When To Upgrade..Honestly.....

[Locharion]

Unfortunately, since so many websites and bloggers rely on ads and click baits to get traffic, many places will say you HAVE to upgrade every three to five years.  Most of us, unless I am in the wrong place, do not have the budget to do that.  That being said, I think there are some general universals we can agree on as a sign to replace certain clubs:

1. We see the spin rates drop because of worn grooves on wedges or the face shows a LOT of wear.

2. Our shafts don't appear to be in alignment (mostly from range mat impacts)

3. Severe dings from a possible variety of reasons.

4. Over time, that clean feeling of hitting a ball starts to feel like a dull thud, and hitting newer balls doesn't change anything.

5.  For whatever reason, we start seeing a decline in distance and accuracy consistently over many rounds with certain clubs but not others so you know it is not a hand grip, swing, golf grip wear,  or ball issue.

I know there are some who want to upgrade because of aesthetic reasons or when there appears to be a such a jump in technology that it just makes sense to do so.   In general, I test some clubs on demo days now and then just to compare the feel and performance to what I already have in the bag.  As long as I don't feel there is a tremendous difference,  I don't care if my clubs are older than five years old as long as reasons 1-5 are not in play.

THAT BEING SAID...

I have two hybrids in my bag (Srixon ADs) that came out in 2005.  I have tried other models, but whether through swing technique, the mat I hit them from, feel, or performance itself,  I have not hit any in the last five years that I feel could adequately replace my 18 and 24 degree clubs when I first started to think about replacing them.  I don't know what it is about them, but I just hit better shots with those than any TaylorMade, Mizuno, Cobra, TourEdge, Nike, Callaway, Adams, or Titleist that I have tried in the last five years.  I even tried the newer Srixons/Clevelands, but I couldn't see much of a difference.  The most recent clubs I tried were the Titleist H and Callaway Rogue, and they just didn't feel right.

However, after playing a LOT of simulator golf and going to the range the last three months, I am starting to see wear on the face of these clubs, and the distances are starting to drop.  They are 15 years old, but up until recently, playing about 6-10 rounds a year, I never noticed a change.  

Is it time to let it go?  I still have a consistent swing speed of 82-87 mph with these clubs, and I still have consistent impact as far as how open or closed my club is.  I don't know whether it the size of the heads, shape of the face, material that somehow just works for me. I know I can hit my 18 degree consistently between 190 to 210 yards fairly straight depending on the lie, so that makes me hesitant.

If you are a Srixon fan or had similar experiences with a club like it, when you do upgrade your hybrid?  How can you tell if your hybrid may be worn?  Are there models that are similar you would recommend?

[Popeye64]

With irons that are 15 years old,,, yes its time to pull the trigger on a new set.
I have seen some very accomplished players playing worn out clubs shockingly well. Why??? Because they know exactly what they are going to do. If they lose some spin they simply land the ball accordingly.
Since you have been grinding away at them and you are seeing a discernable drop off. It may be that they are getting clapped out. Or it could simply be a bad habit you picked up indoors.
You mention hitting a few irons that just didnt feel right. Some of the new game improvement irons really lack a connected feel. The faces are pretty lively and the balls go a long way. I like a solid forged club but use hollow poly filled long irons because they are stupid easy to hit.
As for when to change your hybrids... If it still does all you ask of it and consistently dont touch it. Fw and Hybrids live a very long life. Even tour pros keep them way past the normal cycle of new gear. Why, because they work and they know just what they will do.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[braincramp]

I have honestly never seen a club lose distance from wearing out. Guess I don't keep mine long enough.

[Locharion]

2 hours ago, Popeye64 said:

With irons that are 15 years old,,, yes its time to pull the trigger on a new set.
I have seen some very accomplished players playing worn out clubs shockingly well. Why??? Because they know exactly what they are going to do. If they lose some spin they simply land the ball accordingly.
Since you have been grinding away at them and you are seeing a discernable drop off. It may be that they are getting clapped out. Or it could simply be a bad habit you picked up indoors.
You mention hitting a few irons that just didnt feel right. Some of the new game improvement irons really lack a connected feel. The faces are pretty lively and the balls go a long way. I like a solid forged club but use hollow poly filled long irons because they are stupid easy to hit.
As for when to change your hybrids... If it still does all you ask of it and consistently dont touch it. Fw and Hybrids live a very long life. Even tour pros keep them way past the normal cycle of new gear. Why, because they work and they know just what they will do.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 

Just for clarity, my iron set is not 15 years old; it is only the hybrids.  The notes about the irons not feeling right were about the universals, I think, of when to start looking.  My first decent set were the original Callaway Big Berthas.  I knew they weren't the flashiest or newest, but they served me well for about six years until hitting them off mats felt terrible.  I am happy with my iron set (Callaway Diablos), my three year Srixon old driver, one year old putter, and I have two brand new Cleveland CBX wedges in addition to the three year old One Out Sand Wedge.  I just have not found a new hybrid that I hit that I could consistently hit cleanly.  

[silver & black]

I'm playing 8 year old irons...MP64's. I have noticed some loss of distance, but I seriously doubt it has anything to do with the clubs. I'm sure it has everything to do with me being 8 years older and developing nagging physical "things". That said, if you are playing 15 year old clubs, you will see a marked increase in performance if you upgrade to newer stuff...IMO.

[viking]

My irons , wedges and putter is 35 years old got them new in 1985 TNT (Canadian knockoff of Ping Eye 2), never even re-gripped, they are nice clubs. Putter is Slotline inertia. I tried Ping G700 last year and teh 5 iron goes 15 yards farther than mine (165 vs. 150) and first time I hit it I was about 2 inches left and 8 inches past the cup in a hole in one 9 hole tournament and I won closest to the hole for taht hole. Prize was $10,000 for every hole in one. This year it was to be 18 holes but with the shutdown doubt it will happen, would have been a total possibility of $180,000 to be won for one person but more if lots of others had holes in one.

I am more concerned with better accuracy i.e. less dispersion than distance as I found only 15 extra yards for 35 years newer clubs when all teh marketing BS would lead you to believe it would be 35-350 yards more (eg. 1 yard a year or 10 yards a year), so you know it is not true besides all data shows average golfer does nto shoot it any farther and average handi cap has been the same for 10 or 20+ years.

[viking]

Just now, viking said:

My irons , wedges and putter is 35 years old got them new in 1985 TNT (Canadian knockoff of Ping Eye 2), never even re-gripped, they are nice clubs. Putter is Slotline inertia. I tried Ping G700 last year and teh 5 iron goes 15 yards farther than mine (165 vs. 150) and first time I hit it I was about 2 inches left and 8 inches past the cup in a hole in one 9 hole tournament and I won closest to the hole for taht hole. Prize was $10,000 for every hole in one. This year it was to be 18 holes but with the shutdown doubt it will happen, would have been a total possibility of $180,000 to be won for one person but more if lots of others had holes in one.

I am more concerned with better accuracy i.e. less dispersion than distance as I found only 15 extra yards for 35 years newer clubs when all teh marketing BS would lead you to believe it would be 35-350 yards more (eg. 1 yard a year or 10 yards a year), so you know it is not true besides all data shows average golfer does nto shoot it any farther and average handi cap has been the same for 10 or 20+ years.

My whole set in 1985 cost me $1,000 (Canadian) for large bag, pull cart, Driver, 3 wood, 5 wood, irons 2-SW, putter, hat, umbrella and head-covers

[viking]

Thing that is needed most is better dispersion (accuracy) and consistent 10 yard difference between clubs just like mine are and have always been.