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GIGAGOLF TRX Powerslot Irons – Cobe Life Ongoing Review Final

It’s been a great Season

I will get to the GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons in a moment.  First a little bit of information about my Season.

I started this golf season with high expectations.  I was looking to reduce my handicap by 9 strokes, shoot a few sub 90 Rounds, and have confidence off the Tee.  Well I have reduced my handicap by 6 strokes, shot a few Rounds in the low 90s, and consider my Driver to be one of my best weapons.

Not everything I was hoping for, but there are some very good reasons for that.  I played so many new courses this Season that going low in a Round wasn’t easy.  The majority of these new courses were of much greater difficulty than I’m used to.  My swing had gone through another change early in the Season, and coupled with new clubs in the bag that took some getting used to as well.

Which brings me to the real topic of this Post.  How do I feel about the GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons after a full Season of use?

Absolutely great!

I’ve already gone over my initial impressions of the clubs, how they have affected my performance, and how durable they have been.  Well in this Ongoing Review final post I’m going to provide you with my personal opinion based entirely on my satisfaction.

These Irons have been great.  So great that I’m hesitant to replace them in the Off Season in order to do an Ongoing Review of another set of Irons next Season.  To be honest I’ll probably stick with the GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons for at least another Season.  They have had such a positive impact on my game that switching to something else would be absolute folly.  I’ve never attacked Greens with this much confidence before.  There’s enough spring off the bottom of the face that I’m unafraid of catching the ball thin with these Irons.  The fitting adjustments that were made through the GigaGolf E-Fit system has made the amount of strain I feel throughout a Round of Golf minimal.  Plus my quality of strike has greatly improved.  Those of you that follow my Blog, Cobe Life Golf on Facebook, or Cobe Life on YouTube know full well that I’m a high handicapper.  Not all of my swings are a thing of beauty.  Some of them are downright ugly.  Plus I do make the occasional hack through deep rough, or punch out of the woods.  The True Temper steel shafts that came standard with the GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons have put up with all of it.  I’m far from gentle with my Irons, and these Irons have handled everything I’ve put them through.  Something that has really surprised me is how well the grooves have held up.  Now keep in my that I clean my clubs after every Round of golf.  I some people are guilty of only cleaning their clubs during a Round but not after.  Still the grooves on my Irons feel as sharp as the day I received them.  No wonder I keep shredding balls during a Round.

Confidence is everything

Where these Irons have made the greatest improvement in my game is in the amount of confidence they have given me when it comes to hitting a particular target.  I first noticed it on the range.  Whenever I was at the Range practicing with friends we would take turns taking aim at targets.  In previous seasons I was extremely lucky if I happened to land a ball closer than my competitors.  This Season any target from about 90 yards to 150 yards was fair game for me.  To be honest I expected to land it closest.  Even against golfers with significantly lower handicaps than I.  Of course hitting off a mat can seriously help to equalize the playing field.  On the course the confidence these GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons give me has totally changed the way I play.  Being able to confidently land within 5 yards of your target from up to 160 yards away is a huge advantage on the course.  I used to lay up short of Greens, and rely on my Wedge game to help me save par because I didn’t trust where my 7 Iron might land.   When attacking Greens with bunker protection I would have to aim a good 10 yards away from the bunker in order to feel safe.  So depending on the size of the Green that meant I would have to aim off the Green at times.  This Season with the GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons I knew that as long as I took aim at the center of a Green I would be fine provided I didn’t miss hit it.

In the end that’s all we really want from our clubs right!  The confidence to know that when we strike the ball well; Our clubs are going to deliver the ball to where we expect it to go.  The GigaGolf TRX Powerslot Irons have done just that, and in my experience have done it better than most.

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GOLF

Choosing the Right Golf Ball – Top 6 Comparison test

The Right Ball

   For about a year now I’ve been trying to figure out which ball is right for me. As a High Handicapper cost is always a concern because it’s a rare occasion when I finish a Round of Golf with the Ball I began with. On average I go through a sleeve of balls each Round I play. I try to keep the majority of Rounds I play to under $50. If the balls I’m playing are $5 each that can seriously add to the cost of a Round. The second thing I take into consideration is how easy I find a Ball to be controllable around the Greens. I don’t necessarily need the ball with the most Spin. I just need a Ball to stop where I intend it to. I don’t need the smoothest rolling Ball off the Putter. I just need a Ball that I can feel come off the Putter face, and be able to control the distance it rolls. Lastly I would like a Ball that’s long enough off the Tee, and doesn’t roll out too much on full shots 160 yards and in. Ideally I’d like to find a Ball that meets all of those criteria for less than $30/dozen.

I have tried many different balls over the last three years. The majority of them were simple 2 piece balls because of the price. It wasn’t until Nike decided to get out of the Golf equipment game that I got my first real taste of what was possible with a 3 piece ball. Stores that carried Nike Golf equipment quickly put the RZN series balls on clearance. I was able to buy four dozen Nike RZN Reds at $20/dozen. It didn’t take long before I noticed two discernable differences. My putting improved from an average of 2.4 putts per hole down to 2. That’s an average of 7 less putts per Round! Was a 3 piece ball that much easier to Putt? Actually it isn’t. The Ball felt good off the Putter but that wasn’t the reason I was sinking more Putts. The real reason was that for the first time I was able to generate enough Spin on short approach shots to hold the Greens, and leave myself a lot more Putts from within 10 feet. Now before everyone reading this rushes out to buy five boxes of 3 piece balls. Let me first say that there are some very good 2 piece balls on the market. Three of the final six balls I tested were 2 piece balls in fact. Again price plays a very important role in my selection process and most 3 piece balls just cost too much. In the end there was a clear winner, with two others that I may end up playing because of the difference in price.  Before I give my opinions of the final six balls I tested, you should probably know a little bit about me.  My Driver swing speed is just a little north of 90mph.  I hit my 7 Iron around 140 yards with a full swing.  My current handicap is 30, and the lowest it’s been is 27.  All in all I tested 15 different balls, plus a few others that are no longer available.  I specifically chose these six to demonstrate what works, and what doesn’t work for me.  One of the balls not covered in this test that I would recommend was the Srixon Soft Feel.  It is in my opinion the best Budget ball by far.  I found them for as low as $1.33/ball.

3 Golf Balls that didn’t suit me

Q Star
– putts slow, medium feel
– A lot of Spin off the Wedges
– short Driver distance
– low durability
Going into this comparison test I had high hopes for the Srixon Q-Star. Although it is a 2 piece ball, it also has an additional coating they call Spin skin on the outer shell that’s designed to increase Spin.  Essentially Srixon’s goal was to create a 2 piece ball for a 2 piece price that performs like a 3 piece ball.  Around the Greens the Spin I was able to create with my Wedges was excellent. Even better than two of the 3 piece balls that I tested. Unfortunately the performance across the other categories was poor. Putting was a challenge because it requires more force than I’m used to to get the ball rolling. I just kept coming up short which anyone will tell you is the worst way to miss a putt. Approach shots held the Greens from about 130 yards and in which isn’t bad, but far from optimal for me. What made matters worse was Driving distance on average was the shortest of all the balls tested. Only on the shortest Par 4s would I be within 130 yards after my Tee shot.

Aeroburner Soft
– putts fast, light feel
– very little spin on half swings
– long Driver distance
The Aeroburner Soft isn’t the newest ball on the market but I’ve seen them for sale in many different locations so I figured I would give them a try.  First of all everything I’ve tested from Taylormade with the Aeroburner moniker has been long on distance. The Aeroburner Soft Golf Ball is no exception. Off the Tee it was the absolute longest of all the balls I tested. It actually had decent stopping power on full swing approach shots as well. Unfortunately once you get near, or on the Green the trouble begins. This Ball practically explodes off the Wedge, or Putter face which made it extremely difficult to control for me. Any strokes gained off the Tee were quickly lost when I reached the Green. A full Round with this Ball would probably test my nerves severely.

DT Trusoft
– putts fast, medium feel
– very little spin off half swings
– medium Driver distance
You don’t see too many Golf Ball Comparisons that don’t include the Titleist Pro V1. Well at $5/ball they definitely weren’t making the cut. Instead I gave their DT Trusoft a try. The Trusoft wasn’t terribly bad at anything, but it wasn’t especially good either. I was able to get decent distance with the Driver, generate decent Spin on full shots, hit long runners with the Wedges, and control my Putts relatively well. So why didn’t it make my Top 3?  The answer to that is Price. Although it’s only a 2 piece ball, it’s the same price as one of the 3 piece balls tested, and even more expensive than another. It proved to be significantly more durable than two of the balls I tested but when you rarely finish a full Round with one ball, durability is of little concern.

The 2 alternate Balls I’d play

Project A
– putts mid pace, maximum feel
– A lot of spin on full or half shots
– long Driver distance
Of the six balls I chose to test the Taylormade Project A was the clear winner overall. I’ve never played a ball that immediately made me feel like I was going to score better. I felt like I could sink every putt, smash it off the Tee, and stick it close to the Pin from anywhere. The only categories it didn’t outright win were Driving distance (Aeroburner Soft) and Price (Q Star). So why didn’t it snag the number 1 spot? Once again the mighty dollar holds me back. Of all the balls tested it was the most expensive. In fact the only time it falls within my budget is when it’s on sale. Believe me when I tell you that every time it goes on sale I’m buying a few dozen though.

Vice Tour
– putts fast, medium feel
– spins well off of the Wedges
– medium Driver distance
– low durability
Vice has been quickly establishing themselves as the tour quality Ball manufacturer, at a discount price. According to their Ball fitting online questionnaire, the Vice Tour is the Ball for me. There was a lot to like about the Vice Tour. Unfortunately it was difficult to stop on anything but full Iron shots into Greens, and like the Q-Star wasn’t very durable. The 2 piece DT Trusoft actually performed a touch better, but as long as you buy five dozen Vice Tour balls the price is hard to beat.

I don’t mind the look.

The Best Ball for me

Project S
– putts mid pace, medium feel
– medium Spin on full or half shots
– medium Driver distance

The Project S does everything great, just not as great as the Project A. It’s that simple. Switching from the Project A to the Project S was quite easy. All I had to do was account for a little extra roll out on Chips, and Approach shots, and be a little less aggressive on lag putts.  It was only 3 yards shorter in carry distance with the Driver as well.  In fact some of my closest Chips and Pitches to the Pin came with the Project S because I like a little bit of roll out. The Flop shot isn’t my preferred shot. If it’s yours I’d highly recommend the Taylormade Project A. When it comes right down to it the Project S wins because it’s on average $10/dozen less than the Project A. Simply put it’s the best ball for my budget. If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest that you do.

Let me know which ball you play, and which of my final 6 balls tested is your favourite and you will have a chance to win a sleeve of balls.

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Golf Ball selection – Beginner’s guide to Golf

Ball selection for the Beginner

Where should your priorities lie?

Be honest with yourself.  As a Golf Beginner you are going to lose a lot of balls on the course.  So price should definitely be one of the first things you consider when selecting a ball.  Fortunately for you, there are many quality balls on the market that should suit your game without breaking the bank.

As a Beginner you will be prone to making contact all over the face of your clubs.  Maintaining a square face at impact is also incredibly difficult for most Beginners as well.  For these reasons a Low Spin Low Compression ball would benefit most Beginners.  This type of ball will help reduce the severity of slices, and hooks.  The ball won’t completely eliminate a slice, or hook, but possibly lesson it to a manageable point.  I’ve tested both High Spin, and Low Spin balls on simulators.  Having a Low Spin ball saves me about 5 strokes per round.

Another thing to consider when deciding which ball to purchase is in my opinion the deciding factor.  How it feels, and rolls when putting.   Seriously it’s the single most important aspect of what makes a ball right for you.  A ball could give me 10 more yards of distance off the Tee.  It could stop 2 yards quicker on approach shots into the Green.  It could spin like a top off my Wedges.  If it doesn’t feel right, or roll true off my Putter though.  Then it isn’t for me.  As a true Beginner the first swing you should be able to consistently repeat is your Putter stroke.  You are going to hit Drives all over the place, so 10 yards further into the Woods doesn’t help.  You will Duff, or Blade your approach shots, so stopping quicker won’t help.  The difficulty you will have using your first Wedge is massive, so extra spin won’t make any difference.  When you reach the Green though.  If that ball rolls straight, and true.  You will turn brutally frustrating holes, into a thing of beauty.

The last thing to consider when selecting a ball is how it flies off your Driver.  If you have found a few balls that meet the other criteria?  Choosing between them can come down to Driver advantage.  Some balls have dimple patterns that are specifically designed to help get the ball up in the air.  Depending on your natural launch angle, that could be beneficial.  More often than not.  A Hole that starts well, ends well.  Hitting a ball off the Tee that inspires confidence can be all you need to get off to a good start.

Knowing which ball is right for you takes a lot more than just reading reviews.  Buy a few sleeves of balls that appeal to you, and test them in a Simulator.  Then test all of them on a Putting Mat.  Make sure to use your own clubs, and Putter when testing balls.  Once you’ve decided which ball is right for you.  Make sure you buy a bunch of them.  Play those balls exclusively!  Whenever you go to a store to try a new club you are considering purchasing.  Bring along a sleeve of your balls with you.  That way you’ll get a feel for how your ball flys off that club.  You will also be used to the way the characteristics of that ball affect your shot shape.  If you use whatever balls the store has in the simulator.  The performance of the club you are testing will be impossible to accurately compare with your current equipment.

Lets say that you are in the middle of a round of Golf.  While looking for the ball that you just sliced into some fescue.  You come across a great looking money ball.  A Pro V1, or Taylormade TP5 will be so tempting to continue your Round with.  Don’t do it!  These balls aren’t made with the Beginner in mind.  It happened to me before I knew better.  I found a pristine Pro V1X during a Round of Golf where I was scoring quite well.  The next Hole was a long Par 3.  I had played this course many times, and usually hit my ball to the Green.  The angle at which I would reach the Green was so shallow my ball would always roll out the back.  I figured that the extra spin I should get with the Pro V1X would help me hold the Green.  I wiped it totally clean, and Tee’d it up.  I was right.  The Pro V1X didn’t roll out the back of the Green.  In fact I didn’t even reach the Green.  I’m sure I made contact with a very slightly Open face.  Usually with that kind of contact I’d end up back left of the Green.  With the Pro V1X it went way left, and ended up in the Pond on the left of the hole.  It was the first time I had ever hit one into that Pond.  I actually aim quite far right to avoid it because my normal miss is to the left.  I just hadn’t realized how far left the additional spin from the Pro V1X would send it.

So trust me when I say that finding the right ball for you will make a huge difference in your game.  Test as many balls as you can.  When you find one that really feels right.  Stick with it!

Beginner’s guide to Golf