Is it time to upgrade?

[bananas]

I've had about 5 lessons since november of 2009. My swing is starting to come around and i've noticed a good improvement in ball striking. I started golfing in July of 2009 when I purchased a complete set of tommy armour golf clubs driver - putter. They are graphite and full cavity but no offset. (i'm 23 5'11 pretty athletic) My typical miss is a push. When i'm hitting well the ball goes straight with either a 2-3 yard fade or draw. I'm shooting in the high 90s for a round of 18. Would I benefit from an upgrade or should I just keep my clubs? Would do you guys recommend?? I've been eyeballing the callaway x22s or nike slingshots and hit both into the net at golf smith but not on the monitor. I like them both and the they have a much better feel than my current set.

[Ruckus]

It's hard to say whether you would benefit from an upgrade, but if the new clubs give you more confidence and don't set you back too much, there is no reason not to look at getting something new. What flex are your current clubs? Do they fit you right? That is one area where you may stand to gain when you look at getting new ones. When you do decide you are ready, make sure you get fitted for length, lie, and shaft flex. Once those are set, it's a matter of personal preference.

[inthecup]

I'd lay low on the clubs. Get your swing more consistent and then get fitted for new clubs. If you get fitted before you finish making changes to your swing they could be fitted wrong.

[sean_miller]

I've had about 5 lessons since november of 2009. My swing is starting to come around and i've noticed a good improvement in ball striking. I started golfing in July of 2009 when I purchased a complete set of tommy armour golf clubs driver - putter. They are graphite and full cavity but no offset. (i'm 23 5'11 pretty athletic) My typical miss is a push. When i'm hitting well the ball goes straight with either a 2-3 yard fade or draw. I'm shooting in the high 90s for a round of 18. Would I benefit from an upgrade or should I just keep my clubs? Would do you guys recommend?? I've been eyeballing the callaway x22s or nike slingshots and hit both into the net at golf smith but not on the monitor. I like them both and the they have a much better feel than my current set.

Upgrade from what - from your current heads, shafts, or namebrand recognition?

If I was learning and improving, I'd stick with the current set for another summer - just do the occasional demo of new equipment to make the best choice. 2 other sets is not a good cross section of what's available. EDIT: Do you still have the stock grips on your Tommy Armours? Try getting a grip fitting - having a new set of good quality grips feels like a new set of irons.

[andef]

I played with a similar set until I reached a handicap of 13.5 and shooting an average of 85 per round. during the month of november i was custom fitted for a set of AP2s and upgraded all my irons and wedges. i am now waiting for the titleist demo day before i purchase the 909 woods. this was my experience and i feel that switching to new clubs will help me improve my handicap (i was only able to play 3 rounds with the AP2 and went down to a 12.9). my swing is much more consistent now so i suggest u wait a little bit longer until you feel that the clubs are preventing you from shooting lower scores.

[Bug Bunny]

I, like you, started playing last year. I bought an Adams A3OS complete set. I know in the next two years, I'm definitely going to want new clubs but definitely will give it another year so I know my swing is kinda set and it's going to be the best swing for that club as the swing you have a year from now will probable change just a bit from what you have now. That said, I have started to upgrade my wedges. Just bought a vokey spin milled and am loving it. I'm betting you are just getting a bit ansy. Buy ya a wedge, keep practicing, get that swing finalized and then see what ya want!!!!

[wrx_junki]

Upgrade to steel shafted irons ASAP. If you are indeed athletic, you should have no problem with S300 shafts. If you were interested in the X-22's, check out the Tours instead. Also, there are A LOT of iron sets for under $300. Look at the Wilson Ci7's, Taylormade R7, Callaway X-18R, MacGregor MT Pro-C, and many more. These are budget clubs that will go a long way. I'd suggest the MacGregors or the Wilson Ci7's since they look the best. Good luck!!!

[etlreams]

I would wait until next spring (or perhaps next off season) to get new clubs. If you are athletic and you start grooving a good swing...my guess is your swing speed is going to start increasing.

Depending on the particular shaft you have...... graphite shafts in your irons might make you start hooking the ball as your swing speed increases.

I was in this same situation in High School. I'd been playing for a while but started playing with more regularity one summer. I bought a new set of irons with graphite shafts and had control issues as my swing speed increased. I got new irons with regular flex steel shafts a year later. BUT...again....it all depends on the flex of your graphite shafts.

That would be the only reason I think you should consider new equipment at this point. Tommy Armour makes good irons.

[chriskzoo]

It's not the arrow, it's the indian. While there are certainly more technologically advanced clubs out there, that is not what would be holding your game back. A single digit handical could probably hit a bucket of balls with your clubs, having never played them before, and go out and break 80 with them.

If you want my advice, I'd start with the putter or the driver - get something new that's a 2007 or 2008 model still floating around (talking driver here) like the Taylor Made Tour Burner. These are the clubs you are going to be taking 60% of your shots with, so it's the best place to start. Then, if you want some new irons next year, knock yourself out.

[toaster83]

I started playing in the summer of 2008 and picked up a set of Zevo irons, a 5 wood, and hybrid for super cheap (Zevo is one of Golfsmith's in-house brands). Started learning from a friend who's a scratch player. I'm an equipment junkie, so about six months in, I was already itching for better equipment. He told me to wait since my swing would probably still change a lot. Sure enough, my swing did keep changing. Another six months later, I'm itching again and thought my swing had settled down. I ask him the same question, and he tells me the exact same thing. Started taking lessons from an instructor last August, and my swing changed a lot again. About four or five months of taking weekly lessons got me to the point of having a consistent swing, so I got a set of 2009 burner irons and a couple of rescue tps custom fit for me at the beginning of this year. And I couldn't be happier with them. I have lots more confidence with them, and I know they'll still be right for me in the long term as well.

Moral of the story: Will fitted clubs help you now? Probably. Will they still be helping you in six months? Probably not. Wait until your swing gets more consistent -- both swing to swing and over time -- before taking the plunge. Having videos of your swing seriously helps here as well as an instructor who can tell you if they think your swing is really consistent enough to get fitted.

[bananas]

Thanks guys! I think i'm going to go with the re-grip idea and wait till next season (any suggestions). I'm just way too excited to finally see some good results! The graphite shafts are regular flex and when I got lessons I hit them on the lie board and he said everything was fine as far as lie, his only concern was shaft. I'll ask him if he thinks i'm ready for irons yet, because frankly i'd rather spend 500 on green fees and lessons than clubs.

[toaster83]

Grips are a more personal preference thing; but I have Golf Price New Decade grips on all of my clubs and absolutely love them.

[bananas]

Grips are a more personal preference thing; but I have Golf Price New Decade grips on all of my clubs and absolutely love them.

Very true, i'll have to check out golf smith this weekend. I saw the golf pride grip kits looks simple enough to do my self.

[sean_miller]

Very true, i'll have to check out golf smith this weekend. I saw the golf pride grip kits looks simple enough to do my self.

Doing it yourself - you're on the right path!

[doof_dizzler]

2 things stand out to me:

Save your $$$ and take more lessons / play more.

Learn how to change grips yourself, you won't regret it!

[bananas]

Installed golf pride grips! Feel awesome thanks for the suggestions to wait on new clubs. (golf smith wanted 3 dollars a club to install glad I did it myself! Really easy.)

[WUTiger]

If you have the Royal Scot or the Diamond Scot model, they are decent clubs for a boxed set. I have seen them in different golf shops, and they look like solid clubs.

Consider an upgrade when you get scores around 90, and you could get some tactical benefit from new clubs. By then your swing should be stabilized, and you would benefit from a dynamic fitting. Upgrading implies that different clubs would let you take your game to a new level.

Sounds like you're making progress. Good luck this season!

[HappyG]

I might suggest having your current clubs fit for you instead of upgrading. Your coarse or golf shop will have a lie board. Based on your swing, and a couple of other factors you may benefit from having your clubs bent upright or flat by a couple of degrees. I know that off the shelf clubs don't fit me, and by tweeking them some I gain distance and accuracy. It improves my contact.