nike SQ sumo: unleash the power of geometry

Posted on by Alexander Rose

i just found a short video on youtube that is precisely presenting my range of clubs i carry in my bag (except for my 3 titleist vokey wedges i play in addition). so if you might wonder, “hey, what’s this guy playing with?!” you should watch the film below.

i have to admit: it’s a commercial video and for sure, such adverts always sound perfect – the reality is mostly another story. in deed i’m pretty confident with my irons but struggle a bit with my driver, the fairway wood and the hybrids, but i’ve no idea whether it’s my swing or just the tools that might be altered and enhanced. after watching this video, i’m certain: unfortunately it must be my swing that has need for improvement!

lessons learned: part 1

Posted on by Alexander Rose

time to make it serious! second training session for the year and this time it was driving, chipping, pitching and putting. so a little bit of everything on a cold winter morning (and after being at the dentist).

i feel my swing is coming back; awakening from the winter break. i learned from last time’s training session and made quite some adjustments on stance, grip and swing rythym with my new nike clubs and the result was a lot of beautiful shots right into the wind. what a nice feeling! it’s really worth it to stand in the cold winter breeze and enjoy yourself practising the most beautiful sport in the world! can’t wait to get on the course!!

hope you are confident with your results so far! let me know!

personal season 2011 officially started

Posted on by Alexander Rose

hi guys! it’s mid-january and i’ve started my season this morning. can’t remember that i did this before that early in the year. however, it was nice. not only because i enjoyed being out there again after a 3-month-break, but i could as well try out my new nike irons and could make first experiences.

truth be told, i began with the 9-iron and the difference between these and my old irons (taylor made steel 200) was not as big as expected. but when it came to the 6-, 5- and 4-iron you can feel the bigger moment of inertia and it really smashes the ball like a rocket! amazing feeling. when i additionally can get precision to my iron play like i had before, then i’m a lucky guy!

as i already said, the support by the perimeter weighted irons ceases on shorter irons, so i think about removing the sand wedge and sticking with my beloved titleist vokey wedges (52.08, 56.08, 60.04) which are only played once actually. these are feeling great and are – due to their slick drop shape with exact bounce – much more workable and universally usable around the greens. and that’s where the points are lying; you know what i’m saying!

i fired roughly 150 balls this morning and had some nice shots. pretty confident that i can achieve my personal goals for 2011 quite quickly. first would be getting used to the new irons, getting expertise in wedge play and around the greens in general and then shooting my woods as straight as i wish… which leads to the plan of breaking 90, lowering my handicap to smth like 15 or so and to play as often and as many courses as i can by the end of 2011. this year’s gonna be huge!!

i will keep you updated for sure and wish you everybody good luck for your personal start into the new year!

new clubs in the bag

Posted on by Alexander Rose

today i got my new clubs. i ordered a new set of the 2008 nike sumo irons. originally, i wanted to buy the titleist CBs, because in my eyes they are (next to the MBs) the most beautiful irons out there. but, honestly, i’m not good enough for these. so i decided in favor of the sumos because they match my golf approach and bag perfectly.

unfortunately there’s still snow outside and that’s why i can’t try them out. but i feel relieved to have the second last piece of puzzle of my bag in place. take a look and let me know how do you like it!

i try to test them as quick as i can, so stay tuned: i will write a report about my newest purchase for sure!

new irons: a stepping backwards experiment

Posted on by Alexander Rose

nike-sumo-irons-steelwhen you’ve read the in-the-bag section of this website recently, then you might know that i wasn’t that much confident with my irons lately. i owned a set of taylor mades, steel 200 2-SW and played them nearly a complete decade! so it was time to get smth new i thought, and since i’ve started liking the titleist brand very much i had for sure interest in buying a set of one of these famous clubs that are intended for the better players of us.

but to be honest to myself (and to all of you) i’m not the best player out there. i have a decent swing but far from being a very good golfer (current handicap is 19) and so i had to re-think the purchase of titleist’s MBs or CBs. no doubt, two of the best and and the same time best looking clubs available… but am i good enough to suit these clubs? i doubt it! to really enjoy these clubs you have to be a single digit golfer, which i’m unfortunately not (yet). the sweetspot is really tiny and there is absolutely no forgiveness installed in these particular clubs. so you have to know what you’re doing with them!

what to do then? i looked at my nike sumo staff bag… nike sumo driver, nike sumo 3-wood, nike sumo hybrids 2, nike sumo hybrid 3, nike sumo towel and nike sumo umbrella. and then it hit me… what would fit better into my bag than nike sumo irons?! well, it’s an end-of-range product and already detached by the machspeed irons but they’re from 2008 and therefore a real bargain as well. so that’s what i did, i purchased a brand new set of nike sumo irons yesterday evening and i am waiting for the delivery this week.

i know what you are thinking: comparing the titleist irons with these from nike is just like the opposite. and you’re right. they are ugly as hell, have a sole that is nearly as wide as the whole fairway and they are produced primarily for high-handicappers, but so what?! i want to improve my game and when i can get assistance by my clubs… i accept it! ball flight trajectory is high, so it’s easy to get the ball airborne, the forgiveness is huge with a large sweetspot, a massive perimeter heel/toe-weighting and a moment of inertia like a circus trampoline. the people that play these irons speak of ball flights that are straight as ribbon rails! the feeling would be less, point taken, but as long as i produce less strokes on a round as well, it’s working for me!

i’ve never played them and so i guess it’s a kind of an experiment. i will keep you informed about my progress.

thoughts about new clubs

Posted on by Alexander Rose

iron play is important; that’s what i believe. no questions, drives and putts are important too, but since we are no pros, we always find ourselves in positions and situations where there is no drive-wedge-putt-scenariao. we have to use our irons quite regularly.

due to that especially amateurs have to consider to buy the best and most suitable clubs for themselves. the problem i have is, that all the clubs should be perfect and damn good looking!

so this is what i’m thinking about: either purchasing a titleist set or – to match my woods – a nike set.

titleist: i love this brand! they are producing perfect clubs (“serious clubs for serious golfers”) and primarily the 710 MB (muscle back) or the respective CB (cavity back) is both good and nice! considering me as a 19-handicapper, i’m looking for a combination of professional clubs to work the ball the way i like it to and on the other hand to give that support i need since i’m not (yet) a scratch golfer. therefore even the titleist’s AP1 or AP2 are coming to my mind.

nike: all my woods are nike sasquatch and i like’em a lot. from that point of view it might be a good idea to buy a nike iron set. currently i think about purchasing the nike pro v combo set (blade 8-P, split cavity 5-7, full cavity 2-4). they help the mid-hadicapper in long iron shots and provide flexibility and workability in short iron shots.

has anybody encountered some experiences with these clubs? please leave a comment and let’s discuss!