Post by Richie3Jack on Jun 25, 2010 13:18:13 GMT -5
Here’s my list of the best clubs I’ve ever had success with:
Driver – While I do hit my current Cleveland Hi-Bore XLS driver well, the best driver I ever hit was a MacGregor Muifield Steelhead driver with a gold graphite shaft. IIRC, it was a stock shaft for MacGregor, but Aldila actually made the shaft. It was very much like the Aldila HM-40 graphite shaft series. Back then I had a sizeable advantage against the rest of the field because I was pretty decent length with it, but very accurate and very straight. I remember some friends always remarking how straight it would go even in a strong side wind. Plus, I became exceptional at hitting it off the deck. On par-5’s that were somewhat long, even though somebody may outdrive me, I could usually make that distance up by hitting this off the deck. It was a ‘straight’ model and I think it had about 10* loft. It eventually got outdated in the titanium age, but I sold it way too soon anyway.
3-wood – I’ve never been that great at hitting 3-woods, but the best I had was the Callaway Warbird. This one had a stock Callaway Aldila X-stiff shaft in it and I downright killed it. I decided to buy a driver and hit that driver like crap. Eventually it got to the point where I could hit the 3-wood further often times than the driver as well as my friend’s driver. The problem with the Warbirds was that they had foam in the head and once that disintegrated, you would have a ‘dead’ head. That’s what happen to mine and I eventually junked it.
1-iron – Ping Eye 2 which I absolutely killed as a junior golfer. As a junior golfer I think I had an advantage off the tee because I could hit my driver well, but also alternative clubs off the tee really well. The 1-iron was practically guaranteed to go down the fairway and eventually I found ways to hit it long for a 1-iron and down the middle.
2-iron – TaylorMade ICW5. This club I absolutely murdered. Martin Chuck told me he had the same club and he killed it as well. I was struggling at the NY State High School Championship and hit 2-irons off the tee to a 74 in one round, just 2 shots off from being co-medalist at the Cornell University golf course. The only reason why I gave up the Ping Eye 2 1-iron is I hit the ICW5 2-iron longer and just as straight. Unfortunately I sold the entire set of ICW5’s (a very good set of clubs) and things went downhill from there.
Set of Irons – My current use of 1967 Hogan PC5’s. Just a beautiful set of irons and they make a different sound when I hit them. And I’m really good with the entire set. I have the 2 iron and the 4-E. I still need the 3-iron though.
SW/LW – Cleveland 588 chrome. These things were awesome, particularly when you just got them. I remember hitting pitches with them and they just sat on the green just like you wanted to and I became a fantastic flop shot artist with these. Now I’m a decent flop shot guy who still is a very good bunker player.
Putter – This is tough for me since I had a few putters I really putted well with. I had a Ping B61 (not the B60 model) that I was really good with. I had a Mizuno Scotty Cameron that when I was in college, I was about the best putter I had seen around until I went on to play some mini-tour events and met somebody who was the greatest putter I ever saw. I had a Ram Zebra that I was good to make at least 2 putts from 20+ feet with per round. But the best putter I ever had was the Wilson 8802. I bought it on my 15th birthday and just never looked back from there. It had one of those old leather wrap grips and the weight felt just perfect and the ball rolled so beautifully with that putter.
My dad and a couple of my buddies could attest that I went one entire summer not missing one single putt from 5 feet and in with that putter as I never played a round by myself that summer and wound up playing pretty much everything with them. This also includes putting matches we would have on the practice green. One time in the city championship qualifier I was co-medalist with a 68 (-4) at he age of 17 and I used 2 putters in my bag, the Ram Zebra and the Wilson 8802. I would use the Zebra from 15 feet out and then the Wilson from 15 feet in. I later on got beat in match play shooting 71 (-1) using those 2 clubs. But in general I could make long putts with the 8802 as well, just the Zebra was something I was ridiculous with from long distance and I was fantastic from short distance with the 8802.
Ball – I was a big fan of the old Titleist Pro Trajectory
3JACK
Driver – While I do hit my current Cleveland Hi-Bore XLS driver well, the best driver I ever hit was a MacGregor Muifield Steelhead driver with a gold graphite shaft. IIRC, it was a stock shaft for MacGregor, but Aldila actually made the shaft. It was very much like the Aldila HM-40 graphite shaft series. Back then I had a sizeable advantage against the rest of the field because I was pretty decent length with it, but very accurate and very straight. I remember some friends always remarking how straight it would go even in a strong side wind. Plus, I became exceptional at hitting it off the deck. On par-5’s that were somewhat long, even though somebody may outdrive me, I could usually make that distance up by hitting this off the deck. It was a ‘straight’ model and I think it had about 10* loft. It eventually got outdated in the titanium age, but I sold it way too soon anyway.
3-wood – I’ve never been that great at hitting 3-woods, but the best I had was the Callaway Warbird. This one had a stock Callaway Aldila X-stiff shaft in it and I downright killed it. I decided to buy a driver and hit that driver like crap. Eventually it got to the point where I could hit the 3-wood further often times than the driver as well as my friend’s driver. The problem with the Warbirds was that they had foam in the head and once that disintegrated, you would have a ‘dead’ head. That’s what happen to mine and I eventually junked it.
1-iron – Ping Eye 2 which I absolutely killed as a junior golfer. As a junior golfer I think I had an advantage off the tee because I could hit my driver well, but also alternative clubs off the tee really well. The 1-iron was practically guaranteed to go down the fairway and eventually I found ways to hit it long for a 1-iron and down the middle.
2-iron – TaylorMade ICW5. This club I absolutely murdered. Martin Chuck told me he had the same club and he killed it as well. I was struggling at the NY State High School Championship and hit 2-irons off the tee to a 74 in one round, just 2 shots off from being co-medalist at the Cornell University golf course. The only reason why I gave up the Ping Eye 2 1-iron is I hit the ICW5 2-iron longer and just as straight. Unfortunately I sold the entire set of ICW5’s (a very good set of clubs) and things went downhill from there.
Set of Irons – My current use of 1967 Hogan PC5’s. Just a beautiful set of irons and they make a different sound when I hit them. And I’m really good with the entire set. I have the 2 iron and the 4-E. I still need the 3-iron though.
SW/LW – Cleveland 588 chrome. These things were awesome, particularly when you just got them. I remember hitting pitches with them and they just sat on the green just like you wanted to and I became a fantastic flop shot artist with these. Now I’m a decent flop shot guy who still is a very good bunker player.
Putter – This is tough for me since I had a few putters I really putted well with. I had a Ping B61 (not the B60 model) that I was really good with. I had a Mizuno Scotty Cameron that when I was in college, I was about the best putter I had seen around until I went on to play some mini-tour events and met somebody who was the greatest putter I ever saw. I had a Ram Zebra that I was good to make at least 2 putts from 20+ feet with per round. But the best putter I ever had was the Wilson 8802. I bought it on my 15th birthday and just never looked back from there. It had one of those old leather wrap grips and the weight felt just perfect and the ball rolled so beautifully with that putter.
My dad and a couple of my buddies could attest that I went one entire summer not missing one single putt from 5 feet and in with that putter as I never played a round by myself that summer and wound up playing pretty much everything with them. This also includes putting matches we would have on the practice green. One time in the city championship qualifier I was co-medalist with a 68 (-4) at he age of 17 and I used 2 putters in my bag, the Ram Zebra and the Wilson 8802. I would use the Zebra from 15 feet out and then the Wilson from 15 feet in. I later on got beat in match play shooting 71 (-1) using those 2 clubs. But in general I could make long putts with the 8802 as well, just the Zebra was something I was ridiculous with from long distance and I was fantastic from short distance with the 8802.
Ball – I was a big fan of the old Titleist Pro Trajectory
3JACK