Adjustable Clubs, Gadgets, and Distance

[ScottyT]

Guys:

Just a couple of random thoughts on adjustable clubs and distance issues.  First, I'm  66 years old, an 8 handicap and have been playing for about 40 years.  I play custom fitted Wishon forged irons (2 degrees flat) and a Callaway Epic 10.5 Driver  and Heavenwood.  Wilson Hybrids.  Wedges are from Scor.   A I love all of my clubs.  I play in several groups at my club, with guys' handicaps ranging from 7 to 20, and am amused at  fellow golfers and their quest for exact distances.   Many "tweak" their setting on adjustable clubs and have distance finders which they use on every shot, whether it's from 200 or 30 yards .  I've found that most have neither the skill nor the consistency to justify the range finder; is ANY average golfer really good enough to dial in a distance between say, 70 and 75 yards and make a club decision based on a 5 yard difference?   A few maybe, but not many.  And the club tweeks are of no value whatsoever at their skill level.  Do you really see a appreciable difference between say, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees of loft?  Their handicaps have remained consistent within a stroke (both lower and higher) for years, yet they spend a lot of money on adjustable clubs and range finders.   Just for fun, I've played around with the "draw/fade" bias and also the loft on my driver and found virtually no discernible difference in distance or direction.   My drives always go relatively straight with a medium trajectory, between 220-230 yards no matter the settings.   I think skill level and swing profile has a lot (or everything) to do with it.  Also, guys constantly pulling out their range finders on every shot slows down the game.  Don't need that.  On an unfamiliar course, maybe rangefinders have their place, but not so much on your home course where you probably hit the same shots from the same distances over and over.   Save the money on the gadgets and get lessons or have a few extra beeers !!

 

 

 

[NM Golf]

I don't know if I qualify as an "average golfer", but I see quite a bit of difference when I play around with the adjustability setting on my clubs. And yes there is quite a difference, especially on a launch monitor, with 1° of loft. 

To answer your question on the 5 yards difference, probably not, 70 yards and 75 yards are pretty much the same feel. But 60 and 75 are different and a 75 yard shot, depending on the location of the pin, could be one of two different clubs/shots.

I like to know the distance of every shot I hit. I rely on a gps golf watch for a majority of those distances which takes almost no time to look at. For other shots I will pull my range finder to get exact yardage, does it help, I think so. I still remember the days of walking off distances from sprinklers, so I don't mind people using devices to find their yardages. 

[Buckeyebowman]

Kind of reminds me of my buddy. He got a Garmin watch style GPS for Christmas. We'll pull up to my shot, which is a partial wedge to the green. He insists on running out there and telling me, "It's 63 yards to the center of the green!"

I tell him, "Dude! My wedge game is NOT that precise!" In fact, when facing a shot like that, giving me a number just gives me one more thing to think about. In that circumstance I just want to see how the shot "looks", and try to get a feel for it. I do much better that way.

[Moxley]

Not 75 vs 70 yards, but then my judgement is sometimes a lot more than 5 yards out. 

I don't have adjustable clubs - I'd like to , but I don't like the price tag they come with. 

[dbuck]

I can't tell the difference in 5 yards, but can in ten. If the tee is up or back and so is the pin, it can easily make more than a 10 yard difference. I am of the opinion that rangefinders don't slow play, and in some cases speed it up. Even though my distance control is far from precise, I still make a better swing if I am confident I have the right club.

I can tell some difference in the adjustments, but once set I seldom change.

Edited August 21, 2018 by dbuck