Ins and outs of buying the right golf equipment
?Hello everyone, this is Rich Conwell, head golf professional at Uniontown Country Club.
I wanted to thank everyone for taking the time to read this and I also wanted to welcome you to the 2011 golf season. I will be writing the article on a weekly basis and will get it to each and every Sunday for the foreseeable future.
Hopefully we can develop some good discussion, have some trivia questions and prizes as well as improve your golf game. The purpose of this column is twofold: to entertain and to improve. Most of the time I get at least one right, and here is hoping both will be accomplished a lot in 2011.
If you have any topics that you want me to cover or touch on, please feel free to email me at rconwell@uniontowncc.com.
For those of you who do not know anything about me, I will relay a few facts. I am entering my third year as the head golf professional at Uniontown Country Club and have been a golf professional for more than 15 years. I enjoy teaching immensely as well as working with juniors and beginning players. I hope this year we can catch up in person so I can help you improve your game or just enjoy the game more than you already do.
Each year in the spring avid golfer’s thoughts turn to equipment. I am asked over and over again what are the hottest iron, best hybrid, longest driver and high performing putter. My answer is all of them, because they are.
All equipment made by original equipment manufacturers today is very well made, with a boatload of money spent on research and design, player needs and material development. It is incredibly difficult to separate one from the other due to the fact that they all have wonderful qualities, features and benefits.
Regardless of what brand you are interested in, there are a few ins and outs that are true for everyone and that is what I wanted to talk about this week, club fitting. Club fitting is the process that all golfers should go through in order to make sure that those clubs they are purchasing are custom fit just for them. There are several characteristics that each golfer must make sure is measured and fit just them.
The first of these is length. Not everyone is the same height, so why should your golf clubs be the same as the fellow you know that is a foot shorter than you? The answer is they should not. Have yourself properly measured for length and your set up and your entire golf game will be better equipped to handle your frame instead of your frame getting in the way of your golf game.
Length leads to lie angle. Lie angle is the way that the club contacts the ground when you swing it. Each person’s lie angle is unique to each person and the clubs can be altered to fit your motion, so lie angle is critical. Lie angle allows you to swing a golf club without having to alter your golf swing. Lie angle, again, is extremely important to obtain properly fitted golf clubs.
The final fitting thought has to do with shaft flex. All people, yes I said all people, play shafts that are too stiff for them. The average player, and the better than the average player, would do themselves well to lighten up on the shaft flex. A weaker shaft flex allows the ball to go higher, and sometimes, farther. So stay in tune with your shaft flex so you can get the most out of your golf clubs.
We covered a lot on this topic in a short period. There is so much more but if you get these few fundamentals squared away, your clubs will allow you to maximize your improvement. The game of golf is hard enough, so with new clubs, make sure they are built to suit your needs. After all, you get to pick the color of your new car, so why should these companies not build something that will make you and your golf game happy?
I thought I would have some fun with some golf trivia. I came up with 10 questions and the first person to answer these questions correctly and email me at rconwell@uniontowncc.com will receive one dozen Titleist Golf Balls.
l Who are the only men to win the Grand Slam?
l Where was the first Master’s winner from?
l A top ranked golf course architect has offices in Fayette County. Name him.
l What eleven-time major championship winner played an exhibition at Uniontown Country Club?
l What major equipment company was used by the No. 1 player in the world for the longest time period? (Does not necessarily have to be the same number one player)
l When was the last US Open that featured a 36-hole final round and who won the Championship?
l Who won the first United States Women’s Open?
l What format was the PGA Championship played in its early years?
l What significance does Glen Garden Country Club hold in golf history?
l What was the name of Ben Hogan’s caddie during the 1953 British Open?
Please keep in mind; these must be emailed to me. The winner will receive a dozen NXT Tour Golf Balls. Have fun and we will get back to the instruction next week.
Thanks and have a great season.
Rich Conwell is the PGA Head Golf Professional at Uniontown Country Club. Rich enjoys teaching players of all ability levels as well as helping junior players to reach their potential.