Only 30 and already old school golfer!?

No offense, but Id say its time for you to do some reading and catch up.  Golf equipment has changed a lot in the past 12 years.  Hybrids are pretty much the norm because they so easy to hit and so versatile, as are big ole mallet putters.

If it makes you feel any better.. for the longest time I thought my hybrids were fairway woods.

I went through the same exact things a few years back. I played in high school and used my grandfathers set I was given when he passed away. They were RAM's from the mid-70's and I graduated in 1998. After graduating I didn't play during college due to cost aside from a round here and there and in 2008 the golf coaching position came open at our school. I was friends with the AD and he knew I was into golf and asked if I would be interested in taking it, which of course I did. However, I still had my clubs from the 70's which served me well but I saw the newer clubs the kids on the team had, learned from them what hybrids are along with a few other things. It was interesting, now I'm playing some Maltby blades that the golf pro at our source built for me and have brand new equipment all around. I didn't notice much change in distances with my irons but the biggest difference I have noticed between older clubs and newer clubs is the ability to make some adjustments that have such a drastic change in ball flight. I had a set built for me last year and I had a lower more penetrating ball flight. I received a lot of roll out and didn't like that, Northern Maine greens are small and you really can't play bump and runs anywhere so having a high ball flight that sits quick is ideal. I changed my shafts and had the exact ball flight I needed. I usually get no more then 3-4 feet of roll out even with my 3-4 iron, love it. It's amazing how much things changed in just those 10 years, especially with just the hybrids.

This is why I rarely visit the equipment forum.  It's much ado about nothing.  What works for one player would be totally wrong for the next, so taking any serious advice about brands and models from an internet forum is a questionable shopping technique.  What you get for the most part are opinions, and those can be based on very different criteria depending on each player's ability and physiology.  

 

For most players, getting fitted for your clubs is far more important than picking the right brand.  Proper fitting will take care of head type, lie, loft, length and shaft.  Those are the primary differences anyway.  The equipment rules only allow the manufacturers so much leeway in clubhead design, and all of the big names offer much the same fleet.  Go with any brand and you will find a model that suits you if you get it fitted properly.

 

And, by the way, this is just another opinion.  

I am older than you, but just started golf.

At first, I was wondering about all the equipment and what each club was supposed to do. It was very confusing to me when I learned about clubs that propel the ball with the same distance but different flights, but I can see how some of this is useful. It is interesting that you came up with that list of improvements over the last 12 years, your assessment makes sense.

As I learned more about this sport, I learned that there have been many "revolutions" in the clubs. I read about everything from the 1500s till now. I concluded that almost everything has been tried.

Now, there's RocketBladz, I wonder if that will change the game? I wonder if Callaway will make something equivalent? Is it a ploy to sell more clubs with thinner faces that will most likely fail after a few years of use? Even better, they employed polymers that are guaranteed to not last, or at least change their characteristics.

In short, I have found that golf is no different than other field of interest. Every year equipment manufacturers come out with something new. The marketing departments have people from the Technology field, no doubt.

Eventually, clubs will be disposable like a cell phone.

That's why I chose to use Cleveland blades as a beginner, they are probably going to last long enough for me to develop a decent swing.

I started playing in my teens as well, and also gave it up before I was out of high school though sadly I've never been as good as you were/are.  Since then, I've started and stopped playing several times, the most recent was about 10-12 years ago (time flies faster in your fifties...)  I just spent a good amount of time looking at the new clubs available.  I think there have indeed been some technology advances in the last decade or so, and thus made a decision to buy some new clubs.  Now, that said, I think that there is a LOT of hype about the differences in clubs and brands and the wondrous advances since last years model (which it seems wasn't as wondrous as it seemed last year after all. )  Most of the major brands seem to have a line of clubs aimed at specific market segments (read player skill levels).  I'm thinking once you identify which of those segments/levels you belong in the differences from one manufacturer to another probably aren't that great.  I ended up buying a set of Ping G20 irons and so far I feel good about the decision.  But I expect I'd also be happy with Callaway Razr X,  or any other of several game improvement type irons.  I plan to have those for some long time and won't be agonizing over the latest and greatest next year.

It is called money.

You think equipment changed, did you look into instruction yet? Trackman, high speed cameras, Aimpoint, devices to measure everything.

 

I've kept up with what's going on in instruction, but I still play with Ping Eye 2s so I might look old school, but I the stuff in my head is very much up to date. 

There is a lot of hype in any industry. I have friends who are into music (guitars), you should look at that industry for hype!

 

But, I for one enjoy reading about the new gear; going to Golfsmith and hitting the demo clubs and looking at grips, balls, etc. etc. I also end up buying and selling. I enjoy playing a year or two with one set of clubs, or a driver, or fairway woods, and then start looking for new clubs. I'm fortunate in that I can afford it and I have a very understanding wife. And given that I'm getting older (61) I also think the advancements in technology make the game more 'playable' for us old guys.

Fourputt says it's Much Ado About Nothing, and I would add it's also The Sound and the Fury. One of the biggest debate topics on TST - GI vs. player's clubs.

 

Me, I can't abide by big strangely shaped contraptions with tons of offset, but that's just me and it really comes down to what works for you.

 

BTW, Ping Eye2s were considered leading edge GI clubs back in their day...

 

I agree.  I don't use blades, but I do use Titleist AP-2 players cavity irons because the size of the the GI clubs is just wrong (and the SGI shovels give me the creeps).  I'm not running them down - they are quite suited to a lot of players and that's great, but I just hate looking at them at address, and I actually play worse with them because of that.  My play improved when I got rid of my graphite King Cobras and went back to the smaller head with a steel shaft.  

 

LOL. I was at Dick's once with my son and I pulled a few of those monstrosities off the rack and put them at address and he says "Why are you making that face?". Only then did I realize I was making a face as though I had eaten a stink bug or something.

 

BTW AP-2s are beautiful looking clubs, never hit one though...

 

I actually have a similar story as I started playing when I was 8 and played competitively until 16 (my index was 4.3 at its lowest) but then things changed and I stopped playing for 13 years. My father in-law got me started again this year and I couldn't believe how much has changed in golf clubs and instruction - as someone pointed out above. My Biggest Big Bertha which was huge in its day and now it looks like a 3 wood compared to the new 460cc drivers. Even though I guess the new technology makes some difference I won a long drive contest in a tournament this year with my 14 year old Biggest Big Bertha so technique must still have something to do with it. 

 

I did buy new irons this year (Nike VR Pro Cavity) as I had been away from golf for too long to be playing my old Hogan Apex PC blades from 1986 and I am very happy with the Nike's. I have read a lot of threads on this forum about GI irons and how they do not offer the control of "players" irons but in my experience with the Nike VR I can shape a shot in any direction and I get the added forgiveness on mishits.