A guide to buying new irons
It usually starts whilst sitting in the bar after a long trudge around the course. The previous four hours have provided nothing one could even loosely refer to as “satisfying”. In fact, the dominant memory was of the chillingly dull, but embarrassingly audible sounds of mis-struck irons. After another toe-thinned effort, your playing partner's feeble, spirit-raising attempt ("It's commercial!" or "It's just crept on"), had failed to ease a growing feeling - it's time to get a new set of clubs.
| "Instant gratification perhaps, but will they be on e-Bay in three months time having lost you £300? You can have just as much fun running round the garden burning £20 notes" |
As if a veil has been lifted, on Monday morning you find salvation awaiting in the arms of a great deal on a set of MZ3000's with graf-nex pro-injected tour tested shafts, with heads that are…very shiny indeed. The Buy Now button sits there, taunting you.
Instant gratification perhaps, but will they be on e-Bay in three months time having lost you £300? You can have just as much fun running round the garden burning £20 notes, so here's our guide to buying irons that work.
It is often the clubs' fault
"Off the shelf" irons that don't fit the player can make consistency difficult in a number of ways. For instance, if the clubs are too short, it can make strikes off the toe more prevalent. Or if the lie angle (the angle of the head in relation to the shaft) is too upright, pulls and hooks can occur. With the toe-end off the ground, the heel gets stuck in the turf thus closing the club face at impact. In general, half an inch or one degree makes a noticeble difference in ball flight.
There's no such thing as standard
The ideal club position - neither the heel nor toe will drag through impact. |
Across the industry, there is three-quarters of an inch difference in iron length, and as much as three degrees in the standard lie. So if a salesman looks you up and down and says you're “about standard”, he's either ignorant or trying to flog you something that has sat on the shelf for too long. Until a professional has watched you hit balls, it is impossible to measure you correctly.
The solution - find your local custom fitting professional.
Many custom-fit centres are based at local golf clubs or ranges. However, before you book, ask whether the person who does the fitting is a pro. Custom-fitters should offer the choice to fit you either to your existing posture (warts and all) or the posture you should have, and they need to be qualified to instruct the correct position. More established, older players are best to be fit as they are. However, aspiring golfers who are still trying to improve, should ask to be put in (anatomically) the best position first. The benefit is that the made to measure clubs will actually encourage you to adopt the better posture. The session will firstly establish the correct length and lie of the club (usually established with a 5 or 6 iron) to overcome the types of problems mentioned earlier.
Choosing the correct shaft
Amongst the cognoscenti of the golf club industry it is commonly believed that the shaft is the most important component of a golf club, so it is worth trying out some different models and flexes based on the advice you're given.
Shaft flex
One of the most common misconceptions regarding shafts is that swing speed is the sole determinant of flex. Not so, it is as much to do with whether you are a hitter or a swinger, and the point at which you apply speed in the downswing. Despite the fact that Ernie Els (a swinger) is a longer player than Nick Price (a hitter), he applies speed later in the swing and so favours a more flexible shaft than Price. Price has a more aggressive change of direction and thus needs a very stiff shaft. Most amateur players in general use shafts that are too stiff for them and it would be worth trying out something with a bit more give in it. The custom-fit session allows you to experiment, so try it out and see what works best for you.
Grip thickness
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| Too thin a grip and the fingertips squash into the thumb pad. | Just right - the fingertips lightly touch the pad |
Your hands are the only part of your body that actually touch the club so it makes sense to get this to fit as well. Correct grip size will allow the proper release of the golf club and less tension in your hands and forearms. The correct size of grip will have the fingertips of the middle two fingers lightly touching the meaty pad under your thumb. Grips that are too thin can cause the swing to get too wristy, and those that are too fat make releasing the clubhead much harder.
Summary
Tommy Armour once described custom-fitting as “the only part of improved golf that anyone can buy" and if you take the time to do it properly you'll get a much better return on your money.
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