Every year, about this time, I start looking at all the new gear that comes out and I realize that I am still really playing with 30 year old technology in my irons. Sure, they have moved weight around and cut the sole differently and even laser etched the grooves, but a blade is a blade and they haven't changed much since the 1970's. As the season wears on, and the scores stay stagnant, I start to wonder if it could be that I need a bit more help with my swing than I used to. As the thoughts race through my head over which clubs I want to hit and which clubs I SHOULD hit, I always come back tone simple thought – I should just play more golf and keep my swing in better shape. Taking the “easy” route on this topic is simple – spend some cash and get clubs that I don’t have to be so “good” to hit well – but that leads to the inevitable issue of how much do you spend and then that becomes how often do you need to spend it? For example, I could make a major “side-grade” to my set by purchasing a clearance set of the Wilson C200 irons right now. But with the C300’s already on the shelves at retailers, getting custom fit for a set of C200’s will be impossible. Worse yet, getting custom fit for a set of C300’s will cost me about $1000.
To put that in perspective, I could play 40 rounds of golf at Blue Boy West for what new clubs would cost me. I could play 30 rounds at Echo Falls on their twilight deal for that $1000. I could even play 20 rounds and pick up 80 large buckets of balls to work my swing the entire year (that’s about 2 buckets a week) for that $1000. Is a new set of irons what I really need or really even want or is it more about getting out and playing more and working hard on my game. Sure, getting new sticks is great and there are many times I look at my bag and wonder if I am playing the right ones for me right now, but then I pull out my 6 iron and hit a frozen rope on a perfect draw, up the hill to 15 feet and realize that the clubs are fine, I just need to get out more. This means budgeting in a number of ways, but most of all, sticking with that equipment that works perfectly well and won’t require me to ‘upgrade’ anything else.
Balls are a dime a dozen to try and I have found some amazing products from companies like Aris Golf (www.arisgolf.com), Snell (www.snellgolf.com), Vice (www.vicegolf.com) and a few others. I’ve had stellar performance from a Wilson ball that costs just $0.86 a ball (the Wilson Zip) and even found some deals on balls that make them even better values, but again, staying consistent is the most important thing, as is being consistent at playing. What I realized this season, as disappointing as the competition side has been, is that if I do not play consistently, I won’t ever play consistently. It all comes down to personal goals, and this season I have failed in making my goals happen. Sure, there was some adversity and, for the most part, it was met and overcome, but there can only be so many excuses or reasons why things didn’t happen the way I wanted them to. As I look back on the first third of the golfing season (in the Seattle area, it’s pretty much May through September if we’re lucky) things haven’t gone really well, but that’s not the fault of the clubs.
My bag is solid. It’s a great performer. It has a driver that I can hit pretty well with a number of shaft combinations that fit just about any conditions I may face. The offseason additions of the 3 hybrids has me not fearing tight holes any longer, nor the extra long ones that I didn’t have a shot at reaching in two without a miracle. My irons from the 5 iron down almost never fail me, so from 200 yards in, I have a chance at a birdie. I can work the ball either direction and have pretty good control of everything from the 7 iron down (the 5 and 6 can still be a bit “wonky” if I try to do too much with them) and my wedges just need more practice time. Overall, from top to bottom, I don’t think I could make a better bag at the moment. It’s more about just getting things dialed back in to where they were during the winter months. Of course, I wouldn’t be a golfer if I wasn’t looking over my shoulder at what was new and what it offered, but in the spirit of “Golfing For Less” I have to keep in mind that money won’t buy me a better game, it will just buy me newer clubs that I can’t afford to play with.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on equipment costs verses playing costs. Post up in the comments below or email backinthefairway@gmail.com with your thoughts!
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