Do The more expensive clubs improve your game?

[golfsaint]

Good morning folks, having a chat with the wife last night and she seems to think that it does`nt matter what clubs you use its the person using them !.
Well yes it is so far , but my query is that the better the clubs the better the game & lower the handicap?
Thoughts on this ?

 

[Smiffy]

the better the clubs the better the game & lower the handicap?
Thoughts on this ?

Does not compute

 

[CMAC]

There's also the phrase "all the gear but no idea"

 

[chris661]

Your wife is correct.

 

[Doh]

I think clubs have to be of a good standard and also you have to like what you have.But they dont make the golfer thats down to you and what talent you have and what you put in to the game.

 

[Slicedwight]

Is there not some extra technology gone into the better brands though, im not talking about buying a brand for the 'fashion' of it, but for example whatever ability someones at surely a callaway (dont know why i picked that - maybe a subliminal way of telling myself to buy one!) driver is going to be better than say a dunlop one for the majority of players.
I think if you are a good player you can probably play well with anything but if there was no advantages in the expensive equipment surely everyone would be playing with cheap gear and wooden woods!
just my opinion

 

[Ethan]

The more expensive clubs will tend, as a general rule, to be made of better materials and have better components, but some of their price also reflects advertising spend by the manufacturers.

There is no substitute for having the most suitable equipment for your game, whether that is a mid market set or a premium priced set.

 

[CliveW]

I guess it is the same with everything. If you compare a Skoda with a BMW or a Veyron, they all do the same thing but differently. I could probably get the best out of the Skoda and BMW but I couldn't cope with the Bugatti. (Woudn't mind trying though)

 

[MashieNiblick]

I have heard that in France very expensive Japanese clubs can not only improve the quality of your dinner guests but also ward off the local peasantry.

 

[Curls]

I get what you're saying, look you'll get lots of negativity about this but its simple - its your money, do what you want with it.

BTW your wife wants that money for clothes and shiney things.

The advice of most folk on here would be get lessons and practice more, but if you intend practising and making a genuine effort to get better and have money to burn then why not get yourself a new set of bats, the confidence boost won't hurt. Then when you top one 20 feet in front of yourself at least you have no one to blame but yourself. If at the moment you blame the clubs and feel justified doing it, then by all means splash out. If you dont have the money to spend then pick up a decent second hand set off golfbidder or ebay. If you really dont have it to spend, dont spend it. The only way youre going to get properly better is through practising and lessons, you can't buy a game, you can buy peace of mind thats its not the clubs fault its yours.

If you call that peace of mind ;-)

 

[jimjoachim]

I like the car analogy. I think if you have the basics down then better clubs will improve your game.

A friend of mine plays with his dads old clubs. Forged irons from the 80s wooden drivers etc...He has the basics okay but hits so many baaad shots that i believe could be caused by the clubs. Surely the sweetspot in those old clubs is the size of a pin???

 

[chrisd]

I think that dearer clubs do generally allow your game to improve beyond what cheap clubs can insofar as the quality of the shafts are likely to be better and they really are the engine room of a club.

My brother, new to golf in the last 18 months bought a starter set of clubs and when I tried tham at the range I found them hard to hit and they almost all sent the ball blocked right even with a decent strike. I play off 11 h/cap and would have struggled to get round with them. After a few months he bought a set of Taylor Made burners off me when I went custom fit and reported a marked improvement in his dispersement compared to the cheap set.

Good secondhand might be the way to go, and you might get the chance to try them if you find them at a pro shop


Chris

 

[CMAC]

there is 'some' truth in what you say however, I remember my 4 ball partners trying my Titleist Tour Pro blades once, they are all single figure (8 and 9) handicaps playing cavity back Pings etc and not one of them could hit the blades properly, shanks and a few thins was the best they could do, straight back to their GI clubs and normal play was resumed

on the flip side the local pro could take anyones clubs and hit them well as I've seen them do countless times during a lesson where they take the pupils club to show them a shot and its usually a beezer

 

[Imurg]

My first set - Howson DJ100's - were ok. Hell they got me to a 12 handicap. Back in '95 I bought TopFlite Tour irons. Now these were (at the time) Tour quality irons, on a par with MP53/63..

The difference was Night and Day. The strike was much more solid, the feel acres better and the consistency astounding in comparison. I hadn't magically improved overnight so the difference had to be down to the clubs.
So Yes - I think more expensive clubs can help your game.

 

[One Planer]

I agree with Ethan on this.

What I will say as regard to the OP's question is this.

I have a friend who went to PING HQ for a fitting (about 6 months ago) and spent an absolute fortune on a set of custom fit i15 irons and since then his game has gone backwards.

Splashing the cash won't guarantee results.

 

[Shaunmg]

I’ve had my say on this matter on another thread.

Surely it stands to reason that when you buy from manufacturers that are heavily into sponsorship, Titleist, Ping, Calloway etc etc, a large whack of your money goes into the tour pros pockets and not all into better technology and materials used by other brands

Manufacturers like MV and Benross use just as good materials, with the same shafts and grips used by many of big names. But little or none of your money goes into Pro sponsorships. Maybe thats why they can do it cheaper

So no, I am not convinced more cost means better, maybe in the car industry it does, but not necessarily in the golfing industry.

 

[jimjoachim]

My first set - Howson DJ100's - were ok. Hell they got me to a 12 handicap. Back in '95 I bought TopFlite Tour irons. Now these were (at the time) Tour quality irons, on a par with MP53/63..

The difference was Night and Day. The strike was much more solid, the feel acres better and the consistency astounding in comparison. I hadn't magically improved overnight so the difference had to be down to the clubs.
So Yes - I think more expensive clubs can help your game.

To OP - print this comment out and show to your wife.....

 

[Mungoscorner]

I’ve had my say on this matter on another thread.

Surely it stands to reason that when you buy from manufacturers that are heavily into sponsorship, Titleist, Ping, Calloway etc etc, a large whack of your money goes into the tour pros pockets and not all into better technology and materials used by other brands

Manufacturers like MV and Benross use just as good materials, with the same shafts and grips used by many of big names. But little or none of your money goes into Pro sponsorships. Maybe thats why they can do it cheaper

So no, I am not convinced more cost means better, maybe in the car industry it does, but not necessarily in the golfing industry.

+1

 

[HomerJSimpson]

No with a slight caveat.

I've tried many different clubs from my original Petron Impala through to blades and have dabbled in the last 5 years or so with a few different models.

I have to say that despite getting a couple of C/F sets and the rest off the shelf, the X20, R9's and the rest only marginally helped my game if at all. The one thing I would say though is that even the likes of MD and Benross along with all the bigger names will offer some degree of shaft flexibility and are likely to be a far better quality product in terms of material and assembly than a budget priced set and so from that point alone will undoubtedly be a better choice

 

[griffgolf]

There's also the phrase "all the gear but no idea"

My thought on this phrase is that if you have the money and it makes you feel good....go for it.

What the hell has it got to do with anyone else what equipment you have at what ever level you play at.

Jealousy also springs to mind by those who spout such phrases.

Before anyone says anything I am not aiming this at anyone in particular...just my thoughts on the saying