AskMyGolfSpy Vol. 24 | MyGolfSpy

Sure. Completely everybody ought to play a 7-wood. No exceptions.

Critically, do it.

For actual, although, I’ve been a shameless fan of the 7-wood since I put one within the bag a few years in the past however, admittedly, there’s no assure your expertise will mirror mine.

I must also level out that my driver head pace hovers round 110 proper now. That doesn’t make me the quickest man on the planet (and even on the MyGolfSpy employees) however the level is that higher-lofted woods undoubtedly aren’t solely for gradual to reasonable swing pace gamers.

I dumped a 4-hybrid for the 7-wood and it’s constantly straighter, dispersion is tighter and it’s more durable to hook. Typically talking, the large miss isn’t one thing I fear about.

If there’s a draw back to the 7-wood it’s that, with the exceptionally excessive trajectory, it’s not splendid in a powerful wind. For windy circumstances, I’m going to maintain a hybrid or presumably even a utility iron round.

If there have been any requirements defining shaft flex, this may be a straightforward reply. The issue is {that a} “stiff ” in a single mannequin could be stiffer than an “X-stiff” in one other or softer than a “common” in one more.

For higher or worse (most likely worse), “flex” is actually only a catch-all that loosely (or barely) describe the general stiffness of the shaft. As a single measurement/metric, it’s not notably useful so far as describing the place a shaft is stiff and the place it may be a tad softer.

Some shafts have stiff butt sections and delicate ideas, some are delicate within the deal with and mid sections and stiffer within the tip. Shafts are available all combos and, once more, a easy flex designation doesn’t start to cowl it.

All of that stated, if the stiff in no matter shaft you’re playing is working higher than the X, that’s most likely the place you could be. Swing pace is only one consider shaft becoming. Tempo and transition are essential as properly … and that’s earlier than we dig into the weeds on swing path and miss tendencies.

I’m conscious of not less than one research that discovered that the shaft that feels greatest in a golfer’s palms is commonly the one which performs greatest as properly. If it feels proper, it’s most likely as a result of it’s bending proper. So, whereas we’re at all times going to facet with the information, there could also be one thing to the texture factor in terms of selecting a shaft.

Assuming you’re right-handed, if the ball is constantly flying too far left, that’s a fairly strong clue.

If that’s the case, earlier than you ditch the irons, have your lie angles checked. I used to have a giant left miss (and it didn’t a lot matter what iron I used to be taking part in). Bending my lie angles a level or two flat (relying on the mannequin) has made a world of distinction

The reply to the primary a part of your query is “nope.” No likelihood. Golf firms undoubtedly aren’t going to decrease costs, particularly if they’ve new issues to promote much less typically.

As for the second, yeah, I believe it’s affordable to imagine that whether or not it’s an additional six months or a full 12 months, R&D groups may pack a little bit bit extra horsepower into the brand new mannequin. In the end, which means golfers may get extra (relative to the earlier mannequin) than they do in a one-year cycle.

That stated, whereas there are some attention-grabbing (and comparatively new) applied sciences within the metalwood class, a superb little bit of the year-over-year modifications quantity to transferring the middle of gravity round in order that the brand new mannequin performs in a different way than the one which got here earlier than it.

I’ve but to see a scenario the place the brand new factor is best for one hundred pc of golfers. So, even with extra improvement time, higher efficiency can’t be assured. For some it is going to be higher, for others worse and for a sizeable chunk, just about the identical.

We’ve favored what we’ve seen from Snell balls so far. They’ve examined properly in our robot ball tests and high quality has examined as common or higher in Ball Lab and, for a superb run, it’s possible the MTB collection was the preferred direct-to-consumer ball available on the market.

Sadly, Snell’s urethane fashions have been robust to get currently. Chalk that as much as a mix of basic provide chain points and TaylorMade’s acquisition of what was the Nassau ball plant (not TaylorMade Korea).

For now (and maybe for the long run), TaylorMade is not producing balls for third events. Meaning when the brand new MTB and MTB-X launch later this 12 months, they’ll be made at a special manufacturing unit.

We’ll know extra as the brand new balls get nearer to launch however given Dean Snell’s previous success and the truth that Snell balls are well-liked with our readers, it’s one thing we’re going to be taking a look at intently.

Not a lot a query however a remark that appeared in a single type or one other about 100 instances in response to our story about layoffs at PXG.

Rephrased as a query: Is that this the start of the tip for PXG?

I may very well be unsuitable however I don’t suppose so.

Readers have been predicting the demise of PXG from the very starting and but the corporate is extra well-liked than ever and, by some measure, its low costs have positioned it because the model of the folks.

To make sure, layoffs are by no means good however there are a few elements in play. First, as James Carville famously stated, “it’s the economic system, silly.”

Layoffs are on the rise throughout the nation and it stands to cause extra will observe. I’d wager that earlier than the 12 months is over, PXG gained’t be the one golf model to chop employees.

On a associated observe, the perfect of golf’s COVID growth is behind us. It’s all however a certainty that gross sales can be down throughout the entire of the gear trade in 2023. I don’t imply to be flippant however there’s a component of this that’s a bit like January at any large field retailer.

For the golf gear trade, it’s been like Christmas for the higher a part of two years. Many (most likely all) elevated employees to fulfill unprecedented demand. Golf’s marathon vacation season is winding down so it stands to cause others may also must right-size for a altering market.