Golf Clubs

[mrmacwvu1]

Although I love fishing my true love is golf. I am looking at getting a new set of clubs for this season. I play to a 7 handicap however as I am getting older I notice that I just don't have the distance advantage I once had. Where I used to be 10 to 15 yards longer with every club in the bag now guys are hitting it right there with me. My clubs that I am playing are 10 years old and like an extension of me. I was the never the guy that had to have the latest and greatest. I knew my game and thought all of this game improvement bs was just a marketing ploy. However over the last few years I feel that when I am on the course I might as well be playing hickory shafted clubs with a feather ball. I am just wondering what clubs you have bought in the last few years and if you could really tell the difference. I am looking to get two new wedges 54 and 58 degrees to go along with 3-pw a couple of hybrids a 5 and 3 wood and a new driver. I know that is over the limit for clubs but I rotate in and out of the bag depending on the course and conditions. If anyone actually took the time thanks and to any responses thanks again.

[Lund Explorer]

It's not the clubs.

 

Back when I had hair and it was dark, I could bomb them out there with the best of them and carried a 2 handicap.  As the years passed, I tried harder and harder to keep up with the youngsters off the tees, and refused to adjust my club selection when it came to approach shots.  All I did was make myself over swing and accuracy went down the drain.  Handicap ballooned to double digits.  I finally got back down to a 5 when I did the following.

 

My advice is to swallow your pride, and be happy with the distance you can get off the tees.  Then when you are standing in the fairway looking at the green, add at least one club to your approach shot and take a nice easy swing.  Spend more time on the range with nothing but a 7-Iron to Wedge.  Learn to bump and run more, and look for the big backspin less.  I use my putter stroke and an 8-Iron on many shots around the fringe.  Work on your putting skills with the same philosophy.  Shake out the kinks, use a gentle grip, and keep your head still.

 

You can save way more strokes with a good short game than you can by winning your leagues long drive pot every week.

[mrmacwvu1]

Thanks for response. I am not losing distance so much as everyone else seems to be catching up. I am still playing blades and just don't have the time to dedicate like I used to that is why I am looking at new clubs. I am thinking of going to game improvement irons. My driver is 12 years old and might as well be made out of wood. I just don't flush the ball like I used to and want more forgiveness on my miss hits.

[buzzed bait]

i would respectfully disagree with Lund.  For nearly 12 years i played a set of callaway steelhead irons that i got from my mother when she worked in a pro shop.  i loved them and thought they were untouchable.  then i won a set of irons in a raffle at a charity tournament.  some new mizuno cavity backs with nice heavy soles.  it was an eye opener!  every iron was averaging 10 yards longer than my steelheads.  i would have friends hit both irons and the response was the same, about 10 yards more on each club.  and not to put any age talk on it, but i'm a well built and mostly healthy guy in my 20's so i don't think aging is playing a role here. 

although with that said, the old saying of play the course not the opponent should always be your mindset.  if you think you need to hit further and harder to keep up with the guys you're playing with then you are in fact playing the opponents and not the course.  honestly i can't tell you how many times i've had my a** kicked by some retirees that couldn't hit as far as i could on their best day/best drive.  However, those guys are poking it about 200-225 off the tee DEAD STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.  you should just remain focused on straight/smart shots and really sharpen your short game to start shaving strokes off the end game.

i would highly suggest finding a place where you can demo some clubs.  take your current clubs and do some side-by-side comparisons on the new vs. old.  This should give you a pretty good idea if it's the user or the equipment.....

Good luck and enjoy the game!

[mrmacwvu1]

I agree with play the course for the most part but the money games I typically play in birdies and eagles is where the money is at. I have always been the longest guy in the group and used that to my advantage. I would usually get people out of their game by them trying to swing harder. I wish I could demo a bunch of clubs but have been snowed in for months. Demo days does not come to the course for a few more months. What clubs did you win that added distance. Thanks for your response.

[buzzed bait]

i can't for the life of me remember the specific model, but the clubs i won were some mizunos.  like i said, i thought i was in love with the steelheads until i branched out and tried something new....

[Lund Explorer]

Okay guys, copy/paste my first post, print it out, and put it in a calendar for 2030 something.

 

A whole world of difference from being a 20 something and someone who has a hard time remembering back far enough to when AARP first started hounding me to join their merry little group!

 

Clubs for the young guns can and will make a difference when you consider swing weights, stiff shafts (please no extra comments, as we're talking about the golf clubs) and woods made a metal and are the size of "fungo" bats.  My advice is more for the older guys where not all of our parts are still as limber as they once were.

 

[buzzed bait]

i hear you Lund, but from his follow up post it sounds like he swings for the fences regardless of age, therefore the newer innovations should in fact make a difference.  technology in clubs is astounding.  my best friend works customer support for Taylor Made and has seen first hand how they are literally sitting on technology waiting to release it after the buzz dies down about the previous model.

all i'm saying is that those advances in technology can benefit anyone, any skill level, any age. 

i still think the only way you will put this to bed once and for all is to get out and demo as many as possible and make your own comparisons.

[scrutch]

As a former golf pro, I can tell you that you all make great points and offer good advice. 

 

Demo days are a great idea for trying out clubs and making a decision to buy.  It will be worth the wait to get the right set of clubs.  Make sure you get them custom fit.  For a player of your level, custom is the only way to go. 

 

I would caution you against making a decision on clubs based primarily on more distance.  Many (the majority) of amateurs make this mistake, which causes some club manufacturers to market their irons that way.  The problem is that most of the club manufacturers that do so are just increasing the lofts of the clubs so that their wedge will hit it as far as a competitor's 8 or 9-iron. 

 

Distance comes from consistently hitting it in the sweet spot.  Nothing will tell you more about where you're hitting it on the club face than a custom fitting session using impact tape on the face (among a few other tools) to custom fit the clubs to your swing. 

 

Take your time.  You will be happy that you did.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

You will see more distance gained by changing golf balls and shafts than clubs. As a former custom club maker I can tell you there are some gains in club heads but very minimal. the shaft is the engine of the club. Theball spin and launch angle directly relates to distance gained.

[spartyon8]

I totally agree is the clubs not being a big game changer but there was something to be had when I first hit a set of soft forged irons. My Tour Edge Exotic blades are like butter on every ball strike. That feeling gives me more confidence in my shot selection. More of a mental thing but attributed to the clubs.

[crankcaster100]

Remember when the copper ping eye 2 irons and Taylor made woods were all the hype?

[Big C]

Drive for show putt for dough.

[SirSnookalot]

I fish everyday now, at one time I played golf everyday.  Never a long hitter but a single digit, had a very good short game.

You name it, I bought and did that every year.  I've got 4 sets in my garage right now and I haven't played in years.  I bought many sets of irons that were much easier to hit than my favorites, I went back to those favorites every single time.  Those were Callaway s2h2 irons with a memphis 10 shaft.  Even though many irons were easier to hit, I never had any that hit as far and as accurate.  Didn't make them them the best irons, just made them the best irons for me.

[scrutch]

Golf is NOT a game of distance.  It is a game of accuracy.  Those who chase the "ghost" of distance usually end up spending A LOT of money and gaining very little in the way of lower scores.

[buzzed bait]

Golf is NOT a game of distance.  It is a game of accuracy.  Those who chase the "ghost" of distance usually end up spending A LOT of money and gaining very little in the way of lower scores.

 

i agree with you in the sense that the weekend golfer should be more a game of accuracy.  But i think the current state of the PGA shows that the long ball/accuracy combo is what you need to consistently win.  Ultimately a solid fundamental swing will provide the adequate amount of distance required to play well.  Like i said before, i've been waxed by guys that i outdrive by 50 yards everytime....  big difference is from 100 yards and in their accuracy beats me everytime.

right now, i would trade some distance for accuracy.  i wish it were more like playing Tiger Woods on xbox where i could spread my attributes around for putting, short game, accuracy and distance!!

[Lund Explorer]

i agree with you in the sense that the weekend golfer should be more a game of accuracy.  But i think the current state of the PGA shows that the long ball/accuracy combo is what you need to consistently win.  Ultimately a solid fundamental swing will provide the adequate amount of distance required to play well.  Like i said before, i've been waxed by guys that i outdrive by 50 yards everytime....  big difference is from 100 yards and in their accuracy beats me everytime.

right now, i would trade some distance for accuracy.  i wish it were more like playing Tiger Woods on xbox where i could spread my attributes around for putting, short game, accuracy and distance!!

 

Speaking of Tiger Woods, do you think its possible that many of the problems he has been having might be tied more to that overwhelming swing of his youth, and maybe not so much having to duck clubs thrown at him by ex-wives or from crawling out of wrecked vehicles?

 

I've watched some of his recent attempts at a come back, and it seems that he is still trying to swing like a kid.

[buzzed bait]

i would totally agree with you Lund.  each time he exits a tournament for "back issues" seems to be because he's swinging for the fences.  seems like he would alter the swing enough to allow his body to heal up some.  i think he's trying to keep up with the younger guys like rory, dustin johnson, etc. who are putting their drives into orbit.  meanwhile, tiger just needs to be tiger again and not try to keep up with the crowd.

just my thoughts at least.

[Raider Nation Fisher]

If you are hung up on distance switch out to graphite shafts on your irons. Go get fit at your local golf store. Me I'm playing a set of Cobra Cavity Backs from about 4 years ago. They work for what I need them to do.

[Big C]

Just grip it and rip it. 

[mrmacwvu1]

Well I think that I am going to go with my buddy and drive a couple of hours to go to the launch monitor. Right now I am focused on the driver. I am looking at the titlest 915 the taylor made r15 and the cobra flyz. It will be interesting to use an adjustable driver for the first time.