Can having the wrong clubs wreck your game?

[Mike74]

Ok I’m am convinced that getting fit for the correct clubs can help your game but until now I never considered the possibility that playing the wrong clubs can hinder your performance to a point where it really damages your whole game. I recently went and had a driver fitting. Before starting I was given a 7 iron to warm up with. After a dozen hits I had an average swing speed of 98mph with the 7 iron. Now 12 months ago when I got serious about golf I brought a secondhand set of cobra baffled irons with regular flex shafts. They are nice and easy to hit but as the year has gone on my consistency on the course had not improved and I am still only hitting about 30% fairways even though I only use irons. So I realise and have also been told by a couple of pros that these irons are not designed for me but for much lower swing speeds but not until the last week have a started to think that they may be the cause of my inconsistency. Has anybody else who had similar experience to me I would be great to hear from. I am really starting to loose confidence in my game.

[dennyjones]

Losing confidence in your game will perpetuate additional problems.   Even if you were to buy clubs off of the shelf you would need a static fitting.    The clubs should be fit for length, loft and lie.    

Welcome to TST.   There is a vast wealth of information that is free.   You may want to film your swing and post the video to the member's swing thread.  Check out the Instructional Content too.

[Patch]

Golf clubs are nothing more than tools. Having the right tools makes any job easier. That said, even with the right tools the golfer still needs a repeatable, consistent swing to get the most out of those tools. 

[colin007]

Can they wreck your game? No. Maybe a stroke here or there? Eh.

The right sticks aren't gonna change a 96 into an 89. It's the swing.

[RussUK]

If i have the wrong clubs then it impacts a lot. I find the big club with nail through the end particularly troublesome off the tee

In all seriousness, while fitting is a great thing when getting new clubs i dont think its the be all and end all.

I've seen guys buy clubs used and play great with them. My Uncle used to do the same. He always told me your body and swing will adjust to the clubs after a while. Doing it the other way round just saves time. He's currently off 5hcp and 71yrs old and got fitted for the first time last year having played since he was 10. He said at his age the body takes too long to adjust and he didnt want to waste the time he has, fair enough i say.

[Shorty]

6 hours ago, colin007 said:

Can they wreck your game? No. Maybe a stroke here or there? Eh.

 

Incorrect. If you have the wrong shafts in your woods - say you have a slowish swing speed and are using  UST Proforce V2 shaft on your woods it'll cost you almost every shot you play.

You can get around with any clubs to a point, but there's a definite downside to using the wrong clubs.

I know a guy who is very short and not at all strong. He was using standard mens clubs and when he changed to ladies clubs with fat, broad soles that didn't dig into the turf his handicap dropped dramatically and his play improved beyond belief. You have to get the ball in the air and the right clubs help you do it

[RussUK]

10 minutes ago, Shorty said:

Incorrect. If you have the wrong shafts in your woods - say you have a slowish swing speed and are using  UST Proforce V2 shaft on your woods it'll cost you almost every shot you play.

You can get around with any clubs to a point, but there's a definite downside to using the wrong clubs.

I know a guy who is very short and not at all strong. He was using standard mens clubs and when he changed to ladies clubs with fat, broad soles that didn't dig into the turf his handicap dropped dramatically and his play improved beyond belief. You have to get the ball in the air and the right clubs help you do it

I agree with the shafts part. Most people could get away with regular flex but a fast swing with senior flex and vice versa is going to cause problems.

I plan on getting fit for a new set of irons on my next milestone birthday in 2 years. By that time i'll have more golf time. At the moment im good with the ones i have

[cmoneygo]

11 hours ago, Mike74 said:

Ok I’m am convinced that getting fit for the correct clubs can help your game but until now I never considered the possibility that playing the wrong clubs can hinder your performance to a point where it really damages your whole game. I recently went and had a driver fitting. Before starting I was given a 7 iron to warm up with. After a dozen hits I had an average swing speed of 98mph with the 7 iron. Now 12 months ago when I got serious about golf I brought a secondhand set of cobra baffled irons with regular flex shafts. They are nice and easy to hit but as the year has gone on my consistency on the course had not improved and I am still only hitting about 30% fairways even though I only use irons. So I realise and have also been told by a couple of pros that these irons are not designed for me but for much lower swing speeds but not until the last week have a started to think that they may be the cause of my inconsistency. Has anybody else who had similar experience to me I would be great to hear from. I am really starting to loose confidence in my game.

I’m in the same position, I have a high loft(13.5) with a weak flex on my driver and have been using an oversized iron, I feel you adjust your swing but once I hit a few well it’s back to my normal swing speed which hurts my drive with the weaker flex. After switching to a extra stiff flex and a lower loft(9) ,my driving has been much more predictable, working on irons now but have hit a few I really like( x forged, p770s and rogue pro). I want to hurry and make a choice but I know these clubs will be in my bag for years to come. Good luck

[Mike74]

20 hours ago, colin007 said:

Can they wreck your game? No. Maybe a stroke here or there? Eh.

The right sticks aren't gonna change a 96 into an 89. It's the swing.

Hi Colin007

I have shot under 90 just a few times in my life. So when I hit a wayward shot it can cost me 3 by the end of the hole because us average golfers are just not as skilled at recovering from a bad spot. So the difference between 96 and 89 for me can be just a couple of loose shots. Then you add the confidence and mental side of the game I would have thought the correct equipment on some days might save more than seven shots while on others it might save you zero.    But it would never cost you a stroke.

You just find such a difference in opinion on this topic. I can’t count the number of times people say “it’s not the clubs it’s the guy swinging it”. Then you have your pro telling you to get fitted but of course they generally have a vested interest in selling you new clubs so you have to be careful with their opinion. Hence why I have put the question out there to get some different views and experiences.

thanks for the feedback

[arturo28mx]

A shaft that is too heavy for your swing (woods or irons) in my view can definitely ruin your tempo.

In my experience, a shaft that is too heavy for your swing is much worse than a shaft that is too stiff.

Edited April 14, 2018 by arturo28mx

[Buckeyebowman]

This isn't so much a "club" question as it is a "shaft" question. My buddy, who is mid 60's as am I, went to some golf store recently, where the "club fitter" tried to talk him into a Top Flite driver with a "Senior Flex" shaft. We may be Seniors, but can still move it a little bit!

Anyway, my buddy, according to the launch monitor, was hitting this Driver in the 160's and flaring it out to the right. And the doofus sales dude was complimenting on this! My friend normally knocks it out there ab out 220-230!

He handed the club back to the salesperson and said "No thanks!".

Long story short, I don't care what kind of clubs you have, if the shafts are wrong for you, you have no chance!

[MarvChamp]

1 hour ago, Buckeyebowman said:

Long story short, I don't care what kind of clubs you have, if the shafts are wrong for you, you have no chance!

Totally agree. Notice the list of my (sometimes) current clubs. Several of the Regular flex "play" as if soft-stepped. I have two drivers - the Callaway is a 4.5 Sr. flex Project X and the Nike is a Regular Tinsei. BUT the shafts are virtually identical in "real flex", weight and launch characteristics. It took two years of fun to get the right weight + flex + spine alignment etc. in all my clubs. And it IS all fun! Best, -Marv

[butchammon]

On 4/13/2018 at 6:50 AM, Shorty said:

Incorrect. If you have the wrong shafts in your woods - say you have a slowish swing speed and are using  UST Proforce V2 shaft on your woods it'll cost you almost every shot you play.

My brother-in-law did something similar a number of years ago, but a little opposite of the above quote...  I forget what driver he had or had made from one of those component online companies, but he screwed up with the main specs - mainly the graphite shaft.

He could hit his normal (but old) driver without a problem...  The plain component, knockoff, whatever, driver was a disaster for him.  Nice clubhead design from what I remember, but the shaft was totally wrong.  He would slice it off into the trees every single time.  No matter what...  No matter what hole... No matter what tee box...  CRAZY!

[WUTiger]

On 4/12/2018 at 7:25 PM, Mike74 said:

Ok I’m am convinced that getting fit for the correct clubs can help your game but until now I never considered the possibility that playing the wrong clubs can hinder your performance to a point where it really damages your whole game.

 As an everyday golfer, you basically want clubs that won't hurt your game. You don't want clubs that you overpower, and you don't want clubs you have to fight. That's why fittings are important.

I study golf clubs quite a bit, but I found the last couple of years that skilled fitters do a better job than I do self-fitting.

Many years ago, I started having trouble controlling the R-flex golf clubs I had. Sprayed the ball a lot. I had joined the military, was getting a lot of exercise and put on 20 solid pounds. A move to stiff shafts improved things, and I broke 80 for the first time.

Maaaaany years later, I noticed I was losing distance on my clubs. It was time to go back to R-flex shafts.

[freshmanUTA]

On 4/12/2018 at 11:19 PM, colin007 said:

Can they wreck your game? No. Maybe a stroke here or there? Eh.

I beg to differ. If we’re basing this entirely on “Can they wreck your game?” the answer is yes. 100% of the time. Grab any handicap golfer and give them clubs 2” longer or shorter than what they currently hit. The results would be significantly worse than the clubs that are a correct fit for their game. Can they wreck a game? Yes. However, short of clubs that are drastically unfit for you as a player it’s usually the player.

[JonMA1]

On 4/13/2018 at 12:19 AM, colin007 said:

The right sticks aren't gonna change a 96 into an 89. It's the swing.

I get what you're saying @colin007.

I was fairly new to the game and bought a set of used, regular flex GI's off eBay, standard lie and loft. I used those clubs while trying to learn a swing. After 2 or 3 years, I upgraded to a set of SGI clubs (including a fitting) and played the next season with them. I didn't immediately drop 10 strokes. They made a difference but it was slight.

My poor swing mechanics hurt me much, much more than the difference between those two sets of clubs.

The OP asked the question "can it make a difference?".  Well of course it can. If I try to play 30 year old muscleback irons with stiff shafts, there's going to be a significant difference.

[billchao]

On 4/13/2018 at 12:19 AM, colin007 said:

Can they wreck your game? No. Maybe a stroke here or there? Eh.

The right sticks aren't gonna change a 96 into an 89. It's the swing.

I get what you're saying, but I disagree. Yes, a good golfer can hit the ball well with any club, but the results are still going to be best with the right club. A bad golfer is going to be bad with any club, but the right club will help make their shots playable.

A guy who struggles to hit the ball 20 yards in the air should play something with a lower CG that helps launch the ball higher for the possibility of more distance, but more importantly, to be able to hold greens better. Another guy who swings 120mph and already launches his ball high shouldn't because hitting the ball too high has control issues.

The wrong club can also affect dispersion. You can have a larger  pattern simply from having a club that doesn't suit you. This is true of good players, too. That's going to affect your score.

There's a reason there are so many varieties of clubs out there. If everyone can play the same clubs as effectively, we should all be playing the most forgiving clubs we can get our hands on. Or from a more cynical point of view - club manufacturers wouldn't make so many different clubs if everyone can play the same ones equally well because they'd save themselves a lot of money on production, advertising, and R&D.

[tinker]

If you swing a 7 iron in the high 90’s you need stiff shaft, end of discussion. If you don’t use woods at all sounds like you swing so hard your swing is out of control. I’m a senior golfer and I can swing a 7 iron in the 90’s, I just couldn’t hit the ball decent no matter how hard I tried.