Biggest single equipment change that helped your score

[b.mattay]

2 hours ago, RogerinNewZealand said:

Wow. You are not hoing enough, in a courteous tone... Examples putter/ putter grip/ putter alighnment 2 hour lesson 6 years ago/ 33.5 to 34inch vs 35 inch/ focus on 15 to 20m long puts for true alignment and where your Eye Sight is looking. Must be a new 5 wood or 4 wood thats made a difference? In last 5 years?  Just my thoughts. Best regards, Roger

Confused, I am 

[ewaldbeukes]

Went to a Broomhandle length putter - 5 shots a round. Easy. Back is so much better too

[PowerCobra98]

I could point to a few different equipment changes I made this past year that really helped my game.  Equipment is important obviously but for me the biggest thing that made a noticeable difference is simply playing "smart" golf.  I stopped making stupid decisions and started playing the odds/percentages and 9 times out of 10 it always works out better.  I can easily say playing smart dropped 5 shots off my rounds and that's not an exaggeration.  

 

I'll give you 2 examples.  My course has four Par 5 holes.  I stopped trying to "go for the green in 2" on three of those holes.  Most of the time what that led to was my hitting the green in regulation and at least having an attempt at a birdie putt or walking off with par.  Conversely prior to changing that strategy I would always try to go for it and would lose the shots into water or OB.  Sure I can still walk off with a double sometimes but those happen very few and far between.  The other example is a short par 4 where I could hit the green with a good drive but most often it would end in disaster because it's tight hole with OB left and right.  I started to just hit an iron off the tee and then have a wedge into the green.  Once again I was left with many birdie attempts instead of penalty strokes.  

 

I'm a firm believer now in "play the game first" and then "play the clubs". 

[RainShadow]

Putter fitting. 

Went from 34" blade/Anser heads that I played since I was a kid,  to a 33" Fang type mallet with some toe hang.

I'd say it's knocked 2-2.5 strokes off my scores consistently.

I used to be a bad putting round would have 36 putts, now that many is extremely rare.

I was a pretty decent putter before, for a 7-10 handicap, but I've had more sub 30 putt rounds in the past year since changing then I ever have.

Now, If I could just improve my iron play ( miss too many greens ) and bunker play ( I get out ok, but rarely close to the hole, but getting better ).

 

 

[hitnfades]

2 items for me over this past year:

 

1 - Putter - Toulon Atlanta DB from the Garage has really helped my putting. There are some pics out there of this putter on the site. Plus, buying a putting mat vs the carpet at home makes a big difference for speed control/line for me. 

 

2- Shafts in the top of my bag. I play various models now of GD Tour AD’s in my Callaway driver, 3W, UW’s and utility irons. These have really helped my long game from the tee or into the green. (Models - DI, IZ, UB and DI hybrid) 

[jholz]

I can't deny that upgrading my irons has certainly helped my game. Went from CG7 Tours to i210s with a better shaft fit.

 

Took irons from a weakness to something I can rely upon. That, and some swing improvements too.

[Tinkerer]

A number of key changes, all shafts now stiff has made a huge change. Added to that my top of the bag shafts are all Hzrdus 6.0 instead of a mix.

 

Better course management has made a big difference along with a chipping lesson that saved 5 shots a round. If I had to nominate one change that really made a difference, swapping  a 3 wood to a 16 degree Srixon ZX 2 hybrid that I can hit from anywhere. Minimal loss in distance, consistency much better. 

Edited December 21, 2022 by Tinkerer

[srsbeans]

On 12/18/2022 at 8:46 AM, getitdaily said:

Stealth+ driver and 8i shafts in wedges 

 

They were both about equal this year.

 

do you play them at 8i length as well?  what does that do to the swing weights or are you ok with it feeling heavy? are your 9i and pw shorter then your higher lofted wedges?

[getitdaily]

5 minutes ago, srsbeans said:

 

do you play them at 8i length as well?  what does that do to the swing weights or are you ok with it feeling heavy? are your 9i and pw shorter then your higher lofted wedges?

They are played at wedge length. 

[BagofToast]

9 minutes ago, srsbeans said:

 

do you play them at 8i length as well?  what does that do to the swing weights or are you ok with it feeling heavy? are your 9i and pw shorter then your higher lofted wedges?

It’s the wedge spinner trick, there’s a thread on it in club techs I believe. 

[wakit300]

1 - removing 4-iron, adding Utility iron (4-5 years ago)

2 - 2021 switching from 3-wood to 5-wood (adjusted to 17°)

Edited December 21, 2022 by wakit300

[M_B_H]

The purchase of a SC Special Select Del Mar putter earlier this year. I customized it after a putter fitting to my specs and it has enabled me to have so much more confidence in making putts of all lengths. It was/is certainly a game changer for me. 

[roxald]

Added the Epic Flash 7-wood to the bag.

Can hit it 230-245, high or low.

super consistent and my most used club off the Tee on Par 4s.

Just money!  
 

Rox

[JohnCents]

SAM PuttLab Putter Fitting and getting the right length dropped 2-4 strokes per round immediately.

[Cwing]

Easy. Practice with a Seemore putter. Hide the dot and practice even if it’s not you gamer. It improves your aim and your stoke if you use the dot as intended.

[CBraynor]

Lab b.2 for sure. Got my handicap down to an all time low putting with it. Honorable mention to my CBX Zipcore gap wedge. I’ve always been inconsistent with my gap wedge but that thing is super forgiving

[this_is_golf]

Adding a 5w and 7w. The 5w off a tee has been a huge help on tight holes or when my driver is spraying all over the place. And the 7w off the deck has filled a big gap in that 200+ yard range. 

[tbsbama]

Wedge shafts. Made the change at the first of this year going up 15 grams in weight and down a flex to regular. I do not hit full shots, only 1/2 and 3/4 shots with my 48, 52, and 56. This change has been money for me. last year par 5 scoring average was 5.10. Since this change and not going for every par 5 in two and relying on the wedge game my scoring on par 5s is down to 4.80 this year. Best change I have made in several years.

[NRJyzr]

I've had two such equipment changes, but I'll only talk about the one....

 

...which was finding out my driver equipment needs were not in the fat part of the bell curve.  The first driver I could hit worth a damm came with an unknown shaft.  It was 44.5" long, instead of the 45" and longer that were everywhere at the time (1999 and 2000).  It was noticeably heavier than previous sticks I'd hit.  No flex labelling I could see.

 

When I regripped the club that winter, come to find the specs label under the grip tape.  It was 100+ grams raw weight, and the flex was 2X.  Surprise!

 

That's when I gave up on stiff shafts, and moved up the chain a bit.  (I also couldn't hit that club for six months, that 2X had gotten in my head)

 

[pjc]

Even Flow Riptide shaft and ZX5 driver.  Having some confidence in the driver again is monumental for me!

Also the CBX zip core wedges on the other end have made life around the greens playable for me.

I know, that's 2, so I am going with the driver as the single piece that has made a difference.

Edited December 22, 2022 by pjc

[Klubster]

Chipping the ball close to the hole with a 7 or 8 iron rather than trying to pitch it close with a 60 degree.

[Nateyeight]

Switching my Vokey wedges to CBX Zipcore wedges. So much easier to hit the greens on close approach shots. 

[Boise59]

Edison lob wedge….can pitch well from tight lies, heavy grass and sand.

 

The beveled sole works really well!

[Mcgeeno]

Single length irons.

 

Went from an inconsistent 4 capper who dabbled with the odd low round in 2017 to a guy with some trophies who flirts around scratch now. 

 

Simplified my swing, stance, posture and setup. Made practice easier and my confidence grew. I gained consistency and hit less bad shots.

[bluedot]

Switching to side saddle putting 8 years ago, no question.

[riehlg]

For me it was figuring out that I shouldn't be playing typical "game improvement" drivers/fairway woods. I always struggled with them and would look for the most forgiving ones but all they ever did was cause more snap hooks. My miss has always been drawing it too much or snap hooking a drive. The GI stuff was all meant to stop slices so they sat closed which just worsened my issues. Switched to something that sat neutral or even open at address and it made a world of difference. The X2Hot Pro 4W in my bag was the first one that made me realize it and then got a driver 910D2 that could be set to a fade bias which sits more open than my old Cobra and Ping drivers.

[stimpmeterp]

Gave up chasing the LS/LST/low spin heads and went to a high lofted ‘max’ driver with the righy shaft.  Gained carry distance and overall distance, eliminated the inevitable 1x blow up hole due to a bad drive, and gained massive confidence:

[GriperRiper]

one length

[Walk-it-in]

Switching from a blade to mallet putter once I discovered I had little face closure and needed face balance. I’m making more mid range putts in that 6-12 ft range and easy tap ins from distance.
 

Honorable mention to my 5W, it’s used probably 4-6 times per round and each time it’s either a fairway finder or a GIR/pin high shot on par 5s. More forgiving and higher launch than a 2i and more stable with more distance than my hybrid. 

[j3r1ch0h0l1c]

This is gonna sound a little off the wall but the biggest piece of equipment which helped my scoring was a push cart.  Once I started walking only and never riding my feel for the round improved dramatically.  I was able to not try to overswing because I had to conserve energy, my back never tightened up from the getting out of the cart to swing and then waiting 10 more minutes on the group in front of me, I could just stay loose the entire round.  Riding in a cart was horrible for my rhythm and feel and I'll never go back.

 

I wish I could say it was this club or that club but I don't think that would be the truth if I'm being honest.