 Far to much about crappy OEM stuff in here, component users should fight back
I have Geek, SMT and Reid Lockhart, plus Rife are still component. Unfortunately I do have a shitty TM hybrid, but sadly I like it, having a steel shaft sort of helps it a bit.
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 Unfortunately the number of component clubs in my bag has dwindled over the last year. At one stage only my irons were not SMT but sadly today the only component item left is my SMT Avocet rescue. (I've still got a Babylon head and three Durometer wedge heads lying about somewhere in various states of wear and tear though). Component gear is great for picking up cheap off places like ebay and if youre a bit of a DIY'er and like to fiddle about trying different shafts, swingweights etc and allways seem to have a multitude of clubs in pieces around the garage then somehow the thought of doing this to a "cheap" component club diesnt seem quite so intimidating!!! However, as I and many others have found, the resale value is negligible thanks largely to the lack of awareness (and hence demand) of these products in the UK. I'm not dissing components by any means.... its just that I've found there are downsides as well as advantages in the component world. Still...cant see anything replacing my Avocet for many moons to come!!!
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REPENT!
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 I'd love to try some of the stuff, but only being new'ish to golf it's hard to justify buying withouth trying, maybe if you can make it along to one of the Leeds days out you can bring a bit of gear along and try to convert us to worshipping at the altar of Components rather than the false gods of OEM? 
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| Edited: 07/05/08 12:21 |
 KefKef, I've some component gear you can play with. I'll bring my home built hybrid next time we're up the range. Talking of which, it's a lovely day
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Hmmm, it is isn't it, though i'm in huddersfield until about 2:30'ish, so would have to be after that? They have some of the new taylormade burner drivers up there now also, which i wouldn't mind trying to see what Creo is raving about  Could pick you up on the way back through, as i have a couple of clubs in the boot and my shoes.
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| Edited: 07/05/08 12:29 |
Mmm, might be a bit late. Think we could be up there for 3?
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 I have two "component" wedges in my bag. Snake Eyes, with Grafalloy Prolaunch graphite shafts. They are good. Have to say, for me, this has been the exception. I've had a number of component clubs in the past and been unimpressed by them. The wedges were a cheaper compromise test of the shafts, but as they work ok I use them.
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 Got a nakashima component head as a hybrid and built it myself with an ozik altus second hand shaft - great little club. Head was only £40 from McLeoanrd golf. Irons were also in componennt form. Miura Giken Heads from Japan and got them built here. Driver also componennt (but with an OEM tour issue head). Only clubs in my bag not component are putter (napa) and two gauge design wedges !! These clubs would have cot me twice as much if I had just bough them outright.
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Got a nakashima component head as a hybrid and built it myself with an ozik altus second hand shaft - great little club. Head was only £40 from McLeoanrd golf. Irons were also in componennt form. Miura Giken Heads from Japan and got them built here. Driver also componennt (but with an OEM tour issue head). Only clubs in my bag not component are putter (napa) and two gauge design wedges !! These clubs would have cot me twice as much if I had just bough them outright.
AHHHHH!!!!
If Nakashima counts as a component manufacturer then I've got two component clubs in my bag NOT one!!!!! My Nak NX-1 52* gap wedge has simply been a revelation since I put it in the bag a couple of weeks ago. Of course the first thing I did with it after the ebay fairy delivered it was pull the X100 shaft and put in a 5.5 flex Rifle Spinner. I think I could stretch matters and say that all my clubs have been, at one time or another, in component form (i.e. in pieces) in my garage as part of some hair-brained project.
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Like Creo I have only two "component" clubs in my bag-my beloved Geek DCT Driver with a superb Grafalloy Prologic 75 gramme regular shaft and a SMT Durometer 53degree wedge with a steel shaft. Two years ago I went to a very well-known, highly regarded clubmaker who took various measurements, swing speed etc and made me a most impressive-looking set of irons with graphite shafts. Not only were they expensive but they didn't perform and almost every club felt different and the ball went in various directions with each club. I chose replacement irons very carefully by trying out at least a dozen sets of,supposedly, top irons with graphite shafts. Ultimately I plumped for my present Srixon XX10s which all checked out EXACTLY for loft and lie, the ball felt superb off the face and they have proved to be as good a set of irons as I have ever used. My 3 Callaway Steelhead 111 woods are quality itself and FAR superior to any other fairway woods I have even HEARD about. So, I cannot even visualise a time I when I would dream of playing wth custom-made clubs!
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| Edited: 07/05/08 19:32 |
doesn't sound like they were swingweighted Boan
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 ok , i know they get paid millions a year, but all the sponsored top guys play with x, y or z with 1/4 degreee bent wedges etc etc which makes sod all difference (to a chopper like me) however......... how many Top 100 pro's (pick your tour) play with homemade homebulit kit? Surely if they are playing for the title/trophy only, doesn't make a jot of difference to their kit........
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Wormburner My Srixons(being of JAPANESE manufacture) are the most technically correct irons I have ever owned. From the start ALL were swingwighted D2 whch is what I have always had, the lofts and lies were spot on to how I set up and for my normal swing plane, and the grips are exactly the correct thickness for my hands. Anything else that you feel might be missing?
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As in missing the point?  I was referring to the graphite irons you said didn't feel right, not the Srixons, I wouldn't dare to criticise the 'best' irons in the world ever would I? ps not one of my irons has the same swingweight, the 4 starts at C9 and the nine is D2, with the wedges being much higher, I couldn't use a set with matching swingeights
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 oh - oh... Component clubs... who me?  SMT Driver with Accuflex Icon shaft Sonartec 3 wood and hybrid with TT Tri-Golds in Cleveland Irons with TT black Golds in. the only clubs in my bag that haven't been component-ised are my 2 wedges (52* and 58*) and my putter. Still there's always time to sort that out...
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| Edited: 07/05/08 23:13 |
Wormburner I have ALWAYS (54 years) used matched iron SETS with D2 swingweights. I dont understand how on earth one can build a solid, repeating swing with clubs of different swingweights. Why make a difficult game even more difficult. There is absolutely nothing remotely clever in your choice of clubs IMO!
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Er, Tom Wishon is clever, I am not, we agree on that He MOI matches his sets, you can do a poor mans MOI match using .4" to 1/2 swingweight point, its come from 30 years in the business inc fitting players such as Payne Stewart, they all had MOI matched sets, this means varying swingweights as the clubs vary in length. TLT lengths change by .4" so you can do what he does on the cheap. Its not clever using clubs poorly suited to your game, so in that regard, my choice is very clever, because I am building a set based around hitting 500 balls with one club. D0 is perfect, D3 felt like swinging a lead hammer, simply awful, D2 and D1 no better. I am basing the swingweights on this club and weighting accordingly, using Wishon's MOI mathcing specs. Thats a C9 4 iron and D1.5 9 iron. And 30 years I have never hit the ball better than I have with this 7 iron, although the lie is about 1 degree to flat at the moment (flatter lies increase swignweight)
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Wormburner As far as I am concerned you can keep Mr Wishon AND all other so-called "leading clubmakers" who as far as I am concerned try to build unfathomable mystique into clubs and clubmaking. I only wish that in my twenties and early thirties I had had a set like mine -top quality big-name clubs carefully chosen with the very minimum of twinges. Good enough to have returned three scores in medal competitions off the medal tees of 71 (SSS=69) beating my age=72. Most of my clubs were bought either from individuals or companies on eBay thus reducing the cost to me from an RRP of £1900 to £975 including putter and tour bag! Finally, good luck with your 7 iron. I dont have a favourite-they ALL feel and perform excellently!
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I now have Bang hybrid with Proforce V2 hybrid shaft. Never done it before, but built it myself aided by the good advice on this forum. Components came from MacLeonard golf - £75 all in and much better than my TM Rescue Mid. Components really are worth a try.
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