What's In My Bag?

It's taken me six years, but as of yesterday at 2:30 pm I finally have what I consider a complete set of golf equipment. It's a major milestone for me. It also presents me with a problem since my favorite thing to surf for on the web is golf equipment, and now I have no reason to do that. Here's how this dramatic story unfolded:

It started with a college graduation present to myself in 2001: a brand new set of Hogan Apex Plus forged irons, 3-PW. I tested dozens of clubs before deciding on this set because I knew I'd have to live with the choice for a decade or so. They have great feel and feedback, but are slightly more forgiving than traditional blades. I found a set of new irons (with a sand wedge and putter) on Ebay for about $100 less than what a set would run in stores. They've turned out to be great clubs. The only thing I'd change about my next set is to go with a slightly smaller, lighter club head. Ebay: $550. Rating: 9/10.

The next thing I added to my current set of golf equipment was this Ping i3 3-wood. I got this thing used at Uinta Golf in Salt Lake City after I left my old 3-wood on the 18th fairway of Hobble Creek Golf course in Springville, UT. Turned out to be a blessing. Despite its now outdated design, it turned out to be my favorite club in the bag. I can hit it cleanly from almost any lie and the "tink" sound it makes when hit makes me grin. Uinta Golf: $80. Rating: 9/10.

The rest of these additions are pretty recent. I got a lot more serious about golf about a year and a half ago and that means buying more equipment. I'm sure Ashley loves that part. This pretty little driver was actually a gift from her last Christmas. Technically my Christmas gift was "permision to buy a driver" which was even better than actually getting a driver since there is no way Ashley or anyone else can pick a club for you (wives remember that). This club is so fun to hit. Golfsmith: $299. Rating 10/10.

Hitting the ball farther with my driver meant shorter shots to the pin. That meant I also needed a good gap wedge right? This 53 degree Cleveland 588 DIADIC was a pretty boring purchase, but very needed. I'm still figuring out how to hit this one, but I trust it will be around for quite a while. Golfsmith: $69. Rating 8/10.

I mentioned earlier that my purchase of the Hogan irons came with a sand wedge and a putter. I was never in love with either, but they were nice clubs so I had a hard time justifying replacements for them. Then after losing a playoff for 3rd place in the Golf Land Tournament of champions I new I needed a putter that suited me better. The blade I had wasn't forgiving enough on off-center hits. I wasn't good enough for it. With the $750 I won for fourth place, I went to Golfsmith and tried dozens of putters. I finally settled on the Odyssey WhiteHot #9 mallet putter. It was love at first putt. And we're still a great match after months playing together. It's a pretty light putter, which I like because it feels like I have more touch. The only downside is that you really have to whack the long putts with it. Get me close though, and I can't miss with it (not true, but it feels like it). Ebay: $88. Rating 10/10.

So, with that, I felt my club purchasing was through for a while. This year alone (counting last Christmas) I had spent over $500 on golf clubs. Ouch! Then I got my gift from my mother-in-law Linda. Sweet cash! And lots of it. No one can ever call Linda a bad gifter. She is unrivaled. After a few searches on Ebay it was clear that my Christmas cash would not be earmarked for Charlie's mission fund like Ashley is likely to do with her half of the Christmas booty. Mine went to three clubs. The first was a Titleist 585.H 19 degree hybrid. I fell in love with it months ago at a driving range demo session but told my heart that some things aren't meant to be. Just got this in the mail Friday after purchasing it on Ebay. If you're thinking I spend a lot on golf clubs, you're right. However, I am quite proud of the fact that I have saved hundreds (literally) by buying most of my clubs on Ebay. I took this hybrid to the range yesterday and hit it about 20 times. It's even better than I remember. It will take the place of my 3-iron, which hasn't treated me very well the last few years. That makes me kinda sad, because I grew up loving my 3 iron. Someday I hope to rekindle the flame. But for now it's dead to me. Ebay: $91. Rating 8/10 (I will give it a higher rating as soon as it helps me out of a jam)

Last, but not least, the area of my game that needs the most work. The short game. I needed a new sand wedge and didn't own a lob wedge. Last year I bought The Short Game Bible by Dave Pelz. It's a freakin text book, and I loved reading every page of it. Unfortunately it also showed me that I didn't have the right wedges for the game. Seriously. Wedges (like everything else in golf) aren't cheap, so I considered buying a few used clubs. But I quickly realized that I couldn't buy used wedges since the grooves (which wear out quickly if not cared for) are a very important part of a wedge. I didn't want grooves that had been loved up by somebody else. Luckily I found an untouched pair of Callaway X-Tour satin chrome wedges ( a 56 degree and a 60 degree with Mack Daddy grooves) on Ebay. And since I never loose a bid on Ebay, they were added to my collection as the final two missing pieces. They arrived yesterday at 2:30 pm. I have yet to hit the 56 degree, but I'm confident these will be a great asset to my game. Ebay: $132. Rating ?/10 (I'm sure they will fit in with the rest of the family just fine).

Oh, I almost forgot to mention two other key items: My bag and my shoes. What good is a set of clubs if you have nothing to carry them in? Lucky for me, my dad knows how important a golfer's bag is to his golf game (and back). He got me a black Sun Mountain bag Superlight 3.5 (I think). It's perfect. Well, almost perfect. I probably would have got something a little flashier (black is a bit boring), but I had to let function win over form on this one. My back will thank me in the long run. Price: $0 (gift). Rating: 8/10.


With shoes, on the other hand, form will always be more important than function for me. I'm kinda girly that way. I can't stand Footjoy golf shoes, even though they're supposed to be great. They are just too ugly. In fact, I brought a pair home about a year ago and couldn't bring myself to wear them. So I went back to Golfsmith and got this pair of Callaways. Beautiful, aren't they? However, I think the heal is a little short, so I keep my orthopedic inserts in them to give me a little extra lift. Oddly, that's the only place I use the inserts (which cost me a couple hundred bucks). So technically, my footwear is my second most expensive part of my gear. Don't tell Ashley. Golfsmith: $80. Rating: 8/10.

That's it. Everything I need for years to come. So what's on the horizon? Hopefully nothing for quite a while (I don't make enough to support this spending spree). But when I do cave next, it will be for a new set of irons. I've got an itch for some Mizuno MP32s or Mizuno MP67s, but I can't really justify them. I don't strike the ball well enough, and the clubs are very expensive. I've kinda told myself that when I break even par on a difficult course I can get them. Maybe I'll have to set my sights a little higher and say when my index goes to zero I can get them.