After years of advice from my friends (specifically that my clubs were far too short) I went to the store Sunday and purchased a new set of irons. Well, I thought I was purchasing a new set of irons. It turns out I was wrong… I had purchased mobile rocket launchers.
My old irons were good clubs. They were also 25+ years old and too small for me (as were the grips I found out). The new set… they are none of those things. I believe I was on the 3rd fairway Wednesday when I ignored the call from the Federal Aviation Administration (cause, you know, it’s rude to take calls on the golf course) which – I’m certain – was asking why I hadn’t filed the flight plan for my approach on that hole.
The results were unbelievable. When I hit my tee shot on #1 (I didn’t use them on the range at all, so this was my first shot with the clubs ever) I – quite literally – exclaimed “holy 5h!t!” This was not planned, it was a complete reaction that I didn’t realize I was doing until it was out of my mouth (because… really… that’s worse than taking a phone call in the middle of the fairway… even from the FAA). But watching that ball explode off my club was a safety-free-Tesla-coil level shock to my system. What’s more, the fatigue I was feeling in my hamstrings late in rounds vanished… a function of no longer having to squat down when addressing the ball before swinging. I’m pretty sure I just added 15 years to my golf life (and the enthusiastic approval of my friends for not using the word squat again)!
I’m going to the range tomorrow to see how consistent I can become with these new demi-god clubs. I was cautioned by the guys I bought them from that due to the length and the new grips, the left hand side of the fairway would be off limits to me for a while… and that proved to be very true (although I found the right rough quite accessible). I need to learn how to swing these clubs, some adjustments are going to be necessary. But, oh my… the potential they seem to have.
My friend, golf companion, and sometimes boss asked me if I thought new clubs make a real difference. The answer, at least in my case, an unequivocal yes!