Do we "learn" to hit particular clubs?

[Hobbit]

Reading through the M1 driver thread there are a number of posts saying how bad the SLDR is, and a number of contradicting posts about how well it goes. There's no doubt that Tayloermade got it wrong with the SLDR, evidenced by the loft-up marketing. However, if the club clearly has an inherent characteristic that makes it an unfriendly club, how is it that some players really get on with it?

I have a SLDR which, on a good day, goes exceptionally well but if its a bad day, its awful. There are occasions on the downswing I know I have to speed up the hands to save the swing. I've never had a driver I have to work so hard to get it to perform, but it does perform well with that hard work.

And I guess the same goes for irons. I've had some irons that I just couldn't hit. One set in particular lasted about 4 months. I'd spent an hour being fitted for them yet I never took to them, but the second hand set bought off the 'bay to replace them were excellent, especially the short irons. I tend to change my irons at least once a year till I hit on a set that I'm comfortable with, and then they stay in the bag for several years till I get bored with them. Sadly, I'm on my 3rd set this year and the jury is now out - doesn't sound good! But is it all about the hit, or is some of it the feel? I've changed a couple of sets of irons that were scoring well because I just hated the feel. One set had just shot a 2 under gross...

Going back to the original question, especially in relation to the SLDR, do we learn the swing for an unfriendly club?

 

[Wabinez]

I haven't really adjusted anything to be able to hit my SLDR since moving from my Covert 2.0

The answer is probably yes though to the main question in general, there will be small adjustments that you make unconsciously to be able to hit certain bats

 

[john0]

I wish I could learn to hit my clubs, any of them!

 

[pokerjoke]

I hope the SLDR is not a bad club I have just bought one and I'm going to have to learn how to use it.

On your assumption I will be dreading the bad days.

 

[Joff]

You learn to hit clubs. I've only ever bought ebay, of off the shelf stuff.
Custom fitting is nonsense, but only because our swings change all the time.

 

[Ethan]

You learn to hit clubs. I've only ever bought ebay, of off the shelf stuff.
Custom fitting is nonsense, but only because our swings change all the time.

What a silly statement. Our swings vary, for sure, but they tend to vary within certain parameters.

If it is true that custom fitting is nonsense, I presume you have a bag of mixed L, R, S and X flex clubs, some 5 degrees upright, some 4 degrees flat, some over length, some underlength?

If you say otherwise, then you have agreed that at least some degree of custom fitting is needed.

 

[RGDave]

Golf is about fractions of degrees and timing. I think you can adjust to a club, but some are just right from the off.

I don't like Taylor Made anything really, although my putter is TM.

(oh, and my rarely used, but fabulous 3 wood).

Quite a while back, I tried a ludicrously expensive and frankly over-long-shafted driver at the range. Teed up 3 and smashed them all down the middle. It didn't feel comfy, but somehow I'd got the right grip and was squaring the face.
On another day, those 3 could have been sliced into the B & Q car park.

Luck? Who knows. I don't spend hundreds on clubs (drivers) period, so can't comment any more really.

 

[Capella]

I think we learn to a certain extent, and when you get a new club in your hand it will take a few (or a few more) swings to adjust your movement to it. But I would also say that there definitely are clubs that suit you better and others that don't. I tried out a new (well, new for me ... used off ebay) set of irons yesterday. Way bigger and chunkier than the ones I played before. They felt awful the first ten to twenty shots. I was about to pack them up and revert back to my old set. But then it clicked and suddenly, despite windy and cold weather conditions, the game of golf was a whole lot easier than it ever had been for me.

 

[One Planer]

Golf is about confidence. If you dont have that in your equipment, you've lost before you've hit a ball.

That said, confidence is nothing to do with clubs. They're just lumps on various metals on the end of a steel or graphite shaft.

Feel is highly personal. If you get your confidence from a good feel from equipment, IMHO, when you find something you like stick with it until it breaks.

Personally I don't believe we have to learn to hit a club. How confident you feel stood over a shot with specific equipment is a whole different matter.

 

[garyinderry]

I am in the complete opposite camp. it takes a little time to work a club out.

 

[Liverbirdie]

w have a four club challenge today, in our winter league. ....in this weather........gonna be fun. Me vs Gary in Derry also in a side bet.

25 points gladly accepted now...

 

[MashieNiblick]

To some extent maybe yes. I had a lot of issues when I first got a hybrid. Everything went left. I'm quite a handsy player and I just needed to learn to keep my hands less active through impact.

 

[brendy]

I think so, my R15 took a few weeks for it to feel "normal" in my hands. The standard stiff shaft feels very light but now Ive had 7 or 8 rounds with it, it is now at least as reliable as my old slightly beaten up R11s if not better.

 

[Joff]

What a silly statement. Our swings vary, for sure, but they tend to vary within certain parameters.

If it is true that custom fitting is nonsense, I presume you have a bag of mixed L, R, S and X flex clubs, some 5 degrees upright, some 4 degrees flat, some over length, some underlength?

If you say otherwise, then you have agreed that at least some degree of custom fitting is needed.

Shaft flexes aside, imho the rest of it is nonsense.

 

[Norrin Radd]

i was fitted for my SLDR at the Belfry,could do a thing wrong with it at the fitting,but when it turned up and i took it to the range i couldnt have hit a cows backside with the proverbial banjo,it was nothing like the one i had used at my fitting ,it felt terrible.
my old Mizzy stayed in the bag for the next few rounds and behaved very well,thus putting my SLDR further away from entering the bag.
every range outing the SLDR would be given another chance but the mizzy kept on outperforming it.so i thought to myself that this is getting ridiculous and the SLDR should work for me.
so the next range visit saw me armed only with the SLDR 120 balls later and i had worked out a swing that stood a chance of working ,then the next course trip saw the SLDR in the bag ,it wasnt the best at behaving but,it did put a few yards on my distance and felt absolutely wonderful when i nailed a few shots with it. it has now not been taken out of the bag .saying that i did put the mizzy in the bag with the SLDR just to remind the SLDR that it could be replaced if it didnt behave itself.
so i would say that yes you have to work at certain clubs and that the SLDR is definately one to persevere with and work it out.

 

[Ethan]

Shaft flexes aside, imho the rest of it is nonsense.

OK, so weight, lie, length, grip size, adjustable face angle and loft, spin rate and launch angle don't matter? Wow, a lot of those stupid Tour pros are getting it badly wrong. You need to clue them in.

 

[Joff]

OK, so weight, lie, length, grip size, adjustable face angle and loft, spin rate and launch angle don't matter? Wow, a lot of those stupid Tour pros are getting it badly wrong. You need to clue them in.

Hahaha after excluding tour pros, as they have a bit of game. Although I've already said that, you convieniently chose to ignore.

Pros also take too long to play golf, shall I copy that too?

 

[delc]

You learn to hit clubs. I've only ever bought ebay, of off the shelf stuff.
Custom fitting is nonsense, but only because our swings change all the time.

I always struggled with my irons until custom fitting showed that I needed a flat lie. Before that I was always hooking them a bit left, and if I caught them a bit fat they would go even further left due to the heel digging into the ground. So you can't say that custom fitting is nonsense!

 

[Tashyboy]

Convinced the SLDR is an excellent club for the better driver/player But and its a massive but, it's about as forgiving as your wife when she found out you slept with her brother and sister at the same time.

Me playing off 21, it was a £400 bag of rubbish. ( good job am not typing this in 2 HR coz am on the beer and me tyrets will kick in) and I would be booted off the forum. taylormades PR sucked me in bigstyle. I bought my SLDR from pro shop after a few tweaks to my swing, ( which I never then did with old driver) it helped sell the SLDR to me. 3 months later my drives were in tatters. I will never buy another TM club again. It really was the equivalent to the VW engine.

TM should have marketed that driver as better for the better golfer.

Quite frankly the way TM are designing the ultra adjustable drivers to give a better drive is A1 BS. £400 spent on lessons is better than spent on £400 spent on last years scrap metal.

If TM are so convinced with there clubs and want the same loyalty to clubs as PING and Titliest golfers seem to do, then why don't they offer px deals on older models.

I do hope that someone from TM read my honest assessment. Not holding my breath though.

Back to the OP ORIGINAL Question. Do we learn to hit particular clubs.

yup me putter an that's it. 😥

 

[pokerjoke]

Convinced the SLDR is an excellent club for the better driver/player But and its a massive but, it's about as forgiving as your wife when she found out you slept with her brother and sister at the same time.

Me playing off 21, it was a £400 bag of rubbish. ( good job am not typing this in 2 HR coz am on the beer and me tyrets will kick in) and I would be booted off the forum. taylormades PR sucked me in bigstyle. I bought my SLDR from pro shop after a few tweaks to my swing, ( which I never then did with old driver) it helped sell the SLDR to me. 3 months later my drives were in tatters. I will never buy another TM club again. It really was the equivalent to the VW engine.

TM should have marketed that driver as better for the better golfer.

Quite frankly the way TM are designing the ultra adjustable drivers to give a better drive is A1 BS. £400 spent on lessons is better than spent on £400 spent on last years scrap metal.

If TM are so convinced with there clubs and want the same loyalty to clubs as PING and Titliest golfers seem to do, then why don't they offer px deals on older models.

I do hope that someone from TM read my honest assessment. Not holding my breath though.

Back to the OP ORIGINAL Question. Do we learn to hit particular clubs.

yup me putter an that's it.

That's good news for me then as i'm hitting mine well.

Off 21 your purchase was probably a bit silly really maybe a £50 club and learning to hit it more consistent would have been better.
I also spent £329 pound on a C/F driver and gave up on it after a couple of months.
Was it the manufacturers fault?of course not it was the numpty swinging it.