EQUIPMENT SEASON: To Upgrade, or Not to Upgrade?

We are just into the fresh new year of 2020. Not quite the tech excitement that 2000 (Y2K) had, but a similar crisp number nonetheless. It seems each holiday season that passes, we get a full plate of advertisements of everything from audio gadgets to new vehicles. And golf equipment is no different. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Club Champion (@clubchampion) on Jan 12, 2020 at 2:52pm PST

Sifting through a seemingly endless wave of emails from equipment carriers the last couple months, it’s a wonder our computer recycle bins haven’t requested a vacation. But, all these holiday emails, ads, and mailings, have brought me to an interesting question: to upgrade, or not to upgrade?

A simple enough question, to be sure, but when we dive into such a basic question there always seems to be more depth. Thinking back to my teen years, I remember the first brand new set of irons I ever had, the Titleist 990. Having played with a combination of junior golf clubs, clubs traded with friends, and clubs handed down by relatives previously, these new 990 irons were very special.

About 20 years ago this was, and come to think of it, these clubs still serve as a reserve set for me. Having my choice of any brand on the market at the time, I chose Titleist because the clubs looked great to my eye when addressing a golf ball. I do still believe, that I could take that old set of irons from the closet and play well with them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Titleist (@titleist) on Oct 28, 2019 at 7:55am PDT

So why change? The technology behind equipment these days, the answer. The swing weight, the club shaft, the design, and the structure of the club are reasons enough to at least listen to all these holiday season advertisements. It’s been great to see all of the new clubs on the market that can make the game more enjoyable for juniors and seniors. Making clubs that perform better for the slower swing speeds has been huge, and there’s many positives from that.

Personally though, I find some discipline is needed each year before considering to buy the latest design. I think about all the legends of our game, and the clubs they competed with tens of decades ago, and conclude that I haven’t nearly reached the full potential of my current golf clubs.

I remember way back to the blade irons I had in junior golf, and what a great teacher they were about hitting a solidly struck golf shot. Of all my golf memories, how wonderful to understand such a simple feeling of a solid strike, at such a young age. The blade iron, what a teacher! So I think back on junior golf, all the way to the present, and note that club options are so very plentiful today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by golfclubs4cash (@golfclubs4cash) on Jan 13, 2020 at 2:10am PST

There are many options to choose from, and clubs overall are probably even more forgiving now than they were the previous decade…and so on. I’m sure, as fellow amateurs, we’ve all gained well from the golf ball itself, and also from newer golf equipment. But, even back 20 years ago I remember playing good golf with that older equipment. Solid shots still felt the same, and misses still felt like misses. Overall, we’ve probably just added a bit of distance and a bit of forgiveness.

Having grown up still playing with wooden drivers and fairway woods, it’s fair to say that woods have grown the most in sophistication over the decades. Johnny Miller could still rip the heck out of a wooden driver back in his day, and I’m sure many of us would love to have that distance. Probably not as forgiving as the metals we have now, but wooden clubs still could hit a ball plenty far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by HONMA GOLF MALAYSIA (@honmagolfmalaysia) on Nov 5, 2019 at 7:20am PST

A good quality blade iron from the 1980s like I had will still give you that same sponge-like compression feeling on a solid golf strike, just like today. The difference being, the sweet spot of many iron models in our recent decades are a bit larger on the club (thank you to technology).

A quality wooden wood, a metal wood, a blade iron, or a cavity back iron, will still produce a nice golf shot if hit well. Hybrids were not around much while I was a child, as we were still using the traditional 5 wood, or 7 wood. It seems we’ve abandoned the two, three and four irons more these days, in favor of these hybrids.

And just like the upgrade from wooden woods to metals, these hybrids have been welcomed in the golf world also. Look around your local club, and there’s many a bag full of mixed clubs from years past. It comes down to what clubs you’re comfortable with, and the clubs you play your best with. Older sets, just like new clubs, can still get the job done well.

The point is, I feel we’re fortunate to be living in this time where such effort is made on advancing golf equipment. Of all things, this is a game, and it’s just equipment. If we have the means and are so inclined, there are plenty of quality golf goods to buy. Every holiday season I am reminded of this.

A great teacher once told me not to get too carried away with comparing yourself to that of a far more accomplished golfer, as we each have our own journeys to live. And so as much, I feel similarly that we shouldn’t necessarily fall into the pattern of buying hype each season, as the relatively new gear we have is still of good quality. Often times in golf, as in life, if the device isn’t functioning the way it should be, it may very well be the operator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Fun times at the links yesterday! #fun #somuchfun #toomuchfun

A post shared by Ben Elias (@enginerdy) on May 28, 2019 at 9:41am PDT

Cover Image via Instagram