What You Need to Know About Golf Clubs Before You Upgrade
If you’re ready to make the transition from golf newbie to seasoned golfer, you probably want to upgrade your equipment. While you might not be ready to join the pro tour, you may be ready for a better set of clubs. Before you start shopping for new golf gear, it might be useful to review some of the basics.
Golf clubs are deceptively complex mechanisms. When you shop for clubs you need to consider each of the following elements and how they affect your game.
The shaft: This is the long, skinny graphite or metal part of the club that connects the handle and the club head. The shaft is rated by "shaft flex". The flex rating is based on the amount of bend that occurs when a golfer swings the club. While manufacturers don’t abide by a single standard, typical ratings are L (Lady), A (Soft Regular or Senior Flex), R (Regular), S (Stiff), and X (Extra Stiff).
Choosing a staff that is too stiff can result in loss of distance. Using a club that is too flexible causes a loss of accuracy. If your swing is less than 78 MPH, consider a soft regular or senior club. If your swing is over 100 MPH, you should look at stiff or even extra stiff shafts.You want to find a club that gives you the best combination of distance and accuracy for your swing.
The grip or handle: This is the part of the club that you hold onto. It’s typically covered in leather, rubber, synthetic leather. Whether you are completely green on the course or have toured the world staying at golf resorts, you should always look for a grip that is comfortable. If you found a set of clubs you like but the grip isn’t comfortable, ask your local golf pro shop about changing the grip to something more to your liking. Grips are inexpensive and easy to change.
Unless you haven’t been holding the club correctly, you shouldn’t have to change your grip. Look for a club that feels right in your hands. A comfortable grip will increase you confidence on the course.
The club head: Called either iron or wood, this is the part of the club that comes in contact with the ball when you swing. The newer "metal woods", which rose to popularity in the 1990’s, make it easier for the golfer to make solid contact with the ball because of the larger club heads.
Larger club heads usually have a larger "sweet spot" or area that contacts the ball. The larger the sweet spot, the larger the space on the club head for optimal ball contact. There are three sizes of wood clubs: standard, which offers better control but a smaller sweet spot; oversized, which offers a larger sweet spot but less accuracy; and mid-sized, which is a combination of standard and oversized.
While your wood clubs offer real wood and metal wood, metal clubs similarly offer a variety of manufacturing processes and materials. Titanium and other metals used are usually, but not always, cast in a process called investment casting. While this allows manufacturers more flexibility in distributing weight into the perimeter, which in turn increases the golfer’s accuracy, the forged club is prized for feel and ability to intentionally curve a ball’s flight path. While forged clubs are popular among pros; of course, they often come with a professional sized price tag.
Talk to someone who understands how you golf and really knows golf equipment about what you need before spending hundreds of dollars on new equipment. The right equipment can make a difference in how well you play, but you can’t expect to spend a couple hundred dollars and be transformed into tournament contender overnight.
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