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TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrids Review Thread

SuperStroke
Tadashi70 said:
To all the testers with the adjustable model. I'm curious if you adjust to a high loft with additional length, what this will do. I know it will be longer but how much. If you are already 1"-2" longer in length at the 3 hybrid setting how much longer will you be at the 20* setting or 4hybrid setting. And how will this translate in the playability department.

Will the club play like a high lofted 3 hybrid or just a long 4 hybrid. I hope I'm explaining myself clearly.
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My 3h was always a 20.5* so going to 20 still fits that just fine. I would say the RBZ is about 5-10 yards longer from the deck so far and almost 15-20 off the tee.

By long 4 and high 3 I am assuming you mean ball height? I find the RBZ to be a little lower launching than my 2 other 20* but in terms of peak height I think it gets a little higher.

I'll drop it down to 17* and 18.5* to do some tests for you.
 
Played a round yesterday and got in a few on course shots with the 4h 22* RBZ Stage 2. Distance looks to be on average 7 yrds longer than my Burner 22* 4h this measured via skycaddie GPS.

The RBZ Stage 2 delivered a high ball flight for me. Note I swing my hybrids exactly as I do my fwy woods and have the ball positioned just inside my forward heel.

As for stopping ability on to a green I'll say excellent. I have a photo I'll post from my camera this evening in a separate post to illustrate. More to come!
 
Well, against my better judgement, I went out yesterday morning in 32 degree temps with 20mph winds and played Pilgrims Oak again! First off, I can tell you this club is great off the tee for me! I played 2 balls off quite a few holes ( one driver, one 3 hybrid ) and at times I hit this club off the tee within a few yards of my driver. Of course it was very windy, so the driver was tough to hit, but this 3 hybrid is point and shoot off the tee! Still a bit low, but straight, with my miss a bit to the left, but it seems to stay in the fairway and roll. Off the deck I hit it better, on hot summer days with dry fairways, I can see this working out well. On the 15th hole, a 380 par 4 with a slightly raised green, I popped up my drive and had about a 180 into a strong wind. I caught the hybrid flush, and hit a low penetrating bullet that hit right in the little swale just before the green.I had about 5 yards to the flag and had some grass under the ball - so I hit a Phil like flop shot that hit once and rolled right into the cup!
 
I'm finding that if I just flat out go after the ball with the 3h, I have better results. Smooth swings seem to not strike the ball well, so this may have something to do with the stock stiff shaft being too stiff as others have said. Shortening my backswing and going gorrilla on the ball seems to yield my best ball flight as far as height and dispersion, playing the ball a little forward in my stance.
 
On my 2nd hole yesterday at the RTJ Magnolia Grove - The Falls Course in Mobile, AL, I used the 4h 22* RBZ Stage 2 with great results. The pin on this par 3 lasered at 178 yrds and the hole was playing into a wind that was blowing about 10 mph. Temps were in the low 40's as this round started so i thought i'd see what the RBZ stage 2 would do for me. Honestly I was just hoping to be on the green. Took a nice normal swing that was headed straight on line with the pin. Saw it land and figured it had to be close. The below pic shows what I had left for birdie (my only one of the day). The pitch mark was 8ft in front of the hole. If you zoom in on the photo you can see it just above the shadow of the flag.

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cpljohnst said:
On my 2nd hole yesterday at the RTJ Magnolia Grove - The Falls Course in Mobile, AL, I used the 4h 22* RBZ Stage 2 with great results. The pin on this par 3 lasered at 178 yrds and the hole was playing into a wind that was blowing about 10 mph. Temps were in the low 40's as this round started so i thought i'd see what the RBZ stage 2 would do for me. Honestly I was just hoping to be on the green. Took a nice normal swing that was headed straight on line with the pin. Saw it land and figured it had to be close. The below pic shows what I had left for birdie (my only one of the day). The pitch mark was 8ft in front of the hole. If you zoom in on the photo you can see it just above the shadow of the flag.

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That's one hell of a shot right there bro!
 
Sorry for the delay in getting this review up. I was able to get in 18 late last week and this was the first time I was able to get the RBZ Stage 2 4 hybrid out. Conditions were not ideal but still great to get out. The good thing about the temps being in the 30's was that the course was empty so I was able to hit the 4 hybrid multiple time to compare it to my other RBZ hybrids. Not being a terribly long hitter with the driver I am often leaving myself with a hybrid into the green on most normal length par 4's, so having a go to hybrid is important for me as hitting my long irons does not usually go well.

LOOKS
Having gamed last years RBZ hybrids I am used to the overall looks of the club. As I thought the new graphics on the head did not distract at all and I never really gave them a look on any shot. The new color scheme is impressive and I actually like it better than last years model. I also had no problem with the lower profile of the club. I was a big fan of the larger head on last years RBZ hybrids but quickly adjusted to the new model.

FEEL
The overall length of the club is more like my RBZ 3 hybrid but there was no adjustment was needed for me. I did not have any problem with the sound as others have stated, maybe I am used to it based upon last years model but it was not noticeable to me. When hitting the club it was easy for me to tell mishits from pure shot just based upon the feel off the face. The club provides good feedback and I could tell when I had not hit the club in the sweet spot even without looking at the ball.

DISTANCE
This for me was what is all comes down to with the club. Last year my typical yardage with the RBZ 4 hybrid was 160 to 170 (not a particularly long hitter). I my initial round I was seeing distances from 170 to 180's as typical. Basically since I was alone on the course I was hitting this hybrid for almost every second shot on a par 4, even some shot that were not right for this club but I wanted to hit it as much as possible to test it out. What I was finding was very positive. When it on the sweet spot the ball would get up quickly and take off with a high trajectory. In comparison to last years RBZ 4 it was higher in the air at its top point. As I said there was a definite distance gain despite the higher trajectory. Mishits on the toe or heel did produce a loss of distance as you would expect but I think I may be used to the added length of the club and was able to adjust my setup accordingly. The one area I had some issue with the club was on the tee of a par 3. I don't know if it is because of teeing the ball up or what but those shots produces some of the worst pushes of the day. I know a lot of that has to do with the Indian but it was something I want to look at further as I continue to work with the club. Funny shot of the day. Hole 12 had 150 into the green, no reason to hit the 4 hybrid but I was testing so what the heck! Took a 3/4 swing and the ball took off and it looked real pretty in the air and kept going and going. Kept watching the green looking for it to come down and all I hear is the sound of the ball hitting branches and I look to see the ball falling from the top of the tree 10 yards over the green to the ground. I seriously babied the shot and it still went 170 and would have gone further without the trees to hit. Glad I was alone, but it was still eye opening to see the distance the club has in it when hit purely.

OVERALL
After saying all that the one word that came out of the day hitting the Stage 2 hybrid was "WOW". I almost found my uttering that exact phrase after every shot. Even the mishits did not put in trouble compared to other clubs I have hit in the past. Getting used to the added length may be a problem for some and can produce some ugly results when not adjusted for the length but they have been lessened with the experience of using last year RBZ line. The hybrid overall is very easy to hit solidly and the ball does jump off the face of the club. The flight of the ball is higher trajectory than last years 4 hybrid for me but there was still a gain in distance overall so it was a win-win for me on this first test.
 
RBZ Stage 2 testing
3/5/2013
Range session

THe RBZ stage 2 is a larger profile hybrid than I am used to. I get the feeling it is closer to a wood than a iron. I ahve the base model and I'm sure the tour series is more compact. The larger size head has a ton of forgiveness, so much so that I am sure it save a few of the swing I put on the ball during my last session. The miss I am seeing is a mid flight push fade. But thin shots off the bottom three grooves has given me low line drive bullets. Toe hits start right of my line and make a lazy turn back toward the target. For the most part all of my misses have a mid trajectory ball flight.

Center cut flush shots, all did their best impression of a para-glider floating over Torre Pines during the FB Classic. The ball just seems to hang for a instant longer than I am used to. As with so many of today's modern clubs, the ball is off and on its way well before you have completed your swing. I recall looking down my club as it rested across my back down the target line at this yellow bullets pushing through the light humidy of Florida morning. I know the performance is even better with a non-range ball, which is always in the back of my head.

I will say that I'm not floored by the distance, I'm happy but not floored. I guess I was expecting a little more but I have been playing a farily long hybris for the past two years. This is not to say that the club doesn't have distance in ti's DNA, it does, it's more my personal observation. I may have built up my expectation and the club is a world beater. Either way I am seeing distance, just not jaw dropping distance. But I will say that the accuracy combined with the distance I am seeing could be deadly in the right hands. If I ma seeing 2 yards of side movement on flush shots, I'd be lucky. Fades and draws have very little movement os there is no wasted energy being place on the golf ball. This to me tells me That with the combination I am swinging, 65 rocketfuel (stiff) and 18* head, is being maxed out.

The club is solid and definety on the GI side of the coin as far as hybrids are concerned. It is fun to swing and even better to watch the results. Even the misses has some merit, TM designed a very good club in the Stage 2 Hybrid.
 
Got in a quick 18 this afternoon. Was trying to beat darkness so did not get to hit any on the range. Only had one on course shot with the 4h RBZ Stage 2 today, second shot on a long par 4. I had 178 to a downhill green, strong downwind. Knew a full shot would be too much, so choked down to the bottom of the grip and tried to swing easy. Pushed the shot right since I was trying to hold off on it, and landed in a greenside bunker to the right. Ball probably flew 180. Pleased with the shot shape, just need to practice trying to hit an easier choked down shot with the Stage 2 on the range.
 
So I hit the range today and hit at least ten balls with this. I am in the middle of a complete swing overhaul so I had plenty of mishits- all due to me. My swing plane was way too steep so I am working on a better turn and sort of "flattening" my swing out a bit. I tell you this because the problem I was facing is hitting shots really thin.

That being said, once I got more dialed in I was really hammering the ball. Hard to tell distances because I was hitting into the sun, but I am confident I was near my regular distance. I was very happy with the mid-high ball flight I was getting. I was hitting off a little baby tee until I fixed my ball striking, and I was cranking this off the deck. Hard to tell exactly how this club will interact with greens, but it is very easy to get up in the air and I am looking forward to actually playing with it soon.

I should add, I really like the sound of the club. It sounds more like a 3W than a 3h to me, but the audio feedback is immediate on a shot. I like that a lot. Also as been said before, the crown graphics are not distracting in the least and I think the club looks great
 
Going to work on my swing tonight and try to hit the range tomorrow. I think I know why I was having a bit of trouble with this club and it is starting to feel better when I swing it. Can't wait to see the results.
 
Snuck out to the driving range tonight - matts again though, which I hate. That said, I worked almost exclusively with the 3 hybrid off the deck. It was chilly, and breezy, so distances were tough to say. However, I would say I am getting better with this club off the deck. Like someone said in a post above, it does seem, at least to me as well, that this thing responds better when I really go after it. My miss is still a pull hook if I overcook it - but that is typical off all hybrids in my experience. Hard to say now, but I would say the carry distance between this and my 4 hybrid ( 190 - 195ish ) are really close. So my plan, at this point, is to use this off the tee, and maybe long 2nd shots with space for the ball to roll out, as I think that is what this club brings to the table for me. If I need a higher shot of similiar distance to hit a green, I'd probably go with my soon in the bag cobra 3-4 hybrid, as it launches higher and lands more softly. Still, this all remains to be proven in good weather with good course conditions!
 
hokiegolfer said:
So I hit the range today and hit at least ten balls with this. I am in the middle of a complete swing overhaul so I had plenty of mishits- all due to me. My swing plane was way too steep so I am working on a better turn and sort of "flattening" my swing out a bit. I tell you this because the problem I was facing is hitting shots really thin.

That being said, once I got more dialed in I was really hammering the ball. Hard to tell distances because I was hitting into the sun, but I am confident I was near my regular distance. I was very happy with the mid-high ball flight I was getting. I was hitting off a little baby tee until I fixed my ball striking, and I was cranking this off the deck. Hard to tell exactly how this club will interact with greens, but it is very easy to get up in the air and I am looking forward to actually playing with it soon.

I should add, I really like the sound of the club. It sounds more like a 3W than a 3h to me, but the audio feedback is immediate on a shot. I like that a lot. Also as been said before, the crown graphics are not distracting in the least and I think the club looks great
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Hit a few here as well. Had the same issue with distance (i.e. not being able to tell due to hitting into the sun), but one thing is for sure - this thing is more forgiving than my HiBore on slight heel/toe hits. The HiBore wants to start developing a draw or fade in these cases, but with the RBZ I pick up only a slight pull or push with no significant sidespin. Way out on the heel/toe will still produce sadness, but the slight mishits are much more controllable. From what I could tell of distance I was carrying it at least 10yds further on average than the HiBore, which stands up to my launch monitor tests. Over 200yds in carry on every good shot for sure, but not sure how much over - based on the launch monitor, should be around 210 - 220.

I had noted in here before that I noticed a much higher ball flight off the mats at the same loft setting (19*) - this was perhaps a little premature. Off real grass today, I only noticed a slightly higher flight. I was a little worried that the ball flight could turn into a "ballooning" trajectory on higher face hits after the mat sessions, but I don't think this will be a problem. I still really like the feel off the the clubface - really energetic, and when you pure it, you KNOW it. The ball just comes off there like a rocket! (see what I did there!?!?! :laughing:)
 
So I focused a lot on my swing with the longer club in a mirror and figured out why I was having the issues I was having in terms of hitting the ball fat quite a bit. I like to press my irons and I was doing it with this club without noticing.

I decided to stay indoors today in order to get better reads on the club and hit better quality balls. Today I hit the ProV1x.

Distance wise this thing is still longer than my past hybrid but the kicker was when I noticed my swing speed was at 95 today (with a 3 hybrid!). Swinging that fast is one thing but when you swing that fast and hit the ball square that thing is just gone. Had a few shots over 220 yards of carry and I still have it set to 20* of loft.

Feel wise I am starting to like the club more. It is very forgiving since most of my shots have been a little closer to the heel than I would like and are right on target still. When you hit this club hard the ball seems to be gone right away and gets up in the air a lot better than my covert seems to. Both clubs have lower launching shafts.

Out of taller grass this club has been colored green on the top (it does clean off just by wiping it) which has been a weird experience to me.

I am going to start working on addressing a little closer to the toe to fix these impact markers. Here is a picture of the impact tape:
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Range Session Update:

Well I managed to hit the range late last night and I spent a good chunk of time with the RBZ Stage 2 3H TP. It was lightly raining with no wind to speak of, and I had the entire range to myself which is always nice.

After my typical warm-up I hit a few with my driver to see where my swing was at. I quickly realized I had brought my A-swing and it was going to be a fun night.
I grabbed the RBZ and took a few swipes just to ingrain what I had learned at my last range session; where to line the ball up and how far away to stand.
In order to find the center of the face I need to line up the ball about 3/4" past the alignment mark on the crown which is quite annoying, but I never argue with results. After about 5 or 6 swings I could tell that the club and I are starting to see eye to eye: good contact was made on each swing and the results were on the better side of average. I was still struggling with a launch that is lower than I would like to see but despite this the ball was moving out to a good yardage. I was seeing a dispersion of about 25 yards at the stock settings, which is more than I am comfortable with.

I then proceeded to adjust the loft up to the maximum 20* and this is when the fireworks started. The club absolutely came alive in my hands and it was like a whole new stick! Beautiful mid launch and flight and the icing on the cake was that the ball was holding its line much more consistently. Off the tee I was seeing carry distances of 230+ and I know there was some roll-out beyond that just by watching the angle the ball descended at. Off the turf I was carrying a little shorter but the results were still there. The ground was quite soggy which made hitting off the turf a challenge but the club still generates great ball speed and distance on slightly thinned or fatted shots. The clubhead was picking up mud like a landscapers shovel and I was getting tired of cleaning it so I moved to the optional mats at this point.
I got a little more bold with the club and stopped choking up on it and adjusted my stance accordingly. I found I was making the same quality of contact on the ball and was seeing even more distance with the same beautiful mid flight.

I have a driver SS of 108 and an 8-iron SS of 80, not a light swinger by any means (I don't think). I attempted to hit a couple 3/4 effort swings but the club wouldn't have any of it even with the higher loft. This shaft demands to be swung with intent. I did manage to hone a nice punch shot with it by hooding the club, choking way up and giving it a full swing. The face is hot enough that it shoots a low bullet which I plan to use to save my bacon when stuck in some trees. So far I find the club is quite resistant to any other kind of "touch" shots for me, granted my skill level plays a role in this.

Fellow testers with the adjustable model, crank that loft up! You will be happy you did for sure. As much as I hate to say it, the higher loft has put the "-ier" in Rocketballz-ier for me.
 
Great thoughts Army! I brought mine up to 19* and have a pretty good ball flight, I might fool around with 19.5* but I think 20* will be a little too high for me. Supposed to rain the next few days but I will hit the range soon and hopefully get out on the course next week
 
Concept- looks like you are getting some high heel strikes, try moving back a smidge.

Army- are you on a launch monitor getting those distances? 230 with a 20* is impressive.

good job on the updates, keep them coming. Anyone going to try some touch shots with the club around the green? I will get a few in tomorrow prior to my round. Looking forward to others feedback on touch shots.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Concept- looks like you are getting some high heel strikes, try moving back a smidge.

Army- are you on a launch monitor getting those distances? 230 with a 20* is impressive.

good job on the updates, keep them coming. Anyone going to try some touch shots with the club around the green? I will get a few in tomorrow prior to my round. Looking forward to others feedback on touch shots.
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Freddie - regarding touch shots around the green - I love doing them with a hybrid, but I usually use my 4, and I was sent a 3. Still, I might try it tomorrow. I'll post my thoughts when I do.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Army- are you on a launch monitor getting those distances? 230 with a 20* is impressive.
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No sir. This is shooting into a flooded driving range, but it's pretty easy to see where the "splash" is. I will be the first to admit that its not launch monitor accurate. This club carries basically the exact same as my current 5 wood off the tee so far but I'm looking forward to some on course testing tomorrow to really see where it stacks up.
 
Tadashi70 said:
Concept- looks like you are getting some high heel strikes, try moving back a smidge.

Army- are you on a launch monitor getting those distances? 230 with a 20* is impressive.

good job on the updates, keep them coming. Anyone going to try some touch shots with the club around the green? I will get a few in tomorrow prior to my round. Looking forward to others feedback on touch shots.
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Yeah that is what I was working on. I've done a few 20-50 yard punch shots...they stay very very low but surprisingly I haven't had an issue with them going too far.
 
Got in a round today and was able to hit the 4H RBZ Stage 2 quite a bit. I was struggling with hitting straight shots today with all my clubs, and was getting heavy draws and a few hooks. However the Stage 2 still performed decently for me. This was the first time using the Stage 2 on my home course so I was able to get a much better feel about distance.

My 2nd hole of the day and first shot with the Stage 2 was a par 3 uphill, downwind tee shot with a back pin. The shot lasered at 178yrds. This would in the past be perfect for my previous gamer, a 4H Burner. The stage 2 carried the green and a back bunker, 188 yrds in total. Whoa, got to figure out how to baby this club when needed.

I had success in producing a fade with the Stage 2 on the one shot where I needed it. This particular shot was from dormant bermuda rough but was sitting up nicely. I went under the ball a little, catching it high on the face of the Stage 2 so didn't get the yardage I needed but was very happy to see that I could shape a shot with it.

I hit two shots into one green with the Stage 2. This was an uphill shot to a back pin of 180 yrds. With the first shot I took dead aim and got too much draw but found the green. The ball stopped within 5 ft of the ball mark. Tried the same shot again and produced an almost duplicate result with the ball marks being 2ft apart. Definitely the indian today and not the arrow but was pleased with the stopping ability from the high ball flight that I continue to get with the Stage 2.

I was too stubborn to just play the draw today and had a horrible hole on a late par 3. I took dead aim at the pin with the Stage 2 and produced a big draw that landed just OB. Teed up another ball and again took dead aim and had another big draw OB. These two OB shots could have easily been avoided if I had just aimed to the right side of the green as this heavy draw had been my typical swing result all day.

Getting out for another 18 tomorrow and looking forward to more time with the Stage 2.
 
Control and placement was the name of the game today with the stage 2. Knowing that the distance is already built it, I wanted to play a few shots to see how it performed.

Off the tee the stage 2 delivers a mid/high ball that responds well to the shot at hand. If I needed a fade, it was very easy to hold it off. If I needed a little right to left (that really all I have) it responds well. I do find, for me, the right to left is a bit more of a mid flight ball and the fade gets more air under it.

Off the deck, the fade was readily available. It was actually very easy easy to control the trajectory and amount of fade needed out of the fairway. I had more difficulty playing a draw from the deck. When ever I tried, I saw a straight ball, which isn't bad. But I must say, I don't move it right to left with a lot of movement so a straight ball isn't much of a surprise.

Recovery shots are actually fairly easy with the Stage 2. On two occasions, I had to play shots with less than favorable lies and weird stances. My main thought was to stay down and through since the ball was below my feet. I was surprised at how easy the ball came out of the lie. My playing partner remarked that my swing looked effortless as it related to the distance and control we saw. I didn't have to dig it out or swing out of my shoes. The sole had great interaction with the surrounding area. In my opinion this is what we need hybrids to do.

Im getting comfortable with the stage2 and what it has to offer. I think the club would be a good add to,anyone's bag. It seems to have all the shots and the Stage2-ier distance, TaylorMade advertises. The only draw back to the version I have is the size of the head. It's a little larger than I am used to, but that is strickly a personal thing for me.
 
On Course Update:
Played my first round of golf with the RBZ Stage 2 3H Tour 18.5* TP today and it really was an excellent addition to the bag. Prior to this testing I only had 13 clubs in the bag anyway so this one fits right in without having to evict something else.
All shots today were in the 20* setting and I was swinging OK, making good contact with every swing but was drawing everything left with my irons.

1st hole - Used the 3H off the tee to layup in front of a water hazard. Hit it thin and off the heel which normally would be disastrous if this was my 5 wood. Ball started left and cut hard to the right but still stayed in play and distance loss was minimal. I wanted it to go about 225 but it went 195 instead.

4th hole - Teed off with the Stage 2 again as a lay up to a water hazard about 245 away. Got it with a good swing on the center of the club face and a nice mid flight screamer went out about 225 yards...left me in perfect position.

5th hole - After a crushed tee ball on this par 5 I was left with 185 to the pin from a good lie in the fairway...decided to try play a 3/4 cut with the Stage 2 and ease it in there. I made good contact and hit the shot I was looking for but ended up a bit short of the green into a water hazard that I didn't know was there. Bah!

12th hole - A so-so drive left me 215 out on a par 5 with a lousy lie in the rough. Pulled the Stage 2 and put a pretty good swing on it but hit it off the heel. The ball was moving to the right in a mad hurry with a higher than normal ball flight and hit a tree that was to the right of the green.

15th hole - Great drive left me 175 uphill to an elevated green with a good lie in the rough. Despite my better judgement I thought I would try to hit a 3/4 shot again with the Stage 2. Center face contact gave me a low flight and put the ball just shy of the green.

Takeaway:
I really enjoyed hitting the Stage 2 today and my experiences today helped to highlight some of it's highlights and low points.
On the plus side this club moves the ball out in a hurry even with sub-par contact. Whether hit fat or thin, heel or toe the ball gets "out there", accuracy not withstanding. It also has no problem cutting through the rough and popping the ball out of it; my highest flight of the day was from my worst lie. This club really gives me some more options off the tee for those pesky layup holes, as it is so much easier to swing than my 5 wood and produces the same distances.

On the downside the lack of heel-toe forgiveness was again prevalent; any contact not made at or near the center of the face is not going to go straight. Also the shafts unwillingness to be swung lightly takes away from the versatility of the club. I find a 3/4 swing takes almost 33 percent of the distance away, a much higher percentage than my other clubs. Next time in the same situation I will try to choke up significantly and use a full swing to see what that does.
 
Had 3 on course shots with the 4H RBZ Stage 2 yesterday. All three were well struck, high flighted balls with a baby draw from the fairway. Was nice to see that the exaggerated heavy draws from Friday were gone, confirming that they were swing related, not club related.

Still learning distance control with the club when hitting into a green. The one shot yesterday into a green was dead on line but sailed directly over the pin by ten yards. Fortunately a close mowed hill just beyond the green let the ball roll back down to the putting surface. Time to learn distance differences with choked down grip.
 
Are any other testers finding that lining the ball up with the alignment aid on the crown leads to a heel strike? Its probably just me but Im curious.
 
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