AskMyGolfSpy Vol. 31

AskMyGolfSpy is an opportunity to submit questions to our experts here at MGS. You can pass along your questions to the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or right here in the comments section below! 

Q: What is something categorically you really want to test but haven’t yet? Not a specific brand or anything, but like One Length irons vs traditional, or grip size vs hand size type thing. – DaBrunsMan 

We actually did test One Length versus traditional irons shortly after COBRA launched its first offering. As far as what I’d like to test? I like the niche stuff—the gear that’s not for everybody but has a loyal following. 

With that, I’d love to do a mini-driver test. I suppose we could (and maybe should) test against drivers and fairways. I’d love to see a handful of options on the market for us to put head-to-head.  

Unfortunately, I don’t think that last part is going to happen any time soon.  

Q: Strokes Gained. Explain it to me like I’m 10. 

Strokes Gained sounds simple but it can be a bit confusing.  

What a Strokes Gained number communicates is how good (or bad) a shot is relative to someone else or, to be entirely correct, a group of “someone elses.” 

Here’s an example.  

Let’s say we know it takes a scratch golfer an average of 2.7 shots to hole out from 100 yards in the fairway. “2.7” is the benchmark that any golfer can play against to see how they compare to a scratch golfer in that specific situation. 

If you take three shots to hole out from 100 yards in the fairway, your Strokes Gained value is negative 0.3. If you only take two shots to hole out, the Strokes Gained value is positive 0.7. 

If you like formulas: Strokes Gained = (Expected Shots – Total Shots). 

If you like analogies, consider a person that is 6’0” tall. That individual would tower over a class of fifth graders but would be pretty much the shortest person in the NBA. Strokes Gained is like that, but for golf shots.  

(Chris Nickel) 

Q: Is soft still slow? – GorillaMan246 

Yes. 

Q: I hit a big spinny cut off the tee. What’s the best premium ball that will keep it from being a slice? – paulkorst 

How are we defining premium today? 

For the sake of simplicity, we’ll say premium means anything with a urethane cover. With that out of the way, to kill (or at least reduce) a slice, you need to reduce spin and seriously curtailing spin is one of the few reasons I’d recommend a soft ball. 

Softer balls are invariably lower spin than firmer balls and while that often has implications in the approach and short games, if your biggest obstacle to shooting lower scores is keeping the ball in play, a lower-spinning ball can make sense. 

Depending on the severity of the problem, you have a few options.  

For a low-spin ball with true Tour specifications, my go-to is the Titleist Left Dash. The caveat is that a low-spin, high-compression ball like Left Dash is not nearly as low spin as a soft urethane ball. Believe it or not, the Pro V1 is also comparatively low-spinning. 

If you really want to reduce spin, you likely want to be in a sub-75 compression space. My top choice in this range is the TaylorMade Tour Response. It tested exceptionally well in our Ball Lab and the previous version was a strong performer in our robot ball test as well. 

It’s also among the absolute lowest-spinning urethane balls on the market (and it comes in a Stripe version, which is fun). 

Next on the list would be the Bridgestone Tour RX and Tour B RXS, depending on how soft you want to go. The standard Chrome Soft would be worth a look here as well. 

Finally, if you’re a DTC guy, the Vice Pro Soft is where I’d go. 

Q: If I am using grips which are too thick, how would that affect my shot pattern? – ChazSharp 

Once upon a time, the thought was that if the grip was too thick it would cause a slice while a grip that was too thin would cause a hook. 

A good bit of that has been debunked, though it’s worth noting that weight, which often correlates to size, will have an impact on dispersion. 

There’s also a school of thought that says you should just play what feels good in your hands and there’s an argument to be made for thicker grips for seniors and anyone who suffers from arthritis. 

There’s not an absolute answer here. By conventional thinking, my size small glove hands and I have no business playing midsize grips but I made the change years ago and haven’t looked back. 

While I won’t say I never slice, I certainly don’t do it any more frequently than I hook. 

They work well for me so I’d encourage everyone to experiment and find what works for you. 

Q: Will PXG bring back the “T”?- sharkhark 

I don’t know, but I sure hope so.  

Q: What’s the best ball retriever and should I be embarrassed to carry one? – tconroy88FTW 

In several years of testing, we’ve found the I GOTCHA to be the best of the lot. It’s only 20.5 inches long when collapsed but offers a 14-foot reach. If you must carry a ball retriever, it’s probably the way to go. 

As for whether you should be embarrassed … Yeah, probably. That said, I’ll take ball retriever guy over iron head cover guy any day. 

All of that said, golf balls are expensive so you can make a financial argument that a ball retriever can save you money. That’s reasonable but there must be rules: Only fish out what you put in. It’s not something that should come out of the bag any time you pass a water hazard. 

Q:   When should I decide to change to a player’s iron? I play Rogue irons right now, but my goal is to get COBRA Forged TEC irons if I hit 10 handicap. – JedlyMT 

You should only change irons when the new set delivers better performance. It’s certainly not uncommon for golfers to aspire to a different category or set of irons but it’s not always about ability. 

Frankly, fitting any club based on handicap is a bit of a fool’s errand. 

While your game may improve over time, you might still benefit from the performance characteristics of what you already have.  

Case in point: My game has improved by several strokes over the last few years but my swing hasn’t changed that much. For better or worse (mostly worse), I still deliver the club much like I always have. I may do what I do a bit more consistently now but the fundamentals of what works for me in an iron haven’t really changed even though my game has improved.  

With that in mind, while Forged Tec is the best f^*king COBRA iron ever, it may never be the best iron for you. 

Ultimately, you want the iron that delivers the right combination of trajectory, spin, speed and stopping power for your swing. That may change as you improve—but it may not.

Q: Why would anyone choose spikeless golf shoes over spiked golf shoes? 

I assume this is what you’re really asking: Is the unavoidable loss of traction that comes from a spikeless golf shoe offset by other performance benefits? 

I am a huge fan of spikeless golf shoes and prefer to wear them over most spiked golf shoes. Why? Comfort. Due to the way the spikes attach to the soles of a shoe, most spiked golf shoes are covered in hard, unforgiving plastic. While the rigid plastic bottom can add stability, this often comes with a loss of flexibility. 

Why is flexibility important? If you’re doing any sort of walking on the course, a shoe that bends and moves more naturally with your foot is going to feel more comfortable. Most spikeless golf shoes, by nature, feature softer, more malleable rubber soles. Often these shoes have built-in flex points (think grooves) that help them bend with your foot as you walk. 

Another key point in the comfort department is what I call “caging” of the cushion. Spiked shoes with hard plastic bottoms are less forgiving and don’t give the foam cushion room to expand as you walk. This causes most midsoles to feel firmer. On the flipside, spikeless setups have less of a “caging” effect and allow the foam midsole to fully expand and compress (that squishy, soft feeling). 

Yes, most spiked shoes are going to offer much better traction. But for someone who wants a better, more natural walking experience, spikeless is the way to go.  

(Connor Lindeman) 

More Questions? 

As always, if you have any questions for the MGS crew (and they don’t have to be about the golf ball), drop them below for a chance to be featured in next week’s #AskMyGolfSpy! 

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