End Golf Club Commitment Issues Around the Green

Before you continue reading, think about your golf clubs (irons, woods, and wedges) and pick your favorite - okay, know which one it is? Read on...

A recent article in Golf Digest got me thinking about which golf club is my "go-to" club around the greens; I came up with my true-blue, Vokey Spin-Milled sand wedge. I know that it isn't the best club for what I am trying to achieve, but I keep using it in spite of its...sometimes...lackluster performance.

How many golfers reading this article are so comfortable with one club that they forget there are fourteen golf clubs in the bag!

After viewing an enlightening Mel Sole video on 3 Important Keys to Chipping (see below), I started to practice around the green with other clubs in my bag and found that my favorite club is the one that can best do its intended job.

I am now practicing with my pitching wedge, 8-iron, and even the 3-wood and am noticing a difference in the way the golf ball gets to the green and rolls out to the hole.




Here is the way to plan out your next shot around the green and select the best club for the job.

1. Start by assessing the situation. According to Golf Digest's Chief Digital Instructor, Michael Breed, "Ask yourself a few basic questions: How far do I want the ball to fly? How far do I want the ball to run out? How fast is the green?"

2. The idea is to fly the ball over trouble and to roll like a putt as soon as possible. If you have a lot of trouble between you and the hole and the hole is close, you might opt for an open-faced, higher-lofted club.

3. Yes, the lob wedge is your friend! According to GolfTec, if you are in deeper rough and a bunker stands between you and the pin, or there is little green to work with, try a higher lofted club.

4. If you have a lot of green to work with, you might try a bump-and-run with a lower lofted club.

Ask your instructor to show you all of the different clubs or try utilizing your clubs around the green and you will see there is more than one way to get to par.




How do you use your golf clubs around the green? Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Which #Golf Club In Your Bag Inspires the Most Confidence?

How many times per round do you pull the driver out of your golf bag...hybrids...putter? Which golf club do you reach for when the going gets tough? Which golf club can you NOT live without?

Sure, there are some golf clubs are are more utilitarian than others, that you need to make it through each round. The driver, in most cases, gets you off of the tee and your putter serves its purpose at the end of every single hole which means you're ON the green (unless, of course, you chip-in or get lucky with a hole-in-one).

Some golf clubs, however, serve several purposes, for example, my husband reaches for his 8-iron on the tee of some par-3's, when he's aiming for the green off the fairway and, one of his favorite shots is chipping using his 8-iron just off the green. I would say Barry has a stronger affinity for his 8-iron than for other clubs in his bag.

My favorite go-to club is my Titleist Vokey Spin-Milled Sand Wedge. Sure I use it out of the sand but I also reach for it to chip around the greens, when I'm flopping over a bunker and when I have about fifty yards remaining and I need a bit more feel in my hands to let the club do the work (when I'm landing the ball safely on the green). Yes, I do believe I play more confidently with my wedge.

Tour players have favorite "go-to" golf clubs as well. Here's a tweet from European Tour player John Hahn (@_JohnHahn) showing off his 58 degree Titleist SM6...aka "the buzz saw". Sure I could have shown a photo of my Vokey but this one is definitely more ...gritty:

Be careful you don't run into the buzz saw 😉 new SM6's in play! Love the new design, much better distance control 👌🏼 pic.twitter.com/FBXqhweDHD

— John Hahn (@_JohnHahn) February 25, 2016

When you swing a club well and make repeatable contact, it inspires confidence and you find other uses for it. For example, you may not be consistent with your driver and may reach for your 5-wood instead; you may suffer a bit in distance but getting the ball onto the fairway gives the club a favorable spin. so to speak.

It takes hundreds of good golf shots to gain confidence, but only one bad one to lose it. 

    ~ Jack Nicklaus

Augusta Golf Instruction also adds that the reason you might have a favorite golf club could be the length of the club or the grip being "just right", which could mean that you have some clubs "with different lofts and lies which may perform very differently from the rest of the clubs in your bag." It might be time to get your golf clubs fitted by a professional. But, on the flip side, all of your clubs may well become your favorites!


Which golf club would you never part with...which club in your bag inspires the most confidence?
Tell us in the comments section below and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners!

Tips for Creating a Custom #Golf Club Fitting Experience #PGATSSCustomFit

Recently I was invited to participate in a PGA Tour Superstore custom fitting promotion. In essence, I received golf clubs in exchange for telling my readers about the experience.

Naturally, I accepted - a few of my golf clubs are almost ten years old and, although they have served me well, they show signs of age - also, changes in technology have made some of my clubs a bit outdated.

That being said, after being overwhelmed with joy at the prospect, I jumped into my car and met with PGA Tour Superstore reps Todd and Stanton who placed me into a hitting booth complete with video software designed to tell me everything from my swing speed to spin rates, in order to help place me together with the best set of clubs for my game.

We used my original Driver, 7-iron and sand wedge as test subjects; my current set includes a Titleist 905T Driver with a 9.5% loft, Square-Two irons and a Vokey Spin Milled Wedge.

We began testing with the Driver - according to the custom club fitter, on the longest stick in our golf bags we needed to learn my initial club head speed, if I hit it high, spin rate etc. Todd was telling me that a higher kickpoint shaft makes the ball go lower, which is what I needed to achieve. I nodded as he kept educating me.

For the irons, swing as many as necessary until you find one that feels comfortable in your hands.

In my case, I only needed three different brands before I chose my new Ping Karsten Irons - Hybrid set (spoiler alert). Then, the club fitter began to address the proper shaft for the club. Finally, I stood at address while Todd placed a board underneath my club to check the lie angle - that the club was flat at address.

As for the wedge, it's all about the comfort!

I love my Vokey Spin Milled Wedge but ten years has taken its toll on the grooves. Would I have been happy with a simple grind-out? Probably but, according to my custom club fitter, my original wedge had too much of a bounce so he selected a Vokey Spin Milled Wedge with less bounce which placed the leading edge closer to the ground and allowed the club to cut through the sand better (yes, I have already taken my new wedge to the golf course!)

Here are a few tips to help you with Your next Custom Fit Golf Experience:

1. Never buy a golf club without it being fit to your swing. PGA Tour Superstores have custom fitters and custom fitting booths for you to take full advantage of their services...and they are happy to help fit you so ask questions and don't be shy!

2. My custom fitter mentioned that a properly matched shaft is most important in increasing your clubhead speed. Grip size and the lie of the club are other important ingredients in creating a golf club specifically for your swing.

3. The most common complaint in the simulator is that people claim they hit their clubs farther than what is shown however increased clubhead speed and accuracy of your shots are more important than the distances shown at the booth.

Which golf clubs did I take home with me? None! They had to be built to my specs! But fear not, the fitting took less than a week and I am now the proud owner of the following new golf clubs:

Callaway X2Hot Driver - 10.5% loft
Ping Karsten Irons - set from 3-Hybrid through Gap Wedge
Vokey Spin Milled Wedge

One last note...

My PGA Tour Superstore Custom Club Fitter, Todd, is straight out of the military and is currently attending golf school. He left me with one thought that seemed to sum up my whole experience:

"If you can fit a customer and give a tip to improve their game and help them on the golf course in the process, I don't think they could be any happier." Thanks Todd, Stanton and the rest of the gang at PGA Tour Superstore in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for making my golf club fitting experience a special one.

Now, I'm going to try out my new golf clubs! I'm so excited!! I'll report my findings.

Direct your golf club-fitting questions on Twitter to @PGATSS and @Golf4Beginners.


Disclosure: This is a “sponsored post.” The company who sponsored it compensated me via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value to write it. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Why demo days are essential in selecting your next golf clubs

After attending the 9th Annual New York Golf Fest and Demo Day at Chelsea Piers this past weekend, I now fully understand the importance of trying as many golf clubs as possible before purchasing another set. With three tiers of hitting booths and all of the major golf club brands represented, I found the club choices to be overwhelming and a bit confusing too!

From Ping to Taylor-Made, I was mesmerized by the number of golf club manufacturers lined up with bags filled with clubs almost hawking players to go ahead and take a swing. I couldn't get near the Rocketballz area at Taylor Made so it was onward to Ping.

Ping's fitting area was, by far, the most technically "cool" area. While at the Ping Golf stall, I asked to try the Ping G20 irons which were "created" on the spot for my left-handed swing by screwing and unscrewing the head and shaft. I found the G20's were too light and bouncy for my swing; the oversized heads and wide soles are essentially created for added forgiveness.

I use blades right now (an old set of Square Two golf clubs which are a mix of heavy, stiff-shafted short irons and even heavier longer irons) and so the PING i20's were definitely nearer to what I currently use. My husband plays golf with an old set of Ping i2's and swore he would never give them up but, after taking a few swings with this golf club, I could see he was more open to change.

I was interested in learning more about the Mizuno line of irons as it seemed their name was on many lips at Golf Fest but, when I got to the Mizuno Golf booth and asked if there were any left-handed golf clubs to try, I was brushed aside with a quick "no". The rep actually seemed more insulted by my asking about left-handed golf clubs than I should have been at the thought that there were none in his bag!

My driver is a Titleist 905T and my fairway woods are Titleist 904F; my sand and lob are Vokey Spin Milled wedges (and the favorite clubs in my bag) so my next stop was at the Titleist booth. It appears that new drivers in almost every booth I visited are all like sticks with big garbage cans attached to the end and that is the way I felt too until I tried the 910D3, a 445cc driver with a classic design. This Titleist felt more like my driver of old, except a little bit lighter. That being said, I think my arm can be twisted to play a few rounds with this driver.

At the Cleveland Golf booth I was hard pressed to find a left-handed iron until one of the instructors handed me a CG16 Tour iron. He actually handed me a ladies golf club first, from the Bloom set and, I must admit, if I was a beginner woman golfer, I would definitely have considered owning this golf club. It was light, easy-to-hit and all of my shots were getting airborne and were straight down the middle. The Cleveland CG16 Tour irons were definitely more for my playing ability yet also offered a bit of forgiveness.

This brings me to why all golfers should find a Golf Product Demo Day in your area and participate. Whether or not you are planning to buy golf clubs, you can see and hit a variety of irons woods and wedges as well as talk with manufacturer representatives to get a sense of where your golf game is in relation to the clubs you currently play. Cleveland Golf even had a truck in front in order to fit you with golf clubs! You'll learn more about yourself and your golf game after attending one of these events.

And...where else will have the opportunity to see golf clubs like this Honma driver worth $2,400! Why is it worth so much? The manufacturer rep stated that "It's hand made, a 154-step process...it has 24-carat gold paint and has solid gold hozel rings." There is a platinum version available but gold is a girl's best friend. Where else can you hold a golf club like this in your hands and dream? Oh yes, left-handed version not available.


Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook.
Thank you to New York Golf Center for your hospitality and to Mike Wolfe for the invite.

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous

Can the new Titleist Vokey SM4 golf wedges improve your short game?

Before deciding whether or not the new Titleist Vokey SM4 golf wedges can improve your short game, it is important to determine whether or not you need new wedges to round out your set of golf clubs. After reading a holiday email from Titleist urging me to the Vokey website, I started to think that new wedges were just what I needed (email marketing does work!)

Here are a few reasons to purchase a new set of wedges.
1. It's Christmas (insert Holiday) and you want to buy something you will actually use and enjoy!
2. Your only golf clubs were given to you as a complete set including driver, irons and wedges and your game has adapted from beginner to player...you're hitting greens on occasion!
3. The grooves on your wedges have worn down on the clubface to the point that you can't see them anymore. (Note: Grooves create spin and help the golf ball to stop in a controlled manner when a golfer hits the ball with a descending blow.)

In my opinion, I utilize my wedges about as much as I do my putter! Not always do I put the golf ball on the green in regulation and it's up to those trusty wedges to assist when I need them.

That being said, I have always owned a set of Titleist Vokey Spin Milled Wedges. This is not an advertisement ... I love these wedges, from the weight of the club to the feel when I'm playing them. My wedges have seen better days and so, after reading that Greg Chalmers, winner of the Australian Open and Rory McIlroy (see golf bag picture above) are happily singing the praises of the Vokey SM4 wedges (SM4=Spin Milled, 4 extra grooves), I decided to check out the Vokey website to see what, if any, design changes had been made.

The new Vokey Design SM4 wedges feature 17 precise, individually cut and 100% inspected grooves that maximize groove geometry and push groove edge radius to the conforming limits, the company stated.

As you may remember, the rules change by the USGA and R&A which "limited groove volume and sharpness of groove edge radii" had golf club makers going over their designs to make sure that their clubs would conform with the new regulations.

Other technical specifications include durable grooves heat treated in the impact areas and a slightly larger teardrop profile and leading edge.

Of course, the new Vokey SM4 wedges can never take the place of my ten-year-old clubs that helped me to learn the game of golf from the sand to the rough  ...<sentimental value>...

On the other hand, "Rory was pleased with his new Vokey Design SM4 wedges," claimed the Vokey website. "The new tour extreme grooves and additional scorelines are providing him with increased spin and control on his scoring shots."

 Scoring...getting the golf ball on the green and close to the hole into my "circle of trust", is what makes this golfer come back time and time again. My Vokey wedges have always been my "go-to" clubs. Yes it's the holidays ...but no wrapping is required!

Click here to read my review of my Titleist 905T Driver and my Titleist 904F Fairway woods.

Voice your opinion on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and friend on Facebook

Posted via email from stacysolomon's posterous