ualtim's Bag to start 2009

[ualtim]

Well, the new year is just around the corner and club acquisition disease is running rampant around this site so I figured it was time to put up some pictures of the bag. While I am not known for having a stagnant gamer bag, this is about as long of run I have had in the past five years with the exception of the Rapture and G10 4-wood. Here are some pics of the bag as a whole. I just flip flopped back to an older Ping Trailblazer cart bag from the Ogio Atlas so I could carry some additional clothing for the cooler weather through out the winter without stretching the bag sides too far.

Here is the bag as a whole:

 

[ualtim]

The Rapture.

New to the bag and a shift to some more flexible shafts in the long game. As my body has accelerated the aging process a lot faster than the calendar turns the pages, it was time to try some Regular shafted clubs in the top end of the bag. The Rapture Challenge phase one.

This club arrived in much better condition than I expected off the bay. It barely looks like it was used and the shine off the top of the club is as mirror like as the day it was shipped:

 

[ualtim]

Fairway and Hybrids.

The hybrids have earned their place in the bag. They are the best hybrids I have played and are among the few that I have hit that have not become hook machines. They remind me a lot of my Tour Edge JMAX Carbon fairways, but they are even more forgiving and are more versatile.

The G10 fairway is new to the bag, and was also a nice surprise in condition terms when it arrived off the bay. When you look at the face and compare it to the Jone Hybrids, you can kind of see where I was going with the selection of the G10. Again, similar to my TE Carbons (who chose not to make a 17* variant) but it should be a bit more forgiving and as versatile from different lies.

 

[Rockford35]

....and not one NV.

The wall has fallen. I knew you were full of it.

R35

 

[ualtim]

The i10's.

Well, if you have read shottalk anytime in the past 6 months, you know how I feel about the i10's. What I decided to concentrate on with the pictures was the custom sole grind that I had put on the wedges. The sole grind, selected through Ping WRX, was the the Custom TS grind which combines the other custom grinds. In the first two pictures, you can see the difference in the soles of the 9 iron and Pitching wedge. The TS grind takes material off the back edge, heel, and takes bounce out of the sole. My angle of attack is very shallow, and the reduced bounce has really helped my wedge game.

In the last two pictures, you can see the grind done on the remaining 3 wedges and the U wedge solo shot which is my go to club around the greens. Chipping, pitching, partial shots inside 100 yards, and even sand shots if the lie calls for a lower lofted wedge to be used. It is probably my favorite club in the bag right now.

 

[ualtim]

....and not one NV.

The wall has fallen. I knew you were full of it.

R35

Where is my 75g NV? I need heavier shafts for when I shorten them.

If the TFC doesn't hold up well, an NV is going right into the Rapture.

 

[ualtim]

The putter.

Guerin Rife 2 Bar Black Series center shafted mallet. About the only way this putter could be better would be a GSS insert that maintained the roll grooves on the face. It has been modified a bit with the heaviest weights available put into the head and a 150 gram TLP back weight installed into the top of the grip. At 33 inches, it is as long as I dare to go on putter length. I have played with putters down to 31.5 inches, but a 33 inch putter is a little kinder on my back. The Black Series is milled from 304 steel and plays a touch softer than the standard Guerin Rife mallets, but other than that it is very similar to the original series. This putter has rolled the ball better than any of its predecessors, and I really do not see it leaving the bag anytime soon, although the Guerin Rife Hybrid I rolled a few weeks ago with the insert could find a tryout if I find one in a center shaft at 33 inches.

The last photo? Well that is Mushu, our new cat that we adopted through a Siamese Cat rescue group (Mushu is a Flame Point Siamese) a couple of weeks ago. He is sitting on my lap and insisted that he be included in the post.

 

[Stanters]

Nice putter and I bet Rock has just the right shaft for that cat

 

[JArmour]

Looks great. What is the upside down club in there? My guess... ball retriever?

 

[ualtim]

Looks great. What is the upside down club in there? My guess... ball retriever?

Its one of those small umbrellas that covers the top of the bag (Drizzlestick Golfsmith.com: Drizzle Stik Umbrella - Drizzle stick) when its raining. A common occurrence down in here in the summer. :laugh:

 

[JArmour]

aahh...I tried using that and got fed up with having to keep lifting it up to get a club out.

I ended up getting the Sea Forth rain cover.

Golf Accessories and Gifts: Deluxe Rain Hood

 

[Wi-Golfer]

aahh...I tried using that and got fed up with having to keep lifting it up to get a club out.

I ended up getting the Sea Forth rain cover.

Golf Accessories and Gifts: Deluxe Rain Hood

The newer versions of Drizzlesticks are spring loaded, easily pushes to the side for easy access to your clubs. Unfortunately mine is the older version whereas my wifes is the newer one. I would swap but pink clashes with my eye color.:laugh:

 

[chemboy2]

D@mn, those are some fugly irons...

Great set-up, Tim. I'd only make a few tweaks for my own bag, oh wait... I did!

You're really going to like that driver. The sound and feel are just perfect IMHO. It won't take anytime at all to get used to the webbing on the top; heck, I don't even notice it anymore.

 

[MCDavis]

Very nice bag, Tim!!

 

[warbirdlover]

I'd play that bag and love doing it!!