6 Telltale Signs You Need New Golf Clubs

I think we can all agree, golf is tough! So, as a former club fitter, I implore you not to make it even harder by missing some telltale signs that your golf equipment may be halting your progress.

Based on my years of experience, here are some very easy ways of testing whether your equipment is working for you in the right way or against you…

1. Uneven Divots

Divots can tell us so much about the performance of our irons, so the next time you are repairing one, be sure to just have a quick glance down, as there is some valuable information up for grabs.

Firstly, check the length and depth of the hole you have left in the ground. This will vary a little from player to player with differing attack angles, and also with ground conditions, but it will be quickly apparent if you are digging very steeply into the turf. This could well be a swing flaw, but it could also be an indication that a club with either more bounce or a wider sole could help to mitigate that.

Secondly, check for uniformity of depth from heel to toe of your divots. If you see it tilting one way or the other, there is a very good chance your iron is not bottoming out flush with the ground, and it may be time to visit the pro shop and check your lie angles.

2. Problem Holes

Do you have that one hole on the golf course that seems to wreck your scorecard almost without fail? Well, that could be another sign that your golf equipment isn’t set up correctly to achieve your goals.

For example, at a golf course I regularly play, I have such a hole. It is a long par 4 with a bunker right in the center of the fairway. Unless it is downwind, I can’t carry it with my driver, and my 3-wood would run into it. Ordinarily, my next club in the bag would be a 3-iron, and my only viable option to avoid the bunker here. However, that leaves me a long way back of said bunker, making for a very challenging approach shot.

As such, when I am playing this golf course nowadays, I ensure I have my utility iron with me. This allows me to get another 15 yards up the fairway - making the second shot significantly easier - while remaining just short of the trouble.

Think carefully about where you play. Could your bag setup be slightly altered to improve your chances of success on a bothersome hole? It may not be a utility iron for you; it may be a lofted fairway wood in place of a long iron to help you hold that tricky par three over water.

Whatever it is, don’t let your set makeup leave you short of options.

3. Clunky Wedges

Many courses around the world are heading into the winter season, and on most of these courses, the ground conditions are really starting to soften up.

A mistake I see so often here is golfers expecting their summer wedge set up to perform just the same in December, and unfortunately, it's just not realistic.

A wedge with a wider sole, and/or more bounce is very often a much better option at this time of year to help give you a little more insurance on some of those chips and pitch shots that you may catch a little heavy.

If you are not in a position financially to have two sets of wedges to cope with these changeable conditions, a little more thought on how you space bounce in your wedges could be prudent.

For example, world number one Scottie Scheffler has a 4° bounce lob wedge, coupled with a 14° bounce sand wedge. This setup allows him maximum versatility in all sorts of situations. When it is firm and tight, you will often find Scheffler pitching with his 60°, and similarly, when conditions soften up, the 56° wedge sees much more usage.

This is well worth some thought for golfers of all levels.

4. Inconsistent Roll On The Greens

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Is your speed control from long range on the greens a little suspect? Well, before you start blaming yourself entirely, it may be worth a little check of your putter loft.

The direct consequence of incorrect loft is devastating to speed control, particularly on lag putts. If the loft is too low for your stroke, the ball doesn’t get above the grass quickly enough and can hop unpredictably, delaying the transition to a true roll. This delay means you lose initial kinetic energy to friction, requiring you to hit the ball significantly harder than intended to cover the required distance. Conversely, if the loft is too high, the ball launches too high, causing excessive air time and friction upon landing, again disrupting consistent energy transfer.

A great way of checking the loft of your putter is by using your smartphone to record a slow-motion video from face on of impact. Marking a line or cross on the side of the ball facing the camera, you will soon see if anything is amiss.

In an ideal world (generally, depending on a few things) you would want to see the line staying very stable for the first 12 inches or so of the putt. If the line is spinning backwards, this indicates too much loft, and if it immediately starts rolling, then there is a good chance your loft is insufficient for your delivery.

5. Strange Start Lines

Have you ever made what feels like a really good swing and connection with an iron, only to look up and see the ball flying in a completely different direction than what you expected? This could be an indication of a wrong lie angle.

Incorrect lie angle is one of the most common fitting faults that directly compromises a golfer's intended starting line, particularly with irons. When a club's lie angle is too upright for the player's swing, the club's toe lifts at impact, causing the loft of the club to point left (for a right-handed golfer).

This effectively closes the clubface, resulting in the ball launching consistently left of the target line. Conversely, if the lie angle is too flat for the player, the toe drops at impact, causing the heel to lift and the effective loft of the clubface to point right.

Because the clubface angle is the primary determinant of initial ball direction, even a small error of 1 or 2 degrees in the dynamic lie angle can translate into a significant directional miss that is impossible for the golfer to correct with their swing.

A good way of checking this yourself is to simply draw a permanent, vertical pen line (as straight as possible) on the backside of the golf ball (where you will be making contact). This will leave a very clear line on the face of your golf club after impact and give you a really strong indication of the way your club is interacting with the ball.

Anything other than perfectly vertical here, it is time to head to the pro shop!

6. 'Good' Short Putts Don't Go In

The alignment aid on a putter is fundamentally the last piece of the pre-shot routine that confirms the golfer's aiming direction, acting as a crucial interface between the brain and the target line.

The challenge lies in the fact that different players' eyes respond uniquely to different visual cues. A bold, thick line running the length of a mallet might offer tremendous confidence and target lock for one player, who perceives it as an extension of the line they drew on the ball. Yet, that exact same cue might cause a secondary player's eyes to misalign.

Consequently, the importance of fitting the correct alignment aid is paramount: some players require simple, single dots or thin lines; others need multiple parallel lines to frame the ball; and an elite few prefer no aids at all, relying solely on the geometry of the putter's head and its topline to establish their starting direction.

A great way to check this yourself is to have a chat with the pro at your local course and ask if you can borrow a handful of putters with a variety of different alignment setups, and head to the putting green. The pro need not panic, as you don’t even need to hit any putts for this!

Grab a friend, get yourself set up over a 6-10-foot putt, and when you are comfortable that you are aiming in the dead center of the hole, ask them to take a picture down the line on their smartphone. It will soon become very apparent, looking back at the pictures, as to what type of alignment aid will suit you best.

So there you have it, the 6 biggest signs you might be using the wrong clubs. Have we missed any? Let us know down in the comments below.