Are your clubs helping you play better golf or holding you back?
Now that our golf season is drawing to an end, I encourage you to take stock of what is in your golf bag. Many golf shops are closing out their inventory, and this is a terrific time to take advantage of good deals that will pay off next spring.
A few careful additions can help shave a few strokes off your game and get you closer to your handicap goals.
• With putters, look for alignment aids on the club head that suit your eye. Mallet-style heads usually match the size of a cup, while putters with circles or notches make it easy to center the clubface behind the golf ball. Weight is important as well for improving feel on the greens. Heavy putters are great for slow greens, while a lighter putter suits the fast greens of a premium golf club.
• Wedges are vital to scoring well on the golf course. They are available in numerous lofts that range from 52 to 64 degrees. High-lofted wedges (lob) help add height to your shots for more “bite,” while low-lofted wedges help with those 75– to 100–yard shots into the green. At the very least, be sure to incorporate a standard wedge—which is 55 degrees—for versatility.
• Hybrids are meant to replace the difficult long irons. If you struggle to hit your 3–iron consistently, then a hybrid will surely benefit your game.
• High-lofted metal woods lost their popularity from the previous decade with the hybrid revolution; however, they are still terrific alternatives to the long irons. The addition of a 7– or 9–metal wood will benefit slower swing speeds (myself included) and are very reliable for improving the flight of the ball.
• Take a look at the loft of your driver and match it to your ball flight—not the height of your shot. If your ball flight is right to left, and you drive it fairly long, then you can play a lower-lofted driver. However, if you lack swing speed, or tend to hit the ball left to right (slice), then you need to look at driver lofts of a minimum of 10 degrees.
Happy Shopping!
—Dee Forsberg
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