Putting New Gear into Play

The Right Blend

I had an interesting conversation with Gareth Lord, who is Henrik Stenson's caddie. Henrik is so good with his long clubs that he carries a driver, a 2-wood, a 4-wood, a 2-iron and a 4-iron. He has so many clubs in the top end of the bag but he only carries two wedges. He does this because he's very good there and he wants to take advantage of the long holes.

For me it is slightly different - I'm not going to gain shots by over-powering golf courses the way he does. That's why it is important for me to have longer clubs that I can hit high and get to land softly, and the 3-iron does that. That's also why I prefer to have a 5-wood because it spins a little bit more. I have always had problems hitting hybrids softly - they tend to come into the greens low, like bullets.

Distance Gapping

I'm just trying to find clubs that I can hit both high and low when I hit them softly, and to try to get the gaps right. They are always going to be a bit big at the top end of the bag. I'm going to have to handle that because I decided to have the narrow gaps in the bottom of the bag.

I have had Vokey wedges in my bag for the last few years, so that part has stayed the same. This means I can get the rest of the set-up right.

Fitting Advice

The most important thing is to get reasonable gaps and clubs you like. I often think that amateurs don't have enough loft and they don't get the ball up in the air. So my advice would be to find clubs that you're really, really happy with, that you can hit in different conditions and that help you keep the ball under control.

All the equipment nowadays goes so far so it seems unnecessary to search for those extra five yards. I'm not sure that's the best approach to getting a lower handicap. I think it's far more important to be good at the lower end of the bag and find the clubs that allow you to keep the ball in play on a consistent basis.