I am pretty sure this is a question not a few of us ask ourselves pretty regularly.

Golf’s a crazy game, and those who play it, often crazier! Changing clubs is something not to be taken lightly, as the smallest of changes can affect your game.

So with regards to the question of whether it’s the arrow or the Indian, it actually depends.

In my current golf group here in Laguna, I have a couple of friends who would surely pass as equipment junkies.

They’re constantly on the lookout for new releases, sales and equipment reviews.

Travel abroad means a few new clubs to take home. Trips to Manila are intertwined with golf store visits and club fittings.

I actually counted how many iron sets one of our friends went through in the past year and it was six iron sets, not counting shaft changes and new woods and hybrids.

Part of it is searching for what works best for him, but a large part of it is the excitement of testing out and playing with a new set.

I also counted how many iron sets I’ve gone through in my 32 years of playing golf, and it was a total of seven sets.

On average, I changed iron sets every four-plus years. Not too bad, I think. I change drivers less often, and woods even less frequently.

Once the clubs are properly fitted to my swing, I feel like any bad swings or bad games are due to faulty swings and not the fault of my clubs. I was wondering though — do more frequent equipment changes give an advantage or are the gains negligible?

With some research, I found a few answers from fitters and professionals and narrowed the decision-making down to a few questions:

1. Has there been a leap in technology since you last bought clubs?

2. Is there significant wear on your current clubs that might affect performance?

3. Have you significantly improved your game to merit an equipment change?

4. Would an equipment change result in better scores?

5. Would the new club/clubs make you so happy that it would brighten other areas of your life?

If you try to answer honestly (except for No. 5), you can easily get an objective answer.

The consensus is that drivers and woods, with the technology poured into them, merits a change every four to five years. There isn’t too many significant gains for drivers even if the marketing people keep promising five to 10 yards every year. If your driver or woods are just two to three seasons old, they’re still good.

Irons can stay in the bag for six to seven years. I actually think you can keep iron sets longer. There isn’t much change in irons, especially in forged irons in the last couple of decades.

The designs just cycle back actually. I see new irons that look exactly like irons from 20 years ago.

If the forging is the same, if the design of the head and material used is the same, then there shouldn’t be any significant differences.

Newer irons may have better bounce and turf interaction, but unless you’re a pro, I don’t think you’d notice.

Wedges get beat up more, so a change every three years is ideal, or at least have the grooves sharpened.

A typical wedge from 2000 would look and play the same as a new one. So if your wedges still work and deliver enough spin, keep using them.

Putters are too personal so changing the flat stick is more down to preference and confidence.

There is a trend towards zero torque putters now, but that is for players who already putt square to square. It’s worth a try, but a new putter won’t guarantee better scores.

Of course, question No. 5 is subjective and can never be explained to wives/husbands and partners.

If a new club doesn’t improve your game but makes you a nicer, happier person in general, then by all means, swipe away!