Did Buying New Clubs Lower Your Handicap?

[WUTiger]

Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Over 2008-2009 winter, I decided to go from stiff to regular shafts. I was losing serious distance in all my clubs. Also, I had adjusted my swing to a more upright spine angle, so I was starting to drag the toe on iron shots and miss to the right. I needed a standard vs. flat lie angle for most iron models.

I got Callaway X20 irons, which I swapped after two seasons for X20 Tours. This brought me from the low 90s to the upper 80s.

Then, I started a three year march solidly into the 90s - or sometimes worse.  I reshafted the Callaways from Project X to NS Pro 8950s - about 18 grams and a half flex lighter.

Swapping around FWs caused problems for a year, and about the time I got that straightened out I got a severe roll sprain of my right ankle. I've had bouts of physical therapy trying to get the legs balanced out.

This spring, I got custom-fitted for some Nike Vapor Speed irons. I decided to buy them. Wedges were great, 9-7i OK more or less, 4-6 I could not control at all. My scores started to rise. Not sure what the problem was - after a lesson, nine rounds and plenty of range balls, I couldn't get them to work.  They are going back to Nike on their 90-day return policy.

Note: A couple of the high school golfers have Vapor Speeds, and they really nail 'em. The VS look solid - but I just can't seem to hit them well.

I put the Callaways back in the bag. On Sunday, I hit a few balls and played a few: hit the green with iron shots on three of seven holes. We'll see how things play out in the Club Championship on Saturday.

[rkim291968]

More often than not, it did.

[vangator]

I can but the switch was drastic. I was using ancient TA 845's before switching to Cleveland 588TT's in 2013. I went from a 12 hc to a 9 hc in a few updates and down to low 7's by the end of that season. Even as one of the premium GI clubs of the past the 845s were extremely unforgiving compared to modern clubs. Even though it was just a few points the quality of my iron shots was noticeably better. My problem is erratic driving.

Dave, are those the 588 Altitude hybrid irons? Something like the Hi Bore hollow irons? If so, sounds like you like them. I switched from a conventional set to a set of Single Length irons and my iron play has improved dramatically. I haven't kept stats, but I'd guess 3-4 strokes.

[Dave2512]

Dave, are those the 588 Altitude hybrid irons? Something like the Hi Bore hollow irons? If so, sounds like you like them.

I switched from a conventional set to a set of Single Length irons and my iron play has improved dramatically. I haven't kept stats, but I'd guess 3-4 strokes.

No the 588 TT is the better players head between the CB and the MT. TT = Tour Trajectory. I did buy and try the Altitude 4-6 with rewards $$ from GolfNow because I had to spend it on something. It was a short lived experiment. But I gave it a shot because I read some posts from low handicap guys on forums that were raving. I do use the MT 5 and 6, also bought with GN rewards and those are hollow. Very easy to hit.

[isukgolf]

I am of the opinion that you can not buy a game ... clubs/technology help ... but if you suk with an incorrect swing path/face angle ... you will have the same, with the new set of clubs. I have also discovered after buys many clubs, that nothing beats a club fitting. It certainly makes a club perform better when swung correctly.

[saevel25]

I voted yes.

Fitted driver added consistent distance

Fitted irons allowed me to control the ball flight better

Edel Wedges allowed me more confidence in my short game

Edel putter allowed me to control my distances and aim the putter correctly.

All of these help my golf game :)

[Mike Boatright]

Iv'e tried just about every club at golf galaxy with different shaft options and will say you can't buy a better game no. You can tweak what you have get a little more yardage or less for more control. You can make the ball go higher less left or right and maybe get a little better impact from bigger heads on the irons. All of this will help your game but if your swinging it like a hack and chopping wood then you need a new swing not new clubs.

[Tat14]

A driver with the proper shaft in it made a huge difference for me.

Most everything else is nuance.

Playing the game more often is more of a factor in scoring and index.

[rkim291968]

I voted yes.

Fitted driver added consistent distance

Fitted irons allowed me to control the ball flight better

Edel Wedges allowed me more confidence in my short game

Edel putter allowed me to control my distances and aim the putter correctly.

All of these help my golf game :)

I did all of the above down to Edel putter but my HI is 12 points above yours.  Where did I go wrong?

[Lihu]

No, buying old ones did. . .

[Sante TwoGloves]

No, buying old ones did. . .

there it is for me too.

[phan52]

Can anyone honestly say that by buying a club/clubs that their handicap went down.. If so how long did it take to lower it.

What did the new club/clubs do that your old ones didn't.

I definitely hit the ball farther with all of my newer clubs, but my handicap is pretty much the same as it's been for a couple of decades now. It fluctuates from 9-13 every year and, when my handicap improves, it is more a result of just playing more and practicing more. The clubs are definitely easier to hit but It doesn't matter if your swing is off.

[stealthhwk]

I had outgrown my super game improvement clubs. As my swing improved the sgi clubs became much harder to hit. I bought an inexpensive set of wilson irons that fit my eye and swing better and six shots came off my handicap almost overnight. New clubs are not a guarantee but sometimes your equipment can indeed hold you back.

[newtogolf]

Yes, original set and many after were either hand me downs or pre-owned.

This is the first set I've actually gone through the entire fitting process for and they have definitely improved my ball striking and helped lower my score.

[vangator]

No the 588 TT is the better players head between the CB and the MT. TT = Tour Trajectory. I did buy and try the Altitude 4-6 with rewards $$ from GolfNow because I had to spend it on something. It was a short lived experiment. But I gave it a shot because I read some posts from low handicap guys on forums that were raving. I do use the MT 5 and 6, also bought with GN rewards and those are hollow. Very easy to hit. [URL=http://thesandtrap.com/content/type/61/id/132549/] [/URL]

I kind of like the looks of those Altitudes. I need to launch the ball higher as well.

[bernie]

My golf clubs did not help my handicap. What did help the most was keeping my left arm locked straight... throughout my swing , making a crook in my wrists in my back swing and following through by turning my body. End result was my right heel was off the ground and right knee facing the shot. Went from a 25 handicap to a 19.0

[Lancer78]

Getting lessons from my local pro who works with a top 5 web.com tour player twice a week the last month has gotten me from shooting mid 90's to today where I shot a 1 over 37 for 9 holes.  8 out of 9 GIR with 20 mph wind and greens were aerated 2 days ago.  My equipment is walmart clubs and a $199 G-15 driver.  I could get 40 lessons from my pro for what the latest clubs would cost me.  With that many lessons, I could use a 2X4 and probably break par.

[mcanadiens]

I had to replace my old R5 driver about a month and a half ago and got a Nike Covert. While I haven't really been tracking my handicap, the new stick has helped a bit. My guess is that I'm averaging about 5 yards or so more distance when I strike it solid. Also it seems to be slightly more forgiving on mishits to the right. The balls seem to draw back towards the fairway for some reason. Other than that, I'm mostly still using the same Dunlop DMTs that were the first set of clubs I bought when I started.