buying Golf Clubs

[MOXJO7282]

I've only played golf a handful of times but really would like to play more now and definitely in retirement so want to take some lessons and buy some better clubs so I'm not such a hacker. Can someone recommend where to buy a good set of golf clubs and did you have them fitted at some point?

 

[VacationForever]

My husband has been golfing for over 40-50 years and I have for about 6 years. He has a handicap of 6 and I am always working on improving my swing and handicap. There are many brands out there and we both bought Cleveland irons (HB Launcher / Turbo) last year after my husband having tried out several brands because he likes the feel of a heavier bottom, making swings easier and probably more forgiving. I was very happy with my 5-year old Adams and find very little difference between my older clubs and the new clubs. He has been using Taylormade drivers and woods and he just bought the Taylormade M6 D (D for draw) driver and loves it.

You can visit any of the large golf outfits local to your area which will let you test out various clubs before you decide what to buy.

Our belief is that until one gets better and has a repeatable swing, fitting is pointless. My husband can probably benefit from getting fitted clubs because he knows what he is doing, but he has never gotten fitted clubs. In other words, if you are a good golfer, fitting is beneficial.

I have had hundreds of hours in 1:1 golf lessons including as recently as 3 weeks ago. Golf instructors can help with fundamentals and minor fixes along the way but there is no better way to improve than to keep playing and watching lots of youtube videos from golf instructors. My favorite youtube videos are ones from Danny Maude and Clay Ballard. I highly recommend them. On the other hand golf instructors can also cause major issues to one's golf swing. I have sworn off having paid lessons for a while after my last few lessons which caused major sciatica joint pain in my back. I have since reverted to my old setup.

Enjoy golfing in retirement. It is wonderful for the physical health. Mentally it can be very frustrating.

 

[easyrider]

I've only played golf a handful of times but really would like to play more now and definitely in retirement so want to take some lessons and buy some better clubs so I'm not such a hacker. Can someone recommend where to buy a good set of golf clubs and did you have them fitted at some point?

Find a pro shop or golf club store with a swing cage and have your swing speed figured out with different clubs. For me the best club was a senior flex as my swing speed has decreased as I aged. I didn't buy the senior flex because I only golf about 5 times a season at most. I bought the clubs I have at Costco years ago. I did see the discontinued Adams senior flex on sale somewhere a few years ago. Some one told me that Kirkland now has their own golf club brand that is supposedly very good.

I am a great golfer occasionally. Its a good feeling getting that great shot, but other times, I amaze everyone for my ability to hit the wrong fairway, lake, road and other golfers.

Bill

 

[goaliedave]

I've only played golf a handful of times but really would like to play more now and definitely in retirement so want to take some lessons and buy some better clubs so I'm not such a hacker. Can someone recommend where to buy a good set of golf clubs and did you have them fitted at some point?

Ive been golfing for 49 years and have only had 4 sets of clubs. Don't pay for a fitting. Don't spend a lot on clubs. Wait for a 50% off sale on a mid range set. 5 years ago i bought Callaway XHot off the display shelf for half price and they are awsome for me, a 12 handicap. Go to Golf Galaxy (USA) or Golf Town (Canada) and say you want to try out a few sets of clubs. Go Monday or Tuesday morning when they arent busy and they will spend hours fitting and helping you for free in their practice bays.

Buy used balls. Walmart sells 50 for $10.

Take group lessons at your local golf club. Usually 6 weeks, once a week, working your way up from wedges, short irons, long irons, fairway woods, driver, putter for $20 per week.

Play alot. Try new things but discard 99% of tips other golfers give you. Enjoy the 3 good shots you make each round.

Sent from my SM-A505G using Tapatalk

 

[MOXJO7282]

My husband has been golfing for over 40-50 years and I have for about 6 years. He has a handicap of 6 and I am always working on improving my swing and handicap. There are many brands out there and we both bought Cleveland irons (HB Launcher / Turbo) last year after my husband having tried out several brands because he likes the feel of a heavier bottom, making swings easier and probably more forgiving. I was very happy with my 5-year old Adams and find very little difference between my older clubs and the new clubs. He has been using Taylormade drivers and woods and he just bought the Taylormade M6 D (D for draw) driver and loves it.

You can visit any of the large golf outfits local to your area which will let you test out various clubs before you decide what to buy.

Our belief is that until one gets better and has a repeatable swing, fitting is pointless. My husband can probably benefit from getting fitted clubs because he knows what he is doing, but he has never gotten fitted clubs. In other words, if you are a good golfer, fitting is beneficial.

I have had hundreds of hours in 1:1 golf lessons including as recently as 3 weeks ago. Golf instructors can help with fundamentals and minor fixes along the way but there is no better way to improve than to keep playing and watching lots of youtube videos from golf instructors. My favorite youtube videos are ones from Danny Maude and Clay Ballard. I highly recommend them. On the other hand golf instructors can also cause major issues to one's golf swing. I have sworn off having paid lessons for a while after my last few lessons which caused major sciatica joint pain in my back. I have since reverted to my old setup.

Enjoy golfing in retirement. It is wonderful for the physical health. Mentally it can be very frustrating.

This is good insight. I haven't played enough to have a swing quite honestly so I think lessons will really help. It is through one of those Golf video centers so all lessons are video taped and you can analyze what you're doing right and wrong. I'm a former athlete and gym rat so I respond well to skills training and usually can master repeatable activities so I think training will work for me. The best part is 90 minutes of indoor range work weekly is included. Master is probably not the right word when it comes to golf but I just hope to hit the ball straighter without so many blow out holes and play closer to 100 than 120.

 

[Big Matt]

Golf is a strange sport. I learned a really long time ago how important it is to get lessons. Make sure you are working with someone who is comfortable working with beginners. I would start out with cheap group lessons to get a real explanation on how to grip the club and perform a basic swing that's repeatable. See if you score better. If so, decide how much better you want to get. Getting to even an 18 handicap without cheating is hard. You need to master five shots: 1) the drive, 2) hitting a ball solidly off of the ground with your clubs, 3) the pitch, 4) getting out of a green side bunker, and 5) putting/chipping. To get much better you have to hit range balls pretty often. That gets expensive. Maybe you have somewhere to hit short irons for free (a field, etc.). The other part of scoring is how to manage your round, when to take a risky shot, where to lay up. Unless your current clubs are really lousy, I'd wait on getting some new ones until you figure your swing out. If you are average size/build, you can just buy clubs off the rack. If you are not average sized, get them fitted, especially if you are very short or very tall.

 

[bogey21]

When my Son was something like 13 or 14 and showed an interest in golf I used a bunch of Marriott Rewards Points and sent him to a week's golf school at Lake of the Ozarks, MO to make sure he learned the right way from the git go. My Wife was furious that I dumped him there for a week with a bunch of older men. It turned out not to be a problem and although he plays infrequently today he still shoots in the 70s. Instruction obviously has its benefits...

George

 

[Gaozhen]

Enjoy the 3 good shots you make each round.

So true! That's the only thing that keeps me going.

I did just get fitted at Club Champion, but it's super expensive to buy new clubs or shafts so standard brands are good. I use Calloway Rogues, a few years old, standard length, as a 30-something 5'8" medium build woman. If it helps!

 

[rosebud5]

New and more expensive clubs doesn't make you golf better. It takes lot of practice and most of all patience. Start by buying a beginners set. Lot of people get the golf bug, but tire of it after a while. The beautiful thing about golf is you can play at almost any age. Who cares if you duff a few. After a while, you'll make those 2-3 shots that make you want to play again. The best thing I think about golf is the exercise and being outside. There is nothing like it.

Oh yeah, the second best thing is the 19th hole and a nice cold one.

 

[rapmarks]

We have several sets in each garage, I wish I could share with you. The secret is learning correctly when you are young. My husband started young, was a six handicap until late sixties. I learned at fifty and he taught me, he coached high school team for 25 years and went to instructional clinics and gave lessons. I never was good just adequate.
last week my usual foursome played in a charity event scramble. We are age 72 to 81. We shot 13 under, making putts From everywhere. on one short par 3 we were all within 12 feet of the pin! Doubt we will ever do that again. We were most proud of birdies on par 4s.

by the way, we have two men in their nineties that constantly beat the younger guys, and their handicaps are too low for them to move to the old guy tees.

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

I am an AVID golfer---though I wish I played better than I do. I play OFTEN, but am only a bit above average.

I have not found any BAD suggestions above.

I wouldn't want you to buy $1500 in clubs, when you could start with $600. (You could buy 1 or 2 year old NEVER used clubs.)

GROUP lessons is a good place to start.

www.tgw (Golf warehouse) rock bottom golf, etc, are a couple of places. Dick's sporting goods is another.

Have fun----FORE!!!!

Pat

 

[zinger1457]

Doubt you'll find a better $10 investment in your golf game than "Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf". Takes you through the basics starting with the proper grip and all the way through the full swing. I've been golfing for +45 years and still refer back to it often for a refresh. As suggested get a good 'used' set of clubs to start then work your way up. Get golf clubs that offer maximum forgiveness, sometimes referred to as 'game improvement' clubs, all the major manufacturers make them. As a beginner you'll be hitting it all over the face and need as much help as you can get.

 

[pedro47]

Take some lessons and do not try to follow golfers professional swings. Play regular to build up your confidence . Develop a short game and learn to read the putting greens.

Finally, please just have some fun.

 

[pedro47]

You can find Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf at Big Lots for under $8 dollars.

I purchased this book to give as gift to beginners golfers .

 

[easyrider]

Doubt you'll find a better $10 investment in your golf game than "Ben Hogan's Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf". Takes you through the basics starting with the proper grip and all the way through the full swing. I've been golfing for +45 years and still refer back to it often for a refresh. As suggested get a good 'used' set of clubs to start then work your way up. Get golf clubs that offer maximum forgiveness, sometimes referred to as 'game improvement' clubs, all the major manufacturers make them. As a beginner you'll be hitting it all over the face and need as much help as you can get.

I have that book. The clubs back in those days were pretty stiff. I started out with stiff clubs back in the 70's and could use them just fine. The driver I use now has alot of flex. It's a no brand senior flex graphite with a big sweet spot. Probably not regulation size. I tried the Bandit balls and they do seem to add distance. They are certainly not regulation. Next set will be hybrids if I decide on getting new clubs.

Bill

 

[pedro47]

Have anyone tried Costco golf balls?
I heard that they are pretty good,

 

[VacationForever]

Have anyone tried Costco golf balls?
I heard that they are pretty good,

We did not get our hands on the 4-piece Costco golf balls. However we did buy the 3-piece Costco golf balls but we have not been impressed. In fact we still have around 8 unopened boxes in storage, as we like to buy everything in bulk. They are definitely shorter than the other golf balls which we use - my husband uses cheapo Top Flite and I use Srixon Lady Passion Pink balls. The ones that got rave reviews were the 4-piece ones, which they stopped producing because of the ongoing Titlelist lawsuit.

 

[mjm1]

As mentioned earlier, Golf Galaxy is a good outlet for clubs. Callaway clubs are well known as being very forgiving and easier for beginners and high-handicappers to hit. Especially the Big Bertha version. The best thing to do is hit various clubs. As someone mentioned hit them while being monitored (no charge) to see how you like them. I would recommend trying this at least twice as you may not hit them the same way each time.

People have offered some very good insights about improving one’s game. Practice is important and especially focus on your short game (short shots, chipping and putting.) You will see a lot of golfers at the range pounding drives, but you can save a lot of strokes by being very good at the short game. I was told that if you only have twenty minutes to practice, focus on this. I can tell you that many long hitters get annoyed when another golfer doesn’t hit the ball as far, but ends up scrambling for a par because of their short game. It can be a great equalizer.

Most importantly, have fun. Golf is a great game.

Let me know if you ever come out to Vegas. I volunteer at a very nice local course and get special playing privileges, including for guests.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[VacationForever]

As mentioned earlier, Golf Galaxy is a good outlet for clubs. Callaway clubs are well known as being very forgiving and easier for beginners and high-handicappers to hit. Especially the Big Bertha version. The best thing to do is hit various clubs. As someone mentioned hit them while being monitored (no charge) to see how you like them. I would recommend trying this at least twice as you may not hit them the same way each time.

People have offered some very good insights about improving one’s game. Practice is important and especially focus on your short game (short shots, chipping and putting.) You will see a lot of golfers at the range pounding drives, but you can save a lot of strokes by being very good at the short game. I was told that if you only have twenty minutes to practice, focus on this. I can tell you that many long hitters get annoyed when another golfer doesn’t hit the ball as far, but ends up scrambling for a par because of their short game. It can be a great equalizer.

Most importantly, have fun. Golf is a great game.

Let me know if you ever come out to Vegas. I volunteer at a very nice local course and get special playing privileges, including for guests.

Best regards.

Mike

Very good advice. I hit my drives, woods and irons longer and straighter than most amateur/social women golfers but my short game is not good. Today I played and I turned 3-4 foot birdie putts into double bogeys. I have alot of work ahead with bunkers, chipping and putting.

 

[rapmarks]

If you are in Sw Florida go to Golf Guys on Tamaimi Trail in Bonita Springs

 

[Bucky]

i Try and play twice a week. Between Dr appts and weather that doesn’t always happen.

The first thing I would do is ask your instructor if you have progressed far enough to be fitted. If they have the ability, have them do it. Will save you a couple of bucks. If they don’t have the ability go to some big golf store such as Golf Galaxy or a PGA Superstore. Once they fit you properly by telling you what flex and shaft type will suit you best, go to an online site and purchase what you are looking for. You can save hundreds buying from somebody like Rock Bottom Golf https://www.rockbottomgolf.com/golf-clubs/iron-sets/ or EBay. Being a former athlete and gym rat you will probably end up with a regular flex fitting. Then it’s up to you whether you want graphite (lighter and more expensive) or steel (heavier but cheaper and for some, more accurate).

 

[MOXJO7282]

What about these from Costco?

https://www.costco.com/callaway-edge-10-piece-golf-club-set%2c-right-handed.product.100399160.html

 

[VacationForever]

What about these from Costco?

https://www.costco.com/callaway-edge-10-piece-golf-club-set%2c-right-handed.product.100399160.html

Don't know anything about this particular set but at this price it is for beginners. I suggest that you buy a set with graphite shafts. This set has steel shafts for the irons and I would stay away from it. https://golftips.golfweek.com/graphite-vs-steel-shafts-1376.html

 

[#1 Cowboys Fan]

What about these from Costco?

https://www.costco.com/callaway-edge-10-piece-golf-club-set%2c-right-handed.product.100399160.html

These look like an okay choice for the price. I, too prefer graphite iron shafts (don't sting like a foul ball in baseball).

Also, that's 10 clubs; you are allowed 14. You'll definitely want a Pitching wedge, and Sand Wedge (many choices)----that makes 12 clubs. Then consider 'gap' wedge, lob wedge (maybe not), and hybrid(s) to get your perfect 14 clubs.

 

[Bucky]

These will probably be a great starter set for you. But, you will still need a fitting for them. There are so many things that we don’t think about that a professional fitter does! Such as, are they the proper length for you based on your height and arm length. Do they set up correctly for you when you take your stance? In my case my shafts have been shortened by 1/2” and my lie has been set to 2 degrees flat. I also use a smaller than standard grip size! There are many things other than shaft flex involved in a proper fitting. Do yourself a favor and spend the $50-100 for a proper one. In the long run it will save you hundreds. Hit em straight.

What about these from Costco?

https://www.costco.com/callaway-edge-10-piece-golf-club-set%2c-right-handed.product.100399160.html