We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Tech advances in golf clubs - how far have we come in 8 years?

SuperStroke
campilobaxter

campilobaxter

Mustachioed Root Vegetable
Joined
Sep 25, 2011
Messages
5,609
Reaction score
1,140
Location
Las Vegas, NV
Handicap
6.6
I'm not one who is always looking to upgrade my sticks. When I find something that works, I generally stick with it for a while. For example, I'm playing the same Ping G10 irons that I've had for about 7 or 8 years, and they were a few years old when I got them (I think they were released in 2007/08). I'm still hitting my Cleveland CG14 wedges with the orange insert because they still work for me. I'm also still hitting the same hybrids and fairway wood I've had for years: 3h, 4h Taylormade TP rescue 2009 and Titleist 909F3 from 2008. The only "newer" club I've got is a 2013 TM SLDR driver, but that's coming up on 4 years old.

So the question I have is how much has golf tech advanced in the last 8-10 years? Am I doing myself a major disservice not upgrading some of these clubs a little sooner? Has tech advanced so much that I'm missing out on significant distance or forgiveness?
 
IMO you'd see the biggest difference in the woods/hybrids, especially something other than the SLDR, which hasn't shown to be a very forgiving driver on off center hits.

As for the wedges, if the faces are still in good shape, you're probably ok, and same with the irons. I have found the older G5/G10 irons to still be extremely playable with no issues. I had G5's up until 2014 and wasn't losing/missing anything. Just wanted something different.

It just comes down to playing what makes you happy in the end though.
 
cbaker2882 said:
IMO you'd see the biggest difference in the woods/hybrids, especially something other than the SLDR, which hasn't shown to be a very forgiving driver on off center hits.

As for the wedges, if the faces are still in good shape, you're probably ok, and same with the irons. I have found the older G5/G10 irons to still be extremely playable with no issues. I had G5's up until 2014 and wasn't losing/missing anything. Just wanted something different.

It just comes down to playing what makes you happy in the end though.
Click to expand...

Which is why I'm pretty content to keep my clubs for a while. Particularly the irons and the wedges.

Interesting comment about the SLDR. I've only put it in play recently, and it was definitely an upgrade over my old TM R9. But now that I think about it, I do get some pretty wimpy shots when I miss on the toe.
 
I would argue that irons and other items have come as long as anything else in the game. We are seeing low spin, hollow body performance in compact packages now that could never have been accomplished well a decade ago. Are you doing yourself a disservice? Not if you like them and enjoy playing the game. Thats really the only thing that matters. Are you leaving somethings on the table that might benefit you? Yes. No different than looking at an iPhone 5 and asking if the iPhone 7 is better. Is it? Yes. Will it work better for everybody's uses if they are happy with what they have? Maybe not.
 
I think you're doing yourself a disservice by not at least trying new clubs. The SLDR was a solidly ok driver. I had one. But just since then, the tech in clubs has all but rendered that club obsolete.
 
I think every class of clubs has come pretty far in 8 years.... I'd be at least looking and trying out the new stuff to see if it can make an improvement in your game.
 
personally, i would say absolutely.

with drivers and fairway woods, i think it's a mishit thing. with the right club, the ball will find the fairway more often and with more distance than in the past.

with irons, we have higher launch with a little less spin and added forgiveness on mishits in a smaller more aesthetically pleasing package. bridgestone driving forged, srixon 565, ben hogan ptx, cobra king forged tec, titleist ap1 and t-mb, and so many more.

i would think putters have progressed the most incrementally, but there are some super high moi options out there that are closer to traditional than in the past.

wedges is where i'm a little on the fence. i'm not sure the tech is as impressive, but i do think improvements have been made in grinds and weight distribution.

shafts are a whole different animal. graphite for aggressive swingers. super low spin light weight. pretty cool stuff.
 
I think there is a big difference in clubs in each category over the last 8 years. Drivers and woods would show and improvement between 8 years ago and 3 years ago. The adjustability, materials, weight placement and face technology have all changed

With irons weight distribution to help launch and spin. Foreignness laterally on the face. Unless playing a bald and switching to a new blade is probably the only area where there won't be a huge difference
 
This year, i replaced a 2009 driver, a 2006 set of irons, and some wedges that date back to the 90s. Even with some lessons and changes to my swing, I've noticed some significant differences between the club generations.

I noticed the biggest change in the driver. I'm typically getting the same distance, occasionally a few yards more, but it is straighter/more forgiving.

The wedges are a lot better too, and I attribute that to newer faces and picking grinds better suited for my swing.

The irons had the least amount of change, but I would say they are longer (part of that is loft) and a little more forgiving.

I am in the process of replacing my 2006 putter, and I think that is going to be a combination of technology and comfort. Again, there is a multitude of choice out there.

JB's comparison of iPhone generations is a good one. I think we are in a fairly competitive era as far clubmaking goes. Technology is one way to get an edge. Choice is another, and there is a lot more of both available compared to the last time I bought equipment.
 
I don't play and practice as much as I would want to so it helps I have clubs that kinda keep up with technology. There's a substantial bump in improvement these days from the 2008 - 2009 era. Forgiveness and adjustability.
 
As others have said, yes you are probably giving up something using sticks that are 5 plus years old. On the other hand, if you enjoy the game and shoot what you feel are good scores then I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I'm using irons that I've had for close to 10 years, a putter that's close to 20, fairways that are at least 4 generations old and a Burner Superfast 2.0 driver that I haven't been able to find anything that's as reliable or comfortable to hit since, and I have no trouble shooting in the 70s on an average day.

Would I like new sticks? Sure, but probably just to be able to say I have the latest and greatest as opposed to picking up a huge advantage.
 
I would say if you don't really care about chasing a couple of strokes per round then don't worry about it, and just play the game, and have fun. If you really want to squeeze everything out of the scorecard then there are better options right now. Start with your weakest part of the game. For me it is probably driver since I hit it a good ways, and crooked is jail. Going from say the SLDR to maybe and LTD or M2 would make those toe misses much more playable, and occasionally out of the hazard. Wouldn't give up anything distance wise most likely.
 
For me, technology = playability. Distance is ok to have but when I look at clubs the technology that I'm looking for is playability. How does it sound? How does it feel? How does it look? Most important, how does it play. For guys lucky enough to be in the low single digits, this probably isn't an issue too much For hackers like me, I want a club that if I miss on the toe side or heel side, I still get respectable distance. Maybe in a few years, they will come out with an iron that no matter where you hit it, it flies the same, until then I will still keep on looking for a club that I feel will perform the best for me not only in terms of playability but enjoyment.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top