First, you must be asking yourself – “what does this title have to do with golf and why should I care?” Good question. The only suggestion we have is to read on. It will all make sense in the end.
Inspirational Quotes
“If you are caught on a golf course during a
-Lee Trevino
“It took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball. I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”
-Hank Aaron
I’ve heard it said that in his prime, Jack Nicklaus could pick up a broken tree branch, take a few practice swings and still win the Masters. Hmm… if this were true, 90 percent of the golfers would have asked, “What kind of tree was it? Bark or no bark,” and within a week every tree on earth would have been stripped of its branches.
Achieving Greatness
Aside from the cheekiness on my part, you get the basic idea. Greatness comes from ability, not equipment.
So, you ask, “Will having top-of-the-line golf clubs make me a better player, or just a poorer one?”
The sport of golf will not only drain your patience, but if you’re not prudent, your wallet as well. And like anything being sold, advertisers will try to convince you to buy their product in order to make you look younger, smell better, get more girls, attract more men, or cure a myriad of headaches, belly aches and foot fungi.
Golf is no exception. It’s a lucrative business. Just add up your green fees.
Golf clubs are like cars. A Ford Focus (no offense to you Focus owners; name picked at random) will get you across town just as easy, albeit a tad slower, than a Maserati.
Of course, no one will be eyeballing you at every stop light and wondering how a schlub like you can afford such an awesome ride, but you probably won’t have to worry about being carjacked.
Again, my apologies to Focus owners. I’m sure there are plenty of carjackers that would love to have your car. The supposition is on point though. You can own the platinum-plated clubs with built-in gyroscope and still have a handicap of 100+.
Whereas, Tiger Woods with a blindfold and a dented, aluminum walking cane would probably still shoot in the low 70’s.
Before we throw the baby out with the bathwater and tease your golfing buddy with the $530 Callaway Epic Flash driver, let’s consider this:
- I read on thesandtrap.com forum a while back that middle rage cast and middle range forged irons were painted black and then tested by a few touring pros. None could tell the difference. We won’t get into the forged vs cast debate, but the performance was the same.
Hitting The Sweet Spot
- Expensive golf clubs typically have shafts of higher quality than store brands, making the consistency and feel better. But regardless of price, shafts that are more flexible causes a higher ball flight, while with the stiffer shaft, the ball flight is lower. Choosing the proper shaft when customizing is a whole other can of worms. Google it.
- To play fair, we must mention COR or Coefficient of Restitution. Without getting too technical, it’s the measurement of energy transfer when two objects collide. It’s given a number between 0 and 1. The USGA/R&A put a limit of 0.83 on all legal clubs. In essence, no “legal” club should hit the ball any further than another brand of club.
Why Better Clubs?
Bottom line is, ‘it don’t mean a thing if you ain’t got that swing. Good swing equals good shot. Better clubs are designed to help mitigate the less-than-impeccable shot. Practice makes perfect.
- Last year’s models of high-end clubs typically sell for 50 to 70 percent of the cost when new. The changes from one season to the next are minimal. And with name brands, you’re paying not only for their name, but their efforts to protect their brand loyalty by building quality products and standing behind them.
A $100 set of boxed clubs from Walmart isn’t going to have the same quality as a set from Cobra or Mizuno, but an inexperienced golfer may not be able to tell the difference.
- If you are a beginning golfer, Dick’s or another sporting goods store may be the best place to start. Or better yet, visit your local golf shop. Major club makers often have divisions that offer lower priced, higher quality boxed sets. As your game progresses, you’ll gain a better understanding of the differences in quality and feel and be better able to determine what features might suit your needs.
To wrap this up, of course it’s great to have the best. But let’s talk about the beginner. It’s wiser to start with a second-hand set or new store-brand box set. This holds true if you’re the middle child (think Jan Brady) and can live with hand-me-down equipment.
In Conclusion
I’ll leave you with some wise words. Be prepared to put in both time and money into your game, if you’re interested in improvement. The game of golf is awesome, frustrating, inspiring, and aggravating, all at the same time, but it gets you off the couch.
To quote golfing legend, Arnold Palmer, “Golf is a game of inches. The most important are the six inches between your ears.”
Don’t be swayed by brand names or advertising slogans. No club will make you qualify for the U.S. Open overnight, but some just might help you better your game.
And with lots of
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