Technology

[dankiz]

I play off 19.4 and my best score is 80 around Chilworth , my local course. My bag consists off a Callaway X Hot 10.5 deg driver, Adams Super S 5 wood, MD Golf EQL 3 hybrid, Wilson Staff Di9 irons 5-GW and a Blaster sand wedge. I am of a certain standard and these clubs have done me proud over the years. My question is, has technology improved clubs so much that so that they knock my clubs out of the water for my standard? My feeling is that it hasn't. I hit my driver 210-220 on a good day carry wise and I hit my 3 hybrid 180-190 yards. I have tried out the Epic and Rogue for instance on Trackman at AG and got similar numbers, it is my swing, speed etc that hinders me, not the clubs. If I was carrying 240 for instance with a new teched up driver, I would sit up and take notice but I don't. I am on a budget as well so certainly can't afford £429 for a driver if I wanted one. Looking back through reviews of my clubs, they are solid across the board, just because they are over ten years old in some cases, it doesn't mean they have lost their quality. I can understand if I was a top player and 5 yards made all the difference, but as a high handicapper, it really doesn't! It would be an ego thing showing off brand new clubs in my bag without them actually being able to help me improve. I know the answer to get better, save my money and get lessons, and shop at Golfbidder.
Any one feel that new technology has definitely helped their game?

 

[PJ87]

I’d say new tech does make a difference.. but only when your hitting it out the right spot to benefit for it

So lessons and practice are only ways to improve

However new clubs make you want to use them more and just are nice so it’s always worth it lol

 

[User 99]

I think you're being a bit naive if you think your ten year old clubs stand up to modern day ones in the aspect of improving your scores. I may not be a big margin or even something measurable but just getting fitted properly for irons will make gains just inaccuracy alone.

 

[dankiz]

Don't get me wrong, if Santa bought me some Ping G400 irons lol, I wouldnt turf them out of my bag

 

[BTatHome]

Maybe it's the epic and rogue that aren't the clubs for you.

It happens with many people that they get nothing from new tech... until they find the right one

 

[PhilTheFragger]

what I look for in a club, old or new, doesnt concern my good shots...... if I hit it right, its going to do well

what I am interested in is what is the effect on my bad shots?

 

[dankiz]

I think you're being a bit naive if you think your ten year old clubs stand up to modern day ones in the aspect of improving your scores. I may not be a big margin or even something measurable but just getting fitted properly for irons will make gains just inaccuracy alone.

I maybe naive, but I am genuinely interested. Maybe if I had lessons and was fitted, it may benefit me! It would be good to do a proper test one day

 

[dankiz]

what I look for in a club, old or new, doesnt concern my good shots...... if I hit it right, its going to do well

what I am interested in is what is the effect on my bad shots?

Very good point Phil

 

[Imurg]

Your driver is 5 years old
Even hit from the centre, against a Rogue for example, you'll probably see a good few yards difference.
But the biggest difference would be on off centre hits and the retention of ball speed.
While the X Hot is good, it's night and day behind the current crop of drivers.
Worth finding out.
The same can be said for your other clubs. Off the centre strikes there may be an improvement.
But off centre, again, will show big gains from the the new equipment.

I'm an erratic driver. I can still get 230-240 yards from a poor strike, something I couldn't do from older clubs.

 

[OOB]

I’ve recently treated myself to a set of G400 irons and while I’m not suddenly dropping any scores, the big difference I notice is in my poor strikes. I’m losing maybe 10 yards on a poor strike whereas with my previous iron it would be a loss of 30-40.

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

I’d say new tech does make a difference.. but only when your hitting it out the right spot to benefit for it

So lessons and practice are only ways to improve

However new clubs make you want to use them more and just are nice so it’s always worth it lol

I would say the opposite, modern tech helps more when you don't hit the middle of the club.

 

[dankiz]

Thanks for replies guys, 50th Birthday next year, maybe I will take the plunge

 

[Oldham92]

Have you played around with different flex options as well as the different clubs?

 

[Crow]

New technology will take shots off your score.

Driver technology in particular has advanced massively over the last 30 years, but not so much over the last 10.

Irons are more forgiving but if you ignore the number on the bottom and go by the loft they're not that different on length, although they do launch higher.

A putter is a putter but even here there are big advances in MOI that aid the stroke.

It also depends on the ability of the golfer, IMHO the better they are the less the benefit new tech gives (drivers aside).

Taking my experience from playing vintage clubs I'd estimate as follows:
A brand new set giving maximum player assistance compared against a set from 30 years ago might save 2 to 4 shots a round.
Compared against a set of 5 or 10 years ago it might save 1 or 2 shots a round.

You then need to ask yourself, do you want to rely on new tech to improve your play or do you want to learn how to play better? But that's a whole other subject. 😉

 

[jim8flog]

I would still be playing with 1992 irons (Nicklaus N1) as I have never played anything as good but being square groove cast clubs even 20 years on they rip the balls to shreds so got changed to cut down on the need to buy so many balls.
100 rounds with 2/3 balls per round at £3 a ball was getting a bit cost prohibitive. The clubs I currently use I get two rounds out of a ball.

Drivers on the other hand have been changed on a reasonably regular basis (around every3 years) and each change has seen good enough gains to make it worthwhile.

Wedges get changed because I wear the grooves out or at least I do not get the spin levels I seek.

 

[Smasher]

I recently went from 10 year old irons to AP1s.
I was a bit cynical but they're unbelievable, gained 15/20 yards and I've hit greens when I had no right to with the swing I put on it.

 

[Slab]

Thanks for replies guys, 50th Birthday next year, maybe I will take the plunge

I did the same for one of my birthdays, I reasoned the number of rounds I had left in my life was reducing each week so why not play them with some half-decent kit (regardless of your ability) but I'd suggest not waiting and just getting your birthday present early if you see kit you want

As said by others its the off center hits where you see the biggest gain (I can still hit a shot straight even when it comes off the toe with current irons)

And if you time it right you can usually get new kit that's about half the initial retail price because its just been replaced by the latest wing-dings

 

[patricks148]

i'm not sure changing equipment will improve your handicap TBH, unless of course you are using very unsuitable clubs or they are very old.

a few lessons would be better spent

 

[pendodave]

I played with a 19 handicapper the other day. He played pretty much to his handicap.
Some of his shots he lost by consistently underreading putts
Some of his shots he lost with poor pace control on putts
Some of his shots he lost with an execrable bunker game
Some of his shots he lost because he bit a few nasty low hooks because his right hand has a habit of strengthening markedly during his takeaway
Some of his shots he lost by duffing or thinning shots
Some of his shots he lost by using completely the wrong club or hitting completely inappropriate shots

I would say newer technology than his roughly 5 year old kit would have saved him as many shots as a decent haircut...

Decent new grips every year or so might help, so might a new glove, as would using at least half decent balls.

 

[pendodave]

Having said all that, I've been trying out a set of irons with graphite shafts recently, courtesy of GM, and although I'm not sure how many shots they're worth (possibly one every couple of rounds), they feel appreciably easier to swing than my steel ones...