WRX Forum Buzzz
What GolfWRXers are saying about ways to combat bomb-and-gouge golf
In our forums, our members have been discussing ways to combat bomb-and-gouge golf. WRXer ‘EmporerPenguin’ kicks off the thread with his ideas, saying:
“1. For the first 270 yards the fairway will be generous: 35-40 yards wide with standard 1.75″ collars and rough at 2.5” tall.
2. From 270-300 yards the fairway narrows to about 30-35 yards, with two-yard collars at 1.75″ tall; graduated rough with first cut ten-yards wide and rough 3.5″ tall; primary rough at 5″ to 6″ tall.
3. From 300-330 yards narrow the fairways to about 26 yards wide with two-yard collars at 1.75″ tall; no first cut but primary rough at 5″ to 6″ tall.
4. From 330-400 yards the fairways are still 26 yards wide with two-yard collars at 1.75″ tall; go straight to uniform, primary rough after that at 7″ to 10″ tall.”
Our members have been discussing the modern game and putting forward their ideas on the matter in our forum.
- Joe Smoeter: “I’ve been saying for years the rough should be graduated from green to tee not from side to side. 10 inches at 320, 8 inches at 300, 5 inches at 280 etc… whatever the formula. This is no different than having fairway bunkers at certain distances; it makes the players decide on the risk/reward. As it is now a 3 wood off the tee that gets a bad bounce is in the same thick rough as BD bomb 350 off the tee 40 yards left! Makes no sense.”
- miamistomp: “Smaller greens, shrubs closer to fairway and adjacent fairways ob.”
- jons1: “Balls need to spin more… it will cause more offline shots and force a more conservative swing and play. It’s the ball; it always has been. You don’t fix that; you’ll never change it.”
- 3whacker: “Lengthening a golf course isn’t always the answer because greens are designed to accept a certain trajectory shot from a certain # range of irons. When pros are hitting 8 irons close to 200 yards into a green that was designed to accept a mid to long iron it becomes defenseless.. Does anyone wonder why TW doesn’t play the stinger more often? its because the newer ball doesn’t allow it, it’s all about launch angle and lift, they have used simple aerodynamics and applied it to the golf ball and the driver, and have learned to launch the ball to angles and distance not easily reachable by the amateur golfer.”
- RSinSG: “Others have mentioned it, and I concur – make the pro and his caddy find their own ball. No marshals with little flags to start with. It will be hard to do with a gallery, but it would for sure make hitting into deep rough risky.”
Equipment
Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been pitting a Srixon ZXi combo against a TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo. WRXer ‘edutch22’ is on the hunt for a new set of irons and kicks off the thread saying:
“Looking at picking up a new set of irons and think I’ve narrowed it down to Srixon ZXi combo or Taylormade P7CB/770 combo. I am currently a 5 cap and allbeit I feel irons are my weakness. My miss is a little to the toe side. I am decently steep at 4-5 down. Always thought I am high spin but recently on trackman my 7 was spinning at 5800 roughly.
My question or looking for thoughts on which one would benefit me more from a forgiveness standpoint? Or is there another iron is should be looking at entirely? I only get to play about once or twice a week, if I am not playing a 2-3 day event. Thanks in advance.”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts and suggestions in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- manima1: “You just can’t go wrong with Srixon ZXi7.”
- MattM97: “You have to hit them to know, the V-Sole on the Srixon can be make or break for many.”
- dmeeksDC: “P7CB is more forgiving for me than ZXi7 because my main miss is low middle and the P7CB still flies and spins great on that miss. These are both really nice irons but I like the P7CB more than the Zxi7 and the P770 (or P790) more than the Zxi5. The Srixons are larger so if that gives you confidence that is the way to go. I don’t feel like I get any benefit from the V-sole and the P7CBs live up to their high Maltby forgiveness rating so the TaylorMades have been great for me.”
Entire Thread: “Srixon ZXi combo or TaylorMade P7CB/770 combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
Equipment
Mizuno Pro M13 vs Callaway X Forged: My actual fitting numbers – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been reacting to a fitting session involving Mizuno’s Pro M13 and Callaway’s X Forged irons. WRXer ‘careergolfer’ recently went through a full fitting session and shared his numbers and commentary, saying:
“After playing Callaway Apex Pros for the pats 5 years, just went through a full iron fitting and thought the data was interesting enough to share. I’ve seen a lot of posts talking about fittings but not many with actual numbers, so here’s mine.
All 7-iron, same ball, same session. Final two were the ones I was choosing between:
| Club | Ball Speed | Launch | Spin | Side Angle | Carry | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current irons | 121.1 mph | 18.3° | 6,691 rpm | 0.7L | 170 | 178 |
| Callaway X Forged | 125.8 mph | 15.9° | 6,144 rpm | 2.2L | 180 | 185 |
| Mizuno M-13 | 125.8 mph | 17.9° | 6,638 rpm | 2.2L | 177 | 182 |
The consistency numbers are what actually made the decision:
| Club | Ball Speed SD | Spin SD | Total Yards SD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current irons | 3.3 | 294 | 5 |
| Callaway X Forged | 2.0 | 211 | 3 |
| Mizuno M-13 | 1.1 | 150 | 2 |
Callaway won on distance by 3 yards but got there with a much lower ball flight (15.9° launch, 6,144 spin). The Mizuno matched my existing flight profile with nearly 3x tighter ball speed consistency.
Fitter also noted I’ve been setting up with a closed face at address to compensate for a heel-heavy dynamic lie. Ordered the M-13s 1° flat to bring impact back to neutral: the theory being if I can set up square, I can actually commit to the release. I’m not sure if this was the right call TBH but took the fitter’s guidance. I’ll see what happens.
Went with the Mizuno. Clubs aren’t in hand yet. Happy to share follow-up data once I’ve played them!”
And our members have been sharing their thoughts in response.
Here are a couple of posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PowerCobra98: “M13 certainly performed well. Enjoy the new irons once you get them!”
- dmeeksDC: “Two completely different irons. The X Forged is a tour-type iron and would match up with the S3 in the Mizuno lineup. Not going to see a lot of M-13 on pro tours. It’s a crossover iron, three different types of construction in the same set. The M-13 would be more like the AI 150 as the M-13 7 iron is a half-hollow club versus X Forged, which is a straight up forged iron. M-13 middle irons have very thin faces, not holding up well for some buyers if you read through the M-13 thread. Hopefully Mizuno has corrected it. Given the differences in construction, that is surprising ball speed with the X Forged. To me the numbers are quite an endorsement of the X Forged considering it has no ‘tech.'”
Entire Thread: “Mizuno Pro M13 vs Callaway X Forged: My actual fitting numbers – GolfWRXers discuss”
Equipment
Has there been a better driver since this Ping release? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing drivers. WRXer ‘Ty-Webb’ is still playing Ping’s G400 LS driver and reaches out to fellow members saying:
“Playing the G400 LS still and wondering if newer is any better? For someone who thinks golf equipment is 90% marketing, change my mind.”
And our members have been weighing in with their top picks in response.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- meliaant: “As someone who graduated from the OG SIM to the Qi10, I can you two things: 1) on-center hits are essentially identical. 2) off-center hits are wildly, absurdly better with newer drivers.”
- Golfingfanatic: “I went from the G400 to the GT2 – probably a wash distance wise from the sweet spot, but much better at handling spin off-center.. would definitely try some new stuff if you can.”
- bluedot: “Given the number of heads and shafts that are available, plus the fact that you’re talking about a 9 yr old club, plus the available fitting technology, the answer is almost certainly yes. Add to that the fact that the Ping LS models are sort of ‘specialized’ drivers, as are the Ping SFT’s; heck, you might need MORE spin! How much better is really the question, and that depends on how well suited the G400 LS is to your swing, and how you will go about finding an alternative.”
Entire Thread: “Has there been a better driver since this Ping release? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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Evan
Sep 23, 2020 at 6:29 am
Grading rough to handicap longer hitters is a terrible idea. They’ve worked hard to develop their athleticism and technique-it’s a strength for their game and they should be allowed to fairly exploit it. And there will always be a natural trade off between power and accuracy- hitting a fairway with 130mph CHS will be harder than doing so with 110mph.