Club questions

I'm getting back into golf after laying off for a few years due to family commitments.

So far, I've replaced the clone irons (EXP Callaway or Ping copies I think) I had in my bag with a set of TM Burner 2.0's 4-AW. I've yet to go to the driving range and see how they work for me in real life but I tested the Burner plus 7 iron at my local Golfsmith with the intention of picking them up and was pleasantly surprised at the results. Apparently, I was knocking the ball on average 145-150 yards with a swing speed in the mid 60's (I don't know if that's good or bad but I'll be 44 this year). I don't think I was able to do that with my previous 7 iron as I think I was knocking my old 7 iron about 130 yards. I'll take 150 any day of the week if that's truly the case. (I used my rule of thumb PW 100-110 and each club up an additional 10 yards).

More importantly, the ball went a lot straighter with that club than I'm used to. My swing plane must go from outside to in as I put some side spin on the ball sending its flight to the left but the 2.0's put the flight path a lot more towards centerline where I'm aiming. And I had other spin on the ball according to the launch monitor. (I remember seeing 4,000 rpm on one of the shots) Something I don't know that I could do. Must have been the club and not me.

Unfortunately,I'm left handed, and being that I'm on the wrong side of the ball naturally Golfsmith didn't have the Burner plus set I wanted. Fortunately, the salesman mentioned the Burner 2.0's were better and at the same price as the Burner pluses. Color me happy, give that man a cigar, and consider them sold!

So now, I'm looking in my golf bag and feel disappointed, depressed, ill, embarrassed... a mix of emotions basically when I look at my Driver, 3W, and 5W. I picked them up when metal woods were becoming popular and to replace the persimmon driver and woods I couldn't hit well. (There's absolutely nothing I can find on the internet about them so I guess they weren't popular at all).

I said all that to say this, I've got 5 clubs I'm looking to replace with something more game improving:

Driver - 10.5 degree Lion Usa Shotgun Willie with a graphite shaft

When I hit this club, I'm not sure how far it goes but the ball goes to the left some. If I try to crank it, the ball slices to the left... so I normally swing it with the club face slightly closed and use a slower swing... it tends to straighten out then.

3W - 16.5 degree Lion Usa Shotgun Willie with a graphite shaft

I can hit this club fairly straight and normally use it off the tee and off the fairway. Distance wise I don't know how far it goes.

5W - 21.0 degree (I think) Lion Usa Shotgun Willie with a graphite shaft

This club normally goes straight for me off the tee on longer par 3's but I have a tendency to top the ball off the fairway.

Sand wedge - Crown Viper (Cobra golf copy)

I can hit this club out of a sand trap with no problem. Around the greens is another story... thin, fat, skulled... it's all there.

Putter - Golden Bear Tracker (I think)

Nothing wrong with this club and I can get the ball in the hole after a while but since I'm getting new clubs everywhere else, I'm thinking of replacing it also.

I'm not looking for this year's clubs or anything (as you can tell with my purchase of the Burner 2.0's) and will most likely pick up one club at a time over time as funds (and my wife allow).

I'm not opposed to buying used clubs (as long as they're from a reputable source and not copies or counterfeit) but don't know where I'd be able to actually hit a driver that's 3 or so years old to see whether the club works for me... I'd prefer to get clubs that are like the irons I picked up... a couple of generations back from what's right now.

I like the looks of the Cobra Amp Cell and am not wedded to TM specifically (even though I like the looks of their daddy longlegs putter a lot).

What I don't want to get are clubs (especially driver and 3W and 5W) that have a built in closed clubface as I'd rather modify my swing to reduce/eliminate my outside to in swing.

Sorry for the long post but I guess I'm excited about getting out and playing with my new clubs.

Go to goldsmith, golf galaxy or dicks our pga store. They should have a left section. Look for Older models. They should go back a couple of versions. F they will tape them and let you swing. You have to know what you are looking for as they may have them in stiff when you need reggae our 8.5 when you need 10.5. That is what i did when i was in your situation.

That sounds like a plan... the othe rnight when I went to Golfsmith was the first time I'd ever been in one. I didn't really pay too much attention to what all was in there because I was focused on finding those particular irons... I did pass several displays of drivers and metal woods but didn't pay them too much attention. I figured they were all the newest models. I'll see if my wife will let me swing by there and take a few swings at some clubs. Maybe she'll take pity on me and let me pick something up even. I hope I hope.

On the 3W, make sure you also test out the 4W. Many average golfers can hit the 4W better (more reliably) than a 3W, according to a Golf Digest report. The best way to find out is to test the 3W and 4W side by side.

And, if you opt for the 4W, you probably would want to add a 7W so you get some distance difference between your FWs. Or. you might try a 4W and two hybrids - whatever works for you.

Also pay attention to the shafts. The industry doesn't have official standards for R.flex or S.flex, so you need to test them out to see which works best for you. Also, a low-kick shaft will launch the ball higher than a midkick or a high-kick shaft. A good clubfitter can help you with these fine-tuning aspects.

Finding L-handed 4Ws and 7Ws may be a little difficult. Ping G20 and G25 models have them // Cobra has some adjustable FWs in Lhand which cover the 3-4W and 5-7W loft ranges.

See, that's kind of what I was looking for advice wise. Thank you. I pretty much stopped golfing right about the time when hybrids clubs were first appearing and I tended to ignore them because #1 I couldn't afford them and #2 thought traditionally about clubs. Is there much difference between hitting a 3W and a 4W? Now I'm tending towards forgetting traditional methods of clubs and going with what works for me. If that means using hybrids or a 7 wood, then so be it.