Find the right golf equipment for you

The recognition that a past purchase has now become superseded is probably more than just my pet peeve. Am I hitting a nerve?

Thoreau’s quote from more than a century ago still makes sense today. I wonder what tools of the mid-1800s prompted his timeless conclusion?

Innovation is a way of life in golf. However, should it continually nag at us to want something new?

If it’s time for you to upgrade, fine. The most important Ping G20 irons thing you can do as part of an upgrade is have the equipment fitted.

Money allocated to being properly fitted is far better spent than the actual purchase of the new clubs.

Do not — repeat, do not — trust the club manufacturers for consistent specs. An experienced club fitter will modify the equipment so it matches up to your unique physical attributes.

Not many golfers take an interest in the details of specs, but they should.

For illustration purposes, I did an internet search on 6-iron specs; models from Titleist, Taylor Made, Ping, Nike, Mizuno and Hogan. Only two of the six in my survey had the same spec for loft. There was a 3-degree difference between the high and low of the survey.

When you realize that the optimum span between clubs is 4 degrees, there is almost a full club difference. Yet they all have a “6” imprinted on Ping Anser Forged Irons the bottom of the club!

I found similar issues when comparing lie angles. Correct lie angle is so important to have customized. There was a 2-degree span in what these companies in my survey show as being “standard.” Ouch.

The fitting process starts with several measurements. For instance, the length between the ground and the end of your longest finger as your arms naturally hang discount golf clubs is a critical first measurement.

Will this process make you a new superstar? No, but you won’t be changing your swing just to make an individual club work because it doesn’t fit you.

So, the bottom line? Give yourself a pep talk that improving your skills with equipment that is fitted is the answer, not the endless chasing of the latest technology.