Best Clubs?

fcukme

Hey guys,
I'm look for a bit of help with buying clubs. I plan on taking up golf and getting couse membership in the summer. I want to know what you guys think are good clubs for a beginner. I want to get a decent set which wont need to be changed as I get better.
I'm male and in my early 20's and pretty strong so I think steel shaft is the way to go. I like recommendations for all clubs and bag. My budget is flexible enough but would like to stay around the grand mark everything incl.
Also where is the best place to get your gear, on the high street or on the net. Does anyone know of golf websites that will ship to Ireland.
Thanks in advance.

TheDoc

Listen to me and you will be flying. Heres some pointers that anyone that knows anything bout golf will agree.

1)Steel shaft. You are young and your swing wil be fast enough, graphites are for older golfers or physically handicapped golfers(back pains etc) . Stick with steel till your over 60

2)Do not buy in Ireland. DO NOT BUY IN IRELAND. Go to Ebay.com and look them up. I bought the RAC O/S for 599 in McGuirks and my dad bought the exact same set brand new of ebay one month later for 255. They still sell for 599 in ireland. A safe bet is to check ebay for all equipment, clubs,bags,shoes,balls. Try to get through USPS though or you will be hit by tax from UPS.

3)I see many a people with nice shiny expensive equipment. It doesnt make you a good golfer, you have to hit them. Many driving ranges have testers, you can ask for a club and go hit it and see what its likes, the airport driving range in dublin does this. But try find a nice club for yourself. I'd recommend the RAC o/s from ebay at a dirty low price brand new.

4)Dont waste lots of money on useless gear, a bag carrys your clubs, simple. Carrier or standard is up to you, ebay sells them very cheap. Dont buy mad expsensiveones but dont buy gimmicks.

5)Dont go mad hitting prov-1. Your a new golfer, so probably wil start of with a 20 handicapp. Dont spend mad money of good balls cause you will use them. Good affordable balls are top flite xl's or the thousand series (2000,3000)

6)Be aware that drivers must regulate the ban list. Dont buy a new Taylor made r-7 at 500 euro to find it banned in 2008, check the list. A good driver is the ping g-2.

7)AS a high handicapper which new golfers are, work on your short irons and short game. Thats where you lose shots. You could hit a monster drive leaving you with a 8 iron in, but having a weak short game you can walk of with bad scores. Focus on the short game.

Thats really all I can think of at the moment. Any other queries ask me. As a matter of interest where do you live,age and where are you joining.

fcukme

I'm 22 and I live in North Kildare. I have not decided on the course i will join yet. I have contacts in a 9 hole couse call Elm Hall in Celbridge but its €4,200 joining on fee. I'm doing a PhD a the moment so i have a student card if you can recommend any couses in my area that have good prices for students or are just good courses in general.

okden

heres an over simplified crash course in buying irons

if your a beginer
big head = forgiving = straighter shoots with repeating trajectorys and distances
small head = unforgiving = crooked shots with different trajectorys and varying distances

if your a pro
small head = feedback = shaping shots with different trajectorys and varying distances on purpose
big head = no feedback = cant shape shoots with different trajectorys and varying distances


so for every club you want the right balance of forgiveness/feedback for your standard of swing
this should bring your choice down to about 1 of 10 sets

get a lesson and ask the pro what are the 10 sets suitable for you

if your commited to improving err towards feedback
if you just want to go out and play err towards forgiveness

now your down to 1 of 3 sets

choose

improve

change

my recomendation for most beginer is a hybrid set
3, 4 iron are cross between wood and iron
5,6,7 are like the rac os
8,9 are more like pro clubs

http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=4167
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=3262
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=4533
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=5870
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=5363
http://www.tgw.com/customer/category/product.jsp?SUBCATEGORY_ID=5804

fcukme

I just went over to mcguirks today to have a look at the clubs, i was looking at the callaway steelhead irons that they have for €549. Are these a good set of irons to start with? I can't find these online to buy but need to spend more time searching.

okden

there prob last years x-16s being cleared
not made anymore
all calloways are easy enough to hit, not counting the pro series (x16-pro, x14pro)

if you like them you should see if theyd give you a gap wedge instead of a 3 iron and get a recovery wood (online) like the taylormade rescue club to replace the missing 3

you shouldnt have to wait till your a v good player to be hitting the green regularly from 200 yards, use the tech thats available now

get custom fit for free if you go mcguirks

fcukme

sorry they are actually Big Bertha 2004 irons from mcguirks website here
[URL=http://]http://www.mcguirksgolf.com/[/URL]
Just click on irons and they are on the first page. I'm a suspecious cause they seem rather cheap relative to some of the other callaway irons. I'm not worried if they are last years model.
For a putter I was looking at the Odyssey Golf White Hot Putter for €149.
Good choices??

okden

callaway and taylormade pricing is crazy, they bring out new clubs all the time, often without changing much about the clubs, kinda like man united jerseys

its business model for milking loyal customers and people who need the latest and greatest

all callaways are well over 1000E when they come out, and drop to half that when the next years model of same clubs comes out

big berthas are the forgiveness end of the callaway line


my opinion is

there not a bad price but youll get them cheaper online

anyone could play them, but there is way to much forgiveness (big headness) in the shorter irons, unless you swing very slow and hit ball not very far you dont need that big a head in a 9,p,s and this could be detrimental to your short game in the future

also there is a lot of offset on BB's (this is how far the club head is behind the shaft) its designed to stop slices as it helps the club to rotate over end at impact, if you,ve sliced all your life this is good, if you're good player youll tend to go for mid to minimum or even no offset, if you think youll be good start with mid offset.

putters are personal, oddysseys are all class, get fitted if mcguirks

i realy think you should take one lesson, before you buy for the sake of 30E you'd be put in right direction on choice, without seeing your swing and speed and tempo its a shoot in the dark at what to get let alone what shaft flex, i think mcguirks tend to push forgiveness off the shelf as people are less likely to be disapointed in the first few weeks and it can mask the wrog flex of shaft.

TheDoc

OK I dont know what that guy is talking about. You do not want to get your clubs fitted. Club fitting is stricly for single figure handicapps maybe slightly more. You are just starting, your swing has not developed. You get the clubs fitted when you have a constant swing plane and pattern, which yu only develop after yrs of play and your off low. Basically you get them fitted you will get no forgiveness, cause you swing will change slightly, wether u want it or not, and the custom fits wont strike the ball properly. Go play with standard industry fittings and you will be fine.

My clubs are an inch longer cause im tall, thats it, no custom fittings.

okden

@[DM]-TheDOC-
ok no flame but this is just wrong on almost every level

theres two types of fitting static and dynamic
its not for single digiters, its a standard option in other countries which is only seeked out by single digiters here
the constant plane you develop after yrs of play is influenced by the clubs you begin with. this is why john daly over swings he never bothered to unlearn the habits he learned as a small child with big heavy full size clubs.
fitting has nothing to do with forgiveness it just promotes a certain flight like side hill lies. this is why clarke has his long irons bent 3 up for a draw and shorts bent 1 down for cut spin
theres no such thing as standard industry fitting clubs, check out the lies of mizunos or lenghts of graphite option of what ever you play or the whole ping business model
getting clubs an inch long is custom fitting

as i said no flame just tryin to clear up a cunfuzin issue, after all you certainly sound like a golfer and youre confuzed

@fcukme
you sound keen, chances are you will change clubs as you improve, if you decide now to buy the clubs youll finaly be best with it will just take you longer to get to that level and be less fun along the way
see a pro who doesnt have a vested interest in what you buy, get clubs online, if you go with bricks&mortar store get a free fit.
while your at it if your a little person or a gaint try one of the online custom fits, there not perfect but may help you decide if you need to look further in to custom fitting
http://www.customgolfsales.com/fitting.htm
dont rule out hybrid sets
let us know how you get on

TheDoc

ooo fair enough then, didnt know that. Any other boartds forums id be flamed. I was under the impression i originally stated though, cuase when i went to get some custom fits the pro said to come back when i feel im swinging the same consistently.

okden

[DM]-TheDOC- wrote:

when i went to get some custom fits the pro said to come back when i feel im swinging the same consistently.

sounds like mc guirks, i think some of them (not all ) are a little condescending
nevada bobs, and american golf discount are good other bricks&mortar options

fcukme

Thanks for the suggestions, I am going to check out those hybrid sets as from reading the thread above, avoiding the 3 and 4 irons could be a godsend. I am setting up a meeting with the local pro next week and she what she has to say. I'll post back and let you know what I go with.

Culchie

McGuirks have great deal on at moment

Irons, 3 Woods, Putter, Golf Bag €199

Choice of 3 brands, Spalding, Wilson and Colt