The Ideal Golf Equipment For High Handicappers

  • 5 months ago
In this video, you'll hear from four members of the Golf Monthly equipment testing team from all of the main equipment categories who will give you some suggestions (and pick their favorites) from each category to make up a full golf bag ideal for higher handicap golfers.
Transcript
00:00Now, here at Golf Monthly, we test a lot of golf clubs and a lot of them are very suitable
00:04for high handicappers. Now, that's what we're going to focus on in this video. We're going
00:08to build the ultimate bag for high handicapped golfers. Now, I've gathered together all of
00:14the equipment experts here at Golf Monthly to give you some two or three recommendations
00:18on each section of the bag and we're going to build the ultimate bag for you.
00:22You're going to hear from Neil Tappan on drivers, Sam Diaf on fairways and hybrids, Joel Tabman
00:27on irons and Martin Hopley on wedges and putters. By the end, I think we're going to
00:31build a pretty comprehensive bag for you high handicapped golfers out there. Right, let's
00:36get started with drivers. Okay, so I'm going to kick things off with the driver and we've
00:41seen a whole host of really good models aimed at higher handicapped players. There's a reasonable
00:48amount of research that you'll need to do, but a few that I would call out. So if you
00:51are a slower swinger, then I would consider testing something like the Titleist TSR1.
00:57It's a lightweight design that should help you generate a little bit more clubhead speed.
01:01If you're fighting a slice, then maybe think about something like the Cobra Aerojet Max.
01:07Not only does it have a draw bias, but it also sits a little bit offset, a little bit
01:10closed so it will provide that confidence inspiring look that might help you prevent
01:14against hitting too many right. But for me, the one that I would definitely suggest you
01:18consider is the Ping G430SFT. It has that draw bias, but it sits nice and square down
01:25behind the ball. It's really forgiving and easy to hit. Generous, the profile down behind
01:30the ball so it looks easy to hit, but it also offers really good distance. It's a great
01:34all-rounder for those who are higher handicappers who are looking for that little bit more help.
01:38So when it comes to fairway woods for high handicapper golfers, any of the Max versions
01:43that are released this year are perfect. But for me personally, I think the Yonex E-Zone
01:49Elite 4 is the best offering for high handicappers this year. Now there's a few reasons as to
01:54why. The diagonal grooves on the face really do frame the ball well, very easy to align
02:00and it gives it a shallow look at address, really inspiring confidence to be able to
02:04hit it high off the deck. The large profile head also offers really high MOI, making it
02:10super forgiving on miss hits. And then they offer a premium stock shaft, which is really
02:15lightweight but also flexible and stable, allowing for higher launch, more carry and
02:20more speed. And one of the final reasons why this is perfect for a high handicapper
02:24is it is designed for an entry-level golfer and comes at a slightly cheaper price point
02:29than a lot of the premium brands. A trend we've seen in 2023 when it comes to hybrids
02:33is the larger profile heads. Now my pick for the best hybrid for high handicappers is the
02:39Callaway Paradigm. There's a couple of reasons behind this. It is the largest profile head
02:43we saw out of the hybrid range, apart from the X model, which is perfect for those who
02:48slice the ball and maybe want a touch more draw bias. But this does have the adjustable
02:52hosel, meaning you can tune in certain ball flights or promote a ball flight or fight
02:57against a certain ball flight as well. And the central gravity has been lowered, meaning
03:02this golf club is really easy to hit high and it's really forgiving on off-centre hits,
03:08which is something high handicappers will really appreciate.
03:10So when it comes to a high handicapper choosing a set of irons, I think there are some boxes
03:15that need to be ticked. The first would be it needs to be a forgiving golf club. It needs
03:19to inspire composite address and be really stable when you don't catch it out of the
03:22middle. And the second, I think it needs to offer a lot of assistance in launching the
03:26ball. I often see high handicappers struggle to get the optimum ball flight that maximises
03:30carry distance. So one that's going to help launch the ball high, I think is a really
03:34important box to tick. And I've got three options here. One that's more of a cost-effective
03:38option, one that's going to help slow swingers get additional launch, and one that's a really
03:42good all-rounder. So starting with that cost-effective option
03:45for high handicappers, I think the Wilson Dyna-Power really stands out here. For the
03:49price, you're getting an awful lot of performance. It's really, really long. It definitely gets
03:54the ball up in the air really easily, despite being quite strong in loft. And it's very
03:58forgiving as well. I think it looks pretty good as well. There's a lot of shelf appeal
04:01on this iron too. Now, if you've got a slower swinging golfer
04:04and you need a bit more help in getting the ball up in the air, one really good option
04:08is the Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal High Launch. It's a bit of a mouthful, but it really does
04:13perform for those slower swingers who, with the trend that we're seeing in game-improvement
04:18irons getting stronger, this kind of goes against that. And I think it's really going
04:21to help slower swinging golfers get a more playable ball flight and get the ball stopping
04:26into greens a bit more quickly, while also getting the forgiveness off-centre that you
04:29need. This is a very user-friendly iron. It's really going to get the ball up in the air.
04:32So that's a really good option, I think, for slower swinging high handicappers.
04:36So my best all-rounder, I think, for all-round playability, forgiveness, looks, and feel
04:41would be the Ping G430. I think this is an excellent iron for forgiveness. It's got quite
04:46a long blade length. You can see how wide the sole is. So that means it's going to give
04:50you a lot of forgiveness, both off-centre and also through the turf as well. That nice
04:53wide sole means if you do catch the ground slightly heavy, your margin for error is a
04:57little bit bigger. The feel of this iron is also really fantastic.
05:01It's got a nice, solid, stable feel to it. And its generous size means it does inspire
05:05a lot of confidence at address. That white bottom groove helps you align the face as
05:09well. So that would be my best all-round option for high-handicap golfers. But I think across
05:13these three that I've chosen, there's some really good options there to help you hit
05:16longer, more accurate iron shots. And when it comes to wedges, I think if you're a high-handicap
05:21player, then what you need is a wedge with a little bit of forgiveness. There are models
05:24on the market with some peripheral weighting and a nice wide sole. And one of the best
05:28examples is a Cleveland CBX Full Face II, which I have here. By having a sort of peripheral
05:33weighting on the club, it will match into a cavity-back set of irons, which you probably
05:36might have. And that's going to stabilize the club through impact. It tends to have
05:39a wider sole, which is going to make it a bit more forgiving. And on this particular
05:42one, we've got a bit of relief in the heel and toe to give you a little bit of versatility.
05:46And then on the face, we've got grooves that cover the entire face. And these are the same
05:50grooves that are in the RTX6, which is a better player's wedge. So you're going to get a lot
05:54of grip from that. I think it's very easy to play as well. You don't necessarily need
05:57to open and close the face so much because the sole is there to give you that forgiveness.
06:01So just stand up square, make a confident swing, and you should get the results to get
06:04you out of trouble and get the ball close to the hole.
06:06When it comes to putters for high-handicap players, I think what you're looking for is
06:10a lot of forgiveness. And you get that from these large, high MOI heads with weights in
06:14the corners. Now, there's several models that do this. You've got the PXG range, which has
06:18a lot of heads and a good choice of hosels and shafts, which you can put into that to
06:22be custom fitted. I think if you wanted a face with an insert in it, then the Odyssey
06:2611 putter is very good. It's a nice, large, very stable head. And you've also got a choice
06:31of alignment lines, whether you want a plain head or a line or a triple track marking system,
06:36which will get you pointing in the right direction.
06:38But for me, I think for this particular category, then I'd recommend the Innisys High MOI putter.
06:43It does what it says on the tin. It's a very high MOI head. It's got a nice, clean look
06:48with a nice, very stable head with weights in the corners. And the face has got an insert
06:53on it as well, and it gives very good roll. And the key thing is, it's very good value
06:57for money. You're probably going to find this for around about £150. So if you're
07:01in the market for a high MOI putter with a bit of forgiveness, that would be my choice.
07:05So there you have it, the ultimate bag for high handicappers. Hopefully, that's give
07:09you some great ideas of what you can go and test or some recommendations on what to go
07:12and try at the driving range. And depending on what part of the bag you're looking to
07:16upgrade, I think there's some great equipment there from 2023 that can help you out. What
07:21do you think? Or do you have any questions? Let us know down in the comments. And if you're
07:24looking to complete the bag with a golf ball, we've got a comprehensive guide on the best
07:29golf balls for high handicappers. I'll put that link down in the description if you just
07:32go and check out for yourself. But for now, from Black Bear Golf Club in Florida, thank
07:36you for joining me. I'll see you next time.