MGS Debates: What Equipment Mistake Holds Golfers Back The Most? 

For this week’s MGS Debates question, we asked our staff the following:

What equipment mistake holds golfers back the most? 

Sean Fairholm: Not getting fitted for their ball. I’ve heard some version of the line, “it doesn’t matter what golf ball I play because I’m not good enough to notice a difference,” dozens of times. 

That rationale makes zero sense. If anything, it’s the high-handicap players who need the most help by playing a ball that suits their game. That kind of player should be looking for every advantage possible. 

You use a golf ball on every shot. Using the wrong ball means you are starting at a deficit with each stroke you take. Yet studies show the vast majority of golfers—about 93 percent—decide not to get fitted for their ball. 

If you don’t care what ball you use, the ball probably won’t care where it’s going. 

John Barba: Not getting fitted for your putter. 

We hear this one all the time as well: “If you’re a good putter, you can putt with anything” or “If you can’t read a green, the putter doesn’t matter.” My personal favorite, of course, is the ultra-pejorative, “That ultra-expensive putter won’t stop your three-putts. You’ll still suck.”

Putter length, loft, lie and weight all matter, as do head shapes, hosel shapes and alignment aids.

The brain interprets what the eye sees when putting. If the brain sees the face as closed (whether it is or not), you’ll tend to open the face and will probably miss right. The opposite is true if you see the face as open, even when it’s not. Also, if you putt with a Nicklaus-style crouch, length, lie and head weight make a difference. Shorter putters require more headweight; otherwise, you get the stroke wobbles. 

Zero-torque putters can make a huge difference in putting, but getting the length, loft and lie right might be even more important. 

Studies show only 19 percent of serious golfers (those who play more than 16 times a year) have been fitted for a putter, even though you use the flatstick for roughly 40 percent of your strokes in a typical round. It’s the lowest ranking among fitted equipment, with wedges next at 21 percent and fairway woods at 29 percent. 

Yeah, putters are personal, and you still have to be able to read a green, but it’s not all about looks and feel. 

Chris Nickel: When it comes to equipment, what holds golfers back the most is figuring out who (or what) to blame for a poor shot. For whatever reason, golfers’ primary instinct is to blame themselves (you big dummy or such and such).

The reality is that it’s hard to shoot a crooked arrow straight—and that starts with ensuring you have the correct lie angle for every club in your bag (as Barba mentions, that includes your putter).

If the lie angle isn’t correct, you won’t be able to reliably start shots on your intended line, which makes it nearly impossible to play your best golf. 

Brittany Olizarowicz: Hanging on to gear that’s not pulling its weight anymore.

The stiff-shafted, low-launching 3-wood that used to rocket under tree limbs as your punch-out club? It’s time to let it go. Same with those blade irons you “need” to keep because of the feel around the greens.

Even pros are adding 9-woods and swapping blades for player’s distance irons. Equipment has evolved to make golf easier. But it can’t help you if you’re still rolling a 2008 putter, saying “nothing feels the same” on your way to 40 putts a round (while your buddy with a zero-torque mallet makes everything inside six feet).

You don’t get extra points for suffering. Sometimes the smartest play is admitting your equipment needs to change and realizing golf doesn’t have to be as hard as you’re making it.

Connor Lindeman: Stupid-simple, but too many golfers let their ego decide which clubs to play rather than opting for the gear that’s best for their game. We need more hybrids, 7-woods, etc. 

What do you think, MGS readers? 

Let us know your picks for what equipment mistake holds golfers back the most.