Hi everyone, I’m Tommy O’Connell, and I am a golf gear junkie.

“What is a golf gear junkie,” you might ask?  Well, let me tell you.  A gear junkie is a person who can never seem to be set or satisfied with their bag no matter what.  Sure, new equipment brings new technologies to improve your game, etc…but gear junkies are different.  Gear junkies are never satisfied.  No matter how well their current setup is working, they are always looking to try something else.  Something different, or newer, or shinier.  No club is ever really safe in the bag of a golf gear junkie, no matter how good their game is with their current setup.  And thus, this is where my problem lies.

Once an Equipment Junkie, Always an Equipment Junkie

I am admittedly a golf equipment junkie.  My bag is always changing.  Now, you might be thinking, “Tommy, you do golf reviews for a website.  You’re always trying the latest and greatest gear, of course you’re going to make a lot of changes.”  Well, you’re right, to some extent, but my issues started long before the birth of Driving Range Heroes.  Since I first picked up the game of golf, my first set of irons (Callaway X-20s from Craigslist), stayed in my bag for maybe six months.  My first driver, a Callaway Diablo Edge, less than that.  Not ideal for someone just starting out, but I didn’t care.

You see, I’ve always been a gear junkie.  Whether it’s having all of the coolest golf gear, the best twigs in hockey, or the coolest looking bat for Little League, I’ve ALWAYS loved equipment.  It fascinates me.  It doesn’t necessarily need to be the most expensive, and usually isn’t, but I just like the idea of tinkering with new things.  So whether I’m trying something for a review, or buying something to try outside of this site, I’m always tinkering.

The Vicious “Buy, Sell, Buy” Circle

Every time I think my bag is “set,” there’s always something new out there I want to try.  I had a set of PXG irons that I loved, and that I played my best golf with (ask Bill).  So what did I do?  Sold them and bought a set of Mizuno JPX 900 Tours right when they came out.  My game went to crap.  Then I sold those and switched to my current Taylormade P790s, and to be fair, they’ve stayed for a bit.  I’ve probably gamed (not just tested) about four or five drivers in the past two golf seasons.  Four or five different sets of wedges.  And a plethora of putters.  Again, putting could be the best part of my game, my current gamer is working extremely well, then one bad round or one new boutique brand with cool putters comes along, and I’ll pick one up to try.  It’s like throwing money and time into a seemingly black hole of golf gear….but I love it.

Now on the site we always mention that to get fit for your setup, and that’s absolutely correct.  I’ve been fit numerous times, and typically play well with the gear that I’m fit for.  Then a season later, I want to change things.  So I buy new stuff that fits (or sometimes doesn’t) fit the similar mold of what I was fit for.  Then my game goes down the toilet.  Bill yells at me.  I get fit again, and start the process anew.

And now most of you are probably thinking “well Tommy, that’s stupid.  It’s probably hurting your scores switching clubs so much!” and you’re probably right.  And that’s ok, for a few reasons.  For one, thanks to the constant reminder from Bill, we are NOT great at golf – we don’t play enough.  I’m not a pro.  I’m not scratch.  Not even close.  That leads me to reason two: I play the game to have fun and to enjoy it.  I don’t even really keep my scores anymore.  Why?  It makes the game more enjoyable.  And this brings me to my third and final reason: I just like to buy new gear.  Plain and simple.  So yeah, I’m damn well going to buy that new XYZ brand putter and I’m certainly going to try that new driver out.  And I’m probably going to have fun doing it.

Look, if you want to shoot the best scores possible, ignore this entire post, go get fit, and do it the right way.  It really helps.  Being a gear junkie is a problem for some, but as long as you’re within your means, it can also add some fun to this already amazing/frustrating game.  Golf is a leisure activity that we are meant to enjoy.  If you read a review here and think “that might be something I’d like,” who am I to tell you what to spend your money on?