Every club in your bag should fit your game. Have some clubs in your bag that you never hit? Why? Inconsistent? Poor distance control? Don’t like the feel? Well, get rid of them and put clubs in your bag that work!
David Dusek had a great article in GolfWeek that I could not agree more with…Every Club in Your Bag Needs A Purpose. If ever there was a time to set up your bag with clubs that have a purpose, it is at the beginning of the season. So let’s take a look at what we have found to be the most useless clubs or lack of clubs in your bag.
Hybrids: While a lot of our golfers find a hybrid they like, most golfers struggle with their hybrid(s). Usually the shafts cause them to hook or slice because they are too soft and/or light for their swings. Lady golfers may hit their hybrids fat a lot because the shafts are really light and whippy. Distance control can also be a major issue. Find a hybrid that fits well as a replacement for your longest iron or shortest fairway wood.
Long Irons (4,5,6): If you are saving a long iron just so you have a club to get out from under a tree, that is a waste of space in your bag! We still do our fittings with 6 irons as that is starting to be the transition iron where our golfers look to hybrids. If our golfers struggle with 6 iron consistency, what do you think will happen when you stick a 5 or 4 iron in their hands? Nothing good for sure. So seriously think about getting rid of the longer iron(s) in your bag and replace them with a properly fitted hybrid.
Wedges: While nearly all of our golfers now are using a four wedge system (PW, Gap, Sand and Lob), it is amazing how little attention is paid to the proper lofts and bounces. There should be very consistent distance gaps between all of your wedges when hitting full shots. If not, lofts need to be adjusted so there is no more than five degrees difference from wedge to wedge (PW-45*, GW-50*, SW-55*, LW-60*). And bounces need to be fitted to the types of courses (lush vs. hard fairways) and sand (rough, wet or fluffy, dry). I had to switch to a higher bounce SW when my club changed the sand in all of the bunkers!
Fairway Woods: Gone are the days of the traditional driver, 3 and 5 wood. We now see a lot of 4 woods, 3 hybrids, and driving irons (2 iron). For longer hitters, a 4 wood makes a lot of sense as you can land it softly on those par 5 greens on your second shot! For shorter hitters, maybe a 5 and 7 wood makes more sense, especially if you are hitting a higher lofted (12 to 13*) driver.
Notice I did not take a swipe at your driver. There are still some players that use only a 3 wood off the tee. If that is the case, just go get fit for crying out loud! I can give you a LOT better options than just parking your driver in time out!
Bottom line is to get your clubfitter to help you fill out your bag with the right clubs that fit the golf courses you typically play, and YOUR playing style. You will enjoy using all 14 of your clubs and maybe even score a little better!
Dan Sueltz
Loading ...
