BUY BETTER, PLAY BETTER
For anybody in the market for new golf equipment, the start of the year is always an exciting time, with all the main manufacturers launching shiny new gear. This year’s buzzword across all the brands is most definitely ‘speed’, especially in the driver category, where engineers are working to deliver enhanced ball speeds that in turn should result in more distance.
Claimed gains are being achieved through fusing materials, improved aerodynamics and, in the case of Callaway’s new Epic Flash metalwoods, a clubface design that is the product of an $8million super computer. It might sound like marketing hype, but in our testing using state-of-the-art launch monitors, we’ve seen genuine increases in ball speed from all the major brands’ 2019 drivers when compared with the models they’re replacing.
You won’t be surprised to hear all this innovation comes at a cost, and a number of the driver launches this year come with a price tag of £500. Given where driver prices were five years ago, it seems a very significant jump and with that comes a warning. If you’re thinking of buying new gear this year, we strongly recommend that you get custom fitted.
Making such a sizeable investment and not ensuring that a) the design of the club is right for your game and b) the loft, lie, shaft and grip are optimised for your physique and swing is frankly madness.
If you’ve never been fitted before, the process can seem a little daunting. Hitting balls under the scrutiny of a fitter with a launch monitor spitting out a myriad of numbers can be baffling to the uninitiated. The good news is a little knowledge goes a long way, so to find out more I went to see one of the world’s leading experts, Derek Murray of Foregolf in Ireland.
What Derek doesn’t know about fitting, and indeed club building, isn’t worth knowing, so if you’re in the market for new gear this year (or just want to gain a better understanding of the topic) turn to page 50. Armed with some nuggets from Derek, we’re confident you’ll be able to make more informed buying choices and hopefully be playing better golf in 2019.