Ping G10 driver is in the bag

Last Saturday after my lesson I was leaving ASU Karsten and saw that the PING van was there (makes sense, it's their course). Since I've been having problems with the driver, I decided that this would be the first time that I would attend a demo day and hit some drivers. I've heard really good things about the new G10 so I wanted to check them out. I hit 4 different ones, three 9 degree drivers and one 10.5 degree. The 9's were each of the 3 available shafts, the Ping branded one, a ProLaunch Red and the UST V2. Wasn't too sure about the UST one as that's what I have in my current driver, which is what is causing me the issues due to the heavy weight (76 grams).

To my surprise, the V2 in the Ping is the "high launch" version, which is only 66 grams, and is night and day difference in overall weight. I hit each one certainly better than my 905S, the ProLaunch Red quite a bit lower (and what do you know, that's what it's built for!). Clearly I hit the V2 shafted on much better. So after my round on Sunday where I think I hit maybe 6 fairways, and only 2 really well, I was ready for a change. I stopped by a local shop, but they only had the ProLaunch shafted 9 degree in stock. I checked around and found that the local Golfsmith had them in stock, so I picked one up Monday, a 9 degree UST V2 Ping G10.

I finally got a chance to hit it today due to some travel requirements for work, so after loosening up a bit with a wedge and 7 iron, I went to work breaking in the new driver. Yowza is that thing easier to hit than the 905S (for me anyway). First one was a little cut, second one was blocked, third one was pulled. Now that we got the extremes worked out, let's go to town. I must say that I did absolutely kill a couple of them. I could have sworn that I hit one or two over the fence at the back of the range at Rio Salado. Now, the range runs to about 240 yards from the looks of it (if the yardage signs are correct) and the fence is literally about 40 feet tall out there, so that would be a bit of a stretch. But just to be sure, after I finished, I drove to the end of the lot, got out and walked around to the back of the range onto the course and found exactly 4 balls that I hit over the fence. One of them actually made it onto the green behind the range out there, I guess I'm glad nobody was playing out there at that time.

Needless to say I'm happy so far with the change. I'll get the chance to put it into play this weekend, so we'll see how it measures up, but so far it's much easier to hit, harder to hit offline, and from what I can tell so far, is measurably longer than the 905S.

Sliding the Scotty Cameron into play

So I posted earlier that I was moving the Scotty Cameron putter into the lineup, goodbye 8802! Just wanted to update that I went back to Bear Creek tonight to work it back into the rotation, putted for about 1 1/2 hours to get my feel back with it. I feel like it's a major positive change on putts inside of 5 feet as the action is straight back and straight through, which is what I've been playing for 10+ years, rather than the inside/open to square to inside / closed move that you have to make with a blad putter. It just feels a lot more natural. In all I probably hit 150 putts inside of 5 feet tonight (as well as a bunch of other longer putts of course) and feel much more comfortable. Until tomorrow!

6 iron finally tweaked

Remember a few posts ago when I talked about my being at least 2 degrees upright? I had it checked today and it was actually 2 1/2 degrees upright. Got it bent to the correct lie (between the 5 and 7 iron) and now feel a lot better. That club cost me 3 strokes the previous round, so I'm glad I got that taken care of.

Then while I was in Golfsmith I noticed a sign for the launch monitor enabled club fitting service they have with some 3rd party outfit located in their shop. Always be wary of "teaching professionals" who operated out of a retail building rather than a golf course, but I had to ask anyway as I have the set of X200 shafts (I mis-stated earlier as X100's) ready to go in my irons and I'm still wondering about the heavy shaft in my driver.

So I ask the guy about their fitting process, how it's priced, etc. He tells me it's $50, a far cry more reasonable than the $400 Hotstix wants, then asks me what I'm looking for. I explain the situation with the driver and my set of shafts waiting to be installed, and that I want to ensure that I find a correct shaft for both the driver and to ensure that the X200's aren't too heavy. He says "X200's? How far do you hit a 7 iron?" Pardon my french, but why the hell do people ask that question? Allow me to retort jackass, uphill? Downhill? Wind? Fairways soft or hard? Pin up or back? Am I hooking it or cutting it? Did I just make birdie? Am I nervous? I CAN hit a 7 iron 120 yards, or 190 yards. I hit 2 of them today, the first one 155 yards, the 2nd one 180 yards. So now this guy who has never seen me swing, never seen me play, is going to fit me for a set of iron shafts based on the "how far do you hit a 7 iron" question?

I guess $400 at Hotstix isn't too unreasonable after all.

What I play

So here's the equipment I play with currently:

Driver - Ping G10, 9 degree, UST V2 S flex
3 Wood - Taylor Made Burner (original), Dynamic Gold X-100
2-PW - Titleist 690.CB, Dynamic Gold S-300
GW - Titleist Vokey 52 degree, Dynamic Gold S-300
SW - Cleveland Tour 588 Frosted, Dynamic Gold S-300
Putter - Scotty Cameron Newport
Ball - Titleist ProV1
Preferred Ball Flight - Fade (just like Hogan baby)

I'm taking some lessons now, so I am refraining from any more equipment changes and adjustments until I'm locked in. I have a set of Dynamic Gold X-100 shafts for my new irons ready to go in, I just don't want to commit to that work until my swing changes are finished. I will be heading to Hot Stix Golf in Scottsdale to get my driver locked in as well. The UST shaft is so heavy, that I've lost some clubhead speed, and I've started drawing the ball. Yeah, a draw is pretty, been there done that. You can't smother a fade, and "grease don't help a duck hook".