Are You in an Equipment Haze?
Buying golf equipment can be a confusing and intimidating process. There are numerous club manufacturers--each touting their clubs’ features and benefits. Which manufacturer should you choose? What type of club is the best for you? These are valid questions. If you’re a woman golfer, your confusion can be compounded if you receive poor customer service at your local golf store.
I want to give you some shopping suggestions when looking at golf clubs to help you avoid some possible bad experiences and become a more knowledgeable, confident shopper. Just like shopping for a car, you can do some research before you enter a store.
Scan the latest golf magazines for equipment reviews. If you’re a woman, check out Golf for Women (“GFW”) magazine since it focuses on the wants and needs of the female golfer. On GFW’s web site, click onto the Equipment tab for a comprehensive discussion on the different type of clubs, and the club fitting process.
One way to research clubs is to ask your playing partners, who have recently purchased new clubs, what clubs they are hitting and why did they select that particular brand or type of club. You might also ask if you can try a couple shots with their clubs. Most golfers will let others hit a couple of balls with their clubs, but you might meet someone who will decline your request—some golfers can be superstitious and don’t like others using his or her clubs.
Besides trying your playing partners’ clubs, you can attend what’s called a “Demo Day” at a local golf course. On those days, you’ll find several club manufacturers gathered so you can ask questions and try their clubs on the driving range. It’s the best way to try clubs from each manufacturer at the same time and see which one you prefer.
If you can’t find a Demo Day, most golf stores will allow you to hit a “demo club,” which, like it sounds isn’t for sale, but for customers to hit into a practice net. If a store doesn’t have a demo club, you can ask if they will put tape on the face and on the top and the bottom of a new club to let you try it without damaging it. If the store refuses to do this, then you should find another store.
When hitting into a practice net, you won’t get to see your ball flight. But, at least you can determine if you like the feel of the club. Other shops may allow you to leave a deposit and let you take the clubs to a local driving range to test. To see which stores will let you do this, check out GFW’s Try and Buy Program for a list of retailers at www.golfdigest.com/gfw/tryandbuy.
I have three factors for deciding which club to buy. First, do I like the looks of the club? If I say to myself, “What an ugly club” each time I look at it, I certainly won’t buy it. Second, do I like the sound that the club makes when I hit it on the sweet spot? If it’s a high pitch annoying sound, then I won’t buy it because I would hate to make that sound each time I hit it well. Finally, do I like the feel of the club when I hit it?
If I don’t like any of those three factors, then I won’t buy the club. Golf is such a mental game that I have to at least like those basic features of my clubs. As you try clubs for yourself, you’ll soon discover that every club has its own unique looks and characteristics. By the way, if you play with a favorite ball brand and type, bring some old ones with you to hit while you’re testing clubs.
After knowing which club you like the most, then it’s important that you are properly fitted for the club. Competent sales staff of a store should be able to determine whether a club fits you by looking at your swing speed to determine the flexibility of the club shaft, the size of your grip, and the lie, which is the angle that the club head is in comparison to the ground.
If you have been taking lessons from a golf instructor, he or she might be able to give you some general information about proper clubs for you. Many golf instructors are also certified club professionals that represent one or two manufacturers and have different clubs for you to try to determine club specifications that fit you best.
I hope these suggestions and pointers will help you in your club shopping journey. Club technology has evolved dramatically over the year. If you have an old set, which is say only 3-5 years old, you’ll likely enjoy playing more with new clubs that fit you and give you the benefit of the latest technology. With larger sweet spots on clubs today, it helps the ball go straighter and farther, even if you don’t hit it pure—that’s certainly worth an investment in new clubs!
Suzanne Woo, Esq. is a business golf speaker and author. She founded BizGolf Dynamics in 1996 to help business professionals, especially women, leverage the game of golf for their professional and personal success. She is the author of On Course for Business – Women and Golf (Wiley) and 72 Secrets for Successful Business Golf. Suzanne has been featured in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Golf for Women, and a host of other national publications. Clients include corporations like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, National Car Rental, Harris Nesbitt, and a host of trade associations.
To learn more about how BizGolf Dynamics can help you Drive Your Business Success with Golf,TM call Suzanne at 800.722.8909 or visit www.bizgolf.biz and sign up for BizGolf E-Tips, which is sent bi-monthly on Tuesdays.
