upgrade my golf clubs ??

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albireo13

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OK, I am a mediocre player but, am thinking of upgrading my golf clubs. I am typically 15-18 handicap player and am a recreational player, not a die hard. Still, I would like to improve my game since my sons are starting to pound me on the course! lol.gif



Anyway, I have been using a basic entry-level set of Tommy Armour clubs, I got from Dick's Sports years ago.

I also plan to take some lessons from golf instructor in the Spring.



So, I am looking for good suggestions on a set of irons. I am looking used and budget is $300 or so max.

Good brands I know are Calloway, Ping, Taylor Made, etc.



I am 5'-11", 175lb, and 65yo ... not a heavy hitter.



Any good suggestions?
 
Check Ebay. All the brands you mention would be fine. Lean toward their GI (game improvement) or even SGI (super game improvement) models. You can look them up online. There's not much difference between irons from the last 5 years no matter the hype.
You might want to wait until you take the lessons and then get fit for a set of irons.
 
Re-grip your clubs and take a few lessons. It's usually the tradesman that needs improvement, not the tools......
 
There is a website that sells used, refurbished Callaway clubs and last years models at very good prices.
 
I'm not a golfer but from your description I suggest you treat yourself and buy new clubs, the fanciest you think you need and would enjoy. I don't skimp when it's time to buy new running shoes, nor bicycle accessories. Treat yourself; life is short.
 
How will you choose shaft flex and weight, makes a difference. Do you know what you want for feel, forgiveness, distance - there are significant differences these days. Picking a brand doesn’t help - they all make clubs meant for tour players, super game improvement for high handicappers and everything in between.

You could buy new used clubs and be worse off if you choose by brand alone, that doesn’t tell you much.

I don’t always recommend fittings as a means to improve, but if you are buying new clubs anyway - by all means have a fitting done! There are places like Club Champion that charge $ hundreds for club fittings, but you can get a fitting for free at almost any Golf Galaxy, or as a last resort Dick’s Sporting Goods. You don’t have to buy anything, but if they have what you want I don’t know why you wouldn’t - they have used clubs too. You will learn a lot on what clubs to choose, and what not, at the very least. If you buy on eBay in the end, at least you’ll have a better idea what to buy, and not.

Like others have said, lessons should come first. Odds are that’ll lower your score FAR more than new clubs.
 
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Midpack said:
I don’t always recommend fittings as a means to improve, but if you are buying new clubs anyway - by all means have a fitting done!
Click to expand...


This is my plan. I want new clubs, but figure I should get a fitting first to get a better idea of what will work for me.
 
Take your lessons first. Buying clubs that fit your game now may be totally wrong when the instructor changes your swing.
 
Midpack said:
How will you choose shaft flex and weight, makes a difference. Do you know what you want for feel, forgiveness, distance - there are significant differences these days. Picking a brand doesn’t help - they all make clubs meant for tour players, super game improvement for high handicappers and everything in between.

You could buy new used clubs and be worse off if you choose by brand alone, that doesn’t tell you much.

I don’t always recommend fittings as a means to improve, but if you are buying new clubs anyway - by all means have a fitting done! There are places like Club Champion that charge $ hundreds for club fittings, but you can get a fitting for free at almost any Golf Galaxy, or as a last resort Dick’s Sporting Goods. You don’t have to buy anything, but if they have what you want I don’t know why you wouldn’t - they have used clubs too. You will learn a lot on what clubs to choose, and what not, at the very least. If you buy on eBay in the end, at least you’ll have a better idea what to buy, and not.

Like others have said, lessons should come first. Odds are that’ll lower your score FAR more than new clubs.
Click to expand...

I will second the motion on lessons, the best money you can spend on the game. As for clubs and this is just my opinion, the average person can buy a good set of name brand irons, regular flex shafts and be just fine. Places I have been fitted always want to push whatever brand they have the incentive to sell that particular day or month.
 
As a few others have mentioned, take your current clubs to your first lesson. Unless you're willing to spend way more than $300 on irons, you're probably not going to see much improvement. And, even if you do spend a lot of money, there's no guarantee that will improve your game at all. Basically, I'd look to the instructor to give you some advice on clubs.

I did exactly that. My first lesson still went well. I spent time with the instructor and had a much better understanding on what factors would help. Things like grip size and shaft flex. I ended up getting some Pings, but I'm sure I could have improved over my existing set for a lot less money. Take what you learn from the instructor and go to a place that will "fit" you for free. Actually not free, but they credit you the fee with the purchase of your clubs. The key is to get some information from someone who knows what they're doing and that doesn't have any interest in selling you the equipment.

A friend of mine is very frugal and he had a very nice off brand set made by a guy who does it out of he garage. Kind of like Golf Smith. He, with his no name clubs, beats me, with my Pings, on the course most every time.
 
I'm not a golfer, but DW is. She was struggling to improve and got referred to a pro at a nearby course who made clubs in his garage. He spent a good part of an afternoon on the driving range with her to figure out the exact length etc. and then made her a very nice set of clubs. This was about 15 years ago and she paid something like $500 for them. She still uses and loves them. So something like that might be a good option.
 
Start lifting weights.
I recall some golfer pro came back to the course and amazed everyone with his shots as he had improved his muscles a lot.
I'm not a golfer, so my $15 garage sale set with bag and cart suited me just fine the 3 times I golfed with the company.
 
Go online to Gigagolf which is out of Tampa. They sell custom fit lookalikes which are very reasonable. You give them some measurements. I had an older set of Pings. Bought from Gigagolf a couple years ago. Hit my irons much more consistently now. Very happy with them. My full set of irons cost about $159.00 plus tax two years ago.
 
I have been looking at a few set of clubs. Some candidates ...



Taylor Made M4 or Burner 2.0

Calloway Mavrik or Apex

Cleveland Launcher CBX



FYI, what I have been playing for the last 10 years is a set of T. Armour Diamond Scots.



I have a lesson with a local pro set up for tomorrow as well. I will talk with the Pro about recommendations as well.
 
I highly recommend going to try some. The brands and models can look/feel quite a bit different. Outdoor is best, but on a launch monitor can work. Trying should be free. Not hard to determine basic flex level (std, stiff, senior). Fitting (lie angle upright/flat, length, grip thickness, shaft models) could have a fee.

Go for feel and direction first. If you compare on length, check actual lofts of clubs as they vary between sets. For example, 7 iron could be as much as a couple degrees different between brands/models/years.

For lessons, consider filming yourself (slo mo on iPhone is great) and then comparing to YouTube videos of swings. Give some care to camera position. You don’t need to copy somebody’s swing exactly, but can work towards similar. Watch out though as video of yourself can be a lot to take in (“feels aren’t real”).
 
Many years ago, I attended a three-day golf school. Mainly, we hit balls for about 5 hours for 3-days in a row. Worked on grip, stance, alignment, etc under the watchful eyes of the instructors, along with watching video, breaks for chipping and putting, and some time out on the course for course management. It screwed me up for a short bit but then really improved my game. I highly recommend it and will probably do it again once the covid crap is over.
 
albireo13 said:
I have been looking at a few set of clubs. Some candidates ...

Taylor Made M4 or Burner 2.0

Calloway Mavrik or Apex

Cleveland Launcher CBX
I have a lesson with a local pro set up for tomorrow as well. I will talk with the Pro about recommendations as well.
Click to expand...

Some good choices there but you'll probably have to increase your budget. I have the Callaway Apex 19 irons, really good irons. Your golf pro should be able to offer you some fitting suggestions (shaft flex, lie angle, length, grip size, etc.) based on the clubs you are currently using.
 
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Be careful. Trying to buy a game can get pretty darn expensive.
 
pb4uski said:
Many years ago, I attended a three-day golf school. Mainly, we hit balls for about 5 hours for 3-days in a row. Worked on grip, stance, alignment, etc under the watchful eyes of the instructors, along with watching video, breaks for chipping and putting, and some time out on the course for course management. It screwed me up for a short bit but then really improved my game. I highly recommend it and will probably do it again once the covid crap is over.
Click to expand...

PB-Which golf school did you attend?
 
I'd suggest taking some lessons first and see how that might change your swing. Once good mechanics are established get a professional club fitting and that should benefit your game.
 
Find a local builder / fitter. Chances are you can get a few loaners of Callaway, Ping etc. Try them out first before you invest the money in a full set. At least that’s what I did. Personally I prefer Ping...
 
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