Stroke Savers: The Club Struggle

My return to golf this year was made much easier by the fact that I already had some pro-line equipment in my garage. Between my aging Ping S59 Tour Blades and my classic Wilson Staff Fluid Feel Irons, I had more than enough gear to choose between to get back in the game. What I didn’t see coming was the fact that I would have a club struggle 5 rounds into the year. My year started off great at Maplewood Golf Course in Renton with a mid-80’s round. I needed to get some distances down, but other than that, it looked very strong. I got out for another round, this time at High Cedars in Orting. Again, I posted a score in the mid-80’s with some ‘bleeding’ irons that stayed right most of the day. Then came the monkey wrench, I hit the Staffs. It was like an old pair of slippers, how comfortable and familiar they felt. Just the right weight and just the right feel. They were at home again in my hands.

I outfitted my new Wilson Ionix Bag with my freshly painted Staff blades, found a few wedges to fill out my set online and hit the course with them. Again, ball striking was great, but distances were a bit of an issue as the blades seemed to hit the ball higher and farther than the Pings did. Again, I scored a round in the mid-80’s, but the score felt cleaner. I made a few pre-round decisions about teeing off with my 3 iron, which is about a 230 yard club with the bladed irons, and the round was definitely better. I didn’t score better, but between the weather and my short game, I couldn’t have expected much. The new wedges had not been mastered and I was lost on my 100 yard club. By the next round, I had more feel with the new wedges and a better feel for my distances, but one shank and a bad feeling has me now questioning my decision making abilities.

When the club struggle hits your bag, I recommend turning to your score card for help. Usually, you will see a pattern to your scoring, and depending where your pattern is, there is the answer for your club issues. For example, when I played this weekend, I was +2 on the hardest 6 holes on the course. I was +4 on the next 6 hardest. Finally, I was +7 on the 6 easiest holes on the course. Looking at the issue in my game, it came down to my “100 yard club” or the newest one in my bag. It only takes a minute to figure out that this will come around soon enough with just a few more rounds of play. Distance control was better. Accuracy was better. It’s just having the ability to break down the scoring and see where the issues are and what the real causes are.

If you find yourself scoring well on the easier holes, but not the tougher holes, check and see what you are having to hit into those holes and start working your practice around those clubs. If you find yourself struggling from 100 yards in, dedicate a bit more time to that area of your game. Remember, length only helps if you can use it when you get close. If you are more accurate with full PW from the fairway than a 1/2 SW, it doesn’t make sense to move up to a club that will get you closer. Don’t create a club struggle by leaving yourself in awkward spots on the course that require a fancy shot or something you don’t have in your bag.

The club struggle is definitely a real thing, and every time you go hit that new iron or wood and it goes better, you start to wonder if what’s in your bag is right for you or not. Sometimes though, it’s just a simple swap of a fairway wood for another wedge or maybe a long iron for a hybrid. You never know what clubs you are going to struggle with, but if you can nail down your weaker points and replace those clubs with something stronger, your scores will only go down.