If you are a golfer on the look out for improvement in your driving, where should you start and what should you be looking out for?
In days of old it was a straight up choice of what loft (9,10.5 or 12 degree) and what shaft (reg, stiff, x-stiff). However, nowadays there are so many more considerations and choices that you need to make to get the optimal club for you. Picking a club off the shelf is a complete lottery and I’m pretty certain will not necessarily get you what you want.
Firstly, here are the considerations:
1-loft
2-shaft flex
3-shaft weight
4-kick point
5-grip thickness and style
6-club head weighting (how to arrange the weighted screws)
7-head profile
8-clubhead forgiveness on mishits
9-overall club weight
10-shaft torque
11- and here’s the big one … (drumroll) … WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MATCH YOUR SWING AND BALL FLIGHT!?
So how, do you navigate the process?
If you are having coaching and you want to make the equipment upgrade please speak with your coach. With every swing change comes an impact condition change and you need to be on top of these and seeing consistent results. Preferably, it’s a good idea to get fitted when you are playing well. Getting fitted at the wrong time can be tricky when you come to make further swing changes and almost need a complete refit to make the club work for you again. It’s also a monumentally expensive investment to make to get it wrong!
Secondly, always get fitted using launch monitor technology to see the changes to spin rate, launch, speed or whatever it is that you need to see.
Finally, always remember what you need. You are the one playing your game so if you are after a specific thing (e.g. more neutral flight than a hook) keep this at the forefront of your mind and see what combination works for this. There is no value in standing in your fitting smoking it and then once you’ve picked up your club return to the very same ball flight.
My recommendation, and I’m biased on this one but for good reason, is to see a golf coach first and get some advice on your swing. Once you see your swing and ball flights improve then feel free to crack on and upgrade your golf bag.
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