Conference 7.286::golf

    
    Hello,
    
    I have hit the Taylor Made Driver w/the "Bubble" shaft. It really did
    feel solid even with the mishits. Unfortunately, I was only able to hit
    into a net however, the feel and the balance of the club was measured
    and overall I was somewhat impressed. The lack of shaft vibration was
    impressive which gave the club a very  solid feel. The soleplate is
    well designed with the "Fairway Wood" concept in mind. I found out that 
    Jose-Maria-Olazabal(sp?) used a PGA approved Proto-type of the
    Taylor-Made Bubble at last years Masters tournament, which he
    eventually won. Many say that this club will shine in 1995 and sales
    will surpass those of the Callaway BB. Personally, I think I'll stick
    with my BB 2-wood this year and wait for more feed-back from the field.
    
    IMO - I would not part with your Mid-size woods just yet. Do you have
    the Graphite or Steel shaft on your woods?? Great feel w/the Flex-Twist
    shafts!
    
    
    
    	ED
    
    

    	A friend of mine played the Taylor Bubble and
    returned it after one round and went back to his Callaway BB.
    

My cousin bought the TM Bubble, and tried it in Marlboro last Saturday.  He
crushes the ball anyway, and did just that with his practice bucket.  As a
result, I have purchased his BB war bird for a song........Tried it last fall
and decided to get one.  I will be placing my BB look-alike driver with stiff
graphite shaft for sale in here later.

Any early takers?

RTG

    re: .2
    
    Not a fair test of any club....one round??
    
    It takes most palyers AT LEAST three to five rounds
    with any new club to adjust, once you've adjusted then
    you learn what you can and can't do with it...
    
    Everytime I've seen players with new clubs, it's usually
    been at least 8-15 rounds BEFORE they are scoring the same
    as with their old clubs...

    Well, I got it!

    After  the  league outing on Friday at New England C.C., I stopped at
    the new Golf Day store in Marlboro on my way home.
    
    They had a demo left-handed  Burner  Bubble, regular shaft, 9.5 loft.
    I took several swings at it  on the net and it felt solid and lighter
    than my TM Midsize.
    
    Being a leftie club and with a big sticker in the bottom, I could see
    that the club had not had to many try-outs.  I asked the sales person
    if I could buy that club abd at what  price  and  I got a great deal!
    $199 for a club in brand new condition (It was regular $239).

    I went to the range on Saturday and all I  can say is that the ussual
    advertising claims for all those new hi-tech clubs are true for  this
    one, I hit it straighter and at least 10-15 yards longer.
    
    I  took  it  out yesterday morning to Stow Acres and even in  several
    miss  hits the  ball  when  relatively  straight  and  a  respectable
    distance.  I was able to  clear  the  pond of the 18th South from the
    back blue tees with not one of my longest  drives.  So so far I think
    that it's worth every penny.
    
    I had already given some hints to my wife that if I wanted the Burner
    Bubble for my birthday (in two weeks), so she wasn't happy  that  she
    cannot give me that surprise then, but pleased that I got a  got deal
    on it.

    Tavo
    
    P.S.  Anybody interested in a leftie TM Midsize 10.5 regular graphite
    shaft driver? Good price!!!

It is time to start thinking about the new season, and to me this brings thoughts of 
new equipment. I'm pretty happy with my all woods, and particularly as I 
mentioned in this topic with my Burner bubble driver. Being more often out of 
trouble off the tee allowed me last season for the first time in my golfing career to 
break 80, not once but two times! Yes, I a boasting :-). My USGA index breefly 
was in the single digits!!

My set of irons are Tommy Armours 845's that I like, but I've had them for about 5 
seasons and even then I got them second hand. So that may be my next 
purchase.

I stopped at Wayland to buy my father-in-law an 80 birthday gift and found out 
that TM is coming out in February with Burner Bubble irons. Wayland had a couple 
of "prototype"irons. They look very clean and nothing hugemongous  ala Ping 
Zing or Bing Bertha irons. Since they were "wrong" handed, I didn't even 
asked if I could hit them. They expect the south-paw models to be available 
about 6 months latter.

Sooo, have anyone had a chance to try them??? Have anybody read any early 
reports on them???

Tavo

I found the following review on the Burner Bubble irons and woods in the 
GOLF magazine web page that someone was kind enough to point out here. I 
also got the hardcopy of the magazine, and reading the reviews of several 
other brands that I was interested, seems to me that this come close to the 
top of the reviews. The reviewers we all amateurs.

If some is interested in a particular review and can access the web, let me 
know and I'll post it here. BTW, the prices listed are retail. I know that 
the Burner bubble irons go for around $850.

Tavo

                                Taylor Made

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Burner Bubble irons

Following up on the success of Bubble-shafted woods, the company
        unveils irons with the popular shapely shaft.

        $728(Steel); $1,064(Graphite) Shaft tested: Graphite

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cosmetics.

     Roy Williams (age: 31, hdcp: 12):The series of copper lines inset
     in the face is the Taylor Made logo. The bubble shaft is thick
     near the grip but isn't a distraction.

     Ed Gowan (46, 0): Slight offset in long irons, none in short.
     They sit square with a straight leading edge.

     Don Wilson (51, 18): These muscular, oversize heads are much more
     like most cavity-backs than the old Burners.

Feel.

     Williams: The overall lightness of the club makes it difficult to
     locate the head throughout the swing.

     Roger Graves (40, 9): The shaft is relatively light but the head
     is sufficiently heavy to pull me through. They're extraordinarily
     solid and transmit an ``I flushed it'' feel.

     Don Ytterberg (39, 16):The ball feels like it stops the club on
     normal swings.

     Wilson: I like the one-piece feel of the swing. These sweep
     through the ball with no sense of hitting it.

Playability.

     Williams: These handle all types of lies and knockdowns are a
     cinch. Chips are difficult--balls come off hot.

     Graves: These perform the same way from the 3- to 9-iron. The
     clubs give me the flexibility to shape shots and work the ball or
     just hold on and hit it straight.

     Ytterberg: Best for a strong swinger. I need to swing very hard
     to make these perform. Still, I hit a few laser-like short irons
     at flags.

     Gowan:There is help according to one's needs but they don't
     dictate the outcome. Better from sidehill than downhill lies
     because the front edge cuts into the turf rather than bouncing.

Accuracy/Forgiveness.

     Wilson: These big heads seem to have large sweetspots. I didn't
     make consistently good contact but stayed in play well enough to
     shoot a front nine 40.

     Williams:These desperately want to go straight. Twice I brought
     my wedge only to find I was putting.

     Graves I may have heel or toe hits but I hardly notice. Heavy and
     thin hits fly nearly as far as solid.

Distance.

     Graves: These are hot--a half-club longer than mine.

     Gowan: Same length as mine with fine distance control.

     Wilson: Short irons are equal; mid- and long irons are five yards
     longer.

Other.

     Graves: The bubble near the grip wasn't a visual, weight, or
     performance problem.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                Taylor Made

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Titanium and Burner Bubble woods

 [Image]The Bubble shaft--weight is transferred from the grip area to just
        below--increases the club's centrifugal force.

        $180(Steel);$300(Graphite) Shaft tested: Graphite
        Titanium: $499(Graphite only) Shaft tested: Graphite

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cosmetics.

     Don Ytterberg (age: 39, hdcp: 16): These copper heads aim well
     because they sit squarely on the ground.

     Roger Graves (40, 9): ``Taylor Made'' and symbol stamped on top
     of the head assist in alignment. The heads go from tiny in the
     Attack wood to jumbo in the titanium driver.

     Roy Williams (31, 12): The stainless K-shaped soleplate makes me
     look forward to digging out of bad lies.

Feel.

     Williams: My best hits are so strong and dense, I thought it may
     be a solid copper head. The shaft doesn't have any unexpected
     whippiness.

     Ytterberg: These feel sole-weighted, like more weight is lower in
     the head than others. I'm surprised the shafts don't feel
     different than other graphite shafts.

     Ed Gowan (46, 0): All clubs feel solid, like I'd get with wooden
     clubs, and swing the same. The titanium and steel heads feel the
     same but sound different.

Playability.

     Graves: I hit the fairway woods like a million dollars but the
     Burner driver like small change. I hit the 3- and 5-woods high,
     low, fade or draw. The Attack and 7-wood carry as far as a 3- or
     4-iron and come down softly.

     Ytterberg: The entire set plays 10 yards longer than mine. The
     utility woods go as far as long irons and work better from the
     fairway and rough.

     Don Wilson (51, 18): The Burner driver is playable--not super
     long but straight and accurate. The high-flying Titanium driver
     is easy to hit and reasonably straight. All fairway clubs handle
     nasty lies with grace.

Accuracy/Forgiveness.

     Williams: The fairway woods want to go straight but the Burner
     driver is another story. It seems more of a player's club: Pure
     hits are fabulous but it takes my best swing to get results.

     Ytterberg:Well-struck balls hold their line to the target and
     mishits still land in the general area.

     Gowan There are no major disturbances. Misses are half as bad as
     I'd expect--no face deflection noticed on slight misses.

Distance.

     Graves: Burner driver same on solid hits, shorter misses.

     Gowan: Similar carry and roll.

     Wilson: Burner driver is 10 yards longer; Ti driver is slightly
     shorter.

> Note *.7
>If some is interested in a particular review and can access the web, let me 
>know and I'll post it here. BTW, .....
>
>Tavo


Please post the URL on the Taylor woods and iron (are they the same review)?

Steve

All the reviews are at www.GOLFonline.com

Check www.igogolf.com to get an idea of actual pricing

Tavo

    Borrowed one of these clubs this weekend and played 18 with it.
    It took a couple of holes to get adjusted to the feel.  I have 
    a Yonex right now which is very light and have enjoyed it very 
    much but I liked the weight of the bubble.  It's a man's driver
    with regular shaft but I really felt comfortable with it.  Don't
    know how much difference there is between the man's and woman's
    bubble.  I'm was hitting VERY well with the man's driver.  On a
    par 5 dogleg left this weekend I hit a great drive and was 
    looking at a clear shot to the green for my second shot.  Is 
    there any specific reason why I should buy the woman's driver 
    instead?
    
    Linda
        

re: .10

  "Is there any specific reason why I should buy the woman's driver instead?"

Actually, I've never run across a driver that could tell if it was a man or a
woman who was swinging it...so, I'd say it's alright for you to use a "man's"
driver... 8^)

When my wife first took up the game, I bought her a starter set of "ladies"
clubs.  A few weeks later we went to Mount Snow golf school where she was lucky
enough to get a woman teacher.  The first thing her instructor did (after seeing
her swing) was to take away her clubs and make her use a set of "men's" clubs
for the rest of the weekend.  My wife is about 5'7", rather athletic, and swings
a club with reasonable power.

If you think about it, "men's" clubs are made for the "average man" (average
height and average power) while "women's" clubs are made for the "average" woman
(in the estimation of the manufacturer).  So, if you're about my wife's height
(5'5"+), I can't think of any reason you wouldn't want to stick with "men's"
clubs.  You appear to swing with some power (reaching a par 5 in two...) and
feel comfortable with it, so why not?

John

(P.S. - I personally prefer ladies clubs because the colors of the clubs match
        my bag...)

re: .10

There's no reason you should be using "ladies" clubs if your comfortable 
with the "mens" club. There are a few differences between the two:

	- Shaft length. Ladies clubs are generally 1" shorter than men's, 
  	  due to height differences. However, more important is the "lie"
	  of the club (the angle formed between the shaft and the head).
	  If your swing plane is such that the bottom edge of the clubhead
	  is parallel to the ground at impact, you're OK.

	- Shaft flex. Ladies clubs use a softer flexing shaft, because, 
	  generally, the "average" woman swings slower than the "average"
	  man. (BTW, there flexes are generally described as follows:
 	  L (ladies), A (seniors), R (regular), S (stiff), X (extra stiff).
	  Some mfgr's also use the term Firm, some have numbers (R300, etc).
	  Note that there is no real standard for these - a R flex from one 
	  company may be similar to an A flex from another company.

	- Swingweight. A "standard" men's swingweight is D2; a "standard"
	  woman's swingweight is C6. Swingweight is releated to the "feel"
	  of the club -- a D2 will feel heavier than a C6, but the clubs 
	  _could_ weigh the same.

	- Graphics. Some companies are still, for some reason, into having
	  things like butterflies on ladies clubs...

Steve

    .11 - John,
    
         "Actually, I've never run across a driver that could tell
    	  if it was a man or a woman who was swiging it"
    
    Thanks for pointing that out to me....I didn't know that!! ;^)
    
    The Yonex driver I have is a woman's driver and my husband has the
    male version of it.  I guess I was wondering more about why I should
    buy the woman's bubble (if they actually have one) or should I just 
    buy this used one from a friend?  I'm about 5'4" so really don't need 
    the man's driver for the length but my swing worked great with this 
    club.    
    
         "you appear to swing with some power (reaching a par 5 in two)"
    
    Yes I believe I do have power behind my swing but if you re-read my
    note I beleive I said I had a clear shot to the green, I didn't say
    I was on the green in two.  I did par it.
    
         "P.S. I personally prefer ladies clubs because the colors of 
          the clubs match my bag"
    
          and Steve's comment "things like butterflies on ladies clubs"
    
    That's great!  Please buy them allllll and those terrible pink golf
    balls too!!  I realize that you guys are just kidding.  I also 
    realize that they must manufacture some equipment to attract some 
    women.  Well I'm glad to say that I am not one of those women!!!  
    I love this sport but certainly not because of all that "cute" stuff. 
    
    

Well,

It seems that I'll be getting some money that I wasn't expecting! (a 
mid-year bonus advance in MCS headquarters).

If you haven't noticed from this note, I'm bias for TM clubs. Still 
very happy with my bubble woods. So now is time for the irons.

The big question is where to get the best deal. Golf Day has them for 
just under $800 with the Bubble shaft and 500+ with the rifle steel 
shaft. Haven't decide which way to go, but since I have developed a 
mild case of arthritis, I favor the graphite shaft (if I can muster the 
big $$$$).

Any ideas for a better deal?

BTW, they have introduce two new models, the Tour and the Titanium 
models. The Tour was introduced last year (I think late fall), but 
supposedly is the club that Lehman used to win the (British) Open. The 
Titanium irons were a surprise intro at the PGA Merchandise Show about 
a couple of weeks back. Doubt that they are available now for lefties.

Tavo

P.S. Seems that HUMANE has now most of the COnferences I follow :-). 
Who's the moderator?