Golf Equipment

Golf is probably like no other game when it comes to the type of golf equipment one must posses in order to maximize or otherwise improve one’s game.

But, before you begin investing your hard earned money in all of the latest golf technology that is somehow going to compensate for a lack of a properly executed golf swing,

Let’s have a quick reminder or a bit of a golf equipment review. The best piece of golf equipment that you can invest in is your golf swing. Get to know what your golf swing is and what you need to do to improve it!

Let’s start our discussion with the golf beginner. So many times I see parents running off to buy the young golfer the complete set of clubs before the youngster has even begun to take any whacks at the golf ball. Although the intentions are good, the money well spent really isn’t.

Kids can have fun and play the game of golf with just about any type of golf equipment. And is it really a good idea to get a young person thinking about how their clubs fit them and what is the stiffness of the club shaft, the proper swing weight of the club… and on and on? They’ll be a mental case before their first round of play.

Even for those of us who have played for awhile, I muse at how any one person thinks a high dollar set of golf clubs is somehow going to improve an otherwise horrible golf swing.

Yet we see it all the time.

Mid handicap golfers are always fussing over things like what type of ball should they play. I generally suggest that they try to find a round one. I mean really folks. You’re basically a bogey golfer (which is great… the majority aren’t that good) that hits a good many decent shots during a round of golf. But by no means is the cover and materials of the golf ball going to take strokes off your game. Of course you shouldn’t go out and play with stolen range balls but a nice round inexpensive golf ball will do you right.

The point I am trying to make here is save your golf equipment review for another time and spend more time investing in your swing. Let more of the natural progression of your golf swing mechanics, and eventually your more consistent striking of any golf ball; begin to dictate what type of mental state you put yourself in over the golf clubs and golf equipment you do use.

If your golf swing is sound and you trust it, you’ll be able to hit any ol’ golf ball off of a pop bottle with a lost and found driver and sweep the $5 nassau from your buddies who, by the way, are probably still waiting on the miracles of golf technology to save them from their own cobbled together un-practiced golf swings.

Golf Driver: The Head

The strength combined with the weight of the golf driver is the key especially if your handicap is higher.

Titanium club heads fit this bill on both aspects.

Titanium club heads are both stronger and lighter weight than steel club heads.

Since you can create more clubface surface area with a titanium driver head for the same amount of weight as a steel club head, you then produce by default, a larger sweet spot on the club face.

Hence, higher handicappers will find this type of driver more forgiving for their golf game.

So, why doesn’t everyone go with titanium?

Although steel club heads are heavier than titanium, they are cheaper. Good quality steel clubs heads will provide the same distance provided you hit the smaller sweet spot.

Lower handicap players will generally go with steel clubs because they provide a greater ability to work the flight of the ball. Remember, the more ‘forgiving’ the club the less control YOU have over the flight characteristics you can impart on the golf ball. This is why lower handicap players prefer the trade off of forgiveness to get more control.

Let’s talk briefly about clubface loft. Most generally a typical golf driver has a loft of 8-12 degrees. The lower the number the lower the natural trajectory of the ball flight will be. A lower loft (lower number) will produce more distance if all things are equal. How does this equate to your game? Well, if you tend to slice the golf ball of the tee, you will want to opt for a higher lofted driver. Lower lofted drivers tend to accentuate any spin you put on the ball. Thus, a lower lofted driver will often add to your slice and your handicap.

Put a number on it?

O.K. Higher handicappers will probably want to go 10 degrees or higher on their drivers.

Hope this is somewhat helpful. Let’s talk about the golf driver shaft.

The Golf Driver: Big And Sexy

As you know, technology has changed the game of golf immensely over the past several years.

One of the biggest (or at least the most marketed) is that surrounding the golf driver. The driver is the biggest, longest, bad-est, sexiest, and most expensive golf club in your bag.

For the golfer, no other club in the bag sets the tone for the for round like our driver. The golfer’s driver…truly a love/hate relationship. And with today’s technology, who doesn’t like to go for the green in one on those beguine par fours!

As I mentioned a moment ago, no other golf club receives the marketing hype that the driver does. A lot attention to a golf club to be sure, but a club that, if you are not comfortable with will add strokes to your round off some 14 different tee boxes if you are really struggling. That’s a lot of strokes.

So, what type of golf driver should I be looking at? The short answer is one that gives you a feeling of confidence when you address the ball and execute your swing. If you’d like a bit more information on getting custom fitted clubs, I have a couple articles on custom golf clubs already written.

Where can you buy good clubs online?

Here are a couple of good resources for golf club drivers, irons and complete sets that I have had very good luck with.

There are some great variations for your that aren’t covered in our discount warehouse that I would recommend that you check out.

For custom made clubs and clones, Pinemeadow Golf has always been one of the top 50 custom golf club manufacturers in the world.  They sell a complete line of custom golf clubs.   If you are looking for a nice driver but don’t want to pay brand name PRICES then consider a clone golf driver. Compare to name brands such as Adams, Callaway, Cleveland, King Cobra, Taylor Made, Nike, Titleist and Ping but at 1/3 the price.

They also have an automated Custom Fitting Wizard to tailor the clubs for your frame. And if you are perhaps thinking about introducing a junior golfer to the game the Pinemeadow Nitrix Junior Golf Set for Ages 10-14 set is perfect for players between the ages of 10-14. The woods and irons are built with custom matched Pinemeadow NRG graphite shafts that are lightweight yet durable enough for junior golfers. All the clubs are built and designed with easy to hit characteristics making it simple for the new player to pick up the game.

Callaway Golf preowned is another very good option for you they offer largest selection of used Callaway golf equipment.  You can choose from over 40,000 thousand used Callaway golf clubs, drivers, fairway woods, iron sets, individual irons, wedges, putters, starter sets, and junior sets.  These are excellent clubs at a fraction of the price of new.

Golf Club Grips And Shafts

As your swing progress and improves it becomes more important to start matching the golf club shaft to your swing.

Golf Club Shafts

The shaft of the golf club will flex when you swing and although the golf club shaft is not directly responsible for the power in your swing it does transmit this stored energy via the flexing to the club head at (hopefully) the precise moment.

In terms of golf shaft materials there are two basic types; steel and graphite. Steel shafts are less expensive but heavier and are preferred by advanced golfers and the pros.

The graphite shafts are lighter, but more expensive and are preferred by average and older golfers. Remembering that the distance you get on your golf shot is a matter of physics is the main allure of the graphite shaft. Since it is lighter than the steel, the average golfer can generate a higher club head speed. And with the lighter weight of graphite, more weight can be added to the head without increasing the actual swing weight of the golf club.

A shaft that is too flexible for your swing speed will produce much inconsistency at contact since the flex of the shaft is going to vary greatly based on your swing. If the shaft is too stiff for your swing you will have a tendency to leave the ball out to the right (for right handed golfers). This is why it is very important to match the type of shaft to your swing once you get your swing to a fairly consistent level of execution.

Golf Club Grips

The size of your golf grips can indeed play an important role in the results of your golf swing. Remember, it is on the grip where you have the only contact on the golf club and such is the on point from which you send information about the feel of your upcoming shot to your brain.

If your golf grips are too small or thin you will have the tendency to introduce more hand action into your shot and vise verse if your grips are too thick. The proper fit for your golf grips would be to have your middle finger just able to touch the pad on your thumb once around the golf grip.

Most grips are either of a cord material or rubber. These materials offer good resistance to wear and good playability. I wouldn’t recommend leather wrap grips for those just starting out as they are more expensive and less durable.

Golf club grip maintenance is a must. You should replace your grips on a regular basis. You won’t have to replace all of your grips each go around only the ones that are the most heavily used.

But it’s important to keep your grips fresh and of consistent feel across all of your clubs. Any pro shop can do this for you or you can certainly replace them yourself.

See my article on replacing your golf club grips.

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