Does equipment make that big of a difference?

[sandtrap]

Let me ask you guys who don't think your clubs matter. If you are 6'4" and your buddy is 5' 2", can you wear the same size pants? Do you still wear platform shoes and bellbottoms? (well I'm sure some of you do) but do you get the point?
What is best for me is not best for you and yes new tech is better than old tech.

[Jack_2251]

If you can shoot 86 for your 4th game on a real course, I would recommend getting sponsorships and looking up for deals because that's pretty amazing (if its true).

[DJYoshi]

new equipment can invoke confidence. I say anything that gives you confidence to swing smoothly and know that outcome of the shot before you take it....is well worth the purchase. the game HAUNTS you when you're not confident.
So if spending 300 on a putter gives someone confidence and better feel...good for them.

I used to use an old Cobra driver that my dad let me use while I was learning last year. I bought the HiBoreXL and had my 1st 300 yard drive.... this year I'm less about the distance and more about control...so to have a more predictable ball flight, I switched the shaft on the driver and put in a Diamana White. So now I can swing and I can be confident knowing the ball flight that I chose for the shot.

Equipment makes a diff to a certain extent..but if you have a severe outside to in swing, then a draw biased club will not help you. if you shank, skull or only hit worm burners, then a new set of mizunos will not help you.
but if you can swing and have a consistent ball striking round, then certain clubs might be right for you. just try them all. i KILL the ppl at the shops I go to b/c it takes me 1 - 2 hours to decide on 1 club!

[mikelz]

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

You listed your index at 36.

That kind of index means you have some posted some really large scores. If you then shoot 86 with the same clubs , why would you think you need new clubs? Had I done the same thing, I would have concluded, "The clubs weren't my problem - I was my problem." A couple of people on here have some Acuity clubs in there bags. I have an Acuity putter in my collection that works fine.

[DJYoshi]

"The clubs weren't my problem - I was my problem."

That's just a great line

[beung]

Let me ask you guys who don't think your clubs matter. If you are 6'4" and your buddy is 5' 2", can you wear the same size pants? Do you still wear platform shoes and bellbottoms? (well I'm sure some of you do) but do you get the point?

I don't think this has anything to do with the OPs question, no one would disagree with you that getting fitted will benefit everyone but to use your analogy, would the 6'4" guy be a better 2 stepper if he wore Wranglers and the 5'4" guy wore Levis?

[HansMoleman]

Technology does make all the difference. I started playing golf with a hand me down set of RAM clubs oversize. Learned to swing, fell in love with the game, and invested in new irons, driver, putter, etc. My game is better than ever before with my new clubs.

Like the others say, learn to play first, then invest in new clubs (fitted if you can). It will make all the difference.

[tazrestling27]

I played again yesterday and I shot an 89... I missed some major putts... but it was still a lot of fun. Today I went and demoed some irons and I tried the difference between graphite and steel. I concluded i like the steel a lot better and when i hit with the mizuno steel clubs i couldnt feel a thing it felt like it was cushioned... so I am debating if I do get irons what type should I get... I was thinking about nike slingshot oss?

[DJYoshi]

I played again yesterday and I shot an 89... I missed some major putts... but it was still a lot of fun. Today I went and demoed some irons and I tried the difference between graphite and steel. I concluded i like the steel a lot better and when i hit with the mizuno steel clubs i couldnt feel a thing it felt like it was cushioned... so I am debating if I do get irons what type should I get... I was thinking about nike slingshot oss?

you said you hit mizunos and they felt good. those are GREAT clubs. underrated since they're not used by phil, vijay or tiger. but they're possibly the best irons out in the market..especially their mp series.

[JoeCanuck]

One area where clubs differ greatly is feel. This spring, I decided I wanted a new set of clubs replacing my decade old Fazer set. I spent hours in the shop bashing a bunch of different sticks.

I ended up buying the Adams A3OS steel shaft set...based entirely on feel.

I reckon that the clubs that feel the best to me, will encourage me to play more which will improve my game more than any specific set of clubs ever could.

Get the clubs that feel the best then play a lot. At the very least, that will give you maximum enjoyment of this game.

[joshtpa]

So many people hit tons of clubs, and when they get to Adams, it just clicks...I had the exact same experience.

[meenman]

If you shot an 86 on your 4th round playing 18 holes then I seriously doubt that clubs are going to benefit you since you should be breaking par by next week.

[soloredd]

For me, equipment makes a difference in the sense that if I feel comfortable with it, I play pretty good, which basically comes down to confidence. I started playing with some Wilson blades, hand me downs from my grandfather. This year I bought one of those Wilson all-in-one sets (Deep Red) and have become pretty decent with the irons. I have switched out the driver, woods, and hybrids, however. And by doing so my game has improved even more. Before, I was in the low 100s and now I am in the 90-95 range and am still going lower.

I feel like if I can get my game down the 88-90 consistantly with these Wilson's, I will go ahead and try some new, higher quality irons.

[klvanzu]

Equipment really only matters when you need clubs to fit your size and swing. A 6'5 big hitter wouldn't benefit from using regular flex, short shafts.