druddle

Hello !

I have been playing for about a year with some clubs me Dad gave me. I want to buy a new set of my own now, and was wondering what I should get.

There are shops on the Interweb that have sets for 150 - 250 odd quid for 3 woods, 9 irons, putter and bag. Anyone bought any of these (also same companies are on Ebay) and if so what did you get and would you recommend the clubs ?

Dave

Geezer

How good are you? (be honest, and your expectations) How often are you to play?

Geezer

Ted Maul

if you don't shoot below 80/85, make sure you get cavity backed. regular steel shafts, and see if you can try them out on the range first before buying

druddle

Well i have only played twice this year and am not that good. Last round I got 24 points (Sunday). Will be joining a club as a 5 day member (dad is paying !!) so will be out alot more.

Dave

fitzscoob

Gauge how good you are as aposed to how much you are going to play.

Golf clubs can last for decades if treated right.

It may be worth spending more now so that you have decent clubs as you improve.

To give you an idea, 9 irons I paid £540 about 7 years ago, king cobra irons.

£60 on my ping putter, £300 for my driver, etc etc, cant play for toss at the moment as tiny found out recently

looking at that is damn expensive, but dont forget that I have had these clubs for a long time and will continue to use them for the foreseable future.

davegtt

if u can afford it Id be looking at spending £300 on a set of irons, I bought a set of Alien irons earlier int he year before they was brought intot he country for £150. Oversize Steel Shafts too. Seem to have done wonders for my game but it depends how much u play, how much your gonna play and how much u want to improve.... Ive only been playing for a year too

ScoobyStiJim

I would recomend a set of mizunu mx15 irtons they are ideal for a relative starter to the game and will last you for a while, and becuasde they are going to replaces soon by a new model they have come down in price hugely. They used to cost £400 a set, but i have seen them at american golf etc for around 250, now that is a bargain as they are superb. Just a thought.. a quality set of irons..
J

messiah

Currently using the Wilson Deep Red Irons with the fat shaft - paid around £400 for them a couple of years ago but you can get them for a little over £200 if you hunt around the net.

Try looking at the American golf shop places - got my woods from there for about a tenner each and they've been fine.

Fiancee bought me an Oddyssy White Hot 2 ball putter for christmas and I must say it's f***ing brilliant, you align yourself up without even thinking about it...

Ideally go somewhere you can try the clubs before you buy, a good place will be able to tell you if the clubs are suited are your game, you may pay a bit extra than over the web but you'll be getting some invaluable advice.

davegtt

btw, Big W are selling John Letters T3 Trilogy irons with a driver and 3 wood for £75 in newark a tthe mo. WHAT A BARGAIN!!!!

Geezer

You really are starting out aren't you? I wouldn't spend much to begin with, despite the manufacturers claims, their clubs do not improve your shots that much. Ask any 24 handicapper with a set of £700 Talyor Mades!

If you are going to be any good, you will play decent golf with decent clubs, no need to keep up with the Jonses.

If you really want some good clubs tho, go to your local pro (forget about idiots like AGD and Nevada Bob), they are there purley to make profit, and couldn't give a damn about you or your game.

A pro will give you proper advice, and will probably be able to set you up with second hand clubs of high quality for a good price. If you want, he will also analyze your swing (give you some tips too probably) and then you can a;ter clubs for lie, kick point etc.

If you really take to the game (and anyone who doesn't is mentally ill ) then you can save up and get yourself some brand new ones, whether they are blades or game improvement clubs. No point spending several hundred pound on Callaways finest is what you need are blades 2 years from now (you never know, you might have talent!).

Putters, well, just see what you feel comfortable with. People change putters like their underwear. I have used the cheapest ****e possible to some really quite expensive stuff, depeneds on how your stroke is going.

Keeping up in the driver wars is a mugs game. £300-£500 for one club is plain ridiculous. You might get 10yds more distance, but at a huge price. Very few holes are not reachable in 2 from an average drive, so save your money and get some decent waterproofs!!!!

Geezer

fitzscoob

True, but drivers are personal preference. I will only use callaways and have done for my drivers for the last ten years. If your serious about your golf and driving is a big part of your game then it is important to get the right club for you. If your strong part in the game is putting or your short game then yes, you will not need to spend as much

white van man

It may be worth seeing if you can buy a half set or even buy quality clubs individually.Most beginers or novices have a few clubs in their bag that they cannot get on with and rarely/never use.You might learn quicker and get more enjoyment out of the game this way rather than having a bag full of clubs some of which you never use.For example if you can buy say some Callaway big burther irons,maybe current ones or there seems to be plenty of last years stock about in perhaps 3,5,7,9,pw,putter and a quality 3 wood then this would cover most eventualities and would mean that you would be playing with some highly rated game improving irons rather than a cheap full set that are perhaps not much cop. It may work out much better value for money and you could always add clubs to them if you felt you needed them.

Cheers Simon(very average golfer)

Geezer

fitzscoob, I take your point, but only up to a point. High handicappers rarely drive the ball well, so it is never going to be a major part of their game. You have to swing the club at the end of the day, it won't do it for you. Such a large outlay for one club for someone at that level is not worth it when they could 're-distribute their wealth' to other parts of their game.

However, if you have money to burn, then fine, buy what you like, but from druddles priginal post this does not seem to be the case, that's all.

Geezer

LanCat

Also consider second-hand. Many pro-shops have good second-hand stuff (we golfers are mugs for having the latest thing so often sell good stuff).
Or look on www.golfbidder.co.uk

blair

The pro at my club offers a couple of lessons with your current, or borrowed clubs and then looks at your stance, swing, power etc etc and then will suggest a set of clubs that will suit both your physical shape and the way you naturally swing at the ball.

I'd ask the pro at your club if he does the same - make sure he knows your budget and he should be able to set you up with something suitable

camk

as per the sensible advice above, see a pro, get a few lessons, get him to give you a setup in the 200quid-300quid(Max) range and spend the rest on more lessons. I got down to 11 from 23 in 14 months doing that and can actually regularly play to my handicap. Practice twice a week(get the pro to give you a regime) and take at least 1 lesson per week for 8-10 weeks. Forget big money on clubs its wasted unless you know what you are doing. How much you spend on your clubs will make little or no difference to your game, given you hardly play and you probably practice less.
If the clubs(irons) your dad gave you are actually all the same type then consider just getting them re-gripped, that alone will make a difference. I wouldn't in any situation buy a half set of irons. If you take the lessons and practice you will want to use the clubs more than adjusting your swing speed, which is probably what you do today.

camk

Drive for show, putt for Dough...short game and putting is what gets you a lower handicap. If you've played any retired guy in a competition and he hits 3 5 irons at every par 4 and he putts first time 40% then you'll know where the heart of the game is , even if you have a nice drive.

carl

IIRC someone on here owns a golf shop...

HankScorpio

After years of hacking around, I had a couple of lessons and said I was looking for new clubs and the guy sorted me out a custom made set for about 300 quid.
They had - more upright lie, stiffer shafts, (I think slightly longer shafts) and thicker grips - what a difference, I'm obviously such a bizarre shape that mass-made clubs just weren't right for me.
That summer, breaking a hundred became the regular as opposed to the "wildest dreams"...

They've actually been in the shed for ages, I'll have to break them out again soon.....

Ted Maul

high handicappers shouldn't even carry a driver. I've yet to see anyone with a hcp higher than approx 18 that couldn't hit a 3-wood further and more consistently.

fitzscoob

damn right lost a few quid to golfers with a good touch around the green.

I think its safe to say that the majority of golfers starting find the driver the hardest club to hit. But, for some reason it was the easiest for me.....thats why I design my game around the teeing off. On the same note though, any idiot can smack the ball 300 yards, its the people that can get down in 2 from 100 yards that will win the game.

Steve001

iTrader: (7)

as above

Get a couple of lessons and ask the pro for some advice, it would help him if you had a budget in mind.

Most of all Enjoy the game

BTW i use Callaway X12 irons with steel shafts WHAT A CLUB, 140 with a pitching wedge easy!! very forgiving, but not easy to find thou.

druddle

Thanks for all the help. I was originally thinking of getting a full set of irons, a putter and a new bag as i havent used a wood/driver in a long time and probably wont until my irons are consistent.

Have a lesson booked after I get paid this month to look at my grip, swing, all the basics. Will ask him what I should be using, and even see what 2nd hand stuff there is about.

Dave

taffyboyo

Dave, I've just started aswell, I bought a set of RAM clubs for 199 from american golf, ideal for anyone starting out, the model is Concept 2,
3 woods 3-9 irons, putter & sandwedge and a standbag, the woods are graphite shaft and the set is excellent for me
I had a look on ebey and you can get the same set for £179 Bargain IMHO
Cheers
Taffy

carl

I have the MX-20s which are excellent. Although I've been playing the game for 15 years and still in the low 20s

If you want cheap-but-new clubs I reckon you could do worse than a set of Donnays from your local Sports Soccer or Lillywhites. You can even get them with graphite shafts

Would recommend spending decent money on a putter. I've only owned three -- the one that came with my half set of junior clubs, a Slotline Inertial which I paid £50 for in about 1990 and a Ping Zing 2 (think it might have been £120) that my wife bought me last year. Around half your shots will be putts

Don't agree that a driver isn't worthwhile for a beginner. Just make sure you don't go silly on the loft. Pros use about 9 degrees (or 7 if they're really strong) -- around 11-14 degrees is about right for a hacker.

The guy on here with a golf shop is NOZZER -- see http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/member.php?u=2809
Although I know he had his shop done over a couple of times, so he may not still be trading.