PGA Professional, Sam Truman advises on checking and changing your equipment this winter

CHECKING & CHANGING

YOUR EQUIPMENT THIS WINTER

The quick start guide to making sure you have the right equipment for your game this winter and a helping hand in finding new equipment that’s right for you by PGA Professional, Sam Truman

As a coach I constantly see golfers who have equipment that doesn’t help them improve. In some cases they have equipment that is physically holding them back from hitting the ball longer and/or straighter.

However, if you have equipment that you really like, or you have a specific club that always works better than anything else you try, you need to start to understand why? This will help you make better purchases in the future.

DRIVER AND WOODS Tips for finding the right driver and woods: c Get a fitting this winter with a trained fitting specialist. This will help you understand the precise set up needed in your driver from loft, length, head options (size and bias) and shaft. c Don’t be afraid to try new brands or new models. If you’ve been a fan of a certain company for many years, there may be a better option with a different brand of club. c Make sure you know what you are trying to achieve with ball flight. If you want to reduce the curve a certain way a fitting specialist can help you find a club that will work with you long term as your swing and club delivery improves.

IRON SETS How to know if your irons are right for you?

If you have played a lot of golf over the course of the last year the first thing to do is to get your clubs loft and lie checked to make sure that they are set up in the way they should be.

Have a think about what you need from your irons? Do you need more control or do you need more distance?

With the help of a fitting specialist you can either enhance your current set with a new set up (loft and lie) or a new shaft (to help increase/decrease launch or alter spin). Or alternatively you can look at new combinations of head and shaft to match your needs.

WEDGES Wedges are commonly the clubs in your bag that need to be changed and updated most frequently.

Every golfer needs a wedge with fresh enough grooves to maintain control around the greens. I would always

recommend changing your wedges every 18 months to two years so that you always have predictable spin with your pitch shots and chip shots.

A fitting specialist can also help you find the best combination of lofts and design of your wedges. They can help you match the conditions of the courses you play most frequently with the club set up that matches them. PUTTERS Most people choose their putter by liking the look of it. The danger of this is that what you like the look of may not match your tendencies as accurately as it could with a better fit putter.

There are so many ways that you can tailor a putter to an individual. Go and see a fitting specialist to understand what you would need in a putter and that can help you pinpoint the putters on the market that best match your needs.

A winter spent understanding your game and how your equipment can help propel your game forwards will have a dramatic impact come the new season in the spring. Always refer back to your coaches and a trained fitting specialist to help you make these changes.

If you need help with checking your equipment or testing something new, the trained specialists at the Surrey Golf Lab will be more than happy to give you a helping hand.

Sam Truman is a PGA Professional based at The Surrey Golf Lab, Reigate Hill Golf Club and is regarded as one of the best young performance coaches in the region. Current roles include: • Performance Coach – Hugh Marr Golf • Surrey Boys (U12’s & U14’s) and Girls (U18’s) County Coach • Elite Academy Coach for

Whitgift School Under the tutorship of European Tour Coach Hugh Marr, Sam prides himself in providing the best holistic coaching experiences for his players. Sam works with all levels of golfers from the young aspiring junior all the way up to European tour professionals. Sam is able to provide clients with access to the most up to date golf coaching technology at one of the best practice facilities in the UK Clients are exposed to Trackman club and ball tracking and also the SAM Putt Lab Analysis System in the new indoor putting studio. For more information follow Sam on: @SamTrumanGolf @SamTrumanGolf E: SamTrumanGolf@gmail.com