New Club Technology - Does It Matter?

cyoung2ty

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I guess this is stemming from a recent lull in my game. I've been unusually awful over the last few months and I'm starting to get to the point where I'm frustrated and annoyed. For the majority of last year, I was playing pretty well (for me). I had some struggles at points, but... for the most part, my scores were low-to-mid 80's. I sprinkled in a few rounds in the 70's here and there... and there were rounds in the 90's as well... but I felt like my game was there and poor scores in the 90's were the result of some bad swings or decisions. I still felt like I 'had control' of my game.

At the beginning of September, I made the decision to leave the club I belonged to. Things were not going well there... they decided to hike rates while offering less... the club was purchased by a company with a not-so-glorious past... and I moved, so instead of being 15 minutes away, I was 40 minutes away. My game immediately started to suffer. From that point through now, I've posted 4 scores in the 80's (83, 84, 85 and 88) out of 20 rounds played. I've also posted 4 scores in triple-figures (100, 101, 106 and 112).

Those triple-figure scores were rounds where I stood over every shot not having a clue where my ball was going to go. Some went left... some went right... some went short... some went long... very few hit their marks. I'm now at a point where I'm blaming my equipment. For the most part, my driver has been okay. I love my driver and 3 wood... both Ping G30's... and have no desire to change them. My iron game, however, is just a mess. I played on Saturday, and while it was chilly, it certainly wasn't "two clubs short" chilly. I was consistently coming up way, way short on iron shots. For example... I had 119 to a green that was raised 40+ feet above the level of the fairway. Ordinarily, I hit a pitching wedge 120. In a case like this, with the raised green, I'd typically hit 9 iron which is a 133 club for me. Because of how poorly I was striking the ball... I elected to hit an 8 iron which is a 145 yard club. On a par 3 that was playing 126 yards into a bit of a breeze... I hit a 7 iron (165 yard club from a tee) and ended up 3 yards past pin high.

It's almost become no fun. Clearly something is wrong with my game... but I feel like I'm leaving distance and accuracy out there at the cost of being 'frugal' or something. My current irons are TaylorMade Burner 2.0's. I got them about a year after they were released in 2012. I loved the look of the P700 series irons until my buddy bought them and I realized that they were too small for me. I actually like the game-improvement look. For that reason, I'm looking at the TaylorMade M6 irons.

Is there a significant difference in the 'technology' in the newer irons? I know the lofts are lower (28.5 degrees in the M6 as opposed to 31 degrees in the 2.0) and the weighting is different to allow for a higher launch, but... could my game actually benefit from a change? I've literally had 2 new irons sets in my life. The Nike Slingshot which I played from 2004 - 2012 and now the TaylorMade Burner 2.0 set which I've had since 2012. Before that, I played no-name clubs that I bought from bargain stores.

Just looking for some opinions. I love the game. I literally fall asleep thinking about it each night. I'm just not the 'buy a club to patch' something type of player. If I'm going to invest in new irons... I'd like to hear from other golfers (and not someone in golf retail) before I make a decision.

Thanks!
 
You should look at being it for the right equipment. club champion is good but they'll try to sell you all the stuff they fit you for. just take what you get fit for and go shop for it on your own.
 
This is strictly my personal opinion- if new clubs take your game from mediocre to acceptably good, it is probably psychological and not a direct result of the clubs. While I will admit there have been advances in club design over the years, every year we get sucked into the marketing hype of the latest club designs. I would seek out some instruction before purchasing new clubs. If you hit your clubs well enough to shoot low 80's in the past, the clubs probably are not at fault. By the way, I fall asleep thinking about golf each night also!
 
I would save the money and take lessons to figure out what is going on. I play with a guy that uses Ping Eye 2s and shoots in the low to mid 70s all the time. I’m a believer in the Indian and not the arrow. Of course if you want shiny new stuff there is nothing wrong with that but lessons would most likely give you a better and quicker return.
 
I'll parrot a bit of what's been said and go with the personal opinion sentiment. It definitely doesn't hurt to go hit some new stuff and see how it works for you - and it doesn't cost anything to do so.


For me, technology does not play a role. I get the same distance from a Cleveland Launcher 7i that I do from a Titleist MB. It's my swing that causes me gains, or costs me losses. In my opinion technology isn't going to truly benefit you if you aren't maximizing your ball striking.

But that's just me. If you suffer from off center hits, maybe the new stuff can help.
 
My opinion is that golf is 98% technique and 2% equipment.
 
New Club Technology - Does It Matter?

Hi I’m Dave and I also fall asleep at night thinking about golf. I’m also an 80’s golfer but the odd round in the 90’s.

In my opinion I think your frustration has you spinning your wheels a bit. If you’ve broken 80 you know what you’re doing but perhaps a quick lesson with a skilled pro would help get you back on track. It’s important to find the right pro. Ask around. Finding the wrong guy usually does nothing for my game.

Then if your feeling good, go hit some clubs at your local store. If you like what you see and feel, get an experienced fitter to tweak your setup.

In my experience new equipment will not fix any faults you may have. It will make your misses a little less and if you’re fit correctly give you some consistency.

Good luck!
 
If you hit the ball with the face open to the path....nothing is going to save that. #PhysicsWins If you think you're leaving a few yards on the table, or playing some clubs that aren't helping you as much as a club can...yeah, new gear will help. A fitting can ABSOLUTELY help you make better contact, and maybe correct for some small swing flaws. If you're hitting hosel rockets, unless you've recently lost 10" of height or something else wildly drastic, clubs probably won't help.

All that being said, new gear is fun, and sometimes it can help mentally, which is HUGE in golf. A lesson or two likely won't hurt either. There's probably a lot of factors at play: New course, longer drive, frustration that you have to drive that far, etc. All of those things can impact your game.

To the basic question "Can technology help your game?" the answer is yes, does technology matter? Sure. It's not a magic cure most of the time, but there are various reasons new gear can help, from forgiveness to extra distance, to just enjoying the game more, new shiny things can help. It may not cure all your ails though, but it's still fun to hit new clubs, and a fitting may be a good way to identify some swing flaws that clubs might help, or at least help you get an idea of what's happening.
 
If you're spraying the ball all over the place, that's not a club problem, particularly if you hit them well in the recent past. You hit your G30 woods well, so you have confidence in them. You have confidence in them, so you hit them well. Seeing is believing, but sometimes believing is seeing.

Technology can help you be more consistent to the extent that your dispersion will be smaller. But if you're spraying the ball everywhere, that improved consistency will basically be a rounding error. Trust the voice of experience on this.

I'm testing the M4 (prior to the M6) for THP, and I learned a few things about myself in the process. When I stopped trying to correct shot to shot for the previous errant shot, when I started to try to make the same swing every time, my consistency improved. Sure, I still have the left/right/short/long shots, but they are fewer. The fact that the M4s are very forgiving to me just feeds back into that. I know this is an extreme statement, but just take it directionally. If you could combine the forgiveness of a super game improvement iron with the clubface feedback of a blade, that's kind of what I found in the M4. I get very blunt feedback from the club on mishits, but the results are much better than the feedback suggests. It was unnerving at first, but the whole process has actually helped my ball striking. YMMV, and the M6s may be completely different, but you may expect something like that from the M6. Or the M4. Or some other iron. There are a lot of good ones out there, but you won;t know if you don't try them.

With your scoring history, I'll bet a decent instructor could get you back on track within one or two lessons. A few years ago, I started to shank everything out of bunkers. I tried every trick I knew, but I finally broke down and took a lesson. He straightened me out in fifteen minutes, and they have yet to return. And I play all the time like you'vce played the last few months. Except for the scores in the low 80s. And mid 80s.

Good luck!
 
My opinion is that if you get the yen for new clubs, go buy them, otherwise every time you look down at address, you'll be thinking "I should have gotten the new clubs." The confidence of using newer equipment, could improve your scores. And who doesn't like new clubs?
 
I played the Burner 2.0s before my current Apex. Really enjoyed them, and the only reason I switched was for a better look and feel. Performance wise, the Burners are as good as anything out there, and I doubt they're holding your game back. Getting new clubs is fun though, so don't let that deter you!!
 
your playing the same clubs you've played well with all along an so imo you've just got some swing flaw/s right now. perhaps step away for a bit (sometimes that can reset a swing).

Your lsoout of your element now too. I mean you left your club and imo there is such a thing as home sweat home. Now your elsewhere and that can take some getting use to.

But Id say likely (whether mental or physical) you just have some flaw going on right now. Same clubs...different results. How can it be anything else? try stepping away for a short/medium size break to possibly reset and kind of start over fresh putting the past in the past. . if that doesn't work maybe a lesson will help find the cure.
 
Good question and I've been there right where you are.

I've got three sets of irons, too in the US and one in the UK for when I visit. UK set old Wilson Di7, US Adams Blue and a set of Wishon which were fitted. All are over 5 years old or more in the Wilson case. I've broken 80 with all three at some point and the ones with the most tech (Adams) are in the bag and I find them really easy to hit.

The other day I was like you hitting short, one or two clubs short and I've no idea why, could it be a bit of lethargy, to much work at the gym of loss of focus, probably both. No amount of tech in a club would of solved that IMHO, it was my swing that was out of funk.

For me it was straight to the range and a back to basics lesson with a pro for 45 minutes and I was good. You know you have the building blocks in you, you've just out of whack, get yourself to a pro and have them realign you back.

Good luck :D
 
This will be a bit blunt, but it is how I see it, so apologies

You have shot in the 70's with those current clubs, you have had a lot of rounds in the 80's with those clubs, but now because you are shooting 100+ it is suddenly the fault of the clubs? Somehow I doubt it

My advice would be to have a lesson with a pro to look at what you are doing differently in your swing as I expect they will spot something very obvious very quickly and have you sorted in no time

Get your swing sorted and then reward yourself with some new clubs when you can properly enjoy them again
 
I agree with the comments around lessons and having your swing looked at before jumping into new sticks, I've spent the last 4-5 months re-tooling my swing with a coach. Having said that, I'll share what I'm going through right now.

I currently play i25's. I'm not long, but I can keep the ball in play most of the times. Mid 90s is about where I'm scoring and my frustration comes from my irons knowing I can shave a few strokes hitting a strong 8i instead of a 7i or even a 6i in some cases because of my current setup. I'm not looking for miracle drops in scoring or anything like that, but with me confidence is a big part of my game when over the ball. With the changes in my swing and physical ability over the past 4 years, I could probably re-shaft from the current stock CFS Stiff to something that allows me to match up better with my swing to get the results I want. When I look at the cost of re-shafting a 4 year old set that are still solid vs getting fit with a newer iron, this is where I start to do the pros and cons list. For me, in the end, the additional cost for newer tech, fresh set up, matched to my swing, as well as a reset in confidence it's put me on the path of ordering a new set. I don't tend to change up the irons too often (I've had 4 sets in 28 years), so I expect these to be in my bag for a long time.
 
Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! After I posted this, I stepped away from my laptop and did some work. While I was working, I was thinking about golf (surprise, surprise) and how I haven't had a lesson... ever.

My initial intent on posting was to see if the new technology would or could be helpful. It turned into me blaming my clubs, which was never the intent. I guess I got sidetracked and went on a rant.

I think I'm going to go do this in two parts.

First... I'm going to go for a proper fitting. I'm playing an 'off-the-rack' set of irons right now and I know they're not the proper fit for me. I'm 5'9" and these clubs, off-the-rack, are 1/4" - 3/4" longer than most others. I also have what you'd call an ugly swing... very steep. I'm sure lie adjustments will need to be made. So, I'm feeling like I need to go visit a fitter. I'm down to a few options for where to go, but... I'm gonna pull the trigger on that. Probably after the second part.

Second... I'm gonna sign up for a lessons package. I've played for 24+ years and the only 'instruction' I ever received was from my high school coach who changed my grip. Beyond that, the only proper lesson I've ever received was a 30 minute short game lesson. I know something isn't right with my swing right now. When I start having issues like this, I can't seem to get myself back on track. I need to learn what things I'm doing incorrectly and learn how to correct them so that I don't get so frustrated.

Triple digit scores have sucked the fun out of the game for me. I love golf but standing over a ball and sweating from the stress of embarrassment when it's 38 degrees out is no fun at all.

Thanks for the input! I appreciate it!
 
Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! After I posted this, I stepped away from my laptop and did some work. While I was working, I was thinking about golf (surprise, surprise) and how I haven't had a lesson... ever.

My initial intent on posting was to see if the new technology would or could be helpful. It turned into me blaming my clubs, which was never the intent. I guess I got sidetracked and went on a rant.

I think I'm going to go do this in two parts.

First... I'm going to go for a proper fitting. I'm playing an 'off-the-rack' set of irons right now and I know they're not the proper fit for me. I'm 5'9" and these clubs, off-the-rack, are 1/4" - 3/4" longer than most others. I also have what you'd call an ugly swing... very steep. I'm sure lie adjustments will need to be made. So, I'm feeling like I need to go visit a fitter. I'm down to a few options for where to go, but... I'm gonna pull the trigger on that. Probably after the second part.

Second... I'm gonna sign up for a lessons package. I've played for 24+ years and the only 'instruction' I ever received was from my high school coach who changed my grip. Beyond that, the only proper lesson I've ever received was a 30 minute short game lesson. I know something isn't right with my swing right now. When I start having issues like this, I can't seem to get myself back on track. I need to learn what things I'm doing incorrectly and learn how to correct them so that I don't get so frustrated.

Triple digit scores have sucked the fun out of the game for me. I love golf but standing over a ball and sweating from the stress of embarrassment when it's 38 degrees out is no fun at all.

Thanks for the input! I appreciate it!

I recommend first taking lesson (s)/instruction from a PGA instructor.
The instructor will be able to give you guidance regarding equipment.
 
I know I'm late to the party, but I don't think technology from one season to the next makes a significant difference. However, several years of tech will probably be very noticeable.

Since you've scored well with your current equipment in the past I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest it is you, not the clubs. BUT, getting fit can shave strokes off your score. Especially if what you have is a poor fit for you and you've had to learn to make due. Plus, new stuff is always fun and can inspire confidence in your swing/game.

The lessons should help too if you find a good instructor (there are plenty that are worthless). Just be prepared to get even worse before getting better if you try to do a swing overhaul and go all in on moving to a more text book/efficient swing.
 
Yes, there is significant difference between clubs that are seven years old vs current technology.


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