New equipment vs practice/skill

en.er.gy

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I'll pull the new guy move and start a thread on a topic that interests me.

Curious what your take is on how you find a balance between knowing when it is an issue that practice or lessons fixe or an issue solved by new equipment.

Backstory, golfed as a child then got a set of adult sticks when I turned 13, then slowly stopped golfing. Maybe range or one round per year for the last 20 years with large periods of neither. Recently got back into it and the bug for new equipment bit hard. Since my gear was roughly 20 years old I researched and practiced with my old gear then settled on a combo of the best deals & my desires for new equipment.

Ive got a slot open in my bag and time will tell how or if I need to fill it.

Thats where your your thoughts come in, how do you best determine if your shortcomings are skill or gear related?
 
Personally I would say 99% of the time its skill, not equipment. That being said, everyone loves new and shiny. And many times the new shiny will give you more confidence and you will play better. I know some guys that are playing 10-12 year old equipment that are near scratch, and then the opposite myself who has pretty much everything brand new yet I am a high handicapper. if you want to have the confidence go get fit so you know you are in the right equipment for you and focus on getting lessons to improve your skill. just my .02 cents.
 
If equipment is more than 2-3 years old then upgrading will help but for most amateurs it's more swing related than equipment. Equipment and fittings will only get a player so far and to get better one has to put in the work on the range, on the course and with some help from an instructor online or in person.
 
For me...I like new shiny stuff. But the "fix" is always in my skill set. A new driver will not cure my slice or my hook. A new driver might get me a few extra yards, or it might help me keep a SLIGHTLY errant shot in the short grass, or playable, but it won't fix me.

The only place in my bag where equipment might help more than that is a putter, and thats mostly about feel. IF you've got a putter you don't like the feel of, or have trouble "feeling right" a new putter MIGHT help with that. If you can't get a putt online to save your life, a putter MIGHT help a LITTLE, but a putting lesson will help much more.
 
It could be both to be honest. If your club's specs are not right for you at all it could be causing good swings to end up with bad results. Or it could be that your clubs are fit perfectly for you and your skill level is just keeping you from lowering your scores.

I would say the majority of the time though, it's going to come down to skill level. Having said that, there is never any harm in making sure your clubs are fit for you.
 
If dealing with 20 year old equipment, improvement in equipment and practice to improve skills are both needed. If dealing with equipment released within the past 3 years, I think skill improvement will yield bigger gains than new clubs.
 
Have to agree with the others. If your equipment is more than 3 years old, then there is a really good chance you can upgrade your sticks and help yourself improve a small degree, just by technological advancement. With that said, getting fitted to the new clubs will be the best way to go, but getting lessons and improving your swing FIRST, before equipment upgrades is honestly the best way to start. There's nothing worse and spending money on awesome new fitted clubs, THEN taking lessons and correcting faults only to find out that NOW, you'll need to be REFITTED because now your swing doesn't match the fitted clubs.
 
Equipment will help if your game is decent. If you consistently duff your drive 100 yards down the fairway, then new equipment is not going to help.

I remember a long time ago I wanted a new guitar. My guitar was very old and cheap and I knew I would play better if I had a new one. A friend of mine came over who was a very skilled musician. He plugged in my guitar and just played the hell out of it. I never knew my guitar could sound like that. It was an eye-opening experience for me about equipment.
 
Skill 99% of the time.

I played a round recently with someone who had a $350 Canadian Tire set. He shot 71 and I shot 81. As long as you're gaming something relatively decent, the skill is most important. Someone with 20 year old clubs, sure, the equipment upgrade will definitely lower his/her scores. But if you have something that came out in the past 5-10 years I think you're more than fine.
 
Pssshhh....these comments are not a good representation of what THP stands for. THP = MOAR GEAR!!:clapp:
 
Hypothesis: new equipment is more important for game improvement than skill. Null hypothesis: skill something or other. I intend to test this hypothesis vigorously. I am doing this strictly for science. :glasses-nerdy:
 
just make sure the old equipment fits you....i.e.- don't hit your grandpa's senior flex hand-me-downs if you're 6'5'' and weigh 250 pounds.
 
Practice is more important to me than new gear but i think technology has evolved alot in the past 20 yr so it might be time for an upgrade
 
On a more serious note, I'd say it's 90-10 in percentage of skill over gear.
 
A truly amazing collective response.

As as a lurker of this board, now registered member, you never really know (until you're part of the community) if you'll get jumped on for asking an old or obvious question.

Well deep down I knew swing, practice, lessons etc should come before gear but we all have our vices. Gear came towards the beginning. Now it is time to practice up and if required make gear adjustments to fine tune.

i figure I need to mix range with course and doses of backyard as I cannot imagine practice of one type would be superior to a mixed approach.

Funny how psychological games can be. New equipment boosts psych far more than a lesson would for most.
 
Ive got a slot open in my bag and time will tell how or if I need to fill it.

Which slot?

Thats where your your thoughts come in, how do you best determine if your shortcomings are skill or gear related?

IMHO - It's a combination of skill and having the right equipment. Good equipment is very helpful when working on improving your skill level
 
Which slot?



IMHO - It's a combination of skill and having the right equipment. Good equipment is very helpful when working on improving your skill level


Id say a wedge, but potentially where my hybrids meet irons. I left the 6i based on a few web opinions but I'll have to see if the yardage gap feels right. If I can get rid of the 6i, then I suspect I'd eyeball reworking my wedges for a 4 wedge setup. But again I am not seasoned enough to make that call. If no to the 6i & not 4 wedges then I don't know how I'd fill 14 clubs.

Breakout:
Driver
3w & 5w
4h - 6h
6i - 9i
PW & SW
Putter
 
I'm of the opinion that there is no magic wand out there. You need to put the time in to practice and work on your swing.

I'm also of the opinion that there are two types of equipment out there. Equipment that is designed to mitigate your swing flaws, and equipment that will exacerbate your swing flaws, and finding the right balance between the two (practice AND the right equipment) goes a long way to succeeding in this game.
 
I've seen firsthand how a particular shaft could be a total horrible fit for my swing, but I'd still say that for the most part, it's skill over equipment.
 
New equipment will only take you so far. Practice and work will get you to your full potential. IMHO.
 
Give me the $350 that would be spent on a new driver and I promise I get your game is better shape then just using the new driver.
 
I think lessons are the way to go for real improvement.
 
I think the equipment can help but I just like to try new clubs. I think it's fun.
 
New equipment always plays well for a bit then you settle back into your old ways. Inconsistent.

I'd go for a few lessons and new gear.

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Give me the $350 that would be spent on a new driver and I promise I get your game is better shape then just using the new driver.
Words of wisdom from the man, the myth, the legend.

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