When Is It Time to Buy New Golf Clubs?

Buying a new golf club set is now a very large investment with sets costing as much as $2000 or more. But, when is the correct time to ditch the old clubs and invest in a new set?

This article will help with that major purchase decision.

New golf clubs are a major purchase. And as a nonperishable good, golf clubs should be expected to last a very long time. Other major purchases tend to wear out. Computers are a good example. They fall into a similar price range, but software is always evolving and a computer can't keep up. Eventually it needs to be replaced.

Golf clubs have a lot more longevity. Most golfers don't get the opportunity to play often enough to wear out a set of irons. But new technological improvements are always being made, and any serious golfer is going to want to keep up with the latest and the greatest, There's a reason the PGA has been lengthening competitive courses, and it isn't just better strength and conditioning.

Technological advances in recent years include a new class of clubs called hybrids, which have heads similar to woods but feature a flatter sole and have a lie angle similar to an iron. Materials are also evolving constantly. Titanium allows for a lighter club, which translates into faster club speed the same way a lighter baseball bat gives a hitter more bat speed and more power. The science of physics comes into play as golf club manufacturers experiment with the centers of gravity, flexibility of materials, and the way the impact of club on ball distributes force. Doppler radar is even used in golf club development, to track the flight of golf balls under different conditions. Eventually, any golfer is going to want the new and improved clubs, whether to remain competitive or simply to make the game more enjoyable and less frustrating.

Leading golf club manufacturers include Adams Golf, Callaway, Mizuno Golf, and TaylorMade. All four manufacturers are keeping up to date with the advances in golf club technology. Adams Golf has a new, state of the art Speedline Tech drivers, based on aerodymanic shaping and lightweight, cutting edge materials. Adams Golf advertises that the Speedline Tech driver will give a golfer 11 yards of additional distance.

Callaway might be the most famous brands. Due to its large advertising presence, even many non golfers have heard of Callaway golf clubs. The Callaway Razr Fit driver has a futuristic look and is the company's first adjustable driver. Adjustability allows the center of gravity to be tweaked, thereby changing the trajectory of the ball. Callaway promotes the Razr Fit with the tagline "The most advanced driver in golf. Period."

Mizuno features the MP-59 line of golf clubs. The Mizuno MP 59 Iron Set is made with lightweight titanium and is carefully designed to have a larger sweet spot. Mizuno is also one of the leaders in customized club fitting. Taking a few swings with a Mizuno shaft optimizer will allow their experts to identify the right equipment for your swing. This is a very high tech process. What once required a lot of trial and error can now be accomplished with computer analysis.

Finally, TaylorMade offers high tech adjustable clubs. TaylorMade advertises that its best clubs can give a golfer 17 extra yards on a drive. The TaylorMade RS11 driver has an adjustable head, face, and center of gravity to optimize the club for the specific shot that needs to be made.

Bottom line is if it has been over 5 years since you've upgraded your equipment it is probably a good time to start upgrading. The first item you should upgrade to is a hybrid club. Get rid of your hard to hit long irons such as the 2-iron, 3-iron or even 4-iron and replace them with a hybrid club. Hybrid clubs are much easier to hit and hit the ball higher and longer then long irons.

The second item to upgrade should be your woods. The driver and fairway wood technology has advanced further than the iron technology. Plus as courses get longer, increased distance becomes a more important factor in enjoying the game. Lastly, your iron set should be upgraded. Recently, club manufacturers have started to focus on making more technological advances to irons to make them easier to hit. The new TaylorMade RocketBallz iron set was inspired by metal wood construction. Meaning it was engineered for extreme distance and pinpoint accuracy.