Clubs to buy

Hello,

My 18 year old, 6'2" beginner son wants a set of golf clubs for Christmas.  I found: Callaway Golf IR RAZR X Black Iron Golf Clubs - 8-Piece, 3-9 Iron, PW for a very nice price ($275).  My question is, is it necessary to go crazy and spend a lot of money for a fitting and an expensive set for a beginner?  The set is not extra long, just the standard size.

Help!  Christmas is creeping up.

If he is 6'2" it might be good to measure his wrist to floor distance to see if lengthened clubs might be a good fit for him (playing with clubs too short isn't very fun and makes the game harder), but you don't need to go out and necessarily buy the latest and greatest from a golf shop to have a set a beginner can use and enjoy.

It's possible to purchase new shafts (you can find entire sets on eBay often for an equivalent price to one or two of that same shaft if it was bought brand new) and then put those shafts into the clubs trimmed to the correct length if that's an issue. If he is handy with a vice (using a soft bike clamp) and a heat gun/blowtorch it could even be something he does himself, or a golf shop can usually do it for a relatively inexpensive price.

Welcome, no a fitting is not necessary, ther are fitting guides on several sites @golfworks has one as well .

Just measure wrist to floor for length, should work to get you started and the clubs you mentioned are a good set.

Good luck.

Has your son played a little and taken a couple of lessons? If so, he would benefit from what's called a basic static fitting. The clubfitter looks at  how the club fits the golfer's stance and body build. The clubfitter can adjust lie angle and shaft length if need be. Also, fitter determines how thick the grips should be.

Also, be cautious about someone who fits clubs using only wrist-to-floor measurements. I attended the basic GolfWorks school, and the instructors warned that wrist-to-floor is only a rough starting point: the fitter has to see the player hit some shots to really determine what shaft length and lie angle is needed.

If you buy a new set of irons, the basic fitting should be free. And, he needs to hit the irons before you buy them, to make sure they work for him. So, avoid eBay . If you have family friends who golf, they might suggest a good golf shop which could help him find a set.

Also, beginners don't need to be taking clubs apart and reshafting them. Maybe in a couple of years after he learns the game, but not now. Get clubs that already fit him when he takes them home.

I know this is a lot to throw at you. But, I'm glad you're supporting him. Merry Christmas, and let us know what clubs he gets!

If he's really a beginner, a 3 and 4 iron may be useless. Especially at cranked lofts, those might wind up being really tough. Have him at least try similar long irons before buying them. I bought a full Callaway box set from Costco for $375 two years ago that had 5-SW. The x-24 set. Later iterations have been called RAZR Edge and Xtreme. Same clubs. Really good value. They go Driver, 3w, 5w 4h, 5-SW. All you need to buy is a putter and bag. I've since bought a gap and lob wedge, and a blade style SW. Very happy with it. Explore Callaway Preowned. I saw the latest year's set down to the magic 375 price point over Black Friday.