Equipment myths

[rksquire]

Having been playing now for 2 years and gradually improving I have to admit to still being in the wilderness with regard to equipment.

When I started I asked a question here of the very helpful forum people - I bought a Dunlop starter set to see if I'd like the game - if I should invest in a new driver. The forum advice was to stick with what I had until I had developed my game.

Since then the only change I've made has been an enforced one due to the Dunlop driver head 'splitting'. My irons remain the same and whilst I still have a long way to go in terms of golfing ability I feel I've now arrived at a point where a new set of irons will be beneficial. But honestly, I'm not sure why I feel this! In my 2 short years I've went from thinking new expensive clubs will change everything to being so sceptical that I think it's still my swing (set-up, path, power, speed etc.) and the reward for the expenditure will be minimal.

So, I've a number of queries:

What would be major differences I could expect (any any) from a decent Game Improving set over my cheap as chips Dunlops? More / less forgiveness? Higher /lower ball flight? More/ less control? More / less Distance?

Imagine taking a shot with your good quality 7 iron from the fairway (nothing fancy - just a stock shot) and note the accuracy, ball flight and distance. Now, with my Dunlop Tour 7 iron (imagine the shaft suits your speed and the lofts are the same!) - what would you expect the differences to be?

I know the real answer is to go out and try different sets for myself, and I will, but unlike when I started I'm not at that point in my head where I'm convinced it's worth it for a little improvement.

 

[Khamelion]

I think pretty much the stock answer, will be spend £25-£35 on a fitting and see if the differences are minimal or not, you can then decide for yourself whether investing in new clubs is the way to go.

 

[guest100718]

Id expect no diference between my 7 iron and yours as far as the shot goes. I am not sure the Dunlops will be built using the best quality components though... so they might need replacing a bit sooner.

 

[jimbob.someroo]

Imagine taking a shot with your good quality 7 iron from the fairway (nothing fancy - just a stock shot) and note the accuracy, ball flight and distance. Now, with my Dunlop Tour 7 iron (imagine the shaft suits your speed and the lofts are the same!) - what would you expect the differences to be?

I would expect my 7 iron to go maybe 15 yards further, be easier to launch and be more forgiving on mis-hits.

 

[CMAC]

I would expect my 7 iron to go maybe 15 yards further, be easier to launch and be more forgiving on mis-hits.

methinks 17 yards-IER

 

[jimbob.someroo]

methinks 17 yards-IER

haha, well I was just checking the lofts to make sure I wouldn't get hammered on that but the Tours actually have pretty standard lofts, if not weaker lofts than things like the Mizuno JPX and same as the Titleist AP's.

 

[Doh]

The major difference I would expect to find with a GI set of clubs would be forgiveness on poorly struck or off centre shots. I know good players who still play with these clubs despite of the fact that they have the ability to play so called Players clubs.

 

[LinksTurf]

Having put a Dunlop iron into my range bag that i keep in the back of the car, I can say the difference isn't as much as you would expect. Definitely less forgiving, but not really down on distance over my Cobras. The grips on the Dunlops are horrible however. The difference is much bigger in the woods however. The much lower quality shafts in particular will mean reduced distance and increased dispersion (evident from a few equipment test I've read over the years). Only had one experience of a recent Dunlop driver and it was down on my sons 10+ year old Mizuno steel shafted steel headed driver around 200cc.

 

[davidy233]

Range I go to after work will give you several demo clubs to try - google the most forgiving clubs and try them out against your Dunlop - most of them will be similar but you might find one what is much easier to hit, more consistent and possible goes further - I did

 

[rksquire]

I think pretty much the stock answer, will be spend £25-£35 on a fitting and see if the differences are minimal or not, you can then decide for yourself whether investing in new clubs is the way to go.

Range I go to after work will give you several demo clubs to try - google the most forgiving clubs and try them out against your Dunlop - most of them will be similar but you might find one what is much easier to hit, more consistent and possible goes further - I did

I know this to be the correct answer, but I don't feel the compulsion to do it - I'm really enjoying my golf at the minute and am unconvinced a change of clubs would give better results. As I read this through this though I might be changing my mind...

Id expect no diference between my 7 iron and yours as far as the shot goes. I am not sure the Dunlops will be built using the best quality components though... so they might need replacing a bit sooner.

Apart from the Driver, I have no complaints. They've held up well to date, despite being cheap I still feel the need to take care of them!

 

[duncan mackie]

just go to a range with a pro shop attached and try out the demo 6 irons against yours.

hit 10 shots with each, completely ignore what they are when doing this - tough in practice but really important. put them down against the wall in order of how much you like them.

don't get fixated on how far they fly to start with; the keys are how they fly for you and how easy you find them to hit consistently.

narrow it down to 2 and then consider whether there's any distance differential

now compare back to your club

write up the answer and post back here :thup:

 

[rksquire]

I would expect my 7 iron to go maybe 15 yards further, be easier to launch and be more forgiving on mis-hits.

The major difference I would expect to find with a GI set of clubs would be forgiveness on poorly struck or off centre shots. I know good players who still play with these clubs despite of the fact that they have the ability to play so called Players clubs.

Having put a Dunlop iron into my range bag that i keep in the back of the car, I can say the difference isn't as much as you would expect. Definitely less forgiving, but not really down on distance over my Cobras. The grips on the Dunlops are horrible however. The difference is much bigger in the woods however. The much lower quality shafts in particular will mean reduced distance and increased dispersion (evident from a few equipment test I've read over the years). Only had one experience of a recent Dunlop driver and it was down on my sons 10+ year old Mizuno steel shafted steel headed driver around 200cc.

Forgiveness and ease of launch is certainly attractive, any distance would be a bonus but at this stage I'm trying to focus on mechanics and consistency. The comment about the woods is interesting, my accuracy and distance with the 3W from the fairway is shocking although I'm pretty sure that's 99% me!

 

[Coatsy79]

If your happy enough with the dunlops a just keep hitting them

Golf has to be the worst sport for convincing yourself newer stuff is better, which isn't always true

But I know where your coming from I keep considering changing irons to something different (as I didn't really "choose" my clubs despite them being decent if you know what I mean)

One thing I've learned is NEVER change something you hit well, you'll always regret it

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

By all means try out other clubs, absolutely no harm in that but it's possible that the Dunlop club is a good match for your swing and you may not see any improvement. Maybe even worse results! Don't expect a bigger name club to give you better results just because it costs more.