A review of the Titleist AP 714 irons

I have always been a fan of the golf company Titleist, and no they are not paying me to say this. Titleist is able to make a product that appeals to the above average golfer but still able to have the forgiveness to make a higher handicap lean towards their company. The AP1 and AP2 series has been one of the most successful and best technologically designed club within the decade. The 714 is the latest installment of the AP series and I recently had the opportunity to try the AP2 irons. My initial thought when looking at them is a slicker look than the 712 series and it maintained that signature AP look. The AP1 is designed with a bigger sweet spot in it for the higher handicap player, I would certainly recommend this for anyone looking into purchasing a new set of irons. The price of Titleist is certainly on the higher end, so if you are new to the game I do not suggest buying brand new irons. Go to your local golf shop and purchase some used irons that have forgiveness to them. People working there will be able to help you out with this choice. The AP2 is a players club, it certainly has the forgiveness feel to it but at times when hitting them it almost felt like there was too much forgiveness in them for me. This is great for someone who wants a higher sweet spot, but also takes away from ball control and shaping your iron shots. The CB series also was released by Titleist this year which has a thinner cavity back look to it allowing the player to shape shots with more ease. For someone who does not like to see a lot of shape in their ball flight (complete opposite for me) and you have a lower handicap the AP2 iron should be in your top 3 choices. My final thought on choosing between new irons is that you should always go into a fitting with an open mind, do not have your sites set on one specific company before you try something else. There are plenty of great options out there that all have similar technology, your favorite company just could be out done by the competitor!

6 things you need to improve your sand shots (list post)

1. Analyze your shot
               Too many times I see players in a bunker and just look at the flag, back down at the ball and swing. You need to treat this shot just like a putt, read which way the green is sloping in relation to where the cup is. If you can read which way the ball is going on the green then you will be better able to judge how it will react landing on the green from the bunker. 

2. Choosing the right wedge
              Today many players carry multiple wedges in their bag. Generally 2-3 including the pitching wedge, (pitching wedge not recommended for closer bunker shots) a high lofted wedge around 60 degrees, a "sand wedge" around 54 degrees and a "gap wedge" around 52 degrees. So what wedge should you choose coming out of the sand? This depends on the shot, I would suggest in a deep bunker to go with your highest lofted wedge, or when you need to have the ball land soft, longer shots, with some practice would allow for a gap wedge shot. Anything else a middle wedge would be the best for a "standard wedge shot."

3. Practice before your round
              Get to know the sand you are playing! If the course you are playing has a practice bunker get in and hit some shots! The consistency of the sand could change from course to course and you want to be prepared in dealing with the different textures.

4. Do some drills
             My favorite drill to do when practicing is drawing a line 1 inch behind my ball in the sand and focus on hitting that line with your wedge. You cannot do this during play because it is treated as a hazard and no touching a hazard! But during practice this is a great drill to do because it allows you to hit a sand shot the proper way. Sand first, ball last, the sand will push the ball out and by hitting behind it with a visual line to guide you, it will be a lot easier to get out of the trap!

5. Open your stance 
           Bunker shots require loft. The club face will do a lot of the work for you but by placing your front foot slightly outward and open to your target line it will allow the club face to travel through your line and getting the ball up in the air quicker.

6. Embrace the sand!
          Do not be scared of the trap. If you hit into a bunker be confident that you have practiced this shot before and have to tools to get you out in one shot. Confidence is key in golf, if you have a good attitude going into the bunker then you already have an advantage over it. 

 
          

Speed on the Greens....Avoid the 3 Putt!!

The great thing about the game of golf is that no two courses are similar. With this comes different green speeds. So how do you adjust to the speed of those new greens before your round? If you are competing in an event you will more than likely have one or two days practice on them and more than likely you will have a few drills set up already. But for the guy going out on a business trip to a new course or just a fun trip for the weekend, you do not want to show up on the first hole with no knowledge or feel of the greens. There are a couple quick 15 minute drills you can do to get some confidence on the green before starting your round. The first requires 5 tees to be stuck in the ground, one 15 feet from the hole the second 20, and you go increments of 5 until you get to 35 feet. Obviously you can choose the distance for yourself but you get the idea. Next putt from those 5 distances and challenge yourself each time to a perimeter around the hole. If it is your first time try getting the ball past the hole every time but no further past than 4 feet. Once you feel more comfortable you can set up new challenges. The second drill is more feeling the putt than visualizing it. Take 2 or 3 balls and just putt to the edge of the fringe about 30-40 feet away. Again challenge yourself each time by trying to get the ball as close to the fringe with out actually hitting it. These two quick drills will help with the speed on the greens and avoid a 3 or dare I say...a 4 putt....yikes.

Helpful Hint #3.....Who's got the best shoes?

It seems in today's modern golf world that the trend of golf shoe is going towards the tennis shoe look. But is this the best shoe to wear for your golf game? I think it depends, they're so many good reasons to try out a tennis shoe looking golf shoe (hybrid shoe for the purpose of this conversation). The pros to the hybrid shoe include the comfort and the lightness of the shoe. When you try the shoe on you instantly notice how much of a tennis shoe feel it has. The Ecco was one of the first to create this market and advertised it nicely with old and young players. Foot joy, Nike and Adidas soon followed. Now between the four of these the Nike, more particularly the Tiger Woods shoe is my favorite. It is ironically designed differently than the others. In general the hybrid shoe does not have changeable spikes making traction harder to come by in wet conditions. With the Tiger Wood shoe, you have comfort, style and traction all in one. In saying this though, the "traditional" shoe still has its benefits. The style is second to none and in terms of not losing your footing, its the best. If you are a weekend warrior who takes a cart out, the traditional shoe might be for you. Cost speaking both shoes are not cheap but it never hurts to try them both on and make a decision. If you go out and walk a lot then the hybrid shoe could be the one!