Golf Equipment: What Is The Goal? (Part Two)

In part one I explained what should be considered when purchasing golf equipment.  So, let me continue with this thought.

 

What it gets down to is ‘Feel’.  Yes the feel of a good golf shot and a bad shot.  And the feel a beginner golfer experience when hitting a golf shot is a lot different than what a touring pro feels.  The beginner is struggling getting their muscles to all coordinate at once particular second to hit the back side of a golf ball squarely.  Where as the tour pros can hit the ball squarely blindfolded ten times in a role because their muscles are finely tuned and are orchestrated by the brain to do whatever the player wants to do. 

So, there are definitely two very extremes of the feel of a golf shot.  For a beginner to judge from a TV or magazine (or worst an internet) commercial on the feel they are going to get out of a club doesn’t make a lot of sense.

What it gets down to is quality.  And, like in everything else in life, quality costs more.   But, which manufacturer really cares about the quality of its equipment? 

If you have spent a moment on the internet you have seen that there are literally hundreds of golf equipment manufacturers.  You have on one end your Ranger Rick standing in his garage hammering out a new putter he wants to sell to Tiger Woods and on the other end you have Titleist who produces some of the finest quality golf equipment you can buy off the shelf.  And there are manufacturers all in between who mass produce or build one club at a time.  Yes, the quality is all over the board.  

Deciding on which club manufacturer to go with is what makes learning the game of golf so much fun and a great big hassle at the same time.  It makes it even tougher to be a beginner golfer and having to make these decisions since they have probably not had the opportunity to ‘Feel’ a good golf shot.  Picking a golf club that ‘Feels Good’ is impossible for a beginner because they have not learned what that means. So, most beginners usually default to the cheapest and that is the worst decision to make.  Remember, the ‘Feel’ of a good shot is not produced by a low quality club.  And cheap equals low quality.

Your questions should be, ‘How do I know what manufacturer will produce the best feel most often?’  The answer is simple.  If you go with the best quality from the beginning you are starting with a better chance of finding what a good golf shot will feel like from the beginning.  And with that you will not have the need to change clubs as frequently.   So, go for the best quality of club you can afford and you will come out a head in the long run.

Most beginners are instructed to just go out and get a set of clubs to hack around with because they are going to out grow the clubs.  Or, that the higher quality golf clubs are made for golfers who have developed a higher level of skill or swing than a beginner.  Now, I am not a golf professional, but I have spent 15 years on the ‘Lane of Pain’ (driving range) hammering out golf balls with almost ever club made.  And my experience has developed me to realize that: First, if I had started with a set of fitted quality golf clubs from the very beginning I started to be taught golf, I would have found out sooner than I did what a good golf shot felt like.   But I didn’t and it was not until I went through three sets of low quality golf clubs before I got my first set of used quality irons that allowed me to get close to producing the golf swing needed to hit the back side of the ball squarely.   

And Secondly, I would not have had to spend the thousands of dollars I spent on golf clubs as frequently as I did before I finally golf some fitted quality golf clubs.  Ever since I was fitted in my last set of irons I have not had to even think about anything other than change worn out grips.   My friends who started with me have had three sets of irons since I got the set I have now.  How much more money would I have spent to get to where I am now…Thousands, guaranteed.

If I had just faced the fact when I started and gotten fitted to quality I would have started with the best in quality and only traded up when technology changed to make hitting the ball easier.  Which looking back would have been three times in fifteen years has technology changed to make playing golf easier.  Like larger club heads on woods and forged cavity back irons. 

All of this is why I cannot agree with those golf professionals and instructors who tell beginners to run out and get any ol set of clubs.  Because as they will admit, that beginner golfer will run right over to Wal-Mart and pick up a set of the cheapest clubs they can get.  And what do they have, something they will have to throw in the trash in a few weeks (if not days) when they can’t produce a good swing that produces the golf shot.

Yes, it is not the equipment but the swing that creates the good golf shot.  But, only good equipment produces a good swing.  Even if it is physiological, it is a fact that if there is something in your mind that you can reason is he cause for your not being able to hit a good golf shot then that is what will keep you from hitting the good shot.

Even a professional, or a person who can hit a golf ball with a Dr Pepper Bottle on a stick will tell ya that they can Feel the difference and find it much harder to produce the Feel of a good shot with a lower quality made golf club.

The bottomline here is:  Golf has never been so easy to learn to play.  And it will only get easier if golf manufacturers open up and face the fact that making the game easier is in their best interest.  To play golf a golfer has to invest into their golf that gets the ROI which is Feel. 

I can tell ya, there is absolutely nothing outside of sex that feels as good as hitting a quality golf ball with the sweet spot of the quality golf club and watching the ball go further than you have every hit it before. Or better yet, go where you wanted the ball to go

If you are just starting, stay with it.  Get those spear chunking muscles tamed down to working together, get some quality equipment and in time, you will find out what I am talking about.

The goal of golf equipment manufacturers should be focused on making learning golf easier, not how good golf can make you look…that comes from hitting a good golf shot. 

 

About The Author:  As President of Innovative Business Golf Solutions, Scot Duke provides over 31 years of corporate management experience which he now is using to helping small businesses improve their marketing strategies and business development.  In his book, How To Play Business Golf, you will learn everything needed to make golf an effective buseinss tool.  To learn more go to www.innovativebusinessgolf.com.