Does What’s in the Bag Matter?

Especially over the past couple of decades, golf has largely considered to be an expensive sport seen by both the sponsors involved and the players gear too – sponsors like Rolex for PGA show the wealth of the sport and is something off the course too as all betting sites tend to reflect the huge cost of the sport. When look at player scripts for a particular event too, sometimes what they wear and what’s in the bag can amount to tens of thousands of dollars – but does what’s in the bag matter for the average player?

A set of clubs are often the most striking piece of any golfers kit, and whilst the clubs used by the pros are bespoke and usually priceless, for the average player a complete set can cost thousands, even a single driver can be as much as a few hundred dollars too – and most experienced players will often say there are certainly diminishing returns to be found here.

Most players won’t reach a point where their clubs are the piece of kit holding them back, the difference between a $100 driver and a $500 driver may be mostly imperceptible to the average player and any big performance change will likely come from placebo, simply believing the more expensive club is giving a leg up. For most, the set of clubs in their bag often aren’t the most important upgrade to come.

Smaller accessories can be a great place to start, the set of gloves you carry around, newer tech like range finders and course guides, and the set of balls you take out onto the course too – these can be much lower cost items that are very easy to change but can have a very real impact on the average golfers game – rather than looking out for a new set of clubs, instead check out some grips or gloves that help on every hole, or a new pair of golf shoes that keep you rooted a bit more for the longer sessions out on the course.

What you wear can be something else entirely too, improved comfort or mobility out on the course can help more than most players will expect too and this doesn’t need to be the most expensive of changes either – some relatively inexpensive options much like a new set of gloves mentioned above can go a long way, so before seeking out the new caddy, throw out the older lose fitting garments and get a better fit new wardrobe.

For the question at hand, often times for most players what’s in the bag won’t make a tremendous amount of difference, small upgrades can enhance your game but often not enough to make a noticeable performance change and often an inexpensive change can be more impactful than one that breaks the bank, so before getting online and seeking out the latest hardware, instead try to identify something easier to manage.

For some real tips on where money can give the best bang for your buck, some different tools for training like training nets or heading down to the local simulator and putting in the hours can often lead to the biggest change and enhance your game too – making the most of what you already have and finding out how to get the best from it too.