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Even good golfers sometimes fall foul of mistakes when it comes to their equipment, which can have a big impact on the outcome of their shots and the resulting scores. In this video, Joel Tadman runs through the eight most common gear mistakes even experienced golfers make, ranging from not checking your lofts and lies to choosing an iron model that doesn't reflect your true ability.
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00:00It's amazing, no matter how long people have played the game of golf, they still fall foul
00:04of some pretty basic mistakes with their equipment that can have a real impact on performance
00:09and the ability to shoot a good score. Now even as a low handicap golfer myself, in researching
00:14for this video I discovered that I'm guilty of quite a few of these mistakes, so I think it's
00:19worth sharing the biggest gear howlers that even experienced golfers make to ensure that the same
00:25thing doesn't happen to you. Now mistake number one is not getting your lofts and your lies
00:30checked regularly. This applies to pretty much every club through the bag, but especially
00:34with your irons and your wedges. You think about the fact that with an iron and a wedge you're
00:39hitting the ground a lot and that force generates a lot of repercussions into the head in terms
00:44of the shaft. Over time, especially if the ground is hard, you take big divots, you've
00:49got quite a fast swing speed, that could well alter the lie angle of the head and also the
00:54loft of the club. Especially if your club is forged, that material is a bit softer. Over
00:59time, shot after shot could cause the club to be pushed out of line, so it's very important
01:05that you get your lofts and your lies checked. In terms of the loft, if your loft is out,
01:09if it's too strong or weak or it's creeping one way or the other over time, it will lead
01:14to bad distance gapping, so it might go longer or shorter than it's supposed to go. In terms
01:19of the lie angle, if the lie angle is off, you could get the toe or the heel entering
01:24the turf too much, which can cause the face to open or close, it can cause bad turf interaction,
01:30and it will widen the dispersion of your shot. So it's really important to see your local
01:33pro get your lofts and lies measured on a machine, get them calibrated so the distance
01:38gaps are nice and even, the turf interaction is spot on, the lie angle is perfect, and that
01:42should lead to better gapping and more consistent shots. Mistake number two is picking a club based
01:48on out and out distance potential versus the control that it offers. I think we're all
01:53guilty in clubs through the bag, but especially with driver to pick the maker model that goes
01:59the furthest when we hit it out in the middle without considering how playable it is in a
02:03golf course environment. I think that's one of the main problems with custom fittings.
02:06You get in a groove with your swing and over time you'll learn to exactly strike the club
02:11out of the middle of the club face, and therefore the results can provide almost an alternative
02:15reality of what the performances of this club is like versus what it's like on the golf course.
02:20I think you really need to consider how playable certain drivers are. We know low spin drivers,
02:26like for like out in the middle, are going to go further than kind of more forgiving,
02:30higher spinning drivers, but think about how much control you really have over that low spin
02:35option when you take it out onto the golf course. And more often than not, something that provides a
02:39little bit more spin but is a little bit more forgiving will give you a nice balance of distance
02:44and playability. So don't get kind of bogged down into what your performance is like in a fitting.
02:50It's a different environment, you're getting in the zone, think about the golf course, think about
02:54what's going to be playable for you over a longer spectrum of shots, and that should give you better
02:59performance in the long run. Mistake number three is not getting your grips changed regularly enough.
03:05The amount of good golfers I see using worn out grips, whether that's kind of you can see the metal
03:11underneath or there's a complete shine to the grip, they're very smooth, they've lost that tackiness.
03:17You know, as good players we feel like, oh we don't, it doesn't really matter, we can still
03:21swing the club the way we used to, but actually a new grip can completely reinvigorate the feel
03:26and control you get over a golf club. And if they're starting to show signs of wear, signs that the
03:31grip is clearly beyond its best, it's well worth making that investment in a new set of grips
03:36to reinvigorate that feel, give you that control that you had when you first got them. Also making
03:41sure you have the same type of grip through the different clubs in your bag, generally speaking
03:46that is a rule that you should probably be following, apart from your putter of course,
03:50but getting new grips on your on your clubs is really important, I think it's going to give you
03:54that extra level of control that maybe you didn't think you needed, but when you get it,
03:58I think you'll really appreciate it. Now mistake number four relates to fairway woods and
04:02specifically a reluctance to upgrade this area of the bag versus others. We know keen golfers,
04:07avid golfers, very good golfers are very happy to invest in a new driver, a new set of irons,
04:13but when it comes to the fairy wood, there's often some old favourites that stay in there for longer
04:17than they probably should do. And yes, that familiarity breeds a bit of confidence. What you are losing out
04:23on is modern technology and that is going to deliver an awful lot of speed and performance. In our
04:28testament that we've done, you can see some big gains in new fairway woods versus models from
04:33one or two generations previously. So if you've got an old favourite in there that's maybe five
04:38or even more years old, I think you should definitely think about upgrading to the latest
04:43model. It's going to give you a much more forgiveness and much more user-friendly package
04:47versus those from yesteryear. It's going to help make those shots a little bit easier, going to give you
04:52more playability from different lives. And there's definitely a few more options out there versus what we've seen
04:57previously in terms of different spin profiles, different sizes that's going to suit your eye,
05:01different alignment needs as well. So you're definitely worth investing in a new fairy wood
05:05if that's an area that needs some attention for you. Now the next mistake relates to irons and in
05:10particular choosing an iron that's perhaps too good for you. What I mean by that is when you get fitted for
05:16irons, as I mentioned before in fittings, you kind of get into a bit of a groove, you start hitting the middle
05:22more often than not and you start to maybe get a full sense of confidence about the type of iron
05:26that you could play. Maybe you opt for something that's a little bit more feel-orientated and more
05:31compact versus one that's a bit larger, a bit more forgiving. And you've got to think about the
05:35performance you're going to experience on the golf course. Obviously on the golf course you get
05:39different lyes, different slopes, different conditions. It's not going to be as easy to strike
05:44your irons out of the middle consistently versus when you're on the range, you've got a nice clean mat,
05:48not perfectly flat lie. It's a different ball game altogether. So really think about the type of
05:54model that you pick when it comes to playability on the golf course. I was a classic example of falling
06:00foul of this, you know, went for a fitting for the I-59s from Ping, really liked the feel out of the
06:04middle. I felt like I was getting some consistent results when I got them out on the course. I wasn't
06:08able to translate that ball striking experience with that onto the course. As a result, my dispersion was
06:15a bit all over the place and I've since opted for a slightly larger model in the I-230. So really
06:21think about what's going to work for you. Yes, you might hit them well in the fitting, but think about
06:25your ability, how consistent your ball striking is. And I will definitely always air towards the
06:30the club that's going to give you a little bit more forgiveness because I think you'll really
06:32appreciate that consistency out on the golf course. And the next mistake I see golfers make is not teeing
06:38the ball at the correct height. Yes, there's some kind of wiggle room in terms of what is optimum for
06:44you depending on your attack angle and the way you deliver the driver. But I'll say generally
06:48speaking, I see a lot of golfers teeing the ball too low. They feel like that gives them the best
06:53chance to hit the ball out of the centre of the face. But actually when you're striking the ball
06:56low, it's going to launch low with a little bit too much spin. I also tend to find you tend to hit
07:01more of a cut with that shape, which I think obviously is more important if you're looking for
07:05control. But generally speaking, you want to be striking the ball slightly higher up in the face. And
07:10when you're teeing the ball up, I would always recommend having about around about half the ball
07:13above the kind of crown of the driver. That's going to give you that optimum combination of
07:18high launch, low spin from this top part of the face, while also preserving the integrity of the
07:23front part of the crown. Because obviously the other mistake is people that go too high,
07:28trying to get that high launch, low spin kind of booming ball flight is going to give them maximum
07:32distance. They often overdo it and you get to see those sky marks on the front of the driver,
07:37which is not something that you want, especially if you just spent five or six hundred pounds on
07:41a completely new model. So try and get that ball around about halfway above the top of the driver.
07:45That should give you the optimum launch and spin and also help you with your direction as well.
07:51Now the next mistake experienced golfers make is buying a new club based solely on how it looks. Now
07:56I'm not saying that isn't important and if there's a toss up between two clubs that perform very
08:01similarly, yes, you should absolutely choose the one that you prefer the look of. That's going to give you
08:05the most confidence. But that said, if there's a particular driver, for example, maybe you like
08:10the look of a compact head. In drivers we see that compact heads are also the least forgiving and also
08:16probably the lowest spinning. So just because you like the look of a compact head doesn't necessarily
08:20mean it's going to give you the best performance versus other drivers in the range that might have
08:25a slightly larger profile or a bigger footprint that's actually going to give you a bit more
08:28playability and consistency on the golf course. So yes, it applies to drivers. I would definitely say it
08:33applies to irons as well. Certainly when it comes to things like sole width and turf interaction,
08:38you might not prefer the look of a wide sole, but it's probably going to give you a better playability
08:43and a bit more margin for error on your strike through shots, especially if the conditions are
08:46slightly damp. So looks play a part, but I don't think they need to be the overriding factor when it
08:52comes to choosing your golf clubs. It really needs to be about performance and playability. And then when it
08:56comes to a toss up between clubs that perform similarly, that's when you decide based on looks.
09:02This is a three iron and for the majority of golfers, it needs to be nowhere near your golf bag. There's
09:08a lot of experienced golfers that persist with these long irons. Yes, you might prefer the look
09:12of an iron versus a hybrid, but over a longer period of shots, I think you're going to experience an
09:17awful lot more consistency in terms of front-to-back dispersion and also stopping power as well from
09:22a hybrid-like club. It might take you a bit of time to get used to the look of it, but the playability
09:28that it delivers both off the tee off the deck in the long run is going to hit you much better shots
09:33over that like a longer time span. So really consider switching your long irons, especially
09:38in the three iron or maybe even a two iron if you're struggling with that one. Consider switching
09:43into a hybrid or two. It's going to give you much more user-friendly performance in the long run.
09:48Now the last mistake golfers make is choosing a shaft, the flex that's too stiff for them. I think it's a
09:52bit of an ego thing. We don't want to be transitioning down in flex. We always want to feel like we're
09:58playing a stiffer shaft as humanly possible for whatever reason. It's a bit ridiculous, but I think
10:02it's the way a lot of golfers think, especially good players maybe who probably could be transitioning
10:07from an X into a stiff. They want to carry on playing their X because it's something they've
10:11always played. And that's something you really think about. Just because you played an extra stiff
10:14shaft five years ago doesn't mean necessarily that you've got the power in the locker to use one and benefit
10:20from one. Now, if you are playing a shaft that's too stiffy, especially in the driver, you're going
10:24to see a shot pattern that's probably going to move to the right. You're going to struggle to square
10:28the face. It's probably going to not flight the ball as high as you want to, which means you might
10:32not be carrying those hazards that you've been accustomed to carrying down the years. So just
10:36because you want to play an extra stiff shaft or a stiff, if you're between stiff and regular,
10:40doesn't mean that you should be. When it comes to getting fitted, put your ego to one side,
10:44pick the flex of shaft that gives you the best performance. So that concludes our look at the biggest
10:48equipment mistakes even experienced golfers make. I hope you found it useful and not too
10:53patronizing. I think we could all take a look at the equipment we're using and maybe improve certain
10:57areas. And even myself, in researching for this video, there was a couple that really stood out
11:02to me that rang alarm bells, for example, checking my lofts and lies. I haven't done that as much as I
11:06should do. I'm definitely going to get that done. And also some of the grips, especially on my wedges,
11:10they're looking a bit shiny and they're not giving me the grip that I probably should be getting on
11:15those kind of finesse shots around the green. So that's going to give me a better feel. I think
11:18I'm going to upgrade my grips when I get back to the golf course next week. So it's been useful for
11:22me. I hope it's been useful for you. Do let me know in the comments down below. I'd love to hear
11:26from you. And if we missed any, do let us know in the comments as well. I'd love to know what you're
11:30seeing of the golf bags around your course that we maybe haven't mentioned in this video. But
11:34that's all for me from Peterborough Milton Golf Club. I'll see you next time.
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