IN SEARCH OF "BIGGER HITS" What Are The Right Clubs For You?
It’s ‘a brand new bag’ out there today as far as golf clubs are concerned. Golf clubs have changed quite a bit over the long history of the sport, and club development is continuing apace as equipment makers seek to give players more advantage in dealing with ever more challenging courses.
But first, a look at today’s ‘typical’ golf bag. The modern club set includes hybrids and wedges in addition to the traditional woods, irons, and putters.
Hybrids, as the name suggests have club heads that are a ‘cross’ between wood and iron. Wedges are typically iron heads, but which have been slanted at a more severe angle in order to produce greater loft.
Your choice of the mix of clubs will be influenced by your game level: whether you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced level (semi-pro or pro). If you’re a beginner, a set of three woods and eight irons is sufficient. Make sure the clubs fit your strength and posture. Once you reach the intermediate level, a good set of clubs are ones that have been fitted for you. In addition to the aforementioned, there are a few other ‘specialty sticks’ out there for you to consider.
The Hand Wedge is the most versatile club out there. It can get you out from behind a boulder or from under a large tree trunk. One good smooth scoop can save a hole or a complete round. Unlike your standard clubs, the hand wedge has the ability to produce a long, low trajectory shot or a high lofty shot to clear a large tree that was obviously planted in a very bad spot.
The Foot Putter is best used to tweak your position or lie on the course and is great for removing your ball from unfortunate subterranean situations. Unlike the hand wedge, the foot putter doesn’t require you to even bend over to take the shot. In fact you don’t have to look at the ball at all when using the foot putter. Just swing away in what foot putter specialists describe as a ‘kicking motion.’
The Sole Driver is very similar to the Foot Putter other than the fact this club is not used to improve your ball’s position but rather to degrade the lie of your opponent. A perfectly placed shot with the sole driver will put your opponent’s ball 3 inches deep into the terrain making for a very unplayable follow up shot.
Ultimately, you, the golfer are the real ‘engine’ driving a better scorecard. But there’s no question that a golfer with great technique hitting better equipment will improve over time. By the way, hitting better rarely means hitting harder. It’s important to focus more on contact with the middle of the ball rather than trying to whack it down the fairway.