ways to make golf more affordable. Thank you for the post Justin, and we all look forward to more of your ideas.
Golfing On A Budget
I've been fortunate to be asked to write a guest post for Golf Is For Everyone. It's
fitting, I think, because I truly believe that golf really is for everyone. If you're golfing
on a budget, there are options available to allow you to enjoy this game.
The thing I do on Green Lantern Golf is to educate golfers in how to buy their clubs.
What I mean is, we're shown advertisement after advertisement for all this new gear that
will help you hit more greens, hit more fairways, and, especially, hit the ball farther. The
last part is the big seller. But does it matter? That's what I aim to help people with.
I've even been told by a major magazine equipment editor that if you're not buying the
newest gear at least every other year, you're “not really golfing”.
Excuse me?
Sorry, but I don't buy it. Golf has a specific definition in any dictionary. I've yet to
find one that says anything about ensuring you're buying the latest and (supposedly)
greatest to play the game as it's defined. Which brings me to the first point:
The Severely Limited Budget
This may scream “BUT YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO GOLF!!!”, but don't let it fool you.
You can find clubs anywhere:
• a “play it again” sports store
• a Goodwill or Salvation Army store
Deals on Ebay are another resource. No, you don't need the “latest and greatest” to hit
the ball well. You don't need the “latest and greatest” to get a good workout while
I have a friend that found a set of irons for $40 (3-PW) at a garage sale. They looked to
be from the late '70's to early '80's; they're not even a brand name I recognize! He didn't
care, though. Still uses them, in fact.
You might be wondering: but what am I leaving on the table by using an older driver?
Good question! Take a look at this:
This is a screen shot of the Trajectoware program, developed by Dave Tutelman. It's
what I use to give golfers an idea of how they'll do with a driver and/or swing at certain
parameters. We can also use it to model hypothetical situations!
In this graph, the golfer has a 90mph swing, which is slightly above average. The
golfer's using a 10.5* driver, which they swing level to the ground at impact (the 0*
angle of attack). Everything about the golf club is the same (shaft, grip, length, etc.)
except for one thing: the COR.
COR, or, Coefficient of Restitution, is the “springlike effect” of a club's face when it's
smashed into the ball. The USGA set the max at 0.83 back in 1998, and every OEM has
been making them to that (give or take, considering manufacturing tolerances) ever
In this example, however, it's 0.79. You can see it in the lower left-hand corner. This
COR is roughly that of persimmon or steel-faced models.
This golfer is going to get a max carry distance of 183.2 yards with this particular club.
Not great, but not bad, either- especially if they're playing the correct tees. Let's see
what happens if we bump the COR up to the legal limit:
The golfer's now maxing their carry out at 190.5 yards. That's 7.3 yards difference.
Are you leaving something on the table? Technically, yes... but it's not even a full
club's difference. Definitely nothing to worry yourself over!
Some fitters want to “optimize” their customers. That is, they want to find the exact
perfect launch angle and backspin rate to maximize their customer's carry distance. At
this point, save your money.
Remember, we're human beings- not robots. We don't swing the exact same way every
single time. If you're golfing on a budget, what's spending 3 hours on a “launch
monster” (as former USGA Tech Director Frank Thomas calls them) at $100-$150 an
Forget all that. Buy what you can afford, and go out and enjoy yourself!
Thanks Justin for your thoughts and views. We look forward to reading more from you.
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| Wow, I hit that new driver a long way. I love how it feels and it didn't cost me an arm and a leg. |
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