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Article: What Albert Einstein Can Teach You about Buying Golf Equipment
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Imagination is more important than knowledge.
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~ Albert Einstein
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Physics is the basis for new golf club designs.
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And when it's time to put some new clubs in your bag understanding those design concepts may have you thinking: Hey, I'm no Einstein!
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But really, who better to emulate when you're looking to find the right equipment?
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The “science” behind club fitting has a lot of us convinced that finding the right clubs is a matter of buying by numbers. But we all know it doesn't always work that way.
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And Einstein realized that most breakthroughs occur when you open up your imagination and let your creative side out of the box.
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So why don’t we see how Albert Einstein might approach the job of finding the right equipment to get your game firing on all cylinders?
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Searching out formulas for equipment that works...
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Einstein was famous for creating “thought experiments” to prove his hypotheses. When you're dealing with theory a thought experiment is the only option you have.
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Luckily, our experiments don't have to be that conceptual. The clubs you need for a little creative analysis can be found at most golf shops and practice ranges. And you can learn a lot about what works and what doesn’t with a little experimentation using a variety of clubs as reference points.
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Here are some examples that illustrate the point...
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Finding irons that don't fight your swing...
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You know that to have a chance at making pars, you need to hit more greens. And to hit more greens, it helps if you have irons you have confidence in.
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One way to get a handle on it is to demo the same iron model with two completely different shafts. If you normally play regular flex graphite, try the same iron in a stiff flex Dynamic Gold, or Rifle shaft for comparison.
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The heavier shafts may not work for you, but you’ll probably learn something about shafts and how they affect performance.
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Put some impact tape on the soles of both irons and you’ll see how a shaft’s design affects an iron’s lie angle. You might be surprised to learn that the same standard length 7 iron gives you two different lie angle readings. More than likely, the graphite shafted demo may need to be adjusted with a more upright lie angle.
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The reason may be due to toe droop with the graphite shafted version. Those shafts may bend a little more at impact due to its more flexible tip section.
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The lesson?
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Without a little experimentation, you could walk out the door with irons that simply don’t work.
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And, you may uncover more basic issues that need correction.
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A flat lie angle might mean your irons should be adjusted, or maybe it’s your swing that needs tweaking. It’s not that uncommon for a player to get too steep in the downswing making it appear that a club’s lie angel is too flat. Your irons are telling you something.
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But it’s up to you what happens from here. I tend to lean toward delving into the swing to eliminate that as a variable, but if you’re certain your fundamentals are sound, a lie angle adjustment can work wonders to straighten out wayward shots.
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It pays to be open minded...
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You want to hit longer drives, right? Most golfers do. That’s why it makes sense to look to tried and true club fitting formulas when beginning a search for a new driver.
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Almost all drivers sold off the rack are built to lengths of 45.5” or 46”. But it may not make sense to limit yourself to those specs. Experiment with shorter or longer drivers.
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While it's true that most players actually hit the ball longer with a 44.5” driver over a 45.5” one, I've seen my share of cases where some seniors actually get the best blend of distance and accuracy from driver lengths of 46” or more.
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And while long drivers like Jason Zubak use 48” drivers in LDA competitions, Bubba Watson, uses a 44” driver and has the longest driving average on the PGA Tour. Go figure.
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The same advice holds true for finding a putter that works. Have you ever gotten to the point where every putt looks like a long and winding road? For every player that has success with a standard 34” or 35” putter, there's another that will do much better with a 32” or even 51” flatstick.
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And a drastic change in your putter's specs may be exactly what your ailing putting game needs. A quick look at the professional tours can give you an idea of the variation that truly great putters have in their equipment. Phil Mickelson uses a 32” putter, while Tim Clark's is 49” or 50”.
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There's no reason to keep struggling with a “standard” length putter when a simple change in club length is what you really need.
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The point is, every golfer is unique. And trying to find the right equipment in a sea of “standard” offerings can be a frustrating experience.
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So what's the secret for finding those magic sticks?
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Take some advice from Albert Einstein and use a little imagination and experimentation; you never know what will work and what won't until you try.
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Subscribe to The Golf Connexion the free newsletter that helps you find the right equipment and shoot lower scores.
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