Before you invest in your next set of clubs, consider this:
1. If 75% of your shots are hit fairly solid without excess curve (slice or hook), and you hit a lot of fairways and greens you may be a candidate for custom fit clubs. The potential is there for improvement through matching clubs to your swing. If you feel that you need improvements in your swing, see a pro and get this done as a basis for swing analysis before making an investment in clubs.
2. If you’re hitting it solid less than 75% and not getting the distance you should for your age and physical ability, definitely take some lessons so your pro can determine what you need, if anything, in the way of swing improvement and club fitting. Don’t invest in clubs until you have improved your proficiency.
3. If you don't hit the ball that great but feel that further effort to improve your swing is not worth it, consider utility clubs such as game improvement wedge sets, chippers and utility woods to cut strokes where you can, e.g. around the green, in the sand and in the rough.
Shaft specifications along with head design are the very important considerations for picking clubs if you want to maximize your golf proficiency. Here are the variables that determine the potential performance of a golf club:
Loft: Standard iron lofts should be ok 99.9% of the time. Bending irons to change the loft has the disadvantage of changing the angle with which the sole contacts the turf, i.e. irons will tend to dig or bounce depending on which way it's bent.
Many players conclude that what's good for Tiger is good for them and choose the wrong loft in their drivers. Instead of playing with an 8 or 9 degree driver which requires very high club head speed, many mid to high handicappers would gain distance and control by using more loft in the driver - even up to 12 or 15 degrees in some cases. For low and mid handicappers, launch angle can be a factor to consider when choosing a driver. Launch angle is influenced by more than loft, e.g. shaft specs, face depth, roll, center of gravity, etc. To choose a driver that will maximize your distance off the tee, a launch monitor analysis is a good idea. Matching all driver characteristics to your particular swing characteristics will produce the best match and the most distance off the tee.
Club Length: It's a rare player who doesn't want more distance so the player buys clubs that promise to make him a long hitter. Marketers of popular brands have exploited this by making clubs, especially drivers, longer. Theoreticaly it's true that the longer the club the greater the club head speed. However, lab tests show that for drivers between 42 and 46 inches there is negligible difference in club head speed and maybe up to 7 yards gain in distance for a perfectly struck ball. What tests also show is a marked increased tendancy to hit the ball off line with longer clubs. If your enjoyment comes from the occasional boomer buy long clubs. If your goal is to shoot lower scores, use clubs that fit your unique physical and mental attributes. Most casual players could benefit from using more loft in their drivers to gain both distance and accuracy.
Lie angle: Standard lie angles for irons are usually ok unless the player is unusually tall, short or heavy or has unusually long or short arms. Modern clubs, especially irons, are rounded on the sole and will accommodate minor need for deviation from standard lies. If the club truly lies with the heel too low, you will tend to hook. If the toe is too low you will tend to slice. Iron hosels can be bent by a clubmaker. If your swing is solid and dynamic fitting shows that your lie angle is wrong, definetly have your lie angle changed. If you are a single plane swinger, your lie angle needs to be flatter than that for a two plane swinger. Before you have your clubs bent make sure you are setting up with a proper spine angle. If you're not seting up right, bending your clubs will not solve your problem.
Offset: The distance between the front of the hosel and the leading edge of the blade. The greater the distance the greater the offset. Offsets range from none to .3 inch. Offsets are used in game improvement clubs to help the player keep their hands ahead of the ball at impact. Some iron sets have consistant offset throughout the set and others have progressively more offset going from wedge to 3 iron. The swing characteristics of the player and personal preference would dictate what offset to use. An offset will produce lower ball flight but may help in getting the ball in the air in the first place.
Swing weight: refers to the point on the shaft where the club will balance. Swing weights range from A1 to E9 and feel heavier to swing as you progress from A to E. Most off the shelf clubs seem to be produced at about D2 for men and C9 for women. Swing weight is affected mainly by the shaft length and head weight. Basically if the club feels good, the swing weight is ok but should be consistent for all clubs in a set (wedges and utility clubs possibly excepted) unless frequency matching is used.
Head Weight Distribution: Heads are manufactured with different heel/toe weighting, periferal weighting, back/fore weighting and sole weighting to achieve different ball flight patterns or compensate for swing characteristics. Game improvement clubs use these features in varying combinations to make clubs more forgiving of less than perfect contact.
Moment of Inertia - MOI: The higher the figure the more resistance there is to twisting. If you have a lot of off center hits this figure would be important. Amateurs need high MOI in putters also.
Center of Gravity otherwise known as the sweetspot is the point on the clubface where it would balance if placed on a pointed object (without shaft). The CG should be level with or lower than the centerline of the ball. For most players, the lower the better to produce solid shots that carry. Quality hollow design irons and woods with sole weighting are the best choice. Some clubs with great cosmetics have been produced with the CG too high which makes it difficult to make solid contact and results in low ball flight. Choose clubs on the basis of their specs rather than appearance.
Flex: Shafts are designated by flex: L = ladies, A = ladies or senior, R = regular, S = stiff, SX and X. For ladies, the A flex is usually right, for most male players R is right, and S and stiffer for tour players or very long straight hitters. Flex designations are not consistant across the industry. The wrong flex will cost you distance. The right flex maximizes “kick” or clubhead velocity at impact. Consider that all shafts in a set with a given designation start out pretty much the same. When they are cut to length, the flex decreases (they get stiffer) as the shaft gets shorter. You probably have a favorite club in your bag. It’s because the true flex (frequency) of that club suites you the best.
Frequency Matched: Different shaft lengths that are matched to have a consistent predetermined progression of flexes from the 3 iron to the wedge so that all clubs in a set have the same feel when swung. The shafts are manufactured so that a 5 iron shaft, for instance, is only suitable for a 5 iron, a 6 iron shaft for a 6 iron, etc. Matched sets may be available from stock but it would be a coincidence if the flex was your flex. Matched frequency will make all your clubs feel like your favorite club. Tour pros have used frequency matched clubs for years and they are available to you through a custom club fitter/maker who may start with standard shafts and then fine tune to achieve the matched progression. Personally, for handicaps under about 6, I think that matched frequency is a very important customization for maximizing consistancy.
Puring Puring means that shafts have been hand picked and marked after manufacture so that the club builder knows how to orient the shaft in the head so that flex consistancy is controlled from club to club. If you're not scratch or better, I wouldn't worry about Puring.
Kick point or flex point or bend point. The point on the shaft where it bends the most during the swing. Better players with a late release and square contact will benefit from a high flex point; most players will achieve better results from a mid to low flex point. This is a complex subject and your fitter needs to analyse the ball flight pattern along with swing speed to determine the optimum flex point and tip stiffness.
Tip flex: A shaft with a stiff tip produces lower ball flight; soft tip higher flight.
Graphite vs. Steel Shafts All else being equal graphite shafts will give up to 3% more distance. The're lighter, easier to swing and don't sting the hands as much on cold days but they cost substantially more than steel. Steel shafts don't twist as much on impact, are more accurate, more durable, cost less and the shafts within a set are more likely to have a somewhat consistant flex pattern. Tour players predominately use graphite woods and steel irons. Some seniors and some ladies might benefit from graphite shafts in their irons since the overall club weight would be less. This could help with distance.
Grip: There are many styles of grips which should be chosen on the basis of personal preference and the conditions under which you usually play. Your fitter can determine whether a standard grip or oversize grip is better.
Club Heads: Game improvement heads have their place in custom clubs. Club heads come in about six categories ranging from “classic” most suitable for single digit handicappers, to “conventional “ with some game improvement features for low-mid handicappers to “game improvement” for mid-high handicappers. The right shaft, head and grip will help you improve your play.
Forged vs. Cast Heads: All else being equal there is no distance difference between forged (machined) and cast (molded) heads. Lower handicap players may prefer forged because of the blade appearance but the more game improvement features you want the more cast becomes the best choice.
Cost: Name brand clubs are expensive and usually have high quality but optimum fit will be a coincidence. Bargain prices for graphite clubs is no bargain. Cheap graphite shafts don't perform; you're better off with steel. Shop wisely for clubs making sure you understand what game improvement features are in the heads and above all make sure the shafts are the right flexes for you. Lies can be adjusted, if needed, after the fact.
Oversized Driver Heads: Modern metalurgy has given us super strength steel and titanium heads which are strong enough to withstand an impact with the ball without cracking. Since the face size is large it gives a spring effect on impact. The measurement for this effect is called the coefficient of restitution (COR) and is limited by the USGA. CT (contact time - max time a ball will be in contact with the face during tests at certain club head speeds) is another measurement controlled by the USGA. More distance is possible with a COR that is higher than conventional clubs. To benefit a given player, the shaft flex, kick point and loft must be matched up so that the optimum combination of launch angle and ball spin rate are achieved. Generally for weekend players, higher launch and slower spin will give the most distance. Determining the best combination along with the right ball (which will be played with other clubs for other purposes during a round) is an art as well as a science. If you are a low to mid handicap player, you should consult a club fitter, preferably one with a launch monitor, if you want the oversize driver head to actually do anything for you. The proof of the pudding is to test the club before you buy to determine if you will get the combination of distance and control that will make the purchase worthwhile. Choosing a club off the rack is not the best idea. If you already use an over sized driver, be aware that most of these drivers will give more distance if the ball is teed high so impact is made just above the sweet spot.
Bulge and Roll: Bulge refers to the the horizontal rounding of the wood club face. The purpose of building woods with bulge is that this rounding tends to correct ball flight direction for hits on the toe or heel. When the ball is struck toward the toe, the impact rotates the toe backwards causing a ratcheting effect as the face imparts a hook spin to the ball. The ball would start out to the right and curve back left. The opposite would happen for a heel hit; a slice would compensate for ball flight to the left. If you strike the ball off center a lot, you would benefit from more bulge. From a fitter's point of view this is a very inexact science since there are so may variables, e.g. swing path and how far off center the player hits the ball. Swing inconsistancy is usually the real problem. Roll refers to the vertical curvature of a wood's clubface. While a wood needs roll, this figure is less important since the player can adjust the tee hight so that contact is made most frequently at the center line of the clubface. Hits above center will fly higher with more back spin. The best solution to off center hits is to consult a golf teacher to get your swing working a little better.
Putters: The most important features of a putter are 1) you like it and 2) it gives you confidence. Models with good heel and toe weighting are best because they tend to roll the ball straighter when hit off center. Amateur players hit the ball off center a lot. Putters have loft ranging from 1 to 5 degrees. For fast greens 2 - 3 degrees may work out best; for slow greens 3 - 5 may be better. Reminder grips are a good idea.
Knock Off Clubs: The old rule applies here like everywhere else - you get what you pay for. Tests show that these club heads almost always have problems with face flatness. Other problems are illegal grooves, misaligned grooves, grooves not centered, heavier than standard head weight, misplaced C/G - usually toward the heel, off center sole radius and bounce angle too sharp. If you're getting custom fitted for a suit, then have the suit made out of inferior materials, what have you achieved?