Equipment
The most common equipment mistake Webb Simpson sees amateurs make
Warren Little/R&A
Webb Simpson plays a lot of golf with everyday golfers in pro-ams. When asked what he believes is the biggest mistake amateurs routinely make, Simpson doesn’t hesitate. “They use clubs that are too heavy,” he says. “It’s not that they’re weak, but most don’t have the proper golf muscles to swing the clubs they’re using.”
The folks at Cobra Golf agree. In conducting some tests to guide the design of its latest lightweight super-game-improvement irons, Cobra found that by reducing the graphite shaft weight from 60 grams to 55 grams, players swung the clubs about one mile per hour faster, which equates to a distance gain of roughly two yards.
In addition to lighter shafts, Simpson is in favor of everyday players using larger clubheads.
“I see a lot of mid- to high-handicappers using very small-headed irons,” he says. “They need to realize they’re going to miss a lot more shots than those hit solid. I mean, there are plenty of days I’m missing shots, too.”