Can new clubs really improve your golf game?

March 30, 2018

This piece is presented by Austad’s Golf.

Will new golf clubs actually improve your golf game?

It’s the question Austad’s Golf president Ryan Austad gets most frequently.

We’ve all made the sarcastic remark “must be the clubs” after someone’s errant shot flies into the water. We, of course, are insinuating the poor shot is caused by user error.

That might be true, but what if that user error is consistent? What if that bad shot is almost always a slice off the tee? What if a golfer’s miss hits were predictable? That’s where Austad’s master fitters come into play, Austad said.

“Here’s a secret not many golf retailers will tell you: If you hit the ball square in the middle of the club, face on every shot, each club in our store will deliver nearly identical results,” Austad said.

Recently, Rory McIlroy was fit at The Kingdom, TaylorMade’s tour fitting facility in California. The four-time major winner hit his first two drives perfectly on the clubface and saw results similar to what he sees from his current club.

On his third drive, he hit the ball off the toe. The ball sailed just 7 yards off line because of TaylorMade’s new Twist Face technology designed to keep off-center shots in the fairway. McIlroy quickly learned the new technology fit for his game would have a bigger impact on his poor shots.

“None of us will hit the ball square 100 percent of the time, even Rory McIlroy. Our job as master fitters is to understand a player, their goals, their game and then use data to determine which clubs and which club specifications will help them play their very best golf,” Austad said.

Golfers have various goals. A few of the most common heard by Austad’s fitters are “to avoid penalty strokes, to hit the ball higher, to correct a slice, to gain distance off the tee, to avoid embarrassing mishits.”

“These are all things that we can impact by selecting the right club model, the right shaft, the right lie angle and club length. Even the correct grip and grip size can impact shots,” Austad said.

One critically important piece many golfers forget about when getting equipment fit for their game is the ball.  There are literally hundreds of ball options, and each will perform differently in the air and on the ground. This is where Austad’s fitters use a wealth of data from world-class fitting software to ensure recommending a ball that is most likely to impact a player’s game.

So are new clubs the answer to an ailing golf game?

“Think of golf improvement as a three-legged stool,” Austad said. “One leg is proper instruction. Another leg is dedicated practice, and the third leg is equipment that is fit for your size, swing and game. Golfers will never reach their full potential if any one of these legs are ignored. I’d even argue that without equipment fit for the golfer, their practice and instruction won’t go nearly as far.”

More often than not, new equipment with more advanced technology, coupled with a proper fitting to dial in the correct shaft, grip, weighting, lie angle and club model, will benefit a player’s game.

“If the data shows we aren’t gaining anything with new equipment, we’ll retrofit your current equipment,” Austad added. “Austad’s club repair specialists can modify an old set to the specifications that will allow a player to play more consistently. Ultimately, we just want to help you play better and have more fun.”

You can book fitting appointments by clicking here.

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Can new clubs really improve your golf game?

It’s a question Austad’s Golf gets all the time: Will new clubs actually improve my game? Here’s the answer.

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