Born: March 12, 1980
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 180 lbs.
Handicap: 5
Bio
Growing up about 30 seconds from a golf course it was only natural that sooner or later I would take up the game. When I was young my dad would take me to the driving range and eventually on the course. I was probably about thirteen when I started to play regularly and got my first junior membership. Even though I didn't play as often as I should have, I loved the game and it wasn't long before I was working at the golf course too.
From there it turned into almost some sort of obsession. I have been working in the golf industry now for close to ten years, almost as long as I've been playing. I love being able to try out all the new equipment as it comes out and talking to the club reps about the latest news. The only downside to working in the industry is that we are busy when we would rather be out playing. Coming from where I do, our season is realistically only five months in duration so it is difficult to get in many rounds.
In the summer I try to play three or four times per week. Not a lot but any more than that and the old lady would probably kill me. I play to a five handicap and am a fairly decent player. Up until last year it was always the putter that killed me, I drove the ball straight, hit the irons decent enough but could never get the ball in the hole. Then last year something happened, the putter got hot and I can't find the fairway.
Equipment
I like to consider myself a feel player. I try to work the ball and use a variety of different shots around the greens. My choice of clubs is based around that philosophy.
For the last two years I have used the Cobra SS 350 Tour. I have always loved the Titleist drivers but could never really afford one. This Cobra driver has the same plasma weld in the face as the 983, and overall uses a very similar technology. It isn't as nice to look at as the Titleist but I like the square set-up. I have a high ball-flight so I use an 8.5-degree loft with a Grafalloy ProLaunch 65 shaft, stiff flex. The shaft is 44â" long, I find I hit the shorter driver just as far because I make better contact and I hit it much straighter. I briefly played the Callaway ERC Fusion last summer, 9.5-degree with a Graphite Design YS-7 shaft. I loved the head, it set-up really well, was long, and insanely forgiving. The only problem I had with it was that the shaft was too stiff for me.
Last summer I put the Titleist 980F fairway wood into my bag. I use the 15-degree with a Fujikura Speeder (designed for Titleist) shaft. I love the way this club looks; it is very square and is the most solid feeling club I have ever hit. It is definitely not the most consistent club in my bag but overall I am happy with it.
Although I'm a big fan of the hybrid club movement in golf I still don't have one. I struggled last summer trying to find one that I really liked so I held off. I am a huge fan of the Sonartec Md hybrid clubs but I found that I hit them too far for what I need. I may actually consider replacing the 3-wood with one of these but they hit the ball too far to replace my 2-iron. The 2-iron I play is a Callaway X-16 Pro Series. I like the reduced offset of this club and the fact that I can still work the ball even though it is a more forgiving club. I installed a Harrison Titanium Lite shaft that seems to work all right with the head. I have hit some of the best shots of my life with this club and also some of the worst.
The rest of my irons are Snake Eyes. The Snake Eyes product, in my eyes, is still terrific even though it is only available in component parts now. I wanted to play a forged set of irons but I also wanted to try a graphite shaft. I felt that this was the best set I could do that with, the price was very reasonable too. I play the 600C from 3 to 5-iron. This is the forged cavity back head. The head is still quite small with a thin top line and a clean look but the cavity gives me some added forgiveness in the long irons. The 6 to PW are the 600B. This is the forged blade model, designed with the same shape and size as the 600C series. The Snake Eyes forgings are one of the softest on the market and these clubs feel great. I have the Aldila Tour Gold 85 shafts in a stiff flex. I like the light weight of these shafts and they work well with the heads. My irons are ½" over standard length, D1 swing weight with Lamkin Quarter-Cord grips.
My wedges are Snake Eyes too. I carry a 52 and 56 degree with a forged head. I used to play the 60-degree too but found it got me into more trouble than it got me out of. The wedges have Dynamic Gold shafts in them and are at standard length. Because I have not changed the length of the wedges I adjusted the lie angle 2 degrees upright. These wedges are great; they have low bounce on them so I can play all sorts of shots around the greens. They are very versatile and give me all the feel I need.
When it comes to putters I'm somewhat of a nut. In the last two years I have experimented with different lengths, different lie angles, different grips, and many different putters. I have gone through a Never Compromise centre-shafted model, an Odyssey DFX 6600, Odyssey DFX 2-Ball centre-shaft, Wilson 8802, and an old Ping B60 heel shaft. All have worked with varying degrees of success. Of those the DFX 6600 was the best for me, I like the traditional Anser style head and the feel of this putter. Recently I purchased a Scotty Cameron Red X heel shaft. I have only used this putter for five rounds of golf but I have never in my life putted better than I did in those five rounds so I think it's a safe bet that this putter will be in the bag for quite some time.
I carry a Ping 2003 J-Bag because Ping still makes the best carry bags in the business. This one has a ton of room and I like the pocket configuration better than on the Hoofer bags.
When it comes to golf balls I am not picky. If I had my choice of any ball to play it would come down to the Callaway HX Tour or Precept U-Tri Tour. I also like the Strata Tour Ace but find they cut too easily. Of course the ProV1 is a great ball too but I can't have too much Titleist product in the bag!