The golf equipment space is sometimes a complicated area for amateurs to wrap their heads around. Luckily, there are experts to help us out.
One of them is Marty Jertson, Ping’s VP of fitting and performance, who was a recent guest on a pair of GOLF podcasts: Fully Equipped and Subpar.
He discussed a variety of topics on both, but during the Subpar interview co-host Drew Stoltz asked him for a tip for the average player: If there was one simple thing an amateur could do to their clubs or setup to get better, what would it be?
“My brain went to what are the most important clubs for scoring,” Jertson said. “And it’s the driver No. 1 and the putter No. 2. I would say driver. Getting the right launch conditions on your driver, getting the right ball speed, launch, spin, the right length and max out your driver. It’s like the most important club for scoring. You hit it on nearly every hole.
“Statistically, strokes gained, all that stuff, however you want to look at it, it’s getting the right launch conditions in your driver,” he continued. “That’s like the lowest-hanging fruit.”
There you have it, from an expert: get your driver dialed. And the best way to do that is through a proper fitting.
You can listen to the entire Subpar interview below.
As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.