Golf general chat

[MoeTE87]

JMcLellan , how did you play?

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by MoeTE87

JMcLellan , how did you play?

Not too bad for not swinging since August. I dont keep score but felt like it was around low to mid 80's. But here i am again not able to hit a driver off a tee box. I got some soul searching to do.......I just cant hit a driver right now. My rental clubs did come with a 5 wood which I could smash pretty good and mostly straight so used that a bunch to get down the fairway.

I think my next moves to up my game is to spend some time on a simulator over the winter trying to fix my driver swing. My issue is that my hands are coming through faster than my lower body. Everything is duck hooking left. This isn't an issue with any other clubs so it must just be the length of the driver compared to other clubs. Golf is fun.

[MoeTE87]

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

Not too bad for not swinging since August. I dont keep score but felt like it was around low to mid 80's. But here i am again not able to hit a driver off a tee box. I got some soul searching to do.......I just cant hit a driver right now. My rental clubs did come with a 5 wood which I could smash pretty good and mostly straight so used that a bunch to get down the fairway.

I think my next moves to up my game is to spend some time on a simulator over the winter trying to fix my driver swing. My issue is that my hands are coming through faster than my lower body. Everything is duck hooking left. This isn't an issue with any other clubs so it must just be the length of the driver compared to other clubs. Golf is fun.

That sounds exactly like my last time out when I played last month. I couldn't hit my driver or even my 3 wood to save my life the first 3-5 holes. I mean, I was topping the ball and couldn't even get the ball to move more than 10 feet each time. I know I was rushing myself a bit as I had some people behind me which I believe contributed to my poor shots at the start.

I think I found out my driver issue. When I was getting fitted on Monday, the guy had me position my feet to where the ball was right over the middle of my left foot, instead of inside of the foot. Made a huge difference. Awkward at first but I was hitting more consistent shots with all of my clubs. I was able to duplicate the same effort on Tuesday when I went to an indoor golf sim for 90mins. I just need to be relaxed and work on a smoother motion and not rush.

More on the fitting. The fitter likes the shaft I am in for my driver. He things I should trade in the 3 wood for a 5 wood and feels the shaft is a little longer than what it needs to be for the 3 wood which he thinks it is contributing to the "heavy" feeling when I swing it. I might do the trade in but want to do research on that first. Then for my 4 hybrid, we tested mine first to get a baseline then put me in the core model (I have a max Qi35 model) with an extra stiff shaft and was seeing better numbers hitting that and more consistent. So we chatted for a little bit about next steps and we both decided it would be a good idea to see what the new Qi40D models look like and how they perform then I will go in and hit their demos to look to upgrade.

Glad to hear everything worked out with playing, minus the driver. What rental clubs did you use?

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by MoeTE87

That sounds exactly like my last time out when I played last month. I couldn't hit my driver or even my 3 wood to save my life the first 3-5 holes. I mean, I was topping the ball and couldn't even get the ball to move more than 10 feet each time. I know I was rushing myself a bit as I had some people behind me which I believe contributed to my poor shots at the start.

I think I found out my driver issue. When I was getting fitted on Monday, the guy had me position my feet to where the ball was right over the middle of my left foot, instead of inside of the foot. Made a huge difference. Awkward at first but I was hitting more consistent shots with all of my clubs. I was able to duplicate the same effort on Tuesday when I went to an indoor golf sim for 90mins. I just need to be relaxed and work on a smoother motion and not rush.

More on the fitting. The fitter likes the shaft I am in for my driver. He things I should trade in the 3 wood for a 5 wood and feels the shaft is a little longer than what it needs to be for the 3 wood which he thinks it is contributing to the "heavy" feeling when I swing it. I might do the trade in but want to do research on that first. Then for my 4 hybrid, we tested mine first to get a baseline then put me in the core model (I have a max Qi35 model) with an extra stiff shaft and was seeing better numbers hitting that and more consistent. So we chatted for a little bit about next steps and we both decided it would be a good idea to see what the new Qi40D models look like and how they perform then I will go in and hit their demos to look to [...]

I think all the clubs were Taylor Made Qi's. The irons for sure were, the hybrids and Woods i cant remember if they had other numbers or letters after the Qi. The irons were ok but the hybrids and 5 wood were excellent.

[MoeTE87]

JMcLellan, Did the top of the driver / wood have a grey carbon fiber look? If so, it was the Qi35 model.

Black top on the head would be a Qi10 line up. Which was 2024 model year.

Qi35, 2025 model year.
Qi40D, 2026 model year.

TaylorMade woods are by far the best in the game from the pros who I have spoken to. Don't know much about the Qi irons.

[MoeTE87]

I browse the TaylorMade site pretty regularly and I jump on there this morning, looks like they have a huge announcement this Thursday, 1/8. I would assume it would be to show off the new club lineup! Pretty excited to see and start doing research.

I went to my local Dicks Sporting Goods yesterday, they have the new Qi40D driver head and I was able to hold it and it looks unbelievable! So much better looking than the Qi35 driver head. Doesn't look cheap and looks pretty damn legit...now, just hope it performs better than my Qi10 driver, if so, then I will just buy the head and reattach it to my current shaft.

[jamesinaz]

I was hoping PXG would announce their new clubs (and price the current model lower). I don't NEED new irons but I'm playing Gen 3 and they will be up to Gen 8. I play 200+ rounds a year and yeah, I deserve new clubs.

Was gonna take my old clubs and leave them in Thailand where I have Gen 1 PXGs now but I guess not.

[MoeTE87]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

I was hoping PXG would announce their new clubs (and price the current model lower). I don't NEED new irons but I'm playing Gen 3 and they will be up to Gen 8. I play 200+ rounds a year and yeah, I deserve new clubs.

Was gonna take my old clubs and leave them in Thailand where I have Gen 1 PXGs now but I guess not.

Do it! Time to upgrade!

I believe I am set for a while after I test out the new Qi40D line up at the end of this month. If I buy them this spring or even later on this year, I feel I am good for a long while with purchasing clubs as everything I have is brand new within the last 10 months.

[MoeTE87]

I think I have made the decision to see if it makes sense to upgrade my driver head to the new Qi40D but keep my 3wood and hybrid the Qi35 model. I can always upgrade those next year. But I think after doing some research and seeing the pros, the Qi40D is light years better than the Qi10.

[JMcLellan]

Originally Posted by MoeTE87

JMcLellan, Did the top of the driver / wood have a grey carbon fiber look? If so, it was the Qi35 model.

Black top on the head would be a Qi10 line up. Which was 2024 model year.

Qi35, 2025 model year.
Qi40D, 2026 model year.

TaylorMade woods are by far the best in the game from the pros who I have spoken to. Don't know much about the Qi irons.

It was the Qi35 as I recall. But again it wouldnt have mattered if it was Qi zero thru a billion it wasn't happening that day. I need to spend some time with my Ping at the range to exercise the demons. I've had various brands of drivers and I feel most comfortable standing over a Ping. Not sure what it is about them. With Taylor Made I always feel like the face is more closed and im gonna pull it left.

[MoeTE87]

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

It was the Qi35 as I recall. But again it wouldnt have mattered if it was Qi zero thru a billion it wasn't happening that day. I need to spend some time with my Ping at the range to exercise the demons. I've had various brands of drivers and I feel most comfortable standing over a Ping. Not sure what it is about them. With Taylor Made I always feel like the face is more closed and im gonna pull it left.

I think any little bit of practice goes a long way. Even if it's just for 30mins working on things, if you keep doing that week in week out, it all adds up. I know I am going to try and do that myself. It also helps that I just started in an indoor golf league every week, so I am able to hit for an hour but not really practice, however, I might just book the bay for an extra 30mins before hand every time to work on a few things.

I really think it just comes down to practice and not getting discouraged with it. Golf sucks but golf is the best game out there to play! I love it most days and hate it some days. Best of luck! I love my Ping G440 irons, they are simply amazing! I had an older Ping driver that I traded in for my current Qi10 driver.

Looks like TaylorMade dropped their new driver, wood and hybrid lineup and it looks smokin good!

https://www.taylormadegolf.com/home/?lang=en_US

I am going to trade in my Qi35 4 hybrid for the new one. I need the extra stiff shaft and I can't find any anywhere. Makes more financial sense to trade in as it will be less money out of pocket for a brand new club.

I will sit on my 3 wood for now. Might upgrade it towards the end of the summer. Still toying with the idea to get a 5 wood, hell..a 7 wood / 9 wood might work too. My irons start at 6i. So I need to try and fill the void somehow from my 4H to my 6i.

Golf season is slowly approaching and I love it. I think I read somewhere that by the time January ends, we will gain about 54 mins of sunlight! Wooooo! Very exciting!

[MoeTE87]

Good afternoon and Happy Friday!

Just got back from Golf Exchange (similar to a PGA Superstore but a little smaller) and did an even trade with my TaylorMade Qi35 Max 4 hybrid with stiff shaft for a barely used demo they had laying around and was in a box being shipped back to TaylorMade. The hybrid is the Rescue model which is a step up from the Max and has an adjustable loft sleeve with an extra stiff shaft. Couldn't be happier and it felt better hitting it than my 4H Max.

So I went in to trade in the 4H but I was curious about the 7 wood. So I tried the new Qi4D 7 wood and it felt good but I didn't want to spend the $379 price tag for it.

Same thing as the 4H Rescue. I asked the guy if he had any Qi35 7 wood demos in that box and he had a Tour model. I was like hell yeah. So I tried it with an extra stiff shaft and hit it perfectly, 200 - 215 yards.

I am happy with my purchase of the 7 wood Tour and looking forward to using that out on the course this year.

I plan on changing out the shafts later this year.

I am done spending money! lol. 7 wood only cost me $200. Freakin steal as it looks super mint!

[MoeTE87]

Week 2 of my Indoor Golf League is tonight! Woooooo

I can't wait until it gets warmer out!

[MoeTE87]

Pretty dead in here! Everyone bracing for the huge winter storm coming? lol

Last week, I traded in the 4H rescue head I just got for a 5H rescue head. I was hitting my 4H too close to my 7 wood and now, the 5H, the distance is perfect.

Also upgrade all of my clubs with new Golf Pride grips and they feel perfect. I went with a 3 full wrap and 3 half wrap where the right hand goes. Feels so much better than those standard grip sizes.

Week 3 of my indoor golf league tonight! Currently tied for 1st with 4 other teams out of 43. Chipping on the indoor sim is tough!

[Spaz_B58]

Heard there's a golf chat and so glad to be sent this direction!

Golfer out of Wisconsin here!
For winter simulator league I'm a -1 handicap, during summer leave I'm a +9

Taylormade guy here. Rocking Sim 2 woods, P790 Irons and Spider Putter.

[Velvet Fog]

Had my first 2026 round this week after not playing since November. Score was a half a dozen strokes higher than expected but some of that is rust, some is winter golf. All in all a reasonably good start to 2026 with posting starting in March.

2026 plans - new long clubs - driver, 5w, new hybrids and irons - 3h, 4-pw and another round of lessons at Golf Tec starting in March.

I plan to play 2x/week, 1 lesson every 2 weeks and practice session every week.
I retired last June and took 5 1/2 off my index last year to get to a 16.6, goal is to get that to 12.x this year.

[jamesinaz]

Originally Posted by Spaz_B58

Heard there's a golf chat and so glad to be sent this direction!

Golfer out of Wisconsin here!
For winter simulator league I'm a -1 handicap, during summer leave I'm a +9

Taylormade guy here. Rocking Sim 2 woods, P790 Irons and Spider Putter.

+9

Did you ever try to make a tour?

[JMcLellan]

The wife and I are staying in downtown Minneapolis tonight and our hotel has a couple golf sims. We will be checking that out for sure!

[MoeTE87]

Originally Posted by Spaz_B58

Heard there's a golf chat and so glad to be sent this direction!

Golfer out of Wisconsin here!
For winter simulator league I'm a -1 handicap, during summer leave I'm a +9

Taylormade guy here. Rocking Sim 2 woods, P790 Irons and Spider Putter.

Happy you made it over to this thread! Like to see this thread growing!

I am a TM guy too. Pretty much my whole bag is TM.

I just bought a new TM Spider Tour CB last October but I kinda have my eyes on an Odessey Putter. I like the way it looks and feels better.

Originally Posted by Velvet Fog

Had my first 2026 round this week after not playing since November. Score was a half a dozen strokes higher than expected but some of that is rust, some is winter golf. All in all a reasonably good start to 2026 with posting starting in March.

2026 plans - new long clubs - driver, 5w, new hybrids and irons - 3h, 4-pw and another round of lessons at Golf Tec starting in March.

I plan to play 2x/week, 1 lesson every 2 weeks and practice session every week.
I retired last June and took 5 1/2 off my index last year to get to a 16.6, goal is to get that to 12.x this year.

Welcome to the thread! What are you currently hitting? I just pretty much revamped my whole bag over the course of 2025.

I am around a 10-11 handicap and would like to get that down a few after this year. I am going to try and sign up for some local tourney's too in addition to my work golf league.

Originally Posted by JMcLellan

The wife and I are staying in downtown Minneapolis tonight and our hotel has a couple golf sims. We will be checking that out for sure!

Be safe! Our hotel in Indy last year had a golf sim and it was amazing!

[jamesinaz]

I f)*ing hate golf. (sigh)

Here in Thailand playing 3 times a week. I've played off a 5-6 for over 25 years now since I retired. I think age is finally winning. Strength of my game was always irons. Always hit them straight and controlled distance. Well still striaght but no clue how far a 7 iron will go swing to swing,

I fear I am heading inexorably towards a double digit handicap.

BTW, did I mention I HATE golf?

[Velvet Fog]

Welcome to the thread! What are you currently hitting? I just pretty much revamped my whole bag over the course of 2025.

TM Stealth HD driver, Stealth 5w and 3h. Always been fan of TM long clubs.

PXG 0211 4-PW - bought them because they were on sale cheap, didn't get fit. They are OK but I don't love them. I tried Callaway Apex that same year after getting fitted and hated them on the course, so I had to minimize the spend on the replacements, hence the PXG

Wedges - Vokey SM9, black finish - love em.

Ping Answer 2.

Probably end up with TM Q40 long clubs. Had an iron fitting at Golf Tec and liked the Mizuno Hot Metal JPX 925. Wedges get another year, putter is a long term keeper.

[MoeTE87]

Originally Posted by jamesinaz

I f)*ing hate golf. (sigh)

Here in Thailand playing 3 times a week. I've played off a 5-6 for over 25 years now since I retired. I think age is finally winning. Strength of my game was always irons. Always hit them straight and controlled distance. Well still striaght but no clue how far a 7 iron will go swing to swing,

I fear I am heading inexorably towards a double digit handicap.

BTW, did I mention I HATE golf?

That's how I felt my last round outside before winter set in. Very frustrating indeed!

Originally Posted by Velvet Fog

Welcome to the thread! What are you currently hitting? I just pretty much revamped my whole bag over the course of 2025.

TM Stealth HD driver, Stealth 5w and 3h. Always been fan of TM long clubs.

PXG 0211 4-PW - bought them because they were on sale cheap, didn't get fit. They are OK but I don't love them. I tried Callaway Apex that same year after getting fitted and hated them on the course, so I had to minimize the spend on the replacements, hence the PXG

Wedges - Vokey SM9, black finish - love em.

Ping Answer 2.

Probably end up with TM Q40 long clubs. Had an iron fitting at Golf Tec and liked the Mizuno Hot Metal JPX 925. Wedges get another year, putter is a long term keeper.

I think getting fitted properly is key. I have heard great things about the new Q40 lineup from TM. Minus the fact that Scottie put his Qi40D driver back in the back and opted for his 2 year old Qi10 driver to win the American Express this past weekend..kinda looks bad for TM.

Here is my updated bag since I last posted a few months ago:

Bag: White TaylorMade cart bag.
Driver: Taylormade Qi10 Max 9* turned down to 8.2* with Fujikura Motore X F1 7-X Extra Stiff shaft
Wood: TaylorMade Qi35 Fairway Rescue 3 Wood set to standard loft with Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Black 75 x-stiff shaft.
Wood: TaylorMade Qi35 Tour Fairway 7 Wood set to standard loft with Mitsubishi Diamana BB 73 x-stiff shaft.
Hybrid: TaylorMade Qi35 Rescue 5 Hybrid set to standard loft with the Mitsubishi Kaili HY 95 x-stiff shaft.
Irons: Ping G440 6-U with stiff shaft.
Wedges: Had 52, 56, 60 Cleveland RTX6 Zip Core but sold them.
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Counter Balance
Ball: Maxfli Tour X in yellow OR TaylorMade TP5X in yellow.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC in Black | White with 3 full wraps and 3 half wraps

Toying with the idea of getting the TM R7 mini driver.

Not sure if it will fit in my bag or if it will be another club that will help alot.

I currently hit my driver 270-290 and I hit my 3 wood 225-250. So would it make sense to get the mini driver and fill the 250-270 gap?