Beachwood Golf Course Myrtle Beach

Beachwood Golf Club: Fun, Affordable, Convenient

By

Chris King

  on June 7, 2011 9:14 AM | Comments (0)

Beachwood Golf Club was North Myrtle Beach's second course.

Gene Hamm designed Beachwood Golf Club in 1968 with the traveling golfer in mind, delivering a layout that was long on playability and devoid of trickery. Forty-three years later, one of the Grand Strand’s pioneering courses continues to deliver on its original promise.

Fun, affordable, friendly and convenient are the words used most often to describe Beachwood and it’s a time honored recipe for success.

Beachwood’s popularity starts with a course that is designed to challenge but certainly not overwhelm. The layout is 6,844 yards from the tips and has subsequent tees at 6,347, 5,695 and 4,947 yards, long enough for all while offering everyone a chance to score.

The layout is as open as any course along the Grand Strand, giving players room to spray the ball off the tee. The fairways are lined by trees but not the heavy pine forests some layouts are carved from. Drives that are off the fairway will likely find a clear path to recovery and possibly the green.

Beachwood is a good course to have in a golf package and it’s a great layout to have first in the rotation. Because of the course’s playability, it gives players time to adjust to the heavier air (typically balls don’t travel as far at sea level as they do at higher elevations) and start their trip on a positive note.

While Beachwood is among the area’s most playable layouts, it’s not a pushover. At 6,347 yards, the white tees are relatively long and players still have to deliver shots to score.

The 14th hole, a double dogleg par 5 is the course’s sternest test. At 581 yards from the tips and 560 from the white tees, it’s a true three-shot hole. There will be no cutting of corners or eagle putts on the 14th. Three good shots will result in a birdie putt, anything less could lead to trouble.

Conversely players will have a chance to score on the par 4 seventh and 12th holes, both short, relatively straight holes that leave the vast majority of players with a wedge into the green.

Beachwood only requires one carry across water – on the par 3, fourth hole – but water is visible on 11 holes.

The course enjoys the benefit of having the Grand Strand’s longest tenured superintendent, H.L. “Hubby” Bellamy, who uses 43 years of experience to keep the course and its greens in outstanding condition.

“We heard all spring that our greens were the best golfers played,” director of golf Kevin Lawson said.

Beachwood’s greens don’t have the proverbial elephants buried in them, making speed the most important component of a good putting round. With the latitude players have off the tee, the putter is the most important club in the bag.

One of Beachwood’s under-the-radar strengths is course drainage. The layout drains as well as any course on the beach and, as a result, carts are almost always allowed on the fairway.

The Verdict: Beachwood features good conditions, outstanding value and friendly customer service. Mix in the fact that there are no houses or condos, and Beachwood delivers a round of golf that folks are happy to see on their itinerary. A good layout and the opportunity to score well is a tough combination to pass up.

Beachwood Golf Club: 5 Things You Need to Know

By

Chris King

  on June 6, 2011 1:34 PM | Comments (0)

Beachwood Golf Club is one of the area's friendliest and most playable layouts.

Beachwood Golf Club is one of the founding fathers of North Strand golf. Opened in 1968, it was North Myrtle Beach’s second layout and helped pave the way for an area that now boasts more than 36 courses.

The 43-yard-old layout is full character and good old fashioned Southern charm. With that in mind, here are five things you need to know about Beachwood Golf Club:

Nobody Knows It Better: Beachwood rightfully prides itself on its conditions and a primary reason is superintendent H.L. “Hubby” Bellamy, who has held the same position from the day the course opened! He is the Grand Strand’s (possibly the nation’s?) longest tenured superintendent. Bellamy knows every inch of the layout and how it reacts to changing conditions, and golfers benefit from his expertise.

Elbow Room Aplenty: Set on 180 acres, there isn’t a house or condo to be found at Beachwood. The course has as much room as any layout along the Grand Strand and the result is an undisturbed round of golf.

Location, Location, Location: What makes Beachwood’s tranquil setting a surprise to some is its location. The entrance to the course is directly off of Highway 17 in the heart of North Myrtle Beach. Once you enter the property gates, the surrounding hustle and bustle dissipates. Meanwhile, the location makes the course easily accessible to everyone.

Don’t Look For the Bag Drop: Beachwood is the area’s only course that doesn’t have a bag drop. Attendants meet players in the parking lot and ferry their clubs to their golf cart, meaning you never touch your clubs and don’t have to circle the parking lot. Just pull in and things are taken care of.

Good Forever: Beachwood places an emphasis on customer service and makes good on its word. In addition to a friendly staff, rain checks are good forever. Beachwood once honored a rain check 23 years after it was issued! That’s not a typo. A man received the rain check in 1970 and redeemed it in 1993. The same policy remains today

SubSeventy Continues With Thier Outfit Of The Month

Outfit of the Month

SubSeventy's Golf Outfit of the Month

Each month SubSeventy are going to piece together a complete outfit for. This Months outfit consists of trousers, a shirt and belt. A fantastic offer with an unbelievable saving!

Chipping, Clean Contact

The chip shot might seem like a simple motion, so why do so many golfers complicate it with added movements? I'll address that here by taking a look at the two biggest faults related to hitting crisp chips: weight distribution and forward wrist position at impact.

1. Right-Foot-Back Drill

I teach my students to place 60% of their weight on their forward foot at setup and to maintain this distribution throughout the chip-shot motion. Unfortunately, many golfers fall back during the swing, which causes them to either hit behind the ball or to top it. The Right-Foot-Back drill keeps your weight forward at setup and during the motion.

Here's how to do it: Set up for a regular chip shot. Keep your stance narrow and place the ball toward the back of your stance. Then place your right foot behind you so just your toes touch the ground (above photos). This places almost all your weight on your forward foot. Now make a short chipping stroke while keeping your weight on the forward foot. It may feel a little exaggerated at first, but you'll notice that you make a more descending chipping stroke, which will lead to crisp, repeatable contact.

Once you've completed the drill, return to a normal chipping stance (photo at left) and make a chipping motion while retaining the feeling of shifting your balance to your front foot. Once you've mastered it on the chipping green, take it to the golf course.

2. Long-Shaft Drill

The other common chipping fault I notice is when a player's forward wrist breaks down during impact. When this happens, it leads to inconsistent contact and poor distance control.

Here's a simple drill to feel how the club, hands, arms and shoulders all work together to produce a simple chip-shot motion. First place the handle underneath your left armpit and grip down on the club shaft. Make sure your arms are fully extended and take your normal chipping posture, imagining that the ball is knee-high. Start swinging the club back and forth while maintaining the club against the side of your body. This ensures that the club, wrist, arms and shoulders are all working together. If you try to use your wrists, you'll hit your side with the grip on the follow through. Keep it simple, feel the upper body working all together and minimize the hands in the chipping motion.

Now take your normal grip on the club and imagine that the shaft extends under your left arm. The left arm and shaft should stay in a straight line back and forth during the swinging motion. Instead of using your hands during the chip-shot motion, focus on the club, arms and shoulders all working as one piece. Turn your chip shot from a "hit" with the wrists, to a swing with the entire upper body working together. On the course, think 60% of your weight on the left side through the entire motion, and you'll create crisp chip shots.

Myrtle Beach TPC, Best On The Strand?

MURRELLS INLET

Golfers with attention-deficit disorder will want to take their medication before a round at the TPC of Myrtle Beach.
The course will require your full attention.

The 12-year-old Tom Fazio and Lanny Wadkins layout requires accuracy and quality shots from the opening tee shot to the final putt.

"The layout was great," said Keith Williams of St. Matthews, a former Clemson University and NFL linebacker who took part in a review of the TPC in late May. "This is a shot-placement course. It doesn't really matter how far you hit it as much as where you hit it. Ball placement and strategy are crucial. It's not grip it and rip it. You have to mentally play every hole."

Joining me and Williams, a 15 handicap, in the review foursome were Sam Jones of Eastover, a retired college football official, police officer and South Carolina finance official with a 12 handicap, and Duke Melton of Myrtle Beach, a real estate broker with a 2 handicap.

The 6,950-yard course was built in part to host tournaments and hosted the 2000 Senior Tour Championship won by Tom Watson before the event moved, and hosts many of the top college players and programs every March in the General Jim Hackler Championship.

"This would definitely be a championship golf course especially from the tips," Duke said. "There are only a couple golf courses in Myrtle Beach - if you were going to have a tour event - that you could make hard enough to hold a tour event and this would be one of them."

The challenge begins off the tee. Driving accuracy is imperative to scoring on par-4s and par-5s. "It was a challenge to put the ball in play off the tee," Keith said. "From the blue tees I didn't really hit my driver that much."

The TPC greens vary in size from 26 to 50 yards deep, generally have a significant amount of break or multiple levels, and feature Mini-Verde ultradwarf Bermudagrass that was installed four years ago.
"The greens are good and consistent throughout," Keith said. "I like the undulations in them. Sometimes you have to read two or three breaks. I like the challenge of that, though I don't think they're excessively undulating."

The greens were also accepting and soft, allowing aggressive approaches to pins. "The greens are very receptive to spin," Duke said.

The course was in good condition for our review, including well-kept bunkers. "I like the bunkers out here," Duke said. "I like the sand. It's fluffy and true. The ball reacts well out of it."

Likes

Sam appreciated the exact pin yardage sheets and plentiful marked sprinkler heads that measured yardages to the front, middle and back of greens. "It's well-marked so I always knew how far I had," Sam said.

Keith and the rest of the group enjoyed the service, facilities and special amenities including club cleaning and cold towels after the round, and ice-filled coolers on carts. "This was great," Sam said.

Duke thought the practice area was top notch, including a comprehensive short game area and range with measured flags. "The chipping green and practice bunker were great," he said.

The wildlife was a bonus. We encountered a deer off the 12th tee, alligator on the second tee box, large snake off a fairway, numerous waterfowl and other assorted critters.

Dislikes

Sam found the greens especially challenging. "It took me a while to get adjusted to the fast greens and the amount of effort needed to make putts," he said.

Keith found shaved areas around greens especially penalizing. "The shaved areas were hard because if you didn't hit your ball on the green it would roll off," Keith said.

Duke would like to see a few trees removed from the layout or tee boxes moved. "From the back tee, some trees were right in the flight pattern for even a straight shot," he said.

Par-3s

The 158-yard fifth hole measures 133 yards from the blue tee - which is the second tee up from the back - and features a downhill tee shot over water. Low-cut front rough slopes into the water and an undulating green has a couple bunkers and collection areas around it.

On the 187-yard seventh hole measuring 162 from the blue features a sprawling bunker front and left of a green that slopes to the front and left beginning at a middle ridge. The tee shot on the 205-yard 13th hole, which measures 163 from the blue, must carry water and a bunker front and front-right of a green featuring a ridge separating higher right and lower left sides.

"I liked the difference in the distances of the par-3s," Duke said. "They were very challenging and pretty, but they were also fair and rewarded a nice shot."

The 193-yard 17th is 158 from the blue and features a peninsula green with only land to its left. A ridge creates a lower front portion of the putting surface. "It's a phenomenal hole," Duke said. "That's one of the tougher finishing holes I've seen."

A hole location on the back right plateau is treacherous, and is the perennial pin placement for the final round of the collegiate General Jim Hackler Championship. "You can shoot for the middle of the green or go for it and either be rewarded or be in the water," Keith said.

Par-4s

Par-4s measure between 333 and 472 yards from the tips, and between 277 and 445 from the blue tees, though just one hole is longer than 410 from the blue.

"Some of the par-4s were very tight and if you missed a drive slightly you were struggling to fight for par," Duke said.

The first and 10th holes are both fairly narrow but relatively short par-4s. The 377-yard first turns right with low-lying bunkers left and a long, fingered bunker right off the tee. "It's a short hole but it's challenging," Duke said. "You've got to shape it correctly."

The 387-yard 10th has a downhill tee shot with a near-peninsula green and water on the right side of the fairway beginning 110 yards from the green.

The 447-yard third has a slightly uphill second shot after a 210-yard carry over marsh off the tee, the 370-yard eighth turns right and is a birdie possibility with a drive over a bunker at the bend, and the 425-yard 11th angles to the left and requires a 231-yard carry over water off the tee.

The 333-yard 12th is potentially a birdie if not eagle hole, especially if the pin is on the accessible right side. Mounding on the right pushes balls back in play toward the green, and a series of bunkers and wetlands lurk on the low-lying left side all the way to the green. There is little room to miss behind the green. The 390-yard 16th has a drive over water and elevated but fairly flat green.

Par-5s

The par-5s all offer enticing second shots, and none measure 500 yards from the blue tee. "The par-5s were great and are not long holes," Sam said. "I made a birdie on one of them and that made it all worthwhile."

The 522-yard sixth tee hole is a very slight dogleg left from the black and gold tees, with rows of trees to drive through. "I love it when they give you a chute to hit through," Duke said. "It makes it easier to aim." The other three tees are well to the right on a hill, creating a sharp dogleg left around trees with a downhill tee shot to the bend, where a pair of bunkers await on the far side of the fairway.

The 538-yard 18th measures 496 from the blue tee and features a creek down the right side of the fairway off the tee that connects to a lake on the left beginning 338 yards from the tips and 296 from the blue. The water has to be carried to a green that slopes to the front and water on the left, and the right side of the fairway consists of a series of bunkers, mounds and valleys.

The 547-yard second hole measures 482 from the blue. Water comes into play on the left side of the fairway 280 yards from the blue tee, trees pinch the right side of the fairway, and the second shot turns left behind water to a green with a pair of bunkers and wetlands to the left of the green.

The dogleg-left 502-yard 14th hole measures 467 from the blue and requires a drive over wetlands that continue up the left side to a green well-protected by bunkers.

Favorite holes

Both Sam and Keith particularly enjoyed the par-5 18th hole because of the plethora of options and risk-reward possibilities on the second shot. "There are so many ways to go with your second shot on 18, you can improvise with your choices," Sam said.

Duke liked the par-3 17th and par-4 fourth and 15th holes - all of which were among the course's top six handicapped holes. The dogleg-left 445-yard 15th features a drive over marsh that can be completely flown down the left side with a 280-yard carry, and trees pinch the right side of the fairway enough to impede some second shots from that side.

"I really thought 15 was a beautiful hole and a challenging hole," Duke said. "A nice tee shot is a must along with a precise iron shot to make a good par."

Least favorite holes

The least favorite hole for both Keith and Sam was the par-4 ninth, which measured between 432 and 472 yards from the four back tees and 354 from the red. Trees on the right off the tee push shots toward trees pinching the fairway on the left, and the second shot is uphill to an elevated green that falls off to the front, left and right, where a bunker lies below the green.

"With a good drive off the tee box there is still a long way to get to the green and trees come into play," he said.

Duke wasn't a big fan of the 18th as a closing hole and didn't appreciate a tree to the right side of the tee box on the short par-4 12th hole, especially with trouble on the left side. "There is a tree right in the flight pattern of even a straight ball," Duke said. "A shaped left to right ball is a must off the tee."

This Week's Group Lessons At Bow Creek

Schedule:

Sat am 1030-12 and 1230-2pm

Sunday 11-1230

The following week I would like to move all classes up one hour to help beat the heat. I will check with management at Bow Creek to see if this is permitted. I will keep you all posted. Please email me back if you plan to attend this week and what class you plan to attend.

This weeks topic is the first half of the take away, we will hit full shots but mainly focus on the first half of the backswing. Lets stay with mid irons at this point, so bring your 5 irons and 7 irons... 

Thanks to you all,

Rick Bidnick, PGA

Reminder, fathers day is June 19, i will offer one free lesson when a package of  6 lessons purchased at $199. Therefore 7 lessons at $199. Rick

New Adams Yes Putter Give Away!!

CONTEST – YES! Putter Giveaway (3 Putters To Win!)

3 YES! – Putters To Win!

Ok…who wants to win a brand new YES! Putter?  Good news then…because we’ve got not 1, not 2, but 3 YES! Abbie putters to giveaway in today’s contest!
For those of you that are already readers of MGS you probably heard that Adams Golf purchased YES! Putters.  Well today is the day they are re-launching the YES! website and YES! Facebook page.  So…we thought it would be a good idea to giveaway a few YES! flatsticks to celebrate the day.  Sound good?

How To Enter!

To enter the YES! putter contest we thought we would do something a little bit different.  There will be multiple ways to enter but some ways will be worth more then others.  So make sure to read all the ways you can enter below to maximize your chances of winning.  I can’t wait to see what some of you come up with!
WAYS TO ENTER

1. (1 Entry Point) – in comments section tell us why you think you should win one of the YES! putters.
2. (1 Entry Point) – Go to your twitter account and tweet the following: RT: (PUTTER GIVEAWAY!) – Enter to win 1 of 3 YES! Putters! @MyGolfSpy …. http://ht.ly/586Hu  #YESGOLF
3. (2 Entry Points) – Replace your Facebook profile picture with this IMAGE.  (be sure to include link to your profile in comments section)
4. (5 Entry Points) – Send in a picture of yourself dressed up like the MyGolfSpy logo – must include note in the picture with the date the picture was taken.  (send pics to: contact@mygolfspy.com)

Mizuno The Best Wedge On The Market?

“Hands-down…best wedge we have tested in 2011.  The scores for the Mizuno MP T-11 wedges were off the charts!  How these wedges did not get a gold in Golf Digest’s Hot List is beyond me.” (GolfSpy X)

Mizuno MP-T11 Review

(Written By: GolfSpy T) It seems almost remarkable that Mizuno, a company that’s more or less built a reputation for producing some of the world’s best feeling, and best performing irons, isn’t better know for their wedges.  It’s not like Mizuno is doing something fundamentally different from what they do with their irons.  The MP-T11 wedges, like Mizuno irons, are grain flow forged from 1025E mild, carbon steel to produce the enhanced feel that has become almost synonymous with the Mizuno name.  The soles feature what Mizuno calls a 360° grind, which just like the sole grinds on their irons, is designed for maximum versatility.  As good as all of that sounds, in reality, all of it amounts to little more than the typical marketing stuff we try and stay away from as much as we can.

The Mizuno Difference

Before we get into the review itself, I did want to point out a couple of features of the MP-T11 that I think are actually pretty interesting.  As any golfer who hasn’t been stuck in a bunker for the last two years is by now well aware, the USGA decided that PGA Tour pros were spinning the ball too much out of the rough, so in a relatively feeble attempt at rolling back the clock to a time when hitting fairways actually mattered, the introduced the infamous new groove rule.  Of course, the average golfer can’t do with a wedge what the average tour pro can, but the USGA, apparently unconcerned with such details, basically issued an ultimatum that all OEMs stop manufacturing non-conforming grooves by the end of 2010.

As a result, Mizuno, like most every other OEM has been trying to come up with ways to achieve higher spin levels with new grooves.  While I don’t think anyone at Mizuno (or any other OEM) will tell you that their new wedges spin as much as the old ones, Mizuno has taken what I’d call a two-pronged approach to solving the problem.

1. Firstly they made the TrueTemper DG Spinner shaft standard in all of their wedges.  The shaft is designed to increase spin while maintaining an optimized trajectory.
2.  
3. Secondly, they did an extensive amount of research into groove design and arrived at some pretty interesting conclusions.  Fundamentally they discovered that different grooves will produce different results at different lofts.  Mizuno engineers found that on stronger lofted wedges (50°, 52°, 54°) narrow, deep grooves produced the best results. For higher lofted wedges (56° through 64°) wider, shallower grooves actually produced more spin.

As far as we know, Mizuno is the only company claiming to use two different of grooves in their wedge offerings.  I can’t promise you it’s a difference-maker, but nonetheless, it is interesting.

Lots of Options

When we reviewed the Callaway X-Series Jaws CC wedge, I mentioned how impressed I was by the thoroughness of the Callaway wedge lineup.  While Mizuno doesn’t quite rise to that level, with 9 different models available in your choice of two finishes, they’ve covered the majority of needs from 50° to 64° …for right handed golfers anyway.  Unfortunately, lefties are apparently limited to the 52-07, 56-13, and 60-08.


Material Composition: 1025E Mild Carbon Steel (Forged)

How We Tested

Target greens were set at 100 yards, and after having sufficient opportunity to verify their own personal distances, the 6 golfers for whom we collected detailed performance data were asked to select the most appropriately lofted wedge for the distance.  Testers then hit a series of shots on our 3Track Equipped simulators from aboutGolf.  As usual, testing was done at Tark’s Indoor Golf, a state of the art indoor golf facility located in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Detailed data for each and every shot for which we collected data is now viewable in the interactive portion of this review.  This data serves as the foundation for our final performance score.  As a supplement to our 6 performance testers, a subset of additional golfers were given the opportunity to test the Mizuno MP-T11 Wedges and provide feedback in our subjective categories (looks, feel, perceived accuracy, perceived forgiveness, and likelihood of purchase).  This information, which we also collected from our performance testers, is used as the foundation for our total subjective score.

New Radius-Based Scoring

For wedge reviews, we use a radius-based scoring format.  Instead of simply asking our testers to hit the ball as long and as straight as they can, testers are asked to stick their shots as close as they possibly can to a pin set at 100 yards.  Because distances can very, even for wedges, testers are given the opportunity to hit several shots to determine the best loft for the target distance.  At the 100 yard distance, our golfers tested with a mix of 52°, 56°, and 60° degree wedges.

80% of the total performance score is calculated based on where each shot fell in proximity to the hole.  Closer is obviously better.

As we do with irons, we apply a formula to normalize the data across varying handicap levels.  Our scoring attempts to account for difference in ability levels between high and low handicap golfers,  and makes a reasonable attempt to level the playing field (much like the Handicap system itself), so that it’s possible to achieve similar scores for all golfers.  Details for each and every shot hit during our tests is available to you in the interactive portion of this review.  Definitely check out that page, and let us know what you think about the new scoring system.

At some point in the future we may look to enhance or wedge tests to include pitch and chips shots, from the fairway, rough, and potentially even the sand.  For now, however; we’ve decided to focus on full shots from fairway lies.

PERFORMANCE SCORING

Accuracy

As we’d expect, and just as we saw in our review of the Callaway X Series Jaws CC Wedges, testers were much more accurate with their wedges than with any other type of club. Looking at the adjusted averages we see that 4 of the 6 golfers we tested left themselves an average putt of inside of 20 feet.  A fourth finished inside of 25 feet, while the the remaining two testers averaged just over 30 feet from the pin.  From a scoring perspective, that works out to 2 scores above 96, 3 more in the 90-94 range, and reasonably impressive 89+ on the low end.

Under our scoring system, achieving an A+ for accuracy is extremely difficult, if not impossible.  So when we see a score that starts to sneak up on 94 like the Mizuno MP-T11 Wedges did, we know that if nothing else, our testers have a club in their hands that they’re extremely comfortable swinging.

MGS Accuracy Score: 93.42

Consistency

As we’ll discuss in a bit more detail in the looks section, the MP-T11 has a design and appearance that’s meant to appeal to stronger players.  With that in mind, it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the MP-T11 with its thin topline and lack of offset didn’t prove to be quite as forgiving as the the Callaway wedge we tested earlier (although we’re splitting hairs over 10ths of points).  Of course, as you may recall, many a tester didn’t care for some of the design elements (thicker topline, more offest) that help make Callaway’s X series wedge more forgiving.

Of course “not as forgiving” isn’t remotely the same as unforgiving.  From a consistency standpoint, out testers put up some fairly solid numbers.  While Jon was able to post a number just shy of 97 and Tim did even better; posting just shy of 98.  For our other testers, their scores (low 90s) are more or less average for the category.
MGS Consistency Score: 94.12

Spin

You can’t talk about wedges without talking about spin, so we decided it absolutely had to be part of the scoring equation.  Of course, ultimately spin itself doesn’t matter, what really matters is how close you can put the ball to your target.

We’re well into wedge testing this season, and what we’re finding is that nearly all of the wedges we’ve received put up very similar spin numbers.  We suspect the new groove rule has leveled they playing field a bit.  Of course, we also expect that there will be more separation in spin numbers if we tested from the rough or wet conditions.  Unfortunately we’re not there yet, and more unfortunate still is that opportunities for the average guy to actually demo clubs from the sand, and wet rough are even more limited.  So with all of this in mind, we’ve decided to post and score spin numbers, but for this year at least, those numbers will count for only 10% of the performance score.

Quite frankly we can’t imagine many wedges will spin more than the MP-T11. On our simulators, the cameras recorded spin numbers high enough for 3 testers to post perfect scores. In fact, 5 of our 6 testers posted adjusted average spin numbers of over 10,000 RPM, with Tim leading the way with average numbers above 11,000.  Even our lowest spin player, Mark, managed to average over 9000 RPM.  Maybe it’s the grooves.  Maybe it’s the shaft.  It could very well be the combination.  Honestly, we don’t much care for the whys of it, but our testers have told us over and over again that they want a wedge that spins, and the Mizuno MP-T11 does just that.

MGS Spin Score: 98.72

Overall Performance

There’s not much we can add beyond what we’ve covered above.  The numbers tell us that the Mizuno MP-T11 performs extremely well for a variety of handicap levels. Though it features a design generally preferred by better players, not only were our higher handicap golfers not intimidated, they couldn’t have been more thrilled with both the accuracy and the spin number they produced with the MP-T11 wedge.

MGS OVERALL PERFORMANCE SCORE: 94.12

SUBJECTIVE SCORING

When it comes to evaluating wedges, we’ll throw our numbers at you like we always do, but we understand that the reality of things is that evaluating wedges on an individual basis is only slightly less scientific than it is when the average golfer considers a new putter.  Wedges are very much “feel” clubs.  They have to look right, they have to feel right, and when it comes time to buy, perhaps it just me, but there needs to be an almost visceral connection to the club.  I have to trust that the wedge will allow me to hit any shot, from any lie whether it’s a 40 yard pitch, or a wide-open flopadopolis off hard pan.  It’s not something you can really represent with numbers – you more or less just have to trust your gut and go with it, but that doesn’t mean our testers don’t have opinions.

Looks

One of the most common things our testers told us is that they greatly prefer the Black Nickel finish to the Satin Chrome.  Of course most of them told us they didn’t mind the Satin finish, but could do without the high shine, almost mirrored finish on the back of the club.  While it reflects a ton of sunlight when it’s in your bag, the good news is it doesn’t really come into play at address.
Another frequent comment we received was that Black Nickel finish isn’t exactly what some our testers thought Black Nickel should look like (it really is more of a dark satin), but nonetheless they really liked.  Each and every tester told us that if they were to purchase MP-T11 wedges, they’d buy them in Black Nickel.

Testers also commented on the compact, teardrop shape, thin top line, and lack of offset.  The majority of our testers tend to miss left with their wedges, and we believe little to no offset can help to mitigate that just a bit.  Overall scores were extremely high.  A couple of 10′s mixed in with an 8 and a bunch of 9s.  All of which indicates to us that our testers really like the look of the MP-T11.

MGS Looks Score: 94.96

Feel

Mizuno irons have always scored highly when it comes to feel, so we’re quite a bit less than surprised that the wedges would score equally as well if not better. Tester after tester commented on the soft yet solid feel.  When we calculate our scores we toss out the high and low numbers (it keeps a single disgruntled tester from having too much influence on the final score).  As a result, we tossed a 9 at one end and a 10 at the other.  Needless to say when the numbers are that high across the board; the feel scores are the highest we’ve seen to date!
MGS Feel Score: 98.54

Perceived Accuracy

While not quite at a PGA level, our testers were throwing amateur level darts, and for the most part they appeared to notice.  Nearly every one of testers had at least one shot that flirted with the hole, and clearly that’ s what they took away from their tests.  While there is a reasonable possibility that a wedge could marginally outperform the MP-T11, it’s doubtful you’d be able to convince our testers that there is a more accurate wedge out there.

Tester Perceived Accuracy Score:  96.75

Perceived Forgiveness

Not too surprisingly, the Mizuno MP-T11 wedge didn’t rate quite as highly with our testers where forgiveness is concerned.  We’ve already talked about the thin topline and lack of offset, but we should also mention that the soles of the Mizuno MP-T11 wedges are relatively narrow.  With the possible exception of the 64°, the soles are generally as narrow, if not more so than many of the wedges we’ve seen this year.

After testing the MP-T11 wedges in our studio, and after flip-flopping between these and the Vokeys, one of our testers (J0n) actually went out and purchased a set of the Mizunos.  He’s coming from a broad-soled, big-headed, Maltby game-improvement wedge, so the MP-T11 represents quite a change.  What he’s shared with us after playing several rounds with the Mizuno wedges is that he does find the 56° much harder to hit, and occasionally flirts with the idea of putting the Maltby back in the bag.

That’s probably a fair assessment given the design differences in the clubs, however; I’m currently bagging the 64° degree and have personally found that it’s as easy to hit as any other of that particular loft.

Tester Perceived Forgiveness Score: 91.38

Likelihood of Purchase

I’ll cut right to the chase on this one.  The LOP score for the Mizuno MP-T11 wedges is basically off the charts.  They were  a HUGE hit with our testers, with not a single rating below 9.  We do feel it’s necessary to disclose that one of our testers (Tim) actually already bags the previous non-conforming Mizuno wedges, and a 2nd tester (Todd) carries Mizuno irons.
Having said that, neither Jon, Dan, nor Mark has ever bagged a single Mizuno iron (Jon bought a set, Dan who has recently replaced is 5 year old Cleveland’s, gave serious consideration to, but did not ultimately buy Mizuno).  Mark is, for now anyway, sticking with his non-conforming grooves.

The 64° has been pimped out and put in my bag, and if not for a fortuitous arrival, I’d personally be bagging the entire set.

Tester Likelihood of Purchase: 98.54

We’ve never tested a club of any type that our testers have rated more highly across the board. In fact, only a single tester rated the MP-T11 lower than an 8 in any of the categories we survey (and that was a pair of 7s).  I’m a bit surprised by the results given how relatively little buzz there seems to be around Mizuno wedges.  Of course, based on those results, I’m positively shocked that what our testers tell us is far and away a Gold medal wedge, only received a Silver on Golf Digest’s “Hot List”. Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

TOTAL SUBJECTIVE SCORE: 96.03

CONCLUSION

At the risk of over analyzing things a bit, there’s a chance Mizuno benefits from its position as a small, but mainstream OEM.  Unlike TaylorMade, Nike, Callaway, and others, we very rarely encounter a tester who comes in with an immovable bias one way or another.  We’ve never encountered a tester with a bag full of Mizuno clubs who tells us he’d never play anything else, but we’ve never had anyone tell us how much they hate the brand either.

We’ve also figured out that under our current scoring system, wedges will likely generate the highest scores. Part of that comes from the calculations themselves, and part comes from the psychology of the process.  Essentially, testers will almost universally be more accurate with wedges than other clubs, so the tendency will be to rate them highly.  Generally speaking wedge designs tend to be very clean, and blade-like in appearance.  We also know that blades will score better across the board than anything else we test.  We accept these as the realities of any subjective tests, and will continue to remind you that scores should always be considered in relative terms.

Now with that out of the way, I’m going to suggest to you that although we have at least 3, maybe 4 more wedges in our review pipeline, we’re probably not going to see a better score in 2011.  From a performance perspective, the numbers our testers posted were to a man excellent.  The subjective survey scores were nothing less than the highest we’ve ever seen.

What this tells us is that, if the Mizuno MP-T11 isn’t the best conforming wedge on the market today, when considering all the factors we grade on, it’s painfully obvious to us that the Mizuno MP-T11 absolutely belongs on page one of any list supposedly discussing the best wedges for 2011.

MGS TOTAL SCORE:  94.60

Have you hit the Mizuno MP T-11 Wedges yet?  What were your thoughts?