SirShanksAlot’s Masters Picks

Hello all! Thanks for stopping by. It’s like Christmas Eve for golfers… the night before the Masters. I guess I will mention my Masters predictions right off the bat. I hate picking favorites… namely any of the “Big Four”. I picked Tiger in my 2005 Predictions but that is too easy. I’ll pick two and …

Hello all! Thanks for stopping by. It’s like Christmas Eve for golfers… the night before the Masters. I guess I will mention my Masters predictions right off the bat. I hate picking favorites… namely any of the “Big Four”. I picked Tiger in my 2005 Predictions but that is too easy. I’ll pick two and an underdog…

– Sergio Garcia… the guy has to win a Major someday. He has some serious game and has lots of experience in pressure situations.

– Mike Weir – Why not? Mike hasn’t had a very good 2005 so far but he has won at Augusta in the past and he says that he has had some real good practice sessions this week. He knows exactly what it takes to win the Masters. I probably just made a bunch of friends in Canada too.

– And that leads me to my underdog… someone that has won at Augusta before. My underdog pick is Jose Maria Olazabal. He played really well last week and came within a hair of winning. His game is suited for the Masters (he’s won it twice) and he is really flying under the radar.

Let’s go to the mailbag… there really isn’t much going on so this will be a good chance to answer some emails. The first email is about the Titleist 905Z driver. Yes… there is a 905Z that is out there somewhere. I think there is a 905X too. I have heard that the 905Z features a deeper face than the 905 drivers that are available in stores. I don’t expect that we will see this club anytime soon (if ever). I think we will see a bigger 905 next year… but chances are it will be called something different.

Another reader mentioning the fact that Titleist is really missing the boat by introducing their new equipment so late. I totally agree… and sales at my shop show it too. Titleist club sales are WAY down. There just doesn’t seem to be any excitement around the stuff. We get our first 905 drivers in next week so time will tell. I have seen a huge jump in TaylorMade sales… partly because of the fall of Titleist.

A reader writing in asking about an oversized 3 wood. I get a lot of people that don’t want to use a driver and want a big 3 wood as their tee club. I would look for a titanium fairway wood because they are usually a bit bigger. Nike also made an oversized fairway wood a while back… the Nike T-40. It was a good one for someone looking to take the driver right out of the bag. Another option is to modify a higher lofted driver. I have had a few customers cut down a 13 degree driver and they use it as a driver/fairway wood. Remember things like swingweight and shaft flex if you do this though. Whatever works I guess! Thanks for the email.

Another reader looking at buying some Ben Hogan BH-5 irons. Good choice. This could be the sleeper game improvement iron of the year if you ask me. There is some serious Callaway influence in the BH-5’s too. I wouldn’t spend too much time comparing the X-14 and the BH-5 because they are that close. He also asks if a higher quality set of irons will increase distance. Yes they should. Why? Most brand name clubs feature pretty good shafts. The shaft is like the engine of a car. It can increase distance and control by itself. A higher quality club head may also feature technology to increase the sweetspot and optimize the launch angle. A larger sweetspot might not make the ball go longer but it will give you a much better chance of hitting the long ball more often. The launch angle is vital. To hit a long ball, you have to hit a high ball. Most game improvement irons feature a lot of weight on the sole. This helps get the ball in the air… thus hitting the ball further. You might think that you hit the ball high enough but a session on a launch monitor might change your mind! Oh ya.. this reader likes David Toms at the Masters.

We have had a few questions about reviewing clubs that aren’t made by the “big companies”. There are just so many clubs out there and we working as fast as we can to do new reviews but we can’t get to everything. Best thing to do is if you want a certain club reviewed… send us an email! Once the new site is up you can expect a lot more reviews too. We have had requests to review clubs from Ashton, Wishon, Snake Eyes and Advanced Golf Technology. We are will work hard to get these done!

Well enjoy the golf tomorrow… assuming the rain stays away! Have a great day and we will talk to you soon.