When Do I Need to Replace My Golf Clubs?
February 5, 2021
"Golf starts from the tee box not from the green. Don't ruin your round." – Lance Reader
Without doubt golf club technology has changed dramatically over the past two decades. It is, however, almost impossible to say how these advancements in club design can be quantified to your game. So, the quick answer is “it depends”. If you have been showing up at the course with a persimmon driver, blade irons, and a Calamity Jane putter, today’s clubs are much easier to hit and can help you launch the ball higher. Plus, they are designed to fly the ball as straight as possible after any mishit. Although on-course skills always trump a bag filled with the hottest new golf products, it may surprise you to learn that beginners and casual golfers are more apt to see benefits to their scorecard by updating to the latest golf technology than a scratch golfer who plays regularly with an older set of sticks. Nonetheless, as the industry continues to progress, the application of technology will mean better equipment options that translate to more fun on the golf course.
Even God Can’t Hit a 1 Iron...
You may have heard someone say, “If you are caught in a storm and are afraid of lightning hold up a 1 iron. Even God can’t hit a 1 iron.” This humorous gesture is credited to six-time Major winner Lee Trevino, who was known for his on-course wit-and-wisdom even though he required back surgery after being struck by lightning at the 1975 Western Open. Nonetheless, most golfers would certainly agree… at least with the latter part of Trevino’s quip. Fact is one, two, and even three irons are rapidly disappearing from golf bags to allow room for other specialty clubs, extra wedges, and multiple lucky putters. Technology is just that much better today, and the so-called long irons have been replaced by hybrids. Hybrids bridge the gap between a fairway wood and the harder-to-hit longer shafted, steep-faced irons. The design and technology of the hybrid golf club makes it easier to get the ball launched in the air, especially from a less-than-perfect lie or hitting out of thick rough.
Reach More Greens with Hybrids
Maybe you were one of the first in your group to show up with a rescue metal wood years ago. Many of today’s hybrids can trace their lineage back to those early fairway woods made for launching the ball off of a tight lie. If don’t already carry a hybrid in your bag, you could be leaving strokes on the course. By design, the hybrid club gives players of all ability levels a much better chance of catching the ball solidly from all sorts of troublesome lies. Now, for the rest of the irons in your bag, take a look at the ground after your shot. If your divot looks like you were digging weeds, your irons may not have the correct weight distribution or bounce for your swing. On the other hand, if you are getting height but no rollout, or barely getting the ball off the ground and can’t stop it on the green, either result can be a sign that golf club technology has passed you by. After all, the golf industry has attracted the most brilliant minds from aerospace engineers to rocket scientists, so advancements in hybrid driving irons are happening at a rapid rate.
What About the Big Stick?
Custom drivers and hybrids represent two of the major advancements in golf club design in recent years. Drivers today use lighter materials in critical areas to allow for a more effective distribution of weight to different locations on the crown. Increased club speed and forgiveness allows equipment manufacturers to build custom-fit drivers, rather than force golfers to adjust to their equipment. Although the vast majority of golfers will never achieve the raw distance of a World Long Drive Champion like Kyle Berkshire or Justin James, matching driver features like a lower center of gravity and increased club head speed can help you hit the ball longer and straighter off the tee box. According to Lance Reader, president of Krank Golf, “Swinging hard and out of control does not mean distance. Hitting a driver with maximum-energy-transfer straight means you will hit it longer.” After more than a million downloads, the pro long drive instructor has updated Quiet Golf: The Key to Hitting Straighter and Longer – Today. Click Here to download your FREE copy.
Improvements in driver technology include new manufacturing techniques that allow for more precision. This allows manufacturers to develop drivers with thinner faces. This is especially true for forged clubs being built to be more forgiving with less spin, a higher launch, and better results. In fact, our custom-fitted driver translates into increased speed through a larger part of the face that can add distance and accuracy to your drive. The same is true for quality hybrids and hybrid irons. In recent years, iron technology has improved drastically with features like multiple loft options and perimeter weighting. Today’s broad range of shaft materials and flexes also contribute to longer and more forgiving shots. There are literally thousands of combinations between shafts and heads to allow for a stellar custom fitting. While too many options can be a problem of its own, what this array of options can mean is that you can now buy equipment dialed-in for specifically for your golf swing and how you play the game.
