AskMyGolfSpy Vol. 32 

AskMyGolfSpy Vol. 32 

Q: What are the three most essential issues in your golf bag?  

Aside from golf equipment and balls … 

  1. Rain gear – I’ve a Kjus rain jacket and pants they usually’re price each penny. I performed in fixed rain final weekend. Every thing beneath stayed dry. The blokes I used to be enjoying with spent much less on their rainwear and all they obtained for his or her financial savings was moist. 

    I even have a 35-year-old Outdoor Research Seattle Sombrero that’s nonetheless the very best rain hat I’ve ever used. 

  2. A small first assist package – A easy package with Band-Aids, blister bandages, Advil and tweezers that I’ve had to make use of greater than as soon as. What can I say? I spend lots of time in waste areas and woods. 
  3. Ball Marker – It was once my Bad Mother F*cker ball marker from Seamus. I misplaced it and now I’m unhappy. 

Q: Do you assume golf ball high quality has improved because you began testing? 

I believe there have been enhancements in some locations. Callaway has actually invested in getting higher (although I believe they deliberate to, regardless). TaylorMade purchased a manufacturing unit and Titleist simply retains being Titleist. 

COVID’s stock calls for put a pressure on lots of factories so, in some instances, we’ve seen a dip. 

We’ve additionally seen abroad factories taking measures to obfuscate a little bit of what they’re doing. For instance, some factories change core colours for various manufacturers although the balls are the identical.  

We’ve additionally seen much less specificity in cargo/delivery data as some manufacturers attempt to conceal the place their product is being sourced. 

Q: PING G430 Irons- Energy Spec, what are your ideas? – markogorzlak 

On the whole, I just like the G430 irons and I’m actually to see how they carry out in our Most Wished testing. 

It might sound odd however I believe the PURFLEX cavity badge within the G430 irons is one in all the best tech stories of the year. It’s simply ignored however we haven’t seen something prefer it earlier than. 

So far as Energy Spec (stronger lofts) goes, it’s nice as long as you’re getting playable spin charges, descent angles … that type of factor. 

Q: What number of instances can I hit a Professional V1 at 185 mph earlier than the core goes dangerous and begins dropping distance? – KopDreamer 

A Titleist Pro V1 golf ball along with the core of the same model.

It’s not one thing I’d fear about. Lengthy earlier than that occurs, you’ll both lose it, injury the quilt or crack the ball (particularly should you’re hitting right into a display screen). 

Q: If Titleist died tomorrow, what golf ball would you play going ahead? -DrHighGround 

Properly, that’s a morbid thought.  

Anyway, I’d wish to defer this reply till early subsequent 12 months. The reply is both Callaway, TaylorMade or Bridgestone

All three have new Tour-level balls coming subsequent 12 months and, whereas I’ve had points at one time or one other with all three, I believe I might discover a solution to be pleased with one thing within the combine. 

Q: Are Wilson putters and balls ok? – MWFarizK 

A wilson staff blade putter

For certain. 

It looks as if yearly now we have a minimum of one Wilson putter that finishes excessive within the rankings and warrants our Greatest Worth award. 

So far as the balls go, I’d avoid the ionomer stuff (I’d say the identical about everyone) however their Foremost-made urethane product has carried out effectively each on the robotic and in our Ball Lab.  

From a becoming perspective, the Employees Mannequin and the Triad aren’t for everybody however the high quality is among the many finest. 

Q: With Adams making its comeback, what different defunct golf firm would you wish to see rise from the ashes? -crimsoncowboy31 

The 2023 Adams Golf IDEA golf clubs lineup

I gave this some thought and what I got here up with was no person.  

Sufficient of this nostalgia crap. Let sleeping canine lie and whatnot. 

I perceive the attract of reviving outdated manufacturers—we’ve seen fairly a little bit of it within the final decade: Hogan, Hogan once more, MacGregor, Lynx and now Adams (though, technically, Adams by no means went away). 

I hope one thing comes of Adams however, in some unspecified time in the future, we additionally need to acknowledge that the heritage of those manufacturers, the rationale why we liked them as soon as upon a time, is gone. 

Usually, no person related to the unique model remains to be round. All that’s left are logos and a narrative about how issues was once. 

There’s no actual level in that. 

Q: Who’s the worst for giving excessive velocity gamers a uncooked deal on shaft upcharge pricing? -drewboy31 

Fujikura Ventus Shafts

I don’t know why this query fascinated me however it did. So I did some digging. I checked out improve pricing for the highest 5 driver manufacturers (Callaway, COBRA, PING, TaylorMade, Titleist). I grabbed costs from the corporate web sites in addition to PGA TOUR Superstore (as a result of PING doesn’t promote DTC). 

As you’ll be able to think about, there’s not a ton of overlap in improve choices so I targeted on a few fashionable traces that everybody presents: Fujikura’s Ventus (VeloCore) and Graphite Designs’ Tour AD sequence. 

With the caveat that some retailers and customized fitters might promote upgrades for much less (or extra) and that different upgrades would possibly provide higher (or worse) worth, right here’s what I got here up with. 

PING is the worst.  

At PGA TOUR Superstore, each the Ventus and Tour AD traces carry a $355 upcharge. For a little bit of context, MSRP on Ventus is $350. I’m hoping that’s a $5 typo. 

Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist are marginally higher. The primary two cost $350 for the Ventus improve whereas Titleist prices $345.  

Tour AD pricing is $250 by way of Callaway and TaylorMade. Titleist sells many Graphite Design choices for a $200 upcharge underneath its premium featured shafts program. 

graphite design shafts

Frankly, charging full MSRP for Ventus (or another improve) is mind-boggling. To me, it means that the inventory shafts are nugatory. Critically, they haven’t any worth. Electing to not purchase the inventory shafts offers you a $0 credit score towards the shaft you truly need. 

That’s lame. 

You’d be higher off sourcing a Ventus elsewhere and attempting to dump the inventory shaft for $50 on eBay.  

Hey, producers. Is that actually what you need? 

Of the highest 5 driver manufacturers, COBRA has essentially the most consumer-friendly improve pricing. Little doubt, a few of that has to do with its relative dimension which, to an extent, mandates that it has to bundle efficiency with some measure of worth. 

Via COBRA’s customized program, a Ventus improve is simply $250. The identical is true for the Graphite Design stuff. 

Let’s take a look at the large image.  

Pricing out the price of what I’m almost certainly to play in every of these producers’ lineups together with a Ventus Black improve shakes out like this: 

Value a point out: Both of TaylorMade’s different two Stealth 2 drivers will prevent $30. The identical is true for the PING lineup. That mentioned, my conclusion right here is that COBRA presents a ridiculous quantity of worth (on a relative foundation), particularly for golfers who need/want a premium shaft of their driver. 

And never for nothing, I’m nonetheless within the strategy of testing drivers to determine which one goes in my bag this 12 months. The entire above will get a glance however the chief within the clubhouse proper now’s the AEROJET LS. 

Bang for the buck, it’s the no-brainer on this dialog. 

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