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New to golf and have two important questions


Nick77
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I am new to golf and currently in the process of buying all of the equipment I need to get started. Before I go any further, I know the best bet for starters is to either buy used or borrow clubs, but I am dead set on buying new top quality stuff to get started.

My first question is, what clubs are essential to start off with?

Next questions is, what brand and model clubs should I go with? Below are the clubs that I have been thinking about, but would like your opinion on whether some of these clubs are suited for beginners or not.

Iron set - TaylorMade Burner/steel shaft
Driver - TaylorMade R9 with FCT
Fairway Wood - TaylorMade R9
Putter - TaylorMade Bitsey Monza Spider

I'm sure I have missed something, so all recommendations are appreciated.

Thanks!!
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Personally, I'd try to get to some local demo days if available in your area. It's really tough to pick out a set of clubs without hitting them first.

I've bought some woods that felt good in the store just swinging them and looking at them at address, but I couldn't hit them worth a damn on the course. I'm sure others have had the same experience.

Driver: 909 D3 Diamana Blue
3 wood Ti Bubble 2
Hybrid: Burner Rescue 19 S Fujikura
4-PW: ZB NS Pro 100 S
GW: 51 VokeySW: 55 VokeyLW: 60 BeCuPutter: Red X3 or Del Mar 2 TeI3Ball: TP Red LDP or Pro V1x

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if you're really dead set on going for "top quality" Stuff, you really need to go hit whatever you buy.
Bag: Flight SS
Driver: 10.5* r5 draw with Pro Launch blue 65 Stiff
Irons: CCi Forged 3i-pw
Wedges: 56* CG12 black pearl and 60* low bounce RTG 900
Putter: i-Series Anser 35"Ball: e5+Tee: Zero FrictionGlove: FootJoy WeatherSofRangefinder: MedalistShoes: Sp-6 II, Adidas 360Scores this year:92 91...
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If you have NEVER played a round of golf, don't waste your money on getting all that equipment, will do no good. I would say allocate that money towards a series of lessons with a local PGA Instructor or at least use that money towards green fees, golf balls, tees, glove, that kind of stuff and driving range balls.

Driver Ping G10 10.5*
Hybrids Ping G5 (3) 19* Bridgestone J36 (4) 22*
Irons Mizuno MP-57 5-PW
Wedges Srixon WG-504 52.08 Bridgestone WC Copper 56.13
Putter 33" Scotty Cameron Studio Select #2

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I bought a $250 Wilson starter-kit about 5 years ago... it has held up just fine. I plan on upgrading slowly over the next two years.

Driver Cleveland HiBORE XLS 9.5°

Hybrid 3I Adams A7

Irons 3-PW Wilson Air Power

Wedges Cleveland CG10 52° Chrome, Cleveland Reg. 588 56° Chrome, Cleveland Reg. 588 60° Gunmetal

Putter Cleveland Classic #3

Best Score 80 (+8) - July 22, 2011 @ Highland Woods Golf Course (Blue Tees - 71.7/122)

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After getting in the game a few months ago, I settled on a 13 piece Adams Complete Set for WAY under $500!!! I did change the putter out with another. It's been great so far!!! You should definitely check it out!!!

In my Nike SasQuatch Staff Bag:
Driver: Callaway FT-IQ 9.5 Stiff
Irons: Ping G5 4-P
Wedges: Vokey Spin Milled 56*, Cleveland bent to 49*
Putter: Scotty Cameron California Monterey
Ball: Srizon Z-Star Yellow
Range: SkyCaddie 2.5

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If you have NEVER played a round of golf, don't waste your money on getting all that equipment, will do no good. I would say allocate that money towards a series of lessons with a local PGA Instructor or at least use that money towards green fees, golf balls, tees, glove, that kind of stuff and driving range balls.

What he said.

Also, be sure to get fit for whatever equipment you get. There's no way you'll be able to produce a repeating, good swing if your equipment doesn't reward a good swing with a good shot.

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

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I would highly reccomend getting a 200-300$ "complete set" before you go after any high quality stuff. You really need to get your swing going and be reasonably consistant before your dumping 200+ on some clubs. Once you get a good rhythm you can get some higher quality clubs.

Really though, go hit like everything they have in shops, preferebly outdoors.

G15 10.5 Driver
G15 17 Wood
G10 24 Hybrid
G10 6-PW Irons
52, 56, 60, and 64 degree wedges Detour Newport 2 DT SoLo BallSwing Speed: 111 MPH, wish I could putt.

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If you have NEVER played a round of golf, don't waste your money on getting all that equipment, will do no good. I would say allocate that money towards a series of lessons with a local PGA Instructor or at least use that money towards green fees, golf balls, tees, glove, that kind of stuff and driving range balls.

What he said.

what these guys said.

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I am new to golf and currently in the process of buying all of the equipment I need to get started. Before I go any further, I know the best bet for starters is to either buy used or borrow clubs, but I am dead set on buying new top quality stuff to get started.

1st thing, welcome!! I hope you know what you're getting into!!

As others said, a demo day is a great place to start. I can tell you this though - I'm not too far from you, and there's not a demo day scheduled anywhere close by in the near future, but I have seen them scheduled at the last minute sometimes. Check all the big manufacturers websites often. Also, like others said, lessons are going to help you much better than having the latest and greatest. I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the honest truth. I'd hate for you to spend a ton of money on a bunch of brand new equipment, then take lessons, and then have to spend a bunch of money if your clubs need a little adjustment after you make some swing changes. It would be like spending $5000 on new clothes that would fit you now, on the same day that you start dieting to loose 100 lbs. Ebay is a great place to start. Also, see your local golf course about some demo irons that they may have available. The other thing is dont limit yourself to a single manufacturer and their newest, greatest stuff. The technology in drivers hasnt changed much in the last 4-5 years. Really, that goes for all clubs in general. You can get a killer deal on a R7, a Ping G10, a Nike Sumo, and lots of others right now, that will cost you half of what the R9 does. Since you're just starting, I'd recommend something a bit more forgiving. The R9 is forgiving in terms of direction, but an off-center hit on one of those, and you're going to lose a good bit of distance, compared to others. It's a great club, IMO, but I think others may suit you better right now.

 
Follow me on Twitter - TST_Justin
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This Week's Bag Drop - Miura Passing Point 9003 Forged Irons and Adams Idea Pro a12 Irons and Hybrids  - Sweet new forged cavity backs from Miura (do they make any irons that arent simply beautiful?) and irons/hybrids from Adams created with...

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One more vote for a starter set. Even if money is not an object, there's no sense just wasting it on top of the line gear until a) you know you're going to use it and b) you have some idea why you're buying what you're buying. But really, a starter set will be a fine set of clubs for learning to swing and hit the ball.

If you're really against buying a starter set for some reason, then see if you can find a course that rents decent quality equipment. Try a few that way.

And, finally, if you really just want to buy "top of the line" equipment, go to a golf shop and buy the most expensive set of irons, a driver and a couple fairway woods and/or hybrids, a couple wedges, and a putter. At this point no one here can give you any better idea what you need than that, and honestly, until you've played a bit even a fitting won't help. You need to learn to swing first, then worry about what your swing looks like.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

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From your post, I'll just go on the assumption that you've got $2000 to blow
on clubs when you could have spent $200 and that you'll surely want to
change in a couple years as you improve.

All the big name companies offer similar clubs so if you like Taylor Made,
that's as good a choice as any. You probably don't have a very consistent
swing right now so testing different companies won't mean much to you.
The clubs you picked will probably be fine but if you want to go a bit more
game improvementy/forgiving how about this:

Driver: R9 460
Fairway: R9
Irons: R7 CGB MAX or Burner Plus (Plus has more draw bias) 5i on down
Putter: The full size spider
Hydbids: Burner High Launch (one or two between your 5 iron and fairway)

As far as club fitting goes, the free static fitting that a large golf super store
will give you for buying new clubs will be as good as you need.
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I never played one round of golf went out and bought all the latest greatest ping golf clubs spent 2500 bucks and just went for it .

I had a little buyers remorse when I figured out the game was a little harder then it looked but stuck with it and had no major regrets, a few years later when I understood a few more things about golf I sold all the clubs one at a time and made almost all my money back. the key here was selling them one at a time.
Many of the people who bought them needed just a 7 iron or whatever to fix a broken or lost club and paid a higher price.
It worked out very well for me as I turned around and bought my dream set with only a few hundred dollars out of my pocket.

If I had to do it over I would not change a thing.
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I am new to golf and currently in the process of buying all of the equipment I need to get started. Before I go any further, I know the best bet for starters is to either buy used or borrow clubs, but I am dead set on buying new top quality stuff to get started.

1) Make sure you get fitted with the right length/lie.....pingfit is a great start if you just want to get a quick ballpark idea....go to ping golf online and follow the steps.....as a start....nothing compares with actual range time. Make sure any "off the rack" clubs you get can be adjusted to your specs by the store you are getting the from: length, lie, grip size, etc.

2) I really like the irons your are considering....forgiving but will reward solid passes at the ball with outstanding distance...you will not struggle to get nice high shots that carry great distances. The woods you are looking at are super....ajustabilitly is a cool feature as you go through the learning stages. I think I'd go with the '07 Burner 3wood and driver because performance will be very close to the R9 at more than 1/2 the price. Good luck and welcome to the greatest game ever played.
909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
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If you have a store like Golf Galaxy or Golfsmith near you check out their preowned clubs. Both stores have reasonable return policies on their preowned stuff, so if it doesn't work for you at least you can return it for store credit. The preowned stuff can still be top notch, and so much cheaper. I just picked up a great set of irons for $67 that probably sold new for $600. Technology hasn't changed that much, especially in irons.

"You can foment revolution or you can cure your slice - life is too short for both" David Owen

WITB*: 2010 winter edition

Driver: AyrtimeFW/hybrid: Distance Master Pro Steel 5w, 7w, 27* hybridIrons: Powerplay 5000 hybrids (6i-SW)Wedge: SMT Durometer 55 degPutter: Z/I Omega mallet*as soon...

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Hey you only live once so treat yourself well.If you are just starting out then standard everything will be fine unless you are either real tall or real short then get fit.Buy a good carry bag and start walking do not ride as you will learn the game better.Also buy good balls and gloves and most important a good pair of golf shoes.DO NOT SKIMP ON THE SHOES unhappy feet suck!!!Most important HAVE FUN and then take lessons and it will last you a lifetime and then some.He who dies with the most toys wins the game.

In my new FT carry bag
FT-9 Tour nuetral 9.5
FT-15 degree 3 wood
Fussion Hybrids #2&4
Fussion irons with Grapholoy Pro launch Red shafts56&60 Cally X forged wedges with Red shaftsSG9 putterCally I ballBushnell Meadealist range finder

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Hey you only live once so treat yourself well.If you are just starting out then standard everything will be fine unless you are either real tall or real short then get fit.Buy a good carry bag and start walking do not ride as you will learn the game better.Also buy good balls and gloves and most important a good pair of golf shoes.DO NOT SKIMP ON THE SHOES unhappy feet suck!!!Most important HAVE FUN and then take lessons and it will last you a lifetime and then some.He who dies with the most toys wins the game.

Good advice......push cart and comfy shoes make for great birthday and Christmas presents.

909D Comp 9.5* (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-6)
Burner Superfast 3 & 5 woods (house MATRIX OZIK XCON-4.8)
G15 Hybrid 23* (AWT shaft)
G5 5 iron-PW-46*, UW-50*, SW-54 & LW-58 (AWT shaft)
Studio Select Newport 2 Mid SlantGrips: PING cords & Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Coumpound Bag: C-130...
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You wont get a vote from me on "beginner sets" - sure, your shots wont be better with high quality stuff in the beginning, but - it makes a lot more fun to practice with imo, esp if money isnt that big of an issue for you.

I had my beginner set for like 2 weeks before i got bored with it and dumped it and got the real stuff.

If you want to save money - get last years models of Taylormades (or whatever brands you prefer) or wait a couple of weeks, til this years equipment gets discounted - now is the time of the year when the stuff will get cheaper. Playing 1 or 2year old equipment wont give you any disadvantage at all.

You indeed missed something - WEDGES! I dont know where you want to go with your game, but if you want to get good, make sure you get real wedges with wedge grinds - not these shovels that basically look like your standard irons, just with a higher loft. Just look at the homepage of thesandtrap.com and you have some good examples of how a wedge has to look like.

But dont forget, dont spent all the money on equipment, you also need to have something left for lessons and rangeballs/fees....

Burner 9°
FW Burner 15°
Burner Rescue 19°
MP67 4-PW
CG10 50° CG12 DSG 54° & 60°

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Note: This thread is 5328 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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