Matching Equipment

[cwo2lt]

I'm in the market for woods and hybrids this winter and I'm wondering if I should match the make/model for driver/3 wood/hybrid. Everyone seems to have all the same irons in a matched set but I see a lot of people have a different brand driver, fw wood and hybrid.

It seems to me having the same manufacturer would be an advantage in that the clubs would matched and therefore more consistent. Am I off base here?

[Shindig]

  cwo2lt said:

I'm in the market for woods and hybrids this winter and I'm wondering if I should match the make/model for driver/3 wood/hybrid. Everyone seems to have all the same irons in a matched set but I see a lot of people have a different brand driver, fw wood and hybrid.

I'm inclined to say no, it doesn't matter as much as you might think. But it is aesthetically pleasing.

In fact, when I see mis-matched clubs in the "what's in the bag?" features in Golf Digest, more often than not it's the fairway woods that aren't matched. They're using their sponsor's driver, irons, and wedges, but a competitor's 3-Wood. Until about a week ago, my driver and 3-Wood were mismatched, and it didn't cause me any real problems, other than that my driver was at a non-optimal loft for me. I only picked up the different brand because I loved their other clubs (and I think their driver is prettier). Now, be careful with the LOFTS of the clubs! There isn't really much of an industry standard as to which loft is which club. This is a bigger deal with irons ("I hit my 42* pitching wedge 10 yards farther than my old 46* wedge!") than with woods, but it's something to watch out for. No sense having a 17 degree 5 wood and a 17 degree 4 wood in the bag. Other than that, find clubs you like.

[josef]

  cwo2lt said:

I'm in the market for woods and hybrids this winter and I'm wondering if I should match the make/model for driver/3 wood/hybrid. Everyone seems to have all the same irons in a matched set but I see a lot of people have a different brand driver, fw wood and hybrid.

i don't think there is any advantage of matching clubs unless you just want to Look like a pro or something.. I mean the only thing that might help is to have the same 3 wood and 5 wood.. (but a lot of people don't even carry 5 woods anymore). Hybrids, irons, drivers, and woods all hit differently anyway sooo having the same brand wouldn't really help any.

Especially just starting out (higher handicaps like you and I).. I just picked up the best stuff I could that was on close-out so I could get playing as soon as possible. I don't really care that I use 3-4 different brands.. for me i just want the best equipment at the best price so I can get out there and play.

[907golfer12]

Personlly I don't think you MUST have matching woods, but if you like the feel to say all the Burners, then by all means buy them. But say you like the look and feel to the Titleist 907 D2, over say they Burner and then you like the Cobra fairway woods, and you hit them well then by all means go ahead and get it mixed. Like I love my Nike SQ SUMO, but the fairway's are so hot for me, but I love my Burner, and then Im planning on getting a Nickent Hybrid because I love the feel, look and performance.

[Shindig]

  josef said:

Especially just starting out (higher handicaps like you and I).. I just picked up the best stuff I could that was on close-out so I could get playing as soon as possible. I don't really care that I use 3-4 different brands.. for me i just want the best equipment at the best price so I can get out there and play.

Actually, Josef is pointing out here an advantage to using

non-matching clubs: you'll find ones you like. I started out with a TM Driver, Callaway hybrid, and Pinseeker 3-Wood. I ended up trading back the hybrid and 3-Wood for a Cobra hybrid and TM 3-Wood. I loved the hybrid and didn't so much care for the 3-Wood that I traded it back for a Cobra 3-Wood. In short, by using non-matching as you begin, you can sample more things and find which ones you really like as you consider going to matching later on.

[TourSpoon]

With giant 460cc drivers, how do they even come close to matching up with the fairway woods even when they are from the same company? Back in the day of 250cc drivers it was possible, but now the difference is too great.

Even getting the same shaft may be a little suspect and not any guarantee as the clubhead from driver to 3 wood can be like night and day. I use what works for me and it is pure coincidence that my driver and 3 are Callaway.

Hybrids to me are very specialized clubs, so they can be individualized, but I would suggest getting the same model if you carry more than one.

If having a "match" makes you more confident then go for it. In the end the scorecard doesn't really care what clubs you used to get it into the hole.

[cwo2lt]

Thanks for the replies. If you look at my signature the only joke there is the bag - the clubs are real!

I can't hit the driver very well at all but I can hit that 3 wood about 220 fairly consistently and by that I mean if it goes straight it goes 220. I still have an inconsistent stroke so I have mishits which are usually slices although I'm starting to straighten that out.

My plan is to buy a 3 wood or hybrid now and as I said in my intro reward myself with a driver when I break 100. I have a friend who is in love with his Hibore XL and I'm leaning that way. I was curious if I should look hard at the HiBore fairway woods and hybrids to keep consistent in my long clubs.

Based on the replies I think I'll look around a bit more before I jump but I won't rule them out yet either!

[Shindig]

  TourSpoon said:

With giant 460cc drivers, how do they even come close to matching up with the fairway woods even when they are from the same company? Back in the day of 250cc drivers it was possible, but now the difference is too great.

Really; the 3-woods seem rather big nowadays. I wonder if I'm better with my hybrids because the shaft is shorter or because the head is smaller? Yet, I think the bigger head on my driver helps.

  cwo2lt said:

Thanks for the replies. If you look at my signature the only joke there is the bag - the clubs are real!

The balls are really water logged? Consider a sleeve of non-water logged ones.

  cwo2lt said:

I can't hit the driver very well at all but I can hit that 3 wood about 220 fairly consistently and by that I mean if it goes straight it goes 220. I still have an inconsistent stroke so I have mishits which are usually slices although I'm starting to straighten that out.

Hold on, the MOI on the driver should help you here. There was a great article in

Golf Digest a few months ago about how most mid-to-high handicappers can hit a fairway better with a driver than a 3-wood.

  cwo2lt said:

I have a friend who is in love with his Hibore XL and I'm leaning that way. I was curious if I should look hard at the HiBore fairway woods and hybrids to keep consistent in my long clubs.

If your friend uses the same flex shaft that you should (guess: regular flex, unless you've been fitted otherwise), ask him if you can use his for a few swings at the driving range one day. Or, if he's busy some weekend when you're going to play, he may let you borrow it. I let a friend use a few of my clubs one day when he was going to play and I couldn't, and it convinced him that regular flex was indeed for him.

[TourSpoon]

  Shindig said:

Really; the 3-woods seem rather big nowadays. I wonder if I'm better with my hybrids because the shaft is shorter or because the head is smaller? Yet, I think the bigger head on my driver helps.

True, but the 3-woods and 5-woods are closer in comparison than say a 3-wood and a 460 driver.