So, I’ve been messing around with my golf clubs lately, specifically my driver. I wanted to see if tweaking the length would do anything for my game. I started out by just taking some measurements of my current driver. It was pretty standard, nothing fancy.
Then I got to reading up a bit on what the pros do. Turns out, those guys on the PGA Tour are smacking the ball around 300 yards on average! That’s insane! I figured if I could just get a bit more distance, it might help me out.
I did a bunch of experiments. First I just started by trying to be more mindful of my setup. You know, just making sure I’m not doing anything silly like standing too far from the ball or whatever.
Then, I started playing around with adding a bit of length to the shaft. I would add half an inch, go hit a bucket of balls at the range, and see how it felt. It’s kind of tedious, but I was determined to figure this out. I kept a little notebook to jot down how far I was hitting it and if my shots were going straight or not.
- Added 0.5 inches: Felt a little weird, but I did get a few extra yards. Accuracy was a bit off, though.
- Added 1 inch: This was starting to feel a bit too long. I was really having to reach for the ball, and my swing felt out of whack. Distance was there, but I was spraying the ball all over the place.
- Added 1.5 inches: Okay, this was just ridiculous. I could barely make decent contact with the ball. Forget about accuracy.
After all that messing around, I decided to go back to basics. I took off all the extensions I had added and just focused on hitting the ball solid with my regular old driver. And guess what? It worked! I started hitting it straighter and further than I had been with any of those longer setups.
Ended up realizing that for me, it’s not about the length of the club, but how you use it. I mean, the pros might be able to handle those super long drivers, but for a regular guy like me, it’s all about making good contact and having a smooth swing. Maybe I won’t be hitting it 300 yards anytime soon, but I’m definitely hitting it better than before. And that’s all that really matters, right?
My takeaway
Don’t get too caught up in trying to copy what the pros do. Find what works for you and stick with it. And sometimes, the simplest solution is the best.