Is Your Equipment Helping Your Golf Game?

Having the right equipment in your bag to match your game can do great things for both your score and your enjoyment of the game when on the golf course. If you’ve asked yourself, “how do I know if my equipment is helping me or not?”, you’re not alone. There are a number of factors to consider because there is no “best” equipment out there. There is only what is best for the individual.

Although the initial assessment at SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction focuses primarily on the golfer and how they are moving, we do make sure to look for any glaring issues with equipment setups. This could include worn grips, shafts that don’t match swing speed, or clubs that don’t offer the forgiveness or workability that the golfer is looking for. If we determine that clubs are not properly fitted, we suggest going through a fitting in order to maximize what the golfer will get out of their swing. Throughout this post, we will give a brief overview of what to look for with every club in your bag.

Driver

The purpose of the driver is to hit the ball far and straight. For a long time, the center of the club has been pushed to the limit. That’s why driver technology today focuses primarily on being more forgiving on off-center strikes. Each golfer has different needs. A golfer with an inconsistent strike pattern may benefit from a driver with a center of mass further back which provides more forgiveness. Although that likely involves sacrificing a bit of ball speed. Better players trying to maximize distance may want the center of mass closer to the club face in order to boost ball speed and distance as high as possible. Although this could involve sacrificing some forgiveness when hit off center.

Matching the shaft flex and kick-point to each golfer’s swing is important as well. It isn’t as simple as “this speed=this flex shaft”. A 100mph swing with a quick tempo is very different from a 100mph swing with a slow tempo. Shaft will affect launch angle and spin, which results in variations in carry and total distance. Depending on the shaft and the person swinging, some shafts may even help to produce a higher club head speed. This will in turn provide faster ball speeds and longer drives assuming everything else stays the same. This is the only club where maximizing distance should be one of the top priorities.

Fairway Woods/Hybrids

Fairway woods and hybrids are often fitted incorrectly. This is not because the fitter or golfer doesn’t know what they are doing, but because they don’t understand the purpose of the club. Too many players try to maximize distance with their fairway woods and hybrids. They really should be trying to fill in gaps. For example, let’s say a golfer hits their driver 285 yards off the tee and hits their 3 wood 275 yards, then their hybrid 220 yards and their 4 iron 200 yards. The difference between their driver and 3 wood is negligible. Though the distance between the 3 wood and hybrid is significant.

It is rare that someone will ever have to get maximum distance out of a fairway wood. It would make more sense to have a fairway wood that goes somewhere closer to 250 yards. This is right between the driver and hybrid. It provides another option off the tee, likely one that will be used frequently. In the first scenario described, it is unlikely the 3 wood will ever be used unless going for a par 5 in 2 because it provides little to no strategic advantage off the tee over the driver. Ensure that every club in the bag fills a necessary gap. Each club’s purpose isn’t just to hit the ball as far as possible.

Irons

Irons typically make up the largest percentage of clubs in the bag. The most important factor when deciding what irons to carry is how far they go. But not in the way you think. It’s most important to select irons in terms of going the same distance every single time. A golfer will see much more benefit to having a 7 iron that goes 170 yards every time as opposed to a 7 iron that ranges from 185-200 yards on any given shot. Another important thing to consider is the descent angle of the ball. It is more beneficial to get the ball to stop shortly after hitting the green than it is to hit it lower and maximize distance with the potential of having difficulty holding greens on approach shots.

The next thing to look at for irons is length and lie angle. Properly fitted clubs will allow the golfer to make much more consistent contact. Clubs that are too long bring the heel into play. Clubs that are too short can cause shots to hit off the toe. Lie angle will affect how the club interacts with the ground as well as launch direction. A club that is too upright can cause the ball to launch left (for right handed golfers). In extreme cases, it can cause the heel to dig into the ground.

The opposite is true for lie angles that are too flat. The sole of the club should be flush with the ground at impact, causing straighter ball flight and good turf interaction. The last thing golfers need to consider is what irons to carry in the bag. There is no point in carrying a 4 iron if a golfer doesn’t feel comfortable hitting it. In some extreme cases two clubs (usually longer ones) may go nearly the same distance. If a 4 and 5 iron both fly the same distance, it doesn’t make sense to carry both. It would probably be wise to add a hybrid or wedge in the place of one of them to fill a gap somewhere else.

Wedges

Wedges are often misunderstood, because even within one “line” of wedges, such as Vokey, many options are available. Choosing the correct lofts is important for distance gapping. Choosing the correct sole configurations for your play style is important as well. “Bounce” is a term that refers to how high the leading edge is off the ground. A higher bounce number means the leading edge sits higher and won’t dig as much when a golfer leans the shaft forward. Too low of a bounce leads to heavy shots and big divots. This is why so many golfers hit “fat” shots with lob wedges from the fairway.

A lower bounce club will allow the golfer to open the face in order to hit a wider variety of shots around the green without the leading edge getting too high. If the leading edge is too high, it will be challenging to slide the club under the ball on some of the delicate shots around the green. In addition  to bounce one must also consider sole and grind configuration. Wider soles are more forgiving for players that have inconsistent low points in their golf swings. Narrower soles provide less forgiveness but more versatility.

Different grind configurations (parts of the club that are “shaved” off) allow the club face to be manipulated for different shots while keeping the leading edge low, such as flop shots around the green. It is important to decide what the golfer wants to use each wedge for when choosing bounce and sole configurations. If a golfer doesn’t plan to open the face with their 54 degree wedge, there is no reason to choose a low bounce wedge with an aggressive trailing edge grind as it will be less forgiving on full and other square faced shots. It is best to talk to your instructor to determine which types of grinds will best suit your game.

Putter

Putting, like the rest of golf, is part art and part science. While there are specific types of putter configurations that theoretically fit best with different stroke types, if a golfer doesn’t feel confident with that putter type, they will never reap the benefits of having that type of putter, regardless of how perfect it is for their stroke. Strokes that are more “straight back straight through” tend to work better with “face balanced” putters. This refers to a putter that has a face pointing straight up at the sky when the shaft is held parallel to the ground. The more arc a stroke has, the more “toe hang” is recommended. This refers to how much the toe of the putter points towards the ground when the putter shaft is held parallel to the ground. When fitting a putter, it is important to find the length that will get the golfer’s eyes directly over the ball at address and the lie that will help the putter sit flat on the ground.

It is important to find the loft that matches the golfer’s shaft lean at impact as well as rise angle. The ball should launch in the air ever so slightly. Too little loft and the ball will drive into the ground and bounce. Too much loft and the ball will launch higher than necessary. This will create inconsistency in speed and direction control, especially as putts get longer. Finding the putter that provides the most consistency in terms of aim, centeredness of contact, and launch direction is paramount. A properly fitted putter makes it much easier to make a repeatable stroke that a golfer can rely on.

How Do You Know If Your Equipment Is Helping You or Not?

What is the best way to determine if your equipment is appropriate for your golf game, physical ability, and style of play? The answer is to work with the team at SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction. We not only assess the body movement of each player during our Initial Assessment process, but we also look at whether there are any glaring issues with your clubs. It’s so important to your success on the course to have properly fitted clubs. As well as selecting each club based on the role that they play or gap they fill in your game. To work with SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction to improve your golf game or get a club fitting, contact us today.

About the Author

Kyle Pecka is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has been with SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction since 2017. He has had an interest and passion for golf his entire life. Between caddying at Sunset Ridge Country Club in his youth and working at a standalone golf shop and golf course in college prior to working for SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction, he has spent plenty of time in and around the game. The golf shop is what sparked his interest in equipment and club fitting, helping him lead the expansion of club fitting services offered at SMART Golf & Fitness Instruction to include many of the top manufacturers in the game of golf today.

Click here to learn more about Kyle, or here to follow him on Instagram.