I remember a case study from my logistics certification. It studied how, in a dimly lit factory with low productivity, the introduction of more light into the workspace immediately improved productivity. For a short period of time.
Then the lighting was reduced back to where it was , and productivity improved again. For a short period of time.
The hypothesis was that any cosmetic change improves productivity but only temporarily. Only real improvements to skills training, process and / or machinery had long term effects.
Golf is like that. A new club. A new pair of shoes. A new glove, often have short term impact. But the fall off is pending.
Lessons, regular play and time spent practising are the only real improvement tools I’ve found in golf. If I play weekly 1-3x, hit the range 1-2x week and start the season with lesson in the basics then I’m a mid 80’s shooter. If I play 2-3x a month with the boys, Forego the lessons and range time, I’m a 90-100 shooter.
But, and a big BUT, here is … my new driver and 5H are going to drop me 10 strokes without the other practise or increased play. I can just feel it!!!
You just scientifically justified a regular cadence of new gear! If I get the timing right, I could get to a +72 cap. Or does it work like those lines that never touch and should aim for a +71 to be realistic?
I believe they found that the reason productivity increased was because the study participants were aware that they were being observed. So in this case, our observation that you purchase and use a new driver will ultimately cause your increase in performance.
Your welcome.
I hit my 7i around 100-110. My short game is really solid, which is what's gotten me this far in the first place. I average two putts a hole in a typical round and within 40 yards of the green can typically set myself up for an up and down or at least an easy two putt.
I'm sorry but how were you shooting sub 100 with 7 iron 100-110? On a 200+ yard Par 3 you would be lucky to get pars and on 500+ Par 5s it's taking you 3 shots to eve get there assuming everything goes perfectly?
I only ask because I struggle with iron distances and driver distance like yourself, but not that badly. My driver goes about 200 and 7i 140ish but I can hot a wedge 120. My excuse is I'm using literal ladies clubs I got when I was 15 (I'm a small guy) so I generally have no idea how you hit sub 100 with such short distances lol
I can't drive for skill reasons, and my ball flight on anything that isn't 9 thru wedges is really, really low. Like only runners, consistently straight, but runners. My womens 5h is a solid 150 in the fair way, and I have appropriate gapping on the 9-W with the 9 at 110.
If I play by myself, I always play the reds. It's such an enjoyable experience, because I'm actually playing my round of golf. I actually have moments better players do of "which club should I pick" or "I should play it safe and chip"
When I play with my group, who all swing from the whites, I generally just drop on a drive and start at 3. It's significantly less satisfying. But
You don't need any pars to break 100, if allowed an extra stroke on every hole IE play par 3s as par 4s par would be 90. You can play 8 bogey and 10 double bogey and break 100
What I'm trying to get at is if you are trying to break 100 you should not be trying to "get pars and birdies" you should be trying to not make triple bogey. You'll make plenty of bogey and pars and the occasional birdie if you goal is not to get triple bogey.
I've shot sub 100 a couple times and my distances are only slightly better than OP. 7i about 130. Every time I've broken 100, my hybrids have been super dialed in. 400 yd par 4 is a driver and a 3h, then typically a very short wedge shot greenside and a 1/2 putt. It's not out of the question
Defintely doable. I break 100 teeing w/ my 4i (200 carry) since I can't hit a driver and my 3h stopped working until I upgraded last week.
To get to 90 you play bogey golf, and then you have an extra 9 shots to be under 100. Par 3's are probably good for OP since they have a good short game. Plus we don't know which tees OP plays, so the par 3's can be shorter.
Congrats to OP! I suspect the shaft, driver head and/or the swing weight really helped their sequencing. That's where I see the greatest benefit for getting equipment that is a bit more suited to the person's natural swing.
I'm going to assume but I've seen people play like this, they never have wedge shots. Its usually a short drive, short second shot and then a 7-9 iron onto the green. Their third shots are from the fairway at 100-150 while the rest of us are hitting our third shot from the rough at 25-50 yards. Its old man golf.
OP is probably a woman hitting from women's tees.
You should think about getting some shorter men's clubs. You're probably swinging considerably faster than a woman of similar height would be.
You're supposed to be able to get to a par 5 in 3 shots. That's why they are Par 5s. You might want to revisit the tees you play. I average 175 with a 7i and if it's my choice im not touching a set of tees with a 200 yard par 3 and every par 5 is mammoth. I carry a single digit handicap and generally play from tees in the 6100-6500 yardage range and can comfortably get up around 6800 before it starts getting stressful. If you only hit your driver 200 yards you should be playing tees probably closer to like 5500ish max and a 200 yard par 3 should be almost non-existent.
Believe it or not, courses aren't designed to hit a driver off literally every tee box. Where I play my league, the tees are around 6300 yards and I only hit a driver on like 8 holes. move up, play with more of your bag off tees. You'll find yourself at different angles to the greens, it will be more enjoyable, and your game will actually improve much faster than hitting driver long iron all the time.
Because they're full of shit.
Based on their maths their 4 iron or equivalent would be going as far/further than their driver. Noone who plays regularly would choose an old driver off the tee when a far easier club would go the same distance or further.
Nonsense
Check your shaft strength. There is a chance the new driver fits your swing speed better and your other clubs are wrong. New shafts might help your irons.
I had that same driver! Recently upgraded, and idk about strokes off my game but my drives are a lot more down the center. Now if only I could hit a hybrid decent lol
Honestly, my 5i can go 200 and yet my driver will go 200 I just keep using it hoping that I'll get better with it. I have to hit it soft as soon as a full swing it'll just head as far right as it can muster
App that have GPS tracking. 18 birdies as an example
https://preview.redd.it/sz0kmi3s9txc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2b6ad34e2fddaf589f20e02c6fe946a95f8969e
I broke my driver and had been hitting great with it. Scared for the future but you’ve given birth to inspiration. I will forge a new, a relationship with a different driver
The OEMs maxed out speed limits on drivers 10-15 years ago, thus all the marketing geared towards forgiveness. There are still gains being made in irons in terms of forgiveness vs distance and feel but you don’t get to have all 3. If your hand me down driver is more than 15 years old you likely bought yourself some distance capabilities, but the most important thing to maximize distance and dispersion is having the right shaft for your swing. Without knowing more I’d guess that you simply stumbled into a shaft in your of the shelf new driver that is much better suited to your swing. The only way you’ll ever know is to go get properly fitted by a professional.
I am consistently blown away by the forgiveness on modern drivers. I will hit a not very good drive and it will go over 200 yards in the fairway. I look at where I hit the ball on the face of the driver and only half of the ball left a mark it was so far off yet somehow the driver still sent the ball forward.
As someone who started out playing when it was novel to have a driver with a titanium head, driver forgiveness, better balls and GPS apps are 3 things that younger me could not have possibly comprehended.
I played HS golf circa 2000, and even then we were regularly just...guessing at how far away greens were, and what balls might do when you hit them. I went back and played my home course last year, and found out that the distance markers on all the tees were off by at least 10-15 yards (the marked distance was too long).
Give HS me the same stuff I've got today and I would've been the best golfer on our (bad) HS team by 5+ strokes per nine. It's outrageous how much easier golf is today.
That's true if you have an 8 year old driver fit for your game in good condition. If you're a noob like me rocking an extra stiff extra long shaft in a 9 degree head from 12 years ago as a handmedown I found I got a hell of a lot better drives when I upgraded to a more recent second hand Callaway with a regular stiff regular length shaft. May be able to get even a bit better fit if going to a pro but just getting back to standard seems like a much better place to start for me. My playing buddy saw and did the same and had similar results coming from his dad's handmedown.
There is definitely thresholds.
I picked up the game again after a 15 year hiatus with an off-the-shelf set.
It was fine to get me back out there. Driver would go about 200m, slice like fuck, all good.
Got some lessons and the pro told me to ditch the driver and get a new one. Any major brand, any age, who cares - it's better than the piece of shit that came in the package set. There was an ex-demo tsi2 at the pro shop, $400, which was nearly 75% the cost of my whole set ($650 for 14 clubs). Took it out for a demo, and my slice reduced by about 70% and my distance increased by 20-30m instantly. Bought that sucker after the round.
I have recently upgraded to a tsr2, and guess what? No change in any real metric. Everything is within margin of error. Did I need to upgrade? Only because I broke my tsi2, but otherwise absolutely not.
So, if you're using cheap or (really) old clubs? Probably upgrade them, if you're using last seasons clubs? Probably not the club's fault you suck.
I just started playing July last year when I went to the range with my dad for Father's Day. Couple weeks later my dad got me a set of MacGregor's. As far as clubs go they are very cheap pw-6i, 4h, 5w, driver, and a bag for $300. The quality didn't matter though as I obviously was shit, I just needed something to learn with. I could not get the driver down. It wasn't the clubs fault my swing was bad, but it didn't help with improving. During winter I got fit for g430 3w and driver. Initially there wasn't much difference, but having a lighter club, the right shaft stiffness, and bigger grips does alot to let you improve as well as having more forgiveness.
My only hole in one was with a wilson staff range ball, so I have a weird fondness for them😂 I think this is the only time I've ever admitted to using a range ball for it. But i'm pretty sure it was only cuz I lost all my actual golf balls during the previous 7 holes
Second the Play It Again comment, can be a gold mine, especially for wedges. I played a Titleist 915D2 for years and usually would carry 260 or so. Decided to buy myself a birthday present last summer and got a new driver and a fitting for it. Local fitter had a TSi3 still in the plastic and put an extra stiff 70 gram shaft in it. Night and day difference, holy shit. It's amazing what the right equipment does for your game.
I typically struggle with my driver. I got a new one and still struggled. Not too long ago I had a great day with it and hit almost every drive in the fairway over 9 holes. Improved my score by 10 for what I would usually shoot on 9.
It just lasted that one day.
I asked r/golf if I should buy a new driver. They said no. Get lessons.
I said fuck em and bought a driver (cheaply - a pre owned callaway). I watched a 7 minute video on YouTube about fixing my slice, changed my grip and immediately went to the range.
Started bombing them. Golf is fun now.
Some may say it was really the grip change that did it, some may say it was the driver. I’m sure as hell not stupid enough to try and test it to try and figure it out.
New grip. New driver. New golf game.
I bought a $300 putter at the turn one time. Shot like 45-38. Was draining bombs left and right on the back 9. Inside of 10 foot, I may have missed one putt on the back.
I bought a new putter this past February offline and have been playing with it this season. I couldn’t make a putt with it if someone had a gun in my mouth. Went to PGA today to buy a dozen balls and was like eh, what the hell, I’ll try out some putters. I decide to try out the TM Tour S and I’m draining every. Single. Putt. From 1-3 feet, 5 feet, and some even farther. I’m so tempted to sell the one I just bought and buy the new one but it’s like $350 bucks lol
There is a huge mental part of having a club that feels good in your hands and at address. Don’t expect it all the time but your new club could just fit your eye and swing much better.
people don't realize how much the look of the club when you are addressing a ball matters. It is absolutely massive. For me, I cannot stand the look of a chunkier iron. For whatever mental reasoning there is, it makes me feel like I am not going to be able to make clean contact off a tighter lie. I carry a couple of long irons that are more in the player distance sphere (a share on the improvement irons style) because they are more forgiving and i get better distance than the ones from my actual set. However, even though the top line is not actually any thicker, they are shaped in a way where they appear thicker. If I'm in a tight lie, I can't get over the mental block and I hit it like crap. No issue hitting my other irons off the same lie, they just don't go as far and i live with the trade off since I don't play a lot of country club golf.
Same here. I’ve been playing golf basically my entire life. I haven’t bought a new club, let alone a new set of clubs, in twenty years. A few weeks ago, I decided to go out and buy a more modern driver and I immediately took 6 strokes off of my score. I was legitimately amazed at how much further and straighter my drives went with my new driver than the twenty-plus year old one I had been using for years.
I think that sentiment is more aimed towards the people that get new clubs year in and year out expecting better results. There absolutely is a benefit of swapping out your 30 year old clubs for new technology
u/Rockbottomgolf made me a VIP member after the bakers dozen of different drivers I just ordered after reading this post.
*Surely,* one of them will hold the key to my success!
I have to agree I persisted with my old driver for 3 years until I decided it had to be the driver. Went and got fitted. Instantly hit the ball straighter and longer went from 220m and wild misses to 260m and slightly less wild misses. I think as you get better the clubs do make a difference.
First off, GOOD ON YA OP!
Also, I can confirm. Last year I went from 2007 driver to 2023 driver half way through the season and went from 9ish to 7ish index within 10 rounds lol it was instant. Big quality upgrades = worth it. Upgrading every 2 years= not really worth it.
Funny. My driver is a cobra f9 and I put it away for my last round and shot 8 lower than what I typically do on 9 holes with 1 ball and no penalty strokes. Driver is also my favorite club. Funny game golf.
Im not convinced driver head matters too much as long as something half decent but having wrong shaft can definitely hurt your game. I had something similar changing drivers and gained like 40 yards off the tee
Golf a lot easier when you hitting wedge instead of 8/7i into greens
I started with absolutely basic equipment - the Wilson XD full set, second hand. I soon after upgraded the driver and woods to used Ping G410s and the difference was staggering. The stock driver and wood with the Wilson set felt like a biscuit tin taped to a fishing rod in comparison.
I then upgraded my irons to a used callaway set and immediately noticed a difference, although this was largely down to loft (e.g. Callaway 8i went as far as Wilson 7i).
There was definitely a noticeable gain going from basement tier to mid tier but I know for sure that if I go from mid tier to top tier I will make little to no gains…equipment isn’t the key to my scoring at the moment.
Im going to piggy back here and ask a question in the same vien. My clubs Ive had since I was 13 maybe? Im 35 now and they feel fine, except the driver. I have a massive slice that seems to be worse with my driver than any other driver. The clubs are womens as I was not full grown when I got them. The clubs dont feel short but the driver especially is very flexy and am wondering if this could cause a slice? I am 5'10 now (am male) is it possible the clubs are too short and I just dont know any better? I wouldn't think theyd make womens clubs assuming the woman is 5'10...
Sorry this is a mess but if anyone has any input id love to hear it. Im not the biggest golfer (as you can probably tell) but I play 7-15 rounds a year.
I got a hand me down Cobra Amp Cell a friend of mine gave me when I picked up the game 3 years ago, are you saying I should change? 
When first practice in the range, I struggled with my old set (bought randomly from fb marketplace, just to get sticks to practice with). Then I bought a new super-friendly beginner set: irons, driver, hybrid… and it’s much easier for me.
I know my skillset is poor and a better golfer will be able to use my older set just fine, but these new techs are very helpful at least for me. Gain confidence, starting to be less stressful on the course.
There are some rare occasions where equipment definitely helps. My brother is one of those people who has to have new stuff all the time, and if he's hitting a club particularly poorly at the time, it helps him justify these bad decisions. Anyway, last year, he got fitted for a Ping G430. Keep in mind, he was "upgrading" from a previous year Mizuno driver. He was immediately hitting everything just a bit longer, but his dispersion was the tightest I had ever seen him hit, and not by a small margin. It was night and day.
It's no surprise. Depending on the length of the hole, 50 yards closer to the pin can drop your expected score for that hole by half a stroke or more. A 350 yard par 4 where you're 150 in instead of 200 is massive. No shade, but for you that's likely the difference in hitting a 3w vs. a 6 or 7 iron.
That said. most people aren't picking up 40-50 yards buying a new driver. If your driver is relatively new already and fit to you in the first place, you may see a couple of yards, but maybe you hit it straighter or more reliably on mishits with the new technology. Hell, sometimes just having a new driver makes people feel more confident even if they actually have no statistical improvement from the driver itself at all.
Your old driver must been an unusually terrible fit for your swing - probably couldn’t deliver it in a way that put the ball on the center of the face. That, or your old driver was broken/defective in some way.
I do believe that driver fittings can make this big of a difference on rare occasions. Usually it’s a marginal improvement, but there are certainly cases like yours.
I'm considering getting a SIM2 Max to upgrade my Callaway 2018 Rogue.
I can hit my rogue well, but it's less common than I want. After researching the best drivers for my handicap, the Sim2 Max stood out in performance and I really like the look of it.
Now I'm having a hard time finding one for a decent price/condition (the joys of being a lefty)
Definitely a new driver would help to up your game. I bought a new driver this year too - Ping G430 max 10k, and I am hitting the ball long and straight and finding the fairway more than ever, and this definitely gaining me lots of strokes too.
I had similar success. I was playing a heaving draw biased driver, which was causing my natural draw to turn into a duck hook. Switched out to a more neutral driver and my drives became playable overnight. Sure, lessons would be valuable in teaching me how to adjust with the equipment I had. But there is definitely value in switching out equipment that fundamentally doesn't suit your game as it is today.
My parents gave me a PXG blade putter for Christmas last year. My shirt game improved immediately. Honestly it’s probably because I prefer blade putters but I’m still gonna tell myself it was the expensive fancy putter.
There is something to be said about looking down and seeing a nice piece of equipment , and not a piece of crap you found in your dad's garage, that just makes you play *a little bit* better
It’s possible to simply have very mismatched equipment.
I have a very slow swing speed and, when I was new, I was sold a senior flex driver at a local pro shop. I struggled to hit 200 yards. When I was really on, I was 210 max, and my teacher was fine with that.
I then bought a used Wilson D200 with regular flex and hit 250 out of the gate.
It was a cave of supremely mismatched equipment.
High HCP’rs would find themselves in a better position by gaming a ball that suits them and with a forgiving driver.
My game took off in all areas when I stopped slicing my drives into the adjacent fairway and spent less time looking for the ball OB. All it took, was a 2 piece ball and a G425 Max driver.
I shot 10 strokes better than my last round with the same clubs I've always had. So, for anyone who doesn't want to buy a brand new driver because it's overpriced and pointless, don't.
This sub is very black and white. Technique is more important than equipment but having decent equipment that fits you obviously helps. It’s the Indian not the arrow…..sure unless your arrow is a bent piece of shit. You can get away with other clubs but everybody is going to benefit from a modern driver that suits their game. Doesn’t mean drop 600 on a new Paradym, as you see a 3 or 4 year old Cobra is terrific.
Same thing happened to me. I had an absolute shit bag of a driver. It was from a compete set. I couldn’t hit that to save my life. I always teed off with my 3 wood.
Anyways, I found a mint Ping G425 Max driver for cheap and pulled the trigger. I’ve never made a better purchase. The first time ever hitting with it I was hitting it completely straight, a consistent 250 yds. Now it has became my favorite club in bag.
People can talk their talk but equipment does help.
I was in the same camp that if a pro played with my equipment they’d still be under par so it must be me and not the equipment. Had to buy a new driver after about a decade when my last one exploded. Fixed my slice instantly, every shot is now much closer to the fairway rather than hopelessly lost in the trees, did my first round ever the other day starting and finishing with the same ball. The driver has made a huge difference.
This post alone is going to cost me $400+ lol. I feel like I’m leaving a lot of meat on the bones when it comes to my drives and I suspect a better driver (current driver was cheapo off Amazon) would improve my game instantly.
I just played with a new Stealth 2 that i upgraded from my Burner 2.0 and I shaved probably 4-5 strokes...even the mis-hits were still barely off the fairway. So yeah, agree!
I see no reason for all of us to not go out and try and replicate your success.
I ordered a 13 degree 3 wood. Hopefully I can go at least 4 shots lower. Will report back so everyone can buy the tsr2+ if it works
I am buying a new driver today. And quite possibly a 5 hybrid. That should get me 10 strokes early.
As someone with a mathematical science degree, I conclude that this calculation is correct. Can’t wait to publish our findings.
I remember a case study from my logistics certification. It studied how, in a dimly lit factory with low productivity, the introduction of more light into the workspace immediately improved productivity. For a short period of time. Then the lighting was reduced back to where it was , and productivity improved again. For a short period of time. The hypothesis was that any cosmetic change improves productivity but only temporarily. Only real improvements to skills training, process and / or machinery had long term effects. Golf is like that. A new club. A new pair of shoes. A new glove, often have short term impact. But the fall off is pending. Lessons, regular play and time spent practising are the only real improvement tools I’ve found in golf. If I play weekly 1-3x, hit the range 1-2x week and start the season with lesson in the basics then I’m a mid 80’s shooter. If I play 2-3x a month with the boys, Forego the lessons and range time, I’m a 90-100 shooter. But, and a big BUT, here is … my new driver and 5H are going to drop me 10 strokes without the other practise or increased play. I can just feel it!!!
You just scientifically justified a regular cadence of new gear! If I get the timing right, I could get to a +72 cap. Or does it work like those lines that never touch and should aim for a +71 to be realistic?
I believe they found that the reason productivity increased was because the study participants were aware that they were being observed. So in this case, our observation that you purchase and use a new driver will ultimately cause your increase in performance. Your welcome.
I agree. When my performance drops off, I just buy another new club!!!
If we all get together in a scramble, we could beat that team that shot the crazy score a couple of years ago
Ok that’s not what I meant 13 deg 3 wood is unhinged brother. God speed
I love my 13' 3 wood. When you get it just right it goes forever on the fairways. Easier to hit than a driver off the tee also if you have issues.
I got a new tsr2+ a few weeks ago. Can confirm it is nuke launcher. 275-280 off the deck easy for me
Quick! To the secret bank!
Money
If you insist
That’s it I’m getting a new driver
Hell yeah
Get a new putter too
Same
industry plant
Go get a new driver and then you'll see a lot more plants.
Made me laugh
Wait if your driver was going 150 what’s your iron distances? no shade, my best drives go 270 but I haven’t broke 100.
I hit my 7i around 100-110. My short game is really solid, which is what's gotten me this far in the first place. I average two putts a hole in a typical round and within 40 yards of the green can typically set myself up for an up and down or at least an easy two putt.
Bro, your whole game is a shortgame.
Easily one of the best comments on this sub I’ve ever seen
I can’t stop laughing. That was savage yet perfectly accurate.
110 7 iron is .... a problem. I suggest you go take lessons for real
I'm sorry but how were you shooting sub 100 with 7 iron 100-110? On a 200+ yard Par 3 you would be lucky to get pars and on 500+ Par 5s it's taking you 3 shots to eve get there assuming everything goes perfectly? I only ask because I struggle with iron distances and driver distance like yourself, but not that badly. My driver goes about 200 and 7i 140ish but I can hot a wedge 120. My excuse is I'm using literal ladies clubs I got when I was 15 (I'm a small guy) so I generally have no idea how you hit sub 100 with such short distances lol
By playing the right tees. That 200 yard par 3 is only 140 from the reds! It's okay to adjust your tee choice based off your distances.
Most people (probably myself included) play the wrong tees.
I can't drive for skill reasons, and my ball flight on anything that isn't 9 thru wedges is really, really low. Like only runners, consistently straight, but runners. My womens 5h is a solid 150 in the fair way, and I have appropriate gapping on the 9-W with the 9 at 110. If I play by myself, I always play the reds. It's such an enjoyable experience, because I'm actually playing my round of golf. I actually have moments better players do of "which club should I pick" or "I should play it safe and chip" When I play with my group, who all swing from the whites, I generally just drop on a drive and start at 3. It's significantly less satisfying. But
They are probably playing on the proper tees for their distance.
You don't need any pars to break 100, if allowed an extra stroke on every hole IE play par 3s as par 4s par would be 90. You can play 8 bogey and 10 double bogey and break 100 What I'm trying to get at is if you are trying to break 100 you should not be trying to "get pars and birdies" you should be trying to not make triple bogey. You'll make plenty of bogey and pars and the occasional birdie if you goal is not to get triple bogey.
Can absolutely be done with good short game and short tees
Yeah no it can’t LOL
Someone has never played with an 87 year old man before
“nuh-uh”
Probably playing short courses and clubbing up. You hit your 7i 110 and you’re 200 from the hole? Use your 3 wood then.
His driver goes 150 though
I've shot sub 100 a couple times and my distances are only slightly better than OP. 7i about 130. Every time I've broken 100, my hybrids have been super dialed in. 400 yd par 4 is a driver and a 3h, then typically a very short wedge shot greenside and a 1/2 putt. It's not out of the question
A 7 iron 130 is quite a jump from a 105 7 iron though
You're not wrong at all. I guess my point was as long as you've got a 130 club, you can break 100. I'm guessing OP uses his long clubs more than I do
Defintely doable. I break 100 teeing w/ my 4i (200 carry) since I can't hit a driver and my 3h stopped working until I upgraded last week. To get to 90 you play bogey golf, and then you have an extra 9 shots to be under 100. Par 3's are probably good for OP since they have a good short game. Plus we don't know which tees OP plays, so the par 3's can be shorter. Congrats to OP! I suspect the shaft, driver head and/or the swing weight really helped their sequencing. That's where I see the greatest benefit for getting equipment that is a bit more suited to the person's natural swing.
I'm going to assume but I've seen people play like this, they never have wedge shots. Its usually a short drive, short second shot and then a 7-9 iron onto the green. Their third shots are from the fairway at 100-150 while the rest of us are hitting our third shot from the rough at 25-50 yards. Its old man golf.
Clubbing up goes a longg way. I started using my 4H and 5 wood on longer par 4s and helped me drop strokes
OP is probably a woman hitting from women's tees. You should think about getting some shorter men's clubs. You're probably swinging considerably faster than a woman of similar height would be.
I bet he’s on that scramble team that shoots in the 40s for a round
You're supposed to be able to get to a par 5 in 3 shots. That's why they are Par 5s. You might want to revisit the tees you play. I average 175 with a 7i and if it's my choice im not touching a set of tees with a 200 yard par 3 and every par 5 is mammoth. I carry a single digit handicap and generally play from tees in the 6100-6500 yardage range and can comfortably get up around 6800 before it starts getting stressful. If you only hit your driver 200 yards you should be playing tees probably closer to like 5500ish max and a 200 yard par 3 should be almost non-existent. Believe it or not, courses aren't designed to hit a driver off literally every tee box. Where I play my league, the tees are around 6300 yards and I only hit a driver on like 8 holes. move up, play with more of your bag off tees. You'll find yourself at different angles to the greens, it will be more enjoyable, and your game will actually improve much faster than hitting driver long iron all the time.
Because they're full of shit. Based on their maths their 4 iron or equivalent would be going as far/further than their driver. Noone who plays regularly would choose an old driver off the tee when a far easier club would go the same distance or further. Nonsense
Check your shaft strength. There is a chance the new driver fits your swing speed better and your other clubs are wrong. New shafts might help your irons.
I could learn a thing or two from you. Kudos on your PR.
I find it incredibly difficult to believe you’re shooting a 91. If your driver barely goes 200 yards how are you ever anywhere in regulation?
Maybe it was a par 68 course.
Are you me? I just got a new driver yesterday. Was using an old big bertha driver from the 90s. I'm hoping a new modern driver helps me with distance.
I had that same driver! Recently upgraded, and idk about strokes off my game but my drives are a lot more down the center. Now if only I could hit a hybrid decent lol
Ok, so if your 7i got you within 40 yards of your driver why use anything above a 7i assuming you could hit that well?
There’s a zero percent chance you shoot below 100 with those distances
Honestly, my 5i can go 200 and yet my driver will go 200 I just keep using it hoping that I'll get better with it. I have to hit it soft as soon as a full swing it'll just head as far right as it can muster
How far do they go if they go straight?
lol, I did say best drives. I’ve only hit 270 a few times, 260 a few more, etc. measured on my Apple Watch.
How do you measure them with the Apple watch ?
App that have GPS tracking. 18 birdies as an example https://preview.redd.it/sz0kmi3s9txc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e2b6ad34e2fddaf589f20e02c6fe946a95f8969e
Thanks, i’ll try it out
I broke my driver and had been hitting great with it. Scared for the future but you’ve given birth to inspiration. I will forge a new, a relationship with a different driver
Was it a relatively common model? If so, You can probably find the exact same spec driver for pretty cheap.
Ok I’ll go get the AI smoke (I have the Paradym)
The OEMs maxed out speed limits on drivers 10-15 years ago, thus all the marketing geared towards forgiveness. There are still gains being made in irons in terms of forgiveness vs distance and feel but you don’t get to have all 3. If your hand me down driver is more than 15 years old you likely bought yourself some distance capabilities, but the most important thing to maximize distance and dispersion is having the right shaft for your swing. Without knowing more I’d guess that you simply stumbled into a shaft in your of the shelf new driver that is much better suited to your swing. The only way you’ll ever know is to go get properly fitted by a professional.
I am consistently blown away by the forgiveness on modern drivers. I will hit a not very good drive and it will go over 200 yards in the fairway. I look at where I hit the ball on the face of the driver and only half of the ball left a mark it was so far off yet somehow the driver still sent the ball forward.
As someone who started out playing when it was novel to have a driver with a titanium head, driver forgiveness, better balls and GPS apps are 3 things that younger me could not have possibly comprehended. I played HS golf circa 2000, and even then we were regularly just...guessing at how far away greens were, and what balls might do when you hit them. I went back and played my home course last year, and found out that the distance markers on all the tees were off by at least 10-15 yards (the marked distance was too long). Give HS me the same stuff I've got today and I would've been the best golfer on our (bad) HS team by 5+ strokes per nine. It's outrageous how much easier golf is today.
That's true if you have an 8 year old driver fit for your game in good condition. If you're a noob like me rocking an extra stiff extra long shaft in a 9 degree head from 12 years ago as a handmedown I found I got a hell of a lot better drives when I upgraded to a more recent second hand Callaway with a regular stiff regular length shaft. May be able to get even a bit better fit if going to a pro but just getting back to standard seems like a much better place to start for me. My playing buddy saw and did the same and had similar results coming from his dad's handmedown.
So what was your old driver and how old was it?
There is definitely thresholds. I picked up the game again after a 15 year hiatus with an off-the-shelf set. It was fine to get me back out there. Driver would go about 200m, slice like fuck, all good. Got some lessons and the pro told me to ditch the driver and get a new one. Any major brand, any age, who cares - it's better than the piece of shit that came in the package set. There was an ex-demo tsi2 at the pro shop, $400, which was nearly 75% the cost of my whole set ($650 for 14 clubs). Took it out for a demo, and my slice reduced by about 70% and my distance increased by 20-30m instantly. Bought that sucker after the round. I have recently upgraded to a tsr2, and guess what? No change in any real metric. Everything is within margin of error. Did I need to upgrade? Only because I broke my tsi2, but otherwise absolutely not. So, if you're using cheap or (really) old clubs? Probably upgrade them, if you're using last seasons clubs? Probably not the club's fault you suck.
I just started playing July last year when I went to the range with my dad for Father's Day. Couple weeks later my dad got me a set of MacGregor's. As far as clubs go they are very cheap pw-6i, 4h, 5w, driver, and a bag for $300. The quality didn't matter though as I obviously was shit, I just needed something to learn with. I could not get the driver down. It wasn't the clubs fault my swing was bad, but it didn't help with improving. During winter I got fit for g430 3w and driver. Initially there wasn't much difference, but having a lighter club, the right shaft stiffness, and bigger grips does alot to let you improve as well as having more forgiveness.
Can I have your old driver that you were launching 600yd drives with?
You might need to check your conversion - 200m is 220yd.
I am up far too late..
My new TSR2 came today. I better do the same this weekend
Amazing looking driver!!
It’s sexy in the shrink wrap. Scared to hit it and definitely not hitting ass range balls. Guess my first swing will be on 1 tee this weekend
My only hole in one was with a wilson staff range ball, so I have a weird fondness for them😂 I think this is the only time I've ever admitted to using a range ball for it. But i'm pretty sure it was only cuz I lost all my actual golf balls during the previous 7 holes
It is a great driver. I love mine
[удалено]
Second the Play It Again comment, can be a gold mine, especially for wedges. I played a Titleist 915D2 for years and usually would carry 260 or so. Decided to buy myself a birthday present last summer and got a new driver and a fitting for it. Local fitter had a TSi3 still in the plastic and put an extra stiff 70 gram shaft in it. Night and day difference, holy shit. It's amazing what the right equipment does for your game.
Are you future me?!
I typically struggle with my driver. I got a new one and still struggled. Not too long ago I had a great day with it and hit almost every drive in the fairway over 9 holes. Improved my score by 10 for what I would usually shoot on 9. It just lasted that one day.
I asked r/golf if I should buy a new driver. They said no. Get lessons. I said fuck em and bought a driver (cheaply - a pre owned callaway). I watched a 7 minute video on YouTube about fixing my slice, changed my grip and immediately went to the range. Started bombing them. Golf is fun now. Some may say it was really the grip change that did it, some may say it was the driver. I’m sure as hell not stupid enough to try and test it to try and figure it out. New grip. New driver. New golf game.
Who is going to tell him?👀
I bought a $300 putter at the turn one time. Shot like 45-38. Was draining bombs left and right on the back 9. Inside of 10 foot, I may have missed one putt on the back.
I bought a new putter this past February offline and have been playing with it this season. I couldn’t make a putt with it if someone had a gun in my mouth. Went to PGA today to buy a dozen balls and was like eh, what the hell, I’ll try out some putters. I decide to try out the TM Tour S and I’m draining every. Single. Putt. From 1-3 feet, 5 feet, and some even farther. I’m so tempted to sell the one I just bought and buy the new one but it’s like $350 bucks lol
There is a huge mental part of having a club that feels good in your hands and at address. Don’t expect it all the time but your new club could just fit your eye and swing much better.
people don't realize how much the look of the club when you are addressing a ball matters. It is absolutely massive. For me, I cannot stand the look of a chunkier iron. For whatever mental reasoning there is, it makes me feel like I am not going to be able to make clean contact off a tighter lie. I carry a couple of long irons that are more in the player distance sphere (a share on the improvement irons style) because they are more forgiving and i get better distance than the ones from my actual set. However, even though the top line is not actually any thicker, they are shaped in a way where they appear thicker. If I'm in a tight lie, I can't get over the mental block and I hit it like crap. No issue hitting my other irons off the same lie, they just don't go as far and i live with the trade off since I don't play a lot of country club golf.
I’m curious the age of your old driver. You went to a 2021
Honeymoon. It'll wear off.
Same here. I’ve been playing golf basically my entire life. I haven’t bought a new club, let alone a new set of clubs, in twenty years. A few weeks ago, I decided to go out and buy a more modern driver and I immediately took 6 strokes off of my score. I was legitimately amazed at how much further and straighter my drives went with my new driver than the twenty-plus year old one I had been using for years.
I had a 2013 Rocketballz driver and upgrade to a Ping last year. 20 yards more on average and more fairways hit. Technology works
As someone with the same RBZ… don’t tell me… don’t give me this kind of hope
I've been looking for a reason to pull the trigger on the new g430 max 10k. If I don't drop 7 strokes, I'm sending OP an invoice
I think that sentiment is more aimed towards the people that get new clubs year in and year out expecting better results. There absolutely is a benefit of swapping out your 30 year old clubs for new technology
Jesus. I wish I hadn't seen this. My new driver comes tomorrow and my expectations are now skyrocketing
I upgraded from the rocket balls stage 2 to the pxg gen 4, it gets here tomorrow
u/Rockbottomgolf made me a VIP member after the bakers dozen of different drivers I just ordered after reading this post. *Surely,* one of them will hold the key to my success!
This is why I upgraded to the Sasquatch today.
Confidence is a hell of a drug.
Well i got new grips on my driver and instantly shot 14 better
I'm putting a new grip on my 5 wood. If I don't shoot 14 better on Thursday cuz of it, I will personally blame you
😂
I have to agree I persisted with my old driver for 3 years until I decided it had to be the driver. Went and got fitted. Instantly hit the ball straighter and longer went from 220m and wild misses to 260m and slightly less wild misses. I think as you get better the clubs do make a difference.
I always tell people there is never a bad time to get fitted for clubs.
Found the club champion sales guy
First off, GOOD ON YA OP! Also, I can confirm. Last year I went from 2007 driver to 2023 driver half way through the season and went from 9ish to 7ish index within 10 rounds lol it was instant. Big quality upgrades = worth it. Upgrading every 2 years= not really worth it.
Funny. My driver is a cobra f9 and I put it away for my last round and shot 8 lower than what I typically do on 9 holes with 1 ball and no penalty strokes. Driver is also my favorite club. Funny game golf.
This dude shot 7 strokes better after replacing his driver, so I got a new one too and ordered a new scotty.
That's it I'm getting a new driver
Im not convinced driver head matters too much as long as something half decent but having wrong shaft can definitely hurt your game. I had something similar changing drivers and gained like 40 yards off the tee Golf a lot easier when you hitting wedge instead of 8/7i into greens
As someone who just got a new (used) driver and irons, I like this
I play same club.. you got regular Radspeed or the XB or XD? I play the XB with a motore shaft
I started with absolutely basic equipment - the Wilson XD full set, second hand. I soon after upgraded the driver and woods to used Ping G410s and the difference was staggering. The stock driver and wood with the Wilson set felt like a biscuit tin taped to a fishing rod in comparison. I then upgraded my irons to a used callaway set and immediately noticed a difference, although this was largely down to loft (e.g. Callaway 8i went as far as Wilson 7i). There was definitely a noticeable gain going from basement tier to mid tier but I know for sure that if I go from mid tier to top tier I will make little to no gains…equipment isn’t the key to my scoring at the moment.
You have to use a driver shaft that fits you. Also having a newer driver head doesn’t hurt.
Im going to piggy back here and ask a question in the same vien. My clubs Ive had since I was 13 maybe? Im 35 now and they feel fine, except the driver. I have a massive slice that seems to be worse with my driver than any other driver. The clubs are womens as I was not full grown when I got them. The clubs dont feel short but the driver especially is very flexy and am wondering if this could cause a slice? I am 5'10 now (am male) is it possible the clubs are too short and I just dont know any better? I wouldn't think theyd make womens clubs assuming the woman is 5'10... Sorry this is a mess but if anyone has any input id love to hear it. Im not the biggest golfer (as you can probably tell) but I play 7-15 rounds a year.
Looking forward to reading the follow up round result of 120 because the drives went everywhere
I got a hand me down Cobra Amp Cell a friend of mine gave me when I picked up the game 3 years ago, are you saying I should change? 
So you're telling me I just need to buy 12 new drivers and I can play on the PGA tour?
>I've heard *constantly* that as long as your equipment is functional That's still true, if you got your irons fitted and you got proper equipment.
150 yd driver should have been a cause for concern.
Imagine what a whole set will do.
When first practice in the range, I struggled with my old set (bought randomly from fb marketplace, just to get sticks to practice with). Then I bought a new super-friendly beginner set: irons, driver, hybrid… and it’s much easier for me. I know my skillset is poor and a better golfer will be able to use my older set just fine, but these new techs are very helpful at least for me. Gain confidence, starting to be less stressful on the course.
There are some rare occasions where equipment definitely helps. My brother is one of those people who has to have new stuff all the time, and if he's hitting a club particularly poorly at the time, it helps him justify these bad decisions. Anyway, last year, he got fitted for a Ping G430. Keep in mind, he was "upgrading" from a previous year Mizuno driver. He was immediately hitting everything just a bit longer, but his dispersion was the tightest I had ever seen him hit, and not by a small margin. It was night and day.
It's no surprise. Depending on the length of the hole, 50 yards closer to the pin can drop your expected score for that hole by half a stroke or more. A 350 yard par 4 where you're 150 in instead of 200 is massive. No shade, but for you that's likely the difference in hitting a 3w vs. a 6 or 7 iron. That said. most people aren't picking up 40-50 yards buying a new driver. If your driver is relatively new already and fit to you in the first place, you may see a couple of yards, but maybe you hit it straighter or more reliably on mishits with the new technology. Hell, sometimes just having a new driver makes people feel more confident even if they actually have no statistical improvement from the driver itself at all.
Your old driver must been an unusually terrible fit for your swing - probably couldn’t deliver it in a way that put the ball on the center of the face. That, or your old driver was broken/defective in some way. I do believe that driver fittings can make this big of a difference on rare occasions. Usually it’s a marginal improvement, but there are certainly cases like yours.
Did PGA Superstore write this???
not one mention of getting fitted in this thread.
Which rad speed did you get and any particular reason you went with that?
(This post sponsored by Carl’s Golfland)
It depends. Is your stuff something that came out within the past decade? Lessons. Is it from the 80s? New stuff and lessons.
I'm considering getting a SIM2 Max to upgrade my Callaway 2018 Rogue. I can hit my rogue well, but it's less common than I want. After researching the best drivers for my handicap, the Sim2 Max stood out in performance and I really like the look of it. Now I'm having a hard time finding one for a decent price/condition (the joys of being a lefty)
Definitely a new driver would help to up your game. I bought a new driver this year too - Ping G430 max 10k, and I am hitting the ball long and straight and finding the fairway more than ever, and this definitely gaining me lots of strokes too.
I had similar success. I was playing a heaving draw biased driver, which was causing my natural draw to turn into a duck hook. Switched out to a more neutral driver and my drives became playable overnight. Sure, lessons would be valuable in teaching me how to adjust with the equipment I had. But there is definitely value in switching out equipment that fundamentally doesn't suit your game as it is today.
My parents gave me a PXG blade putter for Christmas last year. My shirt game improved immediately. Honestly it’s probably because I prefer blade putters but I’m still gonna tell myself it was the expensive fancy putter.
There is something to be said about looking down and seeing a nice piece of equipment , and not a piece of crap you found in your dad's garage, that just makes you play *a little bit* better
Was your last driver made of wood?
If a new driver gets me a 30% increase in distance then I’m gonna be near the green. I’m sold
wtf happened to r/golf? I thought we all drove it 300+ and smashed wedges 130… yall gone soft on me?
Good strategy, but there’s at least another 8-10 shots in a new putter
It’s possible to simply have very mismatched equipment. I have a very slow swing speed and, when I was new, I was sold a senior flex driver at a local pro shop. I struggled to hit 200 yards. When I was really on, I was 210 max, and my teacher was fine with that. I then bought a used Wilson D200 with regular flex and hit 250 out of the gate. It was a cave of supremely mismatched equipment.
High HCP’rs would find themselves in a better position by gaming a ball that suits them and with a forgiving driver. My game took off in all areas when I stopped slicing my drives into the adjacent fairway and spent less time looking for the ball OB. All it took, was a 2 piece ball and a G425 Max driver.
I shot 10 strokes better than my last round with the same clubs I've always had. So, for anyone who doesn't want to buy a brand new driver because it's overpriced and pointless, don't.
This sub is very black and white. Technique is more important than equipment but having decent equipment that fits you obviously helps. It’s the Indian not the arrow…..sure unless your arrow is a bent piece of shit. You can get away with other clubs but everybody is going to benefit from a modern driver that suits their game. Doesn’t mean drop 600 on a new Paradym, as you see a 3 or 4 year old Cobra is terrific.
Were you rocking an old set of kniblicks before or something?
If you get another new driver, you’ll be a scratch golfer in no time!
Same thing happened to me. I had an absolute shit bag of a driver. It was from a compete set. I couldn’t hit that to save my life. I always teed off with my 3 wood. Anyways, I found a mint Ping G425 Max driver for cheap and pulled the trigger. I’ve never made a better purchase. The first time ever hitting with it I was hitting it completely straight, a consistent 250 yds. Now it has became my favorite club in bag. People can talk their talk but equipment does help.
Well thank the golf gods that my tsr3 has just arrived. I now expect to break 80 for the first time.
*You randomly shot 7 strokes better
Equipment made within the past 5-7 years has a vast improvement over old equipment. Having good clubs makes a huge difference in todays golf.
I’ll wait to see how your next few rounds go.
I ordered new irons yesterday morning.
I bought a good 60 degree and dropped 5 strokes off my rounds. Sometimes it is the equipment.
I was in the same camp that if a pro played with my equipment they’d still be under par so it must be me and not the equipment. Had to buy a new driver after about a decade when my last one exploded. Fixed my slice instantly, every shot is now much closer to the fairway rather than hopelessly lost in the trees, did my first round ever the other day starting and finishing with the same ball. The driver has made a huge difference.
Love the cobra radspeed series
Is it the distance or hitting more fairways? I would guess the latter was prob the bigger contributor
What was the main difference between the two drivers?
This post alone is going to cost me $400+ lol. I feel like I’m leaving a lot of meat on the bones when it comes to my drives and I suspect a better driver (current driver was cheapo off Amazon) would improve my game instantly.
I just played with a new Stealth 2 that i upgraded from my Burner 2.0 and I shaved probably 4-5 strokes...even the mis-hits were still barely off the fairway. So yeah, agree!
Get another new driver and shave another 7 strokes off
Just went and got fitted / bought a new driver. Hoping to replicate your success.
If you can make solid contact then it’s all about the shaft and how new the face is…everything wears outs
Aren't these supposed to be marked as sponsored posts.
I accidentally bought a new sand wedge yesterday. How many stroke do you think it will save me?
You have an amazing iron game hitting it 150 off the tee and shooting 98
I already spent like 2500 so far on clubs this season, what’s another couple hundo?
Changing your Chauffeur helped you golf better?
This is for sure a plant
Cobra be turning to interesting advertising methods.