Why All Golfers Need to Attend Demo Days

Spring is almost upon us which means (for the most part) golfers will be dusting off their clubs and taking to the driving range.

After reconnecting with your driver and irons, you may think that you need new clubs but, before spending an arm and a leg on new golf equipment, consider attending demo days sponsored by manufacturers or your local club...you will learn much about your swing, the newest technology and you may ultimately walk away with the correct clubs for your swing.

Going to a demo day at a golf course or equipment resaler is like entering a candy store - there are so many different clubs to view and all of the reps are standing nearby, tempting you to try before you buy. Demo Day is a cornucopia of golf bags filled with all the irons and drivers you want to test.

Why test new clubs when you believe your clubs will be perfectly fine for another season?

Your clubs could be costing you shots; just because something is familiar to you or you are comfortable with it, doesn't mean it is still good for your game!

Golf swings change, and so does equipment. What might have suited you up until this point may need some tweaking; your driver, for example, which could be ten years old, may no longer offer you proper distance - time for a new Twist Face or Rogue? Also, pay attention to the weight and flex of the shaft another important update due to changes in the speed of your swing.

“Even with all the latest developments and technology in golf, most golfers aren’t using clubs that fit them,” said Dale Ketola, director of instruction and fitting at Grande Dunes Golf Performance Center. “Even if you’ve been fitted before, mechanics can change.  You should be checked every so often to make sure your clubs complement your game.”

...from press release on MBN.com 

And if you are still playing with those beginner golf clubs and have taken your game to the next level, a professional should review your clubs to see if they need to be updated.

Read: How to Tell If You Need New Irons

With reps and pros on hand to answer your questions, Demo Day is a perfect time to reassess what is in your golf bag!

Golf for Beginners has compiled a short list of what you should consider when heading out to Demo Day.

1. Determine what you want to accomplish during the event and how much money you want to spend - it is easy to get lost among the shiny, gleaming, new clubs.

2. Talk to a pro about your game (what is good/bad about it and show him/her your current set of clubs.

3. Test the golf clubs - you may be surprised that hybrids feel more comfortable than long irons or senior-shaft clubs feel better to you than a women's set of golf clubs. Grips and shafts are also important. You may like a bigger grip or a lighter shaft - make sure you have the pro or rep help you through the decision-making process.

Also, don't just buy clubs - use this as a learning experience and make sure you get properly fitted for the clubs before taking anything home.

READ: Should You Replace your Long Irons with Hybrids?

What do you learn most about your swing and clubs when you attend a Demo Day? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and follow/tag us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Can TaylorMade Burner Irons 2.0 Really Add Distance and Improve Your Accuracy?

TaylorMade makes a bold statement: they contend that the new 2.0 Burner Irons will add distance and improve your accuracy and feel on the golf course...but can they?

The TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons were "engineered to combine legendary Burner distance plus more feel and playability." The design has been enhanced to be more durable and to resist glare with a "two-toned "Burner Black PVD finish" but that hardly improves a golfer's accuracy.  Let's read on...

Improved Weight Distribution to Optimize Ball Flight in Short-, Middle- and Long-Irons
Weight distribution varies in every Burner 2.0 clubhead to improve long-, middle- and short-iron ball flight. In the long-irons, weight has been shifted toward the back of the head, to promote easy launch, and toward the toe and heel, to promote greater stability and forgiveness. In the middle-irons, weight is distributed more evenly and slightly higher to promote workability while still providing forgiveness. In the short-irons, weight is positioned even higher, to promote a lower, more controllable ball flight, and centered, to promote increased clubhead control. Additionally, the CG in the short-irons is closer to the face, similar to a blade, to increase feel and to promote lower flight.

Yes, improving the ball flight will increase carry and ultimately distance.

Differing Face Thickness in Every Iron to Promote More Speed and Distance in the Long-irons, More Feel and Control in the Short-irons
Every individual Burner 2.0 iron boasts a different face thickness. The thinnest and fastest faces are in the long-irons, with the face in each successive iron growing thicker down through the middle- and short-irons. The thinner face, the higher the COR to promote more ball speed and distance; the thicker the face, the greater the feel.

A thicker face for the shorter irons to promote better feel and thinner face for longer irons to improve distance. The ability to add a few yards and touch from 100 yards and in seems to have been covered by the engineers but consistent solid contact with the golf ball is key...

Progressive Topline Thickness, Improved Multi-Functional Sole and TaylorMade's Renowned Inverted Cone Technology
Toplines in the Burner 2.0 irons are substantial and strong in the long-irons, and grow progressively thinner down through the middle- and short-irons. The multi-functional sole, introduced in the original Burner iron, has been improved by recessing the heel and toe and beveling the rear, all to reduce drag and make it easier to make clean, solid contact. On the rear side of the clubface, TaylorMade's patented Inverted Cone Technology has been reconfigured and sized and positioned strategically in each individual iron to promote faster ball speed on off-center hits for more consistent distance from shot to shot.

Longer, Easier to Hit Long-irons
Burner 2.0 long-irons combine an ultra-thin clubface for higher COR (1.8 mm in the 4-iron) with higher MOI. Relief at the rear of the sole allows the sole to play narrower. All of the above promotes more distance in the Burner 2.0 long-irons while making them significantly easier to hit and more playable.

Improved Vibration-Management System
"Golfers who play the current Burner iron will notice a difference in the sound and feel, which is significantly softer and more satisfying in the Burner 2.0," said Bazzel. "We put in a lot of effort to refine and improve the vibration-management system in the cavity in order to reach our target for sound and feel."

New Flight-Control Shaft Design and "Burner Black" Finish
Burner 2.0 irons are equipped with a new, flight-control shaft design in 85-gram steel or 65-gram graphite for longer, higher long-irons and quick-stopping short-irons that inspire confidence to attack the pin. The Women's Burner 2.0 is equipped with a graphite RE*AX® SuperFast 55-gram shaft.

Bret Wahl, senior director of research and development for irons, wedges and putters states,

"We've succeeded at creating a better-performing iron with the Burner 2.0, which is just as long, easier to play and more refined in its feel and sound. Every Burner 2.0 iron is better than its predecessor and, when compared against the longest, best-selling iron we've ever made, that says something truly significant." 

Where it is evident that TaylorMade has made substantial changes in their Burner Irons the proof still lies in the testing and I suggest that you take more than a few swings before you purchase, although many larger stores will allow you to "test drive" golf clubs for 30 days.

Burner 2.0 irons are offered in four shaft flexes – S, R, M, L. Ladies' flex shafts will be offered in the 5-iron through pitching wedge, attack wedge and sand wedge. The standard Burner 2.0 set includes eight irons offered at a street price of $699 with steel shafts in the irons and $899 with graphite shaft in the irons. Availability begins at retail on Friday, October 8.

Read more golf equipment and travel reviews on Golf for Beginners and follow us on Twitter!

Does TaylorMade, Dick's Sporting Goods TV spot help identify their brands?

TaylorMade and Dick's Sporting Goods are joining forces to help sell more product in the nationwide chain of stores. Will this new TV Spot, "Transported", help to develop both companies' "brand"?

If you cannot see this commercial, click here.

As for the tagline "Victory Lives Here", meant to bridge the identity of each campaign, I feel it misses the mark for TaylorMade but works well for Dick's Sporting Goods, a self-proclaimed "leader" in golf club sales.

Although it was mentioned in a PR piece by Michelle Edelman, president of NYCA (the ad company that created the TV Spot) that TaylorMade is "number one in drivers and number one in irons" this point was not convincingly conveyed in the commercial.

Should Rory Sabbatini have been chosen as a TaylorMade 'face'? He is hardly a positive role model. Just search his name on Google and you will find that Sabbatini is called everything from the "tour jackass of the week" to a "complainer". Do I like him? I met him briefly in Puerto Rico and I shall reserve comment.

Women were also left out of the loop. How about some representation by LPGA stars and TaylorMade Tour Staff pros Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer or Nicole Castrale? TaylorMade has a women's section on their website and Dick's Sporting Goods certainly sells women's golf clubs so why the lack of visibility?

The 30 second spot, which will appear on The Golf Channel and ESPN, is an enterprising decision between Dick's Sporting Goods Store and TaylorMade Golf but needs a bit more tweaking to ensure long-lasting positive results.

Are TaylorMade and Callaway making conventional golf clubs a thing of the past? Also, techniques to improve ball striking and course management

Click here to listen.

The new ruling handed down by the USGA allowing golfers to interchange shafts and clubheads prior to a game depending on course (and human) conditions have clubmakers Callaway and TaylorMade quickly putting out new technology.

Callaway's I-MIX adjustable FT-5 driver and TaylorMade's Tour Van in a Box interchange shafts and clubheads with the golfer optimizing the driver to his or her own comfort level. For example, as Jeff Colton, Sr. VP of Research and Design for Callaway states, "if they're feeling a little weak that morning, play a lighter shaft, or if it's been raining that week, drop some loft on a clubhead using your normal shaft."

I say, "Huh?"

Am I the type of person who will constantly interchange shafts and heads depending on if I'm hitting a fade or draw that day? I can't even hit a fade or draw on purpose most days and am extremely happy when my drive propels 200 yards straight down the fairway.


Callaway I-MIX Interchangeable golf clubs


Adding or subtracting weights or switching out heads with Callaway's "revolutionary system" doesn't suit the average amateur golfer but would be an innovation for club fitters and for those low handicappers who wish to "tweak" their club.

Unfortunately, the average golfer needs more tweaking with their swing and should send a message to these clubmakers that, for $350 for a driver head and yet another $350 to be shelled out for the interchangeable driver shaft, this marketing strategy will be a dud.


TaylorMade Tour Van in a Box



Manufacturers at the PGA Show forum lauded the new club innovation stating that the next step are the ability to change grip, loft, lie and bounce. Golf Channel's Chief Technical Advisor, Frank Thomas advises that, "the USGA is opening a can of worms that will soon get out of hand and be difficult to monitor."

This week, Golf for Beginners discusses the pros and cons of this new convertible technology and it's impact on the masses.

We also offer up a few easy drills and golf tips designed to improve ball striking. Jim Flick's discussion about "risk-reward" taken from Golf Digest Magazine is also analyzed. Sam Snead shaved strokes off of his game by using this technique and we show you how in our weekly golf podcast!


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