Well, with the Masters coming this weekend, it's a good signal that it's almost golf season again. Ah, last year was the best. From July to about September, I golfed with my brother every week and he beat me every week pretty badly until I switched to some new equipment, and then he barely beat me (and I mean barely - like one or two strokes rather than 20). Here's what I got last year which I highly recommend:
TaylorMade R580XD driver - this driver came out in 2004-2005 and was around $800.00 - many pros used this and I can now see why. I picked mine up for a a bit less than that, and it was still brand new/sealed (oh, loft on it is 10.5, fade). Man, does this thing rock. I actually didn't have a driver before - was using my Jazz FatCat2 1W - of course, it was steel shaft, so not much snap and power. The 580XD got me some good yardage...when I made contact.
Cleveland Golf CG11 Loft Wedge. Got this from a golf dealer in the area through eBay. This really helped my short game near the greens - before I used my pitching wedge and often launched it - also, when I had to turn my clubface and not really play the natural lie of the PW, my game sucked. The distance was hard to gauge. With the GC11, I no longer have to yell audibly at the ball to stop rolling. It's a nice pitch under 60 yards.
By far, the greatest weapon I got last year to improve my golf game was my Odyssey White Hot XG #3 putter (R/H, 34" shaft). I can tell you for a fact that not all putters are made the same. I know most pros on the PGA use the Odyssey, but man, oh man, did it ever feel nice on the hands and it was easy to stroke the (hmmm...that doesn't sound very good, but I digress). I was able to cut down my 3 and 4-putts on the green. Very nice addition.
Don't underestimate that dragging your clubs in your bag will have an effect on your body movement and positioning (not to mention exhaustion level). No wonder the pros all have caddies. Anyway, I don't have the cash to pay for someone to caddy for me, so I got a Bag Boy deluxe golf pull cart (brushed aluminum construction, massive wheels which are removable). Very space-tech, but man, I have more energy on the course now and with a historically bad back (and bad neck last year from the car accident), I had to get the BagBoy. It was a nice addition. Also holds my beverage, has a writing area (weatherproof) and has a nice adjustable handle with grips.
My standard set, aside from the above is a Jazz FatCat2 steel shaft. It's a really good set (particularly the irons), but I'm glad I got the extra clubs last year.
This year, I may work on the balls - I've historically always used Maxfli A3, Maxfli Patriots (no longer made) and Maxfli Revolution. My brother swears that there is a reason the pros all use Titlelist V1x balls. I can't convince myself to cough up enough cash to justify a $7-8 per ball golf budget. I spent a mint on A10 balls, which I subsequently lost in a week. Besides, I think the pros know how to take advantage of the strengths and features of the ball like spin, etc. I can't do anything close to that, anyway. Actually, I probably will go with Strata Tour Professional or Tour Ultimate balls...I think I can find them.
By the way, I'm picking Mickelson to win the Masters this year, though my patriotic favourite is Stephen Ames, though my cultural favourite is K.J. Choi. I just love his name...
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