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Big Bertha ERC 2....illegal?

William Tipton

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I just bought this thing used at Play It Again for $15 to give it a try. Nice looking club. But when I got home I noticed a little 'Non Conforming...blah blah blah' note on the head.
So whats the deal with this being non conforming? Anyone?
 

IrishGolfer

Fac ut gaudeam
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Sep 1, 2004
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Sol won't be able to use it to win the US Seniors Open with, but I'm sure you'll be fine. You play in any serious amateur events? Carry on!
 
OP
William Tipton

William Tipton

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Sol won't be able to use it to win the US Seniors Open with, but I'm sure you'll be fine. You play in any serious amateur events? Carry on!
Its not that I do, its more that some of the guys I play with are rules nuts.
I read something a few minutes ago that made me think the rules were changed and its ok to use now, though.
 
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William Tipton

William Tipton

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The face is too thin. Here's the USGA's list of non-conforming drivers.
ah crud...yeah its on the list.
Last time I let a salesman offer any help.
You can bet that if I do any good with this thing on the course and actually beat someone they'll claim its only because its non conforming.
 
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William Tipton

William Tipton

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heh heh....I can see why this damned thing is illegal. I simply do NOT hit 300 yard drives :D

HOLY SHXT this thing hits like a ton of bricks.
I hit tee shots and Im looking all over for them where I would normally be and it would end up that they were 20......30.....40 and some times 50 yards ahead of where my shots regularly stop.
On the 7th hole I hit off the whites...its 375 to the center. I kept looking and finally see my ball center fairway about 80 yards out. Damn near 300 yards.

I have been hitting longer lately as Ive been getting better BUT....I do not hit 300 yards and I know it. 250-260 would be one of those miracle days where everything that could go right went right.

I can barely make it to the dogleg on one hole on a normal day from the white tees.
I tee'd off from the blues just for shxts and giggles and not only made it to the dogleg but burned at least 40 yards passed :D

I was tempted to take it back since its not legal, but the hell with it, this thing is FUN!
 
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William Tipton

William Tipton

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If they do I'd tell em to get over it. Just because the face is a little hotter and adds maybe ten yards on a center strike doesn't add much. You still have to keep it in play.
Its got to be adding more than that.
I know where I always end up and this thing was WAY passed that....at least 20 yards extra every tee.
Granted my driving is better recently since I made a couple tweaks, but I simply do not drive 300 yards. Even the monitor says 240ish. Ive hit 250 on good days and I'll even grant 260 on a miracle shot, but this thing was cranking 290+ today.

Got to be at least 30+ yards with it.

But yeah, they can kiss my butt if they dont like it.
I dont play against anyone and I tell them NOT to keep score (they do anyway and try to make it a competition even after Ive asked them not to) so they can lick my sweaty crack if they dont like it. This club is FUN to hit.
I may have to get hearing protection though...my ears ring after each shot. :D
 
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William Tipton

William Tipton

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Eh....thinking about it and just took it back and traded it in for an old model King Cobra. I thought about it and I dont want to get used to hitting it and then at some point when I might want to work on my handicap having to deal with being 25 yards shorter on all the long holes than Id be used to.
 

sol adoni

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Sol won't be able to use it to win the US Seniors Open with, but I'm sure you'll be fine. You play in any serious amateur events? Carry on!

I had to move to a Titleist 913D3 to have less yardage off the tees. More control. My Razr Fit was too long sometimes and way too whippy, the Titleist have better stock shafts.

Since I'm a 'senior' now, all I need to do is hit it 280 straight and on most par 4's I'm a wedge in. I can reach most of the par 5's with 4W and 3iH or even a 5iH on shorter par 5's.

I got all new hybrids and fairways from titleist too, since they are long and straight to hit par 5's closer in two and to have better accuracy on longer par 3's that are longer 180 to 225.

I'm already 'long' enough off the tee for a senior, so I sure don't need an illegal driver.

But I did have to buy 4 new wedges to conform to the rules.

I play with the latest heads and I used special shafts years ago when I had a SS over 110, now it's a little over 100 on cruise control, 250/260 carry range, rollout 280 ish and down wind its over 300.

When you are trying to hit to numbers on holes, to get the right club in your hand, a driver can sometimes be too long, if you hit the rest of your clubs ok.

A +8 pro I play with is crazy long, 475 yard par4 today he had a gap wedge from 165, on sponge wet fairways, he put it 20 feet from hole. I'm usually 175 in from the blues hitting around 40 yards ahead of him, he plays the tips. So he's hitting a gap and I'm trying to hit a hard 7 downwind. So that's one of the longest par 4's in my county on a 6700 yard blue tee course and I'm usually driver 7i on it unless the wind is opposite of prevailing and then it's a driver 4w max, usually a driver 4iH.

Plus I'm at sea level near the ocean with wet fairways that get minor rollout. So if I was playing at elevation or hard ground areas and away from ocean breezes I'd be way longer. So I do not need an illegal head to be a wedge into that hole. I have plenty of length for senior tees at 6700/6800 range and most of the senior tees are usually 6200/6400 outside of big tourneys.

Anyway, most of the club head and groove rules only apply to tournaments sanctioned by the USGA and not club games. At least on the grooves that is, maybe the heads are completely blacklisted, but illegal grooves have a 10 year window of grace, so they're legal, unless you are playing in one of the majors. US mens/womens open or the seniors. Or on one of the main tours pga/lpga/euro etc.

You only need to be 300+ off back tees and if you're a senior, 250/260 is plenty long to play a 6700 range course on.
 

sol adoni

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Eh....thinking about it and just took it back and traded it in for an old model King Cobra. I thought about it and I dont want to get used to hitting it and then at some point when I might want to work on my handicap having to deal with being 25 yards shorter on all the long holes than Id be used to.


You should of put a 47" soft flex shaft on it and entered LD contests.
 

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