Golf Clubs

[Berger_4_]

well, i've decided that it's time to get me a set of golf clubs...and i thought i'd ask my esteemed cp peers if they have any recommendations as to what i should pick up...i'm looking for a set in the 300 to maybe 600 dollar range, so what is decent that i can get for that price???

[FlamesKickAss]

I would suggest looking at golf town. good prices and they usually have full sets definitely in that price range

[Claeren]

You don't tell us what level of golfer you are??

A great novice set IMHO are the Cleveland Launchers. If you can find a set they often retail for $299-$399.

They are very forgiving but i wouldn't recommend them if you are an advanced golfer. They should last right up until you are at that level though.

A number of friends (and myself) use them and we are all very very pleased with them. Great (shocking even) value for the money.



Claeren.

[Berger_4_]

sorry...yeah, i'm a novice golfer...i'm just sick of renting/using my dads clubs which are way to big for me

[ken0042]

If you can wait a month- usually by mid Aug or early September most places put clubs on sale. That's when I bought mine a few years ago, and paid about 1/2 price.

I would also do some comparison shopping at the golf dome. That way you can also try them out at a driving range right there.

Or if you are away from a range many places will tape up the clubs and with a deposit let you take them to the range.

[Dion]

Sometimes Golf Town has demo deals on sets of clubs.

Claeren is right, Cleveland makes nice clubs.

Then if you wait for september the private clubs around the city have a sale where members looking to upgrade put their clubs on sale. Quite often you can find a really nice at a decent price.

If you check regularly Golf Town also has special buys on drivers that they got from the manufacturers. A few weeks ago I bought a Taylor Made rescue club that retailed for $200 for $89 at Golf Town.

[underGRADFlame]

I would suggest going to Golftown or Neveada Bobs try a bunch of clubs find out what you like the best/feels the best, then buy them on ebay, you'll save a ton of money, with the dollar almost at par getting clubs out the states is cheap and cost effective.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by underGRADFlame

I would suggest going to Golftown or Neveada Bobs try a bunch of clubs find out what you like the best/feels the best, then buy them on ebay, you'll save a ton of money, with the dollar almost at par getting clubs out the states is cheap and cost effective.

Ebay is a good idea. I was Staeside a month ago and I couldn't believe how much cheaper clubs are.

One could also order from a golf store stateside:

http://www.golfsmith.com/

[Claeren]

Be careful online though. I have seen the clubs they sell in Asia first hand (Calloway, Nike & TaylorMade especially) and they are often IDENTICAL to the real thing - head covers and all - except in performance and durability of course.

A recent study i read on ebay items found that a large percentage (30% or something) were knockoffs from Asia - even from reputable sellers.



Claeren.

[4X4]

Just head down to 8th ave and hit a pawn shop. My truck got broken into a couple weeks ago and the fackers stole my clubs. I'm sure you could pick up my $1,000 clubs for a song.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Dion

Ebay is a good idea. I was Staeside a month ago and I couldn't believe how much cheaper clubs are.

One could also order from a golf store stateside:

http://www.golfsmith.com/

Never use eBay you should always use the clubs you are going to play with, before buying. And you might well no you will probably be ripped off with fakes or customs up the ying yang.

I would honestly say spend in the upwards part of your budget and try to get custom clubs made. I don't mean Tiger Woods custom but get your swing tested so your clubs fit your swing and stance (very minor adjustments, but they help trust me). There are some mid range clubs that you can find to get fit.

I use to teach golf and this is one of the biggest problems for new or novice golfers. They are hitting the wrong clubs and thats why the ball is not going where they want it to.

You may spend more than you planned on it, but I guess it depends on how much its worth to you to hit the ball better, and honestly if you buy some decent clubs they could last you forever. My favorite clubs which I use to this day I have had for almost 10 years and trust me I have had many many sets of clubs.

All I know is when I hit the links (which I don't do much anymore, hurt shoulder in car accident) I LOVE to enjoy it. And you will enjoy golf just that much more.

Just my 2 cents. Its just frustrating as someone who use to play and teach so much, to watch people struggle not because of a bad swing but just because their clubs aren't right for them, is very frustrating.

This I would even recommended if you spent money on a good putter, driver not so much depends on how much $$ you want to put out. But your irons would probably be the most important

[underGRADFlame]

In my experience, I've never had a problem with buying off ebay. I just saved over $200 on my brand new driver off ebay. Yes there are scams on there but there is also buyers protection on ebay/paypal so if you do get scammed you can get your money back. I would recommend ebay stores like 3balls.com or globalgolf. I've used them both and never had a problem. Theres alot of horror stories for ebay but for every bad transaction the 1000's of good ones.

[Berger_4_]

i've heard it said though that the cost of the putter doesn't really make a difference, that it's all in your head...obviously a 15 dollar mini-golf thing isn't as good as a 300 dollar nike or whatever, but is there really that much of a difference between the 100 and 300 dollar ones?

and as for drivers...i realize i don't require a 460cc supermegaultrajumbosmashtheballintobits behemoth, so what would you recommend?

i think those cleveland irons are sounding pretty awesome...checked out golftown's website and they are just under 250 big ones for the 4 to pw

so i'm headed up to greaserville tomorrow to check those out

oh, i've got another question...flex...how much does that affect stuff? should i be using stiff, normal, what?

[FlamesKickAss]

I bought my irons on ebay taylormade racs from a guy in quebece saved 2 bills. and they were mint

[doozwimp]

Got new clubs last year. Ended up with Cobra 3100's which I bought for 400 bucks (These same clubs could be seen at other places for $700) last year at Golf Depot. The clubs were the last model year so had discount pricing. A guy there spent a lot of time with me finding clubs and was very knowledgeable.

The right flex is dependant on your swing speed. A looser flex will compensate for a slower speed but if you swing fairly fast you're only wasting energy so you should get something stiffer.

I'm no expert so you definently should consult one wherever you choose to buy your clubs (I recommend golf depot).

Good luck.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

i've heard it said though that the cost of the putter doesn't really make a difference, that it's all in your head...obviously a 15 dollar mini-golf thing isn't as good as a 300 dollar nike or whatever, but is there really that much of a difference between the 100 and 300 dollar ones?

Not quite true. I have a $140 Odyssey White Hot putter sitting in my closet cause I can't make it work. Meanwhile i'm using a $5 putter I got from the discount bag in Golf Town, and it works great.

[HOOT]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

oh, i've got another question...flex...how much does that affect stuff? should i be using stiff, normal, what?

This is where getting your swing tested and fitted for a proper set of clubs would make a huge difference. It does matter I have friends who can't hit my clubs because they are too stiff for them. It depends on your swing to know what you need.

As for the putter it doesn't matter if it is a $50 or $700 putter. Try them all get a feel for them and whatever one feels comfrontable with your stroke.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

i've heard it said though that the cost of the putter doesn't really make a difference, that it's all in your head...obviously a 15 dollar mini-golf thing isn't as good as a 300 dollar nike or whatever, but is there really that much of a difference between the 100 and 300 dollar ones?

and as for drivers...i realize i don't require a 460cc supermegaultrajumbosmashtheballintobits behemoth, so what would you recommend?

i think those cleveland irons are sounding pretty awesome...checked out golftown's website and they are just under 250 big ones for the 4 to pw

so i'm headed up to greaserville tomorrow to check those out

oh, i've got another question...flex...how much does that affect stuff? should i be using stiff, normal, what?

Custom is great and all, but i question how a novice golfer who likely has flaws in their swing is going to benefit from customization that is just as likely to re-enforce those same flaws forever. An advanced golfer that has worked hard to eliminate those same types of flaws should definitely get custom though - without question.

Are you an ex-hockey player? Do you tend to be able to swing things with a LOT of speed? Then you are in need of a stiffer flex. But if you are anywhere in the realm of a normal guy with a normal swing then regular flex will be fine as a beginner-intermediate golfer. At your level this aspect is more important for your driver and hybrid and/or woods than it is your irons though... i am guessing regular flex will be more than fine. Not enough flex (no power/distance/moment of inertia) is far more detrimental to your game than too much flex (loss of accuracy).

I think you will really like the Cleveland Launchers, they just feel right in your hands - FAR better than anything else in that price range that is for sure.

I would say a great hybrid club is more important than a big driver - as the newest square faced hybrids are able to hit the ball quite far (really suitable for any hole minus par 5s and long par 4s) but with FAR more accuracy and then can often be used for your second shot as well. Again i would recommend Cleveland - their Hybore's were the first square backs (that i know of) on the market and they have greatly improved my game.

The driver i am more wide open on. That is something you want to try out in the simulator. 'A little bit off' with a driver means your ball is in the trees so....


Putting is the most important part of the game and so your putter is the most important tool in you rbag. Unfortunatly picking a putter has more to do with chosing between trade-offs and personal preferences than price. Major questions are whether you want a blade putter or one of those larger full-back 'mallet' style ones, where you want the shaft centered in the club (Off the heel or the middle? Straight out or bent?) and if you want it heavy (using a few larger muscles) or light (using more smaller muscles)? Figuring out where you stand on those points will lead you to the right choice.



Claeren.

[nfotiu]

Fun topic. Just got my new clubs last night and loved them on the range anyway.

I had a really good experience by getting to know our golf pro, and taking a couple lessons from him. After a couple months of practicing what he wanted me to correct, I was getting pretty close to a decent swing.

When it came time to get new clubs, I had someone who was very familiar with my swing to help me. And it really helped me get the right clubs. We spent a couple hours on the range trying different shafts, clubs and lies.

Without his help, I would have got something completely different. I would have never thought I needed regular flex shafts, for one thing.

I still haven't picked a driver yet, but I've been demoing about a dozen driver/shaft combos for the last few weeks. I've got to say the Big Bertha 460 with the stock regular shaft is a pretty awesome club (for me anyway). It is so easy to hit long and straight.

I went with 5-PW irons and a 19 and 22 hybrid. No need to get 3 or 4 irons, unless you hit them well.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by Berger_4_

i've heard it said though that the cost of the putter doesn't really make a difference, that it's all in your head...obviously a 15 dollar mini-golf thing isn't as good as a 300 dollar nike or whatever, but is there really that much of a difference between the 100 and 300 dollar ones?

The putter is that one club where there is no explanation it's all about feel. My dad bought some Arnold Palmer putter in 1964 that he went on to use for the next 43 years. I'd ask him why he wouldn't buy a new one and he said he'd never found one that felt as good as that one. I used it a couple of weeks back when I had to round up a set of clubs while I was in Kamloops and had perfect weight on every put and had 11 putts on 9 holes including the one I drained from off the green in my first round of golf this year. Likewise I bought my $40 Wilson over several more expensive ones because of all the clubs I tried that day it was the one that felt the best. No logical explanation whatsoever.