New Player, Need Advice on Building Club Set

[RBenn1701]

Hey all, new member and new player here, looking for advice on which clubs to carry. I have only played 2 rounds of golf in my life (with a friend's borrowed bag) and have been to the range about a dozen times. Pretty poor player at the moment, I drive around 125, and my mid-irons go around 80-100. My last round of golf I shot a 70 on the front Nine (par 35) Here is my plan for a starter set, let me know what you think (note, these will all be standard height/lie, graphite shaft, and the irons will be "cavity-backed"...except the wedge, which I already had, and is a typical steel/blade construction).

-Driver (looking at a higher loft than average, perhaps 12 degrees? I have been using a 10, but I struggle to get it up)

-Fairway Wood (again, I'm thinking the higher loft the better, so prob a 7?)

-3 Irons (thinking about a 6, 9, and LW.... A 6 because it is the longest I can hit reliably, a LW because it's easiest to hit and ideal for shots near the green,, and a 9 because it's halfway between the 6 and LW)

-Putter (just picked up the cheapest one I could find in a local used golf store...also bought a practice putting green off amazon)

 

Will those 6 clubs be enough to get me through a course? Note I have left off hybrids, I can't seem to hit with them, and do much better with equivalent irons anyway. I'm iffy on the Fairway Wood too, but I figure I need at get comfortable with one because of their utility, and my inability to hit long irons. At some point in the future I will fill in my "iron gaps," but I'm looking for a bare minimum for now.

 

Thanks for any insight!

 

[Vinsk]

46 minutes ago, RBenn1701 said:

Hey all, new member and new player here, looking for advice on which clubs to carry. I have only played 2 rounds of golf in my life (with a friend's borrowed bag) and have been to the range about a dozen times. Pretty poor player at the moment, I drive around 125, and my mid-irons go around 80-100. My last round of golf I shot a 70 on the front Nine (par 35) Here is my plan for a starter set, let me know what you think (note, these will all be standard height/lie, graphite shaft, and the irons will be "cavity-backed"...except the wedge, which I already had, and is a typical steel/blade construction).

-Driver (looking at a higher loft than average, perhaps 12 degrees? I have been using a 10, but I struggle to get it up)

-Fairway Wood (again, I'm thinking the higher loft the better, so prob a 7?)

-3 Irons (thinking about a 6, 9, and LW.... A 6 because it is the longest I can hit reliably, a LW because it's easiest to hit and ideal for shots near the green,, and a 9 because it's halfway between the 6 and LW)

-Putter (just picked up the cheapest one I could find in a local used golf store...also bought a practice putting green off amazon)

 

Will those 6 clubs be enough to get me through a course? Note I have left off hybrids, I can't seem to hit with them, and do much better with equivalent irons anyway. I'm iffy on the Fairway Wood too, but I figure I need at get comfortable with one because of their utility, and my inability to hit long irons. At some point in the future I will fill in my "iron gaps," but I'm looking for a bare minimum for now.

 

Thanks for any insight!

 

Hello and welcome to TST. It’s difficult to give you solid advice without knowing anything about you regarding age, height, physical ability, etc. That being said what kind of budget do you have for clubs?

I’m asking because it’s very easy to obtain a nice set of used clubs and very cheap at that. Being brand new to the game it would really benefit you to get a few lessons. It’s a good time to do it before you start ingraining bad habits.

If lessons aren’t in your immediate plans then I would suggest you search eBay, 2ndswing golf, Callaway pre-owned, Golf Galaxy, TGW, for a beginning set of clubs.

The clubs you stated are ok for a start. But if you’re looking to play you really need other options included to get you around a course. 
 

You can even post a video of your swing here in the ‘Members Swing’ thread and get some excellent free advice. So welcome again to TST and welcome to golf! Cheers.

[Bonvivant]

Welcome to The Sand Trap! Always glad to see new users, and especially new players.

53 minutes ago, RBenn1701 said:

Driver (looking at a higher loft than average, perhaps 12 degrees? I have been using a 10, but I struggle to get it up)

I like this. When I got back into golf last year, I did the exact same thing. More loft for newer players isn't likely to hurt much until you start making really good contact with the ball.

54 minutes ago, RBenn1701 said:

Fairway Wood (again, I'm thinking the higher loft the better, so prob a 7?)

I like this too. Definitely don't want a 3 or 4 wood, though a 5 might be the sweet spot. 7s are more rare, but I think this is a good idea.

 

56 minutes ago, RBenn1701 said:

-3 Irons (thinking about a 6, 9, and LW.... A 6 because it is the longest I can hit reliably, a LW because it's easiest to hit and ideal for shots near the green,, and a 9 because it's halfway between the 6 and LW)

Your experience with a LW is far different from the norm. Most people struggle with LW (myself included). The 6 iron is a good idea, and I agree that it should be your longest iron. If I were doing this myself, I would probably take 6, 8, gap wedge (52 degree), but when making partial sets, it really is a personal preference.

6 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I’m asking because it’s very easy to obtain a nice set of used clubs and very cheap at that. Being brand new to the game it would really benefit you to get a few lessons. It’s a good time to do it before you start ingraining bad habits.

If lessons aren’t in your immediate plans then I would suggest you search eBay, 2ndswing golf, Callaway pre-owned, Golf Galaxy, TGW, for a beginning set of clubs.

The clubs you stated are ok for a start. But if you’re looking to play you really need other options included to get you around a course.

This! Overall, I think you have the right idea, but I wouldn't limit yourself for long. Once you start seeing improvement in distance, a full set will be really nice, and you can find some great deals on full sets.

[RBenn1701]

30 minutes ago, Bonvivant said:

Welcome to The Sand Trap! Always glad to see new users, and especially new players.

I like this. When I got back into golf last year, I did the exact same thing. More loft for newer players isn't likely to hurt much until you start making really good contact with the ball.

I like this too. Definitely don't want a 3 or 4 wood, though a 5 might be the sweet spot. 7s are more rare, but I think this is a good idea.

 

Your experience with a LW is far different from the norm. Most people struggle with LW (myself included). The 6 iron is a good idea, and I agree that it should be your longest iron. If I were doing this myself, I would probably take 6, 8, gap wedge (52 degree), but when making partial sets, it really is a personal preference.

 

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I realize I'm leaving a lot of holes with only 3 iron/wedges, but I figure I can always pick up used individual irons as I improve. I know if I bought a full set at this stage, even a cheap one, I'd regret it...still learning the basics. For instance, I just learned 2-3 days ago about "cavity irons," ...prior to that I was using the "blades," which were very difficult to get straight. Swapping it out for a cavity made a 100% difference. 

Regarding the Lob Wedge, is that really something people struggle with? I am around 75% with making good shots on irons, but with the LW I strike it solid almost every time...I haven't gotten it to a course yet, but it's my favorite on the range right now. I actually picked it up on a whim last week not really sure what it was (as it only had a "56" on it and not a letter or iron number) and got lucky. Actually not even totally sure it's officially a LW, or just a high-loft PW. But it works lol.

Edited May 31, 2020 by RBenn1701

[RBenn1701]

53 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Hello and welcome to TST. It’s difficult to give you solid advice without knowing anything about you regarding age, height, physical ability, etc. That being said what kind of budget do you have for clubs?

I’m asking because it’s very easy to obtain a nice set of used clubs and very cheap at that. Being brand new to the game it would really benefit you to get a few lessons. It’s a good time to do it before you start ingraining bad habits.

If lessons aren’t in your immediate plans then I would suggest you search eBay, 2ndswing golf, Callaway pre-owned, Golf Galaxy, TGW, for a beginning set of clubs.

The clubs you stated are ok for a start. But if you’re looking to play you really need other options included to get you around a course. 
 

You can even post a video of your swing here in the ‘Members Swing’ thread and get some excellent free advice. So welcome again to TST and welcome to golf! Cheers.

I'm 35, 6'0 - which I know puts me either on standard or + .25, but I'm going with standard for now just because they are much more readily available on the used market. I'm also fairly certain that graphite is the way to go for beginners, and I don't mind paying the extra coupe bucks for them. But is it true that I want to use steel for wedges/chipping? Something about more control on shorter shots?

Thanks for the site suggestions, I was looking on some of those recently..found Callowaypreowned to be the better priced of them all, with a wide selection. Found a bunch of individual clubs that were 15-25 bucks that were MSRP'ing for 150-200 new, so I can't beat that. Regarding my budget, I *could* spend several hundred, but I just prefer to go the cheap route until I'm confident I know what I'm buying. 

Hadn't considered getting lessons. Figuring stuff out on my own is a big part of the fun for me, even if I know it will be a harder road. Self-taught piano player, and high-average bowler as well. 

 

Thanks for your feedback!

Edited May 31, 2020 by RBenn1701

[Tepi90]

2 hours ago, RBenn1701 said:

Will those 6 clubs be enough to get me through a course?

 

I think they are easily enough to start with.

Personally started golf by playing a short par 3 "practise" course for first summer with only a 9 iron and putter. Longest hole was 120m if I remember correctly, really recommend those courses if you have one available. I think my short game was better after that first summer than it is now. 🙈

[RBenn1701]

10 minutes ago, Tepi90 said:

I think they are easily enough to start with.

Personally started golf by playing a short par 3 "practise" course for first summer with only a 9 iron and putter. Longest hole was 120m if I remember correctly, really recommend those courses if you have one available. I think my short game was better after that first summer than it is now. 🙈

Actually there is a nice little 9 hole course nearby that's all Par 3, ranging from around 120 to 200 yards..but it's closed for COVID. But thanks for the tip, I will make it a point to play there asap. 

[Bonvivant]

4 hours ago, RBenn1701 said:

Thanks for your input. Yeah, I realize I'm leaving a lot of holes with only 3 iron/wedges, but I figure I can always pick up used individual irons as I improve. I know if I bought a full set at this stage, even a cheap one, I'd regret it...still learning the basics. For instance, I just learned 2-3 days ago about "cavity irons," ...prior to that I was using the "blades," which were very difficult to get straight. Swapping it out for a cavity made a 100% difference. 

Regarding the Lob Wedge, is that really something people struggle with? I am around 75% with making good shots on irons, but with the LW I strike it solid almost every time...I haven't gotten it to a course yet, but it's my favorite on the range right now. I actually picked it up on a whim last week not really sure what it was (as it only had a "56" on it and not a letter or iron number) and got lucky. Actually not even totally sure it's officially a LW, or just a high-loft PW. But it works lol.

A 56 degree wedge is normally considered a sand wedge. Lob wedges are typically 58+ degrees. 56 degree wedges are quite a bit easier to hit than the typical 60 degree lob wedge. When I mentioned a "gap wedge", they are typically 50-54 degrees depending on the full wedge set up of a player. For example, I carry a 47 degree PW from my set, and then 52 (GW), 56 (SW), 60 (LW) from Titleist/Vokey (brand isn't that important though).

[RBenn1701]

2 hours ago, Bonvivant said:

A 56 degree wedge is normally considered a sand wedge. Lob wedges are typically 58+ degrees. 56 degree wedges are quite a bit easier to hit than the typical 60 degree lob wedge. When I mentioned a "gap wedge", they are typically 50-54 degrees depending on the full wedge set up of a player. For example, I carry a 47 degree PW from my set, and then 52 (GW), 56 (SW), 60 (LW) from Titleist/Vokey (brand isn't that important though).

Ah ok thanks. The loft's are a bit confusing to me, as they appear to be all over the place. Was looking at some clubs online, and have learned that any given loft can be labeled as 3 different iron's depending on who made it and when it was released. So I'm trying to focus on loft degree more than the official name of a club.

I also know that a 4 degree span between irons is considered common, but I know full well that I have no ability to judge distances that accurately, or to hit the iron consistently enough, to make use of such small spans... so I'm going with an 8-degree span for now (40/48/56). And like I said, I think it will be a while before I can use the 7 wood consistently, so I'll stick with my plan to carry the 6 iron (27 degree in this case) for set up shots.

 

Thanks again!

[pganapathy]

You can get a box set as cheap as $100.  You may not use all the clubs in the set, but it is cheaper and easier than having to buy a new club every time.  Of course, most of these have a 10* or so driver, a 3 wood and a hybrid of around 20 to 22 degrees.  Also, the shaft will most likely be a regular flex.  However, these will be a SGI type set, making life easier for you

[Piz]

Welcome.  You may want to consider how many shots you have in your bag rather than how many clubs you have.  A good place to start is the practice range.  Have you got a 25, 50, 75, and 100 yard club?  You likely have several that can accomplish that task.  What about 150, 175, and 200?  Fewer...I'm guessing.  

The point being:  You can't carry enough clubs to cover every possible scenario but you can learn enough shots to make do with 14 or fewer.  In fact...it is exceedingly rare for a golfer to use all 14 clubs in a single round.  

[RBenn1701]

12 hours ago, pganapathy said:

You can get a box set as cheap as $100.  You may not use all the clubs in the set, but it is cheaper and easier than having to buy a new club every time.  Of course, most of these have a 10* or so driver, a 3 wood and a hybrid of around 20 to 22 degrees.  Also, the shaft will most likely be a regular flex.  However, these will be a SGI type set, making life easier for you

hmm... that would be preferable, but I haven't seen deals like that anywhere. Cheapest set I can find is around 200, and those tended to have steel shafts and, like you said, lower lofts on the driver and woods than what I'm looking for. 

[pganapathy]

53 minutes ago, RBenn1701 said:

hmm... that would be preferable, but I haven't seen deals like that anywhere. Cheapest set I can find is around 200, and those tended to have steel shafts and, like you said, lower lofts on the driver and woods than what I'm looking for. 

Discount Golf Sets | Rock Bottom Golf

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Why not just go for the whole set? Shop the top brands for the lowest prices guaranteed on complete golf sets.

There is one set of 10 Nitro Blaster clubs for $100.  I found this with a google search and about 5 minutes of effort searching through web pages.  I am sure you could find similar deals.  This one says graphite/steel shafts.