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Golf club advice


ca_gere

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I don't know how many golfers there are on here but it's worth a shot...

 

Looking for some advice on new clubs. I've been playing a bit more recently after a 6 year hiatus and i've been having to borrow clubs. I want to get a full new set (not a cheap full set but a separate set of irons, a driver and wedges, etc).

 

Any advice? specifically more for irons I guess. I've been looking at reviews and will test some out but I want to narrow the list a little. I used to love playing with big berthas - they were the pinnacle years ago but i'm sure the landscape has changed now to the point I don't necessarily need to drop close to a grand on a set to get similar clubs.

 

I'm an ok player so don't need really forgiving/lower-end improvement clubs. I'm rusty but I don't want to have to replace them for many years. I'm also not good enough to really warrant over-spending on clubs I won't get the maximum out of.

 

What does everyone (anyone?) play with?

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My advice (as a fairly decent golfer) would be to try and get along to a decent shop and get fitted. Most manifacturers now do a range 3-4 sets and they will often do demo days.

The big benefit I found in getting fitted is that I don't have any clubs in my bag that I don't use. I never use a 3 or 4 iron so when I changed clubs I got a set of irons I got a rescue club to replace the 4 iron and an extra wedge instead of a 3 iron. So I currently have. Driver. Fairway wood. Rescue. 5-9 iron. Then a 48, 52, and 56 degree wedges. Oh and a putter!!

Getting fitted for my driver was a big game improver too as I found that my previous one was not suitable at all!

Hope this helps a bit!!

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Cheers.

 

I went down to a golf shop at lunch today and tested a few irons on their simulator. pretty much fell in love with these bad boys...

 

http://www.callawaygolf.com/golf-clubs/irons-2015-xr.html

 

The guy I talked to was really helpful too. He took a look at my height/stance/etc and we both agreed I probably didn't need a custom fit for irons. I might do for a driver though - good shout. The last time I bought clubs I was about 14 and it was all about graphite shafts or nothing (although thinking about it, the only real reason to go graphite is for shock right... why did everyone give a shit about that as a kid? probably just because they were new i guess). Seems like the lightweight steel these days make it no difference.

 

Bought an odyssey putter because it was ridiculously marked down (down from about 400 zlotys to 150). Someone had returned it with a different grip than he bought it with. Didn't look used at all so I jumped on it. It's almost exactly like my odyssey knock-off I used to use back in the day and felt great so chuffed with that.

 

I tried out some hybrids too. Haven't hit them much at all really. They were kind of just beginning to take off when I faded out of the game - or at least nobody I knew had them. Felt great. Fairway woods and long irons have always been my downfall and the ball was just pinging off the hybrids so that's a good sign.

 

So I think i'm gonna just get the callaway iron/hybrid combo that I tried out. Thread closed.

 

I do like talking golf though so maybe keep it open

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I just realized I could have posted this in the quick questions thread but oh well.

Golf is a frustrating game at times, especially when you're at that stage where you aren't getting consistent contact. The courses here are all catered around the electric buggies so 18 holes is a sinch. Back home when you're thrashing about the gorse half way up a cliff with the wind blasting your face it does get tough.

A good way to make it go quicker is play with a few people who are better and play best ball (I.e. You play in pairs and hit whoever s ball is best positioned ). That way you're not fanning around trying to hack it out the rough every time, your frustration level decreases and you can concentrate on getting better.

Speaking to folks here I've come to realize how lucky we are in Scotland. The best courses in the world and there's one in almost every town/village. I played as a kid because that's just what everyone did in cruden Bay growing up. It's only now I'm realizing that I was playing courses Americans dream of/pay thousands to play. So yeah, don't take it for granted and get out there.

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I'm considering taking up golf. I played a lot as a kid but barring smacking a bucket of balls at the driving range I haven't played in

20 years. I need a hobby. There's a big golf centre ten minutes from my house with a full 18 hole course, 18 hole pitch and putt, putting green, driving range, pro lessons etc. Nothing stopping me really.

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Do it. My hiatus wasn't quite as drastic as yours but i've already noticed a big difference between then and now (then being about 6/7 years ago when I played semi-regularly).

 

- folks are nuts about stats these days. They've got rangefinders, swing analysis is mental, you can take slo-mo video on your phone now, etc. That was 100 quid an hour technology back in the day. When I played back then you looked at the pin, checked to see if there was a marker around, if not you took a guess. Folk know their average drive lengths and max club length to the yard these days.

- YouTube - I remember having to actually talk to someone in-person who knew their shit to figure out what I was doing wrong. Imagine that?! There are loads of great tips/technique videos now which have already improved my swing.

 

Edit: if you ever leave ireland and go somewhere less golfy, I can guarantee you will regret not taking advantage of it.

Edited by ca_gere
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  • 2 weeks later...

Played the first round with my new clubs at the weekend.

 

I ended up getting a callaway XR driver (same as my irons). I tested out a bunch and it just ended up being the one I felt best with. I really wanted the Nike Vapor speed based on looks alone but it didn't feel right when I tested it. Was absolutely crushing my drives and hitting decent irons and pitches... my chipping and putting was utterly atrocious however. It was soul destroying playing for pars and birdies on the edge of the green and walking off with bogeys and double bogeys. There's not much I can do about it other than keep playing rounds. There's nowhere to practice chipping around me at all. I ended up just breaking 100 - which didn't really reflect how well I was hitting but just goes to show how important the short game is. My distance estimates were all over the place too, which added to the high score. Kept getting great contact and ending up 30 yards short of target.

 

I found out too that the course I played is the 3rd busiest in the US. Mental. Took about 4.5 hrs to play a round and we were playing at a decent pace when we were actually hitting. Just took ages on the tee boxes.

 

CSB

 

golf is ace. Trying a different course this wknd.

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  • 5 months later...

I used to play golf alot until about 10 years ago when i started working locally on a golf course. For some reason i lost interest. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

Previous to that i worked in IT for about 15 years and during that time the last thing i wanted to do at night was switch on a computer. Mmmmmmmm.

Perhaps you can see the correlation here. Now that i DONT work with computers all i ever do at night is Work (play) with computers as i am doing right now (very late at night for a greenkeeper). The point i,m trying to make here is, for me anyway, whatever it is you do for a living, you tend not to want to have anything to do with it in your spare time.  The human condition i suppose. Sorry this is a bit of an old post but it did catch my eye. Apply the same principle to music. When i was young i wanted to be a rock star. Nowadays i,m not so sure its all its cracked up to be. How many famous bands out there even talk to each other anymore or dont have any legal lawsuits on the go. I,m not knocking the sport here it is in my opinion the best of all (maybe snooker too) and as far as working i could do alot worse. The first job i ever did was work on a building site in Dundee then a golf course in Barry near Carnoustie but its a shame nowadays it seems to be less about the game of golf and more about the dosh.  In conclusion, i really cant figure out why anyone would want to play the game but thats from someone who spends 8-hours a day on a frigging golf course. Perhaps when i retire, i may change my tune,

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