringing back a wedge. I'm more at ease with the 3 wedge makeup and since my PW didn't match the swingweights of my other irons, and never really found the distance I wanted with it its out of the bag. For any inbetween yardages from the 9iron to the 50, I just use the 9 and either grip down, saw it off a little or both. I'm now very happy and comfortable with my iron and wedge makeup. What it basically comes down to for me, is that I'm able to dial in distances better with these 3 wedges and don't have to manufacture a swing as I did when it was just the 52/58. Its really interesting how personal and varied wedge makeups are for individuals. I find myself looking at pro's bags when listed in magazines and seeing what they like to do. I'm very happy having made the switch back and I don't see me switching to just 2 wedges anytime if at all. My scores are just to good now to even think about messing with that.

Those are some serious friends!! Hey T, did you ever get enough time to get some of those pics/results for the Putter Day you held?

JDM equipment is beautiful to look at, . . . but, its even better to put into play. Thanks for sharing. Now get out there tomorrow and play again!!

That's ultra-sweet!!

Well, that counts! I can't even say that, the B330 replaced the ProV1 for me over a year ago. Thanks in advance for future pics.

Good taste languidcrane. That's the exact bag that caught my eye. I really like that green as well and on that bag its not overdone. To my eye its just the right amount. I like everything about that bag except the name on it. I don't mean any disrespect to Titleist its just I don't carry a single one of their clubs anymore. However, I suppose I could carry their bag? Hey if you do pick it up, and you get a chance post some pics for us.

Oh please, no!! I would not want to be that guy no matter how much money he has. I actually only have the one Epon driver. If you want to know who the king of Epon drivers is on this site, try Plus1. However, the current Epon driver is going to visit Chris very soon to have the new Roddio installed. I am seriously thinking of having a new one built with as open a face as I can get (1.5 degree I'm told) which will bring the the loft down to and 8.5. I'm trying to achieve two things with this. Bring the overall flight down a tad and help my penchant for hugging the left side more than I would care to. In that new driver is going to go one of these NGS shafts if I can ever make up my mind. We're also going to see how this Roddio works out as well and of course post the results in another thread down the line. I'm liking the results PGAPro has gotten, however, I'm a little concerned that the feel of the NGS isn't as good as the AxivV. Of course, this only one person's assessment but as you know, I'm always looking for even more feel, so we'll see.

Don't know if you have all seen this but this bag was just added to the proshop. I really love the look of this bag. Too bad I don't play Titleist anymore.

Idrive, you and I have some very similar views on our equipment, for sure. I have hit the GFT's by G-Field and still have the 4 wood in the bag. I'm not discounting that its a very fine club but the Epon edges even that out in my game. Still, the GFT is a useful club.

Give it few rounds and keep us updated as to how it works out for you!

Thanks for the bonus pics. I think they look even better outside. Chris, would this be a viable option if someone wanted for their Epons?

This has been answered before. As the previous two posts mentioned, graphics down, silver up. Carlton who is trained by Mamiya concurs on this as well from previous postings.

Ari, I never hit the "old" Technica woods but these Technity's are pure joy. Its hard to describe the feel except to say its the "right" one. Feedback is tremendous. I know exactly where the ball is going at impact. Never hit a better "feeling" wood. Ever.

Hello, my name is Gocchin and I'm a G-Field-aholic. Just playing T. Very nice pics of some absolutely gorgeous and useful putters. Hey, at least they're "carpet friendly"!!

I've found that the Technity's have more spin opposed to the X-models.

Thanks for the reply. That is the key isn't it; finding a shaft that works when you're not swinging well. I've been doing the same of late (striking it very well) and the AxivV has just been wonderful. Still, though its going to be sent off next week to have Chris install a Roddio. Well see how that goes and then decide upon the MachLine. Very appreciative of all your feedback with this one. Let us know how it progresses.

Randy, What's the look from address like? Can you see the undercut trailing behind at setup, or do you only see the top-line and face? This is another item that's been out for a little bit of time without much fanfare or write-up. How thin/thick is the topline?

Thanks for taking the plunge with the White Board. I've been wondering about this shaft since it came out and it was looking as if no one was putting it into play. Or, at least not talking about it if they were. Overall, how do you feel about the shaft now? What I mean is, does it transmit tremendous feel while giving you the better results or, is it just giving results and not much in the way of feedback?

I can relate to the spin of the Technity wedge. It is quite a bit. In fact too much for my liking but if you have trouble spinning a ball and need more, going with the Technity would surely help you. The spin was the one reason why I went to the X-models by Epon. Sorry I can't help you about the others as I'm so in love with my Epons I just can't bring myself to hit another wedge. As for the Black Gold shafts though, I have Nippon 1150's in my irons in x-stiff. My Black Golds are stiff and they feel great, a perfect compliment to my iron set. With the Black Gold's I'm able to control the trajectory of the shot. I like a low trajectory on full wedge shots. I'm able to dial in distances and hit quarter, half and three-quarter shots with confidence. I also feel I'm able to be ultra-smooth on the shot which is something I'm really striving for in the wedge game. They also have tremendous feel at least to me. I really can't say enough about them. My wedge game has never felt better and never been better. In comparison to the shafts you mentioned, I have hit the wedge flex shafts and feel the Black Golds I have now are far superior to those in all areas I talked about above. My last set of wedges before these X-models were the GFT's by G-Field with NS 1150's in stiff. Good shaft but trajectory was way too high for my liking when it comes to wedge shots. Not good for control and little inconsistent. In my irons, great, in my wedges, give me the Black Golds. I'm sure others have much more to say about this, but I hope this has been some help to you.

You know Idrive, you just hit the nail on the head with that comment. I'm still buzzing after my round yesterday. The confidence I have in my Epon clubs is unreal right now. For me, its the wedges and woods that are getting it done for me. I threw away 8 strokes yesterday and they were all from the putter. Yes, I didn't roll the G-Field like I should have and turned what would've been a huge round into just a pretty decent one. My wedges were on fire. I feel like the golfer I always wanted to be with the equipment I'm hitting with now. I mean it, no joke. And I'm not trying to brag but I shot 76 yesterday and still threw away 8 strokes. I know it won't be like that everytime out but my scores are now all hovering around that number and its getting easier and feeling more confident. I attribute that all to customization and just believing in the equipment as well as myself. It all feeds off each other. Epon's got my vote that's for sure.

Have you by chance hit the Roddio shaft and if so how does the MachLine compare to that? Also do you feel that the MachLine is better at taking the left side out of play than is the AxivV? Point being is that that left side is my fault. I had a great ball striking round yesterday but still found the left side a bit more than I would have liked to. I'm going to send this current set off to Chris for the Roddio, then have Epon work on a new driver with an even more open face and either the MachLine Tour you are playing in X or the MachLine Pro80 in X. Still just can't decide between the two. Any thoughts you may have would be completely welcome. Thanks again for the update.

This is all just getting too sick!! And I mean that in good way!

These are beautiful clubs. Having three myself I can't tell everyone how unbelievably sweet these feel. Also Chris's pics are well done, but the pics don't do the clubs justice. Their color is a little deeper and brighter. All in all these wedges are not only great looking but very functional as well.

OH BOY! It just keeps getting better and better with Epon!

Also don't forget about the width of the sole and its camber as this can affect the way the wedge performs as well. I was reading the other day about "effective bounce" and how even though two clubs may have the same amount of bounce they play differently because of the other factors of sole width, etc. Corky and FaldoFan nailed it. You start with those generalizations. After that its a matter of trial and error to really dial it in to what works for you. I know you've asked about Carlton's grind with what looks like a ridge taken out of the sole. What this effectively does (and correct me Carlton if I'm wrong here) is to allow the club to set tighter under the ball at a regular (square) address position. You want that on chips and standard pitches. But, when you open it up in the sand, now you bring in the rear bounce of the club to allow it to glide through the sand promoting a better shot out of the bunker. Bounce is necessary out of the sand and even in the rough where you're playing the shot like a bunker shot. The more you open up a wedge, the more bounce you bring to the shot. That's why you'll see some wedges ground with a lot of "heel relief". What this does is take out some of that bounce in the heel area. This allows one to open the clubface on tight lies and still get under the ball effectively. Lastly anytime you bend a wedge 1 degree, that correlates to one degree of bounce. So if you bend 1 degree closed (to a stronger loft) you lessen the bounce by 1 degree. If you bend it 1 degree open (weaker loft) you increase the bounce by 1 degree. Its just another factor of why this game is such a "lifetime" thing. There's all these little nuances in the game that keeps it exciting and keeps our interest. As well as emptying our bank account!!