Toby Baldwin – GolfTEC Coach, Director of Instruction and Store Manager, Indianapolis, IN — gives us a look inside his bag.
Driver: 9.5-degree Callaway FT-9 Tour; Fujikura Z-Com Pro 65, Stiff Flex shaft
This is the only non-Cleveland club I have in my bag so that must mean that I like it. The FT-9 gives me a ton of versatility off the tee. I play a baby draw and the Tour version keeps me from overcooking it, which tends to be my miss. The shaft is slightly heavier than most, which gives me more reliability in my shot making. On tight par fours, this clubs allows me to hit a 250-yard cut, or if I need to, I can bomb my natural draw with a slight setup change.
Hybrid: Cleveland Launcher 18-degree Hybrid; Steel Dynamic Gold S300 shaft
You’ll notice that I left out a fairway wood; that’s because I don’t carry one! This is my favorite club in my bag. I can hit it close to 250 off the tee and 240 off the deck, which permits me to leave out the 3-wood. Since I carry a 3-iron along with my four wedges, it doesn’t leave me enough room in the bag. I like the feel of the S300 shaft in this club, as graphite shafts give me too much kick for a controlled hybrid shot.
Irons: Cleveland CG7 Tour 3-PW; Dynamic Gold Superlite S300
Unlike most good players, I really don’t like the feel of true blades. I prefer a deadened feel, which this set provides for me with every club. Although I prefer slightly firmer shafts in my woods, I really like the feel of the Superlite S300s in this set. I feel like I have total control and workability, even with my long irons.
Wedges: Cleveland CG12 (50-, 54- and 58-degree)
I like to carry four scoring clubs (which includes the PW from my iron set) in my bag and use them in different situations. Without question, I would prefer a gap wedge over a 3-wood because of my great hybrid and the frequency of use of the gap wedge. Each wedge gives me four degrees between each club, which translates into a 15-yard gap between—from 85 to 130 yards.
Putter: Cleveland Blade CCM; 34″ length
I have been known to switch my putter around from time to time. The blade that I currently have is a throwback and would remind you of Mickelson’s blade putter. I really enjoy the feel of it when I strike it solid. I’ve always played a 34″ putter and I try to bend the lie angle flat a degree or two so I don’t have to pick the heel up to attain a flat sole at address.
Ball: Srixon Z-Star
Around the greens the Srixon doesn’t feel as good as the PRO V1, but I think it’s a slightly longer ball. It also has a very low spin rate off of my FT-9, which results in a nice penetrating ball flight.
