why tour pros switch CLubs - and how it affects you!
MONEY. That’s not the whole story, but it’s a large part. Very few players turn down multi-million dollar club contracts. But sometimes players will blow up their contracts to play a club they think could earn them more prize money, more on that later...
Some of the stipulations in a player contract will include playing the latest model of woods/irons/wedges. There’s a little wiggle room, but not much.
A prized non-negotiable multi-million dollar BRAND spot is the putter, as it gets the most TV time. The only time manufacturers will renege on that clause is if a Tour/Major winner has been playing with a certain putter model since they were a kid.
When do things ‘go wrong’? Rory McIlroy famously complained about having to play the new Taylormade driver head (for high-speed tour players dialing in spin numbers on driver misses can take some tweaking) and a player like Bubba Watson has refused to switch to newer irons, instead staying with his discontinued line of S-55 irons from PING. Recently Nelly Korda tossed her (multi-million dollar contract) prescribed driver aside for her old trusty Titleist TSR1 head, gasps were heard on the range. For tour pros switching from a club you trust and have performed well with to an ‘unknown entity’ (even if it has been vetted with data to be better) might be too big a psychological barrier to cross. We all know how mental this game can be…
Then we have the purists, players like Matt Fitzpatrick, Patrick Cantlay, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Rose, and a growing legion of players who turn down seven-figure endorsement deals because they want to be able to try any/all equipment, often committing to a mixed bag of brands to make up their set of 14 clubs.
HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU?
Firstly, if a club company calls and offers you several million dollars to use their equipment, say yes and thank you! (caveat, be a Top100 player in the world)
Secondly, if no one is calling, then you should probably know, it’s HIGHLY unlikely 1 club brand/manufacturer will produce the quantifiable best results for every club slot in your bag. Accurate measurement matters, and so does testing a multitude of components. That’s why we use high-tech launch monitors, premium golf balls, and several hundred shaft and head combinations that our fitters refine to a short list of clubs that suit your swing, optimal delivery metrics, budget, and goals.
Want to hit it further, we can help you do that. Want to hit it straighter, we can help with that. Want to get out of sticky lies around the green, we’ve got you covered. Want to roll your putts more consistently, come and see us.
Be wary of BRAND-specific ‘custom fittings’, where all you get to do is hit clubs from one manufacturer. Or fittings that use range balls, or fitters that only have a couple different shafts/heads for you to try, or launch monitors that seem to be ‘giving you’ an extra 20 yards of carry through the bag, launch monitor settings can be manipulated. If you’re going to spend the time and money on this game you love, GET CUSTOM FIT PROPERLY from a credible club fitter.
Newer isn’t always better. Many tour pros continue to use discontinued lines from their equipment sponsor, Henrik Stenson famously used a 3wood and shaft combo, as well as a set of Callway irons, that had been out of production for almost a decade when he won The Open Championship.
We always test your current gamers, and on some rare occasions a club might work so well for you that switching to the ‘newest model’ produces negligible gains. We act as your equipment agent, while some companies sell clubs, we sell peace of mind and golf performance, whatever gets you playing your best is the only thing that we care about.
That’s why we also offer loft and lie angle adjustments, general repairs or re-shafting, know-your-numbers gapping sessions, putting assessments, quarterly or yearly coaching memberships, and more. If you love golf, then you’ll love visiting The Golf Performance Project.
If you have any more questions, feel free to give us a call or email getbetter@thegolfproject.ca