By. John K. Abendroth, PGA
To best improve your golf game, is it that you should buy new clubs or invest in lessons? I feel that to start off, it is a hybrid of the two in that by taking lessons a PGA golf professional can assess your game and your equipment and send you on the correct course.
Getting fitted for clubs is very important for your swing to work correctly which includes to know your swing speed, ball flight, then look at shaft, lie angle, length and even the best grip and size of grip for you. You do not need to buy an entire set of new clubs, but access what part of your game needs improvement, maybe it's a couple of new wedges or a driver.
For a number of years I had a teaching concept I called "Break Through Golf" where I would have my student create a report card by analysis of their golf game to figure our where they needed help. Did you drive the ball well but not get on the green or in good position, did you 3-putt often which could have been cause by getting the ball 40 feet from the hole to often?
Tour pros look at the stats that are created by Shot Link to do this analysis often and will adjust their swing or clubs as they go along. The cool thing with drivers today is that you can adjust the loft based on your trajectory. A few years ago I suggested you should have a Winter driver with more loft to carry the ball further and a Summer driver with less loft to get more roll. Now with the wrench the company provides you with, you can make the adjustment, (Hey...wait a minute...they stole my idea, where are my residuals...?)
So maybe start by creating your report card for the key parts of the golf game and give your self a grade then as you go to a new instructor or back for a follow-up with your current golf professional, you have a jump start of improving your game and it may save you some money along the way...Let me know about your improvement stories. Send them to jkabendroth@gmail.com.