[Wade Whitehead]

As I hear architectural preferences on the site, I wonder: What equipment do you guys use?

One of us talked about using a one iron in a recent tree thread.

I've thought about posting a thread about Y.E. Yang's PGA-winning hybrid shot (wondering if it would have happened with a two iron instead).

With the fairly constant (and certainly recent) discussion of how technology has damaged the game - or at least golf course design (see current Augusta thread) - I'm curious.  Are there GCAers who refuse to use modern equipment as a point of principal?  Or do we embrace modern technology in our own bags, even if we despise its broader impact on GCA?

I'm asking specifically.  I want to hear what clubs (and ball) each of you uses.  Anyone care to dive in?

WW

PS I'm not looking to call anyone out, even if someone out there uses an ERC driver while railing against 7500+ yards in any design.  I'm really just curious.

[Chip Gaskins]

Driver: Titleist 909 D2
3 wood: Titleist PT 15 w/ DGS300
Hyrbid: Taylor Made Raylor

Irons (3-PW) MaxFli Revolution (crica 1998)

Wedges:Hakusa Wedges 52 & 56

Putter: Scotty Cameron Laguna or Sunset Beach Custom

Ball: ProV1

Occasionally I will play my old persimmon driver and balatas.

[Kyle Harris]

Driver: Depends on my mood: Callaway FT-5, Cleveland 360 (the workhorse) and a 60s era Titleist Persimmon
3-wood: Callaway Steelhead with Grafalloy Pro-Lite shaft
5-wood: Titleist 975f with S300 True Temper Shaft
Irons: 2-9 Mizuno MP-32 with S300 TT Shaft
Wedges: 48* and 60* Cleveland Gunmetal
Putter: Odyssey White Hot #1 circa 2000

[Will MacEwen]

Driver:  Ping Rapture or Titleist 983K

Ping 15 deg G10 hybrid

Maltby KE4 21 degree hybrid

Titleist 695 cb/mb 4-P (blades start at 7), R400 DGs

Snake Eyes forged 52, 56

Maltby forged 60

Anser putter (old)

I have graphite in the hybrids but I think I swing better with steel in them.  I may switch to a TT Lite or something in them.

ProV1 or Srixon AD333 when I start spraying it.  

I like making my own stuff but as a portsider it is tougher and tougher to find decent components.

I don't hit fw woods very well so put in the 15 degree hybrid.  

I may get the new Titleist or Mizuno blades this year.  I seem to do better with a narrow sole on my irons.

I embrace technology because I am not long enough/skilled enough to make any courses outdated.  A good drive is 250-260, 7 iron about 155, and I find 6500 or so is a good setup for me.  When I play the tips at my course (7100 at sea level) it is heavy lifting.

[Brett Morris]

Driver:  Taylormade R9 TP - Fubuki X
3 Wood:  Callaway Hawkeye Great Big Bertha
Irons:  Miura Blade 3 - PW
Wedges:  Titleist Vokey 54* & 60*
Putter:  PING Anser 2
Ball:  Pro V1

[Tony Weiler]

Driver:  Ping Rapture V2 9 Degree with Matrix Ozixs X-Con 6
3 Wood: Taylor Made V Steel
Hybrids: Tour Edge Exotics XGC, 18 and 24 Degree
Irons:  Ping I3 Blades
Wedges:  Vokey Spin Mills, 52, 56, and 60 Degree
Putter:  Scotty Cameron Studio Newport 1.5

[Mac Plumart]

Interesting thread...

I use a Taylormade r7 460cc driver, Ping Craz-E putter, Taylormade irons and wedges, Taylormade hybrids 3-6.

In my last 7 rounds, I've put away the laser range finder and yardage book, etc.  I eyeball everything and I try to avoid seeing the yardage markers on the course.  

Also, I've walked these last 7 rounds as well.  Frankly, I've drank Melvyn's Kool-Aid!!  I now understand the history and nature of the game and I am trying to make an effort to get my game aligned with those roots.

I've purchased hickories and am trying them here and there.  They probably won't be my everyday clubs, but I will play with them regularly.  

EDIT...I forgot the ball I use.  Bridgestone e5 usually, but sometimes Pro V1.  But I'm having my wife knit me up some featheries...trying to get back to the games roots, you know!! 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Driver: Ping G10 graphite R
4 wood: Ping G10 graphite R
7 wood: Taylor Made 5 series graphite R( I prefer this club to the many hybrids I've tried. The head is smaller than most hybrids and the shaft is longer.)
Irons(4-PW): Mizuno MX-23 Exsar graphite R
SW: Hogan Riviera
LW: Hogan Colonial
Putter: Ping ZBlade (Very old but it works. It's one of many Pings in my collection.)
Balls: Whatever but my favorite this past year was Taylor Made TP Black. Next year who knows.

[Tim Gavrich]

PING G10 Driver, 3W and 5W (W&L headcovers)
KZG Forged II-M 4I-PW
Callaway Forged 52 degree
Titleist Vokey Spin Milled 58 degree bent to 56 degrees
Titleist Vokey Oil Can 60 degree (Winn grips on all my clubs...I don't wear a glove)
Rife 2Bar Blade putter with a PING Man grip
Titleist ProV1 ball

[Adam Clayman]

ww, the issue is not what we use, it's what the best players are using that is making golf take too long and cost too much.

The ruling bodies have allowed the ancient desire to hit it far, disproportionally imbalance the sport.

[Jon Heise]

After snapping the shaft on my first drive at Pebble last month, there's an open roster spot for a new driver.  Taylormade r5 TP previously.

Titleist 983k, Titleist 909 d2, Callaway FT9 Tour, Adams 9015d will all get a shootout when the spring starts.  The K stays as backup.
Titleist 980f 3w, likely a matching 3w for whatever driver wins...
TM r7 TP irons, 3-PW.  Occasionally switching in a 2i Mizuno Fli-Hi or 3i, 4i knockoff TM rescues I've built.
Snake Eyes 600w and 685 wedges, 52-56-60.
2-ball clone putter.

Its been fairly set for the past 3 years or so.  Before, I had the UPS guy pulling up to my house every other week with something new...

[Andrew Bertram]

when i am playing when it means something i use the following:


Cleveland Launcher DST Tour 9.5 degree diamana white board stiff
Launcher DST 3 wood diamana white board stiff
launcher 3 hybrid stiff
4 - PW CG Tour S300
Cleveland CG15 52, 56.14 and 60.08 conforming
ping redwood piper

I have had a couple joe powell persimmon woods, driver and 4 wood. Made up to use in social golf along with a set of cleveland blades from 10 years ago with matching sand irons. I use these when i am playing during the evening or with friends for on side bets.

[Anthony Butler]

ww, the issue is not what we use, it's what the best players are using that is making golf take too long and cost too much.

The ruling bodies have allowed the ancient desire to hit it far, disproportionally imbalance the sport.

Just like any other 'hit the ball'  sport, skilled players benefit disproportionally from technological improvements to equipment, since they have the ability to hit the sweet spot more often.

By the same token, golf has remained essentially the same game albeit in an elongated form for the professionals. Put on a tape of Borg/MacEnroe or any of the other tennis greats from the 60s to the 80s and you'll see tennis at the highest levels is essentially a different sport . Placement and angles have become a much smaller part of the game, due to the fact you can take such a large swing with the larger rackets from the back of the court and be reasonably certain it will go in.

BTW My Current bag:

R9 460 TP 9.5*
R7 TP 15*
Royal Collection 19*

Titleist 24* Hybrid
4-PW Maxfli Revolutions (w/a Set of Srixon 701 Tours looking to make it's way in by early summer)

55-60 Tour Issue Vokey 400 Series

Putter: Scotty Cameron Custom Shop Studio Series 2.6 36"

Ball: TP Red or Pro V 1x

[Ronald Montesano]

Until October of 2009:
Titleist 907 D2 driver
Nike Sasquatch 3 metal
Nike Sasquatch 2 and 4 hybrids
Mizuno MP 32 Irons (3-PW)
Ping Tour-W gap and sand wedges
Wilson 8813 putter

In October of 2009, one week before the Ryder Cup, I switched to:
Henry-Griffits driver
Henry-Griffits 4-LW
Henry-Griffits putter

I continue to use the ProV1, although I just picked up a dozen each of the two Callaway tour balls.

[Wade Whitehead]

ww, the issue is not what we use, it's what the best players are using that is making golf take too long and cost too much.

The ruling bodies have allowed the ancient desire to hit it far, disproportionally imbalance the sport.

The ancient desire to hit it far appears, thus far, to be well reflected in GCA equipment preferences.

WW

[Mike_Young]

I have been trying some ping eye2's with hickory shafts....I call it a hybrid

[Mark McKeever]

As of the end of the season:


Driver:  Taylor Made R9 TP
4 Wood:  Taylor Made vintage tour raylor
Irons: Titleist 680 blades
Wedges:  Vokey 52,56,60
Putter:  Scotty Cameron 009 Long slant
Balls: Taylor Made TP Red or ProV1's

[Steve Lang]

  please define modern...

post-graphite?

post-square groove?

post-titanium?

post-ProV1


p.s. i occaisionally play my one and only Rawlings Balata Adam Clayman signature ball... but only on wide open spaces 

[Brent Hutto]

10 year old Titleist irons.
5 year old Taylor Made R7 driver.
3-4 year old Titleist 24-degree hybrid and 19-degree fairway wood.
Almost brand new Titleist wedges (55 degree, 61 degree) because the grooves were worn off the old ones.
Newish high-tech Callaway putter that looks like the Starship Enterprise.
Titleist stand bag.
Taylor Made TP Red golf balls.
Sun Mountain 3-wheeler.

The irons probably hit the ball about like any others but sure feel a lot better on a cold day than old-fashioned ones would. I can't hit a wooden driver out of my own shadow, the big-headed metal one goes pretty good when I make a decent swing. I seldom carry the fairway wood (or most of the iron set for that matter) but aside from driver, high-lofted wedge and putter the one crucial club is the 4-hybrid. If I had to play with one club that would be the one. Aside from graphite shafts and durable golf balls with low compression the hybrids are the greatest innovation of the modern era for hackers like me.

[Germain Pepin]

My Titleist bag for the next season:

Driver: Titleist 909 D2

3 wood: Titleist 909 F3 15*

Hyrbid: Titleist 909H 19*

Irons (3-PW) Titleist 690 MB

Wedges: Cleveland CG 15 60*

Putter: Odyssey black series XG-9 (iomic grip)

Ball: Callaway Tour IS

[PCCraig]

I sport a pretty "Old School" bag mostly because I don't change equipment easily.

Driver: 9.5* Titleist 905R with YS6 Shaft
3-Wood: 20+ y/o Titleist PT15 with S400-esque shaft
Hybrid: Titleist 19* (I finally caved on getting rid of the 1/2 iron)
3-PW: Forged Mizuno Pro T-Zoids circa 1996. Around 1999 Edwin Watts had a clearance sale on them for ~$300 a set, I bought two sets in addition to the one I was already using and am now on the last set...new irons will probably be needed in the next year or two.
Wedges: 51* and 58* Vokey Oil Can Spin Mill
Putter: Scotty Cameron Newport Gunmetal finish circa 1996 (it's been refinished twice) but there are times I'll use a 8802 for fun.
ball: ProV1 but last year I starting using Wilson Zip balls, which are pretty good and only $20 a dozen.

[John Handley]

Driver: Callaway FT-9 Tour 9.5
3-Wood: Nike SUMO 13.5
Hybrid: Nike Slingshot 19
Irons: Mizuno MP-33 4-PW, Nippon Shafts
Wedges: Mizuno MP Series 54, 60
Lob: Cleveland 64
Putter: Scotty Cameron Laguna 2.5
Ball: Callaway Tour iX

I just switched balls to the Callaway and have played 2 rounds at the Cal Club.  Shot 73-75 so I think I will stick with it.  The Callaway driver is in the bag for about 4 months now and I am absolutely killing it.  Longest driver I've ever hit.  I played with a Taylor Made R7 with a Fujikura Speeder Tour Spec shaft for a long time and then bought the R9.  I'm not a huge Callaway guy but the results speak for themselves.

[Bill Gayne]

ww, the issue is not what we use, it's what the best players are using that is making golf take too long and cost too much.

The ruling bodies have allowed the ancient desire to hit it far, disproportionally imbalance the sport.

After reading through all of the equipment used by GCAers, I agree it really isn't relavent because of the wide variations in our individual performance. The one guess I would make is that on average we are spending more on equipment than 20 years ago so the real winner is the equipment company.

[Emil Weber]

Driver: Ping G10, ProLaunch Stiff, 10,5°
3-wood: Ping G10, ProLaunch Stiff, 14 °
2i-PW: Ping G5 4,5° upright, 1.5 inch lengthened
Gap- and Sandwedge: Cleveland CG12
Putter: Ping Zing
Ball: whatever is in my pocket, but Pro V1 in tournaments

[Adam Clayman]

ww, the issue is not what we use, it's what the best players are using that is making golf take too long and cost too much.

The ruling bodies have allowed the ancient desire to hit it far, disproportionally imbalance the sport.

After reading through all of the equipment used by GCAers, I agree it really isn't relavent because of the wide variations in our individual performance. The one guess I would make is that on average we are spending more on equipment than 20 years ago so the real winner is the equipment company.

Bill, Don't forget the little Chinese children that can have an extra ounce of rice at supper because of the high salaries their parents are pulling down making those clubs.   

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