Does feel help? how?

[Moxley]

I see a lot of discussion, especially about clubs and also irons (blades vs cavity back) about feel, and how people want something that gives them more feel.

I understand that some choices can lead to getting more feedback on well struck a shot was, but I wondered how many people feel this actually helps them in a practical way?

Maybe it's because I'm not a good enough player yet, but I don't see how this is useful, especially enough to offset using forgiving equipment. 

It seems to me that for (more) feel to be beneficial , it needs all the following to be true : 

- I need to be able to feel enough difference to know that a strike was not a mishit (OK, this one is obvious)

- being able to feel a mishit is only really useful if the mishit wasn't apparent from the result, so it needs to be a mishit that still turns out OK (yes, this happens too)

- I now need to know from the feel what I've done wrong (I think I can sometimes feel a toe strike, but I'm not sure I'm deciding that from the outcome of the shot) 

- Ideally this needs to happen more than once to establish a pattern

- I now need to be able to change something to stop the error with enough round left to get a benefit

 

Seems a long shot to me, but as I said, it may just be me. Genuinely curious , do others find that feel enhancing equipment choices benefit their game?

[Patch]

Well I can tell my good, and bad ball impacts from the feel in my grip. Fatties, tops, shanks, and off center hits, with the following ball flight confirming what I have felt in my grip. The confirming ball flight tells me what I have done right, or done wrong with the club face. 

I have probably spent more time on learning what I did wrong to cause a poor shot, than what I did right to make a good shot. That's another topic for another time. 

It's  more prevelent with my putter with off center hits. As soon as I contact the ball, I know I have a chance of making the putt or not. The club face twist one way or the other, or the impact just feels good. 

I have a very old 2 iron, with a non metal shaft. I sometimes practice with it to check how precise my impact position is, or isn't. I miss hit that club, and it lets me know right away in no uncertain terms. 

I suppose when it comes to feel in the golf swing, that's going to be up to the individual golfer as to what they do, or don't feel. That, or if it even matters what they think they feel. 

[Foot Wedge]

I hit into a net quite a bit so it's nice to be able to tell quality of strike without seeing ball flights.  You can do the same with any club if you use a dry erase marker/impact tape/etc on the clubface to see where you struck it, but a club with good 'feel' lets you know where you hit it without that.  If you know your misses, you can adjust a bit from there.  When I get too quick at the top I hit toe balls. So if I feel that, I know to watch my tempo.

1 hour ago, Moxley said:

Maybe it's because I'm not a good enough player yet, but I don't see how this is useful, especially enough to offset using forgiving equipment. 

It's really just personal preference, I'm not a good player.  If you want that feedback cool, if you don't, that's fine too.  Also there are clubs that offer great feel and forgiveness.  I've struck my irons feeling it was closer to the toe only to watch it hold a great line and lose only a few yards.  There's also the satisfaction of striking a club with good feel pure.  It's a damn near religious experience in my book and makes the good shots that much more enjoyable. 

Again, if that helps you enjoy the game more cool, if not, that's fine too.  You bring up valid questions, and everyone has their own answers.

[The Hook Meister]

Feel is a very personal thing. Everyone has there own opinion of what it is. My father when I was a kid had great feel form 100 yards out, he was almost automatic up and down in two. Then he lost it, I think that his clubs were older the grips were older and the ball was not jumping off his clubs the same way. It's one of those things you kinda have to figure it out for yourself. .

[ncates00]

I think "feel" is huge, especially if you can get on a launch monitor.  If you can see, feel, and validate what you're doing- you'll likely improve your chances of getting better quicker and store up those feelings in your body's memory bank.  That adds to the replication of the movement.