Equipment
Can forgiveness become a bad thing? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing whether forgiveness can ultimately hinder a player’s progress. WRXer ‘CW13’ comes from a tennis background and says:
“I’m coming at it from a tennis perspective, I currently play pretty high level tennis, and my racquets are the equivalent of blades (heavy, smaller head size, etc.). If I ever tried to use a beginner type of racquet, I know my game would suffer significantly. So I was wondering if golf clubs function that same way once you get to a certain level.”
And our members have been having their say on the matter in our forums.
- Wooderson: “I don’t think it’s an easy question to answer and is probably player perspective. One thing I always remember is that 40 years ago players only had blade irons or almost blades to play and yet with all the “forgiveness” we have, the average score has not gotten better.”
- sean2: “I think forgiveness is overrated. Regardless of what type of clubs you play, you still have to put a good swing on the ball.”
- PowderedToastMan: “It’s not about forgiveness as much as it is about how your swing holds up to certain sole widths, bounce angles, leading-edge sharpness and how that affects turf interaction. Some skilled players have impact conditions that are favourable to some extra bounce and blunted leading edges, whereas many benefit from more classic player’s designs. As you improve, you’ll probably need to change irons, not because you necessarily need less forgiving irons, but because your impact conditions have changed and you need an iron to match up better with your dynamics.”
- braincramp52: “This is only my experience. The only thing that has lowered my scores and handicap over the last 33 years is the amount of golf I play. What I’m swinging has had very little to do with it.”
Equipment
Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping
Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.
That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.
On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”
On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”
“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.
Equipment
From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules
Whats in the Bag
Maria Torres WITB 2026 (June)
Driver: Ping G440 LST (9 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 5-M4

3-wood: Ping G440 Max (15 degrees)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

5-wood: Ping G440 Max (19 degrees @18)
Shaft: Accra TourZ Green 6-M4

Hybrid: Ping G440 (23 degrees)
Shaft: Oban Isawa Red Hybrid Shaft 04 Flex 70 Gms

Irons: Srixon ZXi7 (5-P)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i80

Wedges: Cleveland RTZ (50-MID, 54-FULL, 58-MID)
Shafts: Aerotech SteelFiber Private Reserve i105

Putter: L.A.B. Golf OZ.1i
Shaft: ACCRA Putter Shaft

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
