Assess your clubs
The right clubs are essential for success
Boost your game: There are tips and tricks to make your hard work on the course pay off. —KPI file photo
Shooting lower scores does not begin and end with committing yourself to regular lessons, practice and playing time. You must be sure to assess your equipment and its role in the process or you will be fighting an uphill battle. If your clubs or set make-up do not complement your needs, then you may find your gains are modest in comparison to your efforts. Take note of the most common issues and ask yourself if you are guilty as well. Struggling with your putting stroke may be a direct result of a poorly fit putter. I would estimate that about 90 per cent of the students I work with are using putters that are too long. With an oversized putter, players are unable to get themselves into a good posture, and ultimately, posture is the foundation for solid stroke mechanics. h3. Solving the problem Players routinely overestimate their club head speed and in turn have shafts that are far too stiff for their game. Contrary to popular belief, a whippy shaft does not cause you to slice the ball. If you are searching for a stiffer shaft in an effort to straighten out your curve ball, you are heading down the wrong road. Get the appropriate shaft flex in your clubs—if that does not solve the problem, then you have swing issues that need to be addressed. Trying to solve your slicing problems with a stiffer shaft is like trying to spend your way out of debt. Decreasing the loft on your driver is not always the key to more distance. The loft you should have on your driver is relative to many factors and swing speed happens to be one of them. As I mentioned above, players are often very poor judges of their swing speed, causing them to take the wrong approach to loft. h3. A new perspective For players with high swing speeds, the lower loft strategy may be an appropriate method for squeezing out a few extra yards; however for lower speeds the reverse is often true. The best way to maximize your distance off the tee is to find a healthy blend of both carry and roll yardages. Most players do not carry the ball far enough in proportion to their roll yardages, and additional loft will help them find a better balance. Learning to hit half and three-quarter wedge shots are an important part of any well rounded game improvement plan. Unfortunately too many players are trying to learn these shots without having the correct equipment in their bags. Having one wedge is simply not enough; players should have a minimum of two wedges in their bag, with three or four being ideal. When purchasing your wedges, be sure that they are spaced out four degrees apart to generate nice tidy yardage gaps within your set. Having the correct equipment for your game will not reduce sweat and blisters on the driving range, but it will certainly make your efforts far more productive.