New to Golf and Worried About My Clubs…

[ZgGolfer]

So I’m 40 years old and I’m thinking of trying golf again.  I have a set of clubs but I’m worried about being laughed at because of their age.  Am i being paranoid or do guys look at each other’s clubs and bags like cars? Don’t want to drop a ton of money on a new set if I’m not going to play a bunch. 

Spoiler

 

 

[iacas]

Just go play. Play with some friends and give them shit when you beat them on a hole with your old clubs and rusty game if they make fun of you first.

[ChetlovesMer]

33 minutes ago, ZgGolfer said:

So I’m 40 years old and I’m thinking of trying golf again.  I have a set of clubs but I’m worried about being laughed at because of their age.  Am i being paranoid or do guys look at each other’s clubs and bags like cars? Don’t want to drop a ton of money on a new set if I’m not going to play a bunch. 

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You are being paranoid. Don't worry about it. 

Nobody really cares what clubs you play as long as you keep pace. Strangers you get paired up with won't give a rat's butt what you play. Again, as long as you keep pace. Your friends may make fun of you, but that's cool. Just make fun of them for wearing a white belt. 

How old are your clubs? If the shafts aren't hickory, they are probably good enough to get out there and get started again. 

Get out there and play. Ideally start taking lessons too. Sooner or later, you will either decide you are not interested enough in the game and you'll give it up. Or you will decide you like the game and will want to get some new (or at least new to you) sticks. 

 

[woodzie264]

6 minutes ago, iacas said:

Just go play. Play with some friends and give them shit when you beat them on a hole with your old clubs and rusty game if they make fun of you first.

1. ^^^^This is perfect.
2. Screw what everyone thinks.
3.  Hit on the range a few times, make sure you’re making solid contact. Not out of concern for what others think, but just wanting whatever advantage newer technology could offer me, I would get a used (but newer set that your current ones 😉) from Play-It-Again or something, spending $150 then get something nicer when ready

[Shindig]

Play whatever clubs you want.  A friend of mine plays a 3-wood older than I am.  

(that might be an exaggeration -- he calls it his "3 wood that is older than Mike."  It's probably no more than 25 years old, while I am older than that.)

[SEMI_Duffer]

I started playing two years ago. All I really wanted to do was bat lake balls into the woods with a 7-iron. I was gifted a departed friends entire bag. So, I figured, I might as well learn how to play golf.  (Thus began my journey down the rabbit hole.  Suffice it to say that's been one heckuva expensive free bag of clubs )

The clubs in that bag, TM-Tour Titan Steel II's, are TaylorMade knock-offs that are probably twenty years old if they're a day. I had the irons re-gripped (the grips were literally falling apart) and played them.

People can laugh (nobody has), but I hit those irons so well, when I do my part, the only reason I'm considering replacing them is I'd like to try one-length irons.

The driver, woods, and putter didn't work for me, so those have been replaced. And I couldn't hit with the 4i to save my soul, so that was replaced with a 4h I [b]can[/b] hit.

Play 'em. If they work for you: Keep 'em. If they don't: Replace 'em

Edited Thursday at 10:13 PM by SEMI_Duffer

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, SEMI_Duffer said:

I started playing two years ago. All I really wanted to do was bat lake balls into the woods with a 7-iron. I was gifted a departed friends entire bag. So, I figured, I might as well learn how to play golf.  (Thus began my journey down the rabbit hole.  Suffice it to say that's been one heckuva expensive free bag of clubs )

The clubs in that bag, TM-Tour Titan Steel II's, are TaylorMade knock-offs that are probably twenty years old if they're a day. I had the irons re-gripped (the grips were literally falling apart) and played them.

People can laugh (nobody has), but I hit those irons so well, when I do my part, the only reason I'm considering replacing them is I'd like to try one-length irons.

The driver, woods, and putter didn't work for me, so those have been replaced. And I couldn't hit with the 4i to save my soul, so that was replaced with a 4h I [b]can[/b] hit.

Play 'em. If they work for you: Keep 'em. If they don't: Replace 'em

And don't forget to honor the memory  of your friend every time you pure one of his clubs...

Edited Thursday at 11:14 PM by Double Mocha Man

[SEMI_Duffer]

4 hours ago, Double Mocha Man said:

And don't forget to honor the memory  of your friend every time you pure one of his clubs...

That's one of the other reasons I'm not anxious to replace them. His widow was so happy I, one of their friends, would be playing with her husbands clubs she was nearly in tears.

[StuM]

15 hours ago, ZgGolfer said:

So I’m 40 years old and I’m thinking of trying golf again.  I have a set of clubs but I’m worried about being laughed at because of their age.  Am i being paranoid or do guys look at each other’s clubs and bags like cars? Don’t want to drop a ton of money on a new set if I’m not going to play a bunch. 

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Welcome and not to repeat, just will say all comments above are good.  Just go have fun and do not worry about what others think,

only caveat, do not be do slow as to ruin their enjoyment,  nothing wrong with picking up and just going to green to chip & putt if having a rough hole.

[boogielicious]

12 hours ago, SEMI_Duffer said:

I started playing two years ago. All I really wanted to do was bat lake balls into the woods with a 7-iron. I was gifted a departed friends entire bag. So, I figured, I might as well learn how to play golf.  (Thus began my journey down the rabbit hole.  Suffice it to say that's been one heckuva expensive free bag of clubs )

The clubs in that bag, TM-Tour Titan Steel II's, are TaylorMade knock-offs that are probably twenty years old if they're a day. I had the irons re-gripped (the grips were literally falling apart) and played them.

People can laugh (nobody has), but I hit those irons so well, when I do my part, the only reason I'm considering replacing them is I'd like to try one-length irons.

The driver, woods, and putter didn't work for me, so those have been replaced. And I couldn't hit with the 4i to save my soul, so that was replaced with a 4h I [b]can[/b] hit.

Play 'em. If they work for you: Keep 'em. If they don't: Replace 'em

Keep playing the irons until your game improves.  Check the shafts for rust next time you regrip. If they were stored in the garage, they could have potential rust inside. If the heads are in good shape, you could get them re-shafted eventually to a shaft that fits your swing better.

[Carl3]

Lets see pics of these things. Super curious.

[ChetlovesMer]

8 hours ago, SEMI_Duffer said:

That's one of the other reasons I'm not anxious to replace them. His widow was so happy I, one of their friends, would be playing with her husbands clubs she was nearly in tears.

That's really cool. 
One of the best comments I've read. 

I lost my dad in June. I played his driver at golf league this past Wednesday. Some of the reason why was just because I've been struggling off the tee and I wanted to change things up. But also because it helps to remember what's important. Golf should be a game about making memories with friends and/or family. This may sound corny, but the last time I played golf with my dad we played 9 holes. I shot a 40. At golf league on Wednesday I shot a 40 with his driver in the bag. Probably coincidence, but I get a little choked up thinking about it. 

So, yeah. Play your buddy's clubs. Nobody's going to give you any flack about how old or new they are. If they do, that's their problem. 

Sooner or later you will hit at least one great shot with those clubs, then you can tell your friend's widow about it. 

Eventually, if you stick with the game you may want to replace them. That's cool, too, Your friend would understand. If the clubs are as old as you say he may have had his eyes on some new sticks as well. If that time comes perhaps hand out a club or two to a bunch of your buddy's friends and family members. They may think its cool to hang on to something associated with your friend.

Anyway, what ever you decide to do the very last thing you should be worried about is what other folks think about what's in your bag. 

[SEMI_Duffer]

3 hours ago, boogielicious said:

Keep playing the irons until your game improves.  Check the shafts for rust next time you regrip.

Carbon fiber shafts, so no worry there :)

 

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Sooner or later you will hit at least one great shot with those clubs, then you can tell your friend's widow about it. 

I have already. Several times.  Then, after I started training with True Motion Golf I got better. Much better. E.g.: A week ago, out in the back yard with my 7i, off a mat: Of somewhere between a dozen and two dozen swings I had only five misfires: Three ground balls, one slice, and one draw that was probably really a hook. The rest were one playable fade (probably) to straight ahead to baby draws, nice and high except for one line drive that still would've made me happy playing.

 

1 hour ago, ChetlovesMer said:

Eventually, if you stick with the game you may want to replace them.

I may.  I may not.  My thinking is: If I'm hitting them the way I want to hit them: Why replace them?

I have since figured out I really need a jumbo grip, rather than midsize, so I may get 'em regripped again.

 

@Carl3, did you mean my clubs or the OPs?

 

Edited Friday at 01:33 PM by SEMI_Duffer

[Carl3]

20 minutes ago, SEMI_Duffer said:

did you mean my clubs or the OPs?

I meant the OP's but maybe a comparison would be fun 😃

My first set of irons were passed down from my grandpa back in 1981 when I was 16. They had leather grips and metal shafts that were smooth and had a brown tone to perhaps give the appearance of wood. I am thinking they were 1940's or 50's era.

He was a great golfer who played in the 1935 US open and won a KC Kansas championship, so I am thinking that they had been top-notch clubs at one point. However I was super embarrased to be playing with them. He had these beautiful custom-made woods by Keneth Smith who started a shop in KC back in 1928.

Edited Friday at 02:02 PM by Carl3

[SEMI_Duffer]

25 minutes ago, Carl3 said:

I meant the OP's but maybe a comparison would be fun 😃

Sure. Why not? Maybe they'll make the OP a bit less paranoid about his "old" clubs 

The bag, as I received it:

https://www.linxnet.com/misc/images/Golf/Gifted_Clubs/Golf_Clubs-18pct.JPG

Closeup of one of the irons:

https://www.linxnet.com/misc/images/Golf/Gifted_Clubs/IMG_3256.JPG

New grips:

https://www.linxnet.com/misc/images/Golf/Gifted_Clubs/GP_CP2_Pro_grip-18pct.JPG

There'v since been "a few" upgrades , but the irons remain:

https://www.linxnet.com/misc/images/Golf/WITB-20220805-18pct.JPG

(Yeah, the top end of the bag is pretty busy. I'm still in experimental mode.)

Only reason I upgraded the things I did is their analogs, in what I was gifted, weren't working for me.

 

Edited Friday at 02:20 PM by SEMI_Duffer

[Wade Patton]

Clubs don't make a player. I only upgraded my Driver and 3-wood to start back after leaving golf in the 90's. I'm back now and anyone can scoff at my old 80's blades any time they want to. They won't say much after a few holes because I practice and can hit them. 

If you can't hit old clubs you can't hit new clubs. Double check your fitment maybe--I've regripped to accommodate my hand size and really needed to all those years ago. Of course that necessitated SW adjustment, but it's all better now.  Heck I think a series of lessons/fitment/coaching and practice would be a much better way to spend extra money than new clubs for the sake of appearances.

[SEMI_Duffer]

1 hour ago, Wade Patton said:

Clubs don't make a player.

True, but, while game improvement clubs can't do miracles, they can make less-than-ideal less disastrous. Likewise: Somebody who's skills have advanced to the point they can start working on shaping their shots probably should start thinking about dropping their GI clubs in favor of clubs that won't fight that.

E.g.: Winter-before-last I acquired a Callaway Mavrik MAX driver and Mavrik MAX woods. The driver didn't fix my swing. I fixed my swing. But the driver does tame mild mis-hits - particularly strong fades. Same with the Mav MAX woods. I couldn't hit off the deck with woods to save my soul. Those Mav MAX woods made it relatively easy to do so. And, like the driver, they somewhat tame misfires.

[Wade Patton]

3 hours ago, SEMI_Duffer said:

True, but, while game improvement clubs can't do miracles, they can make less-than-ideal less disastrous. Likewise: Somebody who's skills have advanced to the point they can start working on shaping their shots probably should start thinking about dropping their GI clubs in favor of clubs that won't fight that.

E.g.: Winter-before-last I acquired a Callaway Mavrik MAX driver and Mavrik MAX woods. The driver didn't fix my swing. I fixed my swing. But the driver does tame mild mis-hits - particularly strong fades. Same with the Mav MAX woods. I couldn't hit off the deck with woods to save my soul. Those Mav MAX woods made it relatively easy to do so. And, like the driver, they somewhat tame misfires.

Yes, I updated my driver/3wood to 2013 when I got interested again just a few years ago. But I'll play vintage blades evermore after. They make me practice and practice makes me better, and that buttah!