Golf Clubs And Equipment For High Handicappers

Golf Monthly

The Golf Monthly team tests equipment at which golf clubs would best suit high-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 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.

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