A Slightly Different Look and Perspective on Approaching Golf

So you want to break 100, 90, 80? You've read all the books you can get your hands on. You've spent hours playing round after round hoping that everything "clicks" this time. You think about golf at work, you dream about it when you're mowing the lawn, you can't wait to get back out there in pursuit of that elusive magic number that makes you finally a "golfer" and not a hacker like all the rest of us. All you need is that one tip or new high dollar piece of equipment that will transform you into what you want to be. Maybe, but probably not.

Let's take that last first. You have old clubs you found at a great price at some garage sale somewhere in the neighborhood that has the name of some golfing great you've never heard of because they passed away before you were born. You dream of having the Acme 5000 triple XX Pros at your golf shop that you've had your eyes on for a long time. Why? The best, most expensive equipment in the world will not make you a better golfer. Sure, it might give you a few extra yards on your drive. This will only get you a couple of yards deeper into the woods because it's not making you more accurate, it's just adding distance. The average hacker has a degree of accuracy somewhere far less than a pro. Distance is a two-edged sword. It can indeed get you close enough to that long par four to finally have a go at the green or maybe a short enough shot that you can actually and realistically go after the pin. The other side of that is that if you're spraying it out to anywhere, you're deeper in the woods having to use more strokes getting out than with your Old Tom Morris'. Remember that people were shooting rounds in the 80's and 70's with bent sticks.

I'm not saying that you need to forget getting a nice set of clubs. Far from it. I actually do think that a new set of clubs can improve your score. But not, perhaps, for the reasons you might be thinking of. Let's take the putter as an example. The putter is the only club in your bag that you buy simply because you like the way it looks and feels. There really is no other valid reason to buy one that costs $15 at a second hand store and the one in the box for $199.99. If this is the case why IS one better than another? I say it's because you like the way it feels and looks and therefore you have more confidence in it. Your stroke is more pure and smooth with a putter you believe in than one you don't. I was looking for a new putter for a long time. I wanted on that I could scoop a ball up from the green. Silly, I know but that's what I was looking for in a putter. My problem in finding one is that I also like a square putter grip. I don't like the way a pistol style grip feels. One day I putted 19 times in a round with my old putter and shot a score of 72 on a par 70 course. I went into the clubhouse and happened to find exactly the putter I wanted on sale for a reasonable price. I bought it and never played with my old putter again. If you believe you're going to make the putt, you're more likely to do so. This is no small thing; belief in something. I would dare say this is why the pros make more putts. They know and believe they can.

So, to sum this all up: No, you don't have to have the best and most expensive set of clubs out there to be able to play a good round of golf. Yes, it doesn't hurt to upgrade your set if for no other reason than to give you a sense of confidence. There is not shame in playing those Old Tom Morris' in fact one of the best golfers I ever played a round with was still using hickory shafts and beat up blade heads (he shot a 69 with three bogeys).

Next installment will be a brief discussion of fundamentals.