Equipment Archives

Oldie but moldie, but it still rings true today…truth and logic always remain constant:

Here’s a piece I wrote back in 2016 on the state of the industry…..Let me know what you think..(current updates**)

Well fellow linksters, 2016 has come to a close and you know what changed? First, not a damn thing!!! Second, if you don’t know the concept of logic, then stop reading this right now. Finally, if you have more money than good sense, again, stop reading this right now.

Manufacturers are still spouting golf’s Amazing Marketing Machine (hereinafter referred to as AM2) verbiage every day, getting each and every one of you to drink the koolaid that will enable you to hit it further, hit it straighter, clubs that facilitate faster swing speeds, blah, blah and blah. Balls that go further, bite better, spin more with wedges, spin less with drivers, compress more, compress less, blah, blah and blah. New teaching tools that guarantee 50 more yards, will make you swing like a pro, hit nothing but frozen ropes, blah, blah, and blah.

Now, don’t get me wrong, technology, in itself, is good for the game. But the truth is, if you go out and drop $500-$600 on a new driver, or $150 a piece for new wedges, $45 on a dozen balls, $400 for a new putter or $2000 for a new set of irons (consisting of only 7 clubs now, by the way!), your game isn’t going to magically improve. It’s probably going to get worse!!! Want to know why?

Drivers: Bigger is NOT better!!

Today, the maximum head size for a driver is 460cc total volume….and guess what? The sweet spot is still the same size as it was back in the day of persimmon drivers of the pre-eighties that were 180-200 cc’s……the head of a pin. Scientific fact. And guess what else? Each and every major manufacturer’s greatest and “best” performing driver is exactly that size, with promises of greater distance and tighter dispersion. Every manufacturer has the aerodynamics in their new heads that will promise increased club head speed. Every manufacturer is promoting the ability to adjust the weight in the head, loft, lie, and CG, which will improve your ball flight and game.

For tour pros who practice and play every day, who have been honing their swing since they were on Pablum, and have twelve personal coaches watching their bodies, minds, and urine samples, it is probably true. For you, me, and the other 99.2% of golfers in the world (the “99ers”) today, BULL DUNG!! Aerodynamics? Seriously? Unless you’re getting club head speeds in excess of 125 mph (which you’re not), aerodynamics doesn’t mean squat! The simple fact is, even if you’re a reasonably good golfer (high single or low teen handicapper) you’re only going to pure one out of five drives. Scientific fact. Most of us will be lucky to get one, maybe two decent drives a round, period. So what do we do to improve? Before I suggest a solution, let’s look at a couple of other factors that are tanking your game.

** Logic Premise: Higher lofts and smaller heads will actually promote more accuracy, which is what you really need to strive for.

Wedges: You’re NOT Phil Mickelson; get over it!

Phil “The Flop” is arguably one of the greatest wedge players we’ve seen in the modern golf age. But guess what, you and I are NOT. Carrying three, four, or five wedges, as the manufacturers suggest, is pure AM2! Let me give you a brief example.

I started playing golf in the sixties with forged blades (there weren’t any “game improvement irons” then) with a pitching wedge and sand wedge. My pitching wedge was 50* and my sand was 55*. I didn’t need a lob wedge, we had something back then called “touch”. We rarely hit “full” swing shots with any club. We “worked” the ball. We were playing a wound (rubber bands) balata ball that was 80, 90, or 100 compression that would cut by just looking at it wrong! I was a 5 handicap by 16, scratch by 21, briefly dipped to a plus 1 for two months at 29, and played between a 3 and 9 until I was in my early fifties. I never started carrying a gap wedge until I was in my late forties, and I have never carried a lob wedge.

I would be willing to bet that over 80% of you 99ers currently carry a pitching wedge, gap wedge, sand wedge, and lob wedge. This is all AM2 koolaid! First, AM2 has dropped the lofts in all clubs over the past forty years to the point that today’s pitching wedge is yesterday’s eight iron. This has necessitated the need for additional clubs outside the standard set to address the shots from 120 yards in (additional club purchases, brilliant!). Secondly, the need for a club with over 56* of loft for 95% of the golfers in the world, is simply ludicrous. Unless you’re a single digit handicap (and even then, you don’t need it) you’re going to scull or fluff 75% of the shots you hit with this club. And who’s the Einstein that decided a 65 and 70* wedge was needed? Bottom line, with today’s loft gaps you only need to carry a maximum of two wedges over the full set you purchased. For goodness sake, learn how to chip with clubs that fit the shot, not one club for all shots.

** Logic Premise: While all the major manufacturers do a pretty credible job in wedge design, the bottom line is the 99ers can take a shovel and get it close, but you need to “PRACTICE” on your short game and putting 75% of the time if you really want lower scores!!

Balls

Here’s where AM2 has taken you by the Dustin Johnson and led you to the promised retailers land. As arguably the biggest consumable item in the game, golf balls have become one of our biggest expenses. Everyone blindly believes that if Titleist is the most used ball on Tour, we all need to go out and buy a dozen of V1’s. Well guess what, you’re NOT on the Tour. What works for Dustin, Jason, and Rory is certainly not going to have an effect your game.

In the past few years, we’ve seen two layer, three layer, four layer, and now, five layers balls with materials (according to the manufacturers) will give you the distance to get your ball to the moon AND still get 15 feet of backspin on the lunar surface. For the low, low, low price of $40-$45 per dozen! Again, guess what? If you have been paying attention to the hallowed publications of Golf in the past year, you probably have heard of direct-to-consumer companies such as Vice, Snell, Cosctco, and others who are offering balls of equal quality (verified by same said hallowed publications) that you can purchase online for half the price of V1/Pros. On top of that, Costco has now put a ball on the shelf that equaled or outperformed the V1 at a price that can’t be believed (actually, it can, as it sold out the first three production runs in less than three days). If you’re paying over $25 a dozen, your love of AM2 KoolAid is greater than the love for your wife because you’re throwing money down the drain.

On a side note, contrary to what the pundits and experts may say, the golf ball is not the reason, nor the way, to make today’s golf courses relevant today. Golf courses are still relevant, the problem is that the tour has led you to believe that the classic courses of the world need to be changed to accommodate perceived technology and the pro game. To that I say, Buffalo Chips. Also, golf course developers believe (right, wrong, or otherwise) that you need a “Tour” quality course (read 7500-8000 yards long designed by a “name” architect) in order to attract home buyers. For you, me and the rest of the 99ers, 5500-6500 yards long is just fine, designed by any of the many talented young designers who were mentored by the best. If the Tour has a problem with the courses they’re playing, adopt a Tour ball that doesn’t fly as far and make them use it (in practice and play). That will end the debate and controversy of how the Pros are shooting lights out on all the classics. Don’t renovate and lengthen or build absurdly long courses that the 99ers will play once (just to say they played them) then walk away ($400 dollars poorer) just to say, “damn that was ridiculous”.

**Logic Premise: I know that everyone swears by Titleist, but with the proliferation of “direct to consumer” ball companies now, you really don’t need to be wasting money. Check this out: https://golf.com/gear/golf-balls/best-golf-balls-2024-48-new-models-reviewed/.

Putters

Boutique Design Studios is AM2’s answer to curing your short stick ills…..yak chips!! Now I’m not one to harp on a putter designer’s quest for making a profitable business, but $200-$300-$400 for a damn putter? Guess what Stephen Hawkins, if you can’t put a good stroke on the ball, I don’t care if you have Yoda’s light saber, the ball ain’t going into the hole! I’m not going into a big diatribe about this segment of the business because every major manufacturer has the “secret” flat stick that will cure your short game. While I will address this in the last segment of this post (Logic), you do need to realize that, with chipping, your short game accounts for 50-60% of your total score. NOT the driver, NOT the irons, but the wedges and the putter. It’s the true answer to improving your game. It may not be as glamorous as the big drive, but if you can find a logical putter design and actually spend time practicing with it, you will probably cut your handicap in half. (Note: Pay attention to the last item in this post).

**Logic Premise: There are tons of great putters out there, but unless you spend of 60% of your time practicing, you’re wasting money!!

Irons

Here is the second biggest culprit in the AM2. Every year we hear about the same crap….long, straight, pure, launch, performing…yada, yada, and yada. Bottom line, here is where the AM2 fallacy comes to bear. By referencing the AM2 graphic located in numerous places in the post, you will see how the manufacturers have adjusted loft and length to lead you to believe you’re hitting the ball farther. But the truth is, you’re not hitting it further and you’re certainly not hitting it straighter. No matter what they say about their technology, if you don’t put the club on the ball squarely, you’re not going to hit the ball straight! Simple logic and confirmed by fact. Now, I’m not saying that technology hasn’t provided the possibility to hit the ball straighter/longer, bottom line, but the majority of 99ers can’t put the club on the ball consistently to take advantage of the technology. So how do you put the club on the ball consistently? It’s not them, it’s YOU and logic that will improve your game.

**Logic Premise: Used to be you could get a whole set of irons for a reasonable price. With today’s marketing scheme, they advertise “single club” prices to make it look more affordable. We are still big proponents of single/or double length clubs to reduce the different ball positions at address and the need for 12 different swing planes. Again, logic rules!

Hybrids

Without a doubt, in part due to the AM2’s path to profitability (making you buy clubs outside the standard set), the Hybrid is probably the most important development in club technology that has had a postitive effect on the 99ers game. While the concept is certainly not new (Stan Thompson introduced the first hybrid back in the 1970s with the Ginty), the one thing that the manufucturers have done right is to introduce a club that replaces the traditional long irons and is infinitely easier to hit. A hybrid, compared to long irons which they were designed to replace, has a larger head, broader sole, and a center of gravity which is lower and further back from the face. What does this mean? It means you can hit it higher with more carry and with the larger head, you have a better chance of actually putting the middle of the face on the ball. Now, it won’t do it by itself. You and logic need to come into play in order to benefit from the hybrid.

**Logic Premise: Do you consider your 4-, 5-, or 6-iron scoring clubs? I didn’t think so. Chuck them and get higher-lofted hybrids. You will have better dispersion, and with the right lofts, you’re going to get into the “two-putt” range more often, even from off the fairway!!

Logic and Why You Need To Start Thinking Instead of Reacting

Hopefully, at this point, you’re starting wonder about how logic is going to help you improve and enjoy the game of golf.

– Instead of reaching to every AM2 claim that spews forth each and every month, step back and think about YOUR game, not Tiger’s. Isn’t it the desire of every golfer to LOWER their score? If you think logically, you can do that not by hitting the ball further, but by hitting the ball straighter.

– How much use do you get from each club in your bag? I’m willing to bet that for most 99ers (if you’re truthfully evaluating your game) it reads something like this:

– Driver: 8-10 times per round

– Fairway woods: 3-4 times per round

– Hybrids: 5-7 times per round

– 4-6 irons: 3-4 times per round

– 7-9 irons: 8-10 times per round

– Wedges: 10-12 times per rounds

– Putter: 34-40 times per round

– Fairways hit per round: 4-6

– Greens hit per round: 4-6

– What does all this mean?

– If you’re using your driver 8 times per round and only hitting the fairway 50% of the time, you need to shorten your driver, use a higher loft and start hitting the ball straighter. It’s logically easier to hit an approach from the fairway than it is from the pasture. You should not have a driver with loft less than 12*. You’re not Bubba Watson and even with the aforementioned light saber, you’re NOT going to be! It’s not about “how far”, this game is about “how many”. Stop thinking with your Dustin Johnson and start thinking logically.

– If you’re only using your fairway woods 3-4 times per round, they’re taking up valuable space in your bag and not doing you a damn bit of good. Most 99ers would be better served having ONE fairway wood (preferably a 17-18 degree at a length no longer than 40″) as for most of us, we can hit a 2-3 hybrid (or seven wood) more consistently and straighter (because they’re shorter), and more than likely about the same distance as our fairway woods.

– If you’re using a 4,5,6 iron only 3-4 times per round, chuck the 4 and 5 iron and replace them with a single hybrid. It is going to be easier to hit, will carry higher and will allow you to be more consistent so you can improve you GIR numbers.

– If you’re only hitting 4-6 greens in regulation and taking 34-36 putts per round, what does that logically tell you? It should be telling you that you need to quit beating drivers at the range and instead, spend 75% of your practice time on chipping and putting. The catch word here is “PRACTICE”.

Wake up and smell the Meadow Muffins, Aristotle!!

Here’s the recap:

1. Respect tradition, but Trust Logic. Start thinking for yourself and don’t just blindly drink the AM2 koolaid. Question convention, try the outside the box theories, designs, and premises. Evaluate them and your game truthfully. Watch professional golf on television, but don’t think that any of it translates to your game. Take it upon yourself to make golf fun again FOR YOU!!

2. If you don’t practice, I don’t care if you throw two house payments and the cost of a good used car at a new set of “wonder” sticks, you’re NOT GOING TO GET BETTER!!!! I have a lot of respect for Bob Parsons (PXG) and I’ve hit the clubs, which by the way, are best thing to come from AM2 in decades. But, bottom line, they still stick to tradition and at that price, I can take my wife to Hawaii for a week AND buy myself a new set of clubs, which is going to make her happy which in turn will make me happy for the next year……and still involve less cash!!!

3. It’s not the Arrow; it’s the Indian……buying an adjustable driver with 300 different configurations and a cost of $500-$600 is NOT going to improve your game (factoid: 80% of all adjustable drivers purchased are still in the original configuration when they left the rack!). Spend $40-50 and get your driver properly fit for your physique and swing, then practice with the damn thing (and don’t believe that the PGA Superstore can “fit” your driver. They are RETAIL SALES REPS NOT CLUB-FITTERS!!!! ) Find a reputable fitter and get it done right. Same thing with putters. The latest Scotty, Bettinardi, whoever it may be, is NOT going to improve your putting without PRACTICE. Find a head that fits your eye, get a grip that feels good and practice. Why throw $400-500 down the drain, if you’re not going to practice? Now, don’t get me wrong, if you have more money than good sense, by all means call me. I have a couple of real estate deals we need to talk about!!!

4. Do yourself a favor and read the article “The New 12 Myths That Could Wreck Your Golf Game”. This article was written by Tom Wishon who is one of the most innovative minds in club design today. Read it with an open mind and use logical thinking. I’m pretty sure you’ll “get it”.

Remember, respect tradition, but trust logic. Also, don’t drink the Koolaid or think with your putter!!! Have a great year and keep it in the short grass.