The Golf Monthly team tests equipment at which golf clubs would best suit high-handicap golfers.
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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 the
00:14equipment 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. You're
00:22going 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 against hitting
01:15too many right. But for me, the one that I would definitely suggest you consider is the
01:20Ping G430SFT. It has that draw bias, but it sits nice and square down behind the ball.
01:26It's really forgiving and easy to hit. Generous, the profile down behind the ball, so it looks
01:30easy to hit, but it also offers really good distance. It's a great all-rounder for those
01:35who 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 mishits. 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
02:38is the Callaway Paradigm. There's a couple of reasons behind this. It is the largest
02:42profile head we saw out of the hybrid range, apart from the X model, which is perfect for
02:47those who slice the ball and maybe want a touch more draw bias. But this does have the
02:52adjustable hosel, meaning you can tune in certain ball flights or promote a ball flight
02:57or fight against a certain ball flight as well. And the central gravity has been lowered,
03:02meaning this golf club is really easy to hit high, and it's really forgiving on off-center
03:07hits, which 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 maximizes
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 swimmers get a digital 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're a slower-swinging golfer and
04:04you need a bit more help in getting the ball up in the air, one really good option is the
04:08Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal High Launch. It's a bit of a mouthful, but it really does perform
04:14for those slower swingers who, with the trend that we're seeing in game-improving irons
04:18getting stronger, this kind of goes against that. And I think it's really going to help
04:22slower-swinging golfers get a more playable ball flight and get the ball stopping, integrates
04:26a bit more quickly, while also getting the forgiveness off-centre that you need. This
04:30is a very user-friendly iron. It's really going to get the ball up in the air. So that's
04:33a really good option, I think, for slower-swinging high handicappers.
04:36And then my best all-rounder, I think, for all-round playability, forgiveness, looks
04:40and feel would be the Ping G430. I think this is an excellent iron for forgiveness. It's
04:46got quite a long blade length. You can see how wide the sole is. So that means it's going
04:50to give you 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
05:43one, 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.
06:07When 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
06:15the 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 given
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 to, I'll see you in the next video.