In this video Neil Tappin and Joel Tadman offer some pointers about your equipment choices. Many golfers have ideas about what might be best for them but sometimes these can be based on pre-conceptions that are wrong. Of course, this can lead to you spending money on golf gear that isn't quite right for you. In this video they look at what the 10 biggest golf gear myths are.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Hello everyone, Neil Tafford and Joel Tudman here
00:07 from Golf Monthly and welcome along to West Hill
00:09 where we're gonna be talking you through
00:10 the 10 golf gear myths that can have
00:13 a really negative impact on your game.
00:15 - Yeah, I think these are all theories that people have
00:17 about why certain equipment might be right for them,
00:20 but actually those theories are based on misconceptions
00:22 that sometimes are wrong and they can sometimes lead
00:24 to you buying things that aren't quite right for you.
00:27 Guys, if you're new to the Golf Monthly channel,
00:29 please do hit the subscribe button to make sure
00:31 that you don't miss any of our videos,
00:32 but let's take a look now at the 10 biggest golf gear myths.
00:35 (upbeat music)
00:38 Okay, so the first myth we are going to look at
00:42 is that higher handicappers should always go
00:45 for more forgiving golf clubs.
00:46 Now, there are lots of different reasons
00:48 why you might play off the handicap you play off.
00:50 It might be that you're a higher handicapper
00:52 not because your ball striking isn't consistent,
00:54 but actually because your short game is letting you down.
00:57 It might well be that you're a higher handicapper
00:58 looking for a new set of irons.
01:00 If you automatically go for irons
01:02 that are aimed at higher handicappers,
01:04 those irons might well have offset built into them,
01:06 but if your consistent miss is left,
01:08 that actually, that offset isn't gonna do you any favours.
01:10 So, it's just about nuance.
01:12 There's a bit more to it than just thinking
01:14 that just because you're a higher handicapper,
01:15 you should go for a certain set of golf clubs.
01:17 Think about your own game.
01:18 Think about where you're throwing away shots.
01:20 That's more helpful than just thinking,
01:22 I play off a certain handicap,
01:23 therefore I should go for a certain set of golf clubs.
01:25 (upbeat music)
01:28 (upbeat music)
01:30 Now, the second golf gear myth
01:32 is that everyone needs a lower spinning driver.
01:34 And while some golfers out there will definitely benefit
01:37 from lowering their spin to maximise carry distance,
01:39 actually it's more about optimising the spin
01:42 that you generate and how you combine that
01:44 with the launch angle and the ball speed
01:45 that you bring to the table.
01:46 It's all about bringing those factors together
01:50 to maximise carry distance.
01:52 So, if you are quite a high launching player,
01:54 then yes, potentially knocking some spin off
01:56 could maximise distance,
01:57 but there will be situations
01:58 where taking spin off your drives
02:01 actually will be a detrimental effect
02:03 to the distance and the performance of your drive.
02:05 So, it's just something to bear in mind.
02:06 Be careful, knocking spin off
02:08 doesn't always lead to more distance.
02:10 (upbeat music)
02:13 The next myth is,
02:16 and it's something that we get a lot of comments about
02:18 on our videos,
02:19 is that the shaft is the most important part of the club.
02:22 Now, of course, it really is very important,
02:24 but it's just one piece of the jigsaw.
02:26 So, take a driver fitting, for example.
02:28 The fitter will have a whole host of different options
02:31 available to them,
02:32 so that different shafts, of course,
02:33 but then you've got lie angles,
02:35 you've got lofts,
02:36 you've got different weight settings in the head,
02:38 and they all make a difference
02:39 to the performance of the driver.
02:40 So, just laying it all on the door of the shaft
02:43 and saying that it's really important
02:44 to get the right shaft for you,
02:45 yes, it is,
02:46 but you also need to get all the factors right in the heads
02:48 to make sure that you walk away
02:50 with the clubs that are right for you.
02:51 (upbeat music)
02:55 (upbeat music)
02:56 Now, the next golf gear myth
02:58 is that some golfers think they're not good enough
03:00 to generate spin around the greens,
03:01 and as a result,
03:02 they choose a golf ball
03:03 that's orientated more towards distance,
03:05 because that's where they feel like
03:07 there are more, kind of, bigger,
03:08 more significant performance gains to be had.
03:11 But actually, if you're hitting chip shots
03:12 around the greens,
03:13 as long as the lie is clean
03:14 and you're striking the ball relatively well,
03:16 you've got fresh grooves,
03:17 you've got clean club faces,
03:19 you will be generating a decent amount of backspin.
03:21 And actually, if you switch into a premium,
03:23 urethane-covered ball,
03:25 you will see the amount of control
03:26 that you generate increase,
03:28 and that gives you more options around the greens.
03:30 It should help you get up and down more often.
03:32 So just because maybe your short game is a weakness,
03:35 you're a bad chipper,
03:36 or maybe you're a high handicapper,
03:38 it doesn't mean that you can't benefit from the performance
03:42 and the field benefits that a premium golf ball offers.
03:44 (upbeat music)
03:47 The next one on our list
03:51 is that draw-biased drivers are for higher handicappers.
03:53 Now that's not the case.
03:55 Instead, draw-biased drivers are for those players
03:58 that tend to hit a consistent fade
03:59 and want a little bit more distance,
04:00 want a slightly straighter ball flight,
04:02 or for those players that hit quite a big slice
04:04 and are looking for something
04:06 that's gonna guard against their bad shot.
04:08 Now, draw-biased drivers can be used by players
04:10 of all handicap abilities.
04:12 So just because you're a higher handicapper,
04:14 don't automatically assume
04:16 that a draw-biased driver is right for you.
04:17 It's based less on your handicap ability
04:20 and much more on your ball flight.
04:21 (upbeat music)
04:24 So the next golf gear myth on our list
04:29 is that every golfer needs a gap wedge.
04:31 And actually, in truth,
04:32 every golfer needs even loft gaps
04:35 between each of their wedges.
04:37 And a lot of it comes down to
04:38 what loft your pitching wedge is.
04:40 You can find it out online.
04:41 If your pitching wedge is quite strong in loft,
04:43 the chances are you probably will need a gap wedge
04:45 to plug that gap in between your pitching wedge
04:48 and your sand wedge.
04:49 And it also comes down to how many wedges you want to carry.
04:52 And that will depend, in turn,
04:54 on what clubs feature in the top end of your bag.
04:57 So if you have quite a lot of clubs
04:58 in the top end of your bag,
05:00 maybe you've got an extra hybrid in there or a utility iron,
05:03 you'll have to make sacrifices elsewhere in your bag
05:05 to hit that 14 club limit.
05:06 And therefore, you might need to opt for a three wedge
05:10 makeup rather than a four wedge makeup.
05:12 I use four wedges.
05:13 I prefer the options around the greens.
05:16 And also, I play quite a short golf course,
05:18 so I have quite a lot of wedge shots into greens.
05:20 So I want to have more loft gaps covered off,
05:23 more distances covered off with those different wedges.
05:25 But if that's something that's not applicable to your course,
05:28 if you feel like you get more performance benefits
05:30 from having more clubs in the top end of your bag,
05:32 then maybe you won't need a gap wedge.
05:34 You can go from a pitching wedge to a sand wedge
05:36 and then a lob wedge.
05:37 As long as the loft gaps are relatively even,
05:40 then it should be quite easy to control the distances
05:42 on those shorter shots.
05:43 (upbeat music)
05:46 (upbeat music)
05:49 The next myth is that some golfers think
05:50 they're not good enough to get custom fitted.
05:52 And there's a couple of elements to this.
05:54 The first is that any fitting involves
05:56 a series of static measurements.
05:58 So those things that are gonna enable you to find
06:00 the right shaft lengths, the right lie angles for your game,
06:03 and the right thickness of grips.
06:05 They will all make a difference and they will help you
06:06 find the middle of the club face
06:08 that little bit more often.
06:09 And then on top of that, a key part of any fitting
06:13 is to help a player guard against their bad shot.
06:15 So it might well be that your bad shot
06:17 tends to leak out to the right
06:18 or that you tend to hit it low and left sometimes.
06:21 And that's your bad shot.
06:22 The fitters can do things when they're setting
06:24 the golf clubs up for you that will help guard against
06:26 those shots that are really costing you
06:28 out on the golf course.
06:29 (upbeat music)
06:32 The next golf gear myth on our list
06:37 is that graphite shafted irons are only for slower swingers.
06:40 And I would 100% argue that case
06:42 because I've done some testing here at West Hill
06:44 with Yonex testing their new irons with graphite shafts
06:46 and I was actually blown away
06:48 by the performance of the shaft.
06:50 Yes, it does feel a bit lighter
06:51 and it takes some getting used to.
06:52 And yes, they do launch the ball
06:54 a little bit higher than steel,
06:55 but the dispersion was really tight.
06:57 It didn't feel whippy at all.
06:59 If you get the right spec for you
07:01 in terms of that flex profile,
07:02 I think you'd actually really benefit from
07:05 or really enjoy the feel, the performance and offer.
07:07 And the fact that they are a lot lighter
07:08 means less effort is required.
07:11 They feel a lot smoother and you might even be able
07:12 to practice for a little bit more.
07:13 So if you're a bit of a range rat,
07:15 you like to hit a lot of balls,
07:17 potentially graphite shafts could unlock
07:19 a little bit of extra time for you to do that.
07:21 And from what I've seen,
07:22 there really isn't a sacrifice in performance
07:24 if you go for a custom fitting.
07:25 So definitely don't discount graphite
07:27 if you're looking to upgrade your irons.
07:29 (upbeat music)
07:32 - Finding the right putter is all about feel.
07:37 Now there's actually a lot more to it than that.
07:38 The first thing I'll say is that
07:39 when it comes to the mainstream manufacturers,
07:42 all of their putter ranges offer a really good feel.
07:44 There are some slight differences,
07:45 but they all offer a good feel.
07:46 So actually finding the right putter
07:48 is more about finding something that's the right length
07:50 for you so that you can stand more consistently
07:52 and in a better way over the ball
07:54 so that your eyes are in the right position over the ball.
07:56 And also so that you can find a putter
07:58 that complements your stroke.
07:59 Some players will have a more of a straight
08:01 back and through stroke.
08:02 Some players will have a stronger arc.
08:03 Whatever it is, you need to try and marry up the putter
08:06 with your stroke.
08:07 If you can do that, then you should find a putter
08:09 that's right for you.
08:10 (upbeat music)
08:13 So the final golf gear myth is that
08:17 Tour Pros are using completely different equipment
08:20 to what us amateurs are using.
08:22 And actually, in reality, the equipment
08:24 that both of us are using is very similar.
08:27 Of course, Tour Pros have access to the Tour Trucks
08:29 with some specialist technicians that are able to make
08:31 some very specific changes to the heads,
08:34 whether it's hot melting in drivers
08:35 to position weight exactly where they want it,
08:37 or special grinds for different course conditions
08:40 on their wedges, which allows the wedge to interact
08:42 with the ground in a slightly different way,
08:44 depending on the grass they're playing
08:46 and things like that.
08:46 But generally speaking, the heads that you can buy
08:49 are the same as what the Tour Pros are using.
08:51 So don't go thinking that they're playing
08:52 a completely different game to us.
08:54 It's very similar equipment.
08:56 Unfortunately, they're just using it a lot better than us.
08:59 - So there you have it.
09:00 That's our list of 10 golf gear myths.
09:02 Guys, before you go, please do hit the pause button
09:04 and let us know if you think we've missed anything.
09:06 There's quite a lot of misconceptions that people have
09:08 about golf equipment and finding the right equipment
09:10 for them.
09:11 If you think we've missed anything, let us know.
09:13 - Yeah, and thanks for watching.
09:14 If you like what you're watching,
09:15 make sure you click the like button
09:16 and do subscribe to the Golf Monthly YouTube channel
09:18 if you haven't already, so make sure you don't miss
09:20 any of our equipment videos.
09:21 But that's all from us from West Hill Golf Club.
09:23 It's goodbye.
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