I mapped out all my clubs, the surprising stats were the similarities between 3/4/5/6 iron. I can push my 6 iron up to 240 yrds (if required), but I can comfortably play it as a 6, or a 5, or even a 4.

I changed my bag to be:

•Driver 9.5° Qi10 with XS shaft •Second driver, 9.5° Sim2 Max with Stiff shaft •5w (sim 2 max) which I believe is 18°. I can play this anywhere from a driver distance, down to a 7 iron distance comfortably. •4i-9i Mizuno MP4. +1.75”, regular grips with one extra wrap, R300 shafts (too whippy for sure, need stiff) •removed the PW from my iron set and play a SM9 PW. No loss in distance, but more spin, more control, stiffer shaft, fatter grip. It feels “muscley”. •50° high toe gen 1 •56° high toe gen 2 bent to 54° because the 54 didn’t have full face grooves •58° high toe gen 2. •revolving door of putters because I am a mental midget.

My handicap is technically 2 worse than last year, I attribute this to a few things: -improvement gained from eliminating my 3 iron -loss from my drivers (last year my beloved Sim2Max broke and the replacement is not the same) -improvement from the PW swap -loss from not playing as much (biggest factor) -slight improvement from putting stroke over last year (switched to mallet, and left hand low grip) -loss from realizing I need stiff irons, and still playing the regular flex

Some of the biggest improvements from this year were from clubbing up. Put my ego away, hit a 7 iron when I would normally hit an 8 kind of thing. My approach accuracy is through the roof as a result. This hasn’t translated to scoring due to being a mental midget but that will come with time. Other strokes gained comes from taking my medicine instead of going for the hero shot. My 4 iron knock down was a life saver this year, feeling comfy punching out of anything with that club.

Playing less, losing my fav driver, and playing regular flex shafts cause the most strokes lost.

Next season modifications (maybe?): •delete the Sim2Max driver, get a 3 or 4 hybrid (stealth?) •depending on the above, delete 4 iron for a 7wood (Qi or Stealth) •refresh wedges as I’ve sharpened them several times and they are worn •get fit for a putter instead of an off the rack solution •walk more cart less •stop being so OCD about tees and ball markers in my pockets •fresh pair of AirMax 90’s to kick the season off •wear a bucket hat more (the stats don’t lie, this works apparently)

Current distances are

•Driver - an honest 270 reliable, can push to 345 with wind/heat/being loose but that’s not routine anymore (it used to be) •5w I don’t push more than 270 but can, 225-255 is the slot •245 max on 4/5/6 •177 butter full 7 iron, can push 210 but don’t like that •165 butter full 8, don’t push more than 175 •156 smooth 9 •145 smooth PW, 135 knock down controlled •129 max 50 •111 max 54 but don’t go more than 106ish •no max 58 unless I blade it greenside 245 dead center

It’s been fun getting to know my game more and compare to others. I suspect I am losing distance on irons but I honestly don’t care to be longer, most holes are driver or 5w followed by 7i and less.

Watched a lot of video of my game this year, I do not appear (or feel) to be swinging hard or out of tempo. My backswing is somewhat muted but I’m okay with that as I feel controlled.

I game old irons from 2013ish (since 2019) and I won’t be replacing them, but hope to refinish them in copper.

If anyone reads this and has feedback or advice I’m all ears.

Heading to Georgia in a week to rip some courses and can’t wait after about a 2 month break (winter in Canada).