Cheap Club Problems??

Hey,

I am new to golf and was thinking about this tonight at work.  I was wondering if nicer clubs would help my game at all.  I currently have a Maxfli Fire set and was wondering if I upgraded to like the Calloway X20 or the TaylorMade Burners if I would see a difference?  I know this is kind of hard to discuss without seeing my swing, but just on how the clubs are made are there some more forgiving for beginners?  Did I make a mistake choosing the clubs I have, or is it a good choice to start out with until I get the fundamentals down?  Maybe I care to much about brand names too.....who knows

Just some thoughts.  This is my second year playing, but is going to be my first year of really getting out there and working on it.

Thanks,

Steven

It would make a huge difference in your game. A super game improvment iron will really help you with off center hits. I personally think for forgiveness purposes the 08 callaway big berthas,callaway diablo edge irons,adams a70s irons are the best for a golfer looking for maximum forgiveness to keep the ball straight. I currently have the 08 big berthas and they have helped me more then what you could ever imagine.I have had the box set before and it doesn't compare. I mean i have done so much research on this topic that i am confident and know what im talking about. There is no company that has super game improvment irons like callaway and adams.That is what they specialoze in making the game easier for higher handicapp players.Take what i am saying into consideration you will that me in 5 months. The 08 big berthas are pretty cheap compared to what i payed for them 3 years ago.

Can get a new set of Wilson Di9's for $200 all over the place.  I have thought about getting a set for a back up and for the price, you can't go wrong.

Unless you are a very good player, you probably wont see much difference from clones to namebrand clubs.  If you arent making a proper swing, clubs alone around going to make a night and day difference.

Steven,

If this is your first season, the Maxfli box set will be fine.  Find a good pro in your area, and take a few initial lessons.  The $100 you spend on fundamentals will be well worth it.

Down the road you'll want to being to swap in better equipment, but that can be done cheaply given the nature of the PLC in the golf industry.  Be sure to ask whoever you are taking lessons from to look at the lie and flex of your current clubs.

Steve, I'm in the same boat as you. Last year was my first year to play golf and I started out with a box set of Topflite XL's. The set was approx $200.00 including a driver,3W,4&5 hybrid,6-pw, putter and bag. Last year, the first club I got rid of was the driver.I could not hit the cheap driver at all. I upgraded to a 07 Taylormade Burner Driver and my driving improved dramatically. This year, I got fitted for a set of Ping G10 XG game improvement irons. With the new irons I'm consistently making better shots, ie distance and better ball flight.

With that said, in my opinion name brand game improvement clubs do help the golf game somewhat. If you don't want to spend a ton of money on name brand golf equipment, get the name brand clubs that came out 2 or 3 years ago.

I am torn on a post like this. New to golf yes, but buying cheap no. Why because you WILL end up buying what you like no matter what your skill level is. Why waste $200 on pure crap you don't really love?

Considering the OP already has the box set, it's basically mute point whether that purchase was worth it.  Otherwise, I also agree that the $200-$300 could be spent a bit better by a wise eBay scavenger.

You arent going to be able to buy a full set of namebrand clubs and a bag on Ebay for $200-$300, well, at least not a set that was made in the last 10 years anyways.  I maintain my position that buying a set of clones for your first set is a very wise investment.

My first set of clubs were a dunlop box set (I played them for most of the summer before I realized I had bought womens clubs) Then I replaced the irons with a set of Callaway X-18R's which I played for the next year and a half. Since then I've played 4 different sets of irons, 3 drivers, 3 hybrids, 4 different fairway woods, a handful of wedges and putters.

What I'm getting at is that once you become a little more serious about the game, you will likely want to try lots of different things to see what works for you. If I were you, I would play the hell out of those Maxfli's for at least a season before you upgrade. By then you will understand your game enough to make a more educated decision. Also, take any opportunities to try different equipment before you buy.

I would recommend using what you have until you take some lessons and develop the fundamentals of the swing. After that, if you have the cash, a full fitting would be the most beneficial.

I plan on getting lessons this year and a good fitting.  I upgraded the putter that I have just a few days ago to a TaylorMade Medona 8 CGB.  I have been looking hard at the Calloway NG X20 or the TaylorMade Burner Super Launch.....but I want to have lessons before I spend more money on clubs.

No.  Changing to more expensive clubs won't make a difference.  Regardless if an iron's made of carbon steel, stainless steel, beryllium copper or zinc, if the head's the same shape, the loft's are the same, the lie angle's the same and the shaft and grip are the same... they'll perform the same.  Beryllium copper and zinc can't be bent, that is why they are "inferior" to stainless and carbon steels.  Most likely, that set of Maxfli's weren't fitted to your swing.  You switch clubs, regardless of brand, to a fitted set and you'll see an improvement.

Very cheap drivers are made with aluminum, not titanium.  The walls will be thicker, weights may be off, but if you could manage to make an aluminum-headed driver to the same specs of a titanium driver, they'd perform the same.

There's an important equation to remember: E=.5(M*V2).  As in, the Energy output (distance) equals half of the Mass of the clubhead times Velocity (swing speed) squared.  What a club is made out of, or who made it, doesn't factor into the equation.

I have an older friend who shoots in the high 70's-low 80's with a full set of Pinemeadow clubs.  I shoot in the low to mid 80's with a an almost full set of Acer (from Hireko.com).  There's more to golf equipment brands than those with the most advertising dollars telling you what to buy and when.  Consider there's Acer, Dynacraft, KZG, Alpha. Geek, Bang, Maltby/GolfWorks (Tricept, CER, Distance Master), Golfsmith (Snake Eyes), Tom Wishon Golf Technologies, Inazone, Diamond Tour Golf, Integra, Swing Science, plus reputable clone brands (who also have their own stuff) like Pinemeadow and GigaGolf... but you won't see them here or in golf magazines since they don't spend the money getting the media to tell people to buy their stuff.  I can personally vouch for Acer/Dynacraft, KZG, Inazone and Pinemeadow's gear.  Having played the "big boys" stuff as well (Callaway FT-3, 5, 9; X-20 and 22 irons, Forged+ wedge; Nike Sasquatch and SuMo 5000 drivers, SQ 3w, SV wedge; Adams RPM and Speedline driver; Taylormade RAC and RAC TP wedges, Cobra FP II irons) there is NO difference- in quality or performance.

Maxfli makes quite a few boxed sets of golf clubs, the Fire model one of them. These are decent, durable golf clubs, and are a good way to start. They are inexpensive, but not "cheap."

You might get a static fitting in which the clubsmith makes sure the clubs are the proper length for your height and build, and have the proper lie angle.

Sabrina Tate, a PGA teaching pro at Tower Tee in St. Louis, told me that about 90% of her student start with boxed sets. Then, they switch out clubs when they have the skills to go to "the next level."

I think quality needs to be thought about too. I started out playing with SkyMax Ice irons and they were heavy and ugly. I also had issues with the hosel ring coming off on them and sliding up and down the shaft. While playing those I decided to "invest" the little funds I had at the time in a hybrid and bought a Benross Veloct hybrid. That came on 3 rounds with me but then while teeing off with it on one hole the head snapped clean off the shaft and flew up the fairway (actually flew better than my ball which sliced OB!)

I've never had any problems with my Sumo SQ irons, nor my TM hybrid.

New clubs of "whatever" will not help you anymore then your current clubs if they are the same lie/loft/length/shaft.  If you can get dynamically fit to your current clubs, and have them adjusted; then you would be much better off then getting a brand new set of "whatever" that are not dynamically fit to you.   I like what delav said about getting some lessons, and having the pro make sure your equipment is not hurting you.

Being a beginner, you will actually benefit the most from having clubs dynamically fitted. ( you can buy a whole new set, or you can get your current clubs adjusted for very cheap). Its all up to how much you want to spend.  Having a teacher get you into a good balanced motion, then make sure your clubs are rewarding you for that.

I have nothing to add to what others have suggested but this thread takes me back to yesteryear and my Dynatour box set. Man they lived a hard life and died young.

I totally disagree they make super game improving irons for a reason. Bigger sweet spots for more distance off of off center hits. I have already been there i thought my box set was good until i invested on a good set of clubs. When i took my lessons three years ago my instructor told me that i needed to invest on clubs. Box sets of clubs are no good the driver and putter are horrible and the irons have a very low moi which is pretty much the sweet spot and forgiveness. A lesson isn't going to just all of a sudden make you a great golfer you need the clubs to back it up. Trust me i9 convinced my buddy to get a new set of irons and the difference in his game is just crazy. He isn't shooting in the 90's consistently yet but from where he was it is just simply amazing. And don't get irons because they are on sale because make sure they are the right irons for you. Make sure you get super game improving irons. You do not want blades yet,blades are for better players that want to be able to work the ball. The sgi irons are designed for the higher handicapp players that want forgiveness more then workability. Really consider the diablo edges or the adams a70s those are the two companys that stand alone when it comes to sgi irons. Do your research so you can see for yourself.