Is the latest and greatest needed?

[Liko81]

On 9/27/2016 at 11:49 AM, RussUK said:

So is the latest gear really needed for most us golfers and do any of you still game the older gear?

No. Basically anything inside, say, the last 15 years ("post-revolution", aka the era of 460cc drivers, cavity-weighted investment-cast irons etc) will play. You may notice an improvement between 2005-ish equipment and the current state-of-the-art, mainly in iron distance, but 90% of that is going to be because manufacturers continue to de-loft the higher iron numbers, especially in GI/SGI lines like the Ping G. Similarly, you might get better numbers from a newer driver, but it's as likely to be because of a lighter head and longer shaft generating higher swing speeds as it is to be any piece of technology actually marketed by the manufacturer.

[MarvChamp]

Do some still play older clubs? They aren't ancient but I still love my Mizuno MX100 (cast) and MX200 (forged) irons from 2009-2010. In my quest to find my game again after years off, the flush feel of the Mizunos is what I want. Plus my Callaway Heavenwood 3 and 4 hybrids and even older KZG 18* and 26* U-Irons. I even recently had a club builder "fit" me to the Mizunos that I like so much...We re-shafted, frequency tuned, spine aligned ad infinitum ($$$). Even took an inch of my great Callaway Diablo Octane so it matched my other clubs. So, yes, some are more insane than others. -Marv

[Piz]

If it really is all about what the club head does...and the golfer arranges his/her self around it; then it isn't important what club it is...only what it does to your swing.

[Hacker James]

as long as there are marketeers, golf mags, sponsors, commercials, high cappers, the search for the "Holy Grail" will continue. I am not immune, but I still have older equipment (Hogan, Palmer), I really never got used to the 460cc heads (along with many,many, other folks). That being said, I still make purchases on ebay for used, pick up items at thrift shops and veterans stores. 

[WUTiger]

On 9/27/2016 at 1:11 PM, DaveP043 said:

I'm one who doesn't believe that the incremental changes in clubs make enough difference to justify the cost of buying new equipment with any frequency.

If you have played your iron set for 10 years, and it's not working as well as it once did, it may be time to replace it.

You could benefit from the latest and greatest or near latest and greatest (last year's model that fits you. Also, it simply may be time for a change in equipment (not necessarily newest) to fit changes in your game or your physical condition.

When I was in my early 20s and got out of the Marine Corps, I was having control problems. Upon exit, I was 20 pounds heavier than when I went in, and was in very good shape physically. The solution: I went to stiff shafts across the board, straightened out the ball and got more consistent distance.

At age 55, I was still playing stiff shafts and noticing a falloff in distance, and inconsistency in distance. So, I switched back to regular shafts, and got some Callaway irons with a more useful head design than my old clubs.

Again, if something isn't working, first take a lesson make sure it's not stance or motion problems. If it turns out it's not what you're doing that hurts, consider changing equipment.

[DaveP043]

5 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

If you have played your iron set for 10 years, and it's not working as well as it once did, it may be time to replace it.

You could benefit from the latest and greatest or near latest and greatest (last year's model that fits you. Also, it simply may be time for a change in equipment (not necessarily newest) to fit changes in your game or your physical condition.

When I was in my early 20s and got out of the Marine Corps, I was having control problems. Upon exit, I was 20 pounds heavier than when I went in, and was in very good shape physically. The solution: I went to stiff shafts across the board, straightened out the ball and got more consistent distance.

At age 55, I was still playing stiff shafts and noticing a falloff in distance, and inconsistency in distance. So, I switched back to regular shafts, and got some Callaway irons with a more useful head design than my old clubs.

Again, if something isn't working, first take a lesson make sure it's not stance or motion problems. If it turns out it's not what you're doing that hurts, consider changing equipment.

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't suggest that new equipment is never justified.  I typically keep my irons 6 or 7 years, and probably something similar for longer clubs.  I'm still using a Titleist 910 driver, so its about 4 generations old.  I just don't think I would have been well-served to go from the 910 to the 913, 915, and now be looking at the 917, simply because each one was "better" than the previous one.

[WUTiger]

22 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

I just don't think I would have been well-served to go from the 910 to the 913, 915, and now be looking at the 917, simply because each one was "better" than the previous one.

You are on target here. Those golfers who have more money than perseverance and switch clubs every year encounter another problem: learning curve.  It takes a season or two for many of us to get comfortable with a set or irons or a driver and determine just what it will do.

[DaveP043]

6 minutes ago, WUTiger said:

You are on target here. Those golfers who have more money than perseverance and switch clubs every year encounter another problem: learning curve.  It takes a season or two for many of us to get comfortable with a set or irons or a driver and determine just what it will do.

That's one reason I still have the 910.  I demo-ed it on the range one day, played a round with it the next day, and took the tape off the face and put it into play the following weekend in our Club Championship, where I won my flight with a brand new driver.  No learning curve at all!

[dkolo]

The MGS article from just the other day seems illuminating:

https://www.mygolfspy.com/taylormade-m1-vs-taylormade-r7-superquad/

They tested the 2016 M1 vs. the 10-year old R7 Quad and found a distance gain of about 15 yards. Which is a considerable difference. But it also tells you that the difference between the best clubs is best measured on the scale of decades rather than year to year. So, assuming proper fit, you won't generally see huge performance gaps across the entirety of the population unless you look across the span of multiple product cycles. This obviously assumes no wear-related decline in performance, as with wedge grooves, which do have a much shorter shelf life for their maximum performance.

[onthehunt526]

The equipment now is better than it was let's say for arguments sake, ten years ago. But not as noticeably as say 20 years ago. (I can't believe Callaway Biggest Big Bertha is 20 years old). 

Golf Clubs are a big investment with proper care they should last several seasons. Do golf companies try to get you to buy the latest and greatest in every magazine or website you visit to buy golf balls? Absolutely. 

I am a big Exotics guy, every club in my bag is Exotics (Tour Edge). I pulled the trigger at tax time last year and got a completely new set. I don't intend on replacing that set for a while. $3400 later and a pissed off wife will do that.

So to answer the question, is the latest and greatest better? Only in minutely, especially if you've purchased clubs in the past ~10 years.

I could get into golf balls but that is an entirely different thread.

[Lagavulin62]

I think we need to keep up with the driver/fw and shafts but the irons, not really. With irons play what you feel works best. 

That said I did something the other day I never do.  Need had nothing to do with it but I had to have it. I found a Vokey on the used rack at PGA Superstore that prob hasn't seen more than a few rounds. Got it for 65 dollars.  Its in the lob range which if I wanted could use to justify its need. But that was pure accident as I didn't know until I later researched it. It just felt right. And you have to understand the significance of this buy because I'm the kind of guy who avoids like the plague the wedge section. 

Back to the woods. Been having a little trouble with the fairway woods so I'm going to experiment more. I have a staff metal 3 wood that dates to early 90's. Steel shaft, just needs a new grip. I was looking at it last week. It sits out in the garage next to the fishing rods and weed eater. I think I need to hit that. At the time this was used on tee shots and I could nearly wack it as far as my brothers drive. Who knows how this will perform but at the very least it may help me to get my fairway wood shots back in form.  

 

[Dr.Golf]

I play two sets of irons, Nike VR Pro Blades, lefty of course and I have a new/older set of Taylormade Rocketbladze Tours lefty and I game both depending on how I'm hitting the ball that week and the type of course I'm playing. Both sets are from 2013 though the Taylormade are new old stock and my Nike irons were new old stock from 2015. Driver is new old Stock Nike and putter  (I have two) Nike 001 new old stock 2016 and an Odyssey new old stock 2015. Wedges are Nike new old stock from 2015 and 3 and 5 woods are Titleist from maybe 2011/12. I don't ever buy new stuff the year anything comes out. I always wait a year or two and grab them at a fraction of the former retail price. My .02 cents.

 

Dr. Golf

[onthehunt526]

20 minutes ago, Dr.Golf said:

I play two sets of irons, Nike VR Pro Blades, lefty of course and I have a new/older set of Taylormade Rocketbladze Tours lefty and I game both depending on how I'm hitting the ball that week and the type of course I'm playing. Both sets are from 2013 though the Taylormade are new old stock and my Nike irons were new old stock from 2015. Driver is new old Stock Nike and putter  (I have two) Nike 001 new old stock 2016 and an Odyssey new old stock 2015. Wedges are Nike new old stock from 2015 and 3 and 5 woods are Titleist from maybe 2011/12. I don't ever buy new stuff the year anything comes out. I always wait a year or two and grab them at a fraction of the former retail price. My .02 cents.

 

Dr. Golf

Proof that there is nothing wrong with recent and not brand new golf clubs. You @Dr.Golf exhibit that 2-5 year old tech is complete fine for the modern game. As long as you aren't playing persimmon or steel headed woods... You're fine. If you play blades, whether they are from 2017 or 1987 or 1957 for that matter, very little has changed... The CG is a smidge lower and the lofts are stronger (unless you are Tiger who sticks to archaic lofts)... 

If you play GI clubs from the 90s you might be missing out, however most irons within the last 7-10 years in the GI segment have changed very little. 

I suppose if you played a 260cc Driver, a TM Burner Tour Spoon (90s version), Titleist DCI 962 (2-PW), and like Cleveland 588 wedges... Aside from the wedges, I'd probably say upgrade (though 962s are great irons)... 

But if you're playing clubs from 2010 onward, unless you play 150 rounds or more a year... You're fine.

[chilepepper]

I'd have to do side by side comparisons to determine if say a $400 driver was worth it compared to what I play now.It would need to be noticeably better for me to shell out that cash. 

[Lagavulin62]

On 1/12/2017 at 6:39 PM, chilepepper said:

I'd have to do side by side comparisons to determine if say a $400 driver was worth it compared to what I play now.It would need to be noticeably better for me to shell out that cash. 

A 400 dollar driver is just insane in my book. And fortunately I'm very archaic with drivers as all the adjustability just doesn't sit well with me. I have hit them and don't see any difference. Not to mention they are so ugly and have too much of a fakiness look about them. Call me shallow but there has to be eye appeal to go with performance. 

[Hacker James]

10 minutes ago, Lagavulin62 said:

A 400 dollar driver is just insane in my book. And fortunately I'm very archaic with drivers as all the adjustability just doesn't sit well with me. I have hit them and don't see any difference. Not to mention they are so ugly and have too much of a fakiness look about them. Call me shallow but there has to be eye appeal to go with performance. 

I am with you on that for the most part. One advantage at having an adjustable driver is the ability to easily change shafts, but then again, once you get it adjusted to what is optimum for your swing, there is no need to change unless something in your swing changes.

[chilepepper]

1 hour ago, Lagavulin62 said:

A 400 dollar driver is just insane in my book. And fortunately I'm very archaic with drivers as all the adjustability just doesn't sit well with me. I have hit them and don't see any difference. Not to mention they are so ugly and have too much of a fakiness look about them. Call me shallow but there has to be eye appeal to go with performance. 

Truth be known , unless a 400 dollar driver adds 30 yards and tightens my dispersion to 20 yards. I'm not buying it. I'll wait a year or two when it 150

[Abu3baid]

I am going to go ahead and say no.  For me anyway.

The last time I was in the states I thought I am going to go and test new irons, but a new drivier ect.  Then I realized that it's all just superficial wants that wouldn't really improve my game at all..  i.e. What's the point of going from an R11 to an M1 or M2 or what ever is out there?  

Its probably just a personal preference once you get to a certain technology.. nothing might change in the next 5 years, but in 10?   Who knows?