Golfing Gear
Manufacturers of golf clubs and golf balls constantly release new models to entice aspiring golfers to regularly spend on upgrades in their endless quest to lower their handicaps and bragging rights.
In this section, we do not try to echo the latest golf equipment or balls but rather share some enduring personal favourites from a few decades of hacking at your average public courses to famed courses like Pebble Beach Golf Links in the Monterey Peninsula and Golf-sur-Sierre in Crans Montana. The goal is to hopefully give you ideas on how to get the best value and still feel good about your game!
We include links to more detailed information on each product suggested. Although we may or may not receive a small commission for any click through purchases, the opinions expressed here are our own based on personal use and experience.
ENJOY!
Fairway Woods
Unlike many aspiring amateur golfers, I find no need for upgrading my clubs regularly. These 3 fairway woods have served me very well for decades and will remain in my bag until they break (hope not!).
The Maruman Shuttle 2 Wood is probably the best club addition to my bag in my 30 or so years playing the game. I bought this club in 2013 and it has served me well all these years. It is easy to swing, gives off the sweet Maruman wood sound on impact and is very reliable. Really great for Par 5's, and as a recovery whenever you mis-hit your driver and needed to make up distance on a long Par 4. It is also great off the tee for going under the wind.
The Maruman Shuttle 5 Wood has been a great work horse for most of my 30 or so years playing the game. It's been in my golf bag for at least 20 years. It is easy to swing, gives off the sweet Maruman wood sound on impact and is very reliable. It is because I loved this wood so much I decided to get the Maruman 2 Wood.
I used to play a Taylor Made Bubble Shaft 7 Wood but found the club head too small for my liking. One day, I gave a Callaway Ladies 5 Wood a hit at the range and loved it. It became the perfect replacement for my 7 Wood! No need to be bashful hitting s ladies club if it works as a different club for you! And no one will notice!
Golf Balls
Many aspiring amateur golfers gravitate to the Titleist ProV1 or ProV1x golf ball assuming that the most used golf ball on the PGA Tour will automatically give them more distance off the tee. Its an awful lot of money if you are regularly hitting the balls out of bounds or in the hazard or losing them in the rough.
Through the years, based on personal experience and my unique swing, I tended to favour Taylor Made and Srixon balls. I realised that I also suffered a little bit of brand influence in picking the TP5.
I tend to use the more costly TP5 when playing in competitions and Srixon when playing practice rounds. In the last couple of months, my local club offered an irresistible $59 for 24 Srixon Soft Feel balls.
In the end, I found no noticeable difference in distance off the tee between the TP5 and the Srixon. As a matter of fact, two days ago, the Srixon flew an unbelievable 290 metres down wind off the first tee of my local club. My longest drive downhill on the same course was 274 metres, also with a Srixon ball. Never got those distances with a TP5!
Recently tried the Taylor Made Tour Response which is cheaper than the TP5 - it played very similar to the Srixon Soft Feel and I like it.
Hence, long story short, for amateurs, its not the cost or brand of the ball, its your swing mate!
Golf Gloves
The best golf glove is the one that is so worn that it become supple and soft and moulds into your hand.
My current glove has probably served me for hundreds of rounds and I love it so much I am still using it even with small holes in the thumb and index finger. Literally fits like a glove!
I always have a few newer replacement gloves in my bag to change into when my main one gets wet in the rain. When it is really coming down, I would switch to my PAIR of FootJoy Rain Gloves. They are more water resistant and it makes sense to wear a pair of them in wet conditions so the club does not fly off your hands!
Putters
Other than a beginners' set which I used for less than a year, I have used only 2 putters in my more than 30 years playing golf.
The first was a traditional blade putter with a typical neck offset which makes a lot of sense to me. When you extend an imaginary line from the main shaft down to the bottom of the putter blade, that line ends at the centre of gravity of the blade, hence, preventing any unwanted twisting action caused by centrifugal force.
When I found a a deep scratch on my putter face, I changed to the Odyssey White Hot RX V-Line Fang putter about 12 years ago and never found a need to upgrade. This putter is like a mallet which widens the sweet spot but with the 'sabre tooth' feature that makes it easy to pick up the ball.
Again, once you have found a good putter there is no need to keep upgrading. Instead, work on your putting swing and tricks in getting line and length right.
Write to me for some very good putting tips that have served me very well.
