Does equipment make that big of a difference?

[tazrestling27]

Today I played for my fourth time ever on the green and today was my best day yet. I typically do really well, but today was my all time best, i shot an 86. I do not have good clubs at all, i have the set at dicks called acuity that is 150 dollars all together, a driver and all the irons a bag and a putter. I was wondering if i get a nice set of irons will it really improve my game? If so what type of irons should i look for? I am a college student so i do not have that much money to spend. thanks

[twotacosfor99cents]

Question...

Did you take any mulligans? Bumped balls from the rough?

[tazrestling27]

No, I had a friend there keeping track of my shots and scoring it with me.

[teal]

I golf the same set - tried my brothers TM r7 draw- AMAZING difference in drivers. Like anywhere from 50 to 70 yards. Same swing back to back on the simulator at Dicks. Yes equipment makes a difference.

[joshtpa]

Equipment CAN make a big difference. I think moreso with consistency and having clubs be forgiving. Technology has changed a lot over the last 10-15 years and even cheap clubs like the ones you are playing work quite well. Keep playing them until you are consistent. Make sure you really want to invest money into the "hobby". Then try out some different clubs and see what you think.

[topspin4hand]

Equipment makes a difference. Especially if fitted properly.

86 is a ridiculously good score for your 4th time on the course. I'm jealous man. This was a full 18 holes, right? Not a par 3 course or something to that effect!

Today I played for my fourth time ever on the green and today was my best day yet. I typically do really well, but today was my all time best, i shot an 86. I do not have good clubs at all, i have the set at dicks called acuity that is 150 dollars all together, a driver and all the irons a bag and a putter. I was wondering if i get a nice set of irons will it really improve my game? If so what type of irons should i look for? I am a college student so i do not have that much money to spend. thanks

[tazrestling27]

No that was the full 18 at green knoll in Bridgewater New Jersey...

[La Costa Golfer]

Equipment makes a huge difference from a technology standpoint....but I would suggest not upgrading until your swing matures and settles into a consistent swing plane. That way you can best select the proper clubs that fit your swing and style of play.

[DavidFehertysBike]

I would saw the better player you are, the more equipment makes a difference.

[odstore]

Your swing is much more important than the clubs you play, but once you become comfortable with your swing and start hitting the ball consistently new equipment can increase distance, forgiveness (or workability), etc. and open up a variety of shots that you may not have had before.

[ezmoney5150]

It definitely makes your mis hits less tragic.

[Klean]

It made a huge difference for me. I've upgraded almost all of my starter clubs except my irons and coincedently those are the clubs I have the most problems with.

New Hibore XL - stopped slicing the ball and gained 20+yds
New Nickent Hybrids - Can get the ball into the air, my "go to" clubs 190yds+
New Cleveland CG12 wedges - confidence around the greens to get it up and down.
New Odyssey White Hot Tour putter - Ok this one didn't help as much but it looks good in my bag :)

Still waiting for a good set of irons. Been hitting a bunch lately and can't settle on whether I want to continue with some game improvement irons or get some player's irons and learn the hard way.

But the moral of the story is, YES technology and equipment helps.

[Vanstonica]

I think technology is a bigger asset to drivers and fairway woods than to irons.

If you look at the 15 year old Ping Zing 2 and a brand new Ping G 10 iron, there really isn't that much of a difference in construction or cosmetics (of course, that doesn't keep me from plopping down $800 every other year on new irons!).

If I were in your shoes, I'd probably set aside some cash and buy a name brand drive now, and then replace the irons down the line.

[beung]

Here is my take on equipment:

It does make a difference, more specifically technology, but not as much at the beginning when you are just starting and learning to play golf. It starts to play a bigger role and prrobably the most benefit when you have a swing somewhat established and can make relaible contact on the ball. But when you get good enough you have less requirement for the technology as you will have less mishits and more repeatible swing and don't need as much help.

I would say go get yourself a good "Game Improvement" set, with all the technology to help you get the ball in the air and are less penalizing on mishits because truely the very large majority of the golfers will probably never outgrow the need for the technology in these clubs. When you can get yourself near 10 handicap or so, you are looking for ways to work the ball a little better and you are hitting draws and fades because you are trying to rather then they be as a result of a mishit then you can start looking for replacements for "Game Improvement" sets.

[johnnyb588]

If you can consistently shoot in the mid 80's from the men's tees, then I would say that equipment might make a tiny bit of a difference. HOWEVER, my experience has shown that better equipment will not really get you more distance and more accuracy. What better equipment will get you is more spin and more workability. What this translates to in your game is that your shots will be much more shapable. This can be a good thing, but really, unless you're very good, this is probably going to be more of a hindrance than a help. My recommendation would be to try things out, and if you can find any clubs that give you a considerable advantage over your current clubs (which I doubt you will find), stick with what you have. There's no need to spend thousands on equipment in most cases. Most people just overpay.

[xamilo]

If you are making 86 on your fouth round ever you should be looking for sponsoring already insted of buying your own equipment

[mikelaw]

Its always the indian and not the arrow BUT i do think equipment matters ESPECIALLY shafts!

[FlopShotArtist]

Technology / Equipment is only good to a certain degree. Obviously, if you have a bad swing, you're not gonna hit a good shot, regardless of the equipment. If you hit them solid, and you just don't get the distance, go for the equipment.