New Club in the Bag

For all of the golf I play (about 60 rounds in 2007), my equipment is a bit outdated. My high tech golfing buddies remind me about it all the time. The last club I bought was my driver, and it's now about four years old. Before that, I bought a putter -- in 2001.

So while the wife was away, I ventured over to Washington Golf to check out three-woods. The three-wood I'd been using was a no-name brand that I'm pretty sure was purchased at Costco for under $50 more than five years ago. I hit it pretty well, but not all the time. As a matter of fact, I was very inconsistent with it, and the shaft was too whippy.

I was determined to test out several clubs and come away from Washington Golf with a shiny fairway wood to complement my Taylor Made Rescue 19 degree (on semi-permanent loan from Jay Payne) and help me out on short par 4s. The guy at the shop asked me a few questions about my game, and we picked out three-woods from Taylor Made, Ping, Cobra, Exotic, and Titleist.

I got loose on their indoor "range", and then started pounding away. It was a little difficult to know exactly which one flew the best, but I was able to get a feel for which clubs fit my swing and which ones were only okay. The Taylor was really nice, but I didn't like the look of it at setup. Same with the Ping, except that the Ping felt really odd because it had a much more closed clubface than the others. The Cobra didn't do it for me (I like their drivers, though), and the Exotic blew me away.

I had never even heard of Exotic until yesterday. The Washington Golf guy told me that they were selling well and that the company guaratees 20 extra yards with it, or you can take it back. I was skeptical, but he said he'd tried it, and it was super long. It has the mamixum COR allowable by the USGA, and the face is some kind of souped-up titanium. Well, it didn't disappoint. The ball exploded off the clubface. It felt illegal. If I had the bucks, and if I intended to hit my three-wood more than three or five times per round, I might have purchased it. Unfortunately, it costs $349, so no dice.

I really liked the first Titleist I tried, but the shaft was a little weak, so we grabbed the same club with a stiff shaft. It set up well, and it felt good. I hit a bunch of shots with it right on the nose, and it was less than $200. Sold.

I took it out to a real range today, and the difference between my new Titleist 906 F4 and my old Costco Special is tremendous. I can see it being my "go to" club on tight holes, short par 4s, and shots from the fairway when I need about 220 yards of carry. I think it was a smart purchase, and now I need to get my swing in gear to maximize its potential.