Your golf equipment could actually be doing you more harm than good. Now I’m not saying you need to go out and buy the newest driver, irons, golf balls, shoes…the whole nine yards, but even making some simple low cost changes could help your golf game and the enjoyment in playing it.
When I was young, about 7 years old, my grandpa “cut down” his old set of clubs and gave them to me. It was great, my very own set of clubs that were my size.
Now we know that’s not the best thing for a young boy or girl starting to play the game. Mainly because when you take a standard length club and cut it in half to fit a youngster you’ve changed the flex, or bend, of the club shaft. A golf club needs to flex the right amount for a player when hitting a golf ball. Most adult males fit into a “Regular” flex shaft. When you cut it down you’ve made it flex (bend) about as much as construction re-bar.
These days they make clubs especially for kids in different lengths. You can sometimes get sets for around $100. A great investment for starting kids in golf.
As far as your own clubs, look at the grips. Have they been changed and new ones put on in the last year or two…or ever? It’s recommended you change grips about every other year, or about 40 rounds of golf. When you golf with old/ worn grips your hands can slip a little on the club. When that happens, it can send your ball off line as much as 15 yards or more. I can re-grip your set of clubs over night and it will immediately make a difference.
Golf shoes are made particular to golfing. They have “spikes” that take hold of the grass better than tennis or running shoes. When swinging a golf club, you torque your feet in a way that can make you slip with tennis/ running shoes. Even the slightest slip of the feet could cause you to mishit the ball or miss completely.
Golf clubs can be expensive, a new full set costing over a thousand dollars in some cases. But there are stores where you can get very good used or last year’s models at very decent prices. The important part is at least knowing your shaft flex, as I wrote above.
A lot of golf specific stores like Nevada Bob’s or Golf Galaxy can fit you for the proper clubs. Statistics show that you can lose 5-6 strokes per 9-holes because of clubs not appropriate for your swing. With a 10-minute assessment on the driving range I could tell you whether or not you have the proper flex in your set of clubs.
The game of golf is hard enough as it is. Let alone having your equipment costing you shots around the course. But with a few equipment improvements, you can save strokes and enjoy the game more.
Heath Ekstrom, PGA, Head Golf Professional at Superior National at Lutsen will periodically provide golf news and tips from Superior National.
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