Swing into action
Before you hit the golf course this summer, ELLEN O’CONNOR discovers it’s important to take lessons, practise and invest in a good set of clubs.
Ottawa golf pro Kevin Haime says playing golf is just like playing the piano: You need the right equipment, lessons and plenty of practice before you can play a flawless rendition of Chopsticks.
“The best clubs in the world won’t help you if you don’t know how to swing the club,” says the owner of Kevin Haime Golf Centre, a premier golf school and driving range in Kanata.
So before you summon your inner Tiger Woods and head to the golf course, make sure you follow the necessary steps for success on the green.
“In springtime, a little bit of flexibility and core work is critical to get ready and a lesson or two to see yourself on video to show what the strengths and weaknesses are in your swing,” says Haime.
He uses a large projector screen to compare his students’ swing to that of a professional golfer to help them improve.
Properly fitting your equipment, practising often and taking part in a golf tournament should also be added to your checklist, says Haime, an award-winning golf instructor, who was named the Canadian PGA National Teacher of the Year in 2000.
With this complete, he recommends investing in the following five golf clubs while keeping his mantra in mind: “Used brand name is always better than new junk.”
THE DRIVER
With an oversized head and long, lightweight shaft, the driver or tee club is designed to launch the ball the longest distance off the tee. This club is the most expensive piece of equipment in your bag and retails anywhere between $200 and $500 for a good brand-name club.
“Clone clubs are designed to look like the real thing, but they are not designed to play like the real thing,” says Haime, adding, “There’s a lot of technology inside the club head and in the golf shaft that’s not going to be there if you get it from a department store.”
Buying a one- or two-year-old brand-name club is better for your swing and overall performance than a new no-name brand, he says.
IRONS
Irons are your all-purpose shortgame club and it’s crucial they’re fit to your body and swing to ensure good performance. Most irons are made to suit the average person; however, adjustments for height, weight, grip and lie angle are often necessary.
“You could spend $1,000 on a set of clubs and they’d actually make you hit your ball worse than your old set because your old set fits you better,” says Haime.
Price: Full sets of irons retail for around $1,000 and you should always be fitted by a golf pro, not a sales associate, before you buy.
WEDGES
Wedges are your most lofted club, used around the green, making them great for lob shots to get your ball out of tricky spots, like sand or tall grass. While many golfers have a sand wedge in their bag, it’s important to have a variety of lofted wedges, too.
“If you don’t get fit with specialty wedges with different lofts to hit all the shots around the green, you are really hurting your ability to play well,” says Haime. The higher the number on the wedge, the higher the loft — or the angle of the club face relative to the shaft, which determines the trajectory of the ball.
“Pay attention to your wedges because they are your scoring clubs on the green,” says Haime.
Price: New, top-of-the-line wedges retail around $100 to $150.
PUTTER
The putter, which is used to hit your ball along the flat green into the cup, is the second most expensive and important club in your bag behind the driver.
It is used on average for 35 to 40 per cent of your shots, says Haime, so it’s important that it’s the right height.
“If you hit more than one-third of your shots with one club, then you better make sure it’s a good one and it fits you and your putting stroke,” says Haime, who offers similar advice on his weekly live call-in radio show, Tee It Up.
Price: About $200 to $300 for a brand name putter.
Get fitted by a pro to ensure that the height, lie angle and loft are suited to you.
HYBRIDS
Hybrid clubs are making their way into even more golf bags these days.
A mix between a wood and an iron, a hybrid club gives you the distance and higher launch trajectory of a wood, but the swing of an iron.
It’s designed with a head in the shape and style similar to a fairway wood, making it easier to get the ball airborne and has a lower centre of gravity and a little more mass behind the golf ball.
“If you’re a casual player, a hybrid is definitely easier to hit with than a long iron is,” says Haime.
Price: A hybrid club will replace your relative long iron in your bag and retails between $100 and $250.