More golf clubs the “answer?”
This is an article that I would please implore you to “do as I say, not as I do.” My doorbell rang the other day, and I opened it to find the FedEx guy with his electronic tracking device in one hand, and a golf club box in the other. I gleefully took possession of the box, and recorded my signature electronically. A new “answer” had arrived.
I acquired my new “answer” from eBay. In this particular case, an 18 degree Driving Iron. As was the case with many other “answers” before, this beauty was sure to make my index plummet. Like many other golf brethren, I am still am a devoted member of the church of New or Different Golf Clubs Will Make You Better. I used to have a very acute case of this devotion. I would buy clubs, and more clubs, and different clubs, all the time. Not driving it straight? Get one of those new, hit it straight every time, Drivers. Bad wedge game? Any number of new and improved wedges on the market can fix that in a jiffy. Keep missing those two footers? No problem, there’s a new putter than will make ‘em drop every time. Pretty soon I had enough golf clubs in my garage to challenge the foundation of the house. The wife emphatically insisted that this inventory should be liquidated, and I found the church of eBay. In about three months all I had left was one set, and one extra Putter and Driver. I just couldn’t go cold turkey! I’ve been in recovery ever since, and while I do buy something now and then, like my new “answer”, I put its predecessor up on eBay to go help another unsuspecting person find their “answer.”
Now, I would be the first to acknowledge that new and better golf clubs can make some difference. New materials and innovative engineering have produced clubs that can indeed make the ball go longer and straighter. But why do many golfers with the latest and greatest still have the same basic index they had last year, or five years ago, despite all this new technology and our collective and unabashed thirst to acquire it? I’m afraid we’re all still prone to our bad habits, both physically and mentally. Our basic swing and skills, and our mental acuity for golf don’t change with new or different golf clubs. Oh sure, maybe there might be some slight improvement here and there, but I’ll bet none of us know any golfers who magically got a lot better after purchasing a new “answer”, or set of “answers.”
Of course, the keys to the kingdom for playing better golf are practice and professional instruction. Paying a good PGA professional to help our game, or parts of it, will almost surely result in a higher return on investment than surrendering those dollars to Ping, Callaway, or Taylor Made. Then you have to practice, practice, practice, and turn your lessons into a repetitive process that is transferable to the golf course.
So, next time your surfing eBay or fondling the new “answers” at your local golf store, slowly step away from your computer, or slowly move from the store premises. Go out and interview some teaching professionals in your area and find one who is right for you from both a philosophy and personality perspective. Sign up with a professional, and get some good solid instruction. Then go practice it. You’ll see results much faster and more permanently than buying new or more clubs. Oh, me? I can’t wait to assault the next unsuspecting golf course with my new 18 degree Driving Iron. There’s no telling how low I can go with that baby in my bag.
