After a long, wet spring it looks like the golf season has finally arrived in my neck of the woods. As April and May’s showers have turned into June flowers I thought that it might be a fun time to write a little blog post. So what have I been up to?
Finding Myself
The last several months have been a trying time for me from not only a health standpoint (physical and mental) but from a golf point of view. The reality is that following my stroke in September I should be happy with the fact that I can walk, talk and pretty much do anything that I want to. Believe me when I say that I’m extremely grateful that it wasn’t more severe than it was.
As I began to show signs of recovery in the hospital and started to work with my physiotherapist I wondered what effect it would have on my golf swing. As I worked my way back to being able to have a functional swing at the PGA Show in January and a decent enough swing at the end of March for a quick trip to Florida the answers began to come to the surface.
I suppose that from a mechanics standpoint the swing feels alright. While I do have the occasional hiccup with an early release the results and consequential ballflight have been quite good. I am seeing my typical right to left ballflight (right-handed golfer) and rarely am I seeing any balls go to the right. This is a great sign because it means that I’m getting through the golf ball, transferring weight to the lead-side and I’m not decelerating as I enter the impact area. Because of this I still have the ability to cut a golf course in half and take out the right side. That always makes golf a little easier. When I have played I am hitting fairways and greens and I should just be happy just to be out there… But I’ve noticed one thing in particular. A significant loss of power. While I’m able to get through the golf ball I have definitely noticed an inability to fire my left-side through.
It remains to be seen if I will get my power back but one thing seems very likely. The day of me using an extra stiff flex shaft like the one in my Cleveland Golf Classic XL is a thing of the past. I’m only getting 215-220 yards of carry (total distance is all carry) and loading the shaft is likely an issue. I’m still driving the ball straight (baby draw) but the shaft isn’t likely kicking enough to maximize my distance. Perhaps the time has come for me to consider lightweight and light flex shafts. With that thought comes a lesson and something that I’ve always preached.
“Pay no attention to what letter the shaft has printed on it. Whether it’s an X-flex or L-flex use what gives you the best results.” – Alexander Toth (Until The Next Tee)
It’s time to practice what I preach.
RBC Canadian Open
This week sees a new era in Canadian golf. When the new schedule came out for the 2019 PGA TOUR season I was excited that our national open was moved to a new date. No longer is the Canadian Open mired in the muck following the Open Championship as it now was moved to June and ahead of the U.S. Open.
In 2019, the RBC Canadian Open is being played at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club which is located just about an hour from where I live. Even though I work about 20 minutes from the venue I won’t be making it down to the course like I have in the past to get pictures and so on. It’s unfortunate, but from all witness accounts that I’ve received from my members that have been down there the course is in phenomenal shape.
The field is the best that we’ve seen in years. Names like Sergio Garcia, Brooks Koepka, defending champion Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy highlight the field. However, after the first day of the tournament, it’s some Canadians that has me excited. In fact, at the moment there are no less than 5 Canadians in the top 15. Led by Nick Taylor (T-2nd at -6), guys like Adam Hadwin, David Hearn, Mackenzie Hughes, and the lesser known Drew Nesbitt are giving cause for excitement. Canadians are just dying to see one of their native son’s win our national championship. Even though there is a ton of golf to be played still there is a reason for optimism.
Not since Pat Fletcher in 1954 has a Canadian won the Canadian Open.
Product Testing and Future Reviews
There is no shortage of reviews and product testing underway. Because of how wet and unplayable spring was the testing of some products was postponed. I have all kinds of products in the process of testing. Balls like the Wilson Staff DUO Professional, TaylorMade Golf TP5 and TP5x, grips from Lamkin and Golf Pride, ZoomTee, No Sweat cap liners, shoes from Skechers Performance and last but not least clubs from Sub 70 Golf (699 irons and their Pro Fairway Wood).
The products from the Sycamore, Illinois based company have tested fairly well through a few range sessions and limited on-course use. Initially, I was only expecting to see a 3 wood come in for the review so I was very pleasantly surprised to see a 6 and 9 iron from their 699 iron set packed into the box as well. The irons are a hollow-body construction with a face manufactured from 17 mm of 455 Carpenter Steel. The feel of these irons is one that I would describe as being “light”. The face is responsive and good swings are definitely well-rewarded. But if there is one aspect of these irons that’d impressed me thus far it’s their forgiveness. The Sub 70 Pro Fairway has been a very good performer off of the tee and from the fairway. Shafted with a “Made for Sub 70″ Project X 6.0 launch has been easy and the flight consistent. However, after adjusting the two adjustable sole weights I noticed that the feel and sound seemingly changed. Also, it seems like the face isn’t as lively as it was in the original configuration. To be continued.
Stay tuned for a whole bunch of reviews to be published in the near future including some ‘First Impressions” reviews.
Until The Next Tee!!
#seeuonthenexttee #fightandgrind
The Next Tee (TNT) 