Equipment upgrade advice request

I started golfing a few months ago and bought this set from K-Mart to get started.

It's served me pretty well thus far, but I have some concerns that it's beginning to hold me back. I do OK with the irons though I don't hit nearly as far as a lot of folks seem to (100 yds, with a 9i), but the 3 & 4 hybrids and woods don't seem to agree with me nearly as well. The shafts seem unduly flexible for one thing and I can't get any kind of consistency especially with the hybrids. Lately I've been able to get decent results driving with my 3-wood (around 200' off the tee and generally straight-ish) but I wonder if I'm actually getting better or just learning how to hit that particular club.

Budget is a concern so simply replacing my entire set isn't an option at this point. I'd like to get a club or two at a time to try and spread out the cost of replacing everything, but don't really know where to start.

I can hit my 5i pretty consistently to 150 yards. My 3 & 4 hybrids go more or less 165 & 185 with much less consistency in both distance and accuracy. The 3 & 5 wood I hit very inconsistently (except off the tee with the 3 as noted above) and let's not even talk about the driver.

So the advice I'm seeking is whether any of you have any experience with these el-cheapo sets & what might be holding me back. If there's any possibility of a new driver significantly improving my distance & accuracy I would probably prefer to start there since distance off the tee is my #1 biggest flaw. If not, I'd consider starting by replacing the hybrids and starting from the bottom up so to speak. I'm also wondering about whether I could expect a higher quality (Callaway, Cleveland, etc.) brand of irons to perform significantly better than my current irons.

I realize that without seeing my swing it's hard to offer advice, but let's concentrate on the equipment for this post.

Thanks in advance.

Since graphite shafts are more expensive it is possible that poor quality graphite shafts are in the hybrids and woods. Even inexpensive metal shafts are at least ok. If you are generally athletic you may be generating to much clubhead speed for the shafts in this kind of set. Your short iron distances will improve as your swing does. I agree with the advice to test out a swing / launch monitor. I would actually look at replacing a fairway wood first, probably the 5 since you hit the three better. I don't think it is unusual for golfers to have 2 or three different brands of woods, irons that are not matched sounds like a bad idea to me. Don't worry about the driver until you can break 95 on a good day. Unless you can reach par 5s in two it is not worth it if you can't control it.

Yea, I'd love to get on a launch monitor and have a pro help me out. There's no place near where I live that has one though. Looks like a road trip is in order.

Allin- the irons are steel shafted, the hybrids & woods are graphite. The hybrid shafts seem much stiffer than the woods, maybe due to being shorter, but maybe not. I wouldn't necessarily class myself as athletic, but I am a big guy, 6'-3" and well over 300lbs so maybe I am swinging too fast for those shafts. I do think I'll start with the woods, I should be able to replace both of them at once if I save my pennies.
Thanks for the advice.

I am similar in size to you (6'3" 280lbs) and I've had my irons lengthened by an 1 1/2" so I don't have to bend down as much. From what you are describing you could definitely use some stiffer shafts in your woods. The "el-cheapo" sets have poor quality very light regular flex graphite shafts. With Ebay you can get some very good deals and stay in your budget. Also, on a whim I recently went to golfsmith to check out the Mac Burrows close-outs for my "guest/2nd" set. The woods are $39 and I've had comparable results as compared to what I have in my bag. I also picked up the Powersphere 421cc for $49 and was very impressed with the results. Golfsmith just bought out Burrows golf and is selling all their components on for dirt cheap prices.

It seems to be a buyer's market for golf gear now, seasonally and overall lower demand, so now is the best time to pick up some gear that is right for you at a very reasonable cost. Find out what you need and scout out what it can be had for used.

There's always flea bay, I'm assuming you need cavities and game improvements, you can always get a new set on ebay for 400$ or a used set for 150$ depending on what models. Safe bet, go with the TaylarMade OS (newer model) This should be about 350$ for new on flea bay. Make sure its not fake!