ScooterMcTavish - WITB - Multibag Madness!

[ScooterMcTavish]

So here is how it started (May) and here's how it's going.

 

After having a great demo with the D7 Forged, and getting the Kirkland wedges on sale last Christmas, I added the D9 driver, 3W, and 3h to get an "almost 100%" Wilson Staff bag.

 

Things started to fall apart when I got frustrated with the Odyssey, so went and spent 90 minutes at the local golf big box trying putters.  I expected to leave with a W/S putter, but ended up killing it with the short slant Spider X, which has a bit of toe hang.

 

The D9 woods were next to go, as it looks like the Tensei Blue shaft was not a good fit.  Back to a well-used Anser 4W and 3h.  For driver, I have gone through an old Ping i20, a Srixon ZX5, my old reliable R9 460, and have now settled on a Stealth+.  Not sure why I try to hit any driver other than a TM.

 

And lastly, was unimpressed with the Kirklands.  I thought new wedges might help my low spin game, but they did not.  Also had a gap in my bag between my 44* PW and 52* wedge.  So shifted to a set of SM6 Vokeys in 48-54-60, which were then replaced by Cleveland RTX-6 wedges when I was selected for WRX member testing.

 

I gotta think this is it for the year, but I will be keeping my eyes open for a new FW and 3h.

 

 

 

Edited August 29, 2023 by ScooterMcTavish

[Cart_Path_Critic]

Good lookin' setup! I'm interested in your take on the RTX wedges, I'm thinking about get a 56 full face RTX (which would be my highest lofted wedge). What are your thoughts so far? Feel? Sound?

[ScooterMcTavish]

6 hours ago, Cart_Path_Critic said:

Good lookin' setup! I'm interested in your take on the RTX wedges, I'm thinking about get a 56 full face RTX (which would be my highest lofted wedge). What are your thoughts so far? Feel? Sound?

 

So far extremely happy.  

 

They are typical blade wedges, so I certainly feel any misfits.  Still trying to get used to the extra spin - a bit like throwing darts compared to past wedges I've used.

 

Satin black finish is also gorgeous.  More info in this thread:

 

 

[akap4surf]

I love where the bag landed! I have driven myself nuts over trying to get things that match or the latest and greatest! That is a players set and I would game it for sure!!

[ScooterMcTavish]

2 hours ago, akap4surf said:

I love where the bag landed! I have driven myself nuts over trying to get things that match or the latest and greatest! That is a players set and I would game it for sure!!

Yes, there is something nice about having "matched" clubs.  Possibly this is something us of a certain age like, especially as it was common to have woods that matched the irons (I.e. Ping Eye 2).

 

But it's all about results, and it looks like the Stealth+ may be the first driver to knock the R9 out of the bag for an extended period.

 

Same with the Pings - they have such hot faces, cut through the grass, and I can hit an excellent fade with them.

 

Interesting part was I actually went for an iron fitting this winter.  Although the fitter was a bit of an asshat, what I learned allowed me to go to my local big box, get on the LM, and pick some irons that suited me.

 

Same with the putter - no preconceptions, other than my putting swing is gating as I'm getting older, so I needed to try a bunch of different designs.  Wouldn't have put cash on me leaving with a TM, but here we are.

[ScooterMcTavish]

So at the beginning of the 2023 season, I had gone all Wilson Staff, except for an Odyssey putter and Kirkland wedges.

 

By the beginning of the 2024 season, I now had a TM driver and putter, Cleveland wedges, and put some old Ping FW/H back in the bag.

 

But after playing a fair bit of golf this summer, I had noted joint pain was catching me in my 50s, with an especially concerning flare-up of tennis/golfers elbow.  So I tried a beater set of Hogan 2018 Edge with Recoil ES SmacWrap shafts with good success.

 

I also worked a large amount on my driving, especially after cycling through a variety of different drivers as experiments. 

 

And my wedge game never really came together with the Clevelands.  As much as they were the spinniest wedges I had ever played, I should have ordered them with more bounce, especially the 54 and 60.  Far too many mishits from favorable locations.

 

So let's turn over everything!

 

First off, as Ping was clearing out old models from the warehouse, I got an insane deal on i525 with (you guessed it) Recoil ES SmacWrap shafts.  By going 5-G, the set covered me to 50*.  And this was great, as I really loved a demo I had once had of the i500.

 

After digging into sand one too many times with my 54*, out came the Clevelands, and in came a Glide 4.0 54* with 14* of bounce, and a 58* with 10* of bounce.  Both have been much more forgiving than the Clevelands.

 

And while at the golf store one day, I tried a See More centre-shafted blade and was draining everything.  So picked up a used Sigma 2 Kushin C and have been putting the best I have all year.

 

Finally, got a great end-season deal on a demo G430 Max, with a Hzrdus Smoke Red RDX shaft.  Initial 9 holes was very encouraging.  

 

Only clubs still hanging around are the old Anser FW and H.  Dialed the FW up to 17*, so I'm 3W 14*, 4W 17*, H 20* and 5i 24*.

 

And since everything is new, and I hated the layout of my Staff Evo II Lite bag, I grabbed an Ogio on clearance.

 

So I now have the nicest set of clubs I've ever owned.  Will be doing a lot of off-season work this year to see if I can get back to single digits next year.

[cmc92]

Looks great.  

[MGN01]

Good looking clubs and bag looks neat.  Good luck on the off season work.  Enjoy.

[ScooterMcTavish]

So had a few more weeks of golfing after I posted the last pic, and it was clear the G430 wasn't working for me.

 

And as much as the Ansers were comfort clubs, I could see the distance wasn't there.

 

Plus that strong 3 was quite the irregular club.  

 

So top end of the bag has been changed out.  It was time to get clubs that gapped well with the i525, and gapped well with each other.

 

This is the first time I've gamed D-3W-5W in a very long time.  But having matched woods seems to be working - LM doesn't lie, and I'm happy with the reasonably sized heads and understated aesthetics.

 

Signed up for the BISC so will genuinely be trying to keep the bag intact in 2025.  Still a little concerned about the driver, but likely won't be able to determine what to do with it until spring.

Edited January 23 by ScooterMcTavish

[ScooterMcTavish]

Well, everything has gone sideways again.

 

Had wanted to keep the bag intact.  But never could get along with the Dynapower Carbon driver.  Longest driver I’ve ever hit, 20% of the time.  So in came a Darkspeed LS.

 

Also seemed to be having dispersion issues with the irons.  A few recorded swings showed the light weight had me way off plane, coming OTT, out to in, with poor dispersion.  So off they went, and in came some ungodly-priced clearance JPX 923 Tours with DG120S shafts.  In short, I’ve now gone back to a newer version of what I had back in 2022.

 

Add a 50* wedge and a mint Bettinardi I didn’t need (hey, it was my 55th birthday) and this is where I am today.  Though one club has to be put aside each round.

 

Somehow my bag just keeps getting more expensive.  And only 5 of my 14 clubs are the same as when I started BISC - and the season hasn’t even started yet @Dan Drake.  At least I can remind myself I haven’t hit @MtlJeff levels of club swap yet.

 

[DE-ILLINI]

Great bag.  I like the putter.  I am leaning towards a Bettinardi for my next putter.

[ScooterMcTavish]

19 minutes ago, DE-ILLINI said:

Great bag.  I like the putter.  I am leaning towards a Bettinardi for my next putter.

I love craftsmanship, and Bettinardi appreciates craftsmanship.

 

There is something very elegant about their designs I find viscerally appealing.

[ScooterMcTavish]

EDIT: Realized I had posted expositional information in other threads but not here.  Post following makes much more sense if I add some additional data.

 

When I switched to the JPX 923 Tour, I had to use up one more spot in the bag to ensure I had my wedges covered.  Where the prior i525 covered 24*-50* in 7 clubs, the JPX covered 24*-46* in 7 clubs, meaning I needed an 8th club to cover to 50*.  I so much prefer the JPX gapping that this is actually welcome. 

 

However, this cost me a spot at the top of the bag, and all of my FW/H (bonded hosels, BTW) were selected to be part of a four-club top-end.  Gah.  Worst part is all of the clubs performed pretty well, so any left out would now create a gapping issue for me.

 

As I do like my Darkspeed (and specifically its shaft), I thought to see if I could cover my loft range a bit better by going 16* - 20* - 24*.  And goody goody, Cobra is clearing out Darkspeed clubs right now, and I was able to get both the 3W HF and 5W Darkspeed X in my preferred shaft for a very reasonable dollar with some custom options.  Sweet. 

 

Ordered last week Friday, delivered to Canada yesterday.  Lin-Q White 7F4 shafts, cut 1" short, midsize Crossline 360 grip with two wraps, all for $540 CAD/ $390 USD.

 

I'm an idiot.

 

***End of exposition***

 

Well, the Cobra fairy stopped by sooner than expected today, allowing me to get back to 14 clubs.

 

Surprised how quick they came, especially since the Cobra website allowed me to pick shaft, length and grip.  First time I’ve ever ordered anything other than standard L/L/L.

 

Think the bag has to be pretty much set at this point, especially since I blew the last of my allowance on a power trolley today.

 

Soon it will be time work back down to single digits.

 

Edit: Looking at the bag and it looks weird to me as it is so "matchy".  Even when I've matched brands across a part of the bag (i.e. FWs, wedges) it's been rare that that I match models this closely. 

 

The main reason I've done this is I noticed last year I was struggling with mismatched shafts across segments of the bag.  Started with the Pings, whose Z-Z115 shafts really fit my swing.  The DG120 on the Mizunos are very similar in weight, bend point and feel, so they were logical for the irons.

 

And after hitting the DS driver with the UST LIN-Q White shaft, I enjoyed it enough to order the FWs with the same shaft.  Now I just need to settle on a grip I like across all of the clubs.

 

For those on mobile who can’t see my sig:

 

D - Cobra Darkspeed LS 10.5°  w/UST Lin-Q M40X White 6F4

FW1 - Cobra Darkspeed X 3HF @ 16°  w/UST Lin-Q M40X White 7F4

FW2 - Cobra Darkspeed X 5 @ 19.5°  w/UST Lin-Q M40X White 7F4

4-PW - Mizuno JPX-923 Tour w/DG120 S
W - Ping Glide 3.0 S50°-12, Ping Glide 4.0 W54°-14, S58°-10, all Z115 S

Putter - Bettinardi Queen B6 (21) or Ping Sigma 2 Kushin C

Ball - Z-Star/XV Divide         

Bag - Ogio Woode 15

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 25 by ScooterMcTavish

[wam78]

Nice set up!  Cobra woods, jpx tours, ping wedges and a Betti… hard to beat!

 

Love that putter!

[ScooterMcTavish]

38 minutes ago, wam78 said:

Nice set up!  Cobra woods, jpx tours, ping wedges and a Betti… hard to beat!

 

Love that putter!

I actually feel sort of stupid about how much I’ve spent on clubs the last few years.  
 

I think that sometimes the allure of “new” can be problematic, especially as we age, and see our handicaps start to slide.

 

initial rounds with this bag have been encouraging, and I think I’ve discovered that there is a type of club for me I like to play.  Also discovered that clubs don’t solve aging (except for the putter), and I need to be more diligent with a fitness routine.

[ScooterMcTavish]

As an act of penance, I decided I should be fully honest with everything that has circulated through my bag since the very first photo.

 

The 2023 bag was significant, as it was pretty much the first all new bag I ever owned, even if some of the clubs were demos.  And there is the photo of the fall 2023 bag, then an embarrassing number of photos between fall 2024 and yesterday.  So I thought I should list every other club that I purchased in the last two years and that temporarily graced my bag between the first photo and the last, but yet never had a pic snapped.

 

2023:
Vokey SM6 48

Vokey SM6 54

Vokey SM6 60

Srixon ZX5 9* XS Evenflow Riptide

 

2024:

Cleveland Classic XL Custom 7.5* Miyazaki JDM S

Titleist 915D2 GD BB06 S

Ping i15 11* TFC S

Hogan Edge (2019) 4-PW w/Recoil ES SW 760 R

Aerojet 10.5* Kai'li Blue R

Aerojet Max 3W PX Smoke Black S

Aerojet 2h KBS PGT S

 

Offseason:

Ping i15 9* TFC S

 Ping Sigma G Kinloch C

 

Hope you enjoy some schadenfreude through reading this thread, and it somehow makes you feel better about your own proclivities.  I am committed to continuing this thread as I enjoy the self-loathing it brings.

 

But if I get back to a single digit this year, it will all be worth it!

 

Edit: Or looked at a different way, as of today (two full seasons) I am on:

My 8th 9th driver

My 4th 5th set of FW

My 4th set of irons

My 4th set of wedges

My 4th putter

 

Gotta' settle things down!

 

Edit 2: Crap, I forgot some!

Edited April 25 by ScooterMcTavish

[ScooterMcTavish]

Although these may be my own random musings, I discovered something new the other day.

 

Last year, I gamed the Z-Star XV Divide almost the entire year.  A few boxes of Chromesoft X LS did sneak in during the fall, but I did genuinely like the spin and trajectory properties of the XV, even with its firmer feel.  And it did seem well-suited to the hot faces/hollow heads of today's PD irons.

 

Now that I've gone back to forged irons, I am really disliking the XV as it feels quite hard.  Fortunately, I stocked up on both Z-Star and XV over the winter, and I've found the regular Z-Star (with 10 less compression points) to feel much better off the irons.  Looks like I may be going back to a slightly softer ball.

 

Now if only I could convince Wilson to re-release the original FG Tour ball.

[ScooterMcTavish]

So one small change since last photo - well, technically two.

 

Had been fighting driver face contact, as the shortened club had me standing too close to the ball and too upright.  Have appropriately modified my position at address, and making good contact.  However, I have been fiddling with the settings on the DS LS, as I had noticed mishits would do very weird things.  For a bit more forgiveness, I have moved the 12g weight to the back, dropped the loft 1*, and put in an 8g weight in the heel (3g in the toe).  This combo seems to be a bit more forgiving on mishits, but importantly seems to be optimizing my launch angle and spin.  Hit two second shots from places where I don't normally hit second shots last night.

 

Though part of this may be that my workout routine has added some clubhead speed that was not there at the beginning of the year.  I am certainly swinging stronger, and the driver shaft seems to really like it.

 

Also decided to drop a centre shaft putter back in the bag after having a few issues with the Betti the other day.  Unfortunately my Sigma 2 Kushin C is out of commission (need to replace the shaft), so I grabbed my other spare putter - a Sigma G Kinloch C.  Plays 1" shorter than my preferred length of 35", but I couldn't complain about the results.  Possibly 34" is a better length for me as I'm more on top of the ball?

 

Shot 9 last night (using my new power caddy - what a treat) and had 8 pars and one double.  Way I was striking the ball, I think par or better was available, except for very strong and gusty winds making most of the holes a real challenge.  Hit some great approach wedges and irons (clubbed up 2 clubs!), and still ended up on the front fringe.

 

Last two 9-holes at my local have me at +7 - 77.  Looks like single digits may be back on the menu this year if I can continue to just swing the club confidently and stay out of my own head.   

 

 

 

Here is a video of the power trolley in action.

 

 

 

Edited May 6 by ScooterMcTavish

[ScooterMcTavish]

Actually pretty happy with the bag right now.  Been shooting a lot of quality golf, even though I think my scoring should be slightly better.

 

However, I do like to tinker so added this guy yesterday.

Have so far played 9 holes with it, and put up an extensive review in the putter forum.  I tried to answer all of the questions I had when I bought it.

 

 

Am tempted to take my old Hogan Radials out for a spin, but don’t want to mess with the current mojo.

Edited May 22 by ScooterMcTavish

[justcallmemoses]

I’m really enjoying the ping z115 wedge shafts in the S159 wedges. Would love to match something similar in my irons. Do you find DG120 S300 to be a good match up swing and feel wise?

[ScooterMcTavish]

On 5/30/2025 at 4:35 PM, justcallmemoses said:

I’m really enjoying the ping z115 wedge shafts in the S159 wedges. Would love to match something similar in my irons. Do you find DG120 S300 to be a good match up swing and feel wise?

Sorry for the late reply, but yes.

 

I am quite sensitive to static weight, and the close weights give the clubs a consistent feel.  I believe the z115 may be a little stiffer in the handle than the DG120, but not exceptionally so.

[ScooterMcTavish]

So have hit my typical mid-season plateau - the plateau that normally drives me to buy more clubs.

 

For a change of pace, I put some vintage clubs in the bag before my league round tonight, and played 5 holes.

 

Had fun with both the MyDay and flanged Bullseye, and loved how well I could pick my line with the Bullseye.  Distance control was something completely erratic with the Bullseye though, so it didn’t stay in the round for league.

 

And simply forgot just how hard persimmon woods are to hit.  They have great gear effect, but are punishingly unforgiving on mishits.

 

Left the Radials in the bag for league, and although less forgiving than my gamers, they were certainly fun to hit.

 

Looking forward to my next round with my regular gamers, but tonight was a good reset.

 

And for some reason, my mid-50s right hip now hurts after golfing.  Time to take a week off I’m thinking.

[ScooterMcTavish]

So, have been accumulating Wilson Staff clubs, and decided to put together an all Staff bag.  Think I’ll go game this tomorrow.

 

Problem is I still don’t have a Staff driver, though I do have a D9 that is waiting for a reshaft.  D7 Forged from ‘23, Dynapwr woods from ‘24, and recently picked up the Infinite putter and staff wedges.

 

Edited July 1 by ScooterMcTavish