LINDLEY ON HOW HER CLUBS SUIT HER GAME

In May, longtime Callaway Golf Staff Professional Leta Lindley won her first LPGA title, the LPGA Corning Classic in New York. We asked her to explain the equipment in her golf bag and why she plays the clubs she does.

By Leta Lindley

I started the season with the FT-3 Driver, which I thought was the best driver Callaway ever made. For whatever reason, a couple weeks before the LPGA Corning Classic, I felt like I wasn’t hitting it as well and my misses were getting me into too much trouble. I was having to work a little too hard to swing the driver. I experimented with the FT-5 Driver and once you hit the FT-5, you don’t go back. It was such a forgiving clubhead. My misses and off-center hits weren’t going that far off line. Instead of being in the left trees, I was in the left side of the fairway. And even for professionals, golf is a game of good misses.

You want to have a golf club you can swing confidently. Corning is a very tight golf course and I know that was a big factor in my win there in May. You can see the difference in the clubheads; there is so much more room for error with the FT-5.

A lot of people ask me why I play the X-20 Irons and not one of the blade irons (like the X-Forged Irons) that Callaway offers. Why not? I want my misses to be as good as my good shots. I don’t want my misses to be clanky. I know when I haven’t put a good swing on it, but I want my misses to be in the general area where I’m aiming. I’m all about having a club that’s going to work well for me whether I hit it in the center or not. I don’t hit it perfectly every time. I play golf like 99 percent of the golfing world that buys Callaway Golf equipment. And I’m looking for the best equipment that is going to work for me.

I don’t overpower a course. I’m more strategic. It’s important for me to have the right equipment in my bag. I know what my strengths are. I used to play the Big Bertha Series Irons and now I play the X-20s. I’m so happy with those irons; my ball striking with my irons has improved in the last two years. I haven’t even looked at the other Callaway Golf irons, the more blade-like ones. I like the way these X-20s fit my eye, especially coming from the Big Bertha Irons. The X-20 is a happy medium, and I’m pleased with it. I need to find the most forgiving equipment on the market. There’s no doubt the Callaway Golf equipment is a contributing factor in how I’ve been playing.

I don’t hit the ball long so I also play a lot of fairway woods compared to most players. I have to say that I think the higher lofted fairway woods and hybrids that Callaway Golf introduced several years ago changed my game. When I was in college, there was no Heavenwood, 9-wood or 11-wood. I used to play 2-, 3-, and 4 irons. When Callaway came out with the Heavenwood and the 9-wood, it made my career. Before, with long irons, I was trying to figure out a way to make par. With utility woods, I could be more aggressive and shoot for birdies. I can hit them with a higher trajectory and land them softly on the green. Plus, it’s much more fun to stuff my fairway woods inside people’s irons. Just ask my husband, Matt, who is my caddy—I love doing that!!

I think a lot of people overlook the importance of the right golf ball for their game. I am playing Callaway's the new Tour i Ball. I just love it! I tested both the Tour i and Tour ix Golf Balls and chose the Tour i ball because of the performance around the green. I found that the Tour i grabbed a lot faster on my chip and pitch shots around the green - this is especially advantageous when the greens are firm and challenging.  I could not be more pleased with the performance of the Tour i.