derekortt:
you should be able to compete just fine with the equipment available to you. Why are you using the Nikes when the R11s, which are better in terms of stopping power, are available to you? Also, the L90 ball will greatly help.
Yes, you do not have the best equipment. However, you can compete very well with what is available to you.
I agree, on one round my equipment is enough to play with the best players. I can make an eagle on Kia #2, but that happens less often than with a better equipment. So in long term, I think I start with +2, +3 in average, not because I'm less good, but because to the equipment. Of course that depends of the course. I have no handicap on Bandon Dunes for example. And in UEL rounds the impact of equipment decreases.
But I'm much more dependant of the wind. On a lot of holes, it's impossible to stop the ball close from the pin with a tailwind (or sometime without a facewind). Some examples: Congo #2 (top left), Congo #4 (left), Congo #7 (middle), Congo #15 (right), Kia #4,... In A/S games I've seen some shots that I know I'm not able to do it with my current equipment.
But where the equipment has the biggest impact is on par 5. I've tried R11 + Platinium balls and made a training round on BOP5. It's just not the same game.
Now why I'm not using R11 + Platinium? Being confident with an equipment is a long process and from the beginning, I don't like the meter speed of R11. So I thought it was better to wait for L97 but I have never imagined it would be so long! I'm already in trouble to hit the ding with a meter speed of 3.5 (irons) + 3 (balls), and 2.5 (R11) + 4 (platinium/Black Balls) seems faster (yeah sometime 6.5 is not equal to 6.5). Moreover when you miss the ding (that happens to me more than 60% of the time) with the platinium balls, I think (maybe just a feeling) the impact is more important.
I should have played with the R11 from L90, that would have given me a lot of time to play well with them. But when I was L90, I have no credit. I didn't expect to earn so much in the RG's when I was legend. Now I think it's better for me to wait for L97, also because I would like to play the UEL Ryder Cup again, and it won't be a good idea to change of irons during the qualifications. So until L97 I play 50/100 credits RG's :)