Sticks & Stones: Matching golfers with products

By Kiel T. Christianson,

Senior Writer

BOSTON (May 22, 2003) -- Welcome to the first installment of Sticks & Stones, TravelGolf.com's new monthly equipment report. The report is thus named because golf clubs and balls can not only break your bones if improperly used, they most certainly can break your budget if imprudently purchased. The aim of Sticks & Stones is to help readers navigate the gauntlet of ever more sophisticated - and expensive - equipment and come out the other end unscathed.

The plan is to compile updates of new product information from both big-name and emerging manufacturers. The philosophy is simple: Players like what they like. I've met a Nike Tour, er, Buy.com Tour, er, Nationwide Tour player who won a tournament using a $15 putter purchased at K-Mart.

I've met once-a-week players who can blast their persimmon drivers 270 yards. And I've met mediocre players who swear by their custom-built $2,000 forged irons.

In short, every club, every ball, every practice aid (well, almost every practice aid) out there has some subset of golfers whose game it fits perfectly. The trick is finding the right equipment for your individual game, and taste. So think of this column as a kind of matchmaker service for golfers and golf products. Just please remember to practice safe golf.

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