hodgepodge – noun: a smorgasbord: JUMBLE (a hodgepodge of styles)
I know, a very funny word, but not at all funny when it comes to your golf equipment. This is the main problem that leads to variations in lengths, flexes and golf grips in your golf bag.
After more than ten years of customizing thousands of golfers for new golf clubs or tuning golf clubs they already own, I have come to the conclusion that these three most common problems or a combination of these problems prevent most golfers play their best golf. I will explain each one in more detail and also give you the solution.
Golf club lengths:
Golf club lengths are meant to be consistent with each other from driver to launch wedge. That is, all of these clubs are meant to feel the same, so you can simply swing them all with the same sense of weight or balance from grip to head. When one or more sticks are too long or too short, making the game incongruous, you lose the feeling of consistency throughout the game. This is the most common way to put your golf club into hodgepodge mode.
Note: Gap/Approach Wedge, Sand Wedge, and Lob Wedge(s) can be and usually do have a slightly heavier swing weight feel.
(Additional Info: Putters are/can be whatever swing weight/feel is most comfortable and most important to you.)
Golf shaft push-ups:
This is where so many people get into a lot of trouble! Because all the different golf club manufacturers use various shafts (not to mention that they have their own specifications for each individual flex per product or model), there is no set industry standard for matching apples to apples. To be frank, it’s all a dice game and even the biggest golf brands don’t pay attention to this in their product lines. Most brands that have the same model name on the driver, fairway woods, hybrids, and even their matching iron sets, have completely different specs from top to bottom! Speaking of hodgepodge!
Golf grips:
You would think this would be common sense for any fellow golfer, but ironically this is almost always overlooked and taken for granted. Simply put, if all your golf grips don’t match up, i.e. brand, model, and grip size (outer diameter), you are losing consistency across the entire set of golf clubs and therefore creating a mixing effect.
The hodgepodge solution: what to do now?
While this isn’t rocket science, you should find out what’s in your golf bag to make sure no mix-up has occurred.
First, line up all of your golf clubs flush against a wall from the driver down through their wedges and look for any significant length differences between them. Take note of any inconsistencies and write them down on paper.
Second, inspect all axles and look for a different flex indication on the axles ie: stiff (S), normal (R)
major gold (A). All of these must match for best results. Take note of any inconsistencies and write them down on paper.
Third, if the previous 2 steps are OK, now check all your holds. If they aren’t all the same, you need to reattach them to match as soon as possible and your set should be ready to go.
Finally, if steps one and two have problems, they should be resolved first by going to a certified golf club technician who knows what they are doing. These are three very simple things for him to spot and fix or let you know “how bad they really are” so you know where you stand.
It could be as simple as a little cut here, an addition of weight there, a new set of golf grips, or a few shafts. Worst case scenario or maybe best case scenario, you need to get a new set of golf clubs custom made just for you that are matched top to bottom from the start. This may be the best option, especially if your golf clubs are getting old.