Why this was our most popular gear hack story of 2025

If you’re anything like me, you live in a constant state of fear of leaving something on the table when it comes to your golf equipment.

And apparently, a lot of you are, because our most read gear story from 2025 was about the three gear mistakes we see hobbyists make the most.

That’s apart from thinking you’re not good enough to get fit – which, spoiler alert, you are! We’re talking about mistakes that come from building your bag, like playing a set of irons it won’t give you stopping power on the greens for accuracy, or set up your driver to give you maximum clearance only in certain situations.

Then there is the one thing that fitters want to see because it makes their job easier, which is when golfers have multiple clubs that go the same distance!

If you’re guilty of any of these gear mistakes, fear not! You are not alone and we explain how to fix them below.

1. Distance priority over handrail control

As many players have noticed, iron lofts have gotten stronger and stronger over the years. While Tiger Woods still plays a 49-degree pitching wedge—a more common setup from the 80s, 90s, and earlier—many distance and game improvement sets come with pitching wedges between 42 and 45 degrees.

This can be great for some players, given the high launch technology in some of those irons. But it doesn’t work for everyone there’s a reason why many pros use weaker irons.

“Most consumers, if they’re getting in shape, they’re fitting in an indoor environment, hitting on a screen, and the main parameters they’re looking at are ball speed and total distance,” said Kris McCormack, former vice president of Tour and Education at True Spec Golf. “We know this is achieved by tighter lofts, and typically, that results in lower spin, shallower tip heights, shallower landing angles. So you’re gaining distance, but you’re sacrificing control going into the green.”

What’s the point of being able to hit an iron 180 yards if you can’t stop the ball in the fairway?

McCormack said you should look for a set of irons that allow you to get the ball high enough (at least 80 feet in the air for an 80 mph 7 iron) with a landing angle above 45 degrees so that you can land the ball on your target and make it stay there.

2. Sacrifice the yard with your driver

A similar effect occurs with your driver.

If you want the fastest ball speed, you can simply drop the loft of your driver. This can produce longer shots if you are playing in dry links conditions where the ball can run foreverbut as McCormack points out, the conditions where our ball lands are always changing.

You can have a 9 degree driver head that makes you hit 150 mph ball speed. But if your peak height is only 70 feet, this will not optimize your carry distance, which would lead to more distance on average.

However, if you have a taller driver that gets the ball higher in the air—even if it costs you 1 to 2 mph of ball speed—you’ll drive it farther and hit longer drives more often.

3. Having multiple clubs going to the same yard

Many amateurs with slower swing speeds are better off with a 4-wood or 5-wood as their longest club behind the driver – not necessarily a 3-wood.

“If they drive the ball 220 yards in the air and the average clubhead speed hangs in the mid-90s, a 3-wood off the deck carries 210 yards, but when you look at a 5-wood now all of a sudden, the five wood carries 212,” McCormack said. “Why? Because it hits the ball higher with more spin.”

The 3 wood may still end up going farther because it spins farther, but that won’t apply if the ball lands on a rough hill.

That’s why it’s best to go through a proper fit and make sure you have 5 mph of ball split speed with each club.

This remains true throughout the bag. If you can’t hit a 4-iron, at least 5 mph faster than the 5-ironthen it’s time to ditch the 4-iron and consider options like a 4-hybrid or even a 9-wood to fill the gap properly.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a convenient club location near you at True Spec Golf.

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