Can a more affordable shaft really compete with the premium options? This week on the Club Junkie Podcast, Brian Knudson puts the VA Composites Baddazz Gold wood shaft to the test. Designed to deliver premium performance at a friendlier price, Brian breaks down how it feels, how it performs on the course, and who should give it a serious look.

Then it’s time to roll some putts with one of the most eye-catching limited releases of the year. Brian reviews the new TaylorMade Spider ZT Americana 250 putter, covering the zero torque design, performance on the greens, and whether this limited edition model is more than just great looks.

If you love golf equipment, honest reviews, club fitting, and the latest gear releases, this episode has you covered.

In our forums, GolfWRX members are reacting to a remarkable club-level accomplishment: a hole-in-one and an albatross in the same round.

Member @goaliedad30 said a young plus-2 player at his club made an ace on the par-3 fourth hole from 175 yards, then later holed out for albatross from 210 yards on the 11th hole, a roughly 500-yard uphill par 5 with an elevated green.

The OP said he had never heard of someone making both an ace and an albatross in the same round, and the thread quickly turned into the kind of amazed reaction you would expect.

• @dropkicked added a little forum humor by asking whether it was the OP’s son and whether the player was alone.
• @alittleoverpar said he hoped the player bought a lottery ticket.
• @57charlie was among the members reacting to the achievement and adding to the congratulations feel of the thread.
• @goaliedad30’s original post is the heart of the piece because the achievement itself needs very little dressing up.

A single ace is rare enough. Pairing one with an albatross in the same round is the kind of club story golfers will tell for years.

Entire thread: Quite an amazing feat at our club recently!

In our forums, one user asked a rather simple but nonetheless very provocative question. Namely, how golf has affected the lives of forum members. @Soloman1 shared a personal story about golf’s role in their life, asking for others to contribute their own stories.

They wrote:

“You never know when a chance encounter in golf will affect your life.

“I was an engineer by education. I hated it after 6 months. All that time studying and I hated it!

“I became an engineering manager, then was in sales, OEM sales, international sale, then factory management and eventually multiple factories under my domain for a large electrical company. I designed the electrical systems powering MARTA (Atlanta subway), WMARTA (Washington DC subway), Prudhoe Bay oil facility, Riyadh airport, etc.

“Then, I had to put 300 people (families) out of work at a factory in the midwest. I hated it. Most of the people had worked at the factory since I was in diapers. I quit. It didn’t have the killer instinct to put so many families into hell just so someone else could make a profit.

“I went to Pebble Beach to play some golf and maybe figure out what to do next. I was paired the first day with two guys from a land afar who spoke some English, were polite, loved golf, and I enjoyed playing with them. The were in the electrical business in Japan, so we had an instant connection. I played with them again, at their invitation, for two more days in Monterey.

“I had a message on my answering machine (remember them?) a few weeks later and it turned out that one of the guys I played with was the president of the largest electrical product company in the world (it starts with a P) and he said they were planning on building factories around the world to localize manufacturing. He said I might be just the guy they need to help them, and he offered me a bundle of cash to come to Japan and talk about it for a few weeks.

“I went, and I ended up staying for 27 years.

“You never know what golf can lead you to. You can meet some amazing people, some interesting people and a few jerks now and then. But, for the most part, a true golfer (one who fixes ball marks…) is usually a good person.

“I met the longest friend I’ve had in my life on the golf course.

“How about you? Have you met people on the golf course who affected your life? Here’s your place to talk about it.”

Our members in the forum entered the chat to share their thoughts on how golf affected their lives. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

• WCanoe Paddler: “Very cool story. I can’t point to a singular instance the way you can, however, I can definitely say that it strengthened my relationship with my Dad when I was a teenager, helped me choose the college I would attend, and made countless friends. Probably the coolest of all, is that it is now coming full circle and I’m taking my young boys out with me to play and the conversations that take place outside walking beside a 5 and 9 year old for 3 hours is absolutely priceless.”
• Wlefthack: “It gives me a creative outlet that requires skill and ability. That used to be skateboarding, but injury recovery time and costs increase with age. I decided this was a better option long term. I’m good enough for it to be really fun and I have room for improvement. I never turned pro skating, maybe I can play the senior tour in 5 more years. ?”
• WNCLancer: “I truly enjoy golf and my favorite partner to spend a day with on the course is my wife of the past 25 years. We travel (not extravagantly) and we almost always have our clubs with us. We’ve never played any bucket-list courses or fancy resorts but we have fun no matter where we are! Golf has effected my life in a positive way by allowing my wife and I to spend quality time together.”
• WLobber: “I picked the game up late in life in my early 40s and wish I had done so sooner. The impact has been mostly positive – new friends, more time on the course with my oldest son, increased focus as I work on lowering my 8HCP, great times outdoors, improved physical fitness – since Covid I walk when I can and have lost and kept off 45 lbs. The only downside is that spending too much time on this site and others has caused me to make some unnecessary club purchases but by and large the electric shock collar that my wife places around my neck every time UPS/Fed X pulls up out front of my house has curbed my purchases. ”

Entire thread: “How Has Golf Affected Your life?”

If you aren’t already a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today.