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What's in the Bag and Why I think It Is Important for you to Know

Shakespeare wrote apparel oft proclaims the man, or it’s modern idiom, clothes make the man.
Mark twain wrote the follow up piece. Clothes make a man. Naked people have little or no influence on society. Which, if the world was to end right this minute, might win as the best anyone has ever done in the category To Turn a Phrase.
And so, with the confidence and inspiration of those true words, I write this blog.
How can you possibly believe a word I have to say about anything if you don’t know what clothes I’m wearing. Or if I’m wearing clothes at all. Or, possibly more importantly, what clubs I play, what clubs I have played, and what clubs I hope to play in the future.
As a point of fact, and just so the question doesn’t go unanswered. Because who likes a loose end? I am wearing Brooks sneakers, Old Navy joggers, because they have elastic in the waist and are supremely comfortable, a Nasa t-shirt, and a William Murray Golf hat, the blue one with the white logo, backwards. Because I think it makes me look cool even though there’s no one at all looking at me. There.
Now. On to the important stuff.
The first clubs that were ever in my hand were a set of MacGregors blades. Quickly followed by the Taylormade Bubble Burners that I found in a second-hand sporting goods store. But my favorite clubs from my beginner phase were the first new clubs I ever bought. The 2005 Callaway Big Bertha Irons. I bought them from one of the big-name sporting goods stores. Do we even have those anymore? And they glistened and sparkled in their packaging and were beautiful to play.
I loved them so much that, even after I out grew them, I couldn’t manage to give them all away. I kept the 7 iron. Which was lucky because when my little boy turned out to be left handed too, I chopped it down to half size, put a new grip on it, and it’s now his favorite club in his bag as well.
Over the years I’ve owned 3 sets of Callaway irons. Those Big Berthas. The RAZR XFs. And the ones I play now. The RAZR X forged. I’ve owned a Big Bertha driver. Multiple fairway woods. Countless styles of Callaway balls. And my putter, over ten years old now, is an Odyssey, a Callaway brand. The only thing that I’ve ever owned that I didn’t particularly care for from Callaway was a pair of shoes that Costco sold. But, in their defense, I did by them for $30 in what could only be considered to be primarily a grocery store…
But, all in, I think of myself as more or less a Callaway man. Meaning that most, but not all, of the clubs in my bag usually have their name printed on them.
If I’m being truly honest, in my early years as a player, I think I liked the red and black logo with the Old English font. Something about it said cool. You need to own these because they look cool. Like they spoke to my inner middle schooler. And now, I just love them because I know them. I trust them.
They have style and class and are affordable.
What more can you ask?
Right now, my Callaway clubs sit in my Callaway bag, that I got from Costco and totally love, are joined by my Titleist fairway woods, Cleveland wedges, and a Cleveland driver. I wear Ecco S-Drive shoes because they’re waterproof, light and flexible, and I live in Seattle. And I play recycled ProV1s. Because they’re perfect and cheap and Amazon ships them to my freaking house. Because we live in the future.
And now you know all there is to know.
You know the clothes that make the man.
And you know the clubs that make the golfer.

  P.S. My Bladed Balata tip of the day: If you could only take one swing thought with you out on the course, I would tell you to focus on getting your hands back in front of you at/to the same distance away from your body and from the ball that they were at address. If you let your hands drift in and out through the ball it changes everything about the club that you tried to preset at address and you can’t possibly know, then, where the ball is going to go.
P.P.S. The Callaway Apex Pro irons are beautiful. I’ve played them. And are the set I hope to play in the future. There. Now all questions have been answered.

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