Top 10 golf equipment mistakes that are RUINING your scorecard

Top 10 Golf Equipment Mistakes

Having clubs that are not fitted for you is really not going to give you the best performance.

Now I bang on about getting fit for your clubs all the time. But let’s be realistic, how many of you actually go and get your clubs fit? It is the biggest factor that’s going to affect your clubs performance.

In some fittings I’ve had this year, I have gained 30 to 40 yards with driver just by having it fit properly. And I don’t think you can really emphasise how much precision you can get in your iron play by having the whole club set up right for you.

There’s so many factors to get right. Have I got the right club head? Have I got the right lie angle? The right shaft, the right grip, the right length of club?

It is going to be really hard for you to figure that out on your own. So please just go and get a proper club fitting.

If you’re going to lug a heavy bag around the golf course, it might as well be full of equipment that you are actually going to make the most of.

Let’s face it, most people barely use a 3-wood. So what’s the point in carrying it, if you don’t feel comfortable hitting off the deck? Why not go for a 5-wood instead? Or even put a 5-wood shaft in it, to make it a little bit easier to hit?

And what about those long irons? Do you actually hit them? Or do they all go the same distance? If you’ve got long irons that all travel the same distance why not swap them out for a hybrid? Or go for a more forgiving model in your longer irons.

I use the Titleist T100s up to my 6-iron and then in my 5-iron I swap into the T200 model. That gives me a little more height, and a little bit more distance, and means I actually get some use out of that club.

Putting your old driver shaft into a new head isn’t always the best option. This might not make sense to you, especially if you’ve been fitted for the current driver shaft.

But the reality is that each club head kind of works with a different shaft.

Every time manufacturers redesign club heads, they’re designed to have different properties, different lofts, different spin, different CG. So putting the same shaft into a different club head isn’t necessarily going to give you the right level of performance.

Now this is especially going to be true if you switch in between different models or even different brands.

So the best thing to do is if you move into a new driver head make sure you have a fitting and get the right shaft that matches up to give you the best performance.

Using a different model everytime you play, or even different golf balls during each round, is really going to affect your perception and control of each shot.

How do you know what the ball is going to do off the tee and when it lands on the green if you’ve got a different type of ball every time?

Some people completely switch from high end premium balls down to a lot cheaper models and the control levels are going to be completely different.

So if you really want to up that consistency, the best thing to do is to play with the same model throughout.

It is also great to actually practice your short game with those balls instead of using range balls. They will give you a lot better feel and control of your shots.

Let’s face it, where just not the same level as the tour pros. So why do we think we can use the same equipment?

When it comes to picking your clubs, and going for a fitting, you want to pick the club that you can use the most consistently and that’s going to give you the best shots.

Not necessarily the one that looks the best, or is the most fancy. So maybe you should leave those blades in the pro shop…

Game improvement irons really help with forgiveness, but when it comes to those more specialist shots around the green – especially in the bunker – they’re not really designed for that extra finesse. So using something like this isn’t really going to help you out.

What I would always advise is getting one specialist wedge, with more of a lob wedge style, that can help you out when you get in these places around the green.

They’re going to give you a lot more height, they’re going to help you get under the ball in terms of that lob shot, or that bunker shot, and they’re really just going to give you more control.

Shortening your putter or overly changing the size and weight of the grip without getting a proper club fitting is a big no-no.

You might think this one seems silly, but if you shorten the length of the shaft and if you put on a grip that’s a different weight to the one you had before, you’re going to change the whole swing weight and the balance of the club.

Now when we think about how many pace putts we have in a round, having a well-balanced club is very important to control that speed.

So if you’re going to shorten your club or change the grip, you really should be taking it to a specialist fitter who can check the swing weight and make sure it’s balanced out correctly afterwards.

Do you even know what a wedge grind is? It’s the different camber that we’ve got on the sole and it can really affect how you impact the club especially on half and chip shots around the greens.

Now you can get loads of varieties of grinds with every different brand. So there really is no excuse for getting this wrong.

It’s worth noting, the grind you need can change depending on the conditions of your course.

If it’s soft you will want a certain grind, and if it’s firm, you’ll want a certain grind. But it also depends on the way you swing it. Are you shallow or steep?

Getting this right is going to really boost your performance around the greens. If you’re someone who moves round and plays a lot of different golf courses, you might actually want different grinds in you’re different lofts, so it gives you different options.

But really, the key here is going to get fit, talking to your club pro about this, and getting something that suits your game.

RELATED: Which wedge grind is right for you?

Unless you do something miraculous, this is the only club you use on every hole, so why would you not get it fit?

Now a big thing here is going to be the length. If you’ve got the wrong length putter, it’s really going to affect your posture. The loft can also affect your shots too. It’s really gonna affect how the ball starts rolling. What about the lie angle? And also the grip style and even the type of shaft. We haven’t even got on to the club head yet.

Having a club that really suits your eye, gives you the right level of forgiveness, and that you can line up to the hole is really key. So it’s really worth spending some time with a specialist putter fitter, or your local club pro, to find something that really suits your needs.

RELATED: Does customising your putter actually work?

Now, new equipment is great, and new technology can really help you out, but there’s really only so much it can do. After all, that shiny new driver can’t hit the golf ball for you.

So if you really want to invest in your game, go ahead and get some lessons from your club pro.

You’ve probably spent a small fortune to get the set up that’s right for your game, so don’t forget to get specialist insurance from Golf Care to protect your clubs from theft, loss, and accidental damage. Plus, they even cover GPS watches, trolleys, and other golf equipment. With 30% off annual insurance starting from just £26.59, and a free golf gift bundle worth up to £365 including 12 free Srixon balls, it’s a no brainer. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP.

If you’re after more equipment content, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and if you have any questions about lie angles in golf or anything gear related, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter or Instagram.