trying to get into golf

Granrey · August 28, 2011

Hi Guys,

I'm trying to get into Golf, not only because I'm interested (I've been trying for years but being turned off about the cost and lack of time) but also because in my new job, owners, employers, customers, etc play it among them very often. I want to make sure I fit on my new job. This job is very important for me.

I was reading golf for dummies 3rd edition and still I'm not sure which set to buy and so on. I understand I have to buy something proper for my body type/size, no leather grip and steel made stuff. I want to keep it cheap but I don't want something that I will have to replace quickly and spend more money that I don't have.

what would you guys suggest?

I'm seeing these things at golf town, what do you think?

I apologize if links are not allowed here.

http://www.golftown.com/Category_LIS...&CategoryId;=27

I also see golf sets at Walmart but I dont know how to pick a set or recognize a good deal.

I really appreciate your help.

**dmnoland** · August 28, 2011

I checked out your link but I would not buy any of that stuff.

Go to Craigslist and search for GI or SGI clubs by Ping, Callaway, Titleist, Adams, Cleveland or Taylormade. You can probably score a good full set in decent condition for around $400. Make sure to start with regular flex and if the grips are more than a year old change them. If you go with Ping you can call Ping to verify serial numbers and at least get web fit for length and lie.

I highly recommend buying used, it's a lot of bang for your buck!

**newtogolf** · August 28, 2011

If you know someone that's into golf talk to them, they might have a set that you can borrow while you figure out if the game is for you. You state you've been trying to get into golf for some time but were turned off by the cost and lack of time, has that changed?

Golf is a great recreation for business people and networking, but it takes some time, effort, and money to get to the point you can enjoy a round and spend time networking instead of looking for lost balls you shanked or sliced into the woods. Unless you're a natural athlete, you may want to hold off on those corporate outings until you have some lessons, and range time under your belt. I also agree with dmnoland that used clubs from a known club maker are a better option over Walmart store brands and will cause you less grief from your co-workers and management. I made the mistake when I was in a similar situation as yours 12 years ago of buying a set (3-SW and bag) of Knights from Sports Authority for $100 and still get ribbed from friends about those clubs to this day.

Golf for Dummies is a decent start but at some point you'll want to familiarize yourself with the Rules of Golf, and might consider a book on the golf swing. Many people here like the Stack and Tilt method which has a book and training videos or for a more traditional swing Hogans Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is considered a great reference for beginners.

Granrey · August 28, 2011

Originally Posted by newtogolf

If you know someone that's into golf talk to them, they might have a set that you can borrow while you figure out if the game is for you. You state you've been trying to get into golf for some time but were turned off by the cost and lack of time, has that changed?

Golf is a great recreation for business people and networking, but it takes some time, effort, and money to get to the point you can enjoy a round and spend time networking instead of looking for lost balls you shanked or sliced into the woods. Unless you're a natural athlete, you may want to hold off on those corporate outings until you have some lessons, and range time under your belt. I also agree with dmnoland that used clubs from a known club maker are a better option over Walmart store brands and will cause you less grief from your co-workers and management. I made the mistake when I was in a similar situation as yours 12 years ago of buying a set (3-SW and bag) of Knights from Sports Authority for $100 and still get ribbed from friends about those clubs to this day.

Golf for Dummies is a decent start but at some point you'll want to familiarize yourself with the Rules of Golf, and might consider a book on the golf swing. Many people here like the Stack and Tilt method which has a book and training videos or for a more traditional swing Hogans Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is considered a great reference for beginners.

Yes, I have better income and time now. the interest has always been there but the other two have stop me every time.

Thanks for your advice

Granrey · August 28, 2011

Originally Posted by dmnoland

I checked out your link but I would not buy any of that stuff.

Go to Craigslist and search for GI or SGI clubs by Ping, Callaway, Titleist, Adams, Cleveland or Taylormade. You can probably score a good full set in decent condition for around $400. Make sure to start with regular flex and if the grips are more than a year old change them. If you go with Ping you can call Ping to verify serial numbers and at least get web fit for length and lie.

I highly recommend buying used, it's a lot of bang for your buck!

thanks for the advice

**glk23** · August 29, 2011

Look at Wilsons ci9 and di9, both can be had new on eBay for under $250. Both are nice irons and at that price you can't beat it. Plenty of used options out there for around $300 if you want to go that route.

**LankyLefty** · August 29, 2011

checkout www.dallasgolf.com as well as their ebay store.

These guys are some of the biggest used and clearance people in the golf business, I bet you could outfit a full all brand name set of clubs for under 250 bucks if you poked around enough.

Granrey · September 4, 2011

thanks for all replies. I have noticed than buying clubs is a very difficult choice. Well, I hope I dont pick a wrong set LOL

btw, do golf clubs come in different sizes based on your body?

**NuclearMike** · September 4, 2011

Originally Posted by glk23

Look at Wilsons ci9 and di9, both can be had new on eBay for under $250. Both are nice irons and at that price you can't beat it. Plenty of used options out there for around $300 if you want to go that route.

I agree. I bought a barely used set of Wilson Staff Di9s on eBay for $185 including shipping. They're very forgiving super game improvement irons. I also own a Nickent 4DX Evolver driver from Rock Bottom Golf. The last time I looked the driver was $70 from RPG and $50 from Dallas Golf, but both were in limited quantities.

paulg · September 5, 2011

Originally Posted by Granrey

thanks for all replies. I have noticed than buying clubs is a very difficult choice. Well, I hope I dont pick a wrong set LOL

btw, do golf clubs come in different sizes based on your body?

There's a standard size which you'll find everywhere, but most (all?) major manufacturers will do custom fitting.

How tall are you?

Don't just look at 2nd hand, although it's definitely worth a look, you'll find a lot of clubs even just a few seasons old at cut prices. I don't think I'd ever purchase brand new clubs!

**WUTiger** · September 6, 2011

Quote:

thanks for all replies. I have noticed than buying clubs is a very difficult choice. Well, I hope I dont pick a wrong set LOL

btw, do golf clubs come in different sizes based on your body?

Being that you now work for golf bubbas, here's the plan I would recommend...

Talk to a friend who's serious about golf and find out a good teaching pro. Take some lessons. Your initial swing is grooved by the time you play about six rounds, so you want to learn solid basics from the start.
The pro can help you find some decent used clubs to get you started, one's that will match your swing. As for fitting, see next...
As for different sizes, get a static fitting + a lie board check once you've taken a few lessons. In a static fitting, you get measured to make sure the club shafts are the right length for your body build and stance, and the right flex for your swing speed. The lie board check makes sure the clubs are not too upright (toe of club drags) or flat (heel of club drags) for your swing. Many clubs can be adjusted somewhat if you fall outside the "average" build for golfers.

Contrary to what some have said, stay away from Craigslist and eBay in the early going. You don't know enough about golf yet to make a good choice. Again, the teaching pro can help you select clubs.

And, welcome to the game! Give us an update as things develop.

Granrey · September 6, 2011

thanks, this makes a lot of sense.

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Quote:

Being that you now work for golf bubbas, here's the plan I would recommend...

Talk to a friend who's serious about golf and find out a good teaching pro. Take some lessons. Your initial swing is grooved by the time you play about six rounds, so you want to learn solid basics from the start.

The pro can help you find some decent used clubs to get you started, one's that will match your swing. As for fitting, see next...

As for different sizes, get a static fitting + a lie board check once you've taken a few lessons. In a static fitting, you get measured to make sure the club shafts are the right length for your body build and stance, and the right flex for your swing speed. The lie board check makes sure the clubs are not too upright (toe of club drags) or flat (heel of club drags) for your swing. Many clubs can be adjusted somewhat if you fall outside the "average" build for golfers.

Contrary to what some have said, stay away from Craigslist and eBay in the early going. You don't know enough about golf yet to make a good choice. Again, the teaching pro can help you select clubs.

And, welcome to the game! Give us an update as things develop.

**Slowswing** · September 7, 2011

Keep a very low expectation for yourself, golf is a very hard sport I have come to find. I feel like I am pretty average for athletics and I have probably hit 10,000 balls since I started this summer and I'm barely breaking 100. Just wanted to put it into perspective. Oh and any callaway x series would be a great club . X18 x 20 etc

**inthehole** · September 11, 2011

Originally Posted by Slowswing

Keep a very low expectation for yourself, golf is a very hard sport I have come to find. I feel like I am pretty average for athletics and I have probably hit 10,000 balls since I started this summer and I'm barely breaking 100. Just wanted to put it into perspective. Oh and any callaway x series would be a great club . X18 x 20 etc

very well put - I started last fall & have played about as much as anybody holding down a full time job could. Played close to 80 times so far, countless range balls - my wife says I'm OCD with golf. I'm athletic (or at least once was many years ago), and have studied books & watched all the golf channel & youtube videos I can find & am also barely breaking 100. I have shot 44's through 9 holes, but never hold it together through 18. Great game, but if you're at all competitive, you're gonna become dissatisfied if you don't take it seriousliy and practice ... my advice with clubs is to find a golf store & talk to somebody who can help you - you can get into a decent game improvement set for under $300. Good luck - it's work, but I've never had so much fun working as I do on the golf course ....

**dbuck** · September 12, 2011

Originally Posted by WUTiger

Quote:

Being that you now work for golf bubbas, here's the plan I would recommend...

Talk to a friend who's serious about golf and find out a good teaching pro. Take some lessons. Your initial swing is grooved by the time you play about six rounds, so you want to learn solid basics from the start.

The pro can help you find some decent used clubs to get you started, one's that will match your swing. As for fitting, see next...

As for different sizes, get a static fitting + a lie board check once you've taken a few lessons. In a static fitting, you get measured to make sure the club shafts are the right length for your body build and stance, and the right flex for your swing speed. The lie board check makes sure the clubs are not too upright (toe of club drags) or flat (heel of club drags) for your swing. Many clubs can be adjusted somewhat if you fall outside the "average" build for golfers.

Contrary to what some have said, stay away from Craigslist and eBay in the early going. You don't know enough about golf yet to make a good choice. Again, the teaching pro can help you select clubs.

And, welcome to the game! Give us an update as things develop.

I can't add much or disagree with the above good advice except that don't completely limit yourself to used before you check out some deals available. Many of the major retailers-TGW, Galaxy, Edwin Watts, etc have had some attractive deals on recently discontinued or superceded models like Callaway X-20 and 22's that might fit your needs and specs. Also Shotly who advertises on this forum has had some that might suit you as well if they meet your specs. (height and flex) Many of these deals are close to the price of used clubs.

**Topper** · September 14, 2011

Truthiness in newtogolf's post. My first time on the course was a corporate golf outing of about 30 people. I was invited BECAUSE I had never golfed and one our clients was in a similar situation so we were teamed together. We were on a tough course outside Boston with narrow, tree-lined fairways and lots of forced carries over environmental areas (which I'd normally call swamp). I don't remember the name of it. One of our clients came up to me before the round and basically said, "good luck...this would not be the course I'd want for my first time out." Needless to say, it was a long day....but still fun. I still get ribbed about one of my divots. It was the size of a brick which I launched a good 30'...maybe more. That's not an exaggeration. They claimed my divot caused a solar eclipse as it went down the fairway.

I bought my first (and current) set of irons from GigaGolf. They have been excellent clubs and came partially fitted for the price including oversize grips, +0.5" length, and 2* up. I say partially fitted because I had additional fitting done at Golf Galaxy to "fine tune" the lie angle adjustments when the lie angles from GigaGolf were found to be not very consistent. The clubs are a good value but I would also support buying used clubs. My current driver and hybrids were all bought used. Another advantage of buying name-brand (new or used) clubs is that you can re-sell them on ebay which you can put towards your next set of clubs.

Originally Posted by newtogolf

If you know someone that's into golf talk to them, they might have a set that you can borrow while you figure out if the game is for you. You state you've been trying to get into golf for some time but were turned off by the cost and lack of time, has that changed?

Golf is a great recreation for business people and networking, but it takes some time, effort, and money to get to the point you can enjoy a round and spend time networking instead of looking for lost balls you shanked or sliced into the woods. Unless you're a natural athlete, you may want to hold off on those corporate outings until you have some lessons, and range time under your belt. I also agree with dmnoland that used clubs from a known club maker are a better option over Walmart store brands and will cause you less grief from your co-workers and management. I made the mistake when I was in a similar situation as yours 12 years ago of buying a set (3-SW and bag) of Knights from Sports Authority for $100 and still get ribbed from friends about those clubs to this day.

Golf for Dummies is a decent start but at some point you'll want to familiarize yourself with the Rules of Golf, and might consider a book on the golf swing. Many people here like the Stack and Tilt method which has a book and training videos or for a more traditional swing Hogans Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf is considered a great reference for beginners.

**GJBenn85** · September 14, 2011

The Cobra S2 Max set at the site you provided a link to is actually a pretty good set, especially for a beginner. I have the S2 driver and S2 3w and love both. The S2 Max irons are "super GI" clubs with wide soles which are generally ideal for beginners. The price is not bad, maybe a little high relative to buying everything new as clearance items on eBay but like someone said above, stay off eBay until you have more experience in selecting clubs and identifying shady sellers and counterfeit clubs. Keep in mind you'll likely still need to buy a putter if you buy a complete set.

Buying used is the way to go but a lot of people just do not get the same satisfaction from used clubs, myself included.

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