Beginner Golf Set

[RaptorJesus]

So for all you golfers out there I want to ask what is the best beginner golf set to get. I've played about 10 times so far mostly last summer and enjoyed every time. Each time it was with borrowed clubs, either a friends old set or dads/brothers/etc. This summer I'm looking to start playing more and am ready to buy my own. I want to know whether I should get a brand new beginner set from one of the big golf stores, I see non big time brands being sold in the region of 200-400 as "game improvement" clubs. The other choice is to get used clubs, most likely a "mainstream" brand either Callaway, TaylorMade, Nike or Adams. I'm probably going to pay for some lessons from a pro either at the end of the summer or next year when I decide if I want to get serious about improving or just have fun with my friends.

My price range is anything thats below 400 dollars which seems enough to get a full set of clubs and a bag.

Here is a Adams Tight Lies Set for around 370

http://www.budgetgolf.net/ADAMS-TIGH...T-p-22991.html

[mclarensmps]

My suggestion would be to buy second hand. Very rarely, you may end up with a sale going on, where you can pick up a set of Ben Hogans for about 150-200 (they are good clubs). The thing with clubs are that different people prefer different types of clubs, depending on their build, their height, their flexibility, and subsequently, their swing.

The ideal way to go about buying clubs would be to first show up at a big store, and try out the clubs in the store. They usually have try out rooms with simulators where you can take shots with taped up clubs. Once you are comfortable with a certain model/models, check out the used market for those clubs, or older generations of the same model. 90% of the time, the older generations of the clubs will be very similar to the one you tried out, but on some occasions, they will be different. You should be able to tell.

I, for example have a set of Mizuno MX-17s, which are an older generation to the Mizuno MX-19s. The 19s had just come out when I bought them, so I was able to compare both 19s and 17s in the shop, as both were still on sale at the time. I preferred the 17s to the 19s because they were heavier (I'm not sure why I prefer heavier clubs, but they do suit me more). That is a rare case where an older generation of club will be very dissimilar to a newer generation club.

Anyway, you should go with what you feel. Buy the club that you feel suits you more, that you feel is easier to hit, rather than hunting for a brand name (whether it is used or new). Maybe you will find that the Adams suits you really well right now, so you may want to just buy those. The whole game is based on feel. If you feel comfortable, the clubs will work for you.

If you do decide to try out clubs in the store and purchase second hand, the key advice I can give you is that, as a beginner, you want to look at cavity back clubs, rather than blades. Cavity back clubs are a lot more forgiving, for beginners, and do not accentuate the flaws in your swing. The other type of club is called a blade, and those are clubs that do hit better, but only if you have a good swing, already. They are massively unforgiving, as, if you don't hit them well, your ball will go flying in every direction. Your draws will draw more, your fades will fade more, etc etc.

Good luck in your club hunt, and I look forward to checking out what you end up picking up.

Remember one thing, though, if you are picking up a set second hand, then you will probably end up having to purchase a set of irons separately, a driver/wood/hybrid separately, and a putter separately. Rarely will you find all of them in one set. So if your budget is under 400, I'd say spend about 200-300 on your irons, about 50-100 on a driver/wood/hybrid and 50-100 on a putter. You will find a lot of good stuff in that price range. If you end up spending less than 200-300 on your irons, my personal advice would be to look more carefully at putters than at drivers, or other long clubs, because, whereas a driver or a wood is usually your first & second shot), you wrap things up with your putter, and the fewer times you use that, the better. You don't want to putt more than twice, in a hole, right? Maximum thrice .

Good luck

[patrick10]

I agree with second hand. I bought my first quality set from a garage sale for 60 bucks and used them competitively through high school. There's also a bunch of second hand stores around that have the practice nets in the back so you can test multiple sets and still get used prices.

[RaptorJesus]

Good advice guys, I guess I'll head out to some golf/sporting goods stores to check out the selection. The only problem I can see with used clubs is hunting them down in person/ebay. The golf stores around here unfortunately from what I can see only have used high end clubs. I mean I saw a set of used TaylorMades irons for sale for a cool 600 bucks at the local golf shop. I might have to resort to craigslist, but I'm wary to buy anything without some kind of store warranty/return. Also I assume most people on ebay/craigslist are meth heads pedaling stolen goods.

Do golf stores offer demo programs or rentals? Whenever I buy new tennis rackets I demo like 6 or 7 different ones and pick the one I like the most. Is it possible to demo some irons, or woods or a putter to see how it feels out on the course and not just a simulator?

[mclarensmps]

I don't think they will let you demo a set on a course, but they will let you hit any club from a set as much as you like, in their sim, in the store. Don't be afraid of buying stuff on Craigslist, that is exactly where you will find the good deals. If a club has been abused, you will have the visual indications of it. Don't worry about return or warranty, the absolute worst thing that can happen is that you might have to get a club or two reshafted, and that is unlikely to happen because of a defect. Clubs are extremely customizable, you can change the shaft material, shaft length, grip type... and since you are planning on taking lessons, one of the things your tutor is going to tell you is to get your clubs fitted (shafts adjusted to length according to your height and swing). It helps, but it's something I never did, as I don't consider myself good enough to go to that level of customization just yet.

'round these parts, we have a forum called www.torontogolfnuts.com, and they have a classifieds section on their forum. It's a good place to pick up used stuff. Another site bespoke to our town is www.redflagdeals.com. Their forums cater to a lot of personal classifieds, and I find a lot of good stuff there. Look for similar sites in your area, I am sure they exist. They are good places to ask questions, and have access to good deals.

With regards to demos, you could try renting clubs out at a nice course, and see how those clubs feel for you. I kinda get how you feel about demos because, at least in my case, I am a lot better on the course than I am on sims or at the range. But that is just a little nuance on my part, my friends tend to be able to get a good feel for clubs on sims/the range...

Both my roommate and another friend of mine got their clubs from Craigslist. My roommate got a Taylormade set for 150, and the other bloke got a set of Callaways for 175. They had tried newer versions of the clubs in the shops before they ended up picking them up.

[RaptorJesus]

I don't think they will let you demo a set on a course, but they will let you hit any club from a set as much as you like, in their sim, in the store. Don't be afraid of buying stuff on Craigslist, that is exactly where you will find the good deals. If a club has been abused, you will have the visual indications of it. Don't worry about return or warranty, the absolute worst thing that can happen is that you might have to get a club or two reshafted, and that is unlikely to happen because of a defect. Clubs are extremely customizable, you can change the shaft material, shaft length, grip type... and since you are planning on taking lessons, one of the things your tutor is going to tell you is to get your clubs fitted (shafts adjusted to length according to your height and swing). It helps, but it's something I never did, as I don't consider myself good enough to go to that level of customization just yet.

'round these parts, we have a forum called www.torontogolfnuts.com, and they have a classifieds section on their forum. It's a good place to pick up used stuff. Another site bespoke to our town is www.redflagdeals.com. Their forums cater to a lot of personal classifieds, and I find a lot of good stuff there. Look for similar sites in your area, I am sure they exist. They are good places to ask questions, and have access to good deals.

With regards to demos, you could try renting clubs out at a nice course, and see how those clubs feel for you. I kinda get how you feel about demos because, at least in my case, I am a lot better on the course than I am on sims or at the range. But that is just a little nuance on my part, my friends tend to be able to get a good feel for clubs on sims/the range...

Both my roommate and another friend of mine got their clubs from Craigslist. My roommate got a Taylormade set for 150, and the other bloke got a set of Callaways for 175. They had tried newer versions of the clubs in the shops before they ended up picking them up.

Thanks for that. I never considered trying out clubs in the store and then hunting them down online or used somewhere else. I always feel bad taking up salespeoples time and then not buying from them. If they aren't commission based though its not so bad though, they are just doing their job. I guess it makes sense that newer generations aren't radically different than older ones, same applies in tennis which I know about.

Interesting aside, I played my first real game of golf a year ago-ish in the GTA with my uncle and cousin at Blue Springs in Acton which got me hooked. Really nice course, very pastoral setting which helped in getting me interested. I hate playing at courses that are near highways, or large roads. It ruins the feeling of nature.

[Canuck]

I worked a Pro Shop for 2 years and highly recommend that set of Adams golf clubs you were looking at. They're extremely beginners clubs and anyone who sees you hitting them will automatically label you as "rookie", but as long as you're comfortable with that go right ahead. Its all about the width on the bottom of the club when it comes to making golf easy. For another suggestion try looking for a set of used Callaway "Big Bertha irons".

Another tip: unless it's included in the set of clubs you buy, do not go out and spend any more than 10 bucks on a putter. A beginner golfer will find no difference between an expensive or cheap putter. Same goes with the balls you use.

[RaptorJesus]

Well gentleman after scouring the list of Craig for a few days and crosschecking it with some reviews online I found some stuff. Thanks for the advice, I went to a pro shop and hit some stuff around and tried to find it on Craigslist. I like the cavity back irons sets I tried out (especially a set of Taylormade R7s), but then I tried these Vulcan Hybrids. Holy shit are they forgiving especially on the long irons. Its gonna take my n00bness and even out the rough patches, and in a bit I'll switch to more precise irons when I can actually do something with them besides point and boom.


Vulcan Golf Z3 Hybrid Irons 3-PW



Ping sand and lob wedges. As well as a ping putter.



Cleveland Launcher 10 degree driver.

Orlimar 3 wood.

Ogio Cart bag, and a nice collapsible cart to haul this shit around.

Thar she blows.

[mclarensmps]

You and I own the same 56 . She won't let you down. Pics of the putter?

[RaptorJesus]

You and I own the same 56 . She won't let you down. Pics of the putter?

I'll get it when I finish "studying" aka dicking around in my basement.


Edit: Ask and ye shall receive.

[Canuck]

Oooh ping zing is nice!

But a cart bag? Ewwwwwwwww! I'm all about the carrying lol

[RaptorJesus]

Oooh ping zing is nice!

But a cart bag? Ewwwwwwwww! I'm all about the carrying lol

Yeah I figure I might pick up a backpack strap stand bag so I can carry it and get some decent exercise on a 9 hole. 18 is tough though, I once carried 18 and got too tired to hit the ball by hole 16 or so. It also didnt help that it was about 90 degrees F with 95% humidity.

[Canuck]

My setup is an ultra-lightweight bag with double shoulder straps and a collapsible stand. I typically only carry 9-10 clubs in my bag too which makes a significant weight difference. Carry just gives you so much more freedom and flexibility. There's never any "running back to your cart to change clubs" and the exercise is great. I highly recommend picking up a second bag when u find a cheap opportunity.

[mclarensmps]

I'm also one of those lazy buggers with a cart bag and a pull cart. I have to change my bad habits though...