At what point are you willing to upgrade your equipment?

[jammag]

Good Morning

A very long term lurker on this forum from many years ago and recently got back into golf 6 months ago and have been reading certain threads again.

This question comes from the very debatable zero torque thread which probably showed the best and worst of this forum at times but it did raise an interesting question for me and one I’d like to ask the opinion of the forum.

At what point are you willing to purchase new equipment for your game to improve?

Now that in itself is a very simple question however I’m thinking along the lines of, for example a new putter shaved 1 shot off of your handicap would you be willing to purchase a new club or change equipment. Bearing in mind that 1 shot to a 10 handicapper is 10% improvement however for a 20 handicapper that’s only a 5% improvement.

Does the type of club impact your decision. The stereotyping of a certain club that a chipper would come with? Or the belief of certain science behind it as in the zero torque or is it even the manufacture behind your decision?

I know people will say pay for lessons and I fully get that which is correct as most people should be getting a coach to improve but I'm intrigued as to what point people are willing to pull the plug on a piece of new equipment?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

For me, it's partly if I am not using a club particularly well, I will look for an alternative. I may also just have a fancy for a club, why not?

I changed my irons at the end of last year. I am hitting them so much better than my previous irons. Logic says that they should help to bring my h/c down but even if they don't I will still be happy about the change. I'm hitting better iron shots, more frequently and that alone makes the game more enjoyable. That is what I am looking for. Not everything needs to bring lower scores, it's the getting there that is just as important to me.

I should caveat the above. I do have a price limit and even if a putter could lower my h/c by 5 shots guaranteed, I would not be paying £700 for it. I have no issue with those that will pay, good luck to them. My priorities are elsewhere.

 

[Orikoru]

For drivers the common consensus seems to be about 5 years - that's when you may see a noticeable improvement, if you get a new driver against one that's 5+ years old.

For irons I think it's whenever you like really. A modern set might be longer and easier to hit than a set from ten years ago, but it more depends on whether they're right for you or not. Shafts are arguably more important than the heads. As with the driver, I upgraded my irons after about five years and I saw a distance increase for sure.

Putters - whenever you fancy a new one. Personally think that technology doesn't really evolve in quite the same way, the best putter for you could be 20 years old, it just has the perfect weight, and balance. So it's more trial and error.

 

[Arthur Wedge]

People look to upgrade equipment for multiple reasons

Game improvements , nice shiney toys etc

For me I’ll look at my bag at the start of each year and see where I can make any sort of significant performance improvement

Driver - see if the latest models will give me a bit more forgiveness or any improvements on length and judge if those are worth the £600 - still have a TM SIM and latest models didn’t really give me that much more

Fairway and Hybrids- recently changed my 3 wood for a 3HL to give me a different ball flight

Irons - there are lots of new irons out there but would look at maybe a bit more forgiveness without sacrificing any feel or look - still got the same set for the last 8 years

Wedges - they are the most used clubs and have changed them every 3 years due to wear and tear issues

Putter - always about feel - will try loads every year and if one clicks then will look at that

 

[Bunkermagnet]

When something wears out/breaks or just is over 10 yrs old.

 

[jim8flog]

When the urge manages to overcome my sensibility.

 

[Backache]

I have a very low turnover of equipment . Current clubs are my 3rd set in over 40 years of playing.
I would be prepared to buy more if I thought there would be a genuine improvement and my current clubs were fitted and I think helped to improve my handicap.
But I'm a sceptic that it's likely to happen again for a few years, possibly as my swing speed slows will need some in 5-10 years.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Not often. Last driver I got was Ping G410 and still doing a job for me. I might look at wedges as the grooves are worn although they do give a consistent roll on the short game shots whereas newer grooves are harder to judge

 

[hambugerpete]

Unless you have ancient kit or massively wrong fitment there is little to gain from buying new.
There is no putter or driver thats guaranteed to knock 1 shot off your handicap. If there was we would all play the same stuff.
Im getting a new driver in a few weeks , mostly because mine is quite old and tatty looking. I don't expect my new one to make much difference but who doesn't like new stuff.

 

[inc0gnito]

When the urge manages to overcome my sensibility.

This

Or any other excuse that negates the cognitive dissonance.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

I do have a number of putters, a big two ball mallet a half moon #9 and several blades and I will tinker at times or depending on green speed

 

[Slab]

Upgrade a club for me is like for like, swap driver for new driver etc and unless damaged it’ll only be if a new club/s will give much better results
Buying new bit of kit will happen when I get faced with a particular shot regularly enough that I don’t believe I have the right club in the bag to pull off the shot I want

 

[stymied]

I'm not one who believes new equipment will improve scores. I have sets of hickory's that I play off the forward tees. If I play my regular set off the same tees my scores aren't all that different despite significant differences in distances of long irons, woods and driver.

My current set has bubble shaft woods from 25 years ago and an RBZ driver (I did buy new paradym woods for this year, but will see if they stay in the bag).

 

[Crow]

I'm not one who believes new equipment will improve scores. I have sets of hickory's that I play off the forward tees. If I play my regular set off the same tees my scores aren't all that different despite significant differences in distances of long irons, woods and driver.

My current set has bubble shaft woods from 25 years ago and an RBZ driver (I did buy new paradym woods for this year, but will see if they stay in the bag).

We need to have a game!

 

[Jigger]

I’ve definitely upgraded when struggling for say 12months. I’ve always tried to work out the kinks first. I’m now of the mind of “if it helps my game,do it”. I.e. I carry 5 hybrids over winter and have jumbo max grips on everything.

I looked at a chipper previously but it’s perhaps the one club I think is a waste of time. My chipping has been fixed by Dan Grieve’s techniques but prior I just used a hybrid which doubles up for a lot of other shots.

My mate is terrible out of bunkers so he dove in and pre-ordered the new ping club but it still hasn’t arrived which could suggest the demand for it is very high. I will say that everyone that has used my 54° sm10 with jumbo max grips on it has been blown away about how easy it is to use. Include this guy .

Golf is very tough so use anything that makes it more pleasurable but never buy something new as a short term fix when you really need a lesson. You should really be ok with the concepts in you swing and see a new type of club as a strokes gained device.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Dropping the 4 and 5 irons for hybrids was definitely a game changer but now they are in they won't be changed for a while. I might invest in one full bag upgrade around retirement time and that will be it

 

[Burnsey]

The RIGHT equipment can certainly improve your game.

Unfortunately, as we are always evolving in our game, so possibly never have the right clubs, but starting with the right ones would have helped me.

 

[Dunesman]

The golden rule is that new equipment will never improve your game.
Buy when you like the idea of a something new and shiny in your bag. See it as like buying a new jumper, so whatever triggers you to do that, apply the same to golf gear.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I bought new clubs (other than putter) about 3yrs ago. My pro left a space in my bag for the club that time would tell I needed.

It has since become obvious that my weak area with greatest impact on my scoring (and peace of mind ) was 160-185yds and around 160yd carry. I have just bought my 14th club..a 5hybrid…for that purpose. Even though I’ve only used it a few times out, the impact is immediate.

But it was only through time - trying, struggling and failing - that I discovered and came to accept that I needed a change…an upgrade to my bag. And so it has come to pass. But I needed time.

 

[Voyager EMH]

I got brand new set of irons 1977, 1992 and 2008. That is gaps of 15 years and 16 years.
So here I am 17 years later thinking that I might be due an update. Definitely update and not upgrade.
My 2008 set is Ping G10 3&4 iron, Ping i10 5-PW and 52°W.
I'm thinking about keeping the 21° and 24° 3&4 irons. They have not as much wear as the others, I like them and it will save money.
The Ping G730 might fit the bill: 28°, 32°, 36°, 40°, 45°, 50°. (I will need another more lofted wedge of some sort)
It will be very interesting to have a 3 and 4 iron in the bag, no 5 or 6 iron, but 4 wedges.

My driver is a Cobra F-Speed 10.5° Regular from about 2005 that I bought from my club pro in 2010 for £25.
I seem to be hitting it further now than 10 years ago, which I find a little puzzling as I approach my 65th birthday.
I am wondering whether occasional games with very old clubs has improved the tempo and accuracy of my swing. That is the only change in recent years.
Two years ago I got the same, but 9° Stiff for £24 from Ebay as an experiment. I hit them both the same distance.
I've had several goes with other new ones in social golf. "Can I have a go with that?" I seem to hit them all the same distance. Paradym 12° and TM Stealth 7.5° included.
The one I felt most comfortable with was a Callaway Epic. I'm just waiting for the Ebay price to come down below £50.

Putter is Ben Sayers Opel Line One that was £25 brand new in 1989. No way am I changing that. It would be like deciding to putt left handed all of a sudden.
I did find an Opel Line Three for £2 a few years ago that seemed to have had very little use, but it is no improvement.

I've got Cobra F-Speed 15° 3-wood and Cobra Baffler hybrids 16°, 20° and 23°. Can't see any point in changing the fairway bashers at the moment.