I’ve been playing golf for over 25 years now. My game has gone through several iterations, with many highs and even more lows, and I am not talking about the score! My golf equipment has also evolved over the years, which until lately, I mostly owe to my dad. Everything I know about golf, including the different gear I have used, I have him to thank. Not only that, he was the one who cultivated my passion for the game and was always someone who I could play with over the years. Below are just small insights into the memories I have using the golf equipment I have played with over the years. I hope my stories give just a little view into my connection with the game and inspire those looking to play.

My First Set (1998 – 2002)

It was Christmas 1998. At just 13 years old, my parents decided to buy me a brand new golf bag complete with woods and irons. I can’t remember the brand but it didn’t matter. Being a beginner golfer at the time, these off-brand set of irons were actually sized for my short-ish stature (I was 6’0 at the time!). True to form, my dad let me use his hand-me-down woods and putter. The first thing I did on that Christmas day was to go out and play the local par 3 course in Golden Gate Park. My dad had to hold down the fort with my brother and sister so my mom ended up coming with me, who she had started to take up the game recently as well. I remember that particular Christmas day was pouring rain. It didn’t matter to me though; I wanted to try these clubs out right away. I remember hitting my first real beauty on Golden Gate Park’s hole #2. It was a downhill shot of about 100 yards and pulling out my 9 iron, I managed to stick the ball right on the green. I was hooked from that day on.

Ping Eye 2 (2002 – 2014)

I was able to play with my same set of clubs from that Christmas 1998 for several years. It wasn’t until I had grown to be much taller where I needed to get a different set of clubs. Fortunately for me, my dad liked to upgrade his equipment often and I happened to reap the benefit of this particular upgrade. As I started my sophomore year of high school, he gifted me his previous set of clubs; the Ping Eye 2s. These irons were wildly popular in the 1980s and used by golfers of all skills. These particular clubs were one of my dad’s first set he bought for himself and he had a deep attachment to these clubs. Many of my (knowledgeable) golfing buddies were also impressed I had these as these were not easy to come by. It was these clubs where I experienced having that true “flush” shot; the feeling when you hit the ball and it feels like nothing, where the ball has a beautiful shape in the air, and goes a long distance as well. I played with these clubs for over a decade all through college and well into my adult years. It wasn’t until 2014 where I had the incredible privilege to accompany my dad on a golfing trip to Ireland (I intend to write about this trip soon!) where I finally had to change out my gear. I happened to lose my 5 iron at the world famous Royal County Down course when the head of my iron flew off the shaft after my teeshot. The club head flew right off a cliff and fell down into a heavily dense valley. Unless they cleared that gulch, the club head is probably still there today.

Mizuno MX 200s (2014 – 2019)

After my magical trip to Ireland and my no longer available 5 iron, it was time for a change. Again, I was fortunate enough to get the hand-me-downs from my dad as he was again getting a new set of clubs. I was happy to start using new equipment, however I really loved my Pings. It turned out that the new clubs never had the same effect and my game had noticeably regressed. This was also the period of my life where I was playing the most infrequently. I was single, living on my own, and I was trying to get a career off the ground. I will say however, this was the time in my life where I was truly starting to explore all the different courses of the San Francisco Bay area aside from playing my local SF courses. I was traveling to all parts of the Bay Area trying out new places. The clubs, however while being more modern than the pings never felt quite right for me. I rarely would hit the ball the way I wanted and those “flush” shots were far and few between.

Ping G410 (2019 – Present)

By this point, I had been playing golf for over 20 years and not once had I ever been fitted for own clubs. I had always taken the easy (and cheap!) way out by inheriting the clubs my dad previously used before he decided to buy new ones. Well, god bless my wife who decided to buy me a new set of custom fitted irons for my 35th birthday. In order to get custom irons, one has to actually go into the store, get measured, and pick out the actual brand of irons that they will be using. I was incredibly excited with this gift. So much so, that we drove out to the local Golf Galaxy near us that weekend. What’s great about getting fitted for new clubs is you get to try them out by hitting a few balls in their virtual practice bay, complete with analytics of how far you hit the ball, how fast you swing, launch angle, and all the other golf statistics I didn’t really familiarize myself with until then. After trying out some Taylor Made and Cobra irons did I try out the Ping G410s. I obviously had a soft spot for that brand based on the beginnings of my golf game but when I swung them, they felt right and had the distance to show for it! I got custom grips and even angled the wedges to account for my stance. I’ve been striking the ball very well lately and am on the verge of moving into a single digit handicap!

Woods

I’ve always had a mish-mash of different woods, which almost always never matched the set. That said, here are the most memorable woods I’ve owned

Callaway Big Bertha – I owned an original driver, 4-wood, and 7-wood under this brand and I have a soft spot for these clubs. I still have my 4-wood in my bag today as I will often pull it out on a long par 5 that requires a 200+ yard shot. The 7-wood was kind of kitchy and I rarely used it unless I was in deep rough more than 200Y out.

Taylormade Rocketball RBZ – The first gifted driver fitted for me, this particular driver makes a distinct ping when you hit the ball. It also has a bright white head with green trim so you can often tell the player is using an RBZ. This was the first driver that I could really blast down the fairway 240Y+ if I got ahold of it.

Ping G410 – I wanted to round out my custom fitted set bought in 2019 by getting a matching driver and fairway wood. I’ve loved this driver from day 1, already adding 20Y to my shots.

Putters

Scotty Cameron – Another hand-me-down from my old man, this putter is top of the line. What I noticed immediately was the launching power off the face of the club when I strike my putts. You barely have to take the club back for a very powerful follow through. I played with this putter all through my Ping Eye and Mizuno years.

Taylormade Spider – After completing my custom iron/woods ping set, I opted to buy a mallet face putter in the form of the Spider. My dad had a similar putter in his bag and I loved the ease of how smooth the ball comes off the putter face. I have found myself to be much more accurate with this putter averaging 33 putts a round.

I know that golf is a game of privilege and I am extremely fortunate to have the kind of access I have had in my lifetime. What I also know is that golf has taught me to be humble and accept imperfection in my life. I continually use the game as an outlet to not only enjoy the outdoors but also work on my own mental game. In the meantime, I hope to occasionally upgrade my gear and continue to fine tune that game so I can hopefully be that single handicap golfer I see myself being.