Lesson 2 & 3 - Practice

This past Friday was our Zappos.com Golf Event.  Our sponsor for the month was Oakley and we played at Reflection Bay Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas.

Last week I got my new irons (Mizuno MP57) and the event last Friday was the first time I had a chance to use them.  It was kind of funny.  Every time I had an iron shot during the event, I would determine what iron I would need to use, then peel the plastic wrap off the head of the new iron, and hit the ball.  This has got to be the biggest no-no in golf... LOL.  New swing, new clubs, new bag, new ball (I was testing out the Top Flite Gamers based on reviews I read online), and all of this at a golf tournament.

Things didn't go as bad as I thought.  I didn't particularly play that great, but I didn't play that bad as well considering the circumstances.  I'm really feeling more consistency in my swing, particularly with keeping my shoulders level.  This is great!

Today, I went out to the range for about 45mins to practice on my swing some more.  I struggled a little at the start since I hadn't swung a club since Friday.  After 5 mins though, I was back in the groove of things.  I was striking the ball really well.  I felt my shoulders staying level and in sync with my hips.  The only time I didn't strike the ball well was when I tried to crush the ball because I was using my arms and hands to do it.  I have to keep reminding myself to just SWING THE FRIGGIN' CLUB and not to KILL THE BALL!

By the way, yes... I do love my new irons.  They feel great when I make good contact and they make sure to let me know when I don't.

Oh yeah... I just got my new Scotty Cameron putter in yesterday.  I practiced with it today for a few minutes too.  It's not quite as soft as my Odyssey Black Series, but it does have a nice feel.  I found that I had to make sure to keep the face of the club more upright with the Scotty than with my Odyssey.  If I didn't, impact wasn't very soft.  I'm going to keep practicing with it.  On a side note, I think I'm going to send it to Scotty Cameron Custom Shop to make it a little more... me.

My Equipment... The Tranformation

Ok.  So what can I say, I love to try different golf stuff.  It's an expensive "hobby" but I really enjoy it.  Over the years, I have gone through a few sets of irons, a few drivers, tons of putters, various woods and hybrids.  What's great about this "hobby" is that I get know what I really like and what I don't like from real world experience on a golf course and not in a simulator.  Fortunately, eBay is there to help me out with some new stuff and used stuff.  I highly recommend eBay if you're into trying different products... it'll save your wallet.  But, be forewarned, there are a lot of fakes on eBay and you have to be very careful on what you are bidding on.  Fortunately, I've been lucky and avoided fakes.  There is a lot of information on the internet and on eBay to help you avoid getting suckered.

From my experience with various "hardware", I've come to find some commonalities.  For example, I REALLY like Mizuno irons.  I've used Ping, TaylorMade, Callaway, and Mizuno is hands down my favorite.  IMHO, they just have the best feel.  For drivers and woods, it's all Ping for me.  I've used Mizuno, TaylorMade, Callaway, and Ping does it for me.  But, it's not all Ping drivers.  I'm a huge fan of the G2/G5 and not so much a fan of the Rapture.  The Rapture is really long off the tee, but I like the lively response of the G2 or G5.  I haven't tried the G10 (yet), so I don't have any opinions of it.

Anyway, here's what I bag currently looks like:

Ping G5 Driver w/ Aldila NV 65g stiff shaft, Winn PCI Hybrid grip
Ping G2 3-Wood w/ Aldila NV 65g stiff shaft, Winn PCI Hybrid grip
Cleveland Halo Hybrid w/ Dynamic Golf stiff shaft, Golf Pride Decade grip
Mizuno MX-23 irons 4-PW, Dynalite Gold S-300, Golf Pride Decade grip
Cleveland CG10 black pearl wedges, 52 deg, 56 deg, 60 deg, Golf Pride Decade grip
Odyssey Black Series #1 putter, GolfMaster Tour Leather Stitchback grip
Titliest x77 bag

This has been a great set-up for me.  I've really enjoyed using this combination.  Well, I've decided to change it up a little bit.  I've been in the market to buy a second set for guests to use when they come visit Vegas and we end up going golfing.  While looking at what deals I could find, I thought of a few of things:

1.  Why waste a couple hundred $$$ on an older decent set? 
2.  Why waste a couple hundred $$$ on a crappy new set?
3.  I really love Mizuno and think others should give them a try.  After all, everyone who has hit my irons have fallen in love with Mizuno.  They sell themselves!

So, I decided... I'm going to get myself a new set of irons and use my current MX-23's as my guest set.  Mizuno should give me commission because I know they will acquire some new customers.  I decided to upgrade my irons from Game Improvement irons to Player's irons.  With my new instructor and the disciplined practice I'm putting in, I figure I can grow into them.

Here's the transformation... everything is ordered and I'm just waiting for them to arrive:

Ping G5 Driver (carryover)
Ping Rapture Hybrid w/ Aldila ByYou 80g stiff shaft - 18 deg, 21deg, (24 deg?)
Mizuno MP57 irons 4-PW, Dynamic Gold S-300, 2 deg upright lie adjustment
Cleveland CG10 wedges (carryover)
Odyssey Black Series #1 putter (carryover.  Although, I just purchased a new Scotty Cameron Studio Select Newport 2 putter.  We'll have to see how it compares as I really love my current putter)
Mizuno 2008 Omega III Cart Bag

I'm looking forward to trying out my new set.  If they hit anywhere near as good as they did in the simulator, I'm stoked!

YEAH BABY!