Upgrading the clubs this spring.....?

[CANOPY SAM]

I'm really not familiar with Hybrids at all, but many of you suggest getting one. Admittedly, I rarely pull my 4 iron out of the bag, and almost never pull the 3, so it would make perfect sense for me to find a hybrid that I could control in situations like I brought up earlier...210 out from the front edge, fairway woods too long, and 5 iron too short. With nominal control over the 4 iron, and little control over the 3.

Any particular hybrid manufacturers that stand out over others? Should I look for more then one? Couple different lofts? Short rough, deep rough. Does it make any difference?

I could almost certainly just spend more time on the range and get more comfortable and proficient with my 3 and 4 irons. I've just never mastered them to the point where I have distance and accuracy. I marvel at guys that do!

Why is it that the long irons are so much tougher to hit then the shorter irons? I can pin my 5 in most situations, but switch to the 4 and I could just as well use a baseball bat. Is that common with a lot of golfers?

Sorry, lots of questions here.

[picksbigwagon]

CS, I suggest replacing your 3 and 4 irons with hybrids......

Adams is the king of hybrids, but most if not all manufacturers make them and have sets of clubs that ofer a 3h4h and then 5 iron to pw, or some kind of combination like that. My driver swing is mid teens, and I absolutely love my hybrids:4h goes 220, 3h goes 235, i used to carry a 2h that went 255 off the deck and 270 off the tee, but I switched to a three wood. If I am that darn far from the green, i basically launch it towards the green and deal with the chip and putt, putt, putt, putt, putt.

Most pros carry a hybrid, if not two, of course some events they carry none (The Open for example) but they get paid to have and swing clubs.....we aren't so fortunate.

[Dave S]

After I switched over to my new clubs last year, I did as expected but struggled towards the end of summer. Just didn't get out enough.

For the situations you explain CS, I've used my 4 irons. I just spent a lot of time on the range to make sure I was proficient with everything in the bag. That goes without saying that I never did like my hybrids in my older set (prior to my Burners). I just couldn't swing them right nor could I hit anything with them, except for trees Well, it never got to that point but I did leave them at home.

I was fortunate enough to be able to hit 235-240 with my 4 iron when I was playing better and hitting out to 210 with the 5. A lot of guys will tell you that a 4 and 5 iron in a Taylormade or Callaway set are the same clubs as a 3 and 4 in any other set (Mizuno for example). Hence the reason some of these clubs are hitting longer.....supposedly. I'm no golf pro. I just go out and murder a little white ball

Main thing is, get a club that fits comfortably and looks good while standing over it. I've golfed with several people who don't like one club or another because of the way the club looks while addressing the ball. It can be a psychological game too.

Not trying to discredit anything that's been posted earlier. Just saying some clubs work better for some than others.

[CANOPY SAM]

Boy, you guys are pretty good ball strikers if you can play a 5 iron out to 200+ yards! On a really good day I might push one out that far, but it's not a normal shot with my 5 iron.

I think a lot of my trouble comes from too much loft. My daughter's boyfriend will play a 9 iron on a 135 yard hole and drop it right on the dance floor. My 9 iron would only get me to about 100 yards if I hit it right on the money with a solid swing. This shot is a 7, or perhaps an 8 iron, in my bag.

Now don't ask me what the lofts are in degrees on my set because I honestly don't know, but it doesn't seem to make much difference. I've played his 9 iron under the same circumstances, and my ball ends up in the same place as it would if I were using my clubs.

It's clearly in my swing, and the way I address the ball. I need to learn to address the ball more forward for certain shots, and further back in my stance for shots like the one described above. But that's where I truly have some struggles. My striking ability changes so dramatically if I play the ball forward or back in my stance. It just feels so awkward, and that may be in some part due to my neck and back injury. I think I might have some mobility limitations when the ball isn't set square in my stance.

I've really learned over my years of playing golf, since the injury, that I need to let the club do most of the work for me. That's why I'm wondering if a tad more length in the shaft, and a bit more weight in the club head, wouldn't give me more distance and control? It just seems like the physics of swinging a slightly longer, heavier club would allow me to use more club, and less core body strength when striking the ball? But maybe that's not right?

[picksbigwagon]

CS, after reading your last post, I really think you should talk to a PGA professional, take a couple of lessons with that pro with the idea that you want to get new clubs. The Pro is going to be able to answer a lot more of your concerns that us internet Ian Poulter's......

by the way, I leave in 29 hours for 7 days of golf and fun in Florida

[CANOPY SAM]

Yea, PBW. That's what I plan to do. This discussion has been extremely helpful for me, and I can't say thanks enough to everyone for advice on equipment, and skill improvement.

Have a terrific trip bud! We're in the middle of a full blown blizzard up here in TRF right now, so Florida really sounds good right now! Hope you have a really great time!

[CANOPY SAM]

So here's the dealio guys! Went over to the golf shop in Grand Forks and was absolutely stoked about what I found! Absolutely Great shop! They have EVERYTHING there, and then some. Spent 3 hours talking with 3 different employees/pro shops guys, and spent several sessions in the cage hitting balls and various clubs. Then asked about where to look for lessons. Just so happened there was a local course pro that was there, and we hammered out some details for a series of very affordable lessons, and he actually spent some time with me in the cage evaluating my swing, measuring my proper measurements (?) etc..

I tried out about 5-7 different makes and styles of clubs, and I settled on a set of irons from 5 to PW. I believe they are Ping i25's. They offer a nice degree of forgiveness, but also allow me to work the ball to a fair degree. Interestingly, even though I am only 5'11", we did find that I needed 1/2 inch more in length, and 1 degree offset in club head angle to level out my swing appropriately.

Also tried 3 different maker's hybrids. Settled on the Calaway 4 after hitting several consecutive balls in almost the exact same spot at the same distance. I was so blown away by these hybrids I almost couldn't believe how well they worked.

As per our earlier conversation, I was hitting this Calaway time and time again straight down the "mock" fairway, between 200-208 yards, right where the gap in my game has lived for years! Why did I wait so darn long to look at a hybrid club? And easy to hit? Just like butter! I can't wait to use this club on the course!

I also spent about 45 minutes trying out various putters. Haven't settled on quite the right one yet, but man there are a lot of great choices out there! Will likely get the one that's right for me when I go back to pick up my new clubs!

Thanks for all the great advice and suggestions everyone! I've never been so excited about golf as I am this spring!

[Dave S]

That's great news Sam. Congrats on the new purchase. Let me know if you ever make it down to Ottertail County. I plan on making a couple trips up there this summer to play Thumper Pond and Bal Moral.

[thatoneguy]

Congrats on the new sticks, and great choice getting a hybrid. Much easier to hit than a long iron for most players. Also great out of light rough, and if you practice with it a bit they're even handy for a variety of shots around the green.

Now we need some warm weather to get us to golf season!

[Deitz Dittrich]

Fun times!!! Glad you were able to meet up with some good people and had a great exp. I look forward to hearing how much you think the new clubs have improved your game.

[DrJuice1980]

Glad to hear you found a nice comfortable set there Sam. Being comfortable in your clubs makes the difference in enjoying your round or going completely nuts. I hope everything works out for you, sounds like it will. Let's just hope playing with them is as fun as the hunt.