AskMyGolfSpy Vol. 27

Welcome back to another edition of #AskMyGolfSpy where readers like you submit your questions to our experts here at MGS. You can pass along your questions to the team on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or right here in the comments section below!

Normally it’s Tony Covey answering your questions, but today, we’ve turned it over to the other half of the No Putts Given team, Chris Nickel.

I travel a bunch for work and always wondered if I should do something different with my equipment based on where I play? – Jeremy Sanborn.

Short answer – Yes.

Longer answer. Some adaptations are likely to benefit most golfers while others might feel a bit extra. With that, here’s a quick overview of tweaks worth considering:

• Change your ball. I know, you’re probably thinking that after our first mega ball test, one of the key learnings was “Find a ball and play only that ball.” That’s still sound advice, but with a caveat. At significantly higher elevations, playing a ball with more spin is likely a good idea. Put differently, spin is your friend and there’s less resistance in the air than there is on the ground. In my case, the Titleist ProV1x is an ideal ball when I play in Colorado at 5,000 above sea level. But when I travel to either coast, I swap out the Pro V1x for the lower-launching, lower-spinning ProV1. 
  
• A different way to achieve a similar result is to change the settings on your driver. Increasing the loft on your driver will increase the trajectory, peak height and spin. Decreasing the loft will have the opposite effect. It might take some trial and error to find the optimal adjustment, but that’s all part of the fun, right? 
  
• Often when you travel, you find yourself in unfamiliar conditions. A high-end rangefinder such as the Bushnell Pro X3 can calibrate shot distance based on environmental factors such as temperature, barometric pressure and slope to provide an accurate “plays as” distance. But, at $600, it’s a bit pricey. If that’s out of range, a quick dive into the app store generated roughly 1,540 options. Or, if you own an abacus or routinely work out math problems without pencil and paper:
  • Adjust +/- 2 yards (carry) for every 10° increase/decrease in temperature off the driver. 
  • Adjust +/- 2% carry distance for every increase/decrease of 1,000 ft of elevation change.
  • Remember that increase in humidity will cause the ball to fly marginally farther, NOT shorter.
• If you’re playing in windy conditions, a hurting wind is roughly 1.5X more penal than the same amount of helping wind. For example, if a 10 MPH tailwind causes an increased carry of 10 yards, the same amount of headwind would decrease carry by 15 yards. 
  
• If we really want to get carried away, we can talk about swapping out equipment as well. This one probably only applies to competitive golfers (dare I even suggest those engaged in elite levels of competition). But depending on the course setup, weather conditions, expected wind direction, etc. it might make sense to alter which 14 clubs are in your bag. PING has a handy tool called “Co-Pilot” which may become consumer-facing at some point, but for now, is reserved for its staff of fitters. What Co-Pilot does is allow fitters to show golfers the expected change in trajectory and carry distance when swapping out clubs, without hitting a shot. Yeah, and you thought ChatGPT was cool. 

I recently got fitted for a new set of irons and the fitter/salesperson was really pushing me to get my clubs “pured.” Is it worth it?

When it comes to other people’s money, the only truth is that it’s easy for someone else to spend it. Ultimately, it’s a case of whether or not you believe the cost of the service is worth whatever benefit you’re getting from it (or believe that you’re getting from it).

Now, if you’re asking me, personally, it’s a resounding “hell no.” Here’s why. 

The largest proponents of this service are often club fitters/builders who stand to make a healthy margin on the service. And, no doubt there are golfers who don’t mind paying a bit more for the peace of mind knowing that they’ve done everything possible to eliminate any manufacturing inconsistencies.

That aside, shaft manufacturers will tell you that it isn’t necessary, particularly on high-end shafts that are thoroughly tested for concentricity. Moreover, in speaking with several industry insiders, some of which have examined and tested this topic, the consensus seems to be that juice (AKA, your money) isn’t worth the squeeze.

Also, consider that with any adjustable hosel, should you decide to change the loft/lie, it can change the orientation of the shaft, which essentially eliminates any benefit associated with the “puring” process. 

Bottom line: The quality and consistency of both steel and composite shafts have markedly improved over time. But, as with every purchase, it’s an individual decision. If it’s me, I’m saving that money and buying a couple of extra pints of ice cream. 

Should I work the ball or always try to hit the same shot over and over? 

Well, isn’t this a nice little can o’ worms? It depends on who you ask – and you’re likely going to get conflicting information pending your source of information.

It’s fun to try different shots on the range or attempt Tiger’s “9 window” drill. You know the one – three shot shapes (straight, draw, fade) on three trajectories (low, middle, high). But is this level of mastery necessary to play golf at an elite level? 

I don’t think so. Plenty of golfers with storied careers on the PGA Tour (even some major winners) defer to predominantly a single shot shape. And if it’s true at this level, it’s certainly true for almost everyone reading this. 

Frankly, amateur golfers would be best served if they would commit to the following three pieces of advice:

1. Know how far you actually hit each club in your bag.
2. Play a single shot shape, keeping in mind it can vary based on the club. For example, you might fade the ball with a driver, but play a draw with your irons.
3. Pick optimal targets based on your distance and shot pattern. 

If this sounds a lot like Scott Fawcett’s DECADE system, it should.

Like Ron Burgandy said …

Here’s the caveat. At the most elite levels, some golfers do successfully work the ball on different trajectories and routinely alter shot shape. I’m sure many golfers try to “work” the ball, but the total number of professional players that should, can, and do work the ball is small. Just spit-balling, I’d put the number somewhere between faces on Mt. Rushmore and movies in the Police Academy franchise. 

I’m not sure where this last nugget of wisdom fits best, but scientifically speaking there’s no reason not to try and hit the ball as straight as possible. Generally speaking, straighter = longer. 

How much distance should I have between clubs? 

We’ll finish up with a quick one. If you’re not sure, a great starting point is to take your 7-iron ball speed, divide by 10 and that’s your baseline. So, if you have a 7-iron ball speed of 120 MPH, the distance gap between each club (irons/wedges) should be 12 yards. 

More Questions?

As always, if you have any questions for the MGS crew – drop them below for a chance to be featured in next week’s #AskMyGolfSpy!